Today I'm introducing you to Legal Ease by Lori Ryan, a tale of a sham marriage becoming something more. Keep reading to get a taste of this book and learn even more by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour. Make sure to fill out the form below for your chance to win a $25 Amazon GC.
Things I've discovered as a mother.......
-There’s no better feeling than your little child’s hand patting you on the arm or taking your hand in theirs unexpectedly.
-Many of life’s problems can be solved with tickling.
-It’s one of the scariest things in the world to have a child. It’s like tearing out a piece of your heart and letting it walk loose around the world where anything could happen to it at any moment.
-Washable crayons and markers are worth their weight in gold.
-Learning how to say “no” and stick with it is an invaluable skill you should master early.
-When your child suddenly turns and kisses you for no reason, you’ll feel like your heart jumped into your throat and you’ll find yourself hoping they still do that five or ten or fifteen years from now.
-You will never again get to decide when you go to sleep or wake up. Okay, that’s probably an exaggeration. In about seventeen years, that decision will probably once again be mine. For now, the children rule the sleep schedule.
-Scary things like the impossibly steep slide at the bouncy castle place are less scary if you just shut your eyes and do them.
-Once you get to the top of the impossibly steep and super-scary slide at the bouncy castle place with your daughter in your lap and a line of kids behind you, you have no choice but to close your eyes and go down the slide. That sucked.
-Hello Kitty is a bigger business mogul than Oprah. That little kitty has put her name and face on everything from panties to Q-tips.
-You should be A LOT more patient with your own parents.
-You should nap whenever and wherever you can.
-You should always buy carpets with stain protection built in. Ditto for clothes, upholstered furniture, and the carpeting in the car.
-The new Honda Odyssey with the built-in vacuum cleaner kicks butt.
-A lot more things in life should come with built-in vacuum cleaners. And built-in wash clothes wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
The deal may have kept Jack in control at Sutton Capital but his private life quickly spirals out of control. Just when Jack realizes that he wants more than a year with Kelly, his wealth puts her in great danger and he is left scrambling to save her life and their future together.
EXCERPT:
“Jack, darling…” Jack’s Aunt Mabry breezed into the room. “I’ve decided to redo my kitchen and the downstairs floor of my townhouse. Chad has a friend staying with him right now so I need to stay at your place for a few weeks until my kitchen is completed.”
Jack had to work to keep from rolling his eyes. He knew perfectly well what Aunt Mabry was doing. She wanted to spy on him and Kelly. There was no way she’d be redoing her kitchen if she didn’t want an excuse to stay with him. And she would normally stay at the Omni downtown or at a spa by the water instead of with him. She had never stayed at his house before, not for a day in his life, even when his mother was alive.
She was spying. He was sure of it. His mind filtered through the excuses he could give her but when he quickly weighed all of the factors, he decided it was best to just let her move in for a bit to get her off their backs. Besides, if his aunt were around he and Kelly would have to pretend to be husband and wife a lot more often, and he liked pretending that where Kelly was concerned.
With unexpected enthusiasm, Jack smiled and said, “Sure thing, Aunt Mabry. You’re welcome anytime. When do you need to move in?”
“Right now,” she said with a Cheshire Cat grin. “I’ll just head over there right now.”
With that announcement, she walked out of the office as breezily as she had waltzed in. Jack stared after her for a minute when suddenly it dawned on him. Kelly and he didn’t share a room. Oh, hell. His aunt wouldn’t buy the happily-ever-after marriage if she found out he and Kelly didn’t share a room. He grabbed the phone to try to catch Kelly or Mrs. Poole in time to warn them.
***
Kelly whipped through the house and up the stairs, calling out for Mrs. Poole as she ran. “Mrs. Poole, come quickly! We have to move. We have to move.” Kelly continued yelling as she ran into her room and grabbed drawers full of clothes and piled hangers with slacks and dresses on them.
Mrs. Poole came up the stairs with a puzzled look on her face. “What on earth are you hollering about, Kelly?” she said as she tried to enter the room. She had to jump out of the way as Kelly made a mad dash to Jack’s room.
“We have to move all of my stuff into Jack’s room,” Kelly said, out of breath from her packing and running. “Jack’s Aunt Mabry is on her way here and she’s staying with us for a couple of weeks,” Kelly blurted out as she ran back down the hall to gather more of her belongings.
“Oh Lord,” Mrs. Poole rolled her eyes and followed after Kelly. She quickly grabbed clothes and toiletries and rushed down the hall to Jack’s room. She and Kelly repeated the trip half a dozen more times as they transferred everything and set it into place. Mrs. Poole cleared out half of Jack’s dresser and closet and made room for Kelly’s things while Kelly folded and put her clothing away to make it appear as though the two had been living in holy matrimony since day one.
