We’re here at Sophie’s Choice bookstore with the owner, Melanie Dalton. Tell us about how you came to open the bookstore.

It’s a long story. I came to Peakview with my daughter a couple of years ago in search of a father I had never known. He’d turned out to be none other than Howard Crandall. He hadn’t known that my mother was pregnant or that I existed. He and Sophie bonded almost immediately, and we decided to stay in Peakview and give the relationship a chance. I’ve never regretted that decision. Anyway, I found this old house. It was cheap and in need of repair. It seemed like the perfect place for a home and a business. Sophie and I lived upstairs until I married Hank and moved to our ranch. Along the way we adopted our foster daughter, Marissa, and a rescue dog named, Scruffy.

How’s business?

Great. This town really needed a book store. During the summer, the tourists keep us hopping. It slows down in the winter which is fine by me.

I see you’re expecting. When’s the baby due?

In September. We can’t wait. It’s a boy. Hank is so excited. It’s his first biological child, although he’s adopted both Sophie and Marissa. He’s a great dad.

What do you like best about Peakview?

That we’re all one big family. I’d never had that. My mom never stayed in one place for long, and we always lived in big cities. I’m so happy to raise my children in a place like Peakview. Finding this town was a dream come true for us. Stop by and see us anytime.