Beyond
the Shadows
by
Loree Lough
Genre:
Romantic Suspense
Elice
Glasser is a widow with three young children to raise. Cabot Murray
is an ex-cop who returns home to Freeland, Maryland, to deal with the
pain of his own tragic loss: the death of his wife and daughter in a
fiery explosion intended for him.
Grieving,
their sorrow brings them together, and a friendship develops that
leads then to explore the possibility of finding love again. But
vengeful enemies and jealous rivals are determined to destroy the
peace and happiness that Elice and Cabot have found in each other’s
arms. Why are their rivals so intent on keeping Elice and Cabot
apart? Loree Lough's latest suspenseful romance is a page-turner!
Excerpt #4:
Cabot sat up with a start. Footsteps? Immediately, he turned out the
light.
And there it was again. Yes. Footsteps. Definitely.
The kids were safe at the Glassers’ house, he’d told her; it’s
the perfect opportunity to catch whoever is pulling these ridiculous,
dangerous, stunts. It had taken nearly half an hour to convince her
to let him stay. “The neighbors won’t know that you’re asleep
in Danny’s bed,” she gasped. “They’ll think …” She’d
blushed so deeply that he’d taken her in his arms so she couldn’t
see his grin, and promised to park the Jeep behind the shed out back
so the neighbors wouldn’t know he was there at all.
Now, he slipped out of the bed and stepped into his shoes. It was a
good thing he hadn’t yet removed his pants and shirt. He tiptoed
through the quiet hall and into the living room. Someone’s out
there, all right, he told himself, and not a small someone, either.
The silhouette looked strangely familiar, and then he remembered the
shadow in his pines.
She’d taken his advice and changed the locks. He tried to remember
where she’d put the key that unlocked the double-deadbolt. Once
he’d found it, hanging on a tiny nail beside the door jamb, he
cautiously stuck it into the lock and turned slowly, wincing when it
clicked into the open position, shattering the silence.
His palm was sweating, and when he grabbed the brass knob, it made
opening the door impossible. Cabot wiped it on the seat of his pants
and tried again. He’d thought about oiling that squeak in the
hinges several times. Now, as the high-pitched squeal grated in his
ears, he wished he’d followed through.
Finally, the door was open far enough for him to slip onto the porch.
He stood there for a long moment, studying the blackened yard for
another glimpse of that shadow. In the dim light of the moon, he
could see the tree swing, swaying slowly in the breeze. Beside it, a
red plastic sand bucket rolled lazily left, then right. Annie’s
tricycle caught a moonbeam and reflected it onto the fender of
Danny’s dirt bike, leaning on the shed wall. The toys reminded him
that three innocent children lived in this house. Children, and an
vulnerable woman.
Something moved near the clothesline, and his eyes riveted to the
spot. Crouching, he made his way into the yard and watched it move,
show and steady, toward the north side of Elice’s house. And then
it disappeared into the inky darkness.
There were three windows over there: one in Danny’s room, two in
Elice’s. He was on the lawn now, nearly running to keep up with the
quickening pace of the shadow, being careful to stay behind shrubs
and tree trunks. A bead of sweat stung his eye, and Cabot swiped it
away.
Black leather-gloved hands rested on the window sill. One booted foot
balanced on the brick garden wall below it. One good push, Cabot
realized, and the shadow would be inside. In her room. Only the
screen separated her from this maniac.
He had no choice. If he didn’t grab it shadow now, he may not get
another chance. Cabot darted forward and lunged.
Pain shot through his side. Looking up, he saw the gleaming, toothed
blade of a hunting knife. As darkness had been his partner up until
now, the moon’s glow was now his nightlight, and he saw that blood
that covered the blade. His blood.
Rolling over, he managed to escape further injury. But his wound was
more than superficial. He’d been hurt enough times in Chicago to
know that much. He’d have to act quickly, before he passed out from
loss of blood or shock or both.
It surprised him that the guy didn’t run off, that instead, he made
his way to Elice’s window.
Would he stab her, too? Is that why he’d come here tonight … to
kill her?
At
last count, best-selling author Loree Lough had 115 award-winning
books (nearly 9,000,000 copies in circulation and 7 titles that
earned book-to-movie options), 68 short stories, and 2,500+ articles
in print.
An
oft-invited guest of writers' organizations, colleges and
universities, corporate and government agencies in the U.S. and
abroad, Loree loves sharing learned-the-hard-way lessons about the
craft and the industry.
Once
upon a time, Loree (literally) sang for her supper, performing alone
and "opening" for the likes of Tom Jones, Dottie West, The
Gatlin Brothers, and more. Though she refuses to share the actual
year when she traded her Yamaha 6-string for a wedding ring, she IS
willing to admit that, every now and then, she blows the dust off her
six-string to croon a tune or two. But mostly, she just writes (and
writes).
Loree
and her husband split their time between a home in the Baltimore
suburbs and a cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, where she continues
to hone her "identify the critter tracks" skills. Her
favorite pastime? Spending long, leisurely hours with her
grandchildren...all seven of them!
Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
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