SYNOPSIS:
A romance novel packed with suspense and
intrigue. Placed into Witness Protection, Kit Taylor, formerly Karen Sue
Murphy, now a self -imposed loner, slowly pieces her shattered life back
together in beautiful Steamboat Springs Colorado. Jess Ryan, a firefighter and
Explosive’s Expert just back from Afghanistan, is haunted with demons of his
own. When they meet the attraction is undeniably. However, unwitting
influences jeopardize their new relationship. Separate and equally dangerous
undertakings lead them into perilous situations that test their courage and
ultimately their love for each other.
This romantic thriller is offered in two
versions. The Uncut Edition contains adult content and is intended for mature
readers. The Abridged Edition is a milder in content.
PURCHASE LINKS:
Someone To Come Home To (Uncut
Edition)
Someone To Come Home To
(Abridged Edition)
AUTHOR BIO:
Zanne
Sweeney a graduate from Kent State University is a teacher, and coach, who
loves to write stories that she hopes her readers won’t want to put down.
“That’s the ultimate compliment.”
When
she’s not teaching, coaching, or writing Zanne loves to spend time with her
family and fun loving friends. She is a novice photographer, a consummate
sports fan, and is never without a book to read.
Other Zanne Sweeney books:
Neighbors
A
Chance For More (A finalist in the Readers Favorite Book Contest in the
category of Romance – Sizzle)
AUTHOR LINKS:
You
can reach out to Zanne on Twitter @zanneweeney and on her Facebook like page:
Zanne Sweeney - Author. https://www.facebook.com/zanne.sweeney.author?ref=hl
Chapter 1
With a fake
smile and a hopefully cheery voice Karen Sue thanked her neighbor for the ride
home. She opened the rickety gate that separated their backyards and the
familiar squeak of the rusty hinges brought forth bittersweet memories.
Years ago she and her best friend Katrina had practically
worn the hinges off that white, little gate as they ran from one house to the
other seeking better snacks or newer toys.
The memories still stung even though an entire decade had passed. Katrina and her family had moved to Ohio,
leaving Karen Sue to bravely face her freshman year in high school without her
best friend of 13 years.
Not too long ago Karen Sue had been filled with pride and
contentment when she came home to her cozy house. Now as she crossed her weed
choked lawn, a small frown tended her lips as she noted that the grass, well
dandelions now, needed to be cut again.
Wearily she
walked down her short driveway towards the front of her house to get the mail.
She sighed somberly knowing there would be bills with ‘Urgent’ red stamps
marring the white envelopes. As much as she had been denying it she knew she
was going to have to sell her beloved home to dig out from the havoc Ray had
created to her once good credit. She knew she could get a good price for her
house that would pay off her bills and leave her enough money to restart, if…if
Rays lawyers didn’t try to claim any of it.
Three young
boys that Karen Sue taught at school peddled past her driveway on their bikes,
waving shyly to their beautiful art teacher. Karen Sue smiled and waved back as
she juggled her computer case and purse to free a hand. A large black sedan
parked in front of her house with the motor running drew her attention from the
boys. She could see someone sitting in the driver's seat and he appeared to be
talking on a cell. Her eyes caught his when he glanced up to his rearview
mirror. Karen Sue figured the man was being responsible and had pulled over to
talk on the phone, she wished more people did that.
She gathered
the mail from the mailbox that she had painted flowers on just three years
early, when life was good. Now when she opened the brightly painted box she was
stung with how drastically her life had changed. Turning back she walked up the
driveway and let herself into the house through the side kitchen door. Placing
the mail down on the dull Formica counter without looking at it, she settled
her computer bag and oversized purse on the nearby kitchen table. Coming home
was never a good thing anymore. Karen Sue pulled her arms out of her
lightweight coat and hung it on the wooden hook behind the door; it was then
that she heard voices, angry voices coming from the adjoining room.
Curious and
slightly alarmed she headed towards the swinging door that separated the
kitchen and living room. She heard Ray say. “Leave her out of this, she doesn’t
know anything.”
As she
extended her arms to push open the door she heard three sounds, like wet
snowballs hitting a wall, followed by an anguished low grunt. Without warning
the door slammed back inwards forcing Karen Sue’s arms back against her body.
Ray fell through the swinging door his back colliding heavily with her chest.
The force that had propelled Ray through the door caused them to both to keel
over backwards. She landed painfully on the kitchen floor with Ray sprawled on
top of her. Their prone bodies acting as a door stop holding the swinging door
wide open. The jarring Karen Sue’s body
took knocked the breath from her and she fought for air. The moment became surreal
as Karen Sue noticed many things at once.
Two men
were in her living room; a smaller man in a dark business suit holding a gun,
and standing next to him was a larger man in dress pants, a collared shirt with
gold chains surrounding his beefy neck. It was clear that the smaller man had
just fired the gun, although she hadn’t seen it. Realizing that a man she
didn’t know, held a gun in her living room and the gun had been fired, Karen
Sue vainly struggled to push up on her elbows hoping Ray would move. Gasping
for breath she peered over Ray's shoulder wondering why he wasn’t getting up.
It was then she noticed Ray’s shirt was blooming with crimson wet circles, two
in his chest and one in his shoulder.
Karen Sue
tried to maneuver out from underneath his heavyweight but the floor was
slippery. Rivers of blood seeping onto her body ran off her pooling onto the
floor below them. A copper smell permeated her senses as she tried to suck in
air. Her face was wet and she panicked realizing it was Ray’s blood that was
splattered on her skin and soaking her clothes.
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