Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 89

I Finally Picked the Books I’ll Work On for the Next Three Months

My husband and I decided to take a vacation in July to visit his parents.  (My parents are no longer alive so we do our vacations for his side.)  Anyway, I had to pick which books had the best chance of getting finished and published before I go on vacation.  So I picked the four books (three novels and one novella) that look the most promising.  I just posted my choices and explained them at length on my newsletter blog.  I was going to repeat myself here to explain why I chose the books I did, but why do that in case some of you already read that blog?  So I’ll do a cliff notes version on this blog and you can go to my newsletter blog to find out more information if you wish.  Or, if you’ve already read that blog post, you can save yourself the double post.

Here goes…

First of all, Runaway Bride is expected to be out around April 15.  I’m really happy with how Mark and Lexie’s story turned out.  And it turned out Lexie’s mom wasn’t all that bad after all.  :-)  I expected her to be, given how things played out in Suddenly a Bride, but I guess seeing her from Lexie’s point of view gave me another perspective of her.

Now for the list of books I’ll be working on for the next three months: His Abducted Bride, Kent Ashton’s Backstory, Lassoing Her Groom, and His Reluctant Lady.  *fingers crossed that no one gets sick or something else happens to prevent me from finishing and publishing these before July*

Here’s the detailed blog post on my newsletter blog for more information.

Inspiration For the Book: Another Scene from Kent Ashton’s Backstory

I thought I’d post another scene from Kent Ashton’s Backstory.  It’s really fun to see how the story is coming together.  This scene paves the way for why Kent tried to “rescue” Ann while she was in North Dakota.

“Kent?”

He turned from the carriage in time to see Ann hurrying in his direction.  His heart sped up at the sight of her.  It’d always speed up because she was near.  Turning to the driver, he said, “Take the carriage on home without me.”

The driver nodded and Kent stepped around a couple strolling down the sidewalk to meet her.  “Ann, I don’t know if your father would approve of your talking to me.”

She lifted the front of her hat up and tilted her head, showing him the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen.  “Won’t you ask him if you can court me?  Please?”

Making sure no one passing by on the street lined with businesses would hear them, he gestured for her to walk with him in a more vacant area.  “I already did.  He said no.”

“I meant that I need you to ask him again.”

“If he said no the first time, what makes you think he’ll say yes the second?”

She clenched the purse in her hands and sighed.  “If you don’t find a way to get him to say yes, he’ll arrange for me to marry Todd.  I just know he will.  My parents have been pushing me at him for months now and day by day, it only gets worse.”

“But I thought your father promised you that it would be your choice.”

“And I choose you.” She stepped in front of him.  “Kent, if you don’t do something, then I’ll be forced to marry someone I don’t love.  Do you really want that?”

He lowered his head.  “No, of course not.  Ann, I…”

With a sigh, his gaze met hers and he fought the urge to embrace her.  He wanted nothing more than to hold her.  If he had enough money, he’d suggest eloping and running off to a place where no one would find them.  But he didn’t have more than a few coins to his name.  Without her family’s money, he couldn’t give her the things she was accustomed.  She deserved more than he could offer.

“I want to be with you,” he finally said.  “I want it more than anything.”

“Then do something.  If it’s not you, it’ll be Todd.”

“I don’t know if I can ask your father right away.”

“Well, then maybe you can come over and visit me.  We’ll be in the parlor and one of the servants can watch us.  We’ll do everything proper.”

“We’ve never done nothing inappropriate.”

“I know but maybe my father isn’t sure about your intentions.  Up to now, we’ve talked at the school or on my way home.  You haven’t been in my home.  No one can vouch for you since you recently moved here.” Her smile widening, she nodded in excitement.  “I think I know why my father refused your request.  He doesn’t know anything about you.”

That sounded like a reasonable explanation.

“Will you come to my house and visit?  You’ll get a chance to talk to my parents and I’m sure once you do, my father will see you the way I do.”

“Alright,” he agreed and returned her smile.  “I’d love to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“I want the same thing!”

They hadn’t come out and stated their feelings before, so to hear her confess where she wanted things to go renewed his confidence.  She was right.  What he needed to do was show her father that he was an honorable young man.  “Can I come by tomorrow?”

“Please do.”

