The Enchanted Inn

by Pam Champagne

  “Damn.” Hand on the doorknob, he pivoted. “I left my cell phone upstairs. Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”

  Gina glanced around the room, her gaze coming to rest on the bottle of wine sitting on the floor beside the couch. She wrestled with her conscience for about thirty seconds before hurrying over to pick it up. After stuffing it in her bag, she was standing innocent as a baby where he’d left her when Luke returned.

  Luke had turned his SUV around so that it headed out the driveway. Gina lagged behind, finding it difficult to leave. Something nagged at her to stay, but she couldn’t pinpoint what. She glanced one last time over her shoulder and saw Ruth McPherson standing in the doorway, holding Solomon. She stroked his fur with one hand and waved with the other. A sudden heavy fog materialized, hiding the house and Ruth. Just as quickly it vanished. Both the inn and Ruth McPherson had disappeared. Gina stared at a vacant field.

  Wondering if it had been a figment of her imagination, she hurried and climbed into the passenger seat. “You won’t believe what I just saw.”

  “Ruth McPherson.”

  Gina looked up from buckling her seatbelt. “How did you know?”

  “I watched her performance in the rearview mirror. Good riddance, I say.”

  Luke gunned the engine, the tires spewing the powdery snow everywhere. As he swung onto the road, Gina caught a flash of two people jumping into the ditch. “Stop!”

  Luke braked. “What now?”

  “Someone jumped into the ditch.”

  “Are you sure?” He put the SUV in reverse and backed up.

  Gina pointed. “See?” She rolled down her window. “Oh. My. God. It’s William and Amy.”

  “It can’t be. You’re imagining it, Gina.”

  “I am not,” she yelled as she released the seatbelt and threw open the door to jump into the snow.

  She peered into the alders. “Amy? William? It’s Rachel and John. You can come out.”

  William emerged, shaking like a leaf in just a shirt. He tugged Amy forward. She wore the thin cotton dress that she’d worn every day. “Oh, Amy. You must be terrified. Come get into the warmth.”

  Amy stared wide-eyed at the big SUV and turned to run back into the bushes. William caught her around the waist and held tight.

  Gina asked the question she already knew the answer to. “You drank the wine at the inn?”

  William’s eyes grew wide and he nodded. “Is that why we arrived here? Where are we?” He pointed at the Escapade. “What…what is that black monster?”

  “It’s a vehicle with a lot of horses under the hood. Get Amy inside, and we’ll explain.”

  Luke came around the front of the SUV. “Jesus, William.”

  “’Tis wonderful to see you, John.”

  Luke shook the hand William offered. “I’m not—”

  Gina pinched Luke’s arm. “Not until they’re inside. There’s time enough for explanations.”

  “But—”

  Doubt flashed in Luke’s eyes. “What would you do?” she asked. “Leave them here to freeze?”

  William struggled to push Amy into the backseat. Once they were on the road, Gina, with Luke’s help, answered questions and explained how drinking the wine caused them to time travel.

  William’s usually cheerful expression stayed sober. “So we have to remain here? In the future?”

  Amy sobbed harder.

  “We’ll find a way to get you back, William. I promise. Ouch!” she yelped when Luke elbowed her ribs.

  “So this…this time traveling was the secret you were hiding?” William asked.

  “Yes. On a brighter note, once we get to Luke’s farm you’ll enjoy seeing how the media operates in 2007.”

  “Media?”

  “Journalists.”

  William yawned. “Oh. I can’t seem to keep my eyes open. Don’t understand why…”

  Surprised when no more questions came from the backseat, Gina peeked over her shoulder to find Amy and William sleeping, Amy’s head on William’s shoulder.

  “They’re dead to the world,” she informed Luke.

  “Good. Now I can have my say. What the hell are you doing? Moving forward in time is a lot more difficult than going back. There are birth certificates, social security cards…and I can’t even think of what else. We can’t just hide them for the rest of their lives.”

