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This series will be continued, but for now, would you like to meet some characters for a new series.
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Prayers and blessings,
Lorana
15
Not ready to say Goodbye yet?
Kate and Jesse were such fun to write that I didn’t want to let them go, so I put Emma and William in the same town.
Sage Creek is up and coming, and I have more stories for it, but let’s take a look at Emma and William’s story.
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Lawfully Justified
He’s a bounty hunter who has given up on love…
William turned to bounty hunting after he lost his wife, but when he ends up injured in Sage Creek, he can’t help noticing his attractive nurse maid.
She lost her husband but still wants a family…
Emma was happily married until her husband was killed on a mission. She wasn’t looking for love again, but the handsome bounty hunter needs her.
The secret may tear them apart….
When William realizes his past is connected with Emma’s he tries to run, but God has a different plan.
Read on for a taste of Lawfully Justified….
16
Lawfully Justified preview
William “Wild Bill” Cook smoothed his black duster and stepped through the swinging batwing doors into the saloon. His eyes scanned the bustling, noisy room for the slim, bearded man whose face he had memorized from the Wanted Poster, but he didn’t appear to be in the room. Of course, that meant nothing. Sometimes the men tried to disguise themselves or hide in low lit corners. Occasionally, he even found them upstairs with one of the saloon girls, if they had the money. Once he had even found a mark upstairs pretending to be a saloon girl. He hadn’t been the brightest one, not realizing his full beard was a dead giveaway. It didn’t matter. Wild Bill Cook always got his man.
He sidled up to the bar, pulled his black hat low on his eyes, and ordered a Whiskey. He wasn’t a big drinker - his wife had hated the stuff - but he found one drink honed his senses and allowed him to survey the room without standing out too much. The last thing he needed was someone recognizing he didn’t belong and warning Frank Monroe. The man was a cattle thief, and no man liked the prospect of jail time and most fought tooth and nail not to go.
When the drink slid his way, William picked it up, trying to ignore the cloudy film on it - Catherine would roll over in her grave if she saw him drinking from such a cup - and adjusted his position so that his back was to the bar.
A heated poker game was taking place at a table across the room, but a closer look ruled out any of those men. Another few men sat at a table closer to his position, tossing back beers, but they were all too large to be his mark. His eyes continued to scan left, but after coming up empty, he finished his drink and turned back to the bartender. Monroe must be hiding out upstairs then.
“Who do you have working tonight?” William asked the bartender. “It’s been a long ride, and I’d like to unwind.”
The long-haired bartender smiled at him, revealing a bottom row of crooked teeth. “What’s your flavor?”
William shook his head as he spun the glass on the counter. “I’m not particular. What are my choices?”
The bartender scanned the room. “Looks like we have two blonds, Nellie and Lizzie, down here which means Minnie, my brunette is upstairs, engaged in other business.”
“I guess I’ll take a blond then,” William said.
“Nellie,” the bartender hollered across the noisy room. He cocked his head in a “come here” gesture, and a moment later, a plump blond appeared at William’s side.
Her blond hair was pinned to one side and curled. Bright red lipstick covered her lips along with a dark rouge. A blood red dress trimmed in a black fringe hugged her frame a little too tightly, sending her extra flesh rolling over the top. William forced his eyes to remain on her face.
“You looking for a good time, honey?” she asked, laying a hand on his arm.
William resisted the urge to shake her hand off. She was his ticket upstairs, and he could swallow his revulsion a moment longer to apprehend his man.
“Sure am. Are you good at giving one?”
“I’m good at everything, honey.” Her voice flowed like silk out of her mouth, but it had no effect on William. He hadn’t been with a woman since the death of his wife, and he wouldn’t until he married again. IF he married again.
“Lead the way then,” he said, pushing the glass back to the bartender and standing. Nellie headed for the back stairs, sashaying her ample hips as she walked. William kept his eyes peeled for Monroe as he followed her, just in case he had missed the man in his initial scan. It didn’t happen often, but William stayed alive by always checking twice if the opportunity presented itself.
With each step, the wooden stairs groaned under his weight and William held tight to the railing as he climbed. The top of the stairs opened into a small hallway. Two doors were on the left and two were on the right, but all were closed. How was he going to determine which room Monroe was in?
“Do you girls all have a regular room?” William asked, hoping her answer would let him know which room Monroe was in.
“Sort of,” Nellie said with a shrug, “but there are three other girls, so we have to share.”
Not helpful. He’d have to be more direct. “Which one is Minnie’s regular room?” William narrowed his eyes as he listened, but he heard no sound coming from any of the rooms.
Nellie’s smile faded, and she crossed her arms. “Are you here for Minnie or for me?”
William scanned her face. While he didn’t trust her - he trusted no one - he had little choice but to ask for her help if he wanted any chance of surprising Monroe. “Honestly ma’am, I’m here for the man who is with Minnie. If you can point out her room, I’ll pay you for your time.”
Nellie’s eyes widened and then she smiled. “Sure, her room is the second one on the left.”
William tipped his hat and headed that direction. His right hand fell to the hilt of his revolver as his left turned the handle. Monroe and a brunette turned his direction as the door opened.
“Run, Frank,” Nellie shouted from behind William.
A look of surprise followed by a flash of fear crossed Monroe’s face before he rolled out of the bed and dove for cover. With a grumble, William whipped his gun out. He hated when things didn’t go according to plan. “Frank Monroe, you’re coming with me. You’re wanted for stealing cattle.”
The brunette pulled the sheet around her and let out a blood-curdling scream. The noise distracted William just enough that he didn’t see Nellie run up behind him until it was too late. She rammed him with her shoulder, sending him into the door jamb.<
br />
A shot went off, followed by two more female screams. William thought at first that he had fired his gun when Nellie hit him, but then the searing pain just above his clavicle hit him. Monroe sat on the floor, his gun smoking in his hand. William tried to raise his arm to fire a shot, but it would no longer obey his command.
As soon as Monroe realized he had the upper hand, he scrambled up, but before he could make it very far, the thunder of footsteps reached the second floor.
“What’s going on here?” the bartender demanded, splotches of red lighting up his face and emphasizing the scar that resided there.
“That’s Frank Monroe,” William said, gritting his teeth through the pain. “He’s a wanted man, and I’m bringing him in. This one ought to be under arrest for abetting a felon.” He pointed at Nellie with his left hand, trying to ward off the darkness that was creeping in on his vision.
“You can’t arrest my girl,” the bartender roared.
“Actually, we can,” a male voice said from behind the bartender. Before the darkness won the battle, William noticed a star pinned to the man’s chest. At least his man wouldn’t get away.
Continue reading Lawfully Justified.
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17
A Free Story For You
Enjoyed this story? Not ready to quit reading yet? If you sign up for my newsletter, you will receive The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet right away as my thank you gift for choosing to hang out with me.
The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet
A SWAT officer. A bored billionaire heiress. A bet that could change everything….
Read on for a taste of The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet….
18
The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet Preview
Brie Carter fell back spread eagle on her queen-sized canopy bed sending her blond hair fanning out behind her. With a large sigh, she uttered, “I’m bored.”
“How can you be bored? You have like millions of dollars.” Her friend, Ariel, plopped down in a seated position on the bed beside her and flicked her raven hair off her shoulder. “You want to go shopping? I hear Tiffany’s is having a special right now.”
Brie rolled her eyes. Shopping? Where was the excitement in that? With her three platinum cards, she could go shopping whenever she wanted. “No, I’m bored with shopping too. I have everything. I want to do something exciting. Something we don’t normally do.”
Brie enjoyed being rich. She loved the unlimited credit cards at her disposal, the constant apparel of new clothes, and of course the penthouse apartment her father paid for, but lately, she longed for something more fulfilling.
Ariel’s hazel eyes widened. “I know. There’s a new bar down on Franklin Street. Why don’t we go play a little game?”
Brie sat up, intrigued at the secrecy and the twinkle in Ariel’s eyes. “What kind of game?”
“A betting game. You let me pick out any man in the place. Then you try to get him to propose to you.”
Brie wrinkled her nose. “But I don’t want to get married.” She loved her freedom and didn’t want to share her penthouse with anyone, especially some man.
“You don’t marry him, silly. You just get him to propose.”
Brie bit her lip as she thought. It had been awhile since her last relationship and having a man dote on her for a month might be interesting, but…. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem very nice.”
“How about I sweeten the pot? If you win, I’ll set you up on a date with my brother.”
Brie cocked her head. Was she serious? The only thing Brie couldn’t seem to buy in the world was the affection of Ariel’s very handsome, very wealthy, brother. He was a movie star, just the kind of person Brie could consider marrying in the future. She’d had a crush on him as long as she and Ariel had been friends, but he’d always seen her as just that, his little sister’s friend. “I thought you didn’t want me dating your brother.”
“I don’t.” Ariel shrugged. “But he’s between girlfriends right now, and I know you’ve wanted it for ages. If you win this bet, I’ll set you up. I can’t guarantee any more than one date though. The rest will be up to you.”
Brie wasn’t worried about that. Charm she possessed in abundance. She simply needed some alone time with him, and she was certain she’d be able to convince him they were meant to be together. “All right. You’ve got a deal.”
Ariel smiled. “Perfect. Let’s get you changed then and see who the lucky man will be.
A tiny tug pulled on Brie’s heart that this still wasn’t right, but she dismissed it. This was simply a means to an end, and he’d never have to know.
Jesse Calhoun relaxed as the rhythmic thudding of the speed bag reached his ears. Though he loved his job, it was stressful being the SWAT sniper. He hated having to take human lives and today had been especially rough. The team had been called out to a drug bust, and Jesse was forced to return fire at three hostiles. He didn’t care that they fired at his team and himself first. Taking a life was always hard, and every one of them haunted his dreams.
“You gonna bust that one too?” His co-worker Brendan appeared by his side. Brendan was the opposite of Jesse in nearly every way. Where Jesse’s hair was a dark copper, Brendan’s was nearly black. Jesse sported paler skin and a dusting of freckles across his nose, but Brendan’s skin was naturally dark and freckle free.
Jesse flashed a crooked grin, but kept his eyes on the small, swinging black bag. The speed bag was his way to release, but a few times he had started hitting while still too keyed up and he had ruptured the bag. Okay, five times, but who was counting really? Besides, it was a better way to calm his nerves than other things he could choose. Drinking, fights, gambling, women.
“Nah, I think this one will last a little longer.” His shoulders began to burn, and he gave the bag another few punches for good measure before dropping his arms and letting it swing to a stop. “See? It lives to be hit at least another day.” Every once in a while, Jesse missed training the way he used to. Before he joined the force, he had been an amateur boxer, on his way to being a pro, but a shoulder injury had delayed his training and forced him to consider something else. It had eventually healed, but by then he had lost his edge.
“Hey, why don’t you come drink with us?” Brendan clapped a hand on Jesse’s shoulder as they headed into the locker room.
“You know I don’t drink.” Jesse often felt like the outsider of the team. While half of the six-man team was married, the other half found solace in empty bottles and meaningless relationships. Jesse understood that - their job was such that they never knew if they would come home night after night - but he still couldn’t partake.
Brendan opened his locker and pulled out a clean shirt. He peeled off his current one and added deodorant before tugging on the new one. “You don’t have to drink. Look, I won’t drink either. Just come and hang out with us. You have no one waiting for you at home.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Jesse had Bugsy, his Boston Terrier, but he understood Brendan’s point. Most days, Jesse went home, fed Bugsy, made dinner, and fell asleep watching TV on the couch. It wasn’t much of a life. “All right, I’ll go, but I’m not drinking.”
Brendan’s lips pulled back to reveal his perfectly white teeth. He bragged about them, but Jesse knew they were veneers. “That’s the spirit. Hurry up and change. We don’t want to leave the rest of the team waiting.”
“Is everyone coming?” Jesse pulled out his shower necessities. Brendan might feel comfortable going out with just a new application of deodorant, but Jesse needed to wash more than just dirt and sweat off. He needed to wash the sound of the bullets and the sight of lifeless bodies from his mind.
“Yeah, Pat’s wife is pregnant again and demanding some crazy food concoctions. Pat agreed to pick them up if she let him have an hour. Cam and Jared’s wives are having a girls’ night, so the whole gang can be together. It will be nice to hang out when we
aren’t worried about being shot at.”
“Fine. Give me ten minutes. Unlike you, I like to clean up before I go out.”
Brendan smirked. “I’ve never had any complaints. Besides, do you know how long it takes me to get my hair like this?”
Jesse shook his head as he walked into the shower, but he knew it was true. Brendan had rugged good looks and muscles to match. He rarely had a hard time finding a woman. Jesse on the other hand hadn’t dated anyone in the last few months. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been looking, but he was quieter than his teammates. And he wasn’t looking for right now. He was looking for forever. He just hadn’t found it yet.
Click here to continue reading The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet.
The Story Doesn’t End!
You’ve met a few people and fallen in love….
* * *
I bet you’re wondering how you can meet everyone else.
Star Lake Series:
Sealed with a Kiss: Meet the quirky cast of Star Lake and find out if Max and Layla will ever find love.
When Love Returns: Return to Star Lake to hear Presley’s story and find out if she gets the second chance with her first love.
Once Upon a Star: Continue the journey when aspiring actress Audrey returns home with a baby. Will Blake finally get the nerve to share his feelings with her?
Love Conquers All: Meet Lanie Perkins Hall who never imagined being divorced at thirty or falling for an old friend, but will his secrets keep them apart?
Lawfully Matched Page 10