See you in September!

September 1st my Celtic Love Knots, Volume 4 is being released from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid. I am so excited about this release. Taming Tully and Maidensong were fun to write, especially since they deal with a topic I'm very much interested in--Celtic lore. I hope you'll check the CLK4 out. It's getting rave reviews! :)

And now, a short excerpt from Maidensong. Enjoy!

“Interested in Pictish symbols, are you?”

The voice startled her. It came from directly behind her and she whirled around so quickly that she became off-balance. Her body tipped and she banged her shoulder into the ten-foot-high pink granite stone she had been examining.

“Shit!” Dianne cried as she grabbed her shoulder. Stars danced behind her eyelids as the pain raced through her body. When it subsided she opened her eyes.

The owner of the voice was tall and handsome in a rugged sort of way. His hair fell in full ebony curls across his brow and his eyes were a deeper, richer green than the lush grass that they were standing on. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular body and wore the outfit of every hiker in the Scottish highlands: jeans, a woolen sweater and hiking boots. His sweater was a deep loden green that matched his eyes.

“Didn’t mean to scare you. Are you all right?” He leaned closer to where she stood, rubbing her shoulder, and looked into her eyes with such intensity that she wondered what he was doing.

“Do I look all right?” she asked, scowling. “And what are you looking for, anyway?”

He pulled away from her and smiled. When he smiled it was as if the sun dimmed, she was so overwhelmed with the way his features moved on his face.

Handsome when you’re serious, Lord-have-mercy gorgeous when you’re smiling.

“I was looking to see whether or not you had a concussion,” he answered. “Apparently you do not.”

“I smacked my shoulder, not my head. And what were you doing, sneaking up on me like that? Did you try to scare me half to death?”

He tilted his head and a lock of black silk fell across his eye. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you at all. And I wasn’t sneaking up on you, either. I didn’t try to conceal myself in any way.”

“So what, then? What were you doing if you weren’t trying to scare the pants off me?” She stopped rubbing her shoulder and stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer.

“I was merely trying to meet you, that’s all. It’s not every day I find a beautiful woman at the Maiden Stone,” he said. He surveyed her the way she had examined him. When his eyes met hers again he grinned. “And I did not say I wasn’t open to getting your pants off of you, mind.”
He waggled his eyebrows rakishly and, coupled with his thick Scottish accent, the effect was hilarious. She threw her head back and laughed out loud, a sound that reverberated through the trees at the edge of the clearing.

“Fair enough. Hard way to meet someone,” she said.

“Ach, I did not say anything about hardness, either,” he answered with a grin. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Cabe Pitts, and you’re…” He let his words trail off as he lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head, his intention obvious.

What have I got to lose? A handsome man appears out of nowhere in a romantic spot and wants to know my name – how did I get so lucky? So what if he’s broken my shoulder first.

“Dianne Tomes.” She put her hand out to him and when he surrounded it with his big one she felt a distinct jolt. Her nerves tingled and her nipples puckered beneath the thick sweater she wore. And she felt other slippery sensations, too. She rubbed her thighs together as she let his hand go. “Nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure, fair Dianne, is all mine. So, what are you doing here, in this magical spot? What brings you here?” Cabe leaned against the mammoth stone and crossed his arms. She saw his muscles tense beneath his jeans as he crossed his legs at the ankles.

This guy is hot. Who knew Scottish men could be so rugged? But where’s his kilt? I’d pay to see his legs!

“The Maiden Stone, of course.” Dianne ran a hand across the cool granite, touched her fingers to the carved symbols. “I read about it and decided to look for it when I visited Scotland. I’m staying at the Inverurie Inn for a few days, so here I am.”

She realized she was babbling but felt powerless to stop it. He grinned at her as if he knew it, too. She wondered if he had this effect on every woman he met.

I’ll bet you drive all the women wild, Cabe. And I’ll bet you know that you’re doing it, too.

“You’ll know, then, the legend of the stone,” Cabe said. He looked at the Celtic cross above his head with a serious expression on his face. “You’ll know that this stone is the result of a wish that was granted. It’s said that any wish uttered here will come true—eventually.”

“I’ve heard that,” answered Dianne. “This is the spot where a beautiful maiden met a handsome young man, isn’t it?”

“Aye.”

“And that handsome man pushed her into making a bargain with him,” she said.

“Well, I canna say for sure that he pushed her. It’s quite likely that she stumbled or fell but yes, a bargain between the two was struck,” said Cabe, nodding his head.