Monday, May 29, 2017

TUESDAY TALES - "HUG" - BREAK MY HEART CONTINUES...




Welcome! Thanks for coming. "Break My Heart" continues this week with the word prompt "hug". Scroll down to go back to Tuesday Tales. Thanks for stopping by.

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There was a fine line between restful peace and quiet and it being so still you could lose your mind. Rick bemoaned no parties to anticipate or dress for. He’d cut a dashing figure in the latest fashions he had received free from the companies he’d modeled for. All his clothes had been lost in the fire.
The phone rang, relieving his loneliness. Of course, it was Mindy. Who else would be calling him? None of the three hundred names he’d had in his phone. One-by-one they had disappeared from his life. He’d erased them all after he’d left the hospital, anger and bitterness released with every push of the delete button. 
“Mindy, darling. Why don’t you come over for a drink?”
“I’m calling to invite you to dinner tonight. Be here at six.”
“You assume I have no plans?” he asked.
“Who would you have plans with? You don’t know anyone in town except Jess.”
“And now Doctor Dani, too.”
“Oh? Come for dinner and tell me all about it. I’ve gotta go.”
The phone when dead. He frowned then smiled. Now he had a reason to shower and dress up. He’d take Oliver with him.

****

He pulled into Mindy and Drew’s driveway and parked the car. He and Oliver stopped at the door. Mindy yelled “it’s open!”
Man and dog entered. The sound of a loud hiss halted them. A Maine Coon cat greeted them. She stood on the stairs, back arched, fur sticking straight out, making her look twice as big. Oliver whimpered and plopped down on the floor.
“It’s okay, boy. I’m sure she won’t hurt you,” Rick said, picking up his dog.
“Don’t worry about Minerva. She’s all hiss and no bite,” Mindy said, kissing Rick on the cheek and shooting a dirty look at the cat.   
Once he was unleashed, Oliver took off, nose to the ground, exploring the new territory. Mindy handed her cousin a vodka and tonic.
“No, it’s not made with fancy vodka. We watch our pennies here,” she said, leading him out to the backyard.
Drew manned the barbecue, turning chicken as the other approached. At the smell of fire and the sight of the grill, Rick stiffened. Mindy hugged him.
“I’m sorry. I forgot. Do you want to go inside?”
“That’s okay,” he said, moving a chair far away from the flames. “Just don’t know why you need an open fire to cook meat when electric stoves are cheap.”
Drew raised his palm in greeting, then bent down.
“See this baby? We’re prepared for any catastrophe,” he said, patting the large fire extinguisher standing next to the barbecue.
Rick downed his drink quickly. 

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Monday, May 22, 2017

TUESDAY TALES - "STAPLE" - "BREAK MY HEART"

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Welcome! We're back to regular Tuesday Tales this week. My story, "Break My Heart" continues. Scroll down to return to the excellent writers of Tuesday Tales. Thanks for stopping by.

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Rick thought about his life. He leaned on his knees and petted his companion as he wondered what his next steps would be. First things first, as his mother would say. He needed to turn that ramshackle farm house into a habitable place. Repairs, painting, furniture, he shuddered to think about the size of the job.
But then, again, did he have anything else to do with his time? Nope. Perhaps fixing up the house was a godsend, allowing him to avoid facing empty years ahead. Snapping the leash off the harness, he let Ollie loose. The pooch stayed by his side as the two ventured forth, deeper into the brush.
Rick snapped a few photos of graceful trees and beautiful nature designs, then checked his watch. It was one thirty. They had enough time to get home, eat lunch and be ready for the appointment with Jess.   
As they cleared the forest and hit the field, a car pulled up to the side of the road. It was Doctor Dani.
“How’s he doing?” She asked.
Rick picked up his dog and held him to the window.
She sniffed. “He’s had a bath. Much improved.”
“And he’s eating more. I think he’s getting over missing his family.”
She nodded. “That’s good.”
“What are you doing over here?”
“Back from the post office. I like to take different roads. Get to know Pine Grove a bit.”
“You’re not from here?” He asked.
“Nope. Rye in Westchester county.”
He nodded. “Nice place. Why’d you’ come here?”
“For the job. Cool barn. Is it yours?”
“Everything you can see from here, just about, is mine.”
“You might fix that barn up. Ever have a horse?”
He laughed. “No. Is that a staple of country life?”
“If you put up a fence, you could keep a horse.”
“Wouldn’t that be pretty expensive?” He asked.
“Not for a rich ex-model like you,” she shot back with a grin.
Stunned she knew his identity, he had no rejoinder.
“Got to be going. Nice chatting. Good job with the dog.” She put the car in gear.
“By the way,” he said, finding his tongue, “his name’s Oliver now.”
“Oliver?” she said, raising her eyebrows, directing her glance at the pug. “Suits him. Good choice.”
“Thanks.”
On cue, Ollie barked, almost slipping from Rick’s grasp. Dani hit the gas pedal and the car lurched forward, speeding down the lonesome road, kicking up dust in its wake. Rick smiled. 


