Wildcat - Chapter 2

Wildcat

Chapter 2

By Heather Hughes

CONTENT ADVISORY: Course Language

Continued from July 12, 2011 – Prudence had been called to her father’s office only to find out that he had sold the WAC to Caleb Finnigan and that he was no longer going to be in charge.

Caleb leaned back against the door and watched the finest ass in the state walking away from him and he had to shake his head. “Shit.” It had been far too long since he had seen Pru and the effect she was having on him was way to fucking early in the game. Rubbing a hand over his face he sighed and turned back into his office.

His Office.

That’s what it was now, right? Looking at the plate on the door that said Manager, he snorted and pulled it down before walking around to the desk. He had lots of changes in mind for WAC, most of which were long over due. Looking at the plate in his hand, he tapped it against his other palm.

“Lots of changes coming, Pru. Lots of changes.”

An hour later he stood in the conference room and felt the eyes of every single staff member burning a whole into him. Hell of a fucking welcome, he thought. They were all sitting around whispering about what happened earlier. No surprise the whole place already knew that Jack was long gone. Scanning the room he found Prudence right away and let his eyes linger on her while she talked to the woman that looked like a young version of Diane Lane.

She had colored her hair so that now it was brown; he wondered why she would want to cover her fire red hair. Sunset on fire, he had called it once. That’s what he thought of when he looked at her hair. She was still lanky but had added some curves and muscle to her body. Pru had always reminded him of one of those old pin up girls from the fifties; the ones that would wear those military outfits and pose against things; just teasing and toying with you with their little grins.

Yep, that was Pru. He met her gaze and tried not to smirk as she narrowed her eyes at him and quickly looked away. Oh yeah, teasing and toying. Clearing his throat before speaking, he waited until everyone had stopped whispering and focused back on him.

“Afternoon. For those of you that don’t know me, I’m Caleb Finnigan. As I’m sure most of you are aware, Jack Wellington has left and is no longer the manager or owner of WAC.”

“No shit, Sherlock…”

He raised his eyebrow and looked over at Diane Lane, Jr. and tried not to smirk. “Good to see that it was noticed. First off, Jack Wellington is not allowed on the property and if he is seen, it’s to be reported immediately to security and to me. Several changes ARE going to happen but, so everyone is aware and the rumors and gossip will stop, no one will be getting fired.”
He heard the loud sigh of relief and this time he did smirk.

“Listen, I’m not coming in here to throw shit around and mark this as mine. WAC is a place I’ve loved for a long time, just as I’m sure many of you have. I believe that together we can make this place into what it once was. No, better than what it once was.”

People started to clap around him and he noticed the happiness and relief that was on their faces as what he’d said sank in. Looking around the room he smiled, pleased they were all happy as well.  He turned his head and glanced over to where Pru still sat next to Diane Lane.

When she looked up at him he felt that all too familiar  tightening in his chest that always seemed to appear whenever she was around or thoughts of her ran through his brain. The look of distrust on her face cut into him. Caleb didn’t have to prove himself to anybody in this room….except the one that really mattered.

Prudence listened to the people laughing and clapping all around her and all she wanted to do was stomp out of the room and go into an office to cry. Damn him for swooping in here like a god damn hero and saving the day. Caleb Finnigan was far from a hero. He ripped out hearts and crushed them under his cowboy boots.

Standing up, she shook her head at Charlene, when her friend gave her the do we need to go and talk about this, look.

“Later.” Patting her friend on the shoulder she turned and headed out of the conference room and down the hallway toward her office.

“Pru. Prudence…”

Stopping and closing her eyes, she let out a breath before turning around to face Caleb. “What do you want Caleb?”

“Are you okay? You just left.”

“Jesus Christ, Caleb. You can’t come out here and act like you give a shit about me. You’re not allowed to do that.” Moving closer to him she poked him in the chest and glared up at the man who had caused her nothing but grief and pain. “

Don’t you dare try to play the god damned hero with me.”

Caleb stood there listening to her yelling at him and going on about why he couldn’t ask how she was and do this but all he saw was her mouth moving and hell if his brain didn’t shut down.

“Pru…………, shut up.”

Pulling her close to him he didn’t give her a chance to react before covering her mouth with his. Swallowing her cry he rubbed his tongue over her lips until she parted them and he was finally able to sink into the kiss.

She still fit up against his body like they were custom made for each other. It took all the strength he had to pull back and looked down at her beautifully dazed face.

“I do give a shit about you. I have always given a shit about you. I’m going to do whatever is needed to prove to you that I never stopped caring about you. You’re just going to have to find a way to deal with that.”

Letting her go, he turned around and headed back down the hallway to his office. Caleb didn’t want to wait around for the reaction he knew would come from her.

“ASSHOLE!” She shouted out after him and that only made him chuckle.

“Welcome back Pru. Welcome back.”

If you missed any of our previous posts and would like to catch up, you can purchase Digital Digest Volume I  and Volume II as an ebook for only $.99.

Heather Hughes
Contemporary Romance and Romantic Mystery Author
Wildcat * And Justice For All * An Apple A Day
Blog * Twitter * 

Copyright © 2011 Heather Hughes
All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. No portion of this work may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.



And Justice For All - Chapter 1

 And Justice For All

By Heather Hughes

Prologue

CONTENT ADVISORY: Course Language

Patrick sat at his desk and just stared at the picture in his hand. It arrived with the letter that was clear and to the point. Drop the case. Keep your Family. He looked at the picture of his family again and felt a tightening in his chest. Claire held their twin boys while Sara, their daughter, sat on the ground smiling at the camera.

“Mr. O’Donnell, your three o’clock is here.”  His assistant’s voice came through the speakerphone announcing that Alysia Kanelos was here. “Please send her in, Elizabeth.” Patrick put the letter and the photo in his desk drawer and rose to greet the petite woman entering his office.

Alysia Kanelos had her blond hair wrapped into a bun today showing off the sparkling diamonds in her ears. The pale blue of her business suit only added to the appeal and made her look like a Greek Princess. “Alysia, please come in and have a seat. Would you care for some coffee or tea?”

“Just some water, please.” she softly replied.

“Elizabeth, a sparkling water for Mrs. Kanelos, pleaseHold my calls, as well.” Patrick walked back over to his desk and sat back down in his chair. A few moments later, Elizabeth walked into the office with a glass of ice and a bottle of Pellegrino. Once they were alone he turned and looked at Alysia. “Thank you for coming. I’m glad you were able to make it on such short notice.”
.

Crossing her legs, she lifted her head and looked at him with distress in her eyes. “You’re going to tell me that you’re no longer able to handle the divorce aren’t you?”

Patrick felt like he was slicing the woman’s heart. “I’m sorry, really, I am. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this. I just don’t think I am best…”

“He threatened you and your family, didn’t he?” Alysia asked. Patrick said nothing as a tear rolled down her cheek. “He threatened my first three lawyers too. It’s how he’s preventing the divorce.” Digging in her purse she pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. “What am I going to do? No one will help me because of him.”

Patrick rubbed his face and shook his head. He couldn’t stay on the case, but damn it if his bleeding Irish heart didn’t make it hard to walk away. Picking up his smart phone, he scrolled to the name he wanted. Quickly, he wrote it and the contact number down on the sticky pad before tearing the sheet off and giving it to Alysia.

“I can’t risk the lives of my children. Please understand; here is the name and number of someone who can help you. She’s handled cases like this before. I trust her. I’ll contact her in advance and transfer the file over. I wish I could do more.”

Gripping the note like her life depended on it, she nodded before rising. “Thank you, Mr. O’Donnell. Thank you so much.” Gathering her purse she rose and headed out the door.

“Elizabeth, I need to have Mrs. Kanelos’ file messengered to Buckley and Monroe, ASAP. Call the service now so the files will be there by 3pm.” Hanging the phone up, Patrick hit talk on his phone. “Max? It’s Pat O’Donnell. Yeah, it’s been a while. Listen, I’m sending you over some files and a client. She’s going to need all the help you can give her.”

Chapter 1

“Charlie, I need you to pull the Martinelli file.” Max stretched behind her desk and looked down at the file again. Alysia Kanelos was petitioning for divorce from Doran Kanelos. The man was a multimillionaire who, it was said, made most of his millions doing very illegal things.  Importing cars, drugs, weapons, and sometimes people illegally into the country and then he’ll sell them to the highest bidder.

Four months ago is when she got the phone call from Patrick O’Donnell. He had recommended her because of the way she handled the Martinelli divorce. From what Pat had said, Mrs. Kanelos had gone through four lawyers – including him. She was now officially number five and the lone attorney to last longer than three weeks. For Maximina Soteris high profile divorces and the trouble they brought were second nature. “So how is the Kanelos divorce coming along, Max?”

Looking up at Peter Monroe, Max smiled at him and tilted her head. “It’s going just as expected. He’s contesting it, of course. Every Monday I get my weekly anonymous letter telling me to drop the case or I’ll regret it.” Closing the file and putting it in her briefcase before standing up. “This is going to be a long one.”

Pete nodded and watched Max pack up. “Well, luckily, you have a three day weekend; and normally that means not working while you’re away.”

Max shook her head. “I’m just going to finish this tonight and drop it off at the court house on my way up to my parents place. It’s the renewal of the restraining order and a request to increase the distance to 1000 yards. Plus, I promised Mom I wouldn’t work this weekend and we both know there is nothing scarier than my mother when she’s angry.”

Pete burst out laughing and nodded. “That I have to agree with. Your mother frightens even me. Especially when she starts yelling in Greek.”

Charlie came in with the Martinelli file and a wrapped box. “Mailroom sent this up. They said it was dropped for you at the front desk an hour ago.” Taking the file and box, Max set both down on her desk. “There’s no note, and it’s not Monday, so I am assuming it must be safe to open.” She laughed softly while un-wrapping the package before opening the lid. “Oh, my god,” she whispered. Pete and Charlie came over and were shocked at what they saw.

“That poor cat.” Was all Charlie could say.

Peter looked at her and sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Max, this is getting ridiculous. I’m calling the police.”

She closed the lid and shook her head. “We don’t even know that it came from him. There’s no note.”

“Damn it, Max. We all know it’s from him. I’m calling the police.” Pete left the room and Max heard him on the phone seconds later.

“Charlie. Please, get this out of here. Take it somewhere else.” Picking up the box and holding it at arm’s length, Charlie headed out of Max’s office.

“They’re sending someone over to look at the box.” Pete said as he walked back in.

Max sat at her desk shaking her head. “How could someone do that to an innocent animal? It’s horrible and cruel.” Crossing the room, Pete sat down on the edge of the desk and looked down at her.

“You need to drop this case, Max. Between the phone calls, emails, the letters, and now with this gutted and decapitated cat? You need to drop the case. Let it go. Someone else can handle the divorce for her.”

Max pushed back from the desk and shook her head. “That’s just the problem, Pete. Everyone else has said the same thing. Let it go and someone else can handle it for her. Well, not me. He’s not going to scare me. Someone needs to be there for Alysia and help rescue her from this evil man.”  Pete rubbed his hand through his short, white blond hair. Looking over at Max, he sighed. “Someone needs to be there for you too, Max.”

Nodding, Max stood up and sighed. “I know, and that’s why I have you Pete.”

Three hours later, Max sat in her car and on her way back home. They had officially filed a complaint against Mr. Kanelos. They didn’t have any real proof the box came from him but, it was added it to the list of complaints building against him.

Heading into her townhouse, she waved to the police officer sitting out in front. Extra protection. Something Pete made an absolute must for her if she was going to remain on the case. Once inside, Max kicked off her heels and peeled off her jacket before climbing onto the couch. Laying her head back against the pillow, she sighed and just let the silence of her house wash over her.

Hearing her cell phone ring Max reached over and sighed before opening it. “Hello?”

“Hey baby, Dad and I just wanted to double check that you were still planning on being up here in time for dinner.”  Max smiled at the sound of her mom’s voice.

“Yes, Mom. I just got back to my place. I’m going to change, grab my suitcase and head right out. I should be up there in about two hours or so.”

“Good. Can you please stop by Thanos’s shop and get some of his olives? I’m all out and I wanted to have some for the meal.”

Max smirked and nodded. “Yes, Mayam. I’ll stop by and pick some up. Is there anything else you need while I’m there?”

“No, just the olives. Call and let me know when you’re finally on the road, okay?”

“I will. Love you.” She ended the call and stood up. So much for relaxing before I leave.

Rolling her shoulders, Max headed upstairs to change. A weekend with the family was happening whether she was ready for it or not.

Come back on October 12^th for Chapter 2 of And Justice for All.

Heather Hughes

Contemporary Romance and Romantic Mystery Author

Wildcat * And Justice For All *An Apple A Day

Blog * Twitter * Facebook

Copyright © 2011 Heather Hughes

All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. No portion of this work may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.

Book Review: Stolen Fury by Elizabeth Naughton (Love Spell)

Stolen Fury  by Elizabeth Naughton

Reviewed by Heather Hughes

(Spoiler Free)


Blurb:


To unearth a centuries-old secret, an archaeologist must team up with the rakish thief who’s stolen both an ancient relic and her heart…


Oh, is he handsome. And charming. And sexy as all get out. Dr. Lisa Maxwell isn’t the type to go home with a guy she barely knows. But, hey, this is Italy and the red-blooded Rafe Sullivan seems much more enticing than cataloging a bunch of dusty artifacts.


After being fully seduced, Lisa wakes to an empty bed and, worse yet, an empty safe. She’s staked her career as an archaeologist on collecting the three Furies, a priceless set of ancient Greek reliefs. Now the one she had is gone. But Lisa won’t just get mad. She’ll get even.


She tracks Rafe to Florida, and finds the sparks between them blaze hotter than the Miami sun. He may still have her relic, but he’ll never find all three without her. And they’re not the only ones on the hunt. To beat the other treasure seekers, they’ll have to partner up—because suddenly Lisa and Rafe are in a race just to stay alive.

Review:

When I first picked up the Stolen Fury I thought I would be reading a book that dealt with the Greek Gods and Goddess, the Furies, and of course Greece. I didn’t expect to be taken on a wild ride all around the world with a sexy man and a beautiful and feisty heroine. Right from the start I was sucked into the story that was a perfect combination of action and romance.

This book was so much more than I accepted it to be. With all the action, drama, romance, and suspense it was like reading about a romantic Indiana Jones but so much better. I’m the type of person that reads a lot and usually reads multiple books at the same time. At any time I will be reading anywhere from three to four books. When I read Stolen Fury, I forgot about the other books I was reading and in one night had this book done. The next thing I noticed it was three in the morning and I had to be for work at five thirty.

I fell in love with Rafe Sullivan as the man who doesn’t want to be a hero but deep down is really just that. I love the struggle that he has with himself through the book about doing the good things or keeping to the path he has that is just about him and his mom.

Lisa Maxwell is sharp, witty, and beyond interesting. I think that she is one of the best female leads, I’ve read in a book. Lisa has this amazing ability to keep up with Rafe not just while they are running around but also with the verbal sparring back and forth. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:

“How about to unexpected encounters?” he responded in a voice that was steadier than he expected. “To unexpected encounters.” A smile tugged at the corners of her tantalizing mouth as she tapped her glass against his then took a long swallow.


Hell, there went the marathon sex. Hiding his disappointment, he lifted his own wine and sipped. Her glass lowered. “So, tell me. Do you make a habit out of stalking visiting professors?”


Only when they had something he really wanted. “No.” “Hmm.” She sent him a disbelieving look before walking into the living area where she sat on the plush couch with her wine. He followed and sank next to her. “Are you married, Mr. Garcia?”


He set his glass on the wrought-iron coffee table. “No. You?” 


She shook her head and took another long sip. “Girlfriend?” 


“Not at the moment.”


“Hmm,” she said again, her gaze traveling the length of his body before returning to settle on his eyes. She set her half-empty glass next to his. “And how about this? Are one night stands your thing?”


“I don’t have a thing. Are they yours?” With a smile, she shook her head and leaned forward, slipping the glasses from his face. She folded the stems and put them on the table. “Now that we have all the nice little lies out of the way, why don’t you kiss me like you did before?”

The writing is fabulous and the chemistry between Rafe and Lisa is amazing and there are times that it’s so hot you can feel the heat coming off the pages.  

I enjoy the secondary characters in this book, a lot. Shane and Hailey are characters that I feel in love with right away and wouldn’t have minded to have seen more of them. I even liked the idea about the Furies and couldn’t wait to see more of what was going to happen with then throughout the series.

Stolen Fury is the first one in the Stolen series and trust me when I tell you that the heat just continues with the rest of the books. Next month I’ll be reviewing the second book in the series Stolen Heat.

For Stolen Fury, I give the book Five Flames, my highest rating for a book.

 This book has it all. Drama, Heat, Sex, Suspense, and Action. I highly recommend the book for anyone to add to their list.

