Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Pumpkin Kind of Love
    A Pumpkin Kind of Love
    A Pumpkin Kind of Love
    Ebook131 pages1 hour

    A Pumpkin Kind of Love

    By Haley Jordan

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Allison Kirby wants more from life than the tedium offered by her job in a call center.

    Specifically, she wants a loving husband, a family, and a better job. When Allison enters a pumpkin carving contest on a whim, she's up against the smug and confident Grayson Palmer.

    While sparks and pumpkin guts fly, can they avoid carving into each other and instead sculpt something even better?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHaley Jordan
    Release dateOct 5, 2018
    ISBN9781386075103
    A Pumpkin Kind of Love
    Author

    Haley Jordan

    Haley Jordan likes to write sweet romance with a bit of sass thrown into the pot to spice things up a little. You can visit Haley’s blog to stay up to date on new releases. Haley is a pen name for author Jon Dalton.

    Read more from Haley Jordan

    Related to A Pumpkin Kind of Love

    Related ebooks

    General Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Stranger Danger

      May 18, 2022

      Stranger Danger
      10 min read

    • Article

      Stranger Danger

      May 18, 2022

      Stranger Danger
      10 min read

    • Article

      Whose Life Is It

      Dec 10, 2023

      “What the hell?” Danny jumped up and tore out of the kitchen where he’d been reading his mail and enjoying a quiet lunch with his sister, Elaine. Startled, she looked up from the newspaper. “Danny?” He ran through the foyer, out the front door, and t

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Duplex

      Jun 9, 2020

      I moved to Los Angeles to sing. When was this? August? June? I was twenty-nine, and those were shapeless months, when the days blended together and I refused to pull them apart. My landlord was unusually close to her adult son. His name was Jeffrey,

      21 min read

    • Article

      Never Going To DANCE AGAIN

      Jan 31, 2024

      Never Going To DANCE AGAIN
      6 min read

    • Article

      A summer TREAT

      Jun 24, 2021

      A summer TREAT
      10 min read

    • Article

      Where the HEART IS

      Dec 20, 2022

      Where the HEART IS
      4 min read

    • Article

      My Name Is Everyone

      Sep 1, 2020

      My Name Is Everyone
      17 min read

    • Article

      Australia Reads At Home

      May 18, 2020

      Australia Reads At Home
      7 min read

    • Article

      POISON ON Pink Paper

      Dec 23, 2019

      POISON ON Pink Paper
      8 min read

    • Article

      Cold Calling

      Jan 18, 2021

      Two or three phone calls per week. Every week for six months. All more or less the same. “Hello Mrs Redmond, this is Martin/Tim/Alice/Marmaduke [I’m serious], I’m calling from your internet provider to let you know that your broadband server has been

      6 min read

    • Article

      One Sentence at a Time: The Millions Interviews Sion Dayson

      Oct 11, 2019

      I think whenever a writer sits down to write, she’s approaching the page with the accumulation of all she’s read coming to bear. The post One Sentence at a Time: The Millions Interviews Sion Dayson appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      My Queer Southern Lit

      Nov 28, 2018

      My Queer Southern Lit
      6 min read

    • Article

      Clifton’s Place

      Mar 1, 2018

      THE SIGN outside the bar had appeared only recently. It announced the bar’s name and hours of operation, clear indications that this was not just another townhouse basement. Still, despite the listed business hours, no one got in before the sun went

      32 min read

    • Article

      Will You Be my Friend?

      Aug 17, 2022

      Will You Be my Friend?
      7 min read

    • Article

      Plan of ACTION

      Oct 3, 2023

      Plan of ACTION
      6 min read

    • Article

      Famous People

      Mar 1, 2022

      Famous People
      15 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Kashana Cauley

      Dec 2, 2022

      Kashana Cauley reflects on 2022 through the books she read. The post A Year in Reading: Kashana Cauley appeared first on The Millions.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Planof Action

      Oct 5, 2021

      Planof Action
      6 min read

    • Article

      La Bohème

      Mar 1, 2022

      ON A SATURDAY or Sunday afternoon in the cold early months of 1988, I sat alone at a table for two in a Greenwich Village diner, twenty-four years old, hopelessly young, my notebook open in front of me. At the table next to mine were three people, al

      13 min read

    • Article

      Keeping A Low Profile

      Jun 30, 2020

      Keeping A Low Profile
      6 min read

    • Article

      Friends, Once

      Aug 25, 2020

      Friends, Once
      6 min read

    • Article

      The CONTRACT

      Jan 18, 2023

      The CONTRACT
      11 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Pumpkin Kind of Love

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Pumpkin Kind of Love - Haley Jordan

      A Pumpkin Kind of Love

      by Haley Jordan

      www.authorhaleyjordan.com

      All’s fair in love…and pumpkin carving.

      Allison Kirby wants more from life than the tedium offered by her job in a call center.

      Specifically, she wants a loving husband, a family, and a better job. When Allison enters a pumpkin carving contest on a whim, she’s up against the smug and confident Grayson Palmer.

      While sparks and pumpkin guts fly, can they avoid carving into each other and instead sculpt something even better?

      A Pumpkin Kind of Love

      Copyright © 2018 by Haley Jordan

      First E-book Publication: October, 2018

      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This work may not be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any form or by any means currently available or available in the future, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, for free or for sale, without express written permission from the publisher and author.

      Distributing copies of this e-book to others is a violation of international copyright law and infringes the rights of the legal copyright holder. This e-book may not be shared, copied, sold, given away, offered as a contest prize, or otherwise distributed to anyone other than the original purchaser. Distributing this e-book as part of any collection, or with any type of resale permission, is also strictly forbidden and a violation of copyright law.

      This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

      This is my livelihood. PLEASE do NOT share, upload, or otherwise distribute this book. When people buy my books, it pays my bills. Please don’t steal from me. If you want me to keep bringing you more stories, I need to be able to pay my bills, so I ask that you please legally purchase my books. If you want to give this file to someone else, please purchase them a copy from a legal retailer. The links are on my website. Thank you.

      http://www.authorhaleyjordan.com

      Also By the Author

      Haley Jordan also writes as Jon Dalton. Sign up for his newsletter and never miss an update!

      Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dH4u75

      Writing As Jon Dalton:

      Dancing on a Tightrope (A Wolf Mallory Mystery, Book 1)

      Can’t Dance Forever (A Wolf Mallory Mystery, Book 2)

      Dancing Under the Mistletoe (A Wolf Mallory Short Mystery)

      Pina Colada Dead (A Wolf Mallory Short Mystery)

      Dancing With a Dead Man (A Wolf Mallory Mystery)

      Dancing With James Bond (A Wolf Mallory Mystery) - Coming Soon

      Writing As Haley Jordan:

      Candy Cane Kisses

      Haunted Love

      A Pumpkin Kind of Love

      Gingerbread Dreams (Coming Late 2018)

      Dedication

      To the lovers of fall and autumn everywhere, and to the members of Dalton and Jordan's Darlings who selected the title of this book. To Vicky Burkholder, whose proofreading and editing saved me from numerous mistakes (and any remaining are mine alone). And finally, and most importantly, to my sweetheart and the love of my life, Tymber, who makes this all possible.

      Chapter One

      What are you starring at so intently, sis?

      Delaney Richards nudged Allison with her shoulder, then glanced at the bulletin board hanging in the employee break room of the Decatur County Administration Building.

      It’s time for the town’s annual fall festival again, Allison Kirby replied.

      "Happens this time every year. Delaney chuckled, then said, I know you’re older than me, but aren’t you a little young to be going senile?"

      "I know that." Allison knew her sister was teasing, but still it rubbed her wrong. And twenty-eight is not old. What caught my eye was this. She pointed at the sheet of paper on the board. They’re holding a pumpkin carving contest this year.

      So what? Her sister sounded bored with the conversation already. Come on, let’s grab a table and eat our lunch.

