Excerpt:
Annie rummaged through her suitcase for something to
wear and nothing matched, but she did the best she could with what he had
thrown into it. She had just finished
making the last piece of French toast when he ambled into the kitchen, rubbing
his eyes and then stretching in an attempt to wake up.
“It smells good in here,” he said as she served him
coffee and then set a plate of French toast and sausage in front of him.
“I hope you like it,” she replied as she started to
eat.
“Mmm, I do like it, thank you. Annie we need to discuss a few things and now
is as good a time as any.” In spite of
her puzzled look, between bites he laid out all the problems Chuck had
mentioned. Then he added that her car
might not be fixed until the middle of the week and he would have Duncan take
her to and from work.
“Mac, first of all I don’t want to be an imposition
and second, I can’t afford to have all that work done to my house,” she told
him in no uncertain terms. She knew full
well he already knew her husband’s illness had run her so far into debt her
credit rating might never be above 500 again.
“Darlin’, I’m not expecting you to be able to afford
the work. You agreed that you would try
your best, and letting me take care of those things is part of it. And, by the way, I don’t ever want you to
feel as though you are an imposition on me or any of my staff.
“Work with me on this will you please?”
“Okay,” Annie said and continued eating.
“Okay? Just
like that? No arguments?”
“You’ll get no arguments from me. Mac, I’m practicing. Submitting is not easy for me; how am I doing
so far?”
“You’re doing great.
I love it,” Mac smiled at her.
“Oh, it’s not easy.
I have a mouth full of things I want to say, not to mention the small
piece of sausage that just landed on your plate while I was trying to talk and
eat at the same time, but to please you; I’m keeping them to myself.”
“That works for me,” Mac said as he laughed out
loud. “Now, can we discuss something
more serious?”
“Yes we can, we can discuss anything that’s on your
mind.”
Here goes nothing, Mac thought as he began to
speak. “Darlin’, after what happened the
other night, I can’t bring myself to allow you to live in that
neighborhood. You’re just not safe
there. I want you to consider moving in
with me. I’m not rushing you, I want you
to take your time and seriously think about it.
You can give me your decision whenever you’re ready.” There, he said it and she just kept eating as
though he’d spoken about the weather.
“Okay, what’s the next topic?” Annie munched on
another link of sausage.
Shocked beyond belief, Mac just looked at her. “Hmmm, that’s all I have, I guess,” he said,
wondering just who this woman had become and overnight at that.
“Well,” Annie said as she stood and started to pick up
the dishes. “I have a few things I’d
like to discuss.”
Ah, the Annie he knew was back. “I’m listening.”
As she loaded the dishwasher, she turned to him. “Will you please take me home…”
“Absolutely not!” Mac stated emphatically.
“Hey, just a minute; I didn’t interrupt you when you
were talking,” she scolded. “I was
trying to ask you if you would please take me home so I could get my clothes
for work. Nothing you threw in my
suitcase matches and I can’t show up at work in shorts or jeans.”
“I’m sorry I interrupted you. Yes, we can run into town this afternoon if
you want.” Mac felt guilty for incorrectly anticipating what she was going to
say. “You said a few things, please go
on. I won’t interrupt you again.”
Annie thought about the metaphor Elise had used when
she told her men were just like horses.
Opening the freezer, she took stock of the contents. “What do you want for dinner? The choices are pork chops or chicken.”
Still in shock, Mac answered. “Either is fine with me. I’d be happy to grill some chicken.”
“Sounds good, chicken it is. Now, with your permission, I’d like to help
Elise in the stables again. Do you have
any objection?”
“Annie, that’s a very thoughtful idea. Now that she’s pregnant, I’m sure she would
love the help and the company too.”
“Anything else you want to discuss?” Mac was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Yes, just another couple of things,” she said as she
put the chicken in the fridge hoping it would defrost in time. “I’d like to stop at the liquor store and
pick up a couple of bottles of white zinfandel.
Red wine gives me such a headache.
I’d also like a bottle of Frangelico; I noticed there wasn’t any in the
liquor cabinet and I really enjoyed it.”
“No problem, we can do that when we go into town,” Mac
grinned, liking what he saw.
“Thank you, Sweetheart,” Annie said as she planted a
very tender kiss on his lips.
“I think I’ll shower after the stables if that’s okay
with you,” Annie added, pulling away from his mouth.
Mac smiled as he sat there sipping a second cup of
coffee. Maybe my Dad was right; a sound
spanking worked wonders.
Blurb:
As Mac falls deeper in love with Annie, his past haunts him. He failed to keep the
woman he loved safe before and he vowed he’d never fail again.
Annie’s fierce independent streak doesn't make it easy for him. She's created a life for herself, certain she can make it on her own.
Annie’s fierce independent streak doesn't make it easy for him. She's created a life for herself, certain she can make it on her own.
Filled with passion, suspense, and humor, their love story unfolds with twists and turns neither of them saw coming. Mac needs Annie, but will it be too late by the time she realizes she needs him too?
Buy Links:
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TZE5J3K
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/macdermots-bride-keriann-
About Keriann McKenna:
Hi Readers, I hope you enjoyed this excerpt, and if you read MacDermot’s Bride, I'd love for you to leave a review. Reviews mean a
great deal to authors and even those that are critical help us to write better
books.
I’ve been writing for most of my life. My first love
was music and lyrics and my first song was a dreadfully simple little tune
about a boy I was madly in love with at fourteen. I’m certain I drove my
grandmother to distraction as I wailed this boy’s name from the piano in the
living room at every opportunity...romance was in my heart even at a young age.
Later in life I developed my craft as a poet and
published work in anthologies. I still write poetry, but am dipping my toes in
the waters of romance, both sweet and steamy.
I was born in a small community in Upstate New York,
but left as soon as I bought a decent car that didn’t require more oil than
gas...I’m not kidding. I used to pull into a service station, hand the
attendant five bucks for gas and tell him to fill it up with drain oil.
I lived in Canada and the Midwest for several years
before settling in the Seattle area with the love of my life. I now live in the
foothills of the beautiful Rocky Mountains near my family; I’m retired from the
counseling field although I still work crisis intervention two nights a week. I
consult with and edit for other authors into the wee hours of the night, and I
rescue senior dogs and give them a forever home.
Where to find Keriann:
Website: keriannmckenna.com
Twitter:
@keriannmckenna
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