Amanda Bretz is the contemporary romance author of
'Finding Justus' and 'Love in Greener Pastures'. She is currently hard at work on
her third book, with the working title of "Love, Simplified."
She holds a degree in communication from Florida Gulf
Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, and has worked as a journalist in both
print and online news media.
When not writing, Amanda can be found whipping up
something delectable in her kitchen, spending time in nature or getting lost in
a good book.
Amanda resides in the Midwest with her husband, Brandon.
'Love in Greener Pastures':
Recent college graduate Gabby Richards has big plans for
her life. At the top of those plans is landing a job for a major magazine in
Chicago. While Gabby is busy mapping out her career as a journalist, her father
gets seriously injured. Upon hearing of his accident, Gabby drops everything,
including her career plans, and heads home to her small, rural town of Clear
Lake, but vows to return to Chicago as soon as her father is well.
Suddenly Gabby is catching up with old friends, dealing
with small town gossip and facing parts of her past she’d rather forget.
Luckily, she meets the town’s hunky mechanic, Jake Harrison, who helps Gabby
confront her past and tries to help her see she can have a career in Clear
Lake. Will Gabby realize she can be a successful journalist anywhere? Or will
she leave Clear Lake in pursuit of life in greener pastures?
Read an excerpt from 'Love in Greener Pastures'
“What’s wrong city girl, can’t keep up?”
The two of them, plus Smudge, were enjoying a Wednesday
evening run. Gabby was beginning to feel a slight stitch in her side, she
hadn’t ran this far in years, but she’d be damned if she let Jake know.
Determined to push through it, she gritted her teeth and kept running.
“I can…keep…up,” she said breathlessly.
Jake spoke a soft command to Smudge and slowed to a brisk
walk.
“Oh well, I guess we’ll have to just walk the rest of the
way. Look at Smudge, she’s worn out. She can’t keep up with you, you know?”
Jake said to Gabby.
“Weakling,” Gabby said around a gasp as she bent at the
waist and held her right side.
“That’s no way to talk about yourself, Gabby. You’re just
out of practice,” Jake said with a wink.
“I was joking about your dog, and you know it,” she told
him as she gave him a playful shove. “Thanks for the confidence builder
anyway.”
“I was being truthful. I could tell you’ve had a stitch
for the last few blocks, but you’re too proud to say anything. You can’t fool
me.”
Gabby, who was still panting for air, decided it was
foolish to pretend she was anything but out of breath and tired. She made a bee
line for a soft patch of grass and collapsed on the ground in a heap. As she
stared up at the mass of branches she recited one of her favorite lines from
Frost’s poem Birches. The line about swinging on tree limbs always reminded her
of childhood.
“I love Robert
Frost,” Jake said as he reclined on his elbows beside her.
“You read Frost?” Gabby asked, looking at him puzzled.
“Yes, you seem surprised. He was my mom’s favorite poet,
she used to read his poetry to me a lot growing up,” he said quietly. “Birches
is one of my favorites.”
“Mine too,” she said with a whisper. “There’s something
about that poem that can always take me back to a more carefree time in my
life. I know that sounds kind of cheesy.”
“It’s whimsical,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Yes, it is. It’s more than that though. I don’t know
what it is, but I’ve always been drawn to that poem ever since I first read it
in high school.”
“You know what I’m drawn to?” Jake asked as he rolled
onto his side to face her. “You and those luscious lips,” he said just before
he planted several sensuous kisses on her mouth. He reluctantly released his
hold on her mouth and lightly stroked her jaw as he gazed into her eyes.
As she stared back into his blue gaze, she could swear
she felt her heartbeat get erratic. She remembered why she had plopped down in
the grass in the first place and she realized the stitch in her side had gone
away. Gabby had caught her breath and was rested enough to begin walking again,
but she didn’t dare say anything. She didn’t want to ruin this amazing moment
with Jake. A part of her thought she could lie in this spot with him forever.
****
Buy Amanda's books
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-in-greener-pastures-amanda-bretz/1109517573?ean=2940014307888
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/141449
Paperback: https://www.createspace.com/3700787
Find Amanda Bretz online:
Official website: http://www.amandabretz.com/
Thank you Amanda for being a guest on the blog :-)
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