“There’s never a dull moment with her.”
“You be careful. I mean it. I think someone’s out to ruin me and I think they’re willing to hurt you to do it.”
“I will. You know I love you, right?” He caressed her cheek.
“I know. I love you too.” She smiled.
“Nothing is more important to me than you and our crazy family.” He pointed out to the gang constructing a massive sand castle.
Kate grabbed ahold of Chris and squeezed tight. She knew he meant what he said about taking time off to care for Zoe. That’s just the kind of guy he was. She loved his optimism, kindness, and his big heart. The person who was trying to wreck her life was on that list she’d shared with Billie. There was one name she’d been surprised to see and if it were true, there would be a war coming. Marvin’s death was the reason he’d become bold enough to step up his assault on her and if he turned out to be culprit, she’d strike back to keep her family safe. But for now she’d enjoy dinner with her unconventional family. She liked that Billie had opened up to her and although she seemed OK, the detective agency was a way of keeping her mind off Dominic. She’d had such a hard life, Kate had hoped her marriage to a great guy was a turning point for her cousin to forget all that pain. She was a wounded bird, just like Scar and Athena. They were all mysterious women who were strong, but there was a lot of heartache there. Maybe this was her chance to get better acquainted with her guardians.
“I’ll help with dinner.” She smiled and kissed him.
“I’d like that.”
Kate and Chris headed into the house. No matter what happened in the land of make believe, it was nice to know what they had was real.
~ About the Author ~
Rhonda Laurel is a contemporary interracial/multicultural romance writer whose two great loves are writing and landscape photography. She uses both as a vehicle to convey the complexity of the human spirit and the beauty of the world around her. Ebb Tide, For the Love of the Game and Masquerade were released in 2012. Shutter, Memories of You, Star Crossed, MVP, California Bored and Tourism and The Blake Legacy in 2013. The print anthology, The Rhonda Laurel Collection, featuring Ebb Tide, For the Love of the Game and Shutter released June 2013. Texas Heat, Love Notes & Football and The Perfect Storm, books 4, 5 and 6 in The Blake Boys Series released in 2014. Slow Burn, Hollywood Heat, Cowboy’s Heart, Tempting Fate, Executive Desires, Meet the Blakes, and The Final Play released in 2015. Stranded in Paradise and Slap Shot released in 2016.
The author is happily building her backlist.
Discover more about Rhonda Laurel here
http://www.rhondalaurel.com
http://www.facebook.com/authorrhondalaurel
http://www.twitter.com/rhondalaurel
http://pinterest.com/rhondalaurel/
~ Also by Rhonda Laurel ~
The Hollywood Heat Series
Star Crossed
Hollywood Heat Book One
Rhonda Laurel
When Hollywood’s sexiest secret explodes, stars are born.
Music mogul Kate Garrison’s husband is a leading Hollywood director. He also happens to be a cheat. When he’s caught having an affair with an actress, Kate becomes the talk of the town—and not in a good way. So when she stumbles into Hollywood’s new golden boy, Chris Cavanaugh—in the men’s room, of all places—the gossip mill starts working overtime. Especially since Chris is starring in her husband’s next film.
Chris Cavanaugh couldn’t imagine a woman would have such an effect on his life. But amid the gossip and Hollywood politics, his only option is to ride out the media storm and play house. He never expects to actually fall for her, but when illusion begins to look more and more like reality, Chris has his hands full keeping his career intact and his eye on the target of making the Hollywood A-list. So why does spending time with Kate suddenly seem more important?
Buy Star Crossed here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rhonda_Laurel_Star_Crossed?id=Uy2zBwAAQBAJ
Hollywood Rush
Hollywood Heat Book Two
Rhonda Laurel
High stakes. High Passion. Winner takes all.
Atlantis Records mogul Kate Garrison is elated to have married her soul mate, actor Chris Cavanaugh, a crazy counterpart to her uptight nature. After a scandalous meeting that set the paparazzi on fire, and a whirlwind courtship and wedding, she and Chris return to their Hollywood life of movie sets and power struggles. She’s busy with the new business ventures she inherited, which include another record label and part ownership of Pinnacle Studios. As she struggles to adjust to her new elite position in Hollywood, not everyone is happy with her new-found power. And in Hollywood, power is something everyone wants a piece of.
Chris Cavanaugh’s luck keeps getting better and better. He married the woman of his dreams and his talent is finally getting recognized. The movie roles and award nominations are pouring in. Now if he could only convince himself that he deserves all the attention. But rumor has it that Kate’s pulling strings behind the scenes to launch her husband to stardom, now that she owns a majority stake in the movie studio. And rumors like that could threaten everything they have...
Buy Hollywood Rush here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rhonda_Laurel_Hollywood_Rush?id=zjDhBgAAQBAJ
Worth the Wait
The Blake Boys Book 16
Rhonda Laurel
The best things in life are worth the wait.
