Free Novel to Celebrate “The Night Writers” Opening!
To Celebrate the Opening of The Night Writers on Valentine’s Day, I am offering a FREE download of ICE MAIDEN a Time Travel Romance (Rated: Sensual).You can download your ICE MAIDEN ebook and get it free by using this coupon code at checkout: QW64D
I will be posting my Words of Love series for all visitors to the Night Writers. If you have ever wanted to write your own romance novel or are already into writing one, Words of Love will give you helpful writing tips and wonderful insight into the romance genre, writing techniques, as well as publishing on the internet & marketing your book on the internet. I hope you will join in the discussion on writing romance novels. Enjoy the read!
ICE MAIDEN
by
Jewel Adams
One man’s greed sends Amy Bonner back in time and into the arms of a very determined 15th century lord. If a kiss is heaven then Amy just found paradise. The moment of bliss suddenly feels crushed by the memory of the stalking beast with death’s talons. She can’t help but wonder how long it will take before someone discovers she is an imposter?
“Such sweet, wicked hopes…my Ice Maiden.” He stirs the lady’s passion and lights a blaze that a man can burn in eternal ecstasy within. Bern wants what he holds more than any spoils from battles fought and nothing will kill his desire to make the Lady Amelia…His!
Together Bern and Amy fight time and man to keep the love they discover.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/27514
COUPON CODE for FREE ICE MAIDEN Ebook: QW64D
Jewel is Celebrating Christmas!
Angel Tree is a free Christmas Story, so take a breather and read one that will put you in the Christmas spirit
You can now buy my BOOKS! The ebook versions are available for your ereaders or for reading on your computer/laptop/tablets or most phones, just about all devices will let you read an ebook on it
Another very nice aspect of Ebooks is that they are more reasonable to obtain.
To celebrate my ebooks being available and for all the new EREADERS out there, be sure and check out the coupons for a 40% savings on all my books on Smashword. The coupon codes will only work on Smashwords, you enter the five digit code at checkout, the coupon codes are listed below for each book.
All my books are available at the following retails online: Barnes & Noble, Kobo/Borders, Sony, Apple, Diesel. I am working on my print books and will keep you posted when they are available. I do have many copies of my books in print on hand, so please contact me if you are interested.
Smashwords has them all up and ready and have the 40% savings with the coupons.
Link to Jewel’s Books at SMASHWORDS
COUPONS CODES = 40% MAKES ALL EBOOKS $2.99 AT SMASHWORDS coupons are good through Jan 12th, 2011
Afternoon Delights - MF68S
Catching Shadows – XV72V
Do You Believe in Magic? – HY78X
Hell to Heaven – SN27G
Ice Maiden - GN57W
Undercover Love – WF86W
Creole Blues – ZC97L
Darlin’ – UT25Z
Dream Lover – SS87Q
Moondock – AP72C
Pinky Swear – TC52B
Riverboats and Rainbows – DZ73J
Savage Destiny – QF76Q
Stargazer – DM56S
Timeless Love – LV94H
Be sure and join me at THE ROMANCE STUDIO’S Holiday Party that Starts Saturday – Dec. 18th and runs until Dec. 23rd
You can enter to win lots of prizes from the authors and get a chance to win a brand new NOOK – EREADER!
http://theromancestudio.com/party/
I’ll be there posting excerpts and chances to win my books Also an autographed copy of MOONDOCK, so be sure to enter. I hope to see you there!
I hope you will all have a wonderful Christmas! It is a special day. The real story of Christmas is one we need to remember and cherish, I found a very nice site that has it –Matthew 1:18 – 2:23 New International Version
Merry Christmas!
Party and Contests – Friday Nov 12th
I’ll be there from noon to around 4pm, but my posting and contest will be there for you to enter.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC is a Time Travel Sensual Romance, post a comment at the party on the excerpt and you will be entered in my personal contest for an autographed copy of Do You Believe In Magic. I hope to see you there!
Jewel
Do You Believe in Magic?
