Andrew Grey's Blog, page 36
February 13, 2012
Artistic Pursuits is Now Available
Blurb:
Frank Jennings is an FBI agent looking for redemption. Leslie Carlton is an Interpol agent looking for a thief. Attraction flares from the moment they meet on a case searching for a stolen triptych of unique Tiffany windows, but after a single night of stunning passion, Leslie is called back to London to continue his search there.
When the case heats up again, Leslie returns to the States—and to Frank—but their investigation is complicated by their tumultuous feelings. Is it possible for two dedicated detectives to pursue each other while they’re tracking down stolen art and the unscrupulous man who steals it?
Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2774&osCsid=hpaamqhsikcj8222oumsnctb91
Rainbow eBooks: http://www.rainbowebooks.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6087
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Artistic-Pursuits-Art-series-ebook/dp/B0078PK2MG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1329171794&sr=1-1
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-artisticpursuits-719913-145.html
Read an excerpt: http://andrewgreybooks.livejournal.com/106737.html?view=209393#t209393
Now Available - Artistic Pursuits
Frank Jennings is an FBI agent looking for redemption. Leslie Carlton is an Interpol agent looking for a thief. Attraction flares from the moment they meet on a case searching for a stolen triptych of unique Tiffany windows, but after a single night of stunning passion, Leslie is called back to London to continue his search there.
When the case heats up again, Leslie returns to the States—and to Frank—but their investigation is complicated by their tumultuous feelings. Is it possible for two dedicated detectives to pursue each other while they’re tracking down stolen art and the unscrupulous man who steals it?
Purchase from Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2774Excerpt:A file whacked harder than necessary on his desk, and Franklin looked up from where he was filling out a report. “Try not to screw up this one too badly,” his supervisor said without a hint of his usual humor, and Franklin knew exactly why. His last assignment hadn’t gone exactly according to plan, and one of the men on the team had been shot. Franklin took a deep breath and stopped himself from lashing out at the man the way every fiber in his being urged him to. What happened hadn’t been his fault, and Franklin knew it, as did everyone else, but that didn’t seem to matter—they needed someone to blame, and he was it.
“Nice show of support,” Franklin muttered under his breath. As the junior member of the team, he knew he was going to take crap for everything that happened, but he didn’t have to like it.
“Hey!” Harvey, his supervisor, snapped, leaning close to him. “We all know you got bad information, but you messed up because you didn’t double-check the address on your way over. You could have and should have. Because you went to the wrong house first, you lost the element of surprise, and Stevens got shot. You were in charge of the operation because you asked to be, so you take the lumps.” Harvey’s expression softened a little. “Everyone messes up; it’ll pass.”
“Yeah, but not everyone messes up and gets someone shot,” Frank retorted, and that was the heart of the issue. Frank knew he’d made a mistake, one that could have cost someone their life. Stevens didn’t blame him, but everyone else did, and more importantly, he blamed himself.
“So make up for it with this one,” Harvey told him before turning and walking into his glass-walled office near the corner. Frank opened the folder and began to read. As he did, he wondered why Milwaukee PD had turned this case over to the FBI. It seemed like a simple theft. Persons unknown had stolen a set of valuable windows from the Milwaukee Conservatory of Music. Sure, the items stolen had been valuable, but that didn’t warrant an investigation by federal agents.
“Don’t go to the wrong house this time,” Martinson taunted as he passed Frank’s desk.
“Thanks, Martinson. Don’t trip over your own feet,” Frank retorted with little humor. He’d be damned if he was taking flak from the department geek. Yes, he’d made a mistake, but Martinson was a total fool, and Frank couldn’t figure out why he was still around except that the man was great with numbers and computers, just not people. Martinson continued on his way, completely unfazed, and Frank watched as Martinson nearly fell into his chair, then looked at the floor, probably trying to figure out what he’d tripped over.
“Frank,” Harvey called from his office, “you finish reading that case file?”
