by Terry Odell
Cole stood and cleared his throat. “I’ve had a discussion with Morgan about her piano playing. She played for me, and I thought it was fantastic, but she pointed out I have no qualifications.” He grinned in her direction. “Now, if she’d played something by Metallica, I might be a better judge. At any rate, since we have another musician in the room, I’m going to put Morgan on the spot and insist she play.”
Heat rose to Morgan’s face. A chill ran down her spine.
“Hey, we’re all friends here, right?” Cole said. He stabbed her with his blue eyes. “They deserve to hear something played by Morgan Tate.”
Morgan Tate. Not Tatiana Morgan. Did that give her permission to give less than her best? Had that been her problem all along? Thinking she was useless if she couldn’t be Tatiana? Not allowing Morgan to be Morgan?
Cole took her by the shoulders and steered her to the piano.
With a flourish, Austin swept his arm toward the seat.
Protesting would be useless. She sat. Placed her fingers on the cool ivory. Let them take over.
“Moonlight Sonata.” One of her first pieces.
Lost in the music, she was unaware of any carpal tunnel issues. When she finished, she ignored the applause. These were friends. They’d clap no matter how poorly she’d played. Only Randy would know how it could have been.
Cole stepped to her side. “Detective Detweiler. You’re experienced in things musical. Morgan’s going to use the I’m rusty excuse, but even so, do you think she’s good enough to teach piano?”
Morgan looked to Randy. “I trust you to be honest.”
“You’ve got the music chops for sure. Now, I haven’t observed your teaching style, but I don’t see you as the knuckle-rapping sort.” He threw a stern look in Austin’s direction. “What does she do if you hit a wrong note? Or get the timing off? Mess up the dynamics?”
“Mostly, she waits until I finish a section, then asks me to play it again. Sometimes, she’ll play it for me. Just the part she thinks could be better.”
“I’m not hearing anything that would keep me from recommending Morgan Tate to anyone who’s looking for a top-notch piano teacher,” Randy said. “Any sixth grader’s parents who were at the ceremony would jump at a chance to have their kids—or themselves—taught by Austin Jackson’s teacher.”
She was grateful Randy hadn’t said she should promote herself as Tatiana Morgan. She tugged on a curl. Thoughts that had been roiling around her head surfaced. “Thank you. I guess I should look into a business license. Advertise. Get a website.”
“Like yesterday,” Randy said. “Now, if you would permit it, I’d love to take a turn on your magnificent instrument.”
While Randy played, clearly enjoying himself, she took a seat on the couch next to Cole and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, drew her close, and warmth filled her.
The heart wants what the heart wants.
A too-short while later, Randy relinquished the seat to Austin.
“Sorry,” Sarah said. “We had a wonderful time, but we have to get home.”
Randy and Sarah said their good-byes, and after another fifteen minutes, Morgan sent Austin up to bed. “You can play more tomorrow, and I’ll look into places you can perform.”
Cole seemed hesitant, as if he wasn’t sure he should leave, too.
“You can stay awhile longer.” Morgan divided the remaining wine into their glasses. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Always dangerous,” he said, grinning.
“Seriously. Until my parents died and my surgery failed, I’d been defined by my music. That’s who I was, and when I couldn’t have that, I felt like a nobody. I muddled through life, but I wasn’t living it. Thank you for giving me a chance. For helping me put music at the head of my top five list.”
After a drawn out kiss that curled her toes, Cole cupped her face in his hands. “You think we can make this work? You, me, and Austin?”
Bailey trotted over and shoved his cold nose between them.
Morgan jerked, then giggled. “And Bailey.”
“Way to spoil the mood, fella,” Cole scratched the dog’s ears. “And Bailey. We’ll have our challenges, but what life worth living doesn’t?”
Morgan raised her wine glass. “Here’s to challenges.”
Cole tapped his glass to hers. “May they make for an interesting life.”
Acknowledgments
A POPULAR BIT OF ADVICE for authors is “Write What You Know.” I prefer to think of it as “Write What You Can Learn” and I want to thank the people who have given me enough information to make the book as accurate as possible. Any errors are due either to my misinterpretation of what they tried to make me understand, or stretched for the sake of the story. It IS fiction, after all.
Josh Moulin for cell phones and technology.
Amy Daraghy for answering my questions about Oregon.
Derek Vissage for his pet expertise.
