She nodded. “I’m sure. I don’t want to wait another day.” She choked as she added, “I love him, Daddy.”
He nodded, opened the door, and waved her inside, where S’Mone waited to the right of the door, dressed in long white robes with red tassels around her neck.
She held out her arms to hug Quayk. “Oh, you are a vision, girl. Your young man won’t be able to say his vows, he’ll be so tongue-tied.”
Quayk stuck her chin out slightly. “He’d better be able to say those vows. He’s not gettin’ off that easy.”
S’Mone lifted her chin and laughed. Then she led Quayk and her father to the center of the waiting area, where they would wait for the double doors to open. With a hug, S’Mone slipped through the doors and into the chapel.
She heard the music start on the other side of the doors, and her stomach did a somersault as the jitters set in. She pulled in a deep breath and blew it out slowly as the doors swung open.
The first person she saw was Alex, as he stood at the foot of the church podium and faced her in a beautiful tux and black cowboy hat, with a huge smile on his face. She fought the urge to run to him as she hooked her hand through her father’s arm and smiled up at him.
There were tears in her father’s eyes as he asked, “You ready to do this?”
She nodded and they started down the aisle.
Alex watched as Quayk slowly walked toward him on her father’s arm. His chest swelled with pride. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and today she looked like she’d just stepped out of a magazine. He smiled at the bright red streaks she had put in her full black hair that peeked out from below the short veil she had somehow managed to attach to a red cowgirl hat. His Quayk was a one-of-a-kind.
Her slow procession up the aisle gave him plenty of time to drink in the sight of her—something he would never tire of. Her white gown had no straps, and it followed every curve of her body to just past her hips, where it gently began to flare out, and separated in front to allow a red petticoat to show. He almost laughed when he saw the red cowgirl boots that peeked out from beneath her skirt.
As she drew closer, he met her gaze, and it almost knocked the breath from his lungs. He couldn’t believe this incredible creature was about to become his wife. Suddenly, the room was too small and too hot. He pulled at his collar, even though he knew the pressure on his throat was caused by the lump that had formed there, and not from a too-tight collar.
Her father took her hand and placed it in Alex’s. Then Grant leaned close and whispered, “You ever hurt her and I’ll kill you.” Then he winked as the minister asked, “Who gives this woman to be married?” Grant replied, “Her mother and I do.”
Alex nodded to his soon-to-be father-in-law, whom he liked very much.
Then he turned to Quayk and whispered, “You take my breath away.”
She smiled and it was all he could do not to pick her up and fly from the church with her.
This was his woman. Soon to be his wife. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. She winked at him, and he was certain she knew exactly what she was doing to him.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur—until he heard the minister say, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
As he snatched the cowboy hat from his head and sailed it across the church, he heard Cowboy let out a “Yee Haw” from the back. Alex then took his new bride in his arms and kissed her—slowly at first, and then with increasing urgency.
After a moment, she poked Alex in the ribs to remind him where they were. When he didn’t back off right away, she applied significant pressure to the top of his booted foot.
Alex jumped as he ended the kiss and pulled her to him to whisper in her ear, “You have got to stop doing that. I told you I’m very tender-footed.”
Quayk leaned back, her brows furrowed as everything took on incredible clarity. She gasped and smiled as excitement hammered in her chest. “I’ve got it.”
“Got what?” he asked, keeping his voice low as everyone in the church stood and cheered. A couple dozen cowboy hats sailed through the air.
Quayk chuckled and whispered, “Your tattoo. I know what it means.”
“Okay, shoot.” The look on his face said he was concerned she might have lost her mind.
She grinned. “You’re a tender-footed gargoyle in a cowboy hat who only shifts partway. That’s why you have half a tattoo with no feet.”
He raised one brow. “It makes me sound retarded.”
She giggled. “No, it makes you sound like a one-of-a-kind.” She held his gaze. “Don’t you see? You are exactly what magic intended you to be.”
As the crowd in the church quieted and the music started, he squeezed her tighter. “And now you are what you were always intended to be—my wife.”
She smiled as a tremendous warmth flooded through her. This was her man, her husband, the man who would stand by her through thick and thin. This was the man she had waited her entire life for.
She leaned close and whispered, “Promise me we don’t have to stay at the reception very long.”
He smiled and touched his forehead to hers. “Hell, baby, we don’t have to go at all. As far as I’m concerned, we can go straight to the hotel right now.”
The growl deep in his chest told her she was treasured, and the gentle laugh that followed it reminded her of a cool meadow on a warm, sunny day.
He took her hand and, together, they ran from the church toward their future, toward their destiny.
The End
Excerpt . . .
ONE DOG TOO MANY
“Delta Jane” series - Book Two
By
Kayce Lassiter
“Well, you can kiss my ass, you flop-footed Fairy.” Delta’s hands were fisted at her sides and her southern accent flowed like thick molasses. The madder she got, the thicker her accent became.
