She wants more than friendship…he's afraid of repeating the
worst mistake of his life.
THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE by Shawna Delacorte is a
contemporary romance novella that's part of the One Scoop Or Two summer series
from The Wild Rose Press. This book is scheduled for release July 27, 2020.
Let me introduce you to Sarena Fallon and Drew Braden. Their
story is one of good friends moving toward a romance, but their journey is marred
by a deception that nearly destroys a blossoming romance and true love.
Good morning Sarena and Drew. Thank you for taking time
from your busy schedules to share your story with my readers.
Sarena: Thank
you for inviting us.
Drew: I'm
ready. Hit me with your first question.
Okay, Drew. You sound eager so let's start with you. How
did the two of you meet?
Drew: That's
an easy one. Three years ago when the summer businesses at the lake marina were
preparing to open for the boating season, I saw this beautiful woman inside the
ice cream shop. She was unpacking boxes and putting things away. I tried to
meet all the summer business operators each year, but usually on an informal
basis after they open their doors for customers. This time, I immediately went
to the marina property management office and obtained a full list of all the
marina summer tenants and there she was—Sarena Fallon, history teacher at
Coltonville High School. Unfortunately, due to business needs, I was out of
state for the next month. I didn't have an opportunity to actually meet her
until I returned to the ranch.
You said 'the ranch.' That's another of the Colton
properties?
Drew: The place
where we are now, the original start of the Colton Dynasty five generations
ago, is the cattle ranch.
Colton dynasty? That sounds a little over the top.
Drew: [slight
frown followed by laughter] It's totally over the top and definitely
pretentious, but that was my father. He's the one who declared the family
history a dynasty. The acquisition of additional land two generations after the
start of the cattle ranch allowed for the expansion of the operation to include
a dude ranch as a separate operation. From there, came the purchase of the large
lake already being enjoyed by boating enthusiasts and water skiers. And finally
the addition of a boardwalk and businesses as part of the boat marina. And
along the way came expansion into many different types of businesses around the
state, in other states, and finally internationally. We eventually constructed
a corporate headquarters building on the property as a separate facility from
the cattle ranch and the dude ranch. My house is also on the property. It's
been in the family for three generations. I recently remodeled and updated the
house.
Sarena: I'm a
high school history teacher with my summers free. I thought leasing the ice
cream shop at the marina would be a good way to spend my summers and earn some
extra money. I distinctly remember the day he came into the ice cream shop. He
was dressed in jeans and a work shirt, certainly not the type of summer casual clothes
being worn by the people who used the marina for their boats. And most
definitely not how I assumed a high-powered business executive would be
dressed. I assumed he worked at the ranch. He introduced himself as Drew
Braden. It was an instant friendship, very comfortable and fun. He seemed to
just appear almost every day. Sometimes just for a few minutes. Other times he'd
buy an ice cream cone—rocky road was his favorite—and stay for a couple of
hours. [embarrassed chuckle] And every time he stopped by, I secretly wished
he'd ask me out on a date. The second summer that I leased the ice cream shop,
he showed up opening day to welcome me back. Then on the third year, he showed
up a week before opening, the day I was checking everything out and making a
list of what I needed to do before opening.
It sounds as if he was always around yet you two never
had a relationship beyond just friends in spite of what you secretly hoped for?
Drew: Totally
my fault. I had…uh…well, I guess you could say I had a bad case of commitment
phobia—emotional baggage that basically scared me when it came to pursuing any
type of personal relationship that had the specter of an emotional attachment
connected to it. My biggest fear was repeating the worst mistake of my life.
Sarena: Drew
wasn't alone in the emotional baggage department. My ex-husband lied to me
about everything. It turned out that I didn't even know who he really was. I
swore I would never become involved with someone who didn't tell me the truth.
Well, Drew—even though you didn't know that about Sarena,
I guess the most logical question is why did you present yourself to her as
someone you're not, even to concealing your real name?
Drew:
Actually, Drew Braden is my real name—just not all of it. Andrew Braden
Colton V to be exact. I use Drew Braden with everyone who isn't a business
associate or employee. I'd been doing it for fifteen years, the result of the
emotional baggage I mentioned. As to my job, I never said exactly what I
did. It was that third summer when she finally asked me directly.
Sarena: I had
assumed he worked at the ranch, but not as a cowboy. It was obvious that he was
highly educated. I had him pegged for some sort of mid management position like
ranch foreman. Who he really was remained his secret. Even when he finally
asked me out on a real date, he did not correct my erroneous assumptions. But
reality crashed around me when a horrible situation happened right after I
opened the ice cream shop for the summer season.
Drew: I had already been wrestling with the reality
of knowing that I had to tell her who I was, wanting to tell her, needing to
tell her. I knew I couldn't pursue the serious relationship I wanted without
telling her the truth. What I didn't know was how to tell her…what to say that
wouldn't alienate her. Then that disastrous Saturday morning hit.
That sounds ominous. What happened? Sarena…what was this
horrible situation?
