#Brenda Novak | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cathygeha · 6 months

Text

REVIEW

The Talk of Coyote Canyon by Brenda Novak

Coyote Canyon #2

Dysfunctional families leave trauma scarring family members and many in this book have been scarred. The possibility of overcoming what has happened in the past to forge personal strength and a positive future is not easy but can be achieved by those who persevere, find the right place to be, and are supported by those who care. Truly enjoyed this book!

What I liked:

* Ellen Truesdale: owns her own drilling business, in debt, in competition with her father, survivor, difficult mother, absentee father, jealous stepmother, lonely, guarded, wants to love and be loved but afraid to trust

* Hendrix Durant: orphaned at eleven, taken in by his aunt, strong, caring, protective, pleaser who tries to avoid conflict, works for his uncle, grows a lot in this book

* Leo: Hendrix’s cousin, loving, open, sweet, adult with Down Syndrome

* The friendship between Talulah and Ellen

* The enemies to lovers storyline with slow burn between Ellen and Hendrix

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* Getting to see some of the characters from previous books

* The mystery to be solved over who sabotaged the Haslem’s new well

* The small town feel

* The way the past was revealed and wrongs exposed along with the impact they had

* That some characters were made aware of the wrong they had done

* That it was believable, sometimes sad, but provided hope and a happy ending

* Wondering who will have their story told in the next book

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* Thinking about the pain suffered by Ellen, Hendrix, and a few others

Did I enjoy this book? Yes – Stayed up till 2:30am to finish it!

Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Mira for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

She’s not here to make friends. She’s here to make trouble. With her piercings, tattoos and spiky blond hair, Ellen Truesdale doesn’t quite fit in with the other folks in Coyote Canyon—and that’s just fine with her. She’s only here to put her father out of business, as payback for abandoning her when she was young. Or is she more interested in finally proving that she was worth keeping? Either way, she’s struggling to keep her rival well-drilling company afloat. And being a single woman in a male-dominated field has started to take a toll. So when Hendrix Durrant steps in to help, Ellen has no choice but to let him—even though he happens to be her father’s business partner and therefore her enemy. But the closer she works with him, the more she sees what she’s been missing…in life and love. And once she lets go of her anger long enough to learn the truth about her past, she might just find the

EXCERPT

One

Hendrix Durrant eyed his longtime neighbor, speaking with a hard-edged frustration he didn’t bother to

conceal. “You’re hiring Ellen? Really, Jay? You’ve been talking to me about getting this well dug for the past eight months. You’ve had me meet you out here two or three times for details on where to drill, how deep to go, what size pump you’ll need to get enough water, what we’ll do if we encounter sand, and on and on. And now you’re going with my competitor?”

Jay Haslem, a forty-something mechanic who was finally getting the chance to build a nicer home outside the small town of Coyote Canyon, Montana, where Hendrix had lived since he was eleven and Jay had lived his whole life, shoved his hands in the pockets of his grease-stained overalls and stared down at the dirt. “Well, she’s not really your competitor, is she?”

Hendrix rested his hands on his hips. “She does the same thing I do, but her business is completely separate from mine. Wouldn’t you call that competition?”

“Yeah, but…she’s Stuart’s daughter. And he’s married to your aunt Lynn. I know you’re not related, but

you’re sort of…connected, right?” He offered Hendrix a weak grin, which Hendrix immediately wiped from his face with a heated retort.

“Not only are we not related, I barely know her and hate that she moved to town two and a half years ago, because ever since then, she’s made a concerted effort to become a major pain in my ass.”

“It’s just that…her dad’s married to your aunt,” Jay said again.

Lynn had raised Hendrix from the first year she married Stuart, after his mother died of breast cancer.

Everyone knew he’d been taken in out of the goodness of her heart, that he would’ve gone into the foster care system otherwise. It wasn’t as if he had a father, like most other kids. His mother, Angie, who’d lived and worked as a venture capital analyst in San Francisco, where attitudes were more liberal in general, had been so determined to have a child on her own terms she’d used a sperm bank, never imagining what might happen to him if she wasn’t around. That meant, once she was gone, he’d been lucky to have extended family who would give him a home. “I don’t care. That doesn’t change anything.”

Jay winced as he pulled on his beard. “My wife likes her, Hendrix. Thea’s the one who promised her the

job. Not me. Ellen’s a tough little thing, a go-getter. We… I don’t know, we admire that kind of gumption, I guess. After all, there aren’t many women in your field.”

Jay’s, either. Not too many female mechanics around… But Hendrix was too focused on other things to

point that out. “You admire her gumption,” he echoed, chuckling humorlessly. “You’re giving her the job

because she’s—” he used air quotes “—a tough little thing.”

Once again, Jay shifted uncomfortably. “That and…she’s saving us a few bucks, of course.”

“Of course,” Hendrix echoed flatly. Ellen had been undercutting him and Stuart since she moved to town.

“How much is a few bucks?”

“She said—” He stopped and cleared his throat before finishing in a mumble, “She said she’d do it for a

thousand less than whatever you bid.”

“Excuse me?” Hendrix had heard him fine, but he wanted to make his neighbor state, clearly, the reason

he’d chosen Ellen. This wasn’t about supporting a female-owned company in a largely male-dominated field, as Jay had tried to claim a few minutes ago. This was nothing more than pure self-interest. Ellen had been working day and night since she moved to Coyote Canyon, just to best him and Stuart, her father. Hendrix knew that was true because, in some cases, she was—had to be—drilling wells and replacing and repairing pumps for next to no profit, other than the pleasure of taking jobs that would otherwise have gone to them.

“She said she didn’t have the time to come out and bid, but she’d do it for a thousand less than what you

said you’d do it for,” Jay repeated. “All we had to do was give her the paperwork you left with us.”

“You handed over my bid? Now she can order the supplies and get you on her schedule without spending any of the time I’ve invested in assessing your needs.”

Jay hung his head. “I’m sorry. You know I don’t have a lot of money. Thea and I have held on to this

property for several years, hoping to save enough to start improving it, or…or I would’ve gone with you no matter what.”

Drawing a deep breath, which he immediately blew out, Hendrix stared over Jay’s shoulder at the rugged

Montana terrain that constituted his neighbor’s five-acre dream parcel. Ever since Ellen Truesdale came to town, he’d made a point of avoiding her. If he ran into her by accident—in a population of only three thousand it was impossible not to encounter each other every once in a while—he nodded politely, so she wouldn’t know how much it bothered him to have her around. But she never responded. She just gave him that unflinching, steely-eyed gaze of hers that let him know she was gunning for him.

Despite that, he’d remained determined not to let her get to him. But as time wore on, and she stole more business from him and Stuart, she was harder and harder to ignore.

Why couldn’t she have sold the place her grandparents had given her here in town and remained in

Anaconda, where she’d been born and raised? Anaconda was twice the size of Coyote Canyon; there had to be more people in that part of the state who were looking to drill a water well. Actually, he knew that to be true because he and Stuart occasionally drilled a well or helped with a pump out that way—Fetterman Well Services ranged over the whole state and even went into Utah and Nevada. And if Ellen had stayed in Anaconda, which was almost two hours from Coyote Canyon, their paths would most likely never have crossed.

But Hendrix knew her decision had very little to do with where she could make the most money—or even where she might be happiest. She had a vendetta against her father, who’d left her mother when Ellen was only ten to marry Hendrix’s aunt, and she was determined to make him pay for walking out on them. Hendrix and his cousin, Leo, whom he considered as close as a brother, were just the visible representation of all she resented.

“No problem,” he told his neighbor as he started back to his truck. “Here’s hoping she does a decent job for you.”

“Are you saying she might not?” Jay called after him, sounding alarmed.

Hendrix didn’t acknowledge the question, let alone answer it. Undermining Jay’s trust in Ellen was a cheap shot—beneath him, really. Ellen knew what she was doing. In many ways, she ran her business better than Stuart ran the one Hendrix had helped him build since he was brought from San Francisco. She didn’t have the resources or the experience they did, but she was a quick study. From what he’d heard, she was also detail-oriented—stayed right on top of everything—and since Fetterman had two crews consisting of three employees each, and covered a much bigger area, he had no doubt she was operating with far less overhead, so she could be nimble.

Although Stuart insisted they didn’t have anything to worry about when it came to Ellen—that she’d give

up trying to get back at him and eventually move on—Hendrix was beginning to realize that wasn’t true. Stuart was just avoiding the problem because he felt guilty about the past. And the more he avoided it, the worse it got.

When Ellen Truesdale heard a vehicle pull up, she assumed it was Ben Anderson, her only employee. She’d finally sent him out to grab some lunch. Since breakfast early this morning, they’d been too busy to eat, and she was starving. He had to be, too; it was almost three. At twenty-one, he seemed to consume twice his body weight in food each day. But when she finished welding the steel casing they were putting down the well and flipped up her helmet, she saw that it wasn’t Ben. Hendrix Durrant had just parked next to her older and much less expensive pickup.

Since Hendrix hadn’t actually spoken to her since she came to town, she was more than a little surprised

he’d driven out to her jobsite. That meant he was here with a very specific intention.

Setting her torch aside, she removed her helmet entirely and shoved up the long sleeves of her shirt. She had no idea what he wanted, but whatever it was…she couldn’t imagine she was going to like it.

Instead of approaching her right away, he slipped his hands into the pockets of his well-worn jeans and

studied her GEFCO rotary drilling rig. Maybe he’d assumed she couldn’t afford a top-head drive, which

enabled her to advance the casing that blocked off the sand and gravel as she drilled, and was shocked to see it.

She could understand why that might be true. A rig like hers cost almost a million dollars, and she’d never had the luxury of being able to ride on her father’s coattails. If she hadn’t been able to take out a loan against the house and property her paternal grandparents had passed on to her, she wouldn’t have had the down payment necessary to purchase it. And if she’d had to settle for an older rig, it would’ve made her job much more difficult.

As it was, her payments were almost ten thousand a month, and that didn’t include the water truck she’d also had to buy. Fortunately, it wasn’t nearly as expensive as the rig. She’d managed to find a used one in Moab, Utah, for only fifty thousand. But it all added up. She had a lot on the line, which was why she worked so damn hard.

“Is there something I can do for you?” she asked, tensing in spite of all the self-talk that insisted there was no reason to be nervous. She didn’t care if she had a confrontation with her father and those connected to him. She’d been spoiling for a fight with them almost as far back as she could remember. Except for Leo, of course. Leo was harmless. Everyone knew that.

Hendrix turned to face her. She hadn’t moved toward him, hadn’t closed one inch of the gap between them. If he wanted to speak to her, he was going to have to cross that distance himself—which he did, reluctantly from what she could tell.

“You’ve been in town for two and a half years now,” he said.

She wiped the sweat from her face before giving him a smirk. “I didn’t realize you’d been counting.”

His eyebrows slid up. “I’ve only been counting because you’ve been doing everything you possibly can to

make me notice you—and now I have.”

She barked a laugh. “Am I supposed to be excited about that?” She had to admit most women would be.

With sandy-blond hair, smooth golden skin and wide, sky blue eyes, he reminded her of Brad Pitt in

Troy—mostly because of the structure of his face but also his build. She couldn’t claim he was hard to look at.

“I was hoping to convince you to come over and talk to your father,” he said. “Scream and yell, say

whatever you want, but quit trying to punish him by ruining our business.”

She removed her leather gloves and slapped them against her thigh, which made him take a step back to

avoid breathing in the resulting cloud of dust. “I have nothing to say to my father.”

“Obviously you do, or you wouldn’t be living here.”

“In case you’re not aware of it, my grandparents gave me their house, and it happens to be here. I guess you didn’t quite manage to replace me in their affections.”

“I didn’t try to replace you at all. I’m sorry if you feel I did. But just so you know, your grandpa and grandma Fetterman have been good to me, too.”

She shrugged off his words. “Only because they’re nice to everyone.”

“Maybe so, but just because you got their house doesn’t mean you have to live in it. You could sell if you

wanted to…”

“That’s the thing.” It took effort, but she brightened her smile for his benefit. “I like it here.”

“Come on,” he said. “Be honest. You’re only staying because you think it bugs your father.”

“That’s not all,” she said with a taunting grin. “I’m staying because it bugs you, too.”

“And that makes you happy?”

“Happier,” she clarified.

He shook his head. “There’s something wrong with you. What’re you trying to do? Prove you can build the same business we’ve built on your own?”

“And do it even better,” she said with apparent satisfaction. That had been her goal for a long time, ever

since she’d finished college at Montana State with a degree in business and returned to Anaconda to help her mother make ends meet. After seeing her father become successful drilling water wells, she’d decided to do the same thing. She knew she didn’t want to get stuck waiting tables forever, and Anaconda didn’t offer a great deal of opportunity.

But it hadn’t been easy to get started. If she hadn’t managed to convince Ross Moore, a successful driller in Anaconda, to hire her, she wouldn’t have had the chance. But she’d needed only two years of experience, drilling fifteen wells under a licensed contractor, in order to get her own license. So Ross had eventually agreed—just to be a nice guy, she thought—and wound up being so happy with her work he’d kept her as his business expanded until her grandparents gave her their house in Coyote Canyon two and a half years ago, and she decided to go out on her own.

Hendrix’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve been pleasant so far, haven’t lifted a finger to stop you. I don’t want to—”

he spread out his hands “—do anything that would harm you, even financially.”

“If there was anything you could do to me financially, you would’ve done it already,” she pointed out,

which only seemed to enrage him further.

“Our company’s bigger than yours,” he said with a hard set to his jaw.

Our company. She was Stuart’s daughter. Hendrix was only his second wife’s nephew. He stood to take

over the business when Stuart died, since Leo wasn’t capable, but he wasn’t even considered a true partner at this point. As she understood it, he was only on salary. And yet, when Hendrix lost his mother to breast cancer, her father had not only allowed Lynn to take him into their home, he’d chosen Hendrix over her in every regard. No doubt Stuart assumed Hendrix was stronger and more capable than she was, but she was bound and determined to prove he’d significantly underestimated her abilities. “That’s obvious.” She gave him the once-over. “But bigger isn’t always better.”

He stepped closer, too close for comfort, which was probably his intent, and glared down his nose at her.

“It is in this case. Don’t make me put you out of business.”

He turned on his heel to stalk back to his truck, but she called after him. “You couldn’t put me out of

business if you tried!”

He stopped before opening his door. “We have deeper pockets than you do, Ellen. We can play the price game, too. What if I were to go around to all your jobs and offer to drill cheaper? You’re saying I couldn’t steal your next six months of work from you?”

“You’ll be taking a heavy loss if you do!”

He studied her for several seconds. “I’m beginning to think it would be worth it.”

The size of her monthly bills—the payment she had to make on her rig alone—sent a tremor of foreboding through her. She couldn’t withstand a full-on battle with her father and Hendrix. Not one that went on for very long, at least. She needed to back off. But she couldn’t. “You don’t scare me!” she yelled. “I’ll take you on. I’ll take on both you sons of bitches!”

His tires spun dirt and gravel as he backed up and nearly hit Ben, who was just coming back in his Jeep.

Ben slammed on his brakes in the nick of time and waited for Hendrix to swerve around him. Then he got out, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, and walked over to where Ellen stood at the rig. “That was Hendrix Durrant, wasn’t it?” he said. “I told you he wouldn’t like what we’ve been doing. He confronted you about it, didn’t he? What’d he say?”

“Nothing,” she retorted. She couldn’t bring herself to admit that the resentment driving her might have

caused her to sign the death warrant on her fledgling business—the only thing that was currently keeping a roof over both their heads.

Damn her! What’s wrong with her? Hendrix fumed as he drove, probably a little too recklessly, to Lynn and Stuart’s. At thirty-one, he no longer lived with them, but his house wasn’t far away, and he was at their place a lot to see his cousin, Leo, who had Down Syndrome. The office for the drilling business was in one section of the barn, too, and most of their drilling equipment was parked on the property.

