Tuesday, June 30, 2015

RELEASE BLAST: SEAL's Code by Sharon Hamiliton




SEAL's Code 
Bad Boys of Team 3 (SEAL Brotherhood #10)
By Sharon Hamilton

Blurb: 

Danny Begay has tried to drive out the voices of his ancestors for most of his young life, but the life springing from his Navajo roots will not die. He is summoned back to Arizona to visit his dying grandfather, one of the original Navajo Code Talkers. Ashamed he has disappointed his hero grandfather he buries himself one more time in the arms of a stranger before he goes back to his home in Northern California. 

Luci Tohe teaches at the reservation school, safeguarding the health of her ailing mother and little sister’s future, at the temporary expense of her own. She doesn’t expect the young Dine warrior she meets to be anything but a distraction from her loneliness. She knows she will dream about their hot encounter for years. 

Danny cleans his life up, joins the Navy and becomes a SEAL, where he becomes the man he knew he was destined to become. Between deployments, he goes back visit the girl he cannot get out of his mind. The reservation has become a dangerous place for Luci’s family and soon Danny is embroiled in not only saving Luci, but her whole family as well. 



Available for purchase at 

      

Excerpt


The family gathered afterward at Wilson’s mother’s house. It was hard not to feel the eyes of his relatives on him, just as it was hard not to notice the pats on the back Wilson received. Lopez had been well coached and sought Wilson out to thank him for his service. Danny wanted to leave and told his mother so, barely two hours into the get-together. He’d greeted politely all the relatives he recognized, and those who didn’t come up to him, he figured didn’t want to be re-acquainted. Not like Wilson.

As a youth, just hanging with Wilson would have normally been enough to make the afternoon interesting, but today, with the frostiness between the two cousins, it was forcing him into a dangerous place even the sweet recollection of the night with Luci couldn’t heal. Making matters worse, Wilson had watched as he dropped Luci back to her car at the Blue Coyote and made an off-color remark that irritated Danny further.

The two ignored one another until somehow they wound up waiting to use the only restroom in the house.

“Your mom says you’re ready to go home,” Wilson said to his cowboy boots.

“That’s right.”

“I honestly don’t know why you came in the first place, Danny.”

Danny’s right eye squinted a little. “We never liked these things, Wilson. You know that.”

“You’ve been gone, what, eight years or more?”

“Ten.”

“Okay, then. Ten. And you can’t spend an afternoon giving these people the time of day?”

“I don’t belong here, Wilson.”

Wilson nodded his head. “Oh yeah. Forgot. You’re the one that got away. You trying to rub my nose in it, huh?.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying I don’t want to be here. I’ve done my farewells, and now it’s time for me to adios.”

“You might consider the feelings of your mother.” Danny drilled him with a look that picked a scab.

“You hear the voices? Does the chanting get to you, Wilson?”

He could see his cousin was thinking about this carefully. It surprised him that Wilson didn’t give a quick answer no, which meant he heard the voices, too.

“Holy fucking shit, Wilson. You hear them, too. Just like I do.”

Emma Barnowl opened the bathroom door and their nostrils were hit with room deodorizer, which did a poor job of masking the smell she’d left behind.

“Fuck me,” Wilson said under his breath. “I’m going out back.” 

Danny followed his cousin, and within thirty seconds, was standing next to him, pissing on his aunt’s tomato plants, just like they used to do when they were boys of five. To this day, Danny hated tomatoes, especially home grown ones.

After they were done, they sat in metal lawn chairs. Wilson offered Danny a cigarette.

“I don’t smoke, and neither do you, or you didn’t,” Danny corrected himself.

“That’s funny,” Wilson said as he casually lit up and put his lighter and cigarettes back in his rear pocket.

“How come you didn’t wear your uniform?”

“It’s my choice. I didn’t think he’d like it.” Wilson took a long drag on his cigarette and blew it right at Danny’s face, but the wind carried it away.

“Thought you were proud of being a Navy boat guy.”

“I am. Got nothing to do with it. Kind of felt like it would be bragging or something, you know?”

