1/31/2020

Nancy J Holland

We are so saddened by the loss of our friend and Golden Heart sister. She was truly an amazing person and writer. She will be missed.




Nancy Jean Holland
Obituary
Nancy J. Holland died January 25, 2020, age 72, from complications of non-smokers’ lung cancer. She was able to write, read, and listen to music until disease and treatment effects took those capacities away. Her only regret is having to leave her beloved husband, family, and friends.
A California native, she earned a B.A. with great distinction from Stanford University and her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. She joined the faculty at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1981 and taught philosophy there for 36 years. Among other roles at Hamline she served as Chair of the Philosophy Department, Hanna Chair of Philosophy, Director of Women's Studies, and President of the Faculty Council. She won the Grimes Outstanding Teacher Award in 2000 and twice won the Conger Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Work in the Humanities. Beyond Hamline, she served as a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission of the North-Central Accreditation Association and in various roles in the American Philosophical Association and the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy.
She is the author of four scholarly books (Is Women’s Philosophy Possible?, The Madwoman’s Reason, Ontological Humility: Lord Voldemort and the Philosophers, and most recently, Heidegger and the Problem of Consciousness), and edited two other volumes (Feminist Interpretation of Jacques Derrida and Feminist Interpretations of Martin Heidegger [with Patricia Huntington]). She published over thirty-five journal articles and book chapters on topics as diverse as feminist philosophy; the work of Derrida, Heidegger, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty; and the music of Prince.
After retiring from Hamline in 2017, she turned her part-time career as a novelist into a full-time occupation. In all, she had two romances published by HarperCollins UK (Owed: One Wedding Nightand Found: One Secret Baby). She won an award for Thalgor’s Witch, part of The Witch King trilogy, published by Tule Publishing, Inc. She also produced a contemporary romance (The Christmas Pony), also published by Tule.
She is survived by her husband of thirty-eight years, Jeffrey W. Koon, and their two children. They are Gwendolyn Koon (Timothy Weeks), who manages a non-profit bicycle sales and repair shop in Portland, Oregon, and Justis Koon, who is a doctoral student in philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is also survived by her brother, Glenn S. Holland, and his family. Her parents are the late Glen Holland and Marjorie Holland (nee Stanfield).
No services will be held. Memorial donations can be sent to Hamline University an organization with which she had complicated but on balance positive relationships.

1/28/2020

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DEBUT !!

DESPERATE CHOICES
Bad Karma Special Ops #1

A SINGLE MOM FACING DANGER
Eight months ago, Stephanie Anderson’s idyllic life shattered when her husband was killed. Now she’s doing the best she can to support herself and her little girl. She never anticipates the danger they face after witnessing activity that may tie her husband’s unsolved murder to a drug smuggling operation.

AN ELITE SOLDIER FOLLOWING ORDERS
On leave following a deployment, Ray Lundgren answers a new call to duty when his best friend’s older sister turns to him for help. Stephanie’s brother may have ordered him to steer clear of his sister when they were younger, but protecting her reignites the attraction they both denied years ago.

A DESPERATE CHOICE FOR LOVE

The police push Stephanie to gather the evidence needed to crack her husband’s murder case and ensure her and her daughter’s safety. Ray objects, but with his leave time running out and her options limited, Stephanie agrees to help the authorities with their plan. When imminent danger emerges from an unexpected source, Ray disobeys orders from the police and he must race to get to Stephanie when not only their shot at love, but her life, is in jeopardy.
READ A LITTLE, BUY THE BOOK


Ray wasn’t really suggesting eloping, was he? This was just a story to explain Stephanie quitting her job in a way they wouldn’t suspect she knew about the smuggling. “I’m not exactly the impulsive type.”
“We’ve been friends for years. It’s not like we have to date to get to know each other.”
“Friends is a different kind of knowing each other.” Stephanie said to Ray.
“I know you’re a great cook and mother. You go to church almost every Sunday. You’re a peacemaker and put others before yourself. Given a choice of the beach or mountains, you’d pick the beach. You like eighties rock, and you can carry a tune, even though you don’t think you sing well. You have a sweet tooth and aren’t embarrassed to go for the corner piece of cake.”
“Wait. How do you …?” She stared right into his eyes. What she saw there, the naked vulnerability, the longing, made it clear this went deeper than exploring an old crush.

