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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

My CAT...My trusty companion, my sidekick!

Skittles is always by my side.  In the picture she's waiting for me to start writing. She knows my routine.  

Luckily, right now, she's sleeping up on the desk. But when she gets frisky, she likes to play with the keyboard.

I get {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{  or  """"""""""""""""on my work in progress when she's too fast for me.

Sometimes, she swats at my hands to make me stop what I'm doing and pet her. (She is a devil)

See, she has a sidekick too.  A little Mini-Me of herself!!

What's your pet up to these days?

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

My Baby Connection and a Giveaway by Charlene Sands

Okay, so I'm a little early, but I love my December cover sooooo much!  Hunky cowboy and adorable baby...does it get any better?   Yes, there are horses in the background too!! 

Stop by Petticoats and Pistols today to read about what I have in common with this cover!!



I have a giveaway over there too.


Friday, September 02, 2011

WHAT PETS WRITE IN THEIR DIARIES!

(With special thanks to my cuz, Maria, for sending this to me)

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......




8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!


Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary...




Day 983 of my captivity...
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of.

However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now.






Friday, August 26, 2011

My Top Three Kindle Books

One never knows exactly why some books sell like hotcakes, while others don't.  I belong to Novel Rank, where I can see how well my books are selling on Amazon...and since my print books usually go out of stock a few months after release,  these are all KINDLE sales. 

Carrying the Rancher's Heir continues to do well... the first in a series of the Worth brother's stories.  My December cover for The Cowboy's Pride is gorgeous... can't wait to show to everyone!  (I got a sneak peek)

Here are my Top Three Kindle Books:

For some reason, (other than I really love this story) my 2008 Texan's Cattleman's Club continuity titled Texan's Wedding Night Wager has been extremely popular... this one has truly sold like hotcakes on KINDLE, 3 years after I wrote it. 


Smooth-Talking the Hometown Girl comes in second place with the discounted price of $.99.    It's a fun story about a small town woman happy with her life and her catering business, until Kyle Warren moves in next door temporarily and upsets her apple cart.  It's never been so hot in Christy's kitchen!


The Heart of a Cowboy is my first ever Desire and was a Romantic Times Book Reviews Top Pick.  Pretty exciting for my debut Desire!   It's still a story near and dear to my heart.  Don't you love wrong brother stories?

All these books are available on Nook too,
 but I don't have a good accounting of them, like I do on Amazon. The world of reading, writing and publishing sure is changing.  I'm resistant to change usually,
but I do love my Kindle! 




Thursday, August 25, 2011

A Love Letter from Jim Carrey to Emma Stone?

Update:
Trending on Twitter! 
Is he crushing on Emma Stone or what?   Hmmm... not sure how I feel about this, though I love Jim Carrey and think he's beyond hilarious.  Wonder if Emma Stone will send him an online love letter back?







The All-American Girl


Friday, August 19, 2011

A Romance Novel Funny... will make you smile!






 Updated Version - 2011

He grasped me firmly, but gently, just above my elbow and guided me into a room, his room.


Then he quietly shut the door and we were alone.


He approached me soundlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice close to my ear.


"Just relax."


Without warning, he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused hands start at my ankles, gently probing, and moving upward along my calves, slowly but steadily. My breath caught in my throat.


I knew I should be afraid, but somehow I didn't care. His touch was so experienced, so sure. When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder, and partly closed my eyes. My pulse was pounding. I felt his knowing fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage.


And then, as he cupped my firm, full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply.


Probing, searching, knowing what he wanted, he brought his hands to my shoulders, slid them down my tingling spine to my panties.


Although I knew nothing about this man, I felt oddly trusting and expectant. This is a man, I thought. A man used to taking charge. A man not used to taking 'No' for an answer. A man who would tell me what he wanted. A man who would look into my soul and say . . . ..


"Okay ma'am, you can board your flight now." !


