EXCERPT CHAPTER 9 - THE HEART OF ALASKA

WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING

The subject matter at the end of this excerpt is something that may offend some so just please beware as you are reading. Thank you

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Fran asked after their friends left.

"About your health problems," he sighed. "Have you ever thought that maybe…"

"I think I could be pregnant," she burst out.

"Yeah, that's what Charli suggested," he said, walking over to sit next to her on the couch. "There was that one night."

"Yeah," Fran whispered, her voice shaky.

"You're not saying anything, Buttercup. What are you feeling, what are you thinking?"

"I'm scared," she said, finally turning to look at him. "I'm happy, excited, and I’m still worried that it just might be cancer."

"I guess we’re feeling the same way," he said, taking her into his arms.

Fran cried as he stroked her hair. "It’ll be okay, baby. We can handle anything this bitch called life throws at us. And if you are pregnant, that gives me two reasons come home."

Fran cried in his arms until no more tears would come. "I love you, Jack," she murmured. "You are my strength."

"Oh no, you are the strong one, Buttercup. I just follow your lead. Promise me you'll always know that I love you."

"I promise," she whispered, caressing his cheek. "Make love to me, Jack, please?"

"I don't think that's a good idea baby, we don't know what's going on with you. Maybe we should wait until you talk to the doctor."

Francesca sighed. "You’re probably right. I'll be right back. I need to freshen up."

Jackson busied himself moving the beds together and was sitting with his back against the headboard when Fran came out of the bathroom.

"Hey Marine," she commanded walking over to the bed.

"Yes ma'am," he said looking up at her.

"You have orders to invade the rear territory,” she exclaimed as she waved a bottle of baby oil in the air.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" he enthused with a big smile as he pulled her down onto the bed.

EXCERPT CHAPTER 8 - THE HEART OF ALASKA

As they began dancing, Charli looked into Ethan's eyes. "So, what you said back there Mr. Mannon, was that a proposal?" He seemed to actually be following through with his promise.

"Well, I'm not quite sure. I wanted to see if it fit, and I think it just might. What do you think?"

"It has definite possibilities," she said with a warm smile. “But I need to know you really mean it and that you truly do love me.”

"I'll keep that in mind, my Princess," he whispered and gently kissed her cheek.

Charlie sighed and relaxed into his arms, her head resting on his chest. "I hear your heart beating," she whispered.

"If you hear it skip a beat, don't worry. It's just because I'm holding you."

Charli smiled and pulled him into a kiss as his hand wandered down to rub the spot just below the small of her back. A shudder wracked her body and a warmth spread through her.

"You like it when I touch you there," he whispered in her ear.  “I can tell.”

"You could say that," she murmured as she pressed back against his hand. The pulsing between her legs drove her mad.

 "Jesus, you make me crazy," he moaned. "You remember when I said I think I love you?"

"Yeah?" she whispered.

"I love you. No questions about it."

Charli reached up, her hand caressing his cheek. "I love you too."

Ethan's heart pounded in his chest. "Did you just say you love me?"

"I did, now shut up and kiss me."

**********

Charli was pondering what Fran had just told her and didn't notice the door opening. Jackson was dumbstruck at the sight before him. There was his fiancé’s roommate in nothing but sexy underwear.  After bending and picking up her dress, she turned to see Jackson backing out of the room, trying but not quite succeeding in averting his eyes.

"Fran, we have a visitor," she called out. "I think he might need some attention."

"Is Jack here?" she asked as she emerged from the bathroom. "Oh my goodness, did he see you looking like that?"

"Um yeah, and bent over too," Charli giggled as she quickly slipped her dress on. "I guess my get up works, poor boy couldn't even speak."

There was a knock at the door and Jack called out to ask if everyone was decent.

"Come on in, Jack," Charli responded. "I'm all covered now."

"Hi ladies, how is everyone? About ready to go?" he asked avoiding eye contact with Charlotte.

"Do we look ready?" Fran replied with a glare. “I still haven't showered, it’s kind of hard when we keep getting interrupted."

"Sort of like Jack right now," Charli said matter-of-factly. "He looks like he hasn't showered either. I'm going across the hall." She grabbed her makeup bag and walked out, making it a point to slap his butt as she walked by.

"Come on Marine, let’s shower together. I'm horny now too. Sweet Charlotte is delectable.”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed breathlessly. “That cowboy doesn’t stand a chance.”

