Today I'm featuring
Never Had a Chance by Angela Raines
Part of the Prairie Rose Publications anthology,
A Cowboy Celebration
A Cowboy Celebration
About A Cowboy Celebration:
The Longest Way Home by Lorrie Farrelly—Maddie, an orphan, is torn when her father shows up to reclaim her from her adoptive mother.
Winner Takes All by Meg Mims—Cora Peterson's plan to beat her rival at a picnic auction brings about a surprising end and an unexpected love...
For the Love of Grace by Julia Daniels—Poppy travels west to find her sister—but her own happily-ever-after awaits, as well.
Brighter Tomorrows by Beverly Wells—Callie trusts no man. Chase Matlock is fearful to love again. He gets his man, she gets her adventure, and together they find it all.
Second Chance at Love by Agnes Alexander—A temporary living arrangement might lead to something else when love enters the mix.
Never Had a Chance by Angela Raines—How can a deadly trick bring two people the love they didn't know they needed?
Forged by Fire by Linda Carroll-Bradd—Can a wounded soul find solace in the attentions from a cook who nurtures through her culinary creations?
About Never Had a Chance:
How can a deadly
practical joke bring two people from different worlds the love they both didn't
know they needed?
Thomas
Heath felt abandoned when his sister left him to the mercy of the people who
were raising them. When he finally found her, she was on her way to getting
married. Feeling left out again, Tom left to find something he didn't know he
was looking for.
Maria
Berñal lost her mother while still a young child.
Pampered and coddled by her wealthy father, Maria is on the verge of becoming a
woman. As her eighteenth birthday celebration approaches she feels the loss of
her mother as she navigates her new insight of what it takes to catch and keep
a man.
The deadly joke that brings these two young people together
ignites both growth and love that neither Maria or Tom expected.
Excerpt:
Tom struggled against the pressure on his chest. A hot breeze blew
across his sweat–drenched face; a buzz of noise, unclear sounds, assaulting his
ears. Even as he continued his struggle, the pain lancing through his left arm
brought focus and the noise broke into intelligent words.
"Does anyone know his name, where he came from?" an
authoritative voice asked.
"He came and knocked on the door," a soft female voice
answered.
"I do not know who he is, or his reason for coming to my door
in the middle of the night, but his part in what happened, quién sabe—who
knows?" another man interrupted.
"Who, what?" Tom coughed. Then his breath caught, the
pain returning to his chest tenfold, and the darkness claimed him again.
*****
The smell of unfamiliar
food cooking pulled Tom back from oblivion. His mind tried to process what he
was smelling; a pungent, smoky smell. Immediately, his stomach started growling
as though it had been empty for some time. Moving to rise and follow the
smells, Tom found his left arm tied to his chest. A pain shot through his upper
left chest and shoulder, followed by a stinging in his right leg; but none of
those irritants compared to the throbbing behind his eyes, up through the top
of his head and down the back of his neck. He took a deep breath to calm the
panic he was beginning to feel.
Where was he, why was he restrained? That thought was swiftly
followed with the question that pushed Tom into full panic. Who was he?
About Angela Raines:
Angela Raines is the pen name of Doris McCraw.
Doris is an
actor, historian, poet, photographer, and (of course) writer. After she retired
Doris decided to pursue her other dreams. She performs as Helen (Hunt) Jackson,
Katharine Lee Bates, as stand alone historic characters. She researched and
wrote on Karol W Smith, Colorado's first film commissioner, and currently is
researching the early women doctors of Colorado prior to 1900. She writes and
post haiku with her photographs, five days a week on her fivesevenfive
page. http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com and
contributes to the following blogs: http://sweetamericanasweethearts.blogspot.com,
http://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com,
https://writingwranglersandwarriors.wordpress.com and yes, she finds time to write her Western and Medieval romances. She claims it keeps her young.
https://writingwranglersandwarriors.wordpress.com and yes, she finds time to write her Western and Medieval romances. She claims it keeps her young.
Be sure to follow her
amazon page: http://amzn.to/1I0YoeL for
updates and new releases.
Purchase Links for A Cowboy Celebration:
Thank you for sharing my story and this great anthology. I'm honored. I loved Tom and and Maria, their story just flowed.
ReplyDeleteHere's to a wonderful 4th for everyone. Angela/Doris
Doris, I always love your stories. There's always "something special" happening...could it be magic? This was a wonderful anthology--chock full of good stories and recipes. Thanks so much to Zina for featuring the anthology and the individual stories, too!
ReplyDeleteThank you Cheryl. I was honored to have it happen. I thank you for your continued support. I just keep telling the stories that float about in this head of mine. Who knows, maybe there is a bit of magic there. (LOL and BIG GRIN) Doris
DeleteI have this anthology but haven't made it through all the stories yet--working on it. But I loved your story, Doris. ☺ I almost felt sorry for Tom. LOL
ReplyDelete