Over The Fence

By Valerie Sicknick

***Anamosa House Publishing Up & Coming Young Authors Series***

 

"Over the Fence is simply magnificent, a contemporary young adult romance novel that immerses readers in an unmatched struggle between love, happiness, and the supernatural."

When Amanda escapes from the city, leaving her manipulative ex-boyfriend Joseph behind, she yearns to find some peace and solitude in a small town, a second chance at life and love. Things are as dull as she expects—that is, until she meets her new neighbor Duncan.

A gorgeous man with the bluest eyes Amanda had ever seen, Duncan seems to be entirely unaware of the effect he has on her. The two become friends, and just when she suspects that there could be a spark between them. . .

 

• Will Joseph's ill-timed reappearance ruin everything?
• And why can't she shake the feeling that Duncan has more to him than meets the mortal eye?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anamosa Publishing House
• Release date: Mar 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393038986

Book preview

Chapter 1

"Y

our neighbor is insane, Amanda!" Dew and Sallie sat perched up over the back of the living room couch, peeking through the blinds to watch what was going on next door. A group of workers had already delivered several piles of 2 x 4s and sheets of plywood earlier that morning. The commotion was quite the spectacle.

The house on the corner had the biggest lot on the street. Amanda’s house had the second biggest. Both places were modest, neat, nearly identical, cookie-cutter homes familiar to anyone who has spent five minutes in suburbia. Bulky piles of lumber stuck out like a sore thumb, especially when it looked like enough to cover the entire lot. What did her neighbor need with so much wood? What project was he planning on this time?

So he’s building something. So what? Amanda leaned over the couch, trying to see through the partially open blinds. She spotted her tall thin neighbor walking around the front yard. He was holding a roll of string, a hammer, and a bag full of wooden stakes. Every few feet, he would hammer a stake into the ground and wind string around it, marking off areas of the yard. He’s well prepared for a vampire attack. Amanda giggled as she took the first sip of her morning coffee.

Then she shuffled over to the window next to the couch that offered a more unobstructed view. The blinds had an easy-to-use slider that opened or closed them immediately. Much better for spying on someone. Her neighbor was outside at the same time every day. She timed her morning coffee so she could sit in the living room and watch him. He usually worked on his immaculate flower beds and the one massive tree in the center of his yard. Dunc had a schedule, and he stuck firmly to it.

Yet it was unusual to see her quiet, reserved neighbor out in his front yard like this. Duncan McCormick was in black sweat pants, and that was it. He was barefoot and shirtless. Dunc was walking around his yard with far more enthusiasm than usual. Amanda smiled appreciatively. He was a thin man with wide shoulders, a broad chest, and a pleasant amount of muscular curves in all the right places. This was a rare morning treat.

Amanda stared through the blinds, glad that he couldn’t see them watching him. His wavy, shoulder-length black hair was a mess, and he had a good layer of stubble on his face. It was a good look on him.

Amanda had moved into her house in January. She had come by herself with a small truck of belongings. It had been raining when she arrived, and she didn’t even have a bed in her new house. It was a miserable time. She had waited for the rain to stop, but it didn’t seem like it was going to cooperate.

Then Duncan McCormick and his adorable mother knocked on her door. He had brought her a freshly baked pecan pie. Dunc’s mother had gushed about his skills in the kitchen in a way that sounded like she was trying to sell him to Amanda. Then Dunc and his mother noticed that the moving truck was outside, and she was standing in an empty living room. Dunc got the idea to use trash bags to cover her boxes and helped her carry everything in without getting them too wet. The only big furniture she had at the time was a full-sized mattress and frame. He had helped her set it up without a word spoken the entire time. He was so shy. She didn’t push because she found it all sweet. She was immediately attracted to him and his beautiful blue eyes.

Twice a month, like clockwork, Dunc’s mother invited Amanda to their home for tea. Amanda often had nothing else to do and would accept. It would turn into an hour-long social visit which was nice. Amanda missed her family, and Dunc’s mother was a very caring person. Their conversations did often end up centering on Dunc, but Amanda didn’t mind. The stories were cute. His mother thought he needed a good woman in his life. She would repeat that statement near the end of every visit. Amanda got the hint, but she wasn’t interested in a relationship with anyone, no matter how good he sounded.

