Book Excerpts

Excerpt from A Daughter For Christmas   On his second day in Tallgrass, Oklahoma, Dr. Max Connors opened his front door to discover the one woman he wasn’t quite ready to meet. Rachel Howard. Mother of his child. Although she didn’t know that. Yet. Prim, proper Rachel, with her reddish-brown hair pulled back in a twist, held up a plate full of fudge. “Welcome to the neighborhood.” The smile that graced her full lips transformed her plain features into radiance and needled his conscience. His reason for being in Tallgrass would totally shatter her world. When he didn’t say anything right away, she added in a cultured voice, “I’m part of the welcoming committee for Ranch Acres Estates.” “There’s such...

Excerpt from Cowboy Protector   Hannah Williams scanned the bus depot at Sweet Creek, Montana, tugging her heavy overcoat closer to her to ward off the chill of the biting wind that swooped down from the snow-capped mountains nearby. When her gaze paused on a stranger, she memorized the face, then moved on to the next one. She’d learned to be totally aware of the people and terrain surrounding her. Her life depended on it. On her second sweep of the terminal, Hannah spied a newcomer who towered over the others around him. Wearing a black cowboy hat that blended with his black, straight hair and a camel-colored, sheepskin coat, he surveyed the crowd with dark coffee-colored eyes, his strong jaw set in a look of concentration. His tanned features were in...

Excerpt from Heart of a Cowboy   The horse in the corral reared up, jerking the rope from his wrangler’s grip. Standing next to the hood of her car watching the interplay, Jordan Masterson stiffened. The animal’s hooves plunged down toward the man. Barely missing him. She gasped. Even from a distance the flare of the animal’s nostrils indicated agitation. She glanced at her ten-year-old son as he climbed from her yellow Camaro. Nicholas can’t ride. He could get hurt. The horse’s whinny drew her attention to the corral again. The huge black animal backed up, lifting its head as it stared wide-eyed at the cowboy. “Whoa, boy. Easy, Midnight.” The soothing cadence of the man’s deep, husky voice eased the mounting...

Excerpt from Love Lessons   “Don’t die on me.” Alexa Michaels patted the dashboard of her twelve-year-old car as it chugged toward its destination, only a half a block away. At least the car had gotten her to the street where she needed to go, and she was thirty minutes early to her interview for the tutoring position. The vehicle bellowed a plume of smoke from its tailpipe, the wind whisking it away as it sputtered past another sizable dwelling. Finally, her car died two houses away from her objective, a single-story Mediterranean home on an acre. She pushed the car door open. Its creaking sound protested the action. With a sigh, she retrieved her large purse from the floor and stood. A brisk breeze caught her long, multicolored skirt and...

Excerpt from Merry Mayhem, a part of the Christmas Peril Anthology   Annie Coleman almost dropped the phone at her ex-boyfriend’s words, but she couldn’t. She had to keep it together for her daughter. Jayden played nearby, oblivious to the sheer terror Annie was feeling at hearing Bryan’s gasping warning. “Run. Disappear… Don’t trust anyone, especially the police.” A scuffling noise on the other end of the phone sent her heartbeat slamming against her chest. What was going on? A swishing sound filled her ears, followed by something like a fist hitting flesh and a groan that iced her blood. “Thought you could get away,” a gruff voice said between punches. “You haven’t finished telling me what I need...

Excerpt from Together for the Holidays Across the large parking lot, Lisa Morgan spied her son in the center of a group of four middle schoolers at the side of the gymnasium, a pool of light illuminating the dark surrounding Andy. Fear lined her twelve-year-old’s face as he straightened his shoulders, thrust out his chest and held his arms stiff at his sides. Lisa increased her pace to a jog. She didn’t want to overreact or her son would be upset that she embarrassed him. But something was wrong. Joey, a child who had gone to school with her son for several years, grabbed Andy’s arm. He wrenched free and started for the front of the gym. Another boy, on Andy’s basketball team, blocked his escape. Suddenly Joey and three teammates closed in...