Title: Un-Expected
Series: Left at the Crossroads #1
Author: Lisa Worrall
Length: 43,654 words/182 Pages
Published Date: February 25, 2014
Blurb: Little Mowbury is a sleepy
English village deep in the Cotswolds. The kind of village where you’re only a
local if your lineage can be traced back to the dinosaurs. Where you can find
everything in the single shop from morning newspapers to dry-cleaning, and
getting your shoes mended. And, of course, where everybody knows everybody
else’s business. It’s easy to find… you can’t miss it… just ask anyone and
they’ll tell you… “It’s left at the crossroads.”
After being dumped on graduation day by the love of
his life, Harry Boyd, Micah Lewis returned to the sleepy village he grew up in.
Living next door to his mother wasn’t his best idea, granted, but when your
heart was broken, there really was no place like home.
Six years later, secure and content in his job as
midwife for a local birthing centre, the last person he expected to move into
Lilac Cottage across the street from him was Harry Boyd. Seeing Harry again
sends Micah into a tailspin and opens wounds he thought had long since healed.
Although, Harry himself isn’t the only issue Micah has to face. That would be
Harry’s very beautiful and very pregnant partner, Selena. But is everything as
it seems?
EXCERPT
Micah’s pulse raced. This was it. A million
thoughts flew through his mind, too fast for him to latch onto a single one. He
swallowed hard as a fresh spurt of blood covered his fingertips. Glancing up at
the pale face, etched in a mask of agony, frightened blue eyes staring back at
him, he summoned up what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” he said
softly, reaching up to squeeze limp fingers. “Stay with me. We’re gonna do this
together. You and me.”
“You said…
it would be… walk in the park.”
“Well…
more like a brisk jog,” Micah grinned.
“Bastard.”
“That’s
it, get pissed off,” he encouraged, not batting an eye as he lifted his best
friend's bare foot onto his shoulder. If he had time to think about it, he
might have considered it quite bizarre that he was seeing quite so much of said
best friend, but he was far too busy trying to deliver her baby to think about
anything else. Micah swept two fingers around the perineum as another
contraction hit and the baby’s head crowned for the third time. “Another push,
Sarah and we'll have the head. Bear down and we can meet this beautiful boy.”
“I can’t
do it.”
“Are you
kidding me?” Micah scoffed as Sarah’s body ignored her protestations and
concentrated on the job it was made to do. “You are doing it. Bear down, that’s
it… keep it coming…” The contraction slowly receded and he gave her thigh an
encouraging squeeze. “Fantastic job, darlin’. One more and we’ll be singing
happy birthday, won’t we, Dad?”
“The only
thing he’ll be singing is soprano,” Sarah panted as she flopped back onto the
pillow. “You touch me again and I’ll cut your dick off!”
Micah bit back his snort of laughter at the
understanding nod from Gary, Sarah’s adoring husband, as he smoothed her hair
off her sweat-dampened forehead. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard something
along those lines and he was more than certain it wouldn’t be the last. He was
also fairly sure that in a couple of years Sarah would be saying the same thing
again. Sarah’s belly hardened beneath his hand and he looked at the monitor as
the contraction began to build strength. The baby’s heartbeat started to climb,
which was perfectly normal. This was it. He felt that familiar frisson of
excitement flow through him and he moistened his lips. “Okay, Sarah,” he said
briskly. “I know you’re tired, but we’re nearly there. Deep breath in and
push!”
He kept up a steady stream of encouragement, and
whooped when the baby’s head didn’t slip back down the birth canal after the
next contraction. Then the head was delivered to a resounding scream from
Sarah. “Sarah, honey, stop pushing. I don’t want you to tear,” Micah instructed
firmly. “I need you to listen to my voice. I want you to pant, and with the
next contraction we’ll have a baby.”
“I can’t…
I changed my mind.”
“Probably
should have thought of that before you had that early night, Webb,” Micah shot
back. The next contraction began almost straight away and Micah briefly gripped
Sarah’s knee. “This is it, baby. I want little pushes while I ease him out.
