Heartwood
(Carved Hearts #3)
by L.G. Pace
III & Michelle Pace
Genre: Contemporary
Romance
Release Date: February
9, 2015
When we were kids, my cousins planned for their weddings like
they were coronations. Sleepovers revolved around notebooks stuffed with
clippings from bridal magazines and elaborate plans scrawled in purple ink.
Horse drawn carriages, twenty tiered cakes, groomsmen in tails, and scads of
bridesmaids, none of whom were nearly as pretty as the bride. Me? I'd just yawn
and wander off to the backyard and play fetch with their dog. I never cared
about any of that crap, at least not until I met Joe."
With her wedding rapidly approaching, Molly's days consist of
herding Joe off to tux fittings and diaper changings times two. She misses life
on the food truck, but she isn't quite ready to leave the twins. Planning for
every detail to be as perfect as her groom, she hopes her instincts are wrong
that it's all too good to be true.
Knowing Molly like he does, Joe can plainly see that his girl
needs to decompress. She's as stubborn as always, and talking her into a
honeymoon without the babies proves easier said than done. Molly's on edge
about every little thing, from the nosey next door neighbor to cars speeding
down their quiet street. While Joe revels in their otherwise blissful
existence, he worries that Molly's paranoia may be a symptom of something
bigger.
Come
back to Austin one last time for the wedding of Molly Elizabeth Hildebrandt and
Joseph Samuel Jensen. Raise a glass in celebration alongside their family and
closest friends. Wave goodbye as they ride off into the sunset toward a dark
fork in the road that could destroy their happily ever after. Will they finally
get their fairytale ending? Find out in Heartwood, the explosive
conclusion to the Carved Hearts series.
I was blocks away from the restaurant when traffic came to a
crawl. Anxiously tapping the steering wheel, I finally passed the scene of the
accident which had tied up both lanes. It seemed some tourist had slammed their
Winnebago into a Smart Car, and Austin's rubberneckers needed an eyeful. The
gridlock continued, and growing ever more frustrated, I pulled out my phone and
texted my date.
Traffic. I'm a mile away.
She didn't respond. I was about to call her, when my phone
chimed.
I glanced down at the picture message. No accompanying words,
but I didn't need any. The top of her garter belt jutted out from her skirt. It
was visibly pinned to black stockings. I licked my lips, ready to park and
sprint the remaining blocks to the restaurant. Taking a deep breath, I
soldiered on.
When I finally entered Bess Bistro, I scanned the place eagerly.
It didn't take me long to find her in the dimly lit restaurant. She sat at the
bar facing away from me sipping a martini. I watched as she placed her glass
carefully on the surface in front of her. Her upswept hair accentuated her
long, lovely neck which begged to be tasted. Seeing those stockings in the
flesh made my temperature rise, and the way her midnight blue dress hugged her
heart-shaped ass had me salivating.
Some old dude with greying temples and
a droopy porn mustache was giving her the full court press. He was turned
sideways on his stool, leaning into her personal space and talking to her
cleavage. She nodded politely in response to whatever nonsense he was spewing,
as his lustful eyes continued to violate every inch of her exposed skin.
A couple of years back, I might have
punched him right in the 'stache, but this was the new and improved me. The guy
that didn't fly into jealous rages or break irritating people into itty bitty
bits. However, when he reached out and stroked her dangling earring, 'Old Joe'
reared his ugly head. I was tempted to rip him off of his stool and toss him
out the front door by the seat of his Depends. Instead, I took a moment and
another deep breath. I had kids to think about now. Everything I did (or didn't
do) set an example for them. True, they were far too little to know what
I might do here, but their blabbermouth aunts would be more than happy to fill
them in later in life. As I stood contemplating the pros and cons of my next
action, a far more civilized strategy occurred to me. I felt a devilish grin
bloom on my face and I sauntered to the bar.
I slid onto the empty barstool next to
her. Reaching out, I picked up her drink and took a sip. "Is this martini
dirty?"
"Well if it wasn't before, it
certainly is now." Her stunning eyes took in my tailored suit, and the
corners of her mouth curled coyly as she reached out and reclaimed her drink
from me. Her full sleeve of tattoos somehow meshed perfectly with the silky
dark material she wore. She was dazzling, and I was glad I'd decided to wear
her favorite tie.
"What's a woman like you doing
sitting at a bar alone?" My greedy eyes devoured her plunging
neckline and her glossy, full lips. She giggled quietly, and the way her
fingertips trailed along the stem of her glass made me heady with anticipation.
Mustache Rides shot me a dirty look and turned reluctantly back to his scotch.
"Waiting on my fiancé." She
looked up at me from under her sultry lashes.
"He made you wait?" I asked.
She nodded, and the bartender who'd been hovering nearby approached.
"Johnnie Blue. Make it a double."
"He's a busy man." Molly
sighed dramatically, lifting her speared olives to her lips. She tugged one off
showily with her teeth, her eyes fixed on mine.
Oh...it was definitely on now.
"He's a fool," I shot back.
The bartender barely stifled a chuckle
as he poured my whiskey. It was clear he thought I was trying to pick her up,
and of course, I was. Though we owned a house and had children together, and it
was my ring on that pretty finger of hers, these facts were all
irrelevant.
Tonight Molly planned to make me
work for it.
She glanced at the bartender, and then
back at me. She was well aware we had an audience. Her amusement was thinly
veiled, but she kept a straight face and stayed in character.
"How late is he?" I
continued, my voice sounding wanton and thick.
"Very." Her decisive
response reeked of promiscuity and I could feel the bartender assessing us
curiously.
"I can keep you company while you
wait if you like." I leaned my elbows onto the bar and looked her
over casually. She turned toward me and crossed her long legs. She was
purposely drawing my attention to one of her best features, and I allowed my
eyes to drop. My gaze trailed from the black straps at her ankles all the way up
to her risqué hemline that ended far above the knee.
"Buy me another drink and maybe
I'll let you buy me dinner." With that, she downed the last swallow of her
martini. With a wicked smile, I turned back to the bartender who shook his head
in blatant admiration.
"Oh, she definitely needs another
one of those." I stated. Mustache Man muttered something and abandoned his
drink on the bar. The bartender glanced at Molly, and the gentle curl of her
lips made him blush so profusely that his bald head looked sunburnt.
L.G.Pace III has spent several decades pouring creative energy
into other things besides writing. He began his current journey by telling his
two daughters bedtime stories about a magical realm and a hero named Terel.
Though that story is still sitting unfinished in the electronic universe he has
managed to bring two other stories out of the dark maelstrom of his mind for
others to enjoy.
He dwells in the great state of Texas with his wife, novelist
Michelle Pace and their children.
Michelle Pace lives in north Texas with her husband, Les, who is
also a novelist. An Iowan native, she is the mother of two lovely daughters,
Holly and Bridgette, and one uber-charismatic son, Kai. A former singer and
actress, Michelle has always enjoyed entertaining people and is excited to
continue to do so as a writer.
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Other titles by Michelle Pace
Fury (Sound Wave Series #1)
Rage (Sound Wave Series #2)
The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life (Jefferson Point #1)
Something’s Come Up
Crazy Love
***
Good Wood
MollyWood
Heartwood
