Stirring Up Trouble by Andrea Laurence + Excerpt + Giveaway!!

Title: Stirring Up Trouble

Author: Andrea Laurence

Release Date: October 12, 2015

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Summary

When a prim and proper baker and a laid-back bartender have a neighborly disagreement that gets them both in trouble with the law, a sweet reconciliation is stirred up in the playful third romance in Andrea Laurence’s sexy Rosewood series.

Maddie’s life is perfectly sweet. Her bakery’s tasty treats are rising to the top of every must-have list in town, and her commute is just a block away by foot. She loves everything about her little downtown Victorian bungalow—except for her unbearably noisy neighbor, Woody’s. The bar’s obnoxious and sexy owner, Emmett, seems to live to aggravate Maddie. But he mostly thinks she could use a stiff drink to dislodge the stick up her ass. He’s just trying to run his business. Bars stay open late, they play music, they serve alcohol. If she doesn’t like it, why did she buy a house across the street?

When Maddie and Emmett’s battle lands them in front of the local judge, they’re ordered to do several weeks of community service cleaning parks and painting over graffiti. As they scrub away the latest works of art by the town’s anonymous “Penis Picasso,” the baker and the bartender slowly begin to see there’s more to each other than meets the eye. So what happens if they wave the white flag and surrender into each other’s arms?

Buy Links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1htnQ3G

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1P1TrYV

iTunes: http://apple.co/1jS0OW6

Author Biography

Andrea Laurence has been a lover of reading and writing stories since she learned to read at a young age. She always dreamed of seeing her work in print and is thrilled to finally be able to share her special blend of sensuality and dry, sarcastic humor with the world. A dedicated West Coast girl transplanted into the Deep South, she's working on her own "happily ever after" with her boyfriend and their collection of animals including a Siberian Husky that sheds like nobody's business.

Social Networking Links

Website: http://andrealaurence.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAndreaLaurence

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Andrea_Laurence

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5398672.Andrea_Laurence

Message From the Author:

Hey everyone. I’m excited to be here today to tell you about my latest sassy, sexy Rosewood romance – Stirring Up Trouble. This is the third book in the series, featuring the great characters you’ve grown to love and a few you’ve grown to hate. This book features Chamberlain sister and prissy princess, Maddie. She’s purchased an old Victorian home across the street from the town bar, owned by laid back bartender, Emmett Sawyer. These two couldn’t be more different, from the hours they keep, to their ideas of a good time, but sometimes opposites attract and for these two, it’s explosive. But first, they’ve got to stop trying to make each other miserable and that’s going to require the help of the town judge, some sweet treats and the infamous town vandal, the Penis Picasso. Here with me today are Maddie and Emmett. We’ve asked them what sweet treat or frosty drink reminds them of one another, so I’m going to turn it over to them!

Maddie: It just so happens that it’s also Emmett’s favorite treat, but I’d say he’s one of my homemade MoonPies. Now, for those of you who’ve had a MoonPie, they don’t look like much of a gourmet treat on the outside and frankly the ones you get at the gas station really aren’t. They’ve got a reputation as being a little country - but like Emmett - looks can be deceiving and the MoonPies I make in the shop have so many layers of surprising, refined flavors. They’re made with homemade marshmallow cream, sandwiched between freshly baked gingersnap cookies. Then I dip them in a dark chocolate ganache and sprinkle the edges with some crushed, candied pecans. They’re a little spicy and very sweet, just like Emmett. I just can’t get enough of him.

Emmett: Hey, folks. So, if I had to sum up Fancy in a drink... she would be imported French Champagne. The good stuff, not some knockoff sparkling wine. She would be a little sweet, a little dry. If you’re not used to her, she can give you a headache. Some people thinks she’s too fancy for everyday consumption, but once you’ve tasted her, nothing else quite measures up. That’s my Maddie in a glass.

***

Stirring Up Trouble Excerpt

“You know, Fancy Pants, that’s your problem.”

Her eyes widened as he used his new favorite nickname for her. He didn’t know why it would offend her. She was a fancy pants, through and through. “I don’t have a problem.”

“Yes, you do. You think you’re so much better than everyone else, but you’re not. So what? You studied in Paris. Estelle was a self-taught baker using her grandmother’s recipes, and her chocolate chip cookies were better than yours.”

Maddie gasped. “My chocolate chip cookies are made with vanilla beans from Madagascar and chopped milk and dark chocolate from Switzerland!”

“It’s a cookie, not a piece of art that needs provenance to display in a gallery. Some people just want what’s familiar. Nobody’s grandma used vanilla beans from Madagascar. Importing all that fancy stuff might make you feel special, but it doesn’t make you better. Frankly, I think it would hurt your bottom line. You think you’re going to pay back your daddy for this place while you blow money on embossed pink pastry boxes and imported chocolate? This isn’t a patisserie on the Champs-Élysées, Fancy Pants. You might think it sets you apart, but to be successful, you need to know your customer. People around here don’t care where Madagascar is, much less if that’s where your vanilla comes from.”

“People want high-quality products, and that’s what I’m going to give them. My clientele is a little more sophisticated than yours. I suppose you’re well versed in your customers and what they want, right? Beer and football.”

“Damn right, and that’s what I give them.” Emmett turned to face her and leaned down so she heard every word he said. “They want a place to relax and unwind. They want to watch sports and listen to music. You might think that I started bringing those bands in just to keep you up at night, but you’re giving yourself a little too much real estate in my brain, Fancy. It doesn’t have anything to do with you. You’re just an unwelcome distraction.”

Maddie looked up at him, her full bottom lip trembling slightly as he railed at her. “Earlier you said I was beautiful—a sadist—but beautiful. Am I distracting because I drive you crazy or because I’m beautiful?” she asked in a breathy voice that made his chest and his pants tighten at the same time.

Those pouty lips made him want to run the pad of his thumb across them and kiss away her frown. It was a ridiculously unhelpful thought, but like he’d said, she was a distraction in a variety of ways. He wished she wasn’t so attractive because that just crossed the wires in his brain. He’d much prefer her outsides matched her annoying insides, then it would be easy to ignore her.

She had the shiniest hair he’d ever seen. It was always up in a ponytail or a bun, which was a shame because it was like shimmering chestnut silk. He wanted to know what it would look like if it fell free around her shoulders. He wondered how it’d feel to run his fingers through it. Her skin was like porcelain and her eyes like the shells of a robin’s egg. Maddie’s every feature was delicate and feminine, rousing a protective nature in him he wasn’t used to.

And then she opened her mouth and ruined everything.

“Both,” he said.

Giveaway!!

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SCATTERED ASHES by Annie Anderson + EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY

SCATTERED ASHES by Annie Anderson

Genre: Paranormal Romance

- SYNOPSIS -

Aurelia Constantine is having a rough century.

Plagued by visions of murder, death and destruction, she has resigned herself to the nightmare her life has become. When an enemy from her past comes to her rescue, she must let go of old wounds and heal the breach so she may survive the evil poisoning her mind. 

Rhys Stevens is guilty. 

Murder. Betrayal. Treason. Take your pick; he’s guilty of them all. On the path of redemption, he must beg for forgiveness from the one person he fought to save - the woman he has always loved. 

Thrown together in the trenches of war, they must work as a team to stop a monstrous puppet master from pulling their strings.

Ashes, ashes. We all fall down.

Get ready to burn.

- ADD TO GOODREADS - 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26010665-scattered-ashes

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- EXCERPT -

You’d ask what kind of psychic I am. Well, I’ll tell you: I’m the shitty kind. I see maybe ten percent of what I should, and I can’t change a fucking second of it. I see what I see, and then I brace because it’s going to happen. There isn’t a thing I can do.

Believe me, I’ve tried. It’s a waste of time, and it weighs too much on my heart.

And on my mind.

Let’s not forget about the tenuous hold I have on sanity. I just thank the universe I live alone now. How many times could I have woken a roommate, looking like a horror movie reject before I booked a one-way ticket to a padded cell? I’ve already lived through one involuntary incarceration under an insane Primary’s thumb; a repeat stay is not in my future.

I’d rather chew a bullet.

