Today’s eye candy for your viewing pleasure.

The lovely Sara Reyes from Fresh Fiction let me know that The Redemption of Micah was selected as the Fresh Pick for today, August 28th.

Woohoo!!

It’s featured on every page of Fresh Fiction all day today, in their twitter tweets, on Facebook and their newsletter. How cool is that?

Back to the writing cave.

I’ve been somewhat MIA lately on my blog – sorry about that y’all. I have a book due Tuesday, my first Emma Lang book, and I’m heads down finishing it.

I always do best under pressure and it’s inevitable that I have to finish the book with only minutes to spare (literally). This time I’m trying to actually do better and finish 2 days early.

*gasp*

For real, y’all! I have my entire four days mapped out to finish by the end of the day Sunday. That gives me Monday to make any last minute tweaks and then send it off to Kensington.

Right now I’m at the point where I’m writing all the sex scenes. If that makes you go huh?, then you haven’t read my post over at the Brava blog. Go take a peek and then you’ll go ahhhhh, gotcha.

So, all that to say I’ll be in the writing cave hitting those numbers every day (woot!) and be done by Sunday night. Then there will be drinking, ,perhaps copious amounts. :D

You know, there are things in this world that make me shake my head in wonder. Things that appear to be more fiction than a book. I’m constantly amazed by so many things that happen, whether good or bad.

Like the reality tv show contestant who murdered his wife, cut off her fingers, pulled out her teeth, then stuffed her in a suitcase and threw her out. Only to escape to Canada and kill himself. Such an incredibly tragedy, and almost unbelievable.

Or poor Michael Jackson, killed by the sedatives and anesthesia administered to help him sleep. (I’m so seeing many books and a movie about this one.) What kind of life did he have that he had to be sedated or anesthetized to sleep?

Oh, and I just read about the Hatfields and McCoys in Alabama who started a riot of over 150 in the street because it was family feud time. Now there’s a setting for a Romeo and Juliet.

Then there’s the wonderful stories. The woman in Missouri who donated her kidney to her next-door neighbor of 30 years. How amazing is that?

Unfortunately, there’s usually more of the bad than the good in the news. Fiction does mimic real life, y’all. How about you share one of the good stories today? Anybody got something heartwarming to share?

Today’s eye candy for your viewing pleasure.

Welcome to another Snippet Saturday!

Today’s Snippet Saturday topic is Settings. Be sure to read everyone else’s snippet by following the links below my post. :)

As you can imagine, the setting for western historicals is uber-important. I carefully select where the stories take place based on many different factors including terrain, climate, and the actual history of the place.

Hm, history in historicals? LOL – whod’athunk it? One of my favorite states, and not only because it’s beautiful, is Wyoming. Why you may ask? Well because Wyoming in 1869 was the first state to give women the right to vote. The first ballot case in the US by a woman was in 1870 Wyoming.

How’s that for cool?

So when I wrote The Bounty, my first novel in print, my heroine Nicky was strong as steel and needed a really great place to grow up, one that would feed her independence. Voila! I had the perfect place.

I’m going to reach back into The Bounty and share a scene with you all between Nicky and the bounty hunter who becomes her soul mate.

Enjoy!

***
Two days after the brush with the twister, they stopped for the night in a small town called Clayton. They were about two hundred fifty miles or so from Cheshire but, to Tyler, that two hundred fifty miles yawned like an empty cavern in front of them. He was so wound up, he felt like a pistol with a hair trigger and too much powder, ready to go off at any second. He seemed to have a constant semi-erection and had to stop himself from pulling his prisoner into his arms. He could still taste her lips and feel her supple body against his. It was enough to drive him insane with want.

Tyler immediately steered the horses to the local hotel and dismounted, snapping the end of the shackles to his wrist. After tethering the horses, he let Nicky down from her horse, careful to remove his hands quickly. Keeping his distance from her was impossible, and the strain was almost unbearable.