“Mark the spot.” Call Montgomery’s disembodied voice reverberated across the porch.
Delta unbuttoned her jeans and dropped the back of them a few inches to expose the pair of lips she had tattooed on her ass. “Is that clear enough for you? Or do you need a roadmap too?”
Call’s baritone laugh rumbled the floorboards. “Yeah, that’s good. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that tattoo. I just wanted to make sure it was still there.”
She pulled her pants up and began to zip them as she stomped her foot on the wooden planks. “I was making love matches in these families a long time before you landed your gravy job as a manager. Matchmaking out here in the trenches is tough. You should try it sometime.”
Delta’s battle with her boss never seemed to end. It pissed her off when he interfered.
Why is it managers never understand how much effort it takes a fairy godmother to make two people fall in love? It ain’t easy, that’s for sure.
“Working one match at a time with these hard-headed Arizona ranchers is a challenge no one but me has ever been able to handle well. That’s why they gave me these clans in the first place. To make two matches at a time with these people is damned impossible—even for me.”
“Delta, calm down.” The disembodied voice of her boss only threw fuel on the fire.
When she slammed her hand against the porch post, orange sparks flew from her fingertips. “I am calm. You can’t give me two cases at once.”
Bubba Ray, Delta’s brother and fairy failure extraordinaire, sidled away from her toward the front door of the small ranch house where they were staying in Hawkins Flat, Arizona. He couldn’t handle conflict, and was clearly afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
As a kid, he’d break out in a rash if Delta even looked at him cross-eyed. And here he was at the fairy age of forty-two, which was the equivalent of three-hundred-thirty in human years, and he was still shaking in his boots every time she had words with the boss.
What a wimp.
She shook her head at the image he made in a dark pink straw hat, a pink
short-sleeve John Deere T-shirt under pink camo overall shorts, and raspberry-colored cowboy boots.
Delta returned her attention to the battle at hand. “Call Montgomery, if you’re so damn smart, why aren’t you out here working your ass off to make these matches? You need to worry less about your spreadsheets and budget numbers, and more about saving the lives of these innocent little glimmers.”
“Enough.” The baritone voice reverberated across the porch and lightning crackled overhead.
That Son-Of-A-Buck never bothers to show up in person. He just pops into our heads or barks out orders remotely and expects us to drop everything and do his bidding. He’s my boss, not my creator.
(End of Excerpt)
Note From The Author
The Delta Jane series is a fairly sweet but snarky romance with paranormal elements that will appeal to those who enjoy basic country values with a slight edge—but you don’t have to be country to love these stories. The characters are real-life people with flaws. They love, they cuss a little, they enjoy a good party, they do stupid things, and they learn as they go, with the help of their hard-hitting, Harley-riding fairy godmother, Delta Jane. The heat level is moderate to low, with some sexual encounters that are more innuendo than in-your-face.
Kayce Lassiter
Books By Kayce Lassiter
Katie’s Rock
Delta Jane Series
Delta Jane Novels
Loons of a Feather – Book One
One Dog Too Many – Book Two
Mule-Headed -- Book Three
(coming February-2017)
Delta Jane Shorts
Midnight on the Double-B – Book 0.5
Slingin’ Bull – Book 2.5
A Christmas Bowser – Book 2.6
(coming November-2016)
* * *
Butterscotch Martini Shots
Volume 1 ~ Roses and Rodeo ~
Slingin’ Bull
Volume 2 ~ BodyGuard ~
Witch’s Pass
* * *
SpellMaker Series
Witch’s Pass – Book 0.5
(coming out stand-alone in December-2016)
ABOUT KAYCE LASSITER
Kayce Lassiter is a second-generation native Arizonan, and a Butterscotch Martini Girl. She was born to deaf parents and grew up on a dairy farm. Living on a farm as a kid can be fun, but it can be lonely too. So she learned to dream, to imagine, and to pretend— something she’s never outgrown.
Kayce still lives in rural Arizona with her three horses, three neurotic dogs, and one rat-killing duck named Tubby who thinks she’s a dog, and lays her eggs in the wading pool.
Kayce is country through and through, and writes what she knows—“Chick lit in Cowgirl Boots”. And for fun, she throws in some magic. Because what would a good ‘ol country story be without magic? After all, doesn’t everyone have a fairy godmother who rides a Harley and sports a “Bite Me, Cowboy” tattoo on her shoulder?
WHERE TO FIND KAYCE
For more information on Kayce Lassiter's books including blurbs, reviews and purchase links, please visit:
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.KayceLassiter.com
Blog: http://www.happilyeverafterthoughts.com
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/author/kaycelassiter
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/kaycelassiter
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kaycelassiter
NEXT TO DIE
Tia Dani
Prologue
“Ashes to ashes.”
“Dust to dust.”
