Run to Her
by Lynn
Kellan
GENRE: Contemporary
Romance
BLURB:
She avoids men like
him. He needs a woman like her. One lie changes everything...
Gabriel Antonov is a
mechanic who can fix anything, even a woman’s hesitance. His talents have
earned him the well-deserved reputation as a player, but when a routine
one-night stand goes wrong, he’s haunted by what he’s done. Nothing can free
him from those depraved memories, until he meets Leigh Nelson.
Leigh avoids strong,
silent types like Gabe, who is stronger and quieter than most guys. The only
man she’s focused on is her father, who is suffering from a devastating health
crisis. She’ll do anything to help him, even at the cost of ignoring her own
well-being, but the stress is getting to her. Gabe’s strength is tough to
resist, and his silence might be hiding a crushing secret only she can
understand.
He can’t outrun his
gut-deep craving for her. Problem is, she’s running from him. When they’re
marooned in his lakeside cabin, he might finally catch her…if he can admit why
he’s falling apart without her.
Excerpt:
“I’m here to speak with the owner of
this place. A friend of mine set up the meeting.” Leigh glanced at the clock on
the wall, which read half past five. “I’m very early. We’re supposed to meet at
six.”
“Hold tight and I’ll get him. He’s
in the kitchen.” The waitress strolled across the room, opened a door, and
poked her head inside. “Your appointment is here.”
The metallic clank of a spoon
against the edge of a bowl echoed into the restaurant, followed by a deep bark
of laughter. A man walked out, carrying a heaping plate of fries that would
clog the arteries of a lesser mortal.
Leigh’s stomach growled, willing to
clog a few arteries for those fries…and that man. He was tall, built like an
Olympian, and looked like—whoa, hold the phone. He looked like Gabriel Antonov,
which couldn’t be possible. Gabe lived in Philadelphia, a few miles away from
her apartment. There was no reason he’d be this far north of the city. He owned
a busy auto repair shop that devoured most of his time. An Internet search for
‘brawny workaholics’ would put his name near the top of the results page.
When she’d seen him a few mornings
ago, he hadn’t mentioned that he might head into the mountains for the
weekend—but he never chatted about his plans.
He didn’t chat about anything.
She took advantage of her
semi-hidden position by the cash register to gobble him up with her gaze. Faded
blue jeans clung to his long legs like water, rippling with every flex of his
muscular thighs. A gray T-shirt hugged a burly torso that could have graced the
home page of a fitness website. Thick black whiskers darkened his sturdy jaw,
which made him look ferocious in a hold-on-to-your-ovaries kind of way.
His dark eyes landed on her and he
slowed to a stop. “Hey, Leigh.”
“Hi.” She gave him a puzzled grin.
“What are you doing here?”
One side of his mouth tilted up.
“Waiting for you.”
“But I’m supposed to meet the owner
of this place.”
“You just did.”
Of course. She ran into Gabe
everywhere, so why not here? He smelled like crispy fries and pine forests, two
of her new favorite things. If she could fuse those scents into a cologne,
she’d call it Spud Stud and sell the fragrance at Christmas. She’d make
millions. “I didn’t expect to see you, tonight.”
“I didn’t tell you I’d be here, for
good reason.” His deep voice bottomed out to a low murmur. “If you knew I owned
this place, you might not show up.”
His square-jawed, Slavic features
made him look like he was made of concrete and steel. Immovable. Not going
away, even though Leigh had turned him down every time he’d asked for a date.
Part of her wanted to hug him for not giving up. The other part wanted to
sprint out the door, because she knew he carried a heavy secret. She had one,
too. The weight of that burden had driven her into a psychologist’s office two
months ago, where she’d bumped into Gabe. Literally. She’d collided face-first
into his hard, broad chest. He’d taken one look at her, turned as gray as
dishwater, and left.
She’d never mentioned the encounter
and neither did he, but she wondered why she kept running into this man. Like
now. “There must be a mistake. I’m here to pick up a book. My friend told me to
come here.”
“You must be talking about Darlene,
right? I saw her a few days ago when she dropped off her car for an oil change.
