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JD is the daughter of a South Dakota small-town sheriff, teased by locals that if she were ever to consider marrying, she’d have a line of suitors around the block. But she’s not interested, as the only man she’s ever loved up and left, and her father was behind it. When she drives up on her father and his deputy toying with the extremely attractive redheaded Chris Friessen, she can’t resist tossing him an invitation to dinner, and she never expects that he’ll take her up on it.

Now, Chris may find that the irresistible JD comes with a lot more than he’s bargained for.

Grab the newest addition to the Friessen family series on sale at these eRetailers plus take a sneak peek at Chapter 5 below!  (Click here to read previous sample chapters.)​​​​

Chapter 5

“So let’s have it,” JD said, lifting her hands with emphasis as she took a seat on the old-fashioned settee, which was covered in vibrant green velvet. At least her feet were thanking her, and she hoped her face didn’t betray the relief she felt.
 
“Not saying anything, JD. You’re a grown woman who’s entitled to make her own decisions,” Ray said. His blue eyes were more of a steely gray that lacked the brilliance of Chris’s, but at the same time, Ray had been the one there on the sidelines when it seemed her life had fallen apart. He’d listened, sympathized, and provided a much needed shoulder to cry on. He’d been the best friend she’d ever had. “But what exactly do you know about him?” he finally said. His expression appeared cross, annoyed, and for a minute she was at a loss for words.
 
What was she supposed to say? “I know he hasn’t let you and Daddy run him off, scare him away, that he hasn’t caved under all the intimidation you’ve heaped on him since he hit the county line.” She crossed her arms and saw the moment her words had impact.
 
“Point taken. So he’s made of stronger stuff—although there is a point for every man, and every man gets there. It’s just a matter of finding it,” he stated as he stepped around the desk and over to her. He stopped just in front of her, and she was forced to look up. Ray’s dark hair was wavy, a little on the messy side, and his build was a fine thing to look at. She’d been pulled into those strong arms and held a few times as she’d cried into his chest. She’d been comforted there and knew how good a place it was, how it felt. She had to blink away the memory, reminding herself he was a friend.
 
“I seriously hope that isn’t your way of saying you’re about to pull out all the stops with him and maybe take things a little further with the intimidation, bullying. I don’t think I want to know what else you’re willing to stoop to,” she stated, and Ray had the grace to glance away as if thinking of what to say, or maybe he was running a little thin on excuses and was deciding whether to keep his plans from her or share them. Well, considering what he’d done already, both him and her father, the law seemed to do what it wanted for the good of the community.
 
“I’m going to say it again, JD: He’s not for you. You know nothing about him, just a no-good drifter who’ll be gone tomorrow, and then what?” He reached out and slid his hand over her chin, then tilted it up so she had to look at him and see the caring he had for her.
 
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. Would you and everyone stop this? Chris just asked me out. You’re all acting as if this was a marriage proposal.” She shook her head and moved back enough that he dropped his hand and placed both over his belt, where his gun was holstered along with the pouch where he kept his cuffs—a cop who was always ready.
 
“Well, that’s the thing, JD. I remember not so long ago that you were sweet talked into that very thing, and if I recall, it didn’t work out so well for you. If you need a reminder of how low you were and who was there for you…” he said, but she didn’t need a reminder of the moment she’d seen the papers with Matt’s signature and the note that he was gone.
 
“Of course I remember.” She pulled her arms closer, crossing them under her breasts, feeling the giant ache that had taken a chunk out of her heart. She knew that Ray had been there, letting her cry it out away from everyone’s prying eyes. He’d been a shield from everyone and the world when she’d needed it.
 
There was a creak, and Ray turned and stepped back. Chris stepped off the last step in blue jeans and a dark blue T-shirt, his hair a little damp as if he’d taken a second to clean up. Then he was looking from her to Ray, his expression telling her he’d heard something, but at the same time he seemed questioning, confused. He said nothing as he stood there, staring at Ray, and the look in his eyes let her know he would push at Ray until he either snapped or pushed back. They were two alphas who weren’t about to be pushed around, the kind of guys who won or ended things badly.
 
JD slapped her hands on her thighs and stood. “Well, I see you’re ready and had time to change. That’s great. We should go.”
 
Maybe that was all Chris needed, because he pulled his gaze from Ray with no smile, just a hard and unforgiving expression, but it softened as he took in JD and stepped over to her. He slid his hand over her shoulder and down her back as he turned her and pulled open the door.
 
“JD.”
 
She froze, feeling Chris’s hand on her shoulder now as she turned back to Ray but said nothing.
 
The look on his face said everything. “You need me for anything, I’m just a call away.”
 
She turned and stepped out onto the front porch, hearing the door close behind her, and she stopped when Chris pulled his hand away. She glanced up to him.
 
“Seems as if I’ve walked into the middle of something, and I’m now wondering if maybe this is more than I bargained for,” he said.
 
For a second, she felt her heart dip.
 
“There’s only one thing I want to know,” he added as she forced herself to swallow past the dryness in her throat.
 
“And that is?” she said, then waited.
 
He nodded and glanced into the distance, then pulled his gaze back to her. “Is there anything I should know about going on between you and the deputy?” He jammed his thumb to the door.
 
She could see it then: His charm and chemistry had been neatly pulled back and tucked away as if he indeed had something to protect. “Ray and I are not involved. We’re friends, that’s all. I’m not involved with anyone or seeing anyone, and if I was, I wouldn’t have accepted your invite to go out. Now, if that’s it for the questions…or maybe I should ask you if you’re still interested in going out?” Please say yes, she thought, but she feared he’d come to his senses and shake his head and decide to get on his bike and leave town.
 
He looked up the street and then over to her. “Since I’m not familiar with this place and what there is to do around here, I suppose you could show me around.”
 
There was her answer, followed by the smile that eased back into his expression.
 
“Come on,” he said, his hand skimming over her lower back as they went down the stairs, and she took in his bike and the street that went east and west.
 
“Well, how about we walk and I show you all the finer points of Martin?” she said. The lodge was at the center of town, and she started down the sidewalk, Chris right beside her, so close his arm was brushing hers. “So, Chris, since this has been kind of an unusual start, maybe you could tell me where you’re from. You said you’re traveling. I’d like to hear about it.” She was dying to hear about it, actually—an adventure, something she’d only dreamed of and couldn’t imagine.
 
“Actually on my way home now. I’m from a place outside North Lakewood in Washington. Grew up on a ranch, my dad’s place, but I always had this bug, as my mom called it, to travel—and not just any travel. I wanted to see places no one else does, so I worked my butt off after getting out of school, socked money away, bought my bike, and then made a plan. I left home, went through Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and crossed over into New Mexico. Made my way across the country for the past three months. Some places have been unforgettable, and I’d go back, but there are others I hope to never see again.”
 
She watched him. The way he said it, she could see there was an experience or something else there, a memory that would likely haunt him, or so it seemed. “But mostly good?” she said.
 
He glanced down to her, forced a smile, and nodded. “Mostly good.”
 
“And you don’t want to share the bad?” She wondered whether he meant what had happened that day, what she’d driven up on.
 
Whatever it was, he shook his head. “No, some things aren’t worth sharing. That’s the problem with this world, I think. Everyone keeps stirring up what’s not working and talking it to death, keeping it alive in everyone’s minds when it’s best to let it go. So no.” He was being cryptic, and this was the first time she’d ever heard someone not willing to share a problem.
 
“So is today one of those things? I mean, when I drove up on you…” She let her words fall away as his expression darkened and his gaze fell heavy on her.
 
He shook his head. “No, that was more an annoyance than anything, but I have to ask, is that a regular occurrence around here?”
 
What could she say? She suspected it happened more often than not, considering the town didn’t see many troublemakers, but she didn’t think she’d share that last part. Seeing a lone biker on a backroad stretch of highway, her dad and Ray would’ve been wondering what he was up to. She tensed her jaw and felt his hand slide over her lower back and rub before he pulled it away.
 
“It’s okay,” he said. “I think you just answered my question.”
 
