CiCi Cordelia

stories infused with their favorite romantic genres: paranormal, suspense, and erotica.

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Enjoy an excerpt from The Runaway Wife

The Runaway Wife CiCi Cordelia Western Historical

SAM . . .

Samuel “Sam” Singleton has set aside his unsavory past, as a riverboat gambler and sometimes hired gun, to take on employment as security for Knight Gleason’s Gambling Galleria in Little Creede. Sam and Knight go back a ways, and Sam figures he owes Knight for some valuable mentorship. Then he meets a stowaway thief in the Galleria kitchen, and it changes the direction of his life.

IZZY . . .

Isadora “Izzy” McDougall is on the run from a dangerous family situation. On the road for days, hungry and exhausted, she takes shelter in a desperate bid to find food. Instead, Sam finds her.

SAFER, TOGETHER . . .

Sam’s never been the nurturing type, but Izzy’s sweetness and innocent bravery touches his heart. He finds himself willing to protect her from her scheming family at any cost, even if it means tying himself down with a wife.

BONUS CONTENT:

Robert Blackwood comes to Magnolia Sanders’ rescue when she’s lost in a snowstorm. Taking shelter in an abandoned cabin, he fights his rising desire for the innocent beauty, while trying to keep them alive.

Excerpt

Searching for the pie server, a thump and a muffled oath brought Sam up short. He spun toward the sound, coming from the cavernous pantry where most of the dry goods and supplies were stored.

Silently he advanced across the large room, drawing his gun as a precaution. He wouldn’t put it past some drunken sot to stagger in from one of the gaming rooms, searching for money, thinking any Galleria staff would be dumb enough to keep a safe in here. The pantry door stood open an inch. The whisper of rustling and more muttering hovered in the air. Tensing, he readied for possible danger. Thumbing the latch, he brought up his gun arm and yanked, hard. A mound of tattered clothes and dark curls tumbled out of the opening, landing on the floor at his feet. What the—?

Sam bent and caught a thin, flailing arm, jerking the thief upright. From the cracked, scuffed boots to the downcast head of tangled, choppy hair, this was no gambler desperate for extra coin, only a young boy starving for something to eat. Narrow-shouldered, dressed in torn trousers and a shirt studded with burdock stickers, the kid could probably cram an entire cherry pie into his gullet and his britches would still slide down his backside.

Tamping down any feelings of sympathy, he marched the now-struggling pantry poacher across the kitchen and shoved him into the nearest chair. The boy tried to bolt, so Sam gripped one bony shoulder. “Stay put and tell me who you are.”

A dirt-encrusted face raised to his. “Let me go!” He frowned, taking a more focused look at the boy.

Full lips. High cheekbones underneath the crud. Long lashes framed remarkable blue-gray eyes. Delicate ears were visible from between the shorn locks.

“You’re a girl.” She squirmed in her seat and made to escape. Sam’s grip tightened, holding her in place. “You’re not going anywhere, missy.” He hooked another chair on the toe of his boot and dragged it over to block her in, trapping her against the wall until she had no choice except to remain still. “Start talking.”

Her grimy fist pounded the table surface. “You’ve no right to keep me here.”

Sam didn’t have time for this foolishness. “Your name. Now.”

She strained against his hold on her shoulder and spat out, “Izzy.” Her mouth firmed. “Now, let go.”

“Last name.” He gave her a brief shake. “I’m fast losing patience, and our jail doesn’t have any niceties for females.”

At the mention of jail, what color remained in those high cheekbones leeched out. “Don’t lock me up! I only wanted a place to rest and maybe something to eat.” Dejection came off her in waves. “My name is Izzy McDougall. Please don’t stick me behind bars.” He eased up on his grip, cupping her shoulder with more care to examine her, looking for lies and finding nothing more than a scared girl. If she was more than eighteen or nineteen, he’d eat his hat for supper. Judging by what he now determined were bruises underneath all that dirt and grime, he realized someone had mistreated her.

Anger tightened his jaw. Where her ragged shirt gapped, a man’s fingerprints marred her slender neck. Doubtful a woman would have such a large grip. A growl rumbled in his throat. The urge to track down whoever’d hurt her—and beat the hell out of ‘em— rose swiftly inside him.

d wayne clay d en

Dwayne’s vast experience in emergency services spans over 40 years, and includes work as a police officer, paramedic, tactical paramedic, firefighter, emergency medical services (EMS) chief, educator, and academic chair.

He is a popular speaker at conferences and to writing groups presenting on realistic police, medical and paramedic procedures.

The co-author of four paramedic textbooks, he has spoken internationally at EMS conferences for the past three decades.

He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Crime Writers of Canada and the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society.

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dwayneclayden.com

Uncaged welcomes Dwayne Clayden

Uncaged: Welcome to Uncaged! The first book of a new series, Speargrass-Opioid was released in August. Can you tell readers more about this new series and this book?

Speargrass is a fictional First Nation in Montana, close to Great Falls. Montana is experiencing an Opioid crisis. Franklyn Eaglechild is a former rodeo champ who is nearly crippled from rodeo injuries. He takes the job as Sheriff of the Speargrass Nation and finds many things have changed since he was on the reservation, Riley Briggs is a Drug Enforcement Agent investigating the trafficking of Opioids in and around Great Falls. Briggs and Eaglechild know each other from their childhood, but haven’t seen each other in at least fifteen years.

Initially they don’t talk much about work, but when they realize they are working on the same problem—Opioids—they join forces.

But they soon realize they are up against an organization that will do anything to keep the drugs flowing. It is a fast-paced thriller.

The second in the series, Speargrass-Casino, is in development with a launch planned for fall 2021.

If you like the Longmire novels by Craig Johnson, or the Longmire TV program, you’ll love Speargrass-Opioid.

Uncaged: Another series from you, the Brad Coulter Thriller series has three books available now, are you continuing that series? Can you tell readers more about this series also?

Brad Coulter is a four-year vet of the Calgary Police Service. The novels are set in the mid 70s and 80s and all based on actual crimes that I spun into a fiction novels. Coulter is aggressive and cocky. While that works most of the time, it also lands him in hot water, not only with the criminals, but also with police management. It seems bad stuff just follows him.

Crisis Point (#1) When his partner is killed during an armed robbery, Brad Coulter is left grappling with the loss along with a sudden burst of criminal activity in his quiet city. His new partner is a bitter veteran who challenges Coulter as he lands a spot on the newly developed Tactical Support Unit.