by Ann Charles
“Claire,” he said when she let him come up for air.
“What?”
“Were your fingers crossed behind your back when you made that promise?”
She uncrossed her fingers. “Maybe just a little.”
“Claire,” he warned.
Laughing huskily, she pulled his mouth back to hers. It was a good thing he hadn’t asked about her toes.
The End … for now
* To read some “bloopers” from The Rowdy Coyote Rumble, check out the following hidden page on my website.
(Note: To open the Bloopers page, type the password: Rowdy)
http://www.anncharles.com/?page_id=3032
About the Author
Ann Charles is an award-winning, USA Today Bestselling author who writes romantic mysteries that are splashed with humor and whatever else she feels like throwing into the mix. When she is not dabbling in fiction, arm-wrestling with her children, attempting to seduce her husband, or arguing with her sassy cats, she is daydreaming of lounging poolside at a fancy resort with a blended margarita in one hand and a great book in the other.
Connect with Me Online
Facebook (Personal Page): www.facebook.com/ann.charles.author
Facebook (Official Author Page): www.facebook.com/Ann-Charles
Twitter (as Ann W. Charles): twitter.com/AnnWCharles
My Main Ann Charles Website: www.anncharles.com
Ann’s Fun Random Arizona Facts
SOURCE: arizonaexperience.org/land/az-habitats
Arizona’s biotic communities represent all but one (tropical forest) of the world's biomes (BIOME: a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra).
High plateau, low desert, rugged mountains, hidden canyons, and riparian ecosystems sustain a unique and complex web of life. From northeast to southwest, the subdued topography and shimmering rocks of the Colorado Plateau give way to the ruggedly folded and faulted mountains of Arizona’s Transition Zone, which in turn yields to the mountain ranges, sky islands, and intervening valleys of the Basin and Range Province. Each area has unique vegetation and wildlife that has adapted to thrive in that specific habitat.
SOURCE: topockazschool.com/Arizona Fun Facts.pdf
Arizona has 3,928 mountain peaks and summits—more mountains than any one of the other Mountain States (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming). Of these peaks, 26 are more than 10,000 feet in elevation.
All of New England, plus the state of Pennsylvania, would fit inside Arizona.
There are more wilderness areas in Arizona than in the entire Midwest. Arizona alone has 90 wilderness areas, while the Midwest has 50.
Arizona has the largest contiguous stand of ponderosa pines in the world stretching from near Flagstaff along the Mogollon Rim to the White Mountains region.
SOURCE: legendsofamerica.com/az-facts2.html
In Arizona, it is against the law for donkeys to sleep in bathtubs.
In Arizona, it is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water.
No one is permitted to ride their horse up the stairs of the county court house in Prescott, Arizona.
The age of a saguaro cactus is determined by its height. A saguaro cactus will take between 50 and 100 years to grow an arm.
The sun shines in southern Arizona 85% of the time, which is considerably more sunshine than Florida or Hawaii.
It is illegal to hunt camels in the state of Arizona.
Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912, the last of the contiguous states to be admitted into the Union.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my husband and kids for putting up with me writing, writing, writing everywhere we go.
I also want to thank the following amazing folks:
My fantastic first and second-draft readers, my incredibly clever editors (Mimi Munk and Marguerite Phipps), and my eagle-eyed beta readers. Without your help I’d be plastered with tomatoes after the book released.
My brother, Charles (C.S.) Kunkle (cover artist and illustrator) for creeping me out with the guy in the freezer, and his wife, Stephanie, for picking fun stuff for him to illustrate.
Sharon Benton (cover graphic artist) for trying 1000 different colors and shades for the teddy bear.
My publicists and promoters—my sister, mom, and brother. You guys are the best monkey handlers around!
Wendy Gildersleeve for sharing Chubby Chipmunk chocolate truffles with me and for putting up with me texting, emailing, and calling at all hours of the day and night.
Diane Garland for her backup brain and spreadsheets.
Barney Fife (from The Andy Griffith Show) for carrying that one bullet in his shirt pocket “in case of emergency.”
Jacquie Rogers, Amber Scott, Gerri Russell, and Joleen James for always being there for me when shit is hitting the fan.
Arlene “Sparkles Magoo” DaVee for inspiring some fun scenes.
My family, ex-coworkers, and Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter friends. You all inspire me to keep writing—especially when you crack that dang whip!
Finally, my brother, Clint Taylor, for your publicly declared ardor for women in yoga pants.
Ann Charles’ Other Series
Deadwood Mystery Series
WINNER of the 2010 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense
WINNER of the 2011 Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart Award for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements
Welcome to Deadwood—the Ann Charles version. The world I have created is a blend of present day and past, of fiction and non-fiction. What’s real and what isn’t is for you to determine as the series develops, the characters evolve, and I write the stories line by line. I will tell you one thing about the series—it’s going to run on for quite a while, and Violet Parker will have to hang on and persevere through the crazy adventures I have planned for her. Poor, poor Violet. It’s a good thing she has a lot of gumption to keep her going!
Jackrabbit Junction Mystery Series
Bestseller in Women Sleuth Mystery and Romantic Suspense
Welcome to the Dancing Winnebagos RV Park. Down here in Jackrabbit Junction, Arizona, Claire Morgan and her rabble-rousing sisters are really good at getting into trouble—BIG trouble (the land your butt in jail kind of trouble). This rowdy, laugh-aloud mystery series is packed with action, suspense, adventure, and relationship snafus. Full of colorful characters and twisted up plots, the stories of the Morgan sisters will keep you wondering what kind of a screwball mess they are going to land in next.
The Dig Site Mystery Series
Look What the Wind Blew In
A headstrong and determined archaeologist
A tall, dark, and unwelcome photojournalist
Both are trying to unearth secrets that have been long buried, but an ancient Maya curse threatens to destroy them …
Unless they can learn to trust each other enough to make it out of the jungle alive.
The Goldwash Mystery Series
The Old Man’s Back in Town
From the award-winning author of the Deadwood Mystery series and the Jackrabbit Junction Mystery series
This short story is a bit of a puzzle. Each scene is a different variation of the same story for a reason, which you'll learn at the end. See if you can pick up on the clues along the way and figure out the puzzle before you finish the story. Thank you for giving it a try!
~ Ann
In the lonely mining ghost town of Goldwash, Nevada, Christmas has come early. Unfortunately, the local bar owner must be on this year's naughty list, because Santa brought her something even worse than a piece of coal on this dark, cold winter night—her old man.
www.anncharles.com
Table of Contents
Start Reading
Dear Reader
About the Author
Connect With Me Online
Ann Charles’ Other Series
Ann’s Fun Random A
rizona Facts
Also by Ann Charles
Acknowledgments
Copyright
Chapters
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25
THE ROWDY COYOTE RUMBLE
Copyright © 2016 by Ann Charles
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means now known or hereafter invented, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author, Ann Charles.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental.
Cover Art by C.S. Kunkle (www.charlesskunkle.com)
Cover Design by Sharon Benton (www.q42designs.com)
Editing by the “Grammar Chick” (www.grammarchick.com)
E-book ISBN-13: 978-1-940364-26-1
Print ISBN-13: 978-1-940364-27-8