Maggie Blackbird

Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. Readers can jump from one author to another who share hooks from their current WIP (work in progress) or any previously published books.

For this week’s edition of Book Hooks, I give you a teaser from The Circle is Small, a second-chance contemporary romance.

An ex-cop returning to face his horrendous past, the woman who won’t forgive him, and the family who’ll never let him forget that he killed their son.

Blurb:  First Nations Constable Jordan Chartrand’s guilt can’t handle the accusing stares from the family left to mourn their son after that horrible night…so he flees from his Ojibway community and the woman he loves. Two years later, his mother’s cancer diagnosis forces him to return to help her.

Devoted schoolteacher Ellie Quill wants nothing to do with Jordan after he bolted to the city and left her behind. Her life goals are set. As for her secret, she’ll keep that to herself, even if Jordan’s begging to know the truth about her child.

When the two are compelled to work on a community project to address the rampant drug problem, their forced proximity slowly melts Ellie’s icy walls. But no matter how much her heart desires to give Jordan the second chance that he’s begging for, she refuses to because providing a life for her son in the tradition of the Ojibway culture is her top priority now, not moving to the city where Jordan continues to hide.

Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, First Nations Romance, Adult
Heat Rating: Level 3
Publication Date: March 17, 2023
Publisher: eXtasy Books

PURCHASE A COPY

“Good morning,” Jordan called out. “I’m making you some breakfast. Coffee’s on. Help yourself to a cup.”

“Sure. Thanks.” The smile Ellie offered never reached her eyes. Picking a mug off the counter, she wandered off to the coffee pot.

Jordan flipped over the pancakes. “Soon we’ll have blueberries for these. We’ll have to go picking one day once they get ripe enough. Pick lots for bannock, pancakes, and muffins.”

“Y-yes.” Ellie sat at the table, sipping from her mug.

Jordan couldn’t resist swaggering over, holding the spatula. He pecked her cheek. “Did anyone tell you they love you today?”

She turned her head slightly, side-glancing him. A prickle of fear was in her eyes.

That wasn’t the reaction he’d anticipated. “I love you.” He used his softest voice.

Her lips parted. She clamped her mouth shut, still staring.

“I mean it.”

“I know.” Her words crackled. “I love you, too. And that’s why I have to tell you the truth.”

“The truth about what?” He couldn’t help his frown. Then he sniffed. Shit, the pancakes. “Give me one second.”

He darted to the oven and saved their breakfast in time. The pancakes were safe. “Is eggs over easy okay?”

“Um…yeah, fine.”

Oh man, was she having regrets? She’d better not be. His heart couldn’t take being shattered on the ground once again. Trying to repair it had been like attempting to put together a quilt a dog had ripped apart. But something bothered her. He’d have to be born with no eyes not to see the fear and guilt in her stare and the shaking of her hands.

He cracked the eggs in the other frying pan and set the bread in the toaster. “It won’t be long. Five minutes.” He made sure to use a voice as easy as eggs over easy.

“Thanks.” She kept sipping her coffee.

This wasn’t good at all. She’d been a ray of sunshine last night, and this morning the sky had turned into a thunderstorm on the horizon. He glanced out the kitchen window. Great, it was clouding over. What a bad omen.

Once he finished cooking, he set their plates on the table and refilled their coffees. While he ate, he studied her. She wasn’t digging into her breakfast like a woman who’d had sex all night and was famished. By the way she pushed the food around and took small bites, something was happening in her head she wouldn’t tell him about.

He polished off his breakfast, eating like a man who’d had sex all night. Once he was finished, he grabbed their plates. He had to scrape the food off Ellie’s, since she’d only eaten half her breakfast.

“Is there something on your mind?” He glanced over his shoulder while filling up the sink.

Ellie fiddled with the handle on her mug. She looked up at him. Dread beat in her eyes. “Yes, there is. But I don’t know how to say it.”

“Just say it.” Jordan reached for the dishrag. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“I’m not sure how to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“You’re right.  I’m gonna simply spit it out. First, I want you to know why.”

“Why?” This was getting stranger.

She nodded. “I… When you… When I drove you to the nursing station after we picked up the needle at the playground… The night of your mom’s fundraising dinner…”

“Yeah. I remember that…” It was the night she’d told him he wasn’t Raymond’ father.

She wet her lips. “On our way to the station, I was upset. There was so much we didn’t resolve. We had a lot to say to each other.”

He stopped the water but held the dishrag. He swiveled so he didn’t have to keep craning his neck.

She gazed down at her coffee. “We were both upset, and I said some things I regret now, things I shouldn’t have said in the first place.”

“What is it?” This was about Raymond. They’d been discussing him if Jordan recalled correctly.

“Raymond.” Her gaze bobbed about. She let go of her coffee mug and played with her fingers. “Raymond’s your son. I-I-I lied that night. H-he’s y-your s-s-son.”

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