Author Interview: Freddy MacKay

<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCUILRH4vcfHK4wD2AXgZTIUY_p06EbNQqMrm6gv_lYkmvmngthBaDijojHigqWqD9hmfAbmsVErxEfs4C0JDIjzedqrQnbOLUDkjq9SgU-8IAwTwRs5Kf5mYl1gjUaVyU1wkG1eVoQ/s1600/Incubation400x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCUILRH4vcfHK4wD2AXgZTIUY_p06EbNQqMrm6gv_lYkmvmngthBaDijojHigqWqD9hmfAbmsVErxEfs4C0JDIjzedqrQnbOLUDkjq9SgU-8IAwTwRs5Kf5mYl1gjUaVyU1wkG1eVoQ/s320/Incubation400x600.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Hello Everyone! And thanks RJ for having me! </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">I am Freddy MacKay. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">Some of you may know me already.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">Some of you may not. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">For those of you who don’t. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">Don’t worry, I’m only allowed out on special occasions. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Today is the day. </span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">The bestest day ever! </span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">All because TODAY </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">is the day </span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Incubation: Finding Peace 2 </span></b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">is released. </span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">*Dances* </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">*****</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">It’s been a long journey, and the story is not over yet, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">But lots has been happening with my boys at CRU. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">It’s been 5 months since Beginning Again: Finding Peace 1 came out, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Leaving David surrounded with his friends, and Jun with Henry fixing up their old house to give him a home. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Now the boys are back, ready to fight David’s demons, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">And ready to become his family. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Problem is, he might not be ready. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Not only that, we finally get to meet so of our elusive characters mentioned in the first book! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>*****<br /><br /><div><b>'Waking Up' Excerpt.</b><br /><div><br /><div><i>David McCourt's makeshift family moves in together and forms a protective cocoon around him. But they don't know David's whole story and he finds the constant noise a distraction instead of a help. </i><br /><br /><i></i><br /><a name="more"></a><i>Bobby, Chris, and Austin want to help David however possible—but he needs to open up. </i><br /><br /><i>Jackson crossed a line he never thought he would. He wants to take a chance with David, even if his dreams of a normal life are firmly rooted with Alyssa. </i><br /><br /><i>The group has the makings of a rag tag family, but secrets—old and new—threaten their fragile bond. The community takes sides and David ends up where he doesn't want to be: the center of everything. </i><br /><br /><b>Content Advisories: This has references to rape or near rape, and has MF and MM scenes.</b><br /><br />*****</div><div>“Fucking hell!” <br /><br />Bolting straight up, David threw his arms out. Sweat dipped from his brow into his eyes, blurring his vision. His chest heaved and he gasped for breath, crying out. He fists found nothing but air and confused David. He stopped and tried to figure out where he was, looking frantically around the small, confined place. No lights were on but some buttons glowed in the blackness. David had to be inside, in a room, but what room? Just seconds ago Mike and his gang were bearing down on top of him. <br /><br />It took a moment for his brain to process he wasn’t being hurt. He wasn’t out in the courtyard. He knew that, but his heart raced from the adrenaline surging through his system. <br /><br />Mike and his gang aren’t holding me down and cutting me open. <br /><br />Everything had felt so real, so intense, so in the moment. David felt like he had been attacked all over again. But he hadn’t been, he was at the hospital. Safe. Unfortunately he didn’t feel safe. David looked down, noticing the trembling in his arms. His skin glistened with a thin layer of sweat. His hands, however, were pulling at his hospital gown, his fists curling into the fabric. <br /><br />When did I grab my gown? <br /><br />David tried taking a deep breath in and letting go of his clothes. His breathing was shaky and labored. His hands still clenched his sleepwear. David tried again, more successfully this time, and lay back against the bed. This time he could feel the air getting into his lungs, and his hands loosened around the fabric. <br /><br />He gasped. “Fucking hell.” <br /><br />His chest throbbed, hurting deep under the skin, more than when he first woke up in the hospital. He briefly thought about calling a nurse, but Nancy had gone home. He didn’t think he could handle having someone different in the room with him. <br /><br />David shifted his legs, uncomfortable in the bed and small room, and felt the sheets pull against his skin. He glanced down. The white sheets were drenched, soaked through with sweat, and David basically sat in the middle of it. Embarrassment flooded David. <br /><br />At least I didn’t piss myself. <br /><br />His jaw clenched as he sat there, furiously thinking of what to do next. The sticky mess was uncomfortable, but David didn’t want to call one of the nurses. They weren’t Nancy. He also didn’t want anyone seeing him in this state. David couldn’t have them pitying for him. He didn’t want that kind of emotion from anyone. <br /><br />Letting his head fall back, David rolled it back and forth on the pillow. He wouldn’t be able to sleep if he stayed in the bed. He stopped and tilted his face so he could look at the corner next to him. One of the chairs sat there, looking uncomfortable. David squinted at it then looked back down at his sheets. <br /><br />“Yeah, well, either way I’m not sleeping tonight,” he mumbled to himself, filling the deafening silence of his room. <br /><br />Lifting himself out of the bed, David pulled the chair as far into the corner as it would go and gingerly sat down in the seat. He sighed, resigning himself to a sleepless night, and reached for the light. He flipped it on and grabbed the newspaper Nurse Helena brought in for him during the afternoon. <br /><br />Maybe reading will calm me down. <br /><br />Even though he had woken up, his heart still beat hard in his chest, hurting. Fear crawled just beneath the surface of the façade he put up. His skin felt like it had cracked, or more appropriately, had been cut apart. There was no way he could go back to sleep now. <br /><br />*****<br /><br /><a href="https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/products_id/857/" target="_blank">Buy Link</a><br /><br />Writing the Finding Peace series has been a passion of mine. I wanted something that dealt with the struggles younger people face when they move out into the world and start to have to figure out life for themselves. In addition, I felt the need to deal with sensitive issues like David’s attack as well as sexuality, and to do so, a more realistic approach had to be taken. <br /><br />Each character has their own struggles and has to work to find their place in society, even when the culture around them might not be that accepting of them. But ultimately, what I would like for each character, is for him or her to find peace with him-or-herself, their lives and the choices they made in them, and be happy with who they are. </div><div>I do like that Jun – my crazy biochem professor – got more time in this book. He is an integral part in the story. And Jun and his friends have their own book, placed 30 years ago that is near completion, showing the start to CRU. J I hope to have that story wrapped up soon – I’ve been promising forever now! *laughs* </div><div>*****</div><div><br /></div><div><b>How to Find Me </b><br /><a href="http://freddysstereograph.weebly.com/">http://freddysstereograph.weebly.com</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://freddymackay.blogspot.com/">http://freddymackay.blogspot.com</a> <br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/freddy.m.mackay <br /><br /><a href="mailto:freddy.m.mackay@gmail.com">freddy.m.mackay@gmail.com</a> <br /><br />For my FREE flash fiction pieces, if you would like a taste, you can go to: <a href="http://freddymackaysshorts.blogspot.com/">http://freddymackaysshorts.blogspot.com</a> <br /><br />*****</div><div><br /><b>Contest! </b></div><div>Got your attention, no? <br /><br />If you would like to be entered to win a copy of Incubation (or if you have it, one from my backlist), then all you need to do is answer a question and leave your email addy below. <br /><br /><b>Question: What was your favorite class in school? (Doesn’t matter when or where)</b></div></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>*****</b></div>

Author Interview: Freddy MacKay

Hello Everyone! And thanks RJ for having me!  I am Freddy MacKay.  Some of you may know me already. Some of you may not.  For those of you w...

