WooHoo! Just in time for Christmas, the second
novella in the Brides of Texas Code Series, MATELYN
AND THE TEXAS RANGER, is available on Amazon and Apple
iBooks.
Overcome by the death of his wife, Ian Benning leaves his small son in the care of best friends, Katie and Dermot McTiernan. He rejoins his old outfit with the Texas Rangers to keep his mind off the loss of his only love, Emma. His assignment takes him to Galveston on the Texas Coast in pursuit of a group of bank robbers, and to the middle of a horrific hurricane.
Matelyn O'Donnell accompanies her employer,
Veronique de Marceau, from New Orleans to Galveston, Texas to reunite Veronique
with her cruel and conniving husband, Gerard. Introduced to Ian Benning while
aboard ship, Matelyn dismisses him as a criminal in cahoots with Gerard. When
their ship is capsized from the vicious winds and waves in the Gulf of Mexico,
Ian Benning rescues her from certain death.
Will she accept that he is undercover and help him
bring de Marceau to justice? Will she be able to ignore her overwhelming attraction
to this lonely, distraught man? Can Ian tuck away his deep feelings for his
lost wife to keep from losing this beautiful, feisty dark-haired beauty?
Exerpt:
Later that evening, Ian joined John on the
porch after supper. He liked John and had great respect for the man. It seemed
they were of a kindred spirit, almost as if they'd been friends all their lives.
"We did good
getting the roof repaired this afternoon."
"Sure appreciate
your help, Ian. Having the house back in order will go a long way toward
helping Nancy feel safe again."
He took the cigarette
John offered, lit it, and looked out over the yard at the neighboring houses.
Some were occupied with candle light glowing from the windows. Others were
abandoned and dark. "Soon as I can, I need to ask the ladies what their
plans are. If Veronique is truly a widow, she'll need to decide what she wants
to do. She may have to go back to New Orleans to settle de Marceau's
estate."
Drawing deeply on his
cigarette, John nodded, slowly exhaling the white-gray smoke. "That's a
distinct possibility. She'll probably have to reconcile his assets in the state
where he filed the will."
Ian glanced toward the
house as the screen door opened. Matelyn and Nancy came onto the porch carrying
a tray. He stood, grabbed another chair, and scooted a crate to the middle to
act as a table.
John took the tray
while the women seated themselves. "What've you gone and done?"
Giving her husband a
knowing smile, Nancy said, "I know how you love my apple crumb cake and I
so want normalcy back in our lives." Reaching for the knife, she cut
several slices. "We were able to salvage enough from the pantry to make
your favorite dessert."
"I thought I
smelled the oven earlier, but figured my mind was playing tricks on me."
Ian accepted his share. Gazing at Matelyn, he tasted a bite. He hadn't eaten
anything this mouth-watering since Emma's pies or Katie's biscuits. "Thank
you, ladies, for your efforts."
"This was all
Nancy," Matelyn said, picking at her slice with her fork. "While I
can sew a fine seam, I'm afraid I can't boil a potato."
Placing her plate on
the tray, Nancy cut another slice each for John and Ian. "We discussed
this while at the hotel this morning. Matelyn will sew new dresses for the
women who've lost their belongings if Mr. Hollis will donate several bolts of
fabric and patterns."
"That's quite an
undertaking. Are you sure you're up to it?"
"Yes,"
Matelyn said. "We've been so blessed, it's the very least I can do to
help."
"It was all
Matelyn's idea." Nancy beamed. "She approached Mr. Hollis and he
agreed."
"Well, I think
you're biting off more than you can chew, but if you're determined—"
"I am."
Ian studied the dark
haired beauty closely. She sat ramrod straight, her blue eyes determined,
almost belligerent. Ian covered a laugh with a cough. Instinctively, he knew if
he laughed that'd be a mistake. He'd encountered fierce Irish pride before.
While she looked nothing like her cousin, their personalities were practically
identical. The only difference being, where Katie was quick to ignite,
Matelyn's embers glowed beneath the surface waiting to be stoked.
A sudden urge to stir
those coals caught him off guard. He cleared his throat but his voice sounded
ragged when he spoke. "Let me know if I can help you."
"I will."
As if Nancy sensed the
tension between them, she stood, stacked the empty plates and picked up the
tray. "We should follow Veronique's lead and rest up for tomorrow."
Standing with them, Ian
held the door until they'd gone inside.
John prepared to follow
behind them. "You ready? We'll be starting early."
"You go
ahead. I'm going to sit for a bit
longer."
"Sleep easy."
After John went in, Ian
sat back in the chair, stretched out his legs and propped his boots on the
porch rail. While the thought of a bed called to his aching back, he couldn't
bring himself to face the new found urges that lurked behind closed eyes. Emma
had been gone barely six months. He had no business having wants and desires.
Thinking of another woman, no matter the reason, wasn't conducive to his job
either.
He had to get his head
back into the pursuit of de Marceau, Captain Jones and the crew. He just
couldn't shake the feeling they weren't dead. What happened to them and where
they were was anybody's guess at this point. He and John had an impossible task
ahead of them. He wondered, not for the first time, if Veronique could shed
some light into her husband's behavior. So far he'd been unable to get a good
read on her. What had been the relationship between her and her husband?
Perhaps he'd stop by the hotel tomorrow and make more of an effort to know her
better.
Thinking of Veronique
brought on thoughts of Matelyn. Exactly where he didn't want to go. Dropping
his feet from the rail, he stood and stretched the kinks from his back. He
needed to sleep. Needed to turn his mind off, let his sub-conscious help him
concentrate on the case, not Matelyn O'Donnell. As he turned to head upstairs,
he knew he was only kidding himself.
*
* *
Tired of staring at the
ceiling, Matelyn gave up trying to sleep. Events of the past few days fought
for space along with worries of their tenuous situation, their safety and the
task of how best to aid the people of Galveston. Thoughts of Katie occupied a
corner, too. Had word spread that far about the hurricane? If it had, there was
no way to let her cousin know they were all right. She'd promised to send a
telegram as to her approximate time of arrival in Dallas. With communications
down, that wouldn't happen any time soon.
She decided, since
everyone had turned in ages ago, she'd slip downstairs to have another bite of
Nancy's crumb cake. Maybe doing something other than thinking would quiet her
head. The house felt like an oven. With the high temperature and not even a
hint of a breeze, she didn't bother with her wrapper. She'd be back upstairs
long before anyone stirred.
Matelyn couldn't
remember when she'd tasted anything so good. The cake practically melted on her
tongue. Covering the pan with a towel, she returned it to the back of the
counter.
"It's good, isn't
it?"
She spun around at the
sound of Ian's voice. Her left hand flew to her throat and she bumped against
the counter's edge, while her right fisted the lace neckline of her gown.
"Oh, good Gussie," she scolded, her heart racing. "Ye startled
the stuffin' right out of me!"
Reaching out for her,
he grinned. "I'm sorry. With these clodhoppers I call feet, I assumed you
heard me walk up behind you."
He might've been
remorseful, but he still wore that lopsided grin. Skirting his grasp, she backed
toward the doorway. Embarrassed he'd seen her in her in her night dress –
again, and mortified she'd been caught sneaking cake. Truth be known, she'd
been so involved in eating that bite of heaven, she doubted she'd have heard a
thunder clap. "Well, I didn't."
"Matelyn, I
apologize."
"Good night, Mr.
Benning."
Buy links are below.
I hope you can check out this new story. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Hugs,
Carra
