Excerpt Wednesday – The Black Heart

 "Then what the hell is it?" he demanded. 

She shook her head. "I don’t know. There’s something strange about her. She’s so secretive about her past." 

He lifted his eyebrows. "No, she’s not." 

Payton frowned. He wouldn’t listen and she wasn’t in the mood to get into a debate. "I think we should end this line of conversation. But just remember, Carter, that I care about you. I always have and always will." 

"If you care, then please treat my wife with the respect she deserves," he replied. 

She decided to change the topic. "Who’s watching Becca this afternoon?" 

"Morgan." 

She frowned. "Do you think it’s wise to bring the baby to the funeral?" 

"Morgan’s not going." 

"What do you mean she’s not going?" Payton exclaimed. "Doesn’t that prove my point to you?" she smugly asked. 

"And what point is that?" Morgan asked, entering the room with Becca tagging behind her. 

"Nothing, honey," Carter, flushed, quickly said. 

Morgan looked suspiciously at Payton. 

Payton caught her eye, and then quickly looked away from the penetrating stare. She forced herself to keep her mouth closed.

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Excerpt Wednesday – Twisted Lives

 Hunter Tucker studied himself in his mirror. He knew that he was well above average in the looks department. Wherever he went, women flocked to him like bees to honey. He wondered if it was his black hair and deep-set midnight blue eyes. Or could it be his deep sexy voice? Maybe it was his muscular body and the way he used his raw sexual appeal to tell a woman exactly what she wanted to hear. He smiled as he continued to gaze at his naked body. Years of working out kept him in top physical condition. He lifted weights every other day, and on the even days ran at the track. His body and looks combined to get him what he wanted out of women. 

It never took him long to ease into the graces of some of the wealthiest women in the world. One day he’d marry one of them, and then he’d have the status and prestige he craved. He didn’t care about their money. It was the name he wanted to be connected to. He was new money, but they had old money and the honor and respect that went along with it. It couldn’t be bought, so he was willing to sacrifice his bachelorhood to worm his way into one of the elite families. 

He’d traveled from coast to coast in his quest to find the perfect woman. Most were willing to bed him, but when it came to marriage, they chose to look elsewhere. He knew the real reason was because he didn’t meet the criteria from their hard-nosed families. They would bed him, but would marry only into their own kind…those that came from old money. Love didn’t seem to factor into it. But then he hadn’t loved any of them either.

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Excerpt Wednesday – Maggie Quinn

 Patrick dropped to his knees by the other side of the bed and took his mother's hands, while Maggie set the bowl on the table and then sat quietly looking at Catherine's drawn face. Every breath she took was an effort as she struggled to speak.   

"We're here, Ma," Maggie whispered. "Paddy and I are here."

"Where's Paddy?" Her faded eyes struggled to focus. "Paddy?"

"I'm here, Ma." His eyes welled with tears and he swallowed hard.

Catherine slightly turned her head and focused her eyes on Patrick. Maggie leaned closer and Catherine, with great effort, slightly turned her head as her lips tried to form a smile. "My beautiful children." Her voice was growing weaker, and Patrick and Maggie had to strain to hear her. She paused and drew a ragged breath after each word, struggling to make herself heard. 

Every breath she took was labored as though it would be her last, and Maggie swallowed the lump in her throat as she listened. Her eyes misted, but she knew her mother couldn't see. "Don't try to talk, Ma," Maggie said quietly. "Keep your strength."

"No. I need to talk."

Maggie glanced at Paddy. His eyes revealed that he was as frightened as she was at their mother's worsening health. She didn't know how to help her mother and did the only thing she could do, which was to offer up another silent prayer for her healing. But she had to face the truth. The Lord would soon take her beloved mother the same as He’d taken Da and her brothers and sisters. She wanted to scream and pound her fists. What had they done to deserve this? She drew a deep breath. No, her faith was being tested. She had to hold on. She had to accept whatever burdens the Lord had placed on their family. She couldn't forsake everything Ma had taught her.

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Excerpt Wednesday – Murder In The Pinelands

 "I don't care about any of that!" Jensyn screamed. "I only remember walking to the car. Everything is a blank after that." She charged at him again. "What did you do, Evan?"

He grabbed her wrists again. "Stop it, Jensyn! You need to listen to me. I took you two home. That's what I did!" he spat at her. "Now both of you better shut up and listen to me." He drew several deep breaths to calm himself. "Don't tell the police you don't remember anything about last night. And especially don't tell them we were drinking. Do you know what they'd do to us?"

"I doubt underage drinking is a top priority when a kid is dead, Evan," Kennedy said, dabbing at her eyes with a paper napkin.

"Do you want the police to think that we had something to do with it?" Evan hissed.

"Why would they think that?" Jensyn sniffed.

Evan's jaw tightened. "They'll want to know why he didn't leave with us," he explained. "You know how they twist everything." He stared at Jensyn. "Don't forget, Jensyn, you did argue with him. They'll try to twist that into a motive."

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