A COOL BREATH IN THE HOT SUMMER WEATHER

 

By Caroline Clemmons

In my opinion, we authors have the best job in the world—although definitely not the most lucrative for most of us. We get to pour out our hearts wearing sweats or jammies with no commute time. Who has a better job?

Don’t misunderstand me, writing is hard. Bless those who write while still working the dreaded day job. I did so when I first started writing but, thanks to my supportive Hero, I was able to start writing full time. When I first began writing, I feared I would run out of ideas. I used to keep a notebook of thumbnail plots to insure that wouldn’t happen. What I didn’t know then was that writers never run out of ideas. The saying goes that writers are either writing or thinking about writing. We’re not quite that bad, but close. 

Granted keeping fresh twists and turns to the plot becomes more difficult with each book and requires resourcefulness. Sometimes I think of a twist and then realize, no, I did that in another book. Still, I do have plenty of ideas. Currently, I’ll have to keep writing until I’m at least two hundred to use up all my plots and more crop up all the time. Please indulge me as I tell you about my latest project.

As I mentioned last week, four of us authors each re-released a book about brothers. The four Fraser brothers live in Angel Springs, Colorado and the books are called The Surprise Brides. My book is about the eldest, JAMIE, who is a widower with two unruly children. Callie Hutton’s is about the second brother, CALEB. Cynthia Woolf’s book is about GIDEON, a minister. Sylvia McDaniel wrote about the youngest, ETHAN. 

Posing as each of her sons, Mama Fraser writes away for mail order brides. The girls arrive just as a massive snowstorm hits the area and they are snowbound. Fortunately, Gideon, as a minister, can marry all four couples. At least, they hope him performing his own wedding is legal. These are fun romances certain to entertain you. Since they're set in snowy winter weather, they offer a breath of cool air to the hot summer. 

Click on the man's name above to be taken to the buy link on Amazon. The books are also now available at most vendors where e-books are sold.

Stay safe and keep reading!

The Canary: Wings of the West Book 9 by Kristy McCaffrey

THE CANARY 

Wings of the West Book 9 

By Kristy McCaffrey

Western Romance

Book Blurb:

Arizona Territory 

1899 

 Sarah Ryan grew up in Texas digging up animal bones and potsherds, but she always dreamed of searching for the extraordinary dinosaur fossils in the American West. When a wealthy benefactress gives her the opportunity to join the team of esteemed paleontologist Dr. Allan Brenner, she eagerly accepts. But when she arrives in the wild and wooly town of Holbrook, Arizona Territory, ready to start digging, she’s faced with the very real obstacle of being a female in a world dominated by men. 

Dr. Jack Brenner is looking for his father who disappeared into the Painted Desert two months ago. Mounting an expedition to find him, Jack is suddenly saddled with Sarah Ryan, a young paleontology student hired as an intern to his father. When Jack’s guide refuses to let Sarah accompany them into the wilderness without a chaperone—and a colleague threatens her—he finds himself in a pretend marriage to protect the determined woman whose passion for paleontology was something he once possessed. But he has bigger problems than his beautiful new wife—his father is pursuing a controversial theory about the origin of birds, and it’s attracted the attention of men who would rather destroy evidence than excavate it. 

Sarah is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE. 

The Wings of the West Series Reading Order 

Book One: The Wren 

Book Two: The Dove 

Book Three: The Sparrow 

Book Four: The Blackbird 

Book Five: The Bluebird 

Book Six: The Songbird (Novella) 

Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story) 

Book Eight: The Starling 

Book Nine: The Canary 

Book Ten: The Nighthawk (Coming Soon) 

 

Excerpt  

“Dr. Brenner,” Eldon Kimball said, not bothering with niceties. “I thought we understood each other.” 

Jack stood, ready to go head-to-head with the man. 

Skip stood as well and said, “Mr. Kimball, you’re just in time to meet Miss Sarah Ryan. She’s a paleontology student sent to help us with our dig.” 

Kimball’s face began to take on the look of a bull about to charge. 

“And she’s Jack’s fiancée.” Skip smiled widely as he delivered the lie. 

Jack swung his gaze to Skip, as did Sarah, her jaw hanging open. 

“Dr. Brenner’s fiancée?” Kimball sputtered. 

“Yes,” Skip replied, warming to his prevarication. “Didn’t he tell you about Miss Ryan? Well, he’s a bit shy about the love of his life. And truly, we weren’t certain she was going to make it, but then she did. And here she is.” He gestured widely toward Sarah. She was frozen in her seat, her cheeks having gone pale. “So don’t worry about having a woman on the team,” Skip continued. “We’re all quite happy with Miss Ryan. She’s very capable, and Jack of course will look out for her.” 

 Kimball was speechless. Jack was too. And if the shocked expression on Sarah’s face was any indication, she was just as blindsided. 

 “Where’s Allan Brenner?” she asked. 

“That’s Jack’s father,” Skip said. 

 From the confused look on Sarah’s face, it was clear she’d somehow mistaken him for his father. Jack wasn’t sure if he should be pleased or offended. His father had a distinguished career, but he was also much older than Jack. He would need to explain this mix-up to her but that would have to be later. First, he needed to take care of this little lie of Jack and Sarah being engaged. 

“Skip,” Jack said, “I think we should clarify this.” 

“No,” Sarah said, rising to her feet and extending a hand to Kimball. “It’s fine. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Jack has said good things about you.” 

She had moved from confusion to acceptance with lightning speed. Jack wasn’t sure what to do now. And her use of his first name sounded nice, dammit. 

“I can’t say the same about you,” Eldon said, taking her hand like it was dirty rag. 

Jack’s patience with the man was at an end. None of them were happy about Sarah’s sudden appearance and addition to the team, but it was time they all remembered their manners. Including himself. 

“Eldon, take a seat,” Jack said. “I’d appreciate if you treated Miss Ryan with the same courtesy as the other team members.” 

The Canary is available in digital and print. 

Amazon: https://kmccaffrey.com/CanaryAmazonUS 

Apple Books: https://kmccaffrey.com/CanaryAppleBooks 

Nook: https://kmccaffrey.com/CanaryNook 

Kobo: https://kmccaffrey.com/CanaryKobo 

Google Play: https://kmccaffrey.com/CanaryGooglePlay 

Author Bio

Kristy McCaffrey writes contemporary adventure stories packed with smoldering romance and spine-tingling suspense, as well as award-winning historical western romances brimming with grit and emotion. Her work is filled with compelling heroes, determined heroines, and her trademark mysticism. She believes life should be lived with curiosity, compassion, and gratitude, and one should never be far from the enthusiasm of a dog. She also likes sleeping-in, eating Mexican food, and doing yoga at home in her pajamas. An Arizona native, she resides in the desert north of Phoenix. To learn more about Kristy’s books, visit her website. 

 

 

Cherished by the Mountain Man by Sadie King

 

 

She’s my best friend’s widow and the only woman I’ve ever loved…

Cherished By the Mountain Man

Wild Heart Mountain: Military Heroes Book 5

by Sadie King

Genre: Mountain Man Military Romance 

She’s my best friend’s widow and the only woman I’ve ever loved…

Paul was my best friend, my brother in arms, and the only one of us that didn’t come back alive.
I promised if something ever happened to him that I’d look after Angie, his wife.
He doesn’t know that I’ve loved Angie for almost as long as he has.
Now she’s a single mom and running a business on her own. I sense her loneliness; I sense her need.
Angie’s off-limits, but my heart beats for her. And I don’t know how much longer I can resist this pull between us…

Cherished by the Mountain Man is a best friend’s widow forbidden love romance featuring an ex-military mountain man and the curvy single mom he cherishes.

Authors note: Cherished by the Mountain Man is a steamy instalove novella that can be read in about two hours. If you love a quickie, then dive on in!

