Mr. Beckman’s Secretary
by JoAnn Carter © 2008
When Harrison Beckman meets his father’s secretary, Daniella Duncan, she’s shy and self-conscious. Harrison, however, is determined to get to know her better. Before he gets to do that a rival comes along to steal Dani’s heart as quickly and thoroughly as the company’s contracts, which have been disappearing.
As the mystery unfolds, Harrison has to fight for the woman he loves, even though this means crossing swords with his father and his determined adversary. Will Harrison be able to find the love that could await them or will it be too late?
EXCERPT : MR. BECKMAN’S SECRETARY
“For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37
PROLOGUE
Daniella’s nine-year-old heart hammered in her chest, like a jackrabbit chased by a hound dog, as the boy stormed toward her.
“Hey, you little runt. Give me that bat!”
The heavy wooden club dropped from Daniella’s grip and landed with a puff of dry dust. The pungent smell of dirt overwhelmed her, and, coughing, she waved away the cloud of grit with a chubby hand.
The granules hadn’t even settled before the bully sneered, “You ain’t never gonna be on my team, fatso. You ain’t good enough.”
Daniella took a step backwards; her breath came in quick, shallow gasps.
The large boy loomed over her and the gym teacher called out, “All right, Troy.”
The boy continued to stare holes into her. Daniella somehow managed to drag her gaze away from him and looked across the field to where Mr. Hunt stood on the sidelines. He called out in a gruff voice, “I said, that’s enough.”
Troy spat in the dirt, narrowly missing the toe of Daniella’s worn left sneaker. “Aw,” he complained, “why do I always get stuck with the nerds?”
Mr. Hunt scrubbed a hand over his sweaty face and sighed. “Troy.”
Troy groaned, “Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Slump-shouldered, Mr. Hunt said to Daniella, “I want you to pick up the bat and at least try to keep your eyes on the ball this time.”
Daniella’s pulse pounded in her ears, making the teacher’s voice sound miles away. She fixed her eyes on the bat and wished the ground would swallow her up whole.
* * * *
The relentless beep, beep, beep of the alarm startled her awake. Dani slipped one hand from beneath the flannel sheets to slap the snooze button. Same old stupid, horrible dream she thought, burrowing deeper under the covers. Just a dream, but…
She rolled onto her back. Dani knew she had to get a grip, had to do something about this disruptive nightmare she’d had since elementary school.
Unfortunately, she’d always been one of those ‘once I’m awake, the night’s over’ types, so she flung the covers aside and slid both feet into her slippers, then shuffled toward the window. One quick tug at the bottom of the shade sent it flapping and snapping to the top, and the warm winter sun, peeping over the horizon, slanted across her room.
The clutter certainly had accumulated over the years. Stuffed animals scattered across the red carpet stared sightlessly through wide, shoe-button eyes. Her desk, littered with dictionaries, magazines, monitor and computer tower, sagged from the weight of its burdens. Rumpled bed linens spoiled the ‘look’ of her beautiful canopied bed, while Precious Moments collectibles collected dust on the bookshelves. There was even her baby blanket crocheted by Aunt Thelma, hanging over the back of Grandma Faye’s overstuffed chair. She really did need to get a grip, because the nightmare had overflowed from her dreams into just about every area of her life.
Like every other morning of her twenty-six-year existence, Dani squeezed her eyes shut, as if that could blot out the ugliness from her room… from her life. But if pretending for those few tranquil seconds that her life was, indeed, in order hadn’t worked in all these years, she had no reason to hope it would work today.
Eyes opened and teeth clenched, she folded her arms across her chest and straightened her spine. She had to start somewhere if her dream of an organized life was to come true.
I’ll start right after work, she promised herself.
Showing posts with label excerpts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label excerpts. Show all posts
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
*Romance is in the Air* Blurbs and Excerpts
Whispers in the Wind by Sherry Jones
Overworked Grace Belden hears whispers in the wind. Could Braden Colter be her voice of destiny?
Grace Belden looked her sister’s desperate face before her gaze dropped to Claire’s nine-month’s worth of swollen belly.
