Finding the next Hero & Heroine - Part Four

Having decided upon Bill and Michael, the perfect Anglo-American partnership, the hunt was on for the next heroine and hero in my Atlantic Divide Series. Easy enough to find my hero …

Michael relaxed on the porch swing with a cup of coffee in his hand and a dog on each side of his legs. He watched with some amusement as Mac’s black Ferrari jolted along the rutted track into the yard, scraping the low-slung undercarriage.

He knew Mac liked him, but he also knew that the man considered him trouble for his little sister. So he guessed he’d turned up to make sure they weren’t left alone together. It had been a long few days of manipulation and maneuvering between Mac and his brothers to ensure they were kept apart, but it seemed, Michael thought with a grin, that he was starting to make it difficult for them. It was a bit like a game of chess. It amused him to watch their scheming. They had no idea what a master schemer he was himself.

It seemed their line of communication had let them down this time and Mac must have believed it was Bill’s day off too.

Mac unfolded his long legs and pushed his huge frame out of the Ferrari, almost getting his shoulders stuck in the doorway. Michael laughed.

“You know you’re too big for that don’t you?”

“Sure.” Mac pushed his long, black hair back from his face and flicked his plait back over his shoulder. “But I look fantastic in it.”

“No, you look too big for it.”

Michael could see how Mac had become a legendary movie star; his ego was enormous, but he was still intelligent enough to be self-deprecating. He laughed as he sat on the swing making it creak and groan.

“It’s only rented. It goes back at the end of the week. I think my hair is starting to thin where it keeps rubbing against the roof.” They sat in silence for a moment.

“Where’s Bill?”

“I’m surprised you don’t know. You had a wasted journey. Bill’s out with Jack picking up some guy who shot up a store yesterday.”

Mac leaned forward. The seat grumbled loudly. He stood, gave it a disgusted look, and moved toward the house.

“More coffee?”

“That’d be good.”

They sat in Bill’s kitchen, drank her coffee, and Mac explained why he needed to bulk up for his next acting job on location in England. Michael wasn’t surprised to hear that female eyes would be firmly fixed on Mac’s broad, waxed, oil-slicked chest. Sounded like being a good-guy action hero sucked.

“I knew a girl in England not far from where I’ll be on location. She was the love of my life when I was twenty-one.” Mac stared into the distance, regret in his eyes. “She had the most beautiful eyes you’ve ever seen.” His mouth quirked slightly. It seemed to Michael that Mac had gone into the right industry. His penchant for drama was effective.

“What happened?” Michael’s attention started to wane while he watched with rising curiosity as Jack’s Land Cruiser flew down the road toward the house, kicking up dust in its wake. Both men stood to peer out the window.

“Broke my heart and left me.” Mac shrugged, and he squinted. “Wanted to be a vet. Wonder if she ever made it.”

His voice tailed off as his little sister slammed out of one side of the Land Cruiser while Jack slammed out of the other, their voices raised and their long strides quickly covering the distance to the house.

“Uh-oh,” Mac murmured as he stepped toward the door.

… and so Atlantic Divide Book 3 was created. Mac comes to Shropshire, England – larger than life, but is he any match for Zoe, the local country vet?

Due for release in September, Finding Zoe.