Let's go with the silver!

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Hello !

You may--or may not--have noticed that I missed sending you my newsletter last Sunday. There was a reason--it may have had something to do with a little pneumonia...

Good news is I'm on the mend now!

I'm woefully behind in writing Two Pucks, but the good news is I LOVE this story and it's flowing well and will be ready at the end of the month as promised.

Writing about Sabien Dumas, one of the guys on the Portsmouth Whalers team and a player in the first two Whalers series books is great fun and very satisfying. I love giving him all kinds of trouble on his way to a happy-ever-after!

I hope you enjoy the Exclusive Excerpt I have for you today!

Check out the Exclusive Excerpt from TWO PUCKS Below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

So what's the silver lining to having pneumonia, you ask?

Check out the silver lining below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Also, how about a SALE? THE DO-OVER GIRL is on sale!

Check out the SALE details below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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Want 2 FREE Romance Books each month?

Join the Hockey Romance Book Club! See the details below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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At SQ's House

It was tough to type between all the coughing for the past ten days or so, but that's improving.

It wasn't all bad, though. Two weeks ago I went to a UConn Men's basketball game➜➜➜➜

Fun times! Do you believe we were cheerleaders together at UConn back in the day? Our team is still at #1 in the nation and has been rolling! I've been watching mostly on TV. Go Huskies! 🏀 ❤️

My diet/exercise, you ask?

SILVER LINING!

You guessed it--I lost weight--6 lbs--while I was recuperating, but it's more than that...

My determination to eat healthy and maintain a better weight with a more optimal activity level, including stretching has been super-charged!

I won't get all preachy, but I've been kind of a living cautionary tale about what happens when you eat junk food and take health for granted.

Now... cautiously optimistic.

How about you? Feel free to drop me a note. I truly enjoy hearing from you. 💜

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If you enjoy talking books with like-minded romance lovers, and especially if you enjoy sports or my books, I would love to have you join my group. I share exclusive looks at covers-in-progress and you can join my ARC team there.

Getting to know the members of my group personally is everything! 💜

➜➜Join the SQ Team on Facebook Here

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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT - TWO PUCKS

Sabien

I keep my mouth shut, take Cherry by the hand and pull her inside the house, slamming the door after us.

“What the heck was that all about?” she asks. Good question.

Lady comes bounding in our direction the instant she hears Cherry’s voice.

I swipe a hand through my hair and realize I never put on a shirt. Shit. “Never mind them. A bunch of media looking for a story.”

Cherry’s eyebrows rise up under her hair which is long and lush and just messy enough to have that sexy look like she just got out of bed where she got good and laid.

Fuck. Do not think about the dog walker that way. I need her. Lady loves her and she takes good care of my puppy when I’m out of town.

We barely reach the living room when my house phone rings. Not a good sign.

“Wow. You have a house phone? Funny I never noticed before.” Cherry stares at it sitting on a side table like it’s from another world. Maybe it is. The world my parents live in because they’re the only ones who ever call that phone.

“I’ll call back whoever it is. Let’s take Lady out back for her exercise today.”

“Sure, I get it. Must be bothersome being rich and famous.” She smirks. It’s a dig, but I play along.

“So bothersome I’m thinking of wearing a disguise when I go out.”

She laughs. “I can see you in glasses with a big plastic nose and fake moustache.”

“Exactly what I had in mind. No one will ever know. Plus they’ll give me a wide birth or run the other way when they see the crazy man coming.”

Bending down, I ruffle Lady’s fur and give her a squeeze. Her tail wags like crazy and she nuzzles my face without licking. I let her have the run of the house except at night when she sleeps in her crate, and I feed her people food rather than disgusting dog food, but I’m not into getting licked—at least not by a dog. 

If Cherry were to lick me, now that would be a whole different matter. Fuck. What’s wrong with me? I’m in trouble for letting my letting my skirt-chasing hobby have free reign with that nurse last night. Time to cool down. 

Cherry steps past me out the back sliders and I get an up close look at her perfect derriere outlined in breathtaking detail by her bright pink leggings. Clamping down on the urge to touch, I stand and follow her outside.

She’s wearing turquoise half-sweater cut off way too short above her naval and showing a good portion of her abs, with a too-big black fleece hoodie over it, unzipped. 

