Spotlight: One Way Ticket Home by K.C. Hardy

Days before boarding the plane to Italy for her daughter’s wedding, Julie Whitaker receives an unexpected phone call from her past. The memory of Mark Jennings, a handsome and charming Top Gun pilot, had haunted her for decades. Their fairy tale wedding was everything she’d ever dreamed of, but it quickly turned into her worst nightmare.

Starting a new a life without Mark proved to be much harder than Julie had imagined. But in her darkest hour, God revealed Himself in a miraculous way, giving her the strength she needed not only to battle depression, but to face a diagnosis of breast cancer that threatened to cut her life short. 

Now, amidst the splendor of the Italian Alps, on the eve of her daughter’s wedding, Julie’s thoughts are catapulted back to Mark and the reason for his call.  After thirty years, will Julie have a chance to see him once again? And would she even want to? 
Based on true events, One-Way Ticket Home will take you on an unforgettable journey of love, loss, hope and forgiveness. With grace, candor and an indomitable wit, K.C. Hardy reminds us that it is often in our darkest hours, that the strength of the human spirit shines the brightest.

Excerpt

An out of the blue and totally unexpected call from Mark the following week, only served to punctuate the tumultuous feelings I’d been experiencing over the past few months.  It had been five years since I’d last heard from him and I was surprised by how quickly old wounds were ripped open.  Wounds I thought had healed so well that the scars were now invisible to the naked eye. Those first couple of years after leaving San Diego there hadn’t been a day that passed by without thoughts of Mark.  And yet, after marrying Tony, he’d almost become a rare afterthought.  A memory only conjured up when Roberta Flack’s soulful voice carried across the radio waves or when I subconsciously detected a faint hint of Mark’s favorite aftershave, English Leather, as a stranger breezed by in the mall.  But now I realized that the wounds hadn’t completely healed after all.  The countless shaky first steps in my new life—as a wife, a mother—now seemed futile. Just as an earthquake can level in seconds a grand old city that was centuries in the making, just the sound of Mark’s voice was enough to erase the last three years.

About the Authors

Kristie Hardy, whose life is the inspiration behind this book, holds a B.S. in Education, a minor in English, and is a former teacher.  But her most recent profession as a private investigator spawned a desire to unearth the long-suppressed details of her own personal story.  She is a mother of two, and a thirty year metastatic breast cancer survivor. Kristie currently resides in San Antonio, Texas with her husband.

Cate Hardy, Kristie’s daughter and co-author, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.  Cate lives in San Antonio, Texas with the loves of her life: her husband and two children.  

Kristie and Cate are the mother/daughter writing team of K.C. Hardy.

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Spotlight: True-Blue Cowboy Christmas by Nicole Helm

BIG SKY CHRISTMAS

Thack Lane has his hands full. For the past seven years, he’s been struggling to move on from his wife’s tragic death and raise a daughter all by his lonesome. He doesn’t have time for himself, much less a cheerful new neighbor with a smile that can light up the ranch.

Christmas spirit? Bah, humbug.

With Christmas right around the corner, Summer Shaw is searching for somewhere to belong. When her neighbor’s young daughter takes a shine to her, she is thrilled. But Thack is something else altogether. He’s got walls around his heart that no amount of holiday wishes can scale. Yet as joy comes creeping back to the lonely homestead, Summer and Thack may just find their happily ever after before the last of the Christmas miracles are through…

Top Five Holiday Traditions

I admit it, I’m a Christmas junkie. I used to take boxes of Christmas decorations to my college dorm/apartment every year. I have three trees in my basement and a plethora of tubs of ornaments, books, sparkly things, decorative plates and the like. December is all Christmas music all the time. I love Christmas.

Which was why it was fun to mix the magic of Christmas and the magic of romance in True-Blue Cowboy Christmas. My favorite part of Christmas is family, which is why I brought the whole crazy Shaw clan together for this final book in my Big Sky Cowboys series.

