“You’re not gonna quit,” their boss scoffed.
“Watch me. I’ll have my resignation on your desk tomorrow.”
Kevin turned away to stalk toward the parking lot. Shanna twisted to see how far he was going to carry things.
“Shanna.”
Nash’s desperate plea brought her back around to see a worried frown on his face.
“He can’t quit. Do something,” he pleaded.
Kevin had said to follow his lead. Not sure where he was going with his prank, she lifted her palms up in genuine confusion. “What do you want me to say?”
“Say yes.”
The two words from directly behind her whirled her around. Her dress swirled around her legs as her stunned gaze dropped to where Kevin had taken a knee facing her, hand extended, a black velvet box in his palm.
Kevin could barely breathe as Shanna’s wide gaze shifted from his face, to the ring, and back.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
When he’d mentioned a wedding earlier, she hadn’t blinked an eye, so he’d decided to risk it all. Right now though, down on one knee in front of her, the shocked question had him scared shitless.
His heart raced like mad and his hand trembled as he gulped back his fear. “I thought that was obvious. I’m asking you to marry me. If you need it to be a long engagement, I can—”
“Why?”
He blinked at the slight frown that came with her question. “Why am I asking you? Because I—”
“Why would I need it to be a long engagement?”
“Because you haven’t even said yes yet.”
The wry quirk of his lips sent a wash of color over her cheeks. “Yes.”
“Yes?” he echoed, his heart lodged up in his throat.
She nodded as tears filled her eyes.
Relief left him a bit woozy and it was a good thing he was kneeling. His chest swelled with elation as Shanna’s lips curved in a happy grin while she stepped forward to cradle his face between her palms. Distantly he registered the sound of applause, but everything faded when she dipped down and her lips met his, her hair swinging forward to offer a tiny bit of privacy.
Fisting the ring box in his hand, Kevin pulled her down to sit on his knee, bringing them level with each other so he could hug her close.
“Told ya I knew what I was talkin’ about,” a gruff, jolly voice said from the direction of the onlookers.
“That you did.” Nash’s reply was full of gloating satisfaction.
“Told you,” he whispered into Shanna’s hair. She laughed, her warm breath brushing over his ear before her lips brushed his cheek.
“Make sure the ring fits,” Josie piped up.
Shanna suddenly leaned back with a gasp. “Oh, God. I forgot the ring.”
“At least you know she didn’t say yes for the rock.”
Kevin ignored his buddy’s teasing as his newly minted fiancé took the ring box from his hand. She’d already said yes, and yet his pulse skipped as he watched closely to see if she truly liked what Josie had helped him pick out earlier.
She opened the lid again, and her hand rose to cover her mouth when she saw the two-point-five caret, princess cut solitaire nestled in the black velvet. “Wow,” she whispered.
He grinned even as his pulse gave a little surge. That awed tone in her voice matched her response after a particularly…satisfying…round of lovemaking while camping. But even though he was now confident he’d made the right choice, he still offered, “If you want something different, we can go shopping when we get back to Atlanta.”
She shook her head, more tears shining in her eyes. “Absolutely not. It’s perfect.”
He shot Josie a quick glance of gratitude before reaching for the ring so he could slide it on Shanna’s slim finger. His hand trembled, and she reached her right hand up to thread her fingers with his as she held out her left to admire the diamond before leaning in to kiss him again.
“I really do love it. Almost as much as I love you,” she added on a whisper.
His heart swelled in his chest. “I love you, too.”
“It’s going to take me a while to get used to this instead of the bickering. No PDAs at the office, you two,” Nash heckled from the sidelines.
Shanna laughed through her tears and turned to look over her shoulder. Kevin watched her shimmering gaze take in their boss, Josie, Butch and his wife, Judy, and a gathering crowd of onlookers enjoying the show. Apparently, everyone loved a good proposal.
After her unequivocal yes, he did, too.
Shanna’s hair swished past his chin as she suddenly whirled back to face him. Suspicion lit her narrowed eyes. “Wait a second. Who just got pranked?”
He tried for an innocent look, but a smirk tugged at his mouth. “You did.”
“They knew?” She turned again to look at their smiling friends.
“Yep.” He grinned, thrilled that he’d been able to pull it off considering she usually saw right through him.
“Jackass.”
Affection softened her insult, but he gave her a mock frown and slightly smacked her butt. “Oh really? In that case, get up. You’re no lightweight on my knee.”
Josie gasped in outrage for Shanna’s sake, but all she did was give him a sweet smile. “Yes, Princess.”
