Two Happily Ever Afters this Holiday Season!
Nov 24, 2021 11:01 pm
Hello, lovely readers!
I'm tired. Are you guys tired? But even slumped over my keyboard in exhaustion, there's fun things happening. What fun things, you ask?
Weeeeeell, it's release day for Three Kisses Till Christmas! If you've been waiting to read or reread this holiday novella in KU, you can! Or if you want to own it outright, it's .99 cents.
What other shenanigans are about?
Weeeeeell, I've got a giveaway for you! Wolf is giving away 5 copies of A Dare Too Far, on pre-order now. You can sign up for a chance to win a copy here! Giveaway sign-ups end December 1, so click sooner rather than later. :)
Would you perhaps like to read an excerpt of A Dare Too Far? Take a peek!
***
George scratched his head and turned in circles, searching. “Where the hell is she?”
“Oi! Stop shaking the tree!”
George’s heart stopped, and he slowly lifted his gaze to the treetops. And found Jane. She formed a dark speck against the white sky, obscured by the heavy slashes of tree branches. He calmed his breathing and focused on her figure, nestled in a V made by the trunk and branch near the top. How high up was she? Impressive, that. Didn’t know a single other woman who could do that, and few men, let alone those who would want to do it. But there she lounged, smiling and daring and strong.
An admirable woman.
Yet. He frowned at the tree, inspected the thin branch nearest him. Not particularly substantial.
“What are you doing up there, Lady Jane?” George kept the urgency and fear from his voice. Good.
“Is that you, Sir George?”
She must be well if she was using that blasted nickname for him. “It is. What are you doing up there?”
“What are you doing here? Chasing dragons?” The tree shook.
His heart jumped into his throat. The tree was too frail to take much jostling. “Chasing you. Tell me now—what are you doing up there?”
“You can divest yourself of your shining armor, sir knight. No need for heroics. I’m merely gathering mistletoe. I shot it twice with the rifle, but it’s stuck. The branch it’s stuck on is too flimsy to hold my weight.”
Oh, God. The branches up higher were no better than those down below. “Come down from there!”
“Not until I get the mistletoe.”
“No parasite is worth risking your life, Jane. Come down now.”
“Parasite?” The tree shook.
He looked up.
She’d shimmied lower on the tree and peered down at him, her pale face a study in curiosity. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you if you come down.”
She grinned. “I will. After I retrieve the parasite. Hm. This tree is dying, I think. Perhaps if I break this off.” Grunting. “Yes. Perfect. I can use it to poke the mistletoe out of its place. But I really should come down. I begin to think this is not a good climbing tree.”
Her every word terrified him. A dying tree? Breaking branches?
Bloody hell. His heart would give way on the spot, as if he really were the old man she accused him of being. He leaned against the tree. He’d have to wait, or…
He stood upright and called into the branches above. “Come down and I’ll go up and retrieve the mistletoe.”
“Always so gallant,” she grumbled. “No, no. I’ll get it myself. It’s almost there. If I can get a bit clos—ahhh!”
Her body dropped through the branches. George sprinted around the tree until he stood right beneath her. He reached his arms out, but she fell at an odd angle. Scratches crisscrossed over her pale cheeks; a deep scrape trailed blood down one temple. Her long dark hair streamed behind her falling body like ribbons on a gusty day. Their gazes caught, and her chocolate eyes drowned in fear.
Her body crashed into his, and they both hit the ground. Something hard and sharp slammed into the back of his head and his shoulder, and the world darkened around him. But he tightened his arms around Jane. If he must die, he might as well enjoy his final moments.
***
Well, that starts off with a bang. :)
I really enjoyed writing Jane and George's story, particularly the pig scene. And the hedge maze destruction. And the mistletoe-making contest. :) I hope you enjoy it too.
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Happy Reading!
Charlie Lane
