Betsy Love's Blog: Ramblings of a Random Writer

Lacy

Sitting on the cushioned bench, Lacy tried to forget about the ring box she’d seen in Tanner’s pocket last week. As she curled up with her cup of tea, she gazed out over her garden. She loved this time of morning, with the sun barely rising over the horizon, casting shadows across the trees and flowers. Summer was spreading its warmth and sunshine, but she sensed today was going to be excessively humid with the storm brewing out in the gulf. For now, she would enjoy this moment of peace before her guests started their demands…and try not to think about when Tanner was going to propose to her.

Someone slipped in behind her and kissed the back of her neck. She snuggled into Tanner’s affection.

He came around the wrought-iron bench with wood slats and sat beside her. “You ready to start the day?”

“Not yet.” She took another sip of her tea, noting that he wasn’t wearing his jacket, the one she’d seen the jewelry box in. But then, why would he wear it when it the weather was so hot? Leaning against his shoulder, she let out a breathy sigh. “You’ve worked miracles back here.” From the gazebo to the paths circling around the pool, the landscape, everything about this area brought…

“Peaceful.” Tanner stole the thought right out of her head. As the weeks passed, their love had grown stronger. How long had it been since she first met him coming through the door at Olivia’s café? Three months. While by today’s standards, that was a short time to really get to know someone, she already felt this incredible connection to him.

“You’re here especially early. Are you missing Rosalina and your mom?”

“Yeah. The house is too quiet.” Yesterday, the pair had flown to Denver so Rosalina could meet Evvie’s fiancé, who would eventually become her grandfather.

“Who took over running the bookstore?”

“Heather Hartman.”

Zeke’s daughter. Lacy had met her and found her to be extraordinarily capable. If she ever needed someone to fill in here, Heather would be the first person she’d ask. “I guess she knows books, then?”

“I’ve never met anyone who loves to read as much as she does. Well, except for my mom.” Tanner chuckled.

“But it’s just for the weekend, right?” Lacy set her empty mug on the bench beside her.

Tanner laced his fingers around Lacy’s. “I don’t think I could stand to have Rosalina gone for longer than that.”

“Did you order a paternity kit?”

Tanner shook his head. “I had to honor Maria’s wishes.”

“You need to get one.” Lacy’s insides twisted. “What will you do if the results show she’s not yours?” That thought had been plaguing her ever since Maria’s death. More than anything, Lacy hoped Tanner was the father. They already made the perfect family.

“Nothing. I’ll keep on being her dad.”

Lacy smiled. She prayed no one would come looking for Rosalina, especially now that the little girl was adjusting to a new home life, making friends, and doing well in school. The last thing that child needed was another disruption in her already tumultuous life. Would she even know the person who might claim to be her father?

Tanner squeezed Lacy’s hand. “Well, my sweet, I think I hear people stirring in the lobby.”

She pulled him back to the bench when he started to get up. “Not without my morning kiss.”

Leaning into her, he gave her a peck on the lips. Lacy flung her arm around his neck and pulled him in. “I don’t think so, mister.” She kissed him long and deep, counting to ten in her head. Someone told her that a longer kiss released oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. Judging by the way her heart was racing, adrenaline shot through her veins, making it hard to think of anything but him.

From behind them, someone cleared his throat. “Am I interrupting?”

Tanner pulled away from Lacy to turn to the man. Tanner’s face paled and his eyes widened. “Javier…” The name barely left Tanner’s lips.

The Hispanic man was Tanner’s complete opposite. His tattooed neck, the piercing at his lip, and the upside down cross on his cheek, all screamed gang. His deep brown eyes looked almost black. Lacy ducked her head, afraid he’d suck her soul from her. Fear resurfaced at the memory of the man who’d broken into her condo back in L.A. Was it him? How did he find her? What was he planning to do?

I know…it says book 11, but it’s really book 9.

Chapter 1

HEATHER

Four weeks. Four long weeks. Four dreadfully long weeks. Right before Christmas, Trevor had ghosted her after he returned to New York, not that she envisioned leaving her beloved Miracle, but if he’d wanted a relationship, he could have texted her, called her, or answered when she’d tried a dozen times.

Get a clue, Heather. You were only his flirt for the season.

And Andy, her rodeo fling? While he lived a lot closer, he turned out to be a loser. She wished she’d seen what a jerk he was sooner.

What could be worse than not having a boyfriend this year for Christmas? She could think of a lot of things, but last year, her sister, Serena, had wished for a boyfriend, and her wish came true.

Why couldn’t Heather dream about a future with a husband and children? It wasn’t like she was a spinster…yet. Twenty-four hardly qualified her for that status. Maybe in ten or fifteen years she could start stressing over it.

She pulled into the crowded gas station and waited behind a man trying to get his credit card into the reader while a toddler on his hip struggled against him. Where was the mother? Was she one of those women who expected the man to do everything? Heather tried to get a glimpse to see if anyone was sitting in the front passenger seat. Maybe she’d gone in to use the restroom. But why leave him with a child who obviously wanted something other than helping the dad pump gas?

The man snatched his card out of the reader and threw it on the ground. He shifted the child to his other hip and opened his car door and placed the little girl on the front seat…at least that’s what Heather assumed since the child wore a pink coat, but that didn’t always define the gender. Could be a little boy in a hand-me-down.

When the man turned, Heather got a good look at his face. He was the kind of man who looked like he’d stepped off the cover a man’s fashion magazine. Professionally handsome, lean but muscular, brown hair perfectly trimmed. From the tip of his polished shoes to his firm jaw, he gave off an air of authority, despite how frazzled he must be wrangling the little one. This guy made handsome an art form. His stunning hazel-green eyes met hers for a brief moment before he reached into his back pocket.

Heather couldn’t help staring at this fine specimen.

He retrieved his wallet before fumbling through it. It slipped from his fingers and landed on the cement. When he bent to pick it up, she couldn’t help admiring the view of his backside.

At this rate, Heather would be late, and she couldn’t afford to be tardy on her first day. Not that it mattered, since she was simply doing Lacy a favor, at the request of her stepmother.

Ogling this stunning hunk, Heather didn’t care how long he took. She was tempted to get out of her car and assist the poor guy just so she could get a better look at him. She bet he smelled as heavenly as he appeared.

Before she could finish the thought, he approached her car and tapped on the window.

Heather rolled it down, pinching her lips together. “Having trouble?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry to ask you, but…” The man hesitated. “My card isn’t working in this machine. I’ve had trouble with it this entire trip. I guess I should have checked it before I left.”

Here it came…the scam. He’d ask to borrow some money to get him to where he needed to go. Well, she’d just beat him to the punch. “I’m afraid I don’t have any cash.”

“Actually, could you do me a huge favor and put a few gallons in my tank?” Man, with eyes like that, Heather bet he had all the women at his mercy. “I’m almost to my destination, but I’m practically on empty. I don’t think I can go another block without gas.”

Heather raised her eyebrows. “Wow, this is the first time I’ve been hit with that one.”

“I’ll pay you back. I promise. There’s a bank up the road that opens in a few minutes. You can follow me there, and I swear I’ll get your money for you.”

There was something so sincere about his plea that softened her heart. Or was it the Christmas spirit that was finally kicking in after her miserable year? What was the most she had to lose with this guy? “Alright, I can put in a few dollars…enough to get you to the bank and back.”

Relief washed over his face. “Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much. I can’t even tell you what this means.” He held out his hand. “Ryland Christiansen.” His hands were just like the rest of him…perfectly manicured, smooth, and clearly untouched by hard labor. Polished like every other part of him.

“Heather Hartman.”

Ryland opened the door and retrieved the fussy child. “And this little one is Avery. She just turned eighteen months.”

“She’s a cutie.” Heather could see little resemblance to her father. Maybe his wife had the strong genes in the family.

Heather retrieved her debit card from her pocket. ‘Tis the season for giving, and since she didn’t have a boyfriend to splurge on, it just as well be an act of service. She lifted the nozzle and began pumping.

Ryland had strapped the little one into her car seat. Avery hollered like he’d just put her into a torture rack. Two other children, who looked like they could all be sisters, sat on the other side of Avery with their hands gripped on a tablet. The older of the two jerked it from the younger one, which sent the younger one wailing. “I had it first.”

“It’s my turn. You’ve had it the whole way,” the older one exclaimed.

Ryland leaned over the seat with his hand outstretched. “Chloe, please give it back to Molly.”

“But she’s had it the longest.”

Ryland raised his voice until his decibels matched the children’s. “If you can’t cooperate, then neither of you can have it. Give it to me right now!”

“Fine.” Chloe slapped the tablet onto his outstretched hand.

Molly’s lower lip protruded. “But—”

“Be quiet! All three of you.” He cut off Molly before she could finish.

Wow, some people needed to learn better parenting skills. Boy was she glad her dad never yelled at them like this.

Ryland sat in the front seat with a defeated expression on his face.

The pump clicked off, signaling she’d completely filled his tank. That hadn’t been her intention. Ten dollars wouldn’t have broken her bank, but the amount she’d put into his car would definitely put a chink in her account. It was a good thing Lacy agreed to pay her the same amount as her other housekeeper.

She snapped the receipt out of the machine and handed it to Ryland.

“Do you want to follow me over to the bank?”

Heather shook her head. “No, I’m already late for work, and I still need to fill my car.”

“I’ll be back in a jiffy.” He got in his car and drove toward the bank. That was probably the last she’d ever see of him.

