SHORT BLURB 1:

He’s got a silver tongue.

She’s got a golden heart.

Will the two of them discover they’re in the market for love?

 

SHORT BLURB 2:

He’s in need of redemption.

She’s wary of commitment.

When chance draws them together, will they open their hearts to love?

 

LONG BLURB:

He’s never opened his heart to anyone. She wears her emotions on her sleeve. When romance blooms, will they realize love is what they both need?

Ransom Kressley possesses the gift of gab, striking good looks, and a blistering disdain for his family’s Idaho ranch where he resides with his father and identical twin brother. His genuine passion is football, but a knee injury shattered his dreams of an NFL career. After years of channeling his frustration and anger toward those who care about him most, Ransom resolves to change. He accepts a job in Portland as a promotions manager for an arena football team and eagerly steps into his new life. As he makes a fresh start, his past continues to plague him, interfering with his chance to get to know the woman who lingers in his thoughts.

Despite her sunny smile and tender spirit, Kelly Truman isn’t in the market for love or even a relationship when she agrees to have lunch with her best friend’s soon-to-be brother-in-law. Familiar only with Ransom Kressley’s notorious reputation, Kelly is determined to keep her guard up around him. However, Ransom proves to be nothing like she expected. Soon, she realizes she cherishes time spent with the man, but fears trusting him with her heart.

When their friendship evolves into something more, will Ransom’s charm and silver tongue split them apart or bind them together?

A sweet romance full of warmth and humor, In the Market for Love is a story of hope, forgiveness, and redemption.

EXCERPT 1

Arlo, the tech nerd she’d been dating for the past few months, had turned out to be Mr. All Wrong. For a guy who looked normal enough, he overflowed with emotional drama and ended up being both clingy and needy. In short, Arlo was far more than Kelly was willing to deal with. She’d broken up with him two weeks ago and had zero regrets about doing it.

She had enough going on in her life with work. She didn’t need a high-maintenance boyfriend sapping all her energy in her free time.

For now, she was blissfully unattached.

Why, then, were images of Ransom Kressley’s smile infiltrating her thoughts with increasing frequency? It was ridiculous.

She sat up and glanced at her watch. Five more minutes, and she’d head back inside. Eyes closed, she returned to basking in the sun. The squeak of the tasting room door and the sound of footsteps on the gravel let her know she was no longer alone.

She opened her eyes and looked up to see Ransom smiling down at her. Maybe she’d fallen asleep and was dreaming. That seemed the more logical reason why he’d be standing over her with the sun backlighting his thick hair and gilding his broad shoulders that were encased in a blue polo shirt. A shirt Kelly was fairly certain she’d help him choose the day of his shopping spree after Christmas.

“Hey, stranger,” Ransom said, his smile widening as he sank beside her on the bench.

 “What are you doing here?” she asked, still not entirely convinced she wasn’t dreaming.

“Some friends wanted to go wine tasting, so I offered to be the designated driver.” Ransom motioned toward the tasting room. “They’ve been tasting,” he used air quotes to emphasize tasting, “since noon. I, for one, am ready for dinner. Any suggestions on places to go for a starving man?”

Kelly grinned. “If the starving man prefers lots of meat like his cavedweller ancestors, I know just the place. It’s in Newberg. Smoked meats that are to die for. Sides of baked beans, mac ‘n cheese, and coleslaw. For dessert, get one of their house-made candy bars.”

“See, this is all good info to know, and it’s making my mouth water thinking about it. Do they have brisket?”

“How do you have smoked meats without it?” Kelly asked and bumped her shoulder against Ransom’s. “Yes, they have brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and chicken, and once in a while, you’ll even find burnt ends there.”

“Okay, I’m totally sold.” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

“If they’re packed and you can’t get in, there’s a really good Greek place if you head back toward Portland through Sherwood. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks, Kelly.” Ransom gave her a long glance. “How have you been? Are you still going out with the IT guy from the tech company?”