Here was the man she’d fantasized about being with for years, despite thinking he’d never be interested in her that way, and he’d just told her he knew her better than her family and friends. He made it sound like the values she held appealed to him. The physical attraction they shared played a role but wasn’t the sole basis of their relationship. She’d been trying to keep her feelings in check, especially since he’d return to Kentucky in a few days, but she couldn’t deny that he’d captured her heart by watching over her and making her feel safe. With how he stepped in to help with Alexis. And, now, with his words.

TRACY BRODY has written a series of single-title romances featuring the Bad Karma Special Ops team whose love lives are as dangerous as their missions. A SHOT WORTH TAKING and IN THE WRONG SIGHTS won the Golden Heart® for romantic suspense in 2015 and 2016. DEADLY AIM was a four-time finalist in the Golden Heart.

She has a background in banking, retired to become a domestic engineer, and aims to supplement her husband's retirement using her overactive imagination. Tracy began writing spec movie and TV scripts, however, when two friends gave her the same feedback on a script, saying that they'd love to see it as a book, she didn't need to be hit over the head with a literal 2" x 4" to get the message. She joined RWA® and developed her craft and learned how to use commas correctly--most of the time. She has a sense of humor and is not afraid to use it. When not on a writing retreat with friends, she enjoys walking in her neighborhood, the park, or especially at the beach talking to herself as she plots books and scenes.

Tracy lives in North Carolina where she and her husband are semi-empty nesters. She has a daughter in college and a son who's living his dream as a software engineer in Silicon Valley and getting married in Scotland this summer.

STAY CONNECTED

THE ROMANCE INTERVIEW
ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine gift or have you received it yet?
TRACY: Have you ever read the book about the Five Love Languages? Well, gifts is NOT my love language—or my husband’s. We did get engaged on Valentine’s Day but a diamond ring isn’t a gift as much as a commitment, so that doesn’t count. My wonderful husband is the only guy I’ve been with on Valentine’s and he did send me roses and had them delivered to me during Bible Study one year, but usually it’s just a card. Maybe I’ll get some great reviews on my book for Valentine’s. That would be an AWESOME gift!

ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine flower?
TRACY: I think roses are beautiful and smell great, but they require no thought and are way overpriced on Valentines. (You’re probably thinking I’m not a romantic and how do I write romances right now.) I’m all for a mixed arrangement with red and white and purple (or blue since I’m quite patriotic.) However, my husband has been known to relocate flowers to the garage due to his allergies, so pink icing flowers on a big chocolate chip cookie get my vote. 😉 

ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine/Love saying?
TRACY: I’m going with scripture here: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Ephesians 13:4-8. Also,  Love isn’t always a feeling, it’s a choice – and not always easy. 😉

ANGI: Which Valentine film can you watch over and over without falling asleep?
TRACY: I don’t have a favorite “Valentine film.” Is there such a thing? (Angi and the readers are probably going to kick me out as a non-romantic but trust me, my alpha heroes and kick-ass heroines are pretty romantic.) But I LOVE movies like Ladyhawke, While You Were Sleeping, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Disney movies like Mulan and Beauty and the Beast (she got the prince and that library!)

ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine candy you’d share with friends?

TRACY: I have to share? I love white chocolate and milk chocolate. Esther Price makes amazing chocolates and salted caramels that I would stingily share.

UP NEXT for TRACY:
DEADLY AIM
Bad Karma Special Ops #2

A MILITARY WIDOW TORN BETWEEN LOVE AND DUTY
Widowed Black Hawk pilot Kristie Donovan is determined not to fall for Mack Hanlon, the Army sniper she saved on a mission tied to a drug cartel. Army regulations about rank mean Mack is off-limits. Besides, she’s not risking what’s left of her heart to another man in Special Ops. But when Mack insists on protecting Kristie from a fellow soldier with a grudge, he sparks her hope for a second chance at love.