“Yes.” Frank got up and walked into Harvey’s office. “Why’d this get bumped to us? Looks like a straightforward theft.” Frank stood in front of Harvey’s desk. He hadn’t been invited to sit, and no one sat in Harvey’s office unless invited.
“If it were, we wouldn’t have the case,” Harvey said, staring at Frank, waiting for him to continue. “So….”
Frank fidgeted slightly, knowing there was something he was missing, and it pissed him off. “There must be more to it. I saw the reports about this theft a few days ago. These windows are worth millions, but shit… who’s going to buy them? They have to be nearly impossible to sell. You think they were stolen to order?”
“That’s what you need to find out. I need you to get down there right away. The reason we’ve been called in is because this is bigger than a simple theft, or at least MPD and Interpol think so. Interpol is sending some agent of theirs, her name’s Leslie something, and she’ll meet you at the scene in half an hour. The school’s director is still pretty upset about this whole thing, so do your best not to piss the guy off.” That was Harvey’s idea of a dismissal, and Frank turned toward the door and stopped.
“Can I ask why you assigned this to me?”
“You can ask anything you want. Doesn’t mean I’m going to answer,” Harvey said before turning his attention to his computer screen, beginning to swear under his breath. Frank made a hasty retreat. Everyone knew to get the hell out when Harvey tried to do anything with computers. E-mail alone was a challenge, and more than one keyboard had been thrown through his doorway.
Frank grabbed his keys off his desk along with the file and headed out of the downtown office building, driving through the heavy downtown traffic to the lakeshore. He pulled into the conservatory parking lot and got out of his blue sedan that just screamed “Federal Agent.” Walking around toward the front door, he saw what had to be a student carrying a violin and bow, and said, “I’m looking for Mr. Temple.”
“He’s in his office.” She pointed the way with the bow and then hurried up the stairs. Frank couldn’t help looking around the room before walking in the direction she’d pointed and knocking quietly on a closed door.
“Mr. Temple,” Frank said when the door opened, “I’m Agent Frank Jennings from the FBI. We’ve been called in to help investigate the theft of your windows.”
“Thank God,” the man responded, and he opened the door fully, indicating for Frank to come into the office. “I’ve been frantic for two days, and I’m wondering when we’ll get our windows back.” Mr. Temple motioned Frank to a chair and sat in the one opposite.
“That’s what I’m here to help with. Can you answer a few questions for me?”
“Of course. Anything to help get them returned. They were the source of inspiration for many of our students, and it seems wrong for them to be gone,” Mr. Temple said, and Frank could see he seemed genuinely upset.
“Do you have pictures of the windows? The ones in the file I received weren’t very clear. And I was wondering when you saw the windows last.”
“They were still in place Monday night, and when I came in Tuesday morning, they were gone,” he answered easily, and Frank continued to watch him for any hint of deception, but saw none.
“Are there lights on that side of the building?” Frank pulled out a pad and began taking notes. Mr. Temple got out of his chair, and Frank noticed that he was a strikingly handsome man, even if he was somewhat older than Frank usually liked. Keep your attention on the case, Frank reminded himself as he stood up as well, but he couldn’t help noticing the trim cut of Temple’s suit and his large, bright eyes. Blinking a few times, Frank cleared the lascivious thoughts and got his mind back on work.
“There are,” Temple added a little sheepishly, leading him out of the office and down a hallway before opening what looked like a closet door. “When we did the renovations to the building, we had lights installed on that side of the building to illuminate the windows in the evening.” Mr. Temple pointed to a timer mounted near the electrical box. “The lights come on when it gets dark and go off at 11:00 p.m., when we close the building.” He looked dejected. “To think if we wouldn’t have tried to cut costs on the lighting, we might still have our windows.” Frank wanted to reassure him, but he couldn’t, at least not yet, so he stayed quiet and kept his eyes open.
“Mr. Temple, there’s someone asking for you at the front door,” a young man said from behind them.
“Thank you, Jimmy. Tell them we’ll be right out.”
