INN AT LAST CHANCE
Jenny Carpenter is the unrivaled pie-baking champion of Last Chance, South Carolina's annual Watermelon Festival and the town's unofficial spinster. With her dream of marriage and children on hold, she focuses on another dream, turning the local haunted house into a charming bed-and-breakfast. But her plans go off course when the home's former owner shows up on her doorstep on a dark and stormy night . . . Mega-bestselling horror writer Gabriel Raintree is as mysterious and tortured as his heroes. His family's long-deserted mansion is just the inspiration he needs to finish his latest twisted tale, or so he thinks until he learns it's been sold. The new innkeeper proves to be as determined as she is kind, and soon Gabriel finds himself a paying guest in his own home. As Jenny and Gabe bring new passion to the old house, can she convince him to leave the ghosts of his past behind-and make Last Chance their first choice for a future together?
Excerpt
Gabe pulled Jenny and Bear across the hall into his bedroom, where he shut the door. With the door closed and the dog safe, Gabe was free to use both arms to draw Jenny tight to his chest. She clutched the lapels of his robe.
"It’s all right," he whispered into her ear, deeply conscious of the soft brush of her hair against his cheek. She was trembling all over, and he couldn’t decide if she was cold or just scared to death. He choked back his fury and pressed her tighter to his chest. "Hush now. That was aimed at me, not you." He closed his eyes and inhaled her. She smelled like lavender.
He gave himself permission to hold her for a minute before he pushed her back at arm’s length. Then he shucked out of his robe, leaving him standing there clad only in his boxers. He draped the robe around her shoulders. "Here, take my robe and go sit by the fire, it’s the only heat that seems to work in this room." He gestured toward the old recliner he’d rescued from the moving men and placed near the hearth.
She didn’t follow his command. Instead, she stood right before him, her gaze traveling up his body, taking in his boxers and naked chest. What the baseboard heating failed to achieve in the back bedroom, Jenny managed just with her look. It seared him. It branded him. He needed to turn away before he embarrassed himself.
But she snared him before he could escape. She grabbed his right hand in both of hers, and her touch was as warm as the room was cold. Her eyes were liquid and kind behind the lenses of her glasses. He wanted to remove those frames and kiss her all over. Truly he had lost his mind.
So when she kissed his palm, his willpower broke. He pulled her closer, his left hand sliding down to the small of her back so he could draw her up along the length of his suddenly aroused body. He lowered his head and kissed her the way he’d been thinking about for days.
She opened for him, like the petals of a sweet flower. Her mouth responsive, her tongue dancing with his in a pattern that seemed familiar, as if she knew what he wanted, just as he instinctively knew how to please her. He devoured her and lost all sense of time and place and urgency, until she snaked her warm hands under the waistband of his boxers and cupped his ass.
That brazen exploration ignited a river of lust, but it also surprised the crap out of him.
This was Jenny. Not some groupie he picked up in some bar. This was sweet, tempting Jenny, who was unworldly and naive and cloistered. He might want to carry her across the room to his bed and lay down with her, but she deserved so much more.
And besides, he couldn’t ignore the warning someone had left in her kitchen.
So he reluctantly lifted his head and set her back at arm’s length. "I’m sorry," he said in a gruff voice. "I shouldn’t have done that."
Excerpt
Gabe pulled Jenny and Bear across the hall into his bedroom, where he shut the door. With the door closed and the dog safe, Gabe was free to use both arms to draw Jenny tight to his chest. She clutched the lapels of his robe.
"It’s all right," he whispered into her ear, deeply conscious of the soft brush of her hair against his cheek. She was trembling all over, and he couldn’t decide if she was cold or just scared to death. He choked back his fury and pressed her tighter to his chest. "Hush now. That was aimed at me, not you." He closed his eyes and inhaled her. She smelled like lavender.
He gave himself permission to hold her for a minute before he pushed her back at arm’s length. Then he shucked out of his robe, leaving him standing there clad only in his boxers. He draped the robe around her shoulders. "Here, take my robe and go sit by the fire, it’s the only heat that seems to work in this room." He gestured toward the old recliner he’d rescued from the moving men and placed near the hearth.
She didn’t follow his command. Instead, she stood right before him, her gaze traveling up his body, taking in his boxers and naked chest. What the baseboard heating failed to achieve in the back bedroom, Jenny managed just with her look. It seared him. It branded him. He needed to turn away before he embarrassed himself.
But she snared him before he could escape. She grabbed his right hand in both of hers, and her touch was as warm as the room was cold. Her eyes were liquid and kind behind the lenses of her glasses. He wanted to remove those frames and kiss her all over. Truly he had lost his mind.
So when she kissed his palm, his willpower broke. He pulled her closer, his left hand sliding down to the small of her back so he could draw her up along the length of his suddenly aroused body. He lowered his head and kissed her the way he’d been thinking about for days.
She opened for him, like the petals of a sweet flower. Her mouth responsive, her tongue dancing with his in a pattern that seemed familiar, as if she knew what he wanted, just as he instinctively knew how to please her. He devoured her and lost all sense of time and place and urgency, until she snaked her warm hands under the waistband of his boxers and cupped his ass.