Leo was in the wide front yard wearing a snowsuit—even though it was the end of March and edging

toward spring and there were only little patches of white in the shadows—playing with his dog, Zeus. He lit up like a Christmas tree the second he saw Hendrix turn in, and came running to the truck. “Hi, Hendrix!” he said, waving enthusiastically as Hendrix got out. “I been waitin’ for ya. I knew you’d

come!”

Because Hendrix came almost every day. He typically brought Leo a donut or other treat, and he would’ve again today, except Lynn had told him he had to stop. Leo was gaining too much weight. It was hard for Hendrix to disappoint him, but he had no other choice. “I know you’re probably hoping I’ve got a donut for you, bud, but I couldn’t get over there in time to buy one. I’m sorry.”

Leo’s shoulders slumped, and the corners of his mouth turned down, which made Hendrix feel terrible. But in typical Leo style, he perked up right away. “That’s okay, Hendrix,” he said as they started to walk, with Zeus, toward the office. “You’ll bring me one tomorrow, right? I like the chocolate with sprinkles. It’s my favorite. I bet that’s the one you’ll buy me. You’ll bring me the chocolate one tomorrow, won’t you, Hendrix?”

Hendrix eyed his thickening middle and offered to take him on a walk instead, but Leo was having none of it.

“After I eat my donut?” he asked.

“Yeah, after you eat your donut,” Hendrix said, finally relenting. He couldn’t refuse, despite Leo’s weight.

He’d just have to take Leo somewhere else to eat it so Lynn wouldn’t catch them. He hated to contribute to the problem when she’d asked him not to, but he couldn’t deny his cousin the few simple pleasures he enjoyed so much. Maybe the walk after would zero it out.

“Thank you, Hendrix. I can’t wait!” He rubbed his hands in anticipation as they reached the office. “What

are you doing today?” he asked before Hendrix could open the door. “Are you drilling another well? Can I get my steel-toed boots and my hard hat and go with you?”

It was Friday, Hendrix’s day for picking up parts, fixing broken equipment, giving estimates and helping

catch up on any paperwork Lynn was holding back because of questions she had. She helped in the office

while they did the drilling, but she must be in the house or getting her hair done or something else today, because Hendrix didn’t see her when he swung open the door. “For the next little while, I’m mostly hanging out here with Stuart, okay, bud?” he said. “But if I have to run an errand or two, you can come along.”

Leo smiled widely—something he did almost all the time. “Maybe we could buy a candy bar while we’re

out!”

“No treats, Leo,” he said. “They aren’t good for you, remember?”

Leo’s shoulders rounded again, until he thought of the donut. “But you’ll bring me a donut tomorrow?”

Hendrix barely refrained from groaning. He’d never known anyone with such a sweet tooth. Leo was at him for candy, soda and other junk food all the time. “Yes,” Hendrix told him. “I said I would.”

“I love you, Hendrix,” he said. “You’re the best!”

It was hard to remain angry about anything in the face of his childlike exuberance. “I love you, too,” Hendrix said with a chuckle.

But when he walked into the office and Stuart glanced up, he remembered why he’d come skidding into the driveway of their house in the first place.

“You need to do something about Ellen,” he said bluntly.

“Ellen Truesdale?” Leo piped up before Stuart, who was sitting at his desk, could respond.

Hendrix wasn’t surprised Leo knew who Ellen was. With her bleached blond hair, cut in a short, jagged

style, nose ring and ear piercings, together with the tattoo sleeve that covered one arm, she stood out in the ultraconservative community in which he’d been raised. Not only had she been a hot topic around town, she’d come up in plenty of conversations between Stuart and Lynn. Hendrix was surprised, however, that Leo remembered her last name. It wasn’t as if they knew any other Truesdales. As soon as she’d turned eighteen, Ellen had legally changed her last name to her mother’s maiden name—another of her many attempts to get back at Stuart. Leo’s father had been an alcoholic who’d raised and

sold hunting dogs—before he shot himself when Lynn left him. Stuart adopted Leo when he and Lynn married three years later, so Leo went by Fetterman. And since Hendrix’s father was found in a tube of sperm cells in a lab somewhere, he’d retained his mother’s last name and went by Durrant.

“Yes, Ellen Truesdale,” Hendrix told him.

Stuart sighed as he rocked back in his chair. “What’s she done this time?”

“Took the Haslem job from us.”

His father looked startled. “I thought we had that one in the bag. Isn’t Jay your neighbor?”

About four years ago, Hendrix had bought a small, two-bedroom, two-bath, log-cabin-style home on a couple of acres about five minutes away. Jay lived in the mobile home next door—until he could move to his other property, anyway. “Yeah, well, I guess loyalty doesn’t count for much when money’s involved.”

“She undercut us again?”

“Word’s getting around that she’ll beat any price we give. At least, that’s what I’m guessing. All Jay told

me was that he was hiring her because it would save him some money.”

The beard growth on Stuart’s chin rasped as he rubbed it. “Drillin’s hard work. I can’t believe she’d do it

that cheaply—and that she’s actually doing a decent job. She’s only about five foot four, maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet.”

“You know she has Ben Anderson to help her, right? She hired him right out of high school when she first

got here.”

“I know she’s got Ben, but it has to be difficult for her even with a hired hand.”

Hearing the grudging admiration in his voice made Hendrix’s hackles rise again. “She’s trying to damage

our business. You realize that.”

“She’s not going to damage it for long,” Stuart said dismissively. “I’ve been drillin’ wells and servicing

pumps for forty years. We’ll reach a new equilibrium sooner or later.”

“I’m not so sure,” Hendrix argued. “Can’t you meet with her? Have a discussion? Folks talk, especially in a small town like this. If word has it that she’s the cheapest around, and she’s a good driller…” He shook his head. “It’s been two and a half years since she moved here. She’s only getting a firmer foothold as the days go by.”

“What do you want me to say to her?” his uncle asked. “She’s not doing anything wrong.”

“Purposely targeting our business isn’t doing anything wrong?”

“It’s a free market,” he said with a shrug. “There’s nothin’ to say another driller can’t move in here and

compete with us. Whether it’s her or someone else…”

“I’ll talk to Ellen!” Leo volunteered. “She’s so pretty. And such a little thing. I bet I could pick her up.”

“Don’t ever try that,” Hendrix told him. “I don’t think she’d like it.”

“Oh, I’d never hurt her,” Leo hurried to reassure him.

Hendrix knew he’d never hurt her intentionally. Leo would never hurt anyone intentionally. But he was a

big man, and he didn’t know his own strength. Sometimes he reminded Hendrix of Lennie in Of Mice and

Men, not least because he himself identified with George Milton in the role of Leo’s protector. During his

teens, he’d been in more fights than he could remember trying to defend Leo from the bullies who’d tease and make fun of him. “I know you wouldn’t, bud. You just have to remember not to touch her, okay? Ever.”

“Okay,” Leo said dutifully.

“So will you talk to her?” Hendrix asked, turning back to Stuart.

Stuart blanched. “I don’t know what to say to her,” he admitted. “I mean…what can I say? I didn’t do right by her, and there’s no changing that now.”

“Then apologize,” Hendrix said, “before she makes me lose my mind.”

Stuart stared at the paperwork on his desk for several seconds before finally—and grudgingly—relenting.

“If I get the opportunity, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Let me give you the opportunity,” he said. “She’s drilling the Slemboskis a well right now. Should be there another day, at least. Maybe longer.”

His uncle’s jaw had dropped as soon as he heard the name. “The Slemboskis went with her, too? Slim

Slemboski’s on my bowling team!”

Hendrix threw up his hands. “See what I mean?”

Stuart winced as he went back to rubbing his jaw. “O-kay,” he said on a downbeat, as if agreeing to talk to Ellen was tantamount to walking the plank. “I’ll go over there tomorrow, see what I can do.”

Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

Buy Links:

BookShop.org

Harlequin

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

Powell’s

AUTHOR BIO

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels.

She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader's Choice, the

Bookseller's Best, the Bookbuyer's Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the

Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date,

she’s raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com.

Social Links:

Author Website

Facebook: @Author Brenda Novak

Twitter: @brenda_novak

Instagram: @authorbrendanovak

#Brenda Novak #Coyote Canyon 2 #netgalley #Mira #Harper Collins #Contemporary Romance #Small Town Romance #Enemies to Lovers Romance #Romance #Fiction

0 notes

quirkycatsfatstacks · 1 year

Text

Review: Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

Author: Brenda NovakPublisher: Mira BooksReleased: April 5, 2022Received: NetGalley If you’re looking for the perfect beach read this summer, may I recommend Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak. While the title is a bit on the nose, I promise you that it truly is the perfect fit for your vacation reading. Following her father’s death, Marlow decides to travel to a small island in Florida.…

View On WordPress

#Book #Book Review #Books #Brenda Novak #Literary #Literature #MIRA #Net Galley #NetGalley #Review #Summer on the Island #Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak #women #women&039;s fiction

0 notes

brittanybwrites · 1 year

Text

Today I’m going to attempt a reading sprint of Keep Me Warm at Christmas and The Trouble with Mistletoe, then I might do a reread of A Court of Frost and Starlight and another cute holiday romance

#booklr #bibliophile #litblr #keep me warm at christmas #brenda novak #the trouble with mistletoe #jill shalvis #a court of frost and starlight #acotar #sjm

0 notes

librospdfgratismundoepub · 2 years

Text

Una librería en la playa - Brenda Novak (2022)

¿Cómo se empieza un nuevo capítulo en la vida cuando aún no se ha terminado el libro de la vida anterior? Hacía dieciocho meses que el marido de Autumn Divac había desaparecido, y ella no se imaginaba cómo iba a vivir sin él. Sin embargo, por el bien de sus dos hijos, tenía que intentarlo. Autumn se llevó a sus hijos a pasar el verano a su pueblo natal, la preciosa localidad costera donde se…

View On WordPress

#Brenda Novak

0 notes

wentworthlindamilesfanpage · 2 years

Photo

Some random updated 5x1 screenshots #wentworth

#wentworth #season 5 #linda miles #jacquie brennan #Kate Jenkinson #allie novak #Pamela Rabe #Joan Ferguson #Katerina Kotsonis #brenda murphy

5 notes · View notes

comfy-whumpee · 2 years

Text

The Feed

Companion piece to The Inbox. CN: BBU, slavery, dehumanisation, influencers.

@neuro-whump, @rosesareviolentlyread, @whumper-in-training, @mylifeisonthebookshelf, @pumpkin-spice-whump

Search: help at home

Showing results 1-9 of 5061

Order: Most relevant

Daria @DariaMother0f4

Thank you @HelpAtHome for our package today! So excited to start using your latest Household & Garden domestic!

Help At Home @helpathome ✅

@DariaMother0f4 Glad to hear you're excited, Daria! Let us know how they settle in 🙌

James @spoonboy22

Help at home claims to be sooo ethical but my mom's domestic is terrified of knives

Help At Home @helpathome ✅

@spoonboy22 Sorry to hear that, James! Do you have the product number? We will look into it further for you 👀 Our pets are never physically harmed in training, so we are confident it isn't from us!

JellyBoots @jellybootsmolly

Help at home is a lifesaver their caterers you can rent are incredible!! They do EVERYTHING, zero stress

Help At Home @helpathome ✅

@jellybootsmolly Wow, this is great to hear! We love training our caterers to fit whatever you need. If you remember their designation number, we'll make sure to reward them 🥇

Help At Home @helpathome ✅

Change your life with a Domestic pet 100% guilt free 😍 Browse our autumn catalogue now and find out what we can do to make every day better for you and your family #domesticpets

Naida 💖 supports carers @nadiahmed5

@helpathome you were incredible with my brother. I don't know what I'd do without 576829 (or Tony as we called him). He cried harder than anyone when my brother hit new milestones. Truly invaluable service. You've given me my life back.

Help At Home @helpathome ✅

@nadiahmed5 Stories like yours are the reason we do what we do 💕 Thank you for sharing, you've brought many of us a smile today. We wish the best for you and your brother 🤗

Naida 💖 supports carers @nadiahmed5

@helpathome thank you. What's your name? you are so kind

Help At Home @helpathome ✅

@nadiahmed5 You're too kind yourself, Nadia! My name is Eileen. My job is speaking to our customers, wherever they reach out to us, and I enjoy it very much.

STOP THE SALES 🛑 PETS ARE PEOPLE @freeallpetsaction

@helpathome you disgust me, acting like an ethical company when all you do is the same as everyone else, torturing people until they're too scared to do anything but obey. How many missing people are you responsible for? Bit.ly/thelost44 #stopthesales #thelost44

Help At Home @helpathome ✅

Watch 👀 our CEO and founder, Alexis Hewitt, on why they chose our Seattle branch as Kindness Champions this year… 👇

STOP THE SALES 🛑 PETS ARE PEOPLE @freeallpetsaction

@helpathome have now blocked me for calling out their modern slavery practices. They don't want a conversation, they just want profit #stopthesales #thelost44

❌ This user has been blocked.

Help At Home @helpathome ✅

What does your child do when home alone? Do you wish you had an extra pair of eyes and ears to keep them safe and happy? Read our blog for tips on balancing your life with parenthood 👪

Emmanuel @shygoat009

Unbelievable… The state we were in just a month ago compared to now. Help at home boxies are life changing honstly

❤ You liked this post

Page 1 2 3 … 5601

Search: help at home

Showing results 10-19 of 5601

Order: Most relevant

True Crime TX 🎙 on soundcloud now! @truecrimetexas

Two images, taken nine months apart on opposite sides of the country. In one, college student Rika Komizo. In the other, a strange lookalike wearing a collar… (1/4)

Peanut Butter and Kelly @kelly_001

@truecrimetexas Looks like a help at home office designation collar… Anyone see Pascal Novak, the Minnesota guy? Same thing with him…

Brenda 9000 @CrimeMom83

@truecrimetexas definitely help at home @HelpAtHome 😬

Brian @vancouverguyy

@truecrimetexas Pascal Novak story on reddit: tinyurl.com/449384

Shanza Danza @coolskeleton69

@vancouverguyy Freaky story, thanks for sharing, was there ever any update? Dude been found or no?

Peanut Butter and Kelly @kelly_001

@coolskeleton69 Nope dude was never found. Some people think he's one of many. Check out #thelost44

Daria @DariaMother0f4

Just ordered our newest @HelpAtHome box boy - can't wait to see what he'll do with the holiday home! #luxuryliving

❤ You liked this post

Help at Home @helpathome ✅

Our revolutionary training techniques are proven to be more effective than our leading competitors'. We believe that pets are fundamentally innocent, and need support, not punishment. Read more in our blog by handler Sveta and her trainee, Heron 🦢

Alisha McBride @alishamcbride ✅

Summer vibes… Strawberries and cream, iced tea and a foot rub. Who needs a man when you've got him? #petowner #helpathome #pamperday

❤ You liked this post

Laura Mattias @gin_x_queen

@alishamcbride Yum! Looks like another day in paradise for you ☀

Shanna Shane @cornishwillow

@alishamcbride omg so cute!! How much was he? I'd love one from help at home but hubby will not hear of it yet…trying t bring him around but it's hard with

Shanna Shane @cornishwillow

@cornishwillow *work

North Bridleton Police @northbridletonpd

Police are still searching for information on missing pet 490039 (Help At Home), 4'9" white female with short red hair and green eyes, last seen wearing black bikini and silver necklace. DM us with any information.

[Two posts from blocked users have been hidden.]

