Virginia is a bestselling paranormal romance author. She does much better with her stories than with people. When she’s in her “writing zone,” she won’t even eat unless her mother hands her a plate and reminds her to do so. She wouldn’t be making the trip to the McCullough’s if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Go, see the child, make sure he has a good home. That is the plan. Simple…not.
Larson is having his own issues. Being blamed for the murder of one of his clients, which he didn’t do, has him closing up shop and laying low for a few days. His mom insists that he show up for dinner to meet their visiting guests. Larson would rather stay home, but she’d have his hide if he did.
Larson sees the beauty from across the room and makes his way to her. Before he even reaches her, he catches her scent. She is his mate. Now what is he supposed to do? He has his life just the way he wants it and a mate wasn’t figured into that equation. On the other hand, the way she flushes when she returns his stare has him thinking anything but pure thoughts. Maybe having a mate wouldn’t be so bad after all.
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Amazon Paperback Coming Soon
Colin McCullough gets the phone call that all military families dread―his brother Hawkins has been shot. Colin only wants to thank Hawkins’s commanding officer for saving his brother’s life, but he can never seem to get past the guards in the hospital’s hallway to personally thank the man.
Major Lauren Burcher is all Army and head of a special task team usually sent in to clean things up. This time, her team is ambushed by friendlies, and Lauren and her best man Hawkins McCullough barely make it out alive―they were set up. Someone wants them both dead.
Another attempt on Lauren’s life in the hospital fails miserably, and when Colin scoops her up in his arms to place her back in the hospital bed, he finds a gun pointed at his forehead at point blank range. In that moment he realizes this bad-assed scary woman is his mate.
Lauren wants no part of this mate business. Relationships get messy and this jerk is bossy as hell. And Lauren doesn’t take orders…she gives them. But it will take all of them, his family and hers, to keep her and Hawkins alive….
Who rescued who was still a little vague, but they escaped just the same. The lab called him SA-8, and they had made him into a very powerful weapon. But to Reese he was just Josh, a boy that could do amazing things, but a boy none the less—not a lab rat. That was two years ago—the lab had been relentless and lethal in their pursuit. With her big rig running on fumes, and their last dime spent, they wound up on a small town in Ohio….
Parker McCullough found an abandoned big rig parked on his land. It had been there a few days, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. Calling the authorities seemed like the logical thing to do, but when he tried to do so, his cell phone went flying from his hand and a teenage boy appeared from nowhere. Parker thought the boy was an Elite Shifter, and after hearing a little of the boy’s story he wanted to help.
Reese didn’t know who all these people were, but if she and Josh didn’t get away from them, the “others” would find them and they’d all be dead, just like all the other people who had tried to help them along the way…. And now the gorgeous shifter, Parker, had her trapped in the kitchen claiming to be her mate…. She didn’t have time for herself, and she didn’t want to see them all die because they’d helped her and Josh—Reese was out of options.
Mackenzie’s shift at the hospital had just begun when they told her that a patient friend of hers was back in the ER and asking for her. When she entered the curtained room, the last thing she expected was for a McCullough to be sitting next to her patient. It wasn’t Hawk, thank god, but the man looked enough like him he could have been his twin. Hawkins McCullough was on her shit list, and if this man was related to him, she didn’t want anything to do with him.
It didn’t take long for Dustin McCullough to figure out that this feisty doctor was his mate. And when he found out that his brother had hurt her, it took a great deal of strength to keep his cat from killing him.
Mackenzie was at her wits end. Random attacks to her person and bullets flying had the entire McCullough family in an uproar. And just when they thought they had everything about under control, Hawkins drops a bombshell that had them all stunned.
Can Mackenzie find it in her heart to forgive Hawk before it’s too late?
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Next New Release Is Nov 27th 2017 Sorry No Pre Orders
Next New Release Is Nov 27th 2017 Sorry No Pre Orders
Larson looked at the headlines again. There was something
so final about it that it hurt his heart to think that his friend
was gone. Not just him, but his wife of twenty years as well.
Thomas and Donna Simmons had been found on an
inflatable boat three days ago. Defensive injuries were all
over their bodies, as well as several gunshot wounds that had
more than likely had them suffering all the way to the end.
The newspaper hadn’t given him as many details as
Lauren had, but the paper had said that their deaths—
murders—were being looked into. And where their boat had
disappeared to. They had been shot in the head, both of them,
and put on a dingy, he thought it was called.
“I’m sorry.” He nodded at Lauren when she spoke. “I
have some people looking into things since there are a lot of
unexplained events. Also, and I don’t know if you know him
well, but their partner is saying some pretty damning things
about you.”
“Me? What does he think I did to them?” She said it was
about money. “I was his investor and nothing more. I mean,
6
Kathi S. Barton
we were friends too, but I never borrowed anything from his
partner. The last time we spoke, he asked me to sell off some
stock that he had and I did. It’s all recorded too.”
“Hang onto it…the recordings, I mean. The partner is
saying that a week after Tom and his wife went away, you
called him and told him that there was a deal just too good
to pass up. He in turn told you that Tom was away and that
he didn’t make those sorts of decisions. But you insisted.”
Larson shook his head and told her that the partner had called
him. “Well, like I said, hang onto those recordings. Also, you
should think about closing up for a couple of days.”
“Why?” She told him. “You think he’s going to make
trouble for me? That somehow, he can tell others that I’m a
cheat and a liar? Why would he do that? I didn’t do anything
wrong.”
“I know that, but you know how people can be. They’re
untrusting and will latch onto anything that they can to make
someone else have less than them. It’s the way the world
works. As much as it sucks, you know as well as I that it does
happen.”
His phone rang then and he answered it, but almost as
soon as the man on the other end, Harley Wells, said his name,
he made sure that things were being recorded. And he put it
on speaker phone so that Lauren could hear as well.
“Mr. Wells, I didn’t expect to hear from you. Did you
need some investing done?” Lauren slid a note to him about
warning the other man he was being recorded. “You did listen
to the options, didn’t you? I mean, this is a very good place to
have your money grow.”
“Yes, I listened to all the options. Is this your way of asking
me if I know that I’m being recorded? Besides, you can’t use
it, not now that I’ve put it out there that you’re being sued
7
Larson
by me. Anyway, I want you to know that I want that money
back, and the shares put back where they were.” He asked
him how he thought he couldn’t use the recordings. “Because
I’ll just say that I didn’t call you. That you’ve doctored this
whole thing, much like you did for my partner. He shouldn’t
have sold off that stock. I was hoping to use it.”
All sorts of things jumped into Larson’s mind, but looking
at Lauren, he knew better than to say anything to Wells.
Instead, he read the next note that she slid over to him. He
didn’t want to ask but she pointed to it again.
“Did you kill off Tom and his wife? For their shares?”
Wells said that he had and that he’d do it again, but he’d be
more careful this time. “Careful how? I’m assuming that you
think you’re the beneficiary to their estate.”
“I will be.” He laughed again. “Thomas do Jenny think
October left me Vince.” Larson asked him what he was doing
when he started just saying words with no rhyme or reason to
them. Lauren sliced her fingers over her throat and he hung
up.
“I don’t know what just happened here.” She nodded,
but he could see by the look on her face that she was worried.
Or thinking. Either one of them, he wasn’t too happy about.
“Lauren, please tell me that you’re going to figure this out.”
“Oh I am. And you don’t have to worry too much about
him. I’d steer clear of him for sure, but I’d not be answering
my phone for the next week or so.” He asked her if that would
make him sound guilty. “Perhaps, but in the end you’ll be
fine.”
“And that garble of words, what was that?” She told him
he was making words to sound as if he’d made a tape of their
conversation. “Why would he need to do that? I mean, I’d not
even have the first clue about that.”
