Down by the Salley Gardens — Audrey McClellan

What would you do if you won ninety-two million dollars and change in the lottery? Buy a new wardrobe? Buy a car? Have a make-over? Buy a house?

Wylie Kennerly happily tries all those ideas, but hits a romantic stalemate when she falls in love with Edward Jones, a passionate poet who doesn't want to be “collected” by a rich woman.

Should she give away all her money to win her poet's love?

Sequel to Magic Carpet Ride, featuring the return of the Mad Scots and gay interior designers Scotty and Oliver. Introducing Norah and Mickey Casey, Wylie's housekeeping couple, who are “sort of” Irish, and Precious, the world's ugliest cat.

“I've been ready for you for years,” she said, and as he plunged she rose up to meet him. His penetration was exquisitely deep. Edward slid slowly into her heat, groaning. Wylie writhed and screamed, her body alive with sensation. Something glorious was happening. Great jumping jehosaphat!

He collapsed on her, spent. Both fell asleep. After about twenty minutes Edward woke up, looked at the drowsing woman in his arms, and slowly detached himself. He crawled out of bed, walked around the bookcase and to the kitchen table where his ever-present notebook waited. He curled himself over it and began to scribble.

Wylie woke a few minutes later and had trouble orienting herself, at first, to where she was. When she remembered, she reached for him and found only empty space. It couldn't have been a dream, she thought, because this wasn't her bed. She drew herself up to a sitting position and looked around. Yes, this wasn't her lilac-colored bedroom, it was Edward's apartment. But where was he?

She got up, tiptoed around the bookcase and saw him, twined naked around the kitchen chair in his familiar serpent-like pose. She watched for a few minutes as he wrote, crossed out, wrote again, lifted his head and smiled with deep satisfaction. How beautiful he was, she thought, realizing that he had been in the grip of poetic fervor.

Audrey McClellan is back at home in this romance. Her superb storytelling continues to delight!

Novel length: 80,000+ words