Amazon Linda Rettstatt Champagne Books Category:  Mainstream Publisher: Champagne Books ISBN-10:  1926681214 Type: Fiction Pages: 287 Copyright: May, 2010 ISBN-13: 9781926681214 Rylee Morgan's structured life is rattled when she thinks she's located her father who left sixteen years ago, then her younger sister suffers a break-up and accompanies her across country on the trip to find him. Add the fact that her sister invites a hitchhiker along for the ride. Nature photographer Rylee Morgan has created an orderly, settled life for herself. When she finds an advertisement that might lead to her estranged father, she takes a photo assignment to the west coast to investigate. With her younger sister, Lexie, in tow following the breakup with her fiancé, Rylee is focused on two things: finding the man who may be her father and doing her job. Lexie lives life by her own set of rules, or lack of rules, and Rylee's plans are further unsettled when Lexie invites a hitchhiker to join them on their journey. Excerpt When people know they’re about to do the wrong thing, they don’t look you in the eye. Parents were no different. ~ * ~ One “Never shoot into the sun.” Her father repositioned himself to pose for the photograph. “Why not?” Rylee Morgan lowered the camera and squinted at him. “Because it’s a rule. If you follow the rules, you’ll avoid trouble, and you’ll create beautiful pictures.” He stood in the back yard, the white aluminum siding of their house providing a backdrop. She wanted to believe him. Rylee snapped the photograph, capturing his image. He motioned to the camera bag he’d set on the ground beside her. “You remember how to switch the lenses?” She nodded. “How about one more picture of us?” He pulled the camera from her hand and drew her close to his side. At twelve years of age, she was nearly his height. Extending his arm, the camera lens reflecting their images, he pressed the shutter release. He handed her the camera, then hugged her against him. “I love you, angel. Don’t ever forget that." She choked on her words. “You don’t have to leave, Daddy.” “Yes, honey, I do. I’ll talk to you soon, though.” “Take me with you.” She knotted her fingers in his sleeve. A muscle twitched along his jaw. “I can’t.” He held her for another moment, and then pried her hands free. Bolting to the car without a backward glance, he pulled from the drive. “Daddy!” Rylee chased after him. At the curb, she raised the camera and clicked the shutter frantically until she heard the whirr of rewinding film. Tears blurred her last glimpse. His car turned and disappeared from her view. She hugged the Nikon against her chest and cried. ~ * ~ Never shoot into the sun—the voice played in her head. The rules she had learned early in her career never failed to produce flawless photographs. The rules she had developed for life had not served her as well. In the sixteen years since her father’s departure, Rylee had kept herself busy, focused on her career, and safe inside her well-constructed boundaries. Rylee resituated the tripod and checked the sun’s position. She stepped behind the camera, looked once again through the lens and waited, watching the slight movement of the leaves. Water bubbled over rocks. Slowing the shutter speed, she could create a smooth cascade effect. Blue sky and white clouds reflected on the stream’s surface. This stretch of the rapids where the Youghiogheny River ran through Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania was her favorite spot for shooting. Her thumb rested on the shutter release, prepared for just the right moment. The breeze subsided and the shadows shifted. Then, just as she pressed the button, some jerk decided to walk on water. Rylee lifted her head and stared. A hiker made his way across the exposed rocks and into the middle of the narrow river—directly into the center of her view. She walked to the water’s edge and, with hands on hips, shouted, “Excuse me! You’re ruining my shot.” He raised his arms and stretched, his face turned toward the sun. His shirt pulled up to expose a narrow waist and flat stomach. Rylee dragged her eyes away from his body, cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted again, “Hey! You’re in the way.” The hiker turned and shielded his eyes with his hand. “What?” “You…are…ruining…my…shot.” He motioned to his ear and shook his head. Taking long strides, he jumped from rock to rock, until he stood balanced on a rock a few feet from her. “What did you say?” “I said you’re in my shot. I’ve been waiting for half an hour for just the right lighting, and now…” She looked up at the sun. “Oh, never mind. It’s too late, anyway.” She turned on her heel and climbed back up to where her tripod stood. He followed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there. So, you’re a photographer?” Duh. “Yes.” She began to detach the camera from the tripod. “This is a beautiful place. First time I’ve been here. I hitched a ride from Baltimore, on my way through to the turnpike. The trucker stopped out on the highway to eat, so I decided to take a detour.” “Uh-huh.” She continued breaking down her equipment. “Do you know of any campgrounds in the area where I can crash for the night?” “Nope. Sorry.” “Okay. I won’t bother you any further. I am sorry I ruined your picture. I’m Josh, by the way.” She folded up the tripod, glancing at him. “Rylee. There’s a motel out on the highway, about a mile or so west.” He grinned. “Thanks. I don’t suppose you’re going that way.” His tousled hair and dark eyes gave him a bad boy look, but he otherwise seemed harmless. Still, she wasn’t about to offer him a ride. “Sorry, no hitchhikers.” She thought of the pepper spray vial that hung from her belt loop. She carried it with her when she hiked alone, which was most of the time. She inched her hand to her hip, feeling the plastic container beneath her fingers. He didn’t appear to notice. “I don’t blame you. Well, Rylee, it was nice meeting you. Have a good afternoon.” She tucked the folded tripod under her arm and placed the lens cap on the camera. “You, too.” She headed for her car without glancing back, though she was tempted. Once inside her vehicle, she tucked the old Nikon into the worn leather camera bag. Her hand rested on the camera for a moment as she remembered the day her father had given it to her. She brushed her fingers across the slightly blurred photograph taped into the top flap of the camera bag—a tall, dark-haired man with his arm around a gangly young girl. The girl’s eyes reflected sadness; the man’s smile looked forced. “Happy birthday, Dad.” The hitchhiker cast a shadow as he walked past, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He smiled and waved, then headed out of the parking lot. His worn jeans hugged his body in all the right places. And he did have a cute smile. Extracting a bottle of water from the small cooler on the passenger seat, Rylee twisted the cap and gulped. The travel magazine lay beneath the cooler. She tugged at it and opened to the dog-eared page. A half-page color ad read: When visiting the Sonoma Valley, tour the Morgan-Hilliard Winery. You can browse our shop and sample our premium wines. Her eyes fixed on the print beneath the picture of a cedar log building. Owners: Ryan Morgan and Debra Hilliard. Rylee ran her fingers over the print as if expecting to feel her father’s spirit there. She closed the magazine and set her water bottle in the console cup-holder. The late spring afternoon air had turned cool and a breeze swept through the open windows, ruffling her short-cropped dark hair. Ready for a shower and a good meal, she shifted the SUV into reverse. The heavy metal ringtone from her cell phone announced a call from her sister, Lexie. She eased the gearshift back into park and rummaged through her bag to retrieve the phone. “Hi, Lex. What’s up?” “Jimmy—J-Jimmy—Oh, God. He—he…” “Whoa, slow down. What happened to Jimmy?” Lexie let out a shuddering breath. “I got home from work and saw Danielle’s car parked next to Jimmy’s truck. When I reached the apartment, no one was in the living room, so I called for Jimmy. I guess he couldn’t hear me over that slut Danielle’s moans and groans. I walked back to the bedroom. And I saw…” Her tone changed from panic to seething anger. “I saw…Jimmy’s bare ass in the air with Danielle, slithering beneath him like…like a damned boa constrictor. In my bed! She’s supposed to be my best friend.” That bastard. The heat of anger towards Jimmy flooded Rylee’s chest. She drew in a deep breath, then asked calmly, “Where are you?” “Um, I…I’m in the parking lot at the mall. I ran out of the apartment and started driving. I didn’t know where to go and…and I can’t go back there.” “Oh, God, Lex. I’m so sorry. That S-O-B. Why don’t you spend the night at my place? I should be home in about an hour. We’ll talk.” “Thanks, Ry. I hoped you’d ask. I don’t want to go to Mom’s.” “No. No, don’t go to Mom’s. Are you okay to drive? I can come to you.” “I’m okay. I stopped shaking.” “I’ll see you at my place.” ~ * ~ Josh removed his jacket and forced it inside the already over-stuffed duffel bag. He stole a glance back to where Rylee sat in her car talking on a cell phone. I wonder if she really would have used that pepper spray. He shook his head and adjusted the strap of the duffel on his right shoulder. Before he'd been interrupted by Rylee's command to get out of the frame of her photograph, he'd been having a stern conversation with himself in the middle of the river. During the past two days, he had found himself conflicted about whether to continue his trip or turn for home. When he had shoved clothing into a bag and hastily set out on foot from Boston, he was sure of his mission. Now, weeks later, after following a circuitous route that brought him into these mountains, he second-guessed his wandering. What did he really hope to accomplish? He could make his way to Mackinac Island—hell—he could hitch all the way to the west coast. He wasn't going to forget Sarah just because he was out of Boston. Still, as he had stood on the rock in the middle of the river, the rushing water blotting out everything except his memories, he'd come so close to letting go, saying goodbye. Then that woman jerked him back to the present, pulling him from his dream state. "It's a public park," he muttered as he positioned himself at the side of the road. "I can stand in the middle of the damn river if I want to." A car exited the parking lot behind him. He stuck out his thumb, but lowered it again. "You have a nice day, too," he called after the photographer. What was her name? Rylee. "Have a very nice day, Rylee," he shouted as the SUV sped up the hill and out of view.