He stood quietly in the back of the cemetery. Tall and erect, not at all the way he felt.
Watching.
These people should not be here today. Slowly a single tear slid down his cheek.
His fault.
All. His. Fault.
He could have prevented this tragedy. Basketball practice was over, and he could have gone to her house, but he’d wanted to hang with his friends for a while. For some innocent fun. But, he should have answered her text, or better yet, taken the time to call and talk to her.
If only.
He would have found a way to make her understand, to believe. He loved her.
Unconditionally.
Nothing else mattered to him. Not one bit. Sure they were young, but he’d have taken care of her. He would have found a job. Even put college on hold if necessary. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered, but being with her. Why couldn’t she believe that?
He reached into his jeans pocket, his fingers crushing the piece of notebook paper he’d folded and carefully placed inside for safe keeping. He could feel the words burning the skin of his palm. He’d read them a hundred times, memorized each sentence. The purple ink with the large circular penmanship, they were the last words she wanted him to know.
My darling Jon,
Please forgive me. I’m just not worthy of your love.
I’ll disappoint you just as I have everyone else in my life.
I don’t deserve to live.
All my love through eternity,
Keri
He continued to stand in silence for several minutes longer feeling the chill of the early April breeze hit his face. He took a long deep breath and inhaled the sweet smell of wet grass and freshly dug earth after a rain.
It seemed like the entire high school of Turtle Creek, Oregon had turned out to say farewell to their friend. Including, the girls from the schools cheerleading squad, all the so-called popular girls wearing their cute green and white school uniforms. Their faces all teary-eyed and filled with sorrow as if they cared about Keri and would miss her.
He sniffed. His eyes zeroed in, first on the short, skinny girl whose long, blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail, then, to a short dark-haired girl standing next to the blonde. He moved his gaze behind them, and focused on a redhead and then another brunette. They had some nerve to be here. Didn’t they realize what they had done? This was as much their fault as it was his. Maybe…even more. Yes, their fault. This funeral was all their fault. They were supposed to be her friends. But where were they when she needed them the most?
Each of them had the nerve to walk over to Keri’s mom and speak to her. He wished he had been standing close enough to hear what they’d said. He would have pushed each away and told them to stop pretending. They didn’t really care. Those bitches didn’t care about Keri…not the way he did. No one had.
Tears welled in his eyes again. His grief seemed beyond the tears and yet still they came. He sniffed again and bit his lower lip trying to gain control. He had to be strong today for, his Keri, not the poor excuse of a boyfriend he’d been.
Hatred filled his heart. Long after everyone else was gone. Long after the last shovel of dirt had been thrown onto her white casket and the mounds of pink and white flowers piled where her headstone would set. Long after the light of day faded with the hazy dusk of nightfall, and even when the sprinkle of rain began to fall, he stayed. Both hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.
He’d avenge her death. Someway. Somehow. Someday.
CHAPTER ONE
Ten years later.
“Petal to the metal, big boy!” Adrenaline pumped through Amanda Jackson’s veins, and she twisted the sparkling, diamond wedding ring on her finger. They’d been married six months, but most of it, James had traveled on assignments for the company where he worked. Finally, he’d taken a permanent position in the Phoenix home office. Along with a big raise.
Three days ago, he showed up unexpectedly at their temporary apartment in Turtle Creek and surprised her with the news. They would be moving to Phoenix. He’d found their ideal house, the one they talked about ever since their wedding. It was not located in Phoenix proper, but beyond Cave Creek a scenic town twenty-seven miles north east of the city. Her heart beat faster. A home of her own. A perfect husband to go with it.
“What are you waiting for? Get going. I want to see my new house.”
James. Wavy hair, hazel eyes, and dimples in his cheeks. All six feet of him seemed the perfect height for her. She’d always been attracted to tall men. She could wear the spikey, high heels she loved and still have to look up at him. She smiled to herself. Even stand on her tip toes to kiss him. She took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. What had she done to deserve this perfect life?
“We’ll be there soon enough.” He reached across to the passenger side of their leased Lexus and rumpled her short blonde curls. “Don’t get your pretty panties all in a bunch.”
“Well, that’s an uncomfortable thought.” Amanda straightened in her seat and brushed at her hair where James had messed it up. She glanced at her watch. “It’s ten after four already. We’ll be late.”
James wagged his eyebrows. “We’ll be early. In fact, I could pull over right now and we could...”
“Keep your mind on driving, mister.”
James sighed audibly.
They had traveled about a mile when James suddenly swerved to the right and continued slowly down a bumpy, dusty road. The dust drifted away as the driveway became solid concrete and the front entry to a recently built home appeared. It looked exactly like the virtual tour on her computer. Amazing the way people buy houses nowadays she thought. Unfastening her seatbelt she leaned forward against the dash, her mouth slightly agape. An impressive custom, Tuscan-style home with a dramatic stone entryway greeted her.
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