J.J. Massa ~ Writer: I Love You, Honey, but…

Thanks so much, J.J. for having me as your guest today! I’m thrilled to be here :)

It’s been so great over the past month getting reacquainted with Kate and Logan from the first Pirates at Heart book titled LANDLOCKED. While Kate and Logan love each other passionately, they’ve always had their differences. It puts the fire in their relationship. In the sequel, SMUGGLER’S BLUES these differences come to a head and the fireworks fly. Kate comes face-to-face with Logan’s dark and reckless side; she must decide whether or not she can accept him for the pirate he is at heart.

This got me thinking…while my life partner is the love of my life, he also does things that drive me up the wall. For instance he’s got a quick temper and he’s stubborn as hell. Not to mention he’s far sloppier than he thinks he is. Oh and he loves to push my buttons when I’m in no mood to have said buttons pushed. But I wouldn’t have him any other way.

Sometimes it’s a person’s flaws that cement a relationship. Gotta take the bad with the good. And I realize that he takes the bad in me mostly in stride (mostly *grin*). Let’s see, things about me that annoy him to no end? Well, I have a temper myself and I’m tend to get loud when I’m angry. I talk too much first thing in the morning. Oh and I eat crackers in bed. Believe it or not that one was almost the deal breaker, lol. But over the years we’ve developed a system of give and take that works pretty well for us. I used that life experience to help bring Kate and Logan to the same kind of accord.

Here’s an unedited sneak peek at conflict central to SMUGGLER’S BLUES:

“I’m sorry, Kate.” Logan traced her cheek with one finger.

“Uh huh.” She brushed aside his hand.

“Are you ever going to forgive me?”

“Probably.”

“Then why don’t we do away with all the fussing and fighting and make up already?”

“Not a chance.” She stood up and crossed the small cabin.

Logan sighed, rubbing his temples. He lacked the energy to fight with her though he knew she had every right to be angry with him. But Kate was Kate—she would vacillate between icy indifference and open hostility for days, possibly weeks. He’d sleep on the sofa every night and try to cajole her into forgiveness every day until finally she’d break

“Do you even understand why I’m angry?” She stomped her foot.

So it was open hostility then? Just as well, he preferred her this way. “Yes. I’m on a mission you don’t approve of. I got myself jailed which would’ve left you a single mother again, but you have to know I’ll always find a way back to—”

“You think this is about me? I’m not afraid of a future without you. I can take care of myself and our family just fine. But for the record, I’d much prefer to live out my life with you by my side.”

“And I’m here now, aren’t I?”

She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. A faraway look wiped the emotion from her face. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes.

Her head tilted, she opened her eyes slowly, fixing her gaze on him. “You know, last night I dreamed of snow. It used to snow just about every year in Leesburg, Virginia. We were so close to the Blue Ridge. We had the occasional white Christmas. It always made me feel peaceful. Happy.”

“What’s snow got to do with—”

She held up a hand. “It doesn’t snow in Texas and as much as I miss it, I have to accept that it does not snow in Texas. That part of my life is over.”

She arched an eyebrow, her cheeks sucked in. He knew that look all too well. Kate was making a point and it wasn’t lost on him, but how could she compare snow to his entire adult life? He’d been a sailor as long as he could remember and a privateer for the past twenty years. Was it so unreasonable that he wanted to carry on with the business as usual? He had to level with her whether it was a message she’d receive happily or not.

Crossing the cabin to stand in front of her, he touched her face with the back of his hand.

“I know I’ve behaved badly and I know I’m not a young man with no responsibilities anymore. And whether you understand or not, it’s you and the boys—your future security that I worry about. Do you know how much money this trip made for us?”

“I don’t care about the money.”

“I know you don’t. But this trip alone I netted enough for Nate’s education. I promise to be more careful in the future.”

“So you’ll give up this fool’s errand then?”

He wrapped his arms around her, the scent of her hair comforted him in a way he couldn’t put into words. “Kate, I love you and the boys more than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything, but I’m not cut out to putter around the house and wait for death. I’m bored. Bored out of my mind.”

“So you’d rather rush to your end then? Or worse—rot in an RSA cell?”

“Won’t happen.” He stroked the back of her neck.

“It will.” Her posture stiffened. “And you know I hate the whole thing. Running moonshine makes you no more than a common criminal.”

With a sigh he released her. A common criminal. Is that what she thought of him?As a supporter of the former Resistance, he felt it was his obligation to defy the Puritanical hypocrisy of the RSA. Civil disobedience and all that. What right did they have to allow or disallow his actions on soil they’d stolen?

He could explain all this to Kathryn. Hell, they’d had this conversation before. She knew how he felt, but then again there was no truce to be drawn out of her tonight. That much he could tell. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to make peace right now either. Logan grimaced, picking up his hat, leather coat and sidearm.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to relieve the night watch. Get some rest.”

“Fine. Avoid the issue.”

“Fine.” He trudged out of his own cabin, biting back a more pointed reply.

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So what drives you crazy about your mate? What do you do that makes them nuts? Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of LANDLOCKED.