Entice Me: Something Moor #RB4U #sneakpeek #MFRWauthor

Despite the fact my life is something of an on-going roller-coaster and has been that way for the past two months, I did manage to get a short story completed for ENTICE ME, the first boxed set from the authors of Romance Books 4 Us. Set in Ireland, Something Moor is about Fate and Destiny, as well as our ability to recognize what we are meant to know once we find it. Caragh McCarthy is alone, and not entirely sure a trip to her past is a great idea. I hope you enjoy what Fate has in store for her when she gets lost on the moors of County Tyrone...

SOMETHING MOOR: An unexpected trip to Ireland takes Caragh McCarthy back to her ancestral home, and the past collides with the present when car trouble strands her on the moors of Country Tyrone. When Kelan O’Shea comes to her rescue, a 300 year old injustice might yet be set right, and a promised future can be fulfilled.

Excerpt:

“Where are you heading on a night like this?”

Kelan O’Shea tucked a flashlight into his backpack and smiled. “I’ve got to get home, Maeve,” he replied. “You know that.”

She pouted and shook her head before coming to stand at his side. “They can manage without you for a night, Kel.”

“And here was me thinking I was indispensible.” He grinned and held up a hand when she would have tried to dissuade him. “I have to go.” He ignored her glare and headed out the door. Maeve was getting a little too clingy for his liking, and despite a lifelong friendship, he would soon stop visiting her. She ran a wonderful stable with excellent horses, and he enjoyed his hours spent on the trails. But… he laughed at his own thoughts, always a but to ruin things.

He reached the stable and led his horse out into the damp evening air. The storm had been torrential, holding him up longer than he intended. He mounted and nudged the gelding into an easy cantor. The animal was familiar with the route, and required little guidance.

He was only a mile or so from home when the horse deviated from their usual trail. A minute or two later, Kel spotted why. He reined in his horse and slid from the saddle in an easy motion. The ground beneath his feet was slippery. He paused just long enough to be sure he wouldn’t end up on his arse with his next step, then he crossed carefully to the figure lying in the rain-soaked grass. He dropped his pack and hauled out the flashlight. A quick once over twisted something unnameable deep in his bones and he swallowed the reaction.

The unconscious woman he’d found was a stranger. Her dark hair was soaking wet and tangled strings clung to her ashen features. Blood stained one shoulder of her lightweight jacket. He carefully picked her up and took her to the patient horse. It took him a few minutes, but he got her positioned in front of him and he touched heels to the sides of the gelding.

“Come on now, boy, we need to get home in a hurry.”

The horse agreed, he picked up his pace.

* * * * *

“How is she Doc?”

Seamus Payne was an old family friend, and he eyed Kel for a few seconds.

“Why was she out there on the moor? Even a stranger should have known better than to attempt that.” He closed his medical bag before adding, “Why in hell were you out there?”

Kel shrugged. “I got delayed by the storm.”

“Know who she is?”

“Caragh McCarthy,” Kelan said. “She was headed here, but wasn’t due for another day.”

“She the one you’ve been waiting for?”

Kel hesitated, then looked at the woman lying unconscious in the bed. “She might be. Is she going to be all right?”

“Keep an eye on her, she may have a slight concussion. She hit that rock pretty soundly. The bleeding’s stopped, and the few stitches won’t need to be in long.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Payne had just reached the door when Kelan stopped him with a question. “Did you see an abandoned car on your way in?”

“Half a mile from where you found her.”

“Can Robbie tow it here in the morning?”

“I’ll ask him when I get home, but I’d say yes,” the doctor said. “I want to see her at the clinic, Kel. It would be a good idea to get a CT scan. I don’t think she’s incurred a serious head injury, but I’d rather be cautious.”

“I’ll bring her in as soon as possible,” he promised.

When the door closed, Kelan pulled up a chair and sat a short distance from the bed. Leaning back in his chair he shook his head. “What the hell were you thinking?” he mused.