Discover the heat…discover the chills
Title The Art of Love and Murder (Wild Horse Peaks Book 1)
Author Brenda Whiteside
Genre Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb
Forty-three years after the airplane crash she survived killed her parents, Lacy Dahl is looking for answers. When her research uncovers secrets about the mother she never knew and disputes the identity of her father, someone is willing to murder to keep her discoveries hidden.
Sheriff Chance Meadowlark is still haunted by the death of his wife and the revenge he unleashed in the name of justice. When he meets Lacy, he is determined not to become involved, but their pasts make that impossible—saving Lacy may be his only redemption.
Just as she begins to believe the present is more important than her past, Chance's connection and a murder spin her deeper into danger and further from love. When the truth is revealed, will the revelations free Lacy and Chance…or destroy them?
Excerpt
Lacy quickened her pace.
The footsteps behind her did the same.
As fast as her feet touched the bricks, her heart beat twice that speed. If only she could clear the narrow alley, step onto the lit sidewalk...
Like a magnet, the street light pulled her forward, and she lunged out of the darkness.
Her hand slammed to her chest. After a hard intake of breath and a fast exhale, she cast a furtive glance over her shoulder. With her head down and the strap of her purse in a tight fist against her breast, she whirled around to cover the last block at a trot—
And jarred with the collision as if she’d hit a cement wall. She careened off balance, but hands grabbed her shoulders keeping her upright.
She gasped and reared back out of the tight hold. Using her fisted purse as a weapon, she hurled a defensive blow to a broad chest. The hulk didn’t flinch. She lifted her knee, landing a jab short of her target and into the tree-sized thigh. “Ehhh,” she cried out as her knee jammed into unmovable muscle.
“Lady, I’m not going to hurt you.” The man held his ground and loomed over her, his hands at his chest fending off the swing of her fist.
Her vision filled with the imposing figure, and a chillshivered her body. Run screamed in her head. This time the swing of her purse missed the target as she whirled to escape.
His hand caught her arm and pulled her close.
“Help, help me!” Her voice came high and hysterical.
“I am trying to help.”
Both hands gripped her shoulders now, and her feet came partly off the ground, forcing her to look into his face.
“What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?”
Her head swung side to side, but the empty street and sidewalks could have been a ghost town. In the distance, a jazzy tune drifted through the air with voices too far away to help.
She gulped. He waited.
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Special Giveaway:
A Legacy of Love and Murder, Sequel is free in eBook to anyone who joins BNG (Brenda’s Newsletter Group)
This book, although a sequel to The Art of Love and Murder, can be read as a standalone novel.
A note from the author:
Wild Horse Peaks series was originally published as the Love and Murder Series by The Wild Rose Press. The books have been re-edited and polished with some scene setting changes.
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Title Southwest of Love and Murder (Wild Horse Peaks Book 2)
Author Brenda Whiteside
Genre Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb
Mystery writer, Phoebe Anderson, owes her success to killing her first husband on paper seventeen years earlier. Now, someone has actually done it. Taking a few days to re-group on an isolated ranch, she doesn’t expect romance…or murder…to find her.
Mason Meadowlark is happy with his wild cowboy ways, avoiding love since the death of his baby and the end of his marriage twenty years before. When Phoebe shakes up his routine, he fights to control his emotions, fearing the pain of opening his heart again.
With an obsessed fan close on her heels, Phoebe is thrown into her own murder mystery…and the next target on the psychopath’s list is Mason.
Excerpt
Like the aftershocks of an earthquake, trembling overtook her body. Her knees wobbled, but Mason caught her before she collapsed.
“What’s wrong?” He hugged her briefly then brought his face even with hers. “Phoebe, tell me. Why are you shaking? What’s happened?”
“Oh my God, Mason.” She spread her hands on his chest and glanced back at the bathroom. “Tell someone to call an ambulance. Hurry!”
He took a step toward the ladies’ room, but she grabbed his shirtfront. “No!” She peered around him and shouted. “Someone call nine one one.”
Mason touched his pocket. “My cell’s in the truck.”He grabbed the shoulder of a male customer, the closest person to them. “You got a cell on you?”
The man nodded and pulled a phone from his pocket.
“Call nine one one right now. There’s been…” His face questioned her.
“Someone’s badly hurt in the bathroom. Oh hell, hurry!” She thumped her palms against his chest.
The man punched buttons on his cell as he raced into the ladies’ room.
Phoebe wrapped her arms around Mason, tipped her chin upward, and found the words. “It’s that waitress, Mason.Carla.”
His expression went blank, from concern for her to no comprehension.
“There’s so much blood.” She stifled a gag, the sweet, copper penny reek still heavy in her nostrils. “Her throat.” A shudder rippled the length of her body. “I think she’s dead.”
“What? How?”
“Christ Almighty.” The man staggered from the bathroom. “There’s a knife in her.” He stumbled past them, gained his footing, and stopped several feet into the dining room. His voice boomed above the slow chords coming from the stage. “There’s been a murder!”