Apparently, he didn’t have a wife, or he wouldn’t have driven off without her. Was he divorced and he had custody of the children this Christmas? Was he a widower and trying to cope with raising the kids by himself? Or was he nothing more than a con artist who had borrowed someone else’s kids to look pathetic?

After filling her tank, she made a quick trip into the convenience store and filled a cup with some steamy hot chocolate. Ever since her brother-in-law’s arrival, he’d gotten the whole family addicted. And on a chilly morning like today, she needed extra warmth, as if her kind deed hadn’t been enough to warm her. She still couldn’t shake the feeling Ryland had scammed her.

“Good morning, Heather.” Ed, the owner of the market, smiled at her when she put her steamy cup on the counter. “That bad, huh?”

“Yeah, either that guy is one solid jerk, a lousy dad, or a pathetic con artist.” She held up her hand when Ed looked like he was going to get her to explain. “Don’t ask.” She paid for her cocoa along with a candy bar.

As she turned to leave, Ryland stood behind her with his mouth gaping open and a fist full of bills extended toward her.

Heather snatched the money from Ryland’s hand, uttered a quick apology and raced out the door, jumped in her car and headed toward Miracle Inn. “When are you going to learn to keep your opinions to yourself?” she muttered under her breath as she drove along Main Street.

Once she reached Miracle Inn, she pulled around to the side parking lot and into the staff spot reserved for Heidi. She snatched her purse off the seat, slung it over her shoulder and retrieved her drink.

The lobby teemed with customers waiting to check out, while a look of relief crossed Lacy’s face. “Thank goodness you’re finally here.” Though it didn’t sound accusatory, Heather could tell she was glad for the extra pair of hands. “I need your help. Room 208 needs a second set of sheets for the cot Tanner just took up.” She pointed to the laundry room down the hall. “We keep all the extras on the shelves. They’re labeled, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding a twin sized one.”

“I’ll get right on it.” Heather left her hot cocoa on the counter and rushed down the hall, where she located the linens, and hurried toward the elevator.

“Before you go up…” Lacy called after her. “I could use your help to check in this family.”

As she spun around, she spotted the familiar form of Ryland and his three nieces, behaving much better than they had at the gas station.

The elevator dinged, signaling its arrival to the first floor. Could she hop in and pretend she hadn’t heard Lacy? That might have worked, except she caught Ryland’s gaze. Warmth flooded her chilled face.

Now she wished he really had been a con artist and left Miracle with a full tank of gas. That way, she might have preserved her dignity. She shifted her gaze away from those gorgeous eyes. Why did Miracle Inn have to be the only hotel in town?

Ryland smirked. He was probably just as embarrassed to see her as well. “We meet again, Heather Hartman.”

If she pretended her awful words from earlier never happened, she could move on with her day…except, she’d never forget her stinging words.

Lacy gave her a nudge with her elbow when Heather stood beside her at the computer. “Looks like you two already met.”

Chloe spoke in a voice loud enough that the entire lobby heard. “Uncle Ryland gave her lots of money.”

Lacy’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”

Ryland waved his hands. “My credit card wasn’t working, so she filled up my car.”

“And he repaid me.” Heather jumped in before Lacy could throw her any more suspicious glances.

Ryland removed his credit card from his wallet and handed it to Heather. “The nice lady at the bank got it working, so I should be able to check in.”

Heather pulled up his information and examined the numbers on the card to make sure they matched. “So you’re their uncle?” She swiped the card on the reader. This time it went through.

“Yeah, my brother and his wife passed away.”

Oh, so Ryland wasn’t married. “Do you have custody of the children, then?”

“Not yet. But my brother asked me to take them if anything ever happened.”

Heather’s heart twisted in her chest. Now she understood why he wasn’t very good at parenting. “Isn’t there anyone else who could raise them?” As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back.

“Because apparently, I lack parenting skills?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Her words were going to come back and bite her the whole time he was staying here. “I mean, it must be so difficult for a single man to suddenly take on the responsibility of three young children.”

“Yes, well, I think we’ll figure it out.” He picked Avery up and set her on the counter, keeping his arm around her. Avery grabbed a fistful of pens.

“I hope things…” she almost said, “go better than they did at the gas station.” Instead, she finished with “…go well.”

“I guess we’ll learn as we go.” Ryland took the pens away from Avery. Heather checked his reservation. Four weeks? He’d be here the entire time she would. Could she avoid him for that long? Heather checked his room number. 208. That’s where she was taking the sheets. So much for not running into him.

This could be a spoiler alert…Read at your own Risk.

Lacy looked over Tanner’s shoulder as he typed the description into the brochure program on her laptop. “Can you change that to step back in time and immerse yourself in the rich history of Miracle Inn?”

Tanner picked up her hand where it rested on his shoulder and kissed her fingers. “I thought I was the one doing the copywriting.”

Every time he did that, it sent little tingles up her arm and into her heart. “You can keep the part about: experience the charm of nearly one hundred years of history.”

Her desk phone rang. “Miracle Inn.”

“Hey, Lacy. I have an enormous problem.”

“Who is it?” Tanner whispered.

Lacy covered the mouthpiece. “Josiah.” She went back to the phone. “What can I help you with?” She remembered the handsome guy who’d offered his help at the Be the Miracle event coming up next month.

“I have a huge favor to ask you,” Josiah said.

Lacy chuckled. “No, I will not let your out of town relative stay here for free.”

Tanner wrinkled his nose. “Is he still going on about that?”

“It’s not that,” Josiah said.

Lacy knew he was just teasing. “What is it you need?”

“I hit a woman on a bike.”

Lacy gasped, and Tanner spun around to meet her gaze. “Oh, my goodness! Is she alright?”

“Is who alright?” Tanner’s eye grew wide.

“She’s okay, but she’s just passing through town and needs a place to stay while I repair her bike.”

Lacy moved the phone to the other ear. “Ah, Josiah, you know I’m not open for business yet. Why can’t you take her to your place?”

“Are you kidding?” His voice took on a desperate edge.

“Hold on, let me put you on speaker.” Lacy pressed the button.

Tanner jumped in. “What’s going on?”

“So this cute woman is biking from San Diego to Florida, and she was coming down the hill. I didn’t look before entering the highway and ran into her. I bent the wheel of her bike, and I told her I’d fix it.”

“So why can’t she stay at your place?” Lacy asked.

Tanner waved his hands at Lacy. “Are you kidding? His mother will have them married in a week.”

“Please?” Josiah sounded desperate.

“Okay, but she better leave a great review despite the inn still being under construction.”

To be continued…

Hearts and Hammers-Book 1

Chapter 1

Lacy Cooper stood in her lavish executive office overlooking the park below, staring at the letter in her trembling hands. With all the emotional trauma she’d experienced this week and the break-in at her condo, she couldn’t imagine things getting worse. And yet, her heart sank as she absorbed the words, spelling out the end of her career in Los Angeles. 

She had dedicated her entire profession to the prestigious Sterling Financial Solutions, but the more she worked with the company’s finances, the more discrepancies she found. What she’d expected was a swift and thorough investigation into who was laundering money, not losing her job.

She could hardly get past the first paragraph.  

We regret to inform you that your employment at Sterling Financial Solutions is hereby terminated, effective immediately. This decision has been made after careful consideration due to performance-related issues and a misalignment of values and expectations between you and the company.

So, this is how they handled obvious breaches of ethics. Fire the person bringing to the CEO the seriousness of their situation. Someone was embezzling funds, that she was sure, but she couldn’t figure out who. Was it Mr. Gulbrandsen himself?

We appreciate your contributions during your time at Sterling Financial Solutions, and we acknowledge the skills and experience you have brought as the Chief Financial Officer. However, it has become apparent that current developments have necessitated a change in leadership.

Current changes? Yeah, I’ll bet. He needed someone in there who couldn’t question discrepancies.

Lacy finished the rest of the letter.

Under company policies, your final paycheck will be processed and mailed to you in accordance with your employment contract and applicable laws.

Please return all company property and any sensitive or confidential information in your possession immediately. Failure to do so will result in legal action.

A veiled threat so she wouldn’t go to the authorities with her suspicions?

It is of utmost importance to Sterling Financial Solutions that all former employees maintain the confidentiality of company information, even after termination. We remind you of your ethical and legal obligations to protect our business interests, as per your signed non-disclosure agreement.

Lacy snorted. Of course, they want her to live up to her ethics to protect their interests.

We wish you the best in your future endeavors outside the world of finances.

Sincerely,

William H. Guldbrandsen

After crumpling the letter, she tossed it into the trash can and slumped into her desk chair. How had five years led to this?

Lacy pulled her contract from her files and perused the terms. She could probably cash in her company stocks and have enough to live on until she could figure out what to do.

She took the letter from the trash can and reread the last line…outside the world of finances. Was that another threat that her boss wouldn’t give her a letter of recommendation? How would she survive in California? The cost of living was so much higher than any other place she could afford to work in LA.

Where could she go to find people who wouldn’t reject her based on her lack of recommendation? The only place she could think of was her hometown of Miracle, Texas. What could she do there for gainful employment?

Heartstrings and Handlebars-Book 2

Chapter 1

Hannah pedaled her bike up the small hill, her breathing hard and her legs aching. “You can do this, Nahnah.” Her father’s words rang through her mind. Five more miles to her destination, and she could call this leg of her journey the halfway mark.

Her aunt’s rebuttal to her dad’s dream echoed in her memory as well. “Are you crazy, girl? Why would you give up everything?” Dad’s sister’s house was her final destination. She could have easily got on a plane and been in Jacksonville in a matter of hours. Torn between the need to be in Aunt Belinda’s embrace again and fulfilling Dad’s lifelong wish, she opted to ride. It was a little thing she could do for her father. And so Belinda flew back to Florida to await Hannah’s arrival.

Once she reached the summit, she parked her bike under a tree at the side of the road. She took a long drink of her warm water before pulling a granola bar from her backpack. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she now wished she’d planned her trip during the spring months. But with Dad’s memorial service only a few weeks ago, she chose to brave the summer weather. It was like her dad was pressing her to go now and stop moping around her tiny apartment, which she’d shared with him until she had no choice but to put him in hospice.

Hannah pulled her hat off, letting the air cool her head. A few clouds drifted overhead, bringing with it a bit of relief. Normally, she’d pray for clear skies, but today a light shower would be nice. Her phone pinged an incoming text. She pulled it from her back pocket and checked to see who it was, although she already knew.

Hey girl, you doing okay?

Hannah rolled her eyes. She’d promised her aunt to check in with her at the end of the each day, and judging by the sun’s position, she still had several more hours. Hannah had put a tracking app on her phone, so Aunt Belinda could see where she was on her journey. Her aunt texted her every time Hannah stopped to eat or rest or use the restroom. If Hannah was in the same place for more than an hour, her aunt might have cause for concern.

I’m fine. Hannah finally typed in after taking another long drink and polishing off her snack.

That’s good. Where are you stopping for the night?

Miracle, TX. I’ll be staying at the inn there.

Call me when you get settled.

Hannah sent a heart emoji. Not that she didn’t adore her aunt, it was just that with her father gone, Belinda was more than annoying with her concern for Hannah. She wished her aunt would just let her take this journey with her dad, alone with his memory.

Taking one last gulp, Hannah readjusted her backpack over her shoulders and kicked the stand up on her bike. The aroma of fresh cut hay filled the air, so different from the smells of the city. Without a plan for the rest of her life, Hannah could well imagine herself settling down in a rural town like this. But first, Dad’s journey.

Hannah started off again, coasting down the slight hill. Ever since she was a little girl, she’d been able to balance, and it hadn’t taken long for her dad to remove the training wheels on her first bike. She threw her hands in the air and let the breeze pass through her fingers.

From her peripheral view, another biker entered the road. Unable to steer away from him, her front tire caught his, and they both went end over end.

Hannah lay in the soft grass at the side of the road, staring up at the clouds. What had just happened?

“Oh, my gosh, Miss! Are you alright?” A man with a bike helmet stood over her.

Afraid to move, Hannah did a quick check to see where she was hurt. Her back? Legs? Arms? Everything seemed to be alright. Her head? That was another problem. When people talked about seeing stars, she’d thought it was figurative, but those little speckles floating in her view were definitely stars. And the weird thing? They created a halo around the guy hovering over her. “Dad?”

“Uh, no. Josiah.” He removed his helmet and knelt beside her.

Sweet mother-of-pearl! This was definitely NOT her father. Was he the hottest guy she’d ever seen or what? From his bronzed face to his shocking blonde hair to his tight riding shirt stretched across his muscled chest and shoulders, the sight of him made her heart race out of control. Of course, that could have been from the fall. Did she bump her head? Was she in heaven staring at one hunk of an angel? If she’d died, why didn’t her dad meet her?

He placed his hand on her shoulder when she tried to sit. “Uh, stay right there. I’ll call 911.”

“Let me sit up, and I’ll tell you if that’s necessary.” Hannah eased onto her elbows. The dreamy hunk cupped her head and helped her to a sitting position. With her head down to make sure she wasn’t dizzy, she got a good look at the blood running down his leg from the gash on his shin.

“I should ask you if you’re alright.”

“I’m fine.” He didn’t release her head. Instead, he brought his other hand to her neck. “Are you sure you’re not hurt? You fell pretty hard.”

Hannah pointed at the guy’s leg. “Uh, you’re probably going to need stitches.”

Josiah let go of her head and she flopped forward. “Sweet mother-of-pearl.”

Hannah’s head snapped up. “Where did you hear that phrase?”

He sat back in the grass, examining his wound. “My mom says it all the time. I think she was trying to get me to not blaspheme God’s name.”

Hannah rolled to her knees, searching for her backpack. “Looks like your mom taught you well.” From her pack, she withdrew a washcloth and her first aid kit.

“She sure did.” He winced when she covered the wound, which had nearly quit bleeding. “Ouch.”

“Sorry.” Upon further inspection, the gash looked mostly superficial. “It doesn’t look like it needs stitches after all, but clean it well when you get home.”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

The sweet sound of his accent sent little tingles through her. Sweet mother of…how could she be so instantly attracted to him? Trying her best to ignore this decidedly handsome stud, she wiped the wound as best she could and wrapped some gauze around his leg. Oh, dang! His legs were beefy.

He shifted so she could reach around his calf. “I should be the one taking care of you. It’s my fault.”

“I’m fine.” Though she would probably never be fine ever again unless, of course, she might…maybe…possibly…get a date?

Beaches and Buckskins-Book 3

Chapter 1

Tanner pulled Lacy against his chest. “Alright Ms. Cooper, what are we tackling today?”

Lacy’s heart raced as the warmth of his body emanated beneath his shirt. “I ordered a new painting for the lobby a few days ago. It should be in by this afternoon.” She hoped her ideas for the interior face-lift as well as the outside met with his approval. She trusted his expertise.

He snuggled her under his chin. “That’s exciting. I can’t wait to see it.”

Lacy loved these moments of connection. “I think you’ll love it.” She’d never felt as secure as when she was in his arms. Who would have thought that when she left Los Angeles, she would have found love so quickly? At first, she’d worried about his previous mistakes that landed him in prison, but over the past two weeks, he’d proven to her his long-ago history shouldn’t judge him. A person could change in seven years’ time. Obviously, the Joneses had trusted him, in fact, trusted him enough to have not mentioned it. If it hadn’t been for the pastor’s intervention, Tanner would have been out of a job, and Lacy would have been out of a handyman.

He planted a warm kiss on her forehead. “What shall we work on in the meantime?” He bent to kiss her just as the bell on the front door chimed. A teen wearing coveralls and a baseball cap entered. “Oh! Should I come back later?” He looked a lot like the pastor. Probably his son.

Lacy pushed Tanner away from her and cleared her throat. “Oh, no.” She ran nervous hands down her jeans. They really needed to stop kissing in public. But then, if she remembered how the town gossip went, they were already an item. “We were just discussing how to decorate the interior.”

“Oh…” he said, but clearly his expression said he didn’t believe it for a minute. “My dad sent me by with these.” He held out a box about the size of business cards.

Tanner took it from the kid. “What are these?”

“You forgot them, so my grandpa asked me to bring them by. He wanted to know if you’d already delivered the invitation yet, and if you haven’t, then he’d like you to seal the envelopes with these.”

More than likely, Pastor Montgomery sent whoever this was to check them out and see what their status was, and he’d probably report that he’d caught them kissing in the lobby…well, about to kiss. There was no mistaking what was about to happen between the two of them. Heck, even Hannah had come in unannounced, while Lacy and Tanner were sneaking a little kiss…or two…or maybe a few more in the office.

“Thanks. We were just going to go do that.” Tanner opened the box. Inside lay a stack of gold embossed stickers.

“They’re lovely.” Lacy took one out and examined it. Around the outside was a leaf pattern and inside was a pair of angel wings with the words “Be the Miracle” embossed over the top of them. “It won’t take long to put these on the envelopes.”

“Thanks, Liam.” Tanner waved him out the door.

“Yeah, don’t have too much fun with those.” Liam screwed up his face and looked a bit disgusted by the whole thing.

“Give him another couple of years and he’ll be looking for a hot babe like you.” Tanner took Lacy’s chin between his fingers.

Lacy raised her eyebrows. “Hot babe, huh? Is that all you see me as?”

Barrels and Broncos-Book 4

I’ll probably change the title

Chapter 1

Claudia tossed the curry brush into the bucket inside her horse trailer. “Please, God, let me win this rodeo. If I don’t take the grand prize this time, I’ll quit like Mama keeps telling me to, admit defeat and go back home.” Although returning to her parents’ house was giving up on her lifelong dream of barrel racing and facing the ultimate “I told you so” from her parents. Daddy had said she was foolish to run the rodeo circuit. He kept telling her to get an education in a field that paid her bills and made her self-sufficient. Mama just wanted to get married, like her older siblings. They told her that if wanted to ride, she could get her fill of horses by taking care of the one her family boarded on their ranch. She probably have to sell Sundance since she’d be too tied up with school and helping around the place. 

Ever since Claudia was a little girl, all she’d wanted to do was to own her own horse. As a teenager, she’d saved enough money from her after-school job to purchase Sundance and pay for his upkeep. Mrs. Clark had offered to teach her how to race. The first time Sundance took a turn around those barrels and managed a decent time, Claudia was hooked. Each time she beat her previous record, it had set her heart pounding and stomach fluttering. Nothing else could do that to her afterwards…not even the boy next door. 