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Loved By the Mountain Man

Wild Heart Mountain: Military Heroes Book 1

He’s a scarred military hero. She’s the young, innocent woman forced to spend a night in his cabin…

My unit came back to Wild Heart Mountain to heal and to hide. I’ve been doing a lot of hiding until I meet Hailey.
I’m scarred, I’m damaged, and I’m way too old for her. But the curvy and quirky Hailey makes me feel alive. She brings hope and joy back to my life.
I faced the enemy in Iraq, but it’s nothing compared to the vulnerability I feel when Hailey holds my heart in her hands. Can she see past the scars, the limp, and the age gap, or was it pity that brought her to my bed?

Loved by the Mountain Man is a forced proximity, ex-military, age gap, instalove romance featuring a scarred military mountain man and the curvy, innocent heroine who may be the healing balm that this damaged hero needs.

Authors note: Loved by the Mountain Man is a short instalove story that can be read in about an hour. If you love a quickie, then dive on in!

**On Sale! Only .99cents July 20 – 26!!**

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“She’s here.” The whisper goes around the church, and necks strain to glimpse the bride. 

The wedding march begins and I squeeze my clammy hands together, trying to still the butterflies in my gut. Taking a calming breath, I turn to watch the procession make their way down the aisle.  

My breath catches when I see Angie. She’s a vision in a floaty white dress that hugs her generous curves. White roses decorate her hair, and a thin veil trails down her back. Her face glows with hope and happiness and her blue eyes scan the church, smiling at the guests as she passes.  

Angie moves like an angel floating down the aisle. Her gaze rests on mine and I beam at her, struck dumb by her beauty. My chest constricts and my heart aches at how beautiful she looks today. 

She gives me a small smile before her gaze shifts. Her eyes find Paul’s and they light up, her shy smile turning to a broad grin. 

My best friend makes a choking sound deep in his throat, and for the first time in my life, I see tears at the corners of his eyes. Love shines out of them, matched only by the radiant glow coming from his bride. 

She reaches the front of the church and takes her place next to Paul. I step back into the Best Man’s position while my heart squeezes itself so hard I clutch my chest.  

Today I’ll pass the ring and give a speech and make sure the day is special for the two people I love most in this world. And if my heart bleeds onto the floor while I watch my best friend marry the woman of my dreams, then I’ll never let them know. Any suffering will be done quietly.   

They stare into each other’s eyes, and I’m the villain for wishing it was me. They’ll be married, I tell myself. I can get over Angie and find someone of my own to love. But even as I try to convince myself, I know I’ll never get over Angie. I could search the entire world and no one will ever come close. 

My smile is painted on for the rest of the ceremony. I hand over the ring and watch my best friend tie himself to the woman I love. 

Sadie King is a USA Today Best Selling Author of short instalove romance. 

She lives in New Zealand with her ex-military husband and raucous young son.

When she’s not writing she loves catching waves with her son, running along the beach, and good wine, preferably drunk with a book in hand.

Keep in touch when you sign up for her newsletter. You’ll even snag yourself a free short romance! www.authorsadieking.com/free

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THE SURPRISE BRIDES COVER REVEAL

 By Caroline Clemmons

You know that great feeling when you have just gotten a great new hairdo and are wearing new clothes? That’s how I feel today. No, I don’t have the new hairstyle I badly need nor new clothes. I have a new cover and have added new material to THE SURPRISE BRIDES: JAMIE.

Every so often, it’s good to reread one of my books and add to and/or delete from it. In this case I deleted a long, long list of my titles at the back of the book. I added sentences and paragraphs in lots of places plus an entire scene, so the book is expanded from the first printing. I hope I didn’t introduce any typos, but it’s impossible to catch them all. I’ve been reading books by several top level authors who are traditionally published by New York houses, and find many typos in them.

Several years ago at a conference, Sylvia McDaniel, Callie Hutton, Cynthia Woolf, and I decided to each write a book about one of the Fraser brothers who ranched outside of Angel Springs, Colorado. I drew the eldest, Jamie, a widower who was certain he would never remarry. After all, he already had two children he adored. Jamie even knew about his mother’s plan to send for mail order brides for the other three Fraser men.  

Mama double-crossed him and four brides arrived just as a massive snowstorm rolled onto the Circle F Ranch. There was no question of the four women leaving the ranch. Although three of the Fraser brothers live on the ranch full-time, Reverend Gideon Fraser spends most of his time in town. He’s available to help with ranch work when needed. Their father has passed on, but their mother lives at the ranch. 

