Sunday Snippet: Unfettered in Love

September has been such a weird month. Our weather is all over the place—again—and we're baking in high temps. Also have a drought at the moment. I mean the grass crunches when I walk on it right now.

I think we have our car issues solved. Mine is back with a new computer and we did end up with a total loss on the CR-V. Found one to replace that and we're getting everything in order to finalize the purchase. Here's hoping that ends our car drama for a good, long time.

Another super busy work week. Finished up a project and started a new one. I'm in a holding pattern for two more and I may have a new client for some writing coaching. Very excited about my calendar right now!

Did not have a great week of viewing. Too many things distracting me and needing my attention. I might have to start doing playlists instead of television shows. If I do the playlist thing, be forewarned, I have very eclectic taste in music.

I did get an episode of The Batman watched by starting the fourth season. This introduced Superman to the roster, which also means Lex Luthor put in an appearance along with Lois and Jimmy.

Caught an episode of Classic Rugrats. All three vignettes were new to me, which is fun. I feel like I must have skipped several seasons though because I don't remember watching or rewatching several episodes that really stand out in my memory. Might have to check to see if I did.

Also started an episode of My Life Is Murder. This is a two-parter and looks to end the fourth season. Looking forward to finishing this one up and waiting patiently for a fifth season. Fingers crossed!

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Unfettered in Love, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the miniblurb:

Shayla Ruger is perpetually single by choice. After all, she's dated every guy in her small hometown and hasn't found the right one. But when Innes Dalton blazes back into the area, Shayla may have found her dream man. The only problem? His ex—the woman who left him at the altar—enters the picture and Shayla has to decide if she's willing to dig deep and fight for the future she wants or let her competition take the prize.

And a snippety peek…

Shayla Ruger grabbed her coffee mug and headed down the back steps from her second-floor apartment to the bookstore below. "It's a great day to sell books." She paused by the circuit breaker panel and flipped the switches to turn the interior lights on.

Walking through the packing and storage area, she set her mug on the sales counter and headed for the front door. She flashed a smile when her gaze landed on the newly painted logo on the glass. The heart and crossed bones never failed to make her chuckle. She specialized in romance and cozy mysteries and the contest she ran to choose her logo for the Love and Bones Bookstore ended up giving her the best month of sales she'd had since opening three years ago.

Her curiosity piqued when she spotted a guy standing outside with his back to the store, looking at the courthouse directly across Main Street. He wore a dark hoodie and camo fatigues.

She made an appreciative hum. "And he has an incredibly nice ass." She turned the deadbolt.

His head angled around at the sound, and her eyes narrowed, trying to place the face. Then they widened with surprise. Innes Dalton. Wow. A high school hero with an arrogant attitude, she hadn't seen him since they'd ended up at the same graduation party for a mutual friend … ten years ago. They were in the same grade but had gone to different schools.

She definitely hadn't run in his circles. Music and theater were her havens. And he lettered in three different sports. But they knew each other. With only three high schools in the county, everyone did.

If memory served, he'd been left at the altar by his high school and college sweetheart, Marisol Wright. Then he'd joined the military? She didn't remember for sure, but the camo pants might be a clue.

She blinked when she looked up to find him with his hand on the door and an arched brow. Shit. She needed to get off memory lane and focus on here and now.

Stepping back, she turned the quirky little sign she'd made from closed to open. Then she smiled and lifted her chin, indicating he could come inside. A gust of chilly air preceded him into her main section.

He paused once he crossed the threshold and tilted his head to one side. "Shayla, right? Shayla Ruger. You graduated from River Bend, didn't you?" His gaze did a brief once-over from her head to her toes.

She gave a nod, surprised he remembered her name. "Yep. Same year you did from Caldwell." The city school, whereas hers had been rural farm country.

His lips curved in a sheepish smile. "You're Razor's cousin. Ran into him last night at the gym. Happy to see he's still with Brittney." The mutual friend whose graduation party both attended…

Razor, an odd nickname her cousin Raynor earned in elementary school, started going out with Brittney during junior year. And in a strange six degrees kind of twist, Brittney had family ties to Innes's former fiancé, Marisol, but Shayla wouldn't make things awkward by mentioning the connection.

Instead, she grinned. "Yeah. Married five years now with a kid and another on the way." She headed for the sales counter, trying hard not to read too much into Innes Dalton being in her bookstore. "Brittney's one of my regulars. She stops in a lot." And usually found a spot in one of the reading nooks for some quiet time to read.

Innes followed her and propped his arms on the smooth top of the rustic bar she'd salvaged from a former brewery. "Yeah, she's the one who recommended I drop by. I'm looking for some reading material and she said you stock all the latest cozy mysteries and romance novels." His gaze swept over the shelves lining the main section. "Looks like she sent me to the right place."

Shayla blinked, unable to completely hide her surprise. "You're looking for cozies and romance?" Her head tilted to one side. "There's gotta be a story there…"

Just started this one and I'm excited to see where things go with Shayla and Innes.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin