I’m thrilled to host Cristal Ryder again. And I had to chuckle as I read her post — especially when she says “google Wasaga Beach” because I’ve been doing a lot of saving of links for when I have to write blog posts for my upcoming Christmas story which is also set in central Ontario….
I’m so happy to be here at Leah’s blog again. I do love visiting and traveling 
Thanks for having me again Leah.
We are halfway through May and I’m shocked how fast we got here. It’s a long weekend coming up and I do believe I will be offline for most of it. Heading to the cottage where the is no internet access unless we drive into a town called Collingwood. I know there is a Starbucks there with wifi. But part of me is ready for a down weekend. A weekend of campfires, s’mores, early morning and sunset walks on the beach with our Golden Retriever Emma, being lazy, afternoon snoozes in a hammock and bbq’s. Oh yes, and maybe a little bit of writing on my current seawitch story.
Oh if you want to know where we are going for the weekend….google Wasaga Beach. A bit of useless trivia, it’s the longest freshwater beach in the world and in Georgian Bay.
But before I can enjoy that weekend I have some work to do. My third release with Ellora’s Cave comes out today. Elemental Heat. It’s set in completely opposite type of land than the beach. The Rocky Mountains, in fact, the Colorado Rockies. I’ve been to the Canadian Rockies, Banff and Lake Louise and they are spectacular.
In Elemental Heat we have a mountain cowboy as our hero and a Canadian city girl as our heroine. Two completely different people from opposite sides of the continent. Mother Nature also makes an appearance and she causes some serious havoc for Chet and Jenna.
I hope you enjoy the excerpt from Elemental Heat.
You can find me at:
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Jenna takes a big risk and decides to live in the moment. After months of communication by social media, she accepts an invitation to Colorado where she finally meets her cowboy. Burned by past romances, Jenna is determined to move on and goes with one goal in mind—a booty call with a tall, dark, sexy cowboy.
Chet is a romantic at heart and when Jenna arrives, he knows there’s more to her than a pretty face and a hot body. A casual fling won’t do. He’s smitten and decides to woo her the old-fashioned way with time and patience. And of course, hot sex.
Their chemistry is elemental and they come together with heat that sears the snowy peaks. When Mother Nature steps in, Jenna is forced to face the feelings she’s tried so hard to keep buried and Chet has to draw on his mountain skills to save the woman he has come to love.
An Excerpt From: ELEMENTAL HEAT
Copyright © CRISTAL RYDER, 2012
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
“I can’t believe the stars.”
“Magnificent isn’t it?”
“Totally.”
“I dare you to pick a star and wish my name on it.”
She giggled. “That’s not a dare.” Jenna inhaled the wonderful scent of wood smoke, night air and barbequing meat. For the first time in a long time a sense of well-being filled her. She reclined on the lounger, pulled the blanket to her chin and searched the sky for the perfect star. “I found one.”
“Where?”
Chet put the lid down on the grill and came to sit at her feet, holding her ankle gently with his big hand. She trembled at his touch, and loved the wave of arousal that swept up her leg to settle between her thighs. She wanted his touching to be so much more. Time for that later. Jenna pointed to a bright star a little bit off to the right. “See? The large one there.”
He glanced up and right at that moment a shooting star streaked across the sky and right over top of the star she just picked.
“Holy shit! Did you see that?” Jenna bolted upright and watched the fiery trail the meteor left behind. “What are the odds of that happening?”
“Yes, I saw.” She heard the smile in his voice.
“What does that tell you?” Jenna asked him.
“I think the important thing is what it means to you.” His voice was soft and she switched her gaze from the sky to his face.
“To me? Well, a sign.”
“What kind of sign?”
She hesitated a moment, quite struck by the shooting star. What were the odds that just as she chose a star a meteor would streak over the one she picked? There was a whole big sky up there, a great vastness and yet the celestial streak happened in her minuscule portion of it where she picked a star to wish his name on. It told her volumes, but she couldn’t really express it without feeling ridiculous.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, feeling embarrassed to almost voice thoughts she normally would never let enter her mind. “Maybe that our visit was written in the stars…”
Chet squeezed her ankle gently. “I hope you made a wish on it.”
“I didn’t!” Was it too late? Jenna squeezed her eyes shut and wished. Wished with all her might that maybe, just maybe she was wrong and that she could find true love. Her birthday was this week, while she was here with a very sexy cowboy. One who seemed almost too good to be true.
If it seems too good to be true it usually is.
Jenna opened her eyes and glanced at Chet. Was he hiding any secrets?
“I hope it was a good one.” Chet’s deep voice reached her through the dark.
She pulled the blanket tighter. “Time will tell. There’s been lots of wishing upon stars over the years and I think only one has ever come to fruition.”
“Which one was that?”
Jenna laughed. “A horse. When I was little I would go outside every night and search for the first evening star and wish desperately for a horse. I finally got my wish when I was twenty. But I had to wait an awful long time.” She glanced at his now achingly familiar face, his rugged features softened by the bonfire. “I hope I don’t have to wait as long for this wish.”
“Sounds to me like you don’t have a whole lot of patience. Remember, all good things come to those who wait.” He winked at her and stood.
Jenna watched him walk to the barbeque. He was all fluid grace. For such a big man he wasn’t awkward at all and she couldn’t wait to see him in the saddle. He’d promised they’d go riding tomorrow. But there was a lot of time between now and then. She watched him flip the steaks and take a sip of wine from his glass, then hold the spatula aloft. The image was ingrained in her mind and she swore she would never forget this moment.
Before she knew what she was doing or could change her mind, Jenna swung her legs off the lounge and stood. Chet turned and watched her approach, the dark dreaminess of his eyes drew her. She needed to taste him, to feel his lips under hers and if he wasn’t going to make the first move then she would.
The blanket slipped down her back and she clutched the edges below her breasts.
He put the spatula down without looking where he placed it and it clattered to the patio stones. She stood before him and wound her arms around his neck, holding the corners of the blanket, wrapping them in the warmth of the wool. Her fingers pressed against his neck and the strength in his muscles made her feel truly feminine.
Almost at eye level, she had to look up only slightly to meet his gaze. All her senses tuned in to him, his essence permeated her and she let it. The long-distance teasing they had done the past few months came to a head and Jenna trembled with desire. She tipped her head back and pulled him to her. The hesitation when their lips were a hairsbreadth apart was exquisite. Energy crackled between them in the moment of anticipation before fulfillment.
Chet’s vigor and arousal radiated from him in pulsing waves. The whisper of air between their bodies vanished when he snaked his arms around her waist and brought her hard against him. Jenna sucked in a breath and a little “oh” popped from between her lips.
“This is where I’ve wanted you all day, woman.”
