I love my Montana Bounty Hunters. I’ve said it before, but I try hard to make each of them individual rather than cookie-cutter characters with different names. I also love to dream up unique takedowns for your reading pleasure and to showcase who these men are. One of my favorite characters is Brian, an amputee who has fought back from feeling useless at the beginning of the series to being an integral part of the bounty hunters’ team and a warrior again. I did a ton of research to get him right. Hope you’ve enjoyed his story.

Brian

MONTANA BOUNTY HUNTERS: Authentic Men… Real Adventures…

The haunted gaze of one wounded warrior sparks a challenge in a physical therapist who’s determined to help him regain what he’s lost whether he wants her help or not…

Physical Therapist, Raydeen Pickering, has seen her fill of stubborn veterans, some too angry to get on with their lives, some still living in hell in their minds, and then some unwilling to let their broken bodies hold them back. She hasn’t figured out which Brian Cobb is yet. The first time she met the handsome, wounded warrior, he was wary and defensive, his gaze always sliding toward the door, looking for as a quick escape from the Soldiers’ Sanctuary meetings.

Even now, there’s something about the ex-Army MP, now bounty hunter wrangler, that sets him apart from the other men she’s helped mend. There’s something more–not just the haunted look in his eyes or the stubborn set of his chin. The way he looks at her when he thinks her attention is elsewhere gives her hope that she’ll reach him, and that he’ll let her help him regain more of what he’s lost.

First though, he has to figure out he’s in love with the wrong woman. The one he needs is right here, and if she has to do the chasing, so be it, because those looks he gives her have rekindled a fire she thought was lost forever…

Contest

Are you all caught up reading the original Montana Bounty Hunters series?

For a chance to win a download of one of the stories you may have missed
(I’ll pick three winners!), tell me this:
What profession other than bounty hunters would you like to see my heroines involved with in my Montana Bounty Hunters—Yellowstone branch stories?

Here are all the Bear Lodge Montana Bounty Hunters! Yes, it’s an old meme, but do you really care?

MONTANA BOUNTY HUNTERS: Bear Lodge, MT
Authentic Men… Real Adventures…
Reaper: https://amzn.to/2NztLpv
Dagger: https://amzn.to/2zo6Dav
Reaper’s Ride: https://amzn.to/2KKkisI
Cochise: https://amzn.to/2zq4avV
Hook: https://amzn.to/2UrpyYh
Wolf: https://amzn.to/2yUTjr5
Animal: https://amzn.to/2H4Roob
Big Sky Wedding: https://amzn.to/33GprwK
Quincy: https://amzn.to/2QlleM8
Brian: https://amzn.to/2ZV8m2G

Excerpt from Brian:

Sweat trickled down the sides of Brian Cobb’s face. His helmet felt heavy on his head, his pack dragged on his shoulders, and his boots were so hot he was walking in pools of water. The transport vehicles his squad had been promised hadn’t arrived, so they were hoofing it back to camp with half a dozen prisoners chained in a line. Still, their plight was better than the infantry platoon’s they’d left a click back. Once they’d given the ISIS fighters into Military Police custody, they’d headed back to continue their sweep for insurgents hiding inside the village with the unpronounceable name.

“Hey, Corncob,” Private First Class Benny Sanders said as he walked beside him.

“You know I hate that nickname, Sanders,” Brian muttered.

“Yeah, I do,” he said, his smile stretching across his dark face. Benny jerked his chin toward the slender figure striding ahead of the chained prisoners, her dog Tessa walking, unleashed by her side. “I see how you look at her. Are you and she…?” Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE: The winner is…Roxie A Jones!
*~*~*

I just began my third Montana Bounty Hunter series, this time set in West Yellowstone, Montana. When I started I had no idea how much fun they would be to write. But I’ve already filled up two offices in Bear Lodge and Dead Horse, so, I either needed to move out of state or find another Montana town I wanted to “visit.”

Thank you, by the way, to everyone who picked up their copy of Cyrus!

