My 17 year old cat Merry has been failing for almost a year. She didn’t eat much. she lost weight, she became sluggish, she walked very carefully, as if every joint ached. A month ago I took her to the vet, thinking it might be time to put her to sleep. The vet gave her an antibiotic and told me to bring her back if she didn’t improve. Well, she did perk up for a while, but then stopped eating completely. I brought her in this afternoon and the vet said it was time.

I got Merry when she was about 10 weeks old. She was this adorable little white fuzz all with a splotch of gray on her head. Of all my cats, she was the dainty little lady. Maybe I loved her best.

OK, I wrote a long paragraph about her last minutes of life, but it was graphic and painful, so I will just say she fell asleep and pass peacefully.

I need some time, so I am not going to post the usual teaser. Next Tuesday you will have a teaser. maybe by then I will have stopped crying. I think I;’m crying more now than I did when my mom passed away in May. Or maybe I’m crying for both of those frail, gallant old ladies.

Here it is, already August. School in North Dakota starts on August 22, just over two weeks from now. We start early so we can have lots of snow days. Some years we don’t have any, and some years we have a dozen. Well, as dozen is unlikely, but 1 or 2 is about guaranteed. 3 or 4 are usual, and 6 or 7 are not uncommon. So we start early.

Am I depressing you with the idea that summer is almost over? It’s not, not really. Plenty of hot weather ahead of us this year. Find your new book boyfriend by going on the Beat the Heat Scavenger Hunt! Hop along to a few author websites, answer some easy questions, and be entered to win a $30 gift card to your favorite online bookstore. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBookstore, Kobo, you name it. You can find out more about it HERE.

And now, here is this week’s snip from Gina’s Wolf. See? Martine? I listened! 🙂 Enjoy!

Gina said, “I know. My mom shot him to save me. And then Tanner― Oh, God.” She struggled to sit up, new horror icing her lips. “Tanner tried to kill her.” She caught an odd expression on his face. “Where is she? Is she okay?”

“Sh, sh, she’s okay.” He tried to get her to lie back down against him. “Everything will be fine. Tanner and Jon are dead. The Kansas-Missourians surrendered to Omaha. We won.”

“But what about my mother?” she demanded.

“She’s okay.” He finally gave up trying to make her lie down again and sat up too. Gina couldn’t decide if he was nervous or guilty or just hesitant. “Have you met Jay, my dad’s beta?”

Gina gripped his forearm. “What? Who cares? What does he have to do with my mom?”

Cole took a deep breath. “Well, see, Jay’s wolf has chosen your mom to be his mate.”

She blinked. “Mom? Really?” A giggle gurgled up. “That’s wonderful.”

“It is?”

His cautious tone made her blink again. “Isn’t it?” She narrowed her eyes. “Why are you so nervous? What’s wrong with him?”

“Nothing! I thought you wouldn’t want another stepfather.”

She pushed a little further away from him, eyes still narrowed. “What’s he done to her? Is he mean to her?”

“Of course not.” Cole sounded horrified that she would even suggest it. “He took her to the hospital. There weren’t any rooms left, so he put her in with Ray and dragged a doctor to her to fix her.”

“Dragged a doctor to her? Literally?”

A glimmer of a smile lit his face. “Literally. I wasn’t there, but Patia told me about it. Jay grabbed him by the arm and ran so fast down the hall that the doctor tripped. Jay just yanked him along, yelling that he had to fix his mate.”

Gina smiled, imagining it, but the smile faded. “How badly hurt is she?”

“She’s hurt, but she’ll live.” When she continued to stare at him, he sighed. “Her cheekbone is fractured. Her nose is broken. She’s lost some teeth.”

Gina shuddered. “That sounds so painful. And her face … She must look awful. When can I see her?”

“Soon. Maybe tomorrow. The doctor is making her sleep. He put a needle in her arm and it’s connected to a bag that puts medicine in her to make her sleep.”

“But she’ll be okay? You’re sure?”

“The doctor says she will.”

She searched his eyes and finally let out a relieved breath. “That’s good.” She laid her head back down. “Tell me about Jay. Is he bossy like you? Sweet and funny? Has he been married  before? Will I have step-brothers?”

He made himself comfortable. “No, Jay’s wolf never chose a mate for him until yesterday. He’s my dad’s age. Maybe a little younger. I think he’s been lonely. Every time a wolf found a mate, he congratulated them, but I bet he wondered if he would ever find a mate of his own. Now he has. But only if your mom accepts him.”

