Heathens
to Hearts
The Celebration Series, Book 3
By Stacy Eaton
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Jason Hayes
loves working as a nurse and living in Celebration Township—or he did until
Riayn Simmers showed up in town, and a secret from his past is threatened to be
exposed. Riayn Simmers is shocked to find her college love-and the man she had
called a heathen-residing in the same town as her aunt. Now Riayn needs to
decide if she can handle sticking around to run her aunt’s bakery, My Baked
Buns.
Somehow Riayn
and Jason must find a way to coexist in the small town, but what happens when
Jason’s secret is exposed and he’s up to be auctioned off at the Valentine’s
Day Party? Will the town believe, as Riayn once did, that Jason truly is a
heathen, or will he finally win over her heart for good?
The Celebration
Series
Welcome to the
third book in the Celebration Township Series, Heathens to Hearts. This series
consists of thirteen novel and novellas that take place over the course of a
year, beginning with Christmas. During that year, twelve more stories will
unfold in the Township of Celebration, Pennsylvania, and each release will
coincide with an upcoming holiday.
I was dumbstruck
as Linda introduced Riayn around the table to Ian, Thad, Casey, and Corrine,
but when she stopped at me, I could barely look in Riayn’s direction. I was so
rattled by Riayn’s sudden appearance after, what, eight, nine years that I
stood so quickly I almost knocked over my bulky wooden chair.
“We already know
each other.” I gave Linda a brisk nod and refused to glance at Riayn as I fled
the table without another word. My heart raced in my chest as past memories
roared through my skull in a deafening wave.
No doubt Linda
was going to bust my chops for taking off the way I did, but by the time she
got around to cornering me, I could hopefully come up with an explanation. I
just hoped that Riayn didn’t open her big mouth before I had a chance to speak
with Linda.
My blood felt
like it was boiling under my skin and I practically shoved people out of my way
to get to the bar, “Dabby, give me a shot of whiskey.”
I clenched the
worn wooden edge of the bar and kept my back to the mass of people who had
shown up at Dabby’s New Year’s Party as the room began to spin.
Why the hell was
she here? I was tempted to turn and search for her in the crowd, but I waited
tensely for my shot, and when it arrived, it barely touched the bar before I
was throwing it down the hatch. “Another.”
Dabby raised an
eyebrow at me but didn’t say anything while he refilled my shot glass. I tossed
that one back just as quickly and then stared at the scuffed bar.
The burn of the
first shot was filling my gut, and the second one was working its way down my
esophagus. I didn’t normally do shots, not since college, but tonight it seemed
more than appropriate to throw back a few—numb the pain, numb the memories,
numb myself.
“You alright,
man?” I jolted to awareness to find Thad standing on my right side.
“Yeah, I’m
fine.” I held my finger up to get Dabby’s attention since he had wandered off
to help another customer.
“Please tell me
you don’t want another shot,” Dabby eyed me critically as he returned. He was a
big man who could easily be confused with a lumberjack because of his
ever-present flannel shirts and bushy beard. I guess it was good to look like a
hard ass when you owned a tavern, but if you really knew the man, you’d know he
was a teddy bear.
“No, I’ll take a
beer.”
“How many shots
did you just toss back?” Thad queried from beside me.
I turned to him,
“Two, and don’t worry, I promise I won’t drive home. I’ll sleep in my car if I
have to, but I won’t drive.”
Thad slapped a
hand on my back, “Good to know. I’d hate for one of my guys to have to arrest
you for DUI.” Thad Wagner was one of the local police officers on our small
Celebration Township police force, and a good friend to have.
“I’m not stupid,
Thad,” I retorted and winced as I considered how harsh the words sounded.
“Sorry, man. I
know you’re just looking out for me,” I said to Thad softly.
“That’s alright.
You want to talk about it?” Thad asked as he sipped from a longneck bottle,
probably the same one he’d been nursing the last hour.
“Nah, I’m good,
but thanks.” I gulped down half my beer to stop the burning in my throat.
“Alright, but
you know where I am if you want to talk.”
“Thanks.”
Thad slapped my
back again and walked away, leaving me with a storm of memories that
immediately crashed around in my skull.
Shit.
Of all places,
Riayn had to show up here. I couldn’t help myself this time as the urge to look
for her struck me again. I’d blame it on the whiskey, not my lusting need to
get another peek at her after all these years.
Welcome to
Celebration Township.
Casey Lowe is
new in town and hiding from her past. Her next-door neighbor, Thad Wagner, is a
sexy police officer, who is good with his hands, and his lips, but Casey
refuses to get involved with a married man, and Thad can't seem to understand
why she keeps pushing him away. No matter how they try to stay apart, something
keeps drawing them together. When an unexpected visitor shows up at Casey's
house the week before Christmas, her future is on the line. Will Thad figure it
out in time to save her, or will Casey become a conspirator to a murderer?
Tangled in
Tinsel is the first book in the thirteen-story novella series that takes place
in quaint Celebration Township, Pennsylvania. The rest of the series will begin
to release in the fall of 2016.
Linda Maxim is a
woman who learned early on how to work hard and succeed. Her only regret is
that the man she loved disappeared just days after she got pregnant at the
tender age of sixteen.
Fourteen years
later, Ian Dugan needs a break from life and ends up crashing his vehicle and
waking up in the hospital to find Linda watching over him.
Can Linda
forgive Ian for leaving her alone as a pregnant teen? Will Ian be able to
forgive Linda and himself when he learns of the daughter he never knew about?
Find out on New Year’s Eve if Ian can erase the tears and find something to
cheer about.
Dabby Finnegan
got roped into being auctioned off for the annual Valentine’s Party, and
nothing could have prepared him to face the vibrant and determined Paige
Brogan. From the moment she jumps into his arms to collect her prize, his life
will change.
Paige Brogan has
had a crush on Dabby for a long time, and this auction is exactly what she’s
been waiting for to finally catch his eye. When Paige wins a date with Dabby,
the only thing she wants to do is spend the day with him working at his tavern.
As Paige and
Dabby get to know one another, Dabby has a hard time understanding why this
incredible woman would be interested in him. It’s when the rainbows are
overhead, and green beer is flowing that Dabby finally realizes what he has and
vows to never lose it.
Stacy Eaton is a
USA Today Best Selling author and began her writing career in October of 2010.
Stacy took an early retirement from law enforcement after over fifteen years of
service in 2016, with her last three years in investigations and crime scene
investigation to write full time.
Stacy resides in
southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband, who works in law enforcement, and
her teen daughter who is working toward her second degree black belt in Tae
Kwon Do and on the choral and cheerleading squads at school. She also has a son
who is currently serving in the United States Navy.
Stacy is very
involved in Domestic Violence Awareness and served on the Board of Directors
for her local Domestic Violence Center for three years.
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