Special thanks to wonderful  author Tanya Hanson for passing on this funny.
You can find her at
http://www.tanyahanson.net/











Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Things I Do for Love and 3 Book Giveaways!!







Stop by the Desire Eharlequin Blog to find out the Things I Do For Love! 
Giving aways lots of books too!

Come see me and we'll talk!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

TIME MANAGEMENT AND THE HARRIED WRITER

GUEST BLOGGING TODAY IS:  AUTUMN DAWN



AMAZON KINDLE



I love to cook. It’s one of my passions, and I like it even better if I can make something tasty healthy, too. Substituting Greek yogurt for part of the mayonnaise in potato salad and hiding zucchini in chocolate cake makes my day. My kids don’t see it coming and I can eat in peace, knowing there won’t be fussing at the dinner table.


Recently, this passion has been on the back burner. My books sales started taking off and I’ve spent long hours at the computer doing edits of my backlist and revamping covers. Last month my kids left for Alaska for a month to visit with relatives and I spent the whole month furiously working. I got a lot done, but the quiet house was depressing. At one point my husband was gone for ten days as well, so it sucked even worse.


Now that everyone’s home, they’re eating as only teenagers can. We have horseback riding lessons and boxing three days a week. School is starting soon and there’ll be homework to deal with, plus I have one child in WA’s inline school. It’s time to get organized so I can have time to write, too.


Some things that help include: throwing laundry in first thing in the morning and folding it together at night. My kids are old enough to do dishes and load the dishwasher, sweep and vacuum, so Saturdays are for housecleaning. I need to get back in the habit of prepping dinner first thing in the morning or loading up the crockpot. Leftovers take care of night two, so that helps. That leaves snacks and breakfast, but the kids are helpful there, able to cook eggs and pancakes.


I need to start checking my email at night and looking at the Yahoo news in the afternoon when I’m done writing. Even blog posts can be done after the creative writing if I’m disciplined, and when I’m too sick to work on something new it’s always a good time to edit. When I’m in a funk it helps to work on cover art. There’s always something to do!


It’s well worth it, though. My book, The Charmer became a bestseller on Amazon and B&N this spring, a huge accomplishment for a self-pubbed author. Part divine intervention and part hard work, it wouldn’t have happened without a lot of hours at my desk.


The Charmer: Dark Lands Book 1


Jasmine didn’t realize her friend Wiley was special until they were drawn into another world. Here Wiley is betrothed to the ruler of the Haunt, a wererace both dangerous and proud.


Keilor is the master of soldiers, a man few would cross, yet he’d never met a menace like the little brunet his princess calls friend. Will Jasmine find the portal home, or will she find a werewolf of her own?


Autumn Dawn

Learn more about my books at: autumndawnbooks.com
Check out my blog at: authorautumndawn.blogspot.com



Top Five Ways to a Man's Heart!



I'm having Tea today at Autumn Dawn's.  Would you like to join us?  We'll make room. We're talking Food that Inspires a Man and other such fun stuff.


Friday, August 05, 2011

A CALIFORNIA GIRL'S GUIDE TO THE PERFECT BEACH READ!

The ultimate way to de-stress your life, at least for a little while, is to do something you love to do. Some find exercising until their bones ache, a great endorphin release. Others will seek to destroy their partner on a tennis court. Some find a soothing path in the art of meditation. But for me, the ultimate way to relax, unwind and de-stress is to read.



I don’t know too many (if any) writers who don’t love to read. Finding TIME to read …ah, therein lies the problem. When I’m home, there are always 10 other things I should be doing other than reading. Guilt follows and often distracts me enough to make me put down the book and attend to my edits, my looming deadline, the kitchen floor that hasn’t been swept in a week, an oh yeah, thinking about cooking dinner for my dear loving hubby.


So, my way of seeking a full day of reading and leaving my cares and worries behind, is to pack up the car, put on my shades, grab my Kindle and head to the beach! (Thank you Dad, for moving the fam to California!) On any given summer day, the sun shines, the air is warm, but not hot, the sand is fine between my toes and the water exhilarating at sixty-five degrees. There’s so much I love about California.


