Today we are sharing an excerpt from TILL THERE WAS YOU, a contemporary romance title that is part of the bestselling Green Mountain/Butler, Vermont series by Marie Force. Check out the pre-order links, and chapter 1, below. This title will be released on June 18th!
Till There Was You by Marie Force
Releasing on June 18!
Book Blurb
Being an adult has its advantages…
Lucas Abbott and his identical twin grew up sharing everything—including a reputation for funny, idiotic behavior. But now that Lucas is ready to shed that lovable-idiot image, grow up and have a real, adult relationship, the joke’s on him. He and his twin have fallen for the same woman.
Crushed and hoping a few days on the slopes will work out his frustrations, he heads for Stowe, Vermont. All thought of fun and relaxation flies away as a car spins out in a snowstorm, and his firefighter/paramedic training kicks into high gear.
Danielle Rowson is hoping to pick up the pieces and build a new life for herself and her daughter in Vermont. Winding up in a ditch in the middle of a blizzard isn’t part of the plan—and neither is the kind, sexy rescuer whose strong hands pull them to safety.
Lucas has been a little kid, a big kid and now an adult—and he discovers that adulting has more than one advantage. Especially when it comes to sharing with Dani and Savannah the one thing that’s his and his alone: his love.
Pre-order Till There Was You now!
Order a signed copy from Marie’s store, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Excerpt
It had taken exactly twenty-seven
years for Lucas Abbott to wish he hadn’t been born a twin. Most of the time, he
embraced his status as one half of the younger set of Abbott twins, who spread
good humor and cheerful dispositions everywhere they went in Vermont’s
Northeast Kingdom.
But right now? He was furious with
the man who was his doppelgänger in every possible way. Not only were they so
identical that their own siblings often confused them, but he and Landon shared
almost all the same interests. They had the same friends, the same schedule,
the same everything, including, Lucas had discovered to his dismay, the same
taste in women.
Earlier today, he’d overheard Landon
talking about his date the night before with Amanda Pressley, the woman Lucas
had been out with two nights ago.
It had been the best first date of
his life, but then he’d heard Landon say the same thing to their brother Will.
Hearing that, the euphoria Lucas had walked around with since his evening with
Amanda had fizzled like steam hitting cold air.
Tonight, he had to go make nice with
Landon and the rest of their family, who were gathering at the barn where the
ten Abbott siblings had been raised, to celebrate his and Landon’s
twenty-seventh birthday. Happy birthday to him and the last person on earth he
wanted to hang out with right now. That, in and of itself, was a first. Lucas
and Landon were known for being “thick as thieves,” as their grandfather often
said.
Lucas stepped out of the shower in
his loft over the barn at the family-owned Christmas tree farm that Landon
managed. He hadn’t wanted to live on the property, so he’d given Lucas the
apartment and found his own place on the outskirts of Butler, the town they
called home. For a brief time, they’d entertained the idea of living together
in the loft apartment.
Thank God they hadn’t done that,
because Lucas would be packing his stuff after today.
Studying his reflection in the
mirror, he encountered the face of a changed man. Maybe it was his birthday, or
perhaps it was meeting a woman who truly interested him. He wasn’t sure what it
was, but something was definitely different. He’d gone so far as to shave the
beard he normally sported during the winter, because he’d thought she would
prefer him clean-shaven. Now he was growing it back. Thankfully, his beard came
in quickly. He didn’t want anyone mistaking him for Landon.
The situation had him unsettled and
pissed off as he dressed in his usual winter uniform of thermals, flannel,
denim and insulated boots before stepping into the frozen tundra to head to his
parents’ house. He should’ve made up a fake illness to get out of the annual
pizza and cake tradition, but like the rest of his siblings, Lucas was robustly
healthy. They wouldn’t believe him if he’d said he was sick.
Since the last thing he needed was
an Abbott family inquisition, he got into his truck and headed for Hells Peak
Road, taking the most direct route through town. On Elm Street, he drove past
the family’s Green Mountain Country Store on the right and his sister-in-law
Megan’s diner on the left. Technically, his grandfather, Elmer, owned the
diner, but Megan was the one who made it happen.
As he approached the one-lane
covered bridge that was located right before the turn onto Hells Peak, he
stopped short, slamming on the brakes to avoid hitting Fred, the town moose,
who stood in the middle of the road, seemingly without a care in the world.
Lucas laid on the horn.
Fred gave him a perturbed look, but
he didn’t move.
“Great.” Lucas shifted the truck
into Park, accepting that he was going to be late for his own party. He wished
he could’ve headed to his woodshop and lost himself in the work that fed his
soul, especially at times like this when his soul needed nourishment. Being at
odds with anyone in his family was the worst. Being at odds with Landon had the
power to break him.
In a family of ten kids, there’d
been plenty of arguments and actual fights. But he had never once truly argued
with Landon, who had been his ally and best friend for every day of their
twenty-seven years.
Until Amanda came to town and they’d
both asked her out. Not wanting to hurt any feelings, she’d accepted both
invitations. No one ever took him or Landon seriously, so why should she?
Especially after the way they’d behaved during the intimate line demonstration
she’d overseen on behalf of her company at his family’s store.
Lucas cringed thinking about the
questions they’d asked and the comments they’d made. It was like they couldn’t
help themselves, although who could be expected to behave in a room full of
family members and sex toys? Amanda had handled them with skill that indicated
it wasn’t her first rodeo when it came to dealing with buffoons. In her line of
work, she probably met her fair share of guys like him and Landon, who’d found
the whole thing hilarious.
She probably thought they were both
jerks but had humored them by going on separate dates with them. Her company
had landed a big account with their family’s store, so she was just being
nice—and professional.
That made him sad and mad at the
same time. If Landon hadn’t asked her out at the same time Lucas had, they
wouldn’t be in the unfortunate position of pursuing the same woman. It was
ludicrous when he really thought it over—neither of them had ever had any
problem attracting female attention. In fact, they usually had more attention
than they could handle. So why, when it truly mattered to Lucas for the first
time ever, did Landon have to
set his sights on the same woman?
Being at odds with Landon made Lucas
feel ill. It went against every natural impulse he had to go out of his way to
avoid his twin the way he had all day today. They had been the best of friends
their entire lives. Even when their other siblings had fought like tomcats, he
and Landon had risen above it. Sure, they had fought with their other siblings, but never with each
other. Hunter and Hannah, their older siblings, who were also twins, had been
the same way—best friends.
He ached at the thought of losing
that bond with Landon, especially since they were together more often than not.
Between their shifts as volunteer firefighters and the time they spent doing
other things, such as skiing, rock-climbing, hiking and other outdoor pursuits,
they were constant companions.
And if it came to a choice—Landon or
Amanda…
“Ugh.” Of course he’d choose his
brother over a woman he’d only just met, but what a bitch of a dilemma.
As if he could hear Lucas, Fred let
out a loud moo.
Lucas laid on the horn again, hoping
to convince Fred to move along, but Fred wasn’t intimidated by a horn—or much
of anything, for that matter, except Hannah. She had a way of dealing with the
moose that made her husband, Nolan, crazy. He feared tiny Hannah would be
smooshed by the moose that Hannah called a pussycat.
Lucas tried the siren that was built
into his truck for times of emergency, but Fred shot him a look full of
disdain, as if to say, Is that all you
got?
Thinking about Fred was preferable
to wondering what the hell he was supposed to do about his brother and Amanda.
Lucas’s date
with her had been close to perfect. The conversation had flowed, they’d laughed
at the same things, had similar interests, and she absolutely loved their tiny
town of Butler, Vermont, as well as the Green Mountain Country Store his family
had run for three generations.
She’d had a million questions about
the family business and how it worked and how the Abbotts managed to keep
business and personal separate. Though Lucas didn’t actually work in the store,
it had always been part of his life, and he could answer her questions about
the family dynamics as well as any of the others who worked in the office. He
sold most of his woodworking products in the store, including hand-carved bed
frames, dressers and hope chests as well as smaller items such as carved moose
that sold like wildfire, so he was definitely involved.
Lucas put down the window and stuck
his head out. “Come on, Fred. Be a sport. It’s my freaking birthday, and it’s
already been a bitch of a day. Have a heart and move your ass, will you?”
Fred eyed him as if he was
considering the request.
“Please?”
With another loud moo, Fred took one
step forward and then another.
“Was he honestly waiting for me to
say please?” Lucas asked the universe as he put up the window, put the truck in
Drive and headed over the bridge toward home. He hadn’t lived in the barn in
years, but it would always be home to him and his siblings. As he pulled into
the driveway that was already full of pickup trucks and SUVs built to withstand
brutal Vermont winters, his grandfather, Elmer, was getting out of his truck.
Lucas parked and went to greet his
grandfather, who was waiting for him.
“Oh, hey, Luc.” Elmer said his name
after giving him a close look to make sure he got it right. Elmer was one of
the few people in their lives who almost always got it right. “I couldn’t tell
what color your truck was in the dark.”
His was navy. Landon’s was black.
Same model. Shocker, right?
Lucas gave his grandfather a hug.
“How you doing, Gramps?”
“I’m good.” He patted Lucas on the
back. “Happy birthday, buddy.”
“Thanks.”
“I can’t believe you guys are
twenty-seven. Where does the time go?”