Nash gave a snort of laughter, and Kevin caught Shanna close before she could stand. “You’re going to pay for that later,” he whispered against her ear.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she whispered back.
Thinking of the hours before he would have her all to himself, he growled under his breath as she stood. The brilliant minx gave him a saucy wink to let him know she’d heard, and he knew right then he was the one who was going to pay—for many years to come.
Gladly.
Thank you for reading!
I know you see that appreciation at the end of every book, but it is said with all sincerity…especially on book 16 of a series! As always, I really hope you enjoyed Kevin and Shanna’s story and would love it if you wrote a short review (or as long as you like) at your retailer of choice.
Please review SUMMER WAGER HERE.
If this is your first book in the Romancing Wisconsin series, I invite you to check out the others. There are 4 books per season (look at that – mini-series!), and while they all have brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends, each book is a complete story within the whole series, so you don’t have to have read previous books to enjoy book 3, or 7, or even 16.
If you’ve made it through all sixteen of them, that is awesome! (Do you see my huge grin? Because I am wearing one.) I have to add another heartfelt Thank You for that! Faithful readers like you keep me writing day after day. Mwah!
Last of all, I believe this is it for Romancing Wisconsin. As much as I love this series, as of right now, I do not have plans to add to it. Santa Butch will continue matchmaking somewhere out there in the universe, but on ‘paper’, he is now retired so I can move on to new ventures. I hope you join me as new characters, families, and worlds emerge.
Best wishes always ~ Stacey
*
Never miss a new book!
JOIN Stacey’s Newsletter: http://smarturl.it/BKSJNNewsletter and here’s what you get:
*FREE Books
*New release announcements
*what’s going on in my writer’s life
*exclusive first-look bonus content
*cover reveals
*special sales
*fun contests
*
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Stacey Joy Netzel is an avid reader of heartwarming, sexy, pulse-pounding romance, and she loves all movies with a happily ever after. She lives in Wisconsin with her family, a horse and some barn cats. She enjoys gardening, canning, and visiting her parents in Northeastern Wisconsin (Up North), at the family cabin on the lake. Travelling anywhere to the mountains to do some hiking is a bonus she wishes she could do much more oft
en than every couple years.
She writes steamy romantic suspense, small town contemporary romances, and paranormal ghost stories with sexy, rugged heroes, and strong, resilient heroines. Colorado, Wisconsin, and Italy are favorite settings, which explains why her bestselling books include the Romancing Wisconsin Series, Italy Intrigue Series, Welcome to Redemption Series, and the Colorado Trust Series.
*
Website:
www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/StaceyJoyNetzelAuthor
Twitter:
twitter.com/StaceyJoyNetzel
Hearing from readers is a very special thing for any writer, so pop in and say “Hi!” at any of the above locations. Or subscribe to my newsletter to keep up with my newest releases.
http://smarturl.it/BKSJNNewsletter
Again, reviews are always appreciated!
~Thank you, and happy reading~
* Stacey *
Other Titles by Stacey Joy Netzel
ITALY INTRIGUE SERIES
Kidnapped*
Betrayed
Conned
*2012 Write Touch Readers’ Award Winner as previously titled Lost in Italy
COLORADO TRUST SERIES
Evidence of Trust
Trust by Design
Trust in the Lawe
Shattered Trust
Dare to Trust
Vow of Trust
Illusion of Trust
WELCOME TO REDEMPTION SERIES
A Fair to Remember, Book 2
Grounds For Change, Book 4
The Heart of the Matter, Book 6
Hold On To Me, Book 8
Say You’ll Marry Me, Book 10
(books 1,3,5,7,9 written by Donna Marie Rogers)
ROMANCING WISCONSIN SERIES
Mistletoe Mischief*
Mistletoe Magic*
Mistletoe Match-up*
Mistletoe Rules – short bonus story
Romancing Wisconsin Vol I
Autumn Wish
Autumn Bliss
Autumn Kiss
Autumn Glimmer – short bonus story
Romancing Wisconsin Vol II
Spring Fling
Spring Serendipity
Spring Dreams**
Spring Spark – short bonus story
Romancing Wisconsin Vol III
Summer Scandal
Summer Bride
Summer Secrets
Summer Wager – short bonus story
*2010 Write Touch Readers Award Winner in previously published anthology.