But like every other activity, there are do and don’ts. So take heed.



Here is my Guide to the Perfect Beach Read:


THE YELLOW --Don’t even think about setting your gear down on the sand if you see a yellow school bus parked nearby. Soon fifty screaming daycare kids will bombard your territory. And you’ll get sprinkled with sand times fifty, as they race by, oblivious to your presence and need for quiet.


BYOF – Bring your own food! Pack a lunch and try to stay clear of the beach café. You don’t need the distraction of having the smell of French fries right under your nose or be in the rush of noontime sunbathers, who weren’t as smart as you by bringing their own lunch.


BRING A FRIEND – who likes to read too. You didn’t come to the beach to gossip and talk, did you? Yet, a friend will dip their toes in the water with you and watch your stuff when you go to the bathroom.


LIFEGUARD – Stay away from the lifeguard station if the man in the red trunks looks like hero-material. (And let’s face it, most of them do.) You know you’re in trouble if you remove your reading glasses and push on your designer sunglasses, titling your head ever so slightly to steal glances his way. Trust me, you’ll say it’s in the name of research as you peruse every move he makes, every smile he takes and every muscle he flexes. You might as well, kiss Chapter One good-bye.


STADIUM SEATING – is not an option. But you should bring a comfortable chair – the Cadillac of chairs, with full recline, padded back, umbrella attached and two cup-holders. Plant that chair in a remote spot, close enough to the water to get the westerly breezes, but far enough away from the rising tides. You don’t want to pack up your gear when the water starts seeping onto your blanket, right?


PROTECT YOURSELF – with gobs and gobs of sunscreen. You’re still gonna need your skin after today. This is not your day to get the ultimate tan. There are tanning salons for that!



DIG – not into the sand. We did that as kids. Dig into your beach bag. Your favorite author has a new book and you come up with your ULTIMATE reading pleasure. The gentle roar of the waves becomes your backdrop as you open the book. The hours melt away as you immerse yourself in the story.


FEEL – the hum of satisfaction and a little sadness too, when you read The End. You’re relaxed. You have been entertained. . You have escaped into another world. You’ve forgotten your own problems for a stitch in time and you feel so good, you won’t even think about the traffic you’ll face later on.


THE BEACH - is nearly deserted now. The sun is setting in a pink glow on the horizon. You close your eyes and envision the story in your mind one last time. That thrilling hum is still there, buzzing through your system.


It was a good day. You’ve achieved the Perfect Beach Read.




AVAILABLE ON KINDLE, NOOK AND SMASHWORDS

AVAILABLE ON EHARLEQUIN, AMAZON,  KINDLE, NOOK
AND OTHER ONLINE STORES




Thursday, August 04, 2011

NEW AUGUST BABY BOOK FROM MILLS AND BOON!

Who doesn't love babies, right?  And these stories, feature two adorable little bundles of joy!  This book is a two-fer pairing yours truly with the wonderful Robyn Grady! The Billionaire's Baby Arrangement was a Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine's 4 1/2 starred, TOP PICK!  

Available now from Mills and Boon!



I hope you get a chance to check it out!! 




Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Only 2 Stars Out of 4


The reviewer (below) isn't thrilled with the most anticipated movie of the summer. I'm crushed and hope to disagree with him when I see it this weekend.  As you know, I write Westerns as well as Contemporary romance and I have been long-awaiting this movie, even before all the hype.

More than a year ago, I was on a plane, going to Texas and I sat next to a young man who was a "special effects" artist.  We got to talking and he told me about a project he was working on... a movie with a strange title, Cowboys and Aliens.  Of course, I told him my Old West connection and he pulled out a portolio and showed me his monsters, effects, even a weird looking cow, that he'd worked on for the movie.  It was really neat seeing those "aliens" from the beginning stages and we spent the next hours on the plane talking movies and special effects and of course, books!

