Blurb
Because of a secret not hers
to tell, spinster Rachel must marry quickly, and Angus is the first man who
comes to mind. He’s a hard worker and strong. She’s seen him eyeing her and
senses hunger in his gaze. Rachel goes to Angus, the local blacksmith, alone at
night and asks him to marry her.
Although eager to accept her brazen offer, Angus is
suspicious, thinking it's some kind of prank and she's been put up to this to
embarrass him. After all, what would a lady like Rachel want with the likes of
him? His work is hot and dirty, and his lineage doesn’t exactly have the
pedigree ladies look for.
When he realizes she’s sincere, his heart won’t let him
refuse her, but even the road to a quick, convenient marriage isn’t smooth.
Angus keeps his feelings for Rachel hidden. After the ceremony, Rachel finds a
distance she can't bridge…until tragedy strikes.
Will they ever find the courage to declare their love, or
will their stubborn need to protect their hearts prevail?
Shorter blurb:
Harboring a family secret,
spinster Rachel seeks out Angus, the blacksmith, alone at night and requests he
marry her. Despite suspicions regarding her motives, he’s lonely and admires Rachel.
He agrees to a quick wedding, but the road to happiness is marred by more
secrets. Then tragedy strikes. Will they find the courage to bridge the
distance between them in time to save their marriage?
UBL: https://books2read.com/Brazen-MBN1
Excerpt
Angus had finished washing
the last of his supper dishes when he heard a soft knock at his back door. Who
the devil could that be?
He opened it cautiously, seeing the
hem of a fancy lace-and-lemon dress in the slice of light from his doorway,
quite similar to the one he’d seen Miss Dunn wearing tonight. Of course, it
wouldn’t be her.
“Who’s there, Miss? Show yourself.”
“It’s Rachel Dunn, Mr. Brody.” Her
voice held a slight tremor, but she made no move to obey him. “May I speak with
you?”
His heart thumped faster upon
hearing her soft reply. Rachel here? “And John? Is he with you?”
“I come unchaperoned with a matter
of some importance.”
She risked her reputation to speak
with him? “I see.”
But he didn’t see, couldn’t fathom
why she would seek him out. The fact that he was this close to her, alone and
having a conversation, stunned him.
“Might I gain entrance before
someone happens along and sees me, Mr. Bro—”
“Angus. My name is Angus.” His
breath hitched at the thought of hearing his given name pass her lips. Calling
himself all kinds of a fool, he stood aside. Rachel rushed past him like a
flash of sunshine, and he shut out the night.
Her gaze darted around the room much
like a rabbit seeking the nearest escape route. Angus stifled a sigh and moved
from between her and the door. His size frightened most women.
The oil lamp he’d placed on the bedside
table threw a dim glow around the room. He turned up the wick, enough that he
could see color had risen high in her cheeks.
“Oh, dear! This is your…”
“Uh, yes.” He grabbed the lamp and
gestured to the doorway on the opposite wall. “The kitchen is through there.
I’m sorry. This is a shotgun house. I built my room at the back, as far away
from the heat of the smithy as I could get.”
And he was running off at the
mouth. Not his finest hour.
She turned to him with a tight
smile. “Not your fault I turned up unannounced at the back door.”
Damn, but she was a pretty thing with
her large, upturned eyes and high cheekbones. Not a short bit of fluff that hit
him mid-chest like most, but willowy. Sturdy and soft at the same time.
“Nice place you have here, Mr.
Bro—” She pressed her lips together. He held his breath. “Angus.”
“Thank you.” He praised whatever had sent her to his door.
Author bio & web/social media links:
Carol Burnside is an award-winning author of "Sizzling romance with
heart and humor." Her personal second-chance-at-love story resulted in an
enduring marriage to her high school sweetheart. They reside in the Texas hill
country, where Carol enjoys visiting wildlife from her covered back porch. Like
any true southerner, she drinks tea in some form year-round. Carol's novel
length manuscripts have placed in numerous contests and won several, including
the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence. She also writes as Annie Rayburn.
Amazon reviews say Carol's books
are:
"Highly captivating!"
"intriguing and a wonderful read" "Emotional and
heartwarming" "Engaging!" and "Great reading!"
Carol blogs on her website at www.CarolBurnside.com.
Connect with her via Facebook / Newsletter
/ Goodreads / Twitter
/ Pinterest / Google+ / Threads / IG
No comments:
Post a Comment