“I’m right behind you.”
They spent the evening making love as if it were the first time. The storm was far from over in their life, but at least Tara had hope and a feeling that together they could weather anything.
* * * *
Dakota couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. Sebastian had dumped her and just left. He’d actually been viciously mean and walked out on her.
Tears fell like rain down her cheeks. She felt her sobs wrack her body as she curled up on the sofa and wrapped herself in the sheer fabric she'd thought Sebastian wouldn’t be able to resist. Her daddy had left her without a word. No good-bye. No kisses or hugs to tell her she was his little princess.
And Jacob. Oh, that rotten bitch Ginny Moreno had taken Jacob away from her as well. Jacob had been her one true love, the man who was going to help her escape Storm and have a real life. Not that pathetic life she had here with her family.
Shame wound around her as tightly as the sheer wrap. How could she have not seen that Sebastian was only using her? She’d given him her everything and he’d treated her like trailer trash. Had he thought that way about her all along? He said she wasn’t the only one. She knew his life with Payton was fake and they had no affection. No real love or sex between them. But how could Dakota have not known that Sebastian was with another woman while he was with her?
She didn’t want to think about it. She thought back to the day at the campaign office. He wanted to be with that little twit intern instead of her? Seriously? And then she thought of Ginny. What was Sebastian saying? That the girl who’d taken her beloved Jacob had been fucking Sebastian too? Ginny Moreno had Sebastian and was now carrying Jacob’s baby? The bitch! Did she really think she could have it all? She was living high on the hog in the Salts’ house as if she were one of them. She was living as if she belonged there and getting all of Celeste’s…
Dakota sat up straight on the sofa and dried her eyes with a quick swipe of her hand.
According to Celeste, the pregnancy is a huge miracle.
A miracle? Wasn’t that what Mallory said she’d overheard? Dakota thought back to the months before she’d been with Sebastian. He’d spent most of his time in Austin. So had Ginny.
She remembered seeing Ginny in town while they’d been doing work for the Founders’ Day festivities. At the time, she hadn’t thought much about the look Ginny had given Sebastian. It was only a quick glance between them, but Ginny hadn’t even wanted to acknowledge Sebastian.
Dakota’s mind raced with the dates and counted.
“That little bitch!” Ginny Moreno wanted it all. She’d had Sebastian and when she couldn’t keep him, she’d screwed Jacob and then killed him in that accident. She probably did it on purpose. Now she was sidling up to the town hero, Logan Murphy.
Bolting from the sofa, she grabbed her cell phone off the end table by the chair. She dialed her home number and her mother answered on the first ring.
“Hello?” Joanne said quickly.
“It’s me, Mom.”
“Dakota? What’s wrong?”
She dropped into the chair and curled into a ball. “Why does there have to be something wrong for me to call?”
Silence filled the phone and made Dakota jumpy.
“Mom?”
“Of course you don’t need a reason. I just—”
“I know I said I was done helping out with the Founders’ Day stuff after the meeting, but I’ve decided to help wherever I’m needed. After all, it’s an important day for the town.”
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart.”
“Who knows, maybe Daddy will come, too.”
Silence again. “Maybe.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She hung up the phone without giving her mother a chance to say goodnight. Tomorrow was a big day in Storm. She didn’t want to miss one moment of it.
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Rising Storm story
Storm Season: Ginny & Jacob – the Prequel
by Dee Davis
Rising Storm
Storm, Texas.
Where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy…
Nestled among rolling hills and painted with vibrant wildflowers, the bucolic town of Storm, Texas, seems like nothing short of perfection.
But there are secrets beneath the facade. Dark secrets. Powerful secrets. The kind that can destroy lives and tear families apart. The kind that can cut through a town like a tempest, leaving jealousy and destruction in its wake, along with shattered hopes and broken dreams. All it takes is one little thing to shatter that polish.
Rising Storm is a series conceived by Julie Kenner and Dee Davis to read like an on-going drama. Set in a small Texas town, Rising Storm is full of scandal, deceit, romance, passion, and secrets. Lots of secrets.
Look for these Rising Storm books!
Click to pre-order
Tempest Rising by Julie Kenner, September 24, 2015
Ginny Moreno didn’t mean to do it, but when she came home to Storm, she brought the tempest with her. And now everyone will be caught in its fury…
White Lightning by Lexi Blake, October 1, 2015
As the citizens of Storm, Texas, sway in the wake of the death of one of their own, Daddy's girl Dakota Alvarez also reels from an unexpected family crisis ... and finds consolation in a most unexpected place.
Crosswinds by Elisabeth Naughton, October 8, 2015
Lacey Salt's world shattered with the death of her brother, and now the usually sweet-tempered girl is determined to take back some control—even if that means sabotaging her best friend, Mallory, and Mallory's new boyfriend, Luis.
Dance in the Wind by Jennifer Probst, October 15, 2015
During his time in Afghanistan, Logan Murphy has endured the unthinkable, but reentering civilian life in Storm is harder than he imagined. But when he is reacquainted with Ginny Moreno, a woman who has survived terrors of her own, he feels the first stirrings of hope.
Calm Before the Storm by Larissa Ione, October 22, 2015
Marcus Alvarez fled Storm when his father’s drinking drove him over the edge. With his mother and sisters in crisis, Marcus is forced to return to the town he thought he’d left behind. But it is his attraction to a very grown up Brittany Rush that just might be enough to guarantee that he stays.
Take the Storm by Rebecca Zanetti, October 29, 2015
Marisol Moreno has spent her youth taking care of her younger siblings. Now, with her sister, Ginny, in crisis, and her brother in the throes of his first real relationship, she doesn’t have time for anything else. Especially not the overtures of the incredibly compelling Patrick Murphy.
Weather the Storm by Lisa Mondello, Coming November 5, 2015
Bryce Douglas faces a crisis of faith when his idyllic view of his family is challenged with his son’s diagnosis of autism. Instead of accepting his wife and her tight-knit family’s comfort, he pushes them away, fears from his past threatening to undo the happiness he’s found in his present.
Thunder Rolls by Dee Davis, Coming November 12, 2015
In the season finale …
As Hannah Grossman grapples with the very real possibility that she is dating one Johnson brother while secretly in love with another, the entire town prepares for Founders Day. The building tempest threatens not just Hannah’s relationship with Tucker and Tate, but everyone in Storm as dire revelations threaten to tear the town apart.
… Season 2 coming in 2016. Sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss a thing. http://risingstormbooks.com
And coming this spring, a two episode mini-season before Season two launches in September, 2016!
Thunder Rolls
Rising Storm Episode 8
by Dee Davis
Coming November 12, 2015
Click here to pre-order.
Secrets, Sex and Scandals …
Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.
In the season finale …
As Hannah Grossman grapples with the very real possibility that she is dating one Johnson brother while secretly in love with another, the entire town prepares for Founders’ Day. The building tempest threatens not just Hannah’s relationship with Tucker and Tate, but everyone in Storm as dire revelations threaten to tear the town apart.
* * * *
Hannah let herself in the front door with a heavy heart. She’d looked everywhere. She’d covered the square and the streets surrounding it. She’d walked the neighborhood. She’d even gone to her practice in case her dog had found his way back there. But no Fred.
Damn it all to hell.
She was always really careful when someone new came into her life. And Lupe, her housekeeper, took better care of the animals than she did—which was saying a lot. Hannah paused mid-thought. Lupe. Maybe she had Fred. It was stupid not to have called her in the first place. She’d let Tate’s interruption throw her off completely.
Hannah walked into the living room intent on making the call, but froze when something in the shadows shifted. Something—someone—was sitting on her sofa. With trembling fingers she flipped on the light and the hulking shadow took form.
Tucker—with Fred.
“What in the hell are you doing in here?” she asked, her hand moving to her throat, where her pulse was pounding. “I know I locked the door.”
Tucker, still holding her dog, held up a hand, a key dangling from one finger. “You hide the spare in the geranium pot.”
“You scared the life out of me.”
“Sorry. We just got here. And I figured Fred just reappearing would be a little unnerving, so I thought I’d wait. I sure as hell didn’t mean to scare you.”
“So you decided to sit and wait in the dark?”
“I didn’t think about it really. Anyway, the prodigal dog has returned. Surely, you can overlook a little breaking and entering under the circumstances.”
As if he was following the conversation, Fred gave a little yip and jumped from Tucker’s arms to race across the floor to Hannah. Crouching down, she rubbed the soft fur between his fuzzy ears, murmuring admonishments for his abdication.
“Where was he?” she asked, scooping the little dog into her arms.
“Halfway to the ranch. Found him on the side of the highway. Seemed rather pleased with himself, but he offered no resistance when I stopped to pick him up.”
“I’ve no idea how he got out.” She squeezed the dog. “You gave me one hell of a scare, fella. I hope you’ll try to stick closer to home in the future.”
“Can’t blame a guy for wanting a little adventure.” Tucker shot her a lopsided grin and her stomach started doing little handstands. “Although if I was lucky enough to live here, I doubt you could get me out with a crowbar.”
Hannah swallowed, reminding herself that Tucker was Tate’s brother. His brother.
1001 Dark Nights
Welcome to 1001 Dark Nights… a collection of novellas that are breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic. Some are paranormal, some are erotic. Each and every one is compelling and page turning.
Inspired by the exotic tales of The Arabian Nights, 1001 Dark Nights features New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors.
In the original, Scheherazade desperately attempts to entertain her husband, the King of Persia, with nightly stories so that he will postpone her execution.
In our version, month after month, each of our fabulous authors puts a unique spin on the premise and creates a tale that a new Scheherazade tells long into the dark, dark night.
For more information about 1001 Dark Nights, visit www.1001DarkNights.com.
On behalf of Rising Storm,
Liz Berry, M.J. Rose, Julie Kenner & Dee Davis would like to thank ~
Steve Berry
Doug Scofield
Melissa Rheinlander
Kim Guidroz
Jillian Stein
InkSlinger PR
Asha Hossain
Chris Graham
Pamela Jamison
Kasi Alexander
Jessica Johns
Dylan Stockton
Richard Blake
The Dinner Party Show
and Simon Lipskar
Table of Contents
Book Description
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Weather the Storm: Episode 7 (Rising Storm) Page 9
