Excerpt: 'A Moment to Dance' by Jennifer Faye

HEA is sharing an excerpt from A Moment to Dance (out now!), the next book in Jennifer Faye's A Whistle Stop Romance series. If you're new to the series, for the next week, you can grab the e-book of the first book in the series, A Moment to Love, for 99 cents.

Here's the blurb about A Moment to Love:

Welcome to Whistle Stop…where anything can and most likely will happen.

The notorious cowboy meets his match…

Cord Lawson instantly distrusted the young woman in a smart suit who'd just arrived in Whistle Stop. She was very pretty and clearly a city girl—but with memories of his failed marriage still darkening his mind, he's determined to steer clear! But she's sniffing around his land—land that has been in his family for generations. There was no way he'd let it go—even if the bank was threatening to foreclose, and even if selling could give Whistle Stop a new lease on life.

Alexis Greer had one mission—close the deal on the Lawson ranch; without it, her father's land development company would go bankrupt. But the word around town is to keep clear of Cord and to stay away from his precious land. What had happened to cause such a handsome cowboy to live such a solitary existence? However, determination was Lexi's middle name. She just had to keep on trying to breach Cord's barriers, to appeal somehow to his head and heart—even if it put her in danger of losing both of hers…to him.

And the blurb about A Moment to Dance:

The need to feel his touch thrummed in her veins. She'd been alone for so long…

For Ella Morgan, moving to Whistle Stop is a chance to start over, put her horrific past behind her. But now she's living in a mountain cabin—in dire need of renovation—that her grandmother left her, along with a sizable tax bill. Her job teaching school isn't going to cover it. She needs cash, and soon.

Volunteer firefighter Tony Granger has returned to Whistle Stop to run the family ranch and be guardian to his orphaned nephew, Johnny. But being a single parent isn't coming easy, and he's worried sick he won't succeed with his plan to adopt the boy, especially if Johnny's grades don't improve. He needs a break, and fast.

When Ella finds out Tony doesn't have a partner for the Dancing With the Firefighters' benefit—which is offering a large cash prize—and he hits upon hiring her as Johnny's tutor, it looks like their problems might be solved. But taking dance lessons to win the competition sets alight a burning attraction between them. Can they let go and learn to trust again, or will the scars of their pasts still haunt them?

EXCERPT from A Moment to Dance

A new town.

A clean slate.

And a chance to begin again.

Ella Morgan stepped out of her car onto the quiet street of Whistle Stop, New Mexico. The April sunshine rained down on her as she lifted her smiling face to bask in its warmth. After the whirlwind of settling into the cabin she'd recently inherited and learning the ropes to her new teaching position at the local school, she was plain worn out. All she wanted to do was grab a few items for dinner at Marty's Market and head home.

She stepped onto the curb to put money in the parking meter when a young boy in a white T-shirt and denim shorts darted in front of her, causing her to teeter to a halt. Ella shook her head in disbelief before dropping a quarter in the meter.

A gentle breeze tickled across her skin, carrying with it the aroma of grilled burgers. She sucked in a deep breath, and her stomach rumbled. She glanced up the street at the white block building with the red and white awning—Benny's Burger Joint. She sighed, remembering how her grandparents had treated her to one of Benny's huge green-chile cheeseburgers smothered in melted Monterey Jack cheese while on summer vacation. That was back in the good days—back before it all went so wrong.

She swallowed her craving and started toward the little market, anxious to put some distance between herself and the diner. No sense daydreaming about a dinner she couldn't afford. At this point, she had to keep track of every penny—

A swift movement caught her attention. The same young boy dodged between two parked cars. He stepped into the street and came to a stop. What in the world was he doing? Juggling something in his hands? A small animal?

The hum of an approaching vehicle had her peering down the road. A red pickup at the other end of the block barreled toward them, going far too fast.

Her heart clenched.

"Hey! Move!" she screamed, waving her arms in the air.

The child didn't budge.

Had he heard her? Did he have any idea of the danger he was in?

An angry horn blast sent adrenaline surging through her body. With her long skirt hiked up, she raced the short distance to the boy.

The squeal of tires sounded as she lunged forward. Her fingers clenched in the boy's shirt. With every ounce of strength, she yanked. The force threw them both back between the two parked cars.

The jolt of the child's body bumping into her and the unevenness of the pavement caused her to stumble. Her free hand flailed through the air. With a thud, her backside landed hard on the asphalt. Her back teeth rattled together. The boy, with his heavy backpack, landed on her legs. In a fraction of a second, the tractor-trailer rumbled past. A gust of warm air rushed over her as pain ricocheted from her hip down her leg. Thank God, they were safe.

The child yanked forward, struggling to free himself from her hold. He didn't appear to be more than nine years old. And lucky for her, he was skinny.

"Let. Me. Go. You're ruining my shirt."

Not realizing she still had her fingers clenched on the back of his shirt, she loosened her grip while still keeping an eye on him. This child was too young to be left to his own defenses, as was evidenced by the near-miss with the truck.

"Where are…your…parents?" She struggled to get the words out between ragged breaths.

The boy pulled away from her. "I don't have any."

"What's your name?"

He backed away from her toward the sidewalk while still cupping something in his hands. "I'm not telling you. You're a stranger."

Not only had she risked her own neck and most likely ruined her favorite skirt to save him, but now he refused to be cooperative. She frowned at him. If he wouldn't give her a straight answer, surely one of the town's residents would stroll by and let her know where he belonged.

In answer to her thoughts, she heard a vehicle slow to a stop. A door opened, followed by rushed footsteps. Good. Someone was here to help sort things out.

"What's going on?" a deep male voice bellowed.

If the man's thunderous tone was meant to gain attention, it did the job. The boy rushed over to the man, obviously familiar with him. Ella straightened and dusted herself off. She frowned when she detected a long rip in her skirt. She might be able to mend it, but it'd never be the same.

With a resigned sigh, she turned her attention to the man. She had to crane her neck to see the man's face. My, he was tall, probably six-four, if not more. Her line of vision drifted down to his navy T-shirt, which was pulled snug over his broad chest. Her gaze lingered, taking in the white insignia of the Whistle Stop Volunteer Firefighters in the upper left corner with Station House 87 printed below it. She wondered if he was in fact a fireman. By the looks of his hefty biceps, he certainly was strong enough.

"I'm waiting for an answer," the man's voice boomed.

When she found him staring at her instead of the child, she was startled. Her gaze moved to the boy. The kid shot her a smug now-you're-in-trouble look.

The scowling man shoved his deep brown Stetson higher, revealing a hint of dark hair. His tanned face was obscured by a bit of scruff, but it was his eyes that did it for her. Their chocolate shade with gold flecks drew her in with their intensity. He wasn't bad-looking—a shame he was so abrasive.

"She grabbed me." The boy pointed an accusing finger at her.

The man crossed his arms and glared at her. "You better tell me why you had your hands on him before I call the sheriff."

The once-deserted sidewalk now had a few people passing by. Ella glanced over her shoulder to find pedestrians pausing to stare in their direction. She wrung her hands together and turned away. Heat flared in her chest and warmed her face.

Just what she needed—a scene sure to be followed by gossip. She'd hoped to leave that all behind in Albuquerque. For the first time, she wanted to fit in, feel accepted. And if the cowboy kept shouting, he'd ruin her fresh start in Whistle Stop.

Find out more about Jennifer and her books at www.JenniferFaye.com.