Sarena:
[glances at Drew as a hint of a grin tugs at the corners of her mouth] I
think you need to read the book to find out.
Drew? Can you tell me what occurred that disastrous
Saturday morning? What kind of incident threatened to destroy your
relationship?
Drew: [makes
overly obvious show of checking his watch] Will you look at the time! I didn't
realize it was so late. I'm sure I must have some sort of really important
meeting that I need to attend.
In other words, you're not going to tell me what happened?
Drew: [allows
a mischievous chuckle] That sounds about right.
Well, I guess that leaves me with nothing to say other than
to thank the two of for being my guests today. The book is THE ROCKY ROAD TO
ROMANCE published by The Wild Rose Press and scheduled for release on July 27,
2020.
BLURB:
History teacher Sarena Fallon has leased the ice cream shop
at the Colton Marina for the last three summers. And every year, she looked
forward to spending time with her friend, Drew. Only this summer, she wants
their relationship status to move beyond the friend zone he seems to prefer.
Drew Braden was taken with Sarena the first time he saw her.
But a disastrous marriage to a scheming woman has left him seriously commitment
phobic. Then there's also the matter of his true identity. If she discovers who
he really is, he could lose her forever.
G-Excerpt #1: (opening)
Sarena Fallon entered the ice cream shop and set her purse
on one of the chairs. A quick glance around told her everything appeared to be
in order. She ran her hand across the counter, then rubbed her fingers together.
She wrinkled her brow into a scowl. It definitely did not feel very clean. I
have the uneasy feeling a more detailed inspection is going to discover—
“Hi. I hoped I’d find you here.”
She turned at the sound of the smooth, masculine voice. She
couldn’t stop the smile that came to her lips as her gaze fell on Drew Braden,
all six feet one inch of him. Her breath came a little quicker, and her heart
beat a little faster. His blue eyes sparkled as he blatantly looked her up and
down. He wore his medium brown hair longer than last summer, but it was a
length that looked good on him. It gave him a sexy appearance—even more sexy
than she remembered from last year. She liked it longer. She definitely liked
it.
“Hi, yourself.” Her smile widened, conveying her pleasure at
seeing him. “I just unlocked the door. If you had arrived five minute ago, you
would have beaten me here.”
He looked even more desirable than he did at the end of last
summer, right before she returned to her teaching job at the beginning of the
school term, when he had suddenly pulled her into his arms and captured her
mouth with the hottest kiss she had ever experienced. A kiss that curled her
toes and confirmed how much she wanted more of him. But more apparently
wasn’t to be, much to her disappointment.
Fall, winter, spring—not a word from him, as if he had
totally forgotten she even existed. But now, here he stood, as if he had been
waiting for her to show up. The situation left her slightly perplexed. She
briefly touched her fingers to her lips. All these months later, his parting
kiss still burned hot against her lips. “You’re looking well. I like your hair
longer like that.”
“Thanks…I think it might be the result of a bit of mid-life
crisis. Trying to recapture a little youth.” His teasing grin said far more
than his words.
“Mid-life crisis? You can’t be old enough for that.”
“I’ll be that dreaded forty in a couple of months.”
“There’s nothing old about forty.” Especially considering
that I’m thirty-five.
He winked. “How would a sweet young thing like you know
anything about old?”
“You’re incorrigible.” Her laugh surrounded her words. “It
looks like you managed to survive the winter without any mishaps. Your brittle
old bones didn’t snap?”
His spontaneous laughter filled the air. “No broken bones
from slipping on the ice or falling into any snow drifts if that’s what you
meant. And no broken bones from being thrown off a bucking horse, either.” His
smile slowly faded as he pulled her into his arms. “I’ve missed you. I’m so
glad to see you back this summer.”
“I have a phone, you have the number, and I only live
fifteen miles from here in Coltonville. It’s not like you need to drive for
several hours to get there.” She teased, but her comment contained a lot of
truth.
A hint of something darted across his features but
disappeared before she could read it. He slowly released her without kissing
her, almost reluctantly so. After the goodbye kiss from last summer, she had
anticipated more than just a hug.
“I haven’t checked the shop to make sure it’s been properly
cleaned.” She touched the counter again. “And from what I’ve found so far, I
suspect it hasn’t been.” A scowl darted across her face. “At least not adequately.
Do you want to help me with my inspection?”
“Sure, I can handle that.” Drew nodded, pleased with the
opportunity to check out the management office’s efficiency without it
appearing to be his objective.
Drew Braden—Andrew Braden Colton V, to be exact—was fifth
generation of the wealthy and powerful Colton family and at thirty-nine years
of age, the corporate head of all the family holdings. He went by his nickname
and middle name to separate himself and his personal activities from the family
name and business empire. He found he accomplished more if people didn’t know
he was one of the Coltons, specifically president of Colton Enterprises,
Chairman of the Board, primary share holder, and in control of all the family
businesses and investments of the privately held corporation.
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