+ Read more »

M/M Romance Reviews

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLG0F_Pw1knrFbUCRybj0Mr0ASq95xSABe5hq2FkWtgELa1b-C3RYGpt5o89hL5X_bCmzKYhl69yZ2ZinqDwAHHgg_a0CjoE73toA4KtISdwxtuQCQtD8zNO3rGySFXJ5QOT-Ml2KDrQ/s1600/Back_Home-RJ_Scott200x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLG0F_Pw1knrFbUCRybj0Mr0ASq95xSABe5hq2FkWtgELa1b-C3RYGpt5o89hL5X_bCmzKYhl69yZ2ZinqDwAHHgg_a0CjoE73toA4KtISdwxtuQCQtD8zNO3rGySFXJ5QOT-Ml2KDrQ/s1600/Back_Home-RJ_Scott200x300.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://mmromancereviewer.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/back-home/" target="_blank">Back Home</a> - Drama, angst, tension, desire, passion, corruption and love! This book had everything, in abundance. I loved it!<br /><br /><a href="http://mmromancereviewer.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/the-christmas-throwaway/" target="_blank">The Christmas Throwaway</a> - The Christmas Throwaway is definitely a feel-good story, although there are darker elements.<br /><br /><a href="http://mmromancereviewer.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/test-post-2/" target="_blank">The Gallows Tree</a> - A pleasure to read from the first page to the last, The Gallows Tree is a book I will certainly read again.

M/M Romance Reviews

Back Home - Drama, angst, tension, desire, passion, corruption and love! This book had everything, in abundance. I loved it! The Christmas ...

+ Read more »

Finishing your book

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-556r6hcQBX8XY74oFtwsVYYwYDSaF5_KTrykTs4oVS0D3I8PUOiogKDUg6BO7LNeQU3fWxgElBWIv7Q_zXhPfj-spemrA4ZCUKOUy6dB2rGNvjDIzspYFDN2N7LLn1hJBvKGto0LAAg/s1600/loldogs-funny-dog-pictures-im-seriousthis-is-my-serious-face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-556r6hcQBX8XY74oFtwsVYYwYDSaF5_KTrykTs4oVS0D3I8PUOiogKDUg6BO7LNeQU3fWxgElBWIv7Q_zXhPfj-spemrA4ZCUKOUy6dB2rGNvjDIzspYFDN2N7LLn1hJBvKGto0LAAg/s320/loldogs-funny-dog-pictures-im-seriousthis-is-my-serious-face.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">As writers we all need that hook which grabs the reader and doesn't let them go. My first ever writing that someone other than my husband saw was a fan fiction story and started:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jensen Ackles was fucked.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Well it certainly started dramatically enough and suited the tone of the whole story which was full of angst and passion and was the first incarnation of the Sanctuary idea.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When I first submitted Oracle the entire first chapter was set in Ancient Greece and was, for all intents and purposes, a telling of why the following story happened. That was deleted very quickly and instead we were taken into the main character's head where he had dreamed of some of the Greece details.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So I think I have a handle on what I need to write to pull a reader's attention to start, but what about giving </div><div class="MsoNormal">the reader a satisfying ending?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdaNVxKIoth4ScDJywacqu8CrF9V4hxg223ZRAcp3dnEeKU9kaBrMxYZEOyQQAzXzCThx9iHzmk0fc66HPtjgoEKKvfEPvLism2t4-_0VzbafBd1wIR8wIiKBn3tuTS9IktjU10NCeRU/s1600/One+Night+4x6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdaNVxKIoth4ScDJywacqu8CrF9V4hxg223ZRAcp3dnEeKU9kaBrMxYZEOyQQAzXzCThx9iHzmk0fc66HPtjgoEKKvfEPvLism2t4-_0VzbafBd1wIR8wIiKBn3tuTS9IktjU10NCeRU/s400/One+Night+4x6.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>I write romance. In fact to be more specific I write romance with a happy ever after, or in the worse case, a happy for now. 'One Night' was my first ever happy for now – something which I never even picked up on – even though to me the book was a HEA, as are all of my books. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In my head Liam climbed the stairs, went inside, and he and Micah lived happily ever after. I implied it, but I didn’t specifically say it and some readers were not happy. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In the Sanctuary books, the stories happen over a couple of days (except for Morgan and Nik in Guarding Morgan) and there was no way that I could write a specific HEA for those men without going down the path of <i>instalove</i> (which I am not that fond of). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Yes, I wrote that they lusted, and felt like they had met their soul mates, but the specific happy ever after is something that is implied and not written. To me though, there is still a happy ever after.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It was while I was contemplating this issue that my brother in law passed me over a book he had been reading on the craft of writing. I have never read anything like it before but a lot of the messages inside it were one's I appeared to instinctively know or were instructions I had learned from my editors, proofreaders and my friends. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Things like story structure and specifically how to end your book.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the endings that the book talks about is 'closing the circle'. This is where 'the ending reminds us of the beginning by returning to an important place or re-introducing us to a key character'. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In 'Back Home' Kieran and Jordan are talking and I circle way back to the point of the book in the last page of the story:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kieran says:  "I never imagined when I came home that I would end up here with you."</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I mention the coming home part, which is essentially what this story is about, and reminds the reader of the journey they have been on.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9CE_TOhMe_O7gbgz3DE1JPIeUNXXCFORKBmS8k5jG_fqA84r1_KLIhmnfnKzmSywEmoYHNtaIY7RoHHAEW3tMpehBy9k42NfRcSn2Kp2Q2apSie3S4NmfMv_-m8CcHUgzJRCp2fSkfY/s1600/backhome_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9CE_TOhMe_O7gbgz3DE1JPIeUNXXCFORKBmS8k5jG_fqA84r1_KLIhmnfnKzmSywEmoYHNtaIY7RoHHAEW3tMpehBy9k42NfRcSn2Kp2Q2apSie3S4NmfMv_-m8CcHUgzJRCp2fSkfY/s400/backhome_800.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>In Texas Winter the book starts with Riley finding out he is a father, and ends with a family vignette based around a Christmas ornament so I suppose that is another book where the end ties to the beginning. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Am I consciously doing this? No one has actually 'taught me' how to write down the story in my head. Editors and friends have helped me become better at what I do, but a satisfying ending is something I think I learned from a very early age reading LOTR or Narnia.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another thing I read was that as a writer I should 'avoid endings that go on and on'. They suggest that 'just as leads can be buried, so can endings'. Good advice I think!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">They suggest we should have a look at the most recent stories we have written and 'place your hand over the last paragraph and ask yourself: "What would happen if my story ended here?" Is the natural ending for your story hiding?'<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">How do you finish a book? Do you link back to the beginning of the book? Do you prefer HEA or HFN? Do you struggle with endings? Or beginnings? <o:p></o:p></div>

Finishing your book

As writers we all need that hook which grabs the reader and doesn't let them go. My first ever writing that someone other than my husban...

