Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)

May be edited a bit from published version.

The excerpt: I’ve jumped ahead. The child and her nanny spent the night at the clinic and this is the next morning. The clinic clerk is speaking as Saffia arrives.

“The Fremington-Ulms have already left three messages, wanting to know when they can send a driver to pick up the girl and the nanny and lift off.”

“I was hoping to be in the office before the parents got impatient. They must really be driven to make it to wherever their next event is happening.”  Saffia kept walking, going past the desk and heading into the office wing. She’d checked with Warby twice during the evening and again this morning when she got up and was relieved to hear Liddy had enjoyed a quiet night, with lessening symptoms. After taking a few minutes to get herself organized, she headed for the girl’s room, finding her sitting up and eating a hearty breakfast, sent over by the diner, which had a contract with the clinic. Liddy seemed much refreshed and cheerful.

“Wow, are you having any food with the syrup?” Saffia asked with a laugh as she surveyed the breakfast tray, “Your stomach must be doing better.”

Liddy tossed her hair and finished chewing a huge bite of the pancakes, “I feel great, Dr. Mandell. You made me all better—I want to be a doctor like you when I grow up,” She took a big swallow of juice.

VS Note: And the rest of the moment:

Saffia scanned the data on the sensor panels, “No fever, congestion clearing, heart rate normal, you’ve been a model patient, exactly the kind a doctor wants to have.” She checked Mifura, “You’re looking even more tired today.  I can have the nurse come sit with Liddy while she finishes her meal, and I can give you a quick exam if you’d like.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine.” The nanny sat up straighter. “I didn’t sleep too well in the portable bed here. But Liddy slept through—she didn’t even wake up completely when the night nurse checked on her. Once we get back to the ship and I can finally get a good night’s sleep in my own bed again, since the crisis is past, I’ll be fine. But thank you. Are we free to leave then? My employers are most anxious to leave orbit.”

VS note: Dum de dum dum (ominous music)…the nurse isn’t feeling well….more to come…

The blurb: Newly graduated from a prestigious interstellar medical school, Dr. Saffia Mandell has been assigned to the Haven Two colony on the galaxy’s outer rim as the only doctor for some 2000 human residents. She’s counting the days until her five years there is up, trying to adjust to rural living after life in the crowded Inner Sectors and fighting her attraction to Chief Ranger Micah Navonn. She’s dreading the upcoming tourist season when the rich and pampered will descend on the planet for the scenic wonders and novel sports opportunities and no doubt inundate her little clinic but the colony depends on the seasonal income to survive.

As the senior official for his people, the Calinurra, the indigenous inhabitants of Haven Two, Micah enforces the treaty, regulates the tourist permits, patrols the forests and resists his fascination with Dr. Mandell. He never expected to be involved with a human woman and doesn’t want to believe in the concept of a fated mate. He wants to keep his life simple and isn’t ready for any long term commitment. Besides Saffia keeps proclaiming she’ll be leaving when her appointment is up in four and a half years so why should he risk his heart?

Then a ship arrives unexpectedly carrying a very ill little girl and soon the deadly virus is spreading through Haven Two. The colony authorities are desperate to cover up the problem to preserve the all-important tourist season and Saffia and Micah have to work together to battle the outbreak, the local administration and their undeniable feelings for each other.

Can the colony survive? And will Micah and Saffia be able to move past their fears about entanglements to act on the mutual attraction?

An 87K word novel of the far future…

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