  Gina ignored Luke’s stern attitude. A twitch at the corner of his mouth gave him away. “Relax. It’ll all work out. At least they don’t have to worry about being indentured. If they decide to stay, we’ll find a way. If they don’t, then I’ll make sure they return to 1778.”

  Luke took his eyes off the road to glance her way. “And how do you plan on doing that? William could thrive, but Amy? She’s so timid. I doubt she’ll adapt.”

  Gina thought about the wine in her bag. “I love you. You keep William on the straight and narrow. Leave Amy to me. Within a week, I’ll convince her that being an emancipated woman is the way to go.”

  Luke groaned. “Part of me wants to shake you. The other half thanks God that you’re back in my life. The past seven years have been so damn boring.”

  Gina undid her seatbelt, scooted across the seat and kissed his cheek. “You’ll never be bored again. Just think of all the fun we’ll have introducing Amy and William to 2007.”

  Luke slowed the car and looked toward Gina. “Put aside worries about William and Amy. Marry me. Now. As soon as we can get a license.”

  Gina stretched over the console to slide her arms around her lover’s neck. “Any time. I love you, Luke. In this century or any other.”

  About the Author

  To learn more about Pam Champagne please visit www.pamchampagne.net. Send an email to Pam at pamchampagne@tds.net or join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pamchampagne/

  When a nosy reporter reunites with a werewolf in tycoon’s clothing, sparks fly and passions ignite. The burning question is, who’s taming who?

  The Wolf’s Heart

  © 2007 Jenna Leigh

  Investigative Reporter Elaine Westerbrook is determined to find the answers to the questions that haunt her. Plagued all her life by dreams of creatures that can’t possibly exist, she’ll do anything to get the information she needs, up to and including reigniting a fire with the deliciously mysterious Marcus Bei—a fire she thought extinguished long ago.

  Marcus Bei fought tooth and claw to be an Alpha in the corporate world but it’s nothing compared to being Alpha of his pack. It’s lonely at the top as the Lupin of the Arizona werewolf pack, but that’s the price he’ll pay to keep his pack safe from his father and others like him. So when childhood sweetheart Elaine walks back into his life, his first instinct is to shove her right back out again. But Marcus can’t find the strength to push away the very thing his other half has been waiting for so long—his mate.

  Together, Marcus and Elaine search for the truth and find out if they have a future in spite of a past threatening to tear them apart. Will Elaine run when she discovers what Marcus really is, or will she accept The Wolf’s Heart?

  Enjoy the following excerpt for The Wolf’s Heart:

  As they pulled up, he took in the exterior of her house. It was made of adobe, like a lot of the homes in the area, not too big, not too small. Cozy and comfortable looking. The small cactus garden out front showed she was ecologically conscious, not that he’d ever doubted it. A gravel walk, neatly raked and free of weeds, led up to the small front porch that contained a swing at one end and more deciduous plants clustered around the door and the posts. All in all, it was warmly welcoming. The feeling lasted until they reached the front porch where something caused his hackles to rise, literally.

  He shoved the growl down, unwilling to show her his other side before he was sure he could trust her with the truth. “What is that?” He knew he snarled, but couldn’t help himself. He was very aware that his driver, Mick, leaned against the hood of the limo while h
e waited. Marcus knew this would go straight back to his people, embellished with all the bells and whistles.

  Lainie, alarmed by his thunderous expression whirled to see what he pointed at, and laughed when she spied the object of his disdain. “Oh Marcus, it’s just Fluffy!”

  Fluffy was a huge orange cat, and apparently he knew what Marcus was, because he gave the man a smug smile when Lainie picked him up and cuddled him. “Hi there, baby. How have you been?” she cooed while the cat purred and rubbed his head on her jaw.

  Marcus showed the cat his teeth. This only served to make the cat purr louder and mew at Lainie.

  “Aw, he missed me. Isn’t he sweet? Do you want to pet him?”

  “No!” He stepped back. “That is, I’m allergic to them. Does he have to come inside with us?”

  “Who said you get to come in?” She smirked.

  “I did. I never took you for a…” he barely repressed a shudder, “…cat person.”

