Autumn is my favorite season of the year for several reasons:

The colors. All the reds and golds and oranges of the leaves turning colors are simply breathtaking. I live in North Texas, where only a few variety of trees actually change color in autumn. I’m surrounded by mountain cedars and live oaks, which stay green all year long. But those trees that do turn color are spectacular.

The cooler weather. Our summers are hot and humid. Most of us breathe a sigh of relief when the weather starts to turn cooler. Finally, we can walk outside without feeling as if we’re hit in the face with a wet washcloth!

Football. And no, those tight pants the players wear have nothing to do with why I love the sport. Okay, maybe a little.

Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas. (I know Christmas is technically a winter holiday, but don’t burst my bubble.) Those holidays mean fun for the kids, togetherness for family, lots of good food, and laughter. Who doesn’t love watching a child open a present on Christmas morning?

Autumn also means more time inside for reading. I love to curl up in my recliner with a cup of hot tea and an afghan thrown over my lap while I get lost in an author’s world.

I hope you’ll get lost in *my* world and enjoy one of my books. Here’s a little taste of Vella’s Viking, the sixth book in my Anything Goes series.

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Vella’s Viking

He stared into her eyes, and Vella returned his look. She couldn’t remember ever experiencing such a strong attraction toward a man. She’d known desire many times, especially since starting to work at Anything Goes, but not this…this…

She didn’t even know how to describe it.

His good looks drew her, no doubt about that. He had the broad-shouldered build of a swimmer. She guessed his height at about six-two, which made him five inches taller than she. Their heights seemed perfect when she’d looked at him while holding his phone. She’d seen awareness in his eyes and had held her breath in anticipation of his kiss.

A kiss that hadn’t happened. Damn it.

He wore a polo shirt that matched the color of his eyes, and beige khakis. His pants didn’t hang on him and hide the shape of his legs or ass, the way khakis usually did, but molded to his lower body as if specifically made for him. A nice bulge pushed against his fly.

To get her mind back on business, she located the other two new houses in the storage drawer. “Okay, new ones taken care of. What other two do you want?”

“Which ones do you like?”

Vella smiled to herself. She recognized the ploy. So often, men came in to purchase a gift for their loved one without any clue what to buy. “My taste and your mother’s might not be the same.”

“She’ll probably have all of them eventually, so I think I’m safe in letting you pick.”

“Let me see the photos again of the houses she already owns.”

Jonas removed his cell phone from his pocket, handed it to Vella. Their fingers brushed. A zing passed all the way through her body and settled between her thighs.

His nostrils flared, his eyes heated. Vella thought something had passed between them when her mom first asked her to help Jonas, then again when their gazes met when she finished looking at the pictures on his phone. The way he stared at her now, as if he’d like to take her against the wall, made her realize she hadn’t been mistaken.

Being taken against the wall sounded really good.

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More information about Vella’s Viking and all my other books on my website:

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