AN ELITE SOLDIER AIMING FOR A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE
Mack’s marriage failed because his ex-wife was done with all things Army. Now he wants to find a woman who understands his drive to serve and protect—a woman like the attractive Black Hawk pilot who pulled off the daring rescue mission. All he has to do is break through her defenses.

A DEADLY CARTEL WANTING REVENGE
Mack’s victory is in sight when they learn the same cartel has targeted Kristie due to her connection to the men behind the death of the drug lord’s son—Mack’s Bad Karma Special Ops team. Though Mack is determined to protect Kristie, she has her own plan to keep herself, Mack, his daughters, and the Bad Karma team out of harm’s reach. But when the cartel captures her before she can act. Will Mack and his team be able to save her from the drug lord aiming to get vengeance against them?


EXCERPT: FROM DEADLY AIM out in March:
Her phone dinged. Had to be Mack. Yup. His text said to meet him back at the house. The wording poked at her heart. The house. Lundgrens’, not her home.
The last bit of adrenaline drained away. There was no need for Mack to continue to protect her. No reason for him to stay or them to spend time together. No more living in her little fantasy world.
Maybe she should offer to cook dinner for him as a thank-you. She could invite Tony, too. She was stalling. Best to go cold turkey. See you there, she texted back.
She’d only been at the Lundgrens’ a few minutes before Mack knocked at the side door.
“Did you get the tracker on the truck?” she asked.
“Yes. He won’t find it unless he crawls under the truck.” A smudge of dirt or grease ran along his cheek. “Once we determine where he lives, I’ll go by and see what other vehicles are there that he’d have access to.”
“Thanks. I appreciate you guys helping me handle this. Don’t worry about stripping the bed. I’ll take care of that.”
His grin disappeared. “Kicking me out already?”
“More like not infringing on you any longer.” It took effort to sound lighthearted. “I’m sure you’d like to sleep in your own bed. And you have your girls coming tomorrow for the weekend. You can’t keep sleeping here.”
“Yeah.” He kept staring at her rather than move to get his stuff. He didn’t say a word as seconds stretched out in the silence.
“Look, I’ll go home—because I feel like you’re safe. But being here with you hasn’t exactly been a hardship. And before I go, we need to address this,” he waved a hand, pointing from her to himself and back to her.
“Mack—”
“No. Let me finish. There’s something here. Between us. We’ve been tiptoeing around it the past few days, and it’s not going away just because we’re not under the same roof.”
“I admit,” she struggled for the right words, “you made me feel safe. And being with you was easy and fun.”
“We could have something good together if—”
“If what, Mack? If it weren’t for Army regulations that prohibit it?”
“There are workarounds.”
“I have two years left on my service commitment, but I plan to do my twenty years for full retirement. Do you think we could sneak around, hoping we don’t get caught? That’s not going to happen. I can’t afford to risk everything by violating regulations.”
“You and I aren’t in the same unit, and it’s not that big a deal in my unit.”
“Well, hooyah for you, but it is in mine. I just got here, and I’m in line for my dream job. I’m not willing to risk getting busted in rank or court-martialed.” It was the superior-ranking officer that would face charges.
“You can’t let flying be your whole life. Because it’s not enough. I know. I love my job, and I do it to protect the people I love, and it totally sucks that my ex thought I was selfish for risking myself to protect her and the girls from the bad shit they don’t see. I need a reason to do what I do. Someone to come home to. Especially since there will come a day I—you—can’t do it anymore. When were you happiest?”
“What?”
“In your life. When were you happiest?”
She stared at him for several seconds. If she told him, he’d use it to his advantage. Yet she couldn’t lie. Not about this. “When I was married to Eric. When we were both doing what we loved.” She hesitated. “When we were planning a family.”
“Exactly. You may think you can’t have it all again. But you can.”

TRACY is giving away a digital copy of Desperate Choices.
your host, Angi Morgan
Get Lost on Facebook   @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories
AND OUR NEW Facebook Group: The Readers’ Spot

TRACY WANTS TO KNOWI volunteer at the USO and admit I swoon a bit at the sight of a man in military camouflage (but not hunting camouflage.) What makes you take a second look at a man or book cover? A nice suit? A uniform? Snug T-shirt and jeans? Skin?

1/23/2020

New for January from Harlequin Desire

If you love falling in love with sexy, romantic heroes who have it all, then Harlequin Desire has six new novels for you to escape with in January!



RICH, RUGGED RANCHER by Joss Wood
Texas Cattleman’s Club: Inheritance

No man is an island? Tell that to wealthy loner Clint Rockwell. But when reality TV star Fee Martinez sweeps into his life, passions flare. Will their desire for one another be enough to bridge the differences between them?


FROM SEDUCTION TO SECRETS by Andrea Laurence
Switched!

Goal-oriented Kat McIntryre didn’t set out to spend the night with billionaire Sawyer Steele, it just happened! This isn’t her only surprise. Sawyer isn’t who she thought he was—and now there’s a baby on the way... Will all their secrets ruin everything?


ENTANGLED WITH THE HEIRESS by Dani Wade
Louisiana Legacies

Young widow Trinity Hyatt is hiding a life-altering secret to protect her late husband’s legacy, and wealthy investigator Rhett Bannon is determined to find it. But his attraction to Trinity might destroy everything they’re both fighting for…or reveal a deeper truth to save it all.


VEGAS VOWS, TEXAS NIGHTS by Charlene Sands
Boone Brothers of Texas

It isn’t every day that Texan rancher Luke Boone wakes up in Vegas suddenly married! But when the sizzling chemistry with his new wife survives the trip back to Texas, long-held secrets and family loyalties threaten their promise of forever.


THE TWIN SWITCH by Barbara Dunlop
Gambling Men

When Layla Gillen follows her runaway best friend to save her brother’s wedding, she doesn’t know a fling with Max Kendrick is in her future. But when his twin brother and her best friend derail the wedding for good, Layla must choose between her family and irresistible passion.


THE CASE FOR TEMPTATION by Robyn Grady
About That Night…

After a night of passion, hard-driving lawyer Jacob Stone learns the woman he’s falling for—Tegan Hunter—is the sister of the man he’s suing! As their forbidden attraction grows, is Jacob the one to give Teagan what she’s long been denied?

Be sure to enter the giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway



1/22/2020

A Historical Romp you Won't Want to Miss !!


ABOUT AN EARL
What Happens in the Ballroom #2

An outsider at her first English ball, Jewel is fascinated with the beautiful dresses and the lovely dancing, but she’s vowed to save the Earl of Winchcombe from her cousin’s marriage trap. When she first glimpses the handsome lord, her heart beats faster. As they plan to thwart her cousin’s machinations, she discovers a kindred spirit in Oliver—even if he’s a peer and she’s a lowly colonist. Caught kissing the earl, the ball ends in disaster and Jewel’s displeased uncle whisks her away to Scotland.

Lord Scar, as the ton calls Oliver, would rather be anywhere than at a godforsaken masquerade ball and when he learns from the free-spirited colonist about the nefarious marriage plan, he grudgingly accepts her help. Jewel intrigues him and sets his heart racing. Yet, when the ball is over and the mask is off—Oliver curses the scar that will send her screaming away.

When her uncle banishes her, Oliver comes to her rescue by offering Jewel his hand in marriage. She agrees, despite his disfigurement. But what’s a beastly lord like him to do with such a beautiful wife—especially when he discovers she’s delightfully saucy?


DIANA LLOYD, mother of gingers, writes stories with kissing in them. Diana lives in Michigan, USA where it is never more than a two-hour drive to a beach and the shark-free waters of one of the Great Lakes. Diana has flipped burgers, sorted mail, stocked warehouses, and cleaned offices. All while writing stories in her head. Diana was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest for unpublished writers in 2017 for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BARON when she finally put one of those stories on paper and dared to let someone read it. Diana writes stories with heart and humor where characters fight against injustice and create their own happily ever after.

STAY CONNECTED

THE ROMANCE INTERVIEW
DIANA: One year on Valentine’s Day my husband handed me a small box to open. After 30 years together we don’t usually make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day, so I was pleasantly surprised. I opened the box to find his wedding ring. The ring he lost when we moved many years ago and never thought we’d see again. He asked me to put it back on his finger and he promised not to take it off again. It was the most romantic thing he’d ever done.

ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine flower?
DIANA: I’m not one of those people who likes getting cut flower bouquets because it seems so wasteful. I’d rather get a flowering sage or a polka-dot plant. My favorite flower scents are lilac, cherry blossom, and lily of the valley. Since I write historical romance, my heroines would expect flowers when the hero needs to grovel – my husband, not so much.

ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine/Love saying?
DIANA: “Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.” Because it reminds me that relationships are a journey. I try to remember this when writing my books because each story is a couple’s journey to their happily ever after.

ANGI: Which Valentine film can you watch over and over without falling asleep?
DIANA: One of my favorites is French Kiss (Meg Ryan/Kevin Kline) and I’ll watch The Mummy (Brendan Fraser/Rachael Weisz) every time it’s on TV. It’s a Romance! A romance with shoot-outs, car chases, and mummies.

ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine candy you’d share with friends?
DIANA: I’d share almost anything because it keeps me from eating it all. What I won’t share is Almond Roca or Peanut Butter Cups. My grandmother always had a pink tin of Almond Roca on her buffet and I got hooked on it at an early age. Now it’s a nostalgic favorite. And, of course, PBC because peanut butter is amazing if you’re not allergic to it.

ANGI: What is your favorite Valentine tradition?

DIANA: That couples in a relationship should spend some time together. If you look past all the commercialization, that’s what it’s about. I don’t care about the flowers, cards, candy or even a fancy dinner; I think it’s more important that couples spend time together doing something they both enjoy.

UP NEXT for DIANA:
LAST LORD STANDING
What Happens in the Ballroom #3
Available September 2020

Rake Kerrigen Northam survives on looks, wit, and little white lies. When one of his falsehoods turns out to be not so harmless, he struggles to make everything right again. Caught in his web of lies, Libby Chalford must find a way to save both their reputations. In this Regency mash-up of Pinocchio and the Three Little Pigs, Libby and Kerrigen discover the truth of what they seek exists in each other. 

PREVIOUSLY RELEASED by DIANA:
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BARON
What Happens in the Ballroom #1

When Elsinore Cosgrove escapes a ballroom in search of adventure, she has no idea it will lead to a hasty marriage. The youngest daughter of a duke, all she wants is to make her own choices. Now she's engaged to an infuriating, handsome Scottish baron who doesn't even know her name! Using all her feminine wiles, along with advice gleaned from a training guide for hunting hounds, Elsinore is determined to mold her baron into the husband she wants.

Quin Graham is a man with many secrets. If another scandal can be avoided with a sham marriage, so be it. Only his fiancée isn't at all what he's expecting, and the clumsy, curious, and clever Elsinore refuses to be set aside. For reasons he's unwilling to explain, the last thing Quin needs is to fall for his wife.
Read a little, Buy the book

LET IT SNOW: A REGENCY HOLIDAY NOVELLA

on sale for $.99

Blustery winds of a winter storm reveal long hidden desires and snowfall plays matchmaker in this Regency Holiday novella. A first kiss remembered, and a love ignited by a fiery game of snapdragon bring Saffron Thomas and Tobin Everleigh to a life-altering decision. While Saffron struggles between doing what is right or what is best for her, Tobin realizes that he may have waited too long to reveal his heart. Ambition and tradition are both tested as Saffron and Tobin find their way through the storm and into each other’s arms.

