Get your next glimpse of THE STALKER!

Sneak Peek

Get your next glimpse of THE STALKER!  Book 13 in The O'Connells series is on the way, but you can preview Chapter 3 now.

Dark secrets are resurrected in this new O’Connell novel.

Alison Sweetgrass-O’Connell believes she’s forever a misfit and will never fit in.

After struggling to recover from a teenage crush that dealt her a crippling blow, Alison watches from the sidelines in the small town of Livingston, Montana, which hasn’t been friendly to her. Silently, she believes everyone’s seemingly perfect lives have a dark side. And soon her beliefs prove true.

Alison meets young, attractive med student Bennett Warren, new to Livingston. Suddenly, Bennett is showing up everywhere she is—and then, in her good fortune, he turns out to have rented the apartment right next door.

At first, she’s convinced it’s fate, and maybe there is hope for her, but a suspicious turn of events has her fearing she’s being stalked by someone who knows one of her secrets, something no one should know.

She tries telling herself she’s imagining things, but she soon realizes someone has been inside her apartment, going through her very personal belongings. She finds herself looking over her shoulder, not knowing who she can trust. When she confides in Bennett, she’s convinced he thinks she’s crazy, too.

Then Alison comes across evidence that has her questioning not only her sanity but also the real reason Bennett showed up in Livingston—and even more disturbing is the possibility that him moving right next door to her wasn’t entirely coincidental.

Chapter 3

“Well, hello again.”

Alison was zipping her purse, having just pulled cash from the ATM, and she turned to take in the hot guy from the restaurant. He was wearing a gray wool coat, dressy, classy, and was walking right toward her.

“Hey there,” was all she managed to get out as she took in his smile—for her? She fought the urge to look over her shoulder, expecting him to be talking to someone else, but he stopped right in front of her.

“Alison, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. How did you…?” she started, taking in his dimples as his smile flashed. The man sure had a way of giving everything when he looked at her. She tried to figure out how old he was. Mid-twenties, she thought.

“One of my talents is remembering faces and names. I’m Bennet Warren.” He held out his large hand, and she took it, reminding herself of civility. He had remembered her name. That was something that rarely happened.

“Alison O’Connell, your friendly scut worker and restaurant bus girl,” she replied. This time, she dropped Sweetgrass, because she remembered her dad’s face.

She thought he chuckled, and she wasn’t sure what to make of his expression as she shook his hand, not something she did often.

He shrugged. “So you’re not only a pretty girl with a pretty name, but you’ve got a great sense of humor, too. Just getting off work, bus girl?”

She was aware of the fact that her mom was waiting in her Jeep in a parking spot two cars down. “Yeah, done for today.” She couldn’t remember ever having smiled so easily.

“And your boss is behaving himself? Did he apologize after that dickhead move?”

Holy crap! The guy had remembered that, too. Remembering little things about her was something no one ever did—except Brady, before things became awkward and went sideways. Right, she had to get him out of her head, to move on from that feeling that had her slipping away to the corners on family nights.

“No apologies, but he kept his distance,” she said. “Still, I’m sure something will be coming down the pike, retribution of some kind.” She could see her mom looking her way now, and she had to pull her gaze back to Bennett, who was still standing there.

“Hey, I get it, but things don’t change if you don’t speak up, and it’s impossible to get anywhere if there’s no respect from your manager. At the same time, toxic environments are just that. Hold your head up. Don’t take any crap. Your boss is a dick, but you have a great smile. See you around, Alison,” he said, then walked around her, into the bank. She found herself turning to watch him, her heart thudding, and she forced herself to pull it together as she walked over to her mom’s Jeep, pulled open the passenger door, and slid in.

“Who was that?”

She pulled at her seatbelt and latched it, pulling in a breath before looking over to her mom, who was smiling in a way that had her rolling her eyes. “Just a customer at the restaurant today. He remembered me, is all, and wanted to say hi.”

And he was like a knight in shining armor—but she’d keep that part to herself.

