“Swim with me, Maggie-Pie.” Fighting to keep her nose above the inky waves, Margaret paddled with all her might towards the voice that held her heart.
“Mama,” she sputtered as water surged into her mouth. Straining, she pulled through the choppy current and called again, “Mama wait for me, not so fast.” Stop whining, she gritted […]

“Put me down you oaf,” Skylar squealed as Rand settled her over his shoulder. 
“Not until ye learn to listen to me and do as I tell ye.”  He would not relent on this point.  The stubborn woman had to be taught a lesson.  He was tired of her rudeness, arguing and disobedience.
With sure steps, he […]

Ainsley had a way of making the idea of kissing a major event, instead of a prelude to the wedding night they had yet to share. Desmond folded his hand around her neck. He didn’t forget where they were. Instead, he chose to ignore the music and chatter outside the pantry. 
He wanted to touch her […]

Kitty caught her breath at the magnificence of Kingsley Manor. In comparison, her old home, although large, looked like a poor cousin. When they arrived, Benjamin’s parents were out visiting after Sunday morning church service. Alone, Benjamin gave her a private tour of the house. In each superbly decorated room, he stopped and kissed both […]

“I don’t shoot men in cold blood.”
She lifted her head and looked at him, finding a focus for her anger and frustration. “But you do shoot them, don’t you.”
“They can leave. I’ll give them the choice.”
A choice. He would give them a choice. Meanwhile, he gave her no choice whatsoever. She shook her head at […]

“I am not some prize awarded upon my father’s demise, my lord. I will not bend to his tyranny or yours so easily,” she said. But Lord help her, she would not mind bending if bending meant that his hand, which was presently stroking her hip, would continue its path toward the apex of her […]

Not long after dinner, when they had the dishes all washed up and put away, Harvey pointed out rooms for everyone.
“There’s a cot in the storage room for the little lady, and Mr. McCay, you and your missus can take my room. It’s got a double bed.”
“Where will you sleep?” TJ asked, hoping to change […]

“Pray, tell me,” he drawled, “have you come to bed me or murder me?” His eyes lit with wicked laughter. “Do not fear. I am prepared for either.” 
Fury swept through her. “I am no murderess!” 
“Then bed me, it is.” 
Her cheeks flushed hot as he strode toward her. 
She backed up a step. “W-what are you doing […]

Eight murders—no—nine, I corrected as I parked my Nash Airflyte behind the flashing black-and-white and flipped off the lights. I returned the nod of the uniformed officer who stood beside the squad car, then glanced at the rundown, brick tenement building. Scrawled across the bottom right side in thick, black letters was, Kilroy was here. […]

As the moment that marked the eve of his wife’s passing approached, Nathaniel Moncreiffe knelt before her grave. Fog swirled in thick, gray strands past the eerie light of the lantern beside him, enveloping him in a living tomb. His fingertip, calloused from countless repetitions, traced the letters that were as deeply etched into the […]

A wave of dizziness washed over me and I fought back the nausea, resisting the urge to throw up.  I reached out to brace myself to keep from falling and heard the sound of Alan’s voice explaining something to one of my fellow travelers. 
For a moment, his voice held me in this time and I […]