EXCERPT CHAPTER 7 - THE HEART OF ALASKA

Jackson and Ethan dropped their girlfriends off near the shops they wanted to go to and everyone agreed to meet at a nearby restaurant two hours later.

"Hey Corporal," Fran said as she leaned in the driver side window. "I know your plan and I'll support you. But we'll have to move the wedding up."

"God I love you!" Jackson said grabbing her for a sweet slow kiss. "We'll get married before I go. I promise."

Fran had tears in her eyes as the car drove away and Charli pulled her close for a quick hug. "What's going on?"

"He's volunteering to go to Vietnam today," Francesca whispered through the tears that started to fall. "It's what he wants, so I won't even try to stop him.  But that doesn't mean I won't be terrified the whole time."

"I'm sorry," Charli sympathized. "You'll come visit while he's gone, to keep yourself busy. You can stay for as long as you want."

"I think that would be fun," Francesca said, wiping the tears away. "Now let's go. We've got to buy some pretty things for you."

"Pretty things?" Charli asked hesitantly. "What do you mean by pretty things?" Did she mean dresses and makeup, or something more personal? The next couple of hours could prove to be interesting.

"Lingerie, underwear, nighties, whatever you want to call them. Things that will make Ethan's jaw drop when he sees you in them. Things that will make him want to get you out of it quicker."

Charli laughed. "I'm not so sure I need to worry about that at this point."

"That may very well be, but it's all part of the game. They like it when you showcase the goods behind lace and ruffles. Take my word for it."

"Okay, I guess," Charli sighed even though she was actually getting excited about what her friend had planned. "I'm going to go home broke, aren't I?"

"I won't let you spend too much," Fran assured, dragging her along. They walked into a little shop with an entrance around the side of a mainstream store. It was wall-to-wall underwear, bras, garters, and negligee. "Wow!" Charli exclaimed. "This is amazing."

"I know! Come on, let's start over there with the sleepwear," she suggested, punctuating the words with air quotes.

Right off the bat, Charli found three babydoll nighties, just like the ones she’d always dreamed of wearing for Ethan, before they switched gears and headed to the lingerie section. "This stuff is kind of sparse," she said pulling a set off the rack. "This says it's my size but I don't see how it would even fit. I'm not stick thin."

Fran giggled. "It's not supposed to cover you up silly. It's supposed to highlight all of that glorious soft flesh you have – that Ethan can't wait to get his hands and mouth on, I might add."

EXCERPT CHAPTER 6 - THE HEART OF ALASKA

A short while later they were sitting on the loveseat, wrapped in each other’s arms. They found themselves talking about anything and everything. Just like they used to do during their late night phone calls.

“After I told you we should back off, I would sit in the den waiting for the phone to ring,” Ethan told her. “And when it didn’t I would pick it up and dial your number before hanging up and going to bed."

“I cried myself to sleep many nights, wishing my phone would ring just once,” she whispered.

“I’m so sorry, Princess. How much longer until your nineteenth birthday? Ten months right?”

“Yeah," she sighed, snuggling into his arms. “Why?”

“In many of those conversations we used to have, I promised you that I would ask you to marry me when we were eighteen. That means I only have ten months left to make good on it."

Jackson doesn't appear in this excerpt, but I want you to get to know him. 

There was no response from Charli so Ethan looked down at her. She was asleep, breathing peacefully against his chest. It was blowing his mind how he went from not wanting a relationship to thinking of asking her to marry him in a day's time. He had promised her and now there was no way he could imagine not following through. The day she muttered ‘goodbye Ethan, I love you,' as she hung up the phone was the day he knew she would always be a part of him – no matter how much he told himself differently. Fate. The word everyone was tossing at him had stuck. Charlotte Goldstein was his fate.

EXCERPT CHAPTER 5 - THE HEART OF ALASKA

Ethan walked into the employee dining room with just enough time to fill a plate and sit down before orientation was to begin. There were only two open seats so he headed for the one farthest away from Charli. Before he made it even halfway, Jackson was there grabbing his tray. He was forced to follow and sit in the chair across from the woman who'd haunted his dreams all night.

"Look who I caught trying to escape," Jackson teased. "I guess he doesn't realize that there is no escape."

"He'll learn," Francesca said, winking at him. "Maybe we should give our little group here a nickname, to kind of cement us together."

"Good morning, Ethan," Charli said shyly, cutting Fran off.

"Good morning, Princess," he said with a warm smile. So much for being distant. But there was just something about her that made him want to be nice.