Oh, they’d gone out a few times. The first time he walked her to the door, she let him kiss her cheek. Her heart barely picked up its pace, and there were no flutters in her stomach. On the second date, she let him kiss her. Not that she was hoping for that yeehaw kind of feeling, but she felt nothing. Even after the third date, he just didn’t make her heart pitter patter like she’d read in the two or three romance books she could hardly get through. The way the writers described falling in love was like all butterflies in the stomach and a heart racing faster than a locomotive. No, Claudia’s horse and barrels racing was all the thrill she needed.  

Now she just needed to take first place if she was going to keep her horse and her dignity with her family. Coming in second and third was nice and the prize money kept her on the road and kept up the repairs on her poor, dilapidated truck and trailer. But her other losses couldn’t allow her to keep competing. Sundance needed too many horseshoes, vet bills, and she didn’t even want to think about the feed she kept putting on her credit card. At what point did she admit defeat? 

The Bar-Z rodeo was her last resort.  

The drive to Miracle took both longer and shorter than she hoped. Anticipation threatened to cut off her breathing and excitement roped her stomach. She wanted to get her horse stabled so she could check out the arena and get a feel for the dirt. It wasn’t a lot different from most of the other rodeo grounds, except this one was a tad bit smaller. Tomorrow, she’d run the course several times. Maybe she’d check out the competition before her event. For tonight, she just wanted to flop into bed. 

Luckily, she’d found a discount on the only hotel in town. Because it was Miracle Inn’s grand reopening, they were offering a huge discount on an economy room. It was cheaper than staying in Peach Springs and having to drive thirty miles every day. This would allow her to be within minutes of the rodeo grounds. And as it was, her antique truck had too many miles on it to keep driving back and forth every day. That and the rising gas prices, she ought to save her cash by staying close to the ranch. 

After making sure Sundance was secure, Claudia drove the few miles into town and located Miracle Inn where she’d booked her room for the week. The single paned door opened into a quaint lobby with a picture of Jesus sitting on the curio cabinet. Releasing the handle of her suitcase, she clasped her hands in front of her. “Dear Lord,” she whispered, her gaze focused on His loving eyes. “Please help me succeed this week. And if I happen to find the right man, that will sure make Mama happy.”

She turned her gaze from the Savior’s picture when a woman with a wild shock of strawberry blond hair entered the desk area and stood at the counter chatting with a handsome man who’d followed her. They must be newlyweds for the way they were eyeing each other. Claudia cleared her throat and rested her clasped hands on the counter. “I’m here to check in.” 

“Welcome to our grand reopening!” The woman’s smile split her face. “I’m Lacy Cooper.”

“Claudia Richardson.”  Claudia opened her app to show Lacy her reservation. 

“Oh, you just put that away. I trust you.” Lacy shooed her hand at Claudia. “That’s what small towns are all about. Trust. But I will need to see your credit card…the one you made the reservation with.” 

The guy standing beside Lacy never took his eyes off her. Yep…definitely newlyweds.  

So sweet. Maybe one day Claudia would find someone who would fall so deeply in love with her to look at her the same way he was ogling Lacy. “How long have you been married?” 

Color shot into Lacy’s cheeks. “Oh, we’re not married.” 

The man opened his mouth to say something but closed it real fast. From the way he was looking at her, they’d be getting hitched before long. “Name’s Tanner. I’m in charge of maintenance here. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ring the front desk, and I’ll make sure you’re all set.” 

Lacy took an old-fashioned key off a peg board behind her. Positively small town. “Your room is on the first floor, down the hall, and around the corner.” Before she could hand Claudia the key, the clatter of the coat rack crashing to the floor filled the room.  

Claudia turned in time to witness a cowboy falling toward her. His boot had snagged on the bottom part of the coat rack, and his arms flailed out in front of him, catching her around the waist, pulling her to the ground with him. 

His immense hand went around her head, protecting it from hitting the floor. Who was that screaming? Was that her voice coming out? 

As the cowboy landed on the floor, he cradle her body with his other hand, keeping her close to his chest. “Oh, ma’am!”

Claudia had heard about people who had a strong sense of protection. She blinked at him. His dark eyelashes, like the shadow of a mesquite tree, framed his jade green eyes. She could fall into the depths of them. When she asked God for a man to fall for her, this wasn’t quite what she had in mind.

He sat her on the ground and held her shoulders in his massive hands. “I’m so sorry about that. Are you alright?”

Claudia brushed her hair from her face and scooted away from him. “I’m okay, thanks to your saving me.” 

The guy stood and held out his hand to help her up.  

Both Lacy and Tanner had come around the counter. Tanner punched the guy in the arm. “Jeez, Austin. Why didn’t you watch where you were going?” 

“I…uh…” Color flamed into the guy’s cheeks.  

Tanner drew his chin back. “Just because you haven’t seen a pretty girl in a long time—” 

The guy slapped his hand over Tanner’s mouth. 

Lacy Cooper stood in her lavish executive office that overlooked the park below, staring at the termination letter in her trembling hands. Her heart sank as she absorbed the words, spelling out the end of her career in Los Angeles.  

She had dedicated her entire profession to the prestigious Sterling Financial Solutions, but the more she dug into the company’s finances, the more discrepancies she found. What she’d expected was a swift and thorough investigation into who was laundering money.  But not this. Lacy should have seen it coming when her boss brushed her concerns aside. None of this was her fault, even though the paper in her fist said otherwise. 

She could hardly get past the first paragraph.  

We regret to inform you that your employment with Sterling Financial Solutions is terminated effective immediately. After a thorough investigation into financial discrepancies within the company, it has been determined that you are responsible for the irregularities.  

Thorough investigation? Apparently, the only one who’d done any investigating was herself. How could he put the blame on her? 

Glancing over the rest of the letter, Lacy couldn’t believe what Mr. Guldbrandsen was implying. Serious breaches of trust, misappropriation of funds, and fraudulent activities. The topper: evidence and testimonies collected have substantiated these findings. 

Whose testimony did they gather? The culprit? The boss himself? Was he the one who was the one cooking the books and landing the blame in her lap? How could she possibly go up against their team of lawyers? Lacy had seen how ruthless they could be. They’d have her behind bars before she could even prove her innocence.

Lacy pulled her contract from her files and perused the terms. At least she’d have her final paycheck, her accrued vacation, and hopefully some severance entitlements.

After crumpling the paper, she tossed it into the trash can and slumped into her desk chair. How had five years led to this? They’d never write her letter of recommendation, especially after what he said in the final paragraph.

She took the paper from the trash can.

We wish you the best in your future endeavors outside the world of finances and hope that you will use this experience to reflect upon and rectify your actions. What exactly had he intimated? 

Outside of her degree in accounting? And, yeah, she just bet he wished her the best. Where could she go to find people who wouldn’t cast her aside? The only place she could think of was her hometown of Miracle, Texas. But was anyone still there who still remembered her?

Chapter 2

Kate dragged her bag along with Emily’s across the threshold and headed into the lobby. Both of their suitcases were heavy, and with no bellhop to take them from her, she struggled to get them inside while Emily stood and watched. If she wasn’t careful, her best friend would let being the wealthy socialite go to her head.

With all the confidence Kate would have used, Emily approached the desk clerk. “We’re here to check in.”

“Name?” the woman in her mid-twenties asked.

“Katherine Wellington. My traveling companion, Emily Hayes, and I have reservations.”

“Oh, welcome Miss Wellington.” The clerk smiled at her. “I’m Lacy Cooper, the owner of Miracle Inn. I’ve assigned you to the top suites. Room 304.” She handed Emily two keys with tags on them. “I’m sorry we’re not more formal, like the bigger hotels, but I think you’ll find our inn quite charming.”

“Thank you.” Kate nodded slightly.

“The elevator is right around the corner there.” Lacy pointed. “And down that same hall is the SweetHart’s Cafe.” She reached into a basket and handed Emily two business-sized cards. “This is a voucher for breakfast for your entire stay.”

Kate peered over her shoulder. Someone set the date for the card for two weeks. Could she get to know the duke in that amount of time? Maybe this was a crazy idea after all. She was about to correct the assumption that Kate and Emily had switched places when the bell attached to the door behind her rang. Two men entered. One had the blue eyes, blond hair and muscular build of Richard Devonshire. Who drew her attention was the other guy. His dark brown eyes and nearly black hair contrasted sharply with his pale skin. Her heart did a little flip. She wished she could peg his ethnicity. Italian, maybe? His well-trimmed beard did nothing to hide his luscious lips, and she couldn’t make her eyes stray from them. This man was hotter than a four-alarm fire, and Kate’s heart pounded wildly in her chest. What would her parents do if she fell for someone else? She instantly prayed this man was staying on the third floor, too.

Emily stepped out of the way and stared openmouthed at the two men.

The gorgeous hunk strode to the counter. “Hello. My name is Oliver Smith. I believe you have reservations for Duke Wellington.” His thick English accent sent little zings straight to her heart.

That wasn’t the guy in the picture. Could he be the duke’s personal assistant? Like the part she was playing for Emily.

“Oh, yes.” Lacy tapped on her computer screen. “You must be the duke’s aide.”

“Indeed, madam.” Such protocol.

Lacy finished her reservations on the computer and retrieved two more sets of keys. “I have put you on the third floor. The suite is right next to mine and across the hall from these lovely ladies.”

God was so good to her today and answered her silent plea.

Lacy handed two keys to Oliver.

He looked at them as if he’d never seen such devices before. “You do not have any digital locks?”