To me, the holidays are all about love, so my favorite holiday traditions are either done with family or because they remind me of family.

1. Watching It’s A Wonderful Life. When I was growing up, this was something we always did on Christmas Eve (much to the complaints of my younger sisters). But It’s A Wonderful Life is by far my favorite Christmas movie, and in my adulthood no one will watch it with me, so I usually watch it late Christmas Eve night when I’m wrapping up the kids’ presents, and that’s actually become one of my favorite traditions in it of itself. Though I love the holiday season because I get to see family and spend time with loved ones, it’s nice to have a few hours of quiet in the midst of all the visiting to enjoy a movie about finding hope and peace while I’m creating magic for my guys.

2. Christmas Lights Looking. Every year, at least once, we go to one of the parks in our area completely decorated in Christmas lights. It’s always fun to see what people can do and the cute displays different parks come up with. My kids ooh and ahh over the blinking, giant lights, the radio plays soft Christmas music, and we all get to be together experiencing something beautiful.

3. Go to Iowa. This probably isn’t on everyone’s favorite traditions list (but if it is, Iowa fist bump), but my extended family is mostly in Iowa, which means every year since my family moved away we make the trek up the Avenue of Saints to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. This was always my favorite part of Christmas as a kid, and now as an adult I love sending my kids down to the basement with my cousins’ kids to play, because that’s what my cousins and sisters and I all did as kids. Eating cookies my grandma gets from her church cookie swap, or letting them run out into the yard to play in the snow with my grandpa’s dogs—just like I did as a kid.

4. Making Sugar Cookies. I can vividly remember standing on a chair in my grandma’s kitchen and decorating sugar cookies cut out into different Christmas shapes, and it just isn’t Christmas without spending a day making edible snowmen, snowflakes, santa hates and the like. These days, it’s usually my own kitchen with my mom and boys, or my mother-in-law’s kitchen with my sisters-in-law.  Either way, there’s something special about making and decorating things together, and I hope my kids remember it as adults.

5. Eating! I’m sorry, it’s true, I love eating through the holidays! There are a lot of one-time treats that come out at my house, or in the houses we visit. I love to make Kringla, but it’s a pain, so I only make it at Christmas time. My grandma always has gingerbread cake, which feels especially like Christmas to me, plus the afore-mentioned sugar cookies. My mom or I make Swedish Rye Bread. My tastebuds are always very happy the week of Christmas. And all these eating usually happens with some of my favorite people in the world, which makes it that much more fun.

There are a million other things I love to do around Christmas time as well, but I’ll spare you my never-ending list. True-Blue Cowboy Christmas features a few (Rudolph, tree trimming, etc), and if you’re looking for a heart-warming Christmas read, I hope you’ll check it out.

EXCERPT

Summer started walking, but Thack took the guitar case from her. “Here, let me help.” 

It wasn’t necessary, but it was awfully nice. Especially when his free hand took hers, their fingers intertwining. It was like the culmination of so much desperate belief—that not all men were like the men Summer had met through her mother. That something sweet and easy and normal could exist, and that it could be something she might earn. She swallowed at the lump in her throat. How silly she was to be emotional over something so…little. 

The frigid, dark air helped her get her bearings. She led him to where her car was parked, and he helped her load the guitar in the back. When she shut the door, she turned to look at him and managed her best flirtatious-if-nervous smile. “So. Walk?” Though she didn’t know how long they’d last in the freezing temperatures, she thought she might tempt frostbite if it meant spending time with him. 

“Yeah. Just…one thing first.” 

Before she could even ask what, his mouth was on hers and she sighed into the kiss, leaning into him. She loved the way his hands tangled in her hair, that even though they weren’t exactly at ease around each other one hundred percent of the time, this was easy. 

No, easy wasn’t the right word. It just worked. Their bodies fit and somehow his mouth always knew exactly how to move against hers, like they had been built to match in all of the right places—two puzzle pieces that on the surface hadn’t looked like they would fit together. 