“And still such nitwits.”
“You said that, not me.”
Lucas laughed as he held the door to
the mudroom for Elmer. “Saved you the trouble.”
“You boys like to have fun. Nothing
wrong with that.”
A few days ago, he would’ve agreed
with Elmer’s statement. Now he had reason to wonder how a guy transitioned from
acting the fool to being an actual adult. That was his goal for the next year.
He would be mocked ruthlessly by his siblings and others who had come to expect
certain behavior from him, but he wouldn’t be deterred in his goal to take his
game up a few notches.
Having a plan for himself helped as
he hung his coat on the hook with his name on it, which was to the left of
Landon’s. He’d been born ten minutes before Landon.
Since Landon’s hook was empty, Lucas realized he’d gotten there first. Taking a
quick glance at the hooks, he noted that everyone else was there.
Lucas took off his hat, tucked it
into the pocket of his coat and ran his fingers through dirty-blond hair to
bring some order to it. This time of year, everyone in Vermont suffered from a
terminal case of hat head. He stepped into the kitchen and received a warm,
welcoming smile from his mother.
“There’s one of my guests of honor.”
Lucas wondered what it might be like
to have a birthday all to himself and then immediately felt guilty for having
the thought. “Hi, Mom.”
Molly Abbott, her gray hair in a
long braid down her back as usual and her pretty face bright with pleasure over
an evening with her family, hugged him. “Happy birthday, Luc. Twenty-seven
looks good on you.”
He stuck out his chin. “Better than
twenty-six did?”
“Much better.”
“He had nowhere to go but up,” their
youngest brother, Max, said when he joined them in the kitchen with his baby
son, Caden, in his arms.
Molly tried to hide her smile but
failed miserably.
Lucas scowled at his brother and
reached for the baby, noting the cacophonous noise coming from the family room
where the rest of the family was probably watching the Bruins game.
Max handed the baby over to his
uncle. “Don’t listen to a word he says, buddy, and
don’t do anything he
does.”
In light of his recent revelations,
Lucas couldn’t help being slightly wounded by Max’s teasing comments. Not that
he hadn’t earned the jibes. He certainly had, but that was going to change,
effective immediately. He snuggled Caden into his chest and kissed the top of
his silky head. The little guy always smelled so damned good. His little fist
grasped ahold of Lucas’s flannel shirt, catching a bit of chest hair that made
his uncle wince from the tug of pain. “Easy, pal. Uncle Luc doesn’t need any
bald spots. Not yet anyway.”
“Hey!” His oldest sister, Hannah,
let out a happy squeak when she came around the corner from the dining room and
nearly crashed into Lucas. “Happy birthday!”
“Thank you.” He leaned down so she
could kiss his cheek. “Where’s my niece?”
“With her daddy. She’s all about him
these days, except for when she’s hungry. Then Mommy is number one.”
Lucas smiled at the face Hannah made
to express her displeasure while knowing full well she was madly in love with
the daughter she’d waited forever to have—and the husband who’d made her so
damned happy. “Fred was being Fred again on the way over here. Blocking the
road to the covered bridge.”
“He’s been ornery lately.” Hannah
acted as if she had a direct bead on Fred’s moods, which she sort of did, not
that anyone wanted to admit that out of fear of encouraging her moose-whispering
activities. The best part was that she didn’t even think that her unique bond
with a full-grown bull moose was weird. Everyone else did, though, especially
Nolan, who was continuously freaked out by her close encounters of the moose
kind. “Ever since I took Baby Dexter home with me, he’s been out of sorts.”
“Has it occurred to you that Fred
liked having Baby Dexter around and maybe he didn’t want you messing with it?”
Lucas asked.
“Of course it has, but he has no
business raising a baby moose.”
Bouncing Caden, who seemed to have
dozed off, Lucas raised his brows in disbelief. “And you do?”
“I’m better at it than Fred is. At
least with me, the poor baby is getting regular meals and lots of love.”
“Which is critical to moose
development.”
“Every baby needs lots of love.
Moose are no different.”
It took effort on Lucas’s part not
to roll his eyes. Knowing she was dead serious kept him from mocking her—that
and his newfound intention to act more like an adult than a buffoon. The sound
of a baby crying in the next room had Hannah spinning around to go to her
daughter. “Speaking of babies…”
When they were alone, Lucas gazed
down at Caden’s sleeping face. “Auntie Hannah may be nuts, buddy, but she’s the
best kind of nuts.” Lucas admired his older sister more than just about anyone
he knew. After enduring the devastating loss of her first husband, Caleb, in
Iraq, watching her find new love with Nolan had been inspirational. And now
they had baby Caleb, whom they called Callie, and Hannah smiled all the time.