By
Jewel Adams
The flash of shiny metal caught his attention just in time to move as the bullet whizzed past his head. “Hey! Inside! I’m Captain Clay Banyon of the US Army, put the damn gun away!” He took a deep breath to control his temper. “The Indians are gone, you can come out now.”
Ali’s only problem was she didn’t want to come out or even be here! Just seeing anything beyond the stagecoach might be more than her mind could handle.
When Ali gave in and played her god-daughter’s game pretending they live in the old west, using a garage sale relic, little did she know—magic would change their lives forever.
She possessed a name, a profession and felt ridiculously grateful to the power that brought them to this…magic time. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/27533
Interview is up at Renee Vincent’s
Interview Up, Contest and Spookapalooza!
Hi All,
Check my blog for details on how to enter them. http://jeweladams-romancewithatouchofspice.blogspot.com/ Contest – autographed copy of “Do You Believe in Magic?” and more!
Do You Believe in Magic? is the book I picked for my contest at Coffee Time Romance and More! The contest runs the month of October. There will also be some other goodies to go with this book I hope you will enter: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/ContestPage.html
Enjoy the excerpt, this is general audience.
By
Jewel Adams
The flash of shiny metal caught his attention just in time to move as the bullet whizzed past his head. “Hey! Inside! I’m Captain Clay Banyon
of the US Army, put the damn gun away!” He took a deep breath to control
his temper. “The Indians are gone, you can come out now.”
Ali’s only problem was she didn’t want to come out or even be here! Just seeing anything beyond the stagecoach might be more than her mind could
handle.
When Ali gave in and played her god-daughter’s game pretending they live in the old west, using a garage sale relic, little did she
know—magic would change their lives forever.
She possessed a name, a profession and felt ridiculously grateful to the power that brought them to this…magic time.
Word Count: 36,000
Time Travel Romance, Western,
EXCERPT
CHAPTER 1
“Don’t you believe me?”
She would get Tracey for this. “Of course I do, Evie.”
“Then play the game with me, Ali, please.”
Sneaking a glance at the stack of work on the table, Ali sighed.
“Come on Ali. Pleeeeze!”
What kind of aunt gives an eight year old a glass globe to play with? “Are you sure you should be playing with that, it looks old, Evie?”
“You’re afraid.” Evie’s little girl face lit up with the taunt. “Ali’s a scaredy cat. Ali’s….”
“I am not.” God, she sounded eight herself. It must be babysitting that did this to her, a grown woman just didn’t do this anymore, even if
Tracey was her cousin. If Ali were honest, she would admit it was the
situation she didn’t like.
Evie wasn’t just hungry for attention, she must be starved for it to want her godmother as a playmate. Ali didn’t think most kids played
‘wishing’ with a crystal ball that looked like a Merlin reject.
“Where did you get this, Evie?”
“I told you, I found it.”
“No, you said your aunt gave it to you.”
“Well, I found it, she just paid for it.”
“From a shop?”
The girl’s laughter became almost contagious enough to sway Ali off the subject.
“No silly, at a garage sale.”
Now that, Ali could believe. Tracey carried the garage sale queen label, along with her other activities. So many she had no time for
little Evie. Like tonight, another class of some sort. Ali frowned,
realizing that Tracey was always farming Evie out to one friend or
another. She knew it hadn’t been easy for Tracey to take over the
parenting of Evie when her sister died. But, Ali watched and saw how
Tracey continued to ignore the child. “Alright Evie, we will play, but
only for a while.”
“Oh, it won’t take long, you’ll see”
“I need to change first.”
Evie followed her into the bedroom.
“You better start thinking of a place.”
“A what?” Ali slipped out of her work suit and kicked off her heels, half listening to the girl.
“Your favorite time.”
As she walked past Evie to the dresser, she twisted the girl’s pigtail. “Mine is five o’clock. The magic hour when all hard working ladies go
home.”
A giggling Evie fell back on the bed.
“It’s not an hour Ali, it’s a place.”
“Place?”
“Sure, I like King Arthur’s time. I’m a princess and there is a white knight like Prince Valiant.”
When she pulled on her sweater, Ali looked at the girl. “You would.”
Ali removed the bobby pins from the chignon and fingered out the amber lengths.
“So?”
Ali slipped into her jeans, “So what?”
“Tell me your favorite time.”
What could it hurt to play along with her, “That’s a hard question. Let’s see. I too like knights, especially the good looking kind.”
“Oh Ali, you have Chet.”
“Hmm, he’s definitely good looking, but I’m not too sure about the knight part.” No, Chet definitely didn’t come up to their standards, if
any. Ali recalled their conversation from last night and wasn’t sure he
met her standards, either.
“Ali your ideas are archaic.”
“I don’t think waiting until we’re married, to go to bed with you, is an ancient philosophy.”
“This is the twentieth-first century Ali, wake up!”
Ali closed her eyes over how hard he slammed her door, “It’s how I feel…”
“What is Ali?”
She brought her attention back to the girl. “Nothing honey. Where were we?”
“We both like knights.”
“Right, but I also like cowboys and sea captains.”
“Pirates!”
“No, they are not nice, I like the good guys.”
“I don’t like water, I got sick when uncle John took me fishing on a boat.”
Another fill in that Tracey put in the girl’s life. She couldn’t remember how long that boyfriend lasted. Evie’s real father was never in
her life, he ran off the moment Karen announced she was pregnant. Sadly,
Tracey didn’t appear to be the parenting type.
“Cowboys then?”
“And Indians. I could be a princess again.”
She gave Evie a rueful look. “And what could I be?”
“My mother?”
Ali rolled her eyes up to the ceiling.
“Sister?”
“You’ve no imagination Evie, but sister does sound better.”
“You could be a teacher. In one movie I saw, the girl is a school marm.”
Ali conjured up the image of a spectacled spinster. “It doesn’t sound very flattering.”
“You are prettier than she is and she got the cowboy.”
“He better be tall, dark and extremely handsome if I have to teach a room full of kids.”
Ali reached out and started tickling Evie. “Come on, we better start this game of yours. Now, if your magic ball could make all that work
disappear I could really get into this.”
“I’ll try.” Evie raced ahead of Ali into the living room. “You have to sit here, Ali.”
Ali lowered herself down to the carpet and sat Indian style, per Evie’s instructions. Evie took the large crystal ball off the coffee table and
set it between them on the floor.
“Now we have to think of the same thing, together.”
“Set the stage?” At the girl’s questioning look, Ali took the lead, “I see blue sky all around.”
Evie chimed in, “And mountains, big ones.”
“Green grass and rolling hills.”
“Looks pretty Ali.”
“Now what do we do Evie?”
“We close our eyes and wish.”
Ali glanced at the serious look on the girl’s face and closed her eyes.
“It is starting, so we need to begin our wishes.”
“Pretend we are there and the ball works its magic.” Thankfully, Evie was still too young to hear Ali’s sarcasm.
“See, it’s easy Ali.”
Maybe Evie’s game wasn’t so bad. The girl needed the escape it lent from her rocky home life. Ali couldn’t see the harm.
“You have to close your eyes Ali.”
“Right. I forgot, sorry.”
It proved hard to play along, Ali kept thinking about all the work waiting for her at the table.
“Ali, you aren’t playing.”
“Yes I am, I was just wondering how we will know when it works.”
“Oh, you will know.”
Ali took a deep breath and forced her eyes to shut. She tried to clear her mind, whispering to herself “blues sky, mountains and green rolling
hills…”
She let her mind go with the imaginary scene. Ali began to relax under the spell’s silent peace. A strange feeling of calm washed over her as
if she were floating on a cloud. Snow capped mountains encircled the
expanse of countryside. Wild flowers covered the open slopes of the
hills moving past. A rocking sensation washed over her, she smiled and
wondered if her subconscious slipped a ship in on Evie.