That brazen exploration ignited a river of lust, but it also surprised the crap out of him.
This was Jenny. Not some groupie he picked up in some bar. This was sweet, tempting Jenny, who was unworldly and naive and cloistered. He might want to carry her across the room to his bed and lay down with her, but she deserved so much more.
And besides, he couldn’t ignore the warning someone had left in her kitchen.
So he reluctantly lifted his head and set her back at arm’s length. "I’m sorry," he said in a gruff voice. "I shouldn’t have done that."
Hope Ramsay
Hope Ramsay grew up on the North Shore of Long Island, but every summer Momma would pack her off under the care of Aunt Annie to go visiting with relatives in the midlands of South Carolina. Her extended family includes its share of colorful aunts and uncles, as well as cousins by the dozens, who provide the fodder for the characters you'll find in Last Chance, South Carolina. She's a two-time finalist in the Golden Heart and is married to a good ol' Georgia boy who resembles every single one of her heroes. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia, where you can often find her on the back deck, picking on her thirty-five-year-old Martin guitar.
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FLIRTING WITH FOREVER
Flying is Theo Jacobson's passion. Soaring above the clouds, he's on to the next adventure . . . and the next woman. So when he comes home to Everson, Texas, for his big brother's wedding, it's nothing but a pit stop. He'll act as best man, cover the family business while the happy couple honeymoons, and be on his way before the champagne goes flat. But all that changes when he comes face-to-face with the wedding planner-the very same woman who broke his heart without a backward glance years ago. Irene Cornwell started I Do I Do with a wing and a prayer. Now, with two weddings under her belt, it's a piece of cake . . . until Theo lands back in town. Just seeing his twinkling blue eyes and infuriatingly sexy smile turns her world upside down. For the sake of her business, she proposes an uneasy truce. But when the wedding is over-all bets are off!
Excerpt
Theo opened the door and Sadie came bounding out to greet him. Kneeling down to her level he rubbed her fur with both hands. "Hey, girl. Did you miss me? I missed you. Yes, I did."
He was so cute with Sadie. She never considered a cat or dog for herself. She seemed to lack the gene that nurtured animals and small children. Besides Sven had been allergic. But Theo needed a dog of his own. That was plain to see. If he ever settled down anywhere permanently she would recommend it. A sweet dog like Sadie. If they were still in touch. A really big if.
Theo got Sadie settled down and led Irene inside. It was sparsely furnished. A couple of folding chairs and a card table sat in the living room. A vase of mixed flowers sat in the middle, and a bottle of red wine. Two wine glasses flanked the bottle.
"What’s all this?" Irene asked.
"Sorry. I did all of this before you called off the date. I was trying to make a good impression." He seemed a little embarrassed by his attempts.
She leaned over and smelled the bouquet. "It’s very nice, Theo. I’m impressed."
He smiled. "Would you like some wine?"
"I would like that very much."
He poured the wine and handed her a glass. "Let me make a toast."
"Okay." She held her glass out and waited.
"To you and me. And to whatever we may be to each other at this time in our lives."
"I’ll drink to that." They both took a sip, their eyes locked on the others.
Theo took her glass and set it on the table. "Friends?"
She nodded, and he kissed her on the cheek. His face was all sharp angles and planes in the dimly lit room. His blue eyes narrowed with warning as he pulled back to measure her response.
Then his mouth moved from her cheek to her lips. "Lovers?"
She moaned. That was the only answer she could give him as they wrapped their arms around each other. It wasn’t the first kiss of the night and it certainly wouldn’t be the last, but Irene would remember the slight taste of wine on his lips, the sound of the ceiling fan lazily turning overhead, and the certain knowledge that she was exactly where she belonged. In this moment, nothing else mattered.
"I’m not trying to rush you," he whispered.
"Rush me," she said with a nip of his ear. Her smile was an open invitation.
He didn’t need any more encouragement. With a whoop of laughter, he scooped her into his arms and headed toward the bedroom. At least that’s where she assumed he was taking her. He paused at the doorway and set her on her feet. Then he opened the door with a sweeping flourish and led her inside.
"I’m not sure that it can live up to its reputation, but here’s what all the fuss was about."
She walked inside taking in the giant bed, the dresser, the nightstands and lamps. "Wow, this works pretty good for a den of inequity. I guess you haven’t even had a chance to try it out?"
"Only at the store. Gavin let me take it for a test drive."
She wandered over and wrapped her hands around one of the massive corner posts. "This bed looks like it can handle just about anything."
He advanced on her with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "I’ll take that as a challenge."
"Please do." Then he was kissing her again and she didn’t care about talking anymore. He backed her up until the backs of her thighs were pressed against the edge of the bed. And then it was so easy to fall backwards. His arms cushioned her fall and he followed her down. She unbuttoned his shirt, stopping to trace the small scar on his shoulder. She mapped and bookmarked all the old familiar places on his body that had once been as well known to her as her own. The freckle on his ribcage. The flat muscles of his stomach. That hadn’t changed. It all added up to Theo. The man she’d loved and lost.
