Kristy McCaffrey's Blog: Author Kristy McCaffrey - Posts Tagged "steamy-romance"
Durango, Colorado, and THE PEPPERMINT TREE is on Sale
By Kristy McCaffrey
Situated near the Four Corners region of the U.S., the town of Durango sits on the Animas River in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. In the 1870’s it was called Animas City, but when the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad arrived in 1881 the town was renamed by ex-Colorado Governor Alexander C. Hunt after Durango, Mexico. The name originated from the Basque word Urango, which means “water town.”
Durango, Colorado, 1883
The San Juans are part of the Rocky Mountains, and with high quantities of minerals present, gold and silver mining camps soon popped up during the 19th century. Those camps are now major towns such as Telluride, Ouray, Silverton, Lake City, Creede, and Durango.
The San Juan Mountains
In 1882, a narrow-gauge steam railroad was constructed to connect the mining town of Silverton with the coal and smelting operations of Durango. Today, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad makes daily trips between the two towns for anyone who wishes to see the grandeur of the San Juans. Additionally, visitors can enjoy wilderness trekking, mountain climbing, and camping. In the winter, skiing is a favorite pastime at the well-known Durango Mountain Resort, known locally as Purgatory.
It’s Christmas in July!! Digital copies of my contemporary western novella, THE PEPPERMINT TREE, are on sale for 99 cents. The story is set in and around the Durango area.
When an unexpected inheritance draws lawyer Skye Mallory home for the Christmas holidays, she’s surprised by a longing to set down roots in her Colorado hometown. Only one thing stands in her way—a cowboy who broke her heart in high school. Joe Carrigan has returned to the community he left years ago, ready to face his one regret in life—Skye Mallory. But this time, he won’t be so chivalrous.
Read an excerpt
Joe Carrigan watched as the red taillights in the distance slid from left to right and then right even more, finally stopping. He’d been following the Prius for a while, and the driver had been conservative, but their luck had just run out. He was in his Bronco—the same one he’d driven in high school on these very roads—and it could still be trusted in bad weather. He’d been able to afford better cars over the years, but he still had a habit of jumping in this one, especially on a night like this.
He checked his rearview mirror. Thankfully, no cars behind him. He slowed the Bronco and guided it as far to the right as he could without getting stuck.
Stepping out of his vehicle, a blast of cold air hit him as heavy snowflakes engulfed him. He really shouldn’t be out in this, but he’d agreed to meet Oliver and Celeste and a friend of Celeste’s, a blind date he’d been badgered into. His life had been too busy of late for a woman, but it didn’t mean he actually needed or wanted one in his life.
He reached inside the Bronco and grabbed his heavy canvas coat, quickly pulling it on and zipping it to his neck. The snow crunched beneath his boots and his breath came out in white puffs as he crossed the beam of his headlights and approached the Prius. He tapped on the driver’s window, the shadowy figure of a woman on the other side. She hesitated a moment then rolled the window down.
“Are you all right, miss?”
As the woman’s face became fully visible, he did a double-take. “Skylar?”
Her forehead pinched into hard ridges, and her eyes registered a flash of outrage. “Carrigan?”
As if a freight train had hit him, he uttered, “It’s been a long time.”
LEARN MORE
Also, don't miss my July website giveaway - an autographed print copy of THE PEPPERMINT TREE. Enter today.
Situated near the Four Corners region of the U.S., the town of Durango sits on the Animas River in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. In the 1870’s it was called Animas City, but when the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad arrived in 1881 the town was renamed by ex-Colorado Governor Alexander C. Hunt after Durango, Mexico. The name originated from the Basque word Urango, which means “water town.”
Durango, Colorado, 1883
The San Juans are part of the Rocky Mountains, and with high quantities of minerals present, gold and silver mining camps soon popped up during the 19th century. Those camps are now major towns such as Telluride, Ouray, Silverton, Lake City, Creede, and Durango.
The San Juan Mountains
In 1882, a narrow-gauge steam railroad was constructed to connect the mining town of Silverton with the coal and smelting operations of Durango. Today, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad makes daily trips between the two towns for anyone who wishes to see the grandeur of the San Juans. Additionally, visitors can enjoy wilderness trekking, mountain climbing, and camping. In the winter, skiing is a favorite pastime at the well-known Durango Mountain Resort, known locally as Purgatory.
It’s Christmas in July!! Digital copies of my contemporary western novella, THE PEPPERMINT TREE, are on sale for 99 cents. The story is set in and around the Durango area.
When an unexpected inheritance draws lawyer Skye Mallory home for the Christmas holidays, she’s surprised by a longing to set down roots in her Colorado hometown. Only one thing stands in her way—a cowboy who broke her heart in high school. Joe Carrigan has returned to the community he left years ago, ready to face his one regret in life—Skye Mallory. But this time, he won’t be so chivalrous.
Read an excerpt
Joe Carrigan watched as the red taillights in the distance slid from left to right and then right even more, finally stopping. He’d been following the Prius for a while, and the driver had been conservative, but their luck had just run out. He was in his Bronco—the same one he’d driven in high school on these very roads—and it could still be trusted in bad weather. He’d been able to afford better cars over the years, but he still had a habit of jumping in this one, especially on a night like this.
He checked his rearview mirror. Thankfully, no cars behind him. He slowed the Bronco and guided it as far to the right as he could without getting stuck.
Stepping out of his vehicle, a blast of cold air hit him as heavy snowflakes engulfed him. He really shouldn’t be out in this, but he’d agreed to meet Oliver and Celeste and a friend of Celeste’s, a blind date he’d been badgered into. His life had been too busy of late for a woman, but it didn’t mean he actually needed or wanted one in his life.
He reached inside the Bronco and grabbed his heavy canvas coat, quickly pulling it on and zipping it to his neck. The snow crunched beneath his boots and his breath came out in white puffs as he crossed the beam of his headlights and approached the Prius. He tapped on the driver’s window, the shadowy figure of a woman on the other side. She hesitated a moment then rolled the window down.
“Are you all right, miss?”
As the woman’s face became fully visible, he did a double-take. “Skylar?”
Her forehead pinched into hard ridges, and her eyes registered a flash of outrage. “Carrigan?”
As if a freight train had hit him, he uttered, “It’s been a long time.”
LEARN MORE
Also, don't miss my July website giveaway - an autographed print copy of THE PEPPERMINT TREE. Enter today.
The Pathway Series is now in Kindle Unlimited
By Kristy McCaffrey
Find the series at Amazon
I'm pleased to share that the Pathway series is now enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited Program. What does this mean? If you buy your eBooks from Amazon, nothing will change for you. The books will still be available for purchase, but they are also ‘borrowable’ in the KU subscription program.
If you read your digital books via Nook, Kobo, Apple or Google Play, these titles are no longer available. But what about NEW books in the series? That’s a great question! When I have a new Pathway release (novel or novelette), I’ll publish it wide for 1-2 weeks before moving it into KU. This will give those that buy books via the other platforms a chance to grab them.
Why am I doing this? For the last two years, I’ve struggled to find a readership for this series. I have a small but growing fandom at Amazon, but very little on the other platforms. It’s been frustrating because I’ve tried many things to get traction, but to no avail. I LOVE this series and I want to keep writing it, so I was forced to take a hard look at the economics of producing each book. I’m hopeful that KU will at least help me to break even. (For those that may not know, books included in KU are required to be exclusive to Amazon.) So please know that this decision wasn’t made lightly. The book publishing industry is a constantly evolving beast and especially for indie authors such as myself, that flexing can sometimes be painful. But my hope is to be an author for the long haul, so I’ll do what I can to make that happen.
Please note: the novellas BLUE SAGE and THE PEPPERMINT TREE have also been enrolled in KU. Print copies of all the books are still available and are unaffected by this transition. You can purchase them from Amazon or directly from me.
Second note: this decision does NOT include my Wings of the West series. These books will remain for sale at Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Apple and Google Play.
Thank you for all your support! I truly appreciate it.
Peace,
Kristy
xoxo
Would you like a sneak peek of Ancient Winds (Book 3)?
In the jungle, there are no barriers …
Brynn Galloway doesn’t know it, but her academic career in archaeology is about to become a laughingstock. When a rare Sumerian artifact surfaces, her presence is requested in Bolivia, but nothing is as it seems. Soon, she’s entangled in a desperate hunt not only for a valuable antiquity but also for answers to humanity that might stretch across time. And by her side is a sexy mercenary physicist with a maddening belief in space aliens.
Dr. Tristan Magee is in a bad mood. When his latest acquisition—an unusual and as yet untranslated Sumerian cuneiform tablet—is stolen right out from under him and spirited away to the Bolivian jungle, he’ll do whatever it takes to get it back. Unfortunately, that includes partnering with a female archaeologist who proves to be the kind of distraction that brought down civilizations.
Coming Soon!
Connect with Kristy
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Blog ~ Pathways
Newsletter
Find the series at Amazon
I'm pleased to share that the Pathway series is now enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited Program. What does this mean? If you buy your eBooks from Amazon, nothing will change for you. The books will still be available for purchase, but they are also ‘borrowable’ in the KU subscription program.
If you read your digital books via Nook, Kobo, Apple or Google Play, these titles are no longer available. But what about NEW books in the series? That’s a great question! When I have a new Pathway release (novel or novelette), I’ll publish it wide for 1-2 weeks before moving it into KU. This will give those that buy books via the other platforms a chance to grab them.
Why am I doing this? For the last two years, I’ve struggled to find a readership for this series. I have a small but growing fandom at Amazon, but very little on the other platforms. It’s been frustrating because I’ve tried many things to get traction, but to no avail. I LOVE this series and I want to keep writing it, so I was forced to take a hard look at the economics of producing each book. I’m hopeful that KU will at least help me to break even. (For those that may not know, books included in KU are required to be exclusive to Amazon.) So please know that this decision wasn’t made lightly. The book publishing industry is a constantly evolving beast and especially for indie authors such as myself, that flexing can sometimes be painful. But my hope is to be an author for the long haul, so I’ll do what I can to make that happen.
Please note: the novellas BLUE SAGE and THE PEPPERMINT TREE have also been enrolled in KU. Print copies of all the books are still available and are unaffected by this transition. You can purchase them from Amazon or directly from me.
Second note: this decision does NOT include my Wings of the West series. These books will remain for sale at Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Apple and Google Play.
Thank you for all your support! I truly appreciate it.
Peace,
Kristy
xoxo
Would you like a sneak peek of Ancient Winds (Book 3)?
In the jungle, there are no barriers …
Brynn Galloway doesn’t know it, but her academic career in archaeology is about to become a laughingstock. When a rare Sumerian artifact surfaces, her presence is requested in Bolivia, but nothing is as it seems. Soon, she’s entangled in a desperate hunt not only for a valuable antiquity but also for answers to humanity that might stretch across time. And by her side is a sexy mercenary physicist with a maddening belief in space aliens.
Dr. Tristan Magee is in a bad mood. When his latest acquisition—an unusual and as yet untranslated Sumerian cuneiform tablet—is stolen right out from under him and spirited away to the Bolivian jungle, he’ll do whatever it takes to get it back. Unfortunately, that includes partnering with a female archaeologist who proves to be the kind of distraction that brought down civilizations.
Coming Soon!
Connect with Kristy
Website
Blog ~ Pathways
Newsletter
Release Day - Ancient Winds is out!!
By Kristy McCaffrey
I'm so excited to share that Ancient Winds (The Pathway Series Book 3) is now available in ebook and print.
Can Brynn resist the charm of Dr. Magee in this high-stakes archaeology adventure?
In the jungle, there are no barriers …
Brynn Galloway doesn’t know it, but her academic career in archaeology is about to become a laughingstock. When a rare Sumerian artifact surfaces, her presence is requested in Bolivia, but nothing is as it seems. Soon, she’s entangled in a desperate hunt not only for a valuable antiquity but also for answers to humanity that might stretch across time. And by her side is a sexy mercenary physicist with a maddening belief in space aliens.
Dr. Tristan Magee is in a bad mood. When his latest acquisition—an unusual and as yet untranslated Sumerian cuneiform tablet—is stolen right out from under him and spirited away to the Bolivian jungle, he’ll do whatever it takes to get it back. Unfortunately, that includes partnering with a female archaeologist who proves to be the kind of distraction that brought down civilizations.
A combination of Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone, with a dash of The X-Files … get swept away in this romantic suspense adventure.
Available wide for one week only. Grab your copy here. On February 22, Ancient Winds will enter the Kindle Unlimited program and will be available exclusively at Amazon.
Would you like a bookmark from any or all of the books? Fill out this google doc and I'll drop them in the mail to you.
Excerpt
Brynn couldn’t sleep and found Tristan sitting by a small fire near the main building. With elbows on knees, he was hunched forward, his gaze intent on the flames as shadows ebbed and flowed across the angles of his face. He sported a few days’ growth of whiskers and his dark hair was curling along the collar of his shirt. The wilderness was slowly consuming them, making them wild in the process, or maybe it was simply the jungle stripping away societal barriers and laying them bare. Brynn suspected, however, that Magee had never paid much attention to such niceties.
“Communing with aliens?” she asked, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the others who might be nearby. Tristan had been right—privacy was in short supply.
The glint in Tristan’s gaze conveyed annoyed amusement. And maybe something else. The tug in her belly was immediate, and she all but lifted her nose to catch his scent. For a moment she let herself revel in everything male that was Magee: muscle, strength, and possibly the biggest aphrodisiac for her—irreverence.
He motioned for her to sit as he said, “Well, if you consider talking to Dimar interacting with something not of this world, then the answer is yes.”
She took a seat, leaving the one between them empty. Wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
“Sometimes I have trouble sleeping in the jungle,” he said.
“Is that a sleeping aid?” she asked as he took a sip from his canteen.
He replaced the lid. “Nah. Just water. Can you play backgammon, Galloway?”
“Yes. I used to play with my grandfather.”
“I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared, and then returned with a mini version of the game. He unfolded the board and proceeded to set it up on the empty chair between them.
“Why backgammon?” she asked, helping him organize the pieces in the glow of the firelight.
“It was my dad’s favorite. Did you know it’s one of the oldest known board games?”
“I do. They’ve found evidence of it in Mesopotamia. Maybe it was a gift from their alien benefactors.”
“The dice were made from human bones, so no alien intervention likely.”
“You do know your artifacts.”
“I try.” He handed her a die, his hand brushing hers. “Need a refresher on the rules?”
“Nope, I’m good,” she replied, pretending his touch hadn’t left a burn mark.
Copyright © 2021 K. McCaffrey LLC
I'm so excited to share that Ancient Winds (The Pathway Series Book 3) is now available in ebook and print.
Can Brynn resist the charm of Dr. Magee in this high-stakes archaeology adventure?
In the jungle, there are no barriers …
Brynn Galloway doesn’t know it, but her academic career in archaeology is about to become a laughingstock. When a rare Sumerian artifact surfaces, her presence is requested in Bolivia, but nothing is as it seems. Soon, she’s entangled in a desperate hunt not only for a valuable antiquity but also for answers to humanity that might stretch across time. And by her side is a sexy mercenary physicist with a maddening belief in space aliens.
Dr. Tristan Magee is in a bad mood. When his latest acquisition—an unusual and as yet untranslated Sumerian cuneiform tablet—is stolen right out from under him and spirited away to the Bolivian jungle, he’ll do whatever it takes to get it back. Unfortunately, that includes partnering with a female archaeologist who proves to be the kind of distraction that brought down civilizations.
A combination of Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone, with a dash of The X-Files … get swept away in this romantic suspense adventure.
Available wide for one week only. Grab your copy here. On February 22, Ancient Winds will enter the Kindle Unlimited program and will be available exclusively at Amazon.
Would you like a bookmark from any or all of the books? Fill out this google doc and I'll drop them in the mail to you.
Excerpt
Brynn couldn’t sleep and found Tristan sitting by a small fire near the main building. With elbows on knees, he was hunched forward, his gaze intent on the flames as shadows ebbed and flowed across the angles of his face. He sported a few days’ growth of whiskers and his dark hair was curling along the collar of his shirt. The wilderness was slowly consuming them, making them wild in the process, or maybe it was simply the jungle stripping away societal barriers and laying them bare. Brynn suspected, however, that Magee had never paid much attention to such niceties.
“Communing with aliens?” she asked, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the others who might be nearby. Tristan had been right—privacy was in short supply.
The glint in Tristan’s gaze conveyed annoyed amusement. And maybe something else. The tug in her belly was immediate, and she all but lifted her nose to catch his scent. For a moment she let herself revel in everything male that was Magee: muscle, strength, and possibly the biggest aphrodisiac for her—irreverence.
He motioned for her to sit as he said, “Well, if you consider talking to Dimar interacting with something not of this world, then the answer is yes.”
She took a seat, leaving the one between them empty. Wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
“Sometimes I have trouble sleeping in the jungle,” he said.
“Is that a sleeping aid?” she asked as he took a sip from his canteen.
He replaced the lid. “Nah. Just water. Can you play backgammon, Galloway?”
“Yes. I used to play with my grandfather.”
“I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared, and then returned with a mini version of the game. He unfolded the board and proceeded to set it up on the empty chair between them.
“Why backgammon?” she asked, helping him organize the pieces in the glow of the firelight.
“It was my dad’s favorite. Did you know it’s one of the oldest known board games?”
“I do. They’ve found evidence of it in Mesopotamia. Maybe it was a gift from their alien benefactors.”
“The dice were made from human bones, so no alien intervention likely.”
“You do know your artifacts.”
“I try.” He handed her a die, his hand brushing hers. “Need a refresher on the rules?”
“Nope, I’m good,” she replied, pretending his touch hadn’t left a burn mark.
Copyright © 2021 K. McCaffrey LLC
Valentine Anthology Coming Soon
By Kristy McCaffrey
I'm excited to be included in an upcoming Valentine anthology featuring a collection of contemporary romance short stories.
Love...what a tricky and powerful feeling.
In this anthology, seven authors are ready to make you swoon over their steamy stories. Are you ready to fall in love?
This anthology includes stories by:
B Crowhurst, Sarah Peis, L.A. Remenicky, Amy Stephens, Kristy McCaffrey, Diana Dawn, and Pandora Snow
WITH EVERY BEAT OF MY HEART is now on pre-order for only 99 cents. (The anthology will be wide for one month and then available in Kindle Unlimited.)
Release Date: February 8, 2022
Buy Links are here.
Add it to your TBR shelf on Goodreads.
My story will be tied to my Pathway series and features great white sharks off the remote Chatham Islands in New Zealand.
SHARK REEF
A Contemporary Adventure Romance Short Story
Dr. Gabe O’Grady has had it bad for Jen Fairfield since the moment they were introduced, but she had a boyfriend at the time, so Gabe stayed in the friend zone. When he learns she’s about to spend three weeks in the remote Chatham Islands off New Zealand tagging great white sharks with a notoriously sketchy filmmaker, Gabe inserts himself into the project to protect her. But her indifference confounds him.
After ending her previous stalled relationship, Dr. Jen Fairfield is blindsided by her true feelings for Gabe O’Grady. After a night out with girlfriends and buoyed by their support, she makes her move with a very forward voicemail after a few drinks. But when O’Grady ghosts her for two months, Jen buries her hurt, certain she’ll never see him again. Then he shows up on her expedition …
When Gabe learns Jen is single, he knows he can’t let a chance with her slide by. But first he must rekindle the friendship that she seems determined to walk away from. He also needs to keep her safe from one of the most dangerous predators on earth.
I'm excited to be included in an upcoming Valentine anthology featuring a collection of contemporary romance short stories.
Love...what a tricky and powerful feeling.
In this anthology, seven authors are ready to make you swoon over their steamy stories. Are you ready to fall in love?
This anthology includes stories by:
B Crowhurst, Sarah Peis, L.A. Remenicky, Amy Stephens, Kristy McCaffrey, Diana Dawn, and Pandora Snow
WITH EVERY BEAT OF MY HEART is now on pre-order for only 99 cents. (The anthology will be wide for one month and then available in Kindle Unlimited.)
Release Date: February 8, 2022
Buy Links are here.
Add it to your TBR shelf on Goodreads.
My story will be tied to my Pathway series and features great white sharks off the remote Chatham Islands in New Zealand.
SHARK REEF
A Contemporary Adventure Romance Short Story
Dr. Gabe O’Grady has had it bad for Jen Fairfield since the moment they were introduced, but she had a boyfriend at the time, so Gabe stayed in the friend zone. When he learns she’s about to spend three weeks in the remote Chatham Islands off New Zealand tagging great white sharks with a notoriously sketchy filmmaker, Gabe inserts himself into the project to protect her. But her indifference confounds him.
After ending her previous stalled relationship, Dr. Jen Fairfield is blindsided by her true feelings for Gabe O’Grady. After a night out with girlfriends and buoyed by their support, she makes her move with a very forward voicemail after a few drinks. But when O’Grady ghosts her for two months, Jen buries her hurt, certain she’ll never see him again. Then he shows up on her expedition …
When Gabe learns Jen is single, he knows he can’t let a chance with her slide by. But first he must rekindle the friendship that she seems determined to walk away from. He also needs to keep her safe from one of the most dangerous predators on earth.
The Origins of Backgammon
By Kristy McCaffrey
Backgammon is one of the oldest known board games and can be traced back 5000 years to archaeological discoveries in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). The Royal Game of Ur from 2600 BC may be an ancestor of today’s version of backgammon. Today the game is still popular in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and throughout the Arab world.
Backgammon involves a combination of strategy and luck (from rolling dice) and is played by two people. Playing pieces are usually called checkers, but also draughts, stones, men, counters, pawns, discs, pips, chips, or nips. The objective for each player is to remove, or bear off, all of their checkers from the board before their opponent can do the same.
Each side of the board has a track of 12 long triangles, called points. Play commences in a horseshoe path with players moving checkers to their home board. Once all checkers are collected, then they can be removed depending on the roll of the dice.
There are many variants to the game as well as the optional use of a doubling cube.
The United States Backgammon Federation (USBGF) was organized in 2009 to help popularize the game in the U.S.
In my book ANCIENT WINDS, Brynn and Tristan play a game of backgammon in the Bolivian jungle.
Excerpt
Brynn couldn’t sleep and found Tristan sitting by a small fire near the main building. With elbows on knees, he was hunched forward, his gaze intent on the flames as shadows ebbed and flowed across the angles of his face. He sported a few days’ growth of whiskers and his dark hair was curling along the collar of his shirt. The wilderness was slowly consuming them, making them wild in the process, or maybe it was simply the jungle stripping away societal barriers and laying them bare. Brynn suspected, however, that Magee had never paid much attention to such niceties.
“Communing with aliens?” she asked, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the others who might be nearby. Tristan had been right—privacy was in short supply.
The glint in Tristan’s gaze conveyed annoyed amusement. And maybe something else. The tug in her belly was immediate, and she all but lifted her nose to catch his scent. For a moment she let herself revel in everything male that was Magee: muscle, strength, and possibly the biggest aphrodisiac for her—irreverence.
He motioned for her to sit as he said, “Well, if you consider talking to Dimar interacting with something not of this world, then the answer is yes.”
She took a seat, leaving the one between them empty. Wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
“Sometimes I have trouble sleeping in the jungle,” he said.
“Is that a sleeping aid?” she asked as he took a sip from his canteen.
He replaced the lid. “Nah. Just water. Can you play backgammon, Galloway?”
“Yes. I used to play with my grandfather.”
“I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared, and then returned with a mini version of the game. He unfolded the board and proceeded to set it up on the empty chair between them.
“Why backgammon?” she asked, helping him organize the pieces in the glow of the firelight.
“It was my dad’s favorite. Did you know it’s one of the oldest known board games?”
“I do. They’ve found evidence of it in Mesopotamia. Maybe it was a gift from their alien benefactors.”
“The dice were made from human bones, so no alien intervention likely.”
“You do know your artifacts.”
“I try.” He handed her a die, his hand brushing hers. “Need a refresher on the rules?”
“Nope, I’m good,” she replied, pretending his touch hadn’t left a burn mark.
Copyright © 2021 K. McCaffrey LLC
You can learn more about Ancient Winds, a contemporary romantic adventure, at my website.
Backgammon is one of the oldest known board games and can be traced back 5000 years to archaeological discoveries in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). The Royal Game of Ur from 2600 BC may be an ancestor of today’s version of backgammon. Today the game is still popular in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and throughout the Arab world.
Backgammon involves a combination of strategy and luck (from rolling dice) and is played by two people. Playing pieces are usually called checkers, but also draughts, stones, men, counters, pawns, discs, pips, chips, or nips. The objective for each player is to remove, or bear off, all of their checkers from the board before their opponent can do the same.
Each side of the board has a track of 12 long triangles, called points. Play commences in a horseshoe path with players moving checkers to their home board. Once all checkers are collected, then they can be removed depending on the roll of the dice.
There are many variants to the game as well as the optional use of a doubling cube.
The United States Backgammon Federation (USBGF) was organized in 2009 to help popularize the game in the U.S.
In my book ANCIENT WINDS, Brynn and Tristan play a game of backgammon in the Bolivian jungle.
Excerpt
Brynn couldn’t sleep and found Tristan sitting by a small fire near the main building. With elbows on knees, he was hunched forward, his gaze intent on the flames as shadows ebbed and flowed across the angles of his face. He sported a few days’ growth of whiskers and his dark hair was curling along the collar of his shirt. The wilderness was slowly consuming them, making them wild in the process, or maybe it was simply the jungle stripping away societal barriers and laying them bare. Brynn suspected, however, that Magee had never paid much attention to such niceties.
“Communing with aliens?” she asked, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the others who might be nearby. Tristan had been right—privacy was in short supply.
The glint in Tristan’s gaze conveyed annoyed amusement. And maybe something else. The tug in her belly was immediate, and she all but lifted her nose to catch his scent. For a moment she let herself revel in everything male that was Magee: muscle, strength, and possibly the biggest aphrodisiac for her—irreverence.
He motioned for her to sit as he said, “Well, if you consider talking to Dimar interacting with something not of this world, then the answer is yes.”
She took a seat, leaving the one between them empty. Wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
“Sometimes I have trouble sleeping in the jungle,” he said.
“Is that a sleeping aid?” she asked as he took a sip from his canteen.
He replaced the lid. “Nah. Just water. Can you play backgammon, Galloway?”
“Yes. I used to play with my grandfather.”
“I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared, and then returned with a mini version of the game. He unfolded the board and proceeded to set it up on the empty chair between them.
“Why backgammon?” she asked, helping him organize the pieces in the glow of the firelight.
“It was my dad’s favorite. Did you know it’s one of the oldest known board games?”
“I do. They’ve found evidence of it in Mesopotamia. Maybe it was a gift from their alien benefactors.”
“The dice were made from human bones, so no alien intervention likely.”
“You do know your artifacts.”
“I try.” He handed her a die, his hand brushing hers. “Need a refresher on the rules?”
“Nope, I’m good,” she replied, pretending his touch hadn’t left a burn mark.
Copyright © 2021 K. McCaffrey LLC
You can learn more about Ancient Winds, a contemporary romantic adventure, at my website.
Sneak Peek of THE STARLING
By Kristy McCaffrey
A brand new Wings of the West novel will be coming August 2, 2022.
Colorado 1899
Kate Ryan has always had a streak of justice in her. When she decides to apply to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, nothing will stand in her way. Initially hired in a clerical position, she quickly works her way up to field agent with the help of her mentor, Louise Foster. When Louise is injured, Kate gets her first assignment and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Henry Maguire has been undercover in the household of wealthy cattleman Arthur Wingate. Employed as a ghostwriter to pen the man’s memoir, Henry is also searching for clues to a lucrative counterfeiting scheme. When Henry’s “wife” shows up, he’s taken aback by the attractive woman who isn’t Louise. Now he must work with a female agent he doesn’t know and doesn’t necessarily trust. And because he has another reason for coming into Wingate’s world, Kate Ryan is unavoidably in his way.
Kate Ryan is the daughter of Matt and Molly from THE WREN, and THE STARLING is the first of five novels featuring the second generation of Ryans in the Wings of the West series.
The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling (Coming Soon)
Pre-order The Starling today!!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon AU
Amazon CA
Amazon DE (English version)
Nook
Apple Books
Add The Starling to your Goodreads TBR shelf
Here's a sneak peek of Chapter One
Trinidad, Colorado
April 1899
Kate Ryan shifted on the hard seat of the buckboard as it rattled along the road. The setting sun cast rays of light from its western position, blossoming like a flower.
“Why didn’t your husband pick you up and take you to this party?” The question broke the spell of her anxious anticipation. The driver, an older burly man the Pinkerton agency had hired at the last minute, glanced at her.
“I’ve arrived a day early and didn’t have the opportunity to send word to Hen—” She caught herself at the last second. “To Gilbert.” My husband’s name is Gilbert. She repeated the mantra a few more times, trying to drill it into her brain. Henry Maguire was the man playing her husband. She was getting the break of a lifetime—the ability to work as a full agent on a case at only nineteen years old—and she didn’t want to spoil it by ruining the other agent’s cover.
“It’s a surprise,” she added in a rush.
“Huh.”
Kate frowned, uncertainty fluttering in her chest. “You don’t think this is a good idea?” Her heart sped along with a steady rat-a-tat-tat, her palms clammy, and her mouth tasting like cotton balls, offering little help in wetting her dry lips.
Her nerves were stretched to the brink.
“He don’t know you’re coming, and he’s at the Wingate’s party without you? It’s just ….” He pulled on the reins, guiding the team around a bend in the road, and cast a sympathetic look her way. “You seem like a nice young woman. I just don’t want you to be disappointed … or have your feelings hurt.”
For a moment, Kate was at a loss as to what he meant, and then it walloped her over the head like her brother Eli sometimes did when the two of them argued. Not an actual wallop but a verbal harangue. Kate, however, had always held her ground with her older sibling. And she would need to do so now.
The man was implying her husband was a philanderer. Of all the circumstances she had anticipated dealing with, this one had honestly never crossed her mind. Mostly, she supposed, because this wasn’t a real marriage. It probably was true that Henry had a woman somewhere, although she knew from the Pinkerton office that he wasn’t married. Well, this driver wouldn’t rattle her. She had a job to do. And part of that job was to be Henry’s loving wife as well as his partner on the job. She could do it. She would do it.
“I’m sure it will be fine. I know my Gilbert, and he would never be anything but a gentleman. He was expecting me tomorrow. I’m just a day early. He left me a note at the house as to where he would be this evening,” she added, warming to the prevarications spilling from her mouth.
“So he knew you were coming? But you said he didn’t.”
“Well, I, ah.” She cleared her throat. “He wasn’t certain when I was to arrive. I was visiting my mother. She’s very ill, you see. I had told him I might arrive tonight, or tomorrow. I told him to go to the party and not to wait for me.” Stop talking, Kate. She folded her gloved hands onto her lap and glanced to the countryside, still visible in the fading light. This lying was going to prove a challenge to her.
Her mentor at the agency, Louise Foster, who had single-handedly gotten Kate this assignment, had told her during her training to keep the mistruths to a minimum. It would make it easier to remember them.
“Well, then,” the driver said. “I’m sure it will be fine. Your Gilbert will be mighty happy to see you.”
They crossed beneath a large wrought iron arch and entered a massive ranch. It had been a long journey from town and Kate’s bottom was sore from the buckboard. She would have been much happier on her own horse, but Edgar Jones, her boss, had insisted she not enter the fray alone. He embraced working with female agents on his payroll, but he was careful with their safety as well.
Mr. Jones had sent word to Henry via a courier that she was arriving, but it was never clear if the message had been received. It had contained Louise’s suggestion that Kate attend the party. Louise had argued with Jones from her hospital bed that Henry was sometimes too stubborn in wanting to work alone and that if they didn’t force Kate upon him, he might keep her away from the investigation. Kate had been uncomfortably present for that exchange, leading her to wonder if Henry was a good agent after all, but underlying the discussion was a genuine tone of concern in both Jones and Louise’s voices.
However, now that Kate was here, a bigger problem was presenting itself—Henry was expecting Louise as his “wife” partner, not Kate. In fact, Kate had never met Henry, so of course he wouldn’t know who she was when she arrived.
Hence her anxiety.
In the distance, the lights of the main house blazed, growing brighter as they neared. The front area was crowded with buggies, horses, and carriages. Her driver was forced to stop some distance from the front porch.
He set the brake, climbed down, and came to Kate’s side. She gathered the full folds of her royal blue gown, quite the fanciest thing she had ever worn. The Rocking Wren, her folks’ ranch, rarely required this level of decorum. She clasped the driver’s hand and stepped down.
She confirmed she had her reticule looped around a wrist and patted her hair, pinned into a fancy upsweep.
She turned to the driver. “I’m so sorry, but I didn’t get your name.”
“Francis, ma’am. It was a pleasure, Mrs. Gilbert ….” He raised a busy brow in question.
“Holmes. And please, call me Sallie.” She was immensely proud that she got her alias correct, although she had no doubt that this was the smallest of tests she was about to endure. Still, she must take every victory she could get.
“Shall I wait for you, Sallie?” Francis asked, his gaze filled with genuine concern.
“No, of course not. My husband will see me home.” She hoped.
Francis donned his hat, giving a nod and a tug on the brim. “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Perhaps I’ll see you again, Mr. Francis ….” She leaned forward and raised a brow.
He chuckled. “O’Malley. I run the livery in town. I’m also the blacksmith. If you need a horse shod, you give me a holler. I’ll do it for free. It’s the least I can do.”
As she started to turn to leave, he added, “And watch yourself in there.”
She looked over her shoulder at him.
“Mrs. Wingate, she can be a little … too much. Don’t let her scare you. People like her sense fear and they pounce. Someone like you don’t deserve that. If you ever have any trouble and your husband isn’t doing his job, you come see me, you hear?”
Kate relaxed her shoulders, feeling the genuine concern emanating from Francis. “Thank you. I appreciate it. I truly do.”
She left him and made her way to the entrance of the grand home, feeling as if every step were taking her into the lion’s den. But she wouldn’t be afraid. She had wanted to have a career in law enforcement since she had turned sixteen. It was why she had pursued employment with the Pinkerton Detective Agency, one of the only places that allowed women—and especially young women—to have a chance to do important work.
The front entrance was open and attended by a butler. Kate took a deep breath and crossed the threshold.
* * *
Henry scanned the bustling ballroom, filled with partygoers chattering away—men in suits and women in gowns awash with color. Everyone loved a good Wingate extravaganza, or at least that’s what Henry had learned in the past week of undercover work.
His gaze rested briefly on Arthur Wingate, his target in this investigation. The man was tall, making it easy to find him in a crowd, his gray-streaked black hair slicked back. He was holding court with three men. While he didn’t recognize the man on the left, Henry knew the other two were involved with a company that imported steel products into Mexico.
It could certainly be a connection in the official case to which the Pinkertons had been contracted. First National Bank out of Trinidad had hired the agency to investigate possible money counterfeiting and insurance fraud. Henry was certain that Wingate was at the center. All he had to do was prove it. But Henry also had a secondary reason for being here, one he hadn’t shared with his boss, Edgar Jones, despite that he and Jonesy were more than employer and employee. They were friends, too. But Henry didn’t want Jonesy and the agency implicated if things went south, and truth be told, Henry wasn’t certain what he would uncover. His father, Hugh Maguire, had gone missing in Trinidad nine years ago. The official story—he was killed in a coal mine explosion, but Henry had reason to believe that hadn’t been the case.
And at the center of it all was Arthur Wingate.
Henry was here to prove that Wingate was a criminal, and maybe a murderer.
Ian’s voice echoed in Henry’s head. “There was an investigation, Henry, and no foul play was found.” He and his older brother often failed to see eye-to-eye, hence why Henry had told no one his true reason for being here, least of all Ian.
He took a sip of his brandy … barely. He had no intention of clouding his judgment with alcohol this evening.
“Sir.” A valet drew his attention.
Henry nodded his acknowledgement.
“Your wife has arrived, sir.”
My wife ….
What the hell? Louise was here? Now?
Jonesy had agreed that Louise Foster would be summoned when Henry sent word. And he hadn’t sent word. Dammit.
“Of course,” Henry replied. “Thank you.”
“Please follow me, sir.”
Henry thought of abandoning the drink he’d been nursing for the last hour, but instead kept it as he followed the valet through clusters of people and the low din of talking and laughing. In fact, he took a large gulp as he walked, to soothe his nerves. Sometimes his own rules needed to be amended. This wasn’t a disaster, he reminded himself. Louise was a good field agent, one he’d worked with more than once, and he respected her abilities. She was also his friend, one of the very few along with Jonesy. If she were here now, there must be a good reason. While his cover had included a wife, Henry rather liked working alone, and he’d told Jonesy that Louise could join him when it seemed absolutely necessary. And it hadn’t been necessary … yet. But apparently Edgar Jones had pulled rank, thinking differently.
As Henry entered the foyer, his gaze landed on a young woman in a stunning blue gown, her dark brown hair swept away from her face. She was conversing with Arthur’s wife, Lottie, near the front entrance. Her poise drew his eye and for a moment, Henry considered what it would be like if he weren’t working, if he could simply pursue a conversation with an attractive woman. He had purposely not set down roots. His work made it impossible. Well, not impossible. He had simply not met a woman who could turn his attention from his job.