“She hasn’t accepted him?”

“She hasn’t been awake long enough.”

Gina was quiet for a moment, considering how a new stepfather would change her relationship with her mother. “For a long time I wanted my mother to love me more than she loved Todd. I never thought she did until she shot him to keep him from killing me.” A faint shudder made her head throb. “Will Jay truly love her? I mean, will he be good to her and not use me to control her?”

“He will love her and protect her. He will love and protect you.” Cole laid his arm over her waist to give her light squeeze. “I’ve known him since before I could walk. He’s always been patient and kind. He’s a good man who has waited decades for a mate. He will treat her like a princess.”

What would it be like to have a stepfather whose love was true and pure? Would she feel safe? What an alien thought. “I hope mom accepts him.”  

 He brushed a kiss over her nose. “Me, too. I want Jay to be happy.”

“I want my mom to be happy. Tell me more about him. Is he bossy?”

“Like I said, he’s about my dad’s age. He’s been the Pack’s beta since before I was born. He’s an Alpha, so I suppose he is a little bossy. Just a tiny bit.” Humor colored his voice. “Not as bossy as Uncle Shadow. But then, no one is as bossy as Shadow.”

“Not even you?” she teased.

“I am not even close. My dad is pretty mild tempered, and Jay is even more laid back. Not that he lets people walk over him. Did I ever tell you about the time Jay caught me trying to sneak out of the den when I was thirteen?”

Peace settled over her. She drifted to sleep with his deep voice in her ear.

What a long week it’s been and it’s only Tuesday! Working overtime again, which is nice on the paycheck but even just a few hours cuts into my writing time. Which is my way of excusing the shortness of this week’s teaser. Sorry! We’re almost done. I have a lot of re-writing to do, and this section will need to be smoothed out. I’m sure my editor will have lots and lots of suggestions for improvement.

Here you go:

He smiled at her, so handsome her heart turned over. “Good enough. You know, my mom and dad have these kinds of discussions and then they go into their room for the rest of the day.” His smile took on a heated curve. “Are we done discussing?”

An answering heat flared in her. “Yeah. I think we’ve discussed enough.”

He slid one arm between her back and the bed and pulled her so close she could feel his breath on her face. She tilted her head to touch her lips to his, but he pulled back.

“Actually,” he said, “there is one more thing I need to say.”

Gina suppressed a protest and waited with all the patience she could gather.

He leaned close again. “I love you,” he whispered, and covered her lips with his.

How could the heat of his mouth ease the stress-tense muscles in her neck and shoulders? And how did it replace that tension with a different kind of tension? He was magic. The warm honey of desire flowed through her, languorous at first, before becoming urgent. His lips caressed the arch of her throat, the corner of her jaw, the tender spot behind her ear.

Through the haze of desire, she became aware of drums. No, it was her pulse, sending flaring pain through her head. A whimper escaped her.

Cole lifted his head away and looked down at her. “You’re hurting.”

She almost reached to pull his head back down, but she couldn’t deny the pain. “A little,” she said. “My head.”

“I’m a bad mate.” Cole’s face showed rueful regret, but he brushed a smiling kiss over her nose before removing his arm and sitting back on the bed. “I’m rushing you. I should let you rest.”

She was cold without him embracing her. “Don’t go,” she blurted. “I was so afraid for you when my stepfather had you. I want to keep my eyes on you so I will know you are safe.”

“Move over a little.” He stood up and unbuttoned the shorts. Kicking them off his long legs, he slid into bed beside her. “I can hold you. That’s enough for now.”

He settled her on her side, her head billowed by his shoulder, her lips close to his throat. She could have laid like this for hours. His scent was soothing. She let the comfort of his presence wash over her. She was safe. He was safe. They were together again. After a while, her mind stirred with questions she tried to ignore. Loathe to give up the comfort of simply lying in her husband’s arms, she tried to ignore the questions. It was impossible.

“Cole? How did you get out of the cage? How did you find me?” She wet her lips. “What happened?”

His chest rose and fell in a sigh. “How much do you remember?”

She didn’t want to remember. “I was in the tent. My stepfather…” Her voice trailed off as a shudder of horror ran through her. “He was going to kill me. He really was.”

Cole soothed her with a gentle hand stroking her arm. “He can’t hurt you; he’s dead.”

“I know. My mom shot him to save me. And then Tanner― Oh, God.” She struggled to sit up, new horror icing her lips. “Tanner tried to kill her.” She caught an odd expression on his face. “Where is she? Is she okay?”

