Snippet Saturday: Mmmm, Food

Donna and I have a fair bit of food in our books.  We both enjoy cooking and baking.  A lot.  Left to our own devices the two of us might actually embrace some sort of back-to-the-earth thing where we grow and cook and make everything from scratch…as long as we had high speed internet. So food plays a not-insignificant part in a lot of books, though not always as the focus.  More to tell you about a person.

For example, Brynn in the Red Rock Pass series likes junk food. When she’s stressed out or worried she wants Twizzlers and Pop Tarts, and nothing else will do.  Alec in the Southern Arcana series, however, would be pretty happy if everything he ever ate was charred first over an open flame.  And then there’s Jackson… if Jackson starts making Italian food, you know he’s in the mood for romance.  And in Crux he broke out the marinara sauce.

An Excerpt from Crux
Copyright © 2009 Moira Rogers
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

* * *

Jackson cursed softly as he tried to hold the phone against his ear and fumble through the refrigerator at the same time. “Come on, Alec…”

It took four rings for Alec’s familiar voice to answer. “Aren’t you supposed to be having your hot date?”

“Would that I was.” Jackson pulled a hunk of cheese from the crisper. “Turns out, I ran into a bit of trouble.”

“Oh yeah?” Jackson could hear the sudden tension in Alec’s casual question. “Found out what’s going on with your new friend, I take it?”

“Someone’s after her,” he confirmed. “Persistent too, whoever it is. Sent a spell caster and some muscle after us, probably a shapeshifter. They tracked her magically and attacked us out behind Nick’s bar. I’d appreciate it if you’d check in on her, make sure they didn’t cause her any problems after we split.”

“Shit.” He heard a rustle of paper in the background and Kat’s voice demanding to know what was going on. “Yeah, I’ll swing by, see if they left a trail I can follow. The girl okay?”

“Physically, she’s fine. She’s just trying to process the fact that she’s a shapeshifter and had no clue until half an hour ago.”

There was a long pause before Alec said hesitantly, “Cougar?” He sounded almost guilty.

“Yeah.” Jackson dragged a large wooden cutting board from the shelf. “Thanks for the heads-up, by the way.”

“Well, Jesus, Jackson. Last time I saw a cougar was about twenty-five, maybe almost thirty years ago. I thought I was imagining it, and it didn’t make sense to send you off on the wrong track.”

In the background, Kat’s voice came clearly again. “Jackson’s girlfriend’s a cougar?”

Jackson decided to ignore it for the time being, but his ears heated. “The goons working for Mackenzie’s stalker said she has something priceless, something he needs, and I’m guessing they’re not talking about the Hope diamond. Cougars are rare enough that this could be nothing more than—”

“A guy who’s damn determined to have little cougar babies,” Alec finished, his voice hard. “You and I both know there are shifters out there who’ll do just about anything to keep the bloodlines pure.”

“Yeah.” Jackson figured his partner knew that better than anyone. “I guess flowers and chocolates didn’t work, so he’s taken to stalking, which doesn’t seem likely to land him a mate, but…” He let the words trail off, not wanting to voice the obvious. “One of the guys called her by another name. Jessica Evans. See what Kat can pull up on that, would you?”

“Sure. It’ll give her something to do other than listen to my damn phone conversations. You need any extra protection over there, or are you hunkering down behind the wards for the night?”

“Starting some marinara sauce as we speak.”

Alec groaned. “Oh hell, Jackson. You’re making Italian food? Is this really the best time for seduction?”

Now his face was flaming. “It’s not seduction,” he insisted, lowering his voice. “It’s a job.”

“It’s Italian food,” Alec countered in an amused voice. “You always make Italian food when you want to impress a woman.”

“Or when it’s the easiest thing to pull together on short notice.” Jackson glanced back over his shoulder to make sure Mackenzie hadn’t walked in. “Oh, why am I explaining myself to you? Shut up and go check on Nick.”

“Sure thing, Casanova. Call me if anything comes up.”

Jackson grumbled as he ended the call and began chopping tomatoes. Calling Nick wouldn’t be necessary; Alec would tell Mackenzie’s boss exactly where she was. Hell, he’d probably mention the marinara too, and they’d both have a jolly laugh at his expense.

Which was absurd. Just because she happened to be the most beautiful woman he’d seen in a while—okay, ever—didn’t mean he had designs on her. She was a job. He’d protect her, keep her safe and find out why in hell some lunatic had chased her through four cities. He’d resolve the situation, she’d be free to go and Jackson could get on with his life.

Except that his chest felt tight when he thought about Mackenzie going home, wherever that happened to be.

Dammit.

He should have ordered Chinese food.

* * *

Want to read more snippets about food? (Why wouldn’t you want to? Mmm, food!) Check out the following blogs: Cynthia Eden, Lauren Dane, McKenna Jeffries, Michelle M Pillow, Sylvia Day, TJ Michaels, Taige Crenshaw, Vivian Arend, Victoria Janssen, Marissa Scott, Maura Anderson, Shelley Munro, Jody Wallace, Eliza Gayle, Kelly Maher, Lacey Savage, Mark Henry, Shelli Stevens