Sunday Snippet: Ring It In

October 19, 2014

Greetings!

Whew. Great television this past week. The Walking Dead premiere didn't disappoint. So happy it's back on my TV. And I'm all caught up on everything I normally watch. The Flash and Arrow are still kicking ass. Sons of Anarchy is totally insane and I can't wait to see how everything ends.

On Demand has me up to date on Haven, Sleepy Hollow, Agents of SHIELD, and Gotham. Pretty thrilled with Gotham so far. Some interesting little twists on the lore I'm quite enjoying.

Tonight's post is from Ring It In, a sexy short set around New Year's Eve and my heroine is looking forward to spending some much needed downtime all alone.

Here's the tagline:

Recovering from post-holiday family drama, Paris Lightful wants to spend New Year's Eve in her uncle's cabin with nothing but her laptop and a ton of action movies. When near blizzard conditions strand Deputy Kelton Pine at her location, Paris doesn't welcome the intrusion, especially since Kelton has a major chip on his shoulder. But once the ice breaks between the couple, things heat up rather quickly.

And a snippety peek…

Paris Lightful pulled up to the cabin and shut off the ignition. A light snow drifted down from the grey sky and she took a moment to enjoy watching the flakes dust the windshield. She loved being here in the winter, and especially enjoyed the fact she'd be blessedly alone after the holiday catastrophe her mom called a merry Christmas.

Grabbing her keys, she tossed them inside her bag and exited the vehicle. She popped the trunk and dragged her luggage out, hefting the carry-on over her shoulder and pulling the handle from her roll-on case. She wanted to get inside before the wintry mix got worse.

Stooping down, she lifted the edge of the welcome mat and snagged the key. "Thank you, Uncle Mick, for never changing." She unlocked the door and carried her gear inside the cozy space.

Her phone rang and she juggled her purse and carry-on, dragging the device from the front pocket of her jeans. "Hi, Uncle Mick. I just walked in the front door." Setting her bags down, she flipped on the lights. "The place looks great."

Her uncle chuckled. "Your dear mother would disagree, Parry, my girl."

Paris rolled her eyes at the nickname Uncle Mick had given her. "My lovely mother is the reason I'm here." She waited a beat. "Are you sure you weren't adopted, Uncle Mick?" The man couldn't be more different from his older sister.

His laugh rumbled over the line. "Yep, I'm sure. And your mom is fond of reminding me how much my birth screwed up her kindergarten year."

Paris snorted. "Only Martha has that kind of memory. I swear the woman forgets nothing." And Paris had a laundry list of stuff her mother loved to harp about. "Thanks again, Uncle Mick, for letting me use the cabin."

He tsked. "No problem, Parry. Now you go check and make sure the Hendermans remembered to stock the pantry and fridge, okay?"

Paris walked through the main room and ducked into the kitchen and did as instructed. "Looks like they left enough food to feed an army. I may have to stay an extra week to use it all up."

Mick chuckled. "Jo always goes overboard. Whatever you don't use, take home with you." He paused. "Or, feel free to stay that extra week, Parry. You could use a break and really recover, you know."

Her heart warmed. Uncle Mick understood how draining her mother's Christmas fetes were for Paris, and he actually gave a damn about her health. Martha expected Paris to make the rounds and put on a good show for her mom's friends and neighbors. What did it matter if her daughter's appendix almost burst and had to be removed?

Paris kicked her boots off and settled down on the couch. "I might just do that. I'm off until the fifteenth." She'd taken a leave of absence with the promise to be available via phone and computer, if needed. "The downtime sounds so appealing."

Mick snorted. "And it's not being spent with my sister so there's a bonus."

Paris laughed. "You know you love her, Uncle Mick. She's just easier to handle in small doses."

He agreed. "Too true, my dear. Now don't forget to turn up the thermostat to get the furnace going and if you need extra wood, call Ralph Henderman—the number is on the fridge. He'll bring a load if you need more."

Paris smiled. "I'll manage, Uncle Mick. Take care, okay?"

He responded with his usual reply. "I always do, Parry. I always do."

The line went dead and she set her phone on the coffee table. Getting up, she did as instructed and adjusted the thermostat, then headed to the fireplace to start a fire. The Hendermans had laid everything out and she only needed to light a match to get it going.

She had a list with action movies to watch and decided to pop some corn over the flames before getting started. She pushed thoughts of her mom and family drama out of her mind. With several deep, cleansing breaths, the stressed tension in her shoulders fell away and she finally relaxed.

Glancing at her watch, she exhaled on a sigh. "Blissed out day commencing now."

Yeah, her bliss won't last very long. LOL

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin