Praline For My Rival

By jj Keller

Jenn left the intelligence game behind to sell a delicious dessert using her family's magical age-old recipe. As the sole ice cream vendor in the food truck arena, success is hers until the hot, new ice cream guy arrives threatening to melt her competitive nature as he heats emotions she thought were dead.

Former Navy SEAL, James "Camp" McLeod returns home wanting to bring joy to people. The perfect solution--making ice cream cones. Who doesn't like ice cream? But what he really wants is to forget his past. Not an easy task...maybe impossible with the mysterious Jenn Beagle and her tantalizing waffle cone distracting him.
 
His past and her secrets may prevent the rivals from forging an alliance, but the magic spark is undeniable whenever they mix business with pleasure.

• Language: Unknown
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Sep 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781509233199

jj Keller

jj inherited her name and creativity from her grandmother. A love of literature and adventure takes jj to many wondrous places. Storytelling is her passion, an essential part of her world, and she wants to share the magic. Please enjoy pieces of her life through her tales. @jjkellerauthor RomancewithjjKeller.wordpress.com

Book preview

Inc.

Dr. Nuewl, drop the blade and let Jenn walk away. Camp aimed a Glock 19, Gen 4 at the man who’d stitched him forty-eight hours earlier. The boatload of questions rushing through his mind conflicted with the possible scenarios the unbalanced attacker might pursue.

I’ve got this, Jenn mouthed. With each lip move, the surgical steel dug deeper into her delicate skin.

The doctor shut the entry door. Back up, man. I’ve got nothing to lose. We both know how this is going to end. Leave now, while you can.

Nuewl’s glance darted to the two possible exits in the hotel room. He’d choose the maze of corridors and not the deck, which required a leap onto a fire escape and five-story drop.

Camp shook his head. I can’t claim to understand what’s going on, but I’m not leaving without her.

The doctor’s maniacal eye movement escalated, defining the seriousness of the situation. He wouldn’t be talked down. The man’s hand slipped, and a fine thread of crimson appeared on Jenn’s throat.

Hey, man, chill…she’s just an ice cream vendor. Camp took a step closer, within kicking distance.

You don’t know anything about her. Dr. Nuewl’s mouth spread into a thin line across his face, barely showing teeth. The physician repositioned the knife into a quick kill mode.

So much for the Hippocratic oath.

Then tell me. Camp’s firm stance hadn’t changed. A Seal prepared for any complicated situation.

Praise for jj Keller

I have enjoyed every jj Keller book I have read and this one doesn’t disappoint!

~Stevi B, Manic Readers

~*~

I found it very easy to relate to both characters; it might be fantasy, but the author expresses true emotions. Perfect read.

~Mica Maca, Long and Short Reviews

~*~

I LOVE THIS BOOK!! I nearly blew off finishing my day’s work so that I could finish it in one sitting. Anyway, this book is fabulous and romantic and going on my Keeper shelf. If jj Keller has more books in this line, feel free to push them in this direction. Fan for Life!!

~Rachel Nail, Reviewer

Praline

for My Rival

by

jj Keller

One Scoop or Two

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Praline for My Rival

COPYRIGHT © 2020 by jj Keller

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Jennifer Greeff

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Line Rose Edition, 2020

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-3319-9

One Scoop or Two

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

To my brilliant son, Brad,

for your creativity and musical talent.

Chapter One

Four Weeks Earlier

Jenn Beagle drove her food truck into the Village Green parking lot. Early in the day, among the five vehicles, Coffee on the Go was the only service available. The open rear door of Deacon’s Southern Cuisine allowed cooking onions to scent the air.

A light press to her horn, and he poked his ebony head from the pass. She waved. Spatula in one hand and a sieve in the other, his bright white smile broadened as he gave a head nod.

Hi, Deacon. I hope that’s jambalaya I’m smelling.

You know it, Jenn. In about three hours, I’ll have a bowl ready for you.

In anticipation of a delicious lunch, she licked her lips and gave him a thumbs up. Jenn enjoyed Fridays, especially in the late summer, with the increased traffic and the laughter, the joyous laughter created by lovers of life. She stationed her Waffle Magic ice cream truck under the umbrella of a hundred-year-old oak tree. In a few weeks, autumn would arrive and fall festivals would flood Fort Wayne, increasing the foot traffic twofold.

She went into the rear, keeping the service window closed, and gathered the necessary instruments and tools to create her signature soft-serve ice cream cones. Her cell phone rang with the