“Aren’t you cold?”

She pulls a rubber ball from her pocket and throws it for Lady to chase.

“You’re the one out here without a shirt on.”

I shrug. “I grew up in Montreal and I live on an ice rink.” Lady brings me the ball and we have our usual fight over it where she growls and hangs on for dear life until I let go and fling a stick towards the stand of trees that line the side of my property.

“So what you’re saying is that you’re cold blooded, then?”

I turn to her and flash the kind of smile I’m told is a lady-killer. “Just the opposite. It means I’m hot blooded.” 

Fuck. I can’t help myself. I always flirt with women. It’s who I am. But I need to draw the line with Cherry. She’s here strictly for Lady and Lady needs her. I need her. I can’t afford to lose her for the sake of a roll in the hay—no matter how much I may fantasize about it.  Cherry’s not a love ‘em and leave ‘em one timer like the nurse.

She looks me up and down and I return the favor while Lady wrestles with her stick.

“You are hot, I’ll give you that.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.” I’m starting to soften on my resolve to leave the dog-walker alone, to keep it a strictly professional relationship, because she’s flirting with me and she’s lighting up the kind of sparks in me that I haven’t felt in a while. The nurse didn’t even come close. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I was this turned on by casual flirtation.

Possibly never. I take a step closer to her when the cell phone in my pocket vibrates and I know I need to answer it. Shit. Saved by the bell.

“I have to take this call inside. Check and make sure the coast is clear before you take Lady out front.”

“Yes sir.” She salutes me. “Right after I get my dark glasses and trench coat.” I should be ruffled by her sass, but the kind of ruffling I feel is the kind where my dick comes to life, so I keep my mouth shut and in a last ditch effort to exercise self-control, I go inside, keeping my hands to myself.

Walking toward the kitchen for another cup of coffee, I answer the phone.

Coach Nash’s voice booms from the speaker loud and clear. “What the hell did you do last night? No—don’t answer that. You somehow leaked the news about Rafe’s retirement which was not your news to tell. Are you fucking kidding me?” He goes on, but I move the phone away from my ear and swallow down the lump of humble pie.

 “I apologize, Coach.” I explain about the nurse as if that’s an excuse. “I asked her to keep it cool, but I should have known better than to trust a stranger.”

“You should have known better than to take a stranger home with you. What the hell?”

Shit. “It won’t happen again. I swear.”

“Why? You joining the priesthood?”

“No… I.. I’m seeing someone.” I glance outside the window to the back yard at Cherry. “I mean I plan to see someone exclusively. No more fooling around with strangers.”

“Don’t tell me about it. Tell this so-called exclusive someone about it. Hopefully she’ll believe you. Hopefully you’re not giving me a pile of shit.”

“No, sir.” Shit. 

“See you at practice in two hours.”

What the hell is wrong with my muddled brain? I don’t have an exclusive girl and I sure as hell don’t want one. That’s like jumping from the frying pan to the fire with drama and feelings and emotional craziness that a relationship brings. I’ve seen my brother go through it.

His problem was that he married too young. My parents did too. Luckily that was their first marriages and they found each other for their second time around when they were older and ready to settle down. I don’t need to be hit over the head with a frying pan to get the picture.

Lesson learned. Do not settle down until you’re over thirty and sampled enough women to know who’s who and enough life under your belt to know what’s what, and to want to settle down. 

Plus, playing the field suits my personality. I love women, love flirting, bantering and the sweet feel of success when I win them over. Even if I don’t end up in bed every time. Well-kept secret—I don’t take them all to bed.

What can I say?  I love the hell out of playing games.

Lady bounds inside ahead of Cherry who follows trying to keep up, laughing as Lady runs straight for me with a dirty stick in her mouth. Her laughter and Lady’s wagging tail make me smile. 

Cherry takes the stick from Lady. “Problem?”

“No. Why do you ask?” No need to involve her in my problems. In fact, every reason to keep her out of it, safe in the hands-off no-drama zone.

“You’re usually more playful with Lady.” She shrugs and slides me a flirty smile. “Usually more playful in general.” Shit.

