Once in a Lifetime
by Jayne Nichols
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is it possible for a poor
hash-house waitress to find love with a wealthy Irish horse breeder?
Not as long as he thinks she
conned his father into leaving her his cottage on the island of Inish Mor in
the Aran Islands. To prove his assumption false, Samantha St. John sells
her new inheritance to Kieran McDade for one Euro, receives his thank-you kiss
on her cheek, and bids him farewell.
Never expecting to see him again, she is surprised to receive his invitation and a plane ticket to Ireland. He’s had second thoughts and offers Samantha a holiday at his home on FastTrack Farm where she charms not only his race horse, but Kieran himself. For Samantha, it is like a fairy tale, complete with a wicked witch, an elegant ball, and a horse race that could decide whether her Cinderella story will have a happy ending.
Never expecting to see him again, she is surprised to receive his invitation and a plane ticket to Ireland. He’s had second thoughts and offers Samantha a holiday at his home on FastTrack Farm where she charms not only his race horse, but Kieran himself. For Samantha, it is like a fairy tale, complete with a wicked witch, an elegant ball, and a horse race that could decide whether her Cinderella story will have a happy ending.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And now for an excerpt:
Samantha perched on a stool, watching Tim Daly build two
glasses of Guinness. Though the earlier
rush had waned with most of the tourists moving on to other venues, others had
come in to take their places. More of
the locals would drift in and out until the bar closed at midnight. She sighed.
Tim set a pint in front of her.
She’d never tasted the dark stout that was Ireland’s stock in
trade. She sipped tentatively, then with greater
gusto as her thirst took over.
Kieran touched her arm.
“Slow down, Samantha. That’s not
a Coke.”
“It’s better.” She
wolfed down the stew with equal enthusiasm.
“Sláinte.” Tim
smiled, clicked his glass with hers. “I
like to see a woman who knows how to eat and drink. Where are you from, lass?”
“Texas.” It was
easier and more well known than Minnesota.
And of course, with her accent, more believable.
“Ach. Where they
drink whiskey and have shootouts in the streets?” He raised both hands, thumb and forefinger in
pistol position.
“The whiskey part at least.
Shootouts are mostly in the movies.”
Except for the real-life one involving her father’s death. She glanced at Kieran, grateful for the
reassuring touch of his hand. She
finished the pint. “Could I have another
one?”
While Tim built another Guinness, Paddy strolled over and
stopped between them. He faced Kieran,
clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Will
you sing with us, lad?” Paddy didn’t see
the color drain from Kieran’s face, but Samantha did. Paddy turned toward her. “When our Kieran here was just a wee lad, he
could bring the house to tears, his voice was so grand.”
“Did you really?”
Kieran took a quick swallow from his glass. “That was a long time ago.”
He was trying to think of a graceful way out, she could see
it in his eyes. It’s not always easy to
face our fears. “I’d love to hear you,”
she said softly, touching his hand.
“Please.”
“Only for you,” he whispered in her ear, then set the glass
aside and slid off his stool. “But I
want something in return.” His eyes
drilled into hers so intensely, she was afraid to ask what that could be. Would he want sex for a song? He smiled as he stepped behind the bar, bent
down and reappeared seconds later with the sketchbook from her purse. “Draw me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About the Author:
Growing
up, I wrote a few things for school—reports and a few creative writing projects
for
English class—but never really thought about writing novels until after I
married my David. Even then, what little
writing I did leaned toward Mystery. I
didn’t discover Romance until my husband and I traveled to Greece. It was hot—I mean really hot—and we
ducked inside the Athens Hilton to bask in their air conditioned gift
shop. I was looking at a rack of
paperback books and picked up one entitled Born in Fire by someone named
Sarah Hardesty. I stayed in our
air-conditioned hotel room for two days reading that novel nearly non-stop and
decided then and there what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wanted to write Romance. It wasn’t until I was back home and hunting
through a Barnes and Noble for more books by Sarah Hardesty that I learned the
author was actually Nora Roberts.
Truthfully, I had never heard of her.
I know who she is now. And who
knows, maybe someday, she will have heard of me.
As
Jayne Nichols, I write contemporary romance (Wish Fulfilled Series) and
romantic suspense (Madrona Point Series), and I love every minute of it.
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17 comments:
Thank you for hosting
Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway
Thank you so much, Wendi, for hosting me. Jayne
I like the excerpt!
--Trix
Thank you, Trix. Me, too. Jayne
Hello, Morgan, I just now see your comment. I'm glad you could stop by. Jayne
Great excerpt, sounds like a wonderful book, thanks for sharing!
I love the cover! Did you have any trouble picking one out or did you know it was perfect when you saw it? :)
Thank you, Eva. Good luck in the drawing. Jayne
What is your favorite genre?
Victoria, my cover artist will be thrilled. As am I. I gave her the idea - horse necklace, and character bios. This was try #2, and I loved it. Jayne
Well, Becky, to be perfectly honest, I like to read a good romantic suspense. And write them, too. I will have two out later this year. Jayne
Saying hello and happy touring ! (Feel better!)🌞
Thank you for dropping in, Mary. I'm trying. It's a hanger-oner! Jayne
Thanks for the giveaway; I like the excerpt
I enjoyed the excerpt Thanks for sharing
I am really enjoying following this tour, thank you!
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