Welcome to Lindsey Point, Connecticut: suspicious of outsiders, loyal to tradition, and absolutely devoted to its local legends.
Enter Sophie Smithwaite, feisty travel show host, in town to film an episode about Lindsey Point’s haunted lighthouse. But digging into the story of a tragic murder-suicide and love gone wrong reveals startling connections to Sophie’s own past. When a gorgeous local handyman fills in behind the camera, Sophie’s life gets complicated by more than just her family history.
Part-time paramedic, handyman, seasonal Santa-Lucas Oakes does it all–except get attached. He’s still reeling from the death of his best friend ten years ago and the more recent infidelity of his ex-fiancee. Yet despite Sophie’s big-city nosiness and her insistence on chasing long-dead ghosts, he’s drawn to her.
But mixing with an outsider means questioning people and traditions Lucas has always defended. When a series of attacks seem to be connected to Sophie’s investigation, both Sophie and Lucas must decide if they are willing to risk everything to uncover the town’s secrets…and their own.
EXCERPT
“Wise
ass.” Sophie backed into the street before he could grab her. “I’ll see you
later!” she called. “I think Lon said something about meeting tomorrow morning
and--hey!” She squawked off the last word as Lucas lifted her off the ground
and onto his shoulder.
As
if she was a bag of flour.
Or
a damsel in distress.
Or
his damn cavewoman.
About
a hundred thoughts raced through her mind, and it took all she had to keep them
from coming out in biting words.
“Why
do you have to be so stubborn?” he asked as he carried her back to his truck,
parked in front of the bar. He wasn’t panting, not out of breath in the least,
as if she weighed close to nothing. “If anything happened to you, Lon would
kill me.” With one hand he opened the passenger side door. Only then did he
lower her to a seat inside the truck. His hands slid down her arms and settled
her hips into place.
Oh yum. All her scathing thoughts of
thirty seconds earlier vanished. She shifted on the leather. There was room for
him on this side of the cab, she was almost positive. If not, she’d make room.
In about two seconds.
#####
“Want
something to drink? Water?”
Sophie
shook her head.
“Not
thirsty?”
“Lucas.”
He
set the glasses down on the counter. “What?”
“Come
over here and kiss me.”
His
smile crooked. “Or what?”
She
took two steps toward the kitchen, and he took one toward the living room, and
they met in the middle. “Or I’m going to go crazy.”
He
placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her forehead.
Sophie
closed her eyes, waiting for the slow, inevitable slip of his mouth down her
neck. To her curve of her collarbone. Maybe lower.
“There
you go,” he said. His hands went away.
Her
eyes flew open. “That’s it?”
“You
said you wanted a kiss.”
Her
fists landed on her hips. “Ha ha. Funny guy. So funny, in fact, I think I’m
gonna recommend that comedy special you were talking about to Lon. He’s looking
for a new show, you know. Maybe you’re the next big thing.”
Lucas
swung her off the ground. Her arms went around his neck and her mouth ended up
a fraction of an inch below his. “Maybe I am.” He kissed her again, this time
not on the forehead. And not sweetly. “What do you think?”
But
she couldn’t answer, couldn’t think of anything at all except his tongue
teasing hers, her legs wrapping themselves around his waist and holding on like
she’d never held onto a man in her life. Fire sizzled up her spine, and the air
in the room went hot. Her hands--God, her hands couldn’t get enough of him.
They wanted to be everywhere, in his hair and on his face and unbuttoning that
damn shirt and taking off her own dress that was so in the way right now.
ALLIE
BONIFACE – BIO
Allie
Boniface is a small-town girl at heart who's traveled around the world and
still finds that the magic and the mystery of small towns make them the best
places to fall in love and find adventure. From the New England coast to Rocky
Mountain hotels to tiny European bars, she's found more character and plot
inspirations than she could ever count. Currently, she's lucky enough to live
in New York's beautiful Hudson Valley with her own "Hometown Hero," a
guy who can fix, build, drive, and grill anything and is the epitome of the
strong and silent type.
When
she isn't writing love stories, Allie is a full-time high school English
teacher who gets a kick out of helping her teenagers negotiate the ups and
downs of writing along with the ups and downs of life (because, really, she's
still trying to do the same thing!). And while she'll continue to travel far
and wide, Allie knows there's really nothing like coming back to the place
where the people who have known you forever welcome you home with open
arms.
ALLIE
BONIFACE – ONLINE LINKS
www.allieboniface.com
www.allieboniface.blogspot.com
Twitter: AllieBoniface1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Allie-Boniface/213522468685926?ref=hl
Purchase Link: http://lyricalpress.com/beacon-of-love-by-allie-boniface/
www.allieboniface.blogspot.com
Twitter: AllieBoniface1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Allie-Boniface/213522468685926?ref=hl
Purchase Link: http://lyricalpress.com/beacon-of-love-by-allie-boniface/
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