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LYING EYES
A light romantic suspense.
Now available in print.
Lying Eyes:
The possibility of the writer's conference Allison Marble is attending being the most amazing weekend of her writing career evaporates with the discovery someone has switched track bags with hers and instead of her cosmetics, bundles of money spill out on her hotel dresser. Uneasy, she calls the LAPD Detective she met at the train station for help.
Carlo Demetri insists Allison's life is in danger and wants to strangle her when she refuses to go to a safe house. This conference is too important. Carlo's Captain allows her to stay, but cautions her to follow Carlo's orders and assigns several undercover detectives to escort her and catch the drug runner he's convinced will come after the cash.
Will Carlo make good on his threat to turn her over her knee and paddle her, or will Allison best the hunky Detective at his own game?
Lying Eyes Excerpt:
"I need your help. I'm in room 510 and don't know what to do."
"Don't you feel safe in your room?"
"I… don't know," Allison Marble replied.
"I'm on my way. Throw the security lock on your door until you hear my knock. Check the peephole to be sure it's me at the door and let me in."
Detective Carlo Demetri's quiet instructions helped ease Allison's concern.
She ended the call, hurried to the door and flipped the security lock.
Have I done the right thing?
Was seeking help from a man she barely knew taking a foolhardy risk?
Her angst accelerated again.
Not when he's a cop.
Apparently a respected Detective at the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Community Police Station, too.
He'd been invited to present a workshop for the same writers' conference where she would be giving two presentations.
Surely the officer would have a simple solution to her problem and she could again concentrate on the presentation she would be making the following day at the writer's conference.
An image of the heart-stopping Detective with the dark, inscrutable eyes flickered through her mind. He hadn't even cracked a smile when he'd thoughtfully suggested she share his taxi from the crowded stand at Union Station to the Caprice Hotel downtown.
His dark blue uniform had been neatly pressed and his smooth cheeks recently shaved. If he hadn't explained he'd just come off an all-night stakeout at the train station and was looking forward to sleeping all afternoon, she would never have guessed. He'd also ruefully confessed he'd change into his uniform at the station right before offering to help with her bags.
In the taxi she'd discovered the Detective wasn't much of a talker, but he had eyes no woman would soon forget, and she'd impulsively reached in her pocket and exchanged business cards with him before stepping into the hotel elevator.
"See you around," he'd promised as she and the bellhop stepped out on her floor, probably not expecting to run into her again. He and some dark-skinned man had continued up.
She'd just begun settling into her room when she'd discovered the mix-up and called the Detective. Disturbing the Detective couldn't be avoided. She desperately needed his advice.
The moment Allison unzipped her gym bag in search of her hairbrush she'd discovered the mistake and called the Detective.
Two rapid knocks on her door startled her even though she'd been expecting them.
Alison strode to the door and let Detective Demetri in.
The walls of her hotel room seemed to draw in as the buff Detective stalked inside. Keeping his right hand on his gun holster, he turned to her.
His curious gaze met hers. "How can I help?"
"Sorry to delay your nap. I didn't know who else to call."
"About what?"
"I… What should I do?"
"About what, Miss Marble?"
She unzipped the green gym bag on the dresser and stepped aside. "This."
The Detective leaned over the bag for a better view.
He and glanced at her in the mirror, stunned. "Don't you know it's not safe for a woman to travel with this much cash?" he all but shouted, then lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Is this yours?"
His suspicious gaze revealed tiny pinpoints of light in his flinty eyes.
Allison shook her head.
"Where did you get it?"
"I don't know. I left home with a similar bag loaded with cosmetics and… stuff."
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Disenchanted CEO Luke Townsend hires Krista Lake to stage his Rancho Santa Fe home for quick sale. A product of foster care, Krista longs for a home of her own, and promptly falls in love with Luke's.
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_ Reclusive Jenny Hamilton wants only to be left alone. Afraid to venture far from her modern cabin in the Eastern Sierras, this widow and writer endures a solitary existence caring for her animals until Tom Driscoll washes up in the creek. She rescues the unconscious man, and when his injuries heal, he helps Jenny overcome her fear of men, the result of an abusive marriage.
Tom saves her from the burly intruder intent on rape who traumatizes Jenny. Her earlier fears come flooding back, convincing her there is no man she should trust. She sends Tom away with the sheriff who comes to pick up their prisoner.
When Jenny realizes Tom has taught her to feel again, she reaches out to him. He rushes back to her side, and she promises never to send him away again.
Tom saves her from the burly intruder intent on rape who traumatizes Jenny. Her earlier fears come flooding back, convincing her there is no man she should trust. She sends Tom away with the sheriff who comes to pick up their prisoner.
When Jenny realizes Tom has taught her to feel again, she reaches out to him. He rushes back to her side, and she promises never to send him away again.
Fairy Dusted, a contemporary romance.