“Sh, sh, she’s okay.” He tried to get her to lie back down against him. “Everything will be fine. Tanner and Jon are dead. The Kansas-Missourians surrendered to Omaha. We won.”

“But what about my mother?” she demanded.

“She’s okay.” He finally gave up trying to make her lie down again and sat up too. Gina couldn’t decide if he was nervous or guilty or just hesitant. “Have you met Jay, my dad’s beta?”

Gina gripped his forearm. “What? Who cares? What does he have to do with my mom?”

Cole took a deep breath. “Well, see, Jay led the Pack to Omaha. When we–me and the others– carried you out of the camp and back to Omaha, we brought your mom with us. Jay met us on the road and, um, when he saw your mom, his wolf chose her for his mate.”

Hello! This week there is no teaser. But I thought you’d might like to see what I am playing with for cover art. I need some help! One of the hardest things is to pick out the model you want to portray your hero. I have selected few but can’t quite decide between them. I like all of these, at least to an extent, but I don’t absolutely adore any of them. I thought maybe you would like to help me pick one. if you would be so kind, could you tell me in the comments which you like and why? There are Six images and I have put a number on the bottom left corner of each. Please ignore any backgrounds. No right or wrong answers. I’m just looking for some feedback.

Have a good week and thank you!

Hello! This is later than I planned because we’ve had some nasty storms last night and today, so I wanted to stay off the computer in case of an unlikely lightening strike. All over town tree branches–some thick ones– are scattered over lawns and streets. Some houses are damaged and we have a flood warning. The potted plants on my balcony were blown over but luckily no damage here.

I’m also participating in the Tour de Fleece, which is a spinning (spinning wheel/yarn making) challenge that runs along with the Tour de France bicycle race. My personal challenge is to spin 4 ounces of luscious merino/yak/silk roving in a very fine weight. I am off to a rather slow start, but I hope to catch up.

We’re getting quite close to the end of Gina’s Wolf now. This is only the rough draft, and I have a lot of revisions to make and re-writing to do. Usually when I write I self edit what I wrote the previous day and the story doesn’t change much along the way. This one is different. Thank you to everyone who either left comments or emailed me personally to tell me the level of violence wasn’t out of line.

So I’ll leave you with this little tidbit and then sit down to spin for an hour before bed. Enjoy!

Gina didn’t know where she was when she first woke. She didn’t know how much time had passed since Cole had carried her out of the camp. Vague flashes of memory pierced the darkness of her mind. Being juggled against Cole’s warm chest as he ran through muddy fields. A slower, smoother pace and the flash of early morning sun off ice. The roar of some vehicle and the rattle of tires over uneven ground. Her head aching viciously.

She swallowed and raised her head from the pillow to look around the room. Safe, she thought. This was the room she and Cole shared at the Limit. Another glance showed the chair beside the bed was occupied, but not by Cole. The slumped figure there had long brown hair.

“Carla?” she called.

Her mother-in-law jerked upright, eyes blinking sleepily before she lunged to her feet and reached a hesitant hand toward Gina. “Gina, how do you feel? Does your head hurt?”

Gina took a moment to consider her head. Pain was there, but it was much less than it had been the last time she’d been awake. “A little. Where’s Cole? What happened? What day is it?”

Carla held up a hand. “One question at a time. Cole went to lie down about fifteen minutes ago. He hasn’t left your side since he brought you back to Omaha yesterday morning.”

 The door opened and Taye stepped in. His face was set in a cool expression. “You’re awake. That’s good.” He dipped his head in his wife’s direction. “Carla, I’ll get Cole.”

Gina struggled to sit up. “What’s the matter? Is he mad at you?”

Carla pulled a wry face as she stuffed pillows behind Gina’s back. “We’re in trouble. All of us women are in trouble.”

“What? Why?”

Carla sat back down in the chair with a sigh. “You snuck out and put yourself in danger, and me, Rose, and Patia didn’t even try to stop you. In fact, we helped you.”

Gina shook her head. She had thought Taye loved his wife. She would have sworn he adored her and would do anything for her. She’d hoped that she and Cole would have that same kind of relationship. “He shouldn’t be mad at you! It was my idea.” She gulped to keep back tears. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it would ruin things for you.”

“Ruin?” Carla smiled and reached out to take Gina’s hand. “Do you think this is the first rough patch me and Taye have had? It isn’t. You know, married couples ―even the ones that love each other deeply― have trouble from time to time. The only cure is to talk it through. We need to tell each other how we feel and work it out. The last few days have been too busy for us to have the time to do that, but we will.”

