THE RUNAWAY WIFE BY CICI CORDELIA
Book Four of the Award-Winning Brides of Little Creede Series
CiCi Cordelia is the pen name for the writing team of award-winning authors Char Chaffin and Cheryl Yeko. Published authors in their own right, they share a love for well-written stories infused with their favorite romantic genres: paranormal, suspense, and erotica.
When CiCi finished The Innocent Wife, Book Three of BRIDES OF LITTLE CREEDE, the intention was to move on to something else. Namely, a Contemporary Western series they’d started that needed to be finished. They’d also framed out and begun a romantic suspense/ thriller novel. Except CiCi’s wonderful readers had other ideas. They asked for more Little Creede stories. The asking became a loving demand.
What else could CiCi do except start plotting?
And a second trilogy was born.
With all of the beloved secondary characters of Little Creede taking on personalities of their own, Cheryl and Char knew it was vital to keep the townsfolk in sharp focus along with the three new couples whose romances and personal dramas would unfold within their own stories. Plus, time needed to march on in a realistic way. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, modernization was already encroaching, and the Wild West would eventually catch up, requiring constant research as the next three books were plotted.
Talk about fun . . .!!
The Runaway Wife, Book Four of the now-extended series, introduces a new hero to CiCi’s devoted readers, Sam Singleton. A fun little tidbit…
CiCi’s hero on the book cover is Michael Wayne Foster, model and actor, known for his role in The Walking Dead TV Series, and he’s currently shooting a movie in Hollywood. How cool is that? Char and Cheryl had the pleasure of meeting Michael a few years ago at a writers’ conference. A very nice man with a huge sense of humor, it’s great having him represent CiCi’s hero.
Sam
is a former riverboat gambler and hired-gun, turned security expert for the
town’s new, flamboyant Gambling Galleria, owned by none other than Knight
Gleason, the redheaded, brash Southern-Irish riverboat entrepreneur readers first
met in The Innocent Wife (Book Three). Sam’s got his hands full,
policing poker tourneys, thwarting cheating gamblers, uncovering unsavory
criminal activity, rescuing pantry thieves . . . Well, one pantry thief by the
name of Izzy McDougall, who has a very good reason to be rooting through the
Galleria’s kitchen pantry in the first place. Izzy’s the perfect foil for the
strong, rough-around-the-edges and fiercely loyal Sam.
Here's
a short excerpt for your reading enjoyment:
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.
Available now!
THE RUNAWAY WIFE: https://www.amzn.com/B08F3W4KM7
BRIDES OF
LITTLE CREEDE SERIES: https://www.amzn.com/B07JX4TRC5
CiCi
is busy plotting and researching Book Five, The High-Society Wife, expected
to release late spring, 2021. Well, you know, it keeps Char and Cheryl too busy
to get into trouble.
You
can find CiCi Cordelia Here:
Website: https://ccromance.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HeartfeltRomance
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14855439.Cici_Cordelia
Individually:
Cheryl Yeko:
Website: https://cherylyeko.blogspot.com/ ‘Where Love Always Wins’
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/qzsks8q
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectingRose
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cherylyeko
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cyeko/boards/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5406425.Cheryl_Yeko
Char Chaffin:
Website:
https://charbchaffin.wordpress.com/ ‘Falling In Love is Only the
Beginning’
Facebook: http://facebook.com/char.chaffin
Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/pvscu7w
Twitter: http://twitter.com/char_chaffin
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5337737.Char_Chaffin
