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No Cowboys No Angels
The Mystery Angel Romances Book 1
by Petie McCarty
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Kellen Brand’s inheritance turns out to be a whopper—
one
dilapidated farm in West Virginia and one guardian angel!
dilapidated farm in West Virginia and one guardian angel!
Since Kellen is convinced no sane woman would choose to live in Riverside,
she vows to sell her farm and quick. Her handsome neighbor Luke
Kenyon must block the farm sale or risk exposure of his family’s
secrets. While Kellen has located one potential buyer, she faces a
town full of objectors. Someone is trying to frighten her off, and
Luke is forced to step in and rescue her more than once.
she vows to sell her farm and quick. Her handsome neighbor Luke
Kenyon must block the farm sale or risk exposure of his family’s
secrets. While Kellen has located one potential buyer, she faces a
town full of objectors. Someone is trying to frighten her off, and
Luke is forced to step in and rescue her more than once.
Unfortunately,
Kellen can’t seem to stay out of trouble. She stumbles onto a
clandestine hazardous-waste-dumping operation next to her farm, and
she prays Luke has one more rescue up his sleeve. It’s her only hope
of staying alive.
Kellen can’t seem to stay out of trouble. She stumbles onto a
clandestine hazardous-waste-dumping operation next to her farm, and
she prays Luke has one more rescue up his sleeve. It’s her only hope
of staying alive.
Unless her mother really did leave her a guardian angel . .
Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World — “The
Most Magical Place on Earth” — where she enjoyed working in the
land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales
by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She
eventually said good-bye to her “day” job to write her
stories full-time. These days Petie spends her time writing sequels
to her regency time travel series, Lords in Time, and her
cozy-mystery-with-a-dash-of-romantic-suspense series, the Mystery
Angel Romances.
Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her
horticulturist husband, a spoiled-rotten English Springer spaniel
addicted to pimento-stuffed green olives, and a noisy Nanday conure
named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in Angel to the Rescue.
horticulturist husband, a spoiled-rotten English Springer spaniel
addicted to pimento-stuffed green olives, and a noisy Nanday conure
named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in Angel to the Rescue.
Without warning, a gunshot sounded, and the bullet ricocheted off a tree about twenty
feet away. The Appaloosa jerked hard at the gunshot and then reared. The reins ripped from
Kellen’s grasp. She grabbed the saddle horn with both hands and concentrated only on staying in
the saddle. The frightened Appaloosa reared a second time, then bolted for open ground. Kellen
could do little more than hang on for dear life.
Two leaping strides and Lily had surged to a full-on gallop, streaking for the open grassy
hills. Thundering hooves sounded behind them, and Luke shouted for Kellen to stop. She was
helpless, too scared to even glance back at him for fear her grip would loosen. The reins trailed
beneath the Appaloosa’s pounding hooves as the mare continued her panicked race to nowhere.
If the mare’s hooves got tangled in the dragging reins, they would both go down.
A fallen tree appeared directly in the mare’s path, and Kellen let loose a scream as the
sure-footed horse gamely cleared the tree trunk like a thoroughbred jumper. Kellen slipped to the
right side of the saddle when the Appaloosa landed, and they galloped on across the open field.
One leg still straddled the saddle and her other leg dangled precariously between the matched
pairs of pounding hooves. She heaved her leg up tight as she could to the mare’s belly and
prayed it didn’t get tangled with Lily’s legs, but her muscles weakened with every stride and
bounce she sustained. And still the Appaloosa galloped, sheer adrenaline keeping the mare out in
front of the mighty Windsor.
Bred for endurance, the mare focused on putting as much distance between her and the
gunshot as possible. The powerful hooves pounded across the open pasture. Kellen’s arms and
legs ached, and she didn’t know how much longer she could maintain her balance. If she slipped
off the mare, she would be trampled to death the second she hit the ground.
As that thought flashed through her brain, Lily hit a gully and waggled her stride enough
to send Kellen further off-kilter. Her knuckles turned white from the pressure of her death grip
on the saddle horn, and her legs had nothing left to give. She prayed that if she slipped further,
she could muster hidden strength to push off and roll away from the thundering hooves.
The mare aimed for a small copse of trees perched on the side of a hill, and a fresh wave
of terror slammed through Kellen. Low hanging limbs would tear her from the horse. Suddenly,
Luke appeared alongside. His long arm snaked around her waist and yanked her off the panicked
Appaloosa. He slowed Windsor with each stride until he could slow the stallion to a stop and
gently lower Kellen to the ground. Her legs gave way the second her feet touched solid ground,
and she crumpled to the grass in a heap.
Before she could take a full breath, two strong arms lifted her up, and Luke crushed her
tight to his chest. She could feel his heart pounding out its rhythm, as Windsor’s hooves had
moments before. A single sob erupted when she tried to draw a breath, and she clung to him with
what little strength she had left. Her muscles quivered, and she didn’t care. For once in her life,
she didn’t want to be tough. She just wanted this big, strong man to hold on tight.
Long moments passed. Her legs grew steady. Luke eased back, and a cold wave of
disappointment rushed over her. He took her face in his hands and gently brushed his lips against
hers, as though asking permission. Whether it was her close call with death or the way Luke had
looked when he said her mother was wonderful—Kellen didn’t know and didn’t care—she gave
up trying to resist this man and threw her arms around his neck, pressed her lips to his. His
muscles flexed hard and pressed her tight against him. His fingers threaded into her curls and
then closed into a fist to hold tight.She grew lightheaded, and yet he kissed her as though he would never stop. His mouth
tasted and searched hers, first gently and then passionately and then gently yet again, keeping her
off-balance. This sometime-frightening, sometime-charismatic man seduced desires from deep
within her soul where she kept them under lock and key. She knew she should pull away, but she
couldn’t. Wouldn’t. She felt his muscles flex beneath her hands, and fresh waves of giddying
hunger rifled up her spine.
feet away. The Appaloosa jerked hard at the gunshot and then reared. The reins ripped from
Kellen’s grasp. She grabbed the saddle horn with both hands and concentrated only on staying in
the saddle. The frightened Appaloosa reared a second time, then bolted for open ground. Kellen
could do little more than hang on for dear life.
Two leaping strides and Lily had surged to a full-on gallop, streaking for the open grassy
hills. Thundering hooves sounded behind them, and Luke shouted for Kellen to stop. She was
helpless, too scared to even glance back at him for fear her grip would loosen. The reins trailed
beneath the Appaloosa’s pounding hooves as the mare continued her panicked race to nowhere.
If the mare’s hooves got tangled in the dragging reins, they would both go down.
A fallen tree appeared directly in the mare’s path, and Kellen let loose a scream as the
sure-footed horse gamely cleared the tree trunk like a thoroughbred jumper. Kellen slipped to the
right side of the saddle when the Appaloosa landed, and they galloped on across the open field.
One leg still straddled the saddle and her other leg dangled precariously between the matched
pairs of pounding hooves. She heaved her leg up tight as she could to the mare’s belly and
prayed it didn’t get tangled with Lily’s legs, but her muscles weakened with every stride and
bounce she sustained. And still the Appaloosa galloped, sheer adrenaline keeping the mare out in
front of the mighty Windsor.
Bred for endurance, the mare focused on putting as much distance between her and the
gunshot as possible. The powerful hooves pounded across the open pasture. Kellen’s arms and
legs ached, and she didn’t know how much longer she could maintain her balance. If she slipped
off the mare, she would be trampled to death the second she hit the ground.
As that thought flashed through her brain, Lily hit a gully and waggled her stride enough
to send Kellen further off-kilter. Her knuckles turned white from the pressure of her death grip
on the saddle horn, and her legs had nothing left to give. She prayed that if she slipped further,
she could muster hidden strength to push off and roll away from the thundering hooves.
The mare aimed for a small copse of trees perched on the side of a hill, and a fresh wave
of terror slammed through Kellen. Low hanging limbs would tear her from the horse. Suddenly,
Luke appeared alongside. His long arm snaked around her waist and yanked her off the panicked
Appaloosa. He slowed Windsor with each stride until he could slow the stallion to a stop and
gently lower Kellen to the ground. Her legs gave way the second her feet touched solid ground,
and she crumpled to the grass in a heap.
Before she could take a full breath, two strong arms lifted her up, and Luke crushed her
tight to his chest. She could feel his heart pounding out its rhythm, as Windsor’s hooves had
moments before. A single sob erupted when she tried to draw a breath, and she clung to him with
what little strength she had left. Her muscles quivered, and she didn’t care. For once in her life,
she didn’t want to be tough. She just wanted this big, strong man to hold on tight.
Long moments passed. Her legs grew steady. Luke eased back, and a cold wave of
disappointment rushed over her. He took her face in his hands and gently brushed his lips against
hers, as though asking permission. Whether it was her close call with death or the way Luke had
looked when he said her mother was wonderful—Kellen didn’t know and didn’t care—she gave
up trying to resist this man and threw her arms around his neck, pressed her lips to his. His
muscles flexed hard and pressed her tight against him. His fingers threaded into her curls and
then closed into a fist to hold tight.She grew lightheaded, and yet he kissed her as though he would never stop. His mouth
tasted and searched hers, first gently and then passionately and then gently yet again, keeping her
off-balance. This sometime-frightening, sometime-charismatic man seduced desires from deep
within her soul where she kept them under lock and key. She knew she should pull away, but she
couldn’t. Wouldn’t. She felt his muscles flex beneath her hands, and fresh waves of giddying
hunger rifled up her spine.
Thank you, Angie, for the spotlight! It was very kind of you to host my Silver Dagger promo tour!
Best always, Petie