“That could be the person I’m supposed to meet. My supervisor said a woman was going to meet me here.” Frank wasn’t sure how much he should tell Mr. Temple about who he was meeting, so he kept quiet and followed Mr. Temple back down the hallway and toward the front door.
Frank saw a tall man standing near the front door, and since this wasn’t who he was waiting for, he figured he’d go around the building before Leslie arrived. He was about to head outside when the man stopped him. “Are you Frank Jennings?” he asked in a pronounced British accent with a half smile, and when Frank nodded, the man continued, “I’m Leslie Carlton. I believe you’re expecting me.”
Frank stared. When Harvey had said Leslie, Frank had expected a woman, and Harvey obviously had as well, but instead, Frank was looking into the deepest blue eyes of the most amazingly attractive man he’d seen in a long time. Remembering where he was and what he should be doing, Frank extended his hand. “Sorry. I’m Frank Jennings, and this is Mr. Temple, the director of the conservatory.” Leslie shook both their hands.
February 11, 2012
Big Release Monday
Add Artistic Pursuits to your Dreamspinner Press Wish List and check out an excerpt: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2774
Frank Jennings is an FBI agent looking for redemption. Leslie Carlton is an Interpol agent looking for a thief. Attraction flares from the moment they meet on a case searching for a stolen triptych of unique Tiffany windows, but after a single night of stunning passion, Leslie is called back to London to continue his search there.
When the case heats up again, Leslie returns to the States—and to Frank—but their investigation is complicated by their tumultuous feelings. Is it possible for two dedicated detectives to pursue each other while they’re tracking down stolen art and the unscrupulous man who steals it?
Art isn’t the only thing a man can find at an auction…
Frederick Holloway is a successful antiques dealer with a clientele that he likes to keep happy. When one of his most important clients asks him to attend a charity auction to buy a painting for her, Frederick agrees. What he didn’t expect was the Greek god with the face of the Marlboro man who is his auction competition.
Duncan is not expecting so powerful and commanding a man in such a small package. He likes it, really likes it, and he finds that Frederick can give him something he desperately needs. But are they playing around, is something deeper developing, or is Duncan still trying to get an angle on the portrait of his relative that he lost at the auction?
Order an advance copy and read an ecerpt: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-auctionaction-676873-144.html
February 4, 2012
Artistic Pursuits
Add to Your Dreamspinner Press Wish List: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2774
Frank Jennings is an FBI agent looking for redemption. Leslie Carlton is an Interpol agent looking for a thief. Attraction flares from the moment they meet on a case searching for a stolen triptych of unique Tiffany windows, but after a single night of stunning passion, Leslie is called back to London to continue his search there.
When the case heats up again, Leslie returns to the States—and to Frank—but their investigation is complicated by their tumultuous feelings. Is it possible for two dedicated detectives to pursue each other while they’re tracking down stolen art and the unscrupulous man who steals it?
February 2, 2012
Auction Action
Art isn’t the only thing a man can find at an auction…
Frederick Holloway is a successful antiques dealer with a clientele that he likes to keep happy. When one of his most important clients asks him to attend a charity auction to buy a painting for her, Freder...ick agrees. What he didn’t expect was the Greek god with the face of the Marlboro man who is his auction competition.
Duncan is not expecting so powerful and commanding a man in such a small package. He likes it, really likes it, and he finds that Frederick can give him something he desperately needs. But are they playing around, is something deeper developing, or is Duncan still trying to get an angle on the portrait of his relative that he lost at the auction?
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-auctionaction-676873-145.html
January 30, 2012
February 13th is Going to be a Huge Day
Add to your Dreamspinner Press Wish List: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2774
Frank Jennings is an FBI agent looking for redemption. Leslie Carlton is an Interpol agent looking for a thief. Attraction flares from the moment they meet on a case searching for a stolen triptych of unique Tiffany windows, but after a single night of stunning passion, Leslie is called back to London to continue his search there.