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_ A brief blurb:
If only Jill didn't want a baby so badly.
Better still, if only he wanted a child. Things might work out for them if he did, but he wouldn't change his mind about this. Not when another young life would hang in the balance.
Drew's gut clenched. Sure as day followed night Jill would never forgive him for not coming clean with her on this.
The sudden clang of a pot lid and footsteps moving about in the kitchen ended Drew's reverie.
Exhausted from trying to solve his clients' marital problems, he was more than ready to seek refuge inside. Enjoy a tasty meal seated across from his beautiful wife in their well-appointed dining room.
As if he would.
Dread kept Drew glued to the spot, afraid to open the back door, hesitant to face his one-hundred-ten-pound wife.
The pot lid clanged again. Drew yanked open the door and strode in.
Jill stood at the stove, stirring something in an iron pot, her dark auburn hair pulled back from her face with a silver clamp.
"Gosh that smells good." He grabbed a long-handled spoon and sampled the bubbling stew. "How soon do we eat?"
She glanced at him and smiled, a good sign. Lately, he never knew what to expect when he came home. Fertility drugs played havoc with Jill's hormones. With their relationship, too.
He constantly worried about their marriage. He'd be satisfied if they never had a child, overjoyed, actually. He and Jill growing old together, walking through life hand in hand.
Just because we're married doesn't mean we have to have a child.
To Jill, it does.
She'd make too much of his action if he patted her softly yielding butt. Before his next breath she'd have him stripped and stretched out on the bed.
Fertility drugs changed Jill. Gave her the upper hand in their sex life. Made her lust for him, and had gradually eroded their love for each other in her determined rush to give him a child. A child he was afraid to father.
So far, his prayers had been answered and Jill hadn't conceived, but how long could he depend on his luck lasting?
"How was your day?" he asked, giving her a tight hug, his hands firmly planted at her waist.
If only Jill didn't want a baby so badly.
Better still, if only he wanted a child. Things might work out for them if he did, but he wouldn't change his mind about this. Not when another young life would hang in the balance.
Drew's gut clenched. Sure as day followed night Jill would never forgive him for not coming clean with her on this.
The sudden clang of a pot lid and footsteps moving about in the kitchen ended Drew's reverie.
Exhausted from trying to solve his clients' marital problems, he was more than ready to seek refuge inside. Enjoy a tasty meal seated across from his beautiful wife in their well-appointed dining room.
As if he would.
Dread kept Drew glued to the spot, afraid to open the back door, hesitant to face his one-hundred-ten-pound wife.
The pot lid clanged again. Drew yanked open the door and strode in.
Jill stood at the stove, stirring something in an iron pot, her dark auburn hair pulled back from her face with a silver clamp.
"Gosh that smells good." He grabbed a long-handled spoon and sampled the bubbling stew. "How soon do we eat?"
She glanced at him and smiled, a good sign. Lately, he never knew what to expect when he came home. Fertility drugs played havoc with Jill's hormones. With their relationship, too.
He constantly worried about their marriage. He'd be satisfied if they never had a child, overjoyed, actually. He and Jill growing old together, walking through life hand in hand.
Just because we're married doesn't mean we have to have a child.
To Jill, it does.
She'd make too much of his action if he patted her softly yielding butt. Before his next breath she'd have him stripped and stretched out on the bed.
Fertility drugs changed Jill. Gave her the upper hand in their sex life. Made her lust for him, and had gradually eroded their love for each other in her determined rush to give him a child. A child he was afraid to father.
So far, his prayers had been answered and Jill hadn't conceived, but how long could he depend on his luck lasting?
"How was your day?" he asked, giving her a tight hug, his hands firmly planted at her waist.
Restored Dreams, a contemporary romance.
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_Here's a blurb:
Her roof leaks, the plumbing, too, but on a teacher's salary Treasure Montgomery can barely pay the taxes on her property, so the list of needed repairs to the grand Victorian house she inherited from the aunt who raised her continues to grow.
Treasure surrounds herself with other people's children, seeking some fulfillment in an otherwise empty life until she meets Buck. A retired rodeo rider turned philanthropist, Buck willingly donates his labor to anyone who needs a helping hand, spending his father's ill-gotten fortune to make amends for his father's bad deeds, but Treasure wants no part of his charity.
Buck persists. Treasure resists, and he turns to subterfuge to get around the obstacles she throws in his path. She learns the truth and fears she might lose her house to Buck. How wrong can a woman be about the man with whom she's fallen in love?
Her roof leaks, the plumbing, too, but on a teacher's salary Treasure Montgomery can barely pay the taxes on her property, so the list of needed repairs to the grand Victorian house she inherited from the aunt who raised her continues to grow.
Treasure surrounds herself with other people's children, seeking some fulfillment in an otherwise empty life until she meets Buck. A retired rodeo rider turned philanthropist, Buck willingly donates his labor to anyone who needs a helping hand, spending his father's ill-gotten fortune to make amends for his father's bad deeds, but Treasure wants no part of his charity.