But the surface was never the whole story, and while for the past two years she’d desperately tried to make the layers fit, she couldn’t erase those first twenty years of her life. 

Somehow, kissing Thack in the middle of a dark Montana town, she found she no longer wanted to erase the experience of those years. It was a part of her, a part of how she’d gotten here, to this place where his kiss, his hands, he felt like magic. 

She wanted more. He wanted more. They wanted each other. She didn’t want to freeze her butt off on a walk down Main Street. Not when, for the first time, their time together was truly just the two of them. No matter where this took them, that was something to grab with both hands and not waste. 

“We could skip the walk,” she said, holding on to his coat, ignoring the press of the car door handle in her back. 

His eyes narrowed as if he wasn’t quite certain she was suggesting what he thought she was suggesting. “Um. What exactly would we do instead?” 

“You could take me home.” She sounded breathless and probably ridiculous, but she didn’t care. This was something she’d dreamed about. Over the years, she had put a great deal of thought into the details—when and how, and what type of person would be the one she would want to give those last pieces of herself to. 

Thack wasn’t exactly what she’d pictured, but at the same time, he was more. Strong, steady, dedicated. Everything about him awed her. He had her pressed against a car door, and she was deliriously excited with it. How could she not want to jump in feet first? 

“But we have two cars and… I’m taking this too literally, aren’t I?” 

She couldn’t stifle the laugh, both happy and nervous. “You are. I mean, if you have to get back to Kate, I understand. But you could escort me home. If you have the time. If you want.” 

“Dad said he’d call if he and Mrs. Bart needed me, so I could take you home. You know, I…I’m kind of curious about what the inside of that thing you live in looks like.” 

“I’ll give you a tour.” 

“Thank you for being ten times better at this whole flirting thing than I am.” He brushed a kiss against her mouth. 

She smiled up at him. “Luckily, you make up for the bad flirting in the kissing department.” 

He gave a short laugh. “Not a bad trade.” 

She took a deep breath and mustered all of her courage and all of her determination. She set goals, and she reached them. Thack didn’t have to be any different. “So, follow me home?”

He gave a short nod and held the driver’s side door open for her as she slid in. She started the old clunker, only partially sad when it actually started. It would have been kind of nice if he’d been able to drive her home. 

Oh well. “Parked around front?” 

“Ah, yes. Meet me there?” 

“Yup.” 

He hesitated again, then smiled. “I’ll see you soon.” Carefully, he closed her door. In the rearview mirror, she watched him walk away, her heart pounding wildly. She’d invited him to her place. She’d offered a tour, which she hoped was obviously more euphemism than reality. 

Well, it didn’t matter. Because tonight…tonight she was going to go after exactly what she wanted.

About the Author

NICOLE HELM writes down-to-earth contemporary romance specializing in neighbors who don’t live close enough to be a problem. When she’s not writing, she spends her time day dreaming about someday owning a barn. She lives with her husband and two young sons in O’Fallon, Missouri.

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Excerpt: Stirred by Sylvie Fox

Warning: One kiss can lead to another...

Quirky cartoonist, Zoe Andreis puts her life on hold, flying back to the States to care for her ailing father. Spending her post-college years gallivanting all over Europe while capturing her adventures in comic form, Zoe grapples with the notion of being shackled to one city.

When she encounters Max Kiss, Zoe's true adventures begin. Although Max would love to branch out and take carefree and crazy chances of his own, he too is tied to LA, tending to his aging father. Stirred by Zoe's zest for life, Max longs for a future full of love and spontaneity.

While they struggle to find balance between caring for their parents and living a life of their own, Zoe and Max form a strong and sensual bond. When tough challenges surface, Zoe and Max search for a way to have the life they want without feeling the burden of guilt. Can they find of balance of duty and excitement while building a future together?