He walked across the road with long, dirt-eating strides, Nicky in tow. She didn’t say a word or ask where they were going. When he stopped in front of a small building on the corner of the main street, dawning realization sprang in her eyes. It was the sheriff’s office. He meant to imprison her there.

“You can’t,” she said simply.

“The hell I can’t. I can and I will.”

He held her firmly by the upper arm and opened the door of the sheriff’s office, stepping into the cool, dark interior. He felt her hesitation, but he ignored it and yanked her forward. It was too important to be away from her. Even for just a night.

“Nothing you do or say is going to change my mind, magpie, so make it easy on yourself,” he whispered.

She looked back at him as though slightly dazed. She was, however, blessedly silent. He turned his attention to the jail and as his eyes adjusted he saw a middle-aged, sandy-haired man seated behind the desk. The silver star gleaming on his chest marked him as the man in charge.

He tipped his hat. “Sheriff, name’s Calhoun. This here’s my prisoner Nicky Malloy. She’s wanted up in Wyoming and I’m bringing her back. I was wondering if I could use your jail for the night.”

The sheriff’s right eyebrow raised in a questioning arc as Tyler spoke. He stood and walked over to the two of them. He was the same height as Nicky with a large belly that spoke volumes about someone’s cooking. He laced his fingers across his belly and rocked back and forth on his heels.

“Bradley. Emmett Bradley,” he said by way of introduction. “You a bounty hunter or a marshal?”

“Bounty hunter.”

Bradley nodded, assessing with his sharp eyes. “She’s wanted back in Wyoming, eh? I don’t suppose you got yourself a wanted poster or any type of paper to prove it?” he asked politely.

Tyler pulled the warrant and the wanted poster from his back pocket and handed them to the man. The sheriff unfolded the papers, read them both thoroughly, and then handed them back to him.

“Okay, but we only got but one cell. If’n we have to put somebody else in there, it’s likely to be a man.”

“Nicky can handle herself against any man, believe me.” She was certainly tying him into knots.

The sheriff nodded. “Okay then, why don’t you take off those fancy shackles and we’ll get her locked up.”

Tyler would not look in her eyes, but he sensed that she was frightened. He told himself he didn’t care at this point. He needed to be free from her for a night, to shake her out of his system, especially after the confusion of the last few days. He found himself unable to sleep next to her, knowing how soft and yielding her body was. He busied himself unlocking the shackles.

Nicky rubbed her wrists. Tyler ignored the reddened skin with some effort. Hell, the skin wasn’t broken, it was hardly even chafed. His hand closed on her upper arm. She started a bit at that, but didn’t try to pull away.

“Lead the way, sheriff,” Tyler said.

The sheriff took a ring of keys from his desk drawer and led them through a thick wooden door at the back of the building. It was a small room, not more than eight feet by eight feet. A cell was taking up much of the space. In it was a cot with a straw mattress encrusted with various varieties of dirt, along with a rather frightening looking chamber pot in the corner. A window the size of a loaf of bread was on one wall, weak light filtering through it.

“Believe it or not, we don’t get too many visitors in here.” The sheriff seemed a bit ashamed of the accommodations.

Tyler grunted in response as the sheriff opened the door to the cell. The key scraped in the tumblers with a small shriek, then the door swung open.

“In you go, miss.” He gestured inside.

Nicky made no move to enter the cell. Tyler tightened his grasp on her arm and forcibly walked her into the cell. When he let go of her, she swayed toward him. He backed off before he did something stupid like change his mind. Nicky hugged herself and glared at Tyler.

Tyler stepped out of the cell and the sheriff closed the door, twisting the key to lock it again. Inside, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Bessie brings me dinner from home. I’ll send her word to bring an extra plate for you,” he said to Nicky.

She nodded in response.

Tyler finally looked her in the eye. The fear he saw there hit him like lightning. Outlaw that she was, she’d apparently never spent the night in a jail cell before. He felt himself waver and clamped down on his lust-driven soft heart. A night’s peace was more important to him right now. He had to have at least a few hours without her company to continue this journey. The reasons why were secondary.