“Arlo? Nope. Too much drama and crying for my tastes. To clarify, they were his tears and drama.”

Ransom chuckled. “Smart girl. So, what’s next?”

Kelly shrugged. “I think I’ll take a break for a while. We’re heading into our super busy season in the tasting room when I generally work more hours, so I don’t really have time for dating, at least if it requires a lot of mental anguish and preparation for the date.”

“Dates are supposed to be fun, not torture. Maybe you’re just doing it wrong.”

Kelly laughed, aware he was teasing her.

The door to the tasting room opened, and a tipsy brunette in hot pink stilettos and pants so tight Kelly wondered how she could move in them waved at Ransom with an annoyingly high-pitched giggle.

“There you are Ran-Ran. I thought maybe you left us.”

“I’m right here, Aria.” Ransom stood, although he didn’t look excited to rejoin his date. “Are you ready to go?”

“No! Lydia just got a chandalay.” She hiccupped, tossed her unnaturally glossy hair, and went back inside.

Kelly raised an eyebrow, then looked at Ransom. “And what were you just saying to me about doing dating wrong?”

 

EXCERPT 2

Relieved she hadn’t stood him up, not that this was a date by any means of the word, Ransom returned his phone to the table and took a drink from the glass of ice water.

Old Ransom would have been hanging out at the bar while he waited for Kelly, already into his second shot of booze.

Ransom crunched an ice cube, realizing some things were going to be harder than others to give up. If he wasn’t already an alcoholic, he’d been on the fast track there. Now, instead of drowning his self-inflicted and often imagined sorrows, he wanted to be clear-headed going forward.

The door opened, and sunlight created a halo behind a woman’s golden head of wavy bobbed hair. She tugged off her sunglasses, smiled kindly at the hostess, then looked around and hurried toward him.

Ransom stood and wiped his suddenly damp palms on the legs of his jeans before he reached out a hand in greeting. He’d seen Kelly with Celia from a distance and in a few photos on Celia’s phone, but they didn’t do justice to the beautiful woman who looked at him with an understandable mix of curiosity and caution.

“Hi! I’m Kelly Truman.” Her smile was genuine and warm as she shook his hand. “I’d ask if you’re Ransom, but Celia wasn’t kidding when she said you and Kash are identical twins. The resemblance is remarkable, which I’m sure you’ve heard many times before.”

“Once or twice,” Ransom said good-naturedly, then motioned for her to be seated at the booth.

 

EXCERPT 3

Nervous for reasons she couldn’t begin to explain, she rushed to answer the door. She pulled it open to find Ransom on the other side of the screen door holding a bag from the hardware store in one hand and a large bag of peanut M&Ms in the other.

Kelly could have kissed him, and it had nothing to do with him bringing her favorite candy. He looked delectable in a pair of faded jeans, scuffed boots, and a blue plaid western shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing tanned, corded forearms. His hair was tousled, like he’d forked his hands through it a few times.

“I’m so sorry to bother you, Ransom. Were you doing something important?” she asked as she pushed open the door and filled her lungs with his incredible scent as he stepped past her into the house.

“Vitally important. I was cheering on the Seahawks when I got Celia’s text.”

Aware of how much he loved football, Kelly felt as though he’d made a big sacrifice by coming to help her. “I’m so sorry, Ransom. I told Celia I’d figure it out.”

“I’m glad she reached out, and you called. I can catch up on the game later.”

“You can at least listen to it.” She took a step toward the coffee table, where she’d left the remote to the television, but Ransom shook his head. “It’s fine, Kelly. I’d rather hang out with you.”

She wasn’t sure what to make of that since Ransom lived and breathed football.

He walked into the kitchen, and she followed. As he set the bag on the counter by the sink and began extracting parts, he glanced over at her. “Tell me what happened.”

“I’m not sure, exactly. The dishwasher was mid-cycle. I came in to get a drink, and water was gushing out of the cabinet. I opened it up, and the pipe that connects to the drain had fallen completely off. What would make it do that?”

