It’s a beautiful fall day here. The sun is bright but there is a
slight chill to the air. This is my favorite season. I love the color of the
changing trees. My husband and I enjoy going for drives and looking at the
colorful scenery.
Yesterday I made sure I had my
camera with me. When there were no cars behind me I safely pulled over to the
side of the road for this picture. I was so intent on getting the perfect shot I didn’t
realize a dump truck and several cars had stopped behind me. Take it from me be careful if you take roadside pictures.
For my day job I work
in grocery stores and to me even the stores smell better at this time of year.
I enjoy walking by the spicy fragrant candles and the displays of pumpkin
cheesecake and muffins looks very tempting.
The only part of fall
I don’t care for is it’s dark when we go for our evening walk.
Excerpt from Everlasting Love the third in the Forest Ridge
Series by Rosemary Indra.
Miranda Cummings
inhaled the fresh fir scent the moment she opened the door of her Chevy
Impala—the fragrance of freedom. The cold, crisp air bit at her warm cheeks yet
she felt exhilarated. Gravel and slushy snow crunched under her shoes as she
hurried around her car. Opening the passenger door, she picked up her overnight
bag and her computer bag. Not wanting to make another trip out in the cold, she
hooked several grocery bags on each hand. With one swift hip movement, she
closed the door.
Gingerly she walked up
the three snow-covered, wooden steps to the deck. Focusing on her weekend of
solitude, she quickened her pace to the cabin on her right.
“Can I help you?” a
deep baritone voice startled Miranda, causing her to fling her arms out and
drop one of her grocery bags.
Intent on carrying her
belongings into the cabin she hadn’t seen or heard the man behind her. Turning
around, she froze. Reclined in an old-fashioned, white cast iron bathtub with
claw feet, the man appeared relaxed, content and not at all perturbed as he
bathed on a deck outside.
Steam rose from his
warm water into the cold air. Water dripped from his short brown hair and
glistened on his muscular torso. She suppressed the desire to caress the
breadth of his wide shoulders. Stubble darkened his face with a day’s growth of
beard. His rugged good looks caused her heart to flutter.
“I must have made a
wrong turn…” She couldn’t tear her gaze from his broad chest. As the water
droplets traveled down his body, her gaze followed suit. Miranda realized the
hunk of a man was not only tranquil but also very naked. His muscular arms,
which rested on the edges of the tub, could easily wrap around her. She wanted
to feel his strength, his support from those strong arms. “…somewhere,” her
voice squeaked.
He reached down and
picked up a can of beer, which sat on the deck. Tipping the can back, he took a
swig then set the beer beside the tub. “Where were you going?”
His pecks rippled when
he moved. Look at his face not his chest, Miranda scolded herself. “A friend of
mine has a cabin up here.”
She glanced at the
A-frame structure to her right nestled in a grove of fir trees where she’d
intended to spend a couple of nights off the beaten path. Flower boxes below
the two paned windows held browned plants from winter’s frost. The plumbing’s
primitive her friend had said, which would explain a bathtub on the deck. The
cabin in front of her fit her friend’s description.
“Abby Denton, I mean
Chambers. Abby Chambers said I could stay at their cabin for a few days.”
Confident she’d found the right place, Miranda met his gaze.
She shifted the
packages to her left and pulled a GPS device from her coat pocket. I was a
little confused on which road to take at the bottom of the hill.” She couldn’t
stop rambling in her attempt to hide her obvious desire for this man.
Miranda looked toward
the front of the cabin again. When she heard water splash, she stole a quick
glance in his direction wondering if he’d gotten out of the tub.
He tilted his beer
back for another drink then returned it to the deck. “You found the right
place.” His angular features appeared stern and unyielding.
“Oh good.” Her
shoulders lowered, relaxed. “How long until you leave?” Miranda’s gaze held
his. She’d planned a quiet weekend which did not include a ruggedly, attractive
man. Even with the snow falling around them she felt overly warm and knew the
man in front of her caused her flush.
“Lady, it took me half
an hour to fill this tub. If you don’t mind, I’m staying in her till the
water’s ice cold.” The man’s rich voice drew her attention to his firm chin and
broad, enticing smile which reflected in his eyes. “Then I plan to have a good
night’s sleep in there.” His toned arm lifted as he pointed toward the cabin.
The man’s brows rose
suggestively and Miranda wondered if he knew she found him appealing in a
primitive, sexual way. He winked. He knew.