Needless to say, I'm hoping this reviewer got it wrong.   Wild horses, couldn't stop me from seeing this movie this weekend.  :)

Here's the review: 

"Cowboys & Aliens" — Director Jon Favreau's genre mash-up is more a mush-up, an action yarn aiming to be both science fiction and Old West adventure but doing neither all that well. The filmmakers — and there are a lot, among them 11 producers or executive producers including Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, plus half a dozen credited writers — start with a title that lays out a simple but cool premise: invaders from the skies shooting it out with guys on horseback. For all the talent involved, they wound up keeping the story too simple, almost simple-minded, leaving a terrific cast led by Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde stuck in a sketchy, sometimes poky tale where you get cowboys occasionally fighting aliens and not much more. Craig's a stony-faced amnesiac with a weird hunk of metal locked on his wrist who wanders into a dusty town just before alien craft swoop in and start abducting the locals. He joins cattle baron Ford's posse to retrieve the missing and teach these creatures not to mess with hardy western pioneers. PG-13 for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference. 118 minutes. Two stars out of four.

— David Germain, AP Movie Writer








Sunday, July 24, 2011

We Have Winners of Big City vs Small Town!!



Thanks for all your comments this week! 
I really enjoyed learning your reading preferences!

Our random draw winners for a $10 Amazon Gift Card are:

Linda Cacaci
LibraryPat
Ingeborg

Please contact me at Charlenesands@hotmail.com privately with the email addy you'd like your prize to be awarded instantly!

And stop by the Desire Blog Sunday and Monday where I ask:  Where would you like to see a Cowboy?



Monday, July 18, 2011

BIG CITY VS SMALL TOWN CONTEST

Big City

A fun little contest.  

In Smooth-Talking the Hometown Girl, Kyle Warren lives in a big city but returns to his small hometown of Bentley, Arizona to settle his father's estate where he meets up with Christy, the pretty girl next door. His return reminds him of what small-town life was like.  I'd love to know if you prefer a big city story or a small town tale?  It could be both or neither. 


Small Town

Post a comment here and you'll be entered in a drawing to win one of 3  $10 Amazon Gift Cards awarded instantly to you via email. 

I'll post the winners HERE and on Facebook on July 25th! 


Ebook available on:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords






Thursday, July 07, 2011

EXCERPT of SMOOTH-TALKING THE HOMETOWN GIRL



Chapter One




Kyle Warren pulled out a turquoise vinyl-covered chair in his father’s kitchen and sat down. “Here’s to you, Pop,” he whispered before lifting an amber beer bottle to his lips. He raised his eyes heavenward. “Don’t you worry. I’ll take care of the place. I’m home now.”


Shifting in the dinosaur of a chair with its chrome edges, he laughed quietly. He’d bet his father hadn’t even known these old kitchen sets had come into style again.


John Warren hadn’t cared much for luxury. He’d been a practical man and lived a simple life. Lord only knew what he’d done with the monthly checks Kyle had sent him through the years. Kyle had never asked, since he’d been too pleased his father had finally agreed to accept the money.


“Pop” Warren, as the whole town of Bentley called him, had been the rock of stability Kyle could always count on.


Now he was gone.


Soft music playing from the house next door had Kyle swiveling his head to look out the window. He strained his ears and picked up the lulling sound of a female voice singing along with the radio.


He stood up abruptly, the heavy chair hampering his swift action, and moved to the kitchen’s garden box window to catch a better look. From his vantage point he had a clear view of the woman standing not twelve feet away in her own kitchen.


Christy Evans.


He’d heard she had moved back here four years ago when her parents retired in Houston. Transfixed, he stood watching her bustle about her kitchen, harmonizing beautifully with the snappy tune.


She hadn’t changed much since high school. She wore her pale blonde hair long, past her shoulders. From what he could see from this distance, her skin still appeared tan and healthy and as always, in direct contrast with the softest blue eyes Kyle had ever remembered.


“Still a looker, Christy,” he muttered before taking another sip of beer.