“Well, wait.” She stopped and stepped in front of him, pressing her hand to his chest, feeling the ripple of muscle, and she instantly responded to him. Damn! She pulled her hand away, needing to make her point. “My father isn’t a bad man, and neither is Ray. In fact, they care about everyone in this town. They want to see that everyone is safe. Maybe in some of those places you stopped, whatever those experiences were, they wouldn’t have happened if those places had people like my father and Ray seeing that everyone was safe and protected.”
 
And sheltered, she thought. Martin was a place where nothing overly exciting happened, but there hadn’t been a murder in the county in over ten years.
 
The way he was looking down at her, she wondered what he was thinking. “That’s too simplistic an answer, JD. I can see you feel you need to make your dad’s case, and the deputy’s, but it’s not necessary.”
 
She had a feeling he was blowing her off, or rather, he wasn’t willing to hear any of her dad’s or Ray’s good points. “I think it is necessary,” she said. “My father wouldn’t hurt a fly, and while I’m sure you may have been inconvenienced unnecessarily, I can assure you that was all that would’ve happened. My father has done so many things to help this community. He was the first one to set up and sponsor meals for the shut-ins, all the elderly, so they can stay in their homes longer instead of going to nursing homes where they’d be stuffed in a corner, waiting to die. He’s on the council of three community organizations that provide food, shelter, and aid to those who need it here. He cares, and so does Ray,” she added, wanting him to see her father and Ray the way she did, through the eyes of everyone in Martin.
 
“I get it, JD, I do. Seriously, it’s not a problem,” he said, reaching out and pressing his hand to her shoulder, running it over the edge, and squeezing. Then he gestured behind her. “So how about I take you for a drink?”
 
She turned and saw the flashing sign of the Moose bar and grill. Not much of a place, but at least they could sit and talk, and she could get off her aching feet.
 
“Sounds like a plan.”

Another chapter sneak peek!  IN THE CHARM will be released tomorrow, but here's a peek of Chapter 4 now! More chapter peeks to come!

JD is the daughter of a South Dakota small-town sheriff, teased by locals that if she were ever to consider marrying, she’d have a line of suitors around the block. But she’s not interested, as the only man she’s ever loved up and left, and her father was behind it. When she drives up on her father and his deputy toying with the extremely attractive redheaded Chris Friessen, she can’t resist tossing him an invitation to dinner, and she never expects that he’ll take her up on it.

Now, Chris may find that the irresistible JD comes with a lot more than he’s bargained for.

You can pre-order your copy of IN THE CHARM today from ​Nook, iBooks, GooglePlay and Kobo.  now available at AMAZON! At the 2.99 RELEASE WEEK SALE PRICE!

Chapter 4

Who would have thought that tonight, of all nights, every person in town, or so it seemed, would show up for the dinner rush? Her mom and dad had both pitched in and carried out plates as she dished up the orders, and even Ray had stepped into the kitchen a time or two to help out their only waitress, Sue, a single mother of three, who worked four nights a week. Word had gotten out that the blue-plate special was grilled pork chops with steamed carrots over creamy whipped mashed potatoes, gravy, and buttermilk biscuits. JD would have to make a note of the favorites and time it better.

As she stared at the stacks of dirty plates and pots, she wanted to weep with weariness. It had to be after eight now, and her feet were killing her.

“Well, that young man is still here,” Alice said, “and you should know that your dad and Ray are both there breathing down his neck. He says he’s not leaving, that he asked you out and intends on taking you out. Never seen anyone so persistent. Not sure if that boy is just plain stupid or if he has more grit than is good for him.”

How could she have forgotten? She pulled off her apron, wanting to change, feeling the dampness of sweat leak through her tank top. “He’s still here? Why didn’t you say something?”

Her mother was no longer horrified at the fact that a biker no one knew anything about had not only showed up for a dinner she’d offered but also had asked her out. Her father, of course, after following her mother and her into the kitchen, had said in no uncertain terms that she could go out with Chris only over his dead body. Her mom, though, had rolled her eyes and patted his chest, knowing what not to say, and instead had questioned JD on the wisdom of going anywhere with someone not from around Martin. JD, without saying a word to either, had poured ice tea for Chris and walked out, leaving her parents to discuss who this Chris was.

Now here she was, sweaty and gritty, wanting a shower and to get off her feet, not to go out on a date or on the town or anywhere except to bed.

“Well, I’m saying something now,” Alice said. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing? I mean, you know nothing about him, where he’s from, and who his people are. Then there’s Ray. You know he’s not happy about you going out with him.”

Her mom was so dramatic about everything. She wanted to roll her eyes. It was all she’d ever heard growing up, as if anyone not from Martin was from another country. It was as if everything and everyone that mattered was right there, and any other place didn’t exist. Then there was Ray.

“Mom, hate to break this to you, but Chris is just like you and me, and yes, I’m going out with him.” Where, she didn’t have a clue, but right now she wasn’t about to waste another minute being questioned by her parents. “And about Ray, I’m going to say this one last time: He has no say in my life, in who I see or talk to,” she added just as her mother gave her a disapproving glance and then shook her head.

“You know Ray has been stopping in here every night and has intentions of asking you out. He’s already spoken to your father…”

JD was already shaking her head. She knew Ray was interested, yet he’d never kissed her. He’d taken her out a few times, walking, to a movie, even dancing a time or two, but as far as she was concerned, it was as friends. He’d listened to her, being the sympathetic ear when her father had pulled her and Matt apart and ended any future they could have had.

“Mom, Ray is just a friend. How many times have I said that? He’s nothing more, never has been, never will be. So can you please stop, already? Both you and Daddy need to learn that my life is my life.”

There it was, the eye roll again, as if she were spouting nonsense. It seemed her parents would never see her as an adult with a life that was hers alone. She would never be free of them continually poking their noses into her business and arranging her life as they saw fit.

She pushed open the kitchen door and saw three sets of eyes turn her way. Ray and her dad were both standing in front of Chris, their arms crossed, and it wasn’t lost on her that they were eye level, and not one of them towered over the others. Then there was Chris, who must’ve been staring right back at them, his arms also crossed over a rust-colored T-shirt. She noticed he’d shed his leather jacket, and wow, his arms showed he was a man who could hold his own, which was maybe why he was standing up to Ray and her dad as if it were no big deal. That alone bumped him up a double notch in her book.

“You ready?” he said to her and then walked her way.

She didn’t dare look over to her father, because she already knew he likely had a few things to say, and she wasn’t about to hear any more. “Yes, just let me change into a clean shirt and we can go.” Then her gaze did slide over to her father and Ray and back to Chris, wondering how much longer he could hold them off. “You okay here?” she said. There had to be a point where he realized she was too much trouble and walked out. Anyone in their right mind would have. Wasn’t that what Matt had done?

He shrugged as if it were no big deal. “Of course. Go get changed. I’ll be here,” he said.

She took another step back, taking in her dad and Ray. “You two, behave yourselves,” she said, then left, glancing back only once to see her mom step out of the kitchen and over to Chris. Good grief, she hoped her mom at least would behave.

* * *

JD didn’t linger as she wanted to. She pulled off her damp and sweaty shirt and tossed it in her dirty clothes hamper the moment she stepped into her bedroom, which had a queen bed, a night stand, a chest of drawers that was as old as the house, and two antique chairs in front of a fireplace that didn’t work.

She crossed into her private bathroom, with its claw-foot tub and single sink, and turned on the tap to splash water on her underarms and over her face. She grabbed the towel, taking a whiff to make sure she didn’t smell, and dried off before putting on deodorant and grabbing a deep blue tank with frills on the front, which she pulled on over a lacy bra. She grabbed silver hoops from the square box on her dresser and put them on, glancing at her image in the bathroom mirror. Not bad, considering she’d been sweating over a hot stove for hours.

She quickly brushed on blusher and then a thin coat of mascara, then glanced at the clock, seeing that only five minutes had passed. “Good girl,” she said as she kicked off her flip flops and pulled open the closet, then shoved her feet in black toeless sandals. She was out the door, half expecting for Chris to be gone this time, but she froze as she saw her mother behind the ancient front desk and Chris filling out a registration card. They both looked up at her as if what they were doing was completely normal.

“Since it’s getting late, I suggested that Chris get a room for the night,” Alice said. “No point in him having to hit the highway in the dark.” She slid a key across the counter. “5C, the first door at the top of the stairs.”