+ Read more »

Author Interview: Edward Kendrick

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1_Uii36857P-uJmYvu22vPPC7-8HfgHixDsJQuIJFnRy9LymZ1LFJ_FKQGGb-9CWaDxh7bcH3lJwfAczOjkiQdYh1V7tijuwTg_FEvpB8tl287WjFbh6CEBZTJyGJ8ahhAbYCadEnQ/s1600/Weekends400x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1_Uii36857P-uJmYvu22vPPC7-8HfgHixDsJQuIJFnRy9LymZ1LFJ_FKQGGb-9CWaDxh7bcH3lJwfAczOjkiQdYh1V7tijuwTg_FEvpB8tl287WjFbh6CEBZTJyGJ8ahhAbYCadEnQ/s320/Weekends400x600.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Thank you for allowing me to be here today, RJ. Shall we begin with your questions? I think—yes. –grinning-<br /><br />*****<br /><br /><b>What are the major themes of your work. What genre do you write in?</b><br /> I write primarily M/M, although I will have at least one M/F coming out at the beginning of next year. In general, my stories revolve around mysteries and/or PIs or police detectives. They are almost always romances with HEA or HFN endings. <br /><br /><b>What genre of books do you like to read? Do you limit yourself to only the genre that you write yourself?</b><br /> I’m a voracious reader of mysteries and detective stories at the moment. It used to be fantasy stories, urban and high fantasy, but I seem to have moved away from them at this point. All told though, I’ll read just about anything that catches my fancy, be it fiction or non-fiction. A good blub does wonders for making me want to pick up a book. <br /><br /> <b><br /></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>In your opinion, what are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?</b><br /><span style="background-color: white;">I think you have to follow your heart when you write if you’re going to remain sane. Write because you love it, not to meet a deadline or because someone has told you that you have to write such-and-such type of story even though it’s not within your comfort zone. On the other hand, don’t be afraid to try something new, but don’t get discouraged if you find it doesn’t work for you. Put it aside instead of forcing yourself work on it, and perhaps, someday, go back and give it another try. You might be surprised what happens when you do. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b></b></div><a name="more"></a><b>How much research do you put into your writing?</b><br /> A great deal when it involves technical details. If I’m going to make a crime and its resolution viable it had better sound real from the get-go. That’s the reason I have a bookshelf of crime and forensics reference books and enough spots bookmarked on the internet that Homeland Security might get a bit worried if they checked me out. –laughing- <br /><br /><b>If you could collaborate with another author who would it be?</b><br /> To be quite honest, I’ve written with other people in the past and have found out I work much better alone. I am a seat-of-the-pants writer which would probably drive most other authors up the wall if I collaborated with them. That said, if Jonathan Kellerman came knocking on my door, for damned sure I wouldn’t turn him down. <br /><br /><b>How do you feel about being interviewed?</b><br /> I rather like it actually. The questions make me think about why I became a writer in the first place. <br /><br />*****<br /><br />I’m also holding two contests as part of my ‘Weekends’ blog hop which is part and parcel of my being July’s Featured Author at Silver Publishing. One is on my blog - <a href="http://edwardkendrick.blogspot.com/">http://edwardkendrick.blogspot.com/</a> <br /><br /> The other one shows up on the blogs of those wonderful people who are hosting my blog hop tour. Today, obviously, that person is RJ. <br /><br /> My newest release ‘Weekends’, is a story which takes place over several holiday weekends. What is your favorite holiday, and why? On each one of the blogs, one commenter will be chosen at random to win an ARC of ‘Weekends’. Please be certain to leave an email address so you can be contacted if you win. <br /><br /> <br /><b> The list of hop addresses where you can find me: </b><br />Monday, July 9th – Lily Sawyer – <a href="http://lilysawyerbooks.blogspot.com/">http://lilysawyerbooks.blogspot.com/</a> <br />Wed. July 11th – Cheri Noel - <a href="http://talesfromthewritingcave.blogspot.com/">http://talesfromthewritingcave.blogspot.com</a> <br />Thurs, July 12th – Cheyenne Meadows - <a href="http://cheyennemeadows.blogspot.com/">http://cheyennemeadows.blogspot.com/</a> <br />Friday, July 13th – AJ Jarrett - <a href="http://ajjarrett29.blogspot.com/">http://ajjarrett29.blogspot.com</a> <br />Sunday July 15th – RJ Scott - <a href="http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.uk/">http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.uk/</a> <br />Tues. July 17th – Angel Martinez - <a href="http://www.freewebs.com/angelwrites/apps/blog/">http://www.freewebs.com/angelwrites/apps/blog/</a> <br />Wed. July 18th – Freddy MacKay - <a href="http://freddymackay.blogspot.com/">http://freddymackay.blogspot.com</a> <br />Thurs. July 19th – Amara’s Place (Cheri Noel) - <a href="http://amaras-place.blogspot.com/">http://amaras-place.blogspot.com/</a> <br /><br /> *****<br /> <br /> <b>Coming, July 21st. </b><br /><a href="https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/products_id/877/">https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/coming-soon-c-2/products_id/877/</a><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Excerpt of 'Weekends'</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Marcus Hampton is a staid forty-year-old bookkeeper and a confirmed bachelor. When Demitri Costas, a young photographer, asks if he can take some pictures of Marcus, the older man is surprised but reluctantly agrees.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Demitri becomes infatuated with Marcus, despite the fact he believes the man is straight and married.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>Slowly they become friends until each realizes the other is gay, at which point Marcus begins to pull away, certain he is too old for Demitri.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i>It will take everything within Demitri's power to convince Marcus he's wrong. If he can, and he is determined he will, one way or another, they just might find a future together.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">*****</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>The Weekend Before Thanksgiving</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Marcus stretched, checking the time before getting back to what he was doing. His fingers flew across the keyboard, his eyes following the scrolling information on the screen in front of him. It was all rote. Add this, subtract that, make certain part one equaled part two when he'd finished. He was sometimes tempted to move some of it to his own account just to see if he'd get away with it, but he was too honest to even try.<br /><br /><i>Honest as the day is long, and today seems very long.</i><br /><br />He checked the time again.<i><br /></i><br /><i>Why the hell do I care? It's not like I've got anywhere to go other than home.</i><br /><br />Running a hand over his short, graying blond hair, he sighed.<br /><br />I'm a creature of habit and boring as hell, the stereotypical bookkeeper.<br /><br />An hour later he jumped when someone tapped his shoulder.<br /><br />"Hey, you planning on spending the weekend here?" one of his coworkers asked.<br /><br />"Not if I can help it," Marcus told him with a small smile. He closed out the spreadsheet he'd been working on, shut down the file, and logged off. Grabbing his coat from the hook on one wall of his cubicle, he made it to the elevator just in time for the doors to close in his face.<br /><br />He shook his head, pressed the 'down' button and waited, thinking, <i>The perfect end to a perfect day, week, month, lifetime,</i> then snorted softly. Not.<br /><br />* * * *<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br />Marcus arrived at his small house on the outskirts of the city to be greeted by a very petulant "Meow" from Daisy. She looked up at him and, her full fluffy tail standing straight up, stalked to the kitchen. When he joined her, she looked disdainfully at her empty food bowl then glared at him.<br /><br />"Okay, sorry," he told her. Opening the cupboard he took out a can of her favorite cat food, popped the top off and spooned it into her bowl.<br /><br />"Now for my supper," he muttered, checking the refrigerator to see what was available, if anything.<br /><br /><i>Leftover lasagna or second-day stew, decisions, decisions.</i><br /><br />The stew won out so he dumped it into a pan, set it on the stove to heat, and grabbed a beer before going to turn on the TV. The news was wrapping up, the weather report said it would be cold and snowy for the next few days, and his favorite team had just lost their best player to an injury.<br /><br />So much for making the end of my day any better than the rest of it.<br /><br />The smell of something burning had him rushing back to the kitchen. The stew was boiling over, the hot liquid hitting the burner. He rescued it, dumped the stew into a bowl and set the pan in the sink to soak with the hope he'd be able to scrape the burned residue off the bottom eventually.<br /><br />As he sat down to eat he felt something soft brush his leg and seconds later Daisy had jumped up onto the other chair. She watched him avidly; meowing piteously as if she hadn't just eaten a whole bowl of her own food.<br /><br />"I'm such a sucker for a pair of golden eyes," he grumbled, setting a small sliver of meat in front of her. She batted at it, sniffed it and then delicately ate it before looking at him beseechingly.<br /><br />The game continued through the rest of his meal. When the bowl was empty he got up to take it to the sink, at which point Daisy knew she'd had all she was going to get and jumped down, walking sedately into the living room.<br /><br />Marcus got there a few minutes later to find her curled up in her corner of the sofa grooming herself. He sat down at the other end, picked up the remote and flicked through the TV channels until he found something which might be worth watching.<br /><br />* * * *<br /><br />Halfway across the city Demitri Costas slammed his book shut, startling his roommate.<br /><br />"Problems?" Jack asked.<br /><br />"Yeah, no, I have no clue, which is actually the problem," Demitri replied. "I'm never going to understand this."<br /><br />"Then drop the class. You still can, you know."<br /><br />"And face the wrath of my father? Umm, no."<br /><br />"Damn it, Mitri, you're twenty-three. It's time you got out from under his thumb."<br /><br />"He's footing the bill."<br /><br />"Do you really want to be an engineer?"<br /><br />Demitri shot him a disgusted look. "What do you think?"<br /><br />"I know you don't, so drop the class. Hell, drop out of school completely. You're too talented to spend your life slaving away for him." Jack pointed to the photos which lined one wall of their living room. "Any one of those, sold to a gallery, could pay half the rent and then some and you know it."<br /><br />Demitri scrubbed a hand through his dark, curly hair. "You keep saying that but…" He shook his head.<br /><br />"But nothing. So help me if you don't do it, I will. Lacey knows several gallery owners, she can steer us to the right one."<br /><br />A glance at the book he'd been studying made Demitri wonder if Jack had a point. "All right, I guess I can at least try. Find out from her which one would be the best and I'll see what happens."<br /><br />Jack grinned. "They'll love them, you'll become rich and famous, and I'll be able to say 'I knew him when'."<br /><br />"That or 'Yeah, he's the fool who though he could make it' as you and your friends pass by me while I'm panhandling on a street corner," Demitri replied with a laugh.<br /><br />"Not going to happen, Mitri. So, when do you want to do this?"<br /><br />"As soon as possible before I lose my nerve."<br /><br />"I'll call her and we'll go tomorrow."<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">*****</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><b>Blog: </b><a href="http://edwardkendrick.blogspot.com/">http://edwardkendrick.blogspot.com/</a> <br /><a href="http://edwardkendrick.multiply.com/">http://edwardkendrick.multiply.com/</a> <br /><br /> <b>Facebook: </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/edward.kendrick.5">https://www.facebook.com/edward.kendrick.5</a> <br /><br /> <b>Google+ </b><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/115527711406227698357/about">https://plus.google.com/u/0/115527711406227698357/about</a> <br /><br /> <b>Email: </b><a href="mailto:edward.kendrick002@yahoo.com">edward.kendrick002@yahoo.com</a> <br /><br /> Again, thank you very much for having me here. – E.