“Really?”

“Sure.” Carla squeezed her fingers. “A word of advice from an old married woman. It’s okay to get angry and be hurt, but don’t stay angry and be sure to tell Cole how you feel. My son is a good man, but he’s not a mind reader. I’ve gotten to know a whole lot of men since marrying Taye and joining the Pack, and I’ve noticed that most them are blind to even the broadest hint. The best way to communicate is with words. Okay?”

Before Gina could respond, fast footsteps sounded in the hall and the door burst open. Cole came in, hair rumpled and heavy-eyed, dressed in only cutoff shorts. Those eyes brightened when he saw her.

“You’re awake.” He seized her and held her with fiercely gentle arms, carefully avoiding touching her head or face. After a long moment, he let her go and sat on the bed. “I am so angry with you. You scared me.”

Over Cole’s shoulder she saw Taye hold out a hand to Carla. “Come on, mate, we need to talk,” he said.

Carla stood up, giving Gina a significant glance. Gina waited until the door closed behind the older couple before touching a hand to Cole’s cheek. “Why are you angry?”

“You put yourself in the enemy’s hand.” His nostrils flared. “You could have been killed!”

“Me?” That squawk hurt her head.  She lowered her voice. “You were going to be killed. Your dad was going to just let it happen. I had to do something!”

Cole closed his eyes and shook his head. “My dad would never let that happen.”

She jerked her wrist free. “He said–“

His breath came out of him in a deep sigh. “I know. I know.” He captured her hand again and held it gently. “You haven’t had a chance to get to know him yet, but Mom should have known better.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Your dad was very convincing.”

“I guess he must have been, if Mom went along with your crazy plan.”

“And Rose and Patia.”

His eyebrows rose. “So, this is Dad’s fault?”

She made herself consider. Throwing back a sarcastic reply would be easy, but easy wasn’t the right thing here. She wondered if her mother-in-law was having this exact same discussion. “Not your dad’s fault,” she said carefully. “I knew what my stepfather was capable of. I kept imagining what he would be doing to you and I couldn’t bear it. I had the best chance of getting to you.”

Cole stroked his thumb over her fingers. “Did you even consider talking to my dad?”

“No. I knew he wouldn’t let me.”

“Ha! So you knew trying to rescue me was stupid.”

The word ‘stupid’ grated, but she put it aside to search his face, trying to see inside him. “Cole, maybe it was stupid. But I love you. If there was even the smallest chance that I could get you free, it was worth it.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I promised I wouldn’t give you orders. But please promise me you won’t ever do something like this again.”

She shook her head slowly. “I would do it again if I had to.” She lifted a hand to stop his protest. “But I promise to talk it over with someone.”

“Someone like my dad?” he asked pointedly.

“Someone like your dad,” she agreed.

He smiled at her, so handsome her heart turned over. “Good enough. You know, my mom and dad have these kinds of discussions and then the go into their room for the rest of the day.” His smile took on a heated curve. “Are we done discussing?”

An answering heat flared in her. “Yeah. Done.”

He leaned close until his lips were only a breath from hers. “I guess I do have one more thing to say.”

Gina almost told him to save it for later, but she kept her mouth closed and waited.

He whispered, “I love you.”

To my friends north of the border, Happy Canada Day a day late! For my American friends, Happy 4th of July a couple of days early! In honor of the holidays, I have put Wolf’s Glory at $0.99 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. If you haven’t read it yet, this is a good time to grab it. It goes back to regular price on July 6. You can click any of the store names to go to the book there.

I have done a little writing this past week. Not as much as I’d like to, but at least I got some words. 🙂 I have a friend who has expressed a little concern about the level of violence in my books. She is one of the gals in my writing group and she has asked that we white out scenes that are violent. Those who don’t mind it can highlight those sections and read them and those who are disturbed can just skip over them. She admits she is very sensitive to blood and violence. Wolf’s Princess was a bit bloody there at the end, and Gina’s Wolf also has quite a bit of violence. What are your thoughts? Should I tone it down a bit?

Here is your tiny snip for tonight:

Gina heard voices, distant and distorted, as though she were under water. Someone spoke her name with an urgency that told her she really ought to pay attention, but she didn’t care. Pain made it hard to care about anything. The voice kept on and whatever she lay on moved, jiggling her head. She concentrated on the voice and gradually she realized it was more than one. Two? Or was it three? She listened and gradually she realized she recognized one. Her mother was one of the people speaking.

