Batteries Not Required

Parable, Montana #0.5

by Linda Lael Miller

Previously published in Beach Blanket Bad Boys

Handle with Care

Experience has taught Gayle Hayes one thing: men are jerks. And after forgetting that one lesson again and again, Gayle has decided to come back to her small-town Montana roots and reset her curlers, so to speak. The last person she expects to run into is her former high school sweetheart. With his steely grip and steady gaze, rodeo bad boy Tristan McCullough isn’t quite the boy she left behind. What hasn’t changed is the spark still zinging between them—and with a little luck, a little timing, and exactly the right touch, it just might light up the rest of their lives together . . .

Genres: Romance

60 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2005

About the author

The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a spacious property outside Spokane.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.

Reviews

[Selene · Rating 2 out of 5]

A misunderstanding from ten years ago gets sorted out in this short story. The steamy scenes were okay, “mustache rides” and all, but the characters didn’t grab me.

[Julia Carti cu Colti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish it was longer. Story too short

[Julia David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick, sexy story about old love and second chances.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly short story.

[Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tristan and Gayle

Ten years ago she left town after a lovers fight. Now she was back to handle a deal for her Mom.
A very short and steamy story.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is typical big misunderstanding = ten years of separation and long lost love sort of thing. Gayle comes back to town on business and has to face the guy she left behind, Tristan. Gayle is bitter about Tristan, who seems to be ready to pick things up again, but he really wants an explanation for her having run away in the first place. I don’t really mind these kinds of stories when there’s plenty of grovel, but in this case, it was a little strange. The heroine was technically at fault for not sticking around for an explanation and then high-tailing it out of town. So, she’s more or less at fault for her own suffering and since this is a first-person narrative, we don’t get much feel for the hero’s suffering. So even though it felt like the angst was concluded, I don’t think the hero got a sufficient apology. Also, the term “moustache ride” sounds really crude and out of place in this story. I’m not a fan of the term.

[Vanessah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another steamy romance story. What can I say? It was just okay. I didn’t enjoy how all this angst was caused over such a stupid misunderstanding! I loved the romance and all, but I didn’t connect to these two as much. She ran away over such a stupid thing, didn’t even confront him about it. Ugh! That made it hard to enjoy.

[Dannielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd chance lovers that skip right past an explanation for their breakup on the way to hooking up. While an explanation is given it's too short for my satisfaction and before you blink the story is over. I get it's a short story, but it could have used like 5 more pages to satisfy readers.

[Layla]

Wanted to read this for a long time went to start it and it’s a series.... abanboned. My library has this down as a stand alone, my library is useless as normal the staff are to old no idea what books they are putting out. Don’t research no series just put stuff on the shelves,

[Sapna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too short n it just ended abruptly, and i was wondering, huh??

Gayle returns to Parable and immediately meets her ex boyfriend and after 10 years, they just carry on from where they left, that's it.

There was like, no story at all. N i remember liking this author..

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little short. Would have liked more of an ending

[~ Cariad ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

As romantic novellas go, this was a really good one!

Happy to read more by this author : )

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Novella, not overly impressed.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

yawn. might have worked as a full novel. This just didn't captivate me. I did not enjoy either character.

[Karen]

Trash

[TinaMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't buy into Tristan going after her so hard, I would have expected more time with him being upset with her. Otherwise ok read

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second read through of this one. It is short, but yummy.

[Beatrice Drury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short and cute story off two who reconnect after ten years.

[Tammy Simons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny

I liked the quirky little inside joke and the fact she had to completely spell it out for him to be able to understand it.