I have a process I go through before I start a book. First, I need a name. Then, I need a picture to go with that name. The name and the picture inform me about who the person I’m about to write is. The name, Cyrus Walsh, seemed a little old-fashioned like he could’ve been a gunslinger in the Wild, Wild West, and the photo I found with his narrow-eyed squint told me that was how he looked out at the world, with a hint of suspicion and need to figure out who he was facing. If you’ve read the story, you know how much Milly, the woman who captures him, loves that narrow-eyed glare.

Now, the problem is finding more hunters to people the office in West Yellowstone. Take a look at the previous two series cast of characters…

Bear Lodge, MT

Dead Horse, MT

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, suggest some names for bounty hunters so I can begin my process of figuring out will fill my cast of characters in West Yellowstone!

Word Seach Puzzle

And I added a puzzle because we need one of those right about now, right? Enjoy!

If you’ve enjoyed my bounty hunters in the past, I can guarantee you’ll love Cyrus. It is action-packed and features two characters you will fall in love with. You can “meet” Cyrus in the opening scene of the book here: Cyrus Excerpt. He’s grumpy, likes his space, and thinks he doesn’t really need anybody—until he meets Milly. He thinks she’s not his type but is quickly intrigued because she surprises him at every turn. All I can say is they were fun to write, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Anyway, the book is out! I hope you get your copy! This is the start of a new series! — Oh! And it’s currently FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Cyrus

The first new hire of the Montana Bounty Hunters: West Yellowstone, MT, isn’t much of a team player and isn’t sure he’s ready to stick around until he meets a pretty park ranger as independent and stubborn as he is.

Former Army Ranger Cyrus Walsh signs on with the competition when he sees the handwriting on the wall. The Montana Bounty Hunters are moving into his territory, and he can either join them or move on. So, he’ll give them a try but soon discovers he doesn’t mind so much riding with a new partner or working within the confines of an agency that respects their hunters’ strengths.

While chasing a skip in the nearby national park, he and his new partner encounter the skip and a park ranger, facing down a grizzly bear. The park ranger’s actions save the day, and he finds himself intrigued by the woman, who under normal circumstances, he’d never give a second glance. It’s not like he’s looking for a relationship; he’s not an easy man to be around. But her understated beauty and fiercely independent nature draw him closer, and he finds himself, reluctantly, asking her out.

Milly Bauer knows she’s not in the same league as the burly, handsome bounty hunter, but she’s eager to let things play out between them. There’s something she wants from him, experiences she’s denied herself. Something tells her Cyrus is just the man to provide what’s been lacking in her life, if only for a while.

While they get to know each other and find themselves inextricably drawn closer, their dangerous jobs make them wonder whether they can share a future together.

Order your copy here!

Meet Milly…

The hunters have apprehended their skip, but he suffered some injuries while running away from them in the woods in Yellowstone park where our heroine is a park ranger. I just love her. She’s not your usual heroine and because she’s unexpected the hero can’t help but notice her…

Milly Bauer followed the two burly bounty hunters back to the trailhead as they carried Tate Smith between them. They made it look easy, although both men were coated in sweat by the time they arrived back at their vehicle. When she mentioned loading Tate into her Tahoe, she’d gotten another of the bigger guy’s scowls. He acted like she was trying to horn in on his takedown. She didn’t give a rat’s ass who got the credit. However, they were operating inside the park, so it was her duty to make sure rules were followed.

Once at the clinic, the nicer one followed Tate Smith to the imaging center to get X-rays of his right foot and shoulder. It looked like he had indeed broken his ankle and several smaller bones in his foot, as well as dislocated his shoulder.

“They’ll be a while,” she warned the bigger guy. “I’m Milly Bauer, by the way,” she said, holding out her hand and hoping he’d give her a name because “nicer guy” and “bigger guy” would likely blurt from her mouth if she didn’t have a proper name to assign the two hunters.

She guessed his eyes remained permanently narrowed—maybe it was genetic—because his eyes didn’t widen when he reached slowly to shake her hand.

“Cyrus Walsh.”

“And your friend?”

“Mike Meakin. He’s a police officer with the West Yellowstone PD.”

“So, he’s got a real job when he’s not hanging with bounty hunters?” She meant it as a joke, but the chilly look he gave her said he didn’t appreciate her humor. She held up her hands. “Didn’t mean to offend.”