When the case heats up again, Leslie returns to the States—and to Frank—but their investigation is complicated by their tumultuous feelings. Is it possible for two dedicated detectives to pursue each other while they’re tracking down stolen art and the unscrupulous man who steals it?
Art isn’t the only thing a man can find at an auction…
Frederick Holloway is a successful antiques dealer with a clientele that he likes to keep happy. When one of his most important clients asks him to attend a charity auction to buy a painting for her, Frederick agrees. What he didn’t expect was the Greek god with the face of the Marlboro man who is his auction competition.
Duncan is not expecting so powerful and commanding a man in such a small package. He likes it, really likes it, and he finds that Frederick can give him something he desperately needs. But are they playing around, is something deeper developing, or is Duncan still trying to get an angle on the portrait of his relative that he lost at the auction?
Order an advance copy: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-auctionaction-676873-144.html
January 26, 2012
Love Means... No Shame in Italian and Spanish
Spanish Translation: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=569_570&products_id=2751
Italian: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=569_573&products_id=2753
January 24, 2012
Beat Your Winter Blues Blog Hop
January 25, 2012
Don’t forget to check out Permanently Legless from J L Merrow and Tailor Made form Josephine Myles
Coming Soon: Academic Pursuits from Lou Harper. Lou will be giving away a copy of Academic Pursuits at her Blog http://louharper.blogspot.com on after its January 29th release so check it out.
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This week, we're taking a trip to some of our favorite winter getaway destinations, so hang on and enjoy the fun. Please comment on this entry and you could win an electronic copy of Andrew Grey's An Unsettled Range.
From Josephine Myles:
The best thing to my mind, though, is the buses. You haven't explored the island properly until you've got on one of its bone-rattling, vintage red and yellow buses and gone on a white-knuckle ride through the countryside! I was always excited to see how the driver decorated the dashboard. Most were covered in Catholic kitsch, but now and again you'd get a bit of Elvis memorabilia mixed in, or find someone with a thing for skeletons so it ended up looking like a Mexican Day of the Dead. British buses don't have anywhere near the same charm!Malta: beautiful countryside, fascinating history, delicious seafood and friendly people - you don't get much better than that :)From J. L. Merrow
I really cannot be doing with all this winter sun business. Sun? Warm weather? Isn’t that what we have summer for?
No, when I go away in winter, I want winter to pack its thermal undies and its earmuffs and come with me. Coming from the south of England, you understand, I don’t get a whole lot of proper winter. Which makes it even more magical, for me, to go somewhere they do winter right. Like Vienna, Austria.
Okay, so a place like this would look pretty good any day—but doesn’t the snow add a certain something? And there’s nothing like sight-seeing in the icy winter air, then popping into a Kneipe to warm up with a mug of hot Glühwein—or two, or three...
City parks are often dusty, overcrowded places in summer, full of office workers catching the sun—but in the snow, they’re magical; an urban Narnia.
From Marie Sexton:
Although I've only been there once, my favorite winter getaway is Hawaii! A couple of years ago, our entire family rented a vacation home in Kapoho for Thanksgiving. We were right on the beach. We had a private snorkeling pond and an amazing view of the sunrise over the ocean. This picture shows the sunrise from our balcony. That pool of water you can see right in the foreground was our private pond. We cooked our entire Thanksgiving meal on the grill (no turkey, but lots of fresh fish). So, who wants to go with me? Arbor Mist is on me!
From J. P. Barnaby:
Though the Little Boy Lost series took place predominantly in San Diego, I’d never been to the city until this past December to visit my friend, adult model Phillip Aubrey (http://www.phillipaubreyxxx.com). Just one week before Christmas, when it was snowing in my hometown of Chicago, Aubrey and I hung out at the beach with his sweet dog Lula, sat on the porch without so much as a jacket, visited an outdoor market, and sat outside at Rich’s (a dance club) with friends.
The weather in San Diego isn’t all that’s warm and friendly. While in the city, a group of friends that I’d been talking to on Twitter decided to meet up at Baja Betty’s a wonderful Mexican themed bar and restaurant in Hillcrest (the area of San Diego with the boarding house from Little Boy Lost). We spent the afternoon talking and I made some great new friends for which I am thankful. Before I started to publish, meeting new people was almost painful for me because I am incredibly shy.
Aubrey was a fantastic host. Whenever he saw someone he knew, he would introduce me as this amazing author making me sound much more interesting than I truly am. At the Colt event we went to on Friday night, he kept catching my eye to make sure I felt comfortable. But then, who wouldn’t feel comfortable in a room full of gay men in leather? The Eagle was an interesting part of the trip that I have to say was probably one of my favorite highlights.
So where would I take my readers for a warm, sunny trip this winter? I’d take them to San Diego to visit an amazing city with some truly fabulous friends because the only things hotter than the ocean beaches are the men.
From Andrew Grey:
My favorite winter getaway is to the Caribbean. For the last four years in the middle of winter, my partner and I have gotten on plane from Pennsylvania and flown to a warm port where we board a cruise ship bound for sand, sun, and warmth. We spend a week snorkeling, lying on lounge chairs on warm, sunny beaches, and even surfing the waves (usually on the ship’s flowrider.) That week’s respite is enough of a break form cold, snow, and ice to see us through the rest of the winter.
Meet your authors:
JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne. She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Find JL Merrow online at: www.jlmerrow.com
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English through and through, Josephine Myles is addicted to tea and busy cultivating a reputation for eccentricity. She writes m/m erotica and romance, but finds the erotica keeps cuddling up to the romance and the romance keeps corrupting the erotica. Jo blames her rebellious muse but he never listens to her anyway, no matter how much she threatens him with a big stick. She’s beginning to suspect he enjoys it. Check out Jo’s website and blog at josephinemyles.com
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Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway. You can find out more about Marie at http://mariesexton.net/.
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Erotic fiction is more than just moans, grunts, and physical pleasure. To J.P. Barnaby, erotic fiction consists not only of the mechanics of physical love, but the complex characters and relationships that lead to those all-encompassing feelings of need and longing. Sex without context is merely sex—but sex coupled with attraction, with explosive repercussions—that is good erotic fiction. J.P. authors all different kinds of erotic fiction including gay, straight, male, female, BDSM, sweet, romantic, and dark.As a bisexual woman, J.P. is a proud member of the GLBT community both online and in her small town on the outskirts of Chicago. A member of Mensa, she is described as brilliant but troubled, sweet but introverted, and talented but deviant. She spends her days writing software and her nights writing erotica, which is, of course, far more interesting. The spare time that she carves out between her career and her novels is spent reading about the concept of love, which, like some of her characters, she has never quite figured out for herself. Find JP at her website and on Twitter.
Andrew Grey grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation. Andrew's hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle,, Pennsylvania. You can find out more at www.andrewgreybooks.com , on facebook, twitter, or email him at andrewgrey@comcast.net
Sixteen authors are here to do their best to make your winter brighter in January, February, March, and April. (Unless you’re south of the equator, and then we’ll just be jealous of your summer.) Every Wednesday will be a new stop on the tour (see schedule below). Be sure to leave a comment at each stop for up to sixteen chances at the grand prize: a $200 USD gift certificate to the e-retailer of your choice. Also keep an eye out for links to individual authors’ sites on their release dates for a chance to win some free books.
January 11: How We Beat the Winter Blues (hosted by Coffee & Porn in the Morning)
January 18: Favorite Wintertime Activities (hosted by Josephine Myles)
January 25: Join us for a January getaway (hosted by Andrew Grey)
February 1: Winter in My Backyard (hosted by Lou Harper)
February 8: “If I could get away right now, I’d go to...” (hosted by Ellis Carrington)
February 15: Valentine’s Day (hosted by J.L. Merrow)
February 22: Authors by the Fireside (hosted by Kate McMurray)
February 29: Join us for a February getaway (hosted by Z.A. Maxfield)
March 7: Things to Do in a Blizzard (hosted by S.A. Meade)
March 14: St. Patrick’s Day (hosted by Clare London)
March 21: Spring Break (hosted by Blaine Arden)
March 28: Join us for a March Getaway (hosted by Tales from the Writing Cave)
April 4: Favorite Winter Movies (hosted by Stumbling Over Chaos)
April 11: Signs of Spring (hosted by J.P. Barnaby)
April 18: Join us for an April Getaway (hosted by Marie Sexton)
April 25: Farewell (hosted by Joyfully Jay)
April 30: Grand Prize Announcement (hosted by Heidi Cullinan)
Every week we’ll also let you know what books are recently released and about to be released, complete with links to giveaways.