Author Interview: Edward Kendrick

Thank you for allowing me to be here today, RJ. Shall we begin with your questions? I think—yes. –grinning- ***** What are the major themes ...

+ Read more »

Calling all GLBTQ authors, editors, publishers, artists...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dR-wHqF49lo/UAFUNJyvh7I/AAAAAAAACCg/zYsBK6ND4KQ/s1600/Oracle400x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dR-wHqF49lo/UAFUNJyvh7I/AAAAAAAACCg/zYsBK6ND4KQ/s320/Oracle400x600.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I've been a published author nearly two years now...back in August 2010 Silver Publishing published my first ever novel - Oracle.<br /><br /><b>As a way of celebrating what has been an amazing two years I will be having a two day weekend celebration of what it is like to become an author.</b><br /><br />I would like a blog hop from fellow GLBTQ authors, artists, reviewers, and publishers, about what being an author involves. From subbing that first manuscript to holding a paperback in your hand what are the ups and downs, the choices that need to be made, and the things every author needs to know. Were you excited? Terrified? Did you make the right choices? Would you do anything over again?<br /><br />Are you an author who would like to share your journey and give some advice to a newbie? Are you an editor who wants to share tips? Are you a publisher looking for new authors in specific genres? If you are interested in joining in this weekend of posts and help then please leave a name and email below.<br /><br />There will be a new Facebook page to collect together links to the posts and I am hoping it will be the start of a very useful resource for old and new authors alike.<br /><br />Signing this does NOT mean you have to take part - it simply gives me a place to start. I will be contacting you in a week with more details and some simple questions.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="570" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dFhEV1kyWDNkTnJYZU9ta0d0aE9IVEE6MQ" width="700">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe>

Calling all GLBTQ authors, editors, publishers, artists...

I've been a published author nearly two years now...back in August 2010 Silver Publishing published my first ever novel - Oracle. As a w...

+ Read more »

Jessewave Reviews

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/2012/07/03/still-waters/">Still Waters</a> 4.5/5 - Along with a taut, action-packed mystery that continues to provide just enough twists and turns to keep the reader wanting to know more, Still Waters, is also a novel about healing, restoration of trust, and the strength of forgiveness. This was, in the end, a beautiful love story. <br /><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/2012/07/03/still-waters/" target="_blank">Read the rest of the review here »</a>

Jessewave Reviews

Still Waters 4.5/5 - Along with a taut, action-packed mystery that continues to provide just enough twists and turns to keep the reader wan...

+ Read more »

Texas Heat (Texas #3)

