One of my favorite parts of a book to write is that moment when the characters have to choose if they’re going to run away, or push through the hard stuff and love each other. It’s a moment that sometimes gets overshadowed by all the feels and the kissy scenes, but it’s really the true climax of the book, the happily ever after, the reward we’ve been waiting for.

Sometimes in my books, it’s dramatic and filled with tension and chaos, and sometimes it’s soft and gentle, like a midnight sigh. In Kissing the Mountain Man, it’s a little of both and I love the physical actions that accompany the characters’ decisions … Kennedy, running after Clay’s truck in too-big boots … Clay seeing her in the rearview mirror and having to decide if he’ll stop, or continue driving out of her life.

These are the moments we dramatic authors are made for. *Swoon*

Here’s an excerpt from Kissing the Mountain Man, the book that landed me on the USA Today bestsellers list. I hope you enjoy it!

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Kissing the Mountain Man – Excerpt

by Jeanette Lewis (All Rights Reserved)

In the rearview mirror, he saw Kennedy start running, following the truck. She was awkward in the boots, her coat flapping against her legs, hair flying. Clay put on the brakes, and when she reached him, she grabbed the tailgate and hauled herself into the back.

“Talk to me, Clay,” she hollered. She crossed her arms and settled onto the nylon bag that was his tent, her eyes flashing at him in the rearview mirror, daring him to stop her.

He threw the truck in park and climbed out, trying to tamp down the small spark of hope that flared suddenly in his chest. This was ridiculous. This would never work.

“What?” he demanded when he reached her side.

She took a deep breath. “It’s new. It’s uncertain. There are a lot of reasons it won’t work.”

He nodded, his heart falling.

“But,” Kennedy continued, “there are a lot of reasons why it could work too. I know it’s scary. I know it’s hard. But isn’t it worth a try? Isn’t it worth some compromise?”

His throat went tight. “I don’t know if I can stand to care about you and then lose you.”

“I don’t know if I can stand it either,” Kennedy said. “But I also can’t stand letting it go and then having to wonder for the rest of my life if I made a mistake.”

He was quiet.

“Hey.” She punched him lightly in the arm. “I cut down a tree. You bought powdered donuts from a store. We both did things this week we never thought we’d do. So why couldn’t we do this too? Why couldn’t this work?”

He clenched his fists, fighting against the fear that pounded in his chest. Beneath the fear, there was a small crack, a small glimmer of hope.

Kissing the Mountain Man is available exclusively on Amazon and is free for KU Readers!

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