It’s Teaser Tuesday time again, the blog series where I tantalise you with snippets from works-in-progress, past and upcoming releases, and occasionally let writing buddies play around too.

I am so deep into writing Santa and the Saddler at the moment. Oh, how I adore this book! The hero and heroine are so lovely and I just know they need to be together even though right now it seems as if that’s not going to happen. It will, of course. It’s a romance and in a romance a happy-ever-after is mandatory. That doesn’t mean there won’t be tears along the way though.

I don’t want to make promises, but I’m pretty confident I’ll have this novella finished for you in time for a Christmas release. There are still quite a few chapters to go but I’m starting to glimpse the end and I always write faster when I can see that, and this book is such fun. All I want to do is write it!

Can you tell I’m excited about this story? I am. Really excited, which is why I’m going to share another little snippet today. Obviously the novella is in draft form and this is an unedited piece, so it might be totally different in the finished book or be cut all together.

Enjoy!

Late in his shift, when he had a spare moment, Danny picked a couple of packets of nuts from the rack and paid for them along with two bottles of pilsner. He didn’t know if Beth drank beer but she looked like that kind of girl. What she looked like was his kind of girl, and Danny had every plan of making her that. Tonight would be good but he’d take tomorrow. She was tired and distracted and a bloke couldn’t rush these things.

He wanted to though. Badly.

As soon as knock-off came, Danny was out of the Arms and shooting for O’Brien’s.

‘Santa to the rescue,’ he announced when Beth unlocked the door. He held up the beers and nuts. ‘Sustenance.’

She leaned against the jamb with her arms folded. ‘What are you doing here?’

Danny studied Beth’s face, trying to figure out her mood, whether she was pleased or the defensive folded arm act was just that—an act. ‘I’ve come to help?’

He cringed at how the rising inflection made him sound like a girl.

‘Danny, you played cricket today, and you’ve obviously done a shift at the pub.’ She indicated his Santa suit. ‘I’m fine, go home. There’s no point in both of us ending up exhausted. I was planning to finish up soon anyway.’

He shrugged. ‘So I’ll hang around and take you home.’

Beth pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. ‘You do realise Santa is meant to come only once a year and not every night?’

‘Ah, but Beth, you should know by now that this Santa never plays by the rules.’

©Cathryn Hein

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