Refurbox @refurboxUS ✅

NEW TODAY 📣

384799 'Persimmon' was a #helpathome Household Domestic. Sadly, due to her owner travelling abroad, she is looking for a new home. If you're looking for a high-quality, highly-trained pet, get in touch now and let us know what you'd like Persimmon to be next #sustainable

Gay Fucker 9000 @LIBERTEEGALITE

Honestly astounds me that anyone thinks pet companies are ethical when they're literally destroying lives for profit, HIRE A FUCKING MAID @WRU @Refurbox @HelpAtHome

❌ This user has been blocked.

Help at Home @helpathome ✅

Are you ready for #BackToSchool? It can be so hard to keep up with changing courses, competitive classes, and all alongside your own life 👪 Our Homework Help package can add value to your Household helper, or be added free to a new order. Give us a call to find out more 💡

Page 1 2 3 … 5601

#bbu #epistolary whump #formatting was better in a doc but that's tumblr for you #the birdhouse #box boy universe #worldbuilding #my fic

57 notes · View notes

triviareads · 8 months

Text

ARC Review of One Steamy Night & An Off-Limits Merger by Brenda Jackson; Naima Simone

One Steamy Night by Brenda Jackson:

Okay first let me say I really do appreciate cover model. I assume this is Jaxon Ravnel and the hot modern cowboy look is doing a lot.

Jaxon Ravnel announces his intention to marry Nadia Novak except, well, he barely knows her. It's such a Harlequin hero-coded thing to do, so I didn't question it. I was into it. For her part, Nadia is obviously not amused or eager, but she slowly allows him to "court" (yes this is the word Jaxon uses; his plan is a "very serious courtship") her. Since this book is mostly set in a small town, that means escorting her to local events. Eventually, Nadia decides she wants to sleep with him, BUT still has no intention of marrying which was pretty funny to me, especially when Jaxon found out. Ultimately there wasn't much conflict or anything major stopping them from getting together; it was really a matter of of time.

In terms of sex, there are two sex scenes, and they were pretty standard Harlequin fare, though I feel like they were on the tamer end of Harlequin Desire books.

An Off-Limits Merger by Naima Simone

I'd been looking forward to Tatum and Bran's book ever since I read Her Best Kept Secret, so I was excited to get into it. Tatum is still recovering from finding out her fiancé was cheating on her when she died, and taking the Greer Motorcycle account is her chance to prove that she can be taken seriously again. Enter Greer co-owner Bran Holleran. Listen, if there's one thing you can count on a Harlequin hero for, it's an immediate proposition moment— and Naima Simone makes sure her heroes pull it off with this perfect combination of sexy straightforwardness while still leaving room for refusal, and Bran did not disappoint, particularly because he didn't know he was hitting on his a potential investor's daughter lolol. I also really love when heroes are tragically contemplating their bit o'rough-ness and how they're not fit to put their dirty hands on the heroine (or something like that) and once again, Bran did not disappoint.

Naima is really good with melding emotional and sexual chemistry so we got two pretty damn hot sex scenes that were also about Tatum taking charge of the situation after feeling pigeonholed as a victim for so long. And Bran did go "use me" at some point which I always appreciate in a romance novel hero.

Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone seeking a diverse duo of romances!

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

#arc review #arc #netgalley #naima simone #contemporary romance #harlequin desire #harlequin #romance novels #brenda jackson #harlequin romance #23for23

3 notes · View notes

cellsshapedlikestars · 2 years

Note

I’m re-reading a harlequin book I read years ago and it’s giving my major Jonsa vibes. First Love, Second Chance by Brenda Novak

Ok, so here's the part where I once again admit that I never got into Jane Austen and so have never read Persuasion, and it's not a movie I watched either. And I haven't read the Brenda Novak book either... But I did read synopses of both!!!

Both had similar basic plots (returning to an old love), so I decided to use both for this. I hope it takes a bit of each, but since I haven’t read them fully...

Thank you to both Jaylee6789 & anon for the prompts 💕

red lights mean you’re leaving

#jonsa #jonsa fic #prompt fic

18 notes · View notes

thechaosmuses · 1 year

Text

Below the cut you'll find a list of my MCU muses along with their face claims (more info about each oc muse will be up soon but if you have any questions in the meantime don't be afraid to pm me, I have info on Google Docs for all of them.)

Total Muses; 39 Newest Member; Celeste LivingstonAdded; 5/15/23

Sterling Atlas Ward... portrayed by Ian Somerhalder Kailee Elizabeth Holtz... portrayed by Megan Fox (villain and hero verse) Joaquin Miguel Torres... portrayed by Danny Ramirez Peter Django Maximoff... portrayed by Evan Peters Pietro Django Maximoff... portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson Wanda Marya Maximoff... portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen Camelia Waverly Maximoff... portrayed by Danielle Rose Russell James Buchanan Barnes... portrayed by Sebastian Stan Kaleb Jonas Barnes... portrayed by Logan Lerman Steven Grant Rogers... portrayed by Chris Evans (note: i have both pre-serum and super soldier steve) Maxine Josephine Rogers... portrayed by Kathyrn Newton Michelle Julia Jones-Watson... portrayed by Zendaya Coleman Peter Benjamin Parker... portrayed by Tom Holland Gwendolyn Maxine Stacy... portrayed by Emma Stone Peter Benjamin Parker... portrayed by Andrew Garfield Jonathan Spencer Storm... portrayed by Chris Evans Melody Elizabeth Young... portrayed by Sabrina Carpenter Kate Bishop... portrayed by Hailee Steinfeld Natalia Alianovna Romanova... portrayed by Scarlett Johansson Yelena Fyodorovna Belova... portrayed by Florence Pugh Anastasia Sloane Lenkov... portrayed by Holland Roden Wren Nika Volkov... portrayed by Josephine Langford Wynter Nadia Volkov... portrayed by Lili Reinhart Brunnhilde Valkyrie... portrayed by Tessa Thompson Loki Laufeyson... portrayed by Tom Hiddleston Cordelia Ara Odinsdottir... portrayed by Ashley Benson Amora Delphine Brantley... portrayed by Leighton Meester Celeste Juliet Livingston... portrayed by Brenda Song

Crossover/Genderbent Muses

Nikolai Nathaniel Novak... portrayed by Daniel Sharman (tvdu to mcu) Charmeine Ayla Hanlon... portrayed by Zendaya Coleman (spn to mcu) Kaiden Edward Holtz... portrayed by Ian Somerhalder (genderbent kailee) Petria Delilah Maximoff... portrayed by Alexandra Daddario (genderbent pietro) Stephanie Grace Rogers... portrayed by Dove Cameron (genderbent steve) Jamie Belladonna Barnes... portrayed by Kaya Scodelario (genderbent bucky) Samantha Trinity Wilson... portrayed by Gabrielle Union (genderbent sam) Theodosia Audra Odinsdottir... portrayed by Rachel Taylor (genderbent thor) Lady Loki Laufeyson... portrayed by Katie McGrath (genderbent loki) Calder Ace Odinson... portrayed by Chad Micheal Murray (genderbent cordelia)

#[mcu muse list]#[marvel]#[marvel cinematic universe]#[x-men]#[muse list]#[cw; long post]

3 notes · View notes

cheshirelibrary · 1 year

Photo

7 Uplifting Books Coming Out in 2023

[via BookBub Blog]

2023 is going to be a banner year for wonderful books. To help you wade through all of the upcoming releases, we’ve put together a list of books that will just plain make you feel good.

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

The Sister Effect by Susan Mallery

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

...

Click through to see more titles

#cheshire library #feel good books #uplifting books #book list #new books

5 notes · View notes

cathygeha · 9 months

Text

REVIEW

Talulah’s Back in Town by Brenda Novak

Coyote Canyon #1

What a wonderful story! Smiling as I think of Talulah and Brant and how they found the ability to commit to one another and thrive together.