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Friday, May 19, 2017

TUESDAY TALES BOOKSTORE - WELCOME!

Welcome to the first Tuesday Tales Bookstore! This is our first bookstore event. All the Tuesday Tales authors will be putting books for sale today. I will showcase my free book, Griff Montgomery, Quarterback, and one that was partially written on Tuesday Tales. Do you remember Unpredictable Love


The book stars Jory Walker, a young woman who's been shouldering adult responsibility for herself and her sister since she was seventeen. Fortunately, an aunt took the girls in. 

The women were close, but Amber exasperated her big sister with her flighty behavior. Even though her sister dwarfed her in the looks department, Jory loved Amber. She kept a protective eye on her. Who knew that the woman in the family in danger of getting her heart broken was Jory? 


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Here are a few excerpts:


Jory Walker plucked three letters from the mailbox in front of the house. Two bills and one envelope addressed to her that looked like it had been through a war. It had, according to what was scratched in the upper corner.

SSGT. T. Stevens

Anger bubbled up inside her. She made a beeline for the house, only to collide with her sister.
“Amber! What the hell?” She waved the envelope in the young woman’s face.
“I just sent him one letter.”
“This is the fourth you’ve gotten from him. When are you going to write back?”
“It was a mistake…”
“You can say that again. Especially the part where you signed my name!”
“Laura was so convincing. I thought she meant one time. Only one letter.”
“She asked people to sign up to write to guys in the military. Not to write only one letter and include a lewd photo.”
“It wasn’t lewd, whatever that means. Just me in a bikini. I’m not good at writing. Much better at pictures.” Her beautiful, blonde sister, with a Miss America figure, grinned.
“And the reason you signed my name?”
“I always liked yours better. Besides, if he wanted another letter, I knew you’d write it for me. So, it might as well have your name on it.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit smile. I’m on to you. And the answer is ‘no.’” Jory shoved the envelope from T. Stevens into Amber’s hand.
“Please? Pleeeaassseee, Jory. You’re the writer. Not me.”
“That’s right. You’re the pretty sister, and I’m the smart one.”
Amber nodded. “I don’t mean it like that. You’re so much better than me.”
“Than I.”
“See?”
“No.”

***************************************

Jory hadn’t set out to craft boring correspondence to SSGT Stevens, but as she wrote, she realized how uninteresting and predictable her life was. She sighed when Nan entered the house Saturday morning with the mail.
“Another one for you, Jory. This young man likes to write.”
“I thought he’d be discouraged by how insipid and stupid my letters are. Guess not.”
“Guess not.” Nan smiled as she hiked up the stairs.
Jory put the envelope in her pocket, saving it for bedtime.
She’d taken to retiring early so she could savor Trent’s words in solitude. She liked to read through fast to get the facts then reread them two or three times. When she went back over them, she’d dig out the hidden loneliness lurking between the lines. Although he never mentioned fear, upon second and third readings her observant eyes picked up the hints of anxiety in his many references to home.


************************************   

With patience, she’d fitted them together to form the image of a man she could almost touch.
Sometimes, she’d reread three or four before turning out the light. She’d tacked his picture on the wall next to her bed. He was the last thing she saw before falling asleep and the first thing in the morning. Jory had planned to wind down the correspondence, but every day she eagerly awaited mail delivery, and a new peek into the mystery man who had inched his way into her heart.

Admitting she had feelings for SSGT Trent Stevens wouldn’t happen. Jory wasn’t some foolish schoolgirl with a crush on a handsome Marine. She was a grown woman, who had been shouldering the responsibilities of an adult since she was seventeen. Her head wouldn’t be turned by a few letters and some fancy words. She was above that. Or so she thought.

Here's the blurb:

Uh oh. Amber signed her sister’s name on a pen pal letter to a Marine. As usual, Jory Walker was stuck fixing her sister’s little white lie.  

When letters poured in from SSGT Trent Stevens in Afghanistan, Jory had no choice but to correspond. Sure he’d be drooling over Amber’s bikini photo, thinking it was Jory. Since they’d never meet, what harm could it do if she sent him a few letters?

