Blue Collar Men

I’ll be honest. When I first read the submission guidelines for this collection, I wasn’t sure what to write about. Even after looking up the ‘definition’, it seems folks have a varied opinion of what it means to be a blue collar worker, or should I say which jobs qualify. But one thing was clear, they are everyday heroes. Men that save us from the dead car on the side of the road, rain pelting the windshield, night curling around us. They keep us safe as they stand between us and the unknown dangers in the dark. They build bridges, design furniture or run the local Inn. They’re the men who work day in, day out, without designer clothes or fancy cars. They just do their job, quietly on the sidelines. But without them, our everyday life would fall apart.

For “Cabin Fever”—my contribution to Delilah Devlin’s awesome collection of everyday men who make our hearts flutters and our knees go week—I wanted a hero trying to find a way to fit in after leaving the military—and discovering he might just get a second chance at love.

Here’s an excerpt…

“And here I thought we’d made it through this unfortunate reunion unscathed.”

Juliet Foster froze as Casey’s low voice sounded behind her. She palmed the inn’s main counter for balance then glanced over her shoulder. Irritation creased his brow as he stood in the doorway, arms loaded with firewood. His deep-green gaze bored right through her before he shifted his attention to the fireplace on the far side of the room.

He angled toward it, his boots barely making a sound on the old wooden floors. “I realize this place is a home of sorts for you, but… Your department’s retreat is over. You really should leave before darkness falls. That road’s a bitch once the sun sets.”

Anger mixed with pain at his disconnected tone—as if they hadn’t spent three years of their lives together. In the eighteen months since he’d walked away, she still hadn’t gotten close to being over him—the telltale kick of her pulse and the sudden flush of her skin, case in point—even if he’d moved on. Though, nothing had shocked her more than walking through Bradbury Inn’s front door and discovering their new caretaker was her ex-fiancé, Casey Monroe.

Juliet firmed her stance, pushing the riot of butterflies in her stomach as far into her boots as possible. “Trust me. The last thing I want is to spend more time…here.”

She cringed at the slight crack in her voice, the lie bitter on her tongue. Truth was, she hadn’t really felt as if she belonged since she’d left Fulton Springs behind and moved to Seattle, where she’d worked her way onto the homicide squad. She’d always pictured herself as more of a small-town sheriff. Someone who knew everyone and the community. Somewhere that felt like home instead of leaving her feeling like an outsider looking in.

A voice inside her head whispered that her problem wasn’t the city, or the position that wouldn’t ever feel right—it was losing Casey.

Losing the best piece of her.

*~*~*~*

As a thank you for everyone dropping by, I’d like to give away some free copies of my backlist books. I’ll pick a few random winners on Sunday. I write in a variety of genres, but my go-tos are suspense and paranormal. You can find a list of my novels at krisnorris.ca. Entering is super easy. Just 1) like my FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/Kris-Norris-539446482786963/ and 2) comment done here, along with which Blue Collar profession you think screams sexy. I hope you enjoy our collection of Blue Collar Bad Boys.