  “Think about it, they’re independent, they don’t whine constantly, you can leave them alone all day and not come home to messes on the rug. They’re the perfect pet for someone on the go.” Lainie put the cat in the swing and brushed stray hairs off her suit. “Dogs are too needy, like babies.” She frowned and looked toward the driver who’d snorted with suppressed laughter.

  “Dogs are loyal,” Marcus informed her, rather, yes, he’d admit it, doggedly.

  “So are cats, to a certain extent.”

  “Ha! They aren’t loyal, they’re users.” Marcus curled his lip at the cat.

  Lainie stepped into the crossfire, interrupting the staring contest. “Before you whip out the pistols at dawn, let me clue you in, he isn’t mine.”

  “Oh?” Marcus tried not to look too happy about that. He must have failed because she laughed, a sweet, melodic sound that both soothed and aroused him.

  “He’s the neighbor’s cat. She lets me borrow him at the end of the day for a little cuddling time. He’s always happy to oblige me too. Aren’t you, Fluffy?” She leaned down and gave the cat a kiss.

  Marcus gagged. If she only knew what those animals got up to when they groomed themselves, she wouldn’t be so quick to—. He broke off guiltily when he recalled that he could actually do that too, in his other form. Not that he did, of course, never.

  “Come on in.” She went to put the key in the lock and stopped when it opened under her hand.

  Marcus shoved her behind him so fast she didn’t even have time to blink. The porch creaked and he knew Mick was there. He didn’t get those muscles from driving the limo; he was one of Marcus’s bodyguards. Not that Marcus needed them, but he had to keep up appearances. A show of strength kept the wolves at bay, in his case, literally.

  “Mick?”

  “Yeah, boss?” Mick’s tone was respectful, but not subservient. In the public eye, they had to be careful. Nobody needed to know his employees would walk through fire for him. Boss had been decided on, instead of my liege, my king or my lord. That would attract too much notice, not a good thing for the fur wearers. PETA would never understand.

  “Go around back.” The driver immediately loped around the house, his speed just shy of too fast. Marcus could smell Lainie’s anger and indignation without even looking at her. “You stand right here until I tell you it’s safe,” he ordered before pushing the door open with his foot.

  “I will not.”

  “Do it.” His tone made her straighten and open her mouth. He turned his head and glared, cowing her into sullen submission.

  She folded her arms and stepped over to the swing. “Fine, I’m sure Fluffy will protect me.”

  “Yeah, if someone runs out, throw the little fucker in his face.” With that, he entered the house and instantly smelled the invader. A soft scraping noise alerted him to someone else’s presence and he ran in the direction it had come from, hoping for a fight. It would relieve the pressure. Anger wasn’t a good emotion for his kind; it caused all sorts of physiological changes.

  When he let his negative emotions, like anger and jealousy, gain control, he became more wolf-like in both looks and nature. If he got his hands on the person responsible for breaking into Lainie’s home, biting him would be only the beginning.

  He careened around the corner, entering the tiny kitchen at full speed. He and the chauffeur collided and crashed to the floor in a heap. “Goddamnit.” Marcus winced when the full weight of the larger man pinned him to the floor.

  “Sorry, boss.” Mick was still young and made mistakes. Luckily, Marcus forgave easily. If his father had still been in power, that wouldn’t have been the case at all. The old man liked to punish, and being a smart man, he had various torments he liked to employ. The memory of howls and screams still echoed in Marcus’s head at night.

  He refused to be that sort of Lupin. He didn’t think it made him better to have the pack beaten into submission. He preferred to lead by example. It had worked for the past five years. He had no reason to believe it wouldn’t continue to do so. “It’s fine, Mick. He’s long gone anyway.” If he’d been paying attention before, he would have realized that; some big bad wolf he turned out to be.

  “Do I need to leave you two alone?” Lainie stood in the doorway with the cat in her arms. “I think he’s gone. If he wasn’t before, you scared him away with all that noise you made.”

  Mick stood and pulled Marcus up so fast his feet left the floor. Like he said, young, but the boy ate his damn veggies. He was strong as an ox. He looked like a choirboy, with his light blond hair and blue eyes, but looks were deceiving because this “boy” could and would tear you apart if ordered to.

