Exciting news in the world of Dark Horse!
I was given the very fortunate opportunity to be included in the Snowy Knights anthology. I knew the very moment I saw the call for submissions that I had to do it and who my story would feature.
Detective Jake Bowie.
Something about the quiet, reserved detective stuck with me since his first appearance in the Dark Horse Inc. series. He’s been quietly hovering in the background, waiting not so patiently.
Now I know why he’s been so persistent! Bless his heart, lol. He’s been waiting fifteen years for lost love.
Kelly just moved home after spending the last fifteen years on the other side of the country. The past couple of years have been rough, but now she’s ready to follow her heart and get back to her roots and the home she’s missed for so long.
The Snowy Knights Anthology releases December 13th for 99cents. Preorders are live now. Go ahead and grab your copy now, before the holiday crush arrives and get yourself a little pick me up that will magically appear when you most need it. (I adore novellas this time of year! We’re all so busy, and they’re just the right size for relaxing for a few minutes with a cup of coffee or glass of wine!)
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Excerpt~~
A shockingly familiar brow that rose above a set of hazel eyes that she knew remarkably well.
Jake.
She hadn’t seen him in fifteen years.
He set her down slowly, but the moment her left foot touched the ground, her leg nearly crumpled beneath her. Catching her, he lifted her back into his hold.
She focused on the strong line of his jaw. Dark hair, wet and snow-speckled, plastered to his head. Her hands, one on each shoulder, seemed miles apart.
Holy cow! How in the world had he squeezed all that…maleness into my squashed car?
And where had it come from? The Jake she remembered had been a tall, thin, a little awkward and so very sweet. Shaking her thoughts loose, she realized she needed to think about what was important. They were outside in a blizzard. She could reminisce later.
She pointed. “That little double-wide trailer. I know it’s not much, but it’s really all I need. I just moved here, and it’s just me.”
He looked to her house then back to her. He tilted his head and asked strangely, “Exactly how long have you lived there?”
She was missing something important. What, she had no clue, but he was giving her the oddest look. She answered, hoping to figure out why he acted so oddly. “A few days.”
He frowned as he started walking. “I assume you’re renting? Can I ask who you’re renting it from?”
“Well, my friend Sara set it up for me. She said her brother was out of town, away for some detective’s training seminar or something. He’s been looking for a renter for a while now. I haven’t met him yet, but she said he’d be thrilled to find someone. If anything, I’d be doing him a favor. He supposedly a little grouchy at times, but deep down he’s a nice guy.”
He laughed, outright laughed, and though it was a nice sound, deep masculine, even a little sexy, he didn’t sound happy. “Doing him a favor, huh?” He sounded as if he spoke more to himself than to her. “Jasper, come on, boy.” The dog bounded up and trotted beside them, his tail going a mile a minute. “Yeah, good boy. You’ve caused enough trouble tonight, mister. Your Aunt Sarabeth is a dead woman.” Jasper didn’t seem too concerned about his master’s threats as he gave them both a big doggy grin.
Busy, watching the dog, she’d lost track of his words. Then they hit her. “You’re my landlord! Are you? Oh, crap. I am so sorry!”
He walked carefully, watching each step. “Apparently so. I wasn’t aware that I even had a renter, let alone had actively sought one.”
Oh, no. That doesn’t sound good.
“Kelly, how long have you been back home?”
“A month, maybe a little more. I was so relieved to find a place to rent. I didn’t have much of a plan or budget when I decided to pack up and come home. I’d been staying at the Travel Lodge in the next town over. The weekly rent was killing my savings.”
Tilting his head as if contemplating a puzzle, he lightly tugged a lock of her hair. He tucked it behind her ear and murmured. “It really is you.”
~~~
(And for my awesome Dark Horse readers– I promise that Rick and Leigh’s book is coming very soon! Title, cover and the book! It’s all in the works, I swear. Life really has been kicking my ass, even more so than usual! hate that I’ve been so long in writing it, but they are two of the most stubborn characters I have ever had to deal with…ugh. But hey, at least here is a little taste to tide you over.)
Amy J. Hawthorn 