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Annie Get Your Gun
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Taking a deep breath, Annie Becker readjusted her grip and gently squeezed the trigger. She zeroed in on the target down range and fired off ten rounds in quick succession. Her hearing protection muffled the sound of each hit to a metallic ting. She let her breath out slowly. The satisfaction of hitting the target coursed through her body and she wanted to reload and do it again.
She turned to look at her coach. “I thought it was a good grouping”. “Geez, Annie. I haven’t seen you shoot that bad since you were in eighth grade. What’s with you today?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Do it again, this time watch your stance and concentrate on what you’re doing, not on some girly thing like going to the mall.” He made a “go on” gesture and she turned back to the targets. Jerk. She was used to the barrage of insults and crap her coach gave her on a daily basis. David Wotechi was the best competitive International Defensive Pistol Association coach in the nation…possibly in the world. The insults didn’t matter. The only way she’d reach her goal was with his coaching. She’d teamed up with him as soon as she was old enough to compete. In reality, her father found him and brought him to Maine to make his daughter into the best competitive shooter possible. Her father never said, “make her a champion” because he didn’t believe she’d ever be successful at anything, especially in a male dominated field. Setting her up to fail had been his MO. Annie gritted her teeth. She sighted the gun and let the next five rounds loose. If there was more than one hole, she’d be shocked. “Better, but you are standing still.” Coach glowered, his arms crossed over his chest. Did the jerk ever smile? Annie took the ribbing, mostly because she was used to it. There was a reason Coach and her father got along so well, they were cut from the same cloth. She was going for national championship. Nothing less would do. Coach knew her goals, since she’d told him in no uncertain terms that she intended on being the best. There was no other option. She reloaded the magazine, glancing up at the other people shooting around her. Coach didn’t yell at them. He mostly turned up his nose at their technique or style. Annie knew the look. He’d given it to her a time or two. Disapproval tinged with disdain. When Annie was younger, she thought Coach David liked her. She thought he was impressed with her technique and skills, but it turned out that he didn’t like anyone, especially women. He didn’t want them to be more successful than he was. He’d never said that out loud, but now that she was older, she knew that the only reason he stayed around was because of the money her father paid him. Now that she was more skilled and winning most of her matches, he stayed with her because it gave him facetime with the press. He earned notoriety for being her coach. She stepped back, rolling her shoulders and stretching her neck side to side before she stepped up to the table. “Stop wasting time. Do it one handed.” Coach leaned in next to her ear, tripping her hearing protection. She could handle his tests, even ones thrown in at the last second. She dropped her left hand and drilled the target. The last bullet came in low and she sucked in a breath. Son of a bitch. Coach ripped the protection from her head and threw it onto the table. “What the hell was that?” “I don’t know. I guess I dropped the barrel.” “I guess…blah, blah, blah. That’s unacceptable.” His voice was getting louder and some of the other shooters stopped to listen. “You shot better when you were a kid. I don’t know what’s going on with you today, but I better not see anything like this tomorrow. You’ve got less than a week ‘til the IDPA meet. Put the firearm away and take the rest of the day to think about how you’re going to win. Cause with shooting like that, you’ll be lucky to make the top 20.” Annie dismissed his customary tirade, put her gun away and headed for the locker room. She was a better shooter than the slipped bullet which would have cost her a match. The coach could yell at her all day, that didn’t bother her. She grew up with her father yelling at both her and her brother. Yell away, jerk wad. It was the possibility of not being the best made her blood boil. No one worked harder than she did. No one practiced as much as she did. And no one was more dedicated to her sport. She would be the best. |
Long Arm of the Law
Officer Jack Geib stood in front of the old, run down house, but he wasn’t waiting to bust in on perps in a drug raid. No, he was more nervous than that first time he was in court testifying. He shifted his weight, hitched up his duty belt and took a deep breath. The house, the woman, the grandfather who thought he’d been protecting his granddaughter from trouble like Jack by giving him a hard time.
God, he’d loved her. The bedroom window drew his gaze. He used to crawl through it late at night so he could spend hours kissing and making love on her small twin bed.
He’d been a fool thinking that they were putting one over on her grandfather who raised her. Pete knew everything.
Pete, Jessica’s grandfather, had been like a grandfather to him, too. Pete took Jack aside one afternoon before the infamous breakup to inform Jack that he knew exactly what was going on and if Jack broke his grandbaby’s heart, he’d be dealing directly with him. It had shaken him to his core. What would have happened if they’d stayed together or if she’d gotten pregnant? They were damn kids. They knew nothing of life. He’d learned a lot after Jessica left town though.
Jack was a daredevil. He thought nothing of riding his bike down the ridge of a mountain or parachuting off a cliff he’d just climbed, but standing here building up the courage to knock on this particular door was terrifying. He wasn’t exactly afraid of Pete. He’d been keeping tabs on the old man for five years or so without letting on that he’d been watching. He had to make sure he was okay after Jessica ran off to northern Maine to save the world.
Pete was the only reason Jack was ready to knock on this door. At least that’s what he told himself.
It had nothing to do with Jessica’s recent return to Port City. The grapevine had been very prolific with the gossip. Jessica was back and she looked like she was staying. They’d said she looked the same and had spent a day unloading her little car.
Jack groaned, he had to do this. The damn electric nerves coursing through his body that had him as nervous as a rookie staring down the barrel of a Taser had nothing to do with Jessica.
Jack shook his head to clear it. He had a job to do, nothing more. Hitching up his duty belt again, he straightened his tie and knocked.
“Can you get that, Pete?”
Jack heard the familiar lilt in her voice. His stomach feel to his knees and his groin reacted on its own. He shuffled.
“Obviously I can’t do anything right. Maybe I’ll open it the wrong way,” a gruff voice from Jack’s childhood hollered back.
He was about to knock again when the door swung open.
There she was. Her wavy blond hair was longer. She was taller and more rounded in all the right spots. He took a moment to drink her in. From the jut of her chin to the curves on her breasts incased in a pink tank top, his body reacted in a completely unprofessional way. Sure, she was ten years older, he noticed some smile lines around her sensuous full lips. He had a moment of jealously that he wasn’t the reason she’d been smiling over the last 10 years. He recognized her look of irritation with the narrowing of her eyes and the tilt of her pink lips into a crooked smile. The last ten years fell away. He resisted the urge to sweep her into his arms and drag her into a dark corner. He wanted to feel her body react to him the way he’d dreamed about since he’d heard she was home.
He should have sent someone else.
Despite the smile she gave him, he saw in her eyes when she realized it was really him. Her eyes grew wide and she glanced down at the name tag pinned to his uniform shirt.
“Oh. My. God.” She covered her mouth with her hand.
“Hi Jess.”
“Jack.” His name came off her lips in a breathy gasp.
“I need to speak with your grandfather. There was an incident this afternoon.” He used his most professional cop voice.
“Oh, really?” Her tone dropped to the cool, calculating way people did when they were not happy to see an officer. Maybe that was it, or maybe it was she wasn’t impressed with seeing him after all this time. From the look in her eyes, she’d already heard about Pete driving the wrong way on the Interstate. He could still read her.
“I have to fill out a report and I need his statement.”
She batted her eyelashes at him.
“Report for what?”
“Come on, Jess. This is just as difficult for me as it is for you. He’s like a grandfather to me. I don’t want to have to do this.”
More batting of her long eyelashes. It was so distracting.
God, he’d loved her. The bedroom window drew his gaze. He used to crawl through it late at night so he could spend hours kissing and making love on her small twin bed.
He’d been a fool thinking that they were putting one over on her grandfather who raised her. Pete knew everything.
Pete, Jessica’s grandfather, had been like a grandfather to him, too. Pete took Jack aside one afternoon before the infamous breakup to inform Jack that he knew exactly what was going on and if Jack broke his grandbaby’s heart, he’d be dealing directly with him. It had shaken him to his core. What would have happened if they’d stayed together or if she’d gotten pregnant? They were damn kids. They knew nothing of life. He’d learned a lot after Jessica left town though.
Jack was a daredevil. He thought nothing of riding his bike down the ridge of a mountain or parachuting off a cliff he’d just climbed, but standing here building up the courage to knock on this particular door was terrifying. He wasn’t exactly afraid of Pete. He’d been keeping tabs on the old man for five years or so without letting on that he’d been watching. He had to make sure he was okay after Jessica ran off to northern Maine to save the world.
Pete was the only reason Jack was ready to knock on this door. At least that’s what he told himself.
It had nothing to do with Jessica’s recent return to Port City. The grapevine had been very prolific with the gossip. Jessica was back and she looked like she was staying. They’d said she looked the same and had spent a day unloading her little car.
Jack groaned, he had to do this. The damn electric nerves coursing through his body that had him as nervous as a rookie staring down the barrel of a Taser had nothing to do with Jessica.
Jack shook his head to clear it. He had a job to do, nothing more. Hitching up his duty belt again, he straightened his tie and knocked.