Kelly put away the last of her things and took a deep breath. She turned to survey the masculine-looking room. There was a dark mahogany dresser and matching armoire against the deep green walls. Large windows looked out on the same beautiful waterfront view that her guest room windows had shared. She stopped suddenly and held her breath when her eyes landed on the king-sized bed in the center. Until that moment, it hadn’t occurred to her that she and Jack would now have to share a bed. Kelly’s smile fell away as she realized that keeping her attraction hidden from Jack just became a lot more difficult.
Jack had to work to keep from rolling his eyes. He knew perfectly well what Aunt Mabry was doing. She wanted to spy on him and Kelly. There was no way she’d be redoing her kitchen if she didn’t want an excuse to stay with him. And she would normally stay at the Omni downtown or at a spa by the water instead of with him. She had never stayed at his house before, not for a day in his life, even when his mother was alive.
She was spying. He was sure of it. His mind filtered through the excuses he could give her but when he quickly weighed all of the factors, he decided it was best to just let her move in for a bit to get her off their backs. Besides, if his aunt were around he and Kelly would have to pretend to be husband and wife a lot more often, and he liked pretending that where Kelly was concerned.
With unexpected enthusiasm, Jack smiled and said, “Sure thing, Aunt Mabry. You’re welcome anytime. When do you need to move in?”
“Right now,” she said with a Cheshire Cat grin. “I’ll just head over there right now.”
With that announcement, she walked out of the office as breezily as she had waltzed in. Jack stared after her for a minute when suddenly it dawned on him. Kelly and he didn’t share a room. Oh, hell. His aunt wouldn’t buy the happily-ever-after marriage if she found out he and Kelly didn’t share a room. He grabbed the phone to try to catch Kelly or Mrs. Poole in time to warn them.
***
Kelly whipped through the house and up the stairs, calling out for Mrs. Poole as she ran. “Mrs. Poole, come quickly! We have to move. We have to move.” Kelly continued yelling as she ran into her room and grabbed drawers full of clothes and piled hangers with slacks and dresses on them.
Mrs. Poole came up the stairs with a puzzled look on her face. “What on earth are you hollering about, Kelly?” she said as she tried to enter the room. She had to jump out of the way as Kelly made a mad dash to Jack’s room.
“We have to move all of my stuff into Jack’s room,” Kelly said, out of breath from her packing and running. “Jack’s Aunt Mabry is on her way here and she’s staying with us for a couple of weeks,” Kelly blurted out as she ran back down the hall to gather more of her belongings.
“Oh Lord,” Mrs. Poole rolled her eyes and followed after Kelly. She quickly grabbed clothes and toiletries and rushed down the hall to Jack’s room. She and Kelly repeated the trip half a dozen more times as they transferred everything and set it into place. Mrs. Poole cleared out half of Jack’s dresser and closet and made room for Kelly’s things while Kelly folded and put her clothing away to make it appear as though the two had been living in holy matrimony since day one.
Kelly put away the last of her things and took a deep breath. She turned to survey the masculine-looking room. There was a dark mahogany dresser and matching armoire against the deep green walls. Large windows looked out on the same beautiful waterfront view that her guest room windows had shared. She stopped suddenly and held her breath when her eyes landed on the king-sized bed in the center. Until that moment, it hadn’t occurred to her that she and Jack would now have to share a bed. Kelly’s smile fell away as she realized that keeping her attraction hidden from Jack just became a lot more difficult.
BUY AT AMAZON here.
Lori is an award winning author and stay-at-home mom. Her second book, Penalty Clause, won first place in the romance category in Lucky Cinda Publishing’s Annual Global Writer’s Contest in 2013.
Lori has had a number of careers before embarking on her newest adventure of writing novels. After graduating from the University of Connecticut School of Law, she practiced law for three years, working primarily in the areas of utilities law and intellectual property litigation.
More recently, Lori owned and operated a dog training business in Austin, Texas, where she specialized in aggression and became an expert in the field of dog bite analysis. Lori sold her dog training business in 2013 and is now a full time writer and mother of two.
Lori still lives in Austin with her husband -- who is endlessly supportive of her changing career paths -- and her two children, one cat, and three dogs.
WEBSITE: http://www.
FACEBOOK: http://www.
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/
MAILING LIST: http://www.
Want to be a part of Lori’s online street team? Email her at Loriryanauthor@
Lori still lives in Austin with her husband -- who is endlessly supportive of her changing career paths -- and her two children, one cat, and three dogs.
WEBSITE: http://www.
FACEBOOK: http://www.
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/
MAILING LIST: http://www.
Want to be a part of Lori’s online street team? Email her at Loriryanauthor@
**********GIVEAWAY**********
a Rafflecopter giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment