Honky Tonk Hearts
Lonely hearts seem to gravitate to the Lonesome Steer Honky Tonk. A few miles outside Amarillo off historical Route 66, the large wood-paneled structure boasts a large neon star with a single flashing steer riding away from it. Owner and bartender, Gus Rankin, has seen his share of the wandering souls cross his bar and dance floor over the years—he’d even like to think he helped a few find true love along the way.
Those Violet Eyes
by
Vonnie Davis
Soon after I signed with The Wild Rose
Press, I noticed talk on our author’s Yahoo loop regarding various series. Many
sounded fun and interesting. So when
Stacy put out the submissions call for the Honky Tonk Hearts series, I knew I
had to give it a try.
Unfortunately every idea I came up with
sounded lame and…well…the expected, the ordinary. Nothing grabbed my attention.
And if a story idea wasn’t grabbing me by the throat, it surely wouldn’t appeal
to a reader. So I set aside the wish to participate in what promised to be a
great series.
Then late one night as I was in that
fluttery fragile state between wakefulness and sleep, a man on a Harley rode
into our bedroom. He got off his bike and adjusted his stance to accommodate
his prosthesis. Somehow I knew he was a veteran who’d lost part of his leg in
Iraq. He took off his helmet, sat on the edge of the bed and asked if I’d write
his story.
Those Violet Eyes releases TODAY, June 27th.
BLURB:
Evie
Caldwell hoards every penny for her escape from the servitude life created by a
worthless brother and the endless work on a ranch that will never be hers. The
last thing she wants is a muscled man with a macho Marine attitude complicating
her life. But, oh, how that man can make her insides do the twitchy thing.
Wounded
vet, Win Fairchild, returns to Texas to heal, find a piece of his soul and open
a ranch for amputee children. Finding someone to love was not on his agenda.
Nor was dealing with a wildcat, until she captures his heart with those violet
eyes.
But now that he knows what he wants, can Win convince Evie
to stay in Texas—and his bed?
Excerpt:
Evie charged
through the swinging door to the kitchen and skidded to a stop. It couldn’t be.
Although his back was toward her, there was no mistaking the height and broad
muscled shoulders. This mystery nephew of Gus’s was the guy who’d remarked on
her eyes. Her stomach did a little twitchy dance, nerves no doubt.
She ran her
suddenly damp palms over her short skirt and cleared her throat. “Excuse me.
Win?”
No answer.
She took a
couple steps closer and noticed he was washing vegetables under a spray of
water. “Win?”
No reply.
Evie rolled her
eyes and stepped behind him, tapping him on the back. The metal strainer
clattered in the sink and a blur of motion barely registered before steely
hands gripped her forearms. Oh my God!
In a flurry of movement, he snatched her off the floor and backed her against
the stainless steel counter. Cold wet hands viced her arms. Her eyes snapped
wide and the air whooshed from her lungs when his body slammed into hers.
Win’s eyes were
narrowed, his breathing rapid through a clenched jaw and a vein bulged in his
forehead. “Don’t do that.”
The man was
every inch the warrior, every hard tensed inch. He held her mid-air, so close they
were nearly eyeball to eyeball. As his gaze traveled over her face and
awareness evidently crept in as to the sex of his attacker, several inches of
his frame hardened even more.
Evie swallowed. Oh, good Lord.
He glared and
his nostrils flared.
“I…I’m sorry,
Win. I called your name, but…but you didn’t answer. I was only trying to get
your attention.” Her lips twitched at the humor in the situation—hadn’t Keira
told her the man lost part of his hearing? Evidently she’d startled him. Poor
soul. She felt a portion of herself return. A portion she’d hidden for so long;
that light-hearted part of her soul that teased and cajoled. “Honest, I wasn’t
trying to attack you.” She placed an open palm on his defined pecs and patted.
“You’re safe with me, big guy.” Just to rattle him some more, she winked.
Win’s hazel eyes
flashed for a second, then he slowly leaned in and whispered in her ear,
“You’re not safe with me.”
FIND ME ON THE WEB AT www.vonniedavis.com
BUY LINK AT THE WILD ROSE PRESS:
LOST
MEMORIES
Sherri
Thomas
Lost Memories is a story I started a couple of years ago, but
put on the back burner for a time. Then I heard a country-western song that
reminded me of a scene I wrote. Over and over these lyrics played and replayed
in my head until I had no choice but to dust off the pages and write Nick and
Darcy’s journey. Weeks into their bumpy ride The Wild Rose Press posted
submissions for the Honky Tonk Hearts series. Coincidently, I had already
written a scene involving a bar, which later turned into the Lonesome Steer
Honky Tonk. To me the two branded together without difficulty or pain J. After submitting and revising a bit, I
was ecstatic to receive word that they wanted to contract Lost Memories. We are
in the editing stages now and I will be sure to let you know when I receive the
release date.
BLURB: LOST MEMORIES
When
your past is a blank, it’s hard to trust the future…
A car
accident leaves Darcy Brooks with amnesia, but she’s determined it won’t ruin
her life. She finds a job on a dude ranch—hiding her brain trauma to get it—and
falls in love with her work. Now if she can just avoid falling in love with her
boss.
Nick
Matthews knows his new employee is hiding something, and he’s determined to
discover what. He’s failed to protect his family from disaster in the past and
won’t let it happen again. Now if he can just keep his attraction to Darcy from
clouding his judgment.
Nick soon
comes to value Darcy as an employee and a friend—even as the heat between them
builds. But when a man claiming to be Darcy's husband shows up, Nick realizes
just how much he wants to keep Darcy for himself.
UNEDITED EXCERPT: LOST MEMORIES
Darcy rose onto her elbows. Yuck. Her
jeans were caked with the mud and who knew what else. Anxious to get out of the
stench, she placed her palm Nick’s. Her heart skipped a beat, and she forgot to
breath.
He tugged on her arm pulling her to her
feet. She slammed into his chest as his arm went around her waist. The momentum
made her step back into one of Horace’s holes, knocking them both off balance,
and her on top of his hard chest. Air whooshed from her lips. She stared at him
in horror.
Oh, God, he was sure to fire her now.
“I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?” She moved
her leg, catching her boot on the cuff of his jeans.
”No.”
Specks of mud splattered his face. She bit
her lip to keep from laughing as she wiped the dirt from his cheek, making the
damage ten times worse. His skin was warm and bristly under her finger. She
quickly withdrew her hand.
His thump swiped a clump of sludge off her
check.
She
sucked in a breath. This was not right. The way her body succumbed to one touch
of his hand was wrong.
Nick
moved his leg. Every hard inch of him pressed into her flesh, branding her to
him. He tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
A
spark ignited in her toes and heat worked through her body. His chest rose and
fell in a rapid pace beneath her palms, but her own air suspended in her lungs.
She fought a wild urge to rake a fingernail over his unshaved jaw and pulled
her knees up in an effort to get to her feet. Large hands encased the back of
her thighs in a stilling motion, and she ending up straddling him as he rose to
a sitting position. A helpless gasp robbed her of speech.
His
eyes strayed to her lips.
Her
stomach fluttered. Ripples of anticipation churned deep inside. She forced
herself to look away. His magnificent body was off limits. He's my employer
for goodness sake.
She
gave herself a mental shake and swallowed the moan rising in her throat.
Why
don’t I feel this way around Sam, Trent, or Chris?
“I
must look quite a sight,” She commented trying to escape her own thoughts.
“We
both do.” He smirked, revealing a devilish indentation in his left cheek.
When did he get a dimple?
She didn’t remember seeing one before.
Muscles flexed under her, the warmth
of him seeped through her jeans. She glanced away wondering how to talk her
jelly filled muscles into getting up. Failing to persuade her body her sights
returned to his seconds later. Green specks highlighted his brown orbs - another
new finding to keep the breath from my lungs.
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