As much as he wanted to kiss her, he reminded himself that it’d be better if he waited until they were engaged.  “Wait for me by the large oak tree in front of the school and I’ll walk you home.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Me neither.”

“May I walk you home?”

“Actually, I’m on my way to see Agnes.  Would you like to walk me to her house?”

“Of course.” It gave him an excuse to spend time with her.  He’d never give up the opportunity to do that.  “Which way does she live?”

“That way.”

Turning around, he strolled beside her, in no hurry.  “I should bring over some pictures of New York City.  You said you haven’t been there?”

“No, I haven’t but one of my friends has, and she says it’s lovely.  There’s so much to see and do.”

“She’s right.  You’d love it.  It’d be perfect for you.” He hesitated to say more but since she’d made her feelings known to him, he saw no reason to hold anything back.  “I’d like to take you there for our honeymoon.”

“I’d love that.”

As he told her where they’d go, the future he wanted became more real to him.  Before, he’d had a vague idea of what it’d be like to spend the rest of his life with Ann at his side.  But now, he could see it with such clarity, he had no doubt it’d come true.

They reached Agnes’ house, and reluctant to end their pleasant conversation, he said, “We’ll do many wonderful things there.”

“I can’t wait.  It all sounds so exciting.”

He heard someone walking up the porch steps, his eyebrows rising in surprise when he saw Todd.  He forgot Todd was Agnes’ older brother.  “Good afternoon, Todd.  It’s a pleasant day, don’t you agree?”

Todd glanced from him to Ann then back to him.  “Yes, it is pleasant.” He cleared his throat and passed them.  “I can let you in.”

“I came to visit with Agnes,” Ann said.

“I know,” Todd told her as he opened the door and waved them in.

“Oh, I won’t be staying,” Kent replied.

“I’ll be in there in a moment,” Ann added.  “Will you tell Agnes I’m here?”

When Todd was out of hearing distance, Kent turned his attention back to her.  “He loves you.”

“I know but I don’t love him.  I’ll never love him, no matter how much he or my parents wish it.  I only want to marry you.  Promise me you’ll do everything you can to make sure we end up together?”

He nodded and brushed her cheek with his fingers.  “I promise.”

“Ann?  I’m so glad you came!”

He lowered his hand right before Agnes showed up at the door.  “I better go.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Tipping his hat, he offered Agnes a greeting before heading down the porch steps.  As he glanced back, Ann gave him another one of those smiles that made him feel as if all was right with the world.  His lips turned up but then his gaze caught a slight movement in the parlor window.  His steps slowed when he realized Todd was watching him.  It was the first time he sensed a challenge.  He stopped and faced the window, but Todd lowered the curtain, blocking his view of him.  Eyebrows furrowed, he put his hands in his pockets and headed down the street.

Sunday Story Sample: A Scene From Kent Ashton’s Backstory

For today’s  Sunday Story Sample, I wanted to post another scene from Kent’s story.  As always, this is in first draft form, so it’s not perfect.  :D

“You tell the most amusing stories,” Kent’s mother gushed after Mr. Johnson finished telling everyone his experience at the billiard room.

Kent’s father, Mrs. Johnson, Rebecca and her younger sister all chuckled along with his mother.  Kent forced a polite smile, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forget Ann.  It’d been two weeks since Mr. Statesman refused to let him court her.  He’d told Ann her father’s answer and saw the disappointment in her eyes.  But what could he do?  He was bound by the rules of polite society, and if her father didn’t want him to be with her, there was nothing he could do about it.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he lifted the steak to his mouth and forced himself to eat it.  For all the flavoring the Johnsons’ cook used, it was tasteless to him.  He couldn’t enjoy anything without Ann.  It was like losing Wilma all over again, except worse because he loved Ann more.  She was vibrant and full of life.  She was the kind of lady who could make a gentleman forget everything but her, and she gave him a reason to believe in the best life had to offer.

“Kent?”

Blinking, he directed his attention to his father.  He cleared his throat.  “Yes, Father?”

“Perhaps you’d be willing to entertain everyone after this fine dinner?” Turning to Mr. Johnson, he added, “My son has been playing the piano since he was five.  He’s mastered some of the masterpieces written by famous composers, Beethoven being one of them.”

