At last he lifted his head, and his eyes were that warm, smoky velvet she could practically feel against her skin. “I wasn’t going to come,” he said. “No matter that I wanted you so bad I’ve been a raving lunatic.” His face was so serious. “Because I don’t have any answers for us. I don’t know how to make us work.”
“Because there’s something wrong with me? I can’t blame you. I can’t seem to get love right.”
“There is nothing wrong with you. You’re a romantic and you have faith in love, and not everyone measures up to it, but the world is a better place because you believe people are basically good.”
“You think so? I’m not just hopelessly naïve?”
“No.”
“But you’re a good person, so why can’t we work?”
“Look around you.” He gestured. “I don’t fit in this world.”
“Why not?” She couldn’t let him just walk away, not now.
“You stood there in that room, and twenty people were focused solely on you. No telling how much money got wasted in the few minutes you talked to me. You have a wall built around you to keep the world out, to keep ordinary people like me back behind the ropes where we belong.”
“But that’s not who I am. You know that.”
“It is who you are, Annabelle—not all of you, maybe, but…you can’t just ignore how different our worlds are. Can’t you see it’s hopeless?” His brows snapped together. “And speaking of the differences between us, you are not paying my medical bills. I will not be a kept man.”
“What?” She blinked. “This is about money? Are you crazy?”
“It’s not crazy. It’s reality.”
She’d never expected to be angry at him. “You’d give up what’s between us over money? That’s insane.”
“That’s what Jilly said.” He looked insulted. “Face the facts, Annabelle. I’ll never make what you make.”
“Did Jilly say you were stupid, too?”
“She might have.”
Her anger faded at his truculent tone. She bit back a smile. “So if I gave away everything I make, would that make us fit? You’d be happy?”
“I don’t—I’m not saying I don’t want you to have it. You’ve earned every penny.”
“But?” She cocked her head. “Have you ever flown first class, Sean?”
His brows snapped together. “No. And don’t mock me.”
“I’m not, not really.” She sighed, and for the first time in weeks, something inside her relaxed. “I thought you’d hate me.”
He exhaled wearily. “It’d be a damn sight easier if I could.”
“I like luxuries, Sean, but I don’t need them.” She arched an eyebrow. “You might like them, too, though.”
“Not when I see what you have to go through to get them. I’d never feel good about that. Anyway, I’m a simple guy with simple tastes.”
A laugh burst from her. She covered her mouth. “Sorry, but you are the least simple guy I’ve ever met.”
“Watch it, Hollywood. I may not be at my peak right now, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t wreak some havoc.”
“You already have,” she said, patting her heart. “Right here.” Then she rose to her toes and whispered in his ear. “Exactly how not at your peak are you?”
“Why, Ms. Quinn, are you propositioning me?” His eyebrows waggled.
“You better believe it, cowboy.” She slipped her hand behind his belt buckle.
He stopped her. “Annabelle, this is no joke. I don’t want a fling, and I don’t know how we could have anything else. I can’t see where we can meet in the middle.”
“Do we have to know right this minute?”
“Yeah. Because I’m in love with you. I want to be with you from now on.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
“When you come that close to dying, you don’t kid about things like that.”
She spread her fingers over his chest as if she could protect him from now on. “I don’t want a fling, either, Sean. And I don’t want you arguing with me or discounting it when I tell you I love you.” When he opened his mouth, she stopped his words with her fingers. “You came into my life out of the blue. And you saw me, Sean, just as I am. You understand the roots I come from. We’re a lot more alike than we are different.” She shrugged. “Every bit of this—” She gestured around her “—could all vanish in an instant, and I know it. Anyway, I’ve been thinking about making some changes.” She bit her lip. “Since I thought I’d have to live my life alone.”
“You never have to be alone again. I’m here.”
She wondered if he could possibly imagine what that meant.
“What kind of changes?” he asked.
“I’ve thought a lot about those women you were trying to save, ones who’ve been victimized by people like Sage and—” She cleared her throat. “Like Martin.”
His gaze filled with sympathy. “He got into something he wasn’t prepared for. And whether or not he meant to involve you, in the end he paid for it. Sage will have years in a cage to think about what she did, and that deadly pipeline has been severed, so good has come out of his sacrifice.” He covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry you lost your friend. Sorry he lost his way.”
Her eyes filled. “What he did was so very wrong. And I was more wrong not to listen to you. I’m sor—”
Another kiss, quick and torrid. “I don’t need any more I’m sorrys. Guess I’ll just have to kiss the socks off you until you stop.”
Her heart lightened enough to meet his teasing. “Well, then, I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m—” He stopped her with another kiss. Tears mingled with laughter, and they embraced for a long, healing time.
He spoke into her hair. “I’ve been thinking about making changes myself. Truth is, I was getting pretty burned out. I’ve been doing undercover for a long time. Too long.”
“Do you know what you want to do?”
