Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Sensual western romance. Heartwarming stories. Strong family ties.
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
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  • Tag: two-hour read

    • Short Snippet Saturday: We Have Each Other

      Posted at 1:27 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on October 8, 2022

      Hi everyone. Today arrived with a big chill and freeze warnings. Let’s warm up with a snippet from my holiday romance novella–a two-hour read. Learn more here.

      A Brief Setup

      Two days before Christmas, Terra Westbrook’s car broke down and is now in the garage in a small village. The mechanic isn’t available. Terra and her little girl, Kylee, warm up in a restaurant. She made reservations at a hotel outside of town. Alanna, the friendly server babysitting her little niece, offered to drive her to the hotel on the way home from work. However, there was a problem with the hotel.

      Secret Santa’s Rundown Sleigh: A Holiday Romance Novella

      This snippet is from Chapter One

      “Nonsense. You’ll come home with us. My brother won’t care. What’s two more people? It’ll be wonderful to have you come. Jude has a big house. The kids can get to know each other.”

      “Absolutely not. I can’t bother your brother and his family on Christmas. No, I appreciate your kindness, Alanna, but you’ve already done so much. Please, take us to the hotel. We’ll figure something out even if I must beg for a ride back to Gaylord. We’ll have a better chance in a bigger town.”

      “You won’t need to beg me, Terra. Tomorrow night, a close friend of Jude’s in the village hosts a big party with games and Santa for the kids. Stay with us. We’ll all go into town together. Please say you’ll stay?”

      “Mama, can we? I don’t want to sleep in my car or get kicked out of no stupid hotel.”

      “Please?” Maisy begged. “I’ll share my stuffed animals with Kylee.”

      Terra’s eyes stung. If not for her child, she’d have insisted on going to the hotel, but she couldn’t do this to her daughter when the offer of a warm house awaited them. She sighed.

      “Terra?” Alanna asked. “Please? Trust me when I say it’s okay.” She leaned in. “Maisy is all Jude has. He lost his wife five years ago. He’s lonely but doesn’t realize it. He won’t mind.”

      Five years ago? Maisy would’ve been two. Terra glanced back and the child’s blue eyes met hers. Terra smiled. What if it had been Kylee? Would Grace care for her? Yes, she’d care for Kylee like Terra would care for her nephew Liam if the need arose. She wrung her hands in her lap, nodding slowly. “Okay.”

      The kids screamed in glee in the backseat. “Aunt Alanna, turn up the radio! Frosty!”

      Alanna turned up the volume.

      Terra couldn’t say another word as Alanna drove a few more miles on the slick road without the sand and salt mixture and in fresh falling snow. The image of the man who entered the restaurant formed in her mind.

      Terra gulped. What had his life been like alone? What had happened to Maisy’s mother? How had he coped? Alanna slowed way down before turning left and under a signpost. Snow fell too hard for her to read the name above the word Ranch. “Your brother’s a rancher up here?”

      “No. He has horses though. He’d have a ranch if it made sense. Hence, the signpost.” She laughed. “His renovated 1890s home is Jude’s pride and joy, besides Maisy and his horses. He’ll be at a meeting in town, on his snowmobile, no less, but when he comes home, he’ll be out feeding them and the stray cats, or working on who knows what. I’ll get you settled then talk to him. I’m so happy you said yes.”

      “I need to call my sister. I haven’t talked to her since I told her my car broke down. It’s the last time I travel so close to the holidays. I was positive I’d miss the storm but never expected my car to break down.”

      “We’ll be okay, Mom. We have each other.” Tears stung Terra’s eyes, and she muttered, “Yes. Yes, we do, sweetheart.”

      End

      Thanks so much for reading. Learn more about this book HERE.



      I took this from my doorway a week and a half ago and cropped out the parking lot and high fence.

      Fall is upon us here in the U.S., friends. The weather people here tell us our fall colors will be late this year. I’ve only seen a few trees with color, so the experts must be right. I didn’t make it to town to photograph the “scarecrows” yet. I’ll plan on it this week. Have a wonderful weekend.

      Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Secret Santa's Rundown Sleigh, Short Snippet Saturday | 13 Comments | Tagged Heartwarming romance, Holiday Romance, Kindle Unlimted, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Short Snippet Saturday: We Have Each Other, two-hour read
    • Snippet: Secret Santa’s Rundown Sleigh – Blacksmithing #Holiday #Romance

      Posted at 8:08 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on December 19, 2019

      Happy week before Christmas! I know, I know, it isn’t Short Snippet Saturday, but since Christmas is almost here, I wanted to share a snippet from my feel-good and heartwarming holiday story–a 90-minute to two-hour read. Secret Santa’s Rundown Sleigh: A Holiday Romance Novella. It won’t be long before the holiday is over and not everyone wants to read Christmas stories, so here we go. I have a snippet ready for a different book on Saturday too because, well, why not?