DIANA is giving away an ebook copy of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BARON & ABOUT AN EARL (U.S. only) and a $10.00 Amazon gift card (worldwide)

your host, Angi Morgan
Get Lost on Facebook   @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories
AND OUR NEW Facebook Group: The Readers’ Spot

DIANA WANTS TO KNOW:  My reading catnip is Forced Proximity – two people who either barely know each other or actively dislike each other – thrown together and forced to learn how to work together for a Happily-Ever-After. What’s your favorite?

1/17/2020

New Release ~ A Wedding in Apple Grove

Celebrating the release of the Sweet version of A Wedding in Apple Grove, Sweet Small Town USA Book 1!


This book is dedicated to Sue Grimshaw, whose vision, insightful edits and attention to detail gave new life to the residents of Apple Grove, Ohio ~ Small Town USA. The Mulcahy Family and I thank you.

I like to use family names in my books. My Grandfather's sister (my Great Aunt Margaret married Frank Mulcahy. My Mom used to have great stories about her uncles Frank and Joe Mulcahy. Years ago I connected with one of Great Uncle Frank and Aunt Margaret's granddaughters on Ancestry.com and realized we had the same picture!!! 


~ ~ ~

A Wedding in Apple Grove
Small Town USA Book One
Excerpt from Chapter One

Daniel Eagan downshifted then accelerated through the curve.  Weeping hemlocks and spruce trees grew side by side with oak and maple trees lining the road leading him to his new home—and life in Ohio. The sheer size and number of the trees were daunting.
The shades of green melded into a blur as he picked up speed on the straightaway. “No sidewalks.” He knew he was getting closer to the town of Apple Grove but still hadn’t seen more than a handful of homes along Route 70. Up ahead, there was a break in the trees so Dan slowed down to see if it was a driveway or the street he’d been looking for: Eden Church Road.
It was a pond just a few feet from the edge of the road. The weathered split-rail fence by the road was covered with vines. He couldn’t guess what type of vine it was—he’d have to wait until spring. He checked his watch, saw that he’d made good time and could slow down to admire his surroundings. There was a brightly colored, inflatable, kid-sized canoe on the other side of the pond next to a beat-up rowboat, with a fence just beyond. Horses grazed on the other side of the fence. He wondered if the owners competed in equestrian events, like his friends back home in Sussex County, New Jersey. He’d have to find out later, but for now he wanted to get to his destination before late afternoon.
He began to wonder if he missed his turn when all at once he noticed the bright yellow water tower looming ahead. Almost there. He drove past a cornfield with a ship’s mast and crow’s nest and pulled over. Chuckling he snapped a picture with his cell phone to send to his cousin back home.
As he drew closer to the water tower, he noticed writing on the side of it—painted in bold green letters it read: Marry me, Edie, Love Bill. He wasn’t sure if it was the John Deere color scheme or the fact that someone would write a marriage proposal on the side of a water tower that tipped him off to the fact that he wasn’t back East anymore—life was definitely different in the Midwest. He only hoped he’d fit in. He couldn’t go back, he could only go forward.
A few miles later, he saw the sign for Eden Church Road and slowed down to make the turn. He smiled at the county name at the top of the street sign—Licking County—noting it just added to the charm.