Where were they? Memory seeped sluggishly back into her brain. Gun? Yes, her mother had had a gun. She shot Todd. Gina woke a little more. She remembered Tanner and Jon. Her mom? Tanner had done something to her mom, something bloody.

“Mom?” She moved feebly, trying to sit up. “Mom, are you alright?”

“Gina!”

That was Cole’s voice. She was lying half in his lap and half on the ground. Her mind was groping for more memories. “I’m okay,” she said.  It was a lie. Her face was a blaze of throbbing aches, but she didn’t want him to worry. His arms tightened around her almost to the point of pain. His head dipped low over her and after a second, she felt something wet fall on her face. He was crying? She tried to reach up and pat his cheek. Her hand was seized in a tight grip.

“Gina,” Cole said thickly. “We have to leave here. It’s not safe.”

She couldn’t quite see him. “Mom?”

“I’m coming too.” Her mom’s voice was firm, almost defiant, but oddly muffled.

“Yes, ma’am, I’ll carry you.”

Gina wasn’t sure whose voice that was. There was suddenly a lot of movement around them, and a low babble of voices talking about a secured direction out of camp, and then she was being lifted and settled against Cole’s chest. There were what seemed like dozens of naked men crowding around her, but none of them seemed embarrassed about it.

Cole bent his head and she saw the silver gleam of tears on his cheeks. “We have to move fast, darling. Hold on and we’ll have you safe in Omaha as quick as we can.”

“Okay,” she mumbled.

Her head bounced unpleasantly as he ran. It bounced harder when he came to a sudden halt. Belatedly she registered the voice that commanded him to stop. The pain in her head was overwhelmed by nausea in her stomach. Major Ellis.

“Give us Miss Todd,” the major commanded in a ringing tone.

She managed a glance at the major. He was flanked by Lieutenant Mott on one side and two privates on the other. Her vision was a little fuzzy. It looked like the ground behind them wavered. The wavering morphed into furry wolves leaping at the Kansas-Missourians’ backs. And then the major and the other men were paint with the vivid red of blood. Her stomach decided it was the right time to turn itself inside out. She twisted in Cole’s arms and heaved until nothing more came up. He stroked her shoulder and murmured in a low, soothing tone while she puked, and when she was done, he ran again.

Throwing up hurt. It hurt so bad that she concluded unconsciousness was her friend. She saw flashes of her stepfather’s army camp go past in a blur before she shut her eyes. When the darkness fell over her, she embraced it with relief.

It’s been a tough road writing-wise lately. Just before my mom had her stroke I was excited and ready to finish Gina’s Wolf. You know what they say about the best laid plans, right? Sigh. I’ve spent hours in front of my computer but the words just won’t come. I know what comes next, I know what happens in the next chapter, but the words just aren’t’ there.

I still don’t have the excitement back, but I am writing a little. Part of this is due to my writing group, The Word Weavers of Fargo-Moorhead are a great bunch of ladies. I love the support they’ve given me. The result is a new snip from Gina’s Wolf tonight. I will continue to write this story. I WILL get it done! 🙂

Before that, I wanted to let you all know that I will be doing a swag bag and book giveaway of all the great stuff I got at Lori Foster’s RAGT earlier this month. Look for a newsletter in a few weeks with the entry form.

And now, here is the teaser. It’s been so long you might need to go back and review a few posts to catch up.

Gunfire was sporadic, and not close to them. The wolves wouldn’t use guns, so the gunfire must be from Kansas-Missouri. When the Omaha City Guard opened fire, it would be a lot louder. Cole scanned the immediate area. Where was his mate? The large eating tent was nearby, but she wasn’t there. Dawn would be breaking soon, and the army cooks must have been at work already, but there was no movement around the tent. In fact, the only other person in sight was the guard, and he was dead.

“Gina,” Cole said authoritatively. “I have to find her. I scented her a little while ago, and she was bleeding.”

“I smelled that, too.” Howl faced north east. “The scent went in this direction.”

“Let’s go,” Rock said.

Profound gratitude filled Cole. He loved his cousins. They might have wanted to join in the fight, but they put the lure of personal battle glory aside to ensure the safety of his mate. They had gone only a few yards when another gunshot, from very near, cracked through the air.

“Gina!” Cole burst into a run.