8
Kathi S. Barton
“But I would.” He asked her what she meant, thinking
that he knew what she was saying but wanting her to confirm
it. “If I were in a position to use a recording of someone’s
voice to get them caught, then yes, I’d do it. And he would
know that. It’s no secret to anyone now as to what I’m capable
of. Everyone thinks I work with the president. That I’ve gone
out of my way to make sure that he’s safe. Then there is the
added fact that I made sure that our former president went to
jail for a very long time.”
“Why me? Why is he coming after me? I didn’t do
anything that wasn’t asked of me. I’m honest as the day is
long. Why is he telling me that he murdered them, and is
going to go after their estate? Especially since he knew he was
being recorded.” She said that she didn’t know, but she was
looking into it. “I’m going to lose my business, aren’t I?”
“No. Once this gets out, that he’s done this, then it’ll go
back to normal. But until then, I think you should have your
business closed up, just for now, and go work on your new
house.” He thought about his home and all the work that was
being done on it. “Where are the recordings that you use?”
“I put them in the safe every night. I don’t even use them
a second time. Ever.” She told him that was smart, but she
wanted them. “All right. I can do that. Lauren, he killed that
couple.” He turned in his chair to get into the safe that was
under the carpet at his feet.
“Yes, and while they don’t know it, I’m afraid that their
kids are next.” He realized then that Wells had mentioned the
children by name and told her. “Yeah, I have a detail on them
now. They’re with their grandparents for the time being, but
there will be more guards around them at all times now. And
don’t talk to them. I know you want to go there and see them,
tell them you had nothing to do with their parents’ deaths,
9
Larson
but he’s more than likely waiting on you to do that. We have
to play this very close to the vest.”
For the rest of the afternoon he took steps to close his
business. Larson knew that it was only temporary—he
hoped—but he was still depressed about it. As he called in
the service to have them answer the phones, he handed over
all the recordings that he had in his safe to Lauren. She said
she’d make sure they were safe.
Going to his new home, he watched his dad and grandda
as they worked at taking the railing down. It was cast iron,
and the previous owners had painted it a bright blue. It was
chipped for the most part, but Dad had told him that he
could have it looking as good as new in no time. They were
going to dip paint it black to match the shutters, the real kind
that actually covered the windows. Larson was glad to see
something going right.
“You here or going again?” He told Dad what had
happened. “Well, I’m thinking that if Lauren says she can
fix it, then she can. I got me some helpers in the back yard,
tagging what you don’t want to pull up. I guess this place
had a nice rose garden years back, and they want to come in
and mark them for you so you don’t pull them up. Said they’d
help you make them pretty again.”
He headed to the back yard, a place that he was beginning
to think was never going to look good or be finished. But the
moment he spotted the two women, he began to have hope.
In the time they’d been here, not only were ribbons on some
of the plants, but there was a large brush pile next to the patio.
“Hello, Larson. My goodness, you have a wonderful
place back here. I cannot wait until you put some of these
beauties in the next garden show. You’ll win for sure.” He
nodded at Mrs. Frank and told her what he’d found out about
10
Kathi S. Barton
the gardens. “She, the missus here, she didn’t care much for
people. I think her only solace after her son passed was this
place. She sure did love to have her roses around. Did you
find anything in the house that belonged to her?”
“I’m not sure there was much left. The house had been
empty, from what I understand, for a very long time.” Mrs.
Frank told him to have a look-see in the barns. There was stuff
in there. “You think so? I mean, why would it still be here
after all this time?”
“She didn’t have no one left when she got up there but for
a sister that was as mean as the owner was nice. So this sister
was some upstart that had it in her head that she was going
to live here and carry on being queen of the town. Nobody
liked the old biddy, and she only lasted a year, probably less.
But she took all the things that were in the house and put
them in the barn, last I heard.” He watched what she was
doing as she continued to talk. “And when I heard that one of
you McCulloughs had bought this place, I was tickled pink.
You go on now, and you and me, we’ll have ourselves a look.
Might be some things in there you can use for your place.”
They walked to the big barn. It wasn’t tall like the one on
his brother’s place, but it was huge in that it was one level of
sprawling wood. He found the light switch just where she
said it would be and turned them on. As they lit up, one after
the other, he could see that someone had taken care to make
sure that nothing was ruined. There must have been a dozen
or so cats around. And every one of the boxes was set up on
bricks that he was sure matched the ones on the patio just
beyond the rose gardens.
“I guess they’ll look up to you.” She was still laughing as
she led him to the back of the barn. She was pointing out that
someone had put boxes in this area, and each one of them was
11
Larson
marked with what was in it as well as which room it had come
from. “Looks like she put everything in here, doesn’t it?”
There were over a hundred boxes of varying sizes. There
were trunks too…most of them had faded labels on them, but
he could make out some of the words. As soon as he realized
that there was more in the next stall, he called his mom. She
of all people would know what was good to keep or toss out.
She said she was in town with the baby but would come by.
“My mom, she’s coming to look this over. You think that
anything in those trunks will be any good? This one here
says it has wedding stuff in it. What do you suppose that is?”
Mrs. Frank told him it might be a wedding gown for his new
mate when she came along. He didn’t comment. Larson was
terrified of having a mate.
“She sure did have a good old time with packing this
stuff up, don’t you think? It might have been easier on her just
to leave it in the house. That’s my thinking anyway. Well, if
you’ll be all right here, young man, I’ll go back to my garden.
I don’t mean that it is, but I expect you to invite me out here
when it’s in bloom. Maybe we can have a garden party when
that happens. If you want.”
Larson told her that would be fine with him, if the house
was finished. She just laughed and walked away. Larson
didn’t know what she thought was so funny, but he pulled
one of the boxes off the shelf and cut the tape. It was old too,
probably as old as he was, but when he opened it, he just
stared at the contents.
Boxes of seeds were in the box, along with when to plant
them and what they were. He picked up the first one of about
three dozen and read the label. Basil. He wondered if the
seeds were any good after all this time, and opened the box
to see them. Inside was a canvas bag of them that had been
12
Kathi S. Barton
tied with leather. He discovered that they were all like that as
he began to pull a few of them out. He wondered what Mrs.
Frank and her ladies’ club would think of that.
By the time his mom had shown up, he’d opened three
more boxes, each one of them better than the last. And he had
so much more to look through. His mom handed him little
Samuel and opened some herself. It was going to be fun, just
finding out what had been kept for the house.
~~~
“Mom, where are you?” Her mom was her lifesaver, and
she grabbed her hand as soon as she was close enough to
touch. “I can’t do this. I can’t believe I ever thought I could.
We should leave.”
“No. We have things to do here, and you can do this.
If it gets to be too much, we’ll take a walk. The building is
certainly big enough for that. Besides, I’d really like to meet
these people. I know that we can’t take him home with us, but
I’d like to know that he’s in good hands.” Virginia pointed
out that they’d had them investigated. “Yes, but that doesn’t
mean that they’re nice people just because they have money.”
They had arrived late last night in this little town. The
plane had been delayed twice coming out of California, but
that wasn’t all. Her luggage had been misplaced, along with
a couple of her mom’s things. As it stood right now, not only
did she not have any clean underwear, but she had nothing to
put on her feet but flip flops. And it was too cold for that. The
company that owned the airline was sending over a credit
card for them to use to buy some things, but she wanted her
own stuff. It was why she had bothered packing it after all,
damn it.
Her mom tisked at her when she cursed again, then
said, “I need to do something. Sitting around here is making
13
Larson
me uneasy.” Virginia and her mom were to meet with the
McCulloughs in an hour. But she had to find a place to get
some of her necessities, as well as figure out when they could
go home. “How about we hit that little shop there on Main
Street? It looks like it might be open for business. I’ll buy you
lunch.”
