💕 99¢ 💕  💕 99¢ 💕      |  Alana Summers was quite content with her life. A peaceful farm tucked in a wooded area by the lake with her pets for company. A shop in the small tourist town where she sells a potpourri of items that reflect everything about her. She's at peace. She's Wiccan. Logan Farmer is the local sheriff. Small town boy who went to the big city and joined the police force. Then he came home where he belonged. He is deeply rooted in his Native American heritage. Both had grown up knowing that there was more to the world that could be explained or seen. But neither of them knew that their peaceful lives could be disrupted in an instant by a legend long buried. A tale that had been told to them by Logan's grandmother when they were young along with a warning that the ancient legend could replay during their lifetime. But was it really an ancient paranormal evil come to roost or were the recent events merely the doings of a warped human mind? Or had the human's events shaped the return of the evil?  “Do you really have to come back out here? Maybe you should just get some sleep. You’ve got dark smudges under his eyes and the drawn look that was encompassing his face. “Logan. You aren’t going to be any good for anyone or anything if you are walking around like a zombie.” She was right. He had been burning the candle at both ends from the time that he had been called out to the Monroe farm. A few minutes of a catnap snatched here and there. A full two hours the night that he had dinner with Alana. Other than that, it was really hard to remember anything more than that. “We have more than one problem on our hands. I’ll sleep later.” “Nonsense. When we get to my house you are going to take one of the beds in the guest room and get a good night’s sleep.” When he started to argue, she held up a hand and shook her head. “No. Nothing else. Call your deputy and tell him that you are going to bed. You can get your reports in the morning.” His jaw clenched but he didn’t say anything. He just paid attention to the roads as he drove toward her cabin. The landscape rolled by, lit only by the occasional security light or glimpse of moonlight through the cloud covered sky. They didn’t pass any other cars except for one as they drove through the main street of town. “We will go get your truck another time. You’re right, I can’t keep my eyes open much longer.” He glanced over at her, the delicate profile calm despite the storm that they potentially faced. Logan couldn’t remember a time ever seeing her anything but calm, cool, and collected. She was the opposite of both of her sisters. “Are you sure Teagan isn’t going to have a problem with me bunking down in the guest room? “It will be fine. Teagan may be a bit high strung but she’s kind in her own way. She would take one look at you and either tell you to get some sleep or toss your ass in the bed herself.” Alana chuckled at laughed softly, they both knew her sister could likely call up a gust of air that would knock him off his feet. “Whatever.” When Logan pulled in front of the cabin it was dark. No lights on inside save for the single welcome lights glowing in each of the front windows. The rental car was still parked where it had been since they left earlier. The porch light was out. He turned to look at Alana, whose eyebrows were drawn together. “Alana, why would Teagan turn off the porch light when she knew that we were coming back?” “She wouldn’t.” As she reached for the door handle he put a hand on her arm. “Wait here while I go up. I assume that you don’t ever lock the door here either?” Alana shook her head. “I live in the middle of nowhere close to a town where I know everyone. And don’t forget, I put a protection spell around the cabin.” “Nevertheless, let me go up and check things out first.” He reached for his gun. Something was off. He could feel it. Logan walked up the flagstone sidewalk and climbed the two steps up on the porch. And his boots crunched on something. Buddy growled from the other side of the door. Taking the small flashlight out of his pocket, he scanned the wooden floor boards on the porch and saw the glass. Looking up, he saw the reason for the light not being on. The bulb had been broken. He would make sure that was rectified as soon as he could make sure everything inside was okay. He tried the knob. Locked. Buddy’s growls turned into a bark. Followed by a sleepy voice. “What the hell is wrong with you? Damn it Buddy, you woke me up!” He knocked on the door. “Teagan, it’s us. Let us in.” He turned and looked at Alana who was standing outside the truck. Of course, she wouldn’t stay put. He motioned for her to join him. Teagan opened the door a crack and looked out, her blue eyes sleepy. “What the hell Logan? Where’s Alana?” “I’m right here.” Alana joined Logan on the porch and Teagan stepped away from the door and walked toward the living room. “Teagan, why was the light out?” Alana frowned and checked the switch. It was in the on position. She looked at Logan. “The bulb must have burned out.” He shook his head. “It wasn’t burned out. It was broken.” He walked toward the kitchen and reached in a basket of potatoes, selecting one. “Give me a new bulb and turn the switch off. I’ll replace it.” He glanced over his shoulder at Teagan, who was sitting on the sofa dressed in some outrageously expensive pajama set. Black silk. With embroidered butterflies on it. So much like Teagan. “Teagan, it was good that you locked the door. Your sister could take a lesson from you.” Teagan pushed a lock of red hair behind her ear when she looked up. “I didn’t lock the door. When I finished up with my bath and you weren’t back, I just went up to bed and crashed. Until Buddy started growling and barking like a frigging maniac.” Alana handed him a light bulb out of the box she was holding. “It must have been the protection spell. If there was someone out here messing around that shouldn’t have been, it would make sense that the door ended up locked.” He couldn’t believe she wasn’t upset. Someone or something had been close to the cabin and she didn’t even blink an eye. Confident that the spell she had placed on the cabin had worked as it should have. “Alana, someone was here.” “And now they aren’t.” She put the box of bulbs back in the cabinet and took down three mugs. “How about some herbal tea for all of us? Then we sleep. Tomorrow is a new day.” |
 | Teagan Summers has a secret that she thought she had tucked away forever. That is, until she was summoned to her home town of Lakewood to help with banishing an ancient evil that had come to pay a visit to the sleepy town. Then, she was faced with another woman whose secret wasn't so secret anymore. Devon Brock knew he had to help his friend, Logan Farmer. Logan had helped him out too many times to turn his back and say no. However, he didn't realize that he would be called upon to pull out his law license to defend a poor woman who had killed and mutilated her husband on Halloween night. And he sure never expected to have to deal with spoiled Teagan Summers as part of it. Devon and Teagan join forces as they work valiantly to not only defend a murderess, but to help Teagan's sisters and Logan Farmer as they battle an unseen evil that threatens to destroy the small town of Lakewood. And as they work together, they also form a tentative truce that they both know could lead to more. Chapter 1 Teagan stood by the door to the gymnasium and watched the dance floor which was filled with vampires, witches, zombies, a dead president or two and a variety of other costumed partiers, all oblivious to the flutter of activity brought about by the arrival of Deputy Brent Castle. Teagan could see his grim expression as he talked with Logan, whose dark eyebrows furrowed together as his deputy spoke. Her oldest sister, Alana stood by with Georgia Monroe and Laura Hamaker and as she scanned the rest of the gym, she saw the ghostly spirit of a man weaving walking through a wall. Then she felt them. Her spirit guides, sending a prickle of awareness down her spine. She turned slightly toward the door and saw the pair of women standing off to the edge of the field beyond the parking lot of the gymnasium. Dark haired beauties with flowing peasant gowns and flowers in their hair. Her intake of breath was sharp as she watched the women smile gently and nod their heads in unison. It had been several years since she last saw them. They were the ones that gave her the strength and push she needed to remove herself from the unfortunate circumstances of her marriage. Ever present during some of the hardest days of her life. Lyuba and Nadya. Love and hope in ancient Romanian. Your strength is needed in this situation. Do not be afraid. Speak from the heart. She watched as her sister, Riana, extricated herself from one of the older residents of their peaceful little town and looked up to lock eyes with Alana. Without hesitation or pause, she moved fluidly across the floor toward the other three women with a purposeful stride. Teagan gathered up her own skirts and made her way to the group gathered in the corner of the gym. “What has happened?” Her green eyes darted back and forth from woman to woman. “I can feel that something is amiss here.” “Yeah, me too. What the hell is going on?” Riana was pushing into the circle and she wasn’t being quiet or discreet about it. Alana put a hand on each of her sisters’ arms and spoke in her quiet and composed manner. “Stop. The last thing we want is to draw attention to this situation.” She pulled them toward the main doors and urged Georgia and Laura to follow. “Let’s not draw attention over here. It’s important that our friends and neighbors enjoy this night.” She held up a finger as Riana tried to interrupt her and continued in a soft voice. “Stanley Franklin is dead and it appears that his wife may have had something to do with it.” “Probably served the sorry bastard right. I heard he beat on Barbara all the time.” Riana let out an exaggerated growl. “I have no respect for some damn pussy that can’t pick on someone his own size.” Logan put a possessive hand at Alana’s waist. “I don’t know what we are going to find out there. Brent said that the dispatcher said that Barbara was really calm and matter of fact when she called in and said that Stanley was dead.” He shook his head. “The paramedic that just called in said that it is a real mess. I can’t imagine what would cause Barbara to do something like this after all these years.” Teagan, who had been quiet for the most part spoke up. “I can.” She stepped toward Logan, her mind made up despite the questions it may raise later. “I’m going with you.” The angular face with the strong jaw tightened. “I don’t think…” “I don’t care what you think Logan Farmer. I know how Barbara Franklin feels and I want to help her get through this.” She looked over at her older sister with a plea in her eyes. None of them knew everything that she had been through with her former husband. She had purposefully kept it that way until she had a chance to work through the issues that had left her emotionally scarred for a long time. “She needs someone who understands. And she’s going to need a damned good lawyer.” |
 | Riana Summers had spent most of her adult life trying to find herself. The youngest of the three Summer Sisters, she just couldn't resist sowing her wild oats and she had done it across the country. When her sister, Alana, had summoned her to come home to Lakeview because she was needed to do her part to hunt down and destroy an evil entity which had been playing havoc on her hometown, she did so with the intention of returning to her stand-up comedy gig in Las Vegas. She had no idea her brief trip home would turn to months and that she would end up finding out who she really was. Or that she would find herself face to face with a man who could get her to want to settle down. Eric Michaels had been born and raised to be a farmer. It was what he did best. So, when the opportunity to be the foreman at a farm near a place called Lakeview, he had jumped at the chance. What he hadn't planned on was getting sucked into a paranormal nightmare. Things he couldn't even begin to fathom. Including finding himself deeply attracted to a woman who could create magic with the tips of her fingers. As the conclusion of the Summer Sisters trilogy comes to an end, will they be able to destroy the force that had unearthed itself from its deep dark grave to destroy them? Chapter 1 The snow crunched under Riana’s boots as she made her way toward the cursing in the Monroe’s barn. Sounded like Eric was having some difficulty with something. She heard the clang of metal against metal and another round of cursing and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. With a smirk on her face, she bent and gathered up a hunk of snow in her mitten covered hands and rolled it into a snowball. Maybe this would cool him off. Quietly, she pulled open the side door and slipped inside. Metallic rock blared from the radio on the workbench and a utility light hung over the aged truck. Two boots extended from beneath the front of the truck. If she stood just right over the open hood, she could probably drop the snowball and hit something. Standing on her tiptoes, she estimated where his face might be and dropped the snowball. “What the fuck?” Eric sputtered, and she stood back and watched as he slid out from under the truck and stood up, looking around until he spotted her standing innocently to the side of the workbench. Melting snow dripped from his face and neck. She grinned. “It sounded like you might need cooling off.” “Dammit, Riana. I could have hit my head on the underside of the engine.” He reached for a shop rag on the bench and wiped the snow away. “What are you doing here?” She shrugged beneath the heavy wrappings of her coat and scarf. “I thought maybe you might need some help. Georgia said you had been out here for hours trying to get the truck to run.” He kicked the tire of the truck and muttered another curse word under his breath. “And just how do you think you can help?” “I worked for an auto repair shop in Texas one time. I do all the maintenance on my bike and when I had a car, I worked on it too.” She remembered the surly old biker that owned the repair shop and how he had grudgingly given her a job and then patiently taught her the things she didn’t know. He had practically begged her not to leave when she decided it was time to move on. “Really?” He shook his head. “I don’t believe you. A girl who can fix cars? I’ll bet you dinner that you can’t get this damned piece of shit to run.” She unzipped her coat and discarded it to a hook on the wall. The scarf and mittens were tossed carelessly on the work bench. “Move out of the way. I’ve got this.” Riana climbed up on the front bumper of the truck and felt it creak beneath her weight. The rust bucket was falling apart but she knew Mrs. Monroe wouldn’t replace it because it had belonged to her husband. She poked around under the hood and looked over her shoulder. “Hand me the ratchet set.” She held her hand out and waited. “Riana, there’s no way you are going to get this truck to run.” “Give me the ratchet set and stand back. He of little faith.” She wiggled her fingers at him. “Come on, make it snappy.” She heard him groan. Obnoxiously. But he handed her the set of tools she had requested. She climbed further into the engine of the truck and tinkered around with the ratchet. And chanted a little bit of a spell. After all, it was for good. Then she climbed down and motioned to him. “Go try it now.” Eric scowled at her, but he grudgingly got into the cab of the truck and turned the key. With a couple of sputters, the engine came to life as black smoke came out the tailpipe. “You cheated. I’m sure of it.” Riana grinned and slammed the hood down. “You owe me dinner, big guy.” She flipped her pigtails and walked around to the side of the barn where the animal stalls were. |
Teresa holds an MBA in Human Resources and attended law school for two years. She lives in rural Indiana with a menagerie of animals and enjoys the peace of working in the garden and yard of her home. She has three adult daughters and seven grandchildren and enjoys crafting, cooking, reading, and studying spirituality in her spare time when she's not writing or working at her day job. Her household includes a spoiled dog, three cats, two goats and a stubborn miniature horse.
Up for grabs:
♥ 2x $10 Amazon cards
2 x Ebook copies of Wild Deadwood Tales Anthology
Deadwood's wild past and exciting present come alive in Wild Deadwood Tales, a limited edition collection of 17 original short stories written by USA Today and Amazon bestselling authors: E.E. Burke, A.C. Wilson, Amanda McIntyre, Angi Morgan, Ginger Ring, Jacqui Nelson, Lizbeth Selvig, Maggie Ryan, Megan Kelly, Nancy Naigle, Paty Jager, Peggy McKenzie, Sylvia McDaniel, Teresa Keefer, Terri Osburn, Tina Susedik, Zoe Blake.
Proceeds from Wild Deadwood Tales go to benefit the Western Sports Foundation, an organization providing critical assistance to athletes competing in Western lifestyle sports. Whether they need help recuperating from an injury or planning for the future, WSF is there for them.
Great cover
ReplyDeleteLooks good.
ReplyDeleteNo questions - the cover is interesting.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great series! Best wishes on your tour.
ReplyDeleteI loved the covers
ReplyDeletetiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com
I really like the cover,this sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThank you
Beautiful covers
ReplyDeleteThe cover is very cool and the book sounds great :-)
ReplyDeletei lke the color of the books and outfits
ReplyDelete