Excerpt from ALL FALL DOWN
Copyright 2026
He paused, as if he’d said more than he intended. The golden morning light slanted through the stable doors, catching in the tousle of his dark hair, where stray pieces of hay clung stubbornly. Instead of looking disheveled, the scattered bits only added to his effortless appeal, the sunlit amber strands complimenting his warm honey-brown eyes. He cleared his throat once, shifting just enough to make her aware of how close they were in the quiet space.
“Besides, I think sneakers tell a lot about a person.”
She glanced at her expensive shoes, suddenly hyperaware of the way her toes curled slightly inside them. Nervous energy bubbled up, but she swallowed it down, tilting her head with feigned confidence.
“What do my sneakers say about me?”
His gaze traveled leisurely from her face down to her feet, lingering just long enough to make her stomach tighten before drifting back up. The slow rise sent a shiver along her spine, especially when his eyes briefly stalled at the sliver of skin exposed by the shift of her T-shirt. A flicker of questioning crossed his expression before she yanked at the sleeve of her sweatshirt, crossing her arms under her chest in a move that felt more like armor than comfort.
“You’re hard to get . . . but worth the effort.”
