Gazebos and an excerpt
I’ve always had a fascination with gazebos. As a romance writer, I like to tuck them into my stories whenever possible. A lot can happen in a gazebo. People get married in them, receive engagement rings and first kisses in them, and sometimes even have their first fights in them. In my upcoming release, King of Hearts, my heroine, Harper Blessings, is horrified when her forgetful Aunt Clara hires a drifter to paint theirs.
Here’s an early peek at the scene…
She heard the shrill whistle of the tea kettle, and then the rise and fall of Clara’s voice. When no voice answered, she made her way up the attic stairs to the chaos of her brother’s bedroom and peeked in. He was sound asleep.
Exasperated, she shook him. “Nicky, you’ve got to get up.”
He groaned and rolled over, burying his face in his pillows.
“Nicky!”
“I know, I know. I’ll be up in a minute.”
“That’s what you said yesterday, and Aunt Clara ended up walking around town in her nightgown. You know I need to be able to count on you this summer.”
He sat up and ran a hand through his messy blond curls. “I know. I’m sorry. What time is it?”
“It’s almost eight thirty.”
Groaning again, he flopped back onto the bed.
“Look, I know it’s your summer vacation. I get it. And when I get home tonight you can have the whole evening to do whatever you want. But right now, I have to go and prep the food truck and I need you to keep an eye on Aunt Clara.”
The doorbell chimed, followed by the raucous barking of Clara’s Yorkshire Terrier, Toby.
“What now?” Harper sighed, moving to the hallway.
“It’s probably the guy,” Nicky mumbled.
She turned back. “What guy?”
Downstairs, Clara’s cheerful greeting rose above the clamor of Toby’s barking.
“What guy, Nicky?”
“The guy from yesterday. Didn’t Aunt Clara tell you?”
“Aunt Clara didn’t tell me anything. She was in bed when I got home.” She hurried downstairs and was stunned to discover her aunt chatting with the carousel operator, Dalton King. He stood in the hallway, hands jammed in the pockets of his threadbare jeans, his dark, messy hair gleaming in the morning sunlight that spilled through the windows. The sight of him was at the same time thrilling and unsettling. How did he know where they lived?
“Good morning, Harper,” he said.
Ignoring the strange tickling sensation in her tummy, she raised an eyebrow. “Good morning.”
“Isn’t this a lovely surprise?” Clara asked, beaming.
“It certainly is a surprise.” She cleared her throat and struggled for composure. “What brings you here this morning, Dalton?”
“I don’t have to report to work until later. I thought I’d stop by and give Clara the estimate she asked for.”
The tickle in her tummy escalated to an insistent fluttering. “Estimate for what?”
“I’m hiring him to paint the gazebo,” Clara chirped. “Won’t that be grand?”
Her heart sank. Clara’s lapses in judgment were getting dangerous. Giving out their address to a perfect stranger? They didn’t even know this man. No way could she have some drifter hanging around all day while she was at work. She forced a polite smile.
“I’m sorry but we’ve already got someone in mind for the job. Aunt Clara must have forgotten.” She turned to Clara. “We were going to ask Sandy Fairbrother, remember?”
“I did ask him, dear. Sandy is not available until September. This might be my last summer to enjoy the garden, and I don’t want to put off sprucing up the gazebo, not for another day.”
Harper rubbed the base of her neck, where a tension headache threatened. “I’m sure Dalton is going to be too busy with the carnival to paint our gazebo, Aunt Clara.”
“Actually, I’m not moving on with the carnival company,” he said. “And since I don’t have any definite plans, I thought I’d come by and look at the job. I can start tomorrow.”
“So, you see, the Good Lord worked it all out beautifully,” Clara said serenely.
Harper had her doubts that it was the Lord’s doing, but she didn’t have time to discuss it just then. It would take a full two hours to prep the food truck for the lunch crowd, which typically began arriving at ten thirty. As it was, she was already late. She pulled in a calming breath. “I’ll discuss this with Clara after work tonight. We’ll get back to you.”
Ignoring Harper’s firm dismissal, Clara linked arms with Dalton and led him to the back door. “Come and have a look, dear, it’s right this way.” As the pair strolled across the yard, Harper hurried back upstairs, where Nicky was still in bed.
“Up. Now!”
“Okay, okay.”
“Get yourself dressed and get out to the back yard. And wear old clothes.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re painting the gazebo today.”
King of Hearts will be released on September 13 but you can preorder your copy here!