“I’m sorry, but we’re a small hotel and few guests.” Lacy smiled sweetly at him. “I promise the keys will keep the riffraff out.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Do you have that sort of guests?”

Lacy chuckled. “I was teasing.”

Wow, what a stuffed shirt. This wasn’t like a five-star hotel in London. This was small town USA. Was the duke snobbish about his accommodations?

Kate hid a chuckle with a fake cough.

Oliver eyed her, his face a mixture of interest and concern. “Are you aright, miss?”

“Oh, yes. I’m fine.” She held out her hand. “Oliver Smith, is it?” Kate asked.

Oliver’s hand swallowed hers with his large fingers. “Yes, and who might you be?”

A niggle of guilt crept into her gut. “Emily Hayes.” But now that she’d revealed her friend’s name, she was committed to this deception.

“How do you do?” He bowed stiffly to her. Wow, such formality. Kate had to resist the urge to curtsy.

“We’ll be staying across the hall from you.” Kate motioned to Emily. “I’m Miss Wellington’s personal assistant.”

The duke, Kate assumed, turned his attention to Emily. “Ah, then you must be Kate Wellington.” He didn’t quite look as handsome in person. Did someone Photoshop his online images? Still, he was rather good looking, but not like his assistant.

Emily reached out her hand. “Why, yes, I am.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Don’t blow it in the first minute, Emily. Kate studied the duke’s mannerisms as he held out his hand to take Emily’s. Instead of a handshake, he brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them lightly. Wow, this guy was chivalrous.

Emily giggled, sounding like a schoolgirl. Oliver rolled his eyes and shot his gaze at Kate as if to ask, “Is she really that immature?”

Kate raised her nose in the air back at him. How dare he diss her best friend like that when he was only the duke’s aide?

From behind the counter, Lacy cleared her throat. “I’ll have Tanner take your suitcases to your rooms.”

“Thank you.” Oliver stepped toward the stairs.

“Oh…um…I meant the ladies.” Lacy smiled sweetly. “I’m sure buff men like you can handle yours.” She pointed. “Elevator is right there.”

Oliver puffed out his chest at her comment. “Of course, madam.” He grabbed the handle of both their cases and strode through the lobby.

The duke hadn’t turned loose of Emily’s hand. “Will you dine with me for dinner?”

“I’d be honored.” Emily gave a little curtsy.

Goodness, she was taking her role too far. Oh well.

“I’ll meet you here, say about six?”

Emily cast a silly smile across her face. “Lovely, your highness.” Her words came out light and breathy.

 “Please, just call me Rick.” He grabbed the handle of his rolling suitcase and headed for the elevator, where Oliver held the door open for them.

Leaning sideways to keep her eye on Rick, she watched him until the door slid closed. She spun around, letting a breathy sigh blow out between her parted lips. “Oh, we’re in trouble.”

Mischief and Masquerade

Katherine Eleanor Wellington jammed her finger on the end call button and threw it onto the bed.

“Wow. Harsh.” Emily Hayes, her best friend, sat on the floor with her leg drawn up to her chest, painting her toenails chartreuse green.

Kate slumped into the chair at her desk. “You’ll never guess who they suggested this time.”

Emily chuckled and wiped a bit of the polish from the edge of her big toe. “Sir Edmund Lancelot of Avalon?”

“Just as well be.” This was the third loser her parents had tried to hook her up with. Good grief! Why couldn’t they let her find a guy on her own? Fall hopelessly in love on her own. Live her own life…ON HER OWN!

Emily capped the bottle and fanned her toes. “Okay, so who is it?”

“Some guy in a remote country I’ve never heard of.” Kate retrieved her phone and typed in the man’s name into the search bar. “Richard Devonshire VII.” She said his name out loud as she typed it in.

Emily stopped fanning her toes and looked up at Kate. “Oooo…sounds like he comes from either money or royalty.”

“Or both.” Kate turned the screen so Emily could get a good look at the handsome man with blond hair, blue eyes, a smug smile, and a firm jaw. He stood in front of an ancient stone fountain dressed in a red suit coat over a lavish gold shirt and brocade vest. He definitely screamed of money.

Emily snatched the phone and studied the image of the drop-dead gorgeous man. “Now that’s a face I could fall in love with, even if he was the poorest man on earth.”

“You have met the last two guys my parents tried to set me up with.” Kate clenched her jaw. “Brent…”

“Total conceit-wad.” Emily finished.

“Marcus…”

“Player.” Emily handed the phone back to Kate. “I still don’t understand why you’re letting your parents choose your husband. If it was me, I’d tell them to piss off.”

“I should.” But Kate couldn’t do that to them. She adored her mother and father. They’d given her the best of everything. Everything. While her friends laughed at her for her loyalty to her family, only Emily stood up for her. But even then, her best friend didn’t really understand the ramifications of going against her parents’ wishes.

“So what does the internet say about this prince charming?”

Kate scrolled through his social media account. “It says that he is the steward of Ravenswood, a history buff, and an advocate for community resilience. Whatever that means.” His cover photo was of a castle on top of a small hill. Could she live in an English countryside?

“What else does it say?” Emily picked up the topcoat bottle of polish and painted her other toenails. “I mean, does it say how old he is?”

“Says he’s thirty-four.”

“Wow, that’s ten years’ difference.”

“Same as my parents.”

Emily switched to the other foot. “Okay, so go on.”

It looked like he was involved with not only his estate, but community events as well. “There’s lots of pictures of him at what looks like a local outdoor festival.” She continued to scroll through his photos. “Oh, look, here’s one with a caption that says, raising money to restore the east wing.” Kate turned the phone around before sitting on the carpet next to Emily.

Together, they spent the next half hour perusing the images and videos. The people in Devonshire seemed to adore him. Emily let out a breathy sigh. “Do you think he’s as nice as he is handsome?”

Kate closed out of the app and dropped the phone beside her. “According to what people are commenting on his posts, he seems to have quite a fan base.”

“So how are your parents proposing you meet with him? Are you all going to his castle? Do you need a lady-in-waiting?” Emily giggled at the last comment.

That sparked an idea. “Yes…but I want you to do something else for me.”

“Oooo…plotting. I love it!” Emily leaned closer as if they were in on a delicious secret.

“I’ll be your lady-in-waiting, and you can pose as me.” The more she thought about her idea, the more excited she got about it. “That way I can observe him…just to make sure.”

“Yeah, but what if he realizes our switch?”

“Then we’ll laugh, and he’ll call off the arrangement, and we’ll all go on our marry way.”

Emily bit her lower lip. “And then your parents will just find somebody else for you to get married to.”

“True that.” Honestly, if it wasn’t for family tradition, loyalty, and sense of obligation, Kate would simply run away and marry the first poor guy who had integrity. She really wanted to marry for love, not for prestige, money, or social status.

“Alright, so explain your plan.” Emily pinched her lips together.

“We’re supposed to meet at a hotel in Texas.”

“Why Texas?”

Kate repeated what her mother had told her. “It’s out of the way, off the beaten path. Nobody there knows either of them. We can court in anonymity.”

“How big is this town?”

“Hold on, let me check.” Kate picked up her phone and searched for Miracle, Texas. “It says one thousand and ninety-six as of the last census.”

“Wow, that’s pretty small.” Emily scrunched her eyebrows. “But don’t people in little towns know everybody and everybody is in everybody’s business?”

“My mom assured me we would be free to get to know each other, since I don’t have a public profile, and nobody’s probably even heard of Ravenswood.” Kate held her best friend with her most pleasing look. “Please say you’ll do this.”

Emily paused for so long, Kate didn’t think she’d agree. “Alright, but on one condition.”

“Name it, it’s yours.”

“If your prince falls head over heels in love with me, I get to keep him.”

Kate held out her hand. “Deal.”

This is a rough draft, but I would love to get your feedback!

Chapter 1

Anthony                                  

Know what sucks worse than dying? Dying twice. Both times, totally not my fault.

I blame the first time on that ginormous winged thing Arietta called a netherbeast, but the second time from a unicorn? Seriously, I thought they were supposed to be all rainbows and prancing, not murdering monsters.

So, one minute I’m just standing there, trying to get the demon out of my head. Getting ready to meet my demise, I could almost hear Mom in my head. “Anthony, if you ever see a brilliant light, head toward it. God will be there waiting for you.” I don’t know if she was kidding or forewarning me.

Well, that not so friendly unicorn shot a laser beam out of its horn and BAM! Dying wasn’t quite like Mom described it. No white light. No God or angels to greet me.

I was just lying there on my back, staring up through the branches of a tree. Bright sunlight speckled through yellow and red leaves like the ones about to drop during the fall.

So, heaven’s got trees. Cool. I like trees. I’ve grown up with them all my life living on the edge of a forest. As a little boy, I remember something about being lost in the woods until some hikers found me and took me to my parents. I was so young I might be remembering it wrong.

The ground under me was soft and damp and seeped through my jeans. Yuck, the chill running up my legs was super uncomfortable. I still had my backpack, which pressed into my spine, and my hand gripped my staff. At least I still had those. I tried to sit. My head throbbed and my ears had a slight ringing in them. I rubbed my eyes and stared around me. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, I wiggled my finger in my ear, trying to get rid of the noise there. It was like that time I helped dad in his woodshop, and the sound of the skill saw buzzed in my head for a moment after he turned it off.

A meadow lark sang in the branches overhead. They have this melody unlike any other bird. With a soft whistle, I copied the bird’s tune and waited. She trilled back to me.

