Baked with Love, page 27
Before anyone could pull them apart again to wish them well or ask for a tour of the house, Gage snagged Cady’s hand and pulled her against his chest. “Are you sure about this?” he whispered, staring down into her golden brown eyes. “I know I sprung a lot onto you.”
“I love you, Gage, like I’ve never loved another soul, and never will. You are it for me. I would go with you to the moon and back if you wanted.”
“I think we can keep it right here in little ol’ Sawyer, but I’ll keep that in mind,” he whispered against her lips, and then kissed her to the cheers and laughter of his friends and family.
Their friends and family. Because they’d all come to love Cady just as much as he did. Which just went to show that the townspeople of Sawyer had very good taste indeed.
Author’s Note
Baked with Love has been one of those hard labors where in the afterglow, you forget all of the pain and fuss and sweat and tears, and simply stare in awe at the beautiful thing that you just produced.
Much like having a baby, but with a lot less stinky diapers.
After Arrested by Love (when Wyatt did a beat-down on Richard Schmidt for daring to drive drunk), and then Flames of Love (where we found out the history behind Sugar and Richard’s forced marriage), and then Lessons in Love (where we found out the pain and destruction that Richard caused in Hannah’s life, too), I had a lot of readers who were calling for justice to happen in Richard’s pathetic, worthless life. Who doesn’t want the bad guy to finally lose in the end, right?
So with all of that in mind, I hope this book lived up to y’all’s expectations. 😉
Being a small town, though, the consequences of this will continue to reverberate through the years. In other words, this won’t be the last time you’ve seen Richard Schmidt, Sr and Richard Schmidt, Jr in the Long Valley world. #FairWarning
Assholes aside, one of my absolute favorite parts about writing in one world is that I never have to say goodbye to anyone. There are the people I would like to say goodbye (and good riddance!) to, of course, but for the most part, it’s a town filled with good people just trying their best to succeed in this not-always-so-friendly world. They are as real to me as my friends and family are, and it’s one of the great blessings of my life that I get paid to share them with y’all. Life really doesn’t get any better than this.
I wanted to touch on the subject of Cady (soon-to-be Dyer) Walcott for just a moment. As human beings, we’re drawn to stories of bravery and leadership, and it’s easy as an author to write stories about women who kick ass and take names – who are fearless and tough – but what about the women who’ve gone through a lot of trauma in their lives? Who are afraid of their own shadows? Who have overwhelming phobias and fears that keep them from living a “normal” life? I wanted to write about these women also, to let people see themselves in the fears…and thus in the triumphs, too.
I know that Cady (and Hannah) are not your typical tiny-waisted, big-boobed, violet-eyed, sassy, fearless heroines. I hope that you’ll draw inspiration from them for this very reason.
In the last month or so of writing this, my family was hit hard by tragedy. My gorgeous, athletic, loving, smart niece got in a car wreck and is now a paraplegic. At age 17, she’s between her junior and senior year in high school, and the odds are quite a bit better than 50/50 that she’ll never walk again.
We realized quite a few things in the wake of this:
We’re so very blessed as a family that we haven’t been hit by major tragedies more often. We’re a big family, and thus there are lots of opportunities for one of us to get hurt, or killed, or paralyzed, and yet, we’ve escaped this…until now.
We’re so very blessed by the luck involved in the car wreck. Yes, Heidi is paralyzed from the waist down, but she was kept alive by a friend who sat in that car for two hours and held her hand and told her to keep breathing. A large rock came to rest against the cheek of my niece, not even scratching her in the process. A few more inches and my niece would’ve had irreparable brain damage, if she’d lived at all.
We’re so very blessed to have each other. Life without family is no life at all.
So all of that ^^ to say: You shouldn’t be surprised if you read a book about a woman who overcame the odds and walked again after a terrible accident. This is a storyline my heart is demanding that I write.
Speaking of future books by me, I think y’all are going to love some of the storylines that are coming up soon. First, a new sub-series, Servicemen of Long Valley, will be hitting the shelves. The first book in the sub-series, Thankful for Love, stars Gunner Nash, the younger brother to Luke Nash from Blizzard of Love. (Yes, we get to hang out with Luke and Bonnie again – it’s been a while since we got to see how they were doing, and it’ll be so much fun to peek back into their lives).
The second book, Commanded to Love, will be even more anticipated by y’all, I think, because finally – finally – Emma Dyer is going to be tested by the battle of wills (and love) that her brother just finished going through. And if you think that Gage won’t take every opportunity to tease her through every bit of it, you obviously don’t know Gage well enough. 😉
Thank you to everyone for your support of me, my career, and my fictional books. Thank you for loving Gage and Cady and Sugar and Jennifer and Abby and Wyatt just as much as I do. May we have many more years of sharing our love for them with each other yet to come.
~Erin Wright
July, 2019
The Other Half of My Life
Considering you’ve gotten this far in, I think it’s safe to say that you know that I’m a contemporary western romance author. 😉 What you may not know is that my husband and I travel full-time in our RV with our darling traveling companion, Jasmine the Writing Cat.
Requisite picture below so you know I’m not exaggerating when I call her darling, adorable, cuter than snot, and a real pain in the ass at times (although that last characteristic probably doesn’t show up in this picture):
Anywho, we’re able to do this because writing is a very mobile profession if you want it to be, and because my husband also works from home. Convenient, right?
The reason I bring this random factoid up is because my husband’s job is also book-related – specifically, he runs a newsletter where he advertises on-sale or FREE books, thus bridging the gap between readers who want to find a great book to read, and authors who very much so want that book to be theirs. 😉
This newsletter is split up into three heat levels, so you can happily subscribe to only the heat level of books that appeal to you. Of course, subscribing to the newsletter is completely FREE, and is a great way to receive free and/or on-sale books directly in your inbox.
(NOTE: Although not all authors choose to be on all storefronts, he does advertise books that are available widely, if the author has chosen to publish them widely. So if your preferred storefront is somewhere other than Amazon, you’ll probably still be able to find books every week that are available to you).
So, check it out by tapping on the banner below, sign up for the heat level(s) you want, and start receiving emails with great deals. Can’t lose, right?
Oh, and just like I would never spam you or, God forbid, sell your email address to someone else, I promise that neither will my husband. (And neither will Jasmine the Writing Cat, although there are times that I think she might be willing to pull some pretty underhanded tricks for just one more round of pettings!)
Or simply copy and paste this URL in your browser: http://news.fullheartsromance.com/
Enjoy!
The story doesn’t end…
You’ve met a few people and have fallen in love…
You’re probably wondering when and where you can meet everyone else. Here’s the list of books, current and to-be-released, in the Long Valley world:
* * *
Accounting for Love – The bank’s threatening to foreclose on Stetson’s farm…and the auditor on the case is damn hot. Jennifer doesn’t mind a tough job, but handsome Stetson is trouble. And then came the night she had to spend on the farm. Can she find a way for him to save his farm? And if she can’t, will he ever forgive her?
Blizzard of Love – Luke never expects to end up spending Christmas at the Miller farm. Everyone knows he hates Christmas. But Bonnie adores Christmas, so when her best friend invites her to the Miller farm, she jumps at the chance. When a blizzard hits, sparks fly. Can the magic of mistletoe tear down the barriers between them?
Arrested by Love – When Wyatt Miller ended up in the Long Valley County Jail over Christmas, he never expected to receive the greatest gift of all: Love and forgiveness…from his jailer.
Returning for Love – If Declan could turn back time, the rugged cowboy would do things differently. For one, he would’ve never let go of Iris Blue McLain. Fifteen long and lonely years, and the ache in his heart is as painful as ever. When he sees her again, he can’t deny his feelings any longer, and vows to win the only woman he’s ever loved.
Christmas of Love – This December, Ivy wishes she could just skip all the festivities. Parties? No thanks. Getting together with family? Not even. Mistletoe? Let’s not go there. But everything changes when she meets a rugged cowboy with a slow, sexy smile. Austin’s kiss melts her heart, but can two people with painful secrets have a chance at happily ever after?
Overdue for Love – When Dawson left Arizona nine years ago, he never expected to see Chloe again. Until he runs into her at a diner in Sawyer, Idaho, and finds that she has a memento of their last meeting in tow…
Bundle of Love – Dr. Adam Whitaker, vet extraordinaire, has spent the last nine years helplessly in love with Chloe, and deserves his own happily ever after. Except, what if the love of his life comes with one condition…a baby?
Lessons in Love – Elijah hasn’t exactly made stellar choices in life, but the one thing he’s never regretted? His daughter, even if his ex-wife is doing all she can to keep them apart. In the midst of their custody battle, something unexpected happens: He begins to fall in love. Everyone knows your daughter’s elementary school teacher is off-limits, but someone forgot to tell Elijah’s heart…
Baked with Love – When Gage took over his grandparent’s bakery three years ago, love was the last thing on his mind. Despite the best efforts of his wanna-be-matchmaker sister, Emma, he was content to keep his nose to the grindstone, work his ass off, and make the bakery the success he knew it could be.
That all changed the day the neighbor from hell bought the shop next to his and began remodeling, destroying Gage’s well-ordered life in the process. It really was too bad she was so damn gorgeous...
Bloom of Love – Carla has always been a romantic; after all, she couldn’t run the flower shop in town, Happy Petals, if she didn’t believe in true love, right? But she also happens to be single, and she’d just about given up on love for herself when Christian comes into her life. For one brief, shining moment, she thinks she might be able to have her own happily ever after. But nothing worth having comes easily… [COMING SEPTEMBER 2019]
Banking on Love – Tripp has a real talent for everything he touches: His job at the local credit union, the weights down at the gym, and the panties of women everywhere.
