With Valentine’s Day approaching, love and romance are in the
air (and the taste of chocolates are on the tips of many tongues). I invite you
to get to know Jessie Kane, my heroine from, Be Mine, Valentine.
I
grew up on a farm in Virginia. It was just Ma and Pa and me working hard from
sun up ‘til sun down. The list of chores never seemed to end, but I’m not
complaining. Ma and Pa were the best parents; kind, loving, strict when there
was need. I lost them to fever before the start of the war between the north
and the south. Even though the farm was small, the chores were too many for one
person. I sold the land and moved to Chicago where I took an unusual job for a woman―a private investigator
specializing in finding runaways. My first assignment I spent a good amount of
time honing my skills. Through trial and error, and my own stubbornness, I
became adept at tracking those I was hired to find and escorting them home, except
for the last girl. Two days before I caught up to her, she was killed in an accident.
I mourned as if she were my own daughter, then forced myself back into the
saddle to locate the Cantrell’s grown son.
Craig
Cantrell proved difficult. He’d changed his name to Gage, fell in with a band
of outlaws, and led me on a long chase across the southern territories. Every time
I thought I’d caught up to him, he’d vacated his hideaway a day or two before.
Sometimes, even a week. Worse, Gage’s fiancée caught up to me and insisted she accompany
me in my search. She’s a thorn in my side, too delicate for the trail, but I
finally convinced her to hole up in Austin while I follow another lead. A source
in Tucson is certain Gage is in Revolving Point, Texas. I have my doubts. The
woman in Tucson is unreliable, and too selfish for her own good… and correct in
her claim!
Gage
Cantrell is the first person to greet me when I arrive in the notorious town
along the Rio Grande. Cocky, temperamental, evasive; it’s going to take some careful
wrangling to corner him and convince him he can safely return to Chicago. But
that’s the least of my worries. For a woman who has never been interested in
love and settling down, the eatery manager has set my heart to thumping. And my
pulse to pounding. Handsome and quiet, with a warm heart and sorrowful eyes that
have captured my soul, this Valentine’s Day, Tom Porter will ask me to be his Valentine. And his wife.
Excerpt:
Quietly moving across the floor, he nudged the door
open to find Jessie wearing her night clothes and sitting in a chair before the
hearth, her blonde hair hanging loose down her back. She cradled a cup in her
lap, caressed the rim while staring at the low-burning fire. He filled a cup
and joined her.
“Can’t sleep,” he asked.
“Oh,” she startled, and arched her neck toward him.
“I didn’t hear you.”
“I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He nodded toward
the hearth. “May I join you?”
Her guarded gaze traveled the length of him. “Al-all
right.” She shifted her attention back to the crackling wood.
He pulled a chair beside her and sat, took a long
drink of the hot brew. “Are you up because you’re worried about the squatter?”
“No. The sheriff and the deputies will find him.”
She kept her gaze on the flame. “They won’t allow harm to come to their wives
and children.”
“Reckon you’re right about that.” He took another
long swallow to settle the unease snaking through his gut. He had plenty to say
to her, and hoped the words came out right.
“Why are you awake?” she asked.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Most people do.” She leaned forward, pulled a log
from a basket beside the hearth and added it to the fire. Sat back in her
chair.
“Jessie,” he started, only to pause and take a deep
breath. He let it out slow, prayed his gumption wouldn’t desert him. “I
apologize for what I said to you earlier. You’re more than a waitress to me.
You’re someone I care about very much.”
She sniffled and met his gaze. Except for the
moisture clinging to her eyes, her expression was void of feeling. “So you’ve
often said.” She cocked her head. “Are you willing to do something about that?”
He swallowed hard. “If you’re referring to marriage,
than I’m sorry, but the answer is no. I can’t marry you.” He touched her arm.
“But I can be your friend.” And love you with everything I am. “Someone you
can depend upon for anything.”
“I have friends, Tom,” she said, stonily. “I want
more than that.”
Be Mine, Valentine is available at Amazon for .99cents.
www.amazon.com/DP/ B01ATV451O
****Jessie Kane was first introduced in Debra's Bandit, which can be found here: www.amazon.com/dp/B0095IG390