She glanced up then and surprise registered on her face when she noticed him. He smiled and put up his hand to wave.


Her hand went up slowly and, with the slightest of movements, her fingers wiggled their greeting. She mouthed a polite “hello” then turned her back on him.


Kyle let out a chuckle. “Same old Christy,” he said, plunking down the bottle he held. She’d been the one girl in high school who hadn’t fallen for him. The one girl who’d seen right through his practiced ways and smooth talk and the one girl who’d made no bones about turning him down if he ever offered.


Therefore, he never had.
In his mind, he’d labeled her a prude, a stick in the mud, no fun. But he’d liked so many things about her even though he’d also labeled her off-limits.


Not that Kyle didn’t like a challenge, he did. But Christy Evans had won her way into Pop’s heart. He could still hear Pop now, warning, “She’s our neighbor and a fine girl. You do right by her or don’t bother with her a’tal, boy.”


Kyle smiled now thinking back on all the innocent flirtations and teasing he put her through, but never once had he offered more, respecting his father’s wishes. He realized much later on, she’d been the only girl in the entire student body at Bentley High who’d truly intrigued him.


Kyle shrugged off his nostalgic feelings and went about the task of going through his father’s things. He took a tour of the house leisurely, as pleasant memories of his childhood came rushing back. He and Pop had had a great father-son relationship. It had been just the two of them since his mother’s untimely death. Kyle had been five years old when an illness took his mother’s life.


He entered his father’s bedroom. The stale remnants of his father’s minty aftershave still lingered. He breathed in the scent that seemed to encompass the entire room and felt as if Pop would come walking through the door any time now.


His old man sure liked to keep the status quo. Everything looked the same as it had when Kyle lived here. As his gaze traveled around the room, he realized a part of him wanted to keep everything in its place—the hand-knitted afghan on the rocker, Pop’s worn-out brown slippers on the side of his bed, and his thick reading glasses perched next to the alarm clock on the nightstand.


Practicality won out. Eventually, Kyle reasoned, he would have to pack everything up. He’d have to cleanse this house of everything his father loved. But he decided, quite adamantly, not today.


He didn’t have to do it today.


Kyle shrugged off the thought and headed for the shower. Minutes later, he came towel-wrapped out of the bathroom and began drying off when a rattling at the front screen door made him turn in that direction. He heard a female voice call out. “Hello, Kyle? Are you in there? It’s me, Christy.”


* * * * *


Christy knocked on Kyle’s door a bit louder this time. She knew he was in here. She’d seen him just thirty minutes ago watching her from the kitchen window. And she’d had to walk around a sleek black convertible Lexus on the driveway to reach his front door. When the seconds clicked by and no one answered, she turned on the porch to leave.


“That you, Christy?”


She twirled around in time to see Kyle Warren opening the screen door dressed only in a pair of black jogging shorts. Droplets of water cascaded down his face onto his chest and shoulders. Casually, he took the terry-cloth towel from about his neck, mopped his face, then dabbed at the bigger drops coating his bare chest.


“It’s...me. Hello,” she said, awkwardly shifting the basket of muffins she held from one hand to the other. She kept her eyes trained on his. “I came to offer my condolences. I was visiting my parents in Houston when I heard the news. I’m terribly sorry I missed Pop’s memorial service.”


“Thank you,” he said with sincerity. “Come in.”


She handed him the basket. “I thought these might help. Low-fat, cherry-raisin muffins.”


Kyle dipped his head down to the basket, taking in the aroma. “They smell good. You baked them?”


“They’re fresh out of the oven.”


Christy caught a whiff of his clean, fresh shower scent as she moved past him to stand in the center of the parlor. He looked good. Better than she remembered. Of course, she’d never seen so much of him before. He stood before her with casual ease, naked, except for a scant pair of shorts. But then the Kyle Warren she’d known in the past wouldn’t let that bother him. No, he seemed to relish making girls squirm.


Not her, of course. She’d never succumbed to his charms.


