They're Almost Gone

Did you hear that Clean Reads which used to be called Astraea Press is closing its doors? It’s a sad thing for me because Clean Reads published six of my books. It’s sad for our Monday and Tuesday foxes as well as our Thursday hound because Clean Reads published them as well. It’s hard to pick which Clean Reads title I like best, but the readers seem to like Rest Thy Head best. That being the case, I thought I’d share a final excerpt from Rest Thy Head. If you’d like to see my other books from Clean Reads go to: ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

You’ll need to hurry, though. Clean Reads will pull all of its title very soon. 

Anyway, in this excerpt, my hero and heroine meet for the first time. As you’ll see, things don’t go extremely well.

Running a brush through her hair, she grabbed her sunglasses and made her way to the stables. Rest Thy Head looked as spectacular in the sunshine as it did in the moonlight. She made a mental note to explore the gardens she’d spotted behind the inn. Bet they looked as wonderful as the rest of the place.

She entered the barn, a big white structure with a center aisle and stalls on either side. Just inside the door she saw a dark‑haired man dressed in jeans and a long-­sleeved, plaid shirt brushing a pretty chestnut mare.

“Hi,” she called.

The man half turned toward her; wow, he had blue eyes to die for. The blue was so intense that it reminded her of a blue diamond she’d seen at the jewelry store. Oh, and look at those shoulders. If there was one thing she loved, it was a pair of nice shoulders. Yummy. He was just yummy. “Yeah?” he asked, his voice abrupt and snappy.

“I’m Peyton O’Malley. I’m supposed to meet Patrick for a ride.”

“He isn’t here yet. You can sit on the bench under that tree outside and wait for him there.”

Instead of leaving the barn, Peyton stepped toward the man. “What a beautiful … horse.”

The man quickly averted his face, but Peyton had seen the dreadful red scars that covered the entire left side of his face. They looked like burns. “I told you to wait outside,” he growled, scowling at her with the good side of his face. “Get moving.”

Peyton’s lips pressed together in a thin line. How dare he speak so rudely to her! Anyone would have looked twice when they first saw his scars. She stalked outside without another word.

As she waited on the bench for Patrick, she spent the time imagining clever retorts to the man’s rudeness. By the time Patrick got there five minutes later, she’d come up with some good comebacks. Too bad she couldn’t use them.

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt.