Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 93

Finally Got My List of Works In Progress

I got back into a writing routine today.  It took a good month and a half, but it’s finally back.  I am going to admit that I tend to panic when I get out of the routine and after I finish a book (unless I’m in the middle of another book at the time).  From time to time, I worry that I’ll lose my creativity and that I’ll never be able to write another book again.  Even after publishing 29 romances, I worry about it.  You’d think I’d understand that creativity is an infinite resource, but I don’t.  :D

As I sat down to sort through the stuff I had started last year, I realized that I’ve already completed 40,000 words of Mitch’s Win.  I halted writing on the book because I wasn’t sure which direction to go with the plot.  I decided to skim through it, and as I did, I knew what I should do to finish it.  So I decided to get back to it.  I’d like to finally finish it and publish it.  I really do enjoy the story, but it’s important I get it exactly right.  It’s time I went ahead and finished it.  I figure I have 10,000 to 25,000 words left to go.  That puts me at roughly the end of February for finishing the first draft.

I’m now 20,000 words in Runaway Bride, and as unbelievable as it sounds, Lexie’s mom isn’t so bad after all.  :D  However, it’ll take some time before the likable side of her fully emerges.  While the evolving romance between Lexie and Mark is fun to write, I’m also having fun watching Lexie’s mom from Lexie’s point of view.  She has no real redeeming qualities in Suddenly a Bride.  She was meddlesome, bossy, and snobbish.  In this book, she is these things, but it turns out there are other traits she has buried beneath the surface, and it’ll be exciting to see how that other side of her will emerge.  Mark is going to be the one to bring that side out, too, which will be even more fun to explore.  One thing about writing romances is that the stories are always more than just romances; there are many layers involved with relationships between the hero and heroine, the family members, the friends, and even those who don’t get along.  Those layers in dealing with the relationships is why I love writing romances as much as I do.  In my opinion, the other genres don’t give that level of depth into who the people are.

I am close to 16,000 words in this one.  Sandy has been trapped in her book with one of the characters pretty much hijacking the story because she’s not writing it to suit his will. Needless to say, she’s not happy, so this is one of those heroines that will be giving our hero grief.  Those heroines tend to be on the more unpopular side, but it’s the only way she can be given her past.  I plan to bring Sandy into Runaway Bride, so I’ll offer a little more background to help set the stage for this book.  Sometimes in a series I will throw in a scene or two that doesn’t do much to enhance the plot of that particular book, but if you read the series, then it makes another book more interesting.

The way I see it, a series is like a tapestry.  Each book (even if it’s complete in itself) lends itself to a larger picture, and when you read the books in the series, you see that picture.  One thing I love to do is cross series for an even bigger picture.  I like connecting characters from one series into another.  I have plans to merge the Nebraska books with the Montana books.  (Mitch’s Win starts the Montana Historical Romances), and the secondary character, Boaz, will end up marrying one of Dave and Mary’s daughter.  I just haven’t decided if Boaz will go to Nebraska or if Dave and Mary’s daughter will go to Montana.  I’m looking for a way to slip in a Larson into a Regency somewhere, but I don’t know if that will work or not.  It’d be fun if I could get it to work somehow, though.  But that is what I love about not focusing on one series.  There are more possibilities when I can work with more than one time period and more than one group of characters in their “world.”

I am not sure how fast I’ll go with this one, but since I started it, I want to see if I can go somewhere with it.  I’m almost at 8,000 words.  I’d like to make it a novella, something to explain what happens to Christopher (Perry’s ward in The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife).  I’d like to write it before getting into Perry’s book because I want to bring Perry into the plot as a single gentlemen.   I’d like to give the poor guy one more “lost chance” at love so we can appreciate it all the more when he finally finds his true love.  I know, it’s probably cruel to watch a character suffer since Perry wants so badly to be married, but in other ways, the wait makes the reward all the better.  :D  My plan is to make it 30,000 words, but if it becomes a longer book, then it’ll be a longer book.

***

So that is my current list.  This is why I can’t go with a publisher.  I have way too much freedom that I enjoy in publishing these books on my own.  I can do whatever I want with the characters and mix them up in different series.  The world is a lot more open and the possibilities endless.  I’ve also learned I need the word count goals and widgets to stay motivated.  I’ve tried writing without those word count widgets on this blog, and it hasn’t worked.  So I put them back.  You can see them on the right.  I haven’t added His Reluctant Lady to the list but probably will soon.  My main focus will be on Mitch’s Win, Runaway Bride, and His Abducted Bride.  I also learned that I need to work on more than one book at a time.  I just can’t work on one book at a time.

I guess the lack of writing wasn’t a total waste.  In writing this blog post, I realized I learned a lot about what works best for me.  :D

Inspiration Behind the Book: Runaway Bride (Mark Tanner’s Past)

While writing the scene I post yesterday, I discovered Mark’s past.  One of the best things about writing a book is finding out about the characters.  When I start a story, I have an idea of what the first chapter is going to be.  I really don’t know much about the character until I start writing them, and there is no better way to learn about a character than to write in that character’s point of view.  While I was writing Suddenly a Bride, all I knew about Mark was that he was more outgoing and wiser to the ways of the world than Chris.      Chris was very naive, and honestly, he’s one of my favorite heroes because of it.

But Mark couldn’t be like Chris because as friends they had to balance each other out.  I’ve noticed in my life (and you might have noticed it, too) that I tend to be friends with people who are opposite of me.  I’m quiet and shy, and I tend to be attracted to people who are more outgoing and social.  There’s something about their personality that draws me out.  And I also tend to be highly motivated to get out and do something, and I notice those closest to me tend to be more mellow.  This is a nice balance for me, and in addition to having friends this way, my husband is also the same way.  I believe certain personalities work best together.

So if I have a certain character who is one way, there is usually a different type of character who’ll come into the story who is the one to balance that character.  With Chris, he was all trusting and believed that everything would work out when he left his planet.  He went to Earth with a life mate picked out for him.  Mark, however, couldn’t leave that kind of decision to someone else.  He had to be the one to pick her out and pursue her.  Most importantly, he had to know that she chose to be with him.  That was why he continued to take his sex inhibitor.   Sex for men on Pandoran came with a lifelong commitment, and Mark wanted his decision to be based on emotion and logic, not sexual desire.  He wanted to make sure he married the right woman.

Mark’s job on Pandoran was to create simulations that would allow men to live out their fantasies.  If you’ve seen Star Trek: The Next Generation, then you know what the holodeck is.  It’s a program that allows you to enter any world you want to with characters that seem like real people.  Mark’s job was to program the worlds and characters the men wanted.  The job came with a lot perks and high pay, and he was one of the best programmers they’d ever had.  Because of him, they were able to incorporate females into the simulations.  Mark’s motivation for creating females came from a desire to have a wife.  Since there were no women on their world, he thought it would be enough to have one in the program.

And he created many different women where men could program the personality of the one they wanted.  His simulations were so good that it was hard to tell fiction from reality.  He ended up falling in love with the woman he had selected in his simulation, but one day he realized that the love was empty because she wasn’t real.  This moment was a painful for one for him, but it was also when he made his decision to go to Earth so he could love a real woman who could love him back.  He doesn’t want just any woman.  He wants a woman who will be his other half–one who will complete him and balance him.  There is only one woman who will do that: Lexie.  So while we all know they’ll end up together, the fun of the story will be in how they find they’re happy ending.  :D

Sunday Story Sample: Mark and Lexie Share a Walk at the Beach in Runaway Bride

This week, I wanted to feature a sample from Runaway Bride.  I’ll explain more about the conversation Mark and Lexie share in tomorrow’s post because while writing the scene, I found out something interesting about Mark’s past that I didn’t know before.  :D

This takes place when Lexie is still engaged to Nick.

Please note that I have not done any editing to this scene.  It’s in first draft form.

An hour later, Lexie found a parking spot along the beach.  She hadn’t planned on coming here today since she spent time at the caterer’s house, but she knew her mother would be teaching her everything she knew about art and etiquette the next three days.

She got out of the car, flung her beach bag over her shoulder and headed for her favorite spot.  She set down her bag and pulled out her towel.  As she spread it out across the sand, someone called her name.  She turned in time to see Mark jogging over to her.

“Hi, Mark.” She scanned him, noting the way his white t-shirt and blue shorts made his tan stand out.  “You look like you’ve been getting some sun.”

“Well, I remember you mentioned coming here during our dinner the other night, and I thought I’d check it out.  It turns out you’re right.  It’s very peaceful here.”

“I like it.  The restaurants might be further down from here, but you can get a better place to relax in the sun.” She glanced at the sky.  “It’s a shame I didn’t get here sooner.  I probably only have a half hour before it gets too cool.”

“Did you have a bad day?”

“No, not bad.  Just trying.” After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, “Does it show?”

“A little.  You look like you’re under some stress, but I think that’s normal when you’re about to get married.”

“Yeah.  I guess.” Maybe every bride felt as if she was so busy she was ready to pull her hair out.  She almost said she’d be glad when the wedding was over but stopped herself because she wasn’t sure if she would.  Up to now, she hadn’t thought much about what being married to Nick would be like, and at the moment, she didn’t want to spend her energy on it.  With a shrug, she continued, “I like coming here because even at my busiest moments, I like to relax.”

“I like the beach, too, though I haven’t been to this one until you mentioned it.” He turned his attention to the beach and smiled.  “You have excellent taste.”

“I don’t know if it’s taste as much as the fact that I lived closest to this one.”

“Hey, if it works, why not go with it?”

“True.”

“You want to take a walk?” Before she could answer, he added, “Or if you don’t mind the company, mind if I sit with you?”

“If you want to talk to me, why don’t you just say so?”

“I thought I did, in a roundabout way.”

She grinned.  “I wouldn’t mind going for a walk.” She slipped off her sandals and put them in her bag then took out her wallet and keys.  “Would you mind putting these in your pocket?  I’m afraid I don’t have any pockets on my skirt.”

“I don’t mind.” He took them from her and put them in his pocket.  “Which way would you like to go?”

Since she wanted to be away from people, she motioned to the section of the beach that clear.  “That looks like a good strip to go for a walk.”

He nodded, and they headed for the shoreline.  “So, you’re keeping busy?”

“I haven’t had much time to do anything.  I feel like all I do is run back and forth to get ready for the wedding, and the next three days are going to be torture.”

“Really?  How so?”

“Well, Nick got invited to go some art exhibit where his supervisor’s wife’s painting will be on display.  For the next three days, my mother is going to give me lessons in proper etiquette.”

“I didn’t realize there was a proper way to look at paintings.”

She chuckled.  “Me neither, but apparently, there is.  Nick said he was going to give me book to read, but I think my mother knows more about etiquette than even he does.  She plans to look at the book and see if there’s anything she doesn’t know, but I doubt it.” They reached the shoreline, and the water lapped at her feet as they continued their walk.  “So I’ll be spending all of my non-working hours with her.”

“Sounds like you’re dreading it.”

“I’m a horrible daughter, aren’t I?  My mother has always been good about taking care of me, and all I want to do is get away from her.”

“I don’t think you’re a horrible daughter.  It seems to me like you want your own space.”

He was right.  Deep down, she knew he was, and deep down, she knew it was perfectly alright for her to get that space.  But she didn’t know how.  Caitlyn had no trouble telling their mother to back off, but then, Caitlyn and her mother weren’t close.  With a sigh, she said, “I love my mother.  She wants what’s best for me.  I guess I just envisioned my life would be different than what it is.”

“And what did you think it’d be?”

She smiled and glanced at him before turning her gaze back to the shoreline in front of them.  “You don’t ask easy questions.”

“Maybe not.  But my life isn’t what I expected when I was growing up.”

“It’s not?”

“No.  When I was younger, I was satisfied with everything.  I had a ton of cool gadgets to play with, and I thought I would have a job creating more gadgets to make life easier and more fun.”

“Are you talking about video games and computers?” she asked, trying to figure out what he meant by ‘gadgets.’

“Something like that but not quite.  Think of it as virtual reality that could give a man the ability to live out any fantasy he wanted.”

“Oh, so it’s like being inside a movie or a book, except you make up the story?”

“Kind of.  Most fantasies involved women.”

She laughed.  “Really?  I’d think the fantasies would be something sci-fi, fantasy, or adventure.  You know, typical guy stuff.”

“There could be those elements, but the men preferred to add romance to the mix.”

“No kidding?”

“Nope.”

“So do you read romance novels?”

“No.”

Unable to avoid teasing him, she nudged him in the side.  “You wanted to program virtual reality games where men could experience a romance in unusual settings, but you don’t want to read romance books?”

He chuckled and shrugged.  “As I was developing these games, as you call them, I realized even in a virtual reality setting, a fake woman wasn’t as good as a real one.”

“Even if the fantasy woman is perfect?”

“There’s no way a fantasy woman can be perfect because she’s not real.  Everything she does or says is programmed.”

Her grin grew wider.  “I thought men would prefer a woman that way,” she teased.

His eyes twinkling, he shook his head.  “You’d be surprised at how boring that gets.”

She rolled her eyes.  “I’m sure.”

“Well, you write romance novels, right?”

“When I get the time.”

“Do you prefer your world of perfect men when you write them?”

“I try not to write about perfect men or women.”

“Why not?”

“Of course not.  If I did, then there’d be no conflict,” she replied.  “If everyone was perfect all the time, the story would be boring.” After a moment of silence, she added, “Okay.  I get your point.  Fantasy virtual reality women would get boring.”

“And there would be no love.  The man might fall in love with her, but she couldn’t respond in kind and that’s an empty feeling.”

“I guess it would be.”

They continued their walk in silence for a couple minutes, and to her surprise, she didn’t mind the quiet.  Usually, the lack of conversation would have bothered her.  She hated awkward silences.  In general, she wasn’t a fan of silence anyway.  That was one of the reasons she came to the beach.  It was the one place she could go to where she could close her eyes and enjoy the pounding of the surf.  It was one of the most relaxing sounds she’d ever heard.  But at the moment, she didn’t notice the waves so much.

“So this art thing you’re going to,” Mark began.  “Is it something you’re looking forward to?  I mean, I know you’re not looking forward to learning the etiquette involved, but what about the actual event itself?”

“No, I’m not looking forward to it.  I have to go.”

“Was this one of the things you signed in the prenup?”

“Yes, but it’s very important that I go.  Even if I didn’t sign a prenup, I’d go.  You see, in Nick’s line of work, it’s important he looks good, and part of looking good is having a wife who’ll be involved in charities and go to events his coworkers partake in.”

“Sounds like you’ll be busy.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Maybe she was about to be busier than she was already.  She wasn’t sure what her life would be like once she was married.  “Maybe I’ll always be busy.”

He waited a moment before asking, “What do you want to do after you get married?”

“To be honest, I haven’t thought about it.  I assumed I’d quit my job and do whatever Nick needed me to do.  His job requires him to be on call.  He could go in to work any time of the day or night.  I might have to do something for him, like attend a charity event.” Realizing she was rambling, she offered an apologetic smile.  “Sorry.  I don’t want to bore you.”

“You’re not boring me.  I enjoy listening to you.”

“Well, I enjoy listening to you, too.” She quickly averted his gaze, wondering why the way he looked at her made her nervous.  She wasn’t on a date with him.  There was no reason why her face should flush with pleasure.  Clearing her throat, she asked, “Did you ever find out what was wrong with your car?”

“Yes.  It was out of gas.”

She laughed.  “Out of gas?”

“I told you I was having an off day.  I hadn’t looked at the gas tank and realized it was empty.”

“At least it was easy to take care of.”

“That’s true, and it was very nice of you to help me out.  I haven’t forgotten that I owe you a favor.  If you ever need me to bail you out of a bad situation, give me a call.  You still have my business card?”

“Yep.”

“Too bad.  I was hoping to get rid of another one.  I told you I have too many, right?”

Her grin widened.  “I believe you mentioned it.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever go through all of them.”

“I’m sure you will eventually.” They turned around and headed back to where they started from, and she asked, “What do you do for fun?”

“Walking on the beach with you is fun.”

Detecting the teasing tone in his voice, she gave him a ‘be serious’ look.  “I mean, what interests do you have?”

“Okay.  Besides talking to you, I like to research everything I can about Earth.”

“What kind of research?”

He shrugged.  “I like finding out about different cultures, find out about different countries.  What makes each one unique.  Stuff like that.”

“What about the virtual reality thing?  Do you still do that?”

“No, not anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because I like living real life instead of a fantasy one.”

“So you quit that job so you could be an engineer like Chris is?”

“You could say that.”

She furrowed her eyebrows, curious.  “What else could I say?”

“That I wanted to experience the most life has to offer.”

She didn’t know why his answer should strike a cord in her, but it did.  As much as she kept telling herself she was living the dream every woman had, she wondered if it was true.  She was going to marry a handsome man who had a good job, and she would never lack for anything.  On the surface, it seemed like a fairy tale come true.  And yet, she felt empty.

“Lexie, are you alright?”

She pushed aside her apprehension about the future and smiled.  “Yes, I’m fine.” Brushing back several strands of her hair, she continued, “Do you like being an engineer?”

“I do, especially when I get to work on a group project.  You can learn a lot about people when you’re working toward the same goal.”

“People fascinate you.”

“They do, but I also like working with numbers.  Doing what I do is the best of both worlds,” he said.  “Do you enjoy your job?”

“It pays the bills.”

“The first time I met you, you said you liked to write romances.  Would you rather do that?”

“I guess I hadn’t thought about it.  I don’t write often.  I have so many other things going on.”

“Maybe after you get married, you can write more.”

Somehow she doubted it.  Neither her mother nor Nick thought much of her hobby.  For sure, her mother thought it was a waste of time.  As for Nick, she didn’t know what he thought.  Maybe she should ask him next time she saw him.

“I notice we do a lot of talking about me,” she finally told Mark.

“We talked about me.  I told you about my car and my job.”

“Well, that’s true,” she admitted.

“I guess I have been talking a lot about you, but that’s because I want to learn more about who you are.  I like finding out what you like, what you don’t like, how you envision your future, what will make you happy.”

“I guess I’m not used to someone taking such an interest in me.”

“I’m sure your fiancé does.”

She wanted to assure him that Nick did, but the words didn’t come.  But she was sure he did.  Why else would he want to marry her?

“If I’m making you uncomfortable,” Mark continued, “we can talk about something else.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you wanting to know more about someone.  Besides, it’s what you do, isn’t it?  You like working with people and discovering who they are.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Do you enjoy being in large social gatherings?”

“It’s okay.  I find it’s not so much how many people are around me as it is who I’m with.  If I’m with someone I like, I can be anywhere with many people.”

“I see what you mean.  Having the right person with you can make anything bearable.”

They reached her spot, and he checked his watch.  “I should get going.  I’m glad I ran into you.”

“Yeah, it was fun.” The most fun she had in a long time, but she didn’t dare admit that aloud.  She told herself it was because she didn’t have to plan for the wedding for the first time in three months, but she wondered if it was more than that.  If it was, she didn’t dare dwell on it.

He shot her a charming smile.  “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”

Her heart gave an unexpected flutter, but she quickly pushed the sensation aside.  “That’d be great.”

She watched him as he jogged a few yards down the beach before he went to his car.  There was something about him that seemed different from other people she’d known.  She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, except that when she talked with him, it was easy to relax and be herself.  He had the type of personality that made others around him feel comfortable.

Turning back to her towel, she spread it out and settled on it.  She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the surf as it rolled in, but she kept thinking over her conversation with Mark.  She couldn’t recall the last time she’d enjoyed talking to someone so much.  She opened her eyes and examined the beach.  For some reason, it didn’t seem the same.  It was a shame Mark couldn’t have stuck around longer.  With a sigh, she stood up, gathered her things and left.  Maybe next time she came here, she wouldn’t be preoccupied with thoughts of Mark.  Then she could truly enjoy resting on the beach.

Cover Idea for Perry’s Book

After debating the plot for Perry’s (Lord Clement) book, I finally got it.  Inspiration came while I was driving through town.  It’s weird how I can be bouncing around ideas for months and suddenly find the right idea at the most unexpected time.  Anyway, I’m going to have a heroine (probably a widow) who purposely creates a scandal to marry Perry.  I still haven’t figured out why she creates the scandal, but there’s going to be a good reason for it.

So what I’m doing right now is trying to figure out a suitable cover to go with the book.  I made three mock ups tonight and would like your opinion on them.

Before I get to the covers, I want to quickly add I had a great “aha!” moment with Runaway Bride while I was at my critique group today.  I’m really excited with the direction the book is taking and want to feature one of the scene in this Sunday’s sample scene.  :D

Now for the possible covers:

#1

#2

#3

Any thoughts?

A Most Unsuitable Earl is Now Up Everywhere

It’s finally up on Barnes and Noble so I can make the announcement.  :D

I sent out an email to everyone who signed up for my New Release list, and I asked everyone on it who has Nook to let me know they have a Nook so next time I have a new release, I can make the announcement sooner.  I appreciate how understanding everyone’s been about this.  I know waiting isn’t easy.

Here are a list of links where you can find A Most Unsuitable Earl.

Amazon

Smashwords

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Sony

Diesel

iTunes

Updates

The good news is that I’m writing again.  I wasn’t writing for the longest time because of all the work we had to do to get the house in good ship for selling.  I stayed behind for a couple of days to give the whole place a thorough cleaning.  It was hard to get back into the process of writing after taking such a long break, but that is true no matter why I go on “vacation.”

The bad news?  I came down with the nasty cold my kids brought home at the very end of the school year, so my word count has slowed.  Not that I was writing as much as before, but now that the ideas are finally coming back, it’s frustrating the energy to write them isn’t there.

But even more frustrating than that is the ordeal with Barnes and Noble.  I don’t know what to do about everyone on my “New Release” list.  A Most Unsuitable Earl is already available everywhere but B&N.  That means it was up on Sony, Diesel, and Kobo before B&N this time, and in the past Sony, Diesel, and Kobo have been notoriously slow.

Now, I did put Smashwords down as the distributor to go to B&N.  I don’t want to go into detail in a public forum, but I felt this was the best decision given everything else that is going on.  I’m sorry I can’t be more specific than that, but I have a good reason.  It wasn’t an easy one to make.  In Smashwords’ defense, they sent A Most Unsuitable Earl out to B&N before they shipped the book to any of the other venues I go to through them.  That means that even though A Most Unsuitable Earl was shipped to B&N first, it still isn’t up even though it’s on the other sites.  I’m not the only author who’s been having this problem, which makes me feel better since I’m not the only one out there going through this.

Unfortunately, this does impact the timeliness of my New Release email.

So here’s my question.  I was waiting until the book was up on B&N before emailing those of you on my New Release list.  Now I’m wondering if I need to make a separate list for Nook owners.  That way those of you who buy my books through Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Diesel, Sony, and Apple can be notified when the book is live on the site where you like to shop.  Then when it’s on B&N, I’d send out a list for the Nook owners.  Does that sound like a good plan?

I have about 80 people on the list, and I don’t know who owns a Nook and who doesn’t.  That’s one of my problems.  I was wondering if those of you with a Nook would be willing to send me an email?  I can create a form to make it easy to send me.

Let me know what you think.  Otherwise, I can wait until the book is live on all the sites before sending the email out.

The Cold Wife: Deleted Scene #7

This scene came right after the one I posted yesterday.  Today’s scene is the final deleted scene I’ll be posting for the book.  In the original version, Carrie gave Justin a much harder time to win her over, but in the end, what she really needed was a really good kiss.  I don’t know how many of you have seen the movie or read the book Gone With The Wind, but I often think of the part where Rhett tells Scarlet, “You need to be kissed often and by someone who knows how” (paraphrasing).  :D BTW, I’ve seen and read Gone With The Wind, and every time I did, I had to add my own “ending” to the story because the two should have ended up together in that book.  LOL

Without further ado, I’ll post the scene for today.  It’s longer than what I usually post, but I’d like to get to another book for next Sunday.

Justin didn’t have long to wait to find out that he had, indeed, made a mistake.  He thought that Carrie had been overdoing it with her insistence to get out of the marriage before but that night, she went all out in her quest for an annulment.  She decided to wear a red dress, which wasn’t done for dinner parties.  He grimaced.  His most important clients were going to attend the dinner party that night, and she chose this night to go out of her way to embarrass him.

He quickly took her by the elbow and led her up the stairs.  “You have to wear something else,” he told her.

She crossed her arms and put her chin up in the air.  “And if I don’t?”

“Carrie, this is a very important night for me and my uncle.  The presentation is due this Wednesday, and this dinner party is to set the tone for that night.  In light of what the Grants are doing, this isn’t a smart move on your part.”

“I don’t care.  Perhaps Lisa will, but I don’t.”

“Carrie, don’t do this.  Not tonight.”

“You’ll have to make me change.”

Even for her usual antics, this was overboard.  “I will,” he decided.  He picked her up and took her into her room.  He set her down and held onto her arm so she couldn’t run down the stairs while he went through her closet to find a suitable dress.

The doorbell rang and Geoffrey announced that the first guest had arrived.

He found a dark blue dress and took it off the hanger.

The doorbell rang again and this time two guests had arrived.

He gritted his teeth and glared at her.  “You timed this so I wouldn’t be able to change your outfit.”

She shrugged as if nothing was bothering her.

He threw the dress on the floor and took her out of the room with him.  “Don’t do anything else to embarrass me,” he ordered.

The fact that she didn’t say anything should have calmed his nerves but it only made him more tense.  He couldn’t shove aside the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.  He forced himself to smile and kindly greeted the guests as they arrived.  Though they were too polite to say anything, they did give Carrie a strange look for wearing red.

He noticed that his uncle came alone.  When he asked him about it, Jonathan replied, “She had to help her father with a client.”

“Who are you two talking about?” Carrie wondered as his uncle went to mingle with some of the men who were in his parlor.

He ignored her and greeted Mr. and Mrs. Walker.

After they went to the entertainment room, she said, “Is your uncle interested in someone?”

He still didn’t answer her.

“Where’s Mary?” she snapped.

“Not here,” he quipped.

“I gathered that much.  Didn’t you invite her?”

“She was invited but is unable to make it.”

“So I’m going to be stuck entertaining women I don’t know?”

“You know Mrs. Walker, Mrs. Tobias, Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Edwards.”

“But they aren’t my close friends.”

“I can’t help it if you’re unpopular.”

Brad entered the house with Debra Maxwell.  When he saw his sister, he sighed.  “Why didn’t you just wear the funeral dress again?”

“Why would I?  It didn’t work before.  It certainly won’t work now,” she retorted.

“My condolences, Justin.” He rolled his eyes at Carrie and escorted his date to the entertainment room so they could dance.

“I don’t need to put up with this.” She abruptly walked off.

Justin didn’t see where she went because Mr. Tyndall arrived with his son.

“I must admit that Miss Duff is the finest billiard player I’ve ever seen,” Mr. Tyndall told Justin.  “I heard she even has good business sense.  Who thought such a thing was possible with a woman?  Anyway, I brought my son along so he can get better acquainted with her.”

“Unfortunately, she had to help her father with his own client tonight,” Justin replied.  His uncle would most likely be relieved she wasn’t able to attend after all.  His uncle didn’t mind competition when it came to business, but he wouldn’t be happy to know that Mr. Tyndall wanted her to be his future daughter-in-law.  Justin decided he would have to warn his uncle after he was done greeting the guests.

The rest of the guests did arrive, and some wondered why Carrie wasn’t there to greet them as well.

Justin glanced around him and noticed that Carrie was outside with Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Edwards.  “Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Edwards wished to speak with her, so she had to see what they wanted,” he lied.

The guests accepted it but when it was time for dinner and Carrie purposely avoided talking to him during the meal, they began to whisper among themselves.  He had little consolation in knowing that the people outside weren’t aware of what was going on in the dining room.  Couldn’t she at least feign interest in him when they were in front of other people?

“I think electricity is one of mankind’s greatest inventions,” his uncle told Brad.  “I applaud Thomas Edison for coming up with the light bulb.”

“Light bulbs are like candles that never melt,” Justin said.

Carrie laughed.

He looked at her and realized that she had been laughing at him at the other dinner parties when he discussed investing.  Only, this time she wasn’t hiding it.

“What are you going to say next?” she asked.  “That automobiles are miniature trains that don’t need tracks or motion pictures are books you watch instead of read?  Here’s one for you.  A letter is a conversation that you have without actually speaking.  Your analogies get more and more ridiculous the more I hear them.  You would do better to stop and think before you speak.”

He didn’t think.  He jumped up, picked her up and put her over his shoulder.  He had had enough of this!  He ignored the fact that his guests were struggling not to laugh as he carried her to his parlor.  He forced himself not to dump her in the chair, though it took all of his willpower to do that.  She got ready to speak but he shot her a furious look.

“Not one word, Carrie,” he demanded in a low growl.  “If you say one more thing or if you leave this room before I tell you to, I’ll tear that dress off of you and make you go outside naked.  Do you understand me?”

Her eyes were wide but she didn’t say anything.

He had never been so angry in his entire life.  How could she purposely set out to humiliate him in front of everyone?  He was going to be the laughingstock of the town.  It wasn’t bad enough that she wore a red dress and snubbed him up during the main course of the meal, but she also had to insult him in front of everyone during dessert?

“I’ll deal with you later,” he seethed before he stormed out of the parlor.  He slammed the doors shut.

When he turned around, he saw that most of the guests had already left.  He found Brad and his uncle politely ushering people out of the house.  Despite the fact that he was greatly upset, he put on a casual smile and apologized for his wife’s behavior.  Once the guests were gone, he turned to the two men.

“Do I make stupid analogies?” he asked.

Jonathan and Brad exchanged wary looks.

Finally, his uncle spoke up.  “Well, they may come off as a little silly.”

“What?” So Carrie had a point in criticizing him?

“We hardly even notice them,” Brad added.

“Why didn’t one of you tell me sooner?” How long had people been laughing at him behind his back?

“No one wanted to hurt your feelings,” his uncle explained.

“I have to go,” Brad said.  “I need to take Miss Maxwell home.  Don’t worry about it, Justin.  It’s not a big deal.”

“Mr. Monroe,” Geoffrey interrupted.  “There is a delivery for you.”

He groaned and turned his attention to the man at the front door who brought in neatly pressed suits.  “I apologize for the delay in delivering your new clothes to you,” the man stated.  “The tailor was an inch off around the waistline.”

“Just put them over on that bench.  I’ll get them later,” Justin replied.

“She bought you clothes?” his uncle wondered.  “That was thoughtful of her.”

Justin let out a low growl.

“Well, it was,” his uncle insisted.

After the delivery man left and he was alone with his uncle in the hallway, Justin was ready to confront his not-so-sweet wife.  “I trust you know the way out,” he told his uncle.

Just as he was about to go to the parlor to talk to her in private, the other man stopped him.  “Go easy on her.”

He couldn’t believe his ears.  “Are you kidding me?  She insulted me in front of our most important clients.”

“True,” he slowly admitted.  “But she’s resisting you because she’s falling in love with you.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  His uncle really didn’t understand people as well he thought he did.

“Think about it.  She wants you to get so mad at her that you’ll annul the marriage.”

“Fine.  I’ll gladly do it.”

“Wait a minute.” His uncle grabbed his arm before he could walk past him.  “It’s only been three weeks since your wedding.”

“Right.”

“And she’s getting more and more unreasonable.”

“Yes.”

Jonathan smiled.  “She wants to be with you.”

“She has a very irritating way of showing it.”

“Look, I know you don’t believe me but it’s true.  She’s afraid of her feelings for you.  My recommendation is for you to kiss her.”

The last thing Justin felt like doing was kissing her.  He wanted to hand her the annulment paperwork and send her packing.

“Trust me on this.  The harder she resists you, the more she loves you.  You have to watch her carefully and figure out what she’s really saying.  Go in there and kiss her and see what happens.  I guarantee you that you’ll like what you discover.”

“No way.”

“Do you love her or not?  Sometimes when you want something you have to fight for it.  Not all clients are easily won over.  You almost won her once.  You can do it again.  Now my recommendation is for you to take five minutes to calm down.  Then remember what it is you like about her and go in and see her.”

He sighed.  “Alright.”

His uncle patted him on the back.  “Remember how difficult Mr. Martin was to get as a client?  Well, he’s our most loyal customer now.  He was worth the effort.  She will be too.”

He watched as Jonathan left the house.  He sat down on the bench by the parlor door and closed his eyes.  He wanted to be with Carrie more than he had ever wanted another woman.  Could his uncle be right?  Was it possible that she was resisting her feelings for him?  It was true that he had handled difficult clients in the past.  Just when things looked impossible, it worked out.  Perhaps the same would happen with her.  He hated to think of her as one of his clients, but it was probably the thing he needed to do.  At least, it would keep him focused on his goal.

“Everything is cleaned up.  Is there anything else you’ll be needing?” Geoffrey inquired.

He glanced at his butler.  “No, Geoffrey.  Thanks for asking.”

The butler nodded and left the hallway before retiring to his house for the rest of the evening.

Justin let out a long sigh and rested his head against the wall.  To be sure, he had dealt with difficult clients in the past, but none were as hard to win over as his wife.  He only had one week left of their agreement.  If they didn’t consummate the marriage in that time, she would be heading on a train to live with her father or living in an apartment in the town on her own.  Now that his anger was dying, he felt sad.

Up to that point, he had struggled to be upbeat about the situation.  It was difficult to keep a happy facade going when he worried that he was going to lose her.  What am I doing wrong?  What is so offensive about me?  He shook his head.  If a client treated him the way she did that night, he would simply smile and act as if nothing was wrong.  He would proceed with his work to the best of his ability.  Clearly, it was time to do that with her.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up and straightened his tie.  Then he smoothed his suit jacket and cleared his throat.  “Alright, Mrs. Monroe.  Let’s see what you got.”

He walked to the parlor doors and opened them.  He wasn’t sure what he would find when he went in there, but he was surprised to see her standing in the room with her arms crossed.

“I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to send me away tonight,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow before he closed the doors behind him.  He took his time in walking over to the table.  He lightly drummed his fingers on the oval table as he walked around it.  She stood at the other side of the table and watched him.  She seemed startled by the silence he greeted her with.  She must have expected me to yell at her.  When he reached the end of the table, he didn’t continue to walk around it.  Instead, he left it and went over to the fireplace.  He blew out the candles above the mantle.

“What are you doing?” she asked, sounding concerned.

Looking at her wide brown eyes, he suddenly got the image of a lion stalking its prey, and he was the lion.  It was an image he often used when trying to take control of a meeting with a competitor.  Play it cool.  Be deliberate and casual.  He turned to her, aware of how wonderful she looked as the moonlight poured in through the window and spilled onto her face and dress.  Ever since he learned of their engagement, he longed to take her in his arms and kiss and touch her in a way a man ought to kiss and touch his wife.  Tonight, he would make his move.  No more playing around.  It was time to melt her icicles.  Just don’t let my desperation show.

He smiled at her.  “Red is your color,” he softly said.  “It brings out the color in your cheeks.  But I find the way the dress fits you to be much more seductive than anything else.  And I must confess, the neckline is low enough to give me a glimpse of your beauty while hiding enough to make me curious as to what you look like under those clothes.”

“But…it’s a red dress,” she stammered.  “It’s not a good color for business dinners.”

He recognized her shock.  He had caught her off guard.  That meant her defenses were down.  It was the perfect time to make his move.  “I was wrong earlier.  It was a most lovely choice,” he replied.

She stood still as he walked over to her.  Each step was careful and calculated.  She shook her head.  “Surely, your clients aren’t impressed.”

He smiled at her.  “But I am.”

She looked away from him.  She was completely unsettled and didn’t know what to do about it.  He recognized that look.  He had seen it before.

He stood in front of her.  He lightly brushed her cheek with his fingers.

She looked up at him, appearing surprised by his action, but he noticed that she didn’t back away nor did she protest.  She simply stared at him out of curiosity and wonder.

He decided not to say anything else.  He would let his actions speak for him.  He cupped the sides of her face with his hands and gently kissed her.  She didn’t pull away, so that was a good sign.  He chose to press his luck and kissed her again, only this time he deepened the kiss.  She, in turn, surprised him when she slid her arms around him and returned his kiss.  Her response greatly encouraged him.  His feelings of awkwardness every time he kissed her in the past ebbed away as his desire for her slowly spread through him.  He pulled her close to him so there was no space between them and his erection pressed firmly against her stomach.  She had the most amazing body in the world.  He took the pins out of her hair so that it fell softly around her shoulders.  His hands slid to her breasts and cupped them.  He was hungry for her.  He desperately wanted to make love to her, to be one with her.

As much as he hated to end the moment, he knew it was necessary if he was to get her properly inspired to want more.  Part of business was knowing when to postpone negotiations.  It usually led to more successful agreements in the long-run.  Despite his shallow breathing, he backed away from her.  She was just as breathless as he was.  Her lovely brown curls framed her face and her beautiful eyes looked up at him.  Carrie, I love you so much.  What will it take for you to love me?

She frowned as he quietly walked away from her.  “What are you doing?” she asked, sounding bewildered.

He had to softly clear his throat so he sounded normal.  “I can’t interfere with the annulment.” He turned back to her before he opened the doors.  “I don’t wish for you to be stuck in a marriage you don’t want.” He quickly opened the doors and shut them.

The bright lights in the hallway brought him back to his senses.  One more minute in there and he wouldn’t have stopped.  He smoothed his clothes and straightened his tie.  He couldn’t afford for the servants to misunderstand what happened in the parlor.  If she was determined to get out of the marriage in one week, he didn’t want to compromise her virtue with rumors.

“May I help you, sir?” Constance asked him.

He turned to her.  She had just left the dining room.  He nodded.  “Yes, Constance.  I’m going to take a brief walk.  Will you draw me a cold bath?”

“Cold?” she wondered.

“Cold,” he repeated.  He left the house to go for the walk so he could regain his equilibrium.

 Chapter Seventeen

 Carrie paced back and forth in the entryway.  Justin had a lot of nerve.  He couldn’t kiss her like that and just leave!  As she paced, she thought of what she would tell him.  She had the entire lecture planned out and ready to go when he returned.  She stopped pacing, put her hands on her hips and got ready for a fight as soon as he entered the house.

            He didn’t even blink when he saw her.  He simply took his hat off and set it on the hat rack.

She cleared her throat.

He glanced over at her and said, “Good night, Carrie,” before he walked past her and up the stairs.

“Oh no you don’t!” She angrily followed him.  Since she had to lift up the lower half of her dress so she wouldn’t trip on it, she couldn’t catch up with him.  It was unfair that women couldn’t wear pants.

By the time she reached the top of the stairs, he had already shut his bedroom door.  If he thought she was going to be easily deterred, he had another thing coming.  She was ready to bang her fist on his door when he suddenly opened it.  She stepped back, startled.

He jerked back for a moment.  “Do you want something?”

She noticed the nightclothes in his hand.  She also noticed that he had taken off his suit jacket and shoes.  “I want to talk to you.”

“Alright.  Talk.” He walked over to the bathroom.

“I can’t talk to you through the door.  People will overhear what I want to say.” Since she fully intended to let him have it, she didn’t want anyone to witness the words she planned to use.

“Then come in.” He left the door open and put the clothes on the counter.

“Don’t think for a moment that I’m too timid to do it.”

“Fine.  Go ahead.  I’ll listen.” He took his shirt off.

“You think I won’t go in there and say what’s on my mind?”

“I don’t care if you do or not, but I need to take a bath and you won’t stop me just because you’re having your female hysterics.”

“Female hysterics?” she shrieked.

He gave her a ‘need I say more’ look and took off his belt.

Though she would never dream of entering the bathroom when a man was in it in the past, she was too upset to care about propriety.  She stomped into the room and crossed her arms.  “I have every right to be upset with you, Mr. Monroe.”

“Justin.”

“What?”

“My name is Justin.  It’s not Mr. Monroe.  If you’re going to see me naked, you’ll have to call me by my first name.” He walked by her and shut the door.  “I go by Mr. Monroe to the servants.  They aren’t allowed to see me without my clothes on.”

“We know that you aren’t going to get fully undressed.  So, that brings me to what I was saying before.  What right do you have to be seeking out other women while we’re still married?”

He took off his socks.  “I’m not seeking out other women.”

“Then what was all that talk this morning with Lisa and Sarah about?”

He sighed.  “If you must know, I was trying to make you jealous.  They came up with the idea and I figured it was worth a shot.  I’m not interested in either one of them or any other woman.”

“Why were you trying to make me jealous?”

He started to unbutton his pants.

She felt the heat rise in her cheeks.  He wasn’t actually going to completely undress in front of her, was he?

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked.  He sounded as casual as if he were discussing investments as he took his pants off.  “I want you to realize that you want to stay married to me, so I thought if you saw that another woman was attracted to me, then you might find me worthwhile as well.” He took his underwear off.  Glancing at her, he said, “I told Constance to make the water cold, so you’ll notice some shrinkage.”

She could only stare in shock as he got into the tub and started bathing.  She couldn’t believe he actually got undressed in front of her.  And there he was taking a bath as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to watch him like this.

He took the washcloth and soap and started cleaning himself.

She fought the urge to stare at him, to note the male part of him that intrigued her, and turned her attention to the wall.  “So, you don’t want an annulment?”

Though she wasn’t looking at him, she knew he was rolling his eyes.  “I’ve been saying that all along.  You’re the only one I want to be with.  I wouldn’t undress in front of anyone but you.  You’re the one who wants the annulment.” He washed his face.  “I still can’t figure out why you’re in here with me.”

She looked over at him.  “I will not be intimidated by the fact that you’re bathing.  I have some things to tell you.”

“Oh.  Then proceed.  I’m listening.” He washed his hair.

As she watched him, thinking that the masculine form was very attractive, she realized that she couldn’t remember her speech.

“Is the trip to the Davidsons still bothering you?” He rinsed his hair.

“I just don’t want to go through that again.”

“I know.  I’m sorry about leaving you alone with Mrs. Davidson.  I won’t put you through anything like that again.”

“You’re right because I’ll never allow myself to be put in that situation again.”

He frowned.  “Is that because you won’t stay with me or because you know I won’t let that happen again?”

“Sometimes I wish you didn’t have the job you do.” She shook her head.  “I know Mary can accept the demands that the job requires since her father has to deal with similar situations.  She grew up in that world.  She doesn’t mind entertaining the clients’ wives or daughters or sisters, but I’m not like her.  The dinner parties are fine because at least then I can bring my friends over too.  I’m sorry, Justin, but your work isn’t something I can handle.”

“What if I never went on another business trip like that?  I do have the ability to set down such boundaries with the clients.  If they don’t like it, then they can take their business somewhere else.”

“Is that really an option?”

“Yes.  I can make sure that I only work during regular business hours, but I will have to go to dinner parties and host dinner parties.”

She thought it over.  “I could deal with that.”

He finished his bath and asked, “Will you please hand me my towel?  It’s right behind you.” He stared at her and waved his hand to get her attention.

She blinked and concentrated on his face.  “What?”

He grinned.  “I need my towel.  It’s on the hook on the door that’s behind you.  I need you to hand it to me.  That is, unless you want me to stand up and get it myself.”

“Don’t be silly,” she quickly replied.  She turned around and got the towel for him.  She held it out.

He looked amused.  “My arms aren’t that long.  You’ll have to walk over here.”

She loudly sighed and slowly walked toward him.

“At the rate you’re going, it’ll be Christmas by the time I’m out of this tub.”

She picked up the pace.  “Here you go.” Her heart raced with a mixture of apprehension and excitement.  She wasn’t sure what was going to happen once he got out of the tub but wanted to find out.

To her surprise, he grabbed her other hand and pulled her toward him.  She lost her balance and ended up kneeling by the tub.  Her face was close to his and he gently held her hand.  Her other hand still held the towel.

“Say my name, Carrie,” he softly requested.

“Justin,” she whispered.  The very nearness of him was making her weak.

“Say it again.  I like hearing you say it.”

“Justin.”

He smiled.  “I love you, Carrie.”

“I love you too, Justin.”

“Then will you come to my bed?”

“Tonight and for the rest of our lives.”

He kissed her.  She responded to the softness of his lips, forgetting all about the cold water in the tub or her embarrassment at being with him while he was naked.  He reached up and drew her into his arms.  She parted her lips and he slid his tongue into her mouth.  The butterflies in her stomach fluttered as his tongue touched hers.

When he pulled away, he whispered, “Let’s go to bed.”

Sunday Story Sample: The Cold Wife – Deleted Scene #6

Here’s another deleted scene from The Cold Wife.  :D

The next day while he walked home from his uncle’s house to pick up the proposal his uncle worked on with Mary so she could add up some figures for them, he saw Lisa and Sarah walking toward him on the sidewalk.

“Justin, how are you doing this morning?” Lisa greeted him.

“I’m fine.  I’m on my way home,” he replied, surprised that she decided to speak to him.

“Did Carrie get jealous?”

“She did.  She wouldn’t let me near you for the rest of the evening.”

“It’s obvious that she loves you, even though she won’t admit it.  Did she finally come around last night?”

“No.”

“You’re kidding,” Sarah inserted, bewildered.  “I thought she looked furious after Lisa kissed you on the cheek.”

“Maybe I should have kissed him on the lips,” Lisa said.

“I think the kiss on the cheek was enough,” he assured them.  He really didn’t want to kiss anyone but Carrie.  “But I do think you had the right idea.  Perhaps I need to play it up as if I’m considering a courtship with you.  Would you mind walking with me to my home?”

“No.  We have nothing better to do.”

“Thank you.”

“We like Carrie,” Sarah said.  “We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t think it was for her own good.  She used to babysit us.  She would let us sneak in a cookie after dinner and spent an hour reading us stories.”

It was odd to think of Carrie babysitting them but he reasoned that she was seven years older than them so it made sense that she had been old enough to do that.

When they reached the house, he was surprised to see Carrie walking toward them.

“What perfect timing,” Sarah whispered to Lisa.  She slipped her arm through Justin’s and laughed.  In a loud voice, she cooed, “Why Justin, you are absolutely brilliant.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Lisa added as she lightly touched his other arm.  “And you’re a marvelous dancer.  I can’t believe that you ever stepped on women’s feet.  You’re much too graceful for that.”

“Carrie is so lucky to have you.”

“Didn’t you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“They’re getting an annulment next week.”

“Oh, then you’ll be free to court me.”

“Not if he doesn’t court me first.”

The two women giggled, and Justin’s face grew bright red.  He never had women flirt with him and wasn’t sure how to act.  He was aware that Carrie was standing right in front of them, so he pretended he was enjoying their attention.

He looked at Carrie as if just noticing that she was there.  “Good morning, Miss Allen.  Do you remember Miss MacIntyre and Miss Williams?”

She seemed as if she had to struggle to remain pleasant.  “Yes.  Aren’t you two too young to be courting?”

Sarah shrugged.  “I don’t think so.  We’re seventeen.”

Carrie’s eyes grew wide.  “You’re already seventeen?”

Lisa nodded.  “We’re excited about the courting process.” She gave Justin a sly grin.  “There are certainly some interesting prospects.”

Justin considered that for seventeen year olds, Lisa and Sarah did a good job at acting as if they were experienced at courting.

“We ran into Justin and he offered to walk us to the pet shop,” Sarah said.  “Wasn’t that thoughtful of him?  I’m thinking of buying a puppy.”

“I think a puppy brightens up a house,” Justin agreed.

“You’ve never mentioned wanting a puppy,” Carrie told him.

“Well, I didn’t think about it until Sarah mentioned it.”

“Sarah, would you look at the time?” Lisa gasped.  “We really must be going.  We have some shopping to do to make ourselves beautiful.” She glanced at Justin and batted her eyelashes at him.

“You two don’t need to add anything to the way you look,” he played along.  “You couldn’t possibly get more beautiful than you already are.”

They giggled.

“Justin, you do have a way with words.” Lisa kissed him on one cheek.

“We do hope you’ll stop by to see us sometime.” Sarah kissed him on the other cheek.

Carrie didn’t say anything as they walked by her and said hello.  She waited until they were out of earshot before she turned her attention to Justin.  “Enjoyed that, did you?”

He had never seen Carrie jealous but found that he liked it.  “Of course, I did,” he responded.  He walked to the house.

She followed him.  “You have no right to be enjoying that,” she sharply insisted.

“What do you care?  You’ll be out of here in six days.” He didn’t bother to hold the door open for her.  Instead, he set his hat on the hat rack.

“There’s no need to be rude.  I am still a woman.”

“Really?  I hadn’t noticed.”

She gasped and then slammed the door.

This action prompted Geoffrey and Constance to run to the entryway.

“Is something wrong?” Geoffrey asked.

“Is someone hurt?” Constance demanded.

“Everything’s fine,” Carrie quickly assured them.

“Actually, they’re more than fine,” Justin said.  “They’re wonderful.” He was flattered that Sarah and Lisa succeeded in upsetting her.  They had done what he had been unable to accomplish in the past week.

Geoffrey and Constance looked relieved.

“The bedroom furniture, sheets and curtains came today,” Constance informed Carrie as Geoffrey went back to the kitchen.  “Would you like me to help you make up the beds and hang the curtains?”

“That’s a good idea,” Justin told Carrie.  “I want my next wife to be happy with the rooms upstairs.”

“Your next wife?” She nearly shouted the question.

“Yes.  I do plan to get married after our annulment.  The single life may suit you just fine but it doesn’t work for me.  After having you around, I’ve grown to enjoy having a woman’s presence in my home.  Don’t worry about whether or not Sarah or Lisa don’t like the new bedroom themes.  I asked them what they thought about them, and they expressed their enthusiasm over your redecorating tastes.  They told me to thank you personally for going through all this trouble so they won’t have to do it in the future.”

“You have your next wife lined out already?”

“Sure.  You said I could choose whether or not to move on and find someone else after you leave.  I decided I don’t want to end up alone, so I’m checking out what’s out there.  I’m leaning toward Lisa.  She did teach me how to dance and I’ve always been partial to redheads.”

“Should we take care of the bedrooms later?” Constance uneasily asked.

“No,” Justin answered.  “I have to spend the afternoon working on the investment proposal.  Then I have to get ready for the dinner party we’re having tonight.  I don’t have time to discuss this with you, Carrie.  I’m too busy.”

Carrie narrowed her eyes at him.  “I can’t wait until I’m free from this place.” She angrily walked up the steps.

As he watched a bewildered Constance follow her, he had the nagging suspicion that he inadvertently made a huge mistake.

Dave Larson Makes A Plea (And Mark Tanner and Perry Ambrose Show Up)

Dave Larson: Hey, Ruth.  I know you’re busy and all with your move, but I thought I’d give a friendly reminder that you made this cover for Forever Yours.  Personally, I think the story is worth writing.  You can’t go wrong with a cowboy on the cover, and of course, any book featuring Mary is going to be a good one, especially since you’re such a great writer and all.

Ruth: Wow, Dave.  Last time we talked, you and I were engaged in a lawsuit.  

Dave: LOL  Those were such good times.  We had so many great memories.

Ruth:  I can’t help but think it’s funny that you’re buttering me up to write another book featuring you after all this time.

Dave:  I’m not buttering you up.  I care deeply about you.  You’re my author.

Ruth: You tried to organize a boycott on all of my books.

Dave: All of it was done out of fun.  We both knew no one was going to boycott your books.  Your books are awesome.

Mark Tanner: I have a call for you, Larson.  It’s from Reality.  Ruth doesn’t have time to work on  your book.  She is working on Runaway Bride and His Abducted Bride.

Dave: That title makes no sense.  Shouldn’t it be His Abducted Runaway Bride?

Mark: You’re an idiot.  Those are two separate books.

Dave: Maybe if you took the time to put the titles in italics, it wouldn’t have been confusing.  I put Forever Yours in italics because it’s the title of a book.  Now who’s the idiot?

Mark: Look, I heard about you.  You think the world revolves around you.  Well, I can tell you from experience that you’re just one tiny character on Earth.  There are many characters, and some of them are from another planet.  Whether or not another book is written about you doesn’t matter because in the whole scheme of things, these books will all fade away into oblivion.  That means in a hundred years, no one will know or care that you were ever in a book.

Dave: *rolls his eyes* You wish.  Ruth is writing timeless romantic tales.  Ruth, why are you even wasting time writing about Mark?  He doesn’t even think your books will pass the test of time.

Mark: Unlike you, I don’t care if I’m immortal on the pages of a book.  I just want to be with Lexie.  If you came from a world without women, you’d understand.

Dave: I don’t need to go to a planet without women to understand how much better my life is with Mary.  But this whole thing is bigger than me or you.  It’s about immortalizing Ruth’s books.  Don’t worry, Ruth.  I’m on your side.

Perry Ambrose (Lord Clement): What Ruth should do is pay attention to who is getting the most requests.  A lot of people have been asking if I’ll ever get my own book, and quite frankly after losing my potential wife to another gentleman in The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife and A Most Unsuitable Earl, I think it’s time I finally got married.  Do you know how frustrating it is to be so close to getting paired up with a lady only to find out she is going to another gentleman instead?

Mark: You think that’s rough?  I was introduced in another guy’s book, and he ended up happily married.  Me?  I was ready to be dropped because Ruth decided not to write the book.  Because people wanted to see me with Lexie, Ruth decided to write my book, and now that she’s finally doing it, I won’t let anyone stop her.

Dave: Oh please.  It’s not how many requests you get for your story to be written.  It’s how much fan mail you get for the books you’ve done, and I have the most fan mail of any character Ruth’s ever written.  It’s because of me people even know who Ruth is.  Eye of the Beholder was the book that launched her career.

Perry: Actually, An Inconvenient Marriage has done way better, and it still does.  So if there’s a book that launched her career, it’d be that one, not yours.

Dave: And yet, Jake Mitchell rarely receives a fan letter.  I get them all the time.

Mark: All the time?

Dave: Yes.  I’m popular.

Perry: Somehow I doubt you’re that popular.  I bet if your brothers were here, they’d set the record straight.

Dave: If they deny how popular I am, it’s because they’re jealous.  I can’t help it if I happened to be at the train station when Mary arrived in Omaha.  Had it been any of them, they could have been the most popular Larson ever written.

Mark: Yeah.  Lucky for you, you run out of food and have to make a mad dash into town to the mercantile.

Perry: *snickers* So Dave’s saying it pays to procrastinate.

Dave: Haha.  I guess if procrastination yields such great results, you both will do just fine with getting a wife since it’s taking you so long to get one.

Ruth: Alright, guys.  Break it up.  Right now I’m working on Runaway Bride and His Abducted Bride.  I have no idea when I’ll get to Forever Yours or Perry’s book.   I guess you all will have to give me ideas.  The sooner I get inspired, the sooner books get written.  :D

*Pictures were bought off of http://www.dreamstime.com.  First picture © Yuri Arcurs  (I used GIMP to add the book cover I made).  Second picture © Gabriel Blaj.  Third picture © Serrnovik.

Deleted Scene #5: The Cold Wife

Well, this is the weekend my family is moving up to Minnesota for good, so instead of writing a post to explain the scene from yesterday, I’m going to post another deleted scene.

In advance, I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!  My next post will be on Wednesday, and Dave Larson has asked to speak with me (after ignoring me for months), so I decided to humor him.  That will be in Wednesday’s post.  :D

The dance wasn’t as bad as Justin feared it would be.  He hadn’t attended one before.  All the dancing he had done had been limited to dinner parties and the wedding.  He was surprised when Carrie apologized to him as soon as he came home from work.  She admitted that she had to take into account that he did have a responsibility to his clients but simply asked him if he would be able to take time off for her in case an emergency did come up.  He assured her that he could.  “And if I’m not in the office when you call, ask Mr. Drummond where I am.  He’ll tell you where to reach me,” he concluded.  Mr. Drummond was the receptionist.  It was his job to notify Justin or Jonathan if anyone needed them.  Carrie seemed content with this answer and was actually amiable toward him during dinner.

Now as he stood to the side of the room while Carrie walked around and talked to the women who were close to Harrison Sr., he had to admit that no one would suspect that she was keeping an eye on the man.  She’s just as good at this as my uncle is.  He knew that if it had been him, the elder Grant would have called him on it half an hour ago.

“You look bored,” Brad told him as he came up to him.

He smiled.  “Good evening, Brad.”

“Is my sister still giving you problems?”

“I’m fine.”

“Well, she’s been avoiding me like the plague.  I can’t get within five feet of her without her running away from me.” He sighed.  “I really thought she would want to be with you once she got to know you.”

“I think she likes me.  She just doesn’t like my work.”

“Just because of what happened with the Davidsons?”

“That and the fact that I missed my surprise party and cancelled plans with her to be with a client.”

“She was willing to marry Harrison and he’s more dedicated to his job than you are.  You actually took time out to be with her.  From what I hear, he doesn’t spend nearly as much time with his wife as you do with yours.”

Justin really didn’t care to be reminded of the fact that Carrie had been willing to marry Harrison.  Though she no longer wanted to be with him, it wasn’t a nice reminder.  Changing topics, he said, “Mr. Mitchell hired her to keep an eye on Grant Sr.  That’s why we’re here.”

“Is this because of what happened on Monday?”

He nodded.  “Apparently, she has a good eye for details.” He looked at Brad.  “So, do you wish to invest in Hershey’s candy and Dr. Pepper?  My uncle has decided to take a closer look at those things.”

A blond and a redhead, who were seventeen, walked over to them.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” the blond greeted.

Brad naturally caught the attention of available women, so Justin wasn’t surprised they came over to talk to him.

His friend smiled at them.  “How are you doing this fine evening?”

“We are doing well,” she prettily blushed.

“Justin, do you know Sarah MacIntyre and Lisa Williams?”

“No, but I am familiar with their fathers.” Justin politely smiled at them.  “They are good men to do business with.”

“My father said that you made him a good profit for the past five years,” the redhead replied.

“I’m pleased to hear that he approves of my choices.”

“As long as you get in on the candy and soda market, you’ll do even better with your clients,” Brad added.  “I’m sure such talk would bore you ladies.  Sarah designed that dress she’s wearing herself.  She has such good fashion sense that Mrs. Parker is thinking of hiring her.  Lisa has a green thumb.  She can grow any flower known to man.”

Sarah blushed.  “Why, Brad, you flatter us.”

“You know, it might be nice to dance,” Brad told him.

He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.  He didn’t wish to dance with anyone but Carrie.

“What a lovely idea,” Lisa eagerly agreed.

Justin noticed that they were both looking at Brad with hope in their eyes.  He knew that they would rather dance with Brad than with him, which used to bother him in the past but tonight, he was relieved.  It meant that whoever ended up dancing with him wouldn’t want anything but a dance with him.

“We could take turns,” Brad told Justin.

Justin considered saying no but he saw that Carrie was on the other side of the room and didn’t appear to be willing to return to him anytime soon.  He felt awkward enough standing by himself, so he agreed to dance.  It would help the evening go faster.  “I would be honored,” he finally replied.  “I must warn you two that I don’t dance very well.”

“Oh, I teach people how to dance in my spare time,” Lisa said.  “I don’t mind giving you a lesson.”

“I could use one,” he admitted.

“Then it’s settled,” Brad said.  “I’ll dance with Sarah.”

Sarah widely smiled and took his arm.

“All I know is the waltz, and I can mess that up,” Justin warned Lisa.

“The waltz is a good dance to start with.  Don’t worry about messing up.  Just take your time and start slow,” Lisa instructed.  She held out her arms and got ready to dance.

He accepted her offer and took a deep breath to steady his nerves.  He wasn’t graceful but the fact that she was willing to bear with him eased his anxiety.  He mentally counted the steps in his mind as they began to dance.

“Try to relax,” she told him.  “Your entire body is stiff.  Think of dancing as a flowing movement.  Pretend that you’re in water and can easily move around.”

He recalled his last time swimming in the ocean and he felt his muscles slightly relax.

She smiled.  “That’s it.  You’re doing great.  Now, instead of staring at your feet, look me in the eye.”

He frowned.  “That doesn’t sound like it’ll work.”

“Trust me.  When someone juggles balls, they don’t stare down at their hands.  You will actually dance better if you turn your attention to something else.”

Since Lisa was a better dancer than him, which was displayed in the fact that he stepped on her feet but she didn’t step on his, he obeyed her.  He looked in her eyes.

“Don’t count either.  You may think of a square if you want but visualize yourself gracefully making the square.”

He did as instructed and was excited when the method worked.

When the dance ended, she asked, “Do you want to dance one more time to practice your new skill?”

“That’s a good idea.” If he was able to dance one more time with her, he would easily recall the process next time he had to dance.

“You’re doing very well.”

“I do have a good teacher.  You must do this a lot.”

“It helps that I’ve had several brothers to practice with.”

“I think I met a couple of them at the bi-monthly convention.”

“Yes, they do periodically go there to build up the customer base for our father’s business.”

“Your father makes excellent furniture.  In fact, my wife just made some purchases from his store.”

“I heard.  She’s one of his favorite customers.”

He laughed with her.  Considering the size of the bill Lisa’s brother handed him, he wasn’t surprised to hear that Carrie made her father very happy.  “When she decides she’s going to buy something, she goes all out.”

“Is it true that she wants an annulment?”

“I suppose everyone knows about it.” It irritated him to no end that the entire town knew that she didn’t want to be with him.

“I’m not your wife but I do know a woman’s heart.  I think I’ll do you a favor.” She loudly giggled and gave him a flirtatious smile.  “Why, Mr. Monroe, you are very charming,” she sweetly said.  The dance ended so she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.  “If it doesn’t work with Carrie, I’d be interested in getting to know you better.”

He dumbly stared after her as she walked off the dance floor, making sure she swung her hips back and forth as if she was inviting him to watch her.  He was definitely uncomfortable now.  He turned around to quickly retreat off the floor so people could stare at someone else when he bumped into Carrie.

She glared at him and crossed her arms.  “What was that about?” she demanded.

He glanced back at Lisa and saw her give him a wink.  He smiled.  That’s what she was doing.  He turned back to Carrie.  “Do you want to dance?”

“No,” she angrily retorted.  “I’m here to work.  I’m finding some useful information from the women here.”

“Then why are you standing in front of me on the dance floor?” Would she admit that she was jealous?

“I think you need to do some talking to the men and find out what you can.”

“Why?  I’m not the one who’s getting paid.”

“You can have half of what I make.”

He didn’t expect her offer.  “I already make more than that with my job.” A couple bumped into him.  “If you don’t want to dance, we should get off the floor so we can talk.”

“Fine.  Let’s dance, but we have to make our way over to Mr. Grant.  Can you lead me over there?”

“Which one?”

“The father.  I don’t believe the son knows what’s really going on.”

He took her in his arms, enjoying how wonderful she felt in them.  Didn’t it occur to her that she belonged in them?  Forcing aside the question, he asked, “Why do you think the son is innocent?”

“I’ve been talking to the women and partially listening in to what the father and son are saying to people and I’ve been watching what they’re doing.  I notice that when the father talks to someone and then talks to his son, he tells his son a different version of the conversation he had with that person.  But the son is straight forward and honest in what he tells his father.  I may not like the son, but I believe that he doesn’t realize that the reason he and his father are as successful as they have been is because his father is using unethical measures in order to get his way.  It makes sense with what I saw at the convention.  Harrison Jr. was talking to Mr. Parker.  His father was the one who took the wallet.  Harrison couldn’t see what his father was doing from where he was standing.”

“Then why did Harrison court you?”

“His father told him to.  I never saw Harrison enter my father’s parlor, but Harrison did ask me a lot of questions about where my father kept his work in the house.  He said that he wanted to get an idea of how he should organize his office at home.  I suspect that his father told him to ask certain questions so his father would know where to break into the house.  His father did come over once to talk to my father.  He must have been checking the layout of the house.” She stopped talking for a moment when she stepped on his foot.

“Don’t worry about it,” he whispered.

She frowned.  “I notice that you’re not dancing poorly anymore.”

“Lisa taught me how to dance better.”

“So you know her name?”

He hid his smile.  “Yes.  She was very helpful.”

“I bet she was,” she snapped.  She glanced over at Harrison Sr. and nudged him to move further to the left.

He gracefully obeyed.

“Will you hold me closer and pretend you’re whispering in my ear?  I need to listen to what he’s saying.”

Like he needed an excuse to hold her closer.  He did as she requested and kissed her ear.

She stepped on his foot.  “I need to concentrate,” she whispered.

He sighed and simply held her close.

When the dance ended, Harrison Sr. walked off the dance floor so Carrie said she had to stop dancing.  “You should talk to the men and find out what you can about the father,” she told Justin.

“Why?  Are you afraid Lisa will return?”

She refused to answer him, but he decided to humor her and did as she wished.