Carly looks forward to a vacation
when Mike is hired to assist an association of ranchers in western Colorado
catalogue their various mineral rights following the discovery of several large
deposits. However, Carly soon learns that the real wealth—and the real
danger—aren’t below ground. Someone is out to keep a secret bigger and more
profitable than gold and copper. And they’re willing to kill for it.
Excerpt:
Wednesday, November 18
Chapter 1
Carly gritted her
teeth. Would they never get off this plane and begin their working vacation?
Well, working for husband Mike, vacation for her. The door of the jet stood
wide open, the ramp waiting for their exit, but nobody was moving.
She should have
insisted on sitting closer to the front. But Frugal Mike—cheap to some—insisted
they didn’t need to spend the extra few bucks to choose their seat. And
besides, everybody knew sitting nearer to the back of the plane was safer in
the event of an airborne incident.
Who was he kidding? No
in-the-air event was likely to have a good outcome.
At which point, she’d
reminded him that flying was safer than driving a car.
Not true of Bear Cove,
of course, since it had no airport and only a couple hundred vehicles.
Accidents were few and far between, and even more rare was a fatality.
Still, they occupied
the seats three rows from the back.
Finally, the
illuminated seatbelt sign went dark, and people filled the aisle, pulling all
manner of carry-on items down, handing them along the line to their owner, or
setting them on their seats. Inch by inch, minute by minute, the hundred and
fifty or so passengers ahead of them filed out.
When she thought she
would scream, Mike stood, retrieved their items, and smiled at her. “Our turn.
Hurry up. What’s taking you so long?”
Then down the aisle he
went, smiling and nodding like the life of the party he was, as though he owned
the entire airline.
She sighed. Vacation.
Vacation. If this flight was anything like what the next seven days would be,
she’d return home more tense than she left.
And she left Bear Cove
uptight for a good reason. Their return flight was booked for the evening of the
day before Thanksgiving. Then they had the four-hour drive from Bangor to get home.
And she was hosting dinner. Sure, Denise was cooking the turkey, and Sarah
volunteered to look after desserts, but seriously? Who knew what mischief Doc
the cat would get into in their absence? They could return to find he’d
shredded the sofa or chucked up hairballs all over the dining room table.
Of course, Mike
poo-pooed her worries, saying everything would be fine. And he was probably
right. Didn’t stop her from fretting, however.
She followed her
husband out of the plane and up the jetway, glad he took stewardship of their
small carry-on cases. Especially the one with the wonky wheel. As he stopped to
right the bag, she chuckled. If it was up to her, she’d toss it in the trash
and get a new one.
Not Frugal Mike,
though.
Welcome to Denver.
No matter how much she
traveled, she never tired of that rush of excitement at being in a new place.
Her first time in the Mile High City, so named for its altitude. She recalled
her recent research that advised ‘lowlanders’—folks from sea level—to be sure
they drank lots of water and limited physical activity for the first few days.
Well, flying and water didn’t mix—at least, not for her. She’d make up for it
now, though.
She dug her phone from
her purse. “Mike, hold up. I want to get a picture of you under the welcome
sign.”
His brow pulled down
but he paused and posed, and she snapped the picture. Nope, that wouldn’t do. A
stranger had inserted himself into her keepsake photo. She held up a hand as
Mike turned to continue his trek. “Hold on a minute. Let me try that again.”
But the man seemed
intent on remaining right where he was. She caught his eye and gestured with
her phone toward where Mike stood, but he either didn’t get the message, or
didn’t speak Carly-ese.
Maybe a different
angle. She took a couple of steps to the left. Nope, the sun through the glass
meant Mike would be in shadow. Perhaps the other direction? The stranger was
now more in the frame than ever.
Well, it had to be
done. “Excuse me, sir? Could you move aside while I snap this photo? Then you can
stand wherever you like.”
In response, the
intruder shifted a millimeter to his left and broke eye contact with her.
She clamped her jaw
tight. Fine. At this rate, she’d need dental work before getting back on the
plane. “Mike, let’s go on. I can simply cut him out of the picture.”
And out of our lives, I hope.
Leave a comment, and I will draw
randomly for a print copy (US only) or ebook version (winner’s choice) of Missing Deposits.
About Leeann:
Leeann Betts writes contemporary romantic
suspense, while her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, pens historical romantic
suspense. In the Money is the tenth title
in her cozy mystery series, and together she and Donna have published more than
30 novellas and full-length novels. They ghostwrite, judge writing contests,
edit, facilitate a critique group, and are members of American Christian
Fiction Writers, Writers on the Rock, and Sisters in Crime. Leeann travels
extensively to research her stories, and is proud to be represented by Terrie
Wolf of AKA Literary LLC.
Website:
www.LeeannBetts.com Receive a free ebook
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