Blog-a-Book-Scene is a
monthly themed blogging endeavor from a group of authors who love to share
excerpts from their stories. Find us on Twitter with the hashtag
#blogabookscene and #PrairieRosePub.
January’s theme is Baby, It’s cold outside. The
snowy excerpt below is from my western romance short story, A Christmas Visitor included in the
anthology SWEET TEXAS CHRISTMAS.
He left her…Now he’s back…But not for
long…
Blurb:
Sterling Thoroughgood was Matilda Barton’s
first and only love, but he left her three years ago to seek his fortune in
Wyoming. And now he’s come back with a puzzle box as a gift with a secret
inside. But as far as Matilda’s concerned, it’s three years too late.
Is love lost forever or does the
mysterious puzzle box hold the key to happiness?
Excerpt:
Matilda
swept the floor for the second time that morning to give herself something to
occupy her instead of thinking about the tall, handsome Sterling Thoroughgood.
She recalled the sight of him standing tall and slender with wide shoulders in
his long black coat and the broad-rimed hat with that light dusting of snow
gathering on both his hat and coat. His dark hair and brown eyes framed his
strong, angular face and all those memories came back to her—memories of those
warm lips on hers and whispers of endearments. They were all lies, every single one. Matilda sighed a heavy
breath. And why in tarnation does he have
to be so handsome? It’s just not fair.
A
glance in the mirror from her bedroom as she walked by into the kitchen told
her that her dress was shabby and worn. Her light brown hair tied back in a
tight chignon at the base of her neck made her look severe and old. What does it matter? He’ll be gone come
morning and I’ll probably never see him again anyway.
Excerpt:
The
house was ghostly quiet as she cleaned away every remnant of her life there. As
she worked, she took her time to touch and smell, and remember her life, her
father, and Sterling. She let the fire go out in the stove. Once she swept the
old plank floor to make the house presentable to the new owner, her home of
twenty two years became a stranger’s house to her. The weight of her feelings
were almost too heavy to bear. Instead, she grew numb to them.
Two
hours later, she shut the door on her previous life, leaned her head against
the heavy wood of the portal, and said goodbye. It didn’t take her long to pack
up Hector with what little remained of her belongings and then rode into Sunray
to Mrs. Pritchard’s Boarding House.
The
attic room where she would reside was nothing like she imagined. Instead of a
quiet, cozy little nook where she could find peace and solitude, she found a
dark, cold attic with a sheet hung from a clothesline to claim a small space
with a cot and a washstand with a pitcher, a basin, and a single candle on it
to call a room. The unfinished walls had openings where the wind blew through
and the rafters offered little to cheer the place. There was no fireplace or
stove for heat. Thank goodness she had plenty of blankets and her mother’s quilt
to keep her warm in the dank, gloomy space.
February’s Blog-a-Book-Scene theme: All
You Need is Love
Diverse stories filled with heart
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