“I’ll be back for you first thing.” Magpie.

He stopped himself from voicing the little nickname he had given her. He never felt guilt when he locked up the male outlaws he’d brought to justice. He shouldn’t feel any for locking up this one. At least that’s what he told himself. His inner voice was howling in protest as the object of his obsession was behind bars, unreachable.

She stared at him mutely. Her lips were pressed together so tightly, they were nearly white. And her hold on herself was as tight as the damn shackles.

“Much obliged, Bradley,” Tyler said to the shorter man.

The two men walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them with a solid thump. With forcible effort, Tyler didn’t jump at the sound.

* * * *

After an amiable conversation with the sheriff, who was a little astounded, and a bit uncomfortable, that his prisoner was a woman, Tyler went back to check into the only hotel in town. It wasn’t fancy, but it looked clean enough. He retrieved his saddlebags and automatically took hers too. He didn’t know if anyone would steal anything, but felt obliged to look after her things.

He went into the hotel room, dropped their gear, and headed for the saloon. As soon as he walked in, one of the soiled doves made a beeline for him. She had honey brown hair, blue eyes, and an ample bosom. Each more than a handful. Just the way he liked it.
He ordered a whiskey and sat at an empty table with his glass. The woman followed him to the table, wiggling her hips as she walked. She smiled at him while she licked her lips and waited for an invitation to join him.

Now this is exactly what I need to flush that little magpie out of my system.

“Care to join me?”

“I thought you’d never ask, honey.” She practically oozed onto the chair next to him, affording him a full view of her large breasts, which looked nearly ready to pop right out of the green dress she was wearing. It was almost the same shade of green as Nicky’s eyes.

Don’t think about her.

“Buy me a drink, cowboy?”

“Sure thing.”

“Cal, give me a whiskey, would ya?” the woman called to the bartender. “My handsome cowboy is paying.”

Tyler flipped her a coin as she retrieved her drink.

She ran her fingertip up and down his arm as she spoke. “What’s your name, sugar?”

“Tyler.”

“Tyler, darling, if you’re game, I can give you a half-hour of the best loving you’ve ever had.”

“Is that so?” He was fairly certain it wouldn’t be the best loving he’d ever had, but hell, right now all he needed was to get laid. Not loved.

She leaned forward and pressed her soft breasts into his arm. “Sure thing,” she whispered into his ear as she gently bit his earlobe. She smelled of cigarettes and whiskey and, up close, her pancake makeup looked clownish.

“What’s your name?”

“Whatever you want it to be,” she breathed, her response tickling his ear as her hand meandered toward his belt buckle.

“Okay, then, I’ll call you Nicole.”

Jesus Christ. Now why the hell had he said that?

“Then I’m Nicole. Dollar for a half-hour, sugar. I can promise ya that you’ll hardly be able to walk when I’m done. And from the looks of you,” she eyed him up and down with a hungry look, “I may not be able to walk, either.”

Tyler hesitated as he looked at the obviously well-trained whore working her wiles on him. Nicky had no claim on him; no woman did. And he damn sure needed to work that magpie out of his system.

Why not?

“Okay, Nicole, you’ve got a deal.”

She turned his face to hers and landed a warm, soft kiss on his lips. His cock twitched to life. Perhaps this was a good idea after all. If he released his sexual tension, maybe he wouldn’t be lusting after Nicky like a randy hound. Deep down, he wasn’t sure it would change anything, but he wanted to try anyway. He had to do something to break the spell his prisoner had cast over him. It was as if there was an invisible thread between them that had wound them closer and closer together. Unfortunately, she was on the wrong side of the law, he was on the right side. Sooner than he wanted, they were going to collide. He was helpless to stop it. That was a feeling he didn’t like in the least. Tyler always wanted to be in control. He drained his whiskey in one satisfying gulp. Time to gain control of his body and perhaps his heart would follow suit.

