Excerpt & Giveaway: Falling Fast by Tina Wainscott
Falling
Fast
Falling Fast # 1
Falling Fast # 1
By:
Tina Wainscott
Releasing
June 16, 2015
Loveswept
Blurb
Fans
of Jasinda Wilder and Colleen Hoover will adore this emotional new
small-town romance—a smoldering tale of first love and long-awaited
redemption from USA Today bestselling author Tina Wainscott.
Raleigh
West works in an auto shop day and night, trying to put his broken
past out of mind. It’s been seven years since the fiery crash that
landed his teenage sweetheart in the hospital . . . and him in jail.
In an instant, he lost everything: his passion for racing, his hope
of escaping his father’s shameful legacy, and the only girl he ever
loved. Raleigh hasn’t seen her since that awful night. Never got a
chance to apologize. And never forgave himself, either.
When
brave, beautiful Mia Wentworth returns to the Florida coast for the
first time in what seems like forever, it’s not to see Raleigh.
Even so, the moment she arrives she can feel his presence like a gust
of wind that gives her goose bumps. Opening her heart to him again
seems impossible. But staying away? That might be harder still. Lucky
for them both, Mia’s never been the kind of woman to take the easy
way out.
Excerpt
The
director gestured for everyone to take a seat, and Mia settled onto
the chair at the outside edge. She scanned each and every person.
No
Raleigh.
He’s
not coming. Get over it already.
The
director, who knew Nancy from their volunteer work, welcomed everyone
and said how touched she would be by the turnout. He introduced Mia
and her parents, then spoke at length about the wonderful and sweet
and feisty Nancy.
As
Mia teared up over his sentimental words, she saw him. She blinked,
just to make sure, but her heart knew immediately. The director’s
voice faded into the roar of blood in her ears.
Raleigh.
He
stood behind the last row of chairs next to the thick trunk of an oak
tree, in khakis and a maroon button-down dress shirt. His hair was
trimmed, and he was clean-shaven. Not an ounce of fat on him judging
by the way his shirt lay flat against his stomach. She gripped the
edges of the chair as the ground tilted. Or was she
tilting? God,
don’t let me fall off the chair! No, you’re dizzy because you,
uh, forgot to breathe!
Carefully,
she pulled in a long, deep breath. Then another. The world was still
blurry, and she wiped at her eyes to clear them—and found Raleigh
in her sights. Which was even more startling, because she was pretty
sure he was looking right at her.
She
forced herself to breathe again, to shift her gaze to where it should
be. The director invited people to come up and share a story or their
thoughts. There was no hesitation as the first person stepped up to
the microphone stand positioned in front of the chairs.
Several
people spoke from their hearts over the next twenty minutes, and
everyone dabbed at their eyes, including Mia. She wrestled with
whether to go up, but to put herself on display was more than she
could bear. Her father went up and sounded like a politician as he
thanked everyone for coming. The director made one last call, and
Mia’s eyes went to Raleigh again. He leaned forward, his hand
clenched on the tree. He clearly wanted to go up, but he looked at
her father. Then at her. Then he rocked back on his heels again, his
face tight with the war inside him.
Come
up. I want to hear what you have to say. About Grandma. About your
friendship with her.
I
just want to hear your voice.
He
remained in the shade of the tree. Mia certainly couldn’t think him
a coward, not when she, too, was afraid to go up and speak. Facing
cancer and burns wasn’t as hard as facing people, she mused. Wasn’t
that crazy?
But
then she stood. Walked to the microphone and fumbled as she adjusted
it to her height. Cleared her throat and tried hard not to look at
Raleigh. Instead, her gaze skipped across the rows
and the ribbons dancing in
the breeze.
“Thank
you all for being part of her life. I . . .” Her eyes betrayed her,
zeroing right in on Raleigh.
Her thoughts froze. Time was suspended, everyone—every single
person—focused on her. She cleared her throat, heat rising up her
neck. “I’m jealous that you all got to spend time with her. To
know her as a friend.” Her gaze went to Raleigh again. “Thank
you,” she said again, thrashing herself for the impulse as she took
her seat.
She
would have no regret, though. If all those weeks and months and years
of hospital stays had taught her anything, it was to let no
opportunity slip by. Especially the ones where you left words unsaid.
Important, life-changing words.
She
searched through the people all getting to their feet. Raleigh leaned
against the trunk now, his head tilted back. As though it were all
too much to bear. The impulse now was to go to him.
But
the director asked everyone to form a line to pay their respects
before the casket was lowered into the ground. Mia had to follow her
parents to form a reception line, where everyone offered their
condolences before stepping up to the casket. Mia’s heart squeezed
so tight that she could hardly breathe. Would Raleigh shake her hand?
Hug her? Say in a low, intimate voice how very sorry he was for their
loss? Their loss,
because it was as much his as hers. Maybe more so.
As
she accepted handshakes and hugs, she realized that she was so
wrapped up in where he was that she wasn’t worried about anyone
seeing her up close. The line was dwindling, and she couldn’t see
him anywhere.
“Mia.”
Author
Info
USA
Today bestselling author Tina Wainscott has always loved the
combination of romance and suspense, because nothing complements
falling in love better than being hunted down. The author of more
than thirty novels and novellas, Wainscott creates characters with
baggage, past hurts, and vulnerabilities. They go through hell, find
love, and, at the end, find peace in who they are and everything
they’ve gone through. And isn’t that what everyone wants?
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Thank you for hosting FALLING FAST!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome!
DeleteSounds good. Probably an emotional story.
ReplyDeleteIt looks that way.
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