Up until now, the four THE SURPRISE BRIDES books have only been available at Amazon. Now, however, they will be available at most retailers who sell e-books. Callie Hutton also sells her books from her website at a slight discount. The new covers, which I love, were designed by Anna Greene at Bella Designs. Anna also happens to be Callie Hutton’s daughter.

Here are THE SURPRISE BRIDES books and their descriptions:

JAMIE by Caroline Clemmons

Olivia Stewart risks everything to accomplish her dreams. She's tired of being pitied because she's been jilted, tired of teaching other people's children without any of her own. When she signs with a matrimonial agency, a letter from Jamie Fraser sounds perfect. A widower with two young children will give her a head start on the family she's determined to have. But Colorado holds surprises for Olivia that endanger her goals and even her life.

Rancher Jamie Fraser is shocked to learn his mother has written for a mail order bride for him. He has two children and no plan to marry again. Ever! His late wife taught him women can't be trusted. Even his beloved mother isn't above tricking her sons to achieve her heartfelt ambitions. Now he's stuck with a wife he didn't want--a stubborn woman bent on changing his home and his life.

Can two strong people at odds achieve happiness? Angel Springs, Colorado is a small town that inspires big dreams. Olivia and Jamie might just find their dreams meld to form a powerful and enduring love.

 

CALEB by Callie Hutton

Yes, Mama did it. She send for brides for all four of her sons. Too bad she didn't tell them before the ladies arrived.

Caleb Fraser is the town bad boy and enjoys the single life to the fullest. He has no intention of marrying. No time soon, anyway. He keeps telling his mama he will choose a wife shortly, just to keep her off his back. However, Mama Fraser takes the situation in hand and sends for mail order brides for all four of her sons.

Lily Parker is running from humiliation and is on her way to marry a stranger. She's traveling with three other women, all of them contracted to wed the Fraser brothers. What they don't know is the men have no idea they're about to be hog-tied. Both Lily and Caleb are in for a surprise. But will Lily's surprise be too much for Caleb to handle?

https://www.amazon.com/Caleb-Surprise-Brides-Callie-Hutton-ebook/dp/B015NM0LDA/

https://www.calliehutton.com

  

GIDEON by Cynthia Woolf

As the local preacher, Gideon Fraser often talks about the many virtues of a good marriage, but that doesn't mean he has the slightest inclination of claiming a bride of his own. No, he's been burned before, by greedy women who only want the prestige and money the Fraser family name can provide. When his mother's devious matchmaking results in his unexpected wedding, Gideon looks at the beautiful face of the woman who has sworn to be his and wants nothing to do with her. But Gideon is in danger of losing his heart until he discovers the truth. His new wife lied to him...about everything.

Ruby Haller needed a husband and fast. A treacherous man promised her the world, took her virginity, and left her without a father for her unborn child. When her father, the town minister, found out she was expecting a child, he offered her hand in marriage to the meanest man in town. Becoming a mail order bride appeared to be a safer choice. But instead of a ranche m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,m,r, she ends up the wife of a stubborn, bull-headed preacher and he's none too pleased when he discovers her duplicity. Worse? The local town beauty, who had been courting him for years, is determined to make her life a living hell.

But Angel Springs, Colorado is a small town that can inspire big dreams. It's nearly Christmas and as the two hearts heal, a holiday miracle just might be in reach.

‎ 

https://amazon.com/B015JLMQBU

https://www.cynthiawoolf.com

 

ETHAN by Sylvia McDaniel

A reluctant groom and a runaway bride…

Beth Worthington finds herself racing from a wealthy older groom into the arms of a stranger when she defies an attempt by her father to marry her off. Instead, she takes matters into her own hands and agrees to become a mail-order bride with no intention of staying married to her unknown suitor. 

Ethan Fraser is shocked when he discovers his mother ordered him a bride. To save the innocent girl’s reputation, he goes through with the wedding. What he doesn’t expect is for his innocent bride to have plans of her own – that don’t happen to include him. 

When an unexpected snowstorm traps the two together they have to learn to compromise in order to survive.

Can a rich debutante and a Colorado cowboy learn to live together before the snow melts or will their different lifestyles tear them apart before they have a chance to find out?

https://www.sylviamcdaniel.com

 

I apologize for not having the buy links to the four books. I'll add them to this post as soon as I have them. If you subscribe to my newsletter, I’ll have some of the buy links in the newsletter when I mail it out this coming week.

Stay safe and keep reading!

Romancing the Tropics, an anthology

 

 

Be swept away to enchanting tropical locales in these thirteen love stories filled with sweet romance.

Romancing the Tropics

A Collection of Sweet Romance Stories

with stories by 

Lia Davis, Melody Johnson, Vickey Wollan, Leah Miles, Gloria Ferguson, Sara J. Walker, Laura E. Salas, Kelle Z. Riley, Maggie FitzRoy, V.L. Czerny, L.J. Green, M.J. Gates, Merrie Angel

Be swept away to enchanting tropical locales in these thirteen love stories filled with sweet romance. Travel from 1904 to the present as couples find their happily ever after in romantic locales like Miami, the Caribbean, and a romantic Island Kingdom.

Escape for an hour—or a day—to worlds where love, action, adventure, humor, and warmth combine in classic tales of enemies becoming lovers, marriages of convenience turning into more, and second chances proving it’s never too late for love.

Here’s what inside:

Spellbound in the Caribbean by Lia Davis. Freelance artist and witch, Kiera is sent to a remote tropical island by her coven to investigate a supernatural murder and discovers the power of love.

Spelled for Survivor by Melody Johnson. With a fifty-thousand-dollar grand prize on the line, the final two contestants of a reality survival TV show must battle their hearts as well as the elements when they discover that the magic between them might be more valuable than anything money could buy.

The Widow’s Dilemma in Cuba by L.J. Green. 1904. A widow ventures to the tropical paradise of Cuba for a vacation with her niece. Reunited with a former friend of her husband’s, her heart gets involved. Will she get a second chance at love?

The Florida Keys by V.L Czerny. 1908. On an adventure to tropical Florida, blindly confident Elsie oversteps thresholds—exposing answers to the unsolved riddles of her heart.

Secret Island by Maggie FitzRoy. 1924. A spunky gal reporter falls for a mysterious bootlegger while chasing a story on a dangerous island.

The Past and the Present Collide in Paradise by Sara Walker. 1979. A couple gets their second chance at happiness in the ash of a volcano on the Isle of Barbados.

The Poet and The Predictor by Merrie Angel. 1996. Related to royalty, poet Jessica Spencer decides to break society’s rules, save the world, and find adventure on the island of Bonaire with a mysterious indigenous scientist, Roman.

The Cowboy and the Island Girl by Gloria Ferguson. Will a modern-day cowboy’s offer to buy an Aruban girl’s tour business end with a love merger instead?

Ocean Tides and Love Vibes by Laura E. Salas. He goes to work on a yacht hoping to escape his failures, only to find himself living in close quarters with the love of his life, the one whose heart he foolishly broke ten years ago.

A Donkey Named Cleo by M.J. Gates. A woman starts a second career as a veterinarian in the Virgin Islands where a donkey helps her find herself and love.

Baubles in Bermuda by Vickey Wollan. An adventurous treasure hunter in Bermuda finds more than a handful of jewels.

Love in the Conch Republic, by Leah Miles. In the Conch Republic, a long-lost son returns for his legacy and ends up with the gift of love.

The Prince Takes a Bride By Kelle Z Riley. A modern-day marriage of convenience on a romantic Island Kingdom leads to love.

Proceeds benefit the First Coast Romance Writers, an independent non-profit organization, which helps writers hone their craft and expand their knowledge of the publishing industry.