 

Heather Hughes
Contemporary Romance and Romantic Mystery Author

Wildcat * And Justice For All *An Apple A Day

Blog * Twitter * Facebook

Copyright © 2011 Heather Hughes

All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. No portion of this work may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.

Wildcat - Chapter 1

CONTENT ADVISORY: Coarse Language

She walked the hallway of the main building while running through all the possibilities for why she was called to her father’s office. Reaching up to brush a long strand of her newly colored chestnut brown hair out of her face, Prudence let out a slow breath. He was hiring a new team, finally buying the new building they so desperately needed, or moving to Zimbabwe. There were a million different choices why Jack Wellington had called her to his office. All Pru wanted to hear was just one simple thing; the company was finally being turning over to her. The thought made her smile brightly and she quickly clamped down on the emotional display.

No.

No, she wasn’t going to get all excited and joyful over something that very well might not happen.

He had been waving the business in front of Pru since she was a little girl. All his ‘When you’re old all this will be yours one day’. She’d quickly found was total crap and bullshit. Turning her head to look out the row of windows that she was passing she passed, Prudence found herself smiling at the dogs that were running around and playing in the open section. She had poured every single penny she could manage to save into building up that section for the dogs. Her father repeatedly promised a safe area in the back for the dogs to run and play but again, another failed assurance.

Prudence’s life revolved around The Wellington Animal Center. She had grown up there, helping to take care of the animals within its walls. WAC, as the locals referred to it, was a clinic, shelter, daycare, boarding, and emergency vet for the area.

Prudence’s mom had started the clinic right after she graduated college. With the inheritance from her grandmother, Shannon McGuire bought the building and two acres around it and quickly became known as one of the best vets in a thirty mile radius. Two years later she met and fell in love with Jackson Wellington, a man with experience running a small business and a love of whiskey. A love that ran so deep it destroyed their family.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts once more, Prudence took a deep breath and walked the remaining few steps to her father’s office. Looking at the polished plate that said manager on the door, Pru snorted softly and knocked.

“Manager my ass”, she mumbled before heading in once her father shouted for her to enter. Once inside, she looked at the man behind the desk staring a file open in front of him. A stranger might see a good looking, distinguished gentleman, that only had the slightest touch of silver weaving its way through his auburn hair. He looked every bit the part of an important man, but the truth was far from that. Prudence saw the bags under his eyes, clear signs he hadn’t slept in a while. She knew he would look up and meet her hazel eyes with his bloodshot ones and she would know he had been drinking again.

His wrinkled shirt looked as if he had been wearing it for several days but the disheveled look fell secondary to the smell of whiskey that seemed to ooze from his pores. “You called for me?”

Jack lifted his head and he nodded. “Have a seat, we need to talk.”

Prudence walked around one of the large oversized chairs and sat. “What’s going on Jack?” She stopped calling him father when she was sixteen.

“There are a lot of changes happening right now. Things are happening faster than I had planned and because of that….” He trailed off and moved his hand through the air in front of him as if motioning to everything that was happening around him.

“Okay. What does all of …” She repeated his action. “Have to do with me, Jack?”

“I’m selling WAC. We’re broke,” he confessed.

In that one moment, At that moment in time, Pru’s world crumbled around her. Her heart stopped, all of the air pushed out of her lungs. He was selling WAC? Broke? “How… How is that possible?”

“All of the money is gone,” he shrugged. “It’s expensive to keep up this place, Prudence, you know that. We’ve used everything.”

Standing, Prudence leaned over and did something she hadn’t done in ten years; she slapped her father across the face. “You son of a bitch. You used all the money on your god damn gambling and whiskey habit. I can’t BELIEVE you would tap in to that money. Thought you would destroy that last little piece of her that you could?”

Jack turned to look back at his daughter, his cheek bright red from her hand. “You have no idea what kind of pressure I was under. I needed the money fast to cover debts. I thought I would able to recover it and no one would notice. I had to do something!”

“How about not gambling! How could you?” She whispered out the last part and shook her head when he reached out for her. “Don’t you dare touch me,” she spat. Venom dripping from each word.

“I’ll call grandma and see if I can access my trust fund early. I’ll buy the place from you with that.”

Jack shook his head and sighed. “I’ve already spoken to her and that isn’t an option.”