They say animals in heaven can talk. “Hey pretty bird, where should I go?” She flapped off the branch, disappearing over the trees. Apparently, they were wrong.

A crunch in the underbrush startled me. Barely breathing, I tensed my shoulders. A cloud passed over the sun, dimming the forest where I sat, and the dampness of my jeans grew colder. Somewhere near, a wolf howled, long and high pitched. Since I was already dead, and nothing could harm me, I shouldn’t be scared, right?

I stood and took a few steps away from the tree. A streak of gray whizzed past me on the right, and something growled behind me. I spun around.

A wolf’s teeth snapped.

I remembered church sermons. The lamb and the lion shall lie down together. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You can’t kill me. I’m already dead.” A child shall play in the cockatrice’s den. Whatever a cockatrice was? Where did the Bible mention wolves? If large cats and baby sheep could hang out together, surely an oversized dog, man’s best friend, wouldn’t hurt me, right?

I clutched my staff trying to remember what abilities Miri had given it. Shockwaves, fire blasts, and levitation. I thumped the end on the ground. The energy should have sent the wolf flying back, but he kept advancing toward me.

With my staff aimed, I pressed the switch. Again, nothing happened. Even the levitation wasn’t working.

Backing up, a stick snapped under my foot. Dogs love sticks, right? I inched to a crouched position and wrapped my hand around the stick.

“Hey, wolfie . . . here ya go.” I flung it as far as I could.

His grey eyes never wavered from mine. Several smaller wolves joined the hefty male.

So maybe I wasn’t in heaven. But I hadn’t done anything that bad to deserve hell. I mean the worst things was playing those dumb pranks on Arietta and Jayme, but those were in good fun, right? I didn’t do drugs; I didn’t smoke or drink or have sex. Heck, I hadn’t even kissed a girl until yesterday. Well, except for that one back in second grade, but that one didn’t count, right?

Suddenly, another thought crossed my mind. One even more terrifying than the idea of facing the devil himself. What if I wasn’t dead?

A sharp bugling, like an elk’s mating call shot through the woods. Its sound ethereal and bounced off the trees, sending shivers up my spine. With a quick twist of their bodies, the wolves sprinted off through the forest, leaving the air around me quiet…deathly quiet.

Not wanting to get caught in the open by whatever lurked in the forest, I bolted for a tree with branches not too high up and shoved the staff into the bushes, not caring so much if it was out of sight. I jumped for the lowest limb and wrapped my legs around the trunk, trying to shimmy up. My backpack snagged on a lower limb, making it difficult to climb. Out of breath, I settled into the foliage and hopefully out of sight.

This oddly dressed guy stepped out of the trees. He looked like some kind of mountain man, only more primitive. Tattered clothing covered his body. His shirt tied at the neck and looked like something from our theater costume room, only the strings were more ragged and worn. On his feet he wore woven sandals that were made from straw or hemp maybe. His long hair was a slightly darker blond color than mine and hung in greasy strands across his shoulders. He was broad-chested and muscular. A dark beard, jagged as if he’d tried to trim it with a knife, hung a few inches from his chin. In one hand he carried a longbow, in the other a dead pheasant.

He looked up through the branches. “What’re ye doin’ up thar?” His accent was so thick, I almost couldn’t understand him. Like someone from England, but not any English I’d ever heard.

Still trying to gain my breath and still my heart, I managed to squeak out, “Wolves.”

He motioned for me to come down. “Pesky critures. Odd fer them to be out during the day.”

I slid from my perch and dropped to the ground. Maybe he could help me figure out where I was and how I could get home. “Hi, my name’s Anthony.”

He eyed me as if he’d never seen another human before. With the end of his bow, he lifted the tail of my untucked, plaid shirt and [BL1] poked at my belt buckle before running the end up my buttons. He turned me around and flicked my collar up, then jabbed at my backpack, the crinkle of my water bottle made him jump back. “What devilry be this?”

I turned around. “What?”

He pointed. “In your pack, there.”

I slipped my backpack from my shoulder and held it out to him.

He quick-stepped backward. “Aye, that.” My almost empty water bottle in the side pocket crackled when he prodded it.

I chuckled. “Wow, you have been in the forest a long time.”

He retreated a step. “Who sent ye here?”

If I told the truth, he’d think I was crazy. Unless, I was still in Terabound, then he might not think I was delusional after all.

He didn’t move. “Well?”

“Well . . .”

“Well?” This time the impatience in his voice came through loud and clear.

“Do you believe in fairies and dragons?” I asked.

He raked his hand through his hair catching the long locks and tangling them in his fingers. “Aye, though I’ve not seen any for a fortnight.” He squinted at me. “Do ye believe in them?”

“Would you think I was nuts if I did?”

“Nuts? I don’t understand. Squirrels like nuts.” He shifted the bow and brought it over his head settling it on his shoulder.

I rephrased the question. “Would you think I was crazy?”

“Ah, addled.”

I’d heard that word used to describe geniuses who got kicked out of school, thinking they were crazy. “Like Einstein’s teacher.”

“Who?” He tilted his head.

Apparently, I must still be in Terabound. “Never mind.”

He paced before me, a dead pheasant swinging against his leg, as if trying to decide something. Twice he stopped, opened his mouth to speak, but shut his lips before any words came out. At last, he halted and narrowed his eyes at me. “Did Vyana send ye?”

“Vyana?” I knew that name from somewhere—just couldn’t remember where I’d heard it before. “I don’t know anyone by that name.”

He bent to examine my tennis shoes. “What kind of magic is this?”

“Magic?” I repeated.

“Aye, magic, perhaps even devilry, or witchcraft.”

I took a deep breath. If he only knew how much magic I’d seen in the last twenty-four hours, he’d probably drop his pheasant and run screaming like a girl into the forest. I took another deep breath. “Okay, I’ve been in some really weird places lately, and you probably wouldn’t believe me if you knew.”

I spilled the whole story of how my mind had been taken over by some evil dude named Fir’inis, how my best friend had suddenly turned into an elf, not the Christmas kind, and she was now the proud owner of a dragon. A fairy had followed us into Fir’inis’s fortress, but then she’d chickened out, leaving us to defend ourselves.

I told him the last thing I remembered was the blast of energy that shot out of the unicorn’s horn. The electricity had spread like fire through my chest, and I was certain I had died—again.

The whole time I was telling the story, the guy just nodded like this was some normal, everyday tale. And why wouldn’t it be? Terabound was frankly unbelievable, unless you’d seen it with your own eyes.

When I finished, he shrugged. “That’s quite a story.”

“So do you think I’m nuts—I mean addled?”

“No.” He shifted his weight to his other foot. “It sounds like ye’ve had quite an adventure.”

Adventure? He didn’t know the half of it. “So, I’m not crazy to believe in fairies and dragons and stuff?”

He glared at me. “I’d think ye were addled if ye didn’t believe in them.”

I drew my eyebrows together. “I must still be in Terabound.”

His face puckered into puzzlement. “Tera-what?”

“You know, where the dragons and fairies and netherbeasts live.”

“Terabound.” The guy repeated. “Terra meaning earth, and bound meaning tied to?”

“So, am I in Terabound or not?” I asked.

“No. Ye are here.”

With a sigh of exasperation, I kicked at the leaves. “Would you mind telling me where here is?”

“We call this earth.”

“If this is Earth, then exactly where on Earth am I?”

      “This is the forest of Avalon.” He said it as if I should know, like I was some kind of moron.

My heart sank. “Avalon, as in King Arthur’s Avalon?” I asked.

The guy just looked at me like he had no idea what I was talking about. “Arthur? We have no king by that name.” 

“Of course not, he’s been dead for a long time. You were under the rule of Queen Elizabeth, except she up and died not too long ago and now they put in one of her sons. I can’t remember who.” This guy really needed to get out more. 

He drew his eyebrows together. “Queen who?” 

I chuckled. I guess there were people in England who lived as hermits as much here as in the United States. 

“Who be this Queen Elizabeth?” he asked. 

“She was the queen for over a hundred years.” Well, not quite, but pictures of her before she died, anyone would think that. “She lived in Buckingham Palace—” 

“Buckingham?” 

Wow, this guy really was clueless. “I guess it’s been a while since you’ve been out of the forest.” 

He shook his head. “No, I oft to town to hear the minstrels and snatch up a swig of ale and hear the goin’s on. 

“Minstrels? As in guys with guitar that sing about—” I stopped short. He hadn’t heard of King Arthur, Queen Elizabeth, or Buckingham palace. Nervous, I asked, “What year is this?”

“The reckoning of the year . . .” He wrinkled his brow and tapped the end of his bow. “I suppose it’s either the year of our Lord three hundred and forty-six—no forty-seven, because me brother showed up three springs ago, extolling his love for Vyana. I told him ‘twas a mistake.” He lifted his head and peered down his nose at me. “Are ye sure Vyana didn’t send ye?”

I leaned against the tree, afraid I’d pass out. 347 AD. It couldn’t be possible, could it? I’d translocated to Terabound once with Arietta’s dragon, but never through time. “I’ve gone back almost seventeen hundred years.” I slumped to the ground. 

“That would explain that.” He pointed to my shirt. “And that.” He pointed to my pants. “And all the rest of ye.” 

