So I live by the Ohio.<\/p>\n
It’s weird how you never realize how something like that plays into your life until you find yourself driving down by it. \u00a0Stopping to taking pictures…<\/p>\n
And then one day…bam<\/em>…there’s a book.<\/p>\n More like\u00a0three. \u00a0This idea has been toying and dancing and flirting with me for a while now and finally, it let me catch it.<\/p>\n It’s a fun one, too. \u00a0Fun as in, it’s suspense-ish. \u00a0But I won’t be killing people all around town, either. \u00a0I mean, yes, there will probably be mayhem. \u00a0But I don’t think I’ll be smashing and bashing on every corner.<\/p>\n That’s the fun for me…maybe a little more laid back. \u00a0Maybe.<\/p>\n Here’s the fun for you…(and me)…I sold it.<\/p>\n St. Martins has bought a new trilogy for me. \u00a0It’s going to be a three book series, another small town romantic suspense series, this one, set in the south. \u00a0Instead of the Ohio, I ended up going with the Mississippi for reasons that I won’t be going into, but it was important to the story.<\/p>\n I have NO idea when it will be out. \u00a0I kinda need to write it first.<\/p>\n But here’s a snippet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The last thing Gideon Marshall expected when he woke up that morning was to see trouble come rolling back into town.\u00a0 But, unlike most people, he didn\u2019t mind one bit.<\/p>\n He\u2019d always had a soft spot for Neve Flanagan, the hellion youngest child of the family that had been the central figure in this small town for more than a hundred and fifty years.<\/p>\n Now that he was the sheriff of said small town, people might expect things to change\u2014Neve had gotten into trouble more than once in her life, both before and after she\u2019d left home.\u00a0 But to be honest, Gideon suspected a lot of that was because people had expected<\/em> her to get in trouble.<\/p>\n Neve simply gave them what they wanted.<\/p>\n Right now, as she leaned against the side of the beat-up Corolla that looked nothing like the fire-engine red Porsche she\u2019d driven away from here eight years ago, she did the same thing.\u00a0 She gave him what he wanted.<\/p>\n A smile.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t the same smile, though.\u00a0 That hit him, right in the heart.<\/p>\n Neve was like the little sister he\u2019d never had and that wan, tired smile mad him want to chew nails and hit something.\u00a0 Or somebody.\u00a0 Because he recognized the look on her face, all too well.<\/p>\n She had the look of somebody who needed to hide.<\/p>\n But he knew his Trouble too well. \u00a0Instead of handling her the way he wanted to, hugging her up against him and demanding she tell him what was wrong, he did what he would have done eight years ago.\u00a0 He reached up and caught of lock of her hair\u2014deep red and soft\u2014and pulled.\u00a0 \u201cWell, well, well.\u00a0 Trouble is back.\u201d<\/p>\n She made a face at him.<\/p>\n \u201cIn town fifteen minutes and I\u2019ve already heard that\u2014three times now.\u201d<\/p>\n Gideon grinned, somewhat relieved to see an echo of her old smile flash across her face.\u00a0 Then she moved away from the car and wrapped her arms around him.<\/p>\n Now, he let himself hug her.\u00a0 And it hurt, he realized, more than he\u2019d thought possible to feel the sharp bones and frail strength in her.\u00a0 She\u2019d lost weight, too much of it.\u00a0 It was like there was nothing but skin, bone and the remnants of that cocky attitude.<\/p>\n \u201cYou stayed gone way too long, sugar,\u201d he murmured against her temple as she tucked her head against his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well.\u201d\u00a0 She sniffed and snuggled in closer.\u00a0 \u201cI kept thinking about coming back and nabbing you up for myself since my sister was dumb enough to let you get away.\u00a0 But\u2026well.\u00a0 You\u2019re so old.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOld?\u201d\u00a0 Chuckling, he rubbed his cheek against her hair.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean to tell me I\u2019ve been waiting around here for eight long years, pining after you and you think I\u2019m too old for you?\u201d<\/p>\n The gas pump shut off and she sighed, breaking away from him.\u00a0 \u201cWell, maybe not too old.\u201d\u00a0 Then she shrugged and finished dealing with the car, grabbing her receipt, putting the gas cap back on.\u00a0 \u201cBut you and I both know you\u2019ll never love anybody but Moira.\u201d<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n Neve\u2019s gaze swept up to him and he knew he didn\u2019t have to.\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t tell anybody.\u00a0 Neither would he.<\/p>\n Their secret.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"