Heathens to
Hearts,
The Celebration Series, Book 3
Stacy Eaton
USA Today
Bestselling Author
Contemporary Romance Series
Blurb:
Jason Hayes
loves working as a nurse and living in Celebration Township—or he did until
Riayn Simmers showed up in town, and a secret from his past is threatened to be
exposed.
Riayn Simmers is shocked to find her college love-and the man she had called a
heathen-residing in the same town as her aunt. Now Riayn needs to decide if she
can handle sticking around to run her aunt’s bakery, My Baked Buns.
Somehow Riayn and Jason must find a way to coexist in the small town, but what
happens when Jason’s secret is exposed and he’s up to be auctioned off at the
Valentine’s Day Party? Will the town believe, as Riayn once did, that Jason
truly is a heathen, or will he finally win over her heart for good?
(Clean (no on-scene sex) but does contain language)
The Celebration Series
Welcome to the third book in the Celebration Township Series, Heathens to
Hearts. This series consists of thirteen novel and novellas that take place
over the course of a year, beginning with Christmas. During that year, twelve
more stories will unfold in the Township of Celebration, Pennsylvania, and each
release will coincide with an upcoming holiday.
Tangled in Tinsel was the first book in the series and was released in October
of 2015. While these books constitute a series, they can also be standalone
stories.
Coming in Feb - Rainbows Bring Riches (St. Patrick's Day story)
Excerpt:
I was dumbstruck as Linda introduced Riayn around the table to
Ian, Thad, Casey, and Corrine, but when she stopped at me, I could barely look
in Riayn’s direction. I was so rattled by Riayn’s sudden appearance after,
what, eight, nine years that I stood so quickly I almost knocked over my bulky
wooden chair.
“We already know each
other.” I gave Linda a brisk nod and refused to glance at Riayn as I fled the
table without another word. My heart raced in my chest as past memories roared
through my skull in a deafening wave.
No doubt Linda was
going to bust my chops for taking off the way I did, but by the time she got
around to cornering me, I could hopefully come up with an explanation. I just
hoped that Riayn didn’t open her big mouth before I had a chance to speak with
Linda.
My blood felt like it
was boiling under my skin and I practically shoved people out of my way to get
to the bar, “Dabby, give me a shot of whiskey.”
I clenched the worn
wooden edge of the bar and kept my back to the mass of people who had shown up
at Dabby’s New Year’s Party as the room began to spin.
Why the hell was she
here? I was tempted to turn and search for her in the crowd, but I waited
tensely for my shot, and when it arrived, it barely touched the bar before I
was throwing it down the hatch. “Another.”
Dabby raised an
eyebrow at me but didn’t say anything while he refilled my shot glass. I tossed
that one back just as quickly and then stared at the scuffed bar.
The burn of the first
shot was filling my gut, and the second one was working its way down my
esophagus. I didn’t normally do shots, not since college, but tonight it seemed
more than appropriate to throw back a few—numb the pain, numb the memories,
numb myself.
“You alright, man?” I
jolted to awareness to find Thad standing on my right side.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I
held my finger up to get Dabby’s attention since he had wandered off to help
another customer.
“Please tell me you
don’t want another shot,” Dabby eyed me critically as he returned. He was a big
man who could easily be confused with a lumberjack because of his ever-present
flannel shirts and bushy beard. I guess it was good to look like a hard ass
when you owned a tavern, but if you really knew the man, you’d know he was a
teddy bear.
“No, I’ll take a
beer.”
“How many shots did
you just toss back?” Thad queried from beside me.
I turned to him, “Two,
and don’t worry, I promise I won’t drive home. I’ll sleep in my car if I have
to, but I won’t drive.”
Thad slapped a hand on
my back, “Good to know. I’d hate for one of my guys to have to arrest you for
DUI.” Thad Wagner was one of the local police officers on our small Celebration
Township police force, and a good friend to have.
“I’m not stupid,
Thad,” I retorted and winced as I considered how harsh the words sounded.
“Sorry, man. I know
you’re just looking out for me,” I said to Thad softly.
“That’s alright. You
want to talk about it?” Thad asked as he sipped from a longneck bottle,
probably the same one he’d been nursing the last hour.
“Nah, I’m good, but
thanks.” I gulped down half my beer to stop the burning in my throat.
“Alright, but you know
where I am if you want to talk.”
“Thanks.”
Thad slapped my back again and walked away,
leaving me with a storm of memories that immediately crashed around in my
skull.
Shit.
Of all places, Riayn
had to show up here. I couldn’t help myself this time as the urge to look for
her struck me again. I’d blame it on the whiskey, not my lusting need to get
another peek at her after all these years.
Stacy Eaton
Stacy Eaton is
a USA Today Best Selling author and began her writing career in October of
2010. Stacy took an early retirement from law enforcement after over fifteen
years of service in 2016, with her last three years in investigations and crime
scene investigation to write full time.
Stacy resides in southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband, who works in law
enforcement, and her teen daughter who is working toward her second degree
black belt in Tae Kwon Do and on the choral and cheerleading squads at school.
She also has a son who is currently serving in the United States Navy.
Stacy is very involved in Domestic Violence Awareness and served on the Board
of Directors for her local Domestic Violence Center for three years.
Author
links
Twitter: @StacySEaton