The road ahead wound through gently rolling hills. Ten minutes down the road he noticed a farmer’s wall—stones piled a few feet high and deep—outlining the property he could see up ahead. A huge barn, corral, and freshly painted white, two-story farmhouse, complete with the requisite wraparound porch and rocking chairs, were off to the left. As he drove past, he saw a crowd of people gathered out on the lawn. He slowed down and took it all in—the women dressed in myriad colors standing amid the background of grays and dark blues of the men in jackets and ties. There were long tables clothed in white and folding chairs sporting ridiculously large bows. Everyone seemed to be talking, laughing, and having a wonderful time. A wedding—he wondered if it was Edie and Bill from the water tower.
As he drove past, he saw a figure up ahead and laughed. “Must be my perspective.” A few more feet and he saw he wasn’t hallucinating. A young woman walked along the top of the fence as if it were a balance beam.
His heart stuttered as the figure windmilled her arms to keep from falling, barely regaining her balance. Swerving to the shoulder, he shifted to neutral, pulled up the hand brake and shoved open the door. He ran toward her as she lost her balance again. This time she pitched backward off the fence into his waiting arms.
Warning bells sounded as she turned her head. The sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose captivated him. He nearly got lost in the endless blue of her eyes. Unable to pinpoint her age without asking, he pegged her as seventeen—eighteen tops.
Reason returned and he set her gently on her bare feet. His gaze dipped down.  She’d painted her toenails a bright green…another tip off she was in her late teens.
Irritation tangled with thoughts he had no business thinking. “You could have been seriously injured,” he ground out. “What were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that?”
She tilted back to look up at him. “I didn’t ask you to stop.”
 He was here for a new teaching job, and used to being the boss. Kids, and their parents, respected his authority. Why was this disconcerting young woman giving him a problem? “You could have broken an arm or leg.”
She put her hands on her hips and gave him a measuring look. He wondered if she was older than he’d first thought. She dressed as if she were, but he remembered some of the teenagers he’d taught back home dressed as if they were in their thirties. Looking for another clue to her age, he focused on her face. The freckles hinted at youth, but he just wasn’t sure. He shook his head and demanded, “Does your mother know you walk on fences?”
Her smiled slipped as tears filled her eyes. She looked away, but answered, “She used to.”
Now he’d gone and done it. It was obvious she’d lost her mother recently. “Can I call someone to pick you up?” He was reaching in his pocket for his phone when she brushed a fiery strand of hair out of her eyes. Damn him for noticing. If the local law caught wind of the thoughts he was having, they’d slap him in cuffs and take him downtown.
He had to put some distance between them. “Here,” he handed her his phone, but she shook her head, declining his offer.
“I’m just taking a walk then heading back to my friend’s wedding.” She tilted her head to one side and asked, “Are you driving through Apple Grove or staying on?”
“Moving here. I’m Dan Eagan,” he said holding out his hand, “your new phys ed teacher.”
At her lilting laughter, he withdrew his hand. He didn’t like to be laughed at. While he searched for the diplomatic words to put her in her place, she crossed her arms and said, “Well, Dan Eagan, you would have been a welcome addition to the teaching staff a dozen years ago when I was there. Mr. Creed didn’t have the high school girls’ hearts all aflutter, like I am sure they will be when you walk into class.”
She smiled and he noticed the fine lines around her eyes and the maturity that comes with living life. Relief speared through him. “You’re not one of my students.”

This time, she held out her hand. “Meg Mulcahy. Welcome to Apple Grove.”

~ ~ ~

I wanted to give my heroines something different...and edge if you will...so I decided on handymen as their father only had daughters to pass the family legacy/business on to. If you have read my Apple Grove series already, this time around is even better! Love this new sweet version. Thanks to Sue!



~ ~ ~

To celebrate, I'm giving away 2 copies of A Wedding in Apple Grove, Book 1 in my Sweet Small Town USA Series. To enter, leave a comment.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

1/15/2020

NYT Bestselling Author, Cindy Dees

NAVY SEAL’S DEADLY SECRET
Runaway Ranch

He made it home from a war zone.
But danger remains in the mountains of Montana…

Navy SEAL Brett Morgan has come home to recover after a disastrous deployment, desperate to remember what happened. As he struggles to find his feet as a civilian, he intervenes in an armed robbery, saving the life of waitress Anna Larkin. But there’s more to Anna’s past than meets the eye and as that past circles dangerously closer, Brett will have to draw on all of his combat experience to keep them both alive.