His brother and cousins followed. Even though impending dawn lightened the darkness in the camp and his wolf’s eyesight was sharp, he didn’t see the soldiers running toward them or Rock and Red Feather peeling off to intercept them. Cole’s attention was wholly focused the large tent he was sure his mate was in. He caught her scent now, though barely discernable through the stench of blood.

He tore open the door flap and pushed into the tent. Wolf’s Howl and Gray followed him in. The canvas hangings dividing the tent into rooms confused him for only a second. He shoved them aside, shouting his mate’s name.

He followed the scent of her blood to an inner room. Horror froze his rage for a moment. He only vaguely saw the body of President Todd lying prone at his feet and a battered woman sprawled farther way with blood seeping from her mouth and nose. Another man was slumped close by her. Only a yard away, a short, stoutly built man was on his knees, trying to bludgeon Gina with a pistol. He was hampered by a knife sticking out of his back. Gina lay slack on the canvas floor, unmoving.

His horror was swallowed by red hot rage. Cole lunged toward the man, grabbed the hilt of the knife, and jerked it up through flesh and bone. “Finish him,” he snapped at Gray, who was right behind him, and fell to his knees beside his mate.

“Gina,” he breathed, gathering her to his chest. He leaned close, hoping to feel her breath sigh over his cheek. He waited, heartbeat suspended for a long, agonizing moment, until he felt her chest expand and contract. She was alive. He eased his grip on her and leaned away to examine her. Dried blood was crusted at her swollen lip. That wasn’t as fresh as the blood streaming from the split in the skin at her hairline. Whatever had struck her had left a curved print in her forehead. He touched feather-light fingertips to the bump, trying to determine how bad it was. Fresh rage flooded him. He would make the one who had done this to her pay.

He snapped his head around to see what had happened to the man who had been attacking Gina and grunted in satisfaction. The coward was dead. Gray Shirt held the pistol, staring at the bloodied butt with a disgusted look on his face.

“Is your mate okay?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” He turned back to Gina. “Gina? Wake up, Gina.”

Wolf’s Howl called, “This lady is still alive, but I think she’s badly hurt.”

Cole didn’t care about the other woman. She was probably one of Todd’s wives. Gina was the only woman who mattered to him right now.

Gray checked the pistol and thrust it into the back of his jeans. “I’ll go get help.”

“Did Uncle Jumping Stag come?” Cole demanded. The Clan healer and holy man would be able to help Gina.

Gray shook his head. “But Dancing Wolf did. I’ll find him and bring him here.”

Blood continued to run down his mate’s still face. “Get me something to use as a bandage first.”

Eagle came in. He looked around the room with a grim expression while Gray handed Cole a napkin. “Don’t bring Dancer here,” Eagle said. “These tent walls won’t stop bullets. The Omaha Guard has arrived. Hear the gunfire? It will be headed this way I bet. We need to get the ladies somewhere safe.”

Gray nodded. “I’ll scout ahead and find the safest route out of this place.”

“Red Feather is just outside the tent,” Eagle said. “He’ll let us know if any of the enemy comes close.”

After Gray left, Eagle looked down at the three dead men. Cole thought he would ask about them, but he turned sympathetic eyes to Gina. “Is your mate okay?”

Cole lifted one shoulder in a helpless shrug. Gina’s head rested in the crook of one of his arms, her face still slack. He lifted the napkin away from her forehead. Blood still welled, but more sluggishly. “She won’t wake up.”

“The lady is awake,” called Wolf’s Howl.

Cole glanced over and saw the other woman sitting up with her head in her hands. “Gina?” she said, raising her bruised face to look around the tent. “Where is…” Her gaze hesitated briefly as it swept over the dead men and landed on Gina. “Gina!” she said again, struggling to get free of Wolf’s Howl’s gentle grasp. “Young man,” she said severely, “put some clothes on immediately.”

“Be careful,” Wolf’s Howl told her anxiously. “You’re hurt.”

Cole cut through his brother’s words. “Who are you?”

“Gina is my daughter.”

This was his mate’s mother? He couldn’t see any family resemblance, but maybe without the broken nose, swollen mouth and bruised cheeks and chin, she would look like her beautiful daughter. Pity for her injuries battled with his dislike of the woman who had put her second husband over her daughter’s wellbeing over and over.

A feeble movement against his arm and a tiny breath of a voice electrified him. “Mom? Are you alright?”

