A light touch on his sleeve brought his attention around to an insanely beautiful pair of green eyes. How many times had he lost himself in their depths? Had wanted her to see him as a man and not just a patron? Had wanted to gather her into his arms and kiss her until they clawed at each other for release?
“There’s something more going on here than a mere promise,” she said in a tone one reserved for wild animals. “Tell me.”
His gaze dipped to her mouth for an aching second before returning to the outdoors. Complete darkness had set in, making their reflection even more pronounced. Impenetrable.
Could he trust her with his most valuable secret?
Could he afford not to at this point?
Barbara hadn’t done so. Wouldn’t a mother confide in her only daughter?
Probably not, given their estrangement.
Dammit, he didn’t want to make an irrevocable mistake. So much rode on the wolves remaining invisible.
He sought her gaze in their reflection. The glass barrier could not disguise her compassion, her strength, her honor. Trust budded through his veins, strengthening with every inch traveled until his spine snapped straight with his resolve.
He took a Mount St. Helens-sized leap of faith.
“An endangered species lives on the property.”
“Plant or animal?”
“Isn’t it enough to know one exists?”
“No. North Carolina has nearly fifty species of plants and animals listed as endangered. Due to its pristine nature, I don’t doubt the property contains one or more on the list.”
“If you know this, why consider selling to someone else?”
“Part of the buyer’s mission is wildlife conservation. Seems a good fit to me.”
“There are many levels of wildlife conservation. Many of which your mother did not approve.”
“Then she should have willed the property to you. But she didn’t, so it’s left to me to figure out the best course of action.”
A nugget of hope rattled the cage of Britt’s hopelessness. Not many people could recite the number of endangered species in their state. Hell, he only knew because of the research he’d been doing in the last year. So, why would Randi—someone who’d shunned the environment for more than a decade—know such a thing?
“In 1980, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the species extinct in the wild. Through a successful reintroduction program, the species has made a small comeback, but none have been known to exist this far west since the late nineties. Until now.”
Randi sucked in a sharp breath. “A canid?”
“Yes.”
“Red wolf.” Awe wove between the two short words. She didn’t ask him to confirm or doubt her answer. “A breeding pair?”
“And a litter this year.”
She covered her mouth with shaking hands, then lifted her wonder-filled gaze to his. “Show me.”
* * *
Buy Loving DEEP
More Steele Ridge
The BEGINNING, A Short Prequel, Book 1
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Going HARD, Book 2
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Living FAST, Book 3
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Loving DEEP, Book 4
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Want to help Kelsey, Tracey, and Adrienne get the word out about their Steele Ridge series? Join their Dangerous Darlings Street Team, write a review, and/or recommend to a friend!
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Coming in 2017
Breaking FREE
Roaming WILD
Stripping BARE
Also by Adrienne Giordano
PRIVATE PROTECTORS SERIES
Romantic suspense
Risking Trust
Man Law
A Just Deception
Negotiating Point
Relentless Pursuit
Opposing Forces
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HARLEQUIN INTRIGUES
Romantic suspense
The Prosecutor
The Defender
The Marshall
The Detective
The Rebel
* * *
JUSTIFIABLE CAUSE SERIES
Romantic suspense novellas
The Chase
The Evasion
The Capture
* * *
LUCIE RIZZO SERIES
Mysteries
Dog Collar Crime
Dog Collar Knockoff
Dog Collar Limbo
Dog Collar Couture
* * *
CASINO FORTUNA SERIES
Romantic suspense
Deadly Odds
* * *
JUSTICE SERIES w/MISTY EVANS
Romantic suspense
Stealing Justice
Cheating Justice
Holiday Justice
Exposing Justice
Undercover Justice
Protecting Justice
Acknowledgments
There are projects that seem to take on a life of their own. The Steele Ridge series would be one of them. It's taken two years for the series to be released and if I'd known how complicated three authors writing the same characters in the same world would get, I probably would have run screaming. Thankfully, that didn't happen. As always, my pals Tracey and Kelsey were amazing wingwomen. Two years, multiple spreadsheets, and many invaluable lessons later, I'm looking back on this project and I'm smiling over how lucky I am to have experienced it. So thank you to Tracey and Kelsey for taking this journey with me and helping me get Reid Steele on the page. Much like Vic Andrews from Man Law, Reid is one of those characters who never shuts up. He's always in my head, chattering at me, but I loved writing his story. As happy as I am that the book is finished and in readers' hands, I'm also sad that the writing part of Reid's book is over. Without Tracey and Kelsey and our amazing plotting sessions, Reid's story wouldn't have existed.
For research with every book I have a list of go-to people who make my writing life so much fun. Thank you to Milton Grasle, who, no matter what scenario I throw at him, helps me figure out how to make an action scene work. To Scott Silverii, there are not enough ways to say thank you. This time is even more meaningful since you saved me from a major problem when, during final edits, I thought my plot might be derailed over search and seizure laws. Thank you, my friend! Thank you, Misty Evans, my writing partner and all-around great friend for the plotting help on Reid's book. You always know just what I need to break through a wall.
A big shout-out to Brandi Knight-Prazak for not laughing at my medical questions and managing to decipher what it was I actually needed to make my scenario work.
Thank you also to Laurie Shulman, one of my earliest readers, and her husband Bill. Your military experience helped me create a career for Reid to love and I'm so grateful. This character has a special place in my heart and your insight let me dig a little deeper into what moves him. To my friend Janet Pepsin, thank you for coming up with the perfect name for Brynne's shop. The smaller yet important details always make me a little crazy and naming the shop was one of them. Muhwah! To Dangerous Darling Crystal Andrews, thank you for playing along with the name game and suggesting Dexter “Dex” Sweet as a character name. It's a great fit.
I would be remiss if I didn't thank our amazing editors, Gina Bernal, Deb Nemeth, and Martha Trachtenberg. Personally, I think you're all insane for taking on this beast of a project, but I'm so grateful you did. This has been an amazing experience for me and I'm thrilled to have worked with all of you on it.
Blazing appreciation to my readers who give me a reason to get back to my desk every day. I've said it before, but without you, I don't have a job and I'm incredibly grateful that you allow my work into your lives. Thanks also to my review crew and the Dangerous Darlings for all the support and being part of my writer-girl life.
And finally, as usual, thank you to my guys for all the love, laughter, and support. I love you.
TEAM GIORDANO
Edited by Gina Bernal
&nb
sp; Line Edited by Deborah Nemeth
Copyedited by Martha Trachtenberg
Cover Design by Killion Group, Inc.
Author Photo by Debora Giordano
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Copyright © Adrienne Giordano
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented—except in the case of brief quotations—without permission in writing from Kicksass Creations LLC.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Print Edition, October 2016, ISBN: 978-1-944898-08-3
Digital Edition, October 2016, ISBN: 978-1-944898-05-2
For more information contact: [email protected]
About the Author
Adrienne Giordano is a USA Today bestselling author of over twenty romantic suspense and mystery novels. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her workaholic husband, sports-obsessed son and Buddy the Wheaten Terrorist (Terrier). She is a cofounder of Romance University blog and Lady Jane’s Salon-Naperville, a reading series dedicated to romantic fiction.
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For more information on Adrienne, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her at:
@AdriennGiordano
AdrienneGiordanoAuthor
www.AdrienneGiordano.com
[email protected]
Living Fast: Steele Ridge Series Page 28