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Beneath the Surface Secrets In Oak Creek Book 2 by B.K. Stubblefield Genre: Mystery, Romance

“ He clutched his head in his hands. His shoulders shook, but no sound came. Minutes stretched, interrupted only by the pop of burning wood.” Ryan Collins had it all – financial freedom, an exciting career, and attractive women. A favorite photographer in the glamorous world of fashion, his lifestyle is the envy of many. Only a few know of the demons that haunt him. When Ryan and Emily Carmichael discover Oak Creek’s dirty secret, they become witnesses to a drug crime. With Ryan’s plans for a career change temporarily on hold, the physical and emotional attraction to Emily grows strong. But a twisted truth taught so many years ago spirals to the surface and strangles his heart. A romantic relationship just isn’t meant to be. While assisting a friend with a documentary in the African wild, Ryan is forced to confront his terrors. As the battle within rages will he be able to permanently silence the voices this time? Will he find a way back to Emily, and the happiness he so desperately craves? Or is it too late? **Only .99 cents!!** Add to Goodreads Amazon * B&N

Secrets in Oak Creek Secrets In Oak Creek Book 1

A small town with a dark secret. A new arrival in grave danger. Can she solve the mystery before she ends up the next victim?

The best part of Emily’s childhood may have been the time she spent with her quirky aunt. So when her favorite relative passes away, she drops everything to attend the funeral in the small town of Oak Creek. But she never expected to inherit her aunt’s entire estate, including her massive black dog Bentley. Just as she starts to get the hang of small-town life, an unknown driver runs her off the road and sends her to the hospital. As doctors tend to her and she makes a connection with a charming Oak Creek resident named Ryan, Emily racks her brain to figure out who would want her dead. When sparks start to fly between her and the Good Samaritan that sat by her bedside, they team up to solve the mystery. Digging into the crime starts to reveal a dark side to Oak Creek and long-held secrets nobody wants revealed. Emily and Ryan must uncover the truth before her assailant comes back to finish the job. **Only .99 cents!!**Add to GoodreadsAmazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo

B.K. Stubblefield is a new writer with a passion for animal rescue. After adopting her new dog Harper, she was quickly overwhelmed with the challenges of raising a “puppy on steroids”. Together with her close friend, Debra Wagner, she published ‘Rescued: A Tale of Two Dogs’, two nonfiction tales of love, patience and commitment. In an effort to help bring awareness to animal neglect and abuse in our own neighborhoods, B.K. Stubblefield shares several short stories of animals brought out of the shadows and into the light of love in her second book “Rescued: Out of The Shadows.” Fictional short stories and memory books/journals continue to carry the theme of dog rescue. B.K. Stubblefield is also a contributing author to “Be Their Voice: An Anthology for Rescue, Volume I & II Her debut novel, ‘Secrets in Oak Creek’, a mystery/romance, was published in November 2017. Born and raised in Germany, the author has spent many years supporting her husband’s military career. Moving between Europe and the United States, she now makes her home in the small rural town of Elizabethtown, Kentucky where she enjoys the slower pace of small town living. Early morning weekend walks with her dog Harper are among her favorite activities. Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

CHAPTER 1
Twenty-nine years earlier
tartled, the little boy awoke.
Confused and scared, his eyes fluttered then opened wide as he gazed into the
darkness of the room. Strange noises had woken him. Or had it only been a bad dream?
No, not a dream… there they were again. His heart sprinted at the low growls, shrieks,
and whispers. Was someone hurt? He couldn’t tell, but it scared him.
His ears pricked, and he strained to pick up any sound. He knew no monsters hid under
his bed or crouched in the corners of his room. But still… what if?
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed and split the night sky with an erratic zig-zag across the
horizon. The boy relaxed. Scaredy-cat he chided himself aloud. It’s only a storm. The low moan
of the approaching storm had roused him from his sleep.
Storms didn’t scare the little boy–his dad had taught him how to stay safe. And his dad was his
hero – he was a soldier and knew everythingabout safety. The boy watched and learned,
bonding with his dad over fun outdoor trips … like when they went camping. Just the two of
them. But his dad wasn’t home that night. His unit was on a military field exercise. The boy
closed his eyes and said a prayer for his dad’s protection.
His fists uncurled, releasing the bedsheet from a steely grip as he counted the seconds to the
next crashing boom of the thunderclap. As the thunder rolled, he thought he heard the strange
noise again. What was that? Did the rumble disappear into the night? No. The sound came
from the end of the hall.
With his frightened heart slamming against his ribs, he gathered the courage to get out of bed
and hitched up his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajama pants. Barefoot, he padded across the
room. With great care, he quietly turned the doorknob and stepped out into the hallway.
He had to pee but didn’t have far to go. The bathroom door across the hall from his room stood
open. He slipped inside, softly closing the door behind him. When he finished, he opened the
water faucet just enough to wash his hands under a warm trickle before he slipped back into the
hall. That’s when he heard it again. That noise. Without making a sound, the boy crept along
the wall until he stopped in front of his parents’ bedroom. Pressing his ear against the flimsy
wooden door, he listened.
There! The sounds he couldn’t label came from inside. Fright washed over him. Mom! What’s
wrong? Why are you crying? With a racing heart, and hands clammy with a cold sweat, he
turned the knob with great care. He eased the door ajar, just wide enough to peek through the
opening.
Heavy drapes obscured the faint lights of the night sky, causing the boy to blink a few times
against the dim shadows. His eyes adjusted, and he tried to make sense of the burly shape
silhouetted against the inky dark of the room. The boy stood motionless, his feet rooted to the
hardwood floor, blood pounding in his ears. In horror, he watched the dark shape bending over
his mom. She whimpered. To the small boy’s ears, the sound was a cry of pain. Like when I fell
and scraped my knees the other day, he remembered.
A high-pitched cry broke the boy’s paralysis. “Mom?” he probed. BOOM! Another thunderclap
cracked the air. “Mom? Mom…. are you hurt?” the little boy cried out as he flung the bedroom
door wide open.
“Fuck!” He heard the man’s cuss at the same time his Mom screamed.
“Ryan!” she shrieked and grabbed a throw blanket as she jumped off the bed. “Get out!”
Enraged, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the hallway. “Why the hell aren’t you in bed?
You should be asleep!” His mother’s voice sounded harsh as she dragged him to his room and
pushed him inside. “Go back to bed…and stay in your room! Go to sleep!”
Confused and hurt the boy hurled himself onto his bed. Embarrassment and shame twisted in
his tummy. But why, he didn’t know. He’d angered his mom. She’d been furious, – but he had
just wanted to help. A sick feeling settled in his belly.
The boy knelt on his bed and propped his elbows on the windowsill. His hands cradled his face
as he watched as the lightning strikes became fewer and fewer. The storm finally moved away.
As Ryan watched dark clouds rush across the night sky, tears rolled from big blue eyes,
dripping onto his pajama sleeves. He felt all tangled up on the inside. What is this man doing to

my mom, and why is she so mad at me? He’d just wanted to check out the weird noises and
see why she was crying.
When dad had left, he’d hugged Ryan. “Take good care of Mom for me, buddy,” he’d said, and
the boy nodded his promise.
His mind shaped a large cloud into a dinosaur, and he wished he could ride it across the sky to
visit his dad. His battle buddy–that’s what dadcalled him.
The storm had long passed when the boy awoke again. His mom was in the kitchen, reading
the newspaper and drinking her morning coffee when he’d shuffled into the room.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Looking up from the paper, she sounded pleasant. But the boy
was suspicious. Is she still mad at me?
When he didn’t answer, his mother frowned. “Swallowed your tongue, boy?”
“Mom, who was that man last night?” He moved towards the table, rubbing the sleep out of his
eyes.
“What are you talking about, Ryan?”
“The man in your bedroom… what did he do? Did he hurt you?”
Her tone sharpened. “Ryan, come here.” Grabbing his small arms, she pulled him until he came
to stand between her knees. “Look at me,” her stern voice demanded. But the boy kept his eyes
glued to the kitchen floor.
His mother’s manicured fingers shot out to push up his chin. He stared into her eyes with
a blank face.
“You had a nightmare. No one tried to hurt me.”
“But I saw him.” The boy knew he wasn’t supposed to talk back, but he disobeyed.
“Nonsense Ryan!” She shook the boy’s small shoulders, but the defiance didn’t leave his eyes.
“There was no man! And nobody was in my room. Stop making up stories. Do you hear me?
And Ryan? I don’t expect you to bother your father with this make-believe monster story when
he comes home. Do you understand?”
Ryan nodded. He understood this tone; he’d experienced it often.
Sour-faced, she released him from her grip with a dismissive push. “You’re just like your father.”
The boy’s throat closed, and his eyes watered at the dislike he heard in those mumbled words.
It didn’t take much to irritate his mom. She was often agitated–with him and his dad. As much
as he wanted to please her, on certain days, he could do nothing right. No matter how he
tried. She doesn’t love me.
“I asked you a question, Ryan!” A final shake of his shoulders and the boy answered, as if on
autopilot. “Yes, ma’am.” But he knew because he had seen the man. When he’d watched the
clouds move, he saw him coming out of their house, get into his car and drive away.
It was the first time Ryan realized his mom lied.