“I’ve got to figure out how to get back.” The last time I’d seen Arietta she’d been about to fight Fir’inis with the aid of a chicken fairy, and a couple of dragons, oh, and Morgan, one really moronic, video game addicted guy who was trying to move in on my girlfriend. I gulped. I mean, my friend. Arietta and I were just friends. But then hadn’t she said she loved me when I died the first time? But then sometimes people say really stupid things when they think someone is dying. How did I explain the kiss? I mean, she’d kiss me like…or maybe it was just because she missed me. No, she’d meant it when she laid her lips on mine.

I snapped back to the present…or past. Something about this whole thing puzzled me. Where and when was I? This guy, dressed like some kind of primitive woodsman, believed in fairies and dragons, didn’t flinch when I told him I was from the future. “So are there dragons and fairies and netherbeasts around?”  

“Dragons and fairies, aye. Netherbeasts? I’m not sure what those be.” 

A howl sent shivers up my spine. 

The guy nodded in the direction the wolves had run off. “We best not stand here lest the pheasant invites them for dinner, or maybe you as their meal.” He motioned to the small animal hanging from his belt. “If ye are not from here, then ye have no place ye call home, have ye?” He turned and headed off in the direction he’d come.

I supposed that was an invitation to follow him. I sure didn’t want to stay in the forest with wolves on the hunt, especially since I wasn’t dead…yet. 

The clock on the microwave in Brent’s condo read 10:55 am. Amelia’s resolve was disappearing faster than foam at high tide. He’d promised to take her to Guaymas for breakfast.

Amelia drummed her fingernails on her bare skin. If Brent wasn’t back in five more minutes, she was going to breakfast without him.

The aromas from El Mar de Cortez, the condominium’s onsite restaurant, wafted through his open window, and her stomach protested in hunger. That did it. No more waiting! Amelia stormed back to her own condo to grab her wallet. If it hadn’t been for the merger of their tech companies and the fact she was engaged to Brent, she’d have taken the first flight back to the States. Mexico, of all places to work out business detail.

She crossed the courtyard and jammed her key into the lock. Her door swung inward a few inches before she turned the knob. She could have sworn she’d locked it before traipsing over to Brent’s condo. Pushing the door open a bit more, she peered into the front room, half expecting to see her fiancé. She flung the door all the way open. “Brent?”

There was no answer, but who else would have unlocked her door? He better have let himself in with apology roses for being late. She drew her lips together and clenched her teeth, remembering the way he had practically jumped for joy after convincing her to vacation in San Carlos, Mexico. Why this was his favorite place she couldn’t even begin to guess. No room service, no concierge, and few amenities. The poor excuse of a weight room with a measly treadmill and a couple of dumbbells could hardly be called a “fitness center” at all.

Brent must have been out of his mind when he suggested they come back later for their honeymoon. At least then they wouldn’t have to book separate condos because of all the legal issues with his ex-wife. But even if they couldn’t share a room, San Diego would have been better—no money exchange, same white sandy beaches, and scrumptious Mexican food, not to mention luxury rooms where everything worked. Amelia couldn’t imagine why Brent was so enamored with this despicable excuse for lodging. She blamed being here at all in a momentary state of weakness, one she had no intention of repeating.

She scanned the room but saw no flowers and no other sign Brent had been there. Yet nothing looked out of place either. It was obvious that no one had robbed the place. Amelia’s Gucci bag sat on the end table next to the couch. She rummaged through the contents: wallet, Visa Gold, MasterCard Platinum, Discover, company gas card, cash, Giorgio Armani sunglasses. If Brent hadn’t been in her condo, who had? Had the maids come to clean? Perhaps one of them hadn’t locked up properly. Management would hear about this, and someone was going to get fired, that was for certain.

A tapping penetrated the still air. Stupid faucets. The maid must have forgotten that, too. Couldn’t anyone do anything right in this place? Amelia investigated the sound, but neither of the faucets was dripping. She tracked the sound to her bedroom and gasped at the sight. The contents of her dresser were in disarray on the bed and floor. Someone had dumped her makeup case on the table, with some items spilling onto the floor.

Instead of the leaky faucet, as Amelia had suspected, the noise came from the tapping of the curtain cord against the wall as the breeze blew through the broken window. Shattered glass lay on the carpet, and someone had cut through the window screen.

What if the intruder was hiding in the closet or under the bed? A taste like metal rose in Amelia’s throat, threatening to choke her as she clutched at her neck. Unable to catch her breath, she backed out of the room. Her legs went weak, and she barely made it to the bedroom door. She backed into a muscular chest. A sharp scream escaped her lips as her knees gave out.

“Whoa.” Brent grasped her shoulders and spun her around. Amelia trembled as she collapsed into his arms. He stroked the back of her hair. “What’s the matter?”

“Where have you been?” Before she let him answer, she shoved him with the force of her adrenaline rush, sending him into the doorjamb. “You promised . . . what if . . . you left me . . . I could have been—”

“Sweetheart—”

“Don’t sweetheart me!”

“You’re shaking like a leaf.” His arms wrapped around her and he held her against his chest. “What happened?”

She buried her head against the fabric of his orange and black wetsuit. “Someone broke in.”

Brent led Amelia to the front porch. “You stay right here while I check it out.

Amelia plastered herself against the outside wall. He was probably only gone for a few minutes, but to Amelia, it seemed far too long. What if the burglar got to him?

 Amelia jumped when Brent came back out and asked, “Where’s the necklace I gave you?” She pulled it from underneath her blouse. “I wish you had left it in Marc’s safe.”

Shaking her head, she stared into his eyes. “You can’t think it would be safe there either.”

Brent took her hand and kissed her fingers. “You’re probably right. I’ll go to the front desk and call the police. Maybe they can secure your door.”

With a shaky hand, Amelia pushed her hair behind her ear. “I’m not staying there.” Separate condos—that was the stupidest thing about this whole ridiculous getaway.

He tenderly took her hand and led her off the porch. “You can stay in mine. I’ll stay here.”

“Oh, no.” Amelia’s stomach tightened at the thought of someone entering while she was still inside. “I’m not staying alone in either room. We stay together, or I’m checking out.”

“Alright, if that would make you feel better.” Once inside Brent’s condo, he led her to the couch. “At least you didn’t bring the schematics with you.”

Amelia played with the locket. “You don’t think I’d leave them in Houston, do you?” She met his brown eyes. “You can’t possibly think they’d be safe there.”

“What? Where are they?” He ran his hand through his dark brown hair.

“The security of the entire project has already been breached. I just couldn’t trust it being left anywhere. When I went to get them from the safe, only half of them were there.”

“What do you mean by only half?”

“I was just running a check on the chip to make sure they hadn’t been tampered with, and what came up was half of the blueprints. I don’t understand why Marc would do that.” Amelia pulled her hair behind her with a quick sweep of her hand.

Brent touched the silver heart-shaped locket dangling from the chain around her neck. “We’ve been over this so many times. You can trust your father.”

“Stepfather,” Amelia corrected, falling back against the cushions.

“Fine—stepfather. What did you do with the chip?” Brent sat down next to Amelia and stroked her arm.

She pulled away from his touch. After slipping the necklace over her head, she laid it on the coffee table and worked off the silver links and filigree, like a Chinese puzzle. The outer casing twisted free from the locket. Once they separated the pieces, she pressed the tiny clasp and opened the heart, revealing the amplification crystal and a picture of her and Brent taken two years before, just after her mother’s death, and before his fiasco of a marriage to Jasmine.

“Here’s the crystal, but where’s the chip?” He touched the pear-shaped gem.

She lifted the picture with her fingernail and exposed the microchip taped to the backside of the photograph. “If someone tampered with the blueprints, I couldn’t very well leave this behind.”

 “But Marc wouldn’t do that. Does anyone else know?” Brent brushed a lock of her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” She flipped the strand of hair back across her cheek.

No one outside of the firm’s research department knew about the project. Would a confidentiality clause be enough to keep developers from leaking information? Because of their loyalty to the company, Brent had handpicked each of the team members. The only other person who knew, besides Brent, was Marc Baylor, the man Amelia’s mother had married. But Tiffany was dead, leaving Amelia and Marc joint heirs of Cell Technologies, Inc.

“Perhaps someone from the lab—”

Amelia shook her head and mentally ticked off each of the developers’ qualifications. They knew that to divulge information outside of the company meant not only termination, but a lawsuit as well. Each one had too much invested in the company, both monetarily and personally. They knew Amelia’s grandfather when cell-phone technology was in its infancy, and all of them respected him.

Brent let out a heavy breath. “I spoke with Marc the day before we left—”

 Amelia cut him off. “It has to be Marc. He’s the only other person who knows.”

Brent bit his lower lip and pulled at the sleeve of his wetsuit. “Your stepfather wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the company. I’m going to go report this to the police. You wait here, and I’ll be right back.”

Amelia grabbed his hand. “If you stand me up one more time—”

“I didn’t stand you up. I got detained.” Brent moved closer and put his arm around her shoulders.

“Detained? That’s your answer to everything. I’m sick of it, Brent.” Amelia slid away from him, snapping the locket closed before twisting the rest of the puzzle in place.

“I’ll be back.” He took her hands in his again. “Do you have your cell phone?”

Amelia shook her head. “No, I left it on the nightstand, but I didn’t see it in the mess. It may have been stolen. It’s a good thing we haven’t tested the crystal on my phone.”

“Here then, take mine.” He freed his hand, reached into the top drawer of the end table, and grabbed his phone. “This is probably nothing more than a simple burglary. I’m sure you’re safe here.”