“I need a physical presence at that location, Grace. I wouldn’t ask but…” Claire’s voice trailed off, but Grace knew the words she’d left unspoken as well as the wording in the vendor contract.
“Only for you, Claire, because you are my baby sister who looks like she’s ready to pop.” Grace gave a sigh over her designer outfit she’d not had time to change, however, she turned to reload the cart with the afternoon’s required supplies. “And because after today my life will never be the same.”
“Oh, pray tell me the reason, Older Sister O’ Mine.” Claire settled deeper into her chair to prop her feet up on a stool.
“Your sarcasm pains me, but I’ll tell you anyway. I whispered my heart’s desire into the wind, which, according to Madame Zelda, means that my wish will come true. She’s a nice lady. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”
“Very poetic. I hope you wished for a date.”
“A romantic stranger would have to drop from the heavens. There is no suitable date material in Maydale, Texas. That means for today, you are my only date. On that note, I’m off feed the world.”
She guided the snack cart from the vendor’s supply area to the main circuit of the park. Lord, it had been years since she’d done this job. Her parents had owned the concession contract then. She lifted her face to the afternoon sun and breathed deeply, though her tired feet protested the long walk.
I’m waiting for you, Grace.
“What?” Irritation knitted her brows into a frown. She’d go put in a vacation request Monday morning. A person who heard voices in the wind clearly needed a break.
Beth is perfectly content with her plans for Valentine’s Day---a date with an old romantic movie and a hot pizza. Why does she feel a stab of jealousy while helping her new neighbor choose a Valentine’s gift for the woman he is planning to ask for a date?
“Wait one minute, Jack. I have a great idea, but I have to take this delivery first.”
Beth returned in a few minutes with a selection of chocolate flowers.
“How about these? They’re my favorites. They’re pretty, women love chocolate, and they won’t be hurt by the cold.”
“They’re perfect. And I know she’ll like them,” he said, eyes twinkling.
Joe can’t believe the annoying woman from the theater was the new sales rep—could he learn to work with both her and that hat?
“Can you believe this woman?”
The voice came from behind her. Meg stiffened in her cinema seat. The scents of popcorn and tacos floated around the theater as the previews began, and she relaxed.
“What is with that hat?”
The voice came again, slightly louder this time. Someone was upset with her hat! It wasn’t that tall. What was his problem? She shifted lower in the seat, but that hurt her lower back. Theme music flowed from the speakers as she felt her friend’s gaze on her.
“Don’t worry about him. Just watch the movie. Think about that appointment you have tomorrow with your first sale customers.” Tina patted Meg’s arm then ripped open a box of Sno-Caps. Meg nodded and tried to ignore the man behind her, thinking all the time that his voice sounded slightly familiar.
Joe Dalton entered the model home slash sales office the next morning, prepared for a meeting with the builder about materials he needed for cabinetry on lots ten and eleven. The smell of hot coffee greeted him as he headed directly for the house’s modern kitchen. As he passed the library off the main hall, he peered in, but didn’t see the real estate agent he usually chatted with. Instead, on the oak credenza behind the sales desk, sat a red felt hat with a small feather tucked in its trim.
The red hat he’d seen at the movies last night.
Now, he really needed that coffee.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Moonlit Romance in the Spotlight: *Fall in Love*Anthology...Excerpts
Erin came to New Bay on her year out from college, keen to experience the lifestyle of a vibrant seaside town famous for its surf and its surfers. Attractive and fun-loving, Erin doesn’t expect to be left with a very expensive spare ticket to the hottest concert in town.
Her boss Kelly’s solution is to recruit Dan to take the ticket off Erin’s hands and to escort her to the concert. Ex-champion surfer Dan soon accepts the offer. But why would Erin want to go on an enforced date with the geekiest looking guy in New Bay? And why doesn’t Dan surf?
Here’s a taster from September Song – © Nell Dixon 2006 from the Fall in Love anthology available from Moonlit Romance and Fictionwise.
As they rounded the cliff base, the rocky strand petered out and they entered the next bay. Dan called the kids together and they sat down as a group on the dry sand, shielded from the breeze, and had a drink from the sports bottles they all carried in their backpacks. Erin snuggled close to Dan, enjoying the feel of his body next to her and the gentle warmth of the autumnal sun on her face.
