Pinkerton Agent Sadie Michelson poses as a casino singer to investigate a Texas Senator. Before she can cozy up to her quarry, she must get past his bodyguard, William Cassidy, her long-lost lover. An outlaw seeking redemption, Cass was lured to Texas by the promise of a Ranger badge. But he hasn’t forgotten the sassy siren, who toyed with his heart. When Sadie proposes a truce, Cass suspects she’s hiding something. With assassins dogging their heels, Cass and Sadie uncover a murder conspiracy in the senate. To stay alive, they must do the one thing they’re dead set against: trust each other. For a long moment, Sadie stood in the doorway of the bathhouse. Moonbeams spilled through the skylight, illuminating the long, lean swimmer’s body, power-stroking through the pool. Completely naked, Cass’s exquisite length glimmered like a torpedo-shaped pearl. She told herself she should arrest him for breaking-and-entering. Unfortunately, she was arrested –- even mesmerized -- by the view: emerald waters sliding over alabaster flesh; corded limbs surging through frothy bubbles; the breadth and power of rippling shoulders, rising above the wave. He hadn’t noticed her arrival yet. That gave her time to plot her strategy. She raced him along the pool’s longest edge, beating him to the shallows, where she waited triumphantly with a scowl. She was loath to let him know just how much she enjoyed watching his shameless virility cleave her ominous, black silhouette on the water. When he pretended not to notice her, looming over him like an angry volcano goddess, she tugged his Bowie knife from her belt and flung it. The blade struck the deck’s wooden planks above his head with a resounding thunk. That got his attention. He reared up out of the water, tossing back his hair in a gleaming arc of spray that looked like a moonbow around his golden head. “I hear you left a message for me at Wilma’s place,” she announced. Planting her fists on her hips, she straddled that erect and quivering hilt. “What the devil is this?” Cass grinned. He trailed his wicked gaze from the knob on the hilt to the apex of her spreading thighs. “I’m not sure. But it looks illegal.” “You’re illegal.” “That’s why you like me.” She snorted. “As far as I’m concerned, Marshal Wright should have locked you in the calaboose and thrown away the key. You think vandalism’s a game?” “Life’s a game, sweetheart. I just play by different rules.” “This from the man who wants to be a Ranger?” “I’m starting to have second thoughts about Rangerhood,” he drawled. “Women aren’t allowed on the force.” “Oh, so now you’re all about equality.” He winked. “Mostly, I’m about undercover work.” |
Maestro’s music creates mindless puppets, who commit crimes at his command. To lure the sinister jewel thief out of hiding, Pinkerton Agent Sadie Michelson poses as a wealthy widow. Fearing for her safety, William “Cass” Cassidy, her hotheaded lover, hatches his own plot to end Maestro’s killing spree. But his daring gamble backfires and costs him Sadie’s trust. Now Cass is on the run, hunted by Maestro and the Pinkertons. Torn between her mission and her gunslinging lover, Sadie must stop Cass’s showdown with Maestro, or she’ll lose her badge—and her man. (Scene Set Up: The book is set in Denver, 1883. Cass has just sneaked inside Sadie’s darkened hotel room.) “Looking for someone, mister?” her voice was harsh. Cass’s lips twitched. “They call her the Devil’s Daughter.” A moment passed. Then a light bloomed at her elbow. She was lounging in an armchair, her chestnut mane spilling to her waist, lacy rosettes cascading from her breasts. The skimpy threads left little to his imagination. But what captivated Cass in that moment -– what had always captivated Cass about Sadie -– was the sensual fire burning in those hungry, tiger eyes. “I got word you wanted me,” he said. “Lies.” He hiked an eyebrow. “But since you made the trip,” she said huskily, her trigger finger never wavering on her .32, “take off your clothes…” |
Poker Superstitions: Humor from the Old West
By Adrienne deWolfe, National Bestselling Author
So you want to play poker, eh? Well, you’d best check your pocket watch, pard. Playing cards on a Friday night, before 6 pm, is bad luck in these parts!
‘Course, if you encounter a hunchback on the way to the casino, Lady Luck might overlook your faux pas – unless the hunchback is female.
Yep, these were some of the superstitions, running rampant through the gambling dens of the Old West. Some of these superstitions make a modicum of sense. For instance, “Cards should never be played on a polished surface – or in the company of a dog.” (Like I said, a modicum of sense.)
But for the most part, gambling superstitions are just as crazy as you might expect. Here are some of my faves:
1. Be sure to play with a spider in your pocket. That way, you’ll rake in big wins.
2. Dealt the Four of Clubs? Say your prayers, pard. That card symbolizes the Devil’s four-poster bed.
3. If you’re planning to be a thief, never steal a deck of cards, or else, you’ll get caught. (Note from Adrienne: I guess the deck squeals like a pig, or something?)
4. Want a sure-fire way to improve your luck? Walk around your chair three times before you play. And wear polka dots.
A high-stakes card game figures prominently in Devil in Texas (Book 1, Lady Law & The Gunslinger Series.) Enjoy the zingers in the fast-paced excerpt, below, as our outlaw hero tracks his ex-lover to a saloon, where she’s working undercover as a Pinkerton Agent.
‘Course, if you encounter a hunchback on the way to the casino, Lady Luck might overlook your faux pas – unless the hunchback is female.
Yep, these were some of the superstitions, running rampant through the gambling dens of the Old West. Some of these superstitions make a modicum of sense. For instance, “Cards should never be played on a polished surface – or in the company of a dog.” (Like I said, a modicum of sense.)
But for the most part, gambling superstitions are just as crazy as you might expect. Here are some of my faves:
1. Be sure to play with a spider in your pocket. That way, you’ll rake in big wins.
2. Dealt the Four of Clubs? Say your prayers, pard. That card symbolizes the Devil’s four-poster bed.
3. If you’re planning to be a thief, never steal a deck of cards, or else, you’ll get caught. (Note from Adrienne: I guess the deck squeals like a pig, or something?)
4. Want a sure-fire way to improve your luck? Walk around your chair three times before you play. And wear polka dots.
A high-stakes card game figures prominently in Devil in Texas (Book 1, Lady Law & The Gunslinger Series.) Enjoy the zingers in the fast-paced excerpt, below, as our outlaw hero tracks his ex-lover to a saloon, where she’s working undercover as a Pinkerton Agent.
When Adrienne’s not writing, she can often be found dragging her sopping-wet feline out of the bathtub. (Because Krazy Kat — who thinks she’s a shark — gets her kitty jollies by cannon-balling into the water while Adrienne’s soaking in it.)
On other days, Adrienne wages war with her printer. (You think we jest? See her post, “Help! My Printer Has a Poltergeist!” at http://writingnovelsthatsell.com/humor-my-printer-has-a-poltergeist/ )
Fascinated by all things mystical, Adrienne writes a blog about dragons, magic, haunted pizza, the Universal Law of Attraction, and other weirdness she can’t explain at http://MagicMayhemBlog.com.
She also writes a blog featuring tips about the business of writing at http://WritingNovelsThatSell.com, where you’ll find lots of writing resources. She enjoys mentoring aspiring authors and offers professional fiction-coaching.
Would you like to learn more about her novels? Her characters? Her zany writer’s life? Join her behind the scenes by subscribing to her blog at http://WildTexasNights.com
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Thank you for featuring my tour on your awesome blog! Hugs!
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