When First They Practice to Deceive
By
Carolyn LaRoche
Mystery/intrigue/
romance
Author
Bio:
Carolyn LaRoche grew up in snow country but
fled the cold and ice several years ago. She now lives near the beach with her
husband, their two boys, two finicky cats and one old dog. When she is not at
the baseball field cheering on big hits and home runs, she is busy teaching
science to unwilling teenagers.
Social
Media Links:
Twitter: @CarolynLaRoche
Blurb:
All
Jessy Wallace wants is a happy marriage, but her husband is a liar and in over
his head…
Jessy has spent the last decade happily married
to her husband, Sam. But when she finally lands a job at Dixie’s Place, a
hole-in-the-wall diner, she learns not all is well in paradise. Officer Sam
Wallace has been spending the majority of their marriage in the beds of other
women. Fed up, Jessy kicks her husband to the curb.
The
last thing she wants is another messy relationship…
Uncertain if her husband ever truly loved her,
Jessy gets caught completely off guard by the intense attraction she feels for
Trey Smith, the night cook at Dixie’s Place. But she recognizes some telltale
signs, and discovers he’s an undercover FBI agent. Jessy curses herself for
falling for another lawman. To make matters worse, her soon-to-be ex-husband
might be involved with Trey’s case.
After
the death of his wife, FBI agent Trey Smith has spent the last four years
married to his work…
But when Jessy starts waitressing at the diner
where he is working undercover, he falls head over heels for her. Her
ex-husband, however, is one of the top suspects in Trey’s case, and all Trey
wants to do is protect her. He can’t lose this once in a lifetime chance at
love.
Jessy is the soon-to-be ex-wife of a suspected criminal.
Trey Smith is an undercover FBI agent.
Can their love overcome the odds, or will it all come
crashing down under the weight of lies and deception?
Buy
Links:
Excerpt:
Dixie dumped
her packages on the counter with a grunt. “Where the hell is that cook? Trey!”
Trey’s appearance in the dining room was announced by the slam of the
back door. His cheeks were red. Jessy caught sight of a cell phone sticking out
of his shirt pocket. Trey rubbed his hands together.
“It’s mighty
frosty out there tonight. Was just taking out the trash. You need something,
Dix?”
“How many
times have I told you not to call me that? It sounds too much like dicks.” She
swatted at him but Trey sidestepped the hit.
“Aw lighten
up, Dix, no one is going to think that of you.” Jessy experienced an
annoying twinge of jealousy as Trey ran a long, lazy glance over Dixie’s body,
making the woman flush a deep crimson which just made her look sexier. Jessy
glanced down at her own, curveless frame and frowned. Life is so unfair.
“Just take this
stuff into my office so I can sort it.”
“Sure thing.
What’s in all these packages anyway?” Trey flipped open a box lid. “Christmas
decorations?”
Dixie shrugged. “Well, yeah. It’s December.”
Trey rummaged around and pulled out an ornament of a tiny ballerina.
“Shattered dreams going on the tree this year, Dixie?”
“Gimme that!” Dixie snatched the figure from Trey’s hand.
“Okay, so which one of us is the angel supposed to represent? Knowing
all of you like I do, I have to go with the only logical conclusion. Me.”
“Yeah, ‘cause you’re a real angel all right.” Arnetta gave Trey a
searing look, like the ones they write about in romance novels.
“You know nothing about my angel status.” Trey returned the angel to the
box as he winked at Jessy. “That is a mystery that remains to be discovered. Oh
wait, maybe this will help.”
“What is it?” Jessy, intrigued by the contents of the box as much as she
was interested in just how much Arnetta knew about Trey’s status,
stepped forward. Trey whipped around to face her, his hand on his head.
Only it wasn’t resting on his head. It held a little sprig of green
vegetation in his hand and a grin on his face that rivaled that of the Chesire
Cat. Mistletoe. Aw, crap.
“Oops, I’m stuck under some mistletoe. You know legend says I have to
kiss the person nearest to me.” His eyes burned into Jessy’s skin as her cheeks
heated to new proportions never before experienced.
“I don’t think that’s quite how it goes,” Arnetta said.
“Shut up! He’s about to have his meal!” Surrey whispered loudly behind
Jessy.
“I think the legend says someone is supposed to kiss you.” Jessy looked
into Trey’s eyes without blinking.
“Breaking legend is bad luck. Very, very bad luck.”
“I think you mean tradition. It’s bad luck to break tradition.”
“Legend.Tradition.Whatever. All I know is you are leaving me hanging and
potentially exposing both of us to many years of pain and suffering.”
Jessy could feel three sets of female eyes on her, but she only cared
about Trey’s. His eyes were so warm and so welcoming, and they were doing
things to her insides so she couldn’t think straight.
“Well, I guess we wouldn’t want that.” She rose up slightly on tip toe,
closing some of the height gap between them.
“No. I guess not.” He leaned forward, closing just a little more of the
distance.
“It’s never a good idea to tempt the fates.” Jessy heard three breaths
sucked in as one.
“Nope.Definitely not.”
Freezing air
wrapped around them as the sounds of laughter and chatter suddenly filled the
diner.
“Show’s
over, folks. Time to make some money.” Dixie grabbed a few bags and headed to
her office.
“Trey! Get
the rest of those boxes for me then get in the kitchen!”
Trey stepped
back and lowered the mistletoe, never breaking eye contact with Jessy. “Yes,
ma’am! I’m right behind you.”
He blew her
a little kiss then stepped over to the counter, scooped up the boxes, and was
gone before Jessy could remember to breathe.
Surrey was
the first to grab up a notepad and take a table, but not before she whispered
in Jessy’s ear, “Just like I said. Looks at you like his next meal.”
Other Books
in the Series
Undercover
in Six Inch Stilettos
In The
Shadow of the Shield
No comments:
Post a Comment