Stacking the Deck (A Betting on Romance Novel Book 2) (47 page)

BOOK ONE, LUCK OF THE DRAW, AVAILABLE NOW!

Be sure to start where it all began, with Jim and Kate, in Book One of the ‘Betting on Romance’ Series:
 

LUCK OF THE DRAW
Available NOW in print and e-book!
 

If only life had a refresh button...

Kate Mitchell never planned to be a 31 year-old widowed single mom, but when her soon-to-be-EX husband up and dies, her dreams of finishing college and starting over are thrown in the air like a game of 52 pick-up. When she’s given a leave of absence from work and told to “quit or recommit,” Kate retreats to idyllic Sugar Falls, New Hampshire, to figure out whether she can discover her passion and pay the bills. Cue the fresh air, summer sunshine and one sexy local contractor.

Tall, dark, and handy…

Volunteer fireman and all-around hunky guy in a toolbelt, Jim Pearson has sworn off complicated women with messy baggage. They cling to his nice-guy stability and skills with a power saw just long enough to straighten out their lives and move on… but then he meets the cute single mom staying at Grams’ lake house for the summer.

While a sizzling attraction draws them together, Jim's distrust of complicated women and Kate's incredibly complicated life threaten to pull them apart.  But forces beyond their control—match-making grandmothers, the lazy backdrop of summer, and their own reckoning with the past—conspire to make them risk it all... and bet on love.

Enjoy a sneak peek…!

LUCK OF THE DRAW
CHAPTER ONE
____________________

I
T RAINED THE NIGHT
R
ANDY DIED—scattered spring storms that left shimmering puddles on the pavement under the streetlight outside the house. They swirled with surreal, iridescent color as Kate opened the door with one hand and clutched her robe closed at her throat with the other.

There were two of them, their uniforms dark with rain, eyes dark with fatigue. They spoke with gently dispassionate voices as they delivered the news.
Single car accident…
Only occupant…
They asked if she understood.
Yes
, she said.
Yes
. Was she alone?
No.
Would she like a drink of water?
No. No, thank you
. She didn’t want them in her home, didn’t want them searching for a clean cup in her kitchen, compassionately detached as they watched her and waited for her to fall apart.

After they left, she stared at the wet boot-prints on the living room carpet and wondered what she should do or whom she should call. Her limbs felt strangely heavy as she wandered through the house to her room, too stunned to cry, looking around for traces of
him
, but, of course, she’d already packed away the pictures and mementos of their life together. All that remained of their ten-year marriage sat in a small bowl on her dresser.

She picked up the ring, her breath held tight in her chest, and slid it back on her finger—as if, somehow, by putting it on, she might magically go back in time and make things turn out differently.

But the miracle never happened, and then Liam woke up. She assured him everything was all right—even though it wasn’t—and curled up with him on his small bed, in the dark, trying not to hug him too tight.

She didn’t sleep.

She didn’t weep.

She simply stared at the plain gold band on her finger as the pre-dawn hours slid into day.

Click this link to continue reading
Luck of the Draw…

Also, look for Book Three of the
‘Betting on Romance’ series coming spring 2015:
 

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ALL OR NOTHING

Coming Spring 2015!

When finding Mrs. Right goes, oh, so wrong…

Self-made millionaire Ian McIntyre has suffered through a reality dating show only to return home to Sugar Falls empty-handed, swarmed by paparazzi, and hounded by a TV producer determined to get her
Happily Ever After
. But then his home is accosted by a sexy and snarky cleaning lady staging it for the season finale, and Ian finds himself more interested in the scrappy hometown girl dusting off his action figures than the audience’s favorite southern belle…

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed Liz and Carter’s love story!  I love that they each needed a bit of the other’s personality to balance themselves out, and aren’t the best relationships like that? You might have guessed, I have a special place in my heart for those with ADHD. What they lack in punctuality and focus, they make up for in energy, creativity and spontaneity and life with them is never, ever dull.

If you enjoyed meeting Bailey in
Stacking the Deck
you won’t want to miss my next ‘Betting on Romance’ novel,
All or Nothing,
where Bailey and Carter’s brother, Ian, find their own happily ever after in the most unlikely and public way.

Be sure to sign up for my mailing list at
www.cheriallan.com
to receive invites to exclusive contests and info on new releases.

Sweet regards from Sugar Falls!

~ Cheri

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cheri Allan lives in a charming fixer-upper in rural New Hampshire with her husband, two children, two dogs, four cats and an excessive amount of optimism. She’s a firm believer in do-it-yourself, new beginnings and happily-ever-afters, so after years of wearing suits, she’s grateful to finally put her English degree to good use writing romance. When not writing, you might find her whizzing down the slopes of a nearby mountain or inadvertently killing perennials in her garden.

Cheri loves to hear from readers!

E-mail her at [email protected]

Friend her at
http://www.facebook.com/cheriallanauthor

Or, visit her website and blog at
www.cheriallan.com

If you enjoyed this book, please consider telling other readers by writing and sharing a review.

Cheri is pleased to continue her ‘Betting on Romance’ series with
All or Nothing
(coming spring 2015)
because—after all—every woman deserves to get lucky.