Novel Talk
SHOOTING INTO THE SUN by Linda Rettstatt


Women's Fiction

May 2010 - Champagne Books


Rylee Morgan has spent most of her life playing it safe and following the rules. It has worked for her professionally and personally. So why should a trip across the country be any different. She grabs her camera, camera bag and off she goes hoping to take her professional career to another level. She never imagined her little sister Lexie coming along for the ride. Lexie has an energy level that doesn’t quit and she not only trusts everyone but she also follows no rules. However, Lexie needs to get away so having her as an assistant won’t be too bad. Will it? Is Rylee in for a ride of her life with her sister in tow when they meet the tall dark and handsome hitchhiker? Or will they pass him by and follow all the rules? And what about the man she thinks could be her Dad on the west coast? Will she find him after all these years? Can she discover all her dreams in one cross country drive?

Lexie Morgan is nothing like her sister. She makes up her own rules. So she thinks nothing of inviting the hitchhiker along with them. He may be just what her rigid sister needs to lighten up a bit. And she could use the distraction too. He certainly is easy on the eyes.

Josh Bradley has a story all his own. Hitchhiking was just the beginning of his journey. What will they all discover at the end of the road?

Linda Rettstatt brings together two sisters in this story. It’s a very emotional journey for them both. I thought she did a fantastic job of bringing Rylee’s photography into the story as well. I really didn’t feel meeting a hitchhiker was an ideal way to bring the hero into the book but she skillfully drew me in to the idea. The hero and heroine were perfect for each other. However, I had a hard time bonding with the characters. I felt the book was a bit more about the sisters than the romance. I felt the bond and love between those two throughout the entire story. She made me long for sisterly love. It was overall a very nice read. I enjoyed the story and I hope you will too.


Reviewed by Dyan Hunter on 9/17/2010.