The saloon girl gave him a hand up, then squeezed his ass and led him to the staircase. Following her swaying hips up the stairs, Tyler had to avert his eyes from the green fabric that swished in front of him. He wasn’t going to think of the green-eyed woman sitting in the filthy jail cell.

“Here we are, sugar,” she announced as she opened the door to her room.

Tyler entered the whore’s bedroom and took a deep breath. It was as he expected. Covered with red satin and filled with cheap furniture. And it stank of unwashed bodies and old sex. Instantly, any thoughts of bedding this Nicole vanished like a puff of smoke, along with his partial erection.

He turned to face her as she began to disrobe. He stayed her hands.

“Hold on. I changed my mind. I, uh, can’t,” he offered lamely.

She looked a little annoyed, but didn’t voice a complaint. Instead she studied his face for a moment.

“Okay, cowboy, I understand.”

He pulled a rumpled dollar out of his pocket and pressed it into her hand.

“Take a half-hour off.”

She took the money and tucked it into her cleavage. She apparently wasn’t proud enough to turn down a dollar for doing nothing.

“What’s your real name?”

She hesitated a moment. “Martha.” It was probably something she didn’t advertise. Most men didn’t want to sleep with a whore named after the first president’s wife. Better business sense to let the man choose who he wanted you to be.

“Thank you, Martha.” He kissed her cheek.

“Sugar, I hope Nicole is worth it.”

Tyler opened his mouth to refute her statement, then closed it without making a sound.

***

Don’t forget to read the rest of the Snippets!

Beth Kery

Eliza Gayle

Jody Wallace

Lauren Dane

McKenna Jeffries

Michelle Pillow

Moira Rogers

Shelley Munro

Taige Crenshaw

Victoria Janssen

Vivian Arend

Leah Braemel

TJ Michaels

Geez louise, another naked guy on a plane yesterday y’all! Here’s a link to the story on USA today.

This was a 300 pound man who sounded like he was a complete wacko, and even punched some poor lady who screamed when he exposed himself.

Holy crap! I don’t know what I’d do if that guy was rolling around on the floor naked. I mean, it’s right out of a movie or a book. Totally crazy stuff!

Just had to share that with y’all on this Friday afternoon. I’ll be in the writing cave most of the weekend, but do have a Saturday Snippet tomorrow so pop on by to read it.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Or rather, two big anniversaries. My DH and I hit 20 years in 2010 (woo dogie) and my in-laws hit 50 years. I need some ideas y’all. For our anniversary, we want to take a cruise ALONE, no kidlets.

Just the thought of that makes me sigh with pleasure. *sigh*

Of course, the actual cruise will depend on the $$ from the publishers I get, so buy more books! LOL. No, I’m kidding (but not really). :D

The ideas I need are for my in-laws. They’re very practical people (especially MIL) and are devoted to their 5 kids, respective spouses, and 8 grandkids. We live the farthest away (600 miles or so) and the others live close or within 2 hours drive. They don’t have a lot of money, and tend to spend it on the kids/grandkids or on practical things.

I need ideas for a big combined gift from the 5 kids/spouses for them. One suggestion was a new bedroom set with a king size bed, lots of $$ but theirs is 50 years old (makes sense eh?).

So throw them at me y’all. Oh, and keep in mind, MIL refuses to have a party (practical y’know), so that’s not an option.

School begins! I know my kids are (not) excited about heading back into the hallowed halls of their respective schools.

I personally was (not) excited to spend about $400 on clothes and school supplies for the two of them. And geez, they’re boys. Girls must cost even more considering they wear more clothes as a general rule. I mean, my kids have two pairs of shoes they wear regularly, sneakers and flip-flops. Not so for girls methinks. Also, there’s make-up, jewelry, accessories, etc.

I guess I should be grateful ton only spend $400 – it could be much, much worse. Of course, it doesn’t help that both of them completely outgrew their clothes.

Anyhoo, that’s the big hooha right now at my house. August 25th approacheth!

Anyone else getting ready for school or have kidlets they’re readying to begin?

Today’s eye candy for your viewing pleasure.