Hiding my abilities when under constant surveillance is almost impossible. I’m a Seer, born with the ability to observe things that will come to pass in vivid Technicolor inside my little noggin, hence that lovely dream. I also sometimes randomly electrocute people without meaning to. Well, sometimes I mean to, but not all the time, and that is pretty scary. If people weren’t already looking at me funny before, which they are because as a Seer, my eyes freak people way the fuck out, they would after I zapped the crap out of them randomly.

Then there’s the phasing. As a fledgling, I sometimes transitioned from my resting form to the ethereal without even trying. Meaning, when I got angry or upset, I would burst into flames, and my wings would pop out. I got angry a lot in those days.

Yes, I am a bloodthirsty little thing. No, I don’t have any problem inflicting violence when I deem it necessary. Yes, ‘when I’m pissed’ falls under the necessary column.

Okay, I should explain the eye thing. You see (pun intended) my eyes are a very pale, milky green. All the time. You remember old westerns where the old guy is blind, and he has those freaky eyes where the iris and pupil nearly blend into the sclera? Yep, you guessed it, that’s what’s going on here.

Only I’m not blind.

And I wear contacts when I go outside because if I don’t people assume I’m blind, for one, and their face says they are squicked way the hell out, for numero dos. Also, when I’m pissed they kind of, well, glow.

Like an incandescent bulb, glow.

So the fact I’m not exactly human is really fucking obvious.

Hello, my name is Aurelia Constantine, and I am a Phoenix.

© Copyright 2015 Annie Anderson

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- ABOUT THE AUTHOR - 

ANNIE ANDERSON

Annie Anderson is originally from Dallas, Texas but has lived in England, Las Vegas (because Las Vegas and the state of Nevada are two very different places), New Mexico, Illinois, Florida and Georgia. As soon as the military stops moving her family around, she’ll settle on a state, but for now she enjoys being a nomad with her husband, two kids, and an old man of a dog. 

- SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS -

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnnieAnderson

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AnnieAnde

WEBSITE: http://www.annieande.com

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6108766.Annie_Anderson

- GIVEAWAY -

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Harms's Way by Bobbi Cole Meyer + Excerpt + GIVEAWAY!!

Harms's Way by Bobbi Cole Meyer

McKay McLemore is the best there is at her job—finding people who don’t want to be found. But when the super-sexy, Harley Davidson rider, Harm Pranston, pays top dollar for her to locate a woman and her teenaged son she becomes suspicious. What are his motives? Is he stalking the woman who is running scared? Yet despite her trepidation, and against her will, McKay aches to feel Harm’s tough-as-nails body against hers.

Harm has his reservations about hiring the sharp-tongued McLemore to locate a woman he hasn’t seen in 16 years. First off, the red-headed investigator treats him like a suspected criminal, and secondly he has to fight his urge to lose himself in her. Just recovering from a gut-wrenching break up, the last thing Harm needs is a dragon-tattooed Amazon who makes him want to drag her off to a cave somewhere…

on Amazon: Harm's Way: Men of Passion Book 2

The first 10 purchasers of Harm’s Way from MyRomanceStory.com will each receive a $10 gift coupon for purchase of hot romance books from the MyRomanceStory e-bookstore site.

After shaving and showering Harm headed downstairs. He’d been assured the P.I. he’d hired, Mac McLemore, was a stickler for being on time, so Harm was seated at the lounge bar and waiting for him by seven-thirty. 

Thirty minutes later he glanced at his Rolex. 

Two minutes ‘til eight. Let’s see how accurate your dad was in describing you, Mac. 

When he looked impatiently back to the lounge entrance, Harm was just one of the many men who watched in mute fascination as the woman with mile-long legs glided through the door. She exuded such a commanding presence she ‘owned’ the lounge the minute she entered. She stood framed in the doorway, raking the room with a smoldering look. 

Because all eyes of the men were riveted upon her, their women stared, too. While the men ogled appreciatively, the women frowned jealously. 

Harm was among those unable to tear his gaze away. Silently critiquing her, he found it intriguing that this stunning mystery woman seemed completely oblivious to the attention she was generating as she stood relaxed with her hands on her hips. 

Harm watched her almond-shaped, forest green eyes sweep back and forth throughout the lounge. She was evidently searching for someone in particular. Harm had to squash the ridiculous urge to jump up and shout, “Me, gorgeous. Here I am!” 