Danny wondered about Luci, halfway expecting she’d drop by the gathering. Was he disappointed she’d stayed away? He couldn’t get the touch of her body against his out of his mind. That might be a reason to stay an extra day or two, but that would be a dangerous road, full of emotional potholes and entanglements. None of his liaisons ever turned out to last, so he figured it was better to remember her the way he’d left her. He saw her proud straight shoulders and those tight jeans encase thighs and a world-class ass as she walked toward her car and didn’t look back once. He knew the only good ones were the ones who didn’t look back.

“Look, Danny, I’m going to say this once, and then let you go. I’m sorry we got off to a bad start after so many years.”

“I was surprised you were around. Didn’t expect it.”

“So I was right, you’re not happy to see even me.”

“Again, putting words in my mouth.”

Wilson looked down, eyes landing on the scuffed cowboy boots, which were a mismatch to the clean suit pants and white shirt he wore. “I left this place with a lot of demons. I think I got just as many, maybe more than you, cuz.” Wilson took a final drag, stomped it out on the patio, and then threw the pieces into his mother’s vegetable garden.

A slight breeze shivered its way down Danny’s spine. A little group laughed from inside the house. He heard the tinkling of glasses and silverware, the sounds of cars arriving on the crushed rock roadway in front of his Aunt’s house, a doorbell ring, and the buzzing of a small plane overhead. The place looked and smelled and felt dangerously normal.

“I learned to tame those demons in the Navy, Danny. I’m not going to lie to you, but serving in the armed forces is giving me skills I can take out there in the real world.”

Danny found himself chuckling in spite of the fact that it was going to piss Wilson off. “Yeah, don’t see many rubber boats around the res, cuz. You training to be a white water rafting guide in the Canyon? Shit, you coulda done that in high school.”

“Except I was getting stoned in high school, Danny. So were you. I heard you were a real mess.”

“Rumors of my demise have been over exaggerated. I look like a mess to you?”

Wilson abruptly stood. “No, Danny, you look like a fuckin’ hero just like your grandfather.”

His cousin left and joined the gathering inside the house.


Book Trailer






Enjoy this NOT PG excerpt from SEAL's Code narrated by J.D. Hart








YOU'RE INVITED

to the SEAL's CODE Release Party on June 30, 2015

Click on the image to join the fun!! 






About the Author

NYT and USA/Today Bestselling Author Sharon Hamilton’s SEAL Brotherhood series have earned her Amazon author rankings of #1 in Romantic Suspense, Military Romance and Contemporary Romance. Her characters follow a sometimes rocky road to redemption through passion and true love. Her Golden Vampires of Tuscany earned her a #1 Amazon author ranking in Gothic Romance.

A lifelong organic vegetable and flower gardener, Sharon and her husband live in the Wine Country of Northern California, where most of her stories take place.


You can find Sharon at

             











Presented By 


Friday, June 26, 2015

BLOG TOUR: Forward Pass by Desiree Holt SPOTLIGHT


Forward Pass
by Desiree Holt
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Sports Romance




Get Ready to Play Rough
Shay Beckham grew up idolizing her brother’s best friend, star quarterback Joe Reilly. There was no one in their Texas town who had the moves to match Joe on or off the field. Years later, he’s still a player who has what it takes to drive any hot-blooded woman wild. But Shay isn’t a kid with a bad case of hero-worship anymore. She’s grown-up and independent, with her feet on the ground and a serious head on her shoulders. If she could just say the same for Joe.

It’s been fifteen years, but Joe Reilly hasn’t forgotten the skinny little kid who used to follow him around like a shadow. What he can’t get over is that the skinny shadow has grown into one hell of an incredible woman. One any man in his right mind would kill to get his hands on. And one who seems to be completely immune to him. He knows he and Shay could have something special together. If he could only convince her he’s about more than just the game.





Known the world over as The Oldest Living Erotica Author, Desiree Holt proves every day that she is more than the sum of her years and more than the grandmother who plays with Barbie and Ken dolls: She is The Hardest Working Erotica Author, producing one novel or more each month and receiving rave reviews.


She is twice a finalist for an EPIC E-Book Award, a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, winner of the first 5 Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at The Romance Studio as well as twice a CAPA Award for best BDSM book of the year, winner of the Holt Medallion, multiple winner of the Whipped Cream Book of the Week Award and is published by five different houses. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Mail and numerous other national and international publications.






“Get out the ice water and fan…Desiree Holt delivers smoking hot alpha heroes and red hot romances.” Lea Franczak, USA Today Happy Ever After blog






Learn more about her and read her novels here:


www.desireeholt.com


www.desiremeonly.com


www.facebook.com/desireeholtauthor


www.facebook.com/desireeholt


Twitter @desireeholt


Pinterest: desiree02holt


Google: www.desiree02holt












LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/desiree01holt


















Thursday, June 25, 2015

Ten NEW Contemporary Romances by Bestselling Authors to Benefit Diabetes Research plus a BONUS Novella by Brenda Novak


Ten NEW Contemporary Romances by Bestselling Authors to Benefit Diabetes Research plus a BONUS Novella by Brenda Novak

Sweet Talk
by Brenda Novak, Melody Anne, Violet Duke, Melissa Foster, Gina L Maxwell, Linda Lael Miller, Sherryl Woods, Steena Holmes, Rosalind James, Molly O'Keefe, Nancy Naigle, & Robyn Carr





If purchased separately, this would cost you $40-$50. Now for the low price of $2.99, get 10 brand new stories from these best-selling authors, including a bonus story from Brenda Novak. All to benefit Diabetes Research.


In 2014, the boxed set curated by Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research (titled A SWEET LIFE), raised almost $100,000 net to the charity in only one month. This year we’re back for a second helping, and you can indulge, too! this heart-warming, limited edition collection features ten BRAND NEW contemporary romances by New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors...

You can make a difference while you read! All proceeds from the sale of SWEET TALK will be donated to the Diabetes Research Institute via Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research.

Featuring a foreword by #1 NYT Bestselling Author Robyn Carr and a bonus story, the Brenda Novak classic, WHEN WE TOUCH, which kicks off her popular small-town contemporary Whiskey Creek series.

In this new tale, ONCE UPON A DREAM, from NYT bestselling author Melody Anne, Whitney Steele loses her sister in the blink of an eye and is caring for her niece and nephew, not knowing how she is going to get through the loss of the most important person in her life. Liam Felton loses his brother and never gets to say goodbye. Can these two people come together and mend what's been broken? Or will fate take them down a different road altogether?

When behind-the-scenes sports analyst Jackson Gray is assigned the task of teaching the ins and outs of college and pro football to the network’s newest on-camera beauty, sideline reporter Leila Hart, the last thing he expects is to become the one getting schooled—in lessons in love, that is—from a woman who clearly knows way more about sports than she lets on. JACKSON by NYT bestselling author Violet Duke.

From New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster comes a new, sweet and sexy wedding romance, PROMISE MY LOVE, the follow-up novella to DESTINED FOR LOVE (The Bradens).

From NYT bestselling author Gina L. Maxwell comes a story, ASK ME AGAIN, about a woman who returns to her hometown after her devastating breakup and finds herself drawn to an old friend who’s never stopped hoping for more.

From NYT bestselling author Linda Lael Miller we have a heart-pounding tale of unrequited love come to fruition in INTERLUDE, the story of a woman holding out for the man she’s never forgotten--the sexy cowboy she’s always loved.

#1 NYT bestselling author Sherryl Woods takes readers back to her beloved Chesapeake Shores for the story of a woman stuck in a dead-end job who discovers it's never too late for a whole new dream.

In the latest romance from NYT bestselling author Steena Holmes, Charlie Peters knew running away wasn’t the right thing to do, especially from her fiancé, but with her sister in the hospital, now seemed like the perfect time. And it wasn’t just him she was running away from, but the promise of the life they could have together. She wasn’t meant for happily-ever-afters, even though Marcus was her Prince Charming.

Rosalind James’s JUST IN TIME (ESCAPE TO NEW ZEALAND) brings you one bad boy of New Zealand rugby, one erotic modeling contract that doesn’t stay in Vegas, and one good woman to pick up the pieces.

Rita Award-winning author Molly O'Keefe writes a heart-warming story of two friends who find love where they least expect it in A DATE FOR A CHRISTMAS WEDDING.

Join USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle in SAND DOLLAR COVE, where a determined shop owner faces the loss of her family’s business, and has the mayor making tough choices between what’s best for the town and what might win the heart of the woman he’s secretly loved from afar.

Don’t forget to check out SWEET DREAMS and SWEET SEDUCTION, two more limited edition collections from Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research, as well as LOVE THAT!, Brenda Novak's new cookbook with Jan Coad, and SAFE HAVEN, a special edition novel from Lauren Hawkeye... read and help the fight against diabetes!


Sweet Dreams
by Brenda Novak, Allison Brennan, Cynthia Eden, JT Ellison, Heather Graham, Liliana Hart, Alex Kava, CJ Lyons, Carla Neggers, Theresa Ragan, Erica Spindler, Jo Robertson, Tiffany Snow, Lee Child



Thirteen NEW Thrillers by Bestselling Authors to Benefit Diabetes Research
If purchased separately, this would be $50 in books. For the low price of $3.99, grab this special box set and help support Diabetes Research!


In 2014, the boxed set curated by Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research (title A SWEET LIFE), raised almost $100 000. This year we’re back for a second helping, and you can indulge, too! this fascinating limited edition collection features thirteen BRAND NEW thrillers by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors...

Make a difference while you read! All proceeds from the sale of Sweet Dreams will be donated to the Diabetes Research Institute via Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research.

Featuring a foreword by #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Lee Child.

When disgraced former cop Alex Morgan is shot saving the life of California's Lieutenant Governor, she doesn't expect to be caught in the middle of a deadly conspiracy, an FBI sting, an old rivalry ... and cold-blooded murder. AIM TO KILL by NYT bestselling author Allison Brennan.

NYT bestselling author Cynthia Eden invites readers to enter a world of darkness and obsession in her new romantic suspense tale, UNTIL DEATH.

From NYT bestselling author J.T. Ellison comes the long awaited prequel to her Taylor Jackson series. CROSSED, the story of a madman trying to create his own end-of-days apocalypse, introduces Lieutenant Taylor Jackson to the young, troubled FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin.

In TOYS IN THE ATTIC from NYT bestselling author Heather Graham, Michael Quinn is accustomed to dealing with the deadly, the dangerous, and the extreme—but a haunted spinning wheel? And on the even of his wedding? He’ll have to risk his life, limb and soul for love to save Danni Cafferty from the cursed creation if he’s ever to get them both to the church on time—and live.

J.J. Graves and Jack Lawson investigate a ritualistic murder while on their honeymoon in DIRTY DEEDS by NYT bestselling author Liliana Hart.

From NYT bestselling author Alex Kava comes the prequel readers have been waiting for, and the case that destined Special Agent Maggie O’Dell to a career of chasing killers.

From NYT bestselling author CJ Lyons: When workaholic FBI Agent Lucy Guardino takes her daughter on vacation, the last thing she expects is to become embroiled in a murder—or for her teenaged daughter to play amateur sleuth with disastrous consequences.

When her twin sister disappears, Ellen Galway enlists the help of a Texas Ranger in SECRET HIDEAWAY, a story of love, danger and revenge from NYT bestselling author Carla Neggers.

HANOVER HOUSE, from NYT bestselling author Brenda Novak, features Evelyn Talbott, a psychiatrist who studies serial killers at a revolutionary new medical health center in remote Hilltop, Alaska. Evelyn’s determined to unlock the mysteries of the anti-social mind, even if it kills her—and being surrounded by men who feel no remorse means it just might…

NYT bestselling author Theresa Ragan’s newest suspense, DEAD MAN RUNNING, is set in motion when an accused murderer escapes prison in a body bag and sets out to prove his innocence.

