Peace Out - A Peace Series Novella by Sandra Hurst Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Peace Out
A
Peace Series Novella
by
Sandra Hurst
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Brent
Harrington is gone and Cyn Redman really couldn’t give a rat’s
ass. While the whole town celebrates or mourns the end of the
Harrington dynasty, Cyn’s life is falling apart. Her mother has
recently been diagnosed with cancer, throwing Cyn’s heart, as well
as her future plans into turmoil.
The
last thing Cyn is looking for is Jericho, the quiet, soft-spoken
ranch hand from the McBride place. Between the clinic closing, her
mom’s health, and Cyn’s long-delayed college plans, there are
already too many uncertainties. Could Jericho be the anchor she needs
so desperately as her world falls apart? Or is he just another excuse
not to let go of Peace and move on.
Complaining
to herself, Cyn slumped off the sidewalk and headed across the
street
toward the grocery store. They usually had soup or something on sale.
It
was
better than an empty stomach on a cold day. She didn’t even see the
dirty
brown
pickup truck until it veered away from her and slammed into one of
the
garbage
cans that were cemented to the sidewalk up and down main street. A
tall
man
unfolded himself from the cab, cursing quietly. “Miss? Ya’ll
okay? I didn’t
see
you there.”
Cyn
shook her head and kept walking away until a hand grasped her
shoulder.
“Are
you okay? Answer me, please!” The deep voice with its hint of a
southern
accent was quiet but firm, and the hand that gently shook her
shoulder
knocked
Cyn out of her daze and somehow centred her thoughts.
“You…”
Cyn’s voice was shakier than she thought it would be. She
swallowed
thickly and tried again, “You almost killed me.”
“You
need to watch it when you step out into the street, ma’am. Peace
may
be
small, but we do have cars here.”
“Who
are you to talk to me about Peace,” Cyn said, her dark eyes
flashing.
“I’ve
lived in this litterbox since junior high school.”
“My
name is Jericho Matthews.” Jericho let go of his grip on Cyn’s
shoulder
and
stepped back slightly, politely ignoring the fact that the shaking
hadn’t gone
away
yet. “I work up at the McBride ranch. Don’t come into town much,
so I
guess
we haven’t met.”
Cyn
looked up at the cowboy. She couldn’t believe just how far up
she had to
look
to meet his dark-brown eyes. She tilted her head back so that she
could look
at
his face rather than his chest, nice though it was. Cyn scowled,
trying to get a
sense
of the man from his features. She wished her mom was here—Mom could
see
through people like they were made of glass. “Let me go, please,
Mr.
Matthews.
I need to get back to work.” Cyn tried to keep her voice steady,
but it
still
sounded shaky and much younger than the twenty-six year-old she
really
was.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t watch what I was doing. I hope your
truck isn’t
knocked
up too bad.”
Damn,
Cyn thought, that’s
all I needed—truck repairs are just one more
thing
I can’t afford to pay for and I will not worry Mom about this kind
of stuff.
“Not
to worry, Miss…?” He made the polite statement a question and Cyn
sighed
ruefully. She hadn’t told him her name. She was kind of hoping not
to.
Cyn
had decided months ago that she didn’t have room in her mind for
anything
other
than her mom and their future. Everything else, everyone else, was
unimportant.
“Redman,”
she finally admitted, when it looked like Jericho was going to
stand
there until she gave him a name. “I’m Cynthia Redman. I work at
the
counselling
centre across the road.”
Jericho
took her hand and held it gently. His
skin looks so dark against mine,
she
thought. Cyn had never had her mom’s beautiful copper skin.
“Let
me walk you back, Miss Redman,” Jericho said, giving her a guiding
push
back down the street toward the clinic. “You still look really
pale, and I’d
feel
better if you were inside somewhere warm.” As Jericho steered her
down
the
slushy sidewalk and back toward the doors of the counselling centre,
Cyn
couldn’t
help stealing glances. He was an anomaly in a town full of bellowing
ranchers
and chirping old ladies. He didn’t talk much, didn’t ask
questions, just
walked
quietly beside her with his hand once more resting on her shoulder.
A mythmaker at heart, Sandra Hurst has been writing poetry, fantasy and science fiction since her school days in England. Hurst moved to Canada in 1980 and was deeply influenced by the wild lands and the indigenous cultures that surrounded her. Y’keta, her first full-length novel, is set in a mythical land, untouched by science or technology, an ancient world where legends walk and the Sky Road offers a way to the stars.
A
member of the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society, the Canadian
Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, and The Mythopoeic Society,
Hurst works to build fantasy worlds that allow her readers to join
her in exploring the depths of human interaction in a mythical game
of ‘what if.’
Her
first novel, Y’keta, is long-listed for the prestigious Aurora
Award, for best Canadian fantasy novel (Young Adult) and the
American-based RONE award for break out fantasy novel.
She
now lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband and son, both of whom
she loves dearly, and has put up for sale on e-bay when their
behaviour demanded it.
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for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
Congrats on the tour and I appreciate the book description and the great giveaway as well. Love the tours, I get to find books and share with my sisters and now my twin daughters who all love to read. We have found some amazing books for everyone. So, thank you!
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