She reminded him of the star on an old TV Wonder Woman rerun he had recently seen; the kind of take-charge, take-no-prisoners kind of woman any man would aspire to claim as his own, with a touch of a jungle queen thrown in. Those cat eyes of hers were almost feral in their avid search of the room. 

The emerald green tank top she wore, which matched her eyes, didn’t quite meet her skin-tight, hip-hugger jeans, leaving exposed a sliver of tanned skin, where the head of an intriguing dragon tattoo teased the onlookers. 

Whoever did that tat did one hell of a job, he thought as she stepped farther into the room and floated through the crowd—and that was how it seemed to him—that she floated. 

It was the first time a woman had peaked his interest this much since Kayla Saradon, who had awakened depths of desire in Harm he’d never known were possible. 

Thoughts of those torrid nights of intense lovemaking with Kayla, as one of her “husbands” in their happy polyandry-style family, and their many forays into sensual explorations came vividly back to Harm at that moment. Along with that flash of memory came the cutting edge of devastating pain he’d lived through when he lost it all. 

He told himself since the split with Kayla, and the loss of his best friends and fellow ‘husbands’, that he could do fine without that kind of intimate family connection, not to mention the mind-blowing sex. 

But suddenly, seeing this woman who exuded that same intense sensuality as Kayla had, Harm felt sexually re-energized. The sudden rush of desire to re-experience those kinds of erotic nights he’d shared with Kayla flooded through him, pulsating straight to, and hardening, his penis. 

To his surprise, the woman came toward the bar and right at him, stopping before him to ask, “Your name wouldn’t be Harm Pranston, now would it?” 

Shocked, Harm thought, Sonavabitch! But he managed to keep his voice casual as he answered, “It would.” 

Now that she was close to him he caught a whiff of her womanly smell, a mixture of citrus body wash tinged with a hint of floral perfume. It went straight to his already straining dick. 

“Mac” McKay fully assessed Harm. Checking out his body, the minute he stood to acknowledge her, she figured his tall frame was all muscle. The way his amazing blue eyes ate her up caused her body to clench from the tips of her breasts to the secret place between her legs. Her gaze took in his well-defined lips, which she had the almost uncontrollable urge to trace with her fingertips to find out if they were as smooth and as soft as they seemed. His smoothly muscled arms were crossed across his broad chest and she wondered what they would feel like wrapped around her. 

“Were you looking for me?” Harm asked, thinking, Oh, please, if there is a God, say yes. 

McKay felt a tiny frisson chase across her skin at the sound of his voice—low, a sexy deep rumble that set off vibrations that skittered like a pinched nerve down to her lower abdomen. 

She mentally composed herself as she replied, “You could say that.” She stuck out her hand, which Harm clasped it in his large, slightly calloused palm. 

The touch sent another surge of electricity through her. With a quick intake of breath, she inhaled Harm’s clean, musky scent and savored it for just a moment, her eyes sliding appreciatively to the red heart tattoo with the “yes” inside barely visible on his arm. 

For the first time in a long time, McKay had a strong yearning to really know a man.

Bobbi Cole Meyer is the pen name for Barbara Meyer, who relocated from her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a career as a lyricist. Over the years Barbara has had numerous songs she co-wrote cut by major artists such as Tom Jones, Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Barbi Benton, Stella Parton, The Soul Shakers, the Poppies, Bandana, Mason Dixon, the Wright Brothers and several others. She also co-wrote the theme song for the Italian movie, Summer Affair, with well-known guitarist and composer, Bucky Barrett.

Now residing in the small town outside Nashville, Tennessee, with new hubby, Hank, Barbara is busy pursuing a second career, writing fiction, which she claims is her first love.

Barbara’s slogan is, “grab them with the first paragraph and don’t turn loose until the last period.”

She is the author of Obsessive Surrender, and Uncensored Passion, the first book of the Men of Passion series.

Visit her website at www.bobbicolemeyer.com.

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SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN by Samatha Harris + EXCERPT

"Sometimes to get what you really want, 

you have to risk everything you already have..."

SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN 

by Samatha Harris 

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Publisher: Limitless Publishing

- SYNOPSIS -

Alexandra McCabe is disconnected from the world, grieving the loss of her parents...

Content with studying and keeping to herself, Alex has no interest in the campus playboy, Drew Collins, trying to get close to her. But even dousing him with beer doesn't deter the easy-going charmer, and against her better judgment, the pair fall into a reluctant friendship.

Drew is bored with college life, and Alex's romantic rejection intrigues him...

Their friendship is good for both of them, but Drew is used to getting what he wants, and he's tired of shallow sorority girls. He's much more interested in the feisty redhead, but despite his growing feeling, Alex keeps him firmly in the friend zone.

Old heartaches and new tragedies deepen a complicated relationship...

Whatever life throws their way, Alex and Drew remain best friends with their own traditions. Drew is Alex's family, her rock, and Alex keeps Drew grounded, always challenging him to better himself.

When years of buried feelings rush to the surface, they threaten to change everything...

Drew promised his mother he'd tell Alex how he feels, when the time is right-but how will he know when that is? Alex is terrified to reveal those 'three little words' certain Drew doesn't feel the same, and she'll lose the only family she has.

Should Alex and Drew open their hearts, and risk being crushed? Should they be satisfied with a deep, lifelong friendship? Or does the only chance for happiness lie...

Somewhere In Between?

 ADD TO GOODREADS

- EXCERPT -

When we reached the bar, Drew ordered me a glass of champagne and I turned to scan the crowd. I saw Madeline working her way toward us, her long plum colored gown flaring out behind her. She threw her arms open, a smile spreading wide across her lips. Was she drunk? I smiled back at her as she finally reached me, grasping both my arms tightly before pulling me into an awkward hug. My boss is a very proper and elegant woman. She’s always strictly business, so I was completely floored when she embraced me.

“Alexandra, you look stunning,” she gushed leaning in to kiss my cheeks.

“Uh,” I stammered, completely caught off guard. “As do you, Ms. Grant.”

“Please, we are not in the office. Call me Madeline.” She waved a hand, dismissing the formality. Her eyes widened as Drew stepped beside me and handed me my glass. Madeline glanced between us, pursing her lips and nodding her approval.

“Madeline, this is Andrew Collins,” I said.

“Drew,” he clarified, shaking her extended hand.

“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Drew,” Madeline said, her eyes roaming over him from top to bottom like he was a life-size chocolate sculpture. Yep she’s drunk. I took a sip of champagne to hide my giggle, eyeing the actual life-size chocolate sculpture that stood across the room. I would have to get a closer look at that later on. Damn, I should have brought a bigger purse.

“Alexandra has told me so much about you.” Madeline placed a hand to her chest, toying with the insane diamond pendant nestled there. I was impressed she wasn’t hunched over from the sheer size of the thing. Madeline was hammered and flirting with Drew. It was quite the show.

Drew retreated closer to my side, placing his hand on the small of my back. “Well, I’m sure only half of it is true.” An awkward smile spread across his face. His eyes shifted to mine, begging me to save him from my inebriated boss. I bit my lip to suppress a giggle.

Madeline giggled “Oh nonsense.” She placed a hand on his arm. Totally sauced.

“Can I get you a drink, Madeline?” Drew offered, clearly looking for an escape.

“Champagne, please,” she said, with a brilliant smile. As he turned back to the bar to get her drink, she leaned in to me. “He is delicious, darling. Well done. Best to hide him from Gwen.” She winked. Drunk Madeline was my new favorite person! I immediately started devising a plan to start slipping Kahlua into her morning coffee.

I heard the telltale stomp before I saw her. The sound stopped just behind me and a chill ran up my spine.

“Alex,” Gwen said. I could hear the irritation in her voice, and I could feel her cold glare on the back of my neck. I took a deep breath, slowly turning to face her. I was met with an eyeful of exposed breast. Holy shit! There was more boob out of her dress than there was in it. I swear it looked like the fabric was doing everything it could not to just rip open. I couldn’t look at her face if I wanted to. My eyes were locked with her boobs. She might as well have come topless.