“Can you get that, Pete?”
Jack heard the familiar lilt in her voice. His stomach feel to his knees and his groin reacted on its own. He shuffled.
“Obviously I can’t do anything right. Maybe I’ll open it the wrong way,” a gruff voice from Jack’s childhood hollered back.
He was about to knock again when the door swung open.
There she was. Her wavy blond hair was longer. She was taller and more rounded in all the right spots. He took a moment to drink her in. From the jut of her chin to the curves on her breasts incased in a pink tank top, his body reacted in a completely unprofessional way. Sure, she was ten years older, he noticed some smile lines around her sensuous full lips. He had a moment of jealously that he wasn’t the reason she’d been smiling over the last 10 years. He recognized her look of irritation with the narrowing of her eyes and the tilt of her pink lips into a crooked smile. The last ten years fell away. He resisted the urge to sweep her into his arms and drag her into a dark corner. He wanted to feel her body react to him the way he’d dreamed about since he’d heard she was home.
He should have sent someone else.
Despite the smile she gave him, he saw in her eyes when she realized it was really him. Her eyes grew wide and she glanced down at the name tag pinned to his uniform shirt.
“Oh. My. God.” She covered her mouth with her hand.
“Hi Jess.”
“Jack.” His name came off her lips in a breathy gasp.
“I need to speak with your grandfather. There was an incident this afternoon.” He used his most professional cop voice.
“Oh, really?” Her tone dropped to the cool, calculating way people did when they were not happy to see an officer. Maybe that was it, or maybe it was she wasn’t impressed with seeing him after all this time. From the look in her eyes, she’d already heard about Pete driving the wrong way on the Interstate. He could still read her.
“I have to fill out a report and I need his statement.”
She batted her eyelashes at him.
“Report for what?”
“Come on, Jess. This is just as difficult for me as it is for you. He’s like a grandfather to me. I don’t want to have to do this.”
More batting of her long eyelashes. It was so distracting.
Summer Camp
What's better than warm summer days at summer camp on a lake in Maine? Nothing. Especially if your Meg Paul.
A super quick, sweet read for your summer day at the beach or in line waiting to shop. Meg Paul has taken over the running of her family's summer camp in Maine. The kids are adventurous and anxious to explore the Maine woods without supervision. Warden Thaddeus Green is called in to help when a camper goes missing. Meg doesn't want his help. She can handle these little issues on her own.
However, her staff and campers don't want to see her alone and play matchmaker. Meg resists until a situation comes up that she needs help handling and has to call Thad for reinforcements.
Will they spend the rest of the summer skirting around their feelings or will they give in to the mutual respect and attractions they have?
This is a very short story for those looking for a quickie.
A super quick, sweet read for your summer day at the beach or in line waiting to shop. Meg Paul has taken over the running of her family's summer camp in Maine. The kids are adventurous and anxious to explore the Maine woods without supervision. Warden Thaddeus Green is called in to help when a camper goes missing. Meg doesn't want his help. She can handle these little issues on her own.
However, her staff and campers don't want to see her alone and play matchmaker. Meg resists until a situation comes up that she needs help handling and has to call Thad for reinforcements.
Will they spend the rest of the summer skirting around their feelings or will they give in to the mutual respect and attractions they have?
This is a very short story for those looking for a quickie.
Breaking the Story
Everyone wants something from the editor of the Serenity Harbor Gazette Erin Ridge. Lucky for her this time it’s the hot firefighters in town. However, they are incredibly busy with a large number of fires in the island. Despite that she finds time to meet with hunky firefighter Seth Greenway for all of the details of the fires and the firefighters.
Seth knows he’s being set up with the darling of Serenity Harbor when he’s asked to be the subject of a story on the fire department. He can’t help but want to get to know Erin as long as they can keep things professional. Hurting her would mean being blackballed from the department, but saving her life becomes a daily habit and he finds himself being drawn to her magnetic personality.
When Erin accuses someone Seth knows of setting all of the fires in town, trouble brews between the couple. She is determined to break the story without Seth’s support, causing a rift between them. Erin wants to do what’s right and Seth has to determine what is more important, the firefighter brotherhood or love.
Seth knows he’s being set up with the darling of Serenity Harbor when he’s asked to be the subject of a story on the fire department. He can’t help but want to get to know Erin as long as they can keep things professional. Hurting her would mean being blackballed from the department, but saving her life becomes a daily habit and he finds himself being drawn to her magnetic personality.