With over a million books sold worldwide, Cindy Dees is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty books. A 2-time RWA RITA winner and five-time RITA finalist, Cindy writes military romance and romantic suspense. A former U.S. Air Force pilot and part-time spy, she draws upon real-life experience to furomantiel her stories of love on the edge. When she's not heavily caffeinated and typing like a maniac, she can be found walking her Doberman Pinscher puppy named Waffles, reading, blogging, gardening, and traveling. She loves to chat with readers.

STAY CONNECTED
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THE ROMANCE INTERVIEW
ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine gift or have you received it yet?
CINDY: Can I be hokey for a second? Okay. The hokey but true answer is that my daughter was born two days before Valentine’s, and I count her as the best gift ever. Beyond that, I love a quiet night at home with my hubby best of all.

ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine flower?
CINDY: a single pink rose. Tea rose, antique rose, cabbage rose—doesn’t matter. Just pink.

ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine/Love saying?
CINDY: In our house, we say, “I love you to the Moon and back.”

ANGI: Which Valentine film can you watch over and over without falling asleep?
CINDY: That would be a toss-up between Pride and Prejudice and Dirty Dancing. Depends on my mood.

ANGI: What’s your favorite Valentine candy you’d share with friends?
CINDY: Ferraro Rocher chocolate truffles—the ones with the hazelnut in the middle that taste like Nutella on crack.

ANGI: What is your favorite Valentine tradition?

CINDY: We always stay in, order pizza, and watch a movie together. Pizza is my fave food ever, and hubby doesn’t want me to cook that night. (I do enjoy cooking a lot, just not on date nights.) We tend to watch action thrillers or geek flicks, so it’s not always the world’s most romantic movie. But we usually have running commentary on the film and my husband cracks me up.

UP NEXT for CINDY:
ALL OR NOTHING
Valkyrie Ops #2

He's on a rescue mission and she's the only one who can help get the job done

Trevor Westbrook is done waiting for bureaucrats to approve a rescue mission for his Reaper teammate. Trevor will do anything to get his brother in arms back, but he can't do it alone. Enter Anna Marlow, a newly minted female Navy SEAL with the know-how to get the job done.

Posing as fiancés attending a family wedding, Trevor and Anna head overseas. Anna is determined to prove that women can, indeed, serve in combat. But she wasn't prepared for their mutual attraction and Trevor's need to protect her at all costs...

PREVIOUSLY RELEASED by CINDY:
BEYOND THE LIMIT
Valkyrie Ops #1

Team Reaper has a new mission...
Train the first female SEALs

Navy SEAL Griffin Caldwell is not happy with his team's top-secret mission, training the first female SEALs. Griffin's determined to prove that his trainee Sherri Tate―a former beauty queen no less―doesn't have what it takes to join the world's most elite warrior's club. Until he sees what she's capable of, and even this hard-nosed SEAL has to admit she's tough as nails. What he won't admit to is the attraction sizzling between them.

Navy media officer Sherri Tate is more than just a pretty face. When she's given the opportunity to achieve her dream of becoming a SEAL, she won't let anything stand in her way, not even her arrogant trainer, who is too sexy for words.

When a dangerous mission lands Sherri and Griffin in the cross hairs of the world's most feared terrorist, it's going to take everything they have to come out with their lives―and hearts―intact.

THE SLEEPING KING
The Sleeping King is the first in an epic fantasy series, featuring the best of the genre: near immortal imperial overlords, a prophecy of a sleeping elven king who's said to be the savior of the races . . . and two young people who are set on a path to save the day.
The Sleeping King Trilogy
#1 The Sleeping King
#2 The Dreaming Hunt
#3 The Wandering War

CINDY is giving away an autographed copy of her newest release, NAVY SEAL’S DEADLY SECRET. International Giveaway
your host, Angi Morgan
Get Lost on Facebook   @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories
AND OUR NEW Facebook Group: The Readers’ Spot

CINDY WANTS TO KNOW: Are you guys sick of military heroes and heroines, yet? I sometimes wonder if I should shift to writing about civilians…