That’s it… another one… fantastic, honey. Blow your breath out. Think about all
the blow jobs you gave behind 4C… yes… just like that….” Micah let out another
yell as two shoulders slipped easily into the world followed by the rest of
Sarah and Gary’s baby boy, his Godson.
Once the
cord had stopped pulsing Micah clamped it and held the scissors out to Gary.
“Come on, Daddy. I’ve done my part…” Gary was in a state of euphoric shock.
Micah had to steady his hand as the other man cut the cord in between the
clamps, and Baby Boy Webb was on his own. Micah rose with the baby in his arms
and placed him on Sarah’s breast, not quite being able to join in the
celebration; he wasn’t done yet.
While
Sarah and Gary laughed, cried and stared in exhausted amazement at their new
son, Micah efficiently drew the Pitocin into a syringe and injected it into
Sarah’s thigh. Not that she noticed. He shook his head with a soft smile as he
placed his hand on her abdomen, waiting for the injection to take effect. In
the five years he’d been one of the midwives here at Cherry Tree Birthing
Centre, he didn’t think any woman had ever paid attention when he’d
administered the drug designed to deliver the placenta.
Thankfully
the final stage of labour didn’t take long, and within twenty minutes he had
weighed and discarded the disc-like placenta after checking it was intact.
Turning back to Sarah, he surveyed his handiwork.
“You can stop staring at my girl parts now,”
Sarah said sarcastically. “You’re done down that end… get your arse further
north.”
“Sorry,”
Micah said with a wide grin. “But I’m damn good. Not a single tear. Actually,
if it weren’t for the fact that you shit yourself, you would never know you
just had a baby.”
“You are
seriously disturbed,” Sarah shook her head and gazed back down at her son. “If
Uncle Micah ever tries to tell you the story of your birth, kick him in the
shins and run like hell. Mummy would like to try and retain a little dignity.”
“Don’t
listen to her,” Micah cooed, gently lifting the baby from Sarah’s arms. “We are
going to have some serious fun, little man. I’m going to teach you all the ways
to make your mummy get that crinkle above her nose when she’s piss—sorry—ticked
off. I’m also going to fill you full of E-numbers, additives and preservatives,
then send you home to your parents. It’s my job, no matter what Mummy says.
It’s on page one of the Uncle Handbook. Right there with getting you your first
lap dance when you’re twenty-one.”
“He’s ten
minutes old, Lewis,” Sarah griped. “Don’t start corrupting him already.”
Micah chuckled softly as he gently lowered the
baby into the scales. He made a note of his weight before measuring his length
and his head. He completed all the tests he needed to do and updated his notes,
then quickly administered the vitamin K injection, mumbling soothing noises as
the baby let out a wail. With practiced ease, he fastened a nappy, and dressed
the tiny boy in a vest and a baby-gro before wrapping him in the blanket Gary
handed him. Picking the baby up, he dropped a gentle kiss on his soft skin and
then placed him in his father’s arms. He settled himself in the chair in the
corner and proceeded to finish the rest of his notes, allowing Sarah and Gary
some alone time with their new son.
Watching
the way Sarah stared in stunned awe at the baby had Micah swallowing past the
lump in his throat. She was a year older than him, and she and Gary had already
been trying for three years before they moved back to the tiny village where
Sarah and Micah had grown up. That had been four years ago, so it had been
seven years of miscarriages and three costly IVF treatments before they were
able to see the beautiful puffy little face now yawning up at them.
“Look at him,” Gary grinned happily. “You’d think
he’d done all the work. Who does he look like?”
“You,”
Sarah replied immediately. “Poor little sod… and my dad.”
“He looks
like Winston Churchill,” Micah piped up, not lifting his gaze from his notes.
“All babies look like Winston Churchill… it’s the law.”
“You’re a
knob, Micah,” Sarah shot back. “I’m going to rescind the Godfather invitation
if you’re not careful.”