If any of you follow me on Facebook you will know that my mom had a stroke on Thursday May 2. It was a massive, horrible stroke with a massive, horrible brain bleed. The neurologist in the ER told us Mom would never wake up. But she did. On the third day in ICU they took her off the sedative. She came out of it enough to respond to shouted commands. Then they removed the breathing tube and she was able to breathe on her own and could talk a little. She recognized us and smiled her beautiful smile.

But after several hours of breathing on her own she began to struggle. The doctor recommended sending to her Palliative Care. That move, on Day 5, really wore her out. She was still smiling but it hurt to listen to her try to breathe. On Day 7 she was moved to a nursing home. My brother Steve and I were with her almost every hour. On Day 11 she passed away while neither of us were with her.

She was a stubborn Norwegian/German American. She did not die until all her children and grandchildren could travel to see her while she was able to talk. Her funeral was on Saturday. It was simple and quiet.

I find myself staring numbly into space for long minutes without even realizing time has passed. I’m afraid I have done no writing during the past few weeks, so there is no teaser for you. I hope to get back into a regular writing schedule this week. I am off to Lori Foster’s RAGT in a couple of weeks and that will cut into the writing too. So Gina’s Wolf will be delayed. I am so sorry. But I will keep you posted on the progress.

Tomorrow is May!! Ah, sunny skies and warm days are ahead. Of course, North Dakota had to have just one more winter storm. Snow, high winds, no travel advised. You know, the regular. Sigh. But Fargo was okay. We were cold, and had some heavy rain and wind, but no snow. We might get up to 62 on Friday. And some sun on Sunday. That will be nice.

I will be spending some time this weekend searching for good images for the cover. I found two different models that could work for Cole. I think if I can have only one person on the cover, then I prefer it to be the hero. What do you think?

The writing progresses on Gina’s Wolf. This is a shorter snip again (not as short as last week) but I’m cutting you off here because the next scene is too long and I don’t want to cut if off in a bad place. Also, I think it will have some major re-writes to heighten the tension and be more immediate.

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Cole wasn’t sure how long he lay silently raging over his helplessness before he noticed a new scent. Distant but getting nearer and clearer each second. The Pack had arrived. Cole refused to be found by his kin as a beaten victim. He shook his hands out and slid them again between his neck and the collar. As he did so, the chain clanked. He shot a glance at it and followed the links to the heavy bolt that fastened the chain to the metal floor only a foot from his head.

His breath caught and he mentally slapped himself What an idiot! Why hadn’t he tried to pull that free? Sure, when he’d tried it yesterday, he’d been too weak, but he was stronger now. He shot a quick glance at the guard, but it was too dark for a human to see what he was doing. Shifting so he was kneeling over the bolt, he grasped the chain above the bolt, braced himself, and pulled. It was awkward. The chain only allowed him to raise his head twelve inches over the floor, which didn’t give him enough room to get a good grip. Panting, he lay back down on his side.

As he quietly panted, a gunshot rang out close by. Icy fingers grabbed his heart and squeezed. Gina had gone in that direction. He had to get to her.

 Safe with the guard’s attention drawn away by the gunshot, he rolled on his back and pulled on the chair as hard as he could. Still awkward, and the angle was bad, but he heard the metal screech. Stopping immediately, he lifted his head to look at the guard. Just as the man’s head turned from Wolf’s Howl’s cage to his, a horn in the camp gave three blasts. The guard leaped up from his chair, looking wildly around.

Run away, Cole silently urged the man. Go, find out what is happening so I can get free and find my mate.

Gunfire sounded from the western side of camp. The guard took a couple of long steps toward it, then paused, gripping his rifle more tightly. Men yelled, others screamed, but they were distant. The guard slowly backed up to his chair. He cut a glance at Wolf’s Howl’s cage, and then to Cole’s. Cole lay quietly on his side, doing his best imitation of an exhausted, beaten man. Every line of the man’s body shouted that he wanted to go find out what was happening, but he couldn’t leave his post.

A few yards behind the guard, a pair of eyes glinted in the dark. Cole’s lips curved in a vicious grin. He was sure the guard wouldn’t get a chance to decide whether or not to abandon his post.

He was right. The wolf skulked in the dark, waiting until the guard half-turned toward him, then leaped and tore out the guard’s throat.

“Rock!” called Wolf’s Howl.

More wolves trotted out. Cole recognized his cousins Eagle and Gray Shirt head in his direction while Rock and Red Feather went to Wolf’s Howl.

Cole finally managed to tear the chain free of the bolt. For the first time in more than twenty-four hours, he rose to his feet and stood straight. Dizziness made him sway. Eagle, as big and strong as his dad, Shadow, shifted to human and forced the bars of the cage open.

