Spotlight: Waiting for You by Heather Huffman

Waiting for You
Heather Huffman
Release date: May 7, 2014
Print ISBN: 978-1-62015-396-3
epub ISBN: 978-1-62015-406-9
Amazon * Goodreads

 

For years, Karise McAlister has been running: from her family, from herself, and from her dreams. Now she’s made it, with a successful career and a promising engagement. But when she meets the compelling and creative Aidan Donnelly, his down-to-earth charm provides the wakeup call Karise badly needs. Moving across country to start over, Karise devotes herself to her work, convinced she needs to be independent. But with handsome Aidan just down the road and a mischievous group of friends determined to set her up, Karise must face her concerns about life and romance head-on.
Tagline: Sometimes a single spark is all it takes to change your life for good.


About the Author:

Heather Huffman calls the beautiful Missouri Ozarks home. When not writing, this homesteading mother is busy raising three boys or tending the family’s myriad of animals, which includes alpacas,

goats, chickens and ducks. Huffman’s optimistic and somewhat quirky view of life often finds its way into her novels.
Heather is the author of Throwaway, Ties that Bind, Jailbird, Suddenly a Spy, Ring of Fire, Tumbleweed, Devil in Disguise, Roses in Ecuador and Fool’s Game. You can find out more about her family’s adventures as they strive to live off the land, as well as her writing and charitable work on http://www.heatherhuffman.net. 

 

 
Excerpt:

Karise was welcomed back from picking up takeout by the plaintive sound of hungry goats. Even before she got out of the car, she could tell they were not happy with her. Ignoring Zoe’s admonishment for being late for evening feed, Karise unfastened the girl from her car seat and sat her at the picnic table with her dinner.
“Go ahead and start eating, sweetie. I’ll go get the goats in and I’ll be right back to join you, okay?”
Zoe giggled, making Karise wonder if she knew something Karise didn’t. She found the written instructions pinned to a bulletin board in the barn, as promised. Feed had been pre-measured and clearly marked, making the process slightly less overwhelming. Per the instructions, Karise opened the gate to let the goats into the barn then turned to put the feed in the trough.
This isn’t so bad, she thought a split second before the first set of hooves hit her behind. They were quickly followed by several more as a dozen goats of varying sizes climbed her trying to reach the feed she now held above her head.
She cursed the goats and she cursed the day she ever thought goats were cute as she fought her way through the masse to pour feed into the trough. The sound of grain hitting plastic must have been one they recognized because the swarm left her.
She stumbled over to the gate, feeling as if she’d barely escaped with her life by the time she rested against the barn wall safely outside the stall. Karise checked the note from Aidan again to see if it held some clue as to what she’d done wrong. Unable to glean any new pearls of wisdom, Karise grabbed the second batch of feed and went to bring the last herd in for the night.
This time she poured the feed before she opened the door for them. The sound attracted them like moths to a flame. Karise couldn’t get the door open for goats flinging themselves at the barrier between them and their food. Those who didn’t fling were jostling to climb over each other and the door.
When she at last managed to get the door open, they burst through like water through a dam, knocking her on her backside. Goats clambered over her, vying for position once they reached the trough.
“You are all terrible, horrible beasts,” she informed them. The goats didn’t look up. Karise was pretty sure at least one of the “maaahs” she got was a snarky response. She didn’t care if she was covered in barn filth, she was starving. The goats were fed; it was time to feed herself.