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Spelled for Survivor 

By: Melody Johnson 

Coating her fingers in maple syrup and allowing a swarm of fire ants to engulf her left hand didn’t even make the top ten stupid stunts that Stevie Dynamite had performed on camera. She’d posed with a lion for the cover of Gem Magazine, swapped spit with 130 contestants on The Kiss is Right, and been bungee pushed—she certainly hadn’t jumped that time—off the Bloukrans Bridge for The Rock Life Foundation. Ah, the good ol’ days before her accident, when standing even two feet off the ground didn’t make her panic. At least that one had been for charity. This latest gig, competing on Castaway Casanova, wouldn’t benefit anyone except her father’s ego. 

If the excruciating venom of a few dozen fire ants didn’t absolve her imagined sins from the Great Panty Debate, nothing would.  

Everything you do spells disaster.  

Stevie buried the thought before it took root again, but after twenty-five years, even a blatant lie could begin to sound true.  

Her co-star and fellow final castaway, Parker Peters, openly gaped off camera, alternately at her standing on the beach before him, the ants biting her outstretched hand, and their director, Richie Lin, vehemently pointing at him to get on camera. Parker hadn’t been warned about the fire ants because he wouldn’t have agreed to it, and his raw reactions to Stevie’s “mishaps” had become fan favorite moments of the show. Her misery and his sarcasm were memes on every social channel. The fiercer their on-screen rivalry, the more viral their popularity. Ratings skyrocketed. Viewership soared. And the money poured in.  

Supposedly. Stevie hadn’t seen a dime of it, but her father, Billy Dynamite, the Grammy-winning front man for Tar, was placated. For now. At least someone in the Dynamite family would profit from her efforts.  

And her efforts had been nothing short of herculean, if she said so herself. 

They were shooting Castaway Casanova on Blue Island, and like most tropical Pacific islands, its beaches were paradise incarnate—all sunny skies and smooth sand, foamy surf and crashing waves, salty breezes and coconut-bearing palm trees. Until the sun burns and bug bites and gritty everything had ruined the fantasy. Sand wedged into food and water, rubbed between every crevice, stung every scrape, and after four long weeks of filming, there were countless scrapes to sting. Her lips had split on episode three. Her knuckles had cracked on episode seven. And now, shooting episode nine, her chapped left hand was fire ant food. 

Stevie gritted her teeth against the pain. This time tomorrow, Castaway Casanova would finally be a wrap, and she could put the entire sand-scraped, bug-bitten, sun-stinging experience in her rearview. 

Parker cleared his throat. Are you okay? He mouthed, still off camera. 

Well, maybe not the entire experience. 

Stevie sucked in her bottom lip, their pre-arranged code that she was acting. Even if the ants weren’t. 

Parker shook his head, unconvinced. 

If he hesitates much longer, we’ll miss the shot. 

Clearly, the crew shared Stevie’s concerns, because one of the grips pushed Parker into motion. He stumbled forward and fell to his knees in the sand before Stevie, on camera. Still openly gaping. 

Richie Lin grinned, all teeth.     

Parker stood and lifted his hands, looking beautifully baffled. If only the sizzle of his gorgeous green eyes could heat more than just her blood, she might not have had to eat all those uncooked crabs three episodes ago. 

“Are they what I think they are?” he asked, horrified. 

“If you think they’re fire ants, then yes!” Stevie fought to keep her face composed, so that the tears had a good canvas to flow down. 

Parker blinked several times. Not the most loquacious response, but at least he managed not to look off camera. They were supposed to be marooned on Blue Island alone, after all, and she did not want to suffer a second take just because Parker got caught raising his eyebrows at a sound tech. Again.  

Richie circled a finger at her to keep it going. 

Stevie delivered her lines in her best I-don’t-know-what-I’m-doing voice. “The night air was cool for once, so I opened the tent flap to let in the breeze! I didn’t think it would let in anything else!”  

“Buck up, Buttercup,” Parker muttered, still appalled but sharp enough to recover and deliver the zing everyone expected. “And maybe think next time.” 

Richie did a little jig, waited another moment to capture Stevie’s signature squeal of disappointment—instead of the howl of agony building in her throat—and shouted, “Cut!” 

Someone whooped. 

Someone else clapped. 