If taking care of a baby moose made her happy, so be it. If anyone had earned
the right to be happy, it was Hannah.
“Was she going on about the baby moose
again?” Nolan asked, his mouth full of cheese and cracker.
“Maybe?” Lucas hesitated to toss his
sister under the marital bus.
Nolan groaned. “She’s round the bend
over that baby. Wanted to bring him in the house the other night because it
was too cold for him
outside. I have to keep telling her he’s a wild animal, not a house pet.”
“He’ll be a house pet by the time
she’s done with him.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of—having a
full-grown bull moose in bed between me and my wife.”
Lucas snorted with laughter. “Might
be a good idea to nip that in the bud.”
“Ya think?”
“What’re we nipping in the bud?” Lucas’s
father, Lincoln, asked as he came from the family room to join them.
“Hannah’s affair with the baby
moose,” Nolan said. “If she had her way, he’d be in bed with us.”
“Oh dear,” Linc said. “Probably best
to not let that happen.”
“I hate to tell you this, Linc, but
there’re times when your daughter is downright unmanageable,” Nolan said.
“She gets that from her mother,”
Linc said.
“I can hear you, Lincoln Abbott,”
Molly said, “and you will pay
for that later.”
“Sorry, Nolan,” Linc said. “You’re
on your own.” Heading toward his wife, Lincoln said, “You heard me wrong,
love.”
“No, I did not.”
“No wonder my wife is nuts,” Nolan
said. “She was raised in a nuthouse.”
Lucas cracked a grin. “You’re just
figuring that out now?”
“Oh, I’ve known it for a while.”
Nolan had grown up with Lucas’s older siblings and had been in and out of the
Abbotts’ barn for decades. Nolan’s crush on Hannah had developed years after
his close friend Caleb had died. And no one doubted Nolan’s fierce love for his
wife, despite her moose antics.
The door to the mudroom slammed
shut, jolting Caden.
Lucas rubbed the baby’s back. “Easy,
buddy.”
“Quit slamming that door,” Molly
said to Landon.
“Sorry, Mom.” Landon laid a loud
smacker on Molly’s cheek. “It’s my birthday. Don’t I get a pass on door
slamming?”
“No door slamming in this house,
even on your birthday. It’s in the Abbott family rule book.”
“I never got my copy,” Landon said,
making his twin smile. Lucas would’ve said the same thing. “Mom, you remember
Amanda, right? I hope it’s okay that I invited her to join us.”
Lucas froze.
Landon had brought Amanda to their birthday
dinner? No way.
“Of course it’s all right,” Molly
said. “The more the merrier is the Abbott family motto, which you’d know if
you’d read the rule book. Welcome to our insane asylum, Amanda.”
When Amanda laughed, Lucas wanted to
turn to look at her, but remained rooted in place, barely able to breathe, let
alone move. “Thank you so much for having me, Mrs. Abbott.”
“Please, call me Molly. Everyone
does.”
Lucas listened to them with a
surreal feeling of detachment as his mind raced to catch up. Amanda had come to
their birthday dinner. With Landon.
Worst birthday ever.
Pre-order Till There Was You now!
Order a signed copy from Marie’s store, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
---------------
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE GREEN MOUNTAIN/ BUTLER, VERMONT SERIES
Welcome to Vermont and the Green Mountain and Butler Series, featuring the Abbott family, proprietors of the Green Mountain Country Store, and their Coleman cousins. Since All You Need Is Love was released in 2014, the Abbott/Stillman/Coleman clan has stolen the hearts of readers, and Fred the Moose has earned himself a cult following. Hope you enjoy Butler!
Green Mountain Series
Book 1: All You Need Is Love (Will & Cameron)
Book 2: I Want to Hold Your Hand (Nolan & Hannah)
Book 3: I Saw Her Standing There (Colton & Lucy)
Book 4: And I Love Her (Hunter & Megan)
Book 4.5: You’ll Be Mine, Will and Cam’s Wedding Novella
Book 5: It’s Only Love (Gavin & Ella)
Book 6: Ain’t She Sweet (Tyler & Charlotte)
Butler, Vermont Series (a continuation of the Green Mountain Series)
Book 1: Every Little Thing (Grayson & Emma)
Book 2: Can’t Buy Me Love (Patrick & Mary)
Book 3: Here Comes the Sun (Wade & Mia)
Book 4: Till There Was You (Lucus & Danielle)
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, including the Gansett Island Series, which has sold more than 2.2 million books, and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books, which has sold more than 1 million books. In addition, she is the author of the Green Mountain Series from Berkley Publishing as well as the new erotic romance Quantum Series, written under the slightly modified name of M.S. Force. Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.
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