He grunted and turned in his seat to stare down the hallway where his friend had disappeared. “You don’t have to wait around with us. We’ve got this handled.”

“My boss wants me to stick with you and escort you out of the park after your prisoner is fixed up. He really doesn’t like bounty hunters.”

Again, he grunted, and she found she rather liked the rude sound. Most men weren’t as honest about their disinterest in her.

“So, have you ever faced a grizzly before?” she asked.

“Have you?” he asked, his head swiveling toward her.

She unclipped her can of bear spray from her utility belt. “Nope, but I did come prepared.” She sniffed the fingers that had held down the nozzle when she’d sprayed. “Can’t believe soap and water worked so well.”

“I was curious why you didn’t go straight for your gun,” he said.

“I didn’t want to kill the bear if I didn’t need to.”

“He was charging you and Tate.”

“I was in his territory.”

He rolled his eyes.

“I’d have pulled my Sig,” she said, patting the weapon in her holster, “but that was a grizzly, and if I’d shot him, I might have only pissed him off. Who says I’d have had a chance to take a second shot.”

His jaw rotated, and then he clamped it tight.

“Seeing as you’re so gun-ho,” she said, wincing at her own pun, “why’d you decide to make noise and charge the bear instead of shooting?”

“I wasn’t close enough to be in any danger.” His mouth curved into a slight smirking smile.

She narrowed her eyes. “But I was.”

He shrugged. “You looked like you had things handled with your can of bear piss.”

Was he trying to piss her off? “It’s not bear piss; bear repellent is made of hot peppers, capsaicin to be specific.” She laughed and shook her head. “Are you always such an asshole?”

He sighed and wiped a hand over his face. “I’m not good with people.”

“No kidding.” Still, she grinned—and noted that his gaze dropped to her mouth before darting back up to her eyes.

His scowl deepened, his eyebrows drawing together.

Milly rather liked earning those frowny faces. At least he wasn’t ignoring her.

He cleared his throat. “Seeing as how Mike’s going to be a bit, you want to get some coffee?”

She hid her surprise and shrugged. “We can get fast food, or there’s Wylie’s Canteen in Lake Lodge. We can get coffee and some sandwiches there if you like. Maybe bring something back for your friend and Tate, too…?”

Cyrus rose to his feet. “I’ll text him and see if he needs to visit the facilities before I leave.”

He pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly typed a message. “He says he’s good. He’ll eat anything but hates mayo.”

“I’ll drive since I know where we’re going. The canteen, right?” At his nod, she pulled her keys from her pocket. “It’s not far.”

The short drive was made in silence. The cafeteria wasn’t too busy, so they quickly queued up their trays and pushed them along the rail. Such a domestic thing to do, and she knew they looked absurd—her in her uniform, standing beside a big brute of a handsome man. Everyone was craning their necks to watch as they plucked pre-made sandwiches from refrigerated displays, adding chips and drinks before sliding their stacked trays toward the register.

“I got this,” Cyrus said.

“I’ll get my own food.”

“Already have my wallet out.”

She raised both eyebrows and slowly nodded because she figured he was determined to win. “I appreciate it. Thank you. Do you want to eat here or back at the clinic waiting room?”

He glanced at his phone. “They’re still waiting on imaging. Let’s eat here.”

They took seats at a small table overlooking the parking lot and began unwrapping and opening their food and drinks.

“You live in the park?” he asked.

She was surprised he was making an effort at polite conversation. She lifted a crisp potato chip. “I don’t. Actually, I live in West Yellowstone. I was born and raised there.” She chomped on the chip while he gave her another hard-to-read frown.

“Well, hell,” he said under his breath.

She laughed, although she knew she should’ve felt insulted by his lack of enthusiasm for what she’d shared. “Thought you’d never bump into me again, didn’t you?”

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

If you’ve visited this blog lately, you know that there’s something fun happening over at another website I run, Delilah’s Collections. It only gets active for a few months a year, but when it does, it’s very, very busy! We’re running a campaign now through the release of our latest collection, Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology on July 30th. It’s a fun way to get to know the authors who’ve written stories for the anthology—maybe you already know them, maybe you don’t! But did I mention there will be multiple opportunities to win prizes or pick up some freebies?