  “Yeah.” Marcus brushed off his suit, ignoring her comment. “I know.”

  “I’m calling the police.” Her voice quavered ever so slightly, belying the calm expression on her face.

  “I wouldn’t.” He put his hand out, but the hissing cat stopped him in mid-reach.

  “Why?” Her question made him rack his brains for a logical reason.

  “Because, I think I know who did it.” He was actually one hundred percent sure who it was, or at least who ordered it.

  “Who?”

  Instead of answering her directly, he glared at the cat. “Put him out, will you? He gives me the willies staring at me like that.”

  “God, you’re such a goober.” But she put the cat outside, then folded her arms, obviously waiting for his answer.

  “How long have you been investigating Caulder?” He silenced Mick with a look. The other man closed his mouth with an audible snap and waited.

  “About a month or so, I guess.” She tapped her nails on her chin. “Are you saying he did this?”

  “I know he did it, or he had it done. This is probably only the beginning.”

  “But, nothing was touched. It doesn’t look like anyone was even here. What if I just left the door unlocked?” She was second-guessing herself; he knew it as well as she did.

  “Lainie, please stop kidding yourself.” He put his hand up. “Why don’t we take a look around and make sure everything is like it should be?”

  “Fine.” She took a deep breath.

  “Mick?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Watch the doors.” The other man got into position. “Lead the way, darlin’. I want the grand tour.” His easy smile hid the churning emotions inside him. Possessiveness and rage were at the forefront but all of these were coated in a haze of fear for her safety. He didn’t like it, and neither did the wolf residing inside him. To feel it for a woman he’d thought of as his own for so long made it even worse.

  She walked ahead of him into her bedroom and her soft cry of distress had him racing to find out what was wrong. He stopped in the doorway and stared at the destruction. The mattress and bedding were off the frame, both ripped almost to shreds. But what made the rage grow bright red was the fact that all her underthings had been pulled out of the drawers and strewn about the room, some in pieces.

  One pair of particularly
sexy black thongs hung from the blade of the ceiling fan. He sighed with regret. He’d have liked to see her in those. It wasn’t to be because they were ripped and dangling by one strap. The fan, turned on when Lainie threw the switch, began to whir. The underwear flew from their perch and landed on Marcus’s shoulder.

  “Well, shit,” she began, embarrassment pinkening her cheeks. “Give me those. Did you smell… That’s so gross. They are clean, you know.”

  Can separated soul mates learn to trust each other again before a ruthless killer ends their second chance?

  Bed of Lies

  © 2007 Pam Champagne

  Drug Enforcement Agent Ace Bear returns to Spruce Harbor, Maine to investigate a deadly drug ring. He’s prepared to deal with the town’s bigotry against his Cree heritage, but when he comes face-to-face with the woman he loved twelve years ago, passion flares. He realizes the ties between them cannot be broken.

  Brenna McKenzie is furious the man who deserted her the day their infant daughter died has dared to show his face. When she discovers why Ace is in town, however, fear for her brother, who she suspects is a drug addict, forces her to swallow her animosity. Ace’s return ignites a chain of events and soon Brenna’s own life is in jeopardy.

  As Brenna and Ace struggle to understand the treachery that once ripped them apart, they fight to stay one step ahead of the danger that threatens to put an end to their reunion—and their lives.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Bed of Lies:

  Brenna floated on the brink of sleep when Ace returned. Like the night before, she watched him move around the small interior. He stacked wood next to the stove before taking off his boots. She ogled his lean, hard body. She’d grown accustomed to his long hair, pulled back and tied with a thin piece of rawhide. When he moved to blow out the kerosene lantern, she sat upright, the blanket falling to her waist.

  He spun around, his eyes widening. A hardened expression spread over his features, adding years to his age. For a brief moment, her bravery faltered. No. After all that had happened, honesty between them was vital. Plain and simple, she wanted Ace. As much, if not more, than when they’d been kids.