Would her charade boomerang replacing happiness with pain? What started off as an innocent ruse, morphed into a monstrous web of deceit. Maybe unpredictable love was destined to break her heart. 


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You can get Unpredictable Love in ebook and paperback here:








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FREE BOOK! Griff Montgomery, Quarterback 




He wants to find a wife. She doesn’t want to marry again –ever. Not exactly a match made in heaven. Or are they? Ten years ago, Griff Montgomery, star quarterback of the Kings and womanizer, became a stand-in father for his widowed sister’s kids. His happy family life collapsed when she and her new husband moved to California. Griff wants his own family. But where does a “player” go to find his ideal mate?

Having sworn off marriage forever, Lauren Farraday barely kept her life together after her divorce. With her career shaky and depression closing in, the last thing she needed was a courtroom battle with a sexy athlete.

Forced, by a judge, into an uneasy truce, the pair denied their growing chemistry. Wary of Griff’s reputation with women, and hiding a secret, Lauren keeps him at arm’s length. Determined, Griff marches toward his goal. Can the quarterback handle the truth or will he walk away, like he always has in the past?

Get the book FREE in ebook, or buy it in audio or paperback here: 










     SMASHWORDS


     AMAZON CANADA





     AUDIBLE (Audio book)


    ITUNES AUDIO


Monday, May 15, 2017

TUESDAY TALES - PICTURE PROMPT - "BREAK MY HEART" - DOG WASH







Welcome! We have another episode of "Break My Heart". Scroll down to return to Tuesday Tales. Thanks for coming.


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Upon entering the kitchen, he opened the fridge. Time for lunch.
After he fixed food, he rummaged around the boxes and tins until he found the doggie shampoo in a brown paper bag filled with cleaning supplies. How appropriate!
After searching all sides of the house, he came upon a decrepit hose, mended in two places with duct tape. It had been coiled and dumped under the porch.
He pulled it out, gently, wiping the cobwebs and dust from his hands on his pants. He screwed it on a rusty spigot in the back and worked the handle hard until it moved.  Brown water spurted out in fits and starts.
“The water’s rusty, we’ll wait,” he said. The dog stretched out next to his master. Rick directed the flow away from the pug, not wishing to scare him. He let the dirty water run. There was no nozzle. He grinned, remembering from his youth, how to make water rocket out of a nozzle-less hose.
Gorgeous from the moment he was born, Rick Winslow had had a fairly normal childhood in Pine Grove until he was ten, when his modeling career began. Chief mischief maker on his block, little Rick Winslow always had a frog in his pocket and a scheme up his sleeve.
He picked up the hose and squirted the dog. The critter jumped, then tried to bite the stream. Rick aimed again and the spunky little guy took off, racing around in circles at full speed. Rick circled and circled, trying to wet the dog, but failing. Too dizzy to stand, he fell, laughing, onto the wet grass. Oliver approached cautiously, then licked Rick’s face. He grabbed the dog, hugging him to his chest and planting a kiss on his head.
“Dani’s right. You stink, buddy. Let’s get you clean.”

Monday, May 8, 2017

TUESDAY TALES - ''MOTHER'



Welcome! This week the word prompt is "mother", so appropriate! I am continuing with "Break My Heart" this week. Scroll down to return to Tuesday Tales. Thank you for stopping by! 