What I liked: * Talulah: runaway bride, loves her parents and sister, good friend, pleaser who has trouble saying no, culinary school graduate, dessert diner owner, has commitment issues, back where she grew up to deal with her great aunt’s estate

* Brant: owns the family ranch with his three brothers, never has been in a long-term committed relationship, helps others, good friend, waiting for the right woman to come along and it just might be Talulah

* Brant’s brothers – would love to see who they end up with

* Debbie: Talulah’s sister, happily married with three children and one on the way, supportive of Talulah and provides wise counsel

* Ellen: lives next to Aunt Phoebe, interesting person that I would like to know more about

* Getting to know more about Aunt Phoebe

* The small town feel and how most of the people are there for one another

* The strong chemistry, compatibility, and communication that Talulah and Brant had with one another

* Finding out who threw the rock through the window

* That most of the friendships that went awry managed to be pieced back together

* Looking forward to reading the next book in the series

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* Knowing that some people can be mean, petty, and pushy as some in this story were

Did I like this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and HQN-Mira for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

Talulah Barclay returns to Coyote fourteen years after leaving her fiancé at the altar. She’s back to sell her deceased aunt’s home and head back to Seattle as quickly as possible since the memories in a small town are long and no one has forgiven her for running off. And when she finds herself falling for the best friend of her jilted ex she knows life is going to get more difficult. And when she’s injured by shattered glass after someone throws a rock through her window she knows she is not welcome in town. But she still has close friends there and they rally around her and she finds herself willing to open her heart to the town and to the man she truly loves.

Buy Links:

BookShop.org

Harlequin

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

Powell’s

Excerpt - Tahlulah’s Back in Town by Brenda Novak

One

“Well, if it isn’t the runaway bride.”

Talulah Barclay glanced up to find the reason a shadow had just fallen across her plate. She’d been hoping to ease back into the small community of Coyote Canyon, Montana, without drawing any attention. But Brant Elway, of all people, had happened to come into the café where she was having breakfast and stopped at her booth.

“Of course you’d be the first to bring up my past sins,” she grumbled. They hadn’t seen each other for nearly fourteen years, and he’d certainly changed—filled out what had once been a spare frame, grown a couple of inches, even though he’d been tall to begin with, and taken on a rugged, slightly weathered look from spending so much time outdoors. But she would’ve recognized him anywhere.

The crooked smile that curved his lips suggested he was hardly repentant. “I’m not likely to forget that day. I was the best man, remember?”

She wasn’t likely to forget that day, either. Only bumping into her ex, Charlie Gerhart, would be more cringeworthy.

She felt terrible about what she’d done to Charlie. She also felt terrible that she’d repeated the same mistake with two other men since. Admittedly, jilting her fiancés at the altar hadn’t been among her finest moments, but she’d had every intention of following through—until the panic grew so powerful it simply took over and there was no other way to cope.

It said something that, while she regretted the pain she’d caused others, especially her prospective grooms, she didn’t regret walking out on those weddings. That clearly indicated she’d made the right choice—a little late, perhaps, but better not to make such a huge mistake than try to unravel it later.

She doubted Brant would ever view the situation from that perspective, however. He’d naturally feel defensive of Charlie. He and Charlie had been friends for as long as she could remember. She’d hung out with Charlie’s younger sister, Averil, since kindergarten and could remember seeing Brant over at the Gerhart house way back when she and Averil were in fifth grade, and he and Charlie were in seventh.

Dressed in a soft cotton Elway Ranch T-shirt that stretched slightly at the sleeves to accommodate his biceps, a pair of faded Wranglers and boots that were worn and dirty enough to prove they weren’t just for show, he rested his hands on his narrow hips as he studied her with the cornflower-blue eyes that’d been the subject of so much slumber-party talk when she was growing up. Those eyes were even more startling now that his face was so tanned. Had he lived in Seattle, like her, she’d assume he spent time cultivating that golden glow. But she knew he hadn’t put any effort into his appearance. According to Jane Tanner, another friend who’d hung out with her and Averil—the three of them had been inseparable—Brant’s parents had retired, and he and his three younger brothers had taken over the running of their two-thousand-acre cattle ranch.

“What brings you back to town?” he asked. “You’ve laid low for so long, I thought we’d seen the last of you.”

Pretending that running into him was no more remarkable to her than running into anyone else, she lifted her orange juice to take a sip before returning the glass to the heavily varnished table. “My aunt Phoebe died.”

“That’s the old lady who lived in the farmhouse on Mill Creek Road, right? The one with the blue hair?”

Her great-aunt had been a diminutive woman, only five feet tall and less than a hundred pounds. But she’d had her hair done once a week like clockwork—still used the blue rinse she’d grown fond of in her early twenties when platinum blond had been all the rage—and dressed in her Sunday best, including nylons, whenever she came to town. So she’d stood out. “That’s her.”

“What happened?”

Talulah got the impression he was assessing the changes in her, just as she was assessing the changes in him, and wished she’d put more effort into her appearance today. She didn’t want to come off the worse for wear after what she’d done. But when she’d rolled out of bed, pulled on her yoga pants and a sleeveless knit top and piled her long blond hair on top of her head before coming to the diner for breakfast, she’d assumed she’d be early enough to miss the younger crowd, which included the people she’d rather avoid.

That had proven mostly to be true; except for Brant, almost everyone else in the diner was over sixty. But he worked on a ranch, so he was probably up even before the birds that’d been chirping loudly outside her window, making it impossible for her to sleep another second. “She died of old age. Aunt Phoebe was almost a hundred.”

“I’m sorry to hear you lost her.” He sounded sincere, at least. “Were you close?”

“No, actually, we weren’t,” Talulah admitted. “She never liked me.” Phoebe hadn’t liked children in general—they were too loud, too unruly and too messy. And once Talulah had become a teenager, and her mother had allowed her to quit taking piano lessons from her great-aunt, they’d never really connected, other than seeing each other at various family functions during which Talulah and her sister, Debbie, had gone out of their way to avoid their mother’s crotchety aunt.

His teeth flashed in a wider smile. “Maybe she was a friend of the Gerharts.”

Talulah gave him a dirty look. “So were you. But unfortunately, you’re standing here talking to me.”

He chuckled instead of being offended, which soothed some of her ire. He was willing to take what he was dishing out; she had to respect that.

“I’m more generous than most,” he teased, pressing a hand to his muscular chest. “But if it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only one who struggled to get along with your aunt.”

“You knew her personally?” she asked in surprise.

“Not well, but I’ll never forget the day someone had the audacity to honk at her because she was driving at the speed of a horse and buggy down the middle of the highway, holding up traffic for miles.”

“What happened?”

“Once I got around her, I found she was capable of driving a lot faster. She tailgated me to the bank, where she climbed out and swung her purse at me while giving me a piece of her mind for scaring her while she was behind the wheel.”

Talulah had to laugh at the mental picture that created. “You’re the one who honked at her?”

“The bank was about to close.” He gave a low whistle as he rubbed the beard growth on his squarish chin. “But after that, I decided if I was ever in the same situation again, I’d skip the bank.”

Most people in Coyote Canyon probably had a similar story about Aunt Phoebe, maybe more than one. She might’ve been small, but she was mighty and wouldn’t “take any guff,” as she put it, from anyone. “Yeah, well, imagine being a little girl on the receiving end of that sharp tongue. I’d dread my weekly piano lesson and cry whenever my mother left me with her.”

“I’ll have to let Ellen know that,” he said.

Talulah didn’t remember anyone by that name in Coyote Canyon. “Who’s Ellen?”

“I assume you’re staying at your aunt’s place?”

She nodded. “My folks moved to Reno a couple of years after I embarrassed them at the wedding,” she said glumly.

He laughed at her response. “Ellen lives on the property next to you. She and I used to go out now and then, when she first moved to town, and she told me the old lady would knock on her door to complain about everything—the weeds near the fence, trees that were dropping leaves on her side of the property line, the barking of the dogs.”

“But they both live on several acres. How could those small things bother Aunt Phoebe?”

“Exactly Ellen’s point. Heaven forbid she ever decided to have a dinner party and someone parked too close to your aunt’s driveway.”

