I struggled with what I wanted to write about, I love so many
characters. I started thinking about my
favorite first meetings of characters that make me wonder just how the author
was going to pull off them falling in love.
Sam Kane and Scarlett Morningstar from Marshal of Hel Dorado
by Heather Long have one of my favorite first meetings.
“He yelled the order this time, but as the shadows sharpened
and redefined, he saw the woman, alone, was standing there, hands up, facing
him… Under the faint light of his brother’s lantern, Sam saw a cascade of red
hair, an up tilted chin and a sprinkle of cinnamon colored freckles across a
pert nose. Between the alabaster skin and the red hair, she was a picture.
He barely took notice of the gingham shirt with its rolled up
sleeves and haphazard buttons which opened at the throat and dipped invitingly
down to flesh a lady should never be revealing or the tight breeches that
hugged her slender shape. Boy's clothes should not look so fine on a woman.
But her curves made them more attractive than Miss Pontfour’s
dancing girls in their silks and feathers… “Are you armed?” He demanded,
ignoring the way her lush lips parted over white teeth.
Most of the ladies at Miss Pontfour's were yellowed by this
age and even sported a gold tooth or two of their own. Not this red haired
filly with her sassy nose and pert ass.
He scowled at the direction of his thoughts.
“No, sir. I don’t believe in guns.” The warm honeyed voice
laughed at him and Sam’s mouth thinned.
“What about knives, Miss…?”
“Knives are useful.” She bobbed her head, but the hint of
humor perfuming her words set his shoulder blades to itching again.
“Hand it over.”
“I didn’t say I had one Marshal.” Now she was playing coy,
her eyelashes dipping over her summer green eyes. The shade was a miracle of
spring, a color not favored in their high summers when grass yellowed and
drooped in the Texas heat.
He released her, taking a step back and bringing his gun out
of his holster again. His father would give him the back of his hand for
pointing a gun at a lady, but this lady had been in the bank vault somehow,
robbing it. Sam tried not to focus on the how's and the why's. That meant she
was a thief, pure and simple. The law had one solution for her ilk and it
delivered that promise at the end of a rope.
“Hand it over.”
She sighed, smoothing a hand over her sleeve as though he’d
bruised her, but Sam ignored the purely feminine invitation to feel bad for his
manners. Thieves didn’t deserve manners. But when she rolled up the sleeve, he
frowned. Strapped to her forearm was a four-inch piece of metal dovetailed into
a white boned handle.
Two thin leather ties fastened it in place against the pale
skin. She stretched out her arm expectantly, a glint of amusement in those
green eyes daring him to take it himself.
He obliged, pulling the ties loose and pocketing the knife.
“Anymore?”
“No, sir.”
He was mighty suspicious of her cooperation and gestured for
her to move over to the single cot sitting in the corner. She lifted her
eyebrows, challenging his authority, before deigning to stroll over and sit
down. He’d seen that look on his father’s horses, the strong-willed ones who
didn’t cotton to breaking. Those horses had to be gentled, persuaded that they
wanted to do what was asked of them, but even the most successful behaved as
the woman did.
As though she were allowing him to be in control and if he
turned his back, even for an instant, he might find himself on the sharp end of
a hoof slash.
“Much obliged.” He bobbed his head and backed out of the
cell, closing it with his foot and holstering the gun to lock it again.
In the cell, the fiery haired vixen sat down and leaned back
against the wall, her arms crossed under the full, firm curves of her breasts
that seemed to be straining at their confinement.”
Quoted from Marshal of Hel Dorado by Heather Long
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It only gets better from there, who would think that even
with how attractive he finds her that a straight-laced Marshal can fall in
love with a bank thief. I loved that they met under such adverse circumstances;
it just sets the stage for an action packed story. I love characters that start
off at odds, that just make the journey to a happily ever after all the more
interesting.
Do you have a favorite first meeting of characters? Do you
love when characters start off at odds, or are you more of a love at first
sight instantly fall all over each other?
Giveaway!
To enter both my giveaway and the Grand prize, use the Rafflecopters, the only mandatory action is to leave a comment!
To enter both my giveaway and the Grand prize, use the Rafflecopters, the only mandatory action is to leave a comment!
I'm hosting a giveaway for assorted book swag and a book off
of my prize shelf, I'll send the winner a list to choose from. Seriously, I'm going
to put the book in the box and then shove as much book swag in I can. The swag
includes bookmarks, Romance Trading Cards, tokens for ebook copies of books and
more! If I get over 80 comments I'll pick two winners for my prize!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
There is also a blog hop Grand Prize giveaway of
1st Grand Prize
Kindle Fire (international)
2nd Grand Prize
$50 Amazon.com gift certificate
a Rafflecopter giveaway
A list of participants in the Rites of Spring blog hop
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