Overprotective older brothers are at it again!

Jan 23, 2023 12:01 pm

Hello! Thank you for welcoming me into your inbox. I'm packing today's email with lots of insta-fun goodies, so be sure to scroll for everything.

What you'll find in today's email:

Labor of Love chapter 1
Pre-orders
Books by Maci Dillon and Tara September
January Sales & Freebies

INSTALOVE SPOTLIGHT'S ON...

Labor of Love! Blue Collar, small town, bossy older brother, love at first sight.

Why I wrote this story: Who hasn't fantasized about the hot cabana boy, the ruggedly handsome handyman, or the delivery driver who can deliver the goods? Raise your hand. Don't be shy. Romance lives and breathes with scenarios of ordinary people in extraordinary situations that would (almost) never happen in real life. But I wanted to turn this little fantasy on its head and do a little role reversal.

In Labor of Love, Jayden's making changes in his life. One of those changes involves renovating his childhood home while keeping the memory of his parents in his heart. But he's in for the surprise of his life when the contractor he's hired is a saucy siren with an eye for detail.

Marisa's short, sweet, and full of heat. When things go sideways, she's a handful to be reckoned with.

I hope you love Marisa and Jayden's story. Scroll for Labor of Love Chapter 1.

Labor to Love contains copyright material.

Chapter 1

Jayden

The truck kicks up a trail of dust on its way down the gravel driveway. I make a mental note to add a paved driveway to the growing list of upgrades to the house and property. The list is becoming endless. But the old house needs some serious rehab. Sitting vacant for years without much care took its toll on the place.

No one wanted to step foot in the house in the few years following Mom and Dad’s deaths. Returning to our childhood home hit Raine and me the hardest. We were old enough to remember our parents and all the good times in this house. Stormi and Raven were so young they barely remember our parents, let alone the house.

It used to feel so warm and cozy. Happy even. Now it’s a hollow shell of what it was. I’ve made peace with the place and the memories it clings to. It’s high time I make it a home again rather than just a house with four walls. Harrison and Sons is the right contractor for the job. I want someone who can update the place while keeping some of the history and memories intact.

The truck rolls to a stop beside the wrap-around wood porch. A young lady sits in the driver’s seat flipping through papers on a clipboard. She’s not who I’m expecting. I spoke with Jake Harrison earlier in the week. I assumed he’d be the one stopping by for a look around. She must be who they send out to calculate estimates.

She steps out of the truck, places a hand across her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun, and does a one-eighty look around the property. I assess her while she assesses the place. Average height, curvy build, long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. She sees me standing inside the front screen door when she turns toward the porch. She smiles and waves, then makes her way across the inlaid stones leading to the porch steps.

She looks to be in her late twenties, maybe thirty. Her cheeks plump into round cherries when she smiles. Her eyes brighten with her smile. As she gets closer, I make out the color. Baby blue.

I open the screen and step out onto the porch. It creaks with age under my weight. Shore up the porch. Another thing to add to the growing list. She extends a hand when she reaches the top of the steps.

“Hi. I’m Marisa with Harrison and Sons. Nice place you got here.”

“Name’s Jayden.” I return the handshake. Her hand is tiny compared to mine. “She’s an old house but a family treasure. Would you like to come in for a look around or walk the property first?”

“Let’s walk. You can tell me about the place so I can get a feel for it.” Her voice lilts through the country air like she was born for the outdoors. “My notes mention basic upgrades and a few custom touches. That correct?”

“Yep. I want to make sure the bones of the house are in good shape to last another fifty years if possible. Minimal structural changes unless necessary. I’d rather the job didn’t turn into some reality show construction nightmare. She’s old, but I’m pretty sure she’s solid.”

We walk along the footpath leading toward the back of the property. The path leads to Dad’s tool shed that’s seen better days, Mom’s old potting shed, and a playhouse that definitely needs to be torn down.

“I understand the house stood empty for a long time. There might be some unexpected issues due to neglect. Do you know anything about the previous owners or how long it was empty?”

I'm not in the mood to take a walk down memory lane with someone I just met. But maybe a little family history will emphasize my desire to restore rather than tear it apart. It might be just a job for a company, but repairing this house is a labor of love from my perspective.

“It’s my childhood home. My parents died when I was fourteen, a little over twenty years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.” She reaches out and lays a sympathetic hand on my forearm. “There must be a lot of memories here for you.”

Her touch is soft and light, tickling against the hair on my arm. She has a warm, compassionate way about her that rings true.

“Thanks. There are. As far as I know, my parents kept up with the place. My dad was pretty handy, so he did minor repairs back in the day.” I point to the shed as we approach. “He worked in there a lot. His old tools are still there.”