January 9, 2012
An Unsettled Range is Now Available Everywhere
Blurb:
The last thing Liam Southard expects when he flees his abusive father is to be taken in by a couple of gay ranchers. Soon he has a new job and a new perspective on his sexuality, and his life starts to turn around. Then someone pulls a gun on him.
In Troy Gardener’s defense, the gun thing was a mistake. Between his marriage falling apart and living in his uncle's isolated hunting cabin, he's been a little edgy. He wants to make it up to Liam, and once he discovers how much they have in common, he wants even more. But with Liam's father popping in unexpectedly and a mining company threatening the ranch’s water supply, the only guarantee is that life is never going to be boring.
Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2709
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Unsettled-Range-Stories-ebook/dp/B006V7SDOQ/ref=zg_bs_172503011_3
Rainbow eBooks: http://www.rainbowebooks.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5841
An Unsettled Range is Now Available.
Blurb:
The last thing Liam Southard expects when he flees his abusive father is to be taken in by a couple of gay ranchers. Soon he has a new job and a new perspective on his sexuality, and his life starts to turn around. Then someone pulls a gun on him.
In Troy Gardener’s defense, the gun thing was a mistake. Between his marriage falling apart and living in his uncle's isolated hunting cabin, he's been a little edgy. He wants to make it up to Liam, and once he discovers how much they have in common, he wants even more. But with Liam's father popping in unexpectedly and a mining company threatening the ranch’s water supply, the only guarantee is that life is never going to be boring.
Purchase from Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2709
Purchase for Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Unsettled-Range-Stories-ebook/dp/B006V7SDOQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1326108177&sr=1-1
Excerpt:
“Is that a lion?” Liam could hardly believe his eyes.
Wally laughed softly. “We have three lions and four tigers right now. I try to find permanent homes for them with zoos and animal parks, but some of these guys are so old, no one wants them.” Wally stepped close to one of the doors and watched as a large male lion with an impressive mane loped over to him, yawning. “This is Manny. He’s getting quite old, but don’t let him fool you or think he’s a pet, because he’s a wild animal, and unpredictable. The first lion I got was Schian, and he loved to have his belly scratched. He was the only one I ever trusted enough to be in the cage with, and even then I was always wary. He died a little over a year ago.” Liam saw the loss momentarily in Wally’s expression, and he couldn’t help wondering what a full-grown lion looked like and sounded like when he had his belly scratched.
“What do you want me to do with them?” Liam took a step back from the cage as Manny let out a roar that echoed over the land before settling back down onto the ground. “You must think I’m crazy.”
Wally chuckled again. “You need to be wary and careful, but never afraid. Manny is just reminding himself that he’s a big boy. He thinks all these cats are part of his pride and that he’s the head honcho.” Wally moved to the next cage. “There are four enclosures in each group, with a shared exercise area. All you need to do is open the gate in the cage, and they’ll amble out when they’re ready. I try to give each one a chance in the yard every day.” Wally stopped at an enclosure with the most beautiful cat Liam had ever seen.
“Wow,” Liam mouthed.
“She’s impressive, isn’t she? That’s Shahrazad. She’s a Bengal tiger. She’s also the biggest bitch I’ve ever had. Don’t get too close to the enclosure under any circumstances,” Wally warned.