“All right.” The shop had no name as yet, nor did it seem
to be a place that showed up on her phone. But it had some
lovely displays in the window, and she had already fallen in
love with the pretty pitcher and bowl set that sat on a dry
sink. “I think I’m going to enjoy having a little getaway here,
if only I didn’t have to meet any people. And I mean any
person. I like my quiet and the fact that no one is around me.
But here…I mean, it’s so quaint, don’t you think?”
It was. The entire main drag was decorated for the
upcoming holiday…or what she thought of as a holiday.
Thanksgiving was her second favorite time of the year. It was
cold enough for a jacket, and the crunch of leaves under her
boots made her smile. But here, it looked as if they had gotten
a dusting of snow a few hours ago, and then there were the
dark clouds overhead.
This little town acted like this was the best thing to ever
happen here. There were decorated pumpkins, as well as
pretty candles. There were real cornucopias that had small
pumpkins in them as well. One shop had brought in a large
roll of hay, painted it bright orange, and given it a turkey face
with cloth feathers out the back of it. Virginia was making
mental notes of it all, just to use in a book sometime.
“Do you suppose that they have any magical creatures
about, and this is their way of making sure that things are
friendly?” She laughed at her mom’s statement. “I know that
you don’t believe in such things, but I think it’s possible. And
14
Kathi S. Barton
you certainly write about them enough.”
“I like the way I can go into my own little world and
make up whatever I want about them. Not being real, that just
gives me more to work with. Besides, creatures are around,
but not very magical, I think. I mean, who would believe that
anyone would be able to do some of the things that are in my
books? No one, that’s who.” She held the door open for an
elderly man and woman, and smiled when he tipped his hat
at her. “Mom, this is going to be in my next book, somehow,
someway.”
The antique shop was busy. Two women beside the
counter were having a great time talking about some other
woman, but in a good-natured sort of way. Virginia supposed
conversation with the woman behind the counter had been
going on for some time too, from the way they’d gotten
comfortable about it. Virginia noticed that in addition to the
antiques on display, there were also things like old doorknobs
and stained-glass panels.
Virginia wanted it all, from the old silver napkin holders
to the beautiful hand-stitched hand towels for the bathroom.
She was fingering a beautiful doily when the woman from the
counter came to speak to her.
“Beautiful, isn’t it? Most of these things were left by a
little antique shop that went out of business. The owner of the
building bought it, and now I’m helping her sell these things
at a more reasonable price.” Too much information, she
thought, but Virginia told her that was nice. “You’re new to
the area, aren’t you? I’m thinking that you’re not from around
here.”
“No, I’m not. My mom and I are just passing through.”
Virginia walked away from the display, afraid now. As she
went in search of her mom, a woman walked in and started
15
Larson
to laugh loudly.
“You should see what Larson has found, Becky. The barn
is full of things we can help him out with if he decides he
doesn’t want all of it.” Virginia smiled at her when she told
her hello. “On my, but aren’t you a beautiful woman? I bet
your mother is just as pretty. You have the most gorgeous
hair.”
Virginia was charmed. Not many people could put her at
ease like this woman had, and in only a few seconds at that.
She thanked the woman and told her how much she loved the
shop. Nodding, she took her back to the display and handed
her one of the many treasures on the table.
“That is from the early twenties. I had to look up what
it was for. Do you know?” Virginia turned it over and over
in her hand, but hadn’t any idea. “It’s a glove stretcher. I’m
supposing that it happens after you wash your gloves that
they might shrink, but this might be the oddest thing I’ve ever
had in here. And there are a lot of odd things.”
As she showed her around, the other woman pointed
out some of her favorites, and other things that she’d had to
do some research on. By the time they were at the bowl and
pitcher set again, the women still hadn’t introduced herself.
Virginia met up with her mom just as she was headed to the
counter with her own purchases.
