Someone
is killing Conductors on the Underground Railroad one by one. With a cellar
full of runaway slaves, Olivia June Mathieson must decide - is the handsome
Fenton Pierce-Smythe savior or traitor?
Both
Fenton Pierce-Smythe’s fiancee and grandfather were killed when runaway slaves
spooked their horses. Determined no one else will face that pain, he hunts
runaways to return them safely to their owners. But can he remain unmoved by
their plight? And unaffected by the beautiful woman who risks her life to lead
them to freedom?
Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it
contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered
offensive to some readers.
He
was, he admitted grandly, ever so slightly foxed.
Hell,
what would you expect after spending the entire evening in a tavern drinking
cheap whiskey? As he stepped outside, the cold night air struck him in the face
like a loose sail, and he knew he’d have a devil of a headache tomorrow.
And
for what? The night had been an abysmal failure. He hadn’t found out one thing
about the Underground Railroad here. Nor had he heard anything about any
runaways. It had been a total waste of precious time, except perhaps for that
blond.
He
smiled as he walked unsteadily to his horse, thinking of the girl. She’d been
eye-catching, no doubt. The memory of her silken speaking voice washed over him
and he found himself thinking of the “O” her mouth had made when she’d poured
the coffee on him. The soft pucker just begged to be kissed.
But,
that coffee! He grimaced as he ran his hand over his thigh and the front of his
trousers. They were dry now, but he was still a tad tender to the touch. Thank
God he’d been quick enough to escape most of the hot liquid.
He
reached his horse, Thunderbolt. Stupid name for a horse that ran slow as
molasses in winter. He’d received the animal for his sixteenth birthday, and
had chosen the name with visions of a dashing hero dancing in his head. He’d
seen himself riding through storm-tossed nights, rescuing fair damsels in
distress, and receiving his loving rewards from them. Of course, he’d been
sixteen, and his blood had run as hot and randy as any young man’s.
Now,
at the ripe old age of twenty-nine, he’d learned fair damsels seldom needed
rescuing. And especially not by a man named Fenton, riding the slowest
thunderbolt known to nature.
Damn,
he’d never liked his name. Fenton. He snorted, wishing to hell his mother had never
read that silly novel. Why couldn’t he be named something dashing like Drake,
or historical, like George or Alexander? Or even biblical, like Abraham. At
least those were names that engendered respect. But Fenton? For God’s sake!
He
swayed slightly while his clumsy fingers worked to untie the reins. With a wry
smile, he admitted to himself that having that name taught him a lot about
self-defense. He’d had to fight his way through school from the time he wore
short pants. Still fumbling with the reins, he wondered if his young temperance
singer could give herself to a man named Fenton.
Testing
the sensitivity of his thigh again, he found he could touch it almost without
pain now, although even in the dark he could see a definite stain from the
coffee. He’d had to put up with a lot of ribbing in the tavern. His fellow
drinkers had made numerous comments regarding his ability to control himself
around beautiful women. It had taken all his control to laugh along with them
instead of smashing in a face or two.
After
several frustrating minutes, he finally managed to loosen the reins. He didn’t
remember leaving them in such a muddle when he’d gotten here. Someone must have
been playing a joke, he decided, untangling the leather from around his
fingers.
He
led the horse to an open area, lifted his foot to the stirrup . . . and missed.
Thunderbolt nickered softly and Fenton patted the animal’s neck. “C’mon, Bolt.
There’s a good boy.” He felt the first drops of rain start to fall. Great. More
rain. Just what he needed. He didn’t care at all for the idea of riding the
thirty miles back to Baltimore in a rainstorm.
He
raised his foot again, and missed the stirrup a second time. “Dammit, stand
still!” he hissed in an annoyed whisper.
Thunderbolt
turned his head and snorted into his master’s face.
Fenton
was ready to try once more when he heard a vaguely familiar feminine voice
raised in entreaty coming from just up the road. She sounded as though she were
in trouble. Had some rogue accosted her, trying even now to have his way with
her?
Thoughts
of rescue and rewards sprang to his mind. He dropped his reins and slogged as
fast as he could through the mud left by an earlier rain, plotting his attack
on the ruffian as he went.
The
sounds were coming from a modest buggy stopped under a bare-branched tree.
Fenton
ran around the side and threw himself into the vehicle, landing in a soft lap.
Livvy
would have screamed, had the man who leaped into her buggy not knocked all the
air from her lungs. As it stood, she was just barely able to hold onto her
reins. “What are you doing?” she finally demanded, shoving him off to the side.
“Saving
you. Where is he?” Fenton looked around the buggy wildly, his eyes searching
the darkness.
“Where
is who? There is no one here but the two of us.”
“You
sure?” he asked, squinting at her.
“And
Rosabelle,” she said, indicating her horse.
“But
I heard you. You were begging to be let go.”
“I
was saying ‘Let’s go.’ To Rosabelle. We’re stuck.”
“Stuck?”
he asked, his face a study in confusion.
“In
the mud,” she said with great deliberateness.
“Oh.
Well then, let’s have a look,” Fenton said, hopping down from the seat and
stumbling only a little as he landed. He walked around the back of the buggy
and peered through the darkness at the wheels. “Everything’s fine here.”
He
came around the front and studied the closest wheel. She could see him sway as
he stood. The odor of cheap whiskey she’d smelled when he landed on her wafted
up on the night wind. Finally he looked up at her, grinning.
“You,
madam, are stuck in the mud.”
Livvy
rolled her eyes heavenward before answering. “And you, sir, are drunk.”
Ever
since her first encounter with a long hooped skirt gown at age 5, Ms. Bond fell
in love with the style. Her love of historical romance began a bit later, when
she discovered Gladys Malvern’s books and scoured the public library for every
one she could find. Reading Gone With the Wind as a teenager cemented her
suspicion that she was born about 100 years too late. She daydreamed about
writing novels but knew it was beyond her ability at that time. Instead, she tried her hand at poetry and
really bad iambic pentameter flowed from her fingers. Thankfully, for the world
at large, it was a short-lived obsession.
After
attending an all-girl high school run by Felician nuns, she enrolled in a local
men’s college that had just opened its doors to women. (A Libra, she
understands the need for balance.) She earned her B.A. in English, and met her
future husband there. Many years, four
children and a grandchild later, the man who made her see fireworks with the first
kiss is still her go-to research assistant for all things romantic.
The
desire to write books never left, even as she worked selling property and
casualty insurance, Avon, and craft kits. She sold luggage at a local
department store to earn the money to attend her first RWA national conference
and finally feels safe enough to admit to hiding a legal pad under her counter
where she wrote scenes in between customers. She still does much of her writing
longhand. (100 years too late, remember?)
RWA
is the best thing to happen to her writing career, teaching the art as well as
the craft of writing. It also brought her together with four of the most
amazing women she’s ever known - critique partners and friends. Special thanks and much love to Helen, Karen,
Carol and Jan. An amateur photographer, Reiki master and Guild knitter, Ms.
Bonds lives in Western New York one mile from the home she grew up in. You can
often find her at the lakeside, camera and notebook in hand.
Click Above for tour schedule!
Crystal Marie -
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for featuring my new historical romance, "By Love's Honor Bound" on your blog. I really appreciate the exposure and look forward to working with you again when my next release comes out.
Patricia Bond