Beyond the Book: The Captain and the Cheerleader

Today's excerpt is from the book we've been previewing The Captain and the Cheerleader. To summarize, so far we know that Susan bet an irritating fellow teacher that she could make head football coach Kurt Deveraux ask her out. He did, and invited her to a party. In today's excerpt Susan and Kurt have arrived at the party, and unfortunately both of them have had a little too much to drink. Okay, a whole lot to drink.

Blurb:
Susan English can’t stand Robin Lanford! She’s so full of herself she irritates everyone on the faculty of Fairfield High. When Robin bets Susan fifty dollars that she can’t get a date with Kurt Deveraux, the head football coach, Susan jumps at the chance to put the little heifer in her place. She had no idea that teaching Robin a lesson would irrevocably change her life, strain treasured friendships, and throw two families into chaos.

Last Week:

Kurt dropped a kiss on her hair. “Mmm, you smell like flowers.” A pause. “Why shouldn’t I be so close? I like holdin’ you.”

“Because of the way you make me feel.” Susan giggled. “I can’t stop laughing.”

“I don’ see a problem.”

When the dance ended, people started to leave. She glanced at her watch. How odd. She couldn’t see it very well. “It’s late, Kurt, and I hafta go to church ah...tomorrow.” She yawned. “I’m a member of the choir.”

“Let’s say bye to Jose.” 

This week:

Mendoza stood at the door saying goodbye to his departing guests. Just as they reached him and his wife, Kurt stumbled. He fell against Susan and sprawled onto a bale of hay covered with a clean tarp.

Mendoza hauled him to his feet. “I don’t think you should be driving tonight, Kurt. Maybe you had a little too much tequila.”

“I’ll drive,” Susan said with a bright smile.

“I think you don’t need to drive either,” Mendoza demurred. “Let us put you up for the night.”

Buy link: http://amzn.to/1NDgnrg

Saturday Sample: The Captain and the Cheerleader

I'm still sharing from The Captain and the Cheerleader. In last week's excerpt we saw that Kurt and Susan had left for the party. Yes, Susan got her date with him and won the bet.

“Where is this party of yours?” Susan asked as she fastened her seat belt. 

“It’s out on Bailey Road. Do you know where the old Texaco station used to be? A Hispanic guy by the name of Jose Mendoza bought the property that adjoins the Texaco. He and his family like me

because I can speak Spanish. The party will probably be a little on the wild side, though. Jose and his people work hard, but they play hard too.”

A stirring of guilt brought a rush of warmth to her face. I’d give anything if I hadn’t made that silly bet. Kurt asked me to go out with him in good faith, knowing nothing about the bet. I feel like a jerk who obtained an invitation through false pretenses. I’ll make it up to him, though. I’ll do my best to show him a good time. 

“It looks like they’re having the party in the barn,” Kurt said as they turned off the highway onto Mendoza’s driveway. “No wonder. It’s bigger than their house.”

Mendoza had painted the barn brilliant green. “John Deere colors,” Susan said with a laugh.

They parked Kurt’s car against a fence and made their way to the barn. “Everything looks great,” Susan said. “So clean and spacious.” She touched Kurt’s arm. “Look. We’re having live music. They’ve set up a stage at the other end of the hallway.”

Kurt nodded. “I see it. They put the refreshments down there too. I bet there’ll be a lot of spicy stuff and tequila flowing like a river.”

Blurb:

Susan English can’t stand Robin Lanford! She’s so full of herself she irritates everyone on the faculty of Fairfield High. When Robin bets Susan fifty dollars that she can’t get a date with Kurt Deveraux, the head football coach, Susan jumps at the chance to put the little heifer in her place. She had no idea that teaching Robin a lesson would irrevocably change her life, strain treasured friendships, and throw two families into chaos.

Buy link:

http://amzn.to/1NDgnrg  

Beyond The Book: The Captain and the Cheerleader

Welcome to Beyond the Book. Since I have a new release, I think we'll have an excerpt day. In fact, I'd like to share the opening scene of the book with you. Sit back, get comfortable, and enjoy the book.

One
Robin Landford swept into the room and plopped down into an orange plastic chair beside Susan English. “I think Kurt Deveraux is gay.”

It was Friday afternoon, but Robin’s statement halted the teacher exodus from the faculty lounge.

“Why do you say that, Robin?” Susan asked. Yeah, her voice sounded chilly and a bit snooty, but she couldn’t help herself. Robin was fresh out of college and seemed to think she was God’s gift to men; she flirted with anything in pants. This annoying little creature had probably made a play for Kurt’s attention and been rejected. Of course, in Robin’s defense, she’d have to say that not many women could ignore Kurt Deveraux. There might be a man somewhere who had more sex appeal than the blond, blue- eyed coach, but Susan doubted it.