“I’ve considered all sorts of things—I could be a cop in L.A. as easily as Texas…”
“You don’t want to live in L.A. and you love Texas.”
“But you’re not in Texas.”
She lifted her head. “I could be, at least part of the time. And I don’t have to shoot so many films, one after the other. Seeing someone die makes you stop and reconsider everything you’re doing.”
“This work with victims of trafficking, do you know how you want to structure it?”
“No. Would you be willing to help me figure that out, if you leave law enforcement?”
His look was considering. “I really might.”
“Well, if I’m taking a vow of poverty, I can sell all my worldly goods and start a foundation.” When he rolled his eyes, she smiled. “I think the point is that we’re both ready for a change. Vanessa says love will find a way, and I want to believe that. We have some decisions to make, so why not think about them together?”
For a long moment he stared at her, and she could see their future hanging in the balance.
“Why not?” he said at last.
Annabelle felt like she could breathe again.
“Spot says hi, by the way,” he said.
“Who’s Spot?”
He looked aghast. “You’ve forgotten our furry child so soon?”
“You named that cute little kitten Spot?”
“Well, she’s young, so she could learn a new one, I guess. But to have any input, you’d have to come see her, get reacquainted.”
“I guess I would.”
“I have three livable rooms now. My folks stayed at my place while I was in the hospital, and the Fitzgeralds aren’t all that good at twiddling our thumbs. When I got out, Dad stuck a paintbrush in my hand and called it physical therapy.”
“Are they still there? I’m dying to meet them.”
“They went home a couple of weeks ago. It’s just me and Spot. Place feels pretty empty.” He drew her close again, placed his lips on her throat. “Especially the bedroom.”
H
er head fell back as she tumbled into bliss. “How’s the clawfoot tub?”
His mouth cruised over her jaw. “Coulda sworn I heard it cry the other night. Damnedest thing.”
Her thoughts kept flitting away as her eyes rolled back in her head. “Um…do I have to fly back tourist with you?”
“We’ll flip a coin at the airport. Now how far away is your bedroom?”
“Too far. But my driver can get us there fast,” she panted. “If I could corrupt you for just one more little luxury.”
“I was afraid of that.” His lips brushed hers. “Okay, Hollywood…do your worst.”
“In a minute. First…tell me again you love me.”
“I love you, Annabelle. You as you are, inside and out. And I want to be around to see you at eighty-five, like my grandmother. You’ll be beautiful, too.”
After all the mistakes, here he was, at last, the man she’d dreamed of and hoped for and tried to keep faith that she’d find. “I so want to build a life with you, make a family with you.”
“Then I think we’d best get started, Hollywood.” He bent to her, his eyes warm, his arms strong.
“Me, too. I love you, Sean.” She sank into his embrace, into the first kiss of their new life.
The forever after life of her dreams.
~THE END~
Thank you for letting me share my stories with you!
Next up is TEXAS RESCUE, Jilly Sullivan’s story:
Will the light that fills her draw him out of the darkness?
Special Forces veteran Gabriel Coronado is haunted by nightmares that keep him in the shadows, exiling himself from human companionship as he wrestles with his demons. Walking the night to outrun his memories of those he wasn’t able to save, he comes to the rescue of a small, valiant woman who puts herself in danger to save a young runaway.
Jilly Sullivan’s life is dedicated to making a difference for the poor, championing one hopeless cause after another, spending time in the worst parts of town. When a desperate criminal overpowers her and a nameless hero saves her from harm, both their courses are altered forever.
Gabriel finds himself drawn to the vibrant light that is Jilly, and she lures him from the darkness in which he’s most comfortable. The more time they spend together, the more powerful their bond becomes. He comes to the defense of a young boy victimized by a brutal drug dealer, and when that drug dealer assaults Jilly in retaliation, Gabriel rescues her but quickly retreats to the darkness where he believes he belongs. Can Jilly, rocked by her brush with evil, convince this man to believe that he deserves to live in the light?
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Jean
Please enjoy this excerpt from TEXAS RESCUE:
Gabriel Coronado couldn’t exactly date when he’d become a night creature. He only knew he hadn’t slept for more than four hours since he’d left Iraq.
He spent his nights outrunning his memories, becoming adept at navigating his way through the darkness and its blessed balm of concealing shadows. The heat in his brain cooled when night fell, and he could think more clearly. Most people troubled by nightmares feared the darkness, but to him it was a comforting friend. In the night, others passed you and went on their way, eager to get to their destinations.
In the daylight, people wanted to talk. Expected you to be normal.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt normal.
But he knew exactly when his former life had ended. Nineteen Iraqi children lying massacred in the sand in retribution.
Because of him. Because he’d believed he could make a difference. Oh, he had, all right. Just not the one he’d intended.
No. He would not think of it now, not when he had a choice. The night was for calm, not for thinking. Not for memories. He redoubled his pace, intent on finishing his ten miles with at least two minutes shaved off his pace.
Then he heard the scream, clearly feminine.
He angled to the right toward where the sound seemed to have emerged, and kicked up his pace, covering almost a block before he spotted the small blonde lying on the ground, held there by a knee jammed in her back, while her attacker waved a knife in her face.
For a second, he felt the sting of sand. Heard the rumble of armored vehicles, the whip of the wind…the screams of the women, the groans of the injured…the dying…down a long, hollow tunnel drawing him into the vortex—
No. He squeezed his eyes shut—hard. No.
Then he opened them again. Night. Trees. Here, not…there.
He braced one hand against a trunk, let the bark dig into his skin and ground him.
The knife was far too close to the woman. She could be hurt before Gabriel could get in range to disarm her assailant. Gabriel had no weapons except the one that always traveled with him—his own body, a formidable and well-honed defense, courtesy of the United States Army Special Forces.
There was concealing shrubbery a few feet away, so he edged backward and made his way with all the stealth he’d had years to perfect. He noted the cell phone lying on the ground near the woman. He had foregone most of what others considered civilization, living without telephone or television, gladly cutting himself off from what most people believed to be a minimum level of connection to the outside world.
He’d had enough of the world and avoided people whenever he could.
So he could make no convenient calls to the cops. Unless a neighbor had heard her scream, this woman had only Gabriel to depend on.
He emerged from the vegetation five feet behind the man who appeared agitated, likely hopped up on something, cursing and gesturing with the knife. On cat feet, Gabriel closed in one more long stride, then launched a well-aimed kick that sent the knife spinning away. He used his momentum to topple the assailant, then pin him to the ground. He spotted wires lying on the ground and swiftly restrained the man at both wrists and feet.
“Are you all right?” he asked the woman.
“Yes.” To her credit, her voice shook only a little.
“You have no business out here alone at night.”
“Yes, I do. This is my project. I know the neighbors.”
“Didn’t help you much, did it?” He glanced around at closed front doors, at the absence of a single person. “I don’t see anyone rushing to your aid.”
Just then they both heard the sirens, and she turned to watch for the police to come. “See? The neighbors called for help.”
Damn it. He didn’t want to talk to the police, didn’t want to be making statements or appearing in court. He didn’t look at her again, but he didn’t need to. She was pretty and naïve and valiant, a sure recipe for trouble. Instead he tugged his ball cap down lower over his eyes as he edged back into the cover of darkness, still near enough to watch over her until she was safely in someone else’s hands.
But not close enough to be spotted.
The moment the police cars stopped and officers emerged, he slipped away as quietly as he’d arrived.
…Excerpt from TEXAS RESCUE by Jean Brashear © 2018
The Lone Star Lovers series includes:
TEXAS HEARTTHROB (Liam and Raina)
TEXAS HEALER (Rafe and Diana)
TEXAS PROTECTOR (Alex and Jade)
TEXAS DECEPTION (Diana’s sister Franny and Nate)
TEXAS LOST (Diana and Franny’s sister Clarice and Saint)
TEXAS WANDERER (Dane and Vanessa)
TEXAS BODYGUARD (Sean and Annabelle)
TEXAS RESCUE (Jilly and Gabriel)
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Readers react to the TEXAS HEROES series:
“In all of Jean’s books so far I love the strong independent heroines and the men who know right away these women are special and fall in love in such a sweet way. Loving this series and can’t wait to read more.”
“Love the seamless flow from one book to another. Jean Brashear’s Texas Heroes series is well worth a read. The characters are vivid and so real…the storylines are captivating. You won’t go wrong purchasing this series.”
“Jean Brashear, you are now one of my favorite authors. I loved them all and I can’t wait to read some of your other books. You have the unique talent of making the reader feel like they have been transported to Texas and are part of the family. I found it very difficult to put down your books. Thank you for giving me hours of reading pleasure.”
The Gallaghers of Morning Star
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“Jean Brashear’s distinctive storytelling voice instantly draws in the reader. She writes with warmth and emotional truth.”
~#1 NY Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber
“Jean is a fabulous writer that draws you in and has you laughing and crying and every emotion that there is. I love her and am going to buy the next set of books straight away.”
~Reader review
“This is a must read trilogy if you love a love story with all the ingredients to make you laugh and cry and rejoice…loved it xxx”
~Reader review
The Marshalls
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“Ms. Brashear has written a great story line with characters who are both ‘larger than life’ in some ways and yet very likeable, believable people. I’m looking forward to getting the next one about Quinn’s brother, Josh, who is also in this book. Ms Brashear does indeed write very much like my most favorite author, Linda Howard.”
~Reader review
“The Marshall men are quite spectacular and what they will do for the women they love wow! Not only are these men handsome, passionate, nurturing, but they will do anything to protect their families. Great books!”
Texas Bodyguard Page 23