Ali sighed, and brushed the silly thought aside, letting the tranquility block out reality…if only for a little while.
But a sudden lurch jarred Ali from her peaceful dream.
She blinked furiously against the glaring sunlight. “What…sunlight?”
Ali bit her lip to silence what she didn’t want to hear, but her senses betrayed her efforts.
The changes came at her like arrows. The assault’s speed left her breathless as one reality slipped away, replaced by another—foreign one.
“Evie?” Ali didn’t like the fear she heard in her voice.
Shaking her head against what she felt and still refused to let her mind comprehend, Ali flatly refused to let this go any further!
She took a steadying breath and silently laughed at what she nearly allowed herself to believe. Crystal balls didn’t really work. She forced
her eyes open to seek out the familiar old furniture….
What came made her denial strengthen against the frightening reality taking hold of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, and forced them to
reopen, sure she’d been overcome by Evie’s game.
“No! It can’t be real.” The stagecoach…Oh God, it really is one. Another rut sent the coach swaying and she bounced all over the seat.
Automatically her hand reached out to grip the open door frame. Ali
couldn’t breathe over what shouldn’t be there to hold.
“Evie?”
Ali turned against the swaying, thankful that she found the girl beside her. She reached for her, “Evie?”
The girl looked up at her with the same confusion Ali felt. “Come here honey.”
Evie needed no coaxing to accept Ali’s embrace.
“Lady, get down!”
Her mouth opened more from the realization that a man sat across from them than his shouted order.
The curse he directed at her was nothing compared to the blast of the gun in his hand that cut loose.
Ali instinctively fell over Evie to shield her. “What is going on?” She shouted over the blasting noise.
“Are you blind?” He cursed and kept shooting, “damn Easterners, stay down or those arrows the redskins are shooting will give you the
answer!”
“Indians?”
Ali’s gasps drew Evie’s frightened whimper. “Ali, I don’t want to be a princess anymore.”
“I know Evie.” The swish and thud above their heads confirmed all the man’s threatening words. The arrow wasn’t imaginary, neither was the
fear it instilled.
“Hush Evie, it will be okay.”
“Ali, it’s not right, what happened?”
“I don’t know honey, I don’t know.”
The arguments waged inside her head that none of this could be happening. A kid’s stupid crystal ball couldn’t make something this
crazy happen. Could it?
Another bone-jarring jolt of the stagecoach made her teeth bite down against the answer.
Arrows kept flying, she could hear the war-whoops of the attacking men, yet all she could do was look at the clothes on Evie and then herself.
“Calico?” The tiny flower print dress looked very different from her jeans. Her hand rose and touched the bonnet secured by the satin blow
under her chin. A light, short traveling cape fell about her shoulders.
Ali truly wished it could shield them from the danger.
“Ugh!”
She looked up at the man’s cry. Ali swallowed her scream over the arrow protruding from the man’s chest.
“Ali!”
“Don’t look Evie.”
The sideway lean of the coach stole her transfixed gaze from the dead man. A bare arm and hand moved about the open door panel, followed by
the painted chest.
“Oh, God, no!”
Looking to the man for help, she groaned. She tried to look away, catching sight of the gun still clutched in his lifeless hold. “I’m not
really doing this…” Ali kept repeating the lie as she pried his fingers
away from the weapon.
It took both hands for her to hold the heavy gun up and point it at the Indian now fully in view, clinging to the door. His eyes went to the
weapon, then her. The vicious sneer that crossed his face sent ice
through her veins. When he raised his arm, she saw the knife, the gun in
her hands fired as if it held its own agenda.
The horrible scream filled her ears. Dropping the gun, she tried to block it out with her hands, but Evie demanded her attention. Cradling
the child in her arms Ali heard the reassuring words she spoke to Evie
without thought, while she silently demanded the ball to bring them
back!
Ali gave up the effort over the new sound of a bugle and the slowing of the stagecoach.
“Where is it?” She scrambled about the floor with her hands, searching under the folds of dress material for the gun, nearly crying when she
finally felt the warm metal.
“Evie, stay behind me.” She held the gun before her. Ali waited for the next savage to appear. Her only thought was to protect Evie, nothing
else mattered any more…
CHAPTER 2
“Buck! Are you alright?”
“Grazed my shoulder, Cap. I’ll make it. Better check the passengers.”
Clay looked back to be sure none of the Indians evaded the patrol before sliding off his mount. He kept a watch out to be safe as he walked up to
the coach, he reached out and pulled one of the arrows from the wood.
“Comanche?”
His attention became captured by the troubling discovery, Clay reached out to open the door. The flash of shiny metal caught his attention just
in time to move as the bullet whizzed past his head and he fell back
against the coach. He cursed over his own lack of caution, along with
the fool inside that almost killed him.
“Hey! Inside! I’m Captain Clay Banyon of the US Army, put the damn gun away!”
The silence was infuriating, under his breath he muttered, “Probably some half crazed greenhorn.” He took a deep breath to control his
temper. “The Indians are gone, you can come out now.”
Ali’s only problem was she didn’t want to come out or even be here! Just seeing anymore than she already had might be more than her mind could
handle. “I almost killed him.”
She sank back against the seat, her hand rose and squeezed the small arm that encircled her neck from behind.
“Is it over Ali?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Listen to me! You in the coach, no one is going to hurt you, see for yourself, they are gone!” Remembering the scene he and troops came upon,
he could well imagine the fear the passengers suffered.
But nothing prevented the shock Clay suffered over the vision that emerged from the coach. Hair the color of polished topaz floated about
the tiny figure of beauty. The blue bonnet hung down her back and did
little to tame the wild wisps of her hair. Her eyes were a deeper shade,
but not quite brown. Right now, they were wide with fright, snapping him
out of the capturing trance of her beauty.
_____________
I hope you will enter the contest
Fall Coupon Days are Here!
You have to love that special feel that is in the air Makes you feel all cuddly inside. What better way to sate that inner call of comfort than by a good read. I thought it would be perfect for the start of fall to give you all a special coupon price for my new releases!
Hell to Heaven – Available at Smashwords
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/24022
My new release is now available at Smashwords. I will be moving my ebooks there over the next few weeks
Hope you come on over and get your copy!
HELL to HEAVEN is now Available!
That’s right, you can now purchase Hell to Heaven by Jewel Adams Enjoy the Excerpt – Here.
Get your ebook of Hell to Heaven for only $4.99
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/24022
HELL TO HEAVEN
By
Jewel Adams
A new bride shouldn’t have her dreams shattered and crushed before they can take a breath. Jenna discovers the man she married is a cruel, sadistic monster. She failed to escape the horror of her marriage and paid dearly for trying.
Ray can’t ignore the beautiful woman renting from his mother. All the warnings that come with Jenna can’t silence the unspoken plea he sees in her eyes. When Jenna collapses in his arms from the beating at the hands of her husband, Ray swears she will never suffer at that man’s brutal hands—ever again!
CHAPTER 1
Shattered Dreams
“Stop it!”
Her cry came too late, the coffeepot hit the wall with a crash. The dark brown stain slid down the wallpaper. It looked ugly and sick, like Jenna’s life.
“Take it back, now!”
Jenna flinched back from the iron he held inches from her face. “Her family is there tonight for dinner. I promise Jimmy, I’ll take it back in the morning.”
The cruel fist wrapping in her hair jerked her head back hard against his unforgiving body. “You’ll walk over there now or I’ll kill the bastard!”
Groaning in pain and fear she could no longer hide from him. “Alright!” He’d do it…kill them, he was capable of doing it. Jenna’s throat constricted, almost strangling her over the frightening truth.
Jamming the iron into her stomach, Jenna clutched it to fight striking back at her husband. He enjoyed hurting her. Hissing in her face before letting her go, “Stay outside where I can see you. So help me you’ll be sorry if you don’t.”