<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYvE3lK5LYzvrh4d_nPfCMoPpr_ytcvzBRPbsBt3Mjn1lxd7GuC2ENQhctjlguTZp3bRhrsgQToAvkk4gIDliXsdCBIvo31u4LMnlop62GTCPmtSRLnusGPNOsG0bYp_2UsqEtrsxCac/s1600/Texas+Heat+400x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYvE3lK5LYzvrh4d_nPfCMoPpr_ytcvzBRPbsBt3Mjn1lxd7GuC2ENQhctjlguTZp3bRhrsgQToAvkk4gIDliXsdCBIvo31u4LMnlop62GTCPmtSRLnusGPNOsG0bYp_2UsqEtrsxCac/s640/Texas+Heat+400x600.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Texas Series</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></b><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b>Book 1 - <a href="http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/heart-of-texas.html">The Heart of Texas</a><br />Book 2 - <a href="http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/texas-winter-sequel-to-heart-of-texas.html">Texas Winter</a><br />Book 3 - Texas Heat<br />Book 4 - Texas Family (Coming Soon)<br /><b></b><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Book</b></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Riley and Jack Campbell-Hayes are in a good place. Jack is expanding the DD and training quarter horses, Riley is so close to his first ethical based contract that he can almost taste it and Hayley is nearly ten and happy as all out.</div></div><br />Jack hires Robbie, a man recovering from a great loss, to be his right hand man. Meanwhile Riley's flamboyant mischievous photographer friend, Eli, decides the DD is the perfect backdrop for a cowboy themed model shoot. Eli has secrets not even Riley knows about but despite what he is hiding he falls in lust with Robbie at first sight. Everyone except Robbie can see how perfect Eli would be for him. <br /><br />What happens when secrets spill and lies are discovered? And just how far will Riley and Jack go to play matchmaker?<br /><br />Against the backdrop of twenty half naked models on DD land, and in the midst of fighting the oil establishment that just won't give Riley a chance, Texas Heat is the story of one hot summer in Texas with a Gay Rodeo, a bar fight at the Rusty Nail, humor, angst and a love between two men that just grows stronger every day.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Buy Links - eBook</b></span><br /><b></b><br /><a href="https://www.lovelanebooks.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=18&products_id=33" target="_blank">Love Lane Books</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8MVFC4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00D8MVFC4&linkCode=as2&tag=rjsc-20" target="_blank">Amazon (US)</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D8MVFC4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00D8MVFC4&linkCode=as2&tag=rjsc-21" target="_blank">Amazon (UK)</a> | <a href="https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-texasheat-1217017-149.html" target="_blank">All Romance</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/texas-heat-rj-scott/1112750681?ean=2940044573079" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Books/texas-heat-texas-3" target="_blank">Kobo</a> | <a href="https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/rj-scott/texas-heat-texas-3/_/R-400000000000001063708" target="_blank">Sony</a> | <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/306573" target="_blank">Smashwords</a><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Buy Links - Print Book</span></b><br /><b></b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1484096800/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1484096800&linkCode=as2&tag=rjsc-20" target="_blank">Amazon (US)</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Texas-Heat-3-RJ-Scott/dp/1484096800/ref=sr_1_2_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1379431852&sr=8-2&keywords=texas+heat+rj" target="_blank">Amazon (UK)</a><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Reviews</span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjZa9LPXz66epc8euploHLvtODn2BV5NmCkaknxmmiLVK665r0LQOn2b_QDdrfQRwFQTuycI0xZvBnMCeFUUtXs3hUkXjZIUPjYiUfIrkzg0uVKmjtcVieFUqIrRTGRQ_f1QfZlUGYos/s1600/reviewertoppick2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjZa9LPXz66epc8euploHLvtODn2BV5NmCkaknxmmiLVK665r0LQOn2b_QDdrfQRwFQTuycI0xZvBnMCeFUUtXs3hUkXjZIUPjYiUfIrkzg0uVKmjtcVieFUqIrRTGRQ_f1QfZlUGYos/s1600/reviewertoppick2.png" /></a></div><a href="http://www.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Reviews/Lilyraines-reviews-Texas-Heat-by-RJ-Scott"><b>Night Owl Reviews - Reviewer Top Pick</b></a> - Riley is working on a deal to get his business off the ground with a good contract, even though there is some back-handed opposition. Jack is expanding the Double D with horses that he will train for others and Hayley is almost ten and blossoming. New developments (in more ways than one) come in the form of Robbie - a new hire on the Double D - and Eli, a friend of Riley's from university who wants to do a photo shoot featuring twenty male models. In between all of that, Jack winds up as a judge at a gay rodeo, Riley winds up in a bar fight at the Rusty Nail and their relationship grows more solid as it progresses.<br /><br /><a href="http://joyfullyjay.com/2012/10/review-texas-heat-by-r-j-scott.html"><b>Joyfully Jay - 4.75/5</b></a> - What I continue to appreciate with Scott’s writing, no matter the series, is that even as our emotions are engaged with two couples at differing stages of their relationships, other events are swirling around the outskirts just waiting to come forward with a jump and a bang. Scott keeps juggling a number of plots in her story but never lets one drop. There are so many layers to appreciate and think about that when the end of the book comes the author has a structure in place for the next in the series without losing reader satisfaction with the current story.<br /><br /><a href="http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=11010" target="_blank"><b>Hearts on Fire Reviews</b></a> - <b>4/5</b> - "....Like the first two books, this one is filled with a myriad of emotions that just left me wanting to read the next book in the series.  Did you hear that Ms Scott?  This was an emotionally driven story that flowed very well even with all that was packed into it and ended with Scott’s trademark HEA.  I recommend this instalment to everyone who has been following the series and to those of you who haven’t gotten wrapped up in the saga it’s time you picked up The Heart of Texas and got into it...."<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH24m_q4w21VTJ8uS62IpkitcCGxyq-H5u22cUxWBd5ib0TDwU1o9zlpDcJZSeabgN9CVODlsq0ySZKq3MfE6FeRdFxiXLWA9aIzD_yscywpmQwUsX_fvyhjm2TRqyQ0A_hqjda7WiMsE/s1600/Texas+Heat+Print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH24m_q4w21VTJ8uS62IpkitcCGxyq-H5u22cUxWBd5ib0TDwU1o9zlpDcJZSeabgN9CVODlsq0ySZKq3MfE6FeRdFxiXLWA9aIzD_yscywpmQwUsX_fvyhjm2TRqyQ0A_hqjda7WiMsE/s320/Texas+Heat+Print.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><b><a href="http://gaylesbooknook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/texas-heat-by-rj-scott.html" target="_blank">Gayle's Book Nook</a></b> - <b>4/5</b> - "....I thoroughly enjoyed this new look into Riley and Jack's life. It makes sense and flows well. The guys have had rocky moments in the past but their relationship is now solid and growing stronger, and it's nice seeing how the author further developed their personal and family life. There are also good descriptions, lots of well placed returning secondary characters and some interesting twists and turns...."<br /><br /><b><a href="http://ohmygigi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/texas-heat-texas-3-by-rj-scott.html?zx=5875f19eaa5049ef" target="_blank">Oh My Gigi!</a></b> - <b>5/5</b> - "....Is it bad that I loved this book more for the fact that it's mostly about Riley & Jack with a side couple thrown in? I had put off reading it thinking we'd only get a little bit of the hottest couple ever so I was really happy to be wrong. Jack & Riley have to be one of my absolute top favorite couples, their story is fascinating, incredibly well written, on top of being Hot as Hell...."