Lucy House is still paying for the day she strayed away from decency. Now the handsome outlaw she ran away with has lost his appeal and she longs to get away from this life. As the danger mounts, can Wynne and Lucy escape this den of thieves?
EXCERPT
Texas, 1883
She experienced the view as an
ache. So impossibly blue and bright. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out
the blue sky to savor the sweet scent of the flowers without the distraction of
the sky, which even now flashed on the backs of her eyelids. The rain lilies
perfuming the air, flowering after a heavy rain, would only last a day or two.
How fortunate they were to catch them in bloom. The delicate white petals, so
easy to miss. She took this as a good omen. With her eyes still closed, she
listened to the sound of the buckboard wheels bumping up and down in the ruts of
the dirt road and felt the gentle touch of Billy’s coat sleeve brushing against
her as his arms moved with the reins.
He nudged her. “What are you
thinking about? You’ve got a smile lighting up your face like rays of sunshine
on a summer morning.”
Her eyes snapped open at the
sound of his voice, a deep melody that reverberated in her heart. She turned in
his direction to see his dark eyes sparkling with delight.
“Why, I’m…” She let out a
nervous giggle and tugged at her bonnet strings before fixing him with a bold
look. “I’m thinking how this time next week I’ll be living a different life.
The life of a married lady.”
Patti, I thoroughly enjoyed DEN OF THIEVES! What a perfect book to kick off the new PRP line SIX GUNS AND PRAIRIE ROSES! So many good twists and turns and not knowing WHAT was going to happen next in your story--it sure kept me on the edge of my seat! LOL MORE, MORE, MORE!!! Congratulations on your new release!
ReplyDeleteThank YOU, Cheryl! I got the idea when I was doing research for Margarita and Hired Gun and read a brief reference to how the Pinkertons tried to infiltrate the gangs by sending undercover agents into the hideouts, but that these attempts were unsuccessful (tragically for the undercover agent, I imagine). But I couldn't find any more information on that. So I thought, what if an outlaw is an identical twin....
DeleteCongratulations on your new release, Patti. Interesting that there are two women involved with Ennis. I like the name Lucy. Not sure how to pronounce Wynne: "Win?"..."Wayne?"
ReplyDeleteYou have a beautiful cover, too.
I want to wish you great success!
Thank you Sarah! I pronounce it Win, but what do I know? LOL. So funny story about Lucy's name. When I wrote Margarita I named a character after my daughter's favorite stuffed toy and based his looks on Homer DePot(her doll). A friend and fellow author challenged me to write two characters based on her daughter's favorite stuffed animal, Lucy House and Milton Bear. So they're both in this story. Lucy is a rabbit with rainbow stripes. Lucy House the character wears an opal brooch which she twists when she's nervous, shooting out all the colors of the rainbow. Milton Bear is a koala bear...and you'll just have to read how I turned him into a Mormon rancher! Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeletePatti,
DeleteThis is a fabulous anecdote. I enjoy reading about the nuances and behind-the-scenes secrets, puns, personal tidbits, etc. that only the author knows are in the story. Once I know about these, it's like having a secret handshake with the author.
Hi, Kaye and Happy Valentines Day to you! I love to put personal tidbits into my stories if only to amuse myself. But of course, I hope to amuse and entertain others.
DeleteOh Patti, I've always enjoyed all your stories, but this one, I believe just might the best ever. You had me from the beginning of the blurb, then during the excerpt I thought, oh I must read this story--I know lots of excitement will be going on, plus lots of laughter. Wishing you a VERY Happy Valentine's Day, as well as much success with your new release--sure to be BIG HIT. I too love the cover Livia did. Have been off the scene pretty much for a while, but now I'm back, reading and writing with a bang. By the time you read my comment, I'll have purchased your book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bev! I've missed you and was wondering what you were up to. I'm especially glad to hear you're writing up a storm. Something to look forward to. This is a quick read and when I saw the call of submission for this series, I thought it was a good fit. I had been doing a lot of research on the women who were involved with Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch and that was where I drew my inspiration from. Great to hear from you!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, there is a reason "She" is not named by a name in this chapter. Wink.
ReplyDeleteI love the excerpt and the anecdote and look forward to reading this, especially since I enjoy writing about outlaws. I've been intrigued by the Wild Bunch ever since the movie with Paul Newman and Robert Redford. I wish you loads of success with this new PRP line. Happy Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elizabeth! That movie left it's imprint on my brain. Honestly, I was wondering today if I even would writing HWR if I didn't repeatedly watch that movie and fall in love with Robert Redford. I loved the way he played Sundance!
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing. Congratulations on launch day! I so agree with Patti about Robert Redford.
ReplyDeleteThanks! A lot of my previous research came together for me in this book. And R.R. was my fantasy man for many years after watching that movie. I still remember looking at copies of Tiger Beat or whatever other teen mags we ha back then and swooning over pics of him.
ReplyDeleteIn the event my husband sees this, I want to add I've moved on him RR. I now like my heroes tall, dark, and handsome ;-)
Deletesquee!! Happy book birthday to you!!! LOVED the story!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michelle! I'm so pleased you enjoyed it.
Delete