Beyond the Book: Purple Heart

Welcome to Beyond the Book. Today we'll continue with out excerpts from Purple Heart, my Wild Rose Press release. 

Buy link: http://amzn.to/2cuW4rw

Blurb:

Jenna West has no idea what she might have done to her new tenant Mike Hightower. He's surly and hateful every single time they meet, and he looks at her as though he despises her.

He does despise her. She's from the Middle East, and people like her killed his friend Ramirez when the army sent them to Iraq.

Will the power of love work its magic to soften Mike's bitter hatred, or will he ignore his growing attraction for his pretty landlady?

Last Week:

Mike walked out into the spring sunshine with a prayer of gratitude in his heart. He had a new job, and a prospect for a new home. Since he didn’t have a cell phone yet, he decided to stop at Martha’s Diner to use the pay phone. While he was there, he could also get some lunch.

During his stint in the army, he had literally dreamed of those burgers. He didn’t know what Martha did to them, but they tasted wonderful.

He easily found a parking place and guessed that most people must be at work. The traffic wasn’t bad at all. The diner still looked like a greasy spoon. The windows needed washing, and many of the booths had been repaired with black duct tape. He’d have bet the floor didn’t get swept until the end of the day.

This week: We learn more about Mike's attitude toward the Middle East.

 His mood darkened. He and Ramirez had visited a similar place when they went through boot camp together. If he lived to be a hundred, he’d never understand those Iraqis. If not for them and the other fanatics in the Middle East, Ramirez would still be alive. His heart burned with resentment. Ramirez was worth more than the whole dang country of Iraq, but thanks to those savages, Ramirez would never see his child grow up. He’d never hold his wife again, and he’d never thump a friend on the shoulder and tell fishing stories to him.