Spotlight: Just One Kiss by Traci Hall
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Publication Date: January 11, 2021
Genres: Adult, Entangled: Bliss, Contemporary, Romance
Free-spirited Grace Sheldon is used to living on a tight budget as a freelance photographer. But nothing short of a miracle could produce the thirty thousand dollars she owes on the house she’s inherited. Without steady employment, the bank refuses to give her a loan. Working a temp job won’t give her nearly enough, but she’ll take any little bit she can get until she figures out a solution. Her first day, though, she realizes this is no ordinary office—and her handsome new boss is no ordinary man.
After Sawyer Rivera’s well-planned career in Seattle officially imploded all he’s looking for is a small beach town where he can open a dog training facility and start a simple life. Except, his new office assistant is anything but. Grace is carefree, artsy, and doesn’t know a thing about dogs. The woman has pet chickens! She’s also funny, kind, and the best part of his day.
Grace is his complete opposite—and completely refreshing. But when her month of temp work is over, she could disappear from his life for good. Sawyer realizes he has just one chance to try to change their fate.
Excerpt
Grace sensed a change in the air and tensed. According to the chart she’d pinned on her refrigerator, the hatching should’ve happened yesterday—she started a temp job tomorrow, so it had to be now.
Setting the binoculars aside, she picked up her camera and zoomed in. Mama bird’s pretty rust-colored plumage covered the eggs.
Feet smacked against the coastline behind her. In an instant, a shirtless man with short, dark brown hair ran by. Muscles sculpted his back and shoulders, his thighs tight in molded black running shorts as he strode down the beach.
Where did he come from? He could be Michelangelo’s David alive in gorgeous splendor.
Turning, her finger accidentally pressed on the shutter button even as she lowered the camera away from the birds, her attention on the man.
A bundle of fur pounced on her, knocking the camera out of her hand. “Oof!”
Grace pushed at the furry weight as a large tongue licked her cheek, but the big dog only moved to the side and continued slobbering all over her face, wagging his tail. Fine, if he wouldn’t move, she’d push herself up this time. “Get off,” she grumbled.
Leaping down the dune, the light brown golden retriever lunged at her camera in the sand as though it were a juicy steak. Her digital camera she’d saved up for all of last year.
“Stop! Touch that and you, you…” What? She preferred peace over conflict, and the idea of wrestling a furry dog-monster didn’t seem right. “Please let it go.”
She straightened and tried to find her balance on the dune then climbed down the six feet to the soft sand. The dog joyfully rolled, nipping at the camera strap. His canine eyes sparkled and his body wriggled. Grace bit back a smile as she started to offer her hand for a scratch on his golden-brown ear.
“Bert—heel.” The man’s authoritative tone brought the hair up on her arms in alarm, and she snatched her fingers back.
The dog, however, had the leather strap of her camera between its teeth and growled playfully at the semi-naked man, and then her, giving a low woof.
“Drop it, Bert.” The man crossed the sand in front of her, getting between Grace and the dog. Clean-shaven over a strong jaw and thick, sable brows, he had a slightly crooked nose that did not detract the least from his appearance.
“Is this your—”
“Hang on.” He crouched before the wiggling fur ball and stared the dog in the eye. Grace took in the man’s lean runner’s physique. How had they gotten access to her private beach?
“Drop. It,” he demanded.
Bert released the strap and lowered his ears in shame.
Grace reached for her camera on the ground, hearing the chirp of a bird from the tree she’d been watching. It was time.
“I’m training Bert.” He sent her an apologetic glance. At his name, the dog wagged his tail.
She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her coveralls, her gaze on the silver frame in the sand. It was obvious he wasn’t doing a very good job. She tried to reach for her camera again when he commanded, “Stop!”
Grace did, out of reflex, but then glared at him. “I hope you aren’t talking to me.”
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About the Author
With an impressive bibliography in an array of genres, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall has garnered a notable fan base. She pens stories guaranteed to touch the heart while transporting the reader to another time and place. Her belief in happily ever after shines through, whether it’s a romantic glimpse into history or a love affair for today.
Connect:
Website: www.tracihall.com
Newsletter: www.tracihall.com/about-traci-hall
Facebook: www.facebook.com/traciella
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tracihallauthor
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Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/authors/traci-hall
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2MK5LnB
Amazon Profile: www.amazon.com/author/tracihall