She dropped her eyes and nodded, trying to gather her composure in order to hide her tattered state from their neighbors.
Jealousy! That’s all this was, Jimmy couldn’t stand her growing friendship with her landlady. As for his wild assumption that one of her sons had that look for Jenna…he was crazy. She never spoke to any of Ruth’s sons except for polite hello and goodbye as they floated in and out of their mother’s house.
But the truth didn’t matter much to Jimmy. He wouldn’t listen, not when he was like this.
Her eyes refused to see all the broken dishes and the mess she would have to clean up, swallowing hard she could feel him watching her slip her shoes on,
“Make it fast Jenna.”
Fast? She could barely make her legs move, wondering if she did collapse if all the horror of the last three months would end?
Deep throated laughter from many male voices drifted from the open kitchen door as she approached. She wondered what it would feel like to be a part of a family like Ruth’s. Regretfully, Jenna didn’t believe she’d find that kind of comfort and security.
She chanced a look back to her house, her high pitched gasp escaped over seeing Jimmy’s forceful stance in the doorway. With the living room lights in back of him his dark form looked like the devil she feared she married.
Swinging her gaze back to where she still needed to go, she stumbled, nearly falling on the first porch step. She took a deep steadying breath. Jenna desperately tried not to show any of the devastating emotions swirling inside her. These were kind people, she didn’t want to bring trouble to them. If they thought something was wrong they’d want to help, she must be convincing. But how did any sane person explain why they were returning a borrowed iron at 9:30 at night?
She forced her hand out, nearly losing her nerve when no one heard her timid knock. She caught Jimmy’s movement coming out of their door. She banged on the screen door, watching as all the heads at the table swung in her direction.
How many sons did Ruth have? Jenna counted five of the biggest men she’d ever seen staring at her. The thought came that they could take Jimmy…no, she couldn’t bring her misery to Ruth’s sons!
“Jenna, honey? Is that you?”
“Yes ma’am.” She could hear the fear in her voice. She wet her lips.
“Well, come in child.”
“Thank you…but no, I can’t…” Seeing Ruth’s brow rise she rushed on, “I have dinner on, it’ll burn. I just wanted to bring your iron back…”
Ray, yes that was the oldest son’s name, moved toward the door, but Ruth’s hand shot out to stop him at Jenna’s sharp intake of breath and pleading stare.
Ruth whispered to her son, “Stay back, Ray.”
“Alright honey.” Ruth rose giving all her sons her strictest ‘back off’ look. She stepped out onto the porch. Ruth wondered how the girl was even standing over the shaking in her small body. She took the iron she held out to her.
“Thank you, Ruth.” Jenna’s nervous glance towards her sons wasn’t missed by the older woman. “I better go.”
Ruth didn’t try and detain her, nor did she miss the dark form waiting at the corner of Ruth’s house. She moved back into the shadow of the doorway and felt Ray behind her. They both saw the man grab Jenna’s hair and pull her forcefully inside before he slammed the door.
“That bastard!” Rays scathing remark only emphasized the violent tightening in his body.
She put her hand on Ray’s chest to restrain him, “Don’t honey, she’ll only suffer more.” Both their heads swung about at the crashing noise coming from Jenna’s house.
“He’s going to kill her!”
“Gordon, call the Police. Ray, get back inside until they come, that man is crazy and I’ll not have you tangling with him!”
Not giving into his need to help that girl went against every fiber in Ray’s being. “Damn him!” Shoving past his brother he moved back into the kitchen, he tried to block out the yelling that now reached them. “I swear, if I hear her scream…”
Ruth shot her other sons a meaningful glance that sent them moving over by the door to block Ray’s path. “She’ll be alright.”
“Will she? You yourself have seen the bruises on her.” How could he not see Jenna grab her ribs when she was walking to work in the dawn light and thought no one was about? The thought of her being in that house with the creep infuriated Ray. How could any man hit a woman? Ray didn’t think Jenna could stand much more abuse. Hell, she’d blow away in a swift wind.