“You okay, Cole?” he asked.

Cole took a step toward the opening and the weight of the chain nearly pitched him out head first. Gray caught him. “Easy, cousin.” Horror, only half hidden, widened his eyes as he looked Cole over. “What did they do to you?”

Cole brushed that aside. “I have to find my mate,” he said urgently. He tried to jerk the chain free from the heavy collar around his neck. “Help me with this.”

Even Eagle couldn’t force the collar open, but he and Gray managed to break a link near the collar. Three links remained connected to the collar, but he ignored those.  Wolf’s Howl ran over, followed by Red Feather and Rock.

“What’s going on?” Howl asked eagerly. “Where’s everyone?”

“My dad is leading an attack from the south,” Eagle said. “Your dad is attacking from the west. Mayor McGrath and his City Guard are right behind them. They must not have attacked yet. There’s not enough gunfire for that.”

Gunfire was sporadic, and not close to them. The wolves wouldn’t use funs, so the gunfire must be from Kansas-Missouri. When the Omaha guard opened fire, it would be a lot louder. Cole scanned the immediate area. The large eating tent was nearby. Dawn would be breaking in about a half hour, and the army cooks must have been at work already, but there was no movement around the tent. In fact, the only other being in sight was the guard’s body.

“Gina,” he said authoritatively. “I have to find her. I scented her a little while ago, and she was bleeding.”

“I smelled that, too.” Howl faced north east. “The scent went in this direction.”

“Let’s go,” Rock said.

Profound gratitude filled Cole. He loved his cousins. They might have wanted to join in the fight, but they put the lure of personal battle glory aside to ensure the safety of his mate. They had gone only a few yards when another gunshot, from very near, cracked through the air.

“Gina!” Cole burst into a wobbly run.

Did you know that I name characters after people I know? When I wrote Sleeping With the Wolf it was sort of a gag gift for a couple of gals at work. I had no intention of getting it published. So Carla and Lisa are based on co-workers. So are Marissa and Faron Paulson, Ray Madison, Mel Dirk, Connie Mondale, and Jon and Tanner Allersen. I often change their names slightly but keep their general appearance. I jokingly tell new hires that they may end up as a character in my book. A couple of weeks ago, I asked my co-worker Jon how he’d like to die. I gave him a choice between being shot and being knifed. He chose, very tongue-in-cheek, to die by knife.

So I am sad to report that my friend and co worker Ray Mason passed away recently. His name was Martin Raymond Mason so he has two characters named for him. He died far too young. I dedicated the paperback version of Victoria’s Cat to his memory. He will be missed.

Even though I didn’t work any overtime last week, I was busy and didn’t do much writing. I didn’t even get a chance to write at Word Weavers last night. I was locked out of my laptop, and another gal’s keyboard died, so we decided to call it a night after critiquing a chapter from Tina Holland. So I have only a teensy teaser for you tonight. Sorry!

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Chapter Fourteen

The chain attached to his neck clanked when Cole lifted his head to catch the faint whisper of a beloved scent on the cold early morning air. Gina. The scent faded so he knew she was moving away from him. The wolf, yearning for his mate, wanted to howl. Closing his eyes, Cole lowered his cheek back to the dirty floor of his cage. He tested each muscle and joint and was satisfied. Four hours with no more torture had given him back some of his strength.

By angling his head just right he could see the cage that held his brother twenty yards away. A guard armed with a long rifle sat between them. Unlike the last guard, this one remained alert. Wolf’s Howl hadn’t been tortured yet, and maybe he wouldn’t be. By now Red Feather would have taken word back to Omaha. They would be rescued by the Pack and Clan. Gina, too. He made himself rest, giving his body every possible moment to heal more.

His mate’s scent came again, teasing his nose and making his wolf crazy. The wolf’s agitation surprised Cole until he caught the extra note in Gina’s scent. Blood. His mate was bleeding! It took all his control to not leap toward her scent. From the clank of chains and enraged growls twenty yards away , Wolf’s Howl wasn’t as controlled. But the scent faded again.

Cole settled against the floor again, trying to relax. He had to get out of here and take care of his mate. What had been done to her? The thought of her alone, hurt and afraid, twisted his guts into festering knots. He was her mate. He should be able to protect her. Instead he was chained in a filthy cage like an animal.

He wasn’t sure how long he lay silently raging over his helplessness before he noticed a new scent. Distant but getting nearer and clearer each second. The Pack had arrived.