Series Name: NA
Genre: romantic comedy
Publisher: Clean Reads
Genre: romantic comedy
Publisher: Clean Reads
Aimee Sherwood never dreamed that following her fiancé into the witness
protection pro-gram would land her in a haunted house in a town that’s
downright creepy. She’d have laughed if she had been told the guy who
lives down the road might be her soul mate, not the man whose ring
she’s wearing. Life in West Virginia is nothing like life in Los
Angeles, but between bean ball battles with Marilyn Monroe, remodeling
a crumbling farmhouse, and starting a new online business, life in the
country is anything but boring.
protection pro-gram would land her in a haunted house in a town that’s
downright creepy. She’d have laughed if she had been told the guy who
lives down the road might be her soul mate, not the man whose ring
she’s wearing. Life in West Virginia is nothing like life in Los
Angeles, but between bean ball battles with Marilyn Monroe, remodeling
a crumbling farmhouse, and starting a new online business, life in the
country is anything but boring.
Excerpt: My heroine goes to a garden party in costume.
“Why don’t you take Aimee and show her the new gazebo? It’s very nice.”
“Aimee?”
“I’d love to.”
Cade held out his arm to Aimee. “Ma’am, I would be delighted to show
you the gazebo. Do take my arm. The ground is rather uneven.”
“Why, thank you, sir.”
As they strolled toward the gazebo, Aimee allowed the setting to
mesmerize her and capture her imagination. What would it have been like
to attend this party in the year 1860? Would the threat of war have
lent a spice of excitement to the festivities that made ordinary
activities like visiting the gazebo seem new and romantic?
Cade indicated a built-in bench, which circled the inside of the
gazebo. “Would you like to sit down?”
Aimee sat and gathered her skirts around her, admiring the rustle of
her long, crinoline petticoat. She patted the space beside her. “Sit
beside me.”
Cade bowed. “You honor me, Miss Sherwood.”
“You may call me Miss Aimee, sir.”
“Miss Aimee, then.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Aimee’s heart took off in a mad gallop. She felt heat rising from her
chest and knew it colored her face an inconvenient shade of red. Oh!
My! Goodness! All he’d done was kiss her hand, and she was melting. If
only she hadn’t left her fan at Miss Gladys’ table.
Cade kept hold of her hand even though she’d expected him to let go of
it. His calloused fingers felt so male, so strong, so warm that another
wave of heat washed over her and almost took her breath away.
“You look beautiful tonight, Miss Aimee. There’s not a woman at the
party who can touch you.”
Was it her imagination or had he moved a bit closer to her?
“Your eyes sparkle like blue diamonds, and I love those curls of yours.
You’ve captured the sunshine.” He reached for her ponytail and bounced
her curls in the palm of his hand.
Breathe. She mustn’t forget to breathe.
He had moved closer. She could smell the spicy odor of his shaving
cream now. It was the same stuff Rocky used. She’d always liked it, but
before this night she’d never realized how sexy it was.
In the background she heard a buzz of quiet laughter from the
partygoers, but they seemed to be in another world far away from her
and Cade. Her eyes fluttered shut as he squeezed her hand and leaned
toward her.
“Hey, hon, so this is where you got to.”
Rocky! Aimee gasped and jerked her hand from Cade’s, praying that Rocky
hadn’t seen them holding hands. Not that they were really holding
hands, but . . . okay they were holding hands, but . . . “Er . . .
isn’t the gazebo beautiful?”
Rocky nodded. “Yep, it sure is. Are you ready to get some refreshments?”
“Yes. Cade, thanks for showing me the gazebo.”
Cade stood and bowed. His eyes bored into hers with such intensity that
Aimee barely restrained a gasp. “It was my pleasure, Miss Aimee.”
“Great characterization,” Rocky praised. “I’ll have to find out how
they did it in the eighteenth century.”
He took Aimee’s hand and pulled her toward the refreshment table. Why
did Rocky always have to interrupt just when she was having a good
time? Oh! My! Goodness! Aimee stumbled and would have fallen if Rocky
hadn’t caught her. What was she thinking? Rocky was her fiancé. She’d
left her old life and committed to spending most of her time hiding out
from bad guys with him. How could she think for one second that his
presence was anything less than a blessing?
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Meet the Author:
Elaine Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina where
she obtained a master’s degree in personnel services from Clemson University. She is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an
international honorary society for women educators and Romance Writers of
America. Her first novel, A New Leaf,
was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love Contest. When she’s not writing or teaching, she enjoys
movies, quilting, reading, and collecting vintage Christmas ornaments.
Find Elaine at the following locations.
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