She watched as Robin tossed her hair and pouted. “If I can’t get his attention he isn’t interested in women.”

Several people rolled their eyes. “Oh, I don’t think that’s the problem at all.” Susan smiled her most serene smile at her irritating colleague. “You just don’t know how to attract a man like Kurt.”
1

“And you do?” Robin’s eyebrows shot straight up. “If that’s true why haven’t you already gone out with him? Don’t tell me you wouldn’t be interested. He’s hot.”

“Until recently I was involved with someone else. I had no desire to see Kurt or any other man socially.”

“Well, I think you’re full of it,” Robin sniffed. “If I couldn’t get him to notice me, I know you can’t.”

Around the faculty lounge a murmur of delighted, horrified voices broke out.

Susan finished her soft drink and tossed the can into a nearby recycling bin. “I could make Kurt ask me out if I wanted to.”

“Yeah? Prove it. Get him to ask you out. I’ll bet you fifty dollars you can’t do it,” Robin taunted. “All he’s interested in is football.”


Melissa Taylor, Susan’s best friend, cleared her throat. “How long would she have to get the date?”
“Two weeks ought to be enough for an old pro like Susan.” Robin snickered as her gaze swept around the lounge. “Would the rest of you like to get a piece of the action?”

All at once a carnival atmosphere permeated the room. They chose Don Brooks, who taught art to keep track of the bets, and everyone hurried to put money on his or her favorite.

From the corner of her eye, Susan watched as Robin smirked at everyone in the room. Why did Mr. Dennis hire such an undisciplined, annoying child? It would be a pleasure to give Robin her comeuppance.

Don recorded the last bet on a sheet of copier paper. “It’s about fifty-fifty. Sorry, Robin, but my money’s on Susan. When she enters a room, men sit up and take notice.”

Melissa, who stood near the door, wildly waved her hand to get their attention. “Here comes Kurt now.”

Kurt looked surprised to find so many teachers in the lounge. He probably was; on Friday the school usually emptied in a hurry.

“What’s up?” Kurt inquired of the room at large as he rounded the corner and turned toward his mailbox. “Why are you all so quiet?”

Susan spoke up before anyone else could answer. “Oh, we were talking about the game tonight. Are we going to beat Middleton?”

Kurt grinned and made Susan’s heart pick up a little speed. Bet every other woman in the room had the same reaction. Could any woman alive resist Kurt Deveraux’s smile?

Kurt shrugged. “Just between ourselves, we’re going to get our butts kicked, but the boys will do their best, so if we lose, we lose. We don’t have the talent that Middleton does.”

Susan stared straight into those beautiful blue eyes. “You’ve done everything you can to get them ready. Everyone knows that.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. I hope we don’t let you down.” He threw a set of papers into his mailbox and turned toward the football field.

Robin giggled as she grabbed her book bag. “Not too great a beginning. What’s wrong, Susan? I thought he’d be falling at your feet.”

“It’s early days, yet,” said Don. He picked up his briefcase and waved goodbye while the others collected their belongings, and Melissa turned off the light, leaving the lounge deserted and dark.


I hope you enjoyed this first scene. I'll pick up next week at the place where we left off.  If you'd like to get your own copy of The Captain and the Cheerleader, you can do so at:

http://www.wingsepress.com for ebooks.

http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Cheerleader-Elaine-Cantrell/dp/1613097670/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446528160&sr=8-1&keywords=the+captain+and+the+cheerleader   for print books

http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Cheerleader-Elaine-Cantrell-ebook/dp/B017HSUIH2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446528236&sr=8-1&keywords=the+captain+and+the+cheerleader+ebook   for ebook

The book is also available at Smashwords and Barnes and Noble.

Meet Susan English

Susan English is the heroine of my soon to be released novel The Captain and the Cheerleader. I've having a cover reveal next Tuesday on Facebook. I'll be giving away some nice prizes, and so I hope everyone will be able to stop by. I'll remind you next week.

For today's post, I'd like to tell you a little bit about Susan. First, Susan's a teacher at Fairfield High. Coincidently, she teaches English. Susan grew up in Arizona where her father was a high school football coach, but she moved to Fairfield when she accepted her dream job. Her family followed shortly afterward. Her best friend Melissa grew up in Fairfield. Susan and my hero Kurt both work at the same school.

Here's how Kurt described Susan.

Susan smiled again and made his heart beat a little faster. Man, she was pretty! Her honey blonde hair gleamed under the overhead lights. She wore it short, and it looked so cute with the ends turned under. Was she wearing contacts? If not, she had the most vivid blue eyes he’d ever seen. What word would describe her skin? Maybe velvet would do. Yeah, velvet the color of the palest pink in a seashell. She was tall too, maybe five nine, with great legs and a bottom that had the sexiest curve he had seen in a long time.