Blurb

I come from a family of fighters. I always thought I’d follow in their shadows, becoming unstoppable in the ring. That changed the day I saved the life of a woman I loved, but could never have.

 My brother hailed me as a hero, and my reward was a wheelchair.

 Paralyzed, my life became an inescapable nightmare.

 Until I met her.

 Ash Mabie had a heart-stopping smile and a laugh that numbed the rage and resentment brewing inside of me. She showed me that even the darkest night still had stars, and it didn’t matter one bit that you had to lie in the weeds to see them.

 I was a jaded asshole who fell for a girl with a knack for running away. I couldn’t even walk but I would have spent a lifetime chasing her.

 Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.

Fighting the shadows of our past.

Fighting to reclaim my future.

Fighting for her.

 

Excerpt 

Chapter One

Flint

 

I remembered it all.

I heard the gun.

I felt the bullet.

I saw her fall.

In less than a second, my life as I knew it was over.

But, unquestionably, I would do it all over again.

For her.

 

“Flint!” Eliza cried from underneath me.

It wasn’t the way I had dreamed of at least a million times over the years. Her voice hadn’t broken in ecstasy. She hadn’t called my name as I’d been claiming her as my own, nor was it followed by confessions of love and declarations of forever. Instead, there was a sharp ringing in my ears and a tsunami of tears welling in her deep-blue eyes.

My heart was already pounding, but the earth-shattering pain on her face spiked my pulse even higher. I knew I had been hit, but that wasn’t what scared me.

“Are you hurt?” I rushed out.

“I’m fine,” she choked around a sob. As much as I hated to see her cry, the weight of my world disappeared with only two words.

“Are you sure?” I studied her, but she was focused on something else completely.

Peering over my shoulder, she lifted her hand off my back. Blood dripped from her fingertips to the floor.

“Oh God!” she exploded, scrambling from under me.

“I’m okay,” I tried to reassure her, but as I attempted to push up off the floor, I knew my words were in vain. I was nowhere near fine. “I’m…” I started, but the thought was stolen from my tongue. Pain overtook me, causing me to collapse face first to the ground where Eliza had just been lying.

I desperately tried to keep myself from passing out, but it was a battle I was quickly losing.

“Flint. Stay with me. Just hang on, please,” she said calmly, kneeling beside me. But as soon as she sat up, her true emotions were revealed. “Help him!” she cried. “Please, God, someone help him!”

My mind was drifting, rendering me unable to focus, but even amongst the chaos of Eliza pleading for help and security rushing into the room, I somehow homed in on the announcer’s voice on the television blaring in the background.

“I really expected more from Till Page in the ring tonight,” he said.

It was then that I was reminded of a pain far worse than any bullet could inflict.

Till.

Her husband.

The father of her unborn child.

My brother.

He deserved her, but damn it, so did I.

My eyes never left hers as her screams drifted into silence.

 

***

I awoke to a searing pain in my back, and panic immediately flooded my thoughts.

“Eliza!” I screamed as loudly as I could, but it came out as nothing more than a gurgle.

“I’m right here.” She appeared at my side. “Oh God, Flint. Don’t do that again. You have to stay awake.” She began smoothing my hair down.

“Eliza,” I repeated when further coherent thoughts failed me. I was terrified—I knew that much. But my mind fought to catch up and answer the why. “Are…are you hurt?”

“No. I’m fine,” she assured me, leaning down and kissing my temple—a gesture I would have killed to be able to return.

Instead, I blindly reached out to the side, searching for her hand. “Stay with me.”

Firmly grasping my palm, she vowed, “I won’t leave you, Flint. I swear.”

If only she’d meant those words in the way I would have liked. However, right then, as I lay facedown, bleeding on the carpet of an upscale Vegas hotel floor with a bullet in my back, I would take it.

It wasn’t enough.

But it would have to be.

She isn’t mine.

She never was.

As she whispered soothing words into my ear, I went willingly into the darkness.

 

***

I slowly roused back to consciousness. I couldn’t quite figure out where I was or why my throat felt like I had swallowed a truckload full of burning embers. Even through my grogginess, I could feel an ache in my back. It wasn’t until I spoke that I realized how fucked I truly was.

“Ewliz.” What the hell? “Elyz.”

“Oh thank God!” Eliza cried, suddenly appearing at my side.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I tried to pry my eyes open, needing nothing more than a glimpse of her dark blues. They held no superpowers, but I still believed they could heal me with a single glance. Hell, just knowing she was there with me worked miracles.

I tried to fight, but I couldn’t seem to convince my eyelids that light wasn’t the source of all evil.

“Shh. It’s okay. Just relax,” she whispered, reading my struggle. “Are you hurting? Do you need more pain medicine?”

“Nup. Juz you,” I said drunkenly.

“What’s wrong with him? Why can’t he talk?” Quarry whimpered from somewhere nearby.

I’d never forget how he sounded in that moment. His voice shook like that of the frightened child he never got to be. He might have only been thirteen, but he hadn’t been a boy in a long time. Just like Till and me, he’d been forced to grow up too soon. Hearing the inflection of fear in his voice cleared my groggy mind.

“Em good, Q,” I slurred on a laugh, even though nothing was remotely humorous about the situation.

I was lying facedown on a hospital bed, drugged out of my fucking mind, and pining over my brother’s pregnant wife. The same woman who was the closest thing to a real mother I’d ever known. The levels of fucked-up could not even be described.

On second thought, maybe laughing really was the right response.

My brother, Till, was quite possibly the best man I had ever met. He was only six years older than I was, but as far as I was concerned, he had always been a father to me. Lord knows that the man’s DNA I carried was not. My mother was a work of art, but my father was in a category all of his own. Clay Page was the reason I was lying in that bed and recovering from a bullet in the back, the reason Till had almost lost his wife and unborn daughter, and the reason Quarry had almost been kidnapped.

All I had left in life were my brothers, and in turn, I had Eliza.

If I could have been half the man Till was, I would’ve been better than ninety-nine percent of the male population walking the planet. God, I wanted to be as selfless as he was. But I wasn’t even close. Instead, over the years, I’d become increasingly jealous of his life and the way Eliza loved him. Sure, they had their fair share of problems, but they always weathered the storm together, never wavering in their devotion to each other. Only a year earlier, my older brother had suddenly lost his hearing—something that would have easily sent a lesser woman running for the hills. But not Eliza. She gave him unconditional love, and it stung so fucking much to watch her give it to him.

The older I became, the more I found myself consumed by guilt and anger. Guilt because no two people had ever deserved each other more. And anger because, despite knowing that, I wanted to shove my brother out of the picture completely. I wanted to own Eliza Reynolds Page in every possible way, but especially in the way where she never left me and loved me forever.

I wanted the comfort and security only she could offer me.

“Eliza?” I called as I went back to battle against my eyelids and was finally victorious. I was greeted by the sight of Till holding her tight, his arms folded around her swollen stomach.

“Hey, bud,” he cooed, visible relief washing over his face.

But I didn’t have eyes for him. Eliza stood in his arms with tears flowing in a steady stream down her cheeks.

My lips twitched in the most unlikely of smiles.

She always cries.

“You ’kay?” I mumbled.

“I am. Thanks to you.” She took a step forward, joining our hands.

I laughed, using our linked knuckles to rub her belly. “How’s ma baby?”

“What’d he say?” Till asked.

Eliza removed her hands from mine long enough to translate for him through sign language.

I attempted to roll over so I could have the use of my hands to communicate with him, but I was stilled by the sudden shouts.

“No!” they yelled as I tried to push up on the bed.

“You can’t move… I, um, I mean you shouldn’t move.” Eliza squatted down in front of me.

I lifted a hand to wipe her tears away. Her eyes were red and puffy, but as she brushed my short hair off my forehead, she’d never looked more beautiful. Her fingertips trailed over my skin, soothing my aches from the outside in.

“Let’s get you some more pain medicine.” She grabbed a red button off the corner of my bed and pressed it repeatedly.

I wasn’t in any real pain, but within seconds, my entire body relaxed even further.

She remained squatting in front of me, and her tears began to dry while she whispered soothing words I couldn’t quite make out among the myriad of beeping monitors. It didn’t matter what she was saying though.

She was there.

With me.

For me.

My vision was blurry, but time stood still as I stared into her eyes and slurred the words I had absolutely no business saying.

I had been harboring them for years. But no matter how I tried, no amount of time made them right.

“I love you, Eliza. Soooooo. Fuuucking. Mush.”

Even drugged out of my mind, I knew that my admission was going to do more harm than good, but that didn’t slow the words—or the pain.

Maybe, if I just told her how I felt, I could let it go. Move on to a day when I wasn’t teased by the unattainable.  It was a grand idea, but fruition was a different story.

She replied, “I love you too,” but I knew she didn’t understand.

In that second though, I needed her to understand. It wasn’t a choice.

For her.

Or me.

“No. I loooove you.” I exaggerated the word but not the truth.

“Shh,” she whispered, resting her hand on my cheek. “I love you too, Flint. We all do. Just go to sleep.”

We all do.

They wouldn’t after I was done. I was sober enough to realize that.

“No. Lizen to me. I…love you. Like Till loves you. Like…I-want-to-have-sex-with-you love you. Really. Gud. Sex.” I laughed.

“Oh fuck,” Quarry groaned.

“And marry you, and…” I stopped to lick my dry lips before spewing the ultimate slap to my brother’s deaf ears. “That should be my baby, not his.”

“Oh fuck,” Quarry repeated.

“Uhh…um…” Eliza stuttered, looking up at Till, who was standing only a few feet away.

“What? What’d he say?” Till asked, stepping forward.

“I said I’m in love with your wife!” I yelled for some unexplainable reason.

Well, maybe only unexplainable to them; I understood my frustrations completely.

Till needed the chance to hate me. He had given me everything in life and provided for me even when he’d had to sacrifice himself. I owed him the truth about the way I felt about his wife. Regardless that it proved what a dirt bag I truly was.

I lifted my one free hand in the air and began to sign out the letters, but Quarry stepped between Eliza and me and forced my hand against the bed.

“Yep. That’s enough. Go to sleep, asshole.”

“He needs ta know. Tell him fur me.”

Quarry lifted his hands and signed to Till without words. He said he loves us all, and then he got all weepy and called Eliza mommy. I’m just trying to keep him from embarrassing himself. That’s all.

“Dat’s bullshit,” I replied when he finished.

“We love you too, Flint. Get some rest,” Till said, folding his arms across his chest, not buying into Quarry’s explanation.

“No! I said, ‘I love her.’ Eliza.” I began to point in her direction, but Quarry once again slapped my hand down.

Turning his back on Till, he leaned into my face. “Shut your goddamn mouth. I’m trying to help you here.”

“I love her,” I repeated for the umpteenth time.

Eliza wedged her way back to my side. “No, you don’t. You’re just drugged up right now, Flint.”

“Bullshit,” I declared adamantly.

Drugs didn’t cause the way I felt any more than they could fix it. I’d have been a junkie long ago if there were something that could’ve quelled the burning in my chest every time I saw her with Till.

“This isn’t somethin’ new, Eliza. I think about you when—” I’d started to spill all of my embarrassing secrets when Quarry’s hand slammed over my mouth.

“I said, ‘Shut the fuck up,’” he seethed.

“Stop cussing,” I mumbled from behind his hand.

He looked to Eliza. “Can you press that button again? Maybe see if he’ll pass out.”

“What the hell is going on?” Till snapped from behind us, losing his cool with being in the dark.

Nothing. He’s acting like a bitch. Just doing my job as his little brother to protect his manhood… or something like that, Quarry signed then flashed Till a tight grin.

“No, I—” I started, and his hand once again landed over my mouth.

Quarry gave Eliza an impatient glare.

“He has a few more minutes before the pain pump will give him any more meds,” she answered, frazzled by my confession.

And just that small reaction to my admission hurt more than whatever the hell was happening on my back.

“Well, I’ll just keep my hand right here until it’s time,” Quarry hissed at Eliza.

“Um, I’m gonna step out and get some water,” she announced uncomfortably.

“Eliza, wait,” I tried to shout, but Quarry wasn’t lying about not removing his hand. “Get off me.” I weakly swatted it away.

Glancing back at Till, he lifted a finger in the air to signal one second. Then he turned back to me. “Shut up. Shut up. Shut. Up. You’re in love with her, fine. Now, shut up.”

“Not until he knows,” I replied.

“Go to sleep, Flint. If you still want to make this mistake when you wake up, I’ll sign it out to him myself.” He urged me with a hard stare.

I was tired. Sleep didn’t exactly sound like torture. I’d been sitting on my feelings for Eliza since I was twelve. What was one more night?

“I would take her from him,” I declared as my lids began to droop.

Quarry busted out laughing.  “Then, when you wake up, I’ll sign out your warning. Oh, look! Time’s up.” He grabbed the red button and gave it a push.

I moaned as the glorious burn of the medication hit my vein.

“Thank God,” he breathed as I drifted off to sleep.

When I awoke some hours later, my determination to tell Till had fortunately disappeared.

Unfortunately, so had my desire for Eliza to know.

But the truth was out.

As the embarrassment set in, I tried to convince myself that maybe it was for the best that she knew how I felt.

It wasn’t.

It was a hell of a lot worse.

Flint’s highly anticipated emotional story  is FINALLY here!

NOW AVAILABLE

Amazon US  **  Amazon UK  **  B&N  **  Kobo  **  itunes

**Each book in the series can be read as a standalone**

Haven’t read this series yet?  Meet Flint, Quarry, Till & Eliza in Fighting Silence

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After reading Fighting Silence, I couldn’t wait for the next Page brother book.  Fighting Shadows is Flint’s story, a mix of all the feels.  The Flint/Ash pairing works.  There’s a blend of dark and light between the two characters.  I felt the title fit Flint and Ash independently as well as a couple.

I’ve become a fan of Aly Martinez and I’m looking forward to her next book.

About the Author:

Aly Martinez

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

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Chance Encounter
LCR Elite #2

By: Christy Reece

Releasing June 29, 2015

Self-published

 

Blurb

She’s the face of innocence whose secrets, if uncovered, could destroy her carefully crafted life.

On the cusp of achieving every goal she’s set for herself, Kacie Dane is one step away from superstardom. The hell she endured five years ago is a nightmare of the past. With a new name and a new life, no one would ever recognize her as the ravaged victim she’d once been. Her secret is safe…or so she thinks.

He’s a disgraced former sports star looking for redemption, determined to stay in the shadows.

Once the golden boy of the NFL, Brennan Sinclair’s fall from grace was witnessed by the entire world. Determined to stay out of the limelight and make his life count for something, he joins the Elite branch of Last Chance Rescue. Brennan never expected his first assignment would draw him back into the life that almost destroyed him.

Some secrets should never be kept. Some sins can never be forgiven.

Someone knows exactly who Kacie Dane is and will stop at nothing to destroy her. Brennan is sure that he, along with his LCR Elite partners, can keep Kacie safe and unmask the evil trying to destroy her, but he never expected to lose his heart to the one woman he couldn’t have.
A killer bent on revenge. A woman who refuses to be broken. A man in need of redemption.

No one is safe.

 

Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/06/chance-encounter-lcr-elite-2-by-christy.html

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Excerpt

“Now that the excitement has passed, I just realized how tired I am.” She flashed him a shy smile. “Thanks for a lovely day. It’s exactly what I needed.”

“I enjoyed it, too.”

He wanted to say something else, keep her there for a few more minutes. Wanted the right to kiss her, hold her close. But no matter how much both of them had enjoyed their time together, today hadn’t been a date, and he sure as hell wasn’t her boyfriend.

He nodded, backed away. “Good night.”

He came to an abrupt stop when she whispered, “Brennan?”

“Yes?”

“Would it be too out of line if I asked you to kiss me again?”

Hell yeah, it’d be out of line. And totally unprofessional and inappropriate if he complied. So then why was he walking toward her, standing in front of her?

She was easy to read. He saw the anxiety, but more than that, he saw the hope, the need. “I don’t want to frighten you again.”

“You didn’t frighten me…” Her smile was uncertain, almost shy. “You made me really nervous…and—”

“And?”

“You made me feel something I haven’t felt in a very long time. Wasn’t sure I ever would again.”

“Like what?”

A pretty, pink flush washed over her face. “You made me want.”

She left him breathless with her sweetness, her honesty and courage. Even though every masculine instinct told him to take her, hold her, devour that sweetness, Brennan held himself still. Everything, including the smallest of gestures, must be up to her. She’d had too much taken from her already. Damned if he would demand something she wasn’t ready to give.

He could, however, give her this. “I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone more than I want to kiss you.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? Skylar told me you dated a Miss America contestant and a Miss World in the same week.”

He liked that she could tease him, that she felt comfortable with him.

When he did nothing, she bit her lip slightly, tilted her head. “So, you going to do it or not?”

“No, you are.”

Anxiety again, but it was almost immediately replaced by excitement, curiosity. Stretching up on her toes, she leaned into him, put her mouth on his, and then instantly raised her head, looking somewhat disappointed.

“That the kind of kiss you wanted?” Brennan asked.

Darn him. He knew it wasn’t, but he also wouldn’t take anything she wasn’t ready to give. After yesterday’s near fiasco, she couldn’t blame him for his caution.

Kacie wanted to growl her frustration. She’d never asked a guy to kiss her before, never had to. And now, she wanted this man’s kiss more than anything, and he expected her to do it on her own?

“Okay…let’s try it again.” She put her hands on his shoulders, her mouth on his and pressed a firm kiss onto his unsmiling lips. That was better but still not what she wanted.

Taking a breath, she wrapped her arms around him, pressed her body against his, and put her mouth back on his. Still nothing.

She spoke against his mouth. “You know it takes two to tango.”

She was so close she felt the smile curve his mouth against hers.

“You’re doing good…keep going.”

She might’ve given up if it wasn’t for the fact that she was pressed against his chest and could feel the rapid beat of his heart. He might be playing it safe, but he wasn’t unaffected.

Feeling empowered, Kacie put her mouth against his again, moved softly, caressing. He responded, but too slowly, too careful. She wasn’t about to give up, though. She pressed deeper into him and licked his lips, then took a nibble at his sensuous lower lip. A deep growl started in his chest. Progress, at last.

Continuing the assault, she nibbled, sucked, and also added the occasional tongue caress. That lasted for several seconds until, with a deeper growl, Brennan took over. His mouth opened, and he drew her into a soul-devouring, heart-stopping melding of his mouth to hers.

Kacie halted all efforts to control the kiss as she let Brennan sweep her away into the most delicious moment of her entire life.

Minutes later, he raised his head and said softly, “Good night, Kacie.”

Every part of her body throbbed with need, and though she knew she’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted Brennan Sinclair, she also knew she wasn’t ready to take this any further.

Pulling away from him, she said softly, “Good night,” and made her exit before she could change her mind.

She felt his eyes on her as she walked up the stairway. If she turned and went back down, she knew she could have more of those delicious kisses, plus other things. She didn’t have the courage to try, though…at least not yet.

Feeling as though she was dancing on air, Kacie prepared for bed. Her usual ritual of face washing and teeth brushing were done automatically as she relived those moments in Brennan’s arms. How wonderful he had tasted, and while she’d felt safe and cared for, she’d never experienced such off-the-edge excitement. It was like freefalling from an airplane but knowing that you would land safely and securely.

She pulled on a favorite pair of pajamas, short shorts, and a tank top, pulled back the covers, and settled down to sleep. By habit, she’d left the light on in the bathroom, but she was almost sure that very soon it would no longer be a necessity. Even though someone out there possibly wanted to ruin her, she actually felt safer than she’d ever felt in her life. How incredible was that?

Sliding her hand under her pillow to position it more comfortably, she paused when her fingers touched something odd. Puzzled, Kacie sat up and picked up her pillow. She squinted in the dim light. Flat, shiny, and square, it appeared to be a photograph of some kind.

Flipping the light switch at the top of her bed, she looked down again. A moan escaped her, and then she couldn’t breathe. Breath rasped from her lungs in loud, ugly gasps. A dim part of her mind told her she was hyperventilating, but she couldn’t stop, couldn’t think.

Oh God, how had—

Practically falling out of bed, Kacie stumbled to the door, opened it and was at Brennan’s door in a second. She barely managed to wait until she entered his room before she sobbed his name.