From NYT bestselling author Erica Spindler comes the prequel to her exciting new series starring reformed southern belle turned kick ass cop, Michaela Dee Dare. In RANDOM ACTS, Micki must uncover the link between a series of bizarre and seemingly random murders in New Orleans.

Someone is killing homeless people in Jo Robertson's latest suspense-thriller, WITHOUT MALICE. It's personal to Parole Officer Santiago Cruz because the targets are his parolees. With no motive or murder weapon, but with help from prison doctor Frankie Jones, he traces the brutal deaths back to their tragic origin.

Before Kathleen, there were just two brothers: Blane and Kade. One bonding trip to Vegas later and Sin City will never be the same in TURN THE TABLES, prequel to the Kathleen Turner Series by Bestselling Author Tiffany Snow.

Don’t forget to check out the other limited edition sets available for a limited time only... read and help find a cure for diabetes!


Sweet Seduction


by Lexi Blake, Mari Carr, JS Cooper, Nicole Edwards, Karen Erickson, Megan Hart, J Kenner, Julia Kent, Elisabeth Grace, Lauren Hawkeye, Nina Lane, Roni Loren, Avery Aster, Lisa Renee Jones


Thirteen NEW Erotic Romances by Bestselling Authors to Benefit Diabetes Research plus a BONUS book by Lisa Renee Jones!
If purchased separately, this would be $50 in stories. For the low price of $2.99 you can get this amazing collection and help support Diabetes Research


In 2014 A Sweet Life, the boxed set curated by Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research, raised $100 000. This year we’re back for a second helping, and you can indulge too! this stunning limited edition collection features thirteen BRAND NEW contemporary romances by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors...

You can make a difference while you read! All proceeds from the sale of Sweet Seduction will be donated to the Diabetes Research Institute via Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research.

Featuring a foreword and a bonus book by New York Times Bestselling Author Lisa Renee Jones.

From New York Times bestselling Author Lexi Blake comes LUSCIOUS, a novella set in her Masters and Mercenaries world. When Macon Miles meets sweet waitress Alison Jones, he knows she’s trouble, but he can’t imagine how her secrets will rock his world.

Sparks fly in Texas when a soldier comes home to the girl he left behind in New York Times bestselling author Mari Carr's WAITING FOR YOU.

Sex. Lies. Romance. Love. My life has it all. I do what I want, when I want and no one can stop me. This isn't a story of how I found my prince. Or my how my prince found me. This is my life. My diary. This is the true diary of 'that girl'. CONFESSIONS OF A SEXAHOLIC by New York Times bestselling author JS Cooper.

New York Times bestselling author Nicole Edwards revisits Tag and McKenna, a power couple who have gone from infatuation to adoration in ADORED (Club Destiny #7.5).

New York Times bestselling author Karen Erickson presents a brand new, very sexy contemporary romance about finding love in the most unexpected places...

When love is determined, it will always find a way. From New York Times bestselling author Megan Hart comes PERFECTLY RECKLESS, a new novel about love, lust, loss and rediscovery between two people who should never have fallen in love…or out of it.

Spend some time with Nikki and Damien Stark in this sexy and sensual bonus story in J. Kenner’s STARK EVER AFTER series of novellas.

When Random Acts of Crazy's bass player, Joe Ross, gets injured in an unfortunate sex act that gains nationwide coverage, it's tatted-up Tyler (aka "Frown") to the rescue for their first big concert. THE RANDOM TOUR: LOS ANGELES by New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent.

With INDECISION, Elisabeth Grace brings you another hot story with heart that follows a small town's wild child and the police officer who tries to tame her--he has no idea what he's in for.

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Hawkeye comes THE BILLIONAIRE YOU KNOW, where a bad boy billionaire decides he's waited long enough for the woman he wants...

In STICKY by New York Times bestselling author Nina Lane, a plate of sugar cookies sparks an edgy, red-hot affair between married PTO president Madeline Collins and the hot, new school principal, who teaches her a very dirty lesson.