She said you’re looking for a vintage copy of The Twisted Claw. I’ve got one.
You can have the book if you’re willing to make a trade.”
“Oh.” Darlene hadn’t mentioned a
trade. She hadn’t revealed that Gabe would be here, either. Typical. Darlene
loved surprises, especially if they unnerved people. Leigh clasped her hands
behind her back and frowned. Usually, she bought the vintage books for a few
bucks. She’d never bartered for one. “What do you want in exchange for the
book?”
“Dinner with you.” He plucked a menu
off the counter.
INTERVIEW
with Lynn Kellan
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Oh, you just made me cry a little bit
because I don’t eat ice cream any more. I love dairy, but it detests me.
However, when I was a young girl with strong intestines, I was addicted to mint
chocolate chip ice cream. Now I eat vanilla coconut milk ice cream, which is a decent
substitute and a good illustration of my goofy diet.
Which mythological creature are you most like?
I am like Nelly, The Loch Ness sea monster.
I’m hard to spot, because I’m often holed away in my office when I’m writing.
However, when you least expect it, I pop my head out of the house before I
submerge again. I’m sure my neighbors wonder when they’ll see me again,
especially when I’m working on a deadline.
If I encounter some writer’s block, I take
a walk. Those walks often include my dog, who is always up for socializing with
the neighbors. In many ways, my dog keeps me human and stops me from becoming
too much like the Loch Ness monster.
First book you remember making an indelible impression on
you.
Separate Beds, by LaVyrle Spencer. I read
it when I was in college and absolutely LOVED it. The heroine’s loneliness was
a palpable thing, and her character arc is extraordinary. When I read that
book, I knew I wanted to write like Ms. Spencer.
I found one of her hardcover books in an
old bookstore a few months ago. It wasn’t until I got home and cracked open the
cover that I realized LaVyrle Spencer had autographed the copy! What a neat
surprise!
How do you develop your plot and characters?
My books germinate when I see a picture of
a fascinating person. I’m a visual person, so ideas come to me when I’m looking
at photographs or watching a movie. Usually, my books start with a guy. I’m
attracted to men who aren’t pretty. I like guys who look tough. In my fantasy
world, they always have a tender heart.
The main characters in RUN TO HER were
spawned when I happened on a picture of Wladimir Klitschko (heavyweight
professional boxer) and Hayden Panettiere (pretty blonde American actress).
Wlad is a huge guy and has a rugged, Slavic face. He looks like a real tough
guy, but whenever he’s with Hayden (who is tiny and adorable), he looks content
and at ease. They are polar opposites, I was immediately intrigued by them. I
thought it would be neat to write a story about a guy who looked like Wlad and
who made his living with his hands (in this case, my hero is a mechanic). The
heroine in RUN TO HER is an adorable blonde who happens to be an accountant. At
first glance, they look like they have nothing in common…until one lie changes
everything.
Describe your writing space.
I used to have an office in the guest room
closet when my kids were little. My husband and I converted that guest room
into an office, which is where I do a lot of my work. Unfortunately, sitting
for long periods of time isn’t a healthy thing to do, so I converted my
treadmill into a desk down in the basement. I’ll spend half of my day sitting
at my desk and the other half of the day on my treadmill. I’m able to walk and
write at the same time, and have only fallen off once. (I blame the dog.)
Today, I walked five miles while I was editing. One of these days, I’d love to
see if I can run while I type…but I’ve got a feeling that endeavor will end
badly.
AUTHOR BIO:
Lynn
Kellan writes contemporary romance about strong men who have a weakness for
smart women. She believes men and women aren't that different, because everyone
wants to be with someone who will empty the dishwasher. To prepare for her
career as a romance author, she fell in love with bad boys, burly athletes,
battle-hardened Marines…and married a chemist. Lynn has won numerous writing
contests and served two terms as President of her local Romance Writers of
America chapter, but she feels a true sense of accomplishment whenever she
doesn't embarrass her teenaged kids.
For
love. For funny. For ever.
Author
Links:
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HER is on sale for $2.99
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