Believe in Me

by | Feb 25, 2024

Tori Chambers. Old biddy, gossip, busybody and meddler. Except in reality she’s none of those things—she’s a guardian angel who specializes in helping people find their soul mates. Her latest assignment has had her tearing her hair out for over a year. She’s holding up her end for the fireman who’s her current client, but his soul mate’s guardian angel is dropping the ball big time. And when a replacement steps in, it’s enough to curl what’s left of Tori’s hair.

Jericho. The one man who broke her heart—and made her determined to never fail her clients like her own guardian angel failed her.

A hundred years ago, while fighting for Texas independence, Jericho made a mistake that accidentally cost her life. Now that she’s forced to make nice and work with him, he’s determined not to lose her again. Even if he has to tie her to the bed and make love to her until she’s willing to see reason.

Because unknown to Tori, she is his assignment. And if he can’t find a way to convince her they’re soul mates, they face an eternity of consequences.

Note: This book was previously published and has been revised from its original release.

Published:
Imprint: CJ Books
Editors:
Twin Tweaks Editing (Website)

Genres:
Contemporary, Light Paranormal

Tags:
Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Second Chance/Rekindled, Unrequited Love

Excerpt:

Cedarville, Oregon

 

Not all people need a guardian angel to find their soul mate. Then again, not all people have a soul mate. Guardians are only assigned to the ones who need a little extra guidance, a push, some encouragement.

In other words, Tori Chambers worked with the lost causes. The stubborn, bitter, damaged, scarred, wary pains in the backside who needed to have a cattle prod taken to them in order to get them into a headspace where they might actually fall for their soul mate. In ideal circumstances, only one of the two soul mates needed the help of a Guardian.

She was not currently operating under ideal circumstances. No, this assignment was a total bitch.

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Hitching herself into a chair at the one and only beauty salon Cedarville had to offer, Tori dug a magazine out of her enormous handbag and began flipping through pages while she ran the details of this infernal job through her mind. She had a never-married-but-three-times-engaged and thrice-burned firefighter whom she’d been doing her level best to prod, cajole, kick, and encourage to hook up with a twice-divorced hairstylist.

Mason Delacroix and Celia Occam.

Tori was holding up her end of the bargain, and for the first time in her Guardian career she was grateful for having a stubborn client, because once Mason had decided he was interested, he’d latched on like a terrier and refused to let go. The problem was he was just determined to get in his soul mate’s pants. He had no desire for a relationship, and there wasn’t going to be a relationship if Celia’s Guardian didn’t get it together and do her job. It had been a year and Celia hadn’t budged in her refusal to even consider a date with Mason.

Desperation twisted deep inside Tori. How much longer would she get before this assignment was considered a failure by the Powers That Be? Her belly looped into an even tighter knot. She couldn’t fail. She just couldn’t. With what happened to Guardians after they’d failed…

No and no and no. Tori bit back the urge to spew a few creative, spleen-venting invectives aloud. People would be horrified if old Mrs. Chambers ripped loose with the kind of swear words that Tori wanted to use. If she’d known she’d be stuck in this little ’burb so long, she wouldn’t have played a gossipy old biddy. At the time, she’d needed to be someone Mason wouldn’t be interested in, so the role fit. Now, she just wanted to look like herself again for five whole minutes. If she was going to be brutally honest, she also wanted to get laid again, but a harmless old lady wouldn’t have the kind of all-night-long stamina Tori did, which was at least what it would take to burn off the frustration of months and months of no sex.

She crossed her legs to squelch the need she couldn’t do a thing about and flipped another page in the magazine while she waited for the new stylist at Occam’s Razor to come fix her hair. Not that she cared about the white bun that coiled around her head. She was here to witness round one million in the battles of the sexes, when Mason had his weekly appointment with Celia to get his head shaved. He had a face and body that would put Vin Diesel to shame, and Tori had no idea how the woman had managed to hold out this long. She was ready to jump him herself. A sigh eased past her lips. As if she would. Guardians were strictly forbidden from fraternizing with their clients, and that went double for Guardians like Tori who influenced matters of the heart. However, other humans and other angels were fair game.

Unfortunately, the humans who would be interested in old Mrs. Chambers weren’t exactly lighting Tori’s fire. She wrinkled her nose.

A sharply drawn breath dragged her gaze up to the mirror, and she saw the reflection of a man frozen just behind and to the side of her. A man so flamingly gay, she had to bite her lip to hold back a grin. He was really working the stereotype in an over-the-top kind of way. Knee-high boots, tight silver pants and a black button-up shirt that hugged his painfully skinny body. Chunky, funky glasses and heavy eyeliner made his silver eyes stand out.

Those eyes. God, she knew those eyes.

The hairs rose on the back of her neck, and she slowly turned her head to stare at a man who looked nothing like his reflection. Looking directly at him, she could see through the glamour that Guardians showed the world. She could see the man, the Guardian, as he truly was. Tall, broad, muscular, with dark hair that was cropped short, and a face that was just a little too craggy to be handsome. But those eyes. Deep unfathomable silver pools. They were powerful, compelling, magnetic. They dragged at something deep inside her, wrenching at her very bones.

“Vitoria,” he rasped. He rolled the “r” in the traditional Spanish pronunciation of her name, just the way he had the first day she’d met him over a century and a half ago. He’d even managed to keep the soft twang of his Texas accent.

God help her. Not him. Anyone but him.

“Jericho.”

COLLAPSE

If You Believe

by | Feb 25, 2024

When it comes to her love life, the name of Aubrey Mathison’s coffee shop says it all: “Bean There, Done That”. There’s only one harmless man in her life right now—the homeless one parked outside the shop. Except the crazy things he says keep coming true.

She has to laugh at “You’ll meet your soul mate today”, though. Divorce taught her that men as gorgeous as sexy police chief Price Delacroix are not to be trusted. She’s totally up for a one-night stand, but more than that? No, thanks.

Price bears his own scars from the past, but he knows instantly that Aubrey is his. How to convince her he wants more than to be her personal jungle gym? Cut her off. That means no more mattress gymnastics—until she starts seeing things his way.

Aubrey is just as determined Price’s campaign to wear down her resistance is going to fail, no matter how wickedly determined he is. Until her resident prophet spouts a new prediction: her soul mate’s life is in danger.

Note: This book was previously published and has been revised from its original release.

Published:
Imprint: CJ Books
Editors:
Twin Tweaks Editing (Website)

Genres:
Contemporary, Light Paranormal

Tags:
Opposites Attract, Police/SWAT

Excerpt:

Cedarville, Oregon

“The end is near!” the grubby man shouted at Aubrey as she walked past. He waved a big sign that said the same thing in fire engine red letters.

The end of what though? The world? America? Poverty? The bad song blasting out of his boom box? She was hoping for that last one as she dumped some change into the rusted coffee can next to him.

“Hi, Jericho.” She gave him a wide berth. The homeless guy was certifiably nuts, but harmless, and she’d been forking whatever change she had in her pockets into his can for a couple of months. Every day since he’d parked his unwashed self on the park bench across from her coffee shop Bean There, Done That.

“Howdy, Aubrey!” Jericho gave her a gap-tooth grin before he sobered abruptly, his eyes taking on a weird intensity. “Beware of fire today.”

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She blinked at him, chills crawling over her skin at the weird statement. Opening her mouth to ask what the hell he was babbling about, she stopped. He’d already started humming along with the radio. Yep, the man was definitely not playing with a full deck.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks, Jericho.” She waved as she jogged across the street through the early morning fog.

A wave of deep satisfaction rolled through her when she approached the front of her shop. It’d been open for over three years and business was booming. She’d moved to Cedarville from Portland after her divorce was final because she’d needed a change of pace, a change of place. She’d caught her ex screwing one of the waitresses at the restaurant they’d owned, so she screwed him in the divorce settlement. Was she bitter? Oh, yeah. Almost eight years as Mrs. Scott Roberts had gotten her nothing except a broken heart and broken dreams.

Scott had cured her of any girlish longings for love and commitment. Now she kept it light and fun with the men she dated. She’d found it was easier for everyone that way. No one got hurt, especially not her.

Unlocking the side entrance, she turned off the security system and went through the routine of opening up the shop. After the chaos and rush of being the head pastry chef at a trendy restaurant in Portland, Bean There, Done That was nirvana. The mornings were her alone time, when the whole world came down to this Zen place with just her, the ovens, and the smell of baking pastries and fresh brewed coffee.

Susan would be in soon to help Aubrey with the morning rush, but this time was all Aubrey’s. The time flew by and before she knew it, Susan’s massive combat boots were tromping into the kitchen. Glancing up, Aubrey stifled a snort. Over the boots, Susan wore a lacy black Victorian style dress. “Heya, Aubrey.”

The only dress code for employees was that they wear a black outfit with the black and green Bean There, Done That apron over it. Susan liked to take the uniform to the next level. “Morning.”

The younger woman checked the daily menu Aubrey had written on the chalkboard out front and then took the chairs off the tables to set up for the day. Thirty minutes until they opened. They worked in companionable silence. One of the reasons she had Susan on the morning shift was that she didn’t chatter.

Wiping a last bit of flour off her hands, Aubrey turned to Susan before walking into the back room. “I’ll grab the last batch of lemon cakes out of the oven if you watch the glaze on the stove.”

“Sure thing, boss lady.” Susan’s braids bobbed when she nodded.

Just as Aubrey flipped off the ovens and pulled out the hot pans, a shriek came from the front. Her heart seized in terror before it leaped into a gallop. Slapping the pans onto the cooling racks, she raced for the other room. Flames danced across the stovetop, and Susan lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. “Susan!”

A customer wandered in the door, and Aubrey rounded on him like a madwoman. “Do you have a cell phone?”

He nodded, staring blankly from her to the fire. “Then go outside and call 911.”

Reality seemed to hit him. He jerked his cell out of his pocket, spun, and bolted for the door. She turned back to Susan.

“Oh. God.” OhGodOhGodOhGod. Sweat ran in rivulets down Aubrey’s face, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might explode.

The fire hit a dishtowel that had flopped onto the floor near Susan. No time to grab the fire extinguisher. Dropping to her hands and knees, Aubrey crawled as fast as she could to Susan’s side, wrapped an arm around her, and slid her as far away from the flames as possible. The heat rolled over Aubrey, drying her eyes out while every instinct inside her screamed to run. To escape the danger. But she couldn’t leave the younger woman.

Aubrey hacked and wheezed as the smoke got thicker. Jesus, she needed to get the fire extinguisher. Staggering to her feet, she snatched the bright red canister off the wall. The smoke seemed to follow her, and when she spun she realized that the ends of her hair were on fire. Terror exploded through her and she frantically slapped the flames out, her shriek dissolving into a whistling cough as the smoke burned her throat. A sob bubbled up, but she ripped the pin out of the extinguisher and hosed the stove down with white foam. It went everywhere, all over the stove, her, the counters, her, the floor, her. Smoke boiled up while the flames slowly died out.

Whooping sounded in the air as the whole fire department, an ambulance, and a police car rolled up to the front of the shop. Thank God. Tears streamed from her eyes, as much from relief and residual fear as from the acrid smoke. Her lungs burned like she’d sucked the flames down her throat. She sank to her knees beside Susan and closed her eyes. No way was she leaving Susan alone in here, even if the fire was out.

The firefighters bundled both women up and got them out, slapping an oxygen mask on Aubrey in the process. Smoke inhalation, they said. Yeah, she could believe it. She grabbed one fireman’s sleeve. Fire damage and the mask made her sound like Darth Vader. “Will she be okay?”

Mason Delacroix. She knew this man. He ordered a black coffee every day at noon. He nodded down at her. “Yeah. She seems to be doing all right. Looks like she’s waking up. We’ll know more when they get her to Cedarville General.”

Aubrey clamored into the ambulance beside Susan, ignoring the protest from one of the paramedics. What was he going to do, toss her out? They both knew she was going to have to get checked out by a doctor anyway. This way it was one trip for Susan and Aubrey.

Only then did it occur to her that her business was trashed. A million details bounced through her head, but she couldn’t focus on one of them. Police reports, insurance claims, cleaning up the mess. God, what a mess. It was too much for her right now. Her thoughts slid away, so she closed her eyes and let herself rest. Just for a moment. Weariness dragged at her very bones, and she hung on to Susan’s hand as the ambulance sped through the normally quiet streets of her little town.

 

“How’s that?” Celia Occam, Aubrey’s flamboyant best-friend-cum-hairstylist, spun the chair around so she could look at herself. Today Celia wore ragged blue jeans and ropes of black pearls. Somehow she pulled it off. With style.

She’d cut the scorched ends off Aubrey’s long hair. Instead of the waist length, flat mahogany sheet she usually wore, Celia had layered it up to Aubrey’s bra strap and thrown some highlights in. It made her look younger than thirty-four and set off the grey-blue of her eyes. She turned her head to get a peek at the back. “Nice. Very nice.”

“I know.” Twirling the silver cape away from Aubrey’s shoulders, Celia brushed a few stray hairs off her shirt.

“Yeah, you’ve just been waiting for an excuse to do whatever you want to my hair.” Aubrey’s voice came out a smoky drawl. Her throat still ached a bit from the smoke, but the doctor said she would be fine in no time.

“Heck, yeah, girlfriend.” Celia smirked, and Aubrey rolled her eyes in return.

The bell over the door tinkled, and both Celia and Aubrey turned towards it to see who was coming in. Celia groaned and closed her eyes before offering the newcomer a glare. Aubrey bit her lip to hide a grin that might get her scalped bald. Mason Delacroix was the bane of Celia’s existence. He asked her out at least once a week. Aubrey had no idea why her friend kept turning him down. He was a firefighter, built like a Greek god, and had a Vin Diesel thing going on with his shaved head. If that wasn’t enough, his green eyes always had a twinkle of wicked mischief in them. The man was beyond good-looking. If he wasn’t so into her best friend, Aubrey would ask him out herself.

COLLAPSE

The Girl Next Door

by | Feb 25, 2024

When an old friend asks ex-Navy SEAL Derek Forrester for a favor, there’s no way he can say no. He has to spend a week working security at a local science fiction convention. The catch? He has to blend into the crowd, and that means he’s wearing costumes. Great.

The only good thing about this week is that he keeps running in to his next door neighbor, who’s at the event selling her handmade jewelry. Katie Jones is the type who screams good girl, which means she’s not Derek’s type at all. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t fantasized about getting his hands on her. And the fantasy just gets harder to resist when she shows up in racy costumes.

Katie is used to men ignoring her, and the gorgeous SEAL next door is no exception. She gets it though—she’s shy, geeky, plump and, well, average. The only time she comes out of her shell is when she’s cosplaying at conventions. She can become a different woman for just a little while, a sexy and confident woman. A woman with the confidence to get her flirt on with Derek Forrester.

When her ex-fiancé starts hanging around her booth, demanding she give him a second chance, she’s getting attention from the one guy she wishes would ignore her. But Derek seems more than willing to help her convince her ex that she’s burning up the sheets with someone new.

Now that’s the kind of male attention the girl next door could get used to.

Published:
Publisher: CJ Books
Editors:
Hart to Heart Edits (Website), Twin Tweaks Editing (Website)

Cover Artists:
Kim Killion (Website)

Genres:
Contemporary

Tags:
BBW/Curvy Heroine, Geek Love, Military, Opposites Attract

Excerpt:

Sacramento, California

“Thanks for going to water aerobics with me, Katie. It’s tough to get around town while Esteban’s recovering from his bunion surgery.”

Katie Jones smiled down at the old woman who leaned on her arm. She ignored the fact that her wet hair was creating an uncomfortably moist patch on the back of her shirt, and that she’d forgotten to bring a change of clothes with her to the YWCA, so she’d had to put her shorts and top on over her damp bathing suit. Though it was a balmy afternoon, every time the breeze kicked up, it sent a cold chill over her skin.

She patted the other woman’s hand. “Of course, Mrs. Gomez. I’m sure your husband will be driving again soon.”

“I just hate taking the bus.” Mrs. Gomez wrinkled her nose. “The drivers are maniacs.”

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Since the elderly lady said that about anyone who didn’t come to a complete stop at every intersection and drive at least five miles under the speed limit, Katie decided to steer the conversation away from driving. “Yeah, I’m not a fan of the bus either. The one thing I don’t love about these condos is they’re too far away from the light rail.”

Other than that, this complex was perfect. Built in the 1920s, it was classic Spanish Colonial Revival in design. She liked that the building was just one story tall and only had about ten units, so she didn’t feel crammed in amongst other people. Each condo faced a beautiful inner courtyard filled with lush greenery and a central fountain. She loved the red tiled roof, the thick, white stucco walls, the carved wooden panels on everyone’s front door, and the huge windows that let her look at the courtyard when she was working at her desk. On many evenings, all her neighbors came out to sit on their small terra-cotta-tiled patios to enjoy the courtyard and the warm California weather.

“Good afternoon, ladies.”

The deep voice snapped Katie back to the present. She turned to find three large men approaching, but her attention focused on the one speaking.

Derek Forrester. Ex-Navy SEAL, current next-door neighbor, and the star of her midnight fantasies. Not that anything would ever come of those fantasies. He was drop-dead gorgeous. She’d seen a handful of the dates he’d brought home since he moved in a little over a year ago, and they were every bit as gorgeous as he was. A guy like Derek didn’t go for too-tall, too-plump, too-shy girls like Katie. It was just a fact of the universe, like the sky was blue and two plus two equaled four. Simple, obvious, no need for further explanation.

Right now, she had six feet, three inches of long, lean muscle coming her way and she let herself enjoy the view. Even with a basketball propped on his hip, the man managed to look graceful and predatory at the same time, like a stalking panther. Just watching him walk across the courtyard was enough to make Katie’s brain short circuit and her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth. It didn’t help that all he wore was a pair of clingy mesh basketball shorts that left little to the imagination and sweat slipped in slow beads down the hard angles of his bare chest.

Sweet baby Jesus, she was going to have premature hot flashes any minute now.

She flushed and jerked her gaze up from his chest to his face. He had a short goatee, and she’d wondered far too often how it would feel against her skin. His eyes were a startling pale blue that contrasted with his deep brown skin, and she always felt pierced to the core whenever he looked at her.

Clearing her throat, she ducked her head. “Hi.”

“Who do you have there?” Mrs. Gomez lifted her cane to point at Derek’s companions. “They’re almost as pretty as you.” She jabbed her walking stick at the man on the left. “That one even looks like you.”

Derek’s eyebrows arched while the men one either side of him made scoffing noises. “Yes, he does. Mrs. Gomez, this is my less-pretty cousin, Trevor, and my friend, Rob.”

“Nice to meet you.” The old woman gave them a flirtatious grin.

Rob had auburn hair, pale skin, and a multitude of freckles that made him appear sweet and innocent. But one look in his eyes, and Katie saw the same dangerous glint that Derek had—like he’d seen too much in his life to be anything but jaded, and he was more than ready to handle any situation, no matter how hazardous. Trevor looked a bit younger than the other two, but he also had a world-weary air about him. He had similar features as his cousin—same sharp cheekbones and square jaw, same dark skin, but his eyes were a hazel green-gold instead of blue. Less pretty or not, Katie doubted anyone had ever kicked this man out of bed for his looks. Or at all.

His gaze focused on her and he smiled. “I don’t think we caught your name.”

“Katie Jones. I live next door to Derek.” And she didn’t normally wear her hair in a wet, tangled mat around her head, but she didn’t make excuses for her bedraggled appearance. These men didn’t care. She reached out and shook Trevor’s hand, then did the same with Rob.

Not a single smidgeon of interest went through her at touching them, when all Derek had to do was look at her to make her tingle. Then again, he’d barely glanced at her today. As usual.

She really needed to get out there and start dating again, or she was going to die alone with her cat, Beru.

The men said their farewells and strode off to Derek’s condo while Katie and Mrs. Gomez continued their slow shuffle toward the Gomez’s unit.

“He’s sexy. If I were fifty years younger…” The elderly lady sighed.

“I’m telling Esteban you said that,” Katie teased.

Mrs. Gomez snorted. “He’s got a nurse coming twice a week to give me some time off, and you know he ogles her butt every time she bends over. He gets the nurse, I get the sailor. Fair is fair.”

“Sure. Fair is fair.” Katie wasn’t ever going to get the sailor in anything other than her wildest dreams, and she had serious doubts he even remembered her name.

But, hey, there was a nice trade-off for being the girl next door. She might slide under the radar, especially when it came to men, but that meant it didn’t matter if her hair was a mess or she was wearing a granny bathing suit under a T-shirt worn so thin it had a few holes in it. No one noticed anyway, and she didn’t mind not being noticed when she looked like hell.

COLLAPSE

A Girl’s Best Friend

by | Feb 25, 2024

Lorna Malone is having a day from hell. She had a one night stand with her best friend, SWAT officer Tyrone Forrester, and had to sneak out before he woke up. Her wild night is making her late to a photo shoot for her advertising agency’s biggest client, Carraway Jewelers. On the way, she has to stop at a gas station and manages to lock her keys—and a small fortune in diamonds—in her car.

Tyrone is furious when he finds Lorna left him after their amazing night together. He’s wanted her for years, but he got burned in his last relationship. His ex couldn’t handle his dangerous job, so now he doesn’t do serious, he doesn’t do permanent, and he doesn’t play for keeps. But with Lorna, one taste is all it takes to convince him that he’s met his match—if he can help her see that her luscious curves make her desirable.

While he’s willing to rescue her, it comes with a price. And he’s going to make sure she pays up.

Note: this book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.

Published:
Publisher: CJ Books
Editors:
Hart to Heart Edits (Website)

Cover Artists:
Kim Killion (Website)

Genres:
Contemporary

Tags:
BBW/Curvy Heroine, Friends to Lovers, One Night Stand, Police/SWAT, Unrequited Love

Excerpt:

Sacramento, California

God, he was tired.

Tyrone Forrester backed into his driveway and groaned, rubbing the muscles at the nape of his neck. As much as he usually loved his work in SWAT, today had not been his best day. It had been a long shift—some douchebag kidnapped his daughters and held them hostage, threatening murder-suicide unless his ex-wife agreed to give him joint custody. Apparently, if he couldn’t have his children, no one could.

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It had been a slow, grueling negotiation process that, in the end, failed to get the guy to stand down. Ty’s SWAT team had been sent in. The guy had killed himself, one of the girls was in intensive care, and the other was likely traumatized for life. But…the kids were alive, so that was something. It wasn’t much, but some days were like that.

Tyrone blew out a breath and tried to talk himself into going inside his house. His father was throwing a huge surprise party for his mother’s birthday, and Ty had agreed to host it. Dad would be arriving with Mom in about twenty minutes, which meant Ty’s place was already crammed full of almost every relative and family friend he had.

A figure moved at the corner of his vision and he glanced at his side mirror to see his best friend slipping around the back of the house to approach his SUV. Lorna Malone’s bright red hair bounced around her shoulders, and she wore one of those maxi dresses that hugged her generous breasts and then draped to the floor. He knew she was self-conscious about her weight, and the dress was her way of hiding her body, but all that cleavage on display was more than enough to rev him up. As always, his body stirred when he saw her, but he pushed the arousal away.

How long had he watched her and known she wasn’t for him? Jesus, it had been fifteen years. Since the day her family had moved in next door to his, when they were both sixteen. He’d always burned for her. From the moment he met her it had been that way. She was pure, fiery temptation, and the chemistry between them was something they’d acknowledged and agreed to ignore. She was a forever kind of girl, and since his last relationship blew up in his face, he’d been a one-night stand kind of guy. Add that to the fact that they were best friends, and it was a temptation he had had to resist. Her friendship meant far more to him than any lay could.

She grinned and opened the passenger door, sliding into the seat next to his. “Bad day?”

“Yep.” He offered no further explanation, and he knew she wouldn’t be annoyed by that. One of the many reasons she was his best friend. Just having her near made his tension begin to ease, and he settled back into his seat with a sigh.

“Figured that was why you were hiding out here.” She held up a couple of bottles emblazoned with the logo of his favorite local microbrewery. He smiled—the first one to cross his face for most of this godawful day. Leave it to Lorna to remember what he liked best. He dug into one of his many pants pockets for his Swiss Army knife, handed it to her, and she used it to pop the lids off. “Since your aunt and uncle are already at each other’s throats, and the shindig hasn’t even started yet, we’re both going to need these.”

“Outstanding.” He accepted his bottle, tapping it against hers. He took a deep swig, savoring the cold, bitter brew. Ah, yeah. That was the good stuff.

She downed a quick gulp, and waggled her eyebrows at him. “I made your cousins run interference before I came outside. It’s their parents misbehaving, after all. Those three big, bad boys all but cowered at having to manage their mother. She raised them well, clearly.”

He snorted. His aunt Simone could be a scary woman when she wanted to be. Almost as scary as his own mother. There was a reason the two women has been close friends for years, and they counted Lorna’s mother in their circle of cronies. None of their kids had been able to get away with anything growing up.

Though they’d certainly tried.

“Did my brothers and cousins all make it?” His older brother was a doctor, his younger brother was an ex-Navy SEAL turned security consultant for the state capitol, and one of his cousins was a firefighter. Getting unexpectedly called away for work was a matter of routine with the Forresters.

“Amazingly enough, yeah.” Lorna shrugged. As an honorary member of Forrester clan, she knew the drill. “No one’s had an emergency crop up. Yet. Here’s hoping that lasts, at least until Marion gets here. Once the birthday girl is onsite…well, everyone’s put in an official appearance. Good enough.”

He rolled his head against the headrest to look at her. “Have I thanked you yet for organizing this party?”

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