Chance Encounter is the second in Christy Reece’s LCR Elite series.  This second book gives us the story of Kacie and Brennan.  I loved that Chance Encounter was so much more than I expected.  I knew I was in for some twists and thrills.  But Kacie and Brennan were a wonderful surprise.  I really enjoyed their relationship and how it developed.

Christy Reece is a new favorite.  I’ve been a longtime reader of romantic suspense and am always looking for the next one to read.  Reece continually delivers a page turning romance filled with intrigue that has the reader needing to know what will happen next.

Author Info

Growing up in a tiny community in Alabama boasting only one stop sign and a gas station gave Christy ample opportunity to create daring adventures in her head. When she wasn’t thinking of her story characters, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys kept her entertained and out of trouble. Later came the chills of Stephen King and the thrills of John Grisham, but the romance genre always held a strong place in her heart.

A few years ago, she decided to write the stories that had been rattling around in her head. Now she and her characters couldn’t be happier.

Christy lives in Alabama with her husband, five adorable fur-kids and one very shy turtle.

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Once Upon a Cowboy
Whisper Creek # 1

By: Maggie McGinnis

Releasing June 30, 2015

Loveswept

Blurb

In this sexy Whisper Creek romance for readers of Kristan Higgins, Susan Mallery, and Molly O’Keefe, a red-hot cowboy uses some Montana magic to give a reclusive beauty her happily ever after.

Yoga instructor Jessalyn Alcott radiates peace, calm, and serenity—on the outside. Inside, she still feels like the broken, desperate girl from the trailer park. She’s got dark secrets she can’t share, which is why she never lets her relationships go beyond the third date. But when she travels to the Whisper Creek dude ranch for a friend’s wedding, Jess is enchanted by a cowboy whose deep blue eyes, dimpled smile, and rock-hard body make it tough to remember why she keeps running scared.

Cole Driscoll has struggled to find his place on a family ranch where he’s always played second fiddle. His future might be uncertain, but he’s sure of one thing: He wants Jess by his side. Easier said than done. When it comes to getting close, she’s full of excuses, and he longs to fix the hurt he sees in her eyes. Now that she’s at Whisper Creek, there’s nothing he wants more than to break down the walls around her heart and heal her pain with the power of love.

Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/03/once-upon-cowboywhisper-creek-3-by.html

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Excerpt

“Okay, look to your left.” Kyla pointed toward the stable as she adjusted her camera later that afternoon. “And stop growling at me. Grumpy cowboys do not sell calendars, Cole.”

“Don’t they have models who do this kind of thing?”

“Yes, but they’re not authentic. You guys are the real deal.”

Cole raised his eyebrows. “The real deal is sweat and dirt and stink.”

“We’re going for pseudo real deal, then. Dirt and stink don’t sell calendars, either.” She motioned at him again. “Lift the brim of your hat up a little, okay? Your eyes are in shadow.”

“Kyla.”

“No growling.”

He raised his hat the obligatory half-inch, and of course as he did, Decker strolled out of the barn.

“Lookin’ good, Cole. Gonna get a little scratchy with those buttons undone, though, don’t you think?”

“Shut up, Decker. Don’t get any horse shit on those fancy shoes.” He looked toward Kyla. “Are we done here yet?”

“I was actually hoping to get a few more in the—”

“Sorry. Union rules. I can only be photographed for an hour a day.”

“Just a few more?”

Cole started doing up his buttons. “I have work to do, Kyla. Go play shutterbug with somebody else for a while, wouldja?”

Christ. Stupid calendar. Real cowboys didn’t run around with their shirts open, aiming for the best light so their eyes wouldn’t be in—shadow. He shivered. At least she hadn’t suggested waxing.

“You could do worse, you know.” Decker grinned as he watched Kyla walk back up to the main lodge. “Maybe she can post those pics online or something. Might help you get a date for Daniel and Hayley’s wedding.”

Cole executed a middle-finger salute, then leaned down to pick up a rope Kyla’d insisted on using for a prop. “Don’t need a date. We have any early guests coming in today so I can be very, very busy next time she comes around with that damn camera?”

“Just Jess.”

Cole stopped coiling the rope. “Oh. Right.”

“Trying to make like you forgot? I’ll pretend I haven’t seen you check your watch about eighty times today.” Decker laughed. “Gonna get up the nerve to actually take her out while she’s here this time?”

“I’ve got plenty of nerve.”

“Right. She’s been out here three times now, and every single time, you’re like a parched man looking at a desert mirage, but—”

“Shut up. I’m hardly—parched.”

Decker eyed him in that way he had, the look that stripped the lies right off your face and made you tell the truth whether you wanted to or not. “I don’t know. Word in the bunkhouse is that your rep in town is getting a little rusty.”

“I’m not—rusty. And we don’t have a damn bunkhouse.”

“Want to know what I think?”

“No.”

“I think ever since you met Jess, you can’t help but compare everybody to her. And nobody quite measures up.”

Exactly. “Not true.”

“Well, true or not, she’ll be here by dinnertime. Kyla’s leaving for the airport in a while to get her.”

Cole rolled his eyes. It wasn’t like he’d been counting the days or anything. Not like he’d gotten a haircut yesterday or had thoroughly checked out Jess’s cabin this morning to be sure it was shipshape and ready for her.

He shook his head, trying to get visions of Jess’s long dark hair and deep brown eyes out of his brain. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around Daniel and Hayley getting married in a week. I feel like we live and breathe weddings around here these days.”

“We’re gonna have a lot more if Kyla’s Bridal Bliss package thing works out.”

“I suppose that means we’d better finish the spa so she can start selling the packages.” Cole shook his head. How in the world had their working ranch become a wedding-slash-spa-slash- getaway place? “Your woman makes a hell of a lot of work for us, you know.”

Decker laughed. “She makes a hell of a lot of money for us, too. I think the only reason she’s not haranguing us to get the spa done is she’s hoping Jess will help with the design. I have a feeling she’s going to dangle it out as a carrot to get Jess to stay out here.”

“Out here out here? Like, for good?”

“Yep.” Decker nodded. “She’s been planting seeds for months. Getting Hayley to move to Montana got her all puffed up about her abilities. Now she’s turned her sights on Jess.”

“Poor Jess.” Cole shook his head.

“Pretty sure she can handle herself.” Decker tossed a beaten-up leather briefcase into the cab of his truck. “I gotta go charm the home buyers. Hold down the fort.”

As Decker headed out the driveway, Cole turned up the hill toward the new lodge, half of which was Whisper Creek’s new childcare facility and petting zoo. The other half was still rough-framed inside, but by fall was supposed to be ready for duty as a full-service spa.

He strolled toward the building, letting himself in the spa door. He inhaled, loving the scent of fresh lumber and drywall putty. Decker was the acknowledged brainiac of the family, working with his design software for half the night, but Cole preferred to be the guy with his hands right in the mud—literally.

Morning sun came through the east-facing windows and skylights, and he tried to picture what the spa would look like once it was finished. They had fifteen hundred square feet to work with, which might be an architect’s dream—if the architect was ever at the ranch long enough to figure out what to do with all this emptiness. Cole sure didn’t have a clue.

But then he pictured Jess in the warmly lit space, gliding around with one of her yoga outfits on, flashing her warm smile his way, tying up that long, long dark hair into a ponytail he’d just itch to take back down.

He shook his head, trying to erase the vision. Fantasizing about Jess before she even got here was only going to torture him more.

And her kind of torture was the kind that only left a man wanting what he could not have.

 

Maggie McGinnis’ Once Upon a Cowboy is the third in her Whisper Creek series.  This is the first book I’ve read in the series.  Once Upon a Cowboy can be read as a standalone as an enjoyable read.  I will be reading the first and second as soon as I can purchase them.

I really appreciated the character dynamics McGinnis gives readers with Jess and Cole.  I couldn’t help but feel for Jess.  I wanted her to open up to Cole.  And who wouldn’t want a guy that knows what he wants and does what he can to make that happen.  I was rooting for Cole to succeed in getting Jess to trust him and realize he was going to be there for her.

Once Upon a Cowboy is the first Maggie McGinnis I’ve read but definitely not the last.

Author Info

Maggie McGinnis, USA Today Bestselling Author of Accidental Cowgirl and Driving Without a License, which was a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award is a former high school English teacher, an accomplished musician, and a certified black belt, who lives in New England with her family.

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