When a stranger emerges from the New Mexico wilderness as a man on the run from tragedy and guilt, Magdalena Morales must decide if he is her hero or her worst enemy.
Despite his best intentions, Maggie and her grandmother, Bella, draw Russell Murphy into a life he has never known.
When an unimagimabe truth from Russell's past confronts Maggie, she is forced to choose between the man she loves and the cold hard facts.
Excerpt
The low growl followed by deep, rapid barks startled Maggie, and her head shot up from the pile of bills she had been shuffling through for most of the afternoon. Pushing back her chair, she watched as the dog clawed at the door.
A sting of alarm prickled Maggie’s skin. This dog did not bark or growl without a reason. Even when she’d found him struggling to walk across the campground to search for food near the empty garbage can, he’d stood his ground, trembled, and wagged his tail. At that moment, she had fallen in love with the skinny, malnourished animal whose backbone protruded through the long, dirty layers of matted black and white hair. The name Boney seemed to fit.
“What is it, boy?” she said as she opened the desk drawer and pulled out her loaded revolver. She shoved it into her waistband and pulled a shotgun down from the rack on the wall. She heard the shuffle of her great-grandmother’s feet in the hall and turned to see the older woman reaching for the remaining shotgun.
“Bella, you stay here. It’s probably nothing.”
“No, Chica. Something is out there. Boney’s no fool dog.”
“Please wait and let me look.”
The old woman nodded and shrugged her shoulders. “Muchaca terca. Hardheaded girl. Exactly like your mama.”
Maggie smiled, grabbed her jacket off the peg and opened the door. Boney ran out into a cloud of dust while dodging a dozen frightened horses. “Ah, hell,” she spat. “It’s the horses, Bella. They’re out of the pen. I’m going to close the main gate so they can’t get to the road.” She looked up and spotted a rusty pickup truck trailing dust as it raced away. This was no accident, she thought. Someone had let them out.
The early October weather was turning colder, and long afternoon shadows spread across the thirsty soil. She glanced up toward the mountains where she usually saw snow-covered peaks, but today bare rocks shone in the fading light.
A small figure bobbed up and down as it made its way down the deer trail. Maggie squinted and lifted her palm to shield her eyes. It wasn’t the right shape for a deer and was more likely a bear looking for water or food. She took a couple of steps back, focused her eyes on the descending figure, and clutched her long gun tightly. Then, she caught a glint of red between the trees. It wasn’t an animal. It was a man.
Professional Reviews
Local Settings Are a Plus
I really enjoyed reading a book that includes some of the local areas that I am familiar with. Not often do we here in the SW have our beautiful areas included in such a great story. Russell, Maggie and Bella are great characters, as are the other supporting characters --- they fit right in with all of "us folks" here in the Land of Enchantment ! Again, gals, you have written a lovely romantic tale and the surprise of "who dunnit" at the end was, indeed, a surprise. Hopefully, we have not heard the last of Bella and her insights, of Roddy and his easy going personality or of Russell and Maggie as they strive to make Cielo Verde a place everyone will want to visit, even if its just sitting down with a good book !
It Kept Me Guessing
Angel Falls kept me guessing. I enjoyed every character, but I especially like Bella. I would love to have a grandmother liker. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
The Matchmaker:
Angela Calminetti, mother of five, New Age practitioner and gifted psychic and telepath, is proud of her family ties and does everything she can to make sure that all of her younger siblings are as happy in love and marriage