Excerpt

The car display lit up. Ringing filled his car. He glanced from the bumper-to-bumper traffic to the caller I.D., Miklós Kiss.

Édes apa.

His father.

“Where are you, Max?” His dad’s tone was belligerent. One deep breath. Two. Three. Then he spoke.

“I’m in my car on my way to work.”

“I can’t get the stove to work. I want toast for breakfast!”

“Dad. Turn off the oven.”

“What?”

“Make sure all the knobs line up. The word ‘off’ should be at the top of all five knobs.”

“Hold on.”

Max held on. He was out of sick days. Out of personal days. Family leave required planning. There was no way he could rush up to Santa Clarita to check on the gas stove at his father’s house. He was going to have to manage this from his car. And hope his father didn’t blow himself and the entire neighborhood to kingdom come.

“Dad? Apa!”

Clattering of plastic receiver against the wall. His dad was using the hardwired phone his parents had installed nearly forty years ago.

“It’s off. I double checked. How do I get toast? You haven’t answered that one.”

“Use the toaster I bought you two months ago,” he said before he could filter the exasperation from his voice.

“Toaster?”

“Look on the left side of the kitchen,” he said, swerving around some guy who looked like he was reading a magazine. Angelenos had taken multi-tasking to a whole new level. “Next to the drain board.”

“God damn it. Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”

Max resisted the urge to yell back. Of course he’d told his father about the toaster. He’d stood with Miklós in the kitchen reviewing the instructions. He’d watched his father make and eat that first batch of toast.

“You know now, Dad. Get the bread from the fridge. There’s butter on the counter.”

“Where’s the kenyérszalonna?”

The Hungarian bacon without a hint of bacon in it was hard to get in California’s health-obsessed markets. “That’s not an American food, Apa. I’ll look a little harder. But for now there’s butter, okay?”

“Fine. I’m hungry enough to eat this,” Miklós said before the phone clattered in the bracket.

Looking at the watch helped calm Max. He wouldn’t let his dad or the morning’s traffic snarl make a dent in his mood today because the 1960 Rolex Oyster Date was keeping time like a champ.

With no further calls from his father, he knew he’d dodged a bullet today. He could kick the can of part-time or round-the-clock care down the road a little bit further.

Maybe the watch had brought him a little bit of good luck. He’d made it in early for his shift, no problem.

“You want to switch routes?” Carl Fonseca asked when he got to MTA’s depot in Sun Valley.

Carl had one of the most coveted routes, not because it was the prettiest or safest, but because the layover at the corner of Van Nuys and Moorpark was right next to an In-n-Out Burger. It was what Carl had gotten with a ton of seniority and serious maneuvering.

“I’m good,” Max said, trying not to think about the fresh made-to-order burger he’d be missing. Instead he was focused on the extreme unlikelihood he’d see Zoe again. The sliver of a chance had him banking on the forgettable lunch options of his regular route. He’d trade the burger for the chance of a little bit of sunshine Zoe could bring to his day. He’d been caring for his parents for so long that he’d forgotten what it was like to have a little bit of a crush on someone. To be a bit eager for a glimpse of an attractive woman. “I like the chicken wraps from the place on Sunset fine,” he said in response to Carl’s perplexed look.

“Just wanted to say thanks for covering for me when my wife was sick.”

“Make me the offer again in a couple of weeks,” Max said, sure he’d be more appreciative when Zoe faded from his memory. Or when he needed to switch for an appointment with the gerontologist he’d found for his dad.

About Sylvie Fox

Sylvie Fox is the author of smart women’s fiction. Her compelling stories are boldly told, designed to keep readers turning the pages. Whether you’re reading romantic women’s fiction or legal thrillers, written as Aime Austin, she wants you to enjoy the heroine’s journey.

She splits her time between Los Angeles and Budapest, where she enjoys yoga, knitting, farm-to-table cooking, and life with her husband and son. When she’s not writing, her nose is stuck in a book.