Chris pulled out his wallet and tossed several bills down. “Thank you,” he said and took the key, which scraped across the counter. He looked from her mom to her. “You ready?”

She found herself looking into the dining room, expecting to see Ray and her dad there, but she saw no one, instead hearing a clatter from the kitchen.

“Well, you two have fun,” Alice said. “I’d best go give Sue help cleaning up.” Then her mother did the oddest thing: She walked away, leaving Chris and JD alone.

“Your mom…” He gestured to her retreating back. “You look just like her.”

She dragged her gaze back to him, taking in the leather biking pants he was still wearing.

“You mind if I grab my gear and put it in my room? And I’ll take off these bike leathers,” he said, tapping his leg.

“Of course not. Was wondering whether you’d wear those all night. You have to be hot, I would think,” she added.

Chris pulled open the front door. The jingle of the bell was as familiar as the night sky, and he waited for her to step through it. “I am hot, but it’s a safety thing. They won’t protect against broken bones, but they will against road rash.”

He was behind her as she stepped out. The sun was still up, but it was starting to dip lower. It really was magical out there when the sun went down. Chris pulled the door closed, and they started down the four long steps, the wood creaking under his weight. His bike was parked right in front beside her father’s cruiser. It really was a nice bike, as far as motorcycles went. He said nothing as he unfastened the bag on the back, and she took a moment to really look at him. Something radiated from him, a charm she’d never felt from anyone before.

“So you’ve traveled all over on this bike?” She stepped off the curb and ran her hand over the metal and onto the leather seat.

“I did, the only way to see the country.” He hefted the bag over his shoulder and then waited for her. The smile that touched his lips along with those intense blue eyes was giving everything to her and making her feel as if she were special in a way that no man ever had, not even Matt. Then he was walking back to the steps, and he paused as if waiting for her. Stay there or go with him? Then he did something she didn’t expect. “So you want to show me the way to 5C, or do you think your father is waiting in the room for me?”

The way he said it, she wasn’t sure whether he was kidding, but at the same time, she realized that was exactly what her father would do, and she winced.

“Sure I can. Should I apologize again for my father and Ray? Or maybe I never apologized,” she said as she stood right beside him, so close she could feel his heat.

The way he was looking at her now, she wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Then he ran his hand over her arm and down to her hand, over her fingers, in a touch that sent a shiver through her. His hand was hard, rough, and warm, and her body seemed to want it. “You don’t need to apologize for anyone. Whatever happened, whatever they’ve done, that’s not on you.”

He was still holding her hand as they started up the steps, where he opened the front door of the lodge. Ray was now behind the front desk, and his eyes went right to their hands before landing solely on her.

“You know what, Chis? Go get changed, and I’ll wait right here,” she said, pulling her hand from his and resting it on his arm, feeling the muscles tighten.

He glanced to Ray and then pulled his questioning gaze back to her. “You sure?”

Those two words, the way he said them, she realized he really meant it. Maybe that was why a lump jammed in her throat, cutting off her voice. She had to swallow as she stared into the intensity of his eyes, the strength and something else that had her wanting to step closer to him.

“It’s fine.” She forced a smile to her lips, dropped her hand, and squeezed her fist from wanting to touch him again.

He nodded, lingering just a second more before starting up the steps to where the three guest rooms were. JD watched him for a breath and then another before forcing her gaze back to Ray, who apparently had something more on his mind and was determined to have his say.

Another Chapter sneak peek! The countdown is on just two more days! IN THE CHARM is set to release this Friday, APRIL 6!  Here is peek at Chapter 3.  And stay tuned tomorrow for another!

JD is the daughter of a South Dakota small-town sheriff, teased by locals that if she were ever to consider marrying, she’d have a line of suitors around the block. But she’s not interested, as the only man she’s ever loved up and left, and her father was behind it. When she drives up on her father and his deputy toying with the extremely attractive redheaded Chris Friessen, she can’t resist tossing him an invitation to dinner, and she never expects that he’ll take her up on it.

Now, Chris may find that the irresistible JD comes with a lot more than he’s bargained for.

You can pre-order your copy of IN THE CHARM  today from ​Nook, iBooks, GooglePlay and Kobo.  AMAZON  READERS!  There is no pre-order but watch your INBOX April 6 for the AMAZON RELEASE DAY LINK, at the 2.99 RELEASE WEEK SALE PRICE!

Chapter 3

“She’s spoken for,” Ray said.

Chris was staring into the face of one pissed-off cop, or was he a deputy? He couldn’t quite tell from the badge pinned to his chest. The dark-haired cop was now seated across from him in the rustic dining room of the quaint lodge, in the exact spot in which JD had been sitting just moments earlier.

Chris glanced over his shoulder to the door that led into what he thought was the kitchen, which was still swinging from where JD had been pulled away by her mother. Her father, the sheriff, had paused a second to level him a look that said, What the fuck do you think you’re doing, boy? before following the women into the kitchen. It wasn’t lost on Chris where JD had gotten her looks from, and her amazing figure.

He allowed his eyes to scan the room, taking his time before looking back to Ray, who had to have at least ten years, if not more, he figured, on JD. “Didn’t seem that way to me,” he said. He knew he was playing with fire but just couldn’t help himself in wanting to push the small-town cop. He was well aware this was likely to get him in a heap of trouble, especially since his family didn’t know exactly where he was today, but then, Chris had never been known to follow any of the rules or play it safe. Hence his bike and this little cross-country adventure.

“Well, now you know,” Ray said. His hands were big, and the one on the table flicked to him as he relaxed in the chair. Chris wasn’t fooled for a second into thinking the man wasn’t ready for him to move or try anything. “So it’d be best now if you moved on.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t really work for me. You see, I was offered dinner, and that’s exactly what I plan to have, and I do keep my word. Not really the kind of man to ask a lady out and then take off. That would be rude, Ray.” He knew he was provoking the man, and he took in the way his eyes flashed from icy blue to something a little colder. Chris was pushing a line Ray didn’t want him crossing. Ray let out a rough laugh that dragged an icy chill up Chris’s spine.

“That’s chief deputy to you, asshole,” he said, and he winked. “And as I said, JD is not for you. She’s been spoken for, so you just get back on your bike and ride on out of our county and keep going to where you came from.” He nodded then as if it was all settled, but Chris had no intention of leaving.

“You keep saying that, spoken for. What exactly does that mean, by you?” He eased back in the chair, hearing it creak. His leather jacket was making him sweat. He should have taken a moment to take it off, but not now, as the man across from him had every intention of keeping Chris from seeing JD. If he were smart, he’d have made his excuses and left. Good thing he wasn’t that cowardly.

“It’s not your business…” Ray started, but the sound of the kitchen door opening had him stopping midsentence.

“So sorry about that, Chris,” JD said. “I brought you an ice tea, not that I asked you what you’d like to drink.” She rested a tall glass complete with ice and a mint leaf on top in front of him, and he did his best to ignore the deputy seated across from him, who was staring at JD like a man in love. What was the story there?

“Ray, are you behaving yourself, or are you trying to intimidate Chris again?” JD added as she set a menu in front of Chris. It was just a single page with four items to choose from: a blue-plate dinner special, chili, steak, and the staple of every restaurant around, a house burger.

“I’m doing no such thing, but, JD, you don’t know nothing about this man here. Inviting him for dinner and then saying you’ll go out with him? No, that’s not right. I’m sure your dad in there was likely telling you…”

She held up the flat of her hand, and he stopped talking as she rested both on slim hips outfitted in a loose pair of jeans. She had one of the nicest asses Chris had ever seen, and add in her long legs and slim waist, she was the entire package. Chris was in no hurry to walk out of there. Cop dad or not, there was something about JD that intrigued him so much that he thought it was worth a moment of his time to get to know her.

“Ray Briggs,” she said, “you know very well that no one tells me what to do, and that includes my parents. I’m of age and can make my own decisions, and I’ve invited Chris for dinner—and, just so everyone is clear, after the dinner rush, I’ll also be going out with him. So you’re welcome to move on over to another table and take a seat, or if Chris is fine with you sharing his table, I’ll take your order in just a moment.”