“But what if it’s not a burglary? What if someone knows? And they come looking here? What if they think it’s in my phone?”

Brent leaned in close and ran his thumb across her chin. “No one outside of the lab knows, except Marc and me. Besides, who would follow us all the way to Mexico just to get the chip? Certainly, they could have waited a few more days until we returned home. Besides, it’s broad daylight.”

“I don’t know.” Amelia followed him to the entryway. “Just please hurry.”

Brent kissed her forehead and closed the door behind him. Amelia locked the deadbolt.

Her fingers ran over the filigree. She replaced the chain around her neck. Maybe it really was nothing more than a burglary, she thought. But why didn’t they touch her purse? Did she scare them off? Her head throbbed, and her mouth went dry.

She entered the kitchen and found a half a bottle of Chardonnay in the refrigerator. That would be a good start.

Savannah stirred under her covers. Thanks to the loud hum of the air conditioner, she almost didn’t hear the light tap on her door.

“Savannah.” Haley’s voice came from the other side. “Come on, sleepyhead.”

“Okay, okay,” Savannah mumbled. She hated mornings, but today nothing could keep her in bed. Haley was right; coming to Mexico had been a heavenly idea, and Savannah intended to savor every moment. Her last two days here had to be the best. She stretched, trying to work out the kinks in her back from sleeping on the hard mattress.

 Haley knocked on the door again. “Did you die in there? C’mon, let’s go!”

Savannah threw off the covers and shouted, “I’m up!”

After donning her new purple shirt, she slipped a simple necklace over her head. The gold teardrop, with the Chinese symbol for luck etched in black, hung a few inches below the neckline. She reached down, took the pendant, and gave it a quick kiss. “Thanks, Liam. You’re the best brother ever.” The only thing she could think of that would make her life complete and perfect was to find the ideal husband, but those prospects seemed dismal. Maybe when she returned home to Phoenix, she would talk to her pastor about serving as an advisor to the young adult group. Maybe she’d meet the perfect guy that way.

Looking in the mirror, Savannah patted her hair one last time, smiled at her reflection, and decided if she gave the Lord some of her time, He would find her a husband when she got home. Besides, twenty-four was still young.

Savannah entered the kitchen to see Haley rummaging through the refrigerator, her plump backside blocking the view of the contents. She produced the carryout box of enchiladas from the night before. Haley looked up at Savannah. “Wow! Purple is the best color for you. If you dressed like that all the time, it wouldn’t take you long at all to find a man.” She set the Styrofoam box on the counter and dug through the silverware drawer for a clean fork. “When we get home, I am hooking you up with Jordan . . . or wait, isn’t Wayne coming home from college in a few months?”

“Yeah, but Christmas is like four months away. Ever since Haley’s fiancé had dumped her, she’d taken every chance to match Savannah up with the “perfect” man. “But let’s find one for you first.”

Haley wrinkled her face, and Savannah worried that any second her friend would dissolve into tears. Instead, Haley waved a fork. “Ew! Have you seen what’s out there? All the good ones are at college or taken.” Her mouth puckered into a pout. “Or cheating, like—”

“Exactly my point,” Savannah interrupted.

Haley’s face contorted with the painful memory. “And didn’t we come down here to get away from men, remember?”

Savannah pulled the straw off a juice box and jammed it into the top. Liquid squirted out and dribbled down the front of her blouse. “It’s a good thing it’s apple juice. I’m not changing out of this perfect shirt.”

Haley stuffed the last bite of enchilada into her mouth, tossed the box into the trash, and grabbed her overstuffed bag. “Since we’re going into Guaymas today, maybe we’ll run into some guys—you know, give them our addresses, encourage them to write.” Savannah could tell her friend was trying her best not to cry.

“Nope.”

“Why not? It’s a great idea.” Haley put a wide-brimmed hat over her strawberry blond hair.

“Because I pulled myself off the market.” Savannah waited for Haley’s reaction.

“What do you mean?”

After drinking the last of her juice, Savannah crushed the box. “You know, I’ve been doing a lot of praying about what to do with my life.”

“And?”

“I’ve decided I’m going to stop worrying about finding Mr. Right. Instead, I’m going to talk to Pastor Jones and see if he’ll let me lead the young adult ministries.”

Haley dropped her bag, and the hat slid from her head as she raced across the room. “That is awesome!” She wrapped her arms around Savannah.

“It’s like this calm just came over me. I know it’s what I’m supposed to do. The Lord has great things in store for me.” Savannah slid her sunglasses over her eyes when Haley released her grip. “And I’m sure that if I do what He’s called me to do, He’ll provide a husband for me.”

Chapter 4

Delbert

Well, hot dog! Peppermint was fixin’ to dance with Delbert after all. The next dance was dedicated to all the married couples who’d gathered. He knew the standard procedure at weddings, and he felt a little foolish for jumpin’ the gun in asking Peppermint a might too soon.

The announcer kept calling out how long people had been married. The longer the couples were hitched, the longer they got to stay on the dance floor, until the guy at the mic said, “Anyone been married over fifty years?” The only couple left waltzing was that man Kris and his lady who looked like she’d found the fountain of youth.

The announcer shuffled over to them, mic in hand. “So how long have you two been hitched?”

“One hundred and fifty-two years,” Kris said with his arm around Layla’s waist.

Layla giggled in a right jolly way. “It feels like that sometimes.” She nudged Kris in the ribs. “Fifty-two,” she corrected him.

The announcer handed them a bouquet of red roses. “Congratulations! Here’s to a hundred and fifty-two more.”

Kris opened his mouth like he was fixin’ to add his two cents, but his wife nudged him again and shook her head, like she was done with his pranks.

Standing beside Delbert, Pepper let out a sigh that spelled pure contentment. Were these her grandparents? Had to be. Well, whatever their relationship, Pepper looked at them like they’d hung the moon. Boy was she lucky to have such a wonderful family. Man o’ howdy, though, her daddy looked plum unhappy about the whole thing. Maybe he was jes one of them born grumps. Or maybe his tuxedo was a might too snug. Mrs. Everwarmth, on the other hand, looked right happy with the way she kept grinning and dabbing her eyes.

The announcer had gone back to his spot as the D.J. “Alright, cowboys and cowgirls, time to snag yer favorite pardner.”

Delbert extended his hand, a grin spreading wide. “Finally.”

Her delicate hand in his sent pleasant little feels down his spine that landed in the tips of his boots. He led her to the dance floor and took her in his arms. His hand at her waist and hers on his shoulder felt natural, as if she’d been made to fit just right in his arms. And the way she followed his lead was like they’d been practicing for years. Did he dare suggest that the whole family stay for a few more days. Heck, they could all learn about trail riding and maybe experience the thrill of ranch life. But if they all had pressing matters to get to back home, maybe Pepper’s parents would at least let her stay for a few more days. Since Delbert was due some days off, maybe Zeke might let him drive her home. Wink said he was from up north. Jes how far north?

All too soon, the music ended, and drat it all if Delbert didn’t have to turn loose of her. How many dances could he get away with before he had to find another partner? In a small town like this, if he didn’t change it up some with some of the other single ladies, the gossip squad would be plannin’ his wedding to Pepper. The last thing he wanted was to get hitched after what MaryBeth done to him. Besides, he hardly knew anything about Pepper other than she was the purdiest girl in Brazoria County.

Pepper clapped her hands. “Thank you, Delbert. You are a delightful dancer.”

“Ah, gosh.” Darned if that heat from today’s work in the fields didn’t just keep a comin’ back like a sunburn’s souvenir. “It was a pleasure.”

Someone tapped Delbert’s shoulder. “I hope you saved a dance for me.”

MaryBeth’s dull green eyes glared up at him. Ain’t nothing worse than being in the same room with that woman who’d already dug her claws in once and left his heart bleeding. Looked like she was coming back for round two of adding insult to injury. Where was that fella who’d convinced her to two-time?

All eyes in the reception hall bore into him. His skin prickled like he’d been caught wadin’  through manure. He sure as heck didn’t owe her anything, not after what she done to him. The skin on the back of his neck prickled like fire ants in his collar. He’d be an idiot to let her back in his life again.

While MaryBeth was purdy enough, he didn’t like her throwing herself back into his arms without so much as a “do you mind?” or “for old time’s sake,” or even a “gosh, I’m awful sorry.”  Nope. Not gonna happen. But if he knew his ex, she wouldn’t take his no for an answer.

Delbert had to come up with a good excuse to cut her off right now. He snagged Pepper by the arm and pulled her against his side. “Pepper, darlin’, I’d like you to meet an old friend of mine.” He hoped Pepper could go along with his excuse to get out of dancing with MaryBeth. Admittedly, not his best option, but he had nothin’ to lose, despite the gossip squad.

“How do you do.” Pepper held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet friends of Delbert’s.”

MaryBeth’s smile said, “Pleasure to meet you.” The daggers shooting from her eyes said, the complete opposite. “Did you know Del is my fian—”

Before MaryBeth could finish her statement, Delbert cut her off. “Was.” He took a deep breath and held Pepper closer. “Pepper’s my steady gal now. And I don’t cheat on my significant others.” His words punctuated the air.

Confusion shot across Pepper’s face, then as if she’d suddenly realized what was happening, she said, “That’s right, Delbert, honey.” She looked MaryBeth straight in the face. “And nobody dances with my man but me.”

Delbert raised an eyebrow at Pepper. The girl had more gumption than a prairie flower bloomin’ in the dust.