**2017 Write Touch Readers Award Winner
STAND ALONE ROMANCE TITLES
More Than a Kiss, contemporary romance
Chasin’ Mason, contemporary western romance
Ditched Again, high school reunion novella
Dragonfly Dreams, Christmas novella
NINA, Beach Brides multi-author series novella
PARANORMAL ROMANCE TITLES
If Tombstones Could Talk, paranormal novella
Beneath Still Waters (Part One), paranormal novella
Rising Above (Still Waters Part Two), paranormal novella
FREE READ
Holding Out For a Hero
Recommended Reads
Do you love small town contemporary romance? Then you’ll definitely want to check out the Welcome to Redemption Series I write with Donna Marie Rogers. It’s full of small town charm, a ridiculous number of hot, sexy heroes, and the strong women who capture their hearts.
Like Romancing Wisconsin, all of the WTR books can be read by themselves, so I’m going to share an excerpt from Hold on to Me.
After escaping an abusive ex-husband, Jenny focuses on surviving from one day to the next. Then she meets Grant, her new apartment building manager, and the passion in his kisses dare her to believe in second chances. But someone doesn’t want either of them to be happy. Menacing acts of vandalism pull Jenny and Grant closer together, but a harbored secret could destroy any chance at happily ever after.
EXCERPT:
He was just thinking about checking out Memorial Day sales to purchase a car or truck when the ring of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts. A glance at the caller ID didn’t list a name or number, but he answered anyway while opening the car door. “Walker.”
“Grant Walker?”
“Yes, it is.” The female voice sounded vaguely familiar, but his memory had no success matching it with a name.
“Any relation to Frank Walker?”
“He’s my uncle.” Grant quickly checked the caller ID again as his stomach bottomed out. “Are you calling from the hospital? Is he okay?”
“No. I mean, no I’m not from the hospital,” the woman quickly clarified, sounding flustered. “I live at Wayside Apartments, and I’m calling because I’d really like to send him a card. Do you mind giving me the name of the hospital he’s at?”
That’s why she sounds familiar. She must be the girl who woke me up this morning.
“How’d you get this number?”
“It’s listed as a back-up contact in my apartment’s welcome packet.”
“Ah.”
He’d been too tired and crabby to notice this morning, but now he found himself thinking she had a nice voice. Closing his eyes, he leaned on the open car door and tried to recall details of the rest of her. Hair in a ponytail. Shorter, maybe five-five. Casually dressed.
Brown eyes or blue? That fact remained unclear in his memory.
“Mr. Walker, are you still there?”
“Yes.” He opened his eyes again and slid behind the steering wheel of the rental.
“Do you have the name of the hospital your uncle is at?”
“Yes, sorry. He’s at Saint Elizabeth’s in Manhattan.”
“Thank you. And I’m glad to hear he’s going to be okay. He’s a very nice man.”
“May I ask your name?”
“Jenny A—Clark. Jenny Clark. I live in apartment two-thirteen.”
Second floor studio above Uncle Frank’s—well, his apartment now. He remembered that from the renovation blueprints.
“Can I ask you something else?” Her voice held a note of hesitation that reminded him of her timid personality earlier.
“Go ahead,” he encouraged.
“The new guy you hired to replace Frank…”
Grant smiled, wondering where the question would lead. When the silence dragged, he prompted, “Yes?”
“Um…I’m just wondering about his references. Did he…um…check out okay?”
Not what he was expecting. A little jab of indignation had him straightening in the seat. “Do you think I’d have hired him if he hadn’t?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean to question your decision, I—”
“And yet you did. But let me assure you, Ms. Clark, he’s perfectly reliable and trustworthy.”
What the hell? He was talking about himself!
“I apologize,” Jenny said, her voice soft.
Before he could tell her the new guy and himself were one and the same, he heard an indrawn breath, muttering he couldn’t make out, and then clear words in a stiff, formal tone.
“Actually, no I don’t. I had every right to ask about the man’s references. He’s rude, by the way. But thank you for answering me, thank you for the hospital name, and good bye.”
Grant’s automatic, “Good bye,” floated in dead air. If he wasn’t a morning person, apparently she wasn’t an afternoon person.
“He’s rude, by the way.”
Things would definitely be interesting next time they came face to face.
*
“Once again, Ms. Netzel weaves her magic with a love story wrapped in danger and spiced with the wonderful ambience of small town Redemption, WI. A great read.”
~ M.J. Scheibl
Don’t miss the full story. Get HOLD ON TO ME now!
Summer Wager
Romancing Wisconsin Series – 16
&nbs
p; Copyright © 2018, Stacey Joy Netzel
Hold on to Me – excerpt
Copyright © 2013, Stacey Joy Netzel
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Editor: Stacy D. Holmes
Cover Art: r.b.a. Designs
ISBN: 9781939143716
Kindle Edition
Summer Wager Page 8
