By C. Marie Bowen
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| Hunter - Double Feature - by C. Marie Bowen |
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The
persona of Hunter originated in Prophecy,
Book 2 of The Soul of the Witch
series. During the first draft, I thought the release
of a demonic
evil into the world
would draw the interest of the Church, and they would hire a bounty
hunter to find and destroy the witches. As usual, my characters had
other ideas.
From
the first, Hunter was a dynamic, romantic individual—more
concerned for the welfare of others than for himself. He is a
driven, haunted man, who decided to find the witches and warn them of
the evil headed their way. So much for plotting the story, once he stepped onto the page, Hunter
changed the entire second book on his own.
Not
long after I finished the first draft of Prophecy, I discovered an
open submission post on Facebook for western Halloween short stories.
Hunter immediately came to mind. He had already whispered several
haunting stories into my ear in his low, Cajun-French accented voice.
My
submission to Prairie Rose Publication for their 2014 Cowboys,
Creatures, and Calico Halloween Anthology was titled Hunter
and Lily Graham. To my amazement and delight, Cheryl Pierson, the Acquiring Editor,
accepted my submission.
A
younger Hunter spun the tale for PRP’s Valentine Anthology, Cowboy
Kisses.
In Hunter’s Gamble, Hunter discovers his desire to help others, and uses his inherited magic to solve a mystery.
I’m
very excited to have my two first Hunter’s stories under one cover
in Hunter, Double Feature.
Hunter’s
Gamble excerpt:
Iris Piler wiped the perspiration from
her forehead with the back of
her hand, then slid the wooden clothespin over the corner of the
bed-sheet to fasten it to the line. The ache in her arms shot down
her back and into her hips from lifting the wet laundry. She
wound her dark braid on top of
her head and pressed the other hand into her lower back. She sighed
as the cool breeze caressed the moisture on the back of her
neck.
She looked over as William Lowe led
one of the breeding mares around the house and down the turn from the
corral. Their gazes met, and
his slow smile sent butterflies coursing through her stomach
and curled her toes in her shoes. He tipped his head toward the barn
and winked, then brushed the
honey-colored hair from his eyes.
Her
breath caught as she grinned back at him. His denim trousers were
tucked inside his boots, and his shirt was unbuttoned far enough she
could see moisture glisten on his chest.
His
seductive smile changed to alarm as his head came up, and he halted
in place.
Iris
turned and followed his line of sight. A dust cloud rose on the east
road. The porch screen slammed behind her.
“Iris,
leave that and go inside.” Mrs. Lowe crossed the yard to the
clothes line. “Give me those.” She took the pins from Iris's
hands, untied the
laundry apron and pulled it from Iris, and then fastened it to
herself. “Hurry, child—hide under the pantry with Mattie.”
Iris cast a quick glance at William,
but his gaze remained fixed on the approaching dust. She picked up
her skirt and ran to the porch, through the door, and into the front
parlor.
Mattie, William's sister, stood on the
steps to the refuge beneath the pantry. “Iris…hurry.”
Iris paused near the front window and
looked out. Gray uniformed
cavalrymen had ridden into the yard. William and Mrs. Lowe
stepped close to speak with their leader. The Captain waved commands
to his men and two horsemen headed toward the barn;
two more riders
rounded the side of the house.
The discussion between the Captain and
William grew heated. When two of the men dismounted and grasped
William, Iris felt her stomach drop. “Oh, no…”
“They're coming in the back,
Iris—hurry!” Mattie hissed.
Mattie's
plea reached Iris just as the butt-end of a rifle slammed into
William's forehead. Shaken to her core, Iris raced into the kitchen
and down the steps in the pantry. She lowered the hinged floorboards
above
her head as the back door flew
open with a bang.
Hunter
and Lily Graham excerpt:
Hunter stood and touched the door. It
moved. He drew his revolver and glanced toward Lily. She was pinned
to his side. He tipped his head to her, she nodded, and then he
pushed open the door with the barrel of his Colt.
They moved into dark interior and
Hunter stepped sideways, away from the door. From the back of the
house, a chair scraped across the floor. Dim light spilled from the
doorway ahead. He stood still and allowed his eyes to become
accustomed to the dark front room. Senses extended, he could feel the
room ahead, one man seated at a table. To the left, through the
opening was another room. Susan would be there. He slid his gun into
his holster.
Hunter stepped around a chair and put
his back to the wall beside the opening. Wind blew the front door
ajar and leaves skittered across the floor.
“Hummel?” the man in the next room
called. “You back?”
The scrape of the chair again. Hunter
watched the light from the doorway dim as the man stepped into the
opening.
Hunter slammed his fist into the man's
nose, and felt it dissolve beneath the blow. He followed the man as
he stumbled into the kitchen, reaching for his gun. A quick slice
across the man's windpipe, and he fell onto the table, and then slid
to the floor. Hunter knelt and cleaned his blade on the man's
pant-leg. He caught a glimpse of Lily's skirt as she disappeared into
the adjoining room.
“Hunter …”
He rose, slid his knife into the
sheath at his back and followed Lily into the room. The light from
the kitchen lantern illuminated an empty cot.
“… she's
gone.”
I
will give an E-BOOK of Hunter Double Feature to one of
today’s commenters.
Be
sure to leave your contact information at the end of your comment so I can contact you. Here's the question - what is your favorite accent?