Stevie gulped in a deep, trembling breath. A calm-seeking breath. The kind of breath she might take while turning herself into a pretzel during goat yoga. Because if she started freaking out, she might not be able to stop. “Who has the hose?” 

Parker tore his black tank top over his head—ah, those leading-man muscles—and began batting the ants from her arm. Which, of course, only incited the majority of the ants to bite harder, but the sentiment was touching. 

“Some help here!” he snapped over the whooping and clapping. 

“Coming!” Stevie’s underpaid agent/assistant/publicist/best friend, Claire Ann, elbowed through the crew, hose in hand. Stevie held out her arm, and Claire Ann blasted the ants with nearly enough spray pressure to remove a layer of skin along with the insects. 

Richie clapped Parker on the shoulder. “Another clutch one-liner. You’re gold, man. Solid gold.” 

Parker’s grip on his shirt tightened to a white knuckled fist. “Thanks.” 

“And you, Stevie girl.” He kissed his fingertips. “Pure dynamite.” 

Once the ants were cleared, Dr. Kimber stepped up beside Claire Ann. She examined Stevie’s arm, applied a topical anesthetic, wrapped the entire mess in some loose gauze, and warned her that the welts would probably worsen to pus-filled blisters before getting better. 

Richie leaned in. “You think they might blister by tomorrow’s season finale?” he asked, clearly hopeful. 

Dr. Kimber pushed a pair of turquoise glasses up her nose. “It’s possible,” she confirmed and handed Stevie a sleeve of Benadryl tablets “to get her through the worst of it.” 

Parker’s cheeks turned an interesting shade of purple under his stubble.  

Sure enough, as soon as the crew left to meet them on the summit of Mt. Ojos de Mar for tomorrow’s grand prize challenge, and they were alone for real, Parker lit into her. “What the hell, Stevie! Fire ants? Really? And I thought swimming with sharks was crossing the line.” 

“I was safely caged the entire time.” Stevie tried not to shiver at the memory.  

“You had nightmares for days after that shoot!”  

She still did. Which was exactly the point, according to her father. Penance wasn’t supposed to be easy. “I survived.” 

“I nearly didn’t just watching you,” Parker grumbled, stuffing a water bottle into the side pocket of his pack.  

Surviving kinda sucks, Stevie thought, fingering the keloid scar on her right forearm. She’d physically survived her accident and mentally survived the online humiliation afterward. Funny that after all she’d survived, the atonement was the thing killing her. 

Parker heaved his duffle onto one shoulder. “You ready for this hike?” 

“Yep.” She hauled on her own pack, clipped her mini go-cam onto its strap, and grinned through the pain of her still stinging, and now welt-swollen, left hand. “Let’s move out.” 

Parker eyed the trail before them warily. “Ladies first.” 

Despite the hardships they’d endured on this shoot, Parker managed to trip her heartbeat even without his lopsided, aw-shucks smile. Unlike Stevie, who worked so hard to achieve her alter-ego on camera, Parker drew people to him simply by being himself. His glowing, dewy muscles, unkempt sandy hair, and calm, even-tempered personality combined with his biting wit was magnetic. Even now, with those thick brows furrowed in wary contemplation of the path ahead of them, he was delicious. Just standing and breathing—merely existing!—and Stevie found herself fantasizing about the flexed neck muscle between his ear and collarbone as he turned his head sideways to frown back at her. Oh, the many ways she could put those pouting, salt-chapped lips to good use.  

His effortless charisma would have been infuriating, except that along with their director, producers, the network, and most of America, Stevie was just as charmed. 

The thirteen authors participating in this anthology are members of First Coast Romance Writers (FCRW), and proceeds from this anthology benefit their organization. FCRW is a non-profit that welcomes both published and unpublished authors, as well as any individuals involved in writing and publishing. The chapter is dedicated to promoting excellence in romantic fiction through monthly meetings and workshops in a comfortable forum. They strive to help writers establish careers by providing innovative programs, networking opportunities and pertinent information on effective marketing techniques. Romancing the Tropics is the fourth installment in the group’s anthology series. Learn more about FCRW online at https://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com 

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