He turned her around, moved her hair aside. Then he worked quickly, unzipping her dress and pulling it off her shoulders. He sprinkled kisses down her shoulder blade before pushing the dress down and off her arms. "You’re beautiful, Ree."
"I feel beautiful when I’m with you, Theo." She turned in his arms pulling him down for a long open mouthed kiss. They fell into old patterns. He knew the places to touch her that made her dissolve with desire. He knew the rhythm that let her free fall, and then let her fly. She opened up under his sure touch, allowing herself to be vulnerable. His mouth worshiped her breasts, using his tongue and fingers, sucking until she thought she’d lose her mind. Insanity seemed like a tempting choice if the alternative meant he would stop touching her.
Excerpt
Theo opened the door and Sadie came bounding out to greet him. Kneeling down to her level he rubbed her fur with both hands. "Hey, girl. Did you miss me? I missed you. Yes, I did."
He was so cute with Sadie. She never considered a cat or dog for herself. She seemed to lack the gene that nurtured animals and small children. Besides Sven had been allergic. But Theo needed a dog of his own. That was plain to see. If he ever settled down anywhere permanently she would recommend it. A sweet dog like Sadie. If they were still in touch. A really big if.
Theo got Sadie settled down and led Irene inside. It was sparsely furnished. A couple of folding chairs and a card table sat in the living room. A vase of mixed flowers sat in the middle, and a bottle of red wine. Two wine glasses flanked the bottle.
"What’s all this?" Irene asked.
"Sorry. I did all of this before you called off the date. I was trying to make a good impression." He seemed a little embarrassed by his attempts.
She leaned over and smelled the bouquet. "It’s very nice, Theo. I’m impressed."
He smiled. "Would you like some wine?"
"I would like that very much."
He poured the wine and handed her a glass. "Let me make a toast."
"Okay." She held her glass out and waited.
"To you and me. And to whatever we may be to each other at this time in our lives."
"I’ll drink to that." They both took a sip, their eyes locked on the others.
Theo took her glass and set it on the table. "Friends?"
She nodded, and he kissed her on the cheek. His face was all sharp angles and planes in the dimly lit room. His blue eyes narrowed with warning as he pulled back to measure her response.
Then his mouth moved from her cheek to her lips. "Lovers?"
She moaned. That was the only answer she could give him as they wrapped their arms around each other. It wasn’t the first kiss of the night and it certainly wouldn’t be the last, but Irene would remember the slight taste of wine on his lips, the sound of the ceiling fan lazily turning overhead, and the certain knowledge that she was exactly where she belonged. In this moment, nothing else mattered.
"I’m not trying to rush you," he whispered.
"Rush me," she said with a nip of his ear. Her smile was an open invitation.
He didn’t need any more encouragement. With a whoop of laughter, he scooped her into his arms and headed toward the bedroom. At least that’s where she assumed he was taking her. He paused at the doorway and set her on her feet. Then he opened the door with a sweeping flourish and led her inside.
"I’m not sure that it can live up to its reputation, but here’s what all the fuss was about."
She walked inside taking in the giant bed, the dresser, the nightstands and lamps. "Wow, this works pretty good for a den of inequity. I guess you haven’t even had a chance to try it out?"
"Only at the store. Gavin let me take it for a test drive."
She wandered over and wrapped her hands around one of the massive corner posts. "This bed looks like it can handle just about anything."
He advanced on her with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "I’ll take that as a challenge."
"Please do." Then he was kissing her again and she didn’t care about talking anymore. He backed her up until the backs of her thighs were pressed against the edge of the bed. And then it was so easy to fall backwards. His arms cushioned her fall and he followed her down. She unbuttoned his shirt, stopping to trace the small scar on his shoulder. She mapped and bookmarked all the old familiar places on his body that had once been as well known to her as her own. The freckle on his ribcage. The flat muscles of his stomach. That hadn’t changed. It all added up to Theo. The man she’d loved and lost.
He turned her around, moved her hair aside. Then he worked quickly, unzipping her dress and pulling it off her shoulders. He sprinkled kisses down her shoulder blade before pushing the dress down and off her arms. "You’re beautiful, Ree."
"I feel beautiful when I’m with you, Theo." She turned in his arms pulling him down for a long open mouthed kiss. They fell into old patterns. He knew the places to touch her that made her dissolve with desire. He knew the rhythm that let her free fall, and then let her fly. She opened up under his sure touch, allowing herself to be vulnerable. His mouth worshiped her breasts, using his tongue and fingers, sucking until she thought she’d lose her mind. Insanity seemed like a tempting choice if the alternative meant he would stop touching her.
Molly Cannon
Molly lives a charmed life in Texas with hernearly perfect husband and extremely large cat Nelson. When she's not writing, she spends her days reading, taking dance classes with the hubby and watching all kinds of sports.
Molly’s social media:
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