From New York Times bestselling author Roni Loren comes WANDERLUST, the story of a magazine writer who needs to land the big story and the bad boy rockstar who’s determined to protect his band’s secrets. His plan? Get her off her game by getting her into his bed.

For fans of such films as Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Wild Things comes a ménage romance posing the question, can two men share the same woman forever? UNCONVENTIONAL (The Manhattanites) by Avery Aster.



Don’t forget to check out SWEET TALK and SWEET DREAMS, two more limited edition collections from Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research, as well as LOVE THAT!, Brenda Novak's new cookbook with Jan Coad, and SAFE HAVEN, a special edition novel from Lauren Hawkeye... read and help the fight against diabetes!


Monday, June 22, 2015

RELEASE DAY!! Christa Lynn has re-released Running from Destiny

RELEASE DAY!!
Christa Lynn has re-released Running from Destiny


RFD New cover for ebook.1


synopsis


Ally Sanders lives a normal, quiet life. She’s guarded and damaged, sweet, curvy and self deprecating. She doesn’t date much and likes that just fine, cause she doesn’t deserve love. When arrogant media mogul, Jackson Bentley comes roaring in to her life, normal and quiet no longer exist, and those curves are what draws him to her. But Jackson has secrets and relentlessly pursues Ally, determined to make her his. When danger flashes in to Ally’s life, will she be able to get past the lies and anxiety, or will she run? This novel includes sexual situations and sensitive subject matter. This novel also includes a hero and heroine who will make you laugh, cry and want to smack them both.


Buy Links




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about the author

I am married and have a teenage son. 
I live in the Atlanta, GA area and I enjoy reading and writing 
when I'm not at my full time job.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

BLOG TOUR: My Cowboy Promises by Z.A. Maxfield SPOTLIGHT








My Cowboy Promises
(The Cowboys Series, Book #4)
By Z.A. Maxfield


Blurb:

A real man needs a real love…



To become the man he’s meant to be, one cowboy will have to be the man he never wanted anyone to know he was…



Ryder Dent is a true-blue cowboy. A devoted son, husband and father, but one who is living a costly lie. When they were both young, Ryder and his closest female friend Andy thought they’d found the perfect solution to both their problems—she was single and pregnant, and he was secretly gay—so they got married and raised Jonas together.



When Ryder gets hurt at a party, his son’s new pediatrician comes to the rescue. The connection between Ryder and Dr. Declan Winters is sudden, powerful, and undeniable. Ryder loves Andy and the family they’ve created together—but they both need more. Can they pursue their hearts’ desire without destroying the life they’ve built and losing the son they love?