Reluctantly, he peeled his eyes from the alluring distraction and searched the foyer for Louise, but she was nowhere to be seen.
“She must have stepped into another room,” Henry said to the valet.
“No, sir.” The young man stopped and gave a nod toward Mrs. Wingate and the striking woman beside her.
Henry endured a brief state of confusion, an unnatural occurrence since he kept everything in his life compartmentalized and in order.
Recovering quickly, he said, “Of course, thank you. I must need my spectacles this evening.” He left the valet before he was forced to converse further, giving even more opportunities for a slip up. He walked slowly to the two women, since he wasn’t certain what he should say. Clearly, the valet had been misinformed.
Henry glanced over his shoulder, confirming the man had left the foyer. With the all-clear, Henry shifted his path to miss the two conversing women, although a twinge of regret flared. A small part of him wondered what would happen if he struck up a conversation with the woman in blue. But now wasn’t the time for personal interests. Just as he passed within three feet of the women, a voice rang out, “Gilbert! Darling!”
Henry stopped and faced the woman who had in a brief span sparked such an intense interest in him. She had used his alias. It all became clear in an instant.
She was his wife.
Hell.
He plastered the biggest smile he could on his face. “Sallie, there you are.” He went to her and planted a kiss on her cheek.
His Sallie blushed, her cheeks a bright crimson. Her skin was smooth as porcelain, leaving a lingering impression upon his lips, and it only added to his frustration.
He kept his expression amiable and besotted, playing the part of a happy and surprised husband, and said, “I had no idea you were coming.” But beneath it all, anger threatened to uncoil in his chest.
He took some measure of pleasure when his new wife flinched ever so slightly, no doubt catching the flash of censure he allowed to escape his gaze. He could accept her as his wife, but it didn’t mean he had to like it, whether she was compelling or not.
But still, where the hell was Louise? Why had Jonesy sent this much too young of a woman with whom he had no acquaintance and could therefore not assess her skills as an agent? To make it all worse, his pulse had quickened as soon as he’d looked into her clear green eyes. She might be young, but a spark of intelligence snapped the distance between them.
“It was last minute, darling,” she replied, her voice tinged with excitement.
It was too late to turn back now. They had an audience with Lottie Wingate, who watched them intently. And Henry had been struggling with Mrs. Wingate ever since he’d gotten here. He’d managed to ingratiate himself with the woman’s husband, Arthur, posing as a writer hired to pen the man’s life story, but Lottie Wingate had been surprisingly suspicious.
“I’m thrilled you’re here,” he said, taking Sallie’s hand. He turned his attention to the older woman. “If you’ll excuse us, I’d like to have a word in private with my beautiful bride.”
“Certainly,” Lottie said, her gaze cool. She was a striking woman with fair skin and red hair that had yet to succumb to graying. “It was lovely to meet you, Sallie. I hope we’ll have a chance to speak more. And you’ll have to accompany Gilbert the next time he comes here.” Henry didn’t miss the hard flash in her gaze. She hadn’t liked Henry from the moment he had arrived. “We could have tea while the men discuss business.”
“I’d like that,” Sallie said.
Having abandoned his drink on a side table, Henry tucked Sallie’s gloved hand into the crook of his elbow and led her into the next room. He wanted to speak privately but in a flash knew this would be impossible. It was too risky to engage in any kind of conversation beyond the benign while they were at this party.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked quietly. He could use another one.
Sallie smiled and nodded, sliding a quick glance at him, and then letting her eyes roam the room.
They found a waiter and his wife’s gloved hand soon held a sherry and Henry’s a whiskey, straight up. He drank it in one swallow. His wife narrowed her eyes, the first sign of some backbone in the woman.
“I know my arrival is unexpected, Gilbert,” she murmured over the rim of her sherry glass, taking a sip. “But rest assured, I’m here to stay. You’re not alone any longer.”
Copyright © 2022 K. McCaffrey LLC
A brand new Wings of the West novel will be coming August 2, 2022.
Colorado 1899
Kate Ryan has always had a streak of justice in her. When she decides to apply to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, nothing will stand in her way. Initially hired in a clerical position, she quickly works her way up to field agent with the help of her mentor, Louise Foster. When Louise is injured, Kate gets her first assignment and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Henry Maguire has been undercover in the household of wealthy cattleman Arthur Wingate. Employed as a ghostwriter to pen the man’s memoir, Henry is also searching for clues to a lucrative counterfeiting scheme. When Henry’s “wife” shows up, he’s taken aback by the attractive woman who isn’t Louise. Now he must work with a female agent he doesn’t know and doesn’t necessarily trust. And because he has another reason for coming into Wingate’s world, Kate Ryan is unavoidably in his way.
Kate Ryan is the daughter of Matt and Molly from THE WREN, and THE STARLING is the first of five novels featuring the second generation of Ryans in the Wings of the West series.
The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling (Coming Soon)
Pre-order The Starling today!!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon AU
Amazon CA
Amazon DE (English version)
Nook
Apple Books
Add The Starling to your Goodreads TBR shelf
Here's a sneak peek of Chapter One
Trinidad, Colorado
April 1899
Kate Ryan shifted on the hard seat of the buckboard as it rattled along the road. The setting sun cast rays of light from its western position, blossoming like a flower.
“Why didn’t your husband pick you up and take you to this party?” The question broke the spell of her anxious anticipation. The driver, an older burly man the Pinkerton agency had hired at the last minute, glanced at her.
“I’ve arrived a day early and didn’t have the opportunity to send word to Hen—” She caught herself at the last second. “To Gilbert.” My husband’s name is Gilbert. She repeated the mantra a few more times, trying to drill it into her brain. Henry Maguire was the man playing her husband. She was getting the break of a lifetime—the ability to work as a full agent on a case at only nineteen years old—and she didn’t want to spoil it by ruining the other agent’s cover.
“It’s a surprise,” she added in a rush.
“Huh.”
Kate frowned, uncertainty fluttering in her chest. “You don’t think this is a good idea?” Her heart sped along with a steady rat-a-tat-tat, her palms clammy, and her mouth tasting like cotton balls, offering little help in wetting her dry lips.
Her nerves were stretched to the brink.
“He don’t know you’re coming, and he’s at the Wingate’s party without you? It’s just ….” He pulled on the reins, guiding the team around a bend in the road, and cast a sympathetic look her way. “You seem like a nice young woman. I just don’t want you to be disappointed … or have your feelings hurt.”
For a moment, Kate was at a loss as to what he meant, and then it walloped her over the head like her brother Eli sometimes did when the two of them argued. Not an actual wallop but a verbal harangue. Kate, however, had always held her ground with her older sibling. And she would need to do so now.
The man was implying her husband was a philanderer. Of all the circumstances she had anticipated dealing with, this one had honestly never crossed her mind. Mostly, she supposed, because this wasn’t a real marriage. It probably was true that Henry had a woman somewhere, although she knew from the Pinkerton office that he wasn’t married. Well, this driver wouldn’t rattle her. She had a job to do. And part of that job was to be Henry’s loving wife as well as his partner on the job. She could do it. She would do it.
“I’m sure it will be fine. I know my Gilbert, and he would never be anything but a gentleman. He was expecting me tomorrow. I’m just a day early. He left me a note at the house as to where he would be this evening,” she added, warming to the prevarications spilling from her mouth.
“So he knew you were coming? But you said he didn’t.”
“Well, I, ah.” She cleared her throat. “He wasn’t certain when I was to arrive. I was visiting my mother. She’s very ill, you see. I had told him I might arrive tonight, or tomorrow. I told him to go to the party and not to wait for me.” Stop talking, Kate. She folded her gloved hands onto her lap and glanced to the countryside, still visible in the fading light. This lying was going to prove a challenge to her.