The band stilled,and for an instant, so did the diners. A woman’s voice gasped, “Did he say murder?” Chairs scraped the floor, followed by the pitch of voices increasing. People left their chairs, and the room took on a chaotic motion.
A man near the stage stood and bolted toward the door. The sounds of sirens could already be heard in the distance. The man didn’t leave, but instead, blocked the doorway, raised his hands, and shouted, “Everyone stay right where you are.” He scanned the crowd. “Jake. Yeah, you. Go make sure the backentrance stays closed.No one is to leave.”
A gentle pat on her back released the tension between her shoulder blades. She moved with Mason as he shuffled her to the side of the hall leading into the ladies’ room.
His lips, soft against her earlobe, whispered, “He’s a cop.”
She folded into his tightened hug.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m nauseous.” The trembling lessened, but the effects of the ghastly scene still resonated through her. Carla’s head had lolled back, blood flowed from the gaping slash across her throat, and a knife protruded from her chest. Phoebe shivered. The scene was familiar. The residual odor of urine, blood, and pine air freshener clogged her head as if they’d combined to form a caustic cloud she’d inhaled.
“Understandable.”
Red lights could be seen through the curtained windows.
“There’s more, Mason. The way she is…how she looks.” She shook her head and shut her eyes tight. A shiver traveled the length of her body as she huddled so close against him an onlooker might not know where one body stopped and the other began.
Several uniformed policemen entered the front door, and after speaking to the off-duty policeman guarding the entrance,fanned out. One headed for the back of the restaurant, one took his position at the front door, and two hurried past them and into the ladies’ room.
“I can’t believe this.”
“I know, baby. Neither can I.”
A second later, paramedics rushed in and entered the restroom.
Her fisted hands on his back opened and caught his shirt in her fingers. “No, you don’t understand.” Her head was dizzy with the scene, a scene she’d created. How could this happen again? “It’s my book—”
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Title The Power of Love and Murder (Wild Horse Peaks Book 3)
Author Brenda Whiteside
Genre Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb
Penny Spark’s desire to reconnect with family this Christmas exposes her true identity—a secret she’s hidden for thirteen years from the political powers that murdered her family.
Jake Winters is out of rehab and coming to grips with his demons. When he meets Penny, he believes this holiday season could be the start of life after rock star status…until her secrets blow up his world.
With a government agent turned hit man closing in on her, Penny and Jake race to expose the presidential contender who targeted her family. Even if they win the race with death, the murder that stands between them could end their hopes for a new life…and love.
Excerpt
“Jianna Ricci has surfaced.”
A smile flitted across the senator’s face. “Aren’t we lucky the FBI never closes a case?”
“That depends on which side of the fence you crouch.”
The politician threw a sneer into the air. “Where is she?”
“Timberline.”
“Ha!” This time, the senator smiled broadly. “Fate’s been working in my favor lately, Elams. Thursday, I’m scheduled to appear at party headquarters in lovely downtown Timberline. An organized crime hit can happen anywhere, can’t it? An up close and personal reason why the voters need me.”
Vince closed his eyes to the sun and the joy on the politician’s face.
“I’m wondering what’s the point of this meeting.” Westingly’s voice went from joyful to low and menacing. “If you were hoping for a different game plan, perhaps something more creative in dealing with this matter, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. Your order stands.”
Creative? Game?
“She hasn’t made a move in thirteen years. It’s highly unlikely—”
“Hardly your decision. I’m not asking for input.” He adjusted his glasses and clasped his hands behind his back. “It would seem the crime syndicate that wiped out her family has finally caught up with her. Let’s see…today is Saturday. I’d say the paper should have the story by midweek.”
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Title The Deep Well of Love and Murder (Wild Horse Peaks Book 4)
Author Brenda Whiteside
Genre Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb
A vengeful ex-husband and bloody fight for land threaten a love-struck couple’s happiness.
After an abusive childhood and bad marriage, Laura Katz has finally found a home, stability…and possibly love. But her blissful refuge as nanny on the Meadowlark Ranch, miles from Flagstaff, shatters when her ex is released from prison, determined to reclaim her.
Randy Silva, the Argentine foreman, has plans for his own ranch, but a brutal land grab is underway. As the battle escalates, Laura steals his heart, but there are outsiders who stand in their way. He’s in a vicious battle for his land—and the woman he wants by his side.
Stakes are high, as the attacks on Randy and his ranch draw blood. While the vengeful ex-husband stalks Laura, a mob-backed land developer teams with a desperate gambler. Uncertain where the next attack will come from—will their love be caught in the crossfire.
Excerpt
He jumped to his feet as she marched inside, caught her by the shoulder in the dining room, and spun her around. “No. Don’t go.”
“Randy—”
“You need to talk to me.” In his peripheral vision, Perro came beside him, ears perked and panting.
“About what?”
He held her shoulders, lightly, tipped his head toward her and asked in his gentlest tone, “Why are you running from me?”
“I’m not!” She shook his hands off and took two steps backward.
“You are.” He wanted to hug her, but she’d taken a defensive stance, and he thought better of it. Words might work to his advantage. The blunt approach. He had to try. “You need to stop running, Laura Jane.”
