Saturday, July 18, 2020

THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE—A Character Chat with Sarena Fallon and Drew Braden

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.

Available in ebook at:
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Excerpts and other information available on my website:  www.shawnadelacorte.com 
 

2 comments:

Ilona Fridl said...

Sounds like a great book. Loved the interview!

Shawna Delacorte said...

Ilona: Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks for your comment.