Yesterday I finally typed The End on my manuscript. *Choir of angels singing!*
*Jumping up and down*
*Doing cabbage patch dance*
*Doing cartwheels (yeah, sure)*
*Leaning back in barcalounger chair with martini in one hand and stogie in the other*
Yes, Lumberjack In Love is done. (Except for edits, beta readers, more edits and revisions, formatting and downloading it to Amazon).
I'm hoping to get it out in a couple of months. My daughter asked me what happens at the end of the book, so I told her. Then she said, "So, it's a cliffhanger." And I said, "No, it's a romance. There's an HEA at the end. That's it. It's over." And she said, "Oh, it's a cliffhanger." Sigh.
Anyhow, here's a little snippet to whet your appetite........From Lumberjack In Love......
"Sis?"
"Uh huh?"
"You didn't send me up to that cabin on purpose, did you?"
"What do you mean?" Rachel continued to perform useless, table-organizing tasks.
Ami grabbed her sister's arm and spun her around. Rachel's eyes shifted nervously.
"Oh my God! You were trying to fix me up with Mr. Mountain Man, weren't you? You are pathetic! When are you going to stop trying to interfere with my life?"
"I am not interfering in your life. I just hate to see you close yourself off because of Dan the Dork. It's time to get back on the horse. Learn to ride a bike again. Grab life by its horns...."
"Stop. Please. You're mixing your metaphors. I am totally content with my life."
Rachel shook her head. "That's not true. Dan stole your share of the business and now you're lucky to get a job. And you're lonely. Don't lie to me, Ami. I know you. I just want you to be happy."
Ami sighed and rubbed the pounding spot on her forehead. "I know you mean well, but I am fine. Seriously. Sure, it's going to take some time to rebuild a client base after Dan stole my contacts, but eventually everything will work out. And, just for your information, not that it's any of your business, but I do go on dates. Last week I went out with a lawyer who works for the city."
"Another one of those pansy-ass guys who needs to grow a pair?" Her sister did not look impressed.
"God, you are so irritating! Just because a guy wears a suit does not mean he is a pansy-ass, Miss Vermont I-Don't-Shave-My-Pits Earth Goddess. Nature guys are all well and good until you try to have a normal conversation....."
"Are you saying that Doug is a bad conversationalist?" Rachel was fuming now.
Ami sighed dramatically. "No, of course not. Your husband is the rare combination of thoughtful, interesting conversationalist and brawny, outdoorsy woodsman. He's amazing. You're very lucky, Rach."
"Sweetheart," Rachel reassured her. "There is an amazing guy out there for you. The opposite of Dorky Dan-o. Someone you can trust who won't stab you in the back, steal your clients, and leave you hanging in the sack."
Ami gasped. "Christ Almighty, sis! I rue the day I ever told you that!"
Rachel giggled. "Well, you'd had a lot to drink. You were spilling secrets left and right that night. It was fun!"
Ami stared at the glass of wine in her hand and then gently placed it on the table. Note to self...watch wine consumption this evening.
"I haven't given up hope about finding a great guy. But I do not appreciate you playing matchmaker. There is no way in hell I'm getting involved with a giant, cranky, English bulldog-owning, playhouse-designing, bearded lumberjack who lives in the middle of the boonies!"
Rachel smiled and glanced over Ami's left shoulder. "Hi Marcus! Thanks so much for coming." She bit her lower lip, as her gaze lowered to the ground.
Ami narrowed her eyes and glared at her sister. "Funny. You expect me to believe that Marcus Anderson is standing behind me? Just how gullible do you think I am?"
A rumble in her ear had every hair on her body stand upright to attention. "Hmm. I see a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Did the kidlet already ding your fancy-pants dish?"
Ami turned her head just a fraction until Marcus Anderson's beard was a scant inch away from her face. Her beet red face.
"And, just for the record, I'm not cranky. Unless a flatlander trespasses on my property." He smiled and ambled off to the family room.
Rachel collapsed into a chair, laughing with wild abandon. "Oh my God. That was hilarious. I think he likes you. I saw him checking out your butt in those jeans."
Ami leaned down and poked Rachel in the chest. "You wanna eat that risotto tonight?"
Rachel nodded. "I love that stuff!"
"Fine. Then knock off the match-making. I can handle Mountain Boy by myself. I hope Natalie eats the damned risotto. Let's put some mac and cheese on top. She'll never notice."
"Okay. Just one thing." Rachel grabbed a shrimp from the top of the bowl and popped it into her mouth. "I don't think Marcus Anderson is a Mountain Boy." She raised an eyebrow at her sister. "He's a Mountain Man. All, one hundred percent, Vermont-raised, Sexy As Hell, Man." She winked at Ami and headed back into the kitchen.
Ami shivered once, a delayed reaction. Yep, man was right.
********
Slurping my virtual martini,
Penelope
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