Sundae My Love
One Scoop Or Two
by Debby Grahl
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Samantha Murray is the manager of her family's ice-cream business. When her former love comes back to town—he almost drowns her. And his idea to build a rival ice-cream shop right next door to the Dairy Delight is totally unacceptable.
Architect Zack Hunter returns to Sand Lake to win back the woman he loves and fulfill his grandfather's dream of restoring Frontier Town—by adding an old-fashioned ice cream shop. He doesn't count on Samantha having a stubborn streak.
Samantha is heartbroken over Zack's past betrayal, conflicted over the love she can't deny, and resolved to stop his plan. Zack is torn between his love for Samantha and fulfilling his grandfather's legacy.
When the situation escalates, ghosts from both Sam and Zack's families decide to intervene-—but will their plot smooth the course of true love or make everything worse?
Excerpt 1
In the living room, a female shape materialized. Her long dress swirled around her ankles, and the heels of her high button shoes tapped across the hardwood floor. “Good grief, Angus, I wanted you to make them meet on the lake, not have Zack run Samantha down,” Patricia Murray said with exasperation.
In a Queen Anne style chair, a male form appeared. “Patricia, it wasn’t my fault. Thaddeus was sitting next to Zack and took control of the wheel.” He removed his pipe from his shirt pocket. Puffs of translucent smoke soon filled the room. “But it worked out.”
Hands on her hips, Patricia glowered. “Worked out! Are you kidding? What should have been a romantic reunion has made Samantha even more upset.” Patricia shook her head. “Samantha and Zack are perfect for each other. It’s beyond me why that boy broke her heart and now is making matters worse by threatening the Dairy Delight.” She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t seem too surprised over Zack’s plans. Did you already know about this?”
Angus squirmed in his seat. “Ah, well.”
“You did. Angus Murray, I can see it in your eyes. You’ve known all about this and didn’t tell me. This is why you’ve been gone so much lately. I’ll bet you and Thaddeus have been over there watching every move he’s made.”
“The boy is doing a top-rate job restoring the buildings. I can’t tell you how pleased Thaddeus is. You know how much that place meant to him.”
“What about Zack’s disregard for Samantha and the Dairy Delight?”
“Patricia, we’ve watched over our family for three generations. And no matter what problem occurs, they manage to work it out.”
Patricia threw up her arms in exasperation. “Sometimes situations need to be helped along. Samantha is on her way to confront Zack. Go over there and see what happens.”
“You want me to spy on my great-great-granddaughter?”
“Yes. It’s for her own good.”
“Why don’t you go?”
“Because Thaddeus is your friend, not mine. Besides, I promised Virginia Bradly I’d visit this afternoon. You know how lonely she gets when her family is gone.”
Angus sighed, then stood. He placed his pipe in his pocket, adjusted his suspenders, straightened his bow tie, kissed his wife’s cheek, and vanished.
In the living room, a female shape materialized. Her long dress swirled around her ankles, and the heels of her high button shoes tapped across the hardwood floor. “Good grief, Angus, I wanted you to make them meet on the lake, not have Zack run Samantha down,” Patricia Murray said with exasperation.
In a Queen Anne style chair, a male form appeared. “Patricia, it wasn’t my fault. Thaddeus was sitting next to Zack and took control of the wheel.” He removed his pipe from his shirt pocket. Puffs of translucent smoke soon filled the room. “But it worked out.”
Hands on her hips, Patricia glowered. “Worked out! Are you kidding? What should have been a romantic reunion has made Samantha even more upset.” Patricia shook her head. “Samantha and Zack are perfect for each other. It’s beyond me why that boy broke her heart and now is making matters worse by threatening the Dairy Delight.” She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t seem too surprised over Zack’s plans. Did you already know about this?”
Angus squirmed in his seat. “Ah, well.”
“You did. Angus Murray, I can see it in your eyes. You’ve known all about this and didn’t tell me. This is why you’ve been gone so much lately. I’ll bet you and Thaddeus have been over there watching every move he’s made.”
“The boy is doing a top-rate job restoring the buildings. I can’t tell you how pleased Thaddeus is. You know how much that place meant to him.”
“What about Zack’s disregard for Samantha and the Dairy Delight?”
“Patricia, we’ve watched over our family for three generations. And no matter what problem occurs, they manage to work it out.”
Patricia threw up her arms in exasperation. “Sometimes situations need to be helped along. Samantha is on her way to confront Zack. Go over there and see what happens.”
“You want me to spy on my great-great-granddaughter?”
“Yes. It’s for her own good.”
“Why don’t you go?”
“Because Thaddeus is your friend, not mine. Besides, I promised Virginia Bradly I’d visit this afternoon. You know how lonely she gets when her family is gone.”
Angus sighed, then stood. He placed his pipe in his pocket, adjusted his suspenders, straightened his bow tie, kissed his wife’s cheek, and vanished.
Excerpt 2
Morning sunlight peeked above the trees and sparkled upon Sand Lake. Samantha Murray adjusted her sail as it billowed in the wind. Her little boat glided across the smooth water. The breeze lifted her hair, and she smiled. What a wonderful way to begin the day. Except for a couple of fishing boats, she had the lake to herself.
Sam headed toward the south shore and home. Nestled in the trees, the two-story wood-framed house sat high on the hill. With four bedrooms and two screened-in porches, it had been home to the Murrays since the turn of the nineteenth century.
The distant hum of a motorboat broke the peaceful silence. As the sound got closer, Samantha glanced over her shoulder and frowned. A speedboat, seeming to fly over the water, bore down on her at full throttle.
The boat passed close to her, its wake rocking Samantha’s sailboat so hard she started to slide off the flat, shallow deck.
“Hey!” she called as she hung half-in and half-out of the water.
“Damn,” Samantha cursed as she attempted to keep the boat upright. When she finally managed to right the boat and climb back on, the speedboat had turned and headed back toward her.
“What is the matter with you?” she shouted before the driver said a word. She brushed long strands of soaking wet hair from her face. “Didn’t you see me? How fast were you going anyway? You know there are rules on this lake about endangering others.”
When he pulled closer to her and removed his sunglasses, Samantha’s anger turned into shock. Was her imagination playing tricks? Could Zack Hunter actually be sitting in front of her? She blinked, but he didn’t disappear.
His eyes opened wide before a smile slowly spread across his face. “Samantha.”
With her mind a jumble of emotions and her stomach taking a nosedive, she was incapable of speech.
“Hey, hi, sorry about the wake. The throttle stuck, and the steering wheel jerked left. Umm, anyway, how’re you doing?” He grinned. “Remember me?”
Remember him? Was he serious? A girl usually doesn’t forget the guy she surrendered her virginity to. She studied his face, the killer smile that turned her knees to Jello, cornflower blue eyes she’d seen deepen with passion, the firm lips that kissed her senseless, and the low sexy voice that murmured words of love. What she didn’t see was guilt or regret for walking away and leaving her with a broken heart.
“I’m sorry. You do look kind of familiar.” His brow furrowed, and he cocked his head. His evident confusion gave her some satisfaction. Good, the arrogant ass is wondering if I’m serious.
Award winning author, Debby Grahl, lives on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with her husband, David. Besides writing, she enjoys biking, walking on the beach and a glass of wine at sunset. Her favorite places to visit are New Orleans, New York City, Captiva Island in Florida, the Cotswolds of England, and her home state of Michigan. She is a history buff who also enjoys reading murder mysteries, time travel, and, of course, romance. Visually impaired since childhood by Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), she uses screen-reading software to research and write her books.
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