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Excerpt: Mistletoe Cottage by Debbie Mason

'Tis the season for love . . .

Sophie DiRossi loved growing up in Harmony Harbor. But after fleeing in disgrace many years ago, it is the last place she wants to be. Left homeless by a fire, she's forced to go back to the small coastal town that harbors a million secrets, including her own. Sophie sees this secret reflected every day in her daughter's blue eyes-and she must keep it hidden from the only man she has ever loved.

Sophie's return is a shock for everyone . . . especially Liam Gallagher. The firefighter had some serious feelings for Sophie-and seeing her again sparks a desire so fierce it takes his breath away. Now Liam will do whatever it takes to show Sophie that they deserve a second chance at love, even if everything they've concealed threatens to keep them apart. In this special town at this special time of the year, Sophie and Liam can only hope for a little holiday magic . . .

Excerpt

The paramedic removed the tube from Mia’s mouth and smiled. “All good. In the normal range.” Sophie’s daughter jumped off the back of the ambulance, and Liam went to stand up. “Oh no you don’t,” the thirtysomething brunette said to Liam. “Lift your shirt, hot stuff, and let me have a look.”

Liam laughed. “Yeah, not happening. I’m good, Kris.”

“So I’ve heard.” She gave him a flirty wink. Then, with gloved fingers, motioned for him to lift his T-shirt. “Your dad asked me to check you out. Don’t be embarrassed if you got a little flabby while you were convalescing. We won’t tell anyone, will we, Daff?” she said to the other paramedic who approached the ambulance.

“My lips are sealed. But just hang on a sec, and I’ll give you a hand.” The woman grinned as she started to unload her supplies in the ambulance.

Sophie’s irritation with Liam for Mia’s reproachful look faded at the reminder he’d been shot.

 “You two so hard up you’re getting unsuspecting men to strip for you now? You know, there’s a club—” He winced as though remembering Mia was there and hanging on his every word.  

Sophie needed to know he was okay and intervened. “Liam, maybe you should let them check you over. You were carrying Mia, and with all your equipment . . .”

 “Soph, Mia probably weighs—” Giving his head a slight, frustrated shake, he tugged up his T-shirt. “Happy now?”

Sophie hoped his question wasn’t directed at her. She doubted she could respond even if she wanted to. And it wasn’t because of the small, puckered pink scar on the left side of his stomach. The ridges of taut muscle and a tantalizing, narrow trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath his turnout pants were messing with her head . . . and other parts of her anatomy. Parts that hadn’t been messed with in a long time.

The paramedics moved in, spoiling the sigh-inducing view. Sophie leaned to the left.

Kris glanced over her shoulder with a knowing grin. “Looks pretty good, don’t you think?” the paramedic asked Sophie.

“Yes.” The word came out as an embarrassing croak, and she cleared her throat. “Really, really good.”

About the Author

Debbie Mason is the bestselling author of the Christmas, Colorado series and Harmony Harbor series. Her books have been praised for their "likable characters, clever dialogue and juicy plots" (RT Book Reviews). She also writes historical paranormals as Debbie Mazzuca. Her MacLeod series has received several nominations for best paranormal as well as a Holt Medallion Award of Merit. When she isn't writing or reading, Debbie enjoys spending time with her very own real-life hero, their three wonderful children, two adorable grandbabies, and a yappy Yorkie named Bella.

Connect:   Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Spotlight: Girl on the Brink by Christina Hoag

Genre: YA Romance/Thriller
Release date: August 30th 2016
Fire and Ice YA/Melange Books

Sometimes the one you love isn’t the one you’re meant to be with.

