Homer Bait and Switch

Book 1: Southwest of Homer

by Cherime MacFarlane

Genres: Contemporary Romance; Small-town Romance

Synopsis

His mother was right, he should've kept them buttoned. Can he get Lynn take a second look?
Clean, sweet romance
There's a new girl in Homer, Lynn. Rurik feels the pull the moment he spots her. His reputation is against him and he knows it. The other girls in town have nicknamed him the Russian Raider. She'll hear it and probably a bunch of other stuff. In a small town, people talk.
Lynn's mother took off when she was still an infant. Her mother's dead and her father dies before she meets him. She's inherited part of a sporting good's store, Homer Bait and Switch. Can she make a life in a place her mother hated?
There is one item of interest. The big, blond commercial fisherman she locates in the viewfinder of her camera on the deck of a vessel leaving the harbor. When she discovers his nickname, Lynn isn't sure she wants to know him better.
He's not a bad guy, but he did something that has his mother and sister upset. He took off with the money to pay for the ship's upgrades. He didn't plan on running off with the funds. Rurik took one look at the check and couldn't stifle the urge to see something of the outside world. Now he's got two strikes against him as the local itch scratcher and someone who you can't trust with money. Home again, Rurik must fix things which won't be easy.

Release date: August 7, 2017

Publisher: Paper Gold Publishing

Print pages: 334

Content advisory: Clean and wholesome

Sample

 

A man with an Anchorage Aces ball cap on his head stood near the door holding a sign that said ‘Loftgren.’

Lynn raised a hand and waved at the man. He pushed the sign into a trash bin and strode over. “Roslynn Loftgren? This all the luggage?”

She nodded. “It is. I travel light.”

“I’ll say. Most women suit up like it’s going to be minus twenty. Come on and let’s get you to the hotel. Then you can see about getting settled in. But first,” the man pulled out an envelope and handed it to her. “The attorney said to give you this. Before I forget, here it is. Now I’ll get the suitcases. The car is right outside this door. We take the central corridor and go up a few vehicles to the left.”

Inside the car, Lynn pulled the envelope from her bag and looked at it. Sealed, the writing on the front appeared feminine. She assumed the attorney; Miranda Distan scrawled ‘Roslynn’ on the front.

With her little finger, she worked the flap loose. Inside was a folded piece of paper. A sticky note crimped over the edges had a message on it. “From your father. Please read before the meeting tomorrow. M.D.”

After tucking everything in the envelope again, Lynn put it back in the bag. Now didn’t seem like the appropriate time to begin reading. If she were interrupted while in the middle of it... With a slight shake of her head, the young woman leaned back in the seat.

The first order of business was to get settled in the hotel. Instead of going down to eat, she intended to have room service send up something. A knot that twisted around in her stomach hinted that something light might be best.

Reading the letter from the father she never met could be traumatic. Lynn was betting it would be. How much of what she thought she knew was fact and how much fiction? She already knew her mother had lied about his leaving them stuck in some backwater town in Alaska.

Hands clamped tight around the strap of the shoulder bag; Lynn took a deep breath. It was probably best to get to the heart of the matter as soon as room service delivered her order. Could she order a glass of wine as well?

With a sigh, she watched the city go by on either side of her. Eyes burning from unshed tears, Lynn tried to concentrate on the view. Steep mountains provided a backdrop to the sprawled-out town that sat in the heart of Alaska. Even this late in the season, there were stretches of green grass and flowers hanging from baskets.

Long shadows slid across the buildings. A glance at her watch revealed it was nearing 8:00 pm. That there was still light took her by surprise. She had always thought winters would be darker.

The car drove up to a tall glass and steel building. With the vehicle in park, the driver opened the door. “Hold on for a minute and we’ll get you situated.”

When he returned, the man took her to check in and left her bags beside her. “Have a pleasant stay, miss.”

Lynn shuffled around in the bag to search for her wallet, and he waved her off. “No tip necessary. Mrs. Distan is a valued client.” He tapped the counter with one finger. “I hope you enjoy our State. Take some time to explore while you’re here. Have a good evening.”