Excerpt Monday 13

It’s Excerpt Monday again! Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above.

Today we have an excerpt from my second contemporary romance Love Burns. I fell for Dave while writing Nate and Kay’s story, Clear As Day, but I swore up and down I wasn’t going to write a sequel. Well, Dave got his way, and his lady, and I’ve finished the first draft of their story. I hope you enjoy this little snippet.

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As Nate and he walked over to the coolers, Ryan and Sam swarmed around him waving their fishing poles, bouncing and tugging at his t-shirt and shorts. “Uncle Dave, Uncle Dave. You’re back! We’ve been playing with Uncle Nate. Come fish with us! We want you to help us catch big fish.”

Dave caught Ryan’s pole before it put an eye out and extracted his descending shorts from Sam’s grip. He sighed and patted Sam on the head. “Okay, say we do this. I get a beer and my chair and meet you over by the big rock at the edge of the beach there. You don’t do anything with hooks until I get there. Deal?”

The twins shrieked and ran laughing to the water’s edge.

Nate solemnly patted Dave’s shoulder. “Man, you’re a glutton for punishment, and yes, I am so glad to hand them over to you. But warning, you’re going to need minimum two beers.”

Ryan and Sam dropped their poles by the water and raced back. They folded Dave’s chair and, huffing and puffing, dragged it over to the water’s edge and set it up, first facing the hillside then tugged it around to face the water. They sprinted back, and tussled over who got to carry the worm container. Ryan won and raced to Dave’s chair, Sam hot on his heels, and set it on the seat. “Hurry up, Uncle Dave.”

Nate grinned. “Good luck. I’ll bring your beer.”

Sam and Ryan raced back and grabbed his hands. “All ready. Hurry up!”

“Thanks.” He let the tiny dynamos drag him to his chair.

As Dave demonstrated hooking the worm, the boys watched wide-eyed, bouncing on their toes with piping shrieks of, “Oh, gross! Cool! Worm guts! Worm guts!”

Ryan went first, neatly double hooking his worm, while Sam squinted and bit his lip with a surgeon’s serious concentration as he lined up worm and hook.

“You’re doing good, Sam, what’s the matter?”

“I’m looking for his belly button.”

After a quick lesson on worm anatomy, and Sam’s worm was securely hooked, Dave positioned each boy a safe distance far apart. So far, the boys had been working on casting with practice casting plugs only. They were doing pretty good considering their age.

“Okay, remember what your dad told you. Right? Ready? One, two, three, go.”

Worms, weights, and bobbers soared and plunked into the shallows. The boys did their little end zone boogies and bounced expectantly on their toes, peering into the shifting clear water. The bobbers rocked gently with the current.

“Are they eating it? Did I get one? Hey, if worms don’t have belly buttons how do they get born? How long do I have to wait? Can I check now? How come you went fishing with Miss Olivia and not us? When can I go on your boat? What do worms eat?” The boys pelted those and a slew of other questions at Dave faster than he could answer.

“Whoa, time out! Silent game. Both of you, butts on the ground, holding your poles, and the one who stays quiet until I count to one hundred gets to check his line first.”

Sam gave him a perfect imitation of Patti’s you’re so in trouble stare. “Mommy said butt’s a bad word.”

Keeping a straight face wasn’t easy, but he managed without choking on his laughter. “Okay, sorry, your mom’s right. On your bottoms. Both of you on your bottoms.”

Both of them plopped to the sand and held their breath, cheeks popping like chipmunks.

Dave chuckled. “Breathing is allowed. Just no talking, starting now.”

Silence descended. Dave slouched back in his seat and took a long slug of beer. Thank God for the competitive spirit.

Nate, Kay, and Olivia sat in a companionable huddle with drinks in the canopy shade. Kay caught his glance, blew him a kiss, and mouthed, “Thank you.”

The bobbers swayed and drifted. Peace reigned.

He figured he’d start counting soon.

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Links to other Excerpt Monday writers: Click on the banner

Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

Louisa Edwards, Contemporary Romance (R)
Carolyn Rosewood, Erotic Paranormal Romantic Suspense (R)
Carolyn Rosewood, Romantic Suspense (R)
Carolyn Rosewood, Erotic Paranormal Romantic Suspense (R)
Lauren Fraser, Contemporary Romance (R)
Sable Hunter, Erotic Romance (NC 17)

Serial Read:
Charlotte McClain, Contemporary Romance (PG 13)

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Photo: Dawnzy58