Gordon’s next words to their mother sent tremors of rage through Ray. “The word around town is that he sits out in the park all day and watches her work. He’s even walked up to Wade and Murray and told them they better leave his wife alone. Hell, she’s a waitress, what are they all suppose to do, use sign language?”
“Probably everyone in town knows what her husband’s about, except for Jenna.”
Ray looked at his mother over her breathless statement. “What lie has he been telling her mom?”
“Now Ray.”
“Mom, I know she confides in you and only you, heaven knows she needs somebody to talk to.”
Ruth studied her oldest son, she’d seen him watching Jenna, there was no sense keeping it from him, not when he was so set on her. “You’re right Ray. Jenna believes he’s working everyday at the mill. He leaves the house at 5:00 A.M.; she even fixes him a lunch to take.”
“Hasn’t she wondered where his paycheck is?”
His mother looked totally distraught. “He told her they are holding his first two weeks and he won’t get a check for another two weeks.”
“A whole month, what the hell are they living on…Mom?” Ray knew he shouldn’t be taking his anger out on his mother, but damn it he couldn’t help it.
“Her tips, she pays me the rent in rolled change and singles every week.” Actually, Jenna was sneaking the rent to Ruth a little each day out of her tips so Jimmy wouldn’t know, but Ruth kept it to herself.
Mark pushed through his brothers at the door. “The police are here.”
Ray was out the door before anyone could stop him. Throwing up her hands, “well, you all better go too.” The kitchen cleared before she finished. Ruth didn’t have to follow she could already guess the outcome. “Same as last time…no help.” She probably should have told the boys that she called the police on him last week. To Ruth’s way of thinking there was a real problem with the law seeing as they did nothing to a husband for beating his wife.
Ruth hated watching the shouting match her oldest was getting into with Chief Wilson, demanding that Jimmy be arrested, Ruth figured she might have more to worry over besides just Jenna. Ruth hoped she read Ray wrong where Jenna was concerned. The girl was drowning in a quicksand marriage. She’d be surprised if Ray didn’t notice. That boy’s heart was bigger than his large frame and he hated seeing anything being hurt. The fact Jenna held such a gentle beauty about herself would have naturally attracted her oldest, if not every one of her sons’ attention.
When Ray started popping in and out more than usual, Ruth made a point of letting him know the girl was married. Jenna certainly didn’t encourage anyone’s attention. The girl lived in fear of breathing wrong, frightened over the outcome. No, Ruth probably should blame herself for peeking Ray’s attention on the girl, but she’d been so darn angry and at a loss as to how to help Jenna. Especially after Jenna’s failed attempt to leave that awful man. Ruth knew the girl was too petrified to try again.
Ray could beat the tar out of that Jim Hammond, but Ruth felt that Ray understood it would only end up getting Jenna hurt in retaliation. Of all her boys, Ray never acted without thinking everything through. And yet, tonight Ruth saw anger in her son she never confronted before.
“What do you mean you won’t arrest him? He hit her damn it!” The smile of gloating satisfaction that creep shot him over Wilson’s shoulder made Ray explode, only his brothers held him back.
“Calm down Kingslea! There’s nothing we can do, he’s her husband.”
“I suppose that gives him the right to hurt her?”
“No, but there’s no real evidence…”
Ray’s darkly dangerous eyes jerked to the pale girl standing in the doorway. No evidence? Couldn’t they see the marks on her cheek and neck? Hell, he didn’t want to know how many other bruises marred her petite frame.
Beyond the altercation taking place between them, Ray’s fierce gaze connected with those iridescent blue eyes…so pleading in their quiet pain. But as their gaze upon each other intensified Ray saw the pride her husband was trying to rule, no, extinguish!
When she moved away, ending the contact she never allowed him before, Ray wanted to scream in outrage. All his fury came rolling back at the cause of her pain.
