Road Talk
Page 5
If the delicate balance of her relationship with Brett isn’t enough, someone else has discovered her secret. He wants her crop and will do anything to cash in on her work, but Nikee can't go to the Troopers for help.
Can a woman, an old man, and an ex-jet jock keep the nefarious character out of her medicinal pot?
"Behind The Raven Mask"
Son of a Russian adventurer, Dmitri Bressoff stays in Alaska after the purchase of Seward's Folly by the United States. Mauled by a bear, as a young fur hunter, he is a widower with a ten-year-old girl to raise. Dmitri is feeling his age. The year is 1881, and he is on his way back to his island and his headstrong daughter. Dmitri cannot forget his first wife, a half Russian, half Tlingit girl. He has no wish to remarry.
Camille is the niece of the captain of the steamship Dmitri is using to make his way home. Saddled with Camille, her uncle is looking for an advantageous marriage for the young widow. She suffers from nightmares and is on the verge of becoming addicted to laudanum.
A drunken mistake gives the captain the means to get rid of Camille and make her Dmitri's wife.
The couple tries to come to terms with an arranged marriage but find themselves under the threat of murder. Someone wants Camille dead. They must cut through the lies to find the way to safety.
"Daughter of the Raven"
Anya Bressoff thinks she has found the answer to her prayers. The man she meets in San Francisco will take her all over the world. The first place he takes her is Russia, after being warned to keep her out of that country by her father, Dmitri Bresoff. Kidnapped, Anya finds she can only go east, across Siberia to find her way home to Bressoff Island.
Anya's family has no idea what has happened, and they are told she is dead. The man who has loved her for most of her life is heartbroken.
If she can find her way home will she be forced to resume her marriage? Anya is determined to be free of her now unwanted husband. First, she must get home. Will the man she overlooked still be waiting if she can get home?
"Deirdre of the Sorrows"
Deirdre, deserted by her stepbrother must live with a stepfather who is becoming crazier with each drink, and he drinks a lot. Sylvie, his youngest child, is in as much danger as Deirdre. Left with no choice, Deirdre takes matters into her hands to protect not only Sylvie and herself but her child by the monster.
Daniel had to leave after graduation. His alcoholic father couldn’t deal with having another grown male in the house. Daniel did the only thing he could do and joined up. Now, he is home and finds his father vanished without a trace, Deirdre with a young daughter and a relationship with his half-sister, Sylvie that makes Daniel think going home for Dee was a bad idea.
"Mile 43.3 Richardson Highway."
A story of Pipeline Days in the Copper River Basin.
An accident at mile 43.3 on the Richardson Highway is the catalyst for significant changes in the life of Nancy and Ramon, Ray. Dumped in the Basin by the man who insisted they move to Alaska, Nancy is trying to survive. Ray hopes to build his career by taking a plum job on the Alaska Pipeline. But an emergency phone call gives him the bad news that his small son’s mother has deserted the boy. His family is now caring for the child. Ray's life is in turmoil. Nancy is sweet and unaware of what her worth. Ray wants to help her understand what a treasure she truly is.
"Death Wish"
A tale of love and lust that unfolds on a road trip through Canada from Alaska and back again. Colin had been in love with her for over two years. When her husband, his best friend, and partner, is killed in a car accident, Maria develops a death wish that she is trying to fulfill with alcohol-fueled rampages on the local roads. A trooper counsels Colin to get her out of town before she kills herself or someone else. Can he help her sober up while keeping his hands off the woman he has loved for two years? How will he cope? Colin hates drunks after spending his childhood with his alcoholic mother.
"Then They Were Six"
Absolutely devastated, she is standing on the side of the road with a dead car, no cell phone, and no money. Running from an abusive ex-husband, she and her daughter must have a paycheck. Margaret is desperate. The mechanic stops to help, but what will he ask of her? Are there strings attached to his offer of assistance? A divorced father of three is in a last ditch effort to save his business. He knows his business must grow, or he has to give it up. But he just is not ready to quit. If he can restore a vintage muscle car and sell it for what it's worth, he might make it. But the woman stranded on the side of the road is a distraction he cannot ignore. She needs help.
Stu is drawn to her, but Margaret is still battling with the fallout from her failed marriage.
"Gray Matters"
A novella about motorcycle riding in Alaska and second chances. For the first time in fifteen years, he won't have a child to look after. After a long motorcycle ride and several straight shots of tequila, he is feeling no pain. She is looking for adventure after having raised three kids to adulthood. In a lodge several hundred miles from the big city, these two people begin a conversation. He has an empty passenger seat; she is ready to ride.
"Aurora’s Song"
Algen is finally home after spending most of her teen years, and young adulthood in Washington State. She has never been clear on the reason she was sent to live with her father’s relatives. But she has a job she loves and can finally live in the place she loves. The Aurora Borealis fascinates her; Algen has missed the lights and winter terribly. The Grannies want her to be careful. Should she be careful of the new hire at the native corporation? She’s sure if he gets too close her heart is going to be in grave danger. The cultural anthropologist is pursuing her with the single-mindedness of a big predator. Gunrik is too smart, too much of a hunk and far too tempting.
"Brain Waves"
CoDee is a brain damaged young man living on a dusty desert world. He is barely functional. He hates it when dead animals are dumped in his junkyard as it "hurts his heart". The world he lives on caters to the older, poorer trading ships.
A large cat is dumped in his yard barely alive. The young man helps her, and Cat's tries to help CoDee. Memories of the one who injured him reveal the monster is his father.
These two entities from different species brought together on a desert world aren't physically able to bond. Love and respect are another matter.
“Nightwind’s Shadow”
It's the “After Times” and a tribe must increase their herds to survive. Easier said than done.
Nightwind, a young hunter, and his dog, Mouse, are expanding their hunting range. But Nightwind finds more than game on the bench land above the head of the canyon. A treasure trove of books...and JoJo.
Nightwind’s Shadow is an inter-racial, cross cultural Apocalyptic fantasy romance.
"The Cheat"
The Cheat. Francis labels herself as "fat and forty". How in the world she came to be living with the guitar player for a famous Alaska band is a wonder to her. Monte is a groupie magnet, and Francis is waiting for him to tell her it's over. The text message she gets from him after he returns home from a weekend gig, sets off a major fight when Francis accuses Monte of being a cheat.
"Homesteader Blues"
Tina has been putting up with no running water on their farm for over twelve years. Jimmy gets her out of the house for a week. His aim is to build a bathroom for his wife. Nothing and no one will sidetrack his surprise for his wife, and that includes teen angst and broken equipment.
"Poppy"
A young woman makes the terrible discovery that the man she idolizes is not her father. Worse, he won both her mother and her in a card game. Emma Kay is devastated and unable to handle the news.
"Back Bay"
A young woman finds something while out gathering seaweed and limpets. It is a part of her heritage. The treasure reconnects her with her home in the Back Bay.
"A White Cat For Christmas"
Mike has every reason to be careful. His business lea
ves him open to threats and possibly violence. He is suspicious of the woman hanging around the dilapidated old garage near the road. What is she doing on his property?
Angie saw the little kitten on the way to work. The poor little thing is living under the old shed. She wants to rescue it before the temperature drops so low it freezes to death. The big man is intimidating, but the kitten needs help, and she’ll take on the irate homeowner if she has too.