“Sorry. I need to get dressed and go to practice.” Least I can do is get there early. It’s only ten minutes away and if I leave now I’ll get there before everyone else like a team captain should.

“Don’t let me stop you.” She shows one dimple. She’s most definitely flirting with me. I stop on my way to the bedroom and give her a long look.

“Are you flirting with me?”

“So what if I am? What are you going to do about it?”

Fuck. “Loaded question.” What am I going to do? Should I do what I’m itching to do, what comes naturally, what every part of me, especially my riled up dick is begging me to do?

Or should I listen to good sense and my conscience and stay on the flirting wagon, keeping my dog walker at arms-length where she belongs.

I shake my head, dismissing the many responses I’d rather say, like naughty girl you deserve a spanking, and head for my bedroom to throw on one of my dozens of Whalers sweatshirts. A far cry from my normal sense of fashion, by I’m deep into the team mentality and I think of all Whalers gear as my uniform.

“Can’t blame a girl for trying,” she shouts from the living room. “I’m taking Lady out for her walk. Knock em dead at practice.”

Walking back out into the living room as I pull the shirt down over my abs, I  rush to tell her to watch out. “Check the front before you go out there. Don’t talk to anyone and if anyone tries to engage you in conversation, especially about me, ignore them and head straight back here.”

“Yes, sir. Anything else? Are you really a hockey player or do you work for the CIA?”

I return her infectious grin and give her the finger. She laughs as I knew she would.

She’s fun and bubbly and an animal lover. A bit ditzy, but with a soft caring heart of pure gold. 

She bends to hook up Lady’s leash to her collar when her phone plays the theme from Rocky announcing a caller.

“Hold that thought,” she says to the dog. I should be leaving, but I stand and sip my coffee, absently petting Lady while I watch her answer her phone, enjoying the way the sun glistens off her hair like a golden fire.

She straightens to a stand while I lean agaist the back of an over-priced mid-century modern chair.

“Hello? Mr. Wixell?” Her face falls and her pallor turns ashen.

My muscles tense up and my hand stops petting, letting go of Lady’s mane. Something isn’t right. I can’t hear whatever Mr. fucking Wixell is saying on the other end of the conversation is saying, but his voice is loud and unhappy.

“But sir—” She darts her eyes in my direction, clamps down with her teeth on her bottom lip and turns away when she realizes I’m staring at her and paying close attention. I don’t like what I’m seeing. Not one little bit.

Who the hell is this guy and what the hell business does he have making Cherry feel this way? All panicked and unhappy—the total opposite of her normal carefree self? 

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My favorite review of the week!

"Incredible romantic beautiful read full of loss,family ties, a unexpected birthday that turns into something more than one time. Absolutely awesome read Thank you❤❤❤"

Shirley Klohricci--Amazon reviewer

I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to leave reviews.💜

READ THE ONE TIMER FREE IN KU

for a limited time

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LIMITED TIME SALE!

SALE! THE DO-OVER GIRL $0.99!

Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON

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Coming in May 2024

Tricky Puck - a fake fiancee hockey rom-com

Link

I'd never heard of a real life matchmaker before, but grandma insists on introducing me to one and makes sure it's really real when she tells me I'm her matchmaker's new client...

Normally, I'd do anything for grandma, but this is a big ask.

I'm not ready to settle down. Not even close. I'm only twenty-six and a rising star in the NHL - otherwise known as a chick-magnet.

After all the hard work and focus I've put in to get this far, I've barely begun to have fun. No way am I going along with the matchmaking plan.

Sure.

Fast forward to when my attitude changes real fast after grandma informs me her clock is ticking and her time's almost up.

And her dying wish is to see me settled down with a nice young woman.

Shit.

She goes on about babies, but my mind is spinning with the knowledge that I have no choice. I need to go along with this matchmaking deal for grandma.

Unless I can come up with a way to give her the comfort she wants, the illusion that I'm settled down--without actually settling down...

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ROMANCE FANS: CLICK HERE to Follow Me anywhere on social media and keep in touch!

The winter here is cold and the perfect time to get cozy with a book--or that's my go-to anyway. Enjoy whatever weather you're having and your favorite pastime.

I'm hoping next week I'll be back to full-strength. Until then, enjoy all your romantic moments. 💜

Warmest Regards,