      Allison followed Delaney to their favorite table by one of the three large windows that overlooked the town square, which would be transformed into the festival grounds a month from now. Outside, the maple trees were draped in brilliant shades of orange and red. Much brighter than the drab government-gray of the walls of the break room.

      I’m going to enter, Allison said, once they had taken their seats.

      "For the love of god, why? One word. Boring."

      Because I’m a muddler. That’s all my life is, a muddle, and I’m just slogging through it. Allison spread several dollops of ranch dressing over the salad she’d prepared at home that morning. I’m tired—

      "Love your hair, Delaney. New highlights?"

      Grayson Palmer interrupted their conversation. The hunk was the deputy property appraiser, rumored to be the next in line, if selected by the county’s voters.

      Also rumored to be a ladies man, in addition to the stuck-up standoffishness Allison had personally witnessed herself.

      Oh, this? No, I’ve had them for a while, Delaney said, fluffing a hand through her hair, the one with the wedding ring on it.

      Well it’s certainly becoming. Grayson glanced at Allison. Why don’t you try that? He pointed to Delaney’s tresses. Liven things up.

      Allison glared at the man, who appeared cluelessly unconcerned at the slight. In fact, this was the first time Grayson had ever directly addressed her. Usually, he acted like she was freaking invisible. Grayson always seemed to manage to talk to everyone around her instead of her, like he was avoiding her. The first time he decided to speak to her, he insulted her hair.

      Well, I’ll leave you ladies to your lunch. Enjoy. He walked off.

      Delaney turned to watch him stride away.

      See? That’s what I mean, Allison hissed. "People only see you. Me, I might as well be that wall over there."

      Delaney gazed steadily at her sister, sandwich in hand. What brought this on? she finally asked.

      Allison glanced around the half-empty room. Most people had already finished their lunches and headed out to enjoy the early September afternoon. Grayson was across the room, carrying on an animated conversation with his friends from other offices in the building. Probably already cementing political alliances.

      I don’t know, Allison muttered. I’m just sick and tired of everything in my life.

      Present company included, she thought. Compared to Delaney, Allison had always felt like she was a day late and a dollar short. Delaney had inherited both beauty and brains, while she…

      Drab and mediocre. That’s what I am.

      Last two guys Allison had dated had both cheated on her, so the last thing she wanted was anyone with the dang player reputation Grayson had paying attention to her.

      She glanced at her salad, another half-hearted attempt to lose a few pounds that sitting in a chair in the call center every day had added to her form, grabbed the lid, and shoved it back on the container. She retrieved her purse and rose from the table. I’ve got to go.

      Allison, wait. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—

      You didn’t do anything. Okay? It’s just me. Say hi to Tim for me. Allison turned and left.

      * * * *

      Engaged in his conversation, Grayson still noticed Allison leaving the break room. He frowned. He thought she still had time left in her lunch break from the county’s call center, a thankless job that had no end of stress attached to it, he knew. There was just something about her.

      He really didn’t know her, though. He’d spoken to her sister several times, but it seemed like any time he was speaking to someone in Allison’s proximity, she either focused on her food or gave him a death-glare.

      This time, there was something…different.

      Maybe it was the challenge in her gaze, he thought.

      Yeah, that has to be it. She’s a challenge.

      But not one he was interested in pursuing.

      So are the rumors true? Is old man Hildebrand going to retire next year and give you the endorsement? Pete Menendez from the finance office asked.

      Grayson shrugged. Who knows? He always keeps his cards hidden, although I’ve done my best to remain on his good side yet show I’m capable of succeeding him.

      What’s up with that Kirby woman? I noticed you were watching her leave, Russ Welker, one of Pete’s co-workers, said.

      Oh, no. Just chatting with her sister. Are we all in for basketball tonight? he asked, changing the subject.

      His lunch-mates all began to chime in, then the conversation shifted to the Illini football prospects, and Allison was forgotten.

      * * * *

      Darbyville was the county seat of Decatur County, Illinois, home to about sixty thousand residents, give or take a few daily births or deaths. The square, as the locals called it,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1