“A few things could make it do that, but it shouldn’t. I’m sorry you had to deal with this today.”

He knelt down on the floor and removed the plastic wrap she’d used to cover the ends of the pipes. “Whew. That is ripe,” he said, turning his nose into his shoulder and drawing in a deep breath. “I’ll try to work fast.”

And he did.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the pipe was once again fastened to the drain, and Kelly turned the dishwasher back on.

Ransom washed his hands while Kelly poured two glasses of apple cider. She would have offered Ransom a root beer if she’d had one, aware it was his favorite beverage. However, the apple cider was from the local farmer’s market. Dave’s wife, Randi, had brought a jug to Kelly yesterday at the winery. Kelly filled a plate with cinnamon cookies that she had baked the night before, then tipped her head toward the living room.

“If you aren’t in a rush to head back to your apartment, would you like to stay and watch the rest of the game?” she asked, hoping Ransom would say yes.

 

EXCERPT 4

Kelly glanced over at him. “Did Celia warn you that I love to shop?”

Ransom frowned slightly. “She did not impart that tidbit of wisdom.”

Kelly grinned as Ransom pulled open the door and held it for her. “Prepare to have your head spinning, cowboy.”

Ransom rolled his eyes, making her laugh, but gamely followed her into the store.

He had no idea what to look for or even where to look, but Kelly took charge. She led the way to the men’s department and located an older salesperson who seemed knowledgeable as Kelly explained what Ransom needed. The three of them browsed through racks until Ransom had half a dozen suits to try on.

Kelly plopped down on a chair outside the dressing room and waited as he tried on each suit and modeled it for her.

Old Ransom would have had a great time preening in front of a pretty girl.

New and improved Ransom was starting to find the whole thing torturous, especially when the sales associate kept adjusting his sleeves and the hem of the jackets. When the older woman, whose nametag read Nelda, reached back and tugged on the seat of his pants, Ransom jumped.

“Hey! What was that for?” he asked as he glowered at Nelda.

The older woman smirked. “Just making sure you’re still paying attention, young man.”

Kelly hid a laugh behind her hand.

Before Ransom could retreat to the safety of the dressing room, Kelly held up her index finger and made a circular motion with it.

Ransom turned in a circle, then looked at Kelly, waiting for her to wrinkle her nose and find something wrong with this suit as she had the others he’d tried on.

“What are the team colors?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.

“Navy blue, silver, and pale blue. Why?”

“Because if you switch that orchid tie for silver, I think we’ve nailed the winner.” Kelly hopped up and found a tasteful, understated silk tie in a perfect shade of silver to match the football team’s colors.

Ransom removed the orchid tie and lifted his chin as Kelly slipped the silver tie around his neck. It looked nice with the pale blue shirt and the dark navy suit that fit him exceptionally well. Other than the fact that the hem of the pants needed to be let out another inch, it fit great, especially across his shoulders and broad chest.

“Now you’re talking,” Kelly said, brushing a speck of lint from his shoulder. “That’s the suit that will tell potential sponsors to buy what you’re selling.”

Ransom thought he caught a glimmer of admiration in her eyes before she smiled at Nelda and nodded in approval.

Unexpected Love Interest

Friends to More

Reformed Bad Boy

Opposites Attract (Beauty and the Beast)

Fish Out of Water

Who knew turning over a new leaf would be so hard?

Maybe falling for the reformed bad boy wasn’t the worst idea …

Ransom felt like his entire life was an ill-fitting coat he’d accidentally shrugged into.

He could schmooze a group of business investors, flirt with half a dozen girls, or wallow in a good ol’ boy routine, but having a meaningful one-on-one conversation wasn’t exactly in his wheelhouse.

He had no idea why a nice girl like her would want anything to do with him.

She knew Ransom was trouble. The sooner she convinced herself of that the better off she’d be.

 

Something about her made him want to protect her. Cherish her. Treasure her always.

 

There were moments when was so overcome, he just bowed his head and gave thanks for this incredible life that seemed like a precious gift.