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Dani Henderson waited until Rick cleared the waiting room before she sauntered out. She leaned against the front desk. The receptionist turned to her.
“What planet is that man from?”
“Who?” Dani asked.
“Winslow.”
“Why?” Dani shifted her weight.
“He asked me where the nearest groomer was.” Nancy burst into laughter.
“Really?”
“Yes. He must be from Mars. Can you imagine? A groomer in Pine Grove?”
“Nancy, you didn’t think he was repulsive, did you?”
“Winslow? Nope. Kinda cute, if you ask me. The scars make him look interesting.”
“You didn’t recognize him?”
“Should I?”
“He’s Breaker Winslow, the model?”
“The model?”
Dani nodded.
“Well shear my sheep! Never would have guessed.”
“Is that because of his face?”
“Nope. I have no idea who that is. Never seen Breaker Winslow before. Gotta like his name, though,” Nancy replied.
“He’s on a million book covers. Ads in magazines? You’ve never seen him?”
“Oh, wait. Maybe, that one time we went to Florida to see Frank’s folks. I looked at a couple of books in the airport. There was one very handsome guy on a western book. Coulda been him.”
“He’s hot.”
Nancy nodded.
“The accident didn’t destroy his looks,” Dani said.
“Bet he’s not getting many calls from book publishers, though.”
“Probably not. I like the way he looks. Kind of gives him character, you know? He’s not just another pretty face.”
“That he isn’t. I agree. He’s still pretty good lookin’. Especially around these parts. Not much to look at here, in the way of men.”
“There are a few.”
“Either married or too young.”
“Nancy! What would Frank say?”
“He’d just laugh,”
“He’d better be careful.”
“Franks’ not worried. He knows I’m the loyal type.”
“I know,” Dani said, patting her friend’s arm. “And I truly appreciate that.”
“I bet you do. Everyone quitting because they didn’t want to work for a woman. Sure left you short-handed.”
“Sure did. Who’s next?”
“We got a cat to be spayed due in about ten minutes.”
“Good. Time for a cup of tea.” Dani headed to the back where the food and beverage supplies were kept.
“Say, you’re not sweet on that guy, are you, Doctor Dani?”
“Me? On Breaker Winslow? Nope. He’s a pretty angry guy.”
“Got good reason, I’d say,” Nancy said, as she picked up her pen and wrote notes on Scruffy’s chart.
“Agreed.” Dani put a mug of water and a tea bag in the microwave.
He sure does have reason to be mad. But his face? It’s not that bad. And if he turned on a little charm, well he’d be downright dangerous.
She returned to the front desk, sipping her brew.
“Course, he might do until someone better comes along,” Nancy said, carrying on the conversation as if Dani hadn’t left the room.
“Doubt I have time for any man. There’s plenty here to keep me busy.”
“Nights here can be long and lonely.”
“Great for sleeping. I’m gonna need rest to get up at daybreak to take care of livestock, before the dogs and cats arrive.”
“Keep tellin’ yourself that. Go ahead. But you ain’t foolin’ me. That man’s looking for something and it seems to me he’s found it right here,” Nancy said in a motherly tone.  
“You’re mistaken, Nancy. We rescue dogs and cats here, not men.” Dani held her cup with both hands.
“I’d say it depends on the man. Some of them need rescuing, too.”
“Maybe, but that’s not my problem.”



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Monday, May 1, 2017

TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "CRY" BREAK MY HEART





Welcome! This week we're back at the vet's office, where Breaker, oh, excuse me, Rick Winslow is having an argument with the doctor. We continue with Break My Heart. The word prompt is "cry". Scroll down for the link to return to Tuesday Tales. Thanks for stopping by. 

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Panic captured his breath. He couldn’t lose this little critter. Pain rocketed through him. As quickly as it came, it morphed into anger. He snatched the dog back.
“You’ve got some fucking nerve! He’s mine. I found him. I’m keeping him. We’ll find another vet.”  He headed for the door.
“Don’t talk to me like that. Get out!” She stood rigid, hands on hip.
He turned.
“We come to you for help and you try to take the dog away? What the fuck? This little pug has been tossed aside, dumped. I know what he’s going through. I brought him to you to save him and this is how you treat me?” He resumed his path to the door, cursing himself as tears burned at the back of his eyes. He took a deep breath to steady his emotions. Nope, he surely was not going to cry because this woman was a class A bitch.   
“No, wait. Wait!”
Rick stopped. “What the fuck do you want?”
“You don’t have to get mad. I was only thinking of the animal.”
“Were you? You don’t want some repulsive man to get his hands on this nice little dog?”
She stepped back. “What? No. I never thought that.”
“Then what did you think?” His nostrils flared, adrenaline flowed through his veins. His body prepared to do battle to hang on to his small companion.
“I’m sorry. I just thought. I mean. Well, you are Breaker Winslow, aren’t you?
“Breaker Winslow is dead.” His tone was harsher than he intended.
“Oh. Guess I made a mistake. Come here. Let me take a look at him.” She placed a stethoscope around her neck. You’re right, he needs help.” Her tone had quieted. She shot a tentative smile his way.
Fear slowly seeped out of his body. “You’re not going to take him away again, are you?”
She shook her head. “No, no. I believe you. But this boy is malnourished. He needs medical attention.” She wrinkled her nose. “And a bath.”
“Okay then. Fix him up.” As he handed her the dog, his gaze connected with hers. The blue that had been a haughty frost a few minutes earlier, had softened. He dropped his gaze to the floor. Pity. He recognized it the second he saw it. He hated it worse than derision. Nobody needed to pity Breaker Winslow. He was a rich son-of-a-bitch. If he had lost his profession, his total, identity in the fire, at least he had enough money to lick his wounds in high style. 


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