      We don’t need much of a set up for this snippet other than to say… Terra is upset because she’s falling for Jude, but she doesn’t want to fall for anyone. And, it’s Christmas Eve and the guy who owns the rundown sleigh has a problem… Enjoy!


      new release, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, a holiday romance novella

      The girls remained quiet, but the tarp made crinkly sounds as they moved around beneath it. He pulled another blanket from under the seat he and Terra sat on and handed it to her. “I don’t mean to alarm you, but a support for a runner cracked. Let me check the toolbox to see what I have to fix it.”

      “You’re a blacksmith. I’m sure you have something.”

      She made blacksmithing sound like a bad thing. “Lady, do you think my job’s a joke? You should be glad I am.” He trudged to the back of the sleigh to rummage through the toolbox. A couple clamps would work for a little while. Terra came around to his side but remained silent. She shivered and he nudged her. “Get snuggled under the blanket. This might take a while. Or not,” he said dryly.

      “You’re not too optimistic.” She got the blanket out of the wagon and draped it over his back.

      Her act of kindness warmed his heart and increased the rate of his pulse. He moved in closer with the urge to warm her chattering lips with his own numb lips. He leaned in… Gulping, he spoke low. “I want to know you, Terra. Everything there is to know. If you leave, it can’t happen.” It hadn’t been easy for him to get that out, but she had to know.

      Her eyelashes fluttered. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but then closed it.

      Was he going to let her get away when she’d done something to him that hadn’t been done in five years? Why had she continued staring into his eyes with a longing? Couldn’t she lean in to let him know it’d be okay to kiss her? He removed a snowy glove and placed his hand behind her neck, subtly tilted his head, waiting for a sign…

      She lowered her gaze.

      Jude dropped his hand and straightened his back. Getting stranded together was a good way to get to know a person, if a person wanted to. He did. Sighing, he wasn’t sure how to tell her they wouldn’t make it home. Maisy’s giggles soothed his soul, but this would go south in seconds. Jude braced himself for what would come. “The sleigh isn’t getting us home tonight.”

      “What?” Terra folded her arms. “You’re joking, right? Your way of keeping me here?”

      He whipped the blanket off his shoulders and shoved it at her, grabbed a couple clamps, wood, and tools, and crawled under the sleigh. Jude stretched his arm out to grab the glove he’d dropped. “Why would I?” he growled. “Ah, can you get back in the sleigh to keep hold of the reins so the horse doesn’t run off?”

      “Absolutely.”

      Now, he seethed. He rose from the ground on her side when she got settled. “Hey, Terra? If you believe I’d pull a stunt like this to keep you here, then I’ll be more than happy to get you to the hotel, or even back to your car to wait it out at the garage in town. You think I’d do this to my daughter, and yours, on a night like tonight? Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

      Maisy leaned over the side. “Daddy, you called Kylee’s mom sweetheart. That means you like her. Can we get out to build a snowman?”

      He hadn’t meant sweetheart in a good way. “No. You don’t need to be wetter than you are. Stay in the sleigh and bundle up. Keep the plastic tarp over you.”

      “Okay. It’s snowing hard! Look, Daddy. Look, Kylee. Daddy, are you really Santa?”

      “Yeah, Mr. Overton, are you?” Kylee asked, then giggled. “It’s fun with you guys, Maisy.”

      Jude scoffed. “Get bundled up. I mean it. Now, please. You do the same thing, Terra.”

      “Is there anything I can do to help?”

      “Hold the reins.” And don’t think I have a stupid job. Anger raged inside of him. The clamp and wood setup would not hold for long, and he had nothing to fix it good enough to last the next few miles. Not in this snow and terrain. Jude hated to admit it to himself, but after cleaning out his toolbox, he’d forgotten to put the most obvious tools back inside. What he needed was at his shop. Before next Christmas Eve, he’d renovate the sleigh like he’d planned on for years.

      Working on supports to secure it the best he could, he crawled out from under the sleigh and removed his gloves, slammed the toolbox, and climbed up beside her. He blew on his hands then put on his gloves before taking the reins. “You can get in the back with the girls. The three of you will keep each other warm. We aren’t getting far on my half-ass repair. My hunting and fishing cabin is through the woods and over the ridge here to the left of us. We’ll make it close enough to walk in if we break down.”

      He moved his horse along at a slow pace. “You know, tonight could’ve been fun. You don’t know me well enough to judge who I am, but you’re wrong in how you have judged me and my job. Yeah, and after you asked me not to judge you.”

      “I wasn’t judging either you or the work you do. Your job is unique. I understand the skill it must take. You asked me to stay, and I refused. Now this. What I said sounded all wrong. I’m sorry. Kylee, are you and Maisy doing okay? Stay covered. The wind is blowing hard.”

