Book description:
She could use a shoulder to lean on…“We’ll get through this. I promise.”
Facing the fight
of her life after a cancer diagnosis, widow Roz Martin is forced to ask her
estranged brother-in-law to help care for her children. Being there for his
nieces and nephew is a no-brainer for gym owner Paul Stephens. But being there
for the woman who’d betrayed him by marrying his half brother is hard.
Especially when he discovers the feelings he once had for Roz never died…
Sales links:
· B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-single-moms-second-chance-kathy-douglass/1135744205?ean=9781335894755
· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Single-Second-Chance-Sweet-Sweethearts-ebook/dp/B08338S8GX
· Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kathy_Douglass_The_Single_Mom_s_Second_Chance?id=CKrGDwAAQBAJ
· Indie Bound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335894755
· Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781488069987_the-single-moms-second-chance.html
· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Single-Second-Chance-Sweet-Sweethearts-ebook/dp/B08338S8GX
· Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kathy_Douglass_The_Single_Mom_s_Second_Chance?id=CKrGDwAAQBAJ
· Indie Bound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335894755
· Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781488069987_the-single-moms-second-chance.html
Excerpt, THE
SINGLE MOM’S SECOND CHANCE by Kathy Douglass
Paul
drummed his fingers on his desktop. “Do you want to get to the reason you
barged into my office today? I’m sure it wasn’t just to look at me.”
Roz’s
face grew hot as she struggled to keep from staring at him. As a teenager, he’d
been dedicated to clean living and his body had reflected that. The years had
been very good to him. He was six feet two inches of lean muscle. His brown
skin glowed with good health, and his face was beyond hand-some, even with his
eyes narrowed with irritation.
She
took a breath but the word cancer clogged her throat, leaving her unable to
speak. To her horror, her eyes filled with tears and her vision blurred. Blinking
back the moisture, she forced herself to talk. “I need your help.”
“With
what? Not that it matters. The answer is no. We don’t have that type of
relationship. Remember? If you’d thought it through, you could have saved
yourself the trouble and me the time and aggravation.”
“Are
you still holding what happened when we were kids against me?”
“No.
But I’m not willing to pretend that we’re friends either. And since Terrence
has died, we are no longer family.” He made air quotes with his hands making it
clear he’d never accepted her as part of the family.
“Do
you consider my kids your nephew and nieces? Are they still your family? Do you
still love them?”
“Of
course I love them. What do they have to do with this favor of yours?”
“Everything.
If not for them I wouldn’t be interrupting your workday.” The annoyed look on
his face indicated that her time was coming to an end. Since there was no easy
way to say it and she doubted the word would affect him the way it affected
her, she just blurted it out. “I have cervical cancer.”
He
blinked and jerked as if she’d given him an electric shock. “What?”
“You
heard me.” She couldn’t say it again. Her voice wobbled and one of the tears
she’d tried so hard to hold back escaped and then slid down her face. She
brushed it away, hoping he hadn’t seen it. She didn’t want Paul to see her cry.
He might accuse her of using her tears as a weapon, and she wasn’t pre-pared
for that battle.
His
mouth moved but no sound emerged. She could relate. She’d been floored when her
doctor had delivered the news. Though she’d been sitting down, her knees had
shaken like Jell-O in an earth-quake. Even now, it was a struggle to stand. But
she couldn’t worry about his state of mind. She needed to get to the point of
this meeting. “I’m going to be undergoing chemotherapy and having surgery soon.”
When
he simply stared at her, his face devoid of all expression, she continued. “I
won’t be able to take care of my kids. I have friends who will help me but that
won’t be enough. I’m going to need live-in help. Hiring someone is out of the
question. I don’t want my kids to have to adjust to a stranger in the house in
addition to dealing with my illness. If there were someone else I could go to
for help, I would. But there isn’t. Your mother offered to postpone their
cruise again, but I can’t ask them to do that. Your father needs to get away
from here in order to move past his grief and start living again. So I need
someone—you—to come to Sweet Briar.”
Paul’s
head was swimming and he fought against a sudden wave of dizziness. Cancer. Roz
had cancer. The word echoed in his brain, then slammed repeatedly against his
skull. It didn’t make sense. How could she be so sick?
She
looked fine. She’d always been slender, with small breasts, a tiny waist and
slim hips, but, upon closer examination, she did appear a little thinner than
she’d been at Terrence’s funeral last year. Her white top was a bit loose and
she kept adjusting the strap, preventing it from slipping off her shoulder.
Although her face was as beautiful as ever, the spark in her eyes had been
replaced by fear and her brown skin looked dull. Her lips trembled as she tried
to smile. Apparently, her mouth refused to cooperate, and after a moment, she
gave up the attempt.
“I
know it will be inconvenient for you, but you’re my only hope. I’m determined
to get well fast, so you shouldn’t have to stay for long. And Nathaniel is old
enough to help with Megan and Suzanne.”
It
took a minute for her rapidly spoken words to register. Was she still trying to
convince him? Was she that uncertain that she could rely on him? “Of course
I’ll come. Whatever you need.”
Her
body sagged in relief. “Thank you.”
“Did
you think I’d say no?”
“To
be honest, I wasn’t sure. I’d hoped you’d say yes but I came prepared to be
turned down.”
Considering
that he’d initially said no before knowing what she needed, there was nothing
he could say in his defense. “When did you get your diagnosis?”
“A
week ago.”
A
week? And she hadn’t said anything to him? “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Her
eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? We haven’t spoken a civil word to each other
in years unless there was someone else around. As you just pointed out, we’re
neither family nor friends.”
The
words sounded so much crueler now. He’d been unnecessarily harsh. Shame
battered him, leaving him speechless.
“My
oncologist is working on a treatment plan. He’ll have it together by Friday,
with dates and schedules. I’ll check with you before I confirm any-thing with
him, to make sure you’re available first.”
“You
don’t have to do that. I’ll be there whenever you need me to be.”
“Just
like that?”
“Just
like that.”
Author bio:
Kathy Douglass
came by her love of reading naturally - both of her parents were readers. She
would finish one book and pick up another. Then she attended law school and
traded romances for legal opinions.
After the birth of her two children, her love of reading turned into a love of writing. Kathy now spends her days writing the small town contemporary novels she enjoys reading.
Kathy loves to hear from her readers and can be found on Facebook.
After the birth of her two children, her love of reading turned into a love of writing. Kathy now spends her days writing the small town contemporary novels she enjoys reading.
Kathy loves to hear from her readers and can be found on Facebook.
Author links:
·
Author website: https://kathydouglassbooks.com/
·
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathydouglass7
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