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The warning grew more intense until
Mitch couldn’t help but turn around and stare right into the beautiful hazel
eyes of Sydney Preston.
His heart stuttered in his chest as
a wave of conflicting emotions; anger, love, bitterness, joy crashed through
him. His first instinct was to leave, which only pissed him off. He’d stared
down insurgents in the Middle East. He could survive seeing Sydney Preston.
Another, equally strong, part of him wanted to touch her, to hold her close and
see if she felt as soft, smelled just as sweet as he remembered. But he wouldn’t
succumb to her charm again. Like a steel gate, everything inside Mitch closed.
“Doctor Preston is our new OB/GYN
from New York. She’s helping out at the free clinic, too. Doctor Preston, this
is my husband, Kevin, and our friend Mitch McKenna. They’re Charlotte Tavern’s
finest police detectives. But watch out for Mitch, he’s a real ladies’ man.”
The hazel eyes that had once
captivated him flashed with surprise and maybe panic. But then it was gone,
replaced by a blank smile.
“Hi.” He choked out the word, not
wanting to appear rude. At the same time, he wasn’t going to go out of his way
for a chummy reunion. She didn’t deserve his recognition, so he wasn’t going to
give it.
Her head tilted to the side, and a
slight smirk crossed her lips. “Actually, we’ve met.”
“Really?” Jenny’s voice suggested
intrigue and delight at the prospect. “Where?”
“We went to college together.”
Sydney held his gaze. If she wouldn’t flinch, neither would he.
“Oh, wow. Hey, maybe you know his
old girlfriend. Poor Mitch lost his heart to her, and she crushed it like a
bug.”
“Honey.” Kevin patted Jenny on the
back, while casting Mitch an apologetic smile.
Mitch didn’t know if Kevin was
intervening because he knew no man liked to have his emotional history laid out
in public or if he recognized there was something more between Sydney and him.
Probably both. Kevin was observant and insightful, which is what made him a
skilled detective, one that Mitch was grateful to have as a partner.
“What?” Jenny blinked up at her
husband.
“Yes, I knew her.” Sydney’s tone was
matter-of-fact. Mitch’s eyes narrowed with scrutiny as he waited to see if she
was going to admit to being the one who squashed his heart.
Jenny turned her attention back to
Sydney. “Was she a real bitch? I heard she came from a rich family that didn’t
like Mitch. But what’s not to like, right? I mean, he’s as yummy as cherry
pie.”
“I thought that was me.” Kevin
pouted.
“You’re peach pie, my favorite.” She
smiled coyly at Kevin, who gave her wink. Mitch imagined there was a story
there but blocked his brain from filling in the details of what it might be.
“Speaking of peach pie, why don’t we
go to the cafeteria and get some,” Jenny suggested. “We can let Mitch and
Doctor Preston get to know each other.”
“I don’t need to get to know Doctor
Preston. I’m sure I’m not her type.” He knew the minute it was out of his mouth
that Jenny would reprimand him.
“Why, Mitchell McKenna, your mother
would light you up if she knew you were being so rude. I’m so sorry Doctor
Preston—”
“It’s okay.” Sydney waved the
comment away, much like she’d waved him away ten years earlier. “I have to
check on Mrs. Warner anyway. You go enjoy your pie.”
She said it with such smoothness, it
highlighted Mitch’s bad manners. But he didn’t care. Let Jenny and Kevin think
he was a heel. He knew the truth and Doctor Preston knew the truth. She didn’t
deserve his time or attention. Not anymore.
***
Sydney walked, back straight and
chin up, until she turned the corner. Then she sagged against the wall, hoping
her legs would still hold her upright. Her hand shook as lifted it to cover her
thundering heart. Over the last ten years, she’d imagined what seeing him again
would be like. But what actually happened had never been in any of the
scenarios she’d considered. Not that she’d thought he’d take her in his arms,
confess his undying love, and kiss her senseless as he used to do, although,
admittedly, she’d always hoped that would be his response.
He
was still ridiculously handsome with his bronze wavy hair and emerald eyes. But
gone were the affable smile and charm, replaced by eyes that were as hard and
cold as his welcome.
She hadn’t considered that he’d
pretend to not know her. It showed just how deeply she’d hurt him. Even so, she
wasn’t going to let him get away with it. She was in Charlotte Tavern for one
reason only: to fix things with Mitch McKenna. Sure, they still might not have
the future they’d once planned, but at least she would address the regret and
hopefully make amends. Life, she’d recently learned, was too short to not live
it to the fullest without guilt and unresolved issues.
“Are you okay, Doctor Preston?”
Sydney looked at the nurse
approaching her.
“Yes, Meg. Just a little tired.”
“I have Mrs. Warner’s meds. I was
just taking them to her.”
“Actually, I’m on my way to see
her.” Sydney pushed off from against the wall, grateful for the distraction.
“She has such a cute baby.” Meg
walked alongside Sydney. “Not all babies are cute.”
Sydney agreed, although she was
surprised to hear Meg say it out loud. “No. But they’re all a gift.” A gift
Sydney knew she’d never have.
Guest
Post with Jenna
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Jenna
1) Writing
always terrified me, so I’m baffled to how I got here.