      “We’re okay, Mama.” Kylee said in a muffled reply.

      She turned back, and he got a whiff of shampoo as ends of her brunette hair blew in his face. Confusion riddled his mind—his emotions entangled. “It sure as hell sounded like a judgement.”

      Terra put her hand over his as he held the reins. “It wasn’t. Forgive me?”

      Jude glimpsed her troubled face in the gray night brightened by snow. He let go of the reins with one hand and entwined their fingers. It was important to get to know her, to give his heart a chance to figure this out, and he couldn’t if she left. “Is it so wrong if I wanted you to stay another night? I wouldn’t sabotage this journey to make it happen.”

      Terra squeezed his gloved hand. “I know. I’d like to get to know you too. It looks like I’m staying. Is there a chance of getting a cell signal at the cabin you mentioned? I’ll cancel my reservation. It’s so late, I’ll have to pay for the room now unless they find Christmas spirit in their heart. I don’t care. You said this could’ve been fun. Is it too late?”

       

      Thank you for reading another long snippet.


      My cousin took the snowy river picture near the real setting in Northern Lower Michigan where this book takes place. This river could run behind Jude’s cabin. 🙂 The snowy background in the graphic above is more like what Jude and Terra’s Christmas Eve looks like.

      What is this novella about?

      A feel-good holiday romance novella. The heat level in this little tale is toned down and not even close to steamy like my other books and exactly what I wanted for this story. However, it does contain kissing, mild cursing, and alcoholic beverages. I say this so it isn’t confused with the “sweet” genre although the story is very sweet.

      Why does a stroke of bad luck happen now while on her way to Mackinaw City, Michigan on a blustery weekend? Two days before Christmas, Terra Westbrook and her young daughter have nowhere to stay. How can she convince her child that Santa will find her while sleeping in their car in a gas station parking lot—if they don’t die from hypothermia first? For her child’s sake, she accepts an invitation of a warm home from a resident in the village, but Terra soon learns, the kind person had no right to offer. However, she never expects the homeowner to be a lonely widower who hides tenderness and a big secret under his hard-hearted exterior.

      Jude Overton isn’t interested in a relationship let alone a wife. He tried marriage once. Sometimes his heart still aches. Now, if only his sister would get the message to stop matchmaking him with single women. His life is complete raising his daughter. He’s doing the best he can to make her happy. Jude accepts this as enough until he gazes into a stranger’s melancholy eyes that hold an unspoken yearning. As the big day rolls around, he expects it’ll be just another day like the past five Christmases as a single dad, but maybe this year, it’s a good thing his sister chooses to ignore his wishes.

      Universal Buy Link

      Amazon 

      Posted in #AmWriting | 2 Comments | Tagged 90-minute read, Feel-good romance, Holiday Romance, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Secret Santa's Rundown Sleigh: A Holiday Romance Novella, Snippet: Secret Santa's Rundown Sleigh - Blacksmithing, two-hour read
    • Tuesday Inspiration for the Muse ~ Story Tidbits~ Mighty Mac

      Posted at 6:38 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on October 8, 2019
      Mackinac Bridge Michigan

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Secret Santa's Rundown Sleigh A holiday romance novella, New Release, Book Cover man and woman embraced at dark with snow falling, blog post Mighty Mac the Mackinac Bridge

      In in my new single title holiday romance novella, Secret Santa’s Rundown Sleigh, I mention “Mighty Mac” or “Big Mac” referring to the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan. The Mackinac Bridge spans the Straits of Mackinac connecting the Lower and Upper Peninsulas. It was built in 1957. The bridge is shy of five miles long, so “five” miles. Ha-ha. You can walk across it on Labor Day—the only time pedestrian’s are allowed to stroll, run, walk on the bridge. I’ve done it and plan on doing it again.

      The Mackinac Bridge Authority says:

      • The Mackinac Bridge is currently the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world. In 1998, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan became the longest with a total suspension of 12,826 feet. The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere.
      • The height of the roadway at mid-span is approximately 200 feet above water level.

      The center section of the bridge is much higher than it looks in the photo. Freighters go beneath it with lots of room to spare. In the book, Terra, my heroine, mentioned waving down at the ship’s captain when she walked across Big Mac. In deed, I did the same thing. It was “awesome to see the captain standing on deck and waving back,” as Terra says, wink wink. Mind you, I have a fear of heights, but I did this walk and stood at the railing to look down. Oddly, I’ve ventured up to many high places that still give me tummy tumbles to remember. Nope, I don’t regret one of them.

      I forgot to mention that the two inner lanes of the bridge are a grid. Spooky!

      In addition, the bridge closes during high winds. In fact, there was a high-wind warning on their website yesterday when I wrote this. Today it’s all clear. On June 25, 1998, it had its one millionth crossing. Find more Facts and Figures at this LINK.