“Now, has he?” Mrs. Johnson asked, her smile widening with pleasure.  “Rebecca has a lovely voice.  Perhaps your son could play while she sings?”

“That would be delightful!” Kent’s mother replied.  “Wouldn’t that be delightful, Kent?”

Kent’s gaze went from his mother to his father who indicated he’d better agree to it.  Ever since he told his parents that Mr. Statesman had refused to let him court Ann, he’d been afraid they would try to pair him up with Rebecca, and now it looked as if that was what they’d set their mind to do.  He glanced at Rebecca.  She gave him a shy smile, which he returned only because he was expected to.  The last thing he wanted to do was encourage her.

“Excellent!” his father said, nodding his approval at Kent.

After the meal was over, Mr. Johnson escorted everyone to the parlor.  He gestured toward the grand piano.  “There she is, Kent.  Thumb through the music book and see if there’s anything you know.”

“Oh, he can play anything as soon as he sees it,” Kent’s father replied, patting Kent on the shoulder.  “Perhaps we ought to let Rebecca pick the song.” Looking at her, he asked, “What would you like to sing?”

With a shy smile, Rebecca approached the piano and opened the book.  “I hope no one minds if I sing ‘All Things Love Thee So Do I’?”

“It’s her favorite song,” Mrs. Johnson said, sitting next to Kent’s mother on the settee.  “I just love to hear her sing it.  She has the voice of an angel.”

“Then we must hear it,” Kent’s father agreed, motioning for Kent to play for them.

Glancing at the grandfather clock, Kent settled onto the bench and scanned the music.  It looked like a simple enough tune.  He tested out the scale on the piano and played a portion of the melody.  When he figured he had a good feel for the music, he began the song.  Rebecca soon joined in with the lyrics, and to his surprise, she had a beautiful voice.  In some ways, it was hypnotic.  It pulled him in and made him feel the emotion in the song, a deep abiding love, a deep longing.  His thoughts went to Ann.  Why did her father refuse to let him court her?  He saw no reason for the gentleman’s refusal, and as much as he tried to push it aside, it continued to bother him.

When he finished the song, everyone clapped and called for another one.  He glanced at Rebecca to see if she had another piece she’d like to sing, but she encouraged him to pick one.  After sorting through the book, he showed her “The Sailor Boy’s Grave” and asked if she knew the lyrics.

“Are you familiar with the music?” she asked him.

He nodded.  “You can read them while I play.”

“I’ll do so.”

The arrangement was made and his fingers moved across the piano with ease.  If nothing else, the evening was enjoyable simply because he was playing music.  Sometimes it seemed that nothing could soothe the soul like a good melody.  It was unfortunate his parents didn’t have a grand piano.  He’d play it all the time.  Since leaving New York, he hadn’t had the chance to do it.

After an hour passed, his father stood up and announced that it was time to leave.  While Rebecca’s parents and his talked about the lovely evening they had, Rebecca sat next to Kent.

“Our parents get along remarkably well,” she said, leaning closer to him than he preferred.

He glanced over his shoulder, but no one noticed them.  Clearing his throat, he shifted away from her and closed the book.  “Yes, they do.”

“And we have so much talent.  Few are as musically inclined as we are.”

“Um…yeah.”

“My parents say you come from a noble bloodline.  Do you really have an ancestor who was a prince?”

“That was in the late eighteenth century, but I’m not a direct descendant.”

He traced the white and black keys.  He really missed spending time at the piano.  Rebecca let out a high-pitch laugh, and he had to fight the urge to wince.  He couldn’t recall hearing a more atrocious sound.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a direct descendant or not,” she said with a wave of her hand.  “The fact that one is in your history is important.  It means you’re better than other kinds of people.”

His directed his gaze to her.  “What kind of people?”

“You know the kind.  People who have nothing to commend themselves.  You and I have much in common.  We’re old money.  We’re established.  Some families in town aren’t.” She lowered her voice and leaned toward him.  “You shouldn’t waste your time with such persons.  After all, does a prince marry a nobody who managed to be adopted into family who recently acquired their wealth because of a lucky investment?”

Her meaning dawned on him.  Ann had told him she’d been adopted.  The matter hadn’t bothered him, nor did the fact that her father hadn’t been born rich.  Apparently, it bothered some of the people in the town, including the Johnsons.  He glanced at Rebecca’s parents who were conversing with his parents as if they were old friends.  He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  If they only knew the truth about his family, they wouldn’t have anything to do with them.

“Come along, Kent,” his mother called out.  “We must be going.”

“Yes,” his father added.  “Perhaps you and Rebecca might delight us with another concert in the future?”

“We’d love to,” Rebecca said with another shrill laugh.

“Wonderful.” His father shot Kent a meaningful look.  “Isn’t that wonderful, Kent?”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Kent nodded.  “Wonderful.” And he was already dreading it.

Inspiration for the Book: Falling In Love With Her Husband

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to write another scene for Kent Ashton’s Backstory.  I’m finishing up the second draft of Runaway Bride tonight and will start sending it out to editors.  I’d like the book out mid-to-late April.

Falling In Love With Her Husband went through a lot of changes.  It started out in 1997 when I was reading a lot of Janette Oke books.  I enjoyed her work a lot, especially her Seasons of the Heart series.  I was, however, disappointed that the wedding night was never shown.  Even back in college, I wanted romances with a little more spice.

Anyway, it was Janette Oke who actually inspired the book that would eventually become Falling In Love With Her Husband.  I remember reading her books and thought, “What if a heroine married the hero because she was recently rejected from the man she wanted to be with?  What if the hero loved her and willingly married her, knowing she didn’t share his feelings?”  I wrote half of the book (Todd’s Bride) in 1997-1998.

Then I graduated from college (in Pensacola, Florida) and moved to Bismarck, North Dakota where I forgot all about it.  Real life took over, and I did a couple of jobs.  I ended up meeting my husband who was stationed at Minot Air Force Base and got married about four months later.  We’ll celebrate our 13 year anniversary in July, which is proof that the length of time you know someone isn’t as important as the quality of the person you meet.  Like the old church ladies told me, “Staying married means both sides are committed to sticking together no matter what.”  They didn’t say everything would always be sunshine and fluffy happy feelings.  They told me it was a lot of work, and darned if they weren’t right.  But I married my husband because I saw how he treated his family and others with respect and knew he was a good guy.  He also had a good, stable job and shared similar values as I did.  There was also the excitement in being with him, but I tend to be a logical in affairs of the heart.   I also made sure my dad approved of the match before I considered marrying him.

Anyway….

Fast forward to 2007 when I happened to get a post card in the mail from a Christian Romance publisher “Heartsong Presents” and I found my attachment to romances again.  Reminded of Todd’s Bride, I went down to the basement and dug it out of an old bin.  I’d love to say that I finished it and was happy with the result, but I wasn’t.  After I put Todd’s Bride through a vanity press, I wished I had given Todd’s point of view.

 

So I wrote Ann’s Groom and published it through a vanity press, too.

I still wasn’t happy with it.  I wanted to unpublish them, but since they were with a vanity press, I didn’t have control of them.  I still don’t.  But, I still owned the copyright to the stories.  So I took Todd’s Bride and Ann’s Groom and merged them.  I expanded it to complete it, and I added what I thought was missing from the other two: sex.  As much as I tried to convince myself I didn’t need to add sex to make the story better, in the end, I knew that to be completely satisfied with the story, I had to include the sex scenes.

Falling In Love With Her Husband was a lesson in learning what type of romances I wanted to write.  Todd’s Bride and Ann’s Groom were Christian Romances, but I later discovered I wasn’t meant to write Christian Romances.  That isn’t my calling.  I get bored reading them (due to lack of spice), so why would I write something I don’t like to read?  The first rule of writing: love what you’re writing.

I don’t want people to waste their time reading Todd’s Bride or Ann’s Groom.  I’d rather they read Falling In Love With Her Husband because that is the story as it is truly meant to be.

As a writer, I learn ways to improve things all the time.  The process of growing as a writer is a complicated and sometimes aggravating (since it’s not always easy to figure out the type of books we’re meant to write), but it’s also a thrilling.  Falling In Love With Her Husband was the book that got me hooked on writing romances, and it eventually helped me define which type of romances to write.  Second rule of writing: never be afraid of changing the way you’re writing if you’re led in another direction.  Third rule of writing: you can’t please everyone.

Sunday Story Sample: Another Scene from Kent Ashton’s Backstory

Today’s scene isn’t long.  I’m hoping to add another one tomorrow, but it also depends on how things go.  I have a writer’s group I’m going to tomorrow, and I’ll be gone all day.  So it depends on how things go tonight.  I’m working on the next scene in the story.  I’d like to finish it and post it tomorrow.  *fingers crossed*

Quick update from my last post:

1.  I’ll write the wedding night to “A Bride for Tom”.  However, I’m not exactly sure when.  I’ll keep you posted.

2.  Thanks to all the great ideas for how I can make my heroine scandalous in Perry’s book.  I’ll be thinking through my options on which direction to take the story over the next couple weeks.  I can’t get started on the story until I get Runaway Bride out.

Now for today’s post…

Okay, all that aside, here’s the scene where Kent Ashton makes his first attempt to court Ann.  (In Falling In Love With Her Husband, Ann pleads with her parents to meet Kent’s parents to give him a chance.  That took place after the second time her father refused to let Kent court her.)

“I’m afraid I can’t grant your request,” Mr. Statesman replied from where he sat in his chair.

Kent stared at Ann’s father, wondering what he said or did that upset the older gentleman.  But he couldn’t come up with anything.  Adjusting his tie, Kent sat up straighter in the chair, unwilling to leave the parlor until he got his next answer.  “Sir, if you don’t mind my asking, why do you deny me the privilege of courting your daughter?”

Mr. Statesman let out a long sigh.  “There are some things I can’t adequately explain.”

He furrowed his eyebrows.  “I’ve walked your daughter home from school for a month now, and I confess my admiration and respect for her.  She seems to share the same sentiment toward me.” He paused before continuing, “I’m aware that you are seeking a young man to court your daughter.  Why am I not suitable?”

Her father shook his head.  “These matters are complicated.”

“I don’t understand how complicated they can be when you were trying to arrange something with Alex Dawson’s father, and Ann has stated her disapproval of Alex many times.” As soon as he spoke the words, he wished he could take them back.  Ann had told him that in confidence.

He furrowed his eyebrows and lifted his chin.  “I don’t believe I have to explain what I do or don’t do to you.  The answer to your question is no.  You do not have my permission to court my daughter.”

Kent knew that was all he’d get from her father.  With a sigh, he rose from the chair and managed a stiff bow.  “Thank you for your time, Mr. Statesman.”

As he left Ann’s house, his face burned with anger.  If her father had just explained why he refused his request, then the sting wouldn’t be so great.  But there was no reason for it.  And the fact that Kent knew her father had said yes to so many other men and tried arranging something with other fathers added additional insult to the rejection.  What was wrong with him?  He’d taken care to be respectful when he talked to Ann, and he honestly cared for her.  So why had her father said no?  And was there anything he could do to get into her father’s good graces?

A Bride for Tom (Adding a Wedding Night?) and a Question About Scandals in the Regency Era

Adding the Wedding Night to “A Bride for Tom”?

Lately, I’ve been wondering if I should go back and add a sex scene at the end of “A Bride for Tom.” My concern is that people reading that book will assume my stuff is G-rated.  So when some people read my other books, they are appalled to find out I have sexual situations in them.  I don’t want to mislead people or make them think I write G-rated content when I don’t.  The reason I didn’t add it before was because I didn’t think it advanced the plot.  I mean, it would have been funny because Tom does fall over himself to impress Jessica.  But it doesn’t advance the plot.  I’d only add it so that people don’t read it and assume all of my books are G-rated.  That way those who prefer “clean” romances won’t be disappointed when they buy my other books.

What Makes for a Scandalous Lady in the Regency Era?

I’m currently in the brainstorming phase of this book, which I do consider part of the writing stage.  It’s just one that doesn’t involve words on paper.  So anyway, I’d like to have the heroine have a scandal of some sort in her past that makes her less desirable for marriage.  This will make my opening scene where her brother is trying to arrange a very undesirable marriage for her.  Since she can’t easily get a gentleman of good standing (due to some past behavior), she would want to take matters into her own hands and work it so that she has to marry Perry.