“He’s cute, and the way he was looking at you… Did he ask you out?” her mom said, darting a gaze back out. Bennett had walked back out and was walking past them, and

her and smiled, dimples flashing. He lifted his hand in a wave, and it was awkward, especially with her mom. She waved back.

“No, of course not,” she said. “He’s just a nice guy.”

“Mm-hmm,” was all her mom said as she started her Jeep.

Alison found herself looking to see where he’d gone, but she didn’t see him anymore as they backed out.

“So your dad signed everything for you,” her mom said. “I still can’t believe you want to move out! It’s not too late, you know. You haven’t signed the lease yet or paid any money down.”

She knew what her mom was doing. At the same time, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so excited over anything. The appeal of having her own place, independence, and freedom, so to speak, being in charge of just herself, was something she couldn’t have explained to anyone.

“Mom, I’m moving out, so if we could just drive to the Carlyle, I’ll pay the money and get my keys. I mean, it’s time, and this is something I really want.”

Her mom lifted a hand from the steering wheel as if to stop her from going on. She signaled her turn around the block, and Alison could see her new home just ahead. It was perfect, only about three blocks from work. She could walk easily and would think about getting a car down the road. Most of all, she wouldn’t have her mom and dad there to walk in on her anytime they wanted.

“Fine,” Jenny said. “I’m just saying, I don’t want to see you move out, but if this is what you want…”

“It is, Mom.” She knew she was trying to change her mind. “And, as Dad pointed out this morning when he forced me to go to breakfast with him, I’m still expected at every family night. The only difference is that I’ll be sleeping somewhere else. Besides, I want to stand on my own two feet. I have a job. It’s not as if I’m leaving the country. Now you and Dad can have time alone. You may even realize how great it is, not having me there,” she added as her mom pulled into a spot and put the Jeep in park.

She slid her gaze over to her, and Alison didn’t miss the frown. “There you go again, Alison, saying we’re better off without you. You know we love you, and I hate to see you running out the door and hurrying to move away just when you and your dad are building something. He loves you, you know. And you’re not underfoot.”

What the hell was she supposed to say to that? Talking about her feelings was something she didn’t do.

“Geez, Mom, seriously, this isn’t about you two. It’s about me. I’m doing this for me.” She fisted her hands, feeling how different things were with her mom after what they’d gone through. She’d never seen her so happy, though, and maybe she wanted the same for herself.

“Alison, don’t you think your dad and I have been worried about you? We’ve given you space, a lot of space. We know that what happened with Brady crushed you…”

“Mom, stop, already. It’s over. I’m over it.” She wanted to snarl before her mom poked anymore at a wound that had barely healed.

“No, Alison. I’m not trying to pick a fight here, but you say you’re over it even though I know you’re not. We all know what it did to you. I saw the light in your eyes, the light you’d managed to get back only for a short time, dim. I know what Wren did, too, and I’m responsible for that. No one deserves that. Since Brady and Cassie eloped a few weeks ago, your dad and I

have seen the trouble you’re having with her. Can I blame you? No, but she’s a nice girl, and you have to find a way—”

“I know, Mom!” she yelled, her hand on the door. She gave it a yank, and it popped open. “Maybe this is one of the reasons I want my own place, so I don’t have to have this thing with Brady shoved in my face every time I turn around. I know you’re watching me, worrying I’m going to screw up or say or do something wrong, and you all stand back and say, ‘Oh, there she goes again, self-sabotaging.’ Or maybe you think I’ll just fall apart. But I’m not going to fall apart! I’m fine, and if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather just forget about it and not talk about it, because what hurts is the fact that you keep bringing it up. Do me a favor and stop. Stop talking about it. Stop worrying I’m going to break, because I’m not. I’m stronger than that, Mom. You and Wren made sure of that. Stop expecting the worst of me.”

Then she stepped out of her mom’s Jeep and closed the door, feeling like shit for tossing Wren in her mom’s face. She heard her mom step out, as well, and when she looked over to her, she saw her hands lifted in surrender—but she also saw the shadow of hurt.

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