Shaking off his brothers’ hold, Ray stepped closer to the bastard. There was a devious and dangerous air surrounding her husband, making Ray wonder how she came close enough to the man to marry him. Instinctively, he felt everything about Hammond should have repelled her senses. Ray listened while Wilson warned the man not to abuse his wife again. Ray wanted to laugh. Hell, they all acted like they were back in the 1600’s not the 1960’s. This Hammond didn’t have a conscience or heart, the sheriff’s words bounced off the man…he was mean. A coward, yeah, Ray caught the nervous glances in his direction from Hammond. Maybe he could make an impression where the police failed.
While the police were getting back in their vehicles Ray moved closer to the man. Ray couldn’t hit him, he knew the bastard would take it out on Jenna.
Before the man could escape Ray yelled out. “Hammond!”
“What ya’ going to do Kingslea, hit me in front of the cops?”
“A beating would be too easy for the likes of you…but if I see one more mark on Jenna you can bet your ugly ass you’ll have wished they’d arrested you.”
Deliberately turning away from him, Ray forced himself not to respond to the man’s retaliating threats. It was hard, especially when the creep brought Jenna into it and accused Ray of wanting her for himself! “Are you a coward Kingslea?”
Stopping cold, Ray slowly turned back to face him. In a dead cold voice Ray gave the man his answer. “Only a coward hits a woman.”
It took the police to stop Hammond from reaching Ray’s back as he walked away from the ranting man.
Jenna let the curtain fall back in place when Ruth’s son disappeared into the house. She fought back her tears and struggled with the shame she carried for the man she married three month ago. “A horribly, long lifetime.”
When did things go so wrong? She couldn’t pin point the exact time or incident when he changed. Shaking her head, she guessed she really never knew Jimmy. If she did she never would have married him. She still wondered how he hid the evil inside him from her.
Unwanted, Ray Kingslea’s image gathered in her tattered mind to compare to Jimmy. “There’s nothing to compare.” Jimmy was all darkness to Ray Kingslea’s light.
It took all her strength to pull her emotions back around her, it was useless to dwell on Kingslea. There were no knights and no one could save her, the police made it clear enough. Sadly, Jenna knew she already failed at helping herself when Jimmy caught her trying to leave the other night. She shivered at the memory. What he delivered as punishment for her act wouldn’t be forgotten, nor could the brutality be seen.
He was coming back, Jenna said a silent prayer she’d not suffer another brutal night like that again…
“You’re boyfriend really asked for it!”
The denial fell silent inside her, he wouldn’t hear it anyways. God, she hurt so bad. She flinched at his touch from behind her.
“Come to bed, Jenna.”
His husky order held so much terror she wanted to run away, but her will already fell away, fear ruled as he guided her steps to the bedroom. A tiny flame of remaining pride made her pull away from him, she wondered if she could ever escape this hell.
“You’re shaking baby, let me help you undress.”
“No…” Her voice sounded pitiful to her ears. The short laugh he gave as his hands roamed over her clothes sealed her defeat.
Jenna didn’t know or care when she became naked, his evil eyes devoured every inch of her flesh, smiling over the dark bruises replacing the fading ones. His fingers were deliberately cruel on the tender skin making her suck in her breath in short gasps to prevent the groan of pain he relished hearing.
“Come on Jenna, prove to me you want my forgiveness.”
HELL TO HEAVEN Contest
You have to love contests and I enjoy having them especially when they are for such a great love story.
The contest is for an ebook of HELL TO HEAVEN. You may enter the contest by sending an email to (less the space before the @) jeweladams @gmail.com OR you will also be entered automatically when post a comment on any of my excerpts at the Romance Studio’ Party: http://theromancestudio.com/party/
The contest will run until Sunday at Midnight, Sept. 12th. So, get the those email or comments in and I’ll put your name in for the drawing
Enjoy the Excerpts and HELL TO HEAVEN will be available to purchase on Friday/Tomorrow at http://stores.lulu.com/jacreations
The ebook is $3.99
Jewel