But, somehow she had hoped when she met up with him again, he’d have a receding hairline, a paunch stomach, and a toothless grin. Instead, he stood before her, powerfully built and muscular with a melt-your-heart smile, chock-full of confidence.


“That’s very nice of you.”


“Uh, what? Oh right, the muffins. It’s the least I can do. Pop was a special man. I adored him. The whole town adored him.”


Kyle handed the basket back to her and pointed toward the kitchen. “Take a load off and have a seat. I’ll be right back.”


She stared after him, watching as he trekked through the parlor to lift a shirt off a bedroom knob and throw it on quickly. He met her in the kitchen, not bothering to button up.


He gave her a quizzical look as she stood there numbly, not moving. He pulled out the kitchen chair in a gallant gesture. “Thanks again for the muffins.”


She hunkered down, fighting tears. She didn’t want to do this in front of Kyle. Breaking down in front of Pop’s son wasn’t what she’d planned, but she hadn’t been inside the house since the dear man had passed on. Old, familiar, not-too-distant memories filtered in. Pop was the sweetest, most young-at-heart older man she’d ever known. He was her friend as well as her neighbor. But Kyle was probably struggling with his own grief at the moment. She’d come to lend support, not to add to Kyle’s discomfort. “Thank you.” Christy drew in a breath and gave him a small smile. “How are you doing?”


Kyle gave her a long, serious look. “I’ll be okay. It takes some getting used to.”


“I still can’t believe he’s gone.”


He took a seat facing her, then grabbed a muffin from the toweling in the basket to study it. “I can’t believe he’s gone either.”


“I heard...” she began, then cleared her throat. “I heard you were with him when it happened.”


He nodded, shuttering his eyes. “I’d brought him up to Boston for a visit. We had a great week together, just hanging out, catching up on news. It was relaxing and fun. I’d often send for Pop when I couldn’t get away. And he would always come. Then, out of the blue, wham. His heart goes. He’d never had any symptoms that I knew about.”


Christy nodded. “I didn’t know of any either. He was always so happy. He never let anything really rattle him.”


Kyle agreed. “My dad was a rock...a real man.”


Christy sighed aloud, fingering the serrated chrome edges of the old kitchen table, almost smooth from age now. “Did he...linger?”


Relief washed over Kyle’s face, and the frown lines separating his forehead disappeared. “That’s my only consolation. He died instantly. With a smile on his face. We’d just come home from dinner...trout, his favorite, when it happened.”


Christy reached for Kyle’s hand from across the table. She squeezed his wrist gently and quickly. “I’m so sorry.”


With a quick smile, he let the muffin drop back into the basket. “At least my old man was happy. He had a good seventy-two years.”


“Yeah,” she agreed, thinking back on all the time she’d known John Warren. He’d always had a kind word, always a smile. Only when he worried about Kyle did he have moments of anxiety. “He loved you very much.”


“I know. Thanks for saying it though. Hey,” he said, picking up another muffin, this time taking a big bite. “I heard you were in the catering business now.” He gestured with a tilt of his head toward her front yard. “That your truck outside?”


“It’s mine,” she said, watching him devour the entire muffin with one large swallow. “Evans’ Edible Delights.”


His dark eyes lit with amusement before traveling the length of her body. “That’s the name of your catering company?”


“Yes, why? Is something wrong?”


“Uh, no,” he said, apparently holding back a smile. “Good name. Are you successful?”


“I do all right.”


“Well, judging by the muffin I just inhaled, I’d say you’d be pretty handy in the kitchen.”


“I am. Thanks for the compliment.” She looked around the house. Nothing had changed. Of course, she didn’t expect anything to be really different, except that Pop was gone. “So what now? What’ll you do with the place and with Warren’s Hardware?”


“Don’t know. This all happened so fast, I haven’t decided what to do. I’m taking some time off. I plan to be here a while, to settle the estate.”


