ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO LIVE HER LIFE
Sara Sheridan found the courage to escape from under her husband’s oppressive thumb, so she sure wasn’t interested in getting mixed up with another alpha attitude laden male. Especially with her ex hot on her trail.
ALL HE WANTED WAS PEACE AND QUIET
Nick Kelley needed escape from the memories that haunted him. He wanted to just be left alone. So what was it about his reticent neighbor and her child that tempted him to give it up?
THEN LOVE GOT IN THE WAY
Nick and Sara’s growing attraction for each other leads them down a dangerous path as her ex-husband closes in on the new life she’s made for her daughter and herself and threatens to blow it all apart.
~~~*~~~*~~~
As the cooler temperatures come upon us with the onset of autumn, our souls search for warmth and serenity. Maybe with a crackling fire, warm blanket, and a good book. Or perhaps a nice bubble bath with scented candles, soft music, and a glass of wine.
Still others spend the day in the kitchen baking up delicious treats for their loved ones to enjoy. In my book, Tidal Falls, Grace Martin loves baking for her customers at Grits and Grace only second to her love of matchmaking. And when her young friend, Sara Reed, introduces Grace to the handyman hired to fix Sara’s house, her mind fills with ways to bring these two together.
Sara, on the run from an abusive ex-husband, wants nothing to do with matters of the heart. She’s already painfully learned how fickle that organ can be. But she can’t deny her attraction to the handsome Nick Kelley either.
Excerpt from Tidal Falls by Jacquie Biggar:
Pulling up to the curb in front of Grits and Grace, Sara turned off a grumbling Mirabelle, all the while arguing with herself over saying yes to a date with Ty. She wasn’t ready to jump back into the dating world. It’d taken her months after Tom to get to the point where she could even converse normally with a man.
She was perfectly satisfied with the status quo, thank you very much. Well okay, maybe not exactly…satisfied, per se. But she could certainly make do without men. Walter, her battery-operated boyfriend worked if she found herself desperate. The problem was Sara hadn’t realized until The Kiss, how much she’d missed some of the intimacies to be found between a man and a woman. Maybe it’d do her good to go out and test the dating pool. Have some fun, before her ovaries shriveled up like year old prunes.
Ignoring Miss Doom and Gloom going on inside her head, she pushed open the door of the diner, smiling as bells above sang out a tinkling welcome. Stopping for a moment, she was hit with a sensory overload of frying bacon, coffee, the clang of the till and chatter of happy patrons. Popular with the locals, it was much like stepping into a past era. A beautifully preserved Jukebox stood sentinel in a corner of the room, a slightly scratchy rendition of Teddy Bear emitting from its large speakers. Red leather seats, Formica tabletops and black and white checkerboard flooring were all straight out of a fifties sit-com. Looking for Nick, she found him at one of the window booths. He reminded her of bad boy, James Dean as he sat there with an arm over the back of the booth, flirting with Grace Martin, the diner’s owner.
One of her favorite people, Grace was every bit as tall as she was round. She epitomized the old adage, Never Trust a Skinny Cook. Blessed with a face that never seemed to age, she was one of those people you meet once and feel like you’ve known forever. Her diner was the perfect place to sit, have a thick slice of homemade apple pie topped with a generous scoop of slowly melting vanilla ice cream, and catch up on all the juicy gossip which made small town living so unique.
As she slid into her seat across the table from him, Nick cast those gorgeous lake blue eyes in her direction, and the sparkle lighting their depths reeled her in effortlessly—the man was lethal.
“Well, well, if it isn’t my, Sara Sunshine. Where you been hiding, girl? Old Gracie hasn’t seen you in far too long. And where is little, Jessica Bean?” Grace’s smoky voice drifted over her like a warm blanket.
Dragging her gaze away from Nick, Sara smiled at her friend. “Hi, Grace, and you’re right, it has been too long. Jessica is over at Tess’s house, probably baking up a storm.” They both grinned, well aware of Tess’s infamous messes whenever she got it in her head to bake. No dish was safe. “I wanted to drop in and see Annie for the paint I’d ordered, and thought I’d better stop for some of the delicious food you always spoil me with.”
“Well darlin’, I’ll get right on that, but first, who’s this young stud muffin? He’s been busy trying to sweet talk me into running away with him,” she smirked, her cheeks rushing up to meet her eyes. “It’s about time sugar-pie. I was beginning to think you needed me to find you a nice young man, but looking at him, you did a fine job all by your little lonesome.” Grace grinned at Nick, and Nick grinned back, looking already half in love, and he hadn’t even tasted the food yet.
“Oh no, it’s nothing like that.” Her cheeks warm, she hurried to clarify, “Nick’s my neighbor. He’s been doing some repairs on my house for Tess.” She caught a look that flickered across his face. How did he expect her to introduce him? She squirmed in her seat as his gaze dissected her for a long moment, his eyes now deep, reflective pools.
Then his mouth quirked, “Sweetheart, you’re going to give Grace here the wrong idea. You know I’m at your house more than I’m at my own.” Stretching across the table, he lifted up one of Sara’s hands and ran his thumb in a slow caress over the tops of her knuckles, causing goose bumps to erupt and her nipples to tighten.
Oh, man.
Pulling her over-sensitized hand out of his, she crossed her arms over her chest and chastised, “Nick, quit goofing off and let’s order. I’m starving.”
His low, “Me too, honey, me too,” sent quivers of lust shooting through her belly. She had a feeling he wasn’t talking about food anymore.
Grace gave them both a “get a room” look, but thankfully refrained from commenting on it. “Okay chickies, specials today are Broccoli and Cheese stuffed Tilapia, My Grace of God Meatloaf, or a Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese. And for dessert, we have To Die for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie or Momma’s Recipe Pumpkin Bread Pudding with a warm caramel sauce drizzled over the top.”
“Well, I can’t turn down meatloaf, and the bread pudding sounds perfect. What do you think, Sara?” Nick asked, skimming a knowing look at her arms.
“I think I’ll stick with a nice salad, maybe with some grilled chicken on top. I need room for your strawberry pie, Grace; you know I can’t leave without having some of that.” She laughed.
“No wonder you’re so skinny, child. You need food if you’re going to put some meat on those bones.” Shaking her head, Grace waddled into her kitchen, no doubt intent on performing gourmet miracles.
Tidal Falls is available now on Amazon.com
Jacquie would love to connect via her website, Jacquie Biggar
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