She took a long drink from her bottle and gazed along the golden curve of the bay. Unlike the beach at New Bay where there were always a few people out walking, the sands here were deserted all except for one lone surfer. The familiar figure in a black wetsuit rode the waves on a board further down the beach.
‘It looks as if Brad’s out practising early today. He doesn’t usually use this bay.’ Erin watched as Brad rode the surf onto the sand.
‘It’d be better if he had someone with him. The currents are treacherous in this part of the bay and it’s easy to get caught out.’
Erin felt Dan shift his position, moving his arm as if uncomfortable.
‘Brad’s an experienced surfer.’ She popped her bottle back in her backpack.
‘Even so, it’s still risky to be surfing alone on this part of the beach.’
She looked at Dan in surprise, he sounded unusually vehement. He called the teenagers and they set off again across the beach.
‘We need to round the next headland before the tide turns to make it to the rendezvous.’ Dan consulted his watch and looked at the tide timetable he had in his pocket. ‘Brad needs to finish up his practice soon. The currents will start to sweep in with an undertow in the next half an hour.’
Erin glanced over at Brad, belly down on his board as he waited for the waves. ‘You sound as if you know a lot about the sea. I didn’t know you surfed.’
‘I don’t.’
The Little Shop of Dreams by Jessica Raymond
Tess Worthington has finally achieved her dream of opening a gift shop in an Oxford shopping centre despite emotional struggles and debts, so when the handsome stranger she’s noticed around the mall asks her out, her happiness seems complete. Property consultant Mack Brady falls hard for Tess the more time they spend together, and after a magical Halloween celebration, he just knows she’s The One. But when the property deal Mack is brokering at the mall turns sour, Tess fears that not only has the man she’s just fallen in love with broken her heart, but he might also have taken her dreams—Little Shop and all.
The Little Shop of Dreams(c) Jessica Raymond, 2006
Tess didn’t realize how long she and Mack had been talking until she tried to take another sip of tea and found only cold dregs in her mug.
“I should let you go. We might get snowed in if we stay too late,” he said.
Tess followed his gaze out the window and saw that a coating of snow now lay across the ground. It glistened like whipped cream topped with diamonds, and she mused to herself that being snowed in with Mack was probably something she’d very much like to try and handle.
At the door, Mack took Tess’s jacket from the rack and held it out for her. She savoured the feel of his warm fingertips brushing her neck as he lifted her hair away from her collar. He gently looped her scarf around her neck when she turned, and all the while, his eyes never left hers. Tremulous warmth moved through her.
“Well, thank—”
“I’m really—”
They both laughed as their words met in the cold air outside the café. A new snow had just started to fall, the tiny flakes bright against the late-night darkness.
“You first,” she said, and began to rub her bare hands together for warmth. A gasp escaped her lips when Mack covered her hands with his and began to massage them with slow, assured movements.
“Do you have far to go?” he asked.
“No, my flat’s ten minutes away by bus.” Suddenly, she wondered if he was going to kiss her. Could she even remember how to do it? She hadn’t kissed anybody since… well, she’d rather not think about it. She would much rather be able to say that the last person she’d kissed was Mack Brady if somebody were to ask her tomorrow.
“Bus?” Mack repeated. “I think I’d feel better if you took a taxi straight home in this weather.”
“It’s all right. The stop’s only a ten minute walk away and—”
But he had already dropped one hand from Tess’s fingers and hailed a passing taxi. He quickly passed money to the driver and then turned back to her.
“Now it’s my turn to say ‘no arguments’. I’m paying.”
Tess smiled at his noble gesture. “Thank you, that’s very kind. I… had a nice evening.”
Mack’s eyes linked with hers as if on some private connection. “So did I. I’d love to see you again, Tess.”
Elation rushed through her, warm and newfound. “I’d love to see you, too.” She drank in the sight of his strong, kind face; his solid, protective shoulders; his large, capable hands. “In fact…” She trailed off and bit her lip. Was she really about to do this?
Purchase the Fall in Love anthology at Moonlit Romance... 2006 catalog.
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