Samhain Publishing Ltd Weblog

Riding (Writing) Hell for Leather

Today marks the release of Hell for Leather – not quite a Malloy book, but an HEA for my favorite gunslinger, Kincaid.

In case you don’t remember him, Kincaid was featured in The Gift, hired to do some dirty business by an even dirtier crook. After meeting the Malloys, he stuck around to become Brett Mallloy’s friend in The Tribute. And then, he was gone…

To reappear in his own story, Hell for Leather, and finally find his HEA. This book was fun to write – Kincaid has a razor sharp sense of humor – and has a kicking cover by the wonderful Scott Carpenter.

Yon blurb:

Exile…or love. Life…or death. His demons will force him to choose.

Gunslinger Kincaid has traded his black clothes and pistols for a homespun shirt and trousers. Now he’s Cade Brody, a man with dark hair, dark eyes and an even darker past. The blood money he’s earned bought him a small piece of property in New Mexico territory, at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. But it can’t buy him peace.

Sabrina Edmonds, a tough, no-nonsense widow, runs the post office and store in the small town of Eustace. She’s made her way in life with an independent streak a mile wide. Sabrina doesn’t want to get involved with Cade, but she finds herself drawn to the dark stranger who hides in his mountain retreat.

Cade wants nothing more than to be left alone, but an elusive wild child who delights in tormenting him, and a town full of people determined to befriend him, conspire to intrude upon his self-imposed exile. Then there’s Sabrina, who should be afraid of him—but isn’t.

Not even when the deadly demons of his past catch up with him.

Excerpt:

Eustace wasn’t much more than a mining town with a dozen wooden buildings, the last stop before travelers tackled the mountains. A saloon, a post office inside the general store, and a few houses were the only buildings in town aside from a lumbermill. From what he’d been told, the mill supplied timber downstate and kept the town going.

The other thing he noticed was the lack of a jail or a sheriff’s office. That pleased Cade quite a bit. He didn’t need any nosey lawman making his life difficult.

He hoped the store wouldn’t overcharge for supplies as many stores that catered to miners often did. Cade didn’t want to make a bad impression by arguing. Hell, he didn’t want to make any impression. The less folks remembered him, the better.

No one greeted him, although there were several folks going about their business in Eustace. Cade dismounted and secured his horse to the hitching post, surprised to find his stomach uneasy.

There was nothing to worry about unless he tripped up on his own tongue. With a deep breath, he stepped up onto the sidewalk and opened the door marked “Eustace Store and Post Office”. A tiny bell above the door sounded in the still air. Cade walked in and immediately knew there were two people in the store—one male and one female. Whoever the man was, he stank as if he hadn’t seen soap in a year.

She, however, smelled like roses and flour. Cade spotted both of them by the front counter, staring at him. The woman snatched his breath away. Eyes as bright as bluebonnets, wavy brown hair in a braid that lay on her generous breasts, she stood nearly a head taller than the man in front of her. Startled for the first time in a very long time, Cade simply stared until she raised her eyebrows.

“Can I help you, mister?” Her voice was deeper than most women’s, smoky and smooth.

“Who is that, Sabrina? Ya think he come to take my mine?”

Cade finally tore his eyes away from the woman and took a look at the man. He had a balding head with greasy curls sticking every which way. The clothes he wore had seen better days, and his hands clutched a tattered knit cap.

“I don’t know who it is, Frenchie, but I’m sure he won’t be taking your mine.” She quirked the corner of her mouth at Cade. “Will you, mister?”

Cade touched the brim of his hat with two fingers in greeting. “Not here to take anything from anybody. Just wanting to buy some supplies.”

The woman, Sabrina, patted the man on his shoulder. “See, he’s not going to take your mine.”

“Hmph, I ain’t trusting nobody, nohow. ’Cept you a’course.” He smiled at her, showing a smattering of yellowed teeth that would rival any dog’s.

As Sabrina smiled back, an arrow of pure lust slammed into Cade’s gut. He shook off the feeling with effort. There was no way in hell he could afford to be pining after a woman in town, much less a respectable one. Unless he was paying for it, there’d be no bed play for him no matter how much he was attracted.

“Help yourself to what you need.” Sabrina gestured around the store with her arm. “I’ve got most everything, but I also have the Sears catalog if you’ve got something special you need.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Cade forced himself to walk to the left, out of her line of vision. Jesus H. Christ, he was making a mess of his first day of life.

Focusing on what he needed helped to keep his mind off Sabrina. He gathered some canned goods, coffee, flour and other food items before he went to put everything on the counter. That proved to be his next mistake.

Up close, her rose scent surrounded him, yanked at his dick and nearly knocked him to his knees. It had obviously been too long since he’d been with a woman if he reacted like an idiot to a storekeeper in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t need to be involved with a woman, especially one who affected him so strongly and so instantly. Sabrina could make him forget who he was and who he was supposed to be.

She glanced down at the supplies. “Did you need anything else? We’ve got pots, pans and the like, plus clothing. And”—her gaze roamed over his shoulders—“I think I have a few things in stock that’d fit you.”

When her blue gaze collided with his, a beat of pure energy shot between them. He knew she felt it too when her eyes widened. It was the strangest thing he’d ever felt, and it scared the hell out of him.

“No, nothing else.” He had to get out of there right fast.

“You need some trousers,” a voice piped up from beside him.

Cade had almost forgotten the stinky little man. “What’s that?”

Frenchie pointed at Cade’s legs. “Your trousers is too short. That ain’t gonna do you no good when the snow hits.”

Cade could’ve smacked himself for not even thinking of making sure his pants were the right size. When he accepted them from his friend Brett, he hadn’t checked the length. He and Brett were about the same height, but apparently Cade’s legs were longer. Ignoring the observant fool, Cade gestured to the food.

“How much do I owe you, ma’am?”

“Two dollars and forty-two cents. I’ve got some extra sacks from Frenchie’s apples. Do you need one?”

She was smart too, dammit. She’d added up the cost of the goods in her head.

“That’d be fine. Thank you.” Cade forced himself to count out the money from his pocket and ignore the living, breathing distraction in front of him. When he was in better control of his emotions, he’d come back and buy pants that actually fit.

“Are you new in town?” Sabrina finished putting everything in the potato sack. He hoped like hell it didn’t smell like Frenchie—could be why she was giving them away.

“Yeah, I bought Harmon’s place. Name’s Cade Brody.”

“I wondered if someone would buy Old Louie’s place. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Brody. I’m Sabrina Edmonds. My sister and I run the store.” She held out her hand and Cade had no choice but to shake it. It was firm, soft, yet had the marks of a woman who worked for a living. It fit perfectly in his palm, and he pulled his hand away as quickly as he could. “If any mail comes in for you, I’ll keep it until you get into town.”

“Don’t expect to get any mail.” He looked in her eyes, willing her to let him be.

After a pregnant pause, she smiled again. “Well, then, we’re usually here and we live upstairs so if you knock on the door loud enough, we’ll hear you.”

Cade had to almost kick himself to stop imagining where she slept, which apparently lay just above them. Sabrina was dangerous to his sanity, and he’d do best to keep his distance from her. With a nod to both of them, Cade got out of there like someone was chasing him, his body still thrumming from touching her hand.

Dammit.

***

So come celebrate with me, and ride hell for leather to get a copy! :D