"If I can get the four musketeers over there to pipe down, I have an announcement to make," Dan Butler hollered from the front of the room.

Jackson, Fran, Ethan, and Charli looked at each other then turned their attention to the bus driver. "There's our nickname," Fran whispered triumphantly.

"Okay everyone, enjoy your breakfast in peace a bit longer. Our fearless Human Resources Manager had a health crisis yesterday, so we’re waiting for his replacement to get here from the airport. Your new boss will be the hotel owner’s son, so make sure you treat him with respect. We'll probably get things going here in about a half-hour. As you were!”

Jackson grimaced and rubbed his hand across his forehead. "I hope old man Peterson's son is less strict than Beatty was. Maybe I can actually kiss my fiancé outside without worrying about getting fired."

"No sex! Even if you're married!" Fran said gruffly, imitating their old boss, Bart Beatty.

Ethan had the momentary thought that he hoped the new guy was stricter than the old one. Steering clear of Charli would be easy then.

A short twenty-five minutes later, Ethan's hopes were dashed when Dirk Peterson blew into the room. He couldn't have been more than twenty-three years old, dressed in bell bottom jeans, tie-dye shirt, and a fringed vest. The colored lenses of his sunglasses obscured his expression, and a beaded headband kept his long hair in check.

"Groovy man!" He called out to the room. "Let's get this party started."

Ethan let out a long, agonized breath and dropped his head into his hands. The employee quarters were going to turn into a commune with this guy in charge. He would probably be running around naked with his steady chick, missing brain cells from weed consumption, by the end of the summer. He would never become a doctor.

"I'll make this short and sweet because truthfully chicks and dudes, I'd rather be anywhere but here right now," Dirk called out. "The rules under my watch are simple – don't bother the customers, do your work, and have a groovy summer. Oh, and my old man insists it's lights out at ten for employees. He wants you rested and ready for work or some shit… Peace!" He walked quickly from the room and everybody stood to leave.

"Hold up now," Dan Butler called out. "We've paired newbies with vets to make training easier. There's a table set up out front where you can be assigned your work areas. First guests arrive tomorrow, so make sure this place is ready. Dismissed!"

EXCERPT CHAPTER 4 - THE HEART OF ALASKA!!!

"Wow, this is great!" Francesca enthused. "Last year we had a build-your-own sandwich bar. This buffet must be more like what you're used to, Charli."

"Yeah, this is amazing for a small hotel,” she agreed.

The girls quickly filled their plates and headed to an open table. They sat and watched Jackson and Ethan as they took their turns at the buffet line.

"Woo hoo," Francesca whistled. "Look at those two. We are a couple of lucky ladies."

"You're the lucky one," Charli mused. "One of them isn't interested." She still couldn't believe he'd warned her away from a relationship. He was so damn presumptuous! A voice in the back of her head screamed ‘the truth hurts, doesn’t it Princess’.

"He's interested," Francesca stated. "He just doesn't know it yet. You two are obviously meant for each other."

Charli chuckled. "You sound like the old lady on the plane. She thought we were a couple."

"I can see why," Francesca smirked. “When you two are in the same room, everyone can see the sparks fly!”

"Hey sexy," Jackson said dropping a kiss on Fran's cheek before sitting down next to her. He turned to Charli, "I'm Jackson, I understand you're Princess."

Charlotte sighed in dismay. "I'm only ‘Princess’ to annoying boys, others call me Charli."

Jackson grinned. "Nice to finally meet you, Charli. I’ve heard a lot about you."

"Shouldn't you call her Princess too, Jack?" Fran smiled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, offended.

"You know exactly what that means, you annoying little boy."

"Funny! I'm marrying a damn comedienne," he mumbled. "Hey, where's Cowboy going?"

"I don't know," Fran said loudly. "He needs to get his fine cowboy ass over here."

"Fran!" Charli squealed, ducking her head. Oh God! If he heard that, she was going to die, right there on the spot.

"Just saying what you're thinking, sweetie."

Jackson stood and looked in his roommate’s direction. "Hey Cowboy, get your fine ass over here."

Ethan turned, his face frozen in total shock. "What…"

"Just repeating what the ladies said," he smirked while pointing at his table mates.

Charli groaned, dropping her head onto her arms. "Goodbye world," she mumbled.

Noticing his former crush's reaction, Ethan was now intrigued enough to walk over to them. “What the hell?”

"Have a seat.  You're with us now, Cowboy," Fran invited. "Welcome to the club."