But the problem is, I don’t know if there is a scandalous action in her past that would fit this scenario.  Any of you guys with Regency expertise have some ideas?

Updates on What I’m Working On

I’m done with the first draft of Runaway Bride!

It was hard to end the book because I didn’t want it to end.  LOL  I had so much fun with this one.  It’s not a comedy, but it was just so easy to work with the characters, and I discovered why Caitlyn and Lexie’s mother was the way she was in Suddenly a Bride.  It turns out, she wasn’t that bad after all.  :-)  And of course, I had a few scenes with Chris and Caitlyn to see how they were doing and even added a couple with Sandy to give her a proper lead in to her book (His Abducted Bride).

I might get this question, so I’m addressing it now.  I do have plans to fix up Blake (Caitlyn and Lexie’s brother), but I want to put him in with the Florida Romance Collection.  The first book in that series is Substitute Bride (featuring Kevin and Alexandra).  So he’ll fit in somewhere with one of the characters in that series, and it will allow me to give an update on Caitlyn, Lexie, and Sandy at a later date in their lives.  ;-)  I don’t have any immediate plans to write his book, though, so I have no idea when that will be written.

His Abducted Bride is coming along nicely.

I’m really happy with the way this book is progressing.   I’m currently at chapter ten, so I’m getting close to the halfway point.

Kent Ashton’s Backstory

I’m doing this as inspiration and time permits, but I have added a couple more scenes.   On Monday, I posted a new scene I just wrote and plan to post another scene or two this upcoming weekend.  But his story is far from done so more will be coming in the future on this blog.

His Reluctant Lady (original title is back)

I know I run the risk of confusing people by switching Blackmailing the Countess back to His Reluctant Lady, but it occurred to me I’m safer keeping the original title because I put the description and title for this book at the end of A Most Unsuitable Earl, and to be honest, I don’t feel like going back to the book to update the “Coming Soon” section.  So the title His Reluctant Lady stays.  :-)

Other Books I’m Working On

I have started Patty’s Gamble but am not far into it.  I plan to start up The Earl’s Scandalous Wife and Boaz’s Wager soon, too.  I am using this week to get as much written for His Abducted Bride as I can.  I’ll also need to do the initial edits of Runaway Bride now that I’ve finished the first draft.  I am best focusing on three books (at max four) at one time.  Once His Abducted Bride is done, I plan to give my full attention to The Earl’s Scandalous Wife, His Reluctant Lady, Patty’s Gamble, and Boaz’s Wager.  At the moment since I am not finished with His Abducted Bride, I will need to focus on that book.  While I am finishing His Abducted Bride, I do plan to make some word counts in a couple of those books as inspiration strikes.

More of Kent Ashton’s Backstory

I wrote another scene for Kent Ashton’s Backstory.

I wanted to pair up the scene I posted yesterday in my Sunday Story Sample from Falling In Love With Her Husband.  I didn’t want to rewrite the scene from Kent’s point of view.  Instead, I opted to have the next time they talked.  That way I don’t repeat myself, so if you read Falling In Love With Her Husband, you won’t get bored with the same scene.  ;)

Without further ado, here’s the scene.  Remember, it’s in first draft form…

***

Two weeks later, Kent waited by the oak tree in front of the school.  Classes ended for the day, but he hesitated to go home.  He shifted from one foot to the other and watched the campus lawn as students left the building.  He wanted to see Ann Statesman.  Maybe today she’d be alone.  So far, she’d been with her friend Agnes Brothers.  Sometimes Agnes’ older brother, Todd, was with them.  Maybe no one would accompany her today.  Ever since he met her in class, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind.  He’d wanted to talk to her sooner but didn’t know what to say.  This time he had planned some things he could say to her.

“Hi, Kent.”

He turned around and saw that Rebecca was standing behind him.  He hadn’t heard her approach.  Glancing back at the school where he didn’t see Ann, he said, “Hi,” and reluctantly turned his attention back to Rebecca.  “Do you need something?”

She shook her head.  “No.  I just wanted to see how things are going.  Adjusting to a new place and all.  It must be difficult.”

“Not really.  One place is as good as another.”

“I’ve been to New York.  It was a year ago.  I got to see the Statue of Liberty.  Did you ever see it?”