Her mentor at the agency, Louise Foster, who had single-handedly gotten Kate this assignment, had told her during her training to keep the mistruths to a minimum. It would make it easier to remember them.
“Well, then,” the driver said. “I’m sure it will be fine. Your Gilbert will be mighty happy to see you.”
They crossed beneath a large wrought iron arch and entered a massive ranch. It had been a long journey from town and Kate’s bottom was sore from the buckboard. She would have been much happier on her own horse, but Edgar Jones, her boss, had insisted she not enter the fray alone. He embraced working with female agents on his payroll, but he was careful with their safety as well.
Mr. Jones had sent word to Henry via a courier that she was arriving, but it was never clear if the message had been received. It had contained Louise’s suggestion that Kate attend the party. Louise had argued with Jones from her hospital bed that Henry was sometimes too stubborn in wanting to work alone and that if they didn’t force Kate upon him, he might keep her away from the investigation. Kate had been uncomfortably present for that exchange, leading her to wonder if Henry was a good agent after all, but underlying the discussion was a genuine tone of concern in both Jones and Louise’s voices.
However, now that Kate was here, a bigger problem was presenting itself—Henry was expecting Louise as his “wife” partner, not Kate. In fact, Kate had never met Henry, so of course he wouldn’t know who she was when she arrived.
Hence her anxiety.
In the distance, the lights of the main house blazed, growing brighter as they neared. The front area was crowded with buggies, horses, and carriages. Her driver was forced to stop some distance from the front porch.
He set the brake, climbed down, and came to Kate’s side. She gathered the full folds of her royal blue gown, quite the fanciest thing she had ever worn. The Rocking Wren, her folks’ ranch, rarely required this level of decorum. She clasped the driver’s hand and stepped down.
She confirmed she had her reticule looped around a wrist and patted her hair, pinned into a fancy upsweep.
She turned to the driver. “I’m so sorry, but I didn’t get your name.”
“Francis, ma’am. It was a pleasure, Mrs. Gilbert ….” He raised a busy brow in question.
“Holmes. And please, call me Sallie.” She was immensely proud that she got her alias correct, although she had no doubt that this was the smallest of tests she was about to endure. Still, she must take every victory she could get.
“Shall I wait for you, Sallie?” Francis asked, his gaze filled with genuine concern.
“No, of course not. My husband will see me home.” She hoped.
Francis donned his hat, giving a nod and a tug on the brim. “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Perhaps I’ll see you again, Mr. Francis ….” She leaned forward and raised a brow.
He chuckled. “O’Malley. I run the livery in town. I’m also the blacksmith. If you need a horse shod, you give me a holler. I’ll do it for free. It’s the least I can do.”
As she started to turn to leave, he added, “And watch yourself in there.”
She looked over her shoulder at him.
“Mrs. Wingate, she can be a little … too much. Don’t let her scare you. People like her sense fear and they pounce. Someone like you don’t deserve that. If you ever have any trouble and your husband isn’t doing his job, you come see me, you hear?”
Kate relaxed her shoulders, feeling the genuine concern emanating from Francis. “Thank you. I appreciate it. I truly do.”
She left him and made her way to the entrance of the grand home, feeling as if every step were taking her into the lion’s den. But she wouldn’t be afraid. She had wanted to have a career in law enforcement since she had turned sixteen. It was why she had pursued employment with the Pinkerton Detective Agency, one of the only places that allowed women—and especially young women—to have a chance to do important work.
The front entrance was open and attended by a butler. Kate took a deep breath and crossed the threshold.
* * *
Henry scanned the bustling ballroom, filled with partygoers chattering away—men in suits and women in gowns awash with color. Everyone loved a good Wingate extravaganza, or at least that’s what Henry had learned in the past week of undercover work.
His gaze rested briefly on Arthur Wingate, his target in this investigation. The man was tall, making it easy to find him in a crowd, his gray-streaked black hair slicked back. He was holding court with three men. While he didn’t recognize the man on the left, Henry knew the other two were involved with a company that imported steel products into Mexico.
It could certainly be a connection in the official case to which the Pinkertons had been contracted. First National Bank out of Trinidad had hired the agency to investigate possible money counterfeiting and insurance fraud. Henry was certain that Wingate was at the center. All he had to do was prove it. But Henry also had a secondary reason for being here, one he hadn’t shared with his boss, Edgar Jones, despite that he and Jonesy were more than employer and employee. They were friends, too. But Henry didn’t want Jonesy and the agency implicated if things went south, and truth be told, Henry wasn’t certain what he would uncover. His father, Hugh Maguire, had gone missing in Trinidad nine years ago. The official story—he was killed in a coal mine explosion, but Henry had reason to believe that hadn’t been the case.
And at the center of it all was Arthur Wingate.
Henry was here to prove that Wingate was a criminal, and maybe a murderer.
Ian’s voice echoed in Henry’s head. “There was an investigation, Henry, and no foul play was found.” He and his older brother often failed to see eye-to-eye, hence why Henry had told no one his true reason for being here, least of all Ian.
He took a sip of his brandy … barely. He had no intention of clouding his judgment with alcohol this evening.
“Sir.” A valet drew his attention.
Henry nodded his acknowledgement.
“Your wife has arrived, sir.”
My wife ….
What the hell? Louise was here? Now?
Jonesy had agreed that Louise Foster would be summoned when Henry sent word. And he hadn’t sent word. Dammit.
“Of course,” Henry replied. “Thank you.”
“Please follow me, sir.”
Henry thought of abandoning the drink he’d been nursing for the last hour, but instead kept it as he followed the valet through clusters of people and the low din of talking and laughing. In fact, he took a large gulp as he walked, to soothe his nerves. Sometimes his own rules needed to be amended. This wasn’t a disaster, he reminded himself. Louise was a good field agent, one he’d worked with more than once, and he respected her abilities. She was also his friend, one of the very few along with Jonesy. If she were here now, there must be a good reason. While his cover had included a wife, Henry rather liked working alone, and he’d told Jonesy that Louise could join him when it seemed absolutely necessary. And it hadn’t been necessary … yet. But apparently Edgar Jones had pulled rank, thinking differently.
As Henry entered the foyer, his gaze landed on a young woman in a stunning blue gown, her dark brown hair swept away from her face. She was conversing with Arthur’s wife, Lottie, near the front entrance. Her poise drew his eye and for a moment, Henry considered what it would be like if he weren’t working, if he could simply pursue a conversation with an attractive woman. He had purposely not set down roots. His work made it impossible. Well, not impossible. He had simply not met a woman who could turn his attention from his job.
Reluctantly, he peeled his eyes from the alluring distraction and searched the foyer for Louise, but she was nowhere to be seen.
“She must have stepped into another room,” Henry said to the valet.
“No, sir.” The young man stopped and gave a nod toward Mrs. Wingate and the striking woman beside her.
Henry endured a brief state of confusion, an unnatural occurrence since he kept everything in his life compartmentalized and in order.
Recovering quickly, he said, “Of course, thank you. I must need my spectacles this evening.” He left the valet before he was forced to converse further, giving even more opportunities for a slip up. He walked slowly to the two women, since he wasn’t certain what he should say. Clearly, the valet had been misinformed.
Henry glanced over his shoulder, confirming the man had left the foyer. With the all-clear, Henry shifted his path to miss the two conversing women, although a twinge of regret flared. A small part of him wondered what would happen if he struck up a conversation with the woman in blue. But now wasn’t the time for personal interests. Just as he passed within three feet of the women, a voice rang out, “Gilbert! Darling!”
Henry stopped and faced the woman who had in a brief span sparked such an intense interest in him. She had used his alias. It all became clear in an instant.
