After the Storm, Page 3

  The cat leapt out of her arms and headed for the recycling bin where all the kittens mewed happily at the sight of their mother.

  “Doesn’t that just make your heart go pitter-patter?” Mrs. Harrison beamed. “I’ll get them some tuna fish from my cabinet. They’ll love that.” She left the apartment.

  The officer, who had placed the cuffs on Gage, led him out the door.

  Luke pushed off the floor and rushed to free Rachel.

  “I’m so sorry.” His words sounded tight.

  “It’s not your fault.” She would have kissed him if she did not feel so weary.

  “If I hadn’t fired him—”

  “He killed those two women.” Her hands broke free and she caressed his cheek. “You saved my life.”

  He lowered his eyes and said nothing, but his shoulders shook as he unwrapped the tape on her feet.

  Tears filled her eyes. Poor Luke!

  “Melissa Miller was a detective,” the other officer explained. “We suspect she was led into a trap.”

  Rachel shivered. “I went out with Gage a few times. I had no idea…” An unusual feeling of fatigue swept over her and she lay down.

  “Don’t go to sleep,” Luke shook her shoulder. “You could have a concussion.”

  She gave him a wan smile before she passed out.

  * * *

  Luke picked her up the next day when she was released from the hospital. He fussed about her worse than mama cat did with her kittens. He snapped her seatbelt on in the car and laid a blanket on her lap.

  “You’ve got to take it easy, like the doctor said. You are to stay home from work this week and if I catch you using that laptop—”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

  “As soon as you’re back in shape, I’m taking you out to the best restaurant in the county and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  “I can’t date you, Luke. You’re my boss. I’m a lowly staff writer. People will talk.”

  “I’ve thought about that. I prayed about it, too.”

  She smiled. He was such a good man. How could she have doubted him even for a moment? “I’ll retire from the magazine and work someplace else. Maybe freelance—”

  “You are not leaving This Week and that’s an order.” He glowered as he got into the driver’s seat.

  “I will not be the cause of wagging tongues.” She glared at him.

  “Let them wag. You know, I think I’m falling for you.”

  His bold profession startled her, but only for a moment. She warmed all the way to her toes. “I really like you, too.”

  He smiled. “And furthermore, you are no longer a lowly staff writer at This Week.”

  “Really?” Her heart fluttered.

  “You are an assistant editor.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Not because I’m into you though. I never give a promotion lightly.”

  “No?”

  “No. Actually, I think rather highly of your writing and research skills. You’re one talented lady. Now what about being my lady?”

  “This better not backfire.” She closed her eyes and kissed him back. “But I suspect you’re worth the risk.”

  Did you enjoy Luke and Rachel’s adventure? Look for their newest exploit, coming soon from Prism Book Group, https://www.prismbookgroup.com/.

  Handsome, single, and wealthy, Houstonian Tom Shoemaker must decide if he should give up his successful business to assume a country pastorate. When a blonde, blue-eyed, dyslexic angel arrives from The Heavenlies to locate a mate for Tom by Valentine’s Day, she’s havoc in outlandish red stilettos. But despite numerous goofs in her efforts—many caused by her passion for eccentric footwear the other angels would never dare adorn—love is indeed in the air.

  After Marcy Montgomery’s husband was killed in Afghanistan, she relocated to a small, central Texas town with Hope, her five-year-old daughter. When Sarah accidentally introduces Tom to Marcy, she sets about discovering if the two would make suitable mates. The Superiors certainly wouldn’t approve of a romantic link between the wrong people. But Hope wants a father, and when the five-year-old meets Tom, she immediately decides he is the perfect candidate.

  Is Tom the right one for Marcy? Or has Sarah made her biggest blunder of all? Oh merciful heavens! What’s an angel to do?

  Visit https://www.prismbookgroup.com to read an excerpt from this title, or visit your favorite e-book retailer!

  Colonel Rich Martino returns home from overseas to find everything has changed and nothing makes sense.  His wife Rita has disappeared.  His credit cards are invalid.  A stranger is living in his house and he keeps running into people who are convinced he was killed in action months ago.  Worst of all, his wealthy father has suffered a stroke.

  Psychologist Charlotte Phillips claims to be his comatose father’s legal guardian.  Rich is determined to learn what has happened, gain control of his father’s money, and unmask Charlotte as the gold-digging schemer he’s certain she is.  He is shocked to find his father’s crusty old attorney has been taken in by her along with everyone else. 

  Can Rich straighten out the mess his life has become?

  Visit https://www.prismbookgroup.com to read an excerpt from this title, or visit your favorite e-book retailer!

  Despite outward appearances, life was not a fairytale for gospel singer Donna Dubois. Struggling with depression, loneliness, and uncertainty in her marriage, she reluctantly agrees to go on a holiday missionary trip to the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky.

  During her stay, she is assigned to live with the widow Sara Cagle. Taking notice of Sara’s perseverance, Donna soon begins to relax and actually enjoy herself.

  When misfortune strikes Sara, Donna is forced to reexamine her life, her marriage, and most importantly, her faith. Taking over for Sara, Donna soon discovers the one thing she had been missing all her life—The Christmas Answer.

  The Christmas Answer is an inspirational story that will make you realize that God’s plan is always laid out, even when you seem distant from him.

  Visit https://www.prismbookgroup.com to read an excerpt from this title, or visit your favorite e-book retailer!

  Can a rejected wife conquer self-doubt, trap a criminal, and win love? A patron saint might help...

  Thirty-something Joan Nelson has more to contend with than a biological clock or an identity crisis. Despite her ardent belief in a conventional marriage, she finds herself deserted for a younger, slimmer woman. Lacking any skills or education, she's thrust unprepared into the nightmare challenge of making a living for the first time in her sheltered existence.

  A job as a receptionist in a law firm is the first rung on the ladder to her independence. Yet the taste of success sours when Joan considers the emptiness of her personal life. How can she reconstruct her damaged life and heal her bruised ego? Ill-equipped for the singles scene, she embarks on a confusing, sometimes frightening, new lifestyle.

  When Joan stumbles on a crime perpetuated by a charming cad, she must defy her boss, jeopardize her newly won stability, and reject her friends. Her namesake, Joan of Arc, provides a model of courage and insight. If she risks danger and uncertainty, will she discover that independence and adulthood can be both enjoyable and fulfilling? Does optimism beat pessimism? Who would have dreamed her final victory could solve a childhood puzzle while it brings her true love?  

  Visit https://www.prismbookgroup.com to read an excerpt from this title, or visit your favorite e-book retailer!

  A game designer in NYC, Grace wakes up one morning to discover she has lost her job and her roommate is pregnant. Determined to solve both problems, she searches for jobs online and sets up an ad to find a daddy for the child. How hard could it be in a city of eight million people? She soon learns it is both risky and dangerous. She wonders if Russell, who lives downstairs, is a safer bet, but why is he always stalking her? And why is it that the only one who will listen to her is her roommate’s turtle?

   Russell, an IT r
epairman, is going to be the best man for a wedding in Minnesota. He needs a date, but the woman on his arm must be the Perfect Woman. According to his list of specifications, Grace will fit the bill—until he finds a pregnancy test kit box in the garbage. Deciding she’s only a little bit pregnant, he offers her a business deal, an all expenses paid trip to Minnesota with no strings attached. But when Grace insists on bringing her roommate along, Russell is in for a surprise.

  Coming soon from https://www.prismbookgroup.com!