The minute handsome college student Wyatt Connelly laid eyes on Avery Reed at a Blake family gathering, it was love at first sight. She's smart, gorgeous, driven, and they're attending the same college in Texas. But the path to romance gets off to a rocky start when the Blake men warn him to stay away from their sweet and inexperienced niece. And to make matters worse, Tomcats quarterback Riley Sloane has been flirting shamelessly with her. Wyatt's trying his best to look out for her without crossing the line as he struggles with finding his own future career path. But watching Riley make a play for her is killing him. If Wyatt isn't careful, he might just lose the thing he wants most—the very person he's been waiting for...
Avery Reed can't figure out Wyatt Connelly. They'd grown close since attending school together, but Wyatt's sudden cold shoulder has her rethinking their relationship. The change leaves her confused and disappointed, so when quarterback Riley Sloane shows interest in her, she quickly develops a friendship with him. The sports star is fun, handsome, and successful, but she can't get her mind off a certain gorgeous, brooding college student who loves to tease her. As Avery gets ready to graduate college, she has to navigate passionate feelings and a complicated friendship headed into uncharted territory. Wyatt's certainly taking his time, but will she believe their love is worth the wait?
Buy Worth the Wait here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rhonda_Laurel_Worth_the_Wait?id=ly-3DAAAQBAJ
Off Season
The Blake Boys Book 15
Rhonda Laurel
Retired quarterback Seth Blake is looking forward to the next chapter of his life with Morgan and the kids on the Twelve Horseshoes ranch. But when an old family friend and owner of the Texas Tomcats asks him to have a chat with Riley Sloane, his troubled star quarterback, Seth is reluctant to get back into the game and the celebrity that comes with it. Riley is arrogant and a wildcard, yet Seth can’t help but see a little of himself in the budding superstar—even if the two of them can't stop butting heads long enough for Seth to keep his promise. Even worse, a family crisis quickly forces him to put the brakes on his future to be there for those he loves.
While Morgan Blake is happy that the family has settled into ranch living, part of her misses the hustle and bustle of her old life in Philadelphia. As she tries to get her footing again and oversee the expansion of another bookstore, an unforeseen crisis arises that threatens everything. As she struggles to deal with the changes in her life, she fears Seth will put his career plans on hold indefinitely to be there
for the family. She's desperate to find a way to keep Seth from putting off a new career opportunity, even as her world begins to crumble around her...
Buy Off Season here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rhonda_Laurel_Off_Season?id=Y6goDAAAQBAJ
~ More Romance from Etopia Press ~
Love of a Marine
Wounded Warriors Book Two
Patty Campbell
Wounded Marine veteran, Cluny McPherson, is ready to throw in the towel. Why are his PTSD nightmares worse now, more than ten years after the ambush outside Fallujah? He hates his growing feelings of hopelessness and doubts he'll ever live a normal life. He loves women and kids, and he desires a loving woman in his life, one who wants a family as much as he does. But with the nightmares getting worse, the only female he dares spend an entire night with is his loyal service dog, Queen, a war vet herself. Until one day on a California beach, he meets a beautiful Brazilian woman and her young boy and everything changes. For the first time in years, there's a chance of healing...and a chance at love.
Graciella Jefferson, SEAL widow and single mother, is wary of the man who sits for hours on the sand by the Point Dume rocks, staring at the ocean. But her nine-year-old son, Santos, is increasingly curious about the dog that wears a vest and stays next to the tall, dark-haired man in the baseball cap. When she finds out Cluny was saved in Iraq by her late husband, a friendship begins between them that quickly heats up into something much more. But Graciella has been burned before. Can she lower the walls around her heart and learn how trust again?
Buy Love of a Marine here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Patty_Campbell_Love_of_a_Marine?id=qSTKDAAAQBAJ
Touched to the Core
Touched Book Three
Elsa Winckler
He gave her his heart, but can he give her the truth?
Schoolteacher Dana Roux doesn't need sexy hotel tycoon David Cavallo to add to her troubles. They have absolutely nothing in common—she's a simple schoolteacher in a small coastal town, and he has more money than he knows what to do with. Besides, as a former journalist, he'd remember the news stories about her dad's alleged involvement in a dirty, Ponzi-like scheme, and his subsequent suicide. The last thing she wants is for the dark shadow of that scandal—and tragedy—to fall upon her once again. Especially since she knows her dad was innocent.
For David, flirting with a beautiful woman comes as naturally as breathing. So when he winds up kissing his sister-in-law's best friend, he realizes Dana isn't just another pretty pair of lips. But things between them get complicated quickly when he discovers who her father was, and that it was David's own news story that blew the case wide open and sent her father to jail—and to his death. David's not sure what to believe, but he knows he can't let Dana blame him forever. Especially since she insists her father was an innocent man. But when Dana's life is threatened, he realizes that he might not have uncovered the whole story. And that now, older and wiser, he just might be the only one who can uncover the truth.
Buy Touched to the Core here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Elsa_Winckler_Touched_to_the_Core?id=MZffCgAAQBAJ
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