Setting Traps - an Excerpt Desire Deceit and the Doctor. #MFRWHooks #smalltown #secondchance #secretbaby #Valentine #romance

This post is part of the Marketing For Romance Writers weekly blog hop where authors share snippets from their books.     

                                          

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Contains the best Valentine's surprise ever

Buy links

Amazon.com   
https://www.amazon.com/Desire-Deceit-Doctor-Heroes-Westhorpe-ebook/dp/B07F2QVMNG

Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Desire-Deceit-Doctor-Heroes-Westhorpe-ebook/dp/B07F2QVMNG/

Amazon Australia 
https://www.amazon.com.au/Desire-Deceit-Doctor-Heroes-Westhorpe-ebook/dp/B07F2QVMNG

Amazon Canada
https://www.amazon.ca/Desire-Deceit-Doctor-Heroes-Westhorpe-ebook/dp/B07F2QVMNG

Excerpt from Desire, Deceit and the Doctor

Adam patted his hips as if still in army uniform. Damn it, no holster. No pistol. No weapons of any sort. He draped his arm around Ben’s shoulder. “Mandy, phone Sean. Good job, Captain. Hopefully, it’s a coincidence, but let’s see if we can find anything to defend ourselves with in the loft.”

She picked up the cell phone from the bedside table. “Adam, I’ve got a ten-year-old boy. Do you know how many times I’ve watched Home Alone?”

Ben grinned. “Cool. Are we going to build traps?”

Enjoying his son’s enthusiasm and his woman’s quick wits, Adam raised an eyebrow. “Are we?”

Mandy nodded as she picked up the cell phone. “Sean, it’s Mandy. Sorry we ruined your trip, but we might be in trouble up at the hall. There’s a black SUV casing the joint. No, it’s not Adam’s, but it could be the one that tried to run Ben over. No, we don’t have any weapons. Right, but be quick.”

Ben hopped from foot to foot in excitement. “Mom, we could use the big chest and Adam’s old climbing gear, the way they did in the film.”

She dashed into Ben’s room and studied the trunk. “He’s right; it’s perfect.”

While Mandy and Ben uncoiled the rope, Adam pushed a solid bedside cabinet out onto the minstrel gallery of a landing. Mandy helped him lift the chest on top of it. Adam threaded the rope through both handles, estimated the length he needed, and tied it off. The other ends he fastened through the wooden banisters. Fingers crossed, he hoped their makeshift battering ram worked.

When he stared into to parquet-floored entrance hall, he realized one of the diamond chandeliers was missing. There were marks on the wood paneling where some of his favorite paintings had hung. As a child, the hand-drawn pictures of Mickie and Minnie Mouse had delighted him. They’d been a gift from Walt Disney to his wicked ancestress as thanks for her support and investment. Last night, he’d never noticed. Of course, the darkness when they’d crept through the hall had been Stygian.

The hall’s main door swung open, and Sophie barreled inside. Adam grabbed Mandy’s hand and gathered Ben into his arms. He shot into Ben’s bedroom.

Unaware of their presence, Sophie called to her accomplice. “If you don’t like my methods, you should have shoved the brat harder. Not only is slitting throats messy, but a gas explosion is much more dramatic.”

In two sentences, Sophie confirmed she and her accomplice wanted Mandy and Ben dead. Even though Adam barely knew Jared Armstrong, he felt for the guy. Jared had brought Sophie to Westhorpe Ridge, and she not only betrayed him but tried to kill Mandy and Ben.

Determined to protect his family, Adam pointed at the turret stairs. “Up. Now.”

Ben shook his head, almost dancing with glee. “I’m gonna stay and watch.”

Mandy kept her voice low. “I don’t fancy getting trapped up there if Sophie sets fire to the place.”

Eyes narrowed, Adam gave her an angry glare. He pointed at the chest balanced above the stairs. “One makeshift weapon doesn’t a movie make. Think how many other traps the kid in Home Alone set.”

Can you guess what surprise Adam is planning for Valentine's day?

After lunch, as the men cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher, Adam pulled them aside. “Twelve years ago, I messed up Mandy’s big prom night. Nothing can ever make for the things she’s been through, but I have some plans for the Valentine’s Ball. I’ll need your help, but if we work together, I’m sure we can pull it off.”

Blurb

Valentine’s Day sucks when the only man you ever loved deserted you at your high school prom. 

Twelve years ago, Mandy found herself pregnant with Adam Montgomery’s baby. She never told him about the baby. To protect her family from threats of bankruptcy, she moved away. Now she and her son are back.

Adam’s never forgiven Mandy for breaking his teenage heart, but the first night home, he seduces her. He’s willing to marry anyone but her.
As Valentine’s Day looms, someone tries to kill Mandy. Is Adam trying to get rid of her? Or can Mandy trust him to protect them? And can some Valentine’s magic rekindle their love?

A stand-alone romance and Book Three of The Heroes of Westhorpe Ridge Trilogy