His interest was piqued even more, and he found himself taking in the deputy, who was staring up at her with what resembled puppy dog eyes. Clearly, the infatuation was one sided, but the fact was he was head over heels in love with her.

“Ah, come on, JD,” Ray said. “I was planning on taking you out. We’d go park up on Slater’s Hill and watch the sunset.”

Even Chris gave him a look that said, Seriously, dude?

JD was shaking her head, and he wondered whether she had any idea how Ray had set his sights on her. “Sorry. Now, are you going to behave yourself here, or do I need to move you to another table?” she said. JD could make that deputy asshole toe the line, Chris realized, or maybe that was just the effect she had on men. Then she gave him that sassy expression, the one that had stared up at him through the open passenger side window. It was beyond gorgeous, revealing everything about her. “So, Chris, what can I get you for dinner?”

“Well, I’m thinking, why don’t you surprise me?” He lifted the menu and handed it back to her, taking in something rattled in her expression.

She hesitated before giving her head a shake and pasting a smile back on her face. “Okay, one blue-plate special.” Her gaze lingered a minute before turning to Ray. “And how about you, Ray? What would you like tonight?”

He had both hands clasped now over his belt as he leaned back. “The same,” he said, inclining his head to Chris, “and be sure to hold back a piece of your apple pie. I’ll be wanting that for dessert.”

She gave him a nod before turning over a cup. “Coffee then, too,” she added as she walked over to an antique buffet, where a coffee station was set up. She strode back, and he noticed the flip flops on her feet.

“I do, just the way you make it,” Ray said as she poured him a coffee and then dumped two creamers beside the cup. As she walked away and Ray stirred his coffee, then tapped the spoon against his mug, Chris didn’t miss the fact that he was still sitting at his table, and this man who was the last person he’d ever want to share a table with was now staring at him with a look in his eyes that Chris was smart enough not to press.

“If you hurt her, or mess with her in any way, I will kill you and bury you where no one will ever find you,” Ray said. “So have your dinner. You want to take her out? You be sure that she returns safely, early, and you don’t mess with her in any way.” Then he lifted his coffee and jabbed his finger over to Chris. “You just remember who her father is. She belongs here, and if you step out of line in any way, I’m watching you.”

Now what the hell was he supposed to say to that? Nothing, if he was smart, but instead he lifted the ice tea and took a swallow. It was even better than he’d thought it would be. Then he flicked his gaze over to the deputy and said, “So how long have you been in love with her?”

NEW RELEASE

Will Danny realize that the love of his life may not be the woman he’s dating?

Spend this Valentine's Day with the newest generation of Friessens!  IN THE STARS is now available at Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo and GooglePlay.

99CENT SALE

NOW AVAILABLE

99CENT SALE

THE FRIESSENS ARE HERE FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

It's release day for the newest installment in my big family romance series, IN THE FAMILY (The Friessens, Book 9), now available everywhere.

Those we love always come home.

Christmas has always been a happy affair for the Friessens, but this year, as the family returns home, they are faced with more than a few challenges—from the crazy whirlwind of an on-again, off-again romance to a fairytale marriage now on the rocks, with more secrets than the family knows what to do with.

Can the Friessens pull together this holiday season, and will the gift of love be all they need?

Spend your holiday with the Friessens!  IN THE FAMILY is now available at Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo and GooglePlay.

Can't get enough of the Friessens?  More new titles are on the way!

IN THE SILENCE - In the silence, love hears everything.
Pre-order at Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, GooglePlay

IN THE STARS - Now that he's found her, he'll do anything to have her.
Pre-order at Nook, iBooks, Kobo, GooglePlay 
(pre-order coming soon to Amazon)

IN THE CHARM - He's used to having everything he wants. This time it won't be so easy.
Pre-order at Nook, iBooks, Kobo, GooglePlay 
(pre-order coming soon to Amazon) 

Join me each week for a new book giveaway! 

This week I'm giving away an eBook copy of IN THE MOMENT (The Friessens, Book 8) to five lucky winners. To enter, simply leave a comment below.  Drawing held 12/25/17.  Good luck and happy reading!