Gwen shifted, pushing her breast even further up, causing me to take an involuntary step back. For a moment I thought they were going to attack. She must have noticed Drew and aimed her torpedoes in his direction.

Gwen flipped her extensions over her shoulder as Drew approached. With a smile, he handed Madeline her glass and turned to address our new arrival. Poor bastard never had a chance. All he saw were breasts. It was a direct hit, with no chance of survival. I couldn’t blame him. Hell, I couldn’t look her in the face either.

To his credit, he eventually snapped back to himself and looked up at her face. “Hi, I’m Drew,” he stammered, extending his hand to Gwen. She took it and stepped closer, almost pressing herself against him. She practically shoved me out of the way, pretending not to notice that I was standing right fucking there!

Gwen’s eyes ran up and down Drew like a predator inspecting her prey. “A pleasure, I’m sure,” she said, in her best breathy Marilyn Monroe voice. Oh come on, was she for real? Without breaking eye contact or even releasing Drew’s hand, she said, “Nice dress, Alex.”

“You too, Gwen. Too bad there isn’t more of it.”

Drew coughed, almost choking on his drink. Calling that a dress would be a serious exaggeration. It was more like strips of black fabric glued randomly to her body. Gwen glared at me and I met her evil eye head on, neither of us wanting to be the first to flinch.

- ABOUT THE AUTHOR -

SAMATHA HARRIS

Samatha “Sam” Harris lives near Baltimore, Maryland with her husband and daughter Ava. Born in Florida, she migrated north which most people agree was a little backwards. She has been an artist all of her life, a Tattoo Artist for more than ten years, and a storyteller since she was a kid.

Sam has a slightly unhealthy love for Frank Sinatra, classic movies, and Jazz and Blues music, but her first love will always be reading. From Romance, to Thrillers, to Historical Fiction and everything in between, she loves to become a part of the story. As a writer she tells the stories that she would want to read.

LIMITLESS PUBLISHING: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/samatha-harris/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Samathaharrisauthor

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/samathaharris08

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14244788.Samatha_Harris

Undercover Trouble by Autumn Piper + Excerpt + GIVEAWAY

Title: Undercover Trouble

Series: Love-N-Trouble

Author: Autumn Piper

Genre: New Adventure Romantic Comedy

Published: September 14, 2015

Some love lasts a long time, some a lifetime. Can theirs outlast space-time?

Randi’s summer vacation plans? Attending Professor Sudo’s Time Travel Academy so she can blast back to 1980 Miami and figure out where her father disappeared to. She’s the head of her class until hottie Mitch arrives disguised as a geeky geologist and totally messes up her meditation. Goodbye Soulful in Sedona, hello Yearning in Yoga. So long solo time-travel, hello pushy partner--who happens to be a buff tri-athlete, a sympathetic listener, and an ace FBI agent on a secret mission. With his help, she’ll conga her way into the Cuban mafia, try not to destroy the delicate fabric of the space-time continuum, dodge a few bullets, and solve The Mystery of the Missing Dad. And maybe fall just a little in love…

A new adventure in romantic comedy, with a heroine who boldly goes where no chick has gone before, tons of danger and intrigue, a roller-discoing Granny, life and death betrayal, steamy Miami nights and one hot FBI agent.

Amid stunning views of sheer cliffs, sandstone gullies, cedar trees, and sage, our chopper lowered. The beautiful blue-green ribbon of river wound below, cascading over falls I’d never expected in the desert. After a four-thousand foot descent, we touched down not far from the water, in a seemingly different world.

Mitch had spent the entire ride gripping his seat belt. Even when I’d pointed out the rising sun to him, he’d only flicked his eyes toward the east and grimaced. Ordinarily, I’d have razzed him. But since he’d been so kind about my fear of snakes, teasing him would have been churlish.

As we stepped out into the cool, bright morning, he heaved a big sigh of relief.

The pilot quickly checked out our GPS radio device to make sure it was operational, handed it to Mitch, and reminded us he’d meet us in the same spot at eleven the next morning.

We gathered our packs and moved away from the aircraft.

When the air had stilled again and the chopper shrank along the horizon, we began our hike to the Indian holy grounds, an area believed to be another energy vortex. Sudo’s itinerary suggested we hike there and meditate for two hours, then move away to some secluded area with little chance of meeting anyone else, where we could shade up for the hottest part of the day.