<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Excerpt</b></span></div><br /><b>Chapter 1 </b><br /><b><br /></b>"Riley, can you please try to find Jack?" Donna asked. Unspoken in her words was the plea that Riley keep Jack's temper reined in. No one had to be a rocket scientist to know Jack Campbell-Hayes was not taking this whole wedding as well as he was making out. Up until yesterday Jack had been this growly guy who accepted the wedding was happening with as much grace as he could. Then yesterday happened. <br /><br />What exactly had gone down, no one was sure. Not even Riley could fully understand what was going on in Jack's head. Yesterday he had clammed up and refused to talk at all. Riley knew Jack was happy for his mom; he just couldn't get past the age difference and the money. Donna knew this. Hell, poor Neil Kendrick, Donna's husband-to-be, knew it. <br /><br />"He was here a minute ago." Riley peered around the kitchen door to the organized chaos beyond the window in the front of the Double D. Looking for the familiar figure of his husband proved fruitless. There was no sign of Jack. <br /><br />"Where's Neil?" Riley asked. <br /><br />Donna shook her head and Riley wished he had never asked. Whatever was happening between Jack and Neil was something Donna didn't need spilling over onto her wedding day. Donna laid a gentle hand on Riley's arm and instinctively he pulled her closer for a hug. She smelled of sunshine and home, and peace flooded him at the scent. Dressed in a robe, she wasn't in her wedding finery or whatever she was wearing today, but her hair was twisted up into a knot at the top of her head. When he stepped back he didn't think he had seen anyone more beautiful than the woman who had gifted the world with Jack Campbell. <br /><br />His job on this cool Valentine's Day was to keep the peace. Although Jack and Neil had made some kind of unspoken promise to not fight it didn't mean that Riley's hot-tempered husband wasn't off somewhere releasing tension on some poor unsuspecting caterer. <br /><br />"I'll find him," he promised. <br /><br />"Everything okay here?" <br /><br />Both he and Donna turned to face a concerned Beth. Emily, her daughter, was gripping her hand tightly. Walking now and with as much sass as her Uncle Jack, Emily was a breath of fresh air in the room. Donna immediately scooped her granddaughter up in her arms and squeezed her until she giggled uncontrollably. <br /><br />"Gramma, you coming?" <br /><br />Riley turned at Hayley's words. His daughter's voice was so familiar and gentle and he couldn't stop the surge of love for the nine-year-old that had put herself in charge of getting Gramma ready for her wedding. <br /><br />"Hey, pumpkin," Riley said. <br /><br />"Daddy, you shouldn't be in here," she said. <br /><br />Riley raised his hands in defense. "I'm going, I'm going." <br /><br />Somehow Hayley had Beth, and Emily had Donna moving away and out of the kitchen into the good room. The front room was where Donna's bridal party were readying themselves. <br /><br />Sighing, Riley left the kitchen and moved outside, down the steps to the front of the house. He cast a thorough glance around the area but couldn't see the strong figure of his husband anywhere. He could, however, see Neil who was standing to one side with a group of guys. The man looked to be unhurt and upright so Riley surmised Jack hadn't been in that direction. Exchanging waves with Josh, who was across the yard, pacing and looking down at cards in his hand, Riley weaved through caterers and visitors until he reached his brother-in-law's side. <br /><br />"Have you seen Jack?" he asked. <br /><br />Josh's eyes widened at the question and he looked behind him to where Neil was standing. He visibly relaxed that the bridegroom was still there and wasn't face-planted in the dirt at Jack's hand. Jack and Neil's uneasy truce had been tested more and more the closer the wedding came. <br /><br />"He said something a while ago about the caterers and their vans blocking the horses." <br /><br />"Are they?" <br /><br />"Are they what?" Josh was distracted. Being the man who was giving his mom away was not coming easily to him and he was way past nervous. <br /><br />"Blocking in the horses?" <br /><br />"No." Josh frowned. "They're over on the other side by the new barn." <br /><br />Riley turned on his heel and headed to the only other place that he thought his husband could be. Crossing to the old barn, their barn, he was relieved to see the still figure of Jack leaning on an old stable wall with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. <br /><br />"Jack?" Riley cleared the short distance between them until he was toe-to-toe with Jack. His husband was dressed and ready for the wedding and he looked so damn gorgeous. He was lucky Riley was on a mission or he would be out of those clothes in an instant. <br /><br />A soft gray suit fit Jack snuggly and the jacket hung perfectly on Jack's broad shoulders. A Western-style belt buckle was the only concession to cowboy that Riley could see, and tucking a finger behind the belt, he leaned into the man who owned him from his heart outward. Jack had shaved but it was a matter of a few hours before stubble defined his jaw and heat caused his unruly dark hair to fall in disarray around his head. Riley loved that hair and the stubble; the burn of it against his skin when they made love was exquisite. Questioning blue eyes, the color of a cloudless Texas sky, looked up at him and Riley smiled in reassurance. <br /><br />"Why are you hiding?" Riley asked. <br /><br />Jack pulled Riley the final inch until he was supporting his husband's weight. He was wearing aftershave and Riley could see a tiny nick in his tanned skin on his defined cheekbone. Carefully he placed a gentle kiss on the mark. <br /><br />"'M not hiding," Jack drawled. <br /><br />"You are hiding," Riley said. He knew his other half too well. <br /><br />Jack shrugged but said nothing. That was not a good sign. Jack clamming up and not talking was a recipe for disaster. <br /><br />"Jack? Talk to me?" Riley used his free hand to cup Jack's cheek and pressed firmly when Jack turned his head slightly into the touch. There was something in his cornflower eyes—uncertainty maybe? <br /><br />"Neil came to see me yesterday with a prenup he wanted me to take a look at." <br /><br />Riley wasn't surprised. Jack was not only worried about the age gap between his mom and the younger veterinarian but also about any and all money and property in his mom's name that the guy would have access to as her new husband. Riley, on the other hand, thought Neil was a good guy; he loved Donna to distraction, despite the twenty-year difference. <br /><br />Riley cursed that, with Jack increasing the horse training side of the D and with him so involved in the latest Hayes Oil project, they had lost track of each other over the last few days. Damn it. If he had been here when Neil visited to speak to Jack then maybe he could have smoothed things over. <br /><br />"A prenup is a good thing. Right?" Riley leaned in a little more and it felt right when Jack circled his waist with his arms, both of his large capable hands resting on his lower back. He could feel the flex of his lover's muscles in his broad chest and it didn't matter that a hundred people were only thirty feet away around the side of the barn; he really wanted Jack. <br /><br />"No," Jack responded simply. "He talked to me and he was defensive and I tried to tell him that I trusted my mom and her choices but he didn't listen. Just kept asking me to read the prenup and telling me I should get my lawyers to look at it to make sure." <br /><br />"He's gonna be defensive, Jack. He knows how you feel about him." <br /><br />"Well, what if I didn't?" <br /><br />"Didn't?" Riley wasn't following this change in direction. <br /><br />"What if I felt that he was good for Mom and that I even liked the guy a bit." <br /><br />Riley watched as Jack worried at his lower lip with his teeth. This wasn't Jack. Jack knew his place in the world and was certain of his feelings. He didn't wander from one point of view to another; he was black and white. <br /><br />"What did the prenup say?" Riley decided this was a better thing to focus on. <br /><br />"That he'd have me, Beth, or Josh sign off on anything financial with Mom, that at any time any one of us could call in an independent audit on her money." Jack stopped talking and leaned his head forward to rest his forehead on Riley's chest. <br /><br />"That's a bad thing?" <br /><br />"Yes." Jack's voice was muffled. "All I want for my mom is a strong man who will look after her and make her happy. If he signs that prenup then all that is left is half a man with no control over his life and sons-in-law who don't trust him. It just looks like we don't trust Mom to know her own mind and hell"—he lifted his head and his eyes were full of fire—"do you know of any woman anywhere who is stronger than Donna Campbell?" <br /><br />Riley shook his head. "So what happened then?" <br /><br />"He gave this speech about how he just wanted Mom to be happy and left me the papers. He's signed them; all I need to do is sign them, get Beth and Josh to do so, and then we can get the whole lot notarized. He assumed that is what I was doing and then he shook my hand and said he was proud to be a part of our family." <br /><br />"Did you get it notarized?" <br /><br />"No. I didn't show Josh or Beth and I didn't even sign the fucking thing. How can I do that and then look Mom in the face?" <br /><br />"So, wait, you haven't signed, you think Neil is good for your mom, and you trust him." <br /><br />With a groan Jack rested his forehead back on Riley's chest again. There was a muttered "fuck" and Riley thought on what he had to say here. Damn his obstinate husband. <br /><br />"Okay, cowboy. Where is the paperwork?" <br /><br />"Inthetruck." Jack ran his words together. <br /><br />"Get the paperwork then decide. Sign and it's done or don't sign and tell Neil what you really think." Riley checked his watch. "There's thirty minutes until the ceremony starts, plenty of time to get your head out of your ass and do something to make this right." <br /><br />Jack groaned again and Riley smiled. His cowboy may be a stubborn fucker but Jack knew what he had to do. He lifted his face again, but this time worry had been replaced by something else—something punctuated by the press of a hard and very interested dick