Now back to those images… They represent the current posts from the authors who are eager to meet you!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, let me know whether you’ve been over to the Collections website to “meet” our new authors!

A reminder about what’s releasing tomorrow!!

Pre-order your copy now!

UPDATE: The winner is…Eileen McCall!
*~*~*

Yes, I’m pitching another book—meaning, I have a new one coming out on Tuesday that I hope you’re going to love. I certainly do.

Cyrus and Milly were so much fun to write. You’ll think it’s crazy writer fantasy stuff when I say that characters reveal themselves to me rather than I create them. I wait for inspiration to tell my fingers what to type. Often, I see the story appear like a movie reel in my head, and I’m simply the person typing as fast as I can to capture what I see and hear. I pay attention to the clues, as they appear, about what makes my characters unique. I don’t like writing the same book with the same hero and heroine, just changing the names. And I may be starting a new Montana Bounty Hunters series, but I’m hoping the stories inside the stories are just as unique for every book as the two main characters.

Cyrus wrote himself. In the beginning, we meet him, and he’s not much of a team player. He’s irritated that MBH is moving into West Yellowstone and contemplating moving on to the greener pastures. Working with MBH doesn’t really change him. It’s meeting the one woman in the world who was meant to be his other half that convinces him to stick around. You’ll see. Milly is… You’ll see.

The adventures they both have together and apart keep the story moving along and add a lot of the humor and excitement. This story is stuffed with stupid criminals doing criminal things. That will be familiar to you if you’ve read other MBH stories. The takedowns are always fun.

I knew the day when I sat down to write the “meet-cute” scene, that Cyrus and Milly were going to meet. *duh* However, I didn’t know how they’d cross paths until this guy appeared. And yes, I had to find the words very quickly to describe this facial expression.

That’s all I’m going to say. The scene didn’t end the way I thought it would. Let’s just say, Milly made quite the impression on Cyrus. 🙂

That’s all I’ve got for today, folks. I hope I piqued your interest enough you’ll go pre-order Cyrus. Here’s the link to make it even easier: PRE-ORDER CYRUS HERE. See that? Super easy.

Puzzle-Contest

Solve the puzzle then tell me about any memorable wild animal encounters you’ve had for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card. If you can’t think of one, make one up! Your story does not have to be long or even any good. Just have fun.

UPDATE: The winner is…Christine!
*~*~*

Wrapping up the story coming to you next Tuesday, I’ll have to say I’ve done as much research into Yellowstone and its surroundings as I have archeological digs in the Yucatan jungle or research facilities situated on an ice floe in the Artic. I hope you have the book pre-ordered, because I think it’s going to be a fun addition to my bounty hunter world. If you haven’t, follow this link: Pre-order Cyrus

I thought all that research might be worth at least a fun puzzle, so here goes…

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift car, solve the puzzle, then tell me what sights you have or would love to see in Yellowstone National Park!

This month will be a firehose of books coming at you! Yay!

The first two are re-releases of stories in a series of three, and I’m writing the fourth and final book, which comes your way in September. The books are hot—like smutty, erotic hot. If you’re into that, you don’t want to miss them. And who doesn’t like hot firefighters?!

Pre-order your copy!

Pre-order your copy!

Next up, is the first book in the new Montana Bounty Hunters: West Yellowstone series! Cyrus is sexy if a bit, reserved (grumpy). The woman who sets her cap for him will find coaxing him into better humor, and into her bed, quite a challenge.

Pre-order your copy!

Finally, Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology will close out the month! I hope you’ll follow along as we introduce you to the authors who’ve contributed their wonderful stories to this volume! We’re running contests on the Collections website that you won’t want to miss!

Preorder your copy!

Open Contests

1. Getting to know Cameron Allie! (CONTEST + 2 FREE Reads!) — 10 Winners! FREE reads for all!
2. We’re gearing up for the release of Secret Identities! — Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Meet me on the bridge… — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Clear My Bookshelf Giveaway (Contest) — Win a signed book + some hand-painted goodies!
5. It’s my birthday, but I’m giving away the gift! — Everyone, get your FREE copy. This offer ends soon!
6. What’s Coming Soon & the Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Orange you glad you stopped by? — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. June into July (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!