#MFRWhooks Blog Hop - An Excerpt from TAKE A CHANCE ON ME - Bad Dog
- Jun 24
- 4 min read
Today I'm sharing an excerpt from TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, a contemporary romance. In this scene, Darcy Ferris meets Nick Cummings for the first time when her landlady introduces them. She's surprised to discover that Mrs. Ross has sold the old Victorian Mansion they live in to Nick. She also discovers that her dog Stanley has taken an instant dislike to Nick!
Excerpt:
“Darcy, there’s something you should know.” Mrs. Ross was uncharacteristically serious. “Nick has bought the Victorian. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
Darcy focused on Mrs. Ross. Her landlady had been a fixture in the neighborhood for twenty years. Darcy had known her since she was fourteen, the year she moved in with her grandmother two doors down. “You sold the house? Where will you live? What are you going to do?”
“I’ve been thinking about selling for a while. The old place is getting to be too much for me to look after. My sister bought a condo in Florida and invited me to move in with her, and now that David—David’s my grandson,” she said, turning briefly to Nick. “Anyway, now that David’s away at university and doing well, there’s nothing keeping me here any longer. Nick’s offer came at the perfect time. I’m looking forward to snow-free winters.”
“I’m happy for you, Mrs. R.” Still, the idea of anyone but Mrs. Ross owning the Victorian was unsettling. She squeezed the older woman’s hand before turning back to Nick. “So, I guess you’re my new landlord as well as my neighbor. What plans do you have for the house?”
The quick flash of guilt in his eyes startled her. He averted his gaze and cleared his throat. “What do you mean?”
Answering her question with a question felt evasive to Darcy. Was he hiding something regarding the house? Despite the awareness she’d experienced the moment she first saw him, she really knew nothing about Nick Cummings.
“Are you planning any upgrades to the house? Is my rent going up? Are you going to rent the vacant apartment on the third floor? Will you allow me to sublet my apartment when I leave for Thailand later this summer?”
He took a step back, holding his hands up in a stopping gesture. Darcy wasn’t about to let him off the hook. She opened her mouth to fire another question at him, but Mrs. Ross laid a restraining hand on her arm.
“Let the man get moved in before you bombard him.” She turned to Nick. “We talked about Darcy’s trip, remember? She’s a teacher. Every time she heads off on one of her overseas teaching assignments she sublets her apartment. Darcy always finds someone nice, and we’ve never had any problems. She’s a very special tenant. She grew up in this house, you know.”
“You grew up here? In this house?” Nick sounded surprised.
“I lived here with my mom and dad until I was eight. It was a single-family home in those days.” Her mother had always said the mansion was far too big for only three people, but her father had loved it, so Darcy had, too.
“I bought it twenty years ago and turned it into four apartments, including my own,” Mrs. Ross said.
“I see.” Nick turned to Darcy, but his eyes didn’t quite meet hers. “I don’t have any plans to raise your rent. But as far as subletting your apartment, I prefer to find tenants myself.”
The fact he couldn’t look her in the eye worried Darcy. “But I’d still be able to come back here after my teaching assignment is over. I’d still be able to leave my furniture, right?”
“We’ll have to see.”
Alarm bells went off in Darcy’s head. “What exactly does ‘we’ll have to see’ mean?”
Before he could answer, a throaty growl drew her attention. As she looked down, Stanley lifted his leg and peed on Nick’s leg.
“No! Bad dog!”
Mortified, she jerked on the leash and pulled him away. “Oh, my gosh, I’m sorry. I’ll pay for dry cleaning, of course.”
Nick shook his leg. Pee dripped off the toe of his leather shoe.
Blurb:
Teacher Darcy Ferris loves two things: traveling the world and coming right back home to her slightly crumbling Toronto Victorian—the same house filled with memories, charm, and at least a few questionable wiring decisions. Unfortunately, her beloved home is about to be demolished, a decision Darcy is determined to fight.
Enter Nick Cummings: architect and new owner of Darcy’s soon-to-be-doomed house. Hoping to drag his father out of a prolonged slump, Nick hatches a brilliant plan—tear down the old mansion and replace it with a shiny “Victorian-inspired” condo. Because nothing says “healing” like demolition.
What he doesn’t plan for is Darcy—his very determined tenant, who is absolutely not on board with his vision (or his wrecking ball). What he also doesn’t plan for is falling for her, which complicates things just a little.
Now Nick and Darcy have to sort through family baggage, clashing blueprints, and their growing feelings—while figuring out if love can survive a difference of opinion… especially when one of those opinions involves a bulldozer. Are they ready to take a chance on love?
Buy Links:
Buy Direct from Author - Take a Chance On Me by Jana Richards
I’m participating in MFRW Book Hooks—browse the current hop here:
Maybe Nick deserves to be peed on... Who'd dare tear down such a gem?
I think I've seen the house in your cover, in a small town in Washington State. Or one very similar. Gorgeous!
Great excerpt! Nick and Darcy have a lot to to sort out,
Fun excerpt! We all know what it means when a man and a woman take such an instant dislike to each other…but how are they going to overcome her dog hating him too?
Oh boy - this is going to be awkward! Love it.