On the Corner of Heartache and Hopeful--MIC by Lynda Bailey Page A

hiccupped.
“You are?”
    He kissed her
nose. “Very much so.”
    “But that’s not
what you said yesterday.”
    “That’s because
yesterday I didn’t know how it felt to have you gone from my life.” He laid his
forehead against hers with an unstable sigh. “When I couldn’t find you, I went
crazy thinking you’d changed your mind about us. It made me realize how empty
my life truly was, until I found you.”
    He guided her
back to the swing and sat her on his lap. He held both her hands against his
chest, her head tucked to his shoulder. “Come with me.”
    “Where?”
    “Back to New
York.”
    Mic lifted her
head. “You said you were staying in Tatum.”
    “I am, but I need
to close my work files and that’ll take a couple of weeks.” He intertwined his
fingers with hers. “Have you ever been to New York?”
    “No.”
    “Then come with
me. Let me show you the city. It’ll be a vacation.”
    “I just came
back from a vacation.”
    “Take another
one.”
    “I can’t afford
that.”
    “Yes, you can.
I’ll pay for everything.”
    She jerked
upright. “If I didn’t take Ester’s money, what makes you think I’ll take
yours?”
    He tightened his
arms around her. “I meant no offense.” He laid his forehead to hers. “Just say
you’ll come with me.”
    “Why is this so
important?”
    “Because I
couldn’t stand being away from you for a couple of hours. Being without you for
several weeks will kill me.”
    She laughed. “I
doubt that.”
    “Are you willing
to take the chance?” he challenged, his eyes dancing. “I might just curl up and
die.”
    “What makes you
think that?”
    “Because I love
you, remember?”
    Mic’s smile
withered and she dropped her gaze to their folded hands in her lap. How she
wanted those words to be true. Her heart twisted around itself. Could she trust
him not to hurt her? Mic knew she wasn’t a beauty. She was a car mechanic.
Would there come a time when he’d want something more? Something better?
    “You know,” he
prodded, giving her a gentle shake. “When someone says they love you, the
customary response is to say you love them, too.”
    She swallowed
the emotions jamming her throat, still unable to look at him. “I do love you,
Scott. Since high school, I’ve loved you. But…”
    His finger
tenderly compelled her to meet his eyes. “But?”
    Mic stared into
Scott’s gorgeous eyes, so sincere, and the truth of his words stopped her
heart. Something deep within her soul opened like a flower to the sun.
    She could have her happily ever after, with Scott, if she trusted him. Trusted him enough
to love her. She cradled his face with her hands and smiled through her tears.
“Like you said, no buts. I love you and I’ll go anywhere with you. Tatum, New
York, Timbuktu. Anywhere.”
    Scott grinned,
his mouth hovering near hers. “How about New York for a couple of weeks then
back home?”
    “Sounds like a
plan,” she sighed against his lips.
    Mic’s fairy tale
on Heartache and Hopeful had finally come true.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
     
    I’ve always loved stories. Especially love stories. Growing up
in the Midwest, I’d lie awaked at night, making up
stories, usually to my favorite TV shows.
     
    As I got older, the stories didn’t relent. They only got
stronger, the characters more insistent, until I had no choice but to put it
all on paper. It’s become an obsession, one I can imagine living without.
     
    When not sitting at my computer, I spend my time working as
a fitness instructor. I live in Reno with my husband of nearly thirty years and
our two pampered pooches. Please visit me at www.lyndabailey.net
     

Here’s a sneak peak at Lily Rede’s upcoming novel, SAFE FROM THE DARK; available
October, 2012.
     
    SAFE FROM THE DARK
    by
    Lily Rede
     
     
    BLURB:
     
    Nursing a broken heart and a couple of bullet wounds,
no-nonsense Evie -Asher leaves her career with the
NYPD to move into her grandmother's old house in a small New England town