Load Secure

He's spent twelve years running from the past. Now, a desperate phone call—and a fragile cargo—might give him one last chance to come home. Eli Vance is a long-haul trucker with a clean logbook and a broken heart. After abandoning his family in the wake of an unspeakable loss, he's spent years disappearing into the rhythm of the open road—until a voicemail from his sixteen-year-old daughter changes everything. With just 72 hours to deliver a life-saving vaccine across the American Southwest, Eli must race against time, mechanical failure, and his own guilt. But when Maya reveals a secret that could alter both their lives forever, he realizes the most important delivery isn't in his trailer—it's the trust he must earn to become the father she needs. From the deserts of Arizona to the rain-slicked streets of Nashville, Load Secure is a quietly powerful story of redemption, responsibility, and the courage to show up—even when you're certain you don't deserve to. Perfect for fans of *Kent Haruf*, Richard Russo, and Delia Owens, this emotionally resonant debut introduces a new voice in American fiction—one that finds grace in grit, and hope in the spaces between exits.