His furry friend nudged his leg. Their disagreement was clearly upsetting the dog.
“What do you know, really?” The pitch of her voice rose. “I’m doing you a favor. Doing us both a favor.” Her eyes glistened, and the pink of her cheeks colored her mood with anger. “It never ends well for me. Clark is just another episode. And if it doesn’t end well for me, you’ll get in the way and get caught up in the endless cycle that spells out my destiny.”
Again, the dog bumped his leg. “Perro, stop.” He patted the warm head then stared hard into her fierce expression. She was tough, and the time had come to give it back. He mentally crossed his fingers and hoped his next approach didn’t send her running. Hell, she was already running.“You’re feeling sorry for yourself. I didn’t figure you for a wimp.”
Her eyes widened; her nostrils flared. “I’m trying to save you from the big fat mess of me.”
“You let me be the judge of what messes I choose in my life.” His hands twitched at his sides, longing to hold her and stifle her anger. He narrowed his eyes and stared deeper into hers instead. “Taking care of your ex is a mess I look forward to.”
“This is my mess, not yours.” Her tone grew more combative. “I’ve handled what I’ve been dealt, and I’ll continue handling whatever gets thrown at me.”
“I don’t see it that way.” He kept his voice level, but hard edged. His own emotions, convincing her while fear of losing her, hammered his self-control. “You’re locking me out. Why? Because you think you aren’t allowed to be happy?”
Her mouth pinched in a tight line, and she glared at him. “Randy—”
“I think it’s about damned time you stopped blaming your mother, your ex, or whoever for your unhappiness.”
She whirled away, ready to flee, but he couldn’t stop now. He needed her and had to make her see how much she needed him.
“Don’t be afraid of me, Laura Jane.” He shuffled a half-step closer.
“I’m not afraid.” She faced him again. “But I don’t need you to tell me how to run my life, if that’s what you think you can do.”
Perro jumped and planted his paws on Randy’s hip, panting heavily.
“For Pete’s sake, Perro—”
Laura’s brow furrowed. “Do you smell that?”
“What?” As soon as he’d asked, the hot, smoky scent assaulted his senses.
Fire.
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Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNC7LT9J
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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/80583692-the-deep-well-of-love-and-murder
Title A Legacy of Love and Murder (Wild Horse Peaks Sequel)
Author Brenda Whiteside
Genre Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb
Inheriting an Austrian Castle is an Alpine fairytale for August, until someone begins targeting the heirs.
August Myer arrives in Austria to meet her great-grandfather and explore his castle estate filled with priceless art, only to find he’s died under suspicious circumstances. As one of his heirs, her life is in danger, turning her Alpine adventure into a nightmare of veiled threats, unexplained accidents, and murder.
Inspector Tobias Wolf splits his time between catching criminals and fighting the spread of neo-Nazism. But when the beautiful, intriguing American crosses his path during a murder investigation, ensuring her safety challenges his priorities…and his heart.
When August learns the handsome inspector is concealing secrets, and the death of her great-grandfather is somehow connected, she takes the investigation into her own hands. Can Wolf save her before the killer strikes again?
Excerpt
A chill swept over her. She leaned her head back against the cold stone, and swallowed down her beating heart. It would be wiser to leave the castle and enlist Inspector Wolf. The evidence of Nazi activity that she’d discovered would certainly get his curiosity in motion. Since the castle technically belonged to her mother, she could give the inspector permission to search the dungeon.
Even if he’d been reluctant to point the finger at Eike, his passionate hatred of fascism and neo-Nazism might be enough to send him over the edge and take a harder line with her.
She lifted her head from the cold dungeon wall. But…she really wanted to see what Eike was up to before she retreated.
Taking advantage of the noise they made, August scampered across the passage to the edge of where the wall rounded and opened into the area with the cells. She held a palm against her chest to still her heart and calm her breathing. Leaning a shoulder into the wall to steady herself, she put her cheek to the cold stone, and inched her face around the edge.
Eike and Kurt replaced stone in the hole in the wall beneath one of the arches, using a small trowel to add some sort of cement or filler. Now she wished she’d taken the time to shine her flashlight into the hole. Her first thought was a body, and the shiver shook her so much her face scraped against the stone.
Nonsense, it wouldn’t be a body.
Jewish art, treasure?
She’d read, or maybe learned in school, that the SS had supposedly hidden valuables taken from the Jews in places still undiscovered. Had Eike discovered it, and now that August and her mother were here, was she closing up the discovery, hiding it from them? She must think she could come back some day for it.
Eike said something as she wiped her hands on a rag, and Kurt pivoted suddenly, stepping toward August.
She jerked back. Her hip smacked against the wall, and the flashlight fell to the floor. The crack echoed around the circular room.
“Wie bitte?” Eike barked.
Scooping up the flashlight, August ran for the stairs and the door at the top leading out. Footsteps pounded behind her. Her chaser was close. She flipped on the flashlight and cast the beam at her target—the door at the top of the stairs.
Escape.
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