Buck persists. Treasure resists, and he turns to subterfuge to get around the obstacles she throws in his path. She learns the truth and fears she might lose her house to Buck. How wrong can a woman be about the man with whom she's fallen in love?
Decisive Moments, a dark romance.
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Here's a synopsis:
To satisfy the requirements for her Master's Degree in fine art photography, Amy Millington needs to photograph Charles Harding's childhood home, but that boarded-up-house holds painful memories for Charles.
Without those photographs Amy cannot secure her young daughter Marta's future. Charles denies the gutsy widow’s request. No one enters the house where his parents were shot when he was four.
She feels his sadness and decides to teach him to have fun. In doing so, he learns to appreciate her art and eventually allows her inside his house. He refuses to enter, until the day Marta gets lost there and Charles releases Marta from the secret room where she discovers his mother's long-lost suicide note.
Knowing the reason his mother shot his father, then turned the gun on herself, frees Charles from his past, but can he free Amy from her past and teach her to love again?
To satisfy the requirements for her Master's Degree in fine art photography, Amy Millington needs to photograph Charles Harding's childhood home, but that boarded-up-house holds painful memories for Charles.
Without those photographs Amy cannot secure her young daughter Marta's future. Charles denies the gutsy widow’s request. No one enters the house where his parents were shot when he was four.
She feels his sadness and decides to teach him to have fun. In doing so, he learns to appreciate her art and eventually allows her inside his house. He refuses to enter, until the day Marta gets lost there and Charles releases Marta from the secret room where she discovers his mother's long-lost suicide note.
Knowing the reason his mother shot his father, then turned the gun on herself, frees Charles from his past, but can he free Amy from her past and teach her to love again?
Lawbreakers and Love Makers, a romantic suspense.
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Here's a synopsis:
Zoe and Jon's situation would be funny if the two of them were not so darn scared. Ten years earlier Zoe's father, a judge, secretly forced Jon out of her life. Now a Deputy Sheriff for the County of San Diego, Jon's response to a tripped security alarm brings his high school sweetheart back into his life. A rash of barking dogs, foiled burglaries, and a homicide keep the couple on their toes, but Jon's prompt responses to her calls for help give Zoe time to resolve the mystery of their forced separation and rekindle their romance.
Zoe and Jon's situation would be funny if the two of them were not so darn scared. Ten years earlier Zoe's father, a judge, secretly forced Jon out of her life. Now a Deputy Sheriff for the County of San Diego, Jon's response to a tripped security alarm brings his high school sweetheart back into his life. A rash of barking dogs, foiled burglaries, and a homicide keep the couple on their toes, but Jon's prompt responses to her calls for help give Zoe time to resolve the mystery of their forced separation and rekindle their romance.
Temp to Permanent, a romantic suspense.
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Here's a synopsis:
Because Carina Carrington equates happiness with success, she has a sound business and a nonexistent sex life. To replace her ailing secretary she hires Greg Lawless, a secretive temp without credentials but with pecs to die for and exceptional office skills.
With this temp comes temptations, and Carina’s problems multiply. Her strong attraction to Greg leaves her in breathless confusion. Her longing for his hard body interferes with her work.
She seeks advice from her support team, her best friends and her mother, who advise her to pursue Greg with a vengeance, the identical path her heart wants to pursue. Under this pressure, Greg succumbs, and shares her bed.
Then Carina learns someone, perhaps even Greg, seeks to destroy her company. Torn between her belief in his innocence, and the likelihood of his guilt, Carina fires Greg, but he convinces her to give him twenty-four hours to find the one responsible.
The villain kidnaps Carina. Greg discovers her stalker's true identity and figures out where he's taken her. Her safe rescue makes his day. Then he learns he passed the bar exam, and with his future now secure can propose to his boss and reveal his past.
Because Carina Carrington equates happiness with success, she has a sound business and a nonexistent sex life. To replace her ailing secretary she hires Greg Lawless, a secretive temp without credentials but with pecs to die for and exceptional office skills.
With this temp comes temptations, and Carina’s problems multiply. Her strong attraction to Greg leaves her in breathless confusion. Her longing for his hard body interferes with her work.
She seeks advice from her support team, her best friends and her mother, who advise her to pursue Greg with a vengeance, the identical path her heart wants to pursue. Under this pressure, Greg succumbs, and shares her bed.
Then Carina learns someone, perhaps even Greg, seeks to destroy her company. Torn between her belief in his innocence, and the likelihood of his guilt, Carina fires Greg, but he convinces her to give him twenty-four hours to find the one responsible.
The villain kidnaps Carina. Greg discovers her stalker's true identity and figures out where he's taken her. Her safe rescue makes his day. Then he learns he passed the bar exam, and with his future now secure can propose to his boss and reveal his past.
