Knowing Nichelle
Tinsley Sellers
Publication date: August 16th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
She’s just met the man of her dreams…but he’s not who he said he was. Neither is she. Until they get a second chance to make a first impression.
Is he a sophisticated big-city lawyer, or an easygoing small-town woodworker? And if she’s not a career-driven high-powered attorney, then who is she? Hiding behind their masks is second nature until circumstances force them to see beneath the surface and realize just how alike—and in love—they really are.
He’s only got one rule: no lawyers. She’s a lawyer.
Burned by experience, Buck’s got a rule for a reason. After walking away from a lucrative legal position, he found his peace in Beckley. Life on the farm is simple, and his woodworking business is thriving. He’s not interested in trading his work boots for wingtips and rejoining the rat race. So what if she’s the most compelling woman he’s ever met?
She’s only got one requirement: no a**holes. He’s an a**hole.
After a disastrous encounter in a trendy bar, Nichelle’s convinced that he’s an over-muscled a**hole. She’s got a sleek car, luxurious condo, and elegant designer clothes. Family comes first, and her legal career is on the fastest track. She’s never met a problem she couldn’t solve on her own. So what if he can see beneath her carefully constructed façade?
They’re perfect together. They just don’t know it yet.
Welcome back to Beckley, Michigan! Autumn is in the air and as the days get shorter, the air gets cooler and the calm lakes reflect the blue skies and red-gold trees for a double-dose of fall color. The people are just as warm, friendly, smart, funny, and real as you remember. When you need a place to call home, Beckley welcomes you—and sometimes the family you choose is as strong as the bonds you’re born with.
If you like small-town romance, you’ll like Beckley. If you like smart heroines who balance demanding professional careers with a commitment to family, friends, and finding love, then you’ll definitely like it here. If you like strong, sexy, hard-working heroes who have not-so-secret soft spots for kids, dogs, and classic cars, you may find that you never want to leave!
Knowing Nichelle is the third in the Beckley’s Daughters Romance series. It can be read as a stand-alone story, but continuing readers will recognize many of the characters and locations. This series is recommended for adult readers and contains explicit language and intimate situations.
Author Bio:
Tinsley Sellers grew up in Chicago, spending her summers with her grandparents in a tiny town a lot like Beckley, Michigan. Life took her to Arizona, Washington, and Idaho before she finally found her home in Arkansas. She is married to an amazing, supportive (and handsome!) man, with whom she has rescued three dogs and two cats. When she’s not writing, she teaches physics and engineering at the local university. When she’s not writing or teaching, she’s probably trying new recipes. She enjoys fast cars, loud music, fine whisky, and big books. In no particular order.
Excerpt:
Nichelle
Buck slowly strolled over to the bar.
Every molecule of my body betrayed me, vibrating with anticipation, syncing to
raise my temperature and heart rate. He looked so fine I wanted to taste him.
His mossy green henley sweater was open at the neck, showing a triangle of the
bark-colored t-shirt beneath. He had missed a spot shaving. Even now I wanted
him, wanted to trace that spot with my fingertips, nuzzle it with my lips and
teeth.
I felt like a spinster schoolmarm,
still in my car-creased navy pencil skirt with my wilted floral-print bow
blouse tied primly at the neck. I had left work at the last possible moment and
driven hell-for-leather to make it here by five. I hadn’t changed my clothes,
or even re-applied my lipstick. I knew he would notice, see all of the interior
chaos writ large on my disheveled exterior. I dreaded his pity.
“Hey, Darlin’.” He sat on the stool
beside me.
I closed my eyes and took a deep
breath, wondering when it would stop. The goosebumps. The fluttering. The
wishing he would wrap me close and make me safe. The ache for him to care for
me.
Never. It was never going
to stop, it would always feel this way. I had lost control and there was no
getting it back. That it was too late was just…it just was.
I pushed my drink across the bar and
caught Corey’s eye. “Throw a shot of gin in this for me?”
He grinned and took my glass to the far
end of the bar, dumping it down the sink and preparing a fresh cocktail.
“You look gorgeous,” Buck said, too low
for the bartender to hear. “You could make a paper bag look like Prabal
Gurung.”
“It’s all about the attitude,” I
bantered back with an exaggerated shrug.
Corey set a fresh glass before me. “A
proper greyhound.” He turned to Buck with a wary gaze. “Molson?”
Buck laughed and shook his head. “I’m
in a good mood tonight, Kid. Surprise me.” The bartender’s eyes gleamed and he
turned away to get Buck’s drink. I gave Buck’s neck a sidelong glance. That
patch of stubble? He wasn’t in a good mood. I played along anyway.
“Now you’ve done it,” I warned him.
“Your drink is coming back with a pink umbrella. I guarantee it.”
Just then Aerin entered the dining
room, platinum perfection in a floral dress. The way Chet looked at her brought
a tear to my eye, the intensity of his emotion etched plainly across his face.
I glanced at Buck. He was looking at me the same way. I never wanted to look at
anyone else again, if only he would never stop looking at me that way.
“No, Buck,” I forced myself to say the
words, “you don’t get to look at me like that.” Never stop. I couldn’t
help the thought. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t reasonable, but right now I
couldn’t bear it if he stopped.
He dropped his eyes and sipped his
drink, a fluorescent pink thing in a curvy hurricane glass garnished with a
yellow paper umbrella.
“It tastes like goddamn strawberry
bubblegum,” he growled, pushing it away. Corey was in the dining room, so Buck
strode behind the bar and found himself a bottle of Molson.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, pausing
behind my barstool. He gave my shoulder a soft squeeze and kept walking, taking
a seat at the long dinner table. Aerin tried to corral her guests, encouraging
everyone to come to the table. I couldn’t move. The phantom weight of Buck’s
hand on my shoulder pinned me to my stool.