He looked back at the school entrance.  “Yes.  A couple of times.” Catching sight of Ann leaving the school, he said, “I have to go.  I’m glad you enjoyed your trip to New York.”

Without waiting for her to respond, he hurried over to Ann.  She was alone today!  If he didn’t act quick, he might not get another chance for a long time.  “Ann!” he called out.

Ann halted in midstep and turned to face him.  “Good afternoon, Kent.”

When he caught up to her, he gestured to her books.  “I’d be happy to carry those home for you, if it’s alright?”

Blushing, she nodded and handed them to him.  “Thank you.”

“Which way do you live?” The truth was, he already knew since he caught sight of her carriage in front of her house three days ago, but he was afraid if he admitted it, then she’d wonder if he was following her.  And he wasn’t following her.  He was just taking note of the things she did.

“I’m four blocks in that direction.” She pointed down the sidewalk.

He fell in step beside her, his heart beating with excitement.  As long as he didn’t say anything wrong, he might get a chance to court her.  “That’s not far from where I am.  I’m three blocks away.”

“Oh, your family is the one who moved into the Hubbards’ old residence.”

“I suppose.  I didn’t take note of who lived there before.”

She smiled.  “They were an elderly couple.  They moved to Boston to be closer to their son.”

An image of his parents moving closer to be near him made his skin crawl.  His hope had been in going back to New York and sending them money as they needed it.  He hoped they had the same desire.

“We talked briefly before, shortly after your arrival here,” she began, her cheeks a lovely shade of pink.

“Yes, I remember.” Like he could ever forget the moment she walked into the classroom and everything else around him had faded so she became his focal point.  Recalling the boy she’d been talking to in a friendly manner, he said, “I wasn’t too forward in introducing myself, was I?  I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but I did interrupt the conversation you were having with Todd.”

“No, you didn’t interrupt anything.  I’ve known Todd for as long as I can remember.” After a moment of silence, she added, “I’ve also known Alex for almost that long.  I hope you don’t think we’re all the same way he is, pulling the pranks that aren’t as funny as he thinks they are.”

He grimaced.  The afternoon when Alex ruined his pants still bothered him.  “I didn’t think anyone else were the same as him.”

“Good.  Because we’re not.”

“He doesn’t seem to bother most people.”

She shook her head and adjusted her hat to better shield her eyes from the sun.  “I think it’s because his father is a prominent member of society.  Plus, many students have respect for Todd and he’s close friends with Todd.  I think most of them overlook what Alex does because they like Todd.”

Since she’d brought up Todd again, he wondered if she harbored romantic feelings toward him.  “So,” he began, wondering how he could best word his question, “has Todd asked to court you?”

Her eyes grew wide and she gasped.  “No!  My family is well acquainted with his, but that’s all there is to it.  I have no desire to be with him in that manner.”

Relieved, he relaxed his hold on her books.  That was the best news he’d received since he came here.  His parents wanted to see him marry a young woman from a wealthy family, and she caught his interest.  Perhaps he could satisfy his parents and be happy.

“I hear you come from New York,” she said.

“Yes.”

“I hear there’s much to do there.”

“There is.  Theatre, art, music…  It’s a place filled with culture.  I’d like to return there once I find a job after we graduate.”

“Oh.”

Noting the slight disappointment in her voice, he ventured, “And of course, I’d take the lady I marry with me.”

Her cheeks grew a brighter shade of pink and her smile widened.  “Oh?”

Sensing her interest, he grinned.  “I can tell you more about New York sometime.”

“I’d love to learn more about it.  I only know what a friend told me, and she made it sound fascinating.”

“It is.  There’s always something exciting to do.” They reached her house, and his steps slowed.  “Thank you for letting me walk you home.” He waited until they reached her front door before he handed her her books.  “Can I walk you home tomorrow?”

With a nod, she said, “Yes, you may.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

He waited until she entered her house before he headed home, feeling much better about his future than he had since he moved to Virginia.

Story Sample Sunday: Falling In Love With Her Husband

Yes, I wrote Falling In Love With Her Husband from the first person point of view, and it was given from Ann’s Point of View and Todd’s Point of View.  It turned out to be confusing, so I never did this method of storytelling again.  (Live and learn.)