She stopped pacing, and turned to look at him. The plan taking root in her mind froze with shock at his audacity. “You tried to access my trust fund,” she  and shook her head. “You disgust me, Jack. Stealing from your wife and your daughter.”

“SHUT UP,” he shouted. “Don’t you ever mention her to me again.”

“Why? Too afraid to talk about the truth now that you’re sober? Let’s talk about whiskey? Better yet let’s take a drive Jack…”

His hand slammed on the desk and she shut up, glaring at him as he did the same to her; any hope that might have been remaining with regards to the two of them ever having a civil relationship had just been destroyed.

“I’ve been made an offer on the place and accepted it. It will cover all outstanding debts on the property.”

“You mean your outstanding debts. I can’t believe you sold it to some stranger who will come in here and ruin everything. Ruin her dream.”

Jack shook his head before speaking. “No. Not to a stranger. I’ve sold the property to Caleb Finnegan.”

Pru crumbled into the chair and stared at her father. “Caleb Finnegan,” she whispered the words, and felt her heart tighten in her chest. “He’s….he’s not back in town. Is he?”

The door to the office opened and the answer to her question walked in. There stood Caleb in all his glory. His brown hair now streaked with blond, like he had been working out in the sun a lot. Pru let her eyes roam over him while he turned to shut the door.

Muscles bunched under his shirt as he closed the door and she wondered how he and when he’d come by them. Her eyes traveled down over the length of his body and lingered over the way he very, very nicely filled out the backside of his jeans. That had never been a problem with Cal; he always looked sexy as hell in a good pair of Levis. When Caleb turned back around, her eyes took in the front of him and immediately Pru noticed the width of his shoulders. When she finally met his gaze her heart stopped in her chest.

Caleb’s back.

His eyes lingered on hers for a few seconds before he turned to Jack and nodded. “Jack.”

“Caleb. I’ve just told Prudence the news.”

“Good. Then I don’t need to worry about it,” he said before taking up residence in the other chair.

Prudence stood and looked at her father. “You sold it to him! There are other people out there you could have chosen.”

“But none able to provide the cash he needed so quickly,” Caleb responded in a very matter of fact tone.

Spinning around she looked at him lounging in the chair like it he was already moving in. “This doesn’t concern you, Finnegan. This is family business.”

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong, Prudence. It does concern me because, as of eight am this morning, I am officially the new owner of WAC.”

He rose out of the chair and looked down at Prudence. “So, as you can see, it very much concerns me. As it is, I was just coming by to see if Jack needed any help moving his things from the building.”

Prudence took a step back to gain more room between them. “Already kicking out the old regime, Finnegan? Do I need to pack my things as well?”

“No. You’re staying, Prudence. Jack here is the one leaving, isn’t that right, Jack?”

As if he had been waiting already prepared for those words to come out of Caleb’s mouth, Jack set a box on the desk before handing him the folder he had been reviewing when Prudence walked in. “It’s all signed. I’ll just be on my way then.” Picking up the box, he walked around the desk and paused like he was going to say one last thing, but then opened the office door and left.

“Well now that we’re all alone,” Caleb began.

Pru spun around to look at Caleb.  He leaned against the desk, arms crossed over his chest.

“Take a mental snapshot, Finnegan. Cause this is the first and last time you and I will ever be alone in a room together. I have to do…… something.” She marched to the door and flung it open before heading back down the hallway.

“Don’t go too far now. We have a Staff meeting in a hour, Pru!” he shouted out after.

Hearing him chuckling while she stomped down the hallway from him added fuel to the fire burning inside of her.

“Arrogant asshole,” she mumbled under her breath. Feeling a tightening in her chest again, Prudence ducked into her office and leaned back against the closed door. Closing her eyes, she took a breath. Her nails dug into her palms. Caleb Finnegan was back. What the hell was she going to do? “Anything but fall in love with him again.”

Opening her eyes she let out a breath and walked over to look out over the grass. She spotted the stables and horses in the background. Watching them always soothed her. Right then, Prudence could use some calm, by the bucket loads. “Shit.”

Come back on Sept 14th for Chapter 2 of Wildcat

Heather Hughes

Contemporary Romance and Romantic Mystery Author

Wildcat * And Justice For All* An Apple A Day

Blog * Twitter * 

Copyright © 2011 Heather Hughes

All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. No portion of this work may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.