Beth Williamson’s Blog

Can I get an amen? AMEN! Just two more days until The Gift is available!!!

The Day 3 winner of the John Wayne DVD is… Cathy!

Congrats Cathy! E-mail me your snail mail addy and I’ll get your movie out to you!

Keep on posting everyone! Today’s lucky winner gets a beautiful set of of playing cards in a brushed steel case complete with two decks, a pencil, and pad of paper.

For today’s excerpt, I thought I’d bring a bit of the fire between Trevor and Adelaide. Doncha just love those sparks?

Excerpt:
Adelaide stared out the window of her office, trying to make heads or tails out of her confusion. Out of her current state of perpetual arousal that she couldn’t shake.

Trevor Malloy had gotten under her skin.

Even hours after the last kiss they’d shared, she could feel him on her. Could still smell his scent, like it had taken up permanent residence in her nose. Adelaide certainly wasn’t a virgin, nor inexperienced. She’d had men before, but never one who was constantly on her mind. One who lit up that flare in her heart for something permanent. The “H” word she’d never spoken aloud.

As she put the money in her reticule for a trip to the bank, Adelaide tried to shake off the deep thoughts. They clung like burrs on socks. The added complication of Buster McGee and his increasingly violent threats just contributed to her overall anxiousness. Life had been complicated before Trevor stepped into her saloon. Now, it was doubly so.

She wrapped the reticule string around her wrist and stood. No use staying in the office any longer, she hadn’t done a lick of work in the two hours she’d been sitting there. Instead, she’d go to the bank then have lunch down at Mellie’s.

Nodding to Dustin on the way out, he growled and shook his head no. She frowned and he frowned harder.

“What?”

“You are not leaving without protection. Wait until I can come with you.” His tone didn’t invite argument.

“I can’t wait. I’ve got things to do, Dustin. Don’t be such a worrywart.” She headed for the
door, hoping he’d let her go.

No such luck.

She turned to tell him to leave her alone and found Trevor at her elbow. His appearance was unexpected enough to make her mouth drop open.

“Don’t you have dishes to do?” she snapped.

“No, they’re done and there’s no one in here eating lunch yet. I’m coming with you.” He herded her toward the door until she dug in her heels to stop him.

“What are you doing?”

“If you don’t have the sense of a goose, it’s up to me to be your common sense.” He tugged harder.

“If I can’t go with you, I guess pretty boy is okay. He held his own against McGee this morning anyway.” Dustin must have thought he was being helpful, but he just aggravated Adelaide further.

“Look, both of you, I don’t need an escort. I’m walking down the street to the bank and then for lunch.” With a haughty sniff, she shook off Trevor’s arm and stalked out the door.

She knew the second Trevor started following her—he wasn’t exactly being stealthy. Like an overgrown dog at her heels, he followed her to the bank, waiting patiently outside. Then when she went into the mercantile, he stood at the door. She took an extremely long time looking at everything just to annoy him. Served him right for being her shadow.

After paying for her purchases, she strolled down the street, peeping at the storefront windows, saying hello to folks and generally being as slow as she could be without actually stopping. The third time she heard him sigh dramatically, Adelaide knew a moment of sweet satisfaction.

She whipped around and pinned him with a glare. “Next time do as I say, not as you please. I don’t need you.”

“I know you don’t, but it makes me feel better to be here for you.”

Well, she didn’t have a response for that. It was sweet and the kind of mush that made a girl’s heart go pitty-pat. Damn Trevor and his silver tongue anyway.

As she stomped off toward Mellie’s, her stomach rumbled noisily at the delay for lunch. Adelaide hoped there was still some of the day’s special left so she didn’t have to settle for canned peaches and bread crusts. The bell over the door tinkled as she walked in. Adelaide deliberately shut the door behind her.

Margaret, the owner’s daughter, smiled at her. “Miss Adelaide. You’re kind of late for lunch. We’ve got a bit of the meatloaf left, if’n you’re wanting some.”

A spinster at forty, Margaret was a sweet lady with sparkling brown eyes, shaggy blonde hair and a rounded figure. She’d been the first to be kind to Adelaide when she first arrived in town. Since then, Adelaide had frequented Mellie’s restaurant.

“Meatloaf sounds perfect, Margaret.” As Adelaide sat at a small table by the window, she nodded to a couple eating nearby. The bell tinkled again and she knew it was Trevor. She waited for him to come to her table so she could shoo him away.

After a murmured conversation with Margaret, his footsteps didn’t lead to her. They led away from her. Adelaide knew she shouldn’t look to see where he went, but dammit all. He was supposed to be guarding her, right? So where the heck did he go?

After a few minutes, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She dropped her napkin and glanced behind her only to see Trevor at a table with someone else.

That someone else was a woman.

She didn’t remember actually getting up, but she found herself standing next to the table staring accusingly at Trevor. A man with the most innocent of expressions plastered on his face.

“What’s wrong, Miss Adelaide?” he had the nerve to ask.

Adelaide glared at him, then at the hussy at the table. “You will sit with me since I own you, Malloy.”

He shrugged. “Anything you say.” Trevor stood and bowed to the young woman at the table with her pretty white fluffy dress and blue eyes. “My apologies, Miss Carson, but my employer has requested my attention. Perhaps I’ll see you around town?”

“Of course, Mr. Malloy. These things happen.” The little princess practically sneered at Adelaide. “I hope to see you soon,” she cooed at Trevor.

With a devastating grin that made Adelaide’s toes curl and her fingers into claws, Trevor took her elbow and led her back to her table. The heat from his touch notched up her temperature, which simmered from the anger pulsing through her.

He held out her chair and she sat back down, noting that Trevor had impeccable manners, even if he was a cad.

“You are not to flirt or tease or whatever the hell you do with women while in my employment. Is that clear?” Adelaide knew she was snarling but couldn’t help it. Her sharp tongue seemed to have taken over her body.

“Absolutely, Miss Adelaide.” His gaze never wavered from hers. In the depths, she saw a reflection of her own hunger.

Damn, they were both in trouble.

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