TWILIGHT THURSDAY

A CUPID INTERVIEW

My guests today are, Wyatt and Mattie – please, have a seat on our lovely couch! – from the North Carolina barrier islands. Their tale can be found in RUN TO YOU, a novel creation by Sarah Ballance.

Before we begin, I must remind everyone to please try and keep your responses to a PG13 atmosphere – the Moonlight Mistresses rules, not mine *eye roll*. Double entendres are acceptable and widely encouraged for events and phrases we don’t want our young readers to really know about. Oooh, it will be so much fun trying to guess what you’re really saying!

*Settling comfortably onto the sofa, draping his arm over the back and sipping his bubbly* That Miss Havana in Reaper’s Domain is one hot teacher and boy would I love to get into her…class! I might actually learn something…oh…did I say that out loud? *Clears throat* Sorry. Let’s get back to the interview.

You two make one fine pair! I did a wonderful job pairing you two up if I do say so myself! Then, I just love all of my matches!

Cupid: Please, Wyatt, tell our readers how you two first met. Was it by your design, or hers?

Wyatt: Hers, of course. I was working - *ahem* - and Mattie, who has never worked a day in her life, I might add, introduced herself by taking my hat and holding it ransom until I agreed to go out with her. It was blackmail.

Cupid: Mattie, would you say it was love at first sight or did you find him repulsive?

Mattie: It was love at first sight. NOW I'm finding him repulsive. I have worked a day in my life, thank you.

Wyatt: *Omph.* Ow. Don't elbow me in front of Cupid.

Cupid: This one’s for both of you. Since chaotic happenstance tends to put characters like yourselves in situations where they must work together or live together for one reason or another, tell us what chaotic happenstance “forced” the two of you to work or live together. How did you feel about this?

Mattie: Wyatt is the local sheriff, and he saved me from becoming the third victim of a killer. That kind of intensity makes you re-evaluate your life in a hurry.

Wyatt: Well, there's that and the little issue with her taking my hat. It was department issue. I had to go out with her just to get it back. She's not above manhandling me to get what she wants.

Mattie: He gets all squirmy when I manhandle him. He likes it.

Cupid: This one is also for both of you. How long did it take you to know your true feelings for the other? At what point did you know, “this is the one”?

Mattie: He's always been different. The day I met him, I saw everything I've wanted. I just wouldn’t admit how right it felt because my track record for picking men isn't the best. It wasn't until I went home that I couldn't deny what we had was real.

Wyatt: Am I supposed to think she's "the one?" Who said that?

Mattie: Notice I said *was* real. Hmph.

Cupid: Wyatt, what would you say was your biggest obstacle to overcome before you could settle into a relationship with Mattie?

Wyatt: Well, I'd have to say my biggest obstacle was her. *Omph.* Quit it!

Mattie: You quit it. My elbow is getting sore. Anyway, I'd never dated anyone like Wyatt before—

Wyatt: Yeah, she's not into us blue-collar paupers.

Mattie: Perhaps, Wyatt, I could find a more effective place to elbow you? Anyway, I came from a high-profile political family. Most of the guys I've known fit the country club stereotype of being spoiled rich kids without much of a work ethic. Wyatt is the total opposite of that.

Wyatt: See? Poor. Pauper. Not into us.

Mattie: Hey, I wasn't your type either! If you had any idea who I was you probably wouldn't have touched me with a ten foot pole. But you got *into me* - ten foot pole and all – and the rest is history.

Wyatt: Oh, gosh. Am I blushing? I think I'm blushing. It sure is hot in here for February. Anyone got a beer?

Cupid: This is for either of you. Would you like to thank anyone – other than me, of course – for getting you two together?

Mattie: My ex boyfriend Hutch dragged me down to the beach. I guess he gets some of the credit, although he's not on my list of favorite people at the moment.

Wyatt: Hey, don't forget that Drew guy. If not for that minor indiscretion of his, you probably wouldn't have stripped him of his family jewels in front of all of those cameras. Otherwise, you never would have agreed to go with Hutch.

Mattie: Minor indiscretion? There was nothing minor about it! Even think about trying anything like that yourself, Wyatt, and I'll cut that ten foot pole of yours down to size, cameras or not.

Wyatt: See? Manhandled.

Cupid: I know our readers have enjoyed learning about you two so far, but I’m getting a little bored, so I’m going to heat things up. Mattie, how would you end this sentence, "I wish Wyatt would _____?" *leans forward to eagerly hear your response*

Mattie: I'd like to get a little action on the beach.

Wyatt: It's a public beach, Mattie.

Mattie: What's your point?

Wyatt: I'm the Sheriff.

Mattie: You're a wimp. So we get caught. Who are they gonna tell?

Wyatt: Sand chafes.

Cupid: Sand does chafe, but I'm not touching that argument with a pole of any length. Wyatt, would you prefer to give Mattie a bubble bath or a back massage? Why?

Wyatt: Can't she give me a back massage? She's on it all the time - it's the least she could do.

Mattie: That's not the only thing I'm on all the time, dear. But that can change.

Cupid: How many of you remember that old show, The Dating Game? Well, these next questions are going to help us play a similar game. Wyatt, what would Mattie say is your aphrodisiac? *waggles eyebrows*

Wyatt: It must be her. Every time I lay eyes on her—

Mattie: He gets laid.

Cupid: Mattie, is he right? How would you have answered that question?

Mattie: I would have said oxygen. But I'll give him that one – I'm glad he thinks it's me and not his mere existence.

Wyatt rebuttal, if there is one: I think she just said I was right. Can we get a transcript after we're done? I need proof this moment existed.

Cupid: *crosses ankles and rubs his chin* Wyatt, what would Mattie say is a spot guaranteed to drive you crazy with passion? Is she correct in that assumption?

Wyatt: The back of my neck. She grazes her fingers over it at the most inappropriate times, and I'm stuck trying to find a clipboard to hide behind so no one can see the effect she has on me.

Mattie rebuttal, if there is one: A clipboard? You've got to give yourself more credit – I've never seen a ten foot clipboard. Besides, when is it ever inappropriate to touch someone's neck?

Cupid: Mattie, as far as you know, what is Wyatt’s idea of a perfect date?

Mattie: Oh, that's easy. Beer, music, and a pool table. But he never gets drunk – even when he's off he's not off. We learned that on our first date.

Cupid: Wyatt, is she correct? If not, what is your idea of a perfect date?

Wyatt: Yep, she's got me nailed. Although any time spent on or by the water is perfect.

Cupid: Wyatt, your turn in the hot seat. What is Mattie’s idea of a perfect date?

Wyatt: Sounds to me like it would involve action on the beach. See? I pay attention.

Cupid: Mattie, is he correct? If not, what is your idea of a perfect date?

Mattie: Did you see that? He's nudging me. I think that's cheating. Anyway, yes, I'd take that. We'll see how well he pays attention later.

Cupid: The next two questions are for both of you. What's the most romantic thing your lover has ever done for you?

Mattie: He's not exactly the romantic type, so –

Wyatt: Who has to be romantic when they've got a ten foot pole?

Mattie: Clearly. Anyway, what I was going to say is a couple of days after I moved into his bachelor pad he did some redecorating. I can't tell you how much it meant for me for him to take what he had and make it ours. It's not exactly pink or anything –

Wyatt: Nor will it ever be.

Mattie: AHEM. But his beach cottage is no longer frat house meets man cave. The comforter is just gorgeous. It's light blue and so plush. I can't believe he picked it out, and he repainted the walls in soft shades of blues and cream. It's perfect for the beach.

Wyatt: The most romantic thing she's ever done for me is NOT telling anyone I "redecorated." I bought paint. I asked the sales girl which comforter to get. I don't decorate.

Mattie: Call it what you want – it was still romantic. Idiot.

Cupid: If you could change one thing about your relationship, what would it be?

Mattie: Wyatt works too much.

Wyatt: Um, no. Wyatt works. Shall we drop the "blue collar" and just become paupers?

Cupid: Besides, how could he afford to *redecorate* without a job? Have the two of you had time to settle into any Valentine's Day traditions?

Mattie: Just one. If he wastes a bunch of money on flowers for Valentine's Day, he's dead. He's supposed to express his undying gratitude for me because he can't help himself, not because the calendar says he must.

Wyatt: Let me translate. I'm not on the hook for Valentine's Day - I'm on the hook EVERY day. *Omph.* Watch that elbow!

Cupid: Thanks to Wyatt and Mattie for joining us today. We hope you’ll check out their story, RUN TO YOU.

To learn more about Wyatt and Mattie's author, Sarah Ballance, visit: http://sarahballance.com/

Buy link e-ditions: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=214
Buy link Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Run-to-You-ebook/dp/B004GXB0IS

Blurb:
Mattie James can't pinpoint exactly when she lost control of her life, but the moment she decided to take it back made the front page of the local paper. Desperate to dodge the fallout— and the tabloids—she jumps at the chance to spend an off-season week in a tiny resort community by the sea. Making the trip with her ex-lover is a complication she can live with; coming face to face with a dead woman is not.

The last thing Sheriff Wyatt Reed expected to find on the storm-ravaged beach was a beautiful blonde with a jealous sidekick, but one look at Mattie left him wanting more. Their first date takes an ominous turn when he gets the call that a woman was found murdered. With a killer on the loose and a troubling lack of suspects or motive, Wyatt has to put his feelings aside to focus on the case. But his vow not to become personally involved is shattered when he discovers Mattie's life is on the line, and this time the truth leaves her with a deadly choice . . . and nowhere to run.

Excerpt:
Wyatt saw it coming from a mile away. In fact, he’d seen it clear from the beach, even as he watched Mattie sway her way back to the house.

Deputies Dwight Edmunds and Travis Baker were about to piss themselves, right there in the sheriff’s office.

"I should fire you both," he growled.

"Wouldn’t leave you much time for dating, now, would it, Sheriff?" Dwight grinned widely.

"It’s not a—" Wyatt stopped and swore under his breath. How had he, of all people, ended up with a date? He’d all but sworn off dating after his former fiancée made herself an ex, and in spite of spending several months of the year with bikini-clad tourists in his line of sight, no woman had captured his attention. Not until Mattie, who’d not only captured his attention, but demanded it.

"Come on, man. Don’t leave us hanging!" Travis leaned back in his chair, laughter splayed on his face. Wyatt had to resist the urge to put his foot out and knock him backward to the floor.

Leaving them hanging sounded like one hell of an idea to him.

"Can you imbeciles handle things around here tonight?" Wyatt glared the smiles right off their faces.

"Yeah, boss." Travis dropped the chair to all fours and shot a sideways glance to Dwight. Within seconds, the two deputies were back to snickering.

Stone-faced— more out of a need to hide the slight giddiness in his gut than anything—Wyatt left his deputies to their giggling and shut himself in his office. The closed door did a sorry job of stopping the tide of laughter from barging in after him.

A string of curse words traipsed through his mind. He couldn’t blame the guys for laughing. When it came to dating, he was a dinosaur. He’d engaged in one serious relationship in his life, and that particular piece of his past—and the betrayal that ended it—just wouldn’t leave him alone. He couldn’t say he was over the sting, but he didn’t carry a torch for his ex anymore. If he did, he’d be tempted to set fire to something—or someone—with the damned thing.

Wyatt Reed did not date. He was a washed-up bachelor no one ever accused of having a good time. And now, he had plans with a woman who was on the rebound from a bad breakup and quite likely sleeping with someone else. Son of a bitch, he sure could pick ‘em.

Wyatt didn’t do flings, yet he’d set himself up good with this one. Hell, he’d forget all about hanging his deputies and hang himself if Dwight or Travis knew he sat there trying to figure out what to wear. And wondering where he could take her left him thinking all sorts of thoughts he wouldn’t admit to—none of which had to do with dinner or a movie.

Wyatt opened his door just to give himself the opportunity to slam it, hoping one of them—Dwight, Travis, or himself—would get the point. Peals of laughter from the other side made it clear he'd failed on all three counts.