Sergeant Cliff Carpenter of the Salem Police Department, Lee Lofland, and Mark Hussey, Homicide Detective (ret) for the cop stuff.
Todd Matthews for identifying missing persons.
Doug Lyle, MD and Rudy Wencl, PA-C for medical advice.
As always, Wally Lind, et al, from Crimescenewriter for answering questions about almost anything.
My critique partners, Karla Brandenburg, Steve Pemberton, and Susan Clayton-Goldner
My editor, Brittiany Koren
The Killion Group for the cover
And, of course, to Dan, my ever patient husband for putting up with the hours I spend at the computer.
My sincerest apologies to anyone I’ve overlooked.
A Note From the Author
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED reading this book. One thing readers can do to let an author know they've enjoyed a book is to pass the word along. If you're willing to let your friends know you think they might like the book, or tweet about it, or post it to your social media sites, that would be wonderful. Also, the best way to help readers find authors is to post a brief review. If you have a minute, I'd appreciate it if you'd go to the site where you bought this book, or any review site such as Goodreads, and let others know you liked it. And, to keep up with future works and to have access to exclusive content, I'd love it if you'd sign up for my newsletter.
Thanks!
Terry
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Did you love Remaking Morgan? Then you should read In Hot Water by Terry Odell!
He needs a cook, she needs a place to hide…
In her new romantic action adventure, Terry Odell spins her popular Blackthorne, Inc. series off into a new world of adventures filled with mystery and suspense. The Triple-D Ranch novels are set against the backdrop of a Colorado cattle ranch, where cowboys find love and danger while they're working the range.
Derek Cooper has left the violent life of an Army Ranger and a covert ops agent for Blackthorne, Inc. in favor of the more peaceful life of a cowboy, running the family cattle ranch in the Colorado mountains. However, when he rescues a stranded motorist, he has no idea this blonde pixie is going to bring violence to his doorstep—or work her way into his heart. Unable to resist helping her discover why she's in danger ends up with him unable to resist her … period. When they discover a potential bioterrorism plot, they'll have to put their attraction on hold while they search for a way to prevent it.
Sabrina Barton believes in second chances, and she's running a vocational culinary school to prove it. But when her brother dies in a mysterious hit-and-run, and she's beset by an unsettling series of accidents, she can't believe in coincidences. She goes in search of the one man her brother told her to seek if she ever needed help. Trouble is, the letter with that
advice was delivered at her brother's funeral, more than ten years after he wrote it. Will cattle rancher Derek Cooper be able to help her? And will she be able to resist this handsome cowboy who seems to be no stranger to violence?
Read more at Terry Odell’s site.
Also by Terry Odell
Blackthorne, Inc.
When Danger Calls
Where Danger Hides
Rooted in Danger
Danger in Deer Ridge
Dangerous Connections
Windswept Danger
Identity Crisis
Personal Assignment
Falcon's Prey
The Blackthorne, Inc. Novels, Volume 1
The Blackthorne, Inc. Novels, Volume 2
Mapleton Mystery
Deadly Secrets
Deadly Bones
Deadly Puzzles
Deadly Production
Deadly Places: A Mapleton Mystery Novella
Deadly Engagement
Deadly Assumptions
The Mapleton Mystery Novellas
Pine Hills Police
Finding Sarah
Hidden Fire
Saving Scott
Nowhere to Hide
Finding Fire
Pine Hills Police: Four Complete Novels
Remaking Morgan
Triple-D Ranch
In Hot Water
In Deep Trouble
In Dire Straits
Standalone
What's in a Name?
Seeing Red
Second Chance Rose and Other Stories
Watch for more at Terry Odell’s site.
About the Author
Terry Odell began writing by mistake, when her son mentioned a television show and she thought she’d be a good mom and watch it so they’d have common ground for discussions.
Little did she know she would enter the world of writing, first via fan fiction, then through Internet groups, and finally in groups with real, live partners. Her first publications were short stories, but she found more freedom in longer works and began what she thought was a mystery. Her daughters told her it was a romance so she began learning more about the genre and craft. She belongs to both the Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.
Now a multi-published, award winning author, Terry resides with her husband and rescue dog in the mountains of Colorado. You can learn more about her books and find her online at:
Her website - https://terryodell.com
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Sign up for her newsletter for exclusive offers. https://terryodell.com/newsletter
Read more at Terry Odell’s site.