“My goodness, Mom. You’ve bought everything.” They
were all three laughing when she glanced at the clock above
the cash register. “I’m so sorry, but we must go. I have an
appointment in a little while. This has been such a pleasure.
And if you wouldn’t mind wrapping up that display in the
window, I’ll pay for it now and pick it up later.”
“An appointment?” Virginia nodded as she pulled out
her credit card. “You’re Miss Basil, the author, aren’t you? I’m
16
Kathi S. Barton
Bea McCullough. I have a meeting with you as well.”
Every part of Virginia wanted to run. She had no idea
why, but she had a feeling that she’d been set up. Which was
ridiculous. Mrs. McCullough had no idea that she was in
town already, much less in her shop, but shaking the feeling
had her nervous and scared.
Looking at her mom when she said her name, she felt her
mind begin to close down. Her hands were shaking and she
felt her breathing start to back up. The pain in her chest was
heavy and scary. Just when her vision started to pinpoint, light
dancing behind her eyes, she felt the sting of a slap across her
face and looked at Mrs. McCullough.
“Are you all right now?” She nodded and started to step
away when she felt her feet tangle up. “Hang on now. You
need to get your footing right. You scared me. Just take a few
deep breaths and you’ll be just fine.”
“Yes. I have panic attacks now and then.” She was seated
in a firm but comfortable chair just as a bottle of water was
handed to her. “My mom hasn’t ever hit me, but that worked.
Thank you.”
“Like I said, you scared me. I thought you were having a
heart attack. Your mom explained that you have panic attacks
though.” Virginia nodded and sipped the water. “If you don’t
mind me asking, why? I mean, you came here for this meeting,
but you looked like you were being taken to the gallows.”
“I’m not good with change and people.” Bea sat down
across from her and Virginia smiled at her. “In fact, it’s caused
me quite a few problems with the business I’m in. I don’t go
to signings anymore because of the way they make me feel.”
She was beginning to feel foolish and wanted to leave.
But Bea, as she asked her to call her, told her to sit still, her
husband was on his way. Nodding, she watched her mom at
17
Larson
the counter as she paid for her things.
“I’m sorry you’re so nervous around people. My son,
Larson, he’s like that too. He can handle a few people around
him, but not a crowd. I think that’s why he works with his
computer instead of going out in the public much. He has his
brothers do that sort of thing for him.” Virginia asked her how
many children she had. “Six boys, and now three daughtersin-law
as well. My husband and I wanted a little girl so badly,
so we kept trying. Then Colin started eating big people food
by the time we had our last child, and we decided that we’d
be better off with six boys we could feed rather than a pretty
little girl to starve.”
“There is just my mom and me. She raised me all on her
own when my father took a powder.” Her mom said she was
enough of a handful when she joined them. “Now she and
I live together, and she’s still taking care of me. When I’m
working, I sort of zone out to the rest of the world, and she
keeps me cleaned up and fed. And the tea coming.”
“I’ve read a few of your books. What the library has,
anyway. And I’ve only just ordered the new one coming out.
I’m excited to read it.” Virginia thanked her. “You should come
to dinner tonight at our home and we’ll skip the meeting, that
way you can get to meet my family and we can talk too. I’m to
understand that you don’t want to meet your nephew. He’ll
be with the nanny tonight. Too noisy with them all there. Say
you’ll come over and we’ll have a party of it.”
“I don’t know.” Her mom was nodding, so she gave in. “I
don’t know anything about children, Bea. Not even enough to
change a diaper, much less all the other stuff that goes along
with them. And as for taking care of him, I can barely take
care of myself most of the time. I think he’d be better off with
people that want him and will give him a good start in life.”
18
Kathi S. Barton
“You’ll be fine. And don’t worry about it, honey. I’ll send
a car for you around five thirty and you can meet my clan.”
Virginia nodded and told her they’d be there. When she
was back in her hotel room, she couldn’t believe she’d said
yes. She needed to get her head examined.