against Riley's thigh. Jack quirked his eyebrows. <br /><br />"Have we got time for—" <br /><br />"No," Riley replied adamantly. As much as he wanted Jack out of the suit and bent over the nearest rail, they had things to do that were more important. <br /><br />"Not even a—" <br /><br />"No." <br /><br />"You're a fucking bastard, Riley Campbell-Hayes," Jack said with no heat. <br /><br />"It's why you love me." Riley smirked. "You have half an hour." <br /><br /><br /><br />* * * * <br /><br /><br /><br />Jack hated it when Riley was right. Inevitably Riley was always freaking right when Jack came out of his stubborn focused stage. The fucker. <br /><br />He readjusted himself and saw the lick of heat in Riley's eyes. If only they had longer then falling to his knees and wringing a noisy, messy orgasm from his suit-wearing husband would have been right at the top of his list. <br /><br />He chuckled and pulled Riley close for a kiss, a touch filled with the promise of later. Finally separating, Jack left to get the papers from the truck and with them safely in his hand he returned to the throng to find his soon-to-be whatever. Certainly not step-daddy, but something a little more official than the guy who was keeping his momma's bed warm at night. <br /><br />He saw Neil's eyes widen when he approached and guilt twisted in his gut. The man had a couple of other guys with him, two in suits and one dressed in Sunday-best Cowboy. Nice-looking guy, built like a brick outhouse, with short blond hair and dark blue eyes. This guy took a careful step forward to put himself closer to Jack. He wasn't actually between Jack and Neil but it was enough of a stance to be meaningful. They stood toe-to-toe for a few seconds and it was humiliating to think that this cowboy was feeling the need to protect Neil from him. <br /><br />"Is everything okay?" Neil finally asked. <br /><br />"Can we talk?" Jack asked formally. The other two men in suits moved away, leaving Neil and the cowboy in front of him. <br /><br />Neil shook his head. "Please don't. Not now. Can it wait until after?" he asked simply. <br /><br />The cowboy frowned at Neil's words. Hell, who wouldn't. Neil sounded resigned and just a little pissed. If this cowboy was a good friend then he probably knew everything. Jack wasn't going to let this lie. <br /><br />"I wanted to apologize for my behavior," Jack said firmly. He knew it was his imagination but he felt as if every eye of the waiting wedding party was on him. What the hell? He had told Neil what he thought of him in public before, it was only right to be telling the man now how Jack had changed his mind. "And I have a wedding gift for you." <br /><br />He thrust the paperwork of the prenup at Neil, and the man looked down at it with resignation on his face. <br /><br />"Thank you," he said carefully. He didn't immediately take the papers. Jack shook them a little to encourage Neil to take them and at first he didn't get why the guy wasn't snatching them out of his hands. Then realization hit him. Neil probably thought it was the signed and notarized paperwork. Fuck. When am I going to do things right? <br /><br />"I didn't—" he started. Then he thought maybe actions spoke louder than words. Taking the thick sheaf of papers, he ripped them cleanly down the middle and then ripped each half again. Finally, grasping the pieces in one hand, he held them back out to Neil who accepted them in his left hand. The man was obviously shocked, judging from his facial expression. Although he was quiet, his expressive eyes spoke volumes. <br /><br />"Thank you, Jack," Neil said. His voice was gentle and then he held out his right hand. Jack hesitated briefly in accepting the handshake. Didn't seem right welcoming the man into his family with a freaking handshake. With a single step forward he pulled the other man into a close hug that Neil returned immediately. <br /><br />"Welcome to the family, Neil," Jack said. He stepped back and inclined his head to the cowboy at Neil's side and then with what he was sure was every eye on him, he left to find somewhere to hide again until the wedding began. <br /><br /><br /><br />* * * * <br /><br /><br /><br />The ceremony was beautiful. Donna looked radiant in a lacy summer dress in a pale shade of blue and Neil was smiling so hard that Jack thought the guy could do permanent damage to his face. <br /><br />Hayley and little Emily were flower girls and Josh's daughter Lea made it three. Lea's older brother Logan was thirteen now and wasn't that keen on being labeled as anything except 'cool dude in a suit' but he did hold Emily's hand the entire service. <br /><br />Jack couldn't take his eyes off of Hayley. She was taller now, coming up on ten in September; she was the spitting image of her dad with the same blond hair and hazel eyes. He couldn't be prouder of Riley's daughter. She was his as well and she loved her Pappa as much as she loved Riley. <br /><br />The backdrop to this wedding was home. The beautiful ranch in the setting sun with the vista of their land spreading before him was where his heart felt most at peace. Feet planted firmly on Texan soil with his family around him, Jack was at rest. <br /><br />Riley slipped a hand into his. "This reminds me of when we renewed our vows," he murmured. <br /><br />"I love you, het-boy," Jack replied softly so no one could hear. <br /><br />"I love you too, cowboy." <br /><br />Jack was only one step away from letting an emotional sigh leave him. This land, these people, they were his and he was theirs. That was the way he was and the way he always would be. <br /><br /><b>Chapter 2 </b><br /><b><br /></b><b><br /></b>Robbie Curtis wandered away from the main gathering. Neil Kendrick, his best friend since grade school was now married to a woman whom he loved more than life itself and to Robbie that was a fine thing to have. Neil had made a good choice in Donna and forever-loyal-to-his-friend Robbie could have told the 'big and hulking guy' that Donna had made a good choice in the ever-loyal Neil. Apparently 'big and hulking' had a name. Jack Campbell-Hayes. Married to some guy called Riley. Married. Two dudes. <br /><br />Hard enough to take a step out of the closet in his line of work, let alone enter into a gay marriage. The guys who had beaten up his ex, well, they'd be on him quicker than flies on shit. <br /><br />He'd wandered past the general groups of well-wishers, inclining his head whenever he was spoken to, and eventually managed to escape the celebrations and make his way to the barns at the rear of the house. No one stopped him and anyway, he was much happier with horses than he was around people. He was curious; apparently this spread dealt with breeding and Neil spoke about how there was expansion into training good solid quarter horses. <br /><br />Leaning against the closest stall he was face-to-face with a beautiful bay. He crooned low and extended a hand to her in greeting and she snuffled his open hand before shaking her head and taking a step back. Robbie laughed, she was definitely flirting with him as she nudged up against him. <br /><br />"Hello, beautiful," he whispered. Her ears flattened and then perked up. "Why aren't you out on all this gorgeous space?" Unconcerned by what he was saying and instead intent on nuzzling him, he laughed at the horse's unashamed request for fuss. He'd only left Australia a week before, had only said goodbye to all he knew and loved there a simple seven days earlier. But the scent here, the horses and the hay, made him long for the place he used to call home. Neil was going to hook him up with some part-time work. Hell, his friend had said that at the end of the day he could learn to assist Neil. Robbie didn't do well with charity, even that offered by his oldest friend—the man he called his brother. He guessed though he didn't really have a lot of options and was glad to have at least one friend back here in the States. <br /><br />He glanced up the row of stables and counted a minimum of six spaces. The stables were clean and well cared for. In fact, the fencing, the stables, and everything to do with the ranch operation was a lot cleaner and sturdier than the ranch house itself, which was looking a little tired—not to mention the potholed road leading to the house. So many things here reminded Robbie of home. When a ranch put everything they had into the welfare of the horses and the livestock then you knew it was a good place to stand. <br /><br />"Solo-Alexandra." The voice from behind startled him. Robbie cursed himself for his inattention. It was things like this that got a man in trouble. He slowly turned to face the man whose voice he recognized. Hmmm. Big and hulking, aka Jack Campbell-Hayes, one of the married guys. <br /><br />"Sorry?" <br /><br />"Alex for short. Her momma is this beauty, Solo-Cal." Jack was indicating a gorgeous sorrel mare pushing at his arm for attention. <br /><br />"Beautiful horses." Robbie wasn't sure what else to say. Neil had tried his hardest with Jack, but Robbie had seen one too many drunken emails from his friend demanding to know why Jack hated him. Well, for Robbie, someone hurting his friend riled him. <br /><br />"Almost lost them both a while back in a fire," Jack continued. <br /><br />"Neil told me." No point in letting Jack think that Neil hadn't told him every damn thing concerning the Double D. <br /><br />"I'm not placing your accent." Jack was frowning. He was a good-looking guy, and a frown darkening his blue eyes wasn't a good look. He was everything Robbie avoided. First he was a cowboy, a stubborn one at that, and second he was a strong guy and could probably drop Robbie to the ground in a heartbeat. After everything that had gone down back home Robbie had learned his lesson. No cowboys. No big cowboys. <br /><br />"Wyoming born and bred, Australia for the past ten years," he finally answered reluctantly. Social skills escaped him. <br /><br />"Australia?" <br /><br />"As a buckaroo, a cowboy, working with quarter horses on a spread in the Northern Territories, some three thousand acres." <br /><br />"The D is eight hundred acres," Jack mused. "Australia, eh? That explains the accent, I guess." Jack lifted a booted foot and rested it on a wooden crossbar below Alex's stall door. "Definitely a tinge of something other than American in there." <br /><br />For a few minutes the two men looked in on the horses in a near companionable silence. Robbie wasn't entirely sure what to say. He had a lot of questions inside him. Neil had said Jack was expanding the training side of the ranch. Did that mean he was training horses for rodeo and show or for working on ranches? Robbie had a list of questions in his head and he was concentrating on how to word them when they were interrupted. <br /><br />"Hey, gorgeous." Jack turned with a grin and Robbie watched as way-tall-dude, the other half of the Campbell-Hayes couple, near pounced on Jack. Clearly Robbie hadn't been spotted if the way Riley was grinding up against Jack was any indication. "Knew you'd be hidin' out here." <br /><br />Was it Robbie's imagination or was Riley's voice a little slurred? <br /><br />"How much champagne did you swallow?" Jack asked with a grin. <br /><br />"Enough to fuck you here and now in front of everyone," Riley answered. His tone was deadly serious. <br /><br />"We have company," Jack explained. Riley didn't stop with the hugging and pulling but he did at least look over his shoulder at Robbie. His eyes widened and then he extricated himself from Jack with a rearrangement of his groin area. Robbie pretended not to notice. Riley was gorgeous up close. He'd seen photos, he had Internet, and he had followed the whole soap opera that was their lives from murder to barns being burned to marriages to hostage situations. Where Jack was all holy-hot-as-hell cowboy, Riley was wearing that suit like he'd been born into it. He was leaning into Jack and Jack wasn't moving away or keeping any distance between them. If anything, Jack had an arm around his husband and was pulling him closer. Riley certainly seemed to sober quickly and Robbie wondered how much was alcohol and how much was playing. <br /><br />"Don't mind me," Robbie said quickly. Silence. Fuck. What the hell had he just said? He was trying to be clever and funny and instead had come over as some kind of voyeuristic pervert. He waited for either man to say something, anything. In fact, he tensed in expectation of being beaten to the ground. Every muscle tightened in anticipation of the need to defend himself. <br /><br />Jack simply looked up at Riley, who was smiling broadly. <br /><br />"Nah," he said. "Let me take this big lug indoors. Nice to meet you, Robbie." Jack extended his right hand and Robbie rubbed his own on his best jeans before shaking Jack's hand. When Riley did the same Robbie shook and then took a step backward. He left the barn, walked around the corner, and leaned back against the wall. He wasn't far enough away not to be able to hear Jack and Riley talking but he couldn't make out whole words. Sighing, he turned to go find Neil and make his excuses. When he passed the open barn door he couldn't have stopped himself from looking in if he'd tried. <br /><br />Riley and Jack were locked so closely in an embrace you couldn't see light between them. Riley had his head tilted back and Jack was tracing a path of kisses from jaw to throat. When Riley let out a groan of need and pushed Jack away from him and back against the barn wall it was possibly the most erotic thing Robbie had ever seen. Flushed and harder than he had been in days he left the area as quickly as he could. Shame at his reaction conflicted with the lust inside him. <br /><br />He had never missed Paul more than he did today. <br /><br /><br /><br />* * * * <br /><br /><br /><br />Riley's gift to Donna and Neil was a week on the same island that he and Jack had been on when they first heard that Riley was a dad. When he initially broached the subject with Jack he had expected some kind of resistance, but Jack smiled and said that the whole idea was a good one. Not one word about the amount of money Riley was using on the gift. <br /><br />The guests were grouped around the limo that Josh had been responsible for organizing. It had been decorated with ribbons and balloons. Riley didn't envy Donna and Neil the trip to the airstrip, where the Hayes jet sat ready and waiting, with that much crap advertising their just-wed status. <br /><br />Everyone was waving as the car pulled away and no one moved until the vehicle was nothing but a trail of dust in the air to mark its passing. <br /><br />"That was a lovely wedding." Eden sighed. Riley pulled her closer for a hug. Her boyfriend, Sean, was a long-term partner but he had yet to pop any kind of question of marriage. As a journalist he was very seldom in Texas and their time apart was more and more frequent. He hadn't made it to the wedding today or indeed stepped foot anywhere near Eden for a month. Riley liked the guy. Well, he liked him as much as any big brother liked a sister's lover. But he couldn't be the only one who was wondering why he was away so much and why it was taking this long to settle down and propose to Eden. Maybe he had gotten cold feet? Maybe he had someone else? Riley didn't vocalize his fears. <br /><br />She turned in his arms and hugged him close. <br /><br />"Hey, are you okay?" Riley asked. <br /><br />"I'm fine. Can't a sister grab some brother time now and then?" <br /><br />Riley laughed and hugged her even tighter. He was a good foot taller than her and she was soon in a position of finding it hard to breathe. He released her when she punched him in the thigh with her free hand and in a flash brother/sister was normal and on an even keel. <br /><br />"Are you staying?" Riley asked. <br /><br />"I'm going with Mom and Jim but I'll be back tomorrow to help clean up." <br /><br />Riley glanced at his watch. The midnight hour was close and he stifled a yawn. <br /><br />"We have a crew doing that, but I know Hayley would love for you to come over." <br /><br />Jack stepped into their small circle and prized Eden away from Riley. <br /><br />"My turn, brother-in-law privilege," he insisted. <br /><br />Laughing, she cuddled in close. <br /><br />"Are you staying?" Jack repeated Riley's question. <br /><br />"She's going back with Mom and Dad," Riley answered for her. <br /><br />Jack raised his eyebrows over Eden's head. Riley knew exactly what his husband was thinking. With the Hayes side of the family gone and with the Campbells just down to Hayley and the two of them, it meant that for the first time in many weeks they had the ranch nearly to themselves. <br /><br />"Do you think Hayley would like a sleepover with her aunty?" Eden asked. Her voice was muffled against Jack's chest and she pushed away. "I don't want today to end and we could go shopping tomorrow." She brightened at the thought. <br /><br />Riley tried to be the responsible parent. The last he had seen of Hayley she had been running circles around her cousin Logan, who watched her with that tolerant patience only a family member could find. For some reason she had latched on to Josh's eldest boy and it was a hundred kinds of cute to see Jack's nephew so happy to be with Hayley. <br /><br />"I'll go find and ask her." Eden said this without waiting for an answer and quickly walked away to find her niece. <br /><br />In small groups the guests left, then Eden with a hyper Hayley, followed by the caterers, and finally the group of cleaners that had left the ranch looking nearly as normal as it could be after hosting an event like a wedding. <br /><br />Paparazzi had stayed away from the event, at least off of Double D property, and no helicopters had been seen, although Riley did wonder what kind of journalistic crowd people leaving had to get through to get off of the D. When finally it was just the two of them Riley felt relieved and expectant. A whole night with the buzz of champagne in his blood and his sexy husband within reach was surely a recipe for only one thing. <br /><br />In unison they turned to each other. <br /><br />"I'll check the horses—" <br /><br />"I'll be in the barn—" <br /><br />Jack gripped Riley's jacket and reeled him in for a hard kiss. <br /><br />"Gimme ten," Jack groaned. <br /><br />"Make it five, cowboy."<br /><div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></div>

Texas Heat (Texas #3)

Texas Series Book 1 - The Heart of Texas Book 2 - Texas Winter Book 3 - Texas Heat Book 4 - Texas Family (Coming Soon) The Book Riley and Ja...

+ Read more »