It’s #BookQW and better to catch your breath than speak!
More from Chapter 6:
“If we can’t leave tonight, then after the repair is completed?”
“There’s the bearing and…other things. Papa…I canna ask right now.”
He stopped himself from blowing out a breath. “I ken you dinnae want to cross your father, but at nineteenth year, ’tis nae a matter of asking. You simply need to tell him—”
“Trust me, Salm, I know what I need to do,” she huffed. “It was a nice idea,” she said a minute later and more softly. “And I’d like to someday, but right now it doesn’t feel right to go off together…not bonded.”
Salm had offered to bond with her—prebond in their case, since both of them were under twentieth year—to make things right in her father’s eyes. She was the one refusing. Question was, when would Luna confront Jonah Ness?
I dinnae want to fight with her.
Apparently, Luna didn’t want to fight either. She kissed him, light and quick, before nestling into his side. He hugged her tight and pressed another kiss to the top of her head. They stared seaward, the closer waves glinting in the few lights of Tern Bay. Seventeen miles across the Irish Sea, the two mountain peaks of his home island, the Isle of Giuthas, were dark silhouettes against a starry sky.
“How have you spent your days?” she asked quietly.
He described the trips inspecting the Windborne fishing boats, and a bit of guilt pinged at him. He still hadn’t told Luna how difficult some of the Seas work could be, like his confrontation with Maeve and Pauly. This week… “We’ve had a few new folks move to the isle,” he said instead. “We’re still chasing ocean rips, but with their energy, they’ll be easier to repair.”
“Good,” she murmured.
He’d rather get on with making new plans. “I canna believe we both wrangled a free week before Fest.”
“And the dolphins?” she asked.
He frowned. “Ah, there’s a funny thing. One pod has ranged farther than usual, and we’ve lost touch with them. Hope they’ll turn up, or we’ll have to look for them. Would you like to sail with me to do that?”
“Perhaps later in the week.” Her answer was light, but her body stiffened against his.
He’d talked long enough. “How are things in town? You’ve had a lot of work?”
“With Fest coming, aye. Smaller projects townsfolk have put off too long.”
“Like?”
“Beyond the boring stuff? Shutter repairs on the rooms facing the main deckwalks. Ensuring gates will latch before the Fest hordes descend on us.”
“Aye.” He laughed. “Far more interesting than hemming sails and replacing lines, my most common repairs.”
“How’s your family?”
“Scattered like autumn’s leaves for the week. What do you say we watch the sunrise one day, the sunset another, then spend high noon on a secluded beach and midnight on the moor?”
“But Manta and Piper are still in town?”
It finally sank in. “Luna,” he said in exasperation. “Are you avoiding making any plans with me?”
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Read the first chapters of Keepers of the Seas Cliffs or buy it on major retailers as an ebook. So far it’s out in paperback through Ingram Spark, which means it’s available on Barnes and Noble. I have to play with the Amazon cover still. Feast your eyes on it in real life!
Do you see those little tabs sticking out of The Witch of the Meadows? I thought I’d catch my breath from my trips and do a read-through before I reformatted Book 1 in my new formatting program. I didn’t stop there–I’m also formatting it in LARGE PRINT! My nature adventures with their sweet romances have been popular with all ages, so I thought I’d give it a try.
“As a gardener and lover of nature, I truly enjoyed this novel. It combines nature, magic, sweet romance, and a bit of mystery with a strong female protagonist. And an adorable pet guinea pig!” ~ Amazon reviewer on The Witch of the Meadows.
I’m in the queue at the cover designers for a larger cover so the book won’t be so thick. I’ll keep you posted on its release!
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