      Here’s a cool website LINK with pictures and live cam links. Plus, a gorgeous sunset picture of the bridge.

      I’ve taken numerous pictures from every angle I could think of, but I don’t know where they reside at the moment. Meaning they’re packed away. LOL

      I didn’t name the village where my story takes place, but I do mention other “real” places such as Mackinaw City where Terra’s mother lives. St. Ignace, which is right across the bridge, Mackinac Island, Gaylord, and Cheboygan are briefly mentioned. South Haven is where Terra has resided since she graduated from college.

      I’ve had trouble with this blog post not separating paragraphs. Hopefully, it’s finally corrected and will look as good as it did in the preview. If not, I apologize for a bad layout.

      Thanks for reading this little tidbit from one of my newest releases.

      Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife, New Release, Tuesday Inspiration for the Muse | 3 Comments | Tagged feel-good holiday romance novella, holiday romance novella, mary j mccoy dressel, Secret Santa's Rundown Sleigh, Short romance read, Story Info ~ Mighty Mac: The Mackinac Bridge in Michigan, Tuesday Inspiration for the Muse, two-hour read
    • Another New One~ Secret Santa’s Rundown Sleigh: A Holiday Romance Novella

      Posted at 9:25 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on October 1, 2019
      Mary J McCoy-dressel, featured image blog post Secret Santa's Rundown Sleigh, holiday romance novella

      I’m back with another book releasing on the same day as my cowboy. Be sure to check out the bit of information I shared about this novella at the end of the post. Thanks!

      Two More Days!

      Coming October 3, 2019

      Pre-Order Now

      Secret Santa’s Rundown Sleigh

       

      Mary J McCoy-Dressel, single title holiday romance novella, Christmas, Northern Lower Michigan, Holiday romance, Mackinaw City, Mackinac Bridge, Up North

       

      Why does a stroke of bad luck happen now while on her way to Mackinaw City, Michigan on a blustery weekend? Two days before Christmas, Terra Westbrook and her young daughter have nowhere to stay. How can she convince her child that Santa will find her while sleeping in their car in a gas station parking lot—if they don’t die from hypothermia first? For her child’s sake, she accepts an invitation of a warm home from a resident in the village, but Terra soon learns, the kind person had no right to offer. However, she never expects the homeowner to be a lonely widower who hides tenderness and a big secret under his hard-hearted exterior.

      Jude Overton isn’t interested in a relationship let alone a wife. He tried marriage once. Sometimes his heart still aches. Now, if only his sister would get the message to stop matchmaking him with single women. His life is complete raising his daughter. He’s doing the best he can to make her happy. Jude accepts this as enough until he gazes into a stranger’s melancholy eyes that hold an unspoken yearning. As the big day rolls around, he expects it’ll be just another day like the past five Christmases as a single dad, but maybe this year, he wants his sister to ignore his wishes.

      On Pre-order Now.

      Amazon  | Amazon UK  | Amazon AU  | Amazon DE

        Kobo | Apple  | Nook

      Universal Buy Link

      I hope you’ll like something a little different from me this time. 💕

      Guess what? This one isn’t a western romance. Don’t fret. I gave our hero horses. He needs a horse to pull his “rundown” sleigh! This one is a feel-good holiday romance novella—a two-hour read and a single title. The heat level in this little tale is toned down and not steamy like my other books and exactly what I wanted for this story. However, it does contain kissing, mild cursing, and alcoholic beverages.

      Last year while I reminisced with one of my cousins “up north,” I had the idea for this story, and I ran with it until the end. 🙂

      Mackinac Bridge, Northern Michigan, snow, ice, winter in Michigan, Mary J McCoy-Dressel

      Mackinac Bridge

      Oh, and it takes place in my home state in a small village where, as a child, I visited my grandma, aunts and uncles, and cousins quite often in the summer and sometimes in the winter. Although, I never met anyone like my hero while there. I remember Christmases up north and staying at my cousins house with five quilts on the bed because the only heat up there floated up through vents in the floor. Seriously, five quilts!

      From there, it’s takes less than forty-five minutes to drive to the Mackinac Bridge–“Mighty Mac or Big Mac, if there isn’t a blizzard. Some of my cousins still live in and around the small village in Northern Lower Michigan so I never named the village in the book. Terra tells her little girl a story about her grandma while there. That story is true. Maybe, or likely, it’ll pop up in an excerpt.

      Thank you for reading. 😊

       

       

      Heart cup image credit: Pixabay JillWellington

      Posted in #AmWriting, New Release | 6 Comments | Tagged Another New One~ Secret Santa's Rundown Sleigh: A Holiday Romance Novella, feel-good holiday romance novella, holiday romance novella, Mackinac Bridge, Mackinaw City, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Michigan, Secret Santa's Rundown Sleigh, two-hour read, Up North
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