“I can’t believe we got gypped out of breakfast again,” Mitch grumbled beside me.

“I can’t believe you told Checklist Chick we’re married!”

He laughed at me. “It was the fastest way to save her life. You looked like you were about to eat her alive, for flirting with me.”

I stopped in my tracks. “You! Oh! I-I-I did not look at her like that. She can flirt with you all she wants, you, you, bigheaded lout!”

More laughter.

“So tell me, Mr. Goodman. Why are we here, really?”

“Humans in general?”

“Us! You and I. Why are we isolated out here in the Grand Canyon, using your undercover name? Is something going down today in Sedona? Something you’re keeping me away from?”

“Nancy Drew returns.” He groaned and stopped in the shade of a cedar to catch his breath. “Look. I didn’t know we were coming out here ’til Sudo told me this morning, same time as you. I almost think he didn’t know either.”

“How could that be? Is this some impromptu lesson?”

Mitch shook his head and took a long drink from his water bottle. “His wife. Something about her…”

He had a point. Mrs. Sudo did seem to have her own agenda. “Somebody hung a crystal in my window. In feng shui, it’s supposed to promote romance.”

He grinned, brow raised.

“But surely,” I said, “Sudo wouldn’t allow her matchmaking game to get in the way of his science.”

“Science, hmm? More like science fiction. Sometimes I catch myself wondering if this is really going to work. Maybe he’s messing with our heads to see how long we’ll put up with it. Maybe that’s the real science he’s working on.”

“God. Now you sound like my mother.”

If he’d been a dog, his ears would’ve been pointing straight up. “She doesn’t believe it’ll work, huh?”

I sighed and heaved my pack up to my shoulders. “I’d rather not discuss it today. Suffice it to say, she has her personal fears about me going looking for my biological father. So she projects those fears into doubt about the time-travel process.”

Mitch fell into step beside me again. “Why do you want to find your father so much?”

“He’s the unknown. Well, not him so much, but what happened to him. His fate is the unknown. The ‘x’ in the equation of my life.”

“The ‘ex’? I thought his name was David.”

“No, the ‘x’, as in algebra. X plus seven equals ten.”

“X equals three,” he supplied.

“Why’d you solve it?” His brows were drawn, and he looked at me like I was crazy. “Isn’t it enough to know x plus seven equals ten? Why’d you have to solve the problem and tell me the value of x?”

“I don’t know. Because it’s there. Because we were taught for years if there’s an unknown variable, to solve for it.”

“Exactly. So why should I do less when it concerns my own father?”

“Still. You’re willing to risk your life to solve it?”

“Risks are relative, Goodman. I seriously doubt I’ll die. The worst that might happen is I end up in the wrong year, or can’t get back.”

“And what will you do then? If you’re in the wrong year, you still won’t figure out where your father is.”

“I’ll have to deal with it, then. Or go back to Sedona and do the tele-time-transport thing all over again. Again and again, ’til I end up in 1980.”

“You’re telling me, if you end up in the wrong year, you’ll keep trying to get to 1980 rather than back to your own time?”

“Time is relative too,” I joked. “But seriously, I came here for one reason—to find out where my father went. It’s my mission.” We climbed along in silence. Disapproving silence, if I was to guess. Mitch was taking the same risks, but he seemed to think my cause was not worthwhile. Double standards! “What’s your mission, Goodman? Or, Wheels? That’s what they call you back at the Bureau, or the precinct, or wherever you came from. Why do they call you that? What are you really traveling back to 1980 for?”

“So many questions, Ms. Drew.”

“Oh, so, what? You get to ask me anything, but I can’t ask you?”

“You can ask. Doesn’t mean I’m going to answer.”

 

Born and raised in itty-bitty Rifle, Colorado, Autumn Piper studiously avoided trouble…but is now inclined toward it, particularly in her novels. She thinks the best things in life are funny, and the runners-up, romantic. 

An admitted carb addict, Autumn writes, edits, manages two teenagers, one husband and many supersize houseplants, and does the cooking and cleaning when forced to.

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