She was his wife.
Hell.
He plastered the biggest smile he could on his face. “Sallie, there you are.” He went to her and planted a kiss on her cheek.
His Sallie blushed, her cheeks a bright crimson. Her skin was smooth as porcelain, leaving a lingering impression upon his lips, and it only added to his frustration.
He kept his expression amiable and besotted, playing the part of a happy and surprised husband, and said, “I had no idea you were coming.” But beneath it all, anger threatened to uncoil in his chest.
He took some measure of pleasure when his new wife flinched ever so slightly, no doubt catching the flash of censure he allowed to escape his gaze. He could accept her as his wife, but it didn’t mean he had to like it, whether she was compelling or not.
But still, where the hell was Louise? Why had Jonesy sent this much too young of a woman with whom he had no acquaintance and could therefore not assess her skills as an agent? To make it all worse, his pulse had quickened as soon as he’d looked into her clear green eyes. She might be young, but a spark of intelligence snapped the distance between them.
“It was last minute, darling,” she replied, her voice tinged with excitement.
It was too late to turn back now. They had an audience with Lottie Wingate, who watched them intently. And Henry had been struggling with Mrs. Wingate ever since he’d gotten here. He’d managed to ingratiate himself with the woman’s husband, Arthur, posing as a writer hired to pen the man’s life story, but Lottie Wingate had been surprisingly suspicious.
“I’m thrilled you’re here,” he said, taking Sallie’s hand. He turned his attention to the older woman. “If you’ll excuse us, I’d like to have a word in private with my beautiful bride.”
“Certainly,” Lottie said, her gaze cool. She was a striking woman with fair skin and red hair that had yet to succumb to graying. “It was lovely to meet you, Sallie. I hope we’ll have a chance to speak more. And you’ll have to accompany Gilbert the next time he comes here.” Henry didn’t miss the hard flash in her gaze. She hadn’t liked Henry from the moment he had arrived. “We could have tea while the men discuss business.”
“I’d like that,” Sallie said.
Having abandoned his drink on a side table, Henry tucked Sallie’s gloved hand into the crook of his elbow and led her into the next room. He wanted to speak privately but in a flash knew this would be impossible. It was too risky to engage in any kind of conversation beyond the benign while they were at this party.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked quietly. He could use another one.
Sallie smiled and nodded, sliding a quick glance at him, and then letting her eyes roam the room.
They found a waiter and his wife’s gloved hand soon held a sherry and Henry’s a whiskey, straight up. He drank it in one swallow. His wife narrowed her eyes, the first sign of some backbone in the woman.
“I know my arrival is unexpected, Gilbert,” she murmured over the rim of her sherry glass, taking a sip. “But rest assured, I’m here to stay. You’re not alone any longer.”
Copyright © 2022 K. McCaffrey LLC
New Release!! Sapphire Waves is now available!!
Sapphire Waves is Book 7 in The Pathway Series, but this novella can be read as a standalone.
A second-chance romance in the gorgeous blue waters of the Bahamas.
Dr. Missy Rembert interned at Shark Lab in the Bimini Islands when she was a graduate student, and although she decided to change her field of study from sharks to cephalopods, one thing marked her time there—a fling with Josh McKittrick. Now she’s back in the Bahamas as part of a team exploring a blue hole, and she’s stunned to come face-to-face with the only man she’s ever regretted losing.
Dr. Josh McKittrick never thought he’d see Missy again. After their brief relationship at Shark Lab went south, he was forced to put her out of his mind and work became his haven. He knew she’d switched her research focus, so he was certain they’d never cross paths. He should’ve known better, because seeing her now is bringing back all the old feelings. Missy was the only woman who had broken his heart, and he’ll be damned if he goes through it a second time.
Don’t miss an exclusive bonus story – Deep Blue Hawai’i – featuring Grace and Alec from the novel DEEP BLUE.
Dr. Grace Mann and her boyfriend, underwater filmmaker Alec Galloway, are in the Aloha State for a Galloway family Christmas. While surfing Pipe is on the agenda for the boys, Grace finds a way to get in the water with tiger sharks, but can Alec convince her to stay on dry land long enough for an important question?
Read Chapter One
eBooks available at
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU
Apple Books
Nook
Kobo
Google Play Books
Paperbacks are coming.
Excerpt
Josh reached into his pack and pulled out a packet of gummy bears.
“You still eating those things?” Missy asked.
He nodded, tearing the bag open and popping one into his mouth. It was his stress food, and if ever there was a stressful situation, this was it.
Missy Rembert. He’d come to accept that he’d likely never see her again. And now that he had, he was beginning to wish he hadn’t. He didn’t appreciate the tightness in his chest or the constriction of his throat as he sat beside her, pretending that she hadn’t completely broken his heart almost four years ago.
He was over her. He really was.
Kristy writes contemporary adventure romance as well as historical western romance. Her stories are filled with emotion and heart, with some steamy bits included. She lives in the Arizona desert with her husband and their rescue dog, Jeb, an American bulldog, and she currently enjoys doting on her new granddaughter while writing her next book. She's also trying to cut back on her chai tea latte addiction. You can find her at kristymccaffrey.com and at kristymccaffreybooks on Instagram.
A second-chance romance in the gorgeous blue waters of the Bahamas.
Dr. Missy Rembert interned at Shark Lab in the Bimini Islands when she was a graduate student, and although she decided to change her field of study from sharks to cephalopods, one thing marked her time there—a fling with Josh McKittrick. Now she’s back in the Bahamas as part of a team exploring a blue hole, and she’s stunned to come face-to-face with the only man she’s ever regretted losing.
Dr. Josh McKittrick never thought he’d see Missy again. After their brief relationship at Shark Lab went south, he was forced to put her out of his mind and work became his haven. He knew she’d switched her research focus, so he was certain they’d never cross paths. He should’ve known better, because seeing her now is bringing back all the old feelings. Missy was the only woman who had broken his heart, and he’ll be damned if he goes through it a second time.
Don’t miss an exclusive bonus story – Deep Blue Hawai’i – featuring Grace and Alec from the novel DEEP BLUE.
Dr. Grace Mann and her boyfriend, underwater filmmaker Alec Galloway, are in the Aloha State for a Galloway family Christmas. While surfing Pipe is on the agenda for the boys, Grace finds a way to get in the water with tiger sharks, but can Alec convince her to stay on dry land long enough for an important question?
Read Chapter One
eBooks available at
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU
Apple Books
Nook
Kobo
Google Play Books
Paperbacks are coming.
Excerpt
Josh reached into his pack and pulled out a packet of gummy bears.
“You still eating those things?” Missy asked.
He nodded, tearing the bag open and popping one into his mouth. It was his stress food, and if ever there was a stressful situation, this was it.
Missy Rembert. He’d come to accept that he’d likely never see her again. And now that he had, he was beginning to wish he hadn’t. He didn’t appreciate the tightness in his chest or the constriction of his throat as he sat beside her, pretending that she hadn’t completely broken his heart almost four years ago.
He was over her. He really was.
Kristy writes contemporary adventure romance as well as historical western romance. Her stories are filled with emotion and heart, with some steamy bits included. She lives in the Arizona desert with her husband and their rescue dog, Jeb, an American bulldog, and she currently enjoys doting on her new granddaughter while writing her next book. She's also trying to cut back on her chai tea latte addiction. You can find her at kristymccaffrey.com and at kristymccaffreybooks on Instagram.
Author Kristy McCaffrey
Kristy McCaffrey writes western historical and contemporary romances. She and her husband live in Arizona with their two dogs. Visit her online at kristymccaffrey.com.
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