Micah closed her file and slipped his pen into
the top pocket of his scrubs. Standing up he walked over to the bed and stroked
a gentle finger over the baby’s downy cheek. “You can’t. I have to have some
kind of reward for wiping your arse.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead
softly. “He is eight and half pounds of perfect, Sare. You did good.” Raising
an eyebrow he tilted his head as he gazed down at the little boy he was
planning to spoil within an inch of his life. “Are you seriously going to
saddle him with,” he faked a shudder, “that name?”
“It was my
father’s name,” Gary said firmly. “And his father’s name before him. It’s
tradition.”
“Then why
is your name Gary?” Micah reasoned. “Doesn’t it tell you something when your
own mother refused to carry on the tradition? How can you do it to him? He’s
going to get his arse severely kicked his entire life.”
“Shut up
the two of you,” Sarah sighed heavily with a roll of her eyes. “Micah, get over
it. We like it, it’s cute. Now hold your Godson… Algernon Micah Webb.”
Supporting the baby’s head in the crook of his
elbow, Micah kissed him softly. “Don’t worry, Algie. When you’re eighteen I’ll
pay for you to get it changed.”
My Review
In true Lisa Worrall fashion I was left breathless by this story. She has a talent for writing engaging, intriguing, mysteries, and emotional stories. Un-Expected WAS unexpected. When I read the blurb I had an idea of what I was in for but was thrown for a loop when things heated up. This was a thoroughly entertaining read. My heart ached for Harry. All the lies and secrets. All the lost time. But, true love knows no distance or time which was made evident when Harry and Micah meet again. Beautiful story. I highly recommend you take this ride.
BUY LINKS
Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Un-Expected-Left-Crossroads-Book-Worrall-ebook/dp/B00IN8HWPC/
Amazon UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Un-Expected-Left-Crossroads-Book-Worrall-ebook/dp/B00IN8HWPC/
TOUR SCHEDULE
April 2: Prism
Book Alliance
April 6: Divine
Magazine
April 9: Nic
Starr
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I live in
Southend-on-Sea, a small seaside town just outside London on the South East
coast of Essex, England that boasts the longest pier in the world; where I am
ordered around by two precocious children and a dog who thinks she's the boss
of me. I've been writing seriously for three years now and love giving voice to
the characters warring to be heard in my head, and am currently petitioning for
more hours in the day, because I never seem to have enough of them.
COMING
SOON
itle: In-Decision
Series: Left at the Crossroads #2
Author: Sue Brown
Length: 43,000 words
Release Date: April 15, 2015
Blurb: Little Mowbury is a sleepy
English village deep in the Cotswolds. The kind of village where you’re only a
local if your lineage can be traced back to the dinosaurs. Where you can find
everything in the single village shop from morning newspapers to dry-cleaning,
and getting your shoes mended. And, of course, where everybody knows everybody
else’s business. It’s easy to find… you can’t miss it… just ask anyone and
they’ll tell you… “It’s left at the crossroads.”
Eighteen months ago Jason Havers lost the love of
his life and it's time to move on. Applying for the position of chef in a
sleepy country pub, a million miles away from his previous life, may well be
the fresh start he needs. His new employers immediately take him under their
wing and before long he finds himself with a passel of new friends and a job he
loves. What he doesn’t expect is Tom, a gorgeous midwife, who stirs up feelings
he’s not ready to deal with.
But when someone from his previous life turns up in
Little Mowbury, will Jason be able to keep them from revealing the secret he’s
been keeping from those he’s come to love
Pre-order Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/-Decision-Left-Crossroads-Book-ebook/dp/B00VD1VV58/
Pre-order Amazon UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-Decision-Left-Crossroads-Book-ebook/dp/B00VD1VV58/
Pre-order All Romance eBooks
Link: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-indecision-1769227-145.html
GIVEAWAY
Win a copy of Lisa Worrall’s
‘Un-expected’ and 3 runners up will get to pick any one of Sue Brown’s books!
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