Author: Judi Lynn
Genre/Age: Contemporary Romance/Adult
Series: Mill Pond (Book Six)
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: Karli Redding is a traveling nurse. She has a month off between jobs, so when Mill Pond's mailman, Keagan Monroe, calls to say that her grandfather can't care for himself anymore, Karli volunteers to go to Mill Pond and help set up suitable health care for him. Axel's always been a pain in the rear, and age hasn't improved him.
The two bump heads, and Karli ends up cooking and cleaning for the old man while she tries to decide what to do with him. She also finds herself getting more and more attracted to Mill Pond's mailman. But Keagan's been through one bad romance and he wants something permanent this time, nothing temporary.
Can Karli give up her footloose lifestyle? Can she find happiness in a small town?
Karli opened it and settled a frown on him. Had he upset her? How? She looked pretty darned appealing with her dark curls scraped back in a ponytail. She was a little thing, didn’t quite make it to his shoulder, but her aggravated energy still carried weight. He nodded to the big foil tray of fried chicken and another with fried potatoes that he carried. The aromas had to make her happy. “You’re in luck, neighbor. Supper from Ralph at Ralph’s Diner.” He glanced inside at Brad with his pizza. “Oh, you already have supper. Maybe you can save the chicken for tomorrow.”
She opened the door and motioned him into the dining room with Brad. He noticed she’d dusted the sturdy, cherry table that was long enough to seat twelve kids and their parents. Everyone in Mill Pond had heard she was here, and they all felt sorry for her. Soon, that table could be lined with all kinds of goodies.
She looked surprised. “I don’t even know Ralph. Would you tell him thank you from us?”
“Sure will.” He set the food down and nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
Her frown deepened as he ran back outside. This time, he carried in a set of four plates and coffee cups he’d designed. She lifted the lid on the box he’d packed them in and inhaled a soft breath. Her frown melted. “You made these? They’re beautiful.”
Nice. She liked them. “I had them on display at Ian’s resort, but I just took him my winter design. These are for fall, so I thought I’d bring them to you. I wasn’t sure what Axel’s dishes were like, if he still had any.”
She rubbed a finger over embossed pumpkins, acorns, and leaves. “This was so nice of you. They’re stunning.”
“Thanks.”
Her lips pinched together, and her brows narrowed into a scowl again. “Do you have any ego at all? You’re giving these to Axel? They’re art. He won’t appreciate them.”
He glanced at Brad, confused. He was trying to be nice, but he’d irritated her again. “I came at a bad time. I interrupted you and Brad and your pizza. I’ll let you get back to it before it gets cold.” He turned toward the door. He’d ticked her off, and he wasn’t sure why. And then he got it. Brad had dropped onto her doorstep with his golden curls and easy smile. He’d probably already turned on the charm, made her feel special, and then he’d swooped in with his chicken and interrupted. He’d learned from experience that when he was with Brad, he might as well be invisible. Some women even cozied up to him just to get close to Brad. He needed to get the heck out of here and let Brad do his thing.
I taught elementary education for six years before I had my two daughters. I have a fondness for kids, so lots of them have been in and out of our house. I have a fondness for cooking, too, which means I fed a lot of them. As much as I love hamburgers and hot dogs, the kids had eclectic tastes, so I collected more and more recipes and cookbooks. Today, food sneaks into my stories, and if I'm lucky, so do children...and strays. I invite most of them in and now have a stray cat who walked through our doors to rule our house, a stray chihuahua who barks at everything, and an adopted parakeet and rat terrier. I also have a very patient husband, or he'd have probably left before now.
Links:
My blog: https://writingmusings.com/
My webpage: http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/
My author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JudiLynnwrites/
On twitter: @judypost
No comments:
Post a Comment