Liam had no intention of getting anywhere near her. “Then how do you feed her?” Liam asked tentatively, and Wally opened a chute in the back of the cage. “The food goes in here and the water here.” Wally showed him what he needed to do. “Once every few days, we enclose each animal in the common area and clean its cage.” Wally stopped talking and looked at Liam appraisingly. “Do you think you can do this? It requires vigilance and patience.”
Liam nodded slowly. “I never thought I’d be taking care of lions and tigers.”
“There’s more,” Wally explained, and he began to lead him away. By the time Wally had told him all about the care of big cats and the other exotic animals he had, Liam’s head was spinning. “I know this is a lot, so we’ll work together for a while. I’m not expecting you to do this alone, but I get called away, and I don’t want to worry about their care.”
“I can do it,” Liam answered with more confidence than he felt. If it meant food and a roof over his head, Liam could do just about anything. Manny roared again, making Liam jump slightly, and then all the other cats began growling, and Liam saw many of them pacing their cages. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. They sense something. Look at the way their ears are down and their hair stands on edge. Something has them all a bit spooked.” Wally began looking around; Liam did as well.
“There’s smoke,” Liam said pointing up into the hills surrounding the ranch. “The wind must be carrying the scent this way. It doesn’t look like the forest is on fire.”
“No, but that’s still a lot of smoke, and as dry as it’s been, that fire could spread and take out the entire ranch and half the valley.” Wally was already hurrying back toward the house.
“What are you going to do?’ Liam asked as he followed behind, and Wally stopped, like he hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Like I said, I don’t think the forest is on fire—the smoke isn’t moving or spreading. If you tell me the way, I could try to go up there and see what’s up,” Liam offered. He didn’t want to sit around doing nothing when he could be of help.
“There’s not much up there. I think Dakota told me once that there was a track up there at the end of the road on the west edge of the ranch, but I’ve never been up there.” Wally turned and looked at the smoke again, worry plain on his face.
“Is it okay if I take one of the ATVs? I can ride out there and see what’s going on. It shouldn’t take very long,” Liam offered, and Wally nodded absently. There wasn’t any reason to assume it was anything other than someone camping up there, although it seemed to Liam that there was too much smoke for just a campfire.
“Go on, but be careful,” Wally cautioned, still looking worried.
Liam hurried to the equipment shed and hopped on the ATV he’d used before, grateful that he was doing something that didn’t involve animals that could rip him apart. He started the engine and pulled out of the shed, traveling along the road in front of the ranch before turning down a dirt road at the end of the range that went back toward the hills. The warm, dry air ruffled his hair as he opened the throttle until the road appeared to end at a path just wide enough to allow the ATV to pass. Liam slowed and began to climb steadily up the hillside. Through breaks in the overgrowth, Liam could occasionally see the plume of smoke getting closer and closer.
Liam dove carefully, mindful of washouts and limbs across the path. A few times, he had to move limbs before he could pass, and as the trail got thinner, Liam began to wonder how he’d turn around if he couldn’t go any further. Then the trail dumped him onto what looked like a two-track that appeared to have been used recently, and Liam turned. He hadn’t gone far before he began to smell the odor of something unpleasant burning. Liam wrinkled his nose as he continued up the path, the scent becoming more pervasive and strong enough that his eyes began to water and his nose to run. What in hell could be burning?
Finally, Liam rode to the edge of a clearing where he saw a large fire burning in a pit, the smell making him gag, and he tried his best not to throw up. Of course, he forgot all about that when he saw a man approach him, a rifle leveled at his chest. Liam didn’t know what to say and sat totally still as he watched the man walk toward him. “What are you doing here?”
“I… we saw the fire, and it was dry, so I was just checking it out,” Liam answered nervously and watched as the gun wavered for a second before slowly lowering.
“You’ve done that, so now I suggest you leave.”
Relieved that the man was no longer pointing a gun at him, Liam looked at him and felt his mouth drop open. He removed his helmet to get a better look. Beneath the rough clothing and hard eyes was the most beautiful man Liam had ever laid eyes on.
