Sometimes you have to give love a second chance…

Featured book this week is McKellan’s Run by Nicole Hurley-Moore.

There’s an extract to read too!

Sometimes you have to give love a second chance.

Violet Beckett once made the mistake of falling for the wrong McKellan brother. Now, eight years later, fate has brought Violet back to her home town with her daughter, Holly.

As soon as Violet runs into Charlie ‘Mac’ McKellan, she wonders if she should run all the way back to the city. But something about him makes her want to linger. Can she trust him, can she trust herself or will she be burned again?

Charlie McKellan has had a soft spot for Violet Beckett for longer than he can remember. It almost killed him to watch his brother woo her, use her and finally lose her. From his very first encounter with Violet he’s hooked. But how can he convince her that not all McKellans are the same?

 

Extract from McKellan’s Run by Nicole Hurley-Moore

Violet stopped the car after she pulled into the gates of McKellan’s Run and drank in the sight. The poplar-lined drive led down to an impressive two-storey homestead with a wide veranda which wrapped around the entire building. The woodwork was painted white and stood in dramatic contrast against the red brick. Most of the home had been constructed in the early 1870s and there was a bygone grace about it rarely seen these days.

It’d been a long time since she’d been there but the view hadn’t changed much, apart from the trees being taller. There was something comforting about the reality still matching the picture she carried in her head. McKellan’s Run was just as elegant as she remembered.

‘It’s a pretty house, Mummy.’

Violet looked across at Holly. ‘Yes, it is, but it’s even prettier up close.’

At the bottom of the drive, Violet parked the borrowed car and took Holly by the hand.

‘Come on, sweetheart, this way.’

With a smile she led Holly down the little path through the tunnel of wisteria and jasmine towards the side door which led to the kitchen. She hadn’t forgotten that this was the entryway most people used when they came visiting. However with each step, Violet’s stomach fluttered. Forget butterflies, this was more like a stampeding herd of wildebeest thundering in her tummy. Just being here was bringing up a slew of memories she’d rather forget. She drew in a deep breath and ignored the impulse to turn around and run away.

Violet leaned forward and gave a quick knock on the door before suddenly, without warning, it swung in. She heard a soft grunt as she stumbled and fell against Charlie McKellan’s hard chest.

‘Hey, I’ve got you,’ he said as his arms tightened around her. ‘Violet! Violet? I heard that you were back but what are you doing here?’

She grabbed onto Mac’s shoulders and tried to steady herself, feeling the warmth of his skin through the cool cotton of his shirt and the bulge of muscle beneath his sleeve.

‘Sorry, about that, I didn’t realise you were about to knock,’ said Mac with a hint of a smile. ‘I wasn’t expecting you, I mean, um… Why are you here?’

‘It’s fine, Mac. It’s good to see you again,’ said Violet. He looked the same as ever – lean, hard and handsome. High cheekbones, beautiful hazel-green eyes, squared off chin and a hint of a five o’clock shadow.

Mac stared back at her until heat crept into her cheeks and she forced herself to look away.

‘Um, your mum hired me to help with the wedding. I’m a party planner these days.’

‘Oh right, well it’s good to see you too, Violet. I’ve – ‘

‘Are you going to let my mummy go?’ said Holly.

Recovering her wits, Mac let go of Violet and she said, ‘Holly, this is Mac. Mac, this is my daughter, Holly.’

‘Hi,’ said Holly, linking her fingers tightly with her mum’s.

Mac’s eyes widened and he hesitated for a second before squatting down. ‘Hi Holly, it’s nice to meet you. You’re as pretty as your mum. Maybe later you and her could come and have a look at our new kittens.’

‘You’ve got kittens?’ asked Holly, her face lighting up. ‘Mum can we go and see them now?’

‘Maybe later,’ said Violet with a smile. ‘But first, we have to see Mrs McKellan.’

Mac stood up. ‘She’s in the kitchen. You remember the way?’

‘Yes, yes I do.’

‘Good,’ said Mac, walking through the doorway before turning back and staring at her. ‘I’ll catch you both later and hopefully we can go and see those kittens. Oh and Violet, I’m glad you’re back. I’ve…’

His sentence trailed off and hung in the air between them.

‘You’ve what, Mac?’ asked Violet.

‘I’ve been meaning to come and say hello, but I wasn’t sure if you were keeping to yourself,’ he answered. ‘You just disappeared all those years ago and…’ he started, before shrugging, taking a long last look at Holly, and continuing out the door.

Violet stared after him at a loss for words before Holly tugged on her hand. ‘What are we doing now?’

McKellan’s Run is available in eBook and paperback from all good retailers.
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Read more about Nicole and her books, including her upcoming release, Hartley’s Grange,on MEET NICOLE HURLEY-MOORE

 

 

 

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