Even on the beach we love our cowboys. This one is straight out of the shoot, only published days ago. Check out Linda Carroll-Bradd's new masterpiece,
WHEN LONELY HEARTS MEET.
Blurb:
Clover Damone travels to Dorado, Texas to handle a family member’s
estate. A trip to the Sugar & Spice Bakery involves a mysterious gift—a
cowboy gingerbread man cookie. The farmhouse is filled with items that display
her aunt & uncle’s enduring love. If only she could find a love like that…
Rancher Wade Pallaton comes to the rescue of an attractive woman in
distress…in the paint aisle of a home improvement store. One look sparks his
interest, one he thought had died a decade earlier. Divorce made them gun shy
about relationships but can Lasso-A-Heart online dating emails entice them to
reveal the secrets of their lonely hearts?
Excerpt:
The older woman’s voice was
pitched low but the throaty tone carried. What caught his eye was the sight of
shapely calves encased in skinny jeans. The trio of brass bracelets and the
long sweater that almost reached her knees clued him in that the lady was new
in town. Not normal attire for this rural Texas town. He’d automatically registered
that her left hand was ring-free.
The sight of the key making
station meant he’d walked halfway down the aisle in his perusal of the
interesting stranger. Wade glanced up and jerked when he spotted a narrowed
gaze shooting daggers from the thin face of a woman close to his younger son’s
age. Busted.
“Eavesdrop much?” The
younger woman jammed a hand onto her angled hip.
Tread lightly around
this suspicious one. “Beg pardon,
miss.” Wade tipped a forefinger against the brim of his Stetson as he dipped
his chin. “Ma’am, I heard the call for assistance and thought I’d see if I
could answer a question.”
“You work here?” Eyebrow
raised, she gave him the once-over. “Dressed like that?”
“Hayley.” The older woman
gave a sharp wave, glanced at his length then stepped closer. “Do you know
about paints?”
“Done my share of painting.
And I’m a fair-to-middlin’ handyman.” He gazed at her, recording the details of
her easy smile, her hazel eyes, and the waves of light brown hair framing her
face. The combination piqued his interest, something that hadn’t happened in a
very long time. “I’m not an employee here…” he shifted his gaze to the young
lady and again, dipped his chin, “but I can be neighborly and try to answer
your questions.”
“I’m clearing out my
great-aunt’s house and it needs a bit of work.”
Just visiting. A niggle of disappointment ran through him. But he
still intended to see if he could offer assistance, and maybe even volunteer to
help. “First things first. Name’s Wade Pallaton, ma’am.” He extended his hand
in a friendly greeting.
A moment passed as she
glanced at his hand and then back at his face before sliding hers into his. The
edges of her lips flashed a brief smile. “Of course, I’m sorry.”
Warmth built between their
palms and he tightened his fingers. Ten years had passed since his divorce, and
this was the first honest-to-goodness spark of attraction he’d felt. Her skin
was soft and her bones delicate within his grasp.
“I-I’m Clover Damone.” She
stared down at their clasped hands, sucked in her lower lip and then jerked her
gaze back to his, eyes widening.
A raspy throat clearing
sounded from just a few feet away.
“Oh.” Clover broke the
connection, wiggled her fingers and then pointed over her shoulder. “And this
is my daughter, Hayley.”
“Do you live around here?”
Hayley tilted her head and a ponytail a shade darker than her mother’s hair
swung to the side.
“Sure do. Got a ranch
twenty miles outside of Dorado.”
“So, you’d know if mold is
a problem in ancient houses. Cuz the smell that rolled out of that old
farmhouse made me wonder about that ugly black stuff.” She shuddered and moved
her hands through the air as she talked. “Like maybe we’ll get sick if we stay
there.”
Shaking her head, Clover
frowned and pressed her lips into a straight line. “I told you, the house just
needs airing. We’re staying.”
“Fine.” Hayley jerked her
head and pushed an ear bud into each ear, tapping the screen of her phone.
“Pick me up in the magazine section when you’re done.” She flashed a glare his
way, then spun and headed toward the front of the store.
Unsure of the
conversation’s undercurrent, Wade just waited, giving him a few more moments to
enjoy the sight of this intriguing woman. Not having raised a daughter, he’d
always admired people who maintained a rational tone around sassy attitudes.
“I apologize. She’s really
not a rude person. Hayley’s between terms at college, at least I hope she is,
and I convinced her this Texas trip would be a fun getaway.” Clover braced her
hands on her hips and stared at the floor for a second before meeting his gaze
again and crinkling her nose. “I might have exaggerated the “fun” part of
packing up family heirlooms, especially to my ultra-modern, social
media-fixated child.” She let out a sigh then ran a hand through her hair. “And
I have no idea why I’m revealing all this to a complete stranger. This is twice
I’ve acted like this in two days. Just ignore me.”
Impossible. Seemed that from the moment he heard her voice, Wade
wanted to hear everything she could tell him. He let his gaze follow the flow
of her wheat-colored hair as it spilled between her splayed fingers. “Don’t
know that I’ve heard the name Damone in these parts.”
Purchase Links:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/412736
Link for When Lonely Hearts Meet
on Goodreads:
Meet the Author:
As a young girl, Linda was often
found lying on her bed reading about fascinating characters having exciting
adventures in places far away and in other time periods. In later years, she
read and then started writing romances and achieved her first publication--a confession
story. Married with 4 adult children and 2 granddaughters, Linda now writes
heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor from her
home in the southern California mountains.
Linda’s Links:
This sounds like a book I could get lost in. What do you think? Comments are welcome ~
This one sounds really fun, Linda. Happy sales!
ReplyDeleteMy brother wore his jeans and boots to the beach one day when the families got together for a day of fun.
ReplyDeleteYour cover is cute.
Lynn
Sounds like a great read! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLove reading anything by Linda. Thanks for the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great excerpt, Linda! Enjoyed visiting so much!
ReplyDeleteWhy can't I ever meet guys like that in the store? Sigh... Nice excerpt!
ReplyDeleteHey thanks to Jannine, Lynn, Grace, Patricia, Leslie and Patricia K for visiting. I love sharing my characters with readers.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks to Sandra for the promo opp.
Great excerpt, Linda. Best wishes. Isn't the beach fun!
ReplyDeleteLovely post, Linda. Here's wishing you many sales!
ReplyDelete-R.T.
Great post, Linda. Hope you have lots of sales!
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt! Sounds like a fascinating read!
ReplyDelete