Talulah found herself more distracted by the mention of his relationship with this Ellen woman than she should’ve been, given that it wasn’t the point of the anecdote. Brant had always been so hard to attract. Most girls she knew had tried to gain his interest, including her own sister, and failed. So she couldn’t help being curious about how he’d come to date her new neighbor—and why and how their relationship had ended. “Sounds like Phoebe.”

A waitress called out to tell Brant hello, and he waved at her before returning his attention to Talulah. “How long will you be in town?”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Are you running recognizance for my enemies?”

“Just curious.” He winked. “Word will spread fast enough without me.”

“You can assure everyone who cares that it’ll only be for a month or so,” she said. “Until I can clean out my great aunt’s house and put it on the market.”

“If you weren’t close to her, how come you were unlucky enough to get that job?” he asked.

“My parents are in Africa on a mission.”

“For the Church of the Good Shepherd?”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t realize they sent people out on organized missions.”

“Sometimes they do, but this one is self-funded, something my dad has wanted to do ever since hearing a particularly rousing sermon.” Talulah wasn’t religious at all—much to the chagrin of her parents. But a good portion of the town belonged to her folks’ evangelical church or one of the other churches in the area.

“What about your sister?” Brant asked. “She can’t help?”

“Debbie’s married and living in Billings. She’s about to have her fourth child any day now.”

He feigned shock. “Married? Fear of commitment doesn’t run in the family, I guess.”

She scowled. “It’s a good thing I didn’t go through with it, Brant. I was only eighteen—way too young.”

“I never said I thought it was a good idea,” he responded.

“If you’ll remember, I made the same argument way back when.”

“How could I ever forget?” They’d always been adversaries. He’d hated the amount of time his best friend had devoted to her, and she’d resented that he was often trying to talk Charlie into playing pool or going hunting or something with him instead. “But let’s be fair. I doubt I’m the only one with commitment issues.” She glanced at his hand. “I don’t see a ring on your finger.”

“I’ve never left anyone standing at the altar.”

She could tell he was joking, but he’d hit a nerve. “Because you bail out before it even gets that far.”

He seemed to enjoy provoking her. “That’s what you’re supposed to do. I can teach you how, if you want me to.”

“Oh, leave me alone,” she muttered with a shooing motion.

He chuckled but didn’t go. “How much are you hoping to get for your aunt’s house?”

“I have no idea what it’s worth,” she replied. “I live in Washington these days, where prices are a lot different, and haven’t met with a real estate agent yet.”

“You know Charlie’s an agent, right?”

Slumping back against the booth, she sighed. “Here we go again…”

He widened those gorgeous blue eyes of his. “That wasn’t a jab! I just thought you should be aware of it.”

“I’m aware of it, okay? Jane Tanner told me.”

“You still in touch with Jane?”

“We’ve been friends since kindergarten,” she said as if he should’ve taken that for granted. But she’d been equally close to Charlie’s sister, and they hadn’t spoken since Talulah had tried to apologize for what she’d done at the wedding and Averil had told her she never wanted to see her again.

“Maybe it’d help patch things up if you listed your aunt’s house with him,” Brant suggested.

“You’re kidding. I can’t imagine he’d want to see me—not even to make a buck.”

His eyes flicked to the compass tattoo she’d gotten on the inside of her forearm shortly after she’d left Coyote Canyon. “Does he know you’re in town?”

She shrugged. “Jane might’ve told him I was coming. Why?”

He studied her for a long moment. “I have a feeling things are about to get interesting around here. Thanks for breaking the monotony,” he said, and that maddening grin reappeared as he nodded in parting and walked over to the bar, where he took a stool and ordered his breakfast.

Disgruntled, Talulah eyed his back. He’d removed his baseball cap—that was a bit old-fashioned, perhaps, but her parents would certainly approve of his manners—so his hair was matted in places, but he didn’t seem to care. He came off more comfortable in his own skin than any man she’d ever known, which sort of bugged her. She couldn’t say why. He’d always seemed to avoid the foibles that everyone else got caught up in. For a change, she wanted to see him unable to stop himself from falling in love, do something stupid because he couldn’t help it or make a mistake he later regretted.

“Would you like a refill?”

The waitress had approached with a pot of coffee.

Talulah shoved her cup away. “No, thanks. I’m finished.”

“Okay, hon. Let me put this down, and I’ll be right back with your check.”

Leaving twenty-five bucks on the table, more than enough to cover the bill, Talulah got up and walked out.

The last thing she wanted was to run into someone else she knew.

Most of the town had been at that wedding.

Aunt Phoebe’s house was going to take some work. Two stories tall, it was a Victorian farmhouse with a wide front porch, a drawing room/living room off the entry, a music room tucked to the left, a formal dining area in the middle and a tiny kitchen—tiny by today’s standards—at the back, with a mudroom where the “menfolk” could clean up before coming in from the fields at dinner. Probably 2,400 square feet in total, it was divided into thirteen small rooms that were packed with furniture, rugs, decorations, books, lamps and magazines. The attic held objects that’d been handed down for generations, as well as steamer trunks of old clothes, quilts and needlepoint—even a dressmaker’s dummy that’d given Talulah a fright when she first went up to take a look because she’d thought someone was in the attic with her.

The basement held shelf upon shelf of canned goods, a deep freezer full of meat that’d most likely been butchered at a local ranch, which meant there would be certain cuts—like tongue and liver—Talulah would have no idea what to do with, and stacks of old newspapers and various other flotsam Phoebe had collected throughout her long life.

Even if she started right away, it’d take a week or more to sort through everything, and the house wasn’t the most comfortable place to work. The windows, while beautiful with their old-fashioned casings and heavy panes, weren’t energy-efficient. There was hardly any insulation in the attic and no air-conditioning to combat the heat. Typically, summers in Coyote Canyon were quite mild, with temperatures ranging between fifty and ninety degrees, but they were in a heat wave. It was mid-August, the hottest part of the year to begin with, and they were setting records.

A bead of sweat rolled between Talulah’s breasts as she surveyed the basement. Even the coolest part of the house felt stifling. And it was only noon. She couldn’t imagine how Aunt Phoebe had managed in this heat. But her aunt could handle just about anything. She’d had a will of iron and more grit than anyone Talulah had ever met.

“How am I going to get through all this junk—and what am I going to do with it?” Talulah muttered, disheartened by the sheer volume of things her great-aunt had collected over the years.

Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her yoga pants. Pulling it out, she saw that her sister was calling. “Hey,” she answered.

“How’s Coyote Canyon?” Debbie asked.

“I just got in last night, but from what I’ve seen so far, it hasn’t changed much.” The town’s population had stayed at about three thousand since the end of the nineteenth century, when the railroad came to town and Coyote Canyon had its big boom.

She chuckled. “It never does. Bozeman is growing like crazy, though. I read somewhere that it’s the fastest growing town in America. You should see how much it’s changed.”

“No kidding? Who’s moving there?”

“Mostly families, I guess, but enough millennials and nature-lovers to change the whole vibe from Western to trendy.”

Only forty minutes away, Bozeman had been where their parents would take them to buy school clothes and other supplies. But she’d had no reason to go there since she’d left Coyote Canyon. Thanks to the stigma caused by the wedding, she’d tried to forget the whole area. “Did you guys come for Rodeo Days this year?” The week before the Fourth of July, Coyote Canyon held seven days of celebration that included rodeos, a 10K/5K run, a Mountain Man Rendezvous, parades, tractor pulls and bake-offs. Everything culminated in the fireworks of Independence Day.

“No. I wanted to,” Debbie said, “but Scott was under too much pressure at work to take the time, and I didn’t want to try to manage the kids on my own.”

“I’m sorry that Paul and I couldn’t make it.”

“Has something changed I’m not aware of? Are you two together now?”

He’d been trying to get with her since she met him, especially after they started the diner. But it was only recently that she’d gone on the pill and slept with him for the first time. “Not really. We’ve started dating. Sort of.”

“Sort of?” her sister echoed.

“You know how hard it is for me to know when I really like a guy. Anyway, how’ve you been feeling? Any news on the baby?” She asked because she was interested, but she was also eager to change the subject.