When Erin accuses someone Seth knows of setting all of the fires in town, trouble brews between the couple. She is determined to break the story without Seth’s support, causing a rift between them. Erin wants to do what’s right and Seth has to determine what is more important, the firefighter brotherhood or love.
Two if By Sea
Firefighter Tristan Devon leaves the destination of his first vacation in years up to chance after marrying off the sister he’s taken care of for years. He finds himself trapped on Bear Island as caretaker for a 100-year-old lighthouse with a neurotic, secretive woman
Erin Kimball, an award winning toy designer, is not impressed with a macho firefighter coming to spy on her. The toy she created started catching on fire and burning children, and she was determined to discover why and clear her reputation. She didn’t need some hot man getting into her business.
When Erin’s ex-fiancé shows up on the island, tensions flare between the three residents.
The end of the month can’t come fast enough for any of them.
*This book was previously titled "Playing with Fire."
Erin Kimball, an award winning toy designer, is not impressed with a macho firefighter coming to spy on her. The toy she created started catching on fire and burning children, and she was determined to discover why and clear her reputation. She didn’t need some hot man getting into her business.
When Erin’s ex-fiancé shows up on the island, tensions flare between the three residents.
The end of the month can’t come fast enough for any of them.
*This book was previously titled "Playing with Fire."
Married to the Marine
Ella Rowe is happy with her life, despite being unmarried and a virgin in her mid-twenties. However, her friends want something more for her and when she pitches a reality show idea to her friend, she gets suckered into getting married to a stranger.
Jake Griffin is a suave Marine who finds himself on a reality show because he lost a bet to his buddies and his man card is in jeopardy. He hooks up with the uptight Ella, but he sees the heat behind her eyes and it intrigues him.
The TV station sets up challenges for all of the contestants to test their compatibility while being filmed the whole time. For Jake and Ella, there are sparks and conflicts at every turn, yet they continue to do well in the challenges.
In the end, the cameras, challenges and each other could prove to be too much for them to stay together.
Jake Griffin is a suave Marine who finds himself on a reality show because he lost a bet to his buddies and his man card is in jeopardy. He hooks up with the uptight Ella, but he sees the heat behind her eyes and it intrigues him.
The TV station sets up challenges for all of the contestants to test their compatibility while being filmed the whole time. For Jake and Ella, there are sparks and conflicts at every turn, yet they continue to do well in the challenges.
In the end, the cameras, challenges and each other could prove to be too much for them to stay together.
Crash and Burn
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Crash and Burn
They're headed for disaster in a race against love.
Race car driver Stone Adams likes fast women and faster cars, but his playboy lifestyle isn't making his sponsor happy. In an attempt to please the money man, Stone marries a woman in Vegas. But when he shows up at his new bride's house, he discovers she has a fiance she neglected to mention before their quickie wedding--and a younger sister who finds the whole situation hilarious. Grace Cromwell has always been the one to bail her big sister out of scrapes and jams. This time she doesn't want to be the scapegoat. But a photo of Grace and Stone ends up splashed across the front page of the newspaper and she's mistaken for his wife, so she doesn't have much choice. When Grace agrees to play the part of Stone's wife in public, they both have a hard time remembering it's all a charade. |
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Midnight Risk
A Halloween lover and a Halloween hater are pitted against one another in a night to remember under the manipulative control of radio station WRSK.
Sierra finds herself tripping down memory lane with the reason she hates Halloween. Nate wants adventure and wouldn't mind meeting up with his high school crush. Can they overcome their shared past to both escape the house as winners? |
WHEN THE VOW BREAKS
The death of Rodrigo Ramirez has caused an issue for Port City Police Officer Colin Rourke, who is now being sued for the wrongful death. However there is no body, no proof and no way to get out of the civil suit with his marriage intact.
Marriages are supposed to be a safe place where you'll do anything for a spouse. Regan desires safety and happiness, but the lawsuit is sending her and her husband down a path that they can't recover from.
Being the wife of a police officer is not easy. The challenges that creep up define a relationship. This is Regan and Colin's story.
The death of Rodrigo Ramirez has caused an issue for Port City Police Officer Colin Rourke, who is now being sued for the wrongful death. However there is no body, no proof and no way to get out of the civil suit with his marriage intact.
Marriages are supposed to be a safe place where you'll do anything for a spouse. Regan desires safety and happiness, but the lawsuit is sending her and her husband down a path that they can't recover from.
Being the wife of a police officer is not easy. The challenges that creep up define a relationship. This is Regan and Colin's story.