    |  A decade after Logan walked out on Maddy, he returns, and emotions long banked surface, then everything becomes complicated and dangerous. THE MEASURE OF A MAN Madison Gallagher’s life is in Hangman’s Loss. Her family is here. Her friends are here. She owns and runs a successful bakery café. What she doesn’t have is a love life. And she doesn’t want one. The man who stole her heart when they were both young and wildly in love was careless and callous—he left her and never looked back. Now he’s returned, and with his typical reckless abandon, he inserts himself back into her world. But, no. He’s not welcome anymore. She's suffered enough and has finally gotten to a place where her life makes sense. She refuses his advances. Until she can’t. When Logan Ross left Hangman’s Loss he had needed to find himself and become a man he could be proud of—a man nothing like his father. And while Logan had succeeded, he had never been whole, not when he’d lived ten long years without his Maddy. Back and undercover on a dangerous operation, one look at his girl and he knows this is where he’s meant to be. And nothing in his whole life has been harder than winning back the woman he’d broken. But Logan is determined to do anything it takes to mend her precious heart, and he means to prove it to her every day for the rest of her life.  Under the week’s worth of beard his face looked drawn, and he’d taken off the beanie to reveal a serious case of hat head. “What do you want?” “To see if you’re breathing.” “Not dead yet.” When he leaned against the door, gaze fixed on her, she sighed in exasperation. “Look, I don’t want me to be here, either. I’ll change the bandage, then leave.” She waved the container with the café logo. “I’ve got food for you.” “What kind?” “Sandwich, berries, and a cookie.” “What kind of cookie?” “Really?” She glared at him. “Oatmeal.” He stepped back, and she didn’t think he caught her eye roll. He moved carefully across the room, and she followed him into the cabin. The inside looked cleaner, neater than before. His father had let things go. Hardly able to take care of himself, Bob Ross had neglected his son and his home. Logan had sworn never to return, yet here he was. “I brought you something else, too.” She set the bag and food on the dining table, and reached into her purse, coming up with a small bottle. “What’s that?” “Advil. I don’t have anything stronger.” “God bless you.” He took the bottle from her and shook out four tablets. “Have you eaten anything? That much is going to irritate your stomach.” He shook his head and picked up a mug. After tossing the pills into his mouth, he swallowed a mouthful of coffee she suspected was long cold. His eyes remained on her, watchful. “You looking after me, blondie?” “My name’s not blondie.” “Blonde hair, that makes you blondie.” She checked another sigh. “Seriously, I don’t want to look after you. But someone has to, and I don’t see people lining up at your door to do the job.” She studied him, trying to keep it analytical. “Let me see the gunshot wound. If it looks like you’re healing, you won’t have to see me again. I checked on Sophie, too, so don’t think I’m doing anything special for you.” “Sophie? You named my dog Sophie?” “Your dog? She’s my dog if no one claims her.” “I found her. And her name’s not Sophie unless she weighs eight pounds and has her toenails painted pink.” “You’re being ridiculous.” He dropped his weight into a chair at the kitchen table. “How is she?” “Stable. Jason says she’ll survive.” “You bring the vet a sandwich, too?” “Yes, I did.” “Hell of a way to run a business, giving away food.” “Jason runs a business, too, and he didn’t charge me extra for the off-hour call to pick her up.” Logan frowned. “I’ll go in tomorrow to pay the bill.” “Since she’s mine, I’ll pay it. You gave up any rights you had when you brought her to me.” “Christ, I forgot that about you.” “What?” “People think you’re all sweet and agreeable, but they don’t know. You’re as stubborn as the day is long.” She ignored the effect of his words, the knowledge that no one had ever gotten her like Logan Ross. “Let me see the wound, then I can leave you to your splendid isolation.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, his beard making a rasping sound. “Right. Let’s get this over with.” |
 | Thrown together, and neither is happy about it, Meg and Declan navigate their unwanted growing attraction as they fight to keep Meg alive. THE SILVER LINING Meghan Bennett is a desperate woman running for her life, and the one place she's sure she'll be safe is the old cabin in the Eastern Sierras she inherited from her father. Exhausted, and fighting a nasty flu, Meg can't believe someone is squatting in her cabin. The tall, handsome, bearded stranger who answers the door is her worst nightmare. Grumpy, growly and intractable, she can't convince him to leave. When she nearly collapses, she finds herself on the couch in front of a welcome fire. Over the next few days she thinks she can trust this man with more than her safety. Too late, she learns he has betrayed her, and he shatters her trust right along with her heart. Declan Murphy has been trying to rebuild his life, and he revels in the solitude his old friend and mentor's cabin provides. When a gorgeous, pissed-off woman shows up in the middle of a cold, snowy night insisting the cabin is hers and he needs to get out, Dex is ready to shut the door in her face - until he realizes she's sick, and even he's not that big a Neanderthal. When he finds out she's the daughter of the man who'd owned the cabin, and that she's the biggest asset in the investigation he's working on with the FBI, he can't believe how screwed he is. He's fallen hard for the stubborn, independent beauty, yet he can't tell her the truth about what he's doing. He knows when she finds out, he's going to lose the woman he hadn't been looking for but needs more than his next breath. Who was occupying her father’s cabin? The surly face of a bearded man was not what she expected. Tall and long-limbed, his wide shoulders filled the door. Furrowed brows shadowing dark brown eyes and a scowling expression did nothing to alleviate the feeling that she’d awakened a bear in its den. And a hungry bear at that. “What do you want?” About the same time he growled out the question, the warmth hit her. It emanated from inside the cabin and felt like a thick blanket pulled fresh from the dryer and wrapped snugly around her. She wanted to slip past him and find a place to lie down for the next week or so. Someplace out of the way where she could ignore him until she felt better and could deal with his intrusion. He stepped forward and wariness had her taking a step back before she recovered herself. Grow a spine. Don’t cower. Stand up for yourself. He stepped onto the porch and pulled the door shut behind him. Meg suppressed a groan at the loss of warmth. Gathering her resolve, she asked, “Who are you?” At least her voice sounded strong. “And what are you doing in my cabin?” “Not your cabin. You must have missed a turn. Go figure out where.” He reached back to lay a hand on the doorknob. “This is my cabin. You need to leave.” He gave her a once-over before locking his gaze on hers. “I know what the owner of this place looks like, and you don’t fit the bill. Go away.” “If I go away, I’ll get the sheriff and let him deal with you. I don’t think he’ll tolerate squatters in these mountains. I’ll give you ten minutes to get your things around, then you’re gone.” “Go for it, lady. We have a police chief, not a sheriff, and cell coverage is spotty up here. By the time you get into town, it’ll be dark. Chief Gallagher is too smart to bother with this right now. He’ll tell you to get a room at a motel somewhere and figure it out in the morning.” She sized up the man. With his tough build, he wouldn’t be easy to budge. This was not how she envisioned her day ending. She tightened her arms around her middle to stop the shiver snaking up her spine. A glance out from under the porch showed fat snowflakes wafting softly from the sky. She’d never seen snow falling before. Watching the drift of hazy white made her head swim. “What the hell?” She jerked back when strong hands gripped her elbows, backing up her breath in her lungs. “What are you doing? Let go.” “Then don’t act like you’re going to pass out.” “I’m not going to pass out.” She pulled against his hold. “Hands off.” He released her, putting his hands up like he was calming an emotionally disturbed person. The headache brewing at her temples spiked. “You on something?” Either irritation made his voice gruff, or it was his natural tone. She gave her forehead a surreptitious rub, not bothering to verbalize a response. “Look at me.” He cast his gaze over her face. Only full, sensuous lips softened the rough planes of his face. He raised a hand and she backed up. A fuzzy sensation crowded at the edge of her brain, reminding Meg of when she’d suffered a concussion after being beaned in the head by a softball pitch. “Steady there.” He held up a finger. “Without moving your head, follow my finger with your eyes.” She looked him straight in the eye. “You know what you can do with that finger, don’t you?” Only the slight crinkling at the corner of his eyes gave her any indication that the comment had struck home. He laid the back of his hand against her forehead. She didn’t jerk back this time, but it was a close call. “You’re not high, you’re sick. Your skin is hot to the touch.” |
 | For Emmaline Kincaid, Police Chief Bradley Gallagher makes hating cops…problematic. Reconsidering Her Options Stalwart, honest, a stand-up guy – high praise, right? Wears his jeans just right, single, a catch – pretty much everyone in Hangman’s Loss, a quirky little town in the Eastern Sierras, adores the hell out of Police Chief Bradley Gallagher. Yet, new resident Emma Kincaid is determined to keep him at arm's length, and with good reason. But vandalism, arson, and a violent attack have her rethinking her stance. Has someone from her past caught up with her, or is the escalating threat coming from within her newfound community? Sparks fly as Brad races against time to keep her safe, and passions combust when they join forces to combat the danger.   |
 | You’ve witnessed your best friend’s murder, taken her son on the run, and the police want to "talk" to you - where do you go? - to the man who’s always hated you, of course. THE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN If asked, Gwendolyn Ballard would admit she co-parented her best friend Chloe's son, Cameron. Now Gwen is all he's got as they flee from the man who murdered his mother. There's only one place Cameron will be safe, and that's with his uncle, Elijah MacElvoy. Arriving on his doorstep at the Broken Arrow Ranch is a desperate decision, and Gwen knows he'd slam the door in her face if she didn't have his nephew with her. But she'll do anything for Cam, even if it means putting up with Elijah's distrust and judgment. Chloe's dead. Cam's orphaned, and Elijah is confronted with the prospect of living with the one woman who's driven him crazy for the past ten years. He'll fight to keep her safe. That's encoded in his DNA. But can he trust her with a little boy who just lost his mother? As Eli watches how Gwen loves and cares for his nephew, he reevaluates his thinking and gives in to the smoldering attraction he felt the first time he saw her. With so much on the line, Eli comes clean about his past, making way for a future that's all about silver linings. |
 | A heart-warming anthology of 8 great stories about love and rescuing each other while saving a dog in need. Proceeds go to Project Freedom Ride. Bleu - L.P. Maxa Over the past few months Bleu and Maykin have become best friends. They hang out all the time, especially after Bleu punches a guy for trash-talking Maykin, and gets sentenced to community service at an animal shelter. Cuddling puppies leads to finally giving in to the attraction they've been avoiding. And becoming dog parents seals the deal. Forever. Burnover - Diane Benefiel After a horrible year, including getting dumped days before her wedding, Eva decides to find a forever friend at the animal shelter. Finn, a feisty doggie escape artist, runs over to Eva's new next-door neighbor, the firefighter hottie who's been flirting with her over the café counter where she works. Eva intends to avoid Diego Jones, but not for long. A firebug with an unhealthy attachment to Eva forces her to rely on Diego for more than protection. He's captured her heart, and he plans to keep her loved and safe for the rest of their lives. Abandoned Love - Cindy Holby 5 a.m. and bakery owner Emily Redding finds herself trapped in a dumpster while trying to save a little dog and her newborn pups. Sheriff deputy, Luke Hall responds to the 911 call. A handsome but taciturn man who is new to the area, Luke slowly draws Emily in with his easy manner and winning smile. As they search for the culprit who is dumping helpless dogs all over the community, they navigate their way into each other's hearts. Chaos - Gabi Stevens Mystic, Wyoming is home to all things strange and magical. Summoned to use skills unique only to her, Amelia Brent returns to the small town nestled in a picturesque valley. Little does she know forces are at work that will change her life. It all starts with a dog named Chaos, his dad, famous furniture maker, Roman Innis, and powers that reveal no one is exactly who they seem to be. Which is the best thing Amelia and Roman could wish for. Sparks - Sheri Humphreys Tiny, but mighty, a little dog races into a burning house to save... a cat. Firefighter Brian Becker swoops up the brave dog and takes him to the emergency vet. Dr. Jennifer Magee is everything Brian wants, but with their schedules, her three special needs pets, and him with his new friend, Sparky, the odds of them getting together seems impossible. Until Brian realizes anything worth having is worth working for. Always a Hero - Marilyn Baxter When a hurricane threatens St. Magnus Island, deputy sheriff, Noah Tindall finds Lucy Jansen home alone. She hasn't evacuated along with all the other residents, and the reason - her foster dog is giving birth. Six pups later, Noah convinces Lucy to go to his home on higher ground. No power, a tornado warning, and cramped quarters make for intimacy neither want, but both end up craving. Forever. Oscar - Joan Bird Jobless, single, pregnant, Fiona Kavanagh's life is a mess. When she finds a sweet, starving puppy beside the brook where Phee had been crying her eyes out, she takes the little guy home knowing they are rescuing each other. Dr. Cabe McCain is an ass. A good vet, an unbelievably great-looking man, but an ass. Until Phee learns his past might be the reason they will have an incredibly bright future together. Cocoa - Emily Mims Brittany Barstow grew up with musicians. Famous musicians. She knows all about their life on the road, and what that does to relationships. So even though handsome, guitar playing, country music singer, Lonnie Jeffries, of the Jeffries, helps her save a little dog from certain death, he is not boyfriend material. Not even close. Until he proves he is. |
A native Southern Californian, Diane enjoys nothing better than summer. For a high school history teacher, summer means a break from teenagers, and summer allows her to spend her early mornings immersed in her current writing project. With both kids living out of the house, in addition to writing, she enjoys camping and gardening with her husband.
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ReplyDeleteSounds good can't wait to read it .
ReplyDeleteThe book looks good.. Tina
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the post! I think your audience will enjoy the suspense, adventure, and romance of the High Sierras series.
ReplyDeletesounds so good
ReplyDelete