“I’m fine,” Debbie said. “Just tired.”

“It shouldn’t be much longer, right?”

“I’m due in a week, and the doctor won’t let me go more than a few days over.”

“Call me as soon as labor starts. I’ll come for the birth.” Billings was only a hundred miles to the east. Part of the reason Talulah had agreed to handle her aunt’s funeral and belongings was because it put her in closer proximity to Debbie. She wanted to be there for the arrival of the new addition, especially since their parents couldn’t be.

“I will. I can’t wait until this pregnancy is over.” She groaned. “I’m getting so uncomfortable.”

“You’ve done this three times before. I’m sure the birth will be routine.”

Maybe not strictly routine. Debbie had developed gestational diabetes, so there was a good chance this child would have to be delivered by Caesarean section. But they were pretending there’d be no complications. Neither of them cared to consider all the things that could go wrong.

“I feel bad that you’re having to take so much time away from the dessert diner,” she said. “Maybe I should drive over for the funeral, at least, and help while I can.”

“Don’t you dare!” Talulah said. “I don’t want you going into labor while you’re here. Your husband, your doctor, everyone and everything you need are there.”

“But I’m just sitting around with my swollen ankles while you deal with everything in that musty house.”

Musty, sweltering house. But Talulah didn’t want to make Debbie feel any guiltier. Besides, her sister wasn’t just sitting around. She was watching her other kids. Talulah could hear them, and the TV, in the background and knew that Debbie would have to bring her young nieces and nephew if she came here. Having them underfoot would only make it harder to get anything done. “The church is stepping in to organize the funeral. You set that up yourself. So you have been involved. Besides, much to our parents’ dismay, you’re the only one giving them grandkids. This is the least I can do for Mom and Dad.”

Debbie laughed. “Have you heard from them?”

“They called last night to make sure I got in okay.”

“How long did the drive take you?”

“Ten hours.”

“Ugh!”

“It wasn’t a big deal. I couldn’t fly—I knew I’d need a car while I was here.” She’d made the trip to Reno several times since her family moved from Coyote Canyon, so she was used to driving even farther. They’d only visited Seattle once, but Talulah had been so busy with college, then culinary school, then working in various restaurants before launching Talulah’s Dessert Diner with Paul, whom she’d met along the way, that she didn’t mind.

“I’m surprised they aren’t coming home for the funeral,” Debbie mused.

Not to mention the birth of their latest grandchild. Talulah thought she could hear the disappointment in her sister’s voice, but Debbie would never complain, especially to a defector like Talulah. Debbie remained as committed to their parents’ faith as they did. “I’m not surprised,” Talulah said. “Africa is so far away, and they’d only have to turn around and go right back. They want to remain focused on their mission, at least until they’re officially released.”

“Aunt Phoebe was so prickly, she and Mom were never very close, anyway,” Debbie added.

That wasn’t strictly true. Phoebe used to have them over for dinner every Sunday, and Carolyn brought Talulah and Debbie over for piano lessons. It was only later that they had a bit of a falling-out and quit talking. Despite that, Talulah guessed their mother felt conflicted about missing her aunt’s funeral. She also understood that Carolyn wasn’t going to change her mind. Choosing her mission over her family was almost a matter of pride; it showcased the level of her belief. “When we visited Aunt Phoebe, and we weren’t there for piano lessons, we had to sit on chairs in the cramped dining room or living room, and she’d snap at us to quit wiggling, remember?”

“That was if she’d let us in the house at all,” Debbie said drily. “She used to tell us to go out front and play.”

“With no toys.”

“She was the sternest person I’ve ever met.”

“She also never threw anything away.”

“She was a hoarder?”

“Kind of. She somehow managed to be fastidious and clean at the same time, so it’s not the type of hoarding you imagine when you hear the word, but it’s so cluttered in here I can barely move from room to room.”

“If it’s that bad, I should come over, after all.”

Talulah blew a wisp of hair that’d fallen from the clip on top of her head away from her mouth. “No, I’ve got it. Really.” There was no way Debbie would survive the heat, not in her condition.

“But you must be feeling some pressure to get back to Seattle,” Debbie said. “You told me you have a line of people every night trying to get into the diner.”

“We do, but Paul’s there.” She couldn’t have taken off for a whole month in any prior year. In the beginning, their business had required too much time, energy and focus—from both of them. She’d come up with the concept and had the name, the website, the logo, the location and the recipes figured out when Paul decided to come on board to help with the capital, credit and muscle required to get the rest of the way. It’d been touch and go for a while, but the place was running smoothly now, following a familiar routine. They had employees they could trust, and with her partner managing the day-to-day details, she wasn’t too worried.

“He doesn’t resent you being gone so long?” Debbie asked.

“He has a family reunion in Iowa at the end of September. Then he’ll be hiking in Europe for three weeks with a couple of friends. So I’ll be returning the favor soon enough.”

“He gets to go to Europe while you have to spend your vacation in Coyote Canyon, attending a funeral and cleaning out a house that was built in the 1800s?”

Talulah didn’t mind the work. It was facing the past and all the people she hadn’t seen or heard from in years that would be difficult. “It’s not a big deal,” she insisted.

“Okay.” There was a slight pause. Then her sister said, “I hate to bring up a sensitive subject, but…what are you going to do when you see Charlie?”

“I don’t know.” She certainly wasn’t looking forward to it.

“It’d be a lot easier if he was married.”

Talulah agreed. If he had a wife, he’d be able to believe she’d saved him for the woman he was really supposed to marry. His family and friends would then be more likely to forgive her, too. But according to Jane, he wasn’t even seeing anyone, so she had no idea how he’d feel toward her. “I ran into Brant,” she volunteered, simply because she knew her sister would be interested.

“How’d he look?”

Too good for the emotional well-being of the women around him. But such an admission would never pass Talulah’s lips. She preferred not to acknowledge his incredible good looks. “Haven’t you seen him fairly recently?” She knew her sister came back to Coyote Canyon occasionally.

“Four or five years ago.”

“He probably hasn’t changed much since then.”

“He married?”

“No.”

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. I doubt he’ll ever settle down. What’d he say when he saw you?”

“Just gave me a hard time about Charlie.”

“When I was in high school, I was so disappointed I couldn’t get his attention. Now I’m glad he had no interest in me. He would only have broken my heart.”

“Probably,” Talulah agreed. But, truth be told, she felt sort of bad talking about Brant that way. It was a case of “the pot calling the kettle black,” as her aunt would’ve said. She’d broken her share of hearts, too, and possibly in worse ways, as he’d intimated. But she couldn’t seem to settle down. No matter how hard she tried to force the issue and be more like her sister—to do what her parents expected of her—she wound up having such terrible anxiety attacks she literally had to flee. Maybe Brant had the same problem when it came to making a lifelong commitment. Maybe he was just better at accepting his limitations.

The doorbell rang as her sister finished telling her about little Casey, her three-year-old niece, who’d gotten hold of a pair of scissors and cut her bangs off at the scalp. “That’s probably the woman from the church now,” Talulah said. “I need to go over the funeral with her. I’ll call you later, okay?”

Her sister said goodbye, and Talulah disconnected as she hurried up the narrow, creaking stairs. There was a woman standing on the stoop, all right. But before she pushed open the screen door—the regular door was already standing open because she’d been trying to catch even the slightest breeze—Talulah could see enough to know it wasn’t anyone from the church.

This woman had a cigarette in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

AUTHOR BIO

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak has written over 60 novels. An eight-time Rita nominee, she's won The National Reader's Choice, The Bookseller's Best and other awards. She runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity that has raised more than $2.5 million for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). She considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life. Visit Brenda at www.brendanovak.com.

Social Links:

Author Website

Facebook: @AuthorBrendaNovak

Twitter: @Brenda_Novak

Instagram: @authorbrendanovak

TikTok: @authorbrendanovak

#Brenda Novak #Coyote Canyon 1 #Romance #Small town romance #runaway bride #HQN-Mira #netgalley #fiction

0 notes