Available for purchase at 
            



Excerpt





The
hottest guy I ever saw was playing “Pop Goes the Weasel” on the piano while
fifteen cagey preschoolers circled fourteen chairs. My father-in-law’s annual
Fourth of July shindig—the biggest event of the year—was a family picnic. We’d
set aside a play area for the littlest kids and I’d volunteered to supervise,
but the piano man blindsided me and I nearly missed an outrageous hair- pulling
incident.
Like
a too bright pair of headlights on a moonless night, he was all I could see.
Mayor
Calder Hamilton—a cartoon bear of a man with a white handlebar mustache—snuck
up on me with one of those painful backslapping man hugs.
“Ryder
Dent, you son of a bitch. Which one is your boy?”
“That’s
Jonas.” I pointed out my son. “Blue plaid shirt, cowboy hat. Crass determination
to win?”
“I
know that look, I see it every day when I look in the mirror. But how can that
be him? Last time I saw him he was half that size.”
Why
do people always say that? Is it some rite of passage? Am I going to be
surprised kids grow someday too? “We had to buy him a new pair of cowboy boots
just last week.”
“He’s
a fine-looking boy. Where’s Andrea?”
“She
doesn’t come to these things to hang around with me.” I glanced toward the
windows. “You’ll find her wherever there’s dancing.”
“She
leaves you in charge of Jonas?”
“Gosh,
yeah. Andi’s the social one. She likes to kick up her heels and I don’t mind if
she wants to have some fun.”
“So
have you met our new doctor yet? Isn’t he something? I have never seen anyone
play piano like that.”
That’s Doctor Winters?” The doc had started playing “Pop Goes the
Weasel” like a Russian folk dance, all the while yelling
Hai! Hai,! Hai! Hai! The music stopped and the chaos
started. Jonas ended up on another chair.
“Go,
Team Jonas!” I pumped my fist like a goofball.
“Yeah.
Go, boy, go!” Hamilton was already tipsy enough to be unaware he was shouting
right in my ear. It didn’t matter; I was going deaf from all the kids squealing
anyway. “I’d like to ask your help with something.”
“Sure
thing, Mayor. Shoot.”
“I
need you and your family in a campaign ad”
“My
family?”
Good grief.
Bitterroot’s founding fathers would shit in their graves at such an idea.
“I don’t think we’d make a very
good ad.”
“C’mon.”
He punched my arm. “You and Andrea are both attractive. Jonas is a cute kid.
You had to make some tough choices in the beginning, but look where you are
now.”
“Uh
. . . I don’t think—”
“I
need a family
exactly like yours to represent my
campaign to the twenty-somethings. I need them to believe they’re important to
me.”
Me and
Andi?
My
stomach did a full 360, front to back, as if I was on a Six Flags ride. Mayor
Hamilton wanted some picture-frame perfect family, and we were not it. Plus, we
hadn’t exactly voted for him. “I’ll ask Andi about it, but—”
“Andrea’s
dad just told me he’s backing me all the way again this next election.”
“Is
he?”
That figures. Her dad
likes politicians to owe him.

“So you just tell her you’re
doing it, okay?”
“Sure,
I’ll mention it, but—”
Hamilton’s
wife, Sally, came up to collect him. “C’mon Cowboy. There’s someone I want you
to meet.”
She
grabbed his hand and, after a good-natured tug-of-war, they left together. I
breathed again. Andi’s dad ran one of the most successful ranches in the area.
If he wanted to see my family on a billboard, I’d have to figure a way to get
out of it or learn to say “cheese.”
It
was pretty hard to say no to Sterling Chandler. I’m not sure he understood the
word.
Shit.
The
new doc managed to make “Pop Goes the Weasel” sound like a funeral dirge and
the children all lurched around like little zombies. Then he turned it into a
raucous honkytonk song.
Who
was this guy?
Jonas
got eliminated fourth from last but he wasn’t crushed by the loss. His
attention shifted right away to the buffet, where the cater-waiters had
installed several trays of Texas-sized cookies, all colored with red, white,
and blue sugar crystals in honor of the holiday.
Musical
Chairs, the Survivor edition, came down to two particularly crafty-looking
femme fatales. One wore a jeans skirt, cowboy boots, and a pretty white blouse,
and the other had on a daisy-printed sundress with lacy socks and jelly shoes.
Lacy socks girl won by body-checking white blouse girl out of the way and
pouncing on the last chair. She gripped the seat so tight with both hands no
one could get her off it.
The
new doc consoled the runner-up with a box of big-block Legos and gave the
winner a play set with pink and purple Ponies but it seemed she thought she was
getting the chair as her prize. Eventually her mom pried her up and they all
wandered off to join the party outside.
Doc
Winters was left to tidy up. I figured I ought to help, being family and all.
Plus, it might get me out of small talk outside.
But
the doc was the best looking man I had ever seen up close. I was bound to mess
up and say something super stupid, and Andi was going to hear about it, and
then she was going to tease me for the rest of my life, because she was just
waiting for me to lose my shit over some guy.
And
Doc Winters, M.D., The Yankee Doodler?
He could
be the guy.
































































































The Cowboys Series










About the Author

Z. A. Maxfield started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back.  Pathologically disorganized, and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends. Three things reverberate throughout all her stories: Unconditional love, redemption, and the belief that miracles happen when we least expect them.

If anyone asks her how a wife and mother of four can find time for a writing career, she’ll answer, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you give up housework.”



You can find ZA Maxfield at 

            


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