2) My
favorite fiction involves mystery and romance, but I prefer a mystery with
romance as opposed to a romance with mystery, if that makes any sense. In
either case, there should be at least one hot love scene!
3) My
favorite authors are J.D. Robb, Janet Evanovich, Sandra Brown and Carl Hiaasen.
I also love Jane Austen, but tend to stay away from literature unless I know it
will end well.
4) Like my
character Tess, I love good chocolate and old R&B tunes. I’m still working
on getting Carine Gilson lingerie to see if I’d love them as much as Tess does.
A set can cost several hundred dollars, so I have to wait until more books sell.
5) I long
for the day when Apple or Microsoft invents a doodad that I can plug into my
head, preferably when I’m sleeping, that will download my stories to my
computer. My stories come to me when I sleep (and when I drive), but I can’t
remember the details when I sit down to write.
Q&A with Jenna
What is the hardest part of your
writing process?
My biggest
challenge is that my first drafts are pretty weak and I worry I won’t be able
to fix them. Especially in romances, the snap and crackle required between
characters is usually nonexistent in my first draft. I’m also weak on
descriptions (setting and facial). So during revision, I spend a lot of time
going through my thesauruses to find the right words to express what I see in
my head.
How do you develop your characters?
Are any of them like you or people you know?
Like my
weak scenes and descriptions in early drafts, my characters are often flat when
I first start writing. They deepen during the writing process. That means,
they’re not really based on anyone in particular. However, Tess Valentine in
the Valentine mysteries likes old R&B music and chocolate, as do I. And
she’s not very tall. Neither are two of the characters in the Southern Heat
series. I’m not very tall either. Technically, I’m short.
You are both traditionally and
self-published. How did you decide what route to take for your books?
For the
most part, the decision to self-publish the Valentine Mysteries came from an
inability to get an agent to take a chance on the concept. Several liked the
first book, but pushed me to sell it as a stand-alone romance. I always knew I
wanted to do a mystery series featuring a romantic couple. I knew I couldn’t be
alone in that, but agents and publishers are sensitive to book stores, and no
one felt it fit well into the mystery-lane, and romances don’t usually continue
with the same couple. I’ve started to see some change in this, but at this
point, with five books and a novella, and a sixth book in the conception stage,
it will remain self-published.
For
Southern Heat, a series of interesting events happened. The first was that I
had this old romance sitting on my hard drive (it was so old it mentions
dial-up Internet). I thought would be a fit for a Harlequin line, but at the
time they only took snail-mailed manuscripts, so it sat. But then a few years
ago, I noticed an online pitch contest with Harlequin Blaze and thought, what
the heck, and entered. I won one of the five spots, which lead to a request for
the first three chapters. The problem was, the book was far from done, so I
spent the next few weeks getting it finished and revised. Harlequin then asked
for the full manuscript, and then it sat for nearly two years. I finally got an
agent, who was able to get a response (no), but she helped me beef up the story
and sold it a few months later, as a series.
Both
traditional and self-publishing have their positives and negatives. What many
new authors don’t get is that it doesn’t matter what route you use, marketing
is the key success in writing.
The Southern Heat series is a
departure from your mysteries. What made you decide to write them?
The first
book, Drawn to Her, I wrote so long ago, I’m not sure where the idea came from.
When the Harlequin pitch contest came about, I decided to try and sell it. To
be honest, I’m not much a contemporary romance reader. I usually prefer
romantic mystery or suspense. So this series is quite an anomaly for me. When
it became a three book deal, I already had ideas for the other two stories, one
of which has a bit of suspense. Moving forward, my ideas are for the
Valentines, a traditional cozy, and possibly a paranormal.
What
authors or books do you enjoy reading?
I’m a huge J.D. Robb fan (married
couple solving mysteries). I also like Sandra Brown and Linda Howard...mostly
their older stuff, but I haven’t had a lot of time for pleasure reading, which
is why I’m not caught up on new books. I like to listen to audio books when I
run, and Linda Howard is good for that. Bella Andre’s Billionaire stories have
been good in audiobook too.
What
is next for your writing?
I just sent final copy edits back on
Meant to Be, book two in the Southern Heat series and I hope to have book
three, Wed to You, finished in the next couple of weeks (it’s due July 1). I’ve
promised Valentine fans a new book this fall, so I’ll be working on the sixth
full-length Valentine mystery. After that, I have a traditional cozy mystery
I’ve already started that I plan to complete, and hope my agent will like
enough to sell.
---------------------
Terri Anne Browning is the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Rocker...Series. She started writing her own novellas at the age of sixteen, forcing her sister to be her one woman fan club. Now she has a few more readers and a lot more passion for writing. Being dyslexic, she never thought a career in writing would be possible, yet she has been on best selling lists multiple times since 2013. Reese: A Safe Haven Novella was her first Indie published book. The Rocker Who Holds Me changed the tables and kicked off The Rocker... series featuring the sinfully delicious members of Demon's Wings. The Rocker... Series has since expanded to OtherWorld with Axton Cage and his band members. Other books by Terri Anne include the Angel's Halo MC Series as well as The Lucy & Harris Novella Series. Terri Anne lives in Virginia with her husband, their three demons---err, children--and a loveable Olde English Bulldog named Link.
