A little Valentines Romance

Good morning the day after Valentines - I hope yours was delightful and romantic. Hubby and I dressed to the nines this year and went out to eat at the local restaurant we save for only the most special occasions - they had flown in fresh tuna steaks (hard to get, here in the landlocked Midwest!) and created an exquisite mango chutney with cilantro and jalapeno. Definitely worth it!

It can be cold and brisk here in the upper Midwest, but warmth can be found in a California cafe, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The characters in my latest release, Detour Ahead, are spending February not far from San Diego, in the California foothills.

Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help their rancher friend as a private investigator.

Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the race horses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.

The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her - like he does his horses - before she flees in panic?

Here’s a peek at their banter:

EXCERPT:

"You were right," Traci exclaimed, "this pie is scrumptious."

"Told you Julian is world famous for its apple pie." Scott smiled easily. They sat in a corner of a small store-front specialty shop. Oversized mugs steamed with lattes.

"So, tour guide," she said, "we're at forty-five hundred feet and still only fifty miles from the ocean. That boggles the mind. And we're sharing a heavenly pie. What else should I know about this quiet place?"

"Appreciate it while you can. It won't be that way on the weekend. Julian can become wall to wall cars and people."

"Too bad." Traci looked out the window. "This is so charming. What you just described doesn't fit."

"Many of the locals would agree with you, but it's the tourist trade that allows this place to survive. Bed and breakfasts. Art galleries. History of gold mining. Upscale souvenir shops. Hole in the wall coffee shops like this one. None of these would be here if it weren't for the crowds coming up from the cities seeking fresh air and solitude."

"It doesn't sound like they find much solitude."

Scott sipped from his coffee mug and peered at Traci. "That's an interesting statement coming from a big city woman. I thought solitude for you folk was gathering shoulder to shoulder in some small town and being satisfied that you'd ventured outside the big city."

Traci kicked him under the table. "What do you know about big cities? I find solitude out on the lake. Sometimes even in a park."

"You really are a sailor at heart aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." She laughed. "Unlike you."

"I can learn--if I have the right teacher."

"So, are you coming to Chicago to take lessons?" Traci quipped. When she saw his eyes light up, she realized her mistake. She kicked herself for getting caught up in banter.

"I don't know. Would you like that?"

She must look like an idiot staring wide-eyed at him, but she couldn't find any words.

"If I were to come to Chicago?"

Breathing at last, she countered, "I'm not worried. You wouldn't leave your horses for more than a couple days." She glanced at her watch. "There are a couple more art galleries that I want to browse before they close. We should be going."

Scott shrugged. She was forewarned by that wicked, slow smile of his. "But," he said, "you might want to write on your napkin 'to be continued.' This conversation is not finished."

Amanda Burns

http://www.amandaburnsromance.com