A memory of Dad teaching me how to build a bird feeder comes to mind. It was a present for Mom’s birthday. I must have been eight or nine at the time. That feeder is long gone by now.

“The shed is in pretty bad shape. It probably needs to come down.” I unlock the padlock and swing the door wide, blocking it open with an old brick. I find the pull chain connected to the light in the middle of the room. It takes a couple of yanks, but then the room lights up. “Wiring could use an update.”

“This is quite the workshop.” She takes a quick look at me and smiles. Her lips form a perfect Cupid’s bow.

Marisa walks along the cabinets lining the walls, opening doors and pulling open drawers. She pulls a small flashlight from her back pocket and peers in all the nooks and crannies. When she bends over, her jeans stretch nicely over her perfectly rounded ass. I know I shouldn't look, but it's hard not to notice her shapely curves.

"What do you think? Total tear down or room for repair?" I'd like to save what I can while being realistic about what's salvageable.

“That depends on your budget. In some cases, it's more cost-effective to start fresh." She plucks at some loose wall boards. "If you're just looking to preserve the place, we could probably do some touch-ups here and there. But if you want this to be a functional space again, it might be better to tear it down and start fresh. That's all up to you."

She leans on the long workbench in the center of the room that runs the length of the space. The light above illuminates her blonde tresses in an almost halo effect. My eyes peruse her soft curves and delicate facial features while she jots down some notes on her clipboard.

“I’ll write up options for both. You can decide from there which way you want to go. Personally, I love the idea of restoring things to their original state, but this might be more challenging with some of the issues I already see.”

We move on from the tool shed to Mom’s potting shed.

“This is where Mom spent most of her time. She loved the outdoors.”

Marisa steps inside the small wooden shed. Her eyes widen. She oohs and aahs at the craftsmanship of the space. Unlike the tool shed, the inside walls are finished with a layer of insulation between the outside walls and the inside wood slat finish.

“Dad made sure Mom had everything she could possibly want out here. Running water, electricity, custom bench with inlaid cans for soil.” I slide a wooden slat across the top of the bench exposing the removable plastic liner meant for soil. “There’s heating and cooling in here so Mom could work year-round.”

"I love this space. It's amazing." Marisa glides her hand along the cedar-topped workbench. She turns to look at me. "What changes are you looking at making in here?"

"Nothing, if possible."

Her face brightens, and she lets out an audible sigh of relief.

"I'm so glad you said that. We'll check out the structure to make sure it's sound and make as few adjustments as possible in here."

She spins around with her clipboard in one hand and the other outstretched, taking in the entirety of the space. She fits so naturally in here as if it were made just for her. I almost don't want to move on to the next area. Just her presence here makes the place come to life and feel like home.

Yesterday moving on from the past looked like fixing up the old place. But with Marisa here, it's beginning to feel like nails, boards, and new paint are only the beginning. It's going to take much more for this to feel like home again. I need to share it with someone. Someone special. One someone.

Marisa is exactly what this place needs. It’s missed the touch of a woman for far too long.

So have I.

♥♥♥

Continue reading for Marisa's little secret that brings trouble to Jayden's front door.

♥♥♥

Continue Reading Labor of Love

Soulmates for the Sinclairs Series

Also available as a box set and paperback

Related Reading: This is another book with without related reading outside the series. But if you like bossy older brothers who stick their nose where it doesn't belong, then you'll love Kinsey, Holiday Moves, Kiss Me Quick, Butterfly Kisses, Lucky Charm, and Sloane.

PRE-ORDER

Take a peek at what's next in the Home Wrecker's Construction series. What happens when childhood friends meet again years later? They're all grown up, both struggling to prove they're worthy of love and respect, but one's off limits. What happens when the boss finds out?

Pre-order your forever copy of Jonas. He'll slide into your eReader on Feb. 9.

Pre-order Jonas

Read them all: Home Wreckers Construction

AUTHOR CORNER

Gianne Prescott carries the weight of her family's financial ruin on her shoulders. Awkward, shy, and unsure of herself, her new part-time job opens the door to playboy, Mr. Fuckalicious, aka Reed Malone. When he makes an offer that will save the family business, she can hardly say no. Even if the deal threatens to destroy her.

Read Not My Billionaire Boss

Emerson Powers has been so focused on obtaining her science degree that she’s neglected the more social aspects of college life. With the new start of her junior year, she’s determined to fix that with a real hands-on lesson in biology. The assignment is simple enough—teach the rock star’s son how to be good, while he shows her how to be very bad. Two objectives, one outcome … will the lesson be love or heartbreak?

Read Blinded Me With Science