"Hmm…okay thanks…" he said sitting down next to Charlotte in the only empty seat. "How have you been, Francesca?"

"I'm great, Cowboy. Your sister never told me you grew up so fine."

Ethan blushed and turned away. "Uh, thanks?" he mumbled.

THE HEART OF ALASKA TEASERS! PT 1

 Here are some great teasers from The Heart of Alaska. If they appear small, click on them to read.  Enjoy!!! Remember, this novel is coming this summer from JJ & TA Ellis!!!

EXCERPT CHAPTER 3 - THE HEART OF ALASKA

Here are two short excerpts from Chapter 3 of 

The Heart of Alaska

ENJOY!

Charlotte took her bag from Ethan in the doorway of the plane and walked to her row. She put the carry-on in the overhead bin then dropped into her seat. It would be great to have nothing to do but relax. Her eyes closed and she knew that if she didn't force them open soon, she would sleep all the way to Anchorage.

“Howdy neighbor, looks like you’re stuck with me for the next five hours,” she heard coming from across the aisle.

She looked over into the devastating green eyes of the boy she’d loved and hated over the last ten years. This could get interesting. The more they talked, the more she wanted to know everything he had experienced over the last two years. “I think I can manage, if you tell me why you called me Princess.”

"I don't know," he shrugged. “I guess you just have the air of a princess now, and your dad is the king of casinos,” he said warily and gave an exaggerated sigh. "You're just not my little Rich Girl anymore.”

Charli rolled her eyes and grinned. “My dad only runs three casinos you know. And what do you mean I have the air of a Princess?” She still wasn't sure if she should be flattered or insulted by the title.

Ethan could tell she probably wasn't too happy with him. She hadn't much liked the 'Rich Girl' nickname he'd given her either. “Well, you’re beautiful, confident, and rich, what else is there to say?”

Charlotte blushed and smiled as an elderly lady interrupted their banter by moving into the window seat next to Ethan.

**********

“You have some food on your cheek,” she said softly, reaching up to wipe it away with her napkin. Her fingers lingered and she finally had to force herself to move them away.

“Thanks,” he whispered shakily. So much for her not being able to touch him while they ate. Damn, his cheek burned more now than it had when his mother slapped him. But this burn felt so much better, this burn felt good. He looked at his watch and nearly cursed aloud because they still had nearly three hours left to sit together. He was never going to survive! This girl that he'd met ten years ago, wrote to for eight of those years, and eventually cast aside, was affecting him more than anyone ever had. And he knew she was teasing him on purpose. Two, however, could play that game.

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Blurb:

Nate's job as an accountant is to get the Ranch's accounts in order and bring in new business, so he hires his neighbor, Cyndi Dillon, as his assistant. She’s efficient and capable and oh so desirable, but Nate doesn’t believe in mixing business with pleasure.

Her job is everything she'd dreamed of and more, but she's harboring a secret that could jeopardize their working relationship. The one thing Cyndi hadn’t counted on was falling for the shy accountant. He’s drop-dead gorgeous and looks great in Levis, but wasn’t it just her luck to fall for a pretend cowboy when she'd grown up around the real thing?

Someone doesn't want the boys to inherit their father’s ranch and will do anything to get what they want. When problems on the spread escalate, will personal safety get in the way of their future or does love really conquer all?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR and COVER ILLUSTRATOR

Lorraine Nelson and Sharon Wilson-Dupuis are sisters who live in New Brunswick, on the east coast of Canada. They always said that one day they’d produce books together and now they have.

Lorraine lives in the country and enjoys spending time with her three sons and six grandchildren. When not at the computer writing her next novel, you can find her spending time with family, gardening, baking and, of course, reading.

Sharon lives and works full-time in the city. She enjoys being close to her four grown children and her granddaughter. When not working, you can find her at the drawing board or spending time with family.

Both women love to hear from readers and fans.

You can keep up with Lorraine’s releases by visiting her Website at: http://lorrainenelson.weeebly.com

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Jude was born and raised in a small village named Lacolle. She now lives in Montreal, Canada. She is the proud mother of a beautiful five years old son, and has spent the last twelve years with her partner.

French is her native language, but she prefers to write in her second language, English.

Besides working full time in a law firm and being a mother, Jude has a passion for books, both reading and writing them.

She is currently working on a novel called Ophelia. Coming soon!

Phoenix Silverstone more commonly known as Nix, is a twenty-one year old that has finally discovered her freedom. After living under the strict rules and protection of her mother, Nix moved out with her two best friends in a quaint little Seattle apartment. For the first time Nix is finally able to spread her wings and breathe. Together, they get a job working at a bar and for the first time everything is perfect.