He’s quite happy to continue honing these skills…right up until he meets his match: Amelia. She’s the classroom aide for a 5th grade teacher; she hates treadmills on principle; and she hasn’t had a guy catch a glimpse of her panties in years.
On paper, there’s absolutely nothing about the two of them that should work.
It’s a damn good thing Tripp’s never paid attention to “shoulds”… [COMING MARCH 2020]
Stampede of Love – Rex the Bull Rider only wants one thing in life: To beat Bodacious, the most feared bull in the PBR. But when he meets Kimber, he has to make choice: Eight seconds…or a love of a lifetime.
Bonus: Stampede of Love is available only to my mailing list. Sign up to receive it today: http://news.erinwright.net
* * *
~ Firefighters of Long Valley ~
Flames of Love – Jaxson’s not interested in love, or the perils that come with it. His priority is caring for his two small boys, and being fire chief of Sawyer. Everything changes the day he catches sight of Sugar, the pretty girl with the fragile smile. He wants her all to himself, and preferably in his bed – a no-strings arrangement that won’t break what’s left of his heart. But love’s as unpredictable as fire…
Inferno of Love – Georgia has spent a lot of years – roughly 26 of them – pretending Moose wasn’t the finest man in town. For the record, she barely notices how his slow, sultry smile makes her knees weak, and always ignores the close fit of his faded jeans. But when she gets trapped in the flames of a wildfire out in the hills of Long Valley, Moose appears amidst the smoke, ready to walk through fire. For her…
Fire and Love – Levi has wanted Tenny for forever. Too bad the town’s beauty queen is waaay out of his league.
While she grew up with money, he grew up dirt poor. While she’s a daddy’s girl, his father’s a mean drunk with a vicious back-hand.
Levi should just forget about the high-class blonde, but she has a secret that changes everything. When the ghosts of the past return, he must choose between love…or betrayal.
Burned by Love – Nephew of the former fire chief of Sawyer, Troy was happy when no one looked his way to take over after his uncle retired. Troy appreciates his solitude, and just being a part of the background makes it easy to guard his secrets.
But secrets have a way of forcing themselves to the surface, no matter how hard one tries to hide them…
* * *
~ Music of Long Valley ~
Strummin’ Up Love – Zane was on top of the world…until a car wreck took his wife’s life and left his son badly crippled. Late one night, he makes the rash decision that if he’s going to hide out somewhere and lick his wounds, it might as well be in Idaho. But when Nurse Louise comes strolling into his life, there to help his son recuperate, Zane quickly realizes his son isn’t the only one who needs her healing touch… [TBA]
Melody of Love – Georgette Nash’s father hadn’t exactly been an involved parent. In fact, just when the three Nash children needed him most – the night their mother walked out and never came back – was the night he disappeared into himself and never reemerged. So when Georgette met the father of one of her students and realized what a dedicated and devoted father actually looked like, it was hard for her to keep her distance. Who wouldn’t love a handsome and caring man?
But sometimes, life isn’t as simple as it seems, and secrets lurk just beneath the surface, ready to snatch any hint of happiness away… [TBA]
* * *
~ Servicemen of Long Valley ~
Thankful for Love – Gunner Nash left town the day after high school graduation, and hasn’t looked back since. He and his twin sister, Georgette, were happy living anywhere but Sawyer. But he’s finished his stint in the Navy, and is now drifting, looking for a purpose in life, or at least a roof over his head. His older brother, Luke, offers him a place to stay until he can get back on his feet.
He never expects to find love in the process… [COMING NOVEMBER 2019]
Commanded to Love – Nicholas had grown up knowing that he wanted nothing more than to join the Marine Corps. It was his calling, his passion, and his duty. But after only one tour in the Marines, he came back to Sawyer, drifting and dispirited. It wasn’t until he ran into his high school sweetheart that he realized maybe his life had a purpose after all; it just wasn’t the one he’d dreamed of all those years ago… [COMING FEBRUARY 2020]
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A FREE Story For You…
Enjoyed Baked with Love? Not ready to quit reading yet? If you sign up for my newsletter at http://news.erinwright.net, you will receive Stampede of Love, the love story of Rex and Kimber, right away as my thank-you gift for choosing to hang out with me.
Stampede of Love
Eight seconds…
That’s all Rex Kingsley wants. Eight seconds on the back of Bodacious, the most feared bull in the PBR. Two years ago, the massive bull threw him and stomped him into the sands of the Tulsa Rodeo in front of ten thousand spectators. Rex survived. Barely. Now his single goal is to conquer the bull touted as “unbeatable.” No bull rider has lasted eight seconds on Bodacious’ back for over five years. Rex aims to break that streak, and his lofty ambition leaves no room in his life for a woman.
