A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: DYLAN releases next Monday, Sept. 18,2023. Today’s little teaser is from Harper Vale’s POV as she reads up on the new hire, Dylan Keane.
Harper peeled her sweaty clothes from her body, tossed them in the hamper, and then jumped into the shower for a quick hose down of the day. That done, she then took a moment to evaluate her arms and legs.
Old scars in various colors and lengths traversed her limbs. Some were so old the skin had turned white where they’d healed. Others were various shades of pink. The most recent – the grad school ones – were smaller, but redder in color.
Harper shook her head as she fingered several of the older ones on her forearms and then her thighs. Her scars were the reason she never wore short-sleeved shirts or shorts in public. The need to explain to anyone who noticed the scarified flesh why they hopscotched across her limbs was a conversation she wasn’t going to have with anyone – ever – if she could help it.
With meticulous care, she pumped a bottle of body lotion a few times, then slathered her arms and legs with the white, coconut-scented cream. Done, she pulled on a pair of ancient gym sweats, an old college t-shirt. Since she was staying home and no one was going to see her, she figured she might as well be comfortable and cool. Next, she saw to dinner.
But first, she had to feed her fish.
“Hey, Tony,” she said as she sprinkled some of the fish food her mother had given her as a gift for Christmas into the bowl sitting atop her kitchen counter. The single goldfish swam to the surface to suck in the flakes. “Do anything fun today?”
Tony ignored her as he darted around the bowl to catch every single flake of food before it drifted to the bottom.
“Yeah. Me, neither.”
She pulled open her refrigerator door. Her fridge wasn’t what anyone would call stocked. Several cartons of generic yogurt, a bowl of leftover spaghetti from last night’s dinner, a half-loaf of bread, and a carton of eggs were the only things on the shelves, reminding her she needed to go grocery shopping soon. The salad she’d treated herself to at lunch today was supposed to be a nod to try and eat better. She’d forgotten the prices of the salads at work were based on weight, though. Her first one had consisted mostly of lettuce and some sliced egg bits and still cost her almost four dollars. Luckily, when the new guy bumped into her and offered to replace her ruined meal, she’d opted to add more on it since she wasn’t paying. The soda and cookies she’d tossed in were an indulgent treat. And since he didn’t protest, she figured, why not?
As she reheated the spaghetti in the microwave she thought about the new guy.
Dylan.
After she’d gone back to her office she’d retrieved the email introducing him to the company and discovered his last name was Keane.
Dylan Keane.
A pretty ordinary name for a guy anything but.
She read through his biography again paying special attention to the personal stuff and not the professional achievements.
Vital statistics: Thirty-six, single.
No mention if the single status was because of divorce, never married, or something else.
Personal interests: biking, karate, running.
Now she understood why he’d been impressed with her bike. If he was an avid rider himself, he’d surely have recognized the classic Schwinn 10-speed. This version hadn’t been produced in over twenty-five years and collectors paid a fortune for originals.
Wonder what he would have said if he knew it was her first bike, gifted to her on her tenth birthday by her parents and which she’d lovingly cared for all these years?
The microwave dinged and she stood in her small kitchen, bowl in hand, and ate.
So he was a runner. The memory of his six-foot-plus, trim, long-legged body proved it. He had that classic male model physique – the inverted coat hanger. Broad, square shoulders tapering down to a trim waist and lean hips and ending in legs that went on for days.
For a tech geek he liked sporty stuff. Most of the techies she knew from work and while she’d been at school eschewed physical sports of any kind, preferring to sit in front of their screens most of the day. Gamers were the inveterate couch potato. She couldn’t picture Dylan Keane sitting in a chair with a joystick or control panel in his hands for hours on end.
Future aspirations: to be independently wealthy and one day run a non-profit devoted to helping underprivileged kids enter STEM careers.
Well, well. It seemed Mr. Gorgeous had lofty future goals. Or he just mentioned those because he knew it would look good to others.
Harper didn’t know him well enough to decide which characterization was the more truthful.
In just 1 week A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: DYLAN releases into the book loving world. This is the third book in the A PRIDE OF BROTHERS SERIES, and centers around middle brother, Dylan Keane. My idea of what Dylan looks like is….
Le sigh.
5 things about Dylan that you should know are that he’s a cyberspecialist, a hacker, he’s loyal, loves his family and is a total extrvert.
Cyber Security specialist Dylan Keene is working undercover to suss out a corporate thief. The client wants answers – yesterday – and Dylan’s getting close. When he zeros in on coding expert Harper Vale, he thinks he’s found his mole and sets out to prove it.
Harper has a reputation as a coding savant and an introvert. As a woman competing in a male dominated industry, Harper doesn’t make waves. Dylan’s interest in her is flattering, but after she’s implicated in the theft of the company’s protected software, she begins to doubt everything he’s told her.
When a series of potentially deadly accidents occur, all surrounding Harper, Dylan starts to wonder if she truly is guilty, or being made to take the fall. One thing is certain, though. The more time the two of them spend together, the more Dylan realizes he’s the one who’s falling – for Harper.
Today’s snippet comes from the 9.18.2023 release of A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: DYLAN, the third book in the POB series.
As the name implies, Dylan Keane is front and center in this one. A cyberspecialist/bodyguard/hacker, Dylan has been hired to suss out a corporate thief. He centers on a dream team member named Harper Vale. Here’s Harper’s impression of Dylan:
“Guys like you always have an agenda.”
“Guys like me?”
She lifted a shoulder, then a hand in a careless wave, slicing the air. “Good-looking, likable. The kind who only has to smile to make a girl feel like she’s the queen of the world. Guys like you always have ulterior motives when it comes to me, so let’s get to it and forget all the schmoozing.”
She counted to ten while he simply gaped at her. She figured the insults alone would make him leave her to her desired solitude. Her dismissive attitude would certainly add to the swiftness with which he’d go.
After she got to ten, she took a breath, astounded he still sat across from her. Then, something happened that she’d never counted on: he smiled. Not the full wattage aren’t-I-just-the-hottest-thing-you’ve-ever-seen smile he’d tossed her a few minutes ago. No, this one was real. She’d bet next week’s pay on it. And, holy crap, it was more devastating and…alluring, than anything she’d seen prior.
Her face scorched with heat at his gentle perusal. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He tilted his head to the left and tucked his cheek between his teeth. “You think I’m good-looking?” he asked in a voice so filled with conceit she couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her.
When his grin broadened, showing off the second mortgage his parents probably took out to pay for his perfect orthodontia, something shifted low in her belly, something she hadn’t felt in quite some time: arousal.
“Do you own a mirror?” she asked.
He nodded. “Couple.”
“Well, then.” She sliced her hand in the air again in a there-you-have-it gesture.
Okay, this one is making me all happy on the inside! A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: DYLAN is set to release into the book-reading world on September 18, 2023! I am sososo thrilled. Here’s the very first look at the cover:
And here’s the book jacket blurb:
Cyber-security specialist Dylan Keane is working undercover to suss out a corporate thief. When he zeroes in on Harper Vale, he thinks he’s found his mole.
Harper has a reputation as a coding savant and an introvert. Dylan’s interest is flattering, but after she’s implicated in the theft of the company’s protected software, she doubts everything he’s told her.
When a series of potentially deadly accidents occur involving Harper, Dylan wonders if she is being set up to take the fall. One thing is certain: the more time they spend together, the more Dylan realizes he’s the one who’s falling—for Harper.
And now here’s the FIRST LINE:
Chapter 1
Wednesday, noon
Dylan Keane knew if he hadn’t been forced to walk the straight and narrow by his parents, he would have had a lucrative career as a con man instead of a private investigator.
No preorder links yet because we’re so far out for publication, but I am sosos excited to have a set date for release.
If you haven’t read the two previous PRIDE OF BROTHERS books, Rick and Aiden, now it your chance to get caught up!
Elite bodyguard and P.I. Rick Bannerman’s job is to protect. He doesn’t get emotional with his clients, but when a woman from his past is threatened, his next job becomes personal.
Family lawyer Abigail Laine is the target of a client’s vengeful husband, but refuses Rick’s offer of protection. He walked away from her four years ago, and she swore to forget him.
Now her reluctance to accept his help could cost Abby her life.
Lexi Buckley wants answers about her younger sister’s death. The police have labeled it a suicide, but Lexi doesn’t believe it. Stymied in her investigation, she doesn’t know where to turn next. After a chance encounter with a private investigator, she thinks her prayers have been answered.
Aiden Keane has never been an answer to a prayer before, but he agrees to help Lexi. A quirky combo of brains and beauty, the pixie blonde makes him feel things no professional ever should for a client.
When their investigation puts Lexi’s life in jeopardy, her safety becomes his number one priority. The hard part is not falling for her.
Look how great these covers look all together!!!
and here’s one more little teaser….there’s 1 more book-brother left to write. Only 2 people on the planet know the name of this brother, me and a very special lady. Hee hee. More on that to come….
The first book in my A PRIDE OF BROTHERS series, RICK, is one of my favorite stories because it’s an enemies-to-lovers trope, something I just adore reading because it’s always fun to see who caves in first and admits their feelings!
“Maybe you want to slow down the champagne chugging, Abs,” Gemma Laine said, her tone more suggestive of a parent than a sibling, as she lowered her camera and regarded her older sister.
RICK was a Rone Finalist in the Romantic Suspense category, has been a READER RECOMMENDED book by Author Shout in 2020, and has even been made into a game by CHAPTERS Intereactive ROMANCE stories
This book won so many awards and was nominated for so many more, that it holds a special place in my heart because it validated I could write romantic suspense and people like what I wrote!
Hadley Evans Ferrari, art detective in Florence, Italy, is on the scent of a forgotten Fragonard painting at a villa in Rome when she stumbles across a treasure trove of stolen Nazi artwork—from Hermann Göring’s personal World War II stash.
When she and the palazzo’s interior decorator are held hostage by the head of a secret Nazi organization and required, in a race against time, to appraise all the artwork in the house for private sale, she fears they will never escape with their lives.
Can her sexy carabinieri husband Luca Ferrari and the police department’s Art Squad get there in time to come storming in and “save the day” before the villa’s evil Count “ties up loose ends”?
“How do you know me?”
“Who in Italy doesn’t know the famous and beautiful Signora Ferrari of Massimo Domingo Art
Detective Agency?”
“I wasn’t aware anyone knew my name. My boss is the premier art expert.”
“Signora, you’re too modest. Your reputation precedes you, as does the highly questionable and fading reputation of your boss. And your particular expertise will be put to very good use here, I assure you. It’s a special job that requires your particular skills.”
“What exactly are we doing here?” Hadley demanded, acting more courageous than she felt.
“Okay, let’s dispense with the niceties, if we must. I have inherited a number of paintings, and I’m in need of your talent in authenticating and tracking the provenance of what I believe are masterworks.”
“You mean stolen Nazi art.”
The man straightened. “Certainly not. I have the records that maintain these paintings were legally sold to the buyers and that I now own Palazzo Allegretti and all of its contents.”
“But I understood that Herr Muller had purchased the palazzo.”
“Herr Muller works for us. He’s what you could call an anonymous third party. We’ve been waiting a long time to release these paintings onto the open market. I simply need your assistance in verifying their authenticity, perhaps giving us an idea of their current value, which has undoubtedly risen since they were…”
“Confiscated?” Hadley posed. “Is that the word you were looking for?”
Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres from women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy and cozy mysteries. She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel with Strong Romantic Elements and Paranormal/Fantasy Romance. She was also The Finalist in the 2017 Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) in the Romance Category for her novel, Stumble Stones, and The Finalist for the 2018 GAYA Awards in the Romance category for her novel, The Alibi. Her latest novel, The Case of the Forgotten Fragonard, Book 3 in the Massimo Domingo Mystery series, her 29th work of fiction, was released today. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, Marilyn is past chair and current member of Roswell Reads and serves on the Atlanta Authors Series Committee. To find out more about what Marilyn writes, visit her website at: www.marilynbaron.com/
This little story has already garnered a few other awards, so this is a cherry-on-top finalist event for me!!!
Winners will be announced in April, so I’ll let you know how AIDEN does.
Lexi Buckley wants answers about her younger sister’s death. The police have labeled it a suicide, but Lexi doesn’t believe it. Stymied in her investigation, she doesn’t know where to turn next. After a chance encounter with a private investigator, she thinks her prayers have been answered.
Aiden Keane has never been an answer to a prayer before, but he agrees to help Lexi. A quirky combo of brains and beauty, the pixie blonde makes him feel things no professional ever should for a client.
When their investigation puts Lexi’s life in jeopardy, her safety becomes his number one priority. The hard part is not falling for her.
You all know I lovelovelove it when one of my Wild Rose Press sistahs comes to visit. Today, I’ve got TENA STETLER here to tell you about her newest WRP release. Tena’s been a frequent visitor to the blog and every time she comes she brings me a new need-to-read book!
Tena…take it away…
Hey, Peggy, thank you for allowing me on your blog to talk about writing and the release of my new release, SECURITY FORCE OF TWO
I’m a writer. That’s what I do, I write. I’ve spun tales since I was old enough to read and put Crayola to paper. With my vivid overactive imagination, I’m never at a loss for a magical story. The tricky part is keeping it interesting and flowing from beginning to end. Over the past couple of years, there’s been a family crisis in my world, illnesses, major surgery, and physical therapy.
While I’ve rarely had real-life disrupt my writing, it did this time – big time. After surviving COVID in 2021, a blood clot caused by COVID, then the necessity of major surgery for full hip replacement on October 5, 2022, the words didn’t come as easily. Now this wasn’t “writer’s block”, the ideas were still there, but the continuity was not. Finally, the manuscript was submitted. However there was a glaring continuity issue, I missed. Bless my editor’s heart, she brought it to my attention (Yep, my face was red). The error was corrected and the novel was contracted. Whew!
After that fiasco, I returned to my new manuscript and barely made my weekly word count goal. My heart just wasn’t in the words. Self-doubt danced around the edges of my mind. Was it the recent chaos in my life or was the well running dry?
The family drama and illness have settled down, the loose ends are still running amuck, but we’ll get them tamed. I’m off the heavy-duty painkillers from the surgery(nothing worse than your mind floating off and you can’t catch it), able to care for myself, getting rested up, and feeling more me. Scary thought, huh? Wow, what a difference that makes.
Now, the words are back in abundance. Yippee! My second book in the Mountain Town Mystery Series is back on track. It’s taking a little longer, as I keep re-reading the partial manuscript to make sure part of the story doesn’t disappear and the continuity is spot on. I can’t tell you how much fodder that event gave the little voice in my head that creates self-doubt.
I put these words to paper—Or I guess actually it’s to screen so others will know there is always a light at the end of that dark tunnel. Sometimes you just have to wait for the ray of light, but it’s there lurking. That’s tough for me as I’m the impatient, determined sort. Well, it’s time to delve back into my next book in the second Mountain Town Mystery Series before the characters take off in the wrong direction…again. <sigh>
What I’d like to take away from all this is, take time to enjoy your family and friends. Remember to take care of you. A short walk, relax in a quiet place can get the juices flowing again. Self-doubt is a reoccurring event for most writers, don’t let it rule your world.
Now let me tell you about my new release SECURITY FORCE OF TWO.
Miacoh Zane, a Special Forces veteran, returns to Aspen Ridge, Colorado a small town nestled in the Rocky Mountains, to settle his beloved grandmother’s estate. But the town holds painful memories and family secrets he wants to leave behind for good.
Candle Bearclaw, a gifted computer analyst/programmer with talents she’s buried when recruited out of college by the CIA. After fifteen years, she abruptly resigns her position with the agency. She returns to her sleepy hometown only to discover her childhood crush has also returned and a violent crime has been committed.
Due to their covert operations experience, Candle and Miacoh are thrown together to assist Homeland Security, FBI, and her father, former chief of police, with a murder investigation. As they search for the perpetrators, will their secrets be revealed as the investigation takes an unusual twist that could blow the case wide open.
Candle Bearclaw stood in front of Carl’s large mahogany desk, laid the unsealed white envelope face up on the polished desktop, and slid it toward her boss.
“What’s this?” Carl eyed the offending envelope.
“It’s what we talked about last week, my resignation.” Candle swung her briefcase onto the leather chair beside her. Pulling out a laptop computer, a manila file folder, and a memory stick, she sat them on the corner of her boss’s desk. “It’s all here, including the passwords necessary to access the sensitive files, my work thus far on the assignment, including my contacts, and it’s a good stopping point for me. Someone else should be able to pick up exactly where I left off, seamlessly. I am requesting a no contact status by you and the agency.” She pulled out a .380 semi-automatic tucked into the waistband of her slacks, ejected the magazine, and racked the slide open. Gingerly setting the gun on the desk beside the other items, she sighed.
He looked across the desk at her, observing her actions. “I understand your position, but that may not be possible. How deep were you?”
Hands flat on the desktop, she leaned over and glared at him. “Deep enough to understand the assignment went against every fiber of my being. You knew that when you assigned it to me, and yet, you did it anyway, knowing it would be my final act as a CIA operative.”
She stood and raised her arms in a surrender motion. “For God’s sakes, Carl, I’m a computer analyst turned hacker under your fine tutelage. I can’t do it anymore.”
Carl leaned back in his chair. “A replacement will be difficult to find, if not impossible,” he said flatly. “You’re the best.”
“You should have thought about that before you forced me to take this assignment,” she insisted, pacing around the room.
Carl raked his fingers through his thick salt and pepper hair rubbing at the tension knots that formed the minute she walked through the door. “Thought you’d come around. You always have.”
Candle shook her head, feeling a little sorry for the predicament she’d put him in, though it was of his own making. “Not this time. I’m through. And I’m taking you up on the promise you made when I agreed to become an independent contractor with the agency.” She gave a half laugh. “That didn’t last long, did it?”
“That was a long time ago before you were officially with the agency. I’m not sure you can just walk now. The director needs to sign off on this.” Her boss leaned forward with his elbows on the desk, fingers tented in front of him, and gave her a hard stare.
“I guess that’s your problem. Unless, of course, you want me to have a little chat with the President.” She shrugged then returned his stare, refusing to look away. “Come on, Carl cut the bullshit. I know you don’t want me to go, but we both know I’m not cut out for what this assignment could turn into. I’m a computer geek, not a deep-cover operative.”
Finally looking away, Carl sighed, reached for the envelope, and pulled out three pieces of neatly folded paper. The first was her handwritten resignation, signed and notarized. The second had one word typed on the entire page, a password to unlock her agency computer giving access to the top-secret files stored there. “Only one password?” He raised a bushy brow in question.
“Yes, the rest you can get from my handler, Mark, along with anything you don’t understand on the third page regarding my assignment.” She turned on her heel and started for the door.
Carl stood and walked around the desk. “Candle. Are you sure about this?”
She paused and turned halfway around. “Positive.”
The determined look on her face said it all. He sighed. “Ok, I’ll set up your exit interview in one hour. That’ll give me time to get HR briefed and up here.”
“Thanks, Carl. I appreciate it.” She pulled a single piece of paper out of her briefcase and laid it in front of him. “I need you to sign off on this, acknowledging receipt of my computer, weapon, phone, and files.”
Carl pulled the paper toward him, scribbled his name at the bottom, pushed the document back to her. “You know this is going to tarnish my reputation.” He said gruffly, a small smile crossing his lips. “I just allowed one of our best geeks to cut her ties to the agency.” Carl solemnly nodded his head, bringing his eyes up to meet hers. “I wish you’d reconsider.”
Candle shook her head slowly. “Not a chance.” She grasped the polished silver handle and yanked open the door. Walking through, she closed it quietly. Leaning her back against the door, she felt like a dead weight had just been lifted from her shoulders and let out a sigh of relief. Only the director stood in the way of her freedom.
Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award-winning paranormal tales. Some call her crazy others creative. She deals with the voices in her head by writing them down and creating a fantasy world and characters you won’t soon forget. Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure, magic, and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.
Colorado is home; shared with her husband of many moons, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a fifty-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.
You all know – because I say it all the time – but I lovelovelove when my Wild Rose Press sistahs come to visit and bring me their new books. Today is a treat for me and you! C.B. Clark has a new romantic suspense out titled Forging Forgiveness and she is allowing me to share a bit of it with you! Take a gander at this sure-to-be-a-bestseller novel…
When small-town college instructor Candace Cooper discovers bloody, bare footprints in the snow while running in a state park deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, it brings back the horrific nightmare of her past.
Detective Aiden Farrell is determined to redeem himself in his new position in Colorado, even if that means ignoring his growing feelings for the beautiful professor he meets during an investigation. His fear that the footprints she saw are connected to a recent spate of missing teens intensifies when Candace is assaulted on campus.
Aiden and Candace join forces, but as they start unraveling the truth, they get closer to each other—and to a killer who’ll stop at nothing to achieve his nefarious goal.
Caught between duty and love, Aiden fights in a race against time to save the woman he loves.
Candace Cooper’s breath fogged out in plumes in the frosty, late afternoon air as she pumped her arms and loped along the narrow trail. Yesterday’s rain had turned to sleet, and overnight, two inches of fresh snow blanketed the path and weighed down the limbs of the tall pine trees.
Hey, what was that?
She slowed to a stop, turned around, and walked back three yards.
What the heck?
Indentations—a heel, the pad of a big toe, and the four, smaller indents of the other toes—were clearly formed in the smooth dusting of snow. The set of small, narrow footprints tracked along the snowy trail, veering into the deeper shadows of the forest. Someone had walked in his or her bare feet down the cold, snow- covered path.
The wind gusted against her damp face, and she shivered. Late November was too cold for anyone in their right mind to be out in the mountainous backcountry of northeast Colorado walking around without proper footgear, let alone barefoot. She squatted for a closer look.
A smear of dark red, stark against the white snow, marked the heel depression of each left footprint.
She touched the red splotch with the tip of her gloved finger. A rust-colored smudge stained the light blue cotton. Her heart rate kicked up.
Blood!
Sinking back on her heels, she peered into the forest’s deepening shadows and shuddered. Only four o’clock in the afternoon, and the sun was already disappearing behind the mountains. Nothing stirred. Even the squirrels were quiet, as if the silent forest watched and waited.
She knew this area of the park, ran the trails in the summer and snowshoed over the flatlands in the winter. Nothing manmade existed out there—no houses, no cottages, nothing but trees and wild animals.
Most visitors to Creighton Springs State Park stayed on the well-groomed gravel walkways and didn’t venture far from the parking lot. She never saw anyone on the hilly trail, not in winter. Yet, as recently as this morning, or early afternoon, someone had gone this way—and in bare feet. They’d left a blood trail. If that person was injured, maybe they needed help.
She slipped off her gloves and traced her finger along the impression. Too small to be an adult male or female’s footprint. Her gut clenched.
A child?
God, no! Please don’t let it be a child. The unspeakable horror of the past reared over her like an attacking beast, and she sagged onto her knees, her heart pounding as if threatening to burst from her chest. A piteous moan escaped her lips. Not again. Dear Lord, please, not again.
Hot tears burned her eyes.
A loud crack reverberated throughout the silent forest.
She bit back a scream and surged to her feet. Gunshot?
An instant later, another sharp boom filled the air.
The piercing sounds of distant rifle fire were unmistakable. But no way would anyone be shooting. It was illegal to hunt in the park. Besides, it was too dark for a hunter to see his target.
Her heart thundered, her breath frozen in her chest. Seconds passed, turning into minutes. Her back tingled with the certainty she was being watched, but she couldn’t move, could only stand there and listen, waiting for the next shot.
The forest remained hushed.
The sun dipped behind the mountains, and the valley filled with dark shadows as night settled in.
A snap of a branch breaking shook her out of her paralysis. The breath she’d been holding whooshed out, and she fumbled in her backpack and drew out her headlamp. Slipping the elastic strap over her forehead, she switched on the light.
Following the thin beam of light cast by her headlamp, she jogged down the trail. Her legs wobbled, and she stumbled over slippery roots and rocks, staggering, almost falling, but she dug deep and kept running.
The parking lot where she’d left her car was an hour’s walk, but if she ran, she could make it in half that time. Heart thumping, her lungs burning, she raced around a bend in the trail but lurched to a stop at a flicker of movement in the trees on her right.
A large shadow separated from the trunk of a fir tree and formed into the shape of a man.
She shone her headlamp into the forest.
The beam of light revealed a tall man with broad shoulders wearing a camouflage-patterned coat and baggy, green cargo pants. A gray woolen toque hung low over his forehead, and a thick black beard covered the lower half of his face. A rifle was strapped over one shoulder.
“He…hello?” Her voice was thin and reedy. He wasn’t a park ranger. Not in that getup, but he had to be the person shooting, considering the enormous rifle slung over his shoulder.
Not one part of his body moved. He didn’t even blink.
Hands shaking, she peeled off her gloves, letting them fall to the ground, and yanked out the can of pepper spray she carried in a canvas holster strapped around her waist. Sliding off the safety guard, she held the can up, the nozzle pointed at the unsettling stranger. “Who are you? What do you want?”
The man remained still and unspeaking.
Her heart thundered in her ears. “Hey, I asked you a question. What do you want?”
Behind the beard, he smiled, his lips stretching wide, his teeth gleaming in the headlamp’s beam. In the encroaching darkness, his muscular frame appeared larger, his demeanor even more threatening.
Fear clawed her throat, and her primal instincts kicked in. Run! The urgent command roared through her, but her knees locked and refused to obey. Her breath puffed in and out in frantic huffs. “Don’t come any closer.” Gripping the can of pepper spray so tight her hand ached, she shifted her finger on the trigger.
Also available for purchase at Kobo.com and all other major online retailers.
Forging Forgiveness is award-winning author, C.B. Clark’s eighth novel published by The Wild Rose Press. When she’s not busy traveling around the globe or hiking and camping in the wilderness near her home in northern British Columbia, she can be found in front of her laptop plotting her next story.
Peggy Jaeger, Author 