The summer before senior year, Chloe starts an internship as a reporter at a local newspaper. While on assignment, she meets Kieran, a quirky aspiring actor. Chloe becomes smitten with Kieran’s charisma and his ability to soothe her soul, torn over her parents’ impending divorce. But as their bond deepens, Kieran becomes smothering and flies into terrifying rages. He confides in Chloe that he suffered a traumatic childhood, and Chloe is moved to help him. If only he could be healed, she thinks, their relationship would be perfect. But her efforts backfire, and Kieran turns violent. Chloe breaks up with him, but Kieran pursues her relentlessly to make up. Chloe must make the heartrending choice between saving herself or saving Kieran, until Kieran’s mission of remorse turns into a quest for revenge.

About Teen Dating Violence

Abusive relationships are widespread, cutting across socioeconomic, racial and ethnic, religious and gender preference lines. One in three high school girls experience dating violence, while more than half of college-aged women reported experiencing controlling behavior in a relationship. Eighty-nine percent of female college students said they were unable to recognize the signs of an abusive relationship, and a third of teens involved in intimate partner violence ever told anyone about it. 

For more information, see http://www.breakthecycle.org/dating-violence-research

Excerpt

The carnival sets up for two weeks every summer in a field outside town. Everyone goes. It’s something to vary Indian Valley’s monotonous diet of bowling, the single-screen movie theatre, miniature golf, and hanging out at the Dairy Cream. 

Kieran grabs my hand as we stroll into the fair. It’s a riot of dazzling lights, whirling rides and thumping music. I scan the crowd, hunting for Morgan and Jade, who I spot waiting for funnel cakes.

“Hey, there are my friends.” I wave frantically at them with my free hand as I tug Kieran with the other. Morgan sees me, points me out to Jade and they both look my way.

Kieran yanks my hand in the opposite direction. “We’ll catch up with them later.”

“I want you to meet them. I told them all about you.”

“I just want to play my favorite game for you first.”

I can’t refuse. I let myself be pulled and make an apologetic face at them. Morgan’s expression hardens. She says something to Jade. The crowd swarms between us, and I lose sight of them.

Kieran steers me to a shooting-at-moving-ducks game and grabs a rifle. He’s a good shot and soon wins a white teddy bear with a red satin heart sewn on its chest. He hands it to me.

“For you.”

“Thank you. It’s adorable.” I proudly tuck it under my arm.

“Just like you. Hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Me, too.”

We make for the food concessions. “Carnival hot dogs are the best,” Kieran says. “The pizza and hamburgers blow.”

“Totally,” I say as we line up.

We buy hot dogs slathered with relish—and root beer, of course—and sit at a picnic table. Kieran straddles the bench, patting the seat in front of him. I sit astride like him. He inches closer so our knees touch.

“Open wide,” he orders, looking at my mouth.

I obey. He feeds one end of the hot dog to me, then leans in and bites the other end. I crack up and almost choke.

“Don’t laugh,” which comes out something like “doan waf” through Kieran’s mouthful of hot dog.

No hands, he chews, swallows and takes another bite. I do the same. We manage to eat the hot dog, and at the end, our lips touch. Kieran presses mine into a kiss.

“So that’s why you like carnival hot dogs,” I say when we break apart. “To steal kisses.”

“Hey, I told you they were the best. Hold on, you have mustard on your face.” He swoops in and licks the side of my mouth.

I wipe off his wetness. “Ew, Kieran!”

“Mmmm, salty.”

I giggle. He swoops in again and licks all around my mouth and lips. His tongue tickles, and I laugh as I shake my head, sucking in my lips, trying to get him off me as I crack up harder, which only encourages him. He slurps my cheeks and chin, and I try to recoil out of his reach, but he pulls me to him. Finally, he backs off and dabs my face with a napkin as I recover my breath.

“You’re worse than a puppy,” I say.

“Ruff, ruff.” He pants and holds up his hands like paws, then jumps to his feet, holding out his palm. “Come on. Time for rides.”

We run like it’s an emergency.

“Cup of tea, Madam?” Kieran points to the tea cups, then pushes open the just-closing gate and leaps in a cup.

