THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE, scheduled to release in
ebook on Monday, July 27, 2020. A contemporary romance novella by Shawna
Delacorte from The Wild Rose Press,
part of the One Scoop Or Two series.
One Scoop Or Two is a summer series, quick reads of
no more than 35,000 words to enjoy while relaxing in the back yard or on your
patio. And One Scoop Or Two certainly implies ice cream. How many scoops
do you want on that cone, one or two? The series encompasses both contemporary
stories involving an ice cream shop or stand and historical stories with the
ice cream parlor of the time. Fun fact: each novella title includes a specific
flavor of ice cream.
My contribution to the series is a contemporary novella set on
the boardwalk at a lake marina.
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: (story 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.
THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE, a contemporary romance
novella by Shawna Delacorte from The Wild Rose Press. www.thewildrosepress.com
Scheduled for release Monday, July 27, 2020. Available in
ebook at:
And other online vendors.
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