Freedom, friendships, a great job and fantastic man on the verge of becoming hers. Tristan is the suave, intelligent, not to mention gorgeous law student that Nix has her eyes and heart set on. For the first time, she has her life together; that is, until her path crosses with Levi. The charming, tattooed and downright sexy bad boy that Nix knows she needs to avoid.

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Will Nix have the strength to listen to her heart? Or will her mother’s rules cost her everything?

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The entire mass of guys sitting around my station flocked to Val’s, giving me some time to clean up. I looked up to find only one guy left, and he was watching me intently. It was the same guy Ty had greeted so enthusiastically earlier.

''Can I get you anything?'' I asked, taking empty glasses off the counter.

''A smile. Give me one and I guarantee you’ll get the biggest tip tonight.'' The slow seductive tone rolling from his shapely lips told me he wasn’t just fooling around. His green eyes stared at me like I was dessert. This guy was hot and he knew it. He was looking me up and down, biting on his lips. He was clearly not afraid to show me how much he liked what he saw. Me. His confidence and determination were fierce. The way his tousled light brown hair went every which way, hanging down across his forehead, told me right away he didn’t care about his looks. He didn’t have to.

He wanted a smile? I shook my head. ''You don’t want a drink? Just water, maybe?''

''No, just a smile. You're the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and it's just a smile I want.'' He brushed his hand through his hair, making it even more tousled.

I knew I was blushing and bit my lip in embarrassment. His eyes refused to stray from mine, pinning me in place. I smiled, but not because he’d asked. No, this smile was solely because this random man had pulled it out of me himself. I saw the humour in his eyes as he slid fifty bucks out of his pocket and onto the counter. ''Thank you, Princess. You just made my night.''

He got up and walked away. I could see the hint of tattoos peeking out around his neckline and beneath his rolled up sleeves. His black Converse were worn out, giving him a laid back look and his perfectly fitted washed-out jeans fell low on his hips, accentuating what looked to be the most perfect ass I’d ever seen. The black, long sleeve Henley he wore was tight in all the right places. There was something about his mysterious and inscrutable demeanor which made me wonder about him. He’d wanted to get my attention and, well – he’d gotten it.

Who the hell was he? I knew he was the guy Tyler had been excited to see, but I’d never seen him around the club before. I knew I’d have remembered that tantalizingly gorgeous mystery man.

He didn't give me his name and I didn't give him mine. Not that he had to ask - I wore a name tag with my name engraved on it. It was the strangest thing which had ever happened to me. My eyes continued to focus on him until he opened the door of the club and left. I found myself still watching the door, even after it was closed, as though I wanted to chase after him – which was insane. I shook my head, willing myself to move on.

I began wiping down the counters, pausing to watch Val entertain her groupies at the station next to mine. As I turned to grab more lemons, my eyes were drawn again to the door. Tristan sauntered in with a few of his friends hanging around him, laughing at something one of them had said. Tristan had admitted to never visiting Black Shakers before and even after our dinner date tonight, I still hadn’t expected to see him turn up so soon. I couldn’t seem to figure out if I was excited by his surprise visit, or nervous about it. It felt like he was parading a bunch of his buddies around my bedroom, looking through my dirty laundry. This was my home away from home and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to let him in—yet. Not to mention I was still shaken up by the strange interaction with Mr. Mysterious.

Shouts from Val’s station caught my attention again. Val was lying on the counter and Bekka was squeezing some lime juice onto Val’s stomach. I wasn’t sure who was supposed to get the next shot, but right now, I needed it to be me. I made my way around the bar with determination as I kept the drink in my sights. Tipping my head back, I drained the liquor from the glass, and licked the lime juice and salt from Val’s belly. All eyes were on me now, as if I was some sort of prize. It was just a shot for heaven’s sake. The customers were used to this performance, most of the girls behind the bar were doing body shots throughout the night. The first time I visited Black Shakers to hang out, the waitresses did at least two shots each. As far as I was concerned, it really was no big deal.

I walked back to my section and was immediately surrounded by applauding and drunken guys, asking for my phone number. I laughed it off as I always did - none of them would get it. It was just one aspect of working in a club, dealing with the slobbering, horny drunks. At least I could handle their testosterone-fuelled innuendo now, and if anyone ever got out of hand, there were always bodyguards standing by to watch our backs.

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