Book Excerpts

“I thought that was taken care of.” Cara Madison gripped her cell to her ear so tightly her hand ached as she hurried toward the foyer of her childhood home to answer the door. Exhaustion clung to her as though woven into every fiber of her being.   The bell chimed again.   “No, the State Department still has some questions,” Kyra Morgan, her employer at Guardians, Inc., said.   “Hold it a sec. Someone’s at the door.”   She peered through the peephole, noting a deliveryman with a package and clipboard, dressed in a blue ball cap, blue shorts and white T-shirt. Probably another birthday present from one of Dad’s friends. She thrust open the door and cradled the cell against her shoulder to keep it...

Excerpt from Trail of Lies   Melora Hudson punched in her alarm code to turn the security system off, then tossed her keys on the kitchen counter. All she wanted to do was sink into a chair and drink a cup of hot tea after her exhausting week. But as she moved toward the kettle on the stove, a sound-something hitting the tiled floor-came from the living room and froze her in mid-stride. Tension whipped through her. Until her cat shot through the doorway and launched himself into her arms. “Okay, Patches, what have you gotten into this time?” His cry-like a baby’s-protested her scolding. Melora cuddled the fifteen-pound white cat against her chest and started for the living room. Just what she needed-another broken lamp or, like the last...

Excerpt from Christmas Bodyguard   “Watch out!” Slade Caulder said through clenched teeth, gripping the door handle on his SUV. Why had he allowed a sixteen-year-old with a permit to drive? Only a few more miles to the ranch-thankfully. “Dad, I saw him coming out. I’ve got everything under control.” When he noticed Abbey sliding a glance toward him, his heart rate shot up even further. “Keep your eyes on the road.” “I’m gonna ask Gram to take me driving next time.” “No.” Although he wished he could let his mother-in-law take over teaching his daughter to drive around Dallas, he wouldn’t. It was his job. The car gained speed. “Don’t go over sixty.” “I’m...

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

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

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