We spin madly in the tea cups, chase, block and slam each other in the bumper cars, cling to each other in the haunted house. We finish with a ride on the Ferris wheel.

It’s getting late, and the crowd has swelled with rowdy revelers who obviously made a pitstop at a bar before the carnival.

“Let’s go,” Kieran says, after a guy, drunk or stoned, stumbles in front of us.

“I really wanted you to meet my friends.”

“We’ve got plenty of time for that. It gets nasty this time of night, a lot of fights.”

“Okay.” I give a last three-sixty turn in case Jade and Morgan appear. Kieran’s right. Cliques of older guys and girls hang around the perimeter, smoking and drinking from paper bags.

We swing our clasped hands as we walk to the parking lot. I wish the night would never end. When we get in the truck, he blasts the air conditioning and rolls down the windows. We pull out into the street, and as the AC chills, I close my window. Using his control, Kieran buzzes it down again.

“The AC’s on,” I say.

“I know, but doesn’t it feel great? To feel cold air and warm air at the same time?”

He accelerates. Bathtub-temperature air whooshes along the side of my body, while my chest is cooled by the AC. The combination feels luxurious.

“You’re right. It does feel great!”

He grins. “Told ya.”

“My mom would kill me for doing this.”

“That’s why you’re hanging with me, not with her.”

He snakes an arm over and slides off the elastic holding my ponytail. I shake my hair loose and let the wind whip it.

“That’s it, sweetpea, be free.”

About the Author

Christina Hoag is the author of Girl on the Brink, a romantic thriller for young adults (Fire and Ice YA/Melange Books, August 2016) and Skin of Tattoos, a literary thriller set in L.A.’s gang underworld (Martin Brown Publishing, September 2016). She is a former reporter for the Associated Press and Miami Herald and worked as a correspondent in Latin America writing for major media outlets including Time, Business Week, Financial Times, the Houston Chronicle and The New York Times. She is the co-author of Peace in the Hood: Working with Gang Members to End the Violence, a groundbreaking book on gang intervention (Turner Publishing, 2014). She resides in Los Angeles.

Connect: Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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Spotlight: Picture Imperfect by Cindy Procter-King

Just when she thought she had her life on autofocus...

Photographer Ursula Scott is six short months from buying her boss’s studio and helping her family knock down a massive debt. She can put up with his hairball antics for that long, right?

Right?

But, oh, he makes life difficult. She can barely restrain herself when he hogs credit for her assignments, and now half-naked weirdos are responding to his ad for her first magazine photo spread. On top of that, someone is sabotaging the studio. Worse, she discovers her sexy apprentice is a former cop practicing his newbie PI skills on the case—and she’s a suspect!

Suddenly, Ursula’s dreams and hard work seem about to go up in smoke. In more ways than one.

Well, not on her watch.

When Gabe McKenzie moves home following the shooting that kyboshed his career, he doesn’t expect to get sucked into finding the culprit wreaking havoc at his uncle’s photography studio. He certainly doesn’t expect to fall for Ursula Scott, a long-legged brunette with a definite motive and a desire to play Nancy Drew. Even as he clears her, the sabotage escalates into a bizarre stalking, placing Ursula...and Gabe’s hopes for their future...in danger.

If only he can convince her to stop snooping around and let him do his job as a PI, before an unknown menace threatens not only her dreams—but her life

About the Author

Cindy Procter-King writes sassy suspense, rollicking romantic comedy, and heart-tugging small-town romance. To sum it up, feel-good fiction! A Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart finalist, Cindy’s mission in life is to see her surname spelled properly—with an E. That’s P-r-o-c-t-E-r. Never, under any circumstances, should you spell it with two O’s (shudder).

Cindy’s novels and short fiction are available as eBooks from retailers all over the world, as well as in trade paperback, library hardcover and large print, some foreign editions, and audiobooks.

Cindy lives in beautiful British Columbia with her family, a cat obsessed with dripping tap water, and Allie McBeagle.

Connect: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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