Long and Short Reviews welcomes June Faver who is celebrating the upcoming release of her newest book Forever My Cowboy, the second book in the Garrett Family Saga. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the page for a chance to win book one in the saga The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever.

The Garrett family have been ranchers for generations—they love the land, and the joy of family and children.

Cade Garrett’s orderly life is upended when his sister and her husband are killed in a plane crash. He’s ready to step in and take care of their two young children, but he’s thrown for a loop when the children’s aunt is named their guardian and plans to take the children with her to Dallas.

Unexpected sparks fly when he meets Jennifer LaChance. Can Cade and Jenn band together for the good of the children—or that create all kinds of opportunities for friction?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Tyler Garrett climbed out of his big double dually truck and rounded the cab to open the door for his lovely wife. He took the containers out of her hands and helped her slip down to the ground.

“Is he expecting us?” she asked.

Ty shook his head. “You know Cade doesn’t stand on ceremony. Cade is all about family.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Poor man,” she said. “I haven’t really accepted the fact that Sara is gone. I can’t imagine how he feels.”

Ty gestured toward the house. “Sara was a little brat when we were young, always tagging along…but she was sweet. Turned out to be really smart in school. When she and Jason LaChance got married, it was what everyone expected. She fell in love with the flyboy as soon as she set eyes on him.” He shook his head. “Great couple. I guess I never thought anything could happen to them. I haven’t really kept up with them lately, but they always looked so happy together when I saw them in church.”

Leah made a scoffing noise. “You’ve been so wrapped up in your music, it’s a wonder you keep up with anything.”

He leaned against the doorbell. “I just try to keep up with you.”

The door opened and Cade Garrett stood inside, appearing to be exhausted. He had always been a big, good-looking man, but sorrow was etched deeply on his face. Without speaking, he stepped back and gestured them inside.

“It’s just me and Leah,” Ty said, ushering her inside.

She took in Cade’s appearance, obviously sympathetic. “Um, we brought you a little something.”

“Hey, Leah. That’s very kind.” He shook his head. “I’m just overwhelmed at the moment.”

“We’re all just devastated about Sara and Jason.” Ty reached out to Cade, wrapping his arms around him and holding him for a long moment. He felt a tremor ripple through Cade’s body.
Cade drew back, his eyes lowered and lips pressed together. “Thanks, Ty. Let’s go back to the kitchen.” He led the way but turned and put his finger to his mouth. “The kids are here.”

Ty and Leah followed Cade as quietly as possible. Ty set the container on top of the counter and Leah placed a paper bag next to it.

The kitchen occupied one end of a sizable combination family room and casual dining area. A large television was mounted above the fireplace mantel, and a big yellow SpongeBob image cavorted across the screen. On Cade’s sofa, a tiny, diapered girl slept on her stomach, drooling. Fortunately, there was a small blanket under her.

Leah smiled. “Aw, Lissy’s so pretty.”

Leo had wedged himself under the coffee table, lying on his side with his knees folded up. He gazed at them with large blue eyes…as sad as Cade’s own.

“That’s where Leo has holed up,” Cade said. “He’s pretty confused right now.” He shrugged his wide shoulders. “I guess I am too.”

Ty felt his cousin’s aching grief. “Dad wanted us to tell you, he’s got your back. Anything you need.” He spread his hands. “He figured you didn’t need the entire Garrett clan to cluster around you right now, but we’re all here for you.”

“Thanks, Ty. Did you draw the short straw?” A wry smile lifted one corner of his mouth.

Ty grinned in return. “No, asshole. I got to come because you and I were in the same grade all the way through school. We’re more than cousins, bro.”

“I know, bud. Just giving you a hard time. What did you do with your kids, Ty?”

Ty removed his Stetson and tossed it on a side table. “Leah’s grandmother is taking care of the kids. Gracie is helping.” He had to smile when he thought about how much Gracie loved her brand-new baby brother. “She loves playing big sister.”

Cade nodded, seemingly wrapped in emotion. “I hope I can be good enough to raise Sara’s kids without screwing them up. That’s my biggest fear.”

Ty gave him a slap on the shoulder. “Oh, get over yourself. I’ve never known you to lack confidence about anything. In school you did okay, and you were a leader in sports.”

Cade raked his fingers through his thick, dark hair. “I know, but this is different. More important.”

“You can always lean on your family if you need a break. I know Leah and I can keep the kids for you.”

Leah nodded, adding her support.

Cade took a wide stance and hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. “Thanks, man. That means a lot…but I think, right now, I need to keep them as close as possible. They need to know I’m doing what Sara would want me to do. I’m going to raise her children as she would want them to be brought up.”

Ty realized Cade was just speaking through his grief. “You and the children are going to need all the family you can get. The Garrett clan is a formidable force around here.” He turned to see his beautiful wife doing what Leah would always be doing: leading with her heart.

Leah was sitting on the floor, her back against the sofa. Leo had crawled out from under the coffee table and was plastered against her like a baby monkey clinging to his mom.

Ty swallowed hard, while Cade stared at her, openmouthed. “It’s okay. She has that effect on kids… Heck! She has that effect on everyone.”

***

Excerpted from Forever My Cowboy by June Faver. © 2021 by June Faver. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author: JUNE FAVER loves Texas, from the Gulf coast to the panhandle, from the Mexican border to the Piney Woods. Her novels embrace the heart and soul of the state and the larger-than-life Texans who romp across her pages. A former teacher and healthcare professional, she lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country.

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Bookshop, BAM, Walmart, or your favorite venue.

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Long and Short Reviews welcomes June Faver who is celebrating today’s release of Cowboy Christmas Homecoming. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a copy of When To Call a Cowboy.

This cowboy’s finally coming home for Christmas

Zach Garrett is home from war, haunted by PTSD, trying to fit in to what has become an alien world. With the holidays fast approaching, his uncle Big Jim Garrett offers him a place on the family ranch. Zach isn’t sure he’s up for a noisy, boisterous Garrett Christmas…until he meets beautiful Stephanie Gale, and all his protests go up in flames.

Firefighter and EMT Stephanie Gale is ready for anything. She’s got her life under control…until she locks eyes with Zack and realizes her heart’s in a whole new kind of danger. But with a little help from Zack’s long-lost army dog, maybe he and Stephanie will be able to make this a Christmas of new beginnings after all.

Dark Horse Cowboys series:
Do or Die Cowboy (Book 1)
Hot Target Cowboy (Book 2)
When to Call a Cowboy (Book 3)
Cowboy Christmas Gold (Book 4)

Praise for Do or Die Cowboy:
“Guaranteed melt-your-heart romance.”—Romancing the Book
“Heartwarming…a very entertaining story with some surprises.”—Harlequin Junkie

Read an Excerpt

Stephanie Gayle looked at the check. “Oh, Big Jim. This is so generous. You’re going to make sure the children have a nice Christmas.”

Big Jim shrugged. “It’s the least I can do for those poor kids.” He looked around the room, his gaze falling on a little red-haired girl and a blonde girl, maybe a little older. “I think all children need to be loved.”

“I feel the same way.”

Big Jim’s face morphed from sentimental to grim. “How are those two kids you saved? The ones whose mother got killed.”

Stephanie tried to control the tremor in her voice. “They—they’re still at the children’s center. They don’t have any family members willing to take them in.”

“Well, that’s a damned shame.”

She nodded. “Rafe Neeley, the step-father…He’s been arraigned and bound over for trial.” The image of Rafe’s angry face as he screamed threats made her shudder.

“Good,” Big Jim pronounced. “I hope that sumbitch gets what’s coming to him. I can’t imagine a man hurting a woman or a child…much less murdering the woman you’re married to.”

Stephanie’s throat tightened. “Hope they put him away for a hundred years. The children…they witnessed their mother being murdered. They—they were so traumatized.”

Big Jim let out a snort and reached in the back pocket of his Wranglers. He produced a worn leather billfold, and pulled out a couple of hundred dollar bills. “Here ya’ go. Buy them two angels a little something special…and let me know what happens to them. I hope they wind up with some good family.”

She swallowed hard. “Thanks, Big Jim. I’ll find something special for them.” The words ‘some good family’ were stuck in her craw.

“Come have a cup of coffee, Stephanie.” Big Jim motioned her into the kitchen.

Stephanie took a seat at the counter while Big Jim filled two cups with coffee. He set one in front of her and leaned on the other side of the counter.

This was where Colt’s voice could be heard from the front of the house. “Hello! Where is everyone? I brought my brother from another mother.”

“Back here,” Big Jim called.

Misty and Mark led the way, both grinning. “We got him,” Mark announced.

Colton came next, followed by a tall, muscular man wearing camouflage gear. This guy appeared to be on edge, like he’d just been plucked from a battle ground. His gaze took in the entire interior and everyone in the large kitchen. When he locked eyes with Stephanie, she felt a jolt like an electric shock. He was a Garrett.

It was the Garrett eyes. Those amazing, smokey turquoise eyes, ringed with black lashes. They held her in thrall for a moment before releasing her.

Big Jim let out a yelp. “Zachery Garrett! Come here, boy!” Big Jim held out a hand, and when the newcomer reached for it, Big Jim dragged him closer and clasped him in a man hug. “Dang! It’s been a long time…and look how you’ve grown.”

“Yes, sir. It’s been forever.”

Big Jim pounded him on the back, and then pulled back to look at him. “I’m glad you’re here, son. We all are. Just in time for Christmas.”

“Glad to be here, sir.” His gaze flicked back to Stephanie.

“Where are my manners?” Big Jim asked. “This fine young man is my nephew, Zach Garrett. He’s just been discharged from the US Army.”

Stephanie smiled. Nephew, huh? Garrett through and through.

Big Jim gestured toward her. “And this lovely young lady is Stephanie Gayle. Believe it or not, she’s a firefighter.”
Stephanie gave a one-sided grin and rolled her eyes. “Why do people always find it difficult to think of me as a firefighter?”

“Because we always think of firefighters as big burly men,” Misty said. “One has to see you in action to know what a bad ass you are.”

This caused a round of laughter, all except this Zach guy. He just continued to stare at her as though he was committing her to memory, molecule-by-molecule. It was unsettling, to say the least, but there was something else…something simmering just below the surface.

Stephanie swallowed hard, something that felt like a roll of razor wire at the back of her throat. She straightened her shoulders, refusing to be intimidated by his scrutiny. Who is this guy, anyway?

“Good to meet you, ma’am,” Zach said.

Ma’am? She nodded and offered a hand, which he wrapped with a large, baseball mitt size paw that was warm and very rough.

Colton slapped Zach on the shoulder. “C’mon, bro. Let’s get you settled in.” Colt shouldered the huge duffle bag and headed off toward the room he planned to settle Zach into.

Zach hit her with his laser beam eyes again, gave a little nod, before turning to follow his cousin. Misty and Mark trailed after them.

“He’s had a rough time,” Big Jim said. “My brother died while Zach was deployed so he never got to say goodbye to his father.”

“Oh, that’s so sad,” Stephanie said.

“He’s a good boy. He’s going to be just fine.”

Stephanie agreed. Fine. That pretty much summed up the hottest guy she had laid eyes on in a long time…and she worked with the hottest men in the county.

***
Excerpted from Cowboy Christmas Homecoming by June Faver. © 2019 by June Faver. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author: June Faver loves Texas, from the Gulf coast to the panhandle, from the Mexican border to the Piney Woods. Her novels embrace the heart and soul of the state and the larger-than-life Texans who romp across her pages. A former teacher and healthcare professional, she lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country.

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, IndieBound, or BAM.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Long and Short Reviews welcomes June Faver who is celebrating the upcoming release of the newest book in her Dark Horse Cowboys series, When to Call a Cowboy. Enter to win a copy of the second book in the series Hot Target Cowboy.

Rekindling old flames can be dangerous…

Beau Garrett may look rough around the edges, but under that exterior beats a heart of gold—a heart that was broken when his high school sweetheart disappeared days before graduation. Years have passed, but Beau’s never forgotten the fiery-haired girl who left him high and dry.

Dixie Moore has her reasons for being angry with Beau. When a family emergency calls Dixie back to her hometown, she brings with her an explosive secret that could divide them for good—if the culprit behind a recent crime spree doesn’t get her first. It’s up to Beau to unmask this dangerous criminal…and keep Dixie out of the crosshairs.

Dark Horse Cowboys series:

Do or Die Cowboy (Book 1)
Hot Target Cowboy (Book 2)
When to Call a Cowboy(Book 3)

Enjoy an Excerpt

Dixie had taken Scott to see the local doctor. Scott had sustained a broken nose and had also fractured two bones in his right hand when his fist impacted the pavement instead of Beau’s face.

Now, Scott looked almost comic, with his right hand in a cast and the entire arm immobilized in a sling to remind him not to use it. He also had rolled up gauze stuffed in his nasal cavities and both eyes were turning black with bruising. In all, he looked like a petulant walrus with his two gauze tusks.

“Whatever were you thinking?” Dixie glanced over at Scott as he slouched in the passenger seat of her burgundy SUV “I could have told you Beau would whip your ass.”

“You know why,” Scott said. Due to the gauze up his nose, he was mouth breathing, and his voice was raspy and nasal.
Dixie figured Scott recognized Beau from the high school photos she had of him in her apartment. Somehow, she just couldn’t put them away. And seeing him again was like stabbing her straight in the heart. He was even better looking as a man than he had been as a teen. His shoulders were broader and his tall, lanky teen form had filled in with a solid bank of muscle.

She swallowed hard. It was the eyes that got her. Those killer Garrett eyes. Beau’s hair was a little lighter than his two older brothers but they all had those incredible blue eyes. Almost turquoise, ringed with black lashes all around.

When Scott and Beau had been fighting, she knew Scott was the underdog. Although he had greater muscle mass and was much heavier, he didn’t stand a chance against Beau Garrett. And there was the fact that Scott had started the fight, so he had the element of surprise on his side. He would never think of himself as a loser…but in this match, he was far out-classed.

Beau Garret could always whip his weight in wild cats and had done so, on occasion, while defending Dixie’s honor.
She fought to control the smile threatening to break out as she recalled how valiant Beau had been. Always her hero. Well, almost always…

And now she had her friend Scott trying to defend her honor against her former hero. How sad is that? She glanced over at her sullen protector and reached out to give him a pat on the arm.

“You’re sweet, you know?”

“I’m a dumb-ass, apparently.” Scott placed his good hand on top of hers. “But, I love you, you know?”

“I know. Love you too, You’re my best friend in the whole, wide world.”

He nodded. “I don’t know what I would do without you, and Roger, of course.”

Dixie smiled at the mention of Scott’s lover and soon-to-be groom. “I’ll have to thank him for letting you come with me. I don’t think I could face this ordeal without you.”

“I’m always here for you. It’s terrible that your father was murdered.” He shook his head. “This little town doesn’t exactly look like a hot bed of crime.”

She pressed her lips together, strengthening her resolve to tie up loose ends as fast as possible and try not to get caught up in whatever happened to Vernon Moore. She couldn’t imagine her mild-mannered father getting involved in anything that would get him killed. But then again, maybe she didn’t know him at all anymore. She had been gone a long time. “Yeah,” she intoned. “I’m sure the sheriff will deal with it.”

He wagged his head from side to side, the tusks making a wide arc. “I don’t understand,” he said. “I can take anybody at the gym. I was on the boxing team in college. How come this punk cowboy can chew me up and spit me out?”

“Don’t feel bad,” she said. “He’s no punk. That cowboy works hard every day. He’s just one big muscle. And if memory serves, just the mention of a fight and all the Garretts would jump in.” Shaking her head, she let out a chortle. “It wasn’t the same kind of fight as in a gym with a referee. Those Garrett boys knew how to fight.”

Scott made a guttural noise in the back of his throat. “One of them still does.”

About the Author:I’m June Faver and I write Texas.

From the Gulf Coast to the Panhandle, from the Piney Woods to the BIG Cities…I’m all about this beautiful, diverse state of Texas.

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Long and Short Reviews welcomes June Faver who is celebrating the recent release of Hot Target Cowboy, the second book in her Dark Horse Cowboys series. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a copy of Do Or Die Cowboy.

His loyalty is to his family. But his heart belongs to her.

Eldest son Colt Garrett is the biggest, strongest and steadiest of the Garrett brothers. Colt accepts his responsibilities, knowing his future is tied to the land. Colt has stayed centered—but when he falls in love, he falls hard. He is mesmerized by Misty Dalton, the younger sister of one of his brother’s friends.

Misty Dalton has held together a family plagued with problems since her mother passed away. But when the threats to her family turn deadly, Misty turns to Colt. If anybody wants to hurt Misty, they’re going to have to go through the toughest of the Garrett boys first.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

It was at dinner that Misty announced her intentions of moving back to the Dalton ranch.

Colton could not have been more surprised if she had smacked him in the face.

There was a chorus of disappointment, but Misty seemed to have made up her mind.

Colton was angry. He tried not to show it, but he speared his food and shoveled it into his mouth in silence.

“Do you think it’s safe?” Leah asked, giving voice to his concerns.

Misty shrugged. “I don’t know why it wouldn’t be. Mark and I don’t know anything about the banker’s death or why he wound up there.”

Leah’s brow puckered in a frown. “But what about Joe? Whoever killed him is still out there. As I understand it, the sheriff doesn’t have a lead on the person who shot him.”

“Trust me, Joe’s death is on my mind all the time.” Misty’s lips trembled before she pressed them together in a firm line. “I—I don’t know anything about that, either. I mean…” Her voice dropped to a lower register. “Mark and I weren’t in the loop. Joe didn’t share his thoughts or his activities with us.”

Colton swallowed hard, his food going down like a load of concrete. “Yes, but whoever shot him might not know that. I don’t think you’ll be safe there.”

Her large, dark eyes appraised him, as though wondering at his motives … causing him to wonder what his own motives were. “Well, we can’t keep imposing on the Garrett family hospitality forever. We need to get back home and try to pick-up the pieces.”

Colton stabbed a piece of meat and poked it into his mouth, thus ending his commentary.

Later, he asked Misty to take a walk with him.

She hesitated, but took the hand he offered.

It wasn’t fully dark outside, but the sky was streaked with purples and crimson from the setting sun. Crickets chirped and the smell of damp earth and grass wafted on the light breeze.

Colton tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and laid his hand on top of hers. It always felt so small and soft when compared to his.

“What did you want to talk about?” she asked.

He sucked in a breath and blew it out in a huff. “I’m concerned about you and Mark moving back to your home so soon after all the violence. I wish you would give the sheriff a chance to find out who’s behind the murders of your brother and Mr. Hamilton.”

Misty hung her head, but stayed in step with him as they made a wide circle of the house and outbuildings. “I feel like such a moocher staying here. I appreciate you for taking us in when we were about to be thrown out. I appreciate you even more for all the sweet things you do without even thinking about it.”

He stopped, turning to face her, and lifted her chin. “Misty, honey—you’ve got to know how I feel about you.”

She gazed up at him solemnly. “No, I can honestly say, I don’t have a clue. I think you like me, but maybe you need to spell out your feelings for me.” The silence that followed was like a black vortex sucking him inside.

Colton’s chest tightened as though a steel band was constricting his lungs. He swallowed hard. “Well, I guess you could say I love you.”

She raised her brows. “Guess you could say? What the hell does that mean?”

He grinned. “Damn, you’re a tough woman. I love you. There! Are you satisfied?”

“Well, I don’t know. Why was that so hard to say?”

“Because I’ve never said those words to any other woman before. It’s you. You’re the one I love.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.

She broke into a wide grin of her own. “Now I’m satisfied.” She slipped both arms around his waist and delivered a fierce hug.

Colt wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him. Now she knows. He pressed a kiss against the top of her head, rocking her slightly.

“Oh, Colt. I’ve been hoping you felt that way about me.”

He snorted, indelicately. “Well, if you didn’t know, you were the only one. I’ve been taking heat from Beau and Leah … and my dad.”

She gasped, raising her head. “Your dad?”

“Yeah, everyone knew but you.”

She ducked her head again, but she was grinning. He thought she was blushing, but the diminishing light hid her embarrassment. “So, now what?”

“So now I ask you again, as the man who loves you, please don’t move back to your house until the sheriff has caught whoever murdered your brother and Fred Hamilton.”

“Well, since you’re the man who loves me, I’ll take your concerns very seriously.” She blew out a breath. “Do you suppose we could go talk to the sheriff tomorrow and see if he has anything new to tell us?”

He kissed her forehead and then her nose. “Sure thing. As long as you give him a little time to solve the murders.”

She broke loose with an impudent smile. “Why Colton Garrett. I do believe you like having me around.”

“More than you know.” He gave her a little squeeze. “Now promise to let the sheriff get to the bottom of the violence before you go moving back to your ranch.”

“It depends on what he has to say.”

About the Author: June Faver loves Texas, from the Gulf coast to the panhandle, from the Mexican border to the Piney Woods. Her novels embrace the heart and soul of the state and the larger-than-life Texans who romp across her pages. A former teacher and healthcare professional, she lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country.

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Long and Short Reviews welcomes June Faver who is celebrating the upcoming release of Do or Die Cowboy, part of the Dark Horse Cowboys series. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a copy of the book.

Putting it all on the line for love…

Cowboy musician Tyler Garrett has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put aside his rough-and-tumble rancher’s lifestyle and realize his dream. He’s on the road to Dallas to record a demo when that dream gets kicked sideways by a beautiful woman on the run.

Leah Benson will do whatever it takes to keep her daughter safe. But when her dangerous past catches up with her, she needs a hero—and luckily for her, Tyler Garrett was born and bred for the role.

Enjoy an Excerpt

They made a bed for Ty on the lumpy sofa. He’d insisted he could sleep in the truck, but gave in when Gran insisted.

“In the old days, the hands used to stay in the bunkhouse,” Gran said. “There are beds and a kitchen. It used to be real comfortable.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Ty said dutifully.

“But, it’s not clean out there. You just make yourself comfy right here.” She patted the sofa invitingly.

Leah cast a last glance at Ty and headed for Gran’s spare room, Gracie in tow. She found their nightclothes among the hurriedly packed bags and dressed Gracie for bed. Tucking her in, Leah gave her a kiss on the forehead. Eddie jumped on the foot of the bed and curled up too.

Gracie mumbled a hurried prayer, ending with, “an’ God bless Mommy, an’ Gran, an’ Ty. Amen.”

Leah’s breath caught in her throat. How could this big cowboy come to mean so much to them both in so few hours? How is Gracie going to feel when he’s gone? She swallowed hard. How am I going to feel?

She leaned down to brush a kiss on her daughter’s forehead, and pulled the covers up under her chin. “You go to sleep now.”
Dutifully, Gracie snuggled down beneath the quilt and closed her eyes, her angelic expression the picture of peace and contentment.

Gazing at her child’s sweet face, a knot formed in her chest. This is the best place for us. I haven’t been able to give Gracie much, up until now, but maybe that will change. She gave herself a mental head slap. It will change. Things will get better.

Leah thought about her options. Maybe she could get a job back in Langston. It was the closest town and where Gracie would be enrolled in school, come September. She wasn’t quite sure what she might be able to do, but she was used to hard work, so surely someone would give her a chance.

The house was quiet. Tiptoeing out of their room, Leah padded down the hall toward the kitchen in her bare feet. Silently, she took a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water from the tap. Moonlight spilled in through the window, bathing her in a soft glow as she lifted the glass to her lips. When she’d finished, she set the empty glass in the sink.

Turning, she almost stumbled over Lucky. The dog had been so quiet she hadn’t heard him approach. Leaning down, she stroked his head. “Hey there, stealth doggy. You snuck up on me.” She spoke in hushed tones, barely above a whisper. The dog swished his tail from side to side.

“Do you need some water too? I put a big bowl right over here.” She checked the corner of the kitchen where she had left one of Gran’s mixing bowls earlier, but found it empty. “Oh, thirsty, doggy. Let me give you a refill.” She held the bowl under the tap and set it on the floor, tucked in the corner so no one would run into it. “There you go.”

The dog began to lap noisily. Leah knelt down beside him to run her hand over the silky fur. “Good boy” she whispered and rose from her crouch. When she turned, she ran smack into a brick wall. A warm muscled brick wall with arms. She stifled a scream as she pushed off the wall and was gathered into a rough embrace.

“Easy, Leah.”

“Oh, Ty! You scared me.” Swallowing hard, she braced her hands against his powerful bare chest. The sensation sent her heart into a flutter. Longing surged through her. Longing for what, she wasn’t quite certain, but longing nonetheless.

“Sorry,” he murmured, his voice deep and raspy. “I thought Lucky was getting into something.” He held her firmly against his warm torso.

She swallowed again. “N—No, I’m sorry I woke you.” Gazing up, she couldn’t read his expression in the darkness.

He expelled a breath, staring down at her moon-washed face. “You are just too pretty for my own good.”

A rage of desire swirled low in her belly. Her pulses pounded in her ears. With no direction, she rose on her tiptoes and lifted her chin.

He made a sort of growl back in his throat before his arms tightened around her and he lowered his head. His kiss was soft, tentative at first, and then deepened. Lifting her off her feet, he devoured her mouth with hungry kisses. Heat from his bare flesh infiltrated her thin gown, setting fire to her desire.

His hunger seemed to fuel hers, as the kiss continued to escalate.

Passion bloomed in her chest, sending a flush of pleasure throughout her being. When she came up for air, she had wrapped both arms around his neck. Gasping for air, she shivered. Everything was happening too fast. The room seemed to be spinning, or was it just her head? Heat emanating from his warm skin sent a spiral of lust to her core. She stroked her fingertips against the side of his face. The rough stubble of his beard rasped against her cheek, her neck, her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Holding her tight he gave her a squeeze before setting her on her feet. “I had no business doing that.”

Stunned, Leah stepped back, “No—I…I mean…”

Ty rubbed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I’m sorry.” He stepped away and, giving one rueful glance at her, he strode from the kitchen leaving Leah leaning against the cabinet, shaking in the aftermath of their encounter.

About the Author: J.D. Faver lives near Houston, Texas. She writes contemporary romance and romantic thrillers. Although in the habit of writing daily, she still finds time to enjoy family and friends. Cooking, gardening, and painting are among her other pursuits. She is an active participant in several local and national writer’s organizations. As you can tell she loves people and mingling with her species: writers. They’re the only ones roaming free who also hear voices.
She would rather be sailing or on a beach somewhere. But if she can’t do either of those things, she would just as soon write.You can keep up with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest She loves to meet readers and writers.

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