“I can’t imagine anyone else owning Warren’s Hardware. That store is a Bentley icon. How long had your dad been in business here?”


“Let’s see. He opened the place a couple of years before I was born. I’d say at least thirty-two years now.” There was pride in his response, and Christy, too, felt a measure of it.


“Wow, in this day, nothing lasts that long. Except maybe some marriages.”


“Yeah, even those are hard to find...like your parents’ marriage. How long have they been together?”


“Going on forty years soon.”


Kyle nodded and gave her a wide grin. “What about you?”


“Me? Oh no, I never married. I was engaged once,” she said not wanting to elaborate. Confiding to Kyle about her failed engagement was not on her To Do list and it never would be. They’d never had that kind of relationship. “It didn’t work out.”


He accepted her answer without commenting. She didn’t need to ask him about his marital status. Through Pop, Christy had known Kyle had never married. But she was sure there’d been plenty of women. In high school, all he’d had to do was smile at a girl and she’d fall under his spell. Kyle drew women like a magnet to metal.


In the quiet kitchen they heard a dog barking, a car horn sound off, and in the distance Main Street Elementary’s school bell rang its dismissal. Children’s muted voices filled the air. Christy had always relished those small-town noises, had always welcomed their familiar sound. She wondered if Kyle, after living the last eleven years in a big city, thought them now quaint and antiquated.


“You look good, Christy,” he said, “real good.” His rich voice deepened even more with the addition of those last two words.


Blood rushed to her face immediately. Kyle’s unexpected compliment caught her unaware. “Th-Thank you. So do you...I mean, under the circumstances, you look...okay.”


One dark brow lifted, and he laughed. He braced both forearms on the table and leaned in, his face coming close to hers. “I look ‘okay’? God, Christy, you never would budge an inch with me.”


“No, I, uh—” Christy stood up abruptly. “I’d better go. I just wanted to come over here to say how sorry I am about Pop. If there’s any way I can make the transition go smoother for you, I’d be happy to help.”


For Pop Warren, she’d do just about anything, including helping his overly confident, impossibly handsome son get through this rough time.


“Have dinner with me, Christy.”


“What?” She felt the color drain from her face. “Dinner? No, I-I couldn’t.” She backed up a step.


Kyle stood and eyed her for a moment. “We’re not in high school anymore. I promise I won’t bite. Well,” he said on a chuckle, “I would have to eat the food.”


She let out a nervous laugh and backed up again. For the four years while in high school, Christy wondered what she’d say, what she’d do, if Kyle ever asked her out. But he’d never shown more than passing interest in her.


Now, he looked at her as if she were the only woman in the universe. She passed it off as practiced charm, a way to get what he wanted.


“It’s not a date. Just dinner with an old neighbor.”


“No, Kyle, really, I can’t. I’ve got a catering job to do tonight. I’ve been cooking in the kitchen all day.”


“Tomorrow night, then.”


Her brows furrowed and she blinked several times. “Why?”


Why, after all this time? Why me, she wanted to ask.


He shrugged and took a step closer. “I could use the company.”


She noted a flicker of sadness in his eyes, heard it in his voice. How could she deny companionship to a man who’d just lost his father?




She put her head down, realizing she couldn’t refuse him, but not because he was charming or handsome, or surprisingly that he appeared lonely. No, she couldn’t refuse him because he was John Warren’s son.


“Come over at eight tomorrow night. I’ll cook you dinner.”


There. That seemed less like a date.


“It’s a date,” he said without hesitation.


Christy groaned inwardly.


He led her to the door, opening the screen to walk her outside. “And thanks.”


“Don’t thank me just yet. I’m going try out a new recipe on you.”


“Experiment with me all you want,” he said innocently enough, but she didn’t miss the teasing glint in his eyes.


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Sunday, July 03, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!



Wishing you all a great Independence Day!!! 

And to our wonderful Flag Santa, who put up 4 flags on our lawn today, THANK YOU!!   Our flag was stolen from our front porch a few months ago.  Now we have 4!!!