I am so excited that I am giving away another copy of Tessa's Trio ... and I am doing it because I am thrilled at how many fabulous blogs are taking part in this blog hop. I had
previewed the list and found a number of authors whose work I enjoy. Yesterday
(while I was supposed to be working at my day job) I stopped by a number of
blogs on the hop. Wow. All I can say is wow, holy hamburgers batman. My
to-be-read pile is growing by leaps and bounds. I’ve found new books and books
on author’s back lists. New authors, old favourites. How exciting this is for a
consummate, addicted reader like myself.
My own
list of stories is quite short. I have The Gift, Corralling the Cowboy, and
Tessa’s Trio. As a bonus on my blog you will find a short story I wrote for a
friend with a foot fetish, Admitting Defeat. If you have time check them out.
If you can’t find the format you prefer, by all means let me know and I’ll get
it to you somehow.
Blurb For
Corralling the Cowboy
City girl Alex
wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary when she headed off to Buffalo
Days with her friends. A bit of rodeo, a few rides on the midway, some corn dogs
and maybe a couple of beers. She definitely wasn’t expecting to run smack dab
into the sexiest hunk of cowboy she had ever laid eyes or hands on.
Joe came to
Buffalo Days to support his ranch hands as they took part in the rodeo, and to
watch the bulls he raised in the bull riding events. It was never his intention
to spend time with a city girl like Alex. In spite of this, he was unable to
stop himself from stepping into her path as an attempt to meet her.
Neither of them
was expecting the blazing heat that rose between them, or the unbridled passion
that burst into flame as the midway grew dark in late evening. There was
definitely something between Alex and Joe, and they couldn’t help but explore
each other as they tried to come to grips with it.
Would this
cowboy catch a city girl? Would this city girl lasso herself a cowboy?
Excerpt for
Corralling the Cowboy (A short story.)
It was nearly full dark, and their
car stopped at the top of the Ferris wheel. They sat swaying and enjoying the
lights as the evening continued to darken around them. The evening had a feel
of fun and frivolity, and the expectation of something exciting to come. An
occasional a bark of laughter jumped out of the background of tinkling carnival
noises. The moon was nearly full, casting its light over everything and pushing
the falling darkness back. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She asked, looking down
at the lights of the midway and the city.
“Yes it is,” he said with a catch in
his voice.
When she looked at him, he wasn’t
looking at the lights, he was staring at her. Joe slid his arm around her
shoulders and pulled her close to his side. His breath was soft in her hair,
his fingers gentle but firm as he tipped her face up to look at him. Oh my, she
thought, I wasn’t expecting this.
“I’m going to kiss you,” he warned
softly, leaning slowly towards her.
“I hardly know you,” she responded,
tilting her head to the left, wordlessly inviting him in. His lips brushed,
feather like, across hers. She shivered and pushed back against him, deepening
the contact. She had been aroused since she bumped into him in the beer garden.
Now, she wanted him with a desire that shocked her. Something about this man
called to her, sending a pulse of longing racing through her to lodge in her
core.
“Kiss me again,” she whispered
against his lips. She cupped his face between her hands and pulled him closer, pressing
her mouth against his. She obeyed without question when he cupped her head and
kissed her deeply, demanding she respond in kind. She wanted this, needed it.
Her hands dropped to his shoulders and she explored the rock hard muscles
there, tracing each contour and line with her fingers. His arms were like rocks
and the sheer power of him was almost overwhelming. Joe’s hand cupped her
breast and the Ferris wheel gave a small jerk and started its slow descent,
jerking her back to reality.
Oh, she thought, I should be resisting
this. They were in public, high above the thinning midway crowd and she knew
nothing about this man except his name, if Joe Brooks was his real name. Even
as the thought formed, she rejected it. Somehow, she was sure he wasn’t lying
to her. She felt something new here, and she wanted this, wanted him. It wasn’t
like her to be this attracted to a stranger, but the atmosphere, the beer, and
Joe were an overpowering combination and she didn’t want to resist. She wasn’t
going to resist. She was going to take everything he offered.
He stroked his palm lightly across
her breast, and they moaned in unison when her nipple pebbled against his hand.
“I want you Alex,” he whispered against her mouth.
She whimpered and arched her back,
pushing her breast against his palm. Her hands ranged everywhere, eager to
explore every taut muscle of his body. His body was different from the typical
man she dated. Joe was definitely used to physical work, and Alex usually dated
suit and tie types who kept in shape by making large monthly payments to the
local gym. She decided she liked his tight, hard shape with all its muscles and
heat.
Alex was startled when the ride
attendant cleared his throat. “Last stop folks,” he said with a laugh. “Ride’s
over, I’m shutting ‘er down for the night.”
Chagrined, Alex allowed Joe to take
her hand and lead her down the ramp and back onto the midway. The people were
few and far between, only the die hard rodeo and midway fans remained. It
wouldn’t be long before security starting shooing people home. Alex and Joe
strolled through the booths, hand in hand listening to the banter of the
carnies and laughter of the few remaining guests. A few of the games and food
booths were already shut down. As they walked, his thumb stroked her palm and
her wrist, sending her mind whirling to thoughts of what those talented hands
would feel like on other parts of her body. Her naked body.
Happy Blog Hopping. Remember to comment to win!
Hugs
Katie.
What is your favorite time in history and how and why does it inspire you?
