Linda Kage Blog Page: Start your week with...Jake Lindsay-Sullivan

One thick palm framed the side of her face. His eyes searched hers, emotion flickering behind their sky blue depths. Sorrow, regret, and affection stared back at her as his thumb caressed her cheek. “Be safe, Gabrielle,” he whispered.

She closed her eyes against a storm of sorrow. Instinct filtered through her hope, and in the half-second of time that passed before his other hand came up to join the first, she knew. This wasn’t a temporary goodbye. Jake intended on driving away forever. A sob bubbled in the back of her throat, threatening to strangle her.

Before it tore free, Jake’s mouth settled against hers. He nudged her lips apart, inviting himself inside. Softly, slowly, he explored. Roused her awareness until the reality of his departure gave way to striking tenderness. She responded to the familiar feeling he awakened, her body tightening with an anxious surge of energy.

He held her in place, seemingly content to kiss her until time stood still. In the quiet, she caught the hard fall of his breath. Beneath her fingertips, his heart hammered fierce. His mouth took on a more demanding quality as he slid one hand into her hair and curled his fingers against her scalp.

A sound of pleasure vibrated in his throat, and Jake drew the kiss to a lingering close. He touched his forehead to hers, then sucked in a deep breath. “Win for me, sugar.”

Before she could gather her senses and respond, the passenger’s door slammed shut. Panic flooded her. He couldn’t walk away. That kiss alone said things she’d longed to hear. He cared for her. She loved him. He couldn’t just turn his back on all that.

Jamming her hand against the handle, she shoved open the door and jumped out. “Jake!”

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You just read an excerpt from:
Waiting for Yes
by
Claire Ashgrove

Buy Link: The Wild Rose Press (coming 4/20/2011)
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Linda Kage: Today, we're going to mix things up a little. Since author Claire Ashgrove has already visited with us before, we decided to interview a charater in her book instead this time around. Please welcome Jake Lindsay-Sullivan, hero in Claire’s newest story, WAITING FOR YES. Well, hello there, Jake. The burning question is...who IS Jake Lindsay-Sullivan? Describe yourself in 100 words or less please.

Jake:I’m just a pretty average guy. I drive a truck for a living—well I used to. I guess you could say I’m redefining myself now. Gabby threw me for a whirlwind and the dust is still settling. Ah, let’s see. I’m six foot tall, give or take, I’ve got black hair, blue eyes, I work out now and then, and I go pretty nuts for brownies. I used to drive over the road, now… well now, let’s just say at this point in my life, I’ve got it made, and it only seems to be getting better… but it took a long time to get here. Too long.

Kage: Give us a peek into your head. What is one happy memory you have?

Jake:One happy memory, huh? I suppose this shouldn’t relate to the events that happened with Gabrielle. Hm. Well. That makes it tough. Most of my memories before her are pretty dark.

Let’s see… I remember when I was little – the first time I can remember my Mom putting me on a horse she had in training. A little pony named Sam.

He couldn’t have been much bigger than a St. Bernard. It was about a month after my fourth birthday, which we’d spent at a horse show. She put me up on his back, led me around the barn for what must have been a good hour, and then handed me a brush. “Jake,” she said, “If you’re going to have a horse, you have to take care of him.” With this beautiful smile she rumpled my hair. I didn’t get it until she added, “Happy birthday, buddy.”

I kept that pony until she died. I outgrew him, moved on to bigger more exciting horses, but I had Sam. Always had Sam and Mom.

Kage:Okay, now let’s skip to the stuff I want to hear about…this is a romance writer’s blog, after all! Before going into this story, what was your romance life like

Jake: Ah, man… You’re going to get me in trouble here.

Women came and went. There was almost Amy… but that’s about as close as it came to anything worthwhile. I was too busy, too hungry for the win in the competition ring for the distraction of anything substantial. Then when I took up driving – yeah that was more or less strangers in the night.

More often I spent the nights alone. Didn’t really want to get tangled up in any roots. And that’s pretty much my mindset when I met Gabby too.

Shh. Let’s keep that between us. I’ve already spent time on the roof in a snowstorm and I’d rather not do it again.

Kage: And now that your book has begun, who’s the woman starring in your romance? And what’s the trouble with her?

Jake: Gabrielle Warrenton. The most beautiful redhead I’ve ever laid eyes on… and the most stubborn. She’s got this dream of building an Egyptian Arabian Breeding farm out here in the middle of nowhere Kansas . Only the stallion she bought to found this dream… well… he’s got some serious issues. And somehow she’s got it in her head I’m the one to help her.

Kage: What do you like most about her? And what do you like least?

Jake: What do I like the most about Gabby… Yes, well,
there are some things a man shouldn’t tell. But that night in her kitchen?

(Whistles).

Anyway, her determination is amazing. She took the hard road and stuck to it. I can’t help but admire her for that. That same determination frustrates the hell out of me. She doesn’t know the meaning of quit. Hell, she should have quit on me. But she just simply won’t, even when she should. That she can get me to agree to her crazy schemes is annoying as all get out too.

But as you’ll see… she’s got a certain charm. Read our story. We went through some pretty amazing stuff. It’s a wonder things didn’t end up drastically differently – Lord knows they could have turned to hell in a hand-basket easily. And this woman who took the time to document our lives, this Claire Ashgrove… I hear she’s more than willing to answer questions and would love to know what you all think. She even had the perfect replica of Mamoon in her back yard and stuck him on the cover. Can’t think of anything much more fitting. Though how she got that photo of Gabby and I in front of the fire….

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