Synopsis
April Miller works for her best friend, Max Knight
on his livery and competition yard. Their friendship has withstood many
turbulent times, and while April is deeply in love with Max, she is also aware
of his womanising ways and has refused to succumb to his flirtatious charms.
When her ex, AJ, suddenly comes back with a business proposal, April finds
herself torn between the two men.
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Excerpt
“You up there?” she called. The thud of footsteps
grew louder as she made her way up the stairs. It wasn’t long before she was in
the doorway, hands on hips, surrounded by a halo of curls the same colour as
her temper.
The dog had followed and was panting by her leg.
April batted her away, and Max rolled his eyes at the anger and frustration
that exuded from her every pore, turning his back on her and dropping the
towel.
“What the hell, Max?” she exclaimed, but it wasn’t because
of his nudity. She’d seen him naked more times than any other woman.
He stepped into a pair of tight boxer shorts and
turned around, preparing himself for the grief he had been hoping to avoid.
“What have I done now?” he asked, walking towards the wardrobe and pulling out
a pair of dark, shredded jeans.
“What’s the point? Do you even remember her name?”
He didn’t answer. She wasn’t expecting him to; she
never did. Fastening the button on his waistband, he went to the chest of
drawers and took out a clean T-shirt.
“Well, I’ll tell you what her name was,” April said,
walking into the room. “Mellie Banks. Ring a bell?”
Max shrugged.
“It should,” she snapped. “Her father has three
horses on this yard, or did until he turned up this morning and took them off.”
He moved behind her and started to massage at the
knot of tension that had built at the base of her neck.
“Don’t try to appease me, Max,” she said, but he
could tell that her anger was waning. He continued to press into her muscles,
letting his thumbs make small circles either side of her spine. Bending his
head to the curve of her shoulder, he placed his forehead on the sleeve of her
polo T-shirt and took a deep breath, inhaling the dusty scent of straw and
shavings.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured into her back.
She shrugged out of his touch and turned to face
him. “You’re hopeless,” she sighed. The corners of her lips flickered into the
smallest of smiles.
“We could just hide in bed all day,” he said, taking
her hands and tugging her forwards. “Forget about Mellie Banks. Forget about
the yard…”
“And who’s going to pay my bills when this place
falls on its arse?”
The edge of the mattress connected with his knees
and he fell backwards, pulling her with him. “You know I’ll always take care of
you.”
She landed on top of him, inches away from his face.
He lifted a hand and tucked a stray red curl behind her ear. With a frustrated
groan, she rolled off of him and lay on her side.
“As much as I would like to be the next notch on
your bedpost, we have a business to run.” She shoved herself up.
He watched as she straightened her clothes and ran
her fingers through her hair.
“Anyway,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “I’m
not your type. I have a brain.” She flashed him a smile before bending down to
pick up the towel and tossing it in his direction.
“Ouch.” He feigned a hurt expression before getting
up to follow her. Bracken panted around his ankles.
“I’ll make you a coffee, and then if you need me
I’ll be saving your business.”
Meet the Author
Charlotte lives in Somerset with her husband, two
children, and growing menagerie of pets and can always be found with a cup of
tea in her hand. When she's not writing or running around after small people
and animals, she loves to eat curry and watch action films.
Charlotte is an active (and vocal) member of the
Yeovil Creative Writers.
Thank you!
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