Time for an excerpt! Want to know what my latest release, THEN & NOW, is all about? Check it out here: “No idea…” The buzz rang out again, and I followed the sound to the back of my house. Through the floor to ceiling windows, I saw shirtless Mason on a ladder, the upper half of his body visible above the fence. In his hands was a brand new chainsaw, bright and shiny as it spun next to the branches of the Chinese maple. The red leaves shuddered when the blades touched the wood, sending sawdust and splinters falling down onto the wooden swing Brian built. “WAIT!” I threw open the door, and charged across the patio, Corinne at my heels. “DON’T YOU DARE CUT A SINGLE BRANCH OFF THAT TREE!” My words were drowned out by the throb of the motor, so I kicked the fence a few times, rattling the wood next to Mason’s midriff. “Did you hear me? Knock that off!” He looked down at me, turned off the engine and grinned. “Well, hello again, Candace.” “Don’t hello me.” My hands went to my hips. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing? That’s my tree. It’s on my side of the fence.” Mason peeked over the top of the fence at the trunk. “Well, yeah, it’s your tree. But this branch hangs over my yard. And it has anthracnose, which is why its leaves are all falling into my pool.” “Anthrac—what?” I peered up at him. “You’re a botanist, now? I thought you were a cop. Or… a junior cop, or whatever.” “Tell him you’re going to sue him,” Corinne barked behind me. “I’ve got an excellent attorney.” Mason rested the chainsaw on the top of the ladder and leaned against the branch casually. “I worked for a landscaper the summer before academy. And I’m not a junior cop. Just a regular one.” Again he smiled. He sure did that a lot. “You know, I had you pegged for a soft-spoken kind of girl, after watching you with your mother-in-law, but I see now you’ve got a spark.” Corinne came to stand beside me. “What happened with Mama Chang?” “Nothing.” I pointed my finger up at my neighbor. “You don’t know anything about me. Who do you think you are?” His grin widened. “I’m Mason. Your new neighbor.” “Smart alec.” I glanced at his ladder. “Get down from there. You’re going to fall on your chainsaw and slice yourself to pieces.” Mason chuckled. “The safety’s on.” Stepping closer to my tree, I put a protective hand on one of the branches. “Don’t you dare cut this tree. Do you understand me?” His smile faded, and he tilted his head to the side. His hairline was dotted with sweat, and it glistened on his shoulders. “I wasn’t going to cut the whole tree down. Just the branch hanging over my property. It could infect my trees. And I paid a lot of money to have the pool cleaned the other day. I don’t want the gross leaves mucking up my filters.” Corinne pulled some business cards out of her pocket and started filing through them. “Let me find that lawyer’s card for you, Can.” I held up a hand. “I don’t need it.” She looked up. “Clearly, you do.” “No.” I turned my focus back onto Mason, reminding myself—twice—not to look at his bare chest. Didn’t this guy own a shirt? He was worse than that Twilight kid. “If the tree has a disease, I’ll call an arborist. Will you give me a week to do that, please?” I paused and caught my breath. “This was my husband’s favorite tree. He… he was supposed to build a tree house in it. You know, the day he died.” amazon/dp/B00KVIAV3C
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 15:24:10 +0000
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