Sneak Peek ...

Isn't she lovely?

Meet Mel. Those of you who've read Learn To Love Me  will recognize the surname. 

She looks happy for a woman returning home under less than ideal circumstances, doesn't she? Melissa is the main character of my current WIP, and the image you see here is the base of her story's cover. I thought I'd share a little peek into this WIP with my fans, friends and family. 

If you're interested, settle in, and enjoy this rather substantial, unedited sample of my quirky take on romance. haha!
Unedited Excerpt from Chapter 3

     I inhaled deeply as I walked along the shoulder of the gravel road, repossessing the scents of freshly turned earth, wildflowers and orchards, with the tang of manure wafting in on the occasional breeze. The wild daisies, my favourite flowers, were coming up along the ditches, and patches of buttercups had taken over entire sections of fallow field. I was sorry I'd missed the few days that the lilacs were in bloom. At their peak, the scent of them would carry across the entire county, a natural perfume I adored. The apple and cherry blossoms were a delightful substitute though. I cut through the Littlestar's orchard, as I always had, to get home.
     I should have changed into my runners! I scolded myself, as my heels sank into the dirt for the twentieth time. These pumps will be garbage before I get to the house!
     The Littlestars had a field of Canola planted next to the apple orchard this year. I could barely smell the Canola at all, which I was grateful for. It smelled like musky cabbage to me, and I was never fond of cabbage.
     Before I reached the gravel road that would take me to Daddy's house, I stopped to simply lift my face to the sun and enjoy one, last, soothing lungful of the apple blossom air. It felt so good! I closed my eyes and revelled in it for a minute.
     I nearly jumped out of every layer of my skin, when I heard a click and a whirring sound! Even though my eyes had been closed, the glare of sunlight had me seeing spots when I opened them.
     "Don't move!" The man had a voice, but no face for the moment. He took several more pictures as he talked, crouching down on the edge of the road. "God, you're beautiful! Like you've stepped out of time to visit. The dress, the hat, the suitcase, you could be a ghost from the past, or an angel! Just one or two more shots, please?"
     "You never asked if you could take the first twelve. Why ask now?"
     "Ah! The vision speaks!"  The clicking stopped and he chuckled. "You're right, though, I should have asked. I'll delete every picture if you tell me to, but please don't!"
     His face was finally coming into focus. There was something familiar about the arch of his brow and crooked smile, but I couldn't place it. His hair shone golden in the sun, and his grey eyes were dancing with mischief. He hopped over the shallow ditch, took a few steps closer, and flopped on the ground, looking up at me. Setting down my suitcase with a sigh, I sat on it to keep my dress from getting grass-stained.
     "Do I know you?"
     "I doubt it. I wouldn't forget meeting an angel."
     I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, barely.
     "Name's Travis. I grew up around here and somehow I keep getting sucked back." He nodded at my suitcase-seat. "It's a nice enough place to visit, though, if you don't get duped into staying."
     "Well, Travis, I grew up here too, and I've never been so happy to see it again. You can have the rest of the world. I'm just happy to be home."
     "Awe crap, there I go sticking my foot in it again!" He had the decency to look ashamed. "I didn't mean nothin' by it, I'm just feeling the wanderlust again. Used to be I could just take off whenever I wanted, now I have obligations." The way he said it made obligations sound like an incurable disease, but I couldn't help snickering at his boyish pout.
     So, why don't I remember you?" I asked. "We must have gone to school together at some point. I mean, there was only one public school and one high school in my day." He looked to be between twenty and thirty years old.
     "Ha ha! In your day! You sound like an old woman. What are you, just twenty?"
     "Twenty five, actually, but I'll take that as a compliment."
     "Well, Miss ... what is your name anyway?"
     "Mel. Melissa Shuler."
    He scrunched up his face and stared up into the apple tree above him, as though it would tell him more about me. Then he shook his head. "I've heard the name Shuler, but I don't remember a Mel. I was never good with names, though. Well, Miss Shuler, I'd have ditched Joseph Littlestar before you graduated from Yellowhead Public, so it stands to reason we wouldn't remember each other."
     "Mel, please. I suppose we wouldn't."
     "What brings you back to Arzinacky, Mel? Come back for the reunion?"
     Ugh! I forgot about the reunion! Daddy had passed along the invitation months ago, but I'd never responded. The last thing I wanted to do was go to a party where I wouldn't remember anyone, and everyone would be judging me. It did make another good excuse to come home for a bit, though. A much better motive that running away from another failed relationship.
     "That's one reason. Nana had a nasty fall last week, and Daddy needed some extra hands to take care of her. I'm not sure how long I'll be staying. Are you back for the reunion, too?"
      "Awe hell no! He rolled his eyes and his face scrunched up again as if he'd smelled something foul. "I dropped out, senior year, so I don't really count as one of the alumni."
     I glanced at the sun. It was getting lower in the sky. I was going to be too late for a descent dinner if I didn't hurry.
     "Well, Mr. ... Travis. I'd better get going. It was ... interesting, meeting you." I stood and picked up the suitcase again. He was on his feet and snatching it out of my hand before I could stop him.
     "Here. Least I can do is walk you home. It can't be far, or you'd be wearing better shoes for walking." When I flushed, he chuckled at me. "Besides, I want to talk to you about the pictures. I want to paint you."
     "You what?"
     "With your permission, of course! I haven't done a real canvas portrait in a while, and I think a series based on these pictures could be gallery quality stuff, if I do it right." He spread his hands out to display an imaginary marquee, 'A Hitch in Time'.
     If I could have run away, I would have. The few steps I took to cover my confusion and embarrassment weren't enough to make a proper escape. They were just enough to bring me to the edge of the ditch, where one heel sank into the damp earth and sent me tumbling forward. If he hadn't thrown an arm around my waist and pulled me back into him, I'd have landed head first in the mucky bottom.
     "Oh, no you don't! Can't have your triumphant homecoming covered in mud and algae."
     I would have laughed at the perception of running home with my tail between my legs as triumphant, if I wasn't trying to swallow my heart back down from where it was lodged in my throat. Gaining my balance, I pulled myself out of his arms as quickly as I could. It was impossible to tell if he was flirting with me, or just being friendly.
      "You smell just as pretty and old-fashioned as you look. What is that perfume?
     This time I did laugh. I cackled so loudly that a flock of starlings startled and flew away. A grey squirrel chattered at me from a maple on the roadside. I laughed until my eyes began to water, and more when I rubbed away the blurred vision with the heels of my hands, to see Travis standing with his hands on his hips. He had exactly the annoyed expression and body position Nana always got when I started one of my hysterical giggling sessions for no obvious reason. If I squinted really hard, I could picture him in a housedress and apron, which only served to make me laugh even harder.
     "Are you on drugs?" He didn't sound at all amused.
     "No?" I finally managed to squeak out. "My p—." I took a deep breath and tried to pull myself together. "My p—pft! Oh, Lordy! My perfume is-is crowded bus, rye and coke and Mr. Cl-clean!"
     He blinked twice in rapid succession and calmly asked, "Original or lemon?"
     He added his own laughter to mine, and helped me over the ditch.

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