Dunc was in the house every time she visited, but he never joined them. If he was interested in a relationship with anyone, he wasn’t working toward it. His mother appeared to want it more than he did. Dunc came across as a severe workaholic to Amanda. Every time she came over, he was in his studio, and his mother continually praised his work ethic.

Amanda had seen it herself on many occasions. His garage was full of woodworking tools. She had watched him build a massive pergola in his backyard with the help of friends in a single afternoon.

When that man had his mindset on something, it was going to get done. Dunc had a single-minded focus that Amanda envied. He had a flourishing garden in the backyard and took care of everything around his house. He was handy with tools.

Dunc wasn’t perfect. On several occasions, Amanda had been kept awake far later into the night than she liked due to insanely loud music coming from one of Dunc’s parties. After two nights in a row, Amanda had enough and had stormed over to his house to demand he turn it down.

He had met her at the door, face red in embarrassment the moment he saw her. He knew why she was there. Amanda had laid into him about how some people had real jobs and needed to sleep at night. Dunc had apologized, and the music immediately went down to reasonable levels. She didn’t have to ask again.

Then there was that embarrassing night over the summer. Amanda awoke, frightened, at 3 am to someone singing at the top of his lungs outside her front door. It sounded more like an expression of pain than anything Amanda recognized as music. A proclamation of sorts. For a moment, she laid in bed transfixed, listening to the musings of a heartbroken soul.

Forced to get out of bed, Amanda was not in a good mood. She had stomped to the front door. Amanda had peered through the peephole to see her neighbor swaying in front of her door. He began belting out another round as mournfully as he had the first, and she couldn’t take it. It was sad.

Amanda yelled at Dunc that he was drunk and to go home. She had moved to the window next to the door to get a better look at him. He was staggering uncontrollably and trying to leave like she had told him to. His head was down, and his shoulders slumped. She felt sorry for him and angry at the same time. Dunc had attempted to walk down the porch steps and swayed into the railing. There was a loud cracking sound as he fell across the old wood. Then her drunk neighbor had let out a startled yelp and vanished from sight along with most of her railing.

The railing was old, and Amanda had planned to replace it in the future. It wasn’t a significant loss. She was far more concerned about her neighbor than the broken railing. With a sigh, she had finally opened the door to help Dunc. She found him flailing in the bushes surrounding her porch. He couldn’t figure out what had happened nor how to get out of it. He was a mess.

Once Amanda got to him and managed to grab his hand, he had a moment of clarity and looked ashamed. His entire face turned red, and he slurred an apology. Amanda had been so angry. Drunk people were not fun or amusing in her eyes. They were a menace to be avoided. She also didn’t need to deal with another lawsuit.

Dunc turned into a pathetic mushy pile of apologies as Amanda half dragged, half carried him to his front door. His mother answered, and between the two of them, they got him inside. Then he collapsed on the floor. It was not a side of her neighbor she wanted to see. Dunc’s mother had immediately called 911 in a panic, saying this wasn’t normal for her son. Amanda stayed for his mother and was furious with whatever it was Dunc had done to end up in such a state. He had worried his mother to tears. Amanda was standing in only a nightshirt inside the McCormick’s living room when the ambulance arrived.

She had left that morning with a meager opinion of Duncan McCormick. He was like any other man, just wrapped in a more realistic package. He gave in to his vices at the expense of others. Amanda assumed he was fine when he returned home the next afternoon. She was a tiny bit concerned.

Several days later, Amanda got up like any other day. She showered then picked up her laptop to get some work done on the couch in the front living room. It was a habit from when she liked to watch Dunc in the morning. She had been sitting for a few minutes, enjoying her morning cup of coffee, when she heard a man’s voice coming from her front yard. He was swearing in a foreign language. Several foreign languages, then in English with a slight Scottish accent. Then she heard the popping sound of a nail gun.

Amanda had been afraid to look outside. There was no telling what was going on out there. She sat on the couch and listened. Amanda was sure it was her neighbor, and he was doing something in front of her house. She could hear him walking up and down the stairs and onto the front porch, grunting and swearing. Then she heard him humming a song. It went on for a good hour, with Amanda wasting time listening to her neighbor talking to himself, cursing, and singing. She caught tidbits of his conversation. He kept saying the word idiot over and over again. After an hour, Amanda finally worked up the courage to look through the window and see what her weird neighbor was up to.

She was in awe at what she saw through the blinds. Dunc had removed all the railing on her porch along with a lot of old rotten boards. Her entire porch had been on the verge of rotting away. Dunc’s truck, which he parked outside the house, had a trailer loaded with all the old rotten lumber attached to the back. It looked like he had been working on her porch before the sun had even risen. Dunc had replaced the weak boards on her porch and was more than half done with a new railing. A sturdy new one had replaced her crummy old porch.

Amanda had stared at him through the blinds, completely confused by what he was doing. He was on her porch, fixing it, and hadn’t said a word to her. He hadn’t even asked her if he could or should. It was a bold decision on his part to do this, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Pure awe replaced her anger. She didn’t want to be impressed, but he was doing so much work.

Amanda gave in and opened the door with a glass of iced tea in hand when he was almost done. It was late afternoon, and Dunc was sweating heavily by then. He had turned red in the face the moment he looked up. He was already red from the heat, but the added blush was noticeable. She took the tea to him and stood there holding it out to him.

That wasn’t me. Dunc had mumbled. Doctors said I had been dosed with GHB before I came home. I don’t remember much of that night. Mom told me I broke your railing.

You didn’t have to do this. Amanda wasn’t sure if she believed him or not, but he had gone over and above what he should have.

I did. We’re neighbors. I didn’t want you to think badly about me. Dunc took the glass appreciatively. Thank you. He didn’t say anything further. He finished his repairs and left.

Then he avoided Amanda for over a month.

LIFE RETURNED TO NORMAL. They said hi and exchanged a few words of idle chit-chat about the weather or local news. Only now, Amanda was the one avoiding him. The whole incident soured her on getting to know him any better. She still went over to tea with his mother, but Dunc was off-limits.

That was an awful thing. The man seemed to have a fiery intensity hidden behind his soft eyes. She could watch him working outside for hours. It didn’t matter if his shirt was on or not; he was lovely to watch. His wavy black hair was almost always in a state of disarray. On occasion, she glimpsed those brilliant blue eyes. His slender face seemed more expressive than most men’s. His cheekbones were high and sharply angled, and the guy never seemed to smile. He frowned. He scowled. He could look intensely thoughtful. She had seen him smirk once.

Amanda had spoken with him enough times to have seen that he had some serious dental issues. Dunc had likely had them his entire life. He didn’t smile if it meant showing his teeth. The lingering effects of bullying at a young age, Amanda suspected. He was painfully self-conscious, after all, yet so handsome.

Okay, you two, you can’t just spend the morning watching the neighbor. Amanda continued to gaze out the window as she spoke, You promised me you’d take care of me this year. You need to go shopping so you can make lunch and dinner... and breakfast tomorrow... and lunch and dinner. She turned and smiled at Dew and Sallie, who were giving her dirty looks.

Are you going to spend the whole morning salivating over your strange neighbor? Sallie’s face broke out in a mischievous grin.

Absolutely not! Amanda was staring out the window.  She glanced back quickly at Sallie and Dew. I have work to do. I just wanted to see the sun rising.

Out the western side of the house? Dew chuckled.

Reflection, Amanda smirked. She pulled herself away from the window. Let me get my debit card. Remember, food only, no games! Amanda set her coffee aside and rushed to get her sister and brother-in-law out of the house. The sooner they were gone, the sooner she could spend the morning watching her crazy hot neighbor. Watching was okay. She could watch him all she wanted.

DUNCAN MCCORMICK WAS completely unaware anyone was watching him. He was fully involved in laying out the structures he intended to build for this year’s Halloween display. All the lumber that would be needed had been delivered. He had spent months going over every detail he wanted to put into this year’s decorations. He designed and attempted to build a bigger and better setup every year. He turned his entire front yard into a play area for the neighborhood kids in October. This year he was creating a western ghost town complete with a scary graveyard.

Dunc had a policy of not putting up decorations for a holiday until they reached the month they were actually in. Halloween did not begin until October 1st. Thanksgiving was November 1st, and Christmas was December 1st. He decorated for each one of them, something that he hoped wouldn’t bother his next-door neighbor. There were going to be kids all over his yard for most of the month. He hoped she would be understanding.

Today was preparation day. He was laying out the materials and making measurements to make work easier tomorrow. He had invited his friends to help. There would be a huge party tomorrow evening with a

Reviews for Over The Fence

[J. Del torre · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I stumbled across this book and was pleasantly surprised to find a thoughtfully written romance novel that trods off the beaten path. I'd recommend this book to anyone.