Tomorrow, I’m posting a new scene from Kent Ashton’s Backstory, so I wanted to present this post as a background to go with it.  The scene tomorrow takes place after this scene I’m posting today.

Note: Falling In Love With Her Husband is the combination and revision of Todd’s Bride and Ann’s Groom.  Please do not waste your time reading Todd’s Bride or Ann’s Groom.  Read Falling In Love With Her Husband instead.

***

This is Ann’s Point of View

            On Monday, I entered the classroom.  I quickly waved to Debbie and Rachel as I headed straight for my desk.

“Ann, may I say something?” Todd asked as I passed him.

I stopped, not because I wanted to but because it would be rude if I didn’t.  I clutched my books to my chest and waited.  He wouldn’t say anything in front of the entire class.  Would he?  I had the sinking sensation that he wanted to court me and hoped to make sure the conversation regarding it never came up.

He stood up.  He smoothed his hair and adjusted his tie.  “I’m glad to see you made it.”

I shrugged.  “It was either come here or stay bored at home, staring at the walls.” It was a dumb joke but it was all I could think of.  I glanced at my seat which was a couple of rows from him.

“Did I upset you Friday when I talked about Alex?  I know he bothers you.”

“You’re his friend.  I expect you to mention him.” I sighed.  “I suppose he shouldn’t irk me so.  I mean, it’s not like he does anything to me and no one else seems to mind his pranks.  It probably doesn’t help that I keep calling him Creepy Alex either.”

He chuckled.  “He calls you Scary Annie.”

I frowned.  “I’m not scary.”

“Well, you did hit him with a broom.”

I giggled.  “That was funny, wasn’t it?”

“Good for you,” someone interrupted.  “I think Creepy Alex is an apt term.  However, I can’t imagine you being scary, even if you did come after me with a broom.”

I paused and turned around so I could see the person who spoke.  Dark brown hair, clear green eyes, and a great smile.  This had to be Kent.  And he was handsome!  I imagined someone from New York would be fascinating but he put all of my fantasies to shame.  I thought he was rude to listen to what Todd and I said, but since he set his books on the desk in front of Todd, I realized he couldn’t help but overhear if that’s where he had to sit.

“I’m Kent Ashton.”  He kissed my hand.

I stared at him, bewildered that he could be so bold.  That must be how New Yorkers were.  Bold and charming.  I cleared my throat.  “Todd told me you came here last week.”

“Yes.  My family moved from New York.”

“I know.  He told me that too.”

“We can always talk later when your family comes over to see mine,” Todd said.

Remembering Todd, I looked at him.  “What?”

His smile faltered.  “Never mind.  I just wanted to apologize for mentioning Alex on Friday.”

“Oh.  It’s alright.  I wasn’t upset with you.”

He nodded and sat down.

Blushing, because Kent still had his beautiful green eyes on me, I shyly said that it was nice to meet him and walked to my desk.  I had no idea what to say to him.  He was much more sophisticated than me.  To my surprise, he followed me.

“May I hang your coat in the back of the room?”

My heart skipped a beat.  “Uh…” None of the young men had offered to do that before.  But Kent was from New York.  Maybe young men did that kind of thing there.

“I promise I won’t run off with it,” he teased.

I laughed.  “I know.”

Feeling somewhat awkward and aware that Debbie and Rachel watched me with amused expressions, I took my coat off and handed it to him.  I watched as he put it on one of the hooks.

He returned to me.  “I hope you don’t think I’m overstepping my bounds, but I think you’re the best looking lady in this room.” Then he went to his seat.

My eyes grew wide.  He was definitely bold!  I numbly sat down and stared ahead at the front of the room where the teacher was getting the day’s lecture ready.  Kent Ashton was better than I thought he’d be.  The teacher stood up to speak, so I turned to my books and got my things ready for the day.

Mitch’s Win is Available on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble!

I had a little issue with the formatting so I didn’t post this right away.  The formatting looks like it’s been worked out (and I went through every page to make sure), so I feel comfortable posting the links now.  I decided to go through PubIt, so it’s up on Barnes and Noble, too.  I see that this book has been approved for premium distribution in Smashwords, so I expect it to be up on Kobo, Sony, Apple, and Diesel within a month.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mitchs-Win-eboo...

Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mitch...

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