Last months interviews were so fun, they decided to let me come back in March! Call me Aine this time around…
Before we begin, I must remind everyone of the Moonlight Mistresses boring rule to please try and keep your responses to a PG13 atmosphere – *eye roll*. However, they haven’t seemed to care about double entendres, so let them fly!
My guests today are, Marc Weller, Tony Estabon and Serena Dammler– please, have a seat on our lovely couch! – from The End of the Road Haven Ranch in Grays Prairie, Texas. Their tale can be found in Catch Her When She Falls a novel creation by Missy Martine. It’s the sequel to her best selling novel, Table for Three.
*Settling comfortably onto the sofa, *
You three make a fine looking triad! I did a wonderful job pairing you three up if I do say so myself! Then, I just love all of my matches!
Aine: Most everyone knows how you two met up with Serena, but not many of us know how the two of you got together. Please, Tony, tell our readers how you first met Marc. Was it by your design, or his?
[Tony]: I guess you could probably say it was the US Government’s design. Marc and I went through training together at Quantico about seven years ago.
Aine: Marc, would you say it was love at first sight or did you find him repulsive?
[Marc]: (laughing) I don’t think it was love at first sight, but I definitely didn’t find him repulsive.
(Tony): Tell the lady the truth now, you were horrified when you met me.
(Marc): I wouldn’t say horrified, cowboy. I just wasn’t expecting to meet up with anyone like you.
(Tony): When I met Marc he was as straight as arrow. I don’t think he’d ever even considered being with another man in a romantic way.
(Marc): (Chuckling) I can’t deny that. I was feeling things I never thought I’d feel for anybody, much less a man, from the first day we were introduced.
Aine: Since chaotic happenstance tends to put characters like yourselves in situations where they must work together or live together for one reason or another, tell us what chaotic happenstance “forced” the two of you to work or live together. How did you both feel about this?
[Marc]: They put us as roommates and I was a goner. Hell, he ran around naked half the time trying to tempt me.
(Serena): What made you think he was trying to tempt you?
(Marc): Little things, or not so little things. He’d give me that look he has, you know the one.
(Serena): Oh, yeah, that come on, let’s get busy right now look.
(Marc): Exactly! Combine that with a naked, aroused body and what’s a guy to do?
(Tony): Apparently, nothing. As I recall you managed to avoid my looks and come-ons for several months.
Aine: [Tony], would you say that your relationship developed easily or would you say there was some reluctance?
[Tony]: (Laughing) Oh, there was plenty of reluctance. He went out of his way to prove his masculinity and sexual preferences that first month.
(Marc): (Frowning) I did no such thing.
(Tony): You most certainly did. There were 7 women in the class with us and he nailed six of them in the first four weeks. If that’s not trying to prove your masculinity I don’t know what you’d call it.
(Marc): I was merely sowing my wild oats!
(Tony): (snorted) Right, just call him Farmer Marc!
Aine: How long did it take you to know your true feelings for the other? At what point did you know, “this is the one”?
[Tony]: I think I knew from the beginning I didn’t want to be with anyone else. There was just something about him that made me want to cuddle him up and hide him away from all the hurt and ugliness in the world.
(Marc): Okay, I admit, I took a little longer to know my heart. We’d been training for a couple of months when they sent us overseas. We were going to take part in a series of field exercises in the dessert. One of the instructors there showed inappropriate interest in Tony.
(Tony): Inappropriate interest! What are you talking about? He was totally professional at all times.
(Marc): Yeah? Well then tell me, what was he trying to teach you that night behind the mess? Some kind of mouth-to-mouth espionage?
(Tony): (Grimaced) You saw that, huh? Well, if you did then you saw me push him away.
(Marc): (Grinning) Yeah, I saw everything. But that’s what made me realize that I didn’t want anybody else’s hands on you but mine.
(Serena): I better be the exception.
(Marc): Always, Sunshine! I feel the same way about you. I don’t want anybody else laying hands on you either.
Aine: [Tony], what would you say was your biggest obstacle to overcome before you could settle into a relationship with Marc?
[Tony]: Definitely our work with the DEA. They have a no-tolerance policy toward discrimination, but that doesn’t mean it’s always safe to flaunt alternative lifestyles. If we’d let our relationship become public knowledge they wouldn’t have let us work together and that’s something neither one of us wanted.
(Serena): You never told me why the two of you left the DEA.
(Tony): We were on a mission in New Mexico when our cover was blown. To this day we still don’t know how the turned us. Anyway, things got ugly and a firefight broke out when we escaped. Marc took two rounds in his right leg that shattered bones. It pretty much took him out of the spy business permanently.
(Marc): Tony told me he didn’t want to continue working for the government if I couldn’t be with him so he resigned when the kicked me out on a medical discharge. He took care of me all through re-hab and then we bought the ranch a few years later.
(Tony): And then, we had the good fortune to meet up with Rena.
(Serena): (Frowning) My name is Serena and I wish you’d lose the nickname.
Aine: This is for any of you. Would you like to thank anyone – other than me, of course – for getting you three together?
[Marc]: I guess I could thank Hector Raviroz.
(Serena): Who’s that?
(Tony): You are really crazy, cowboy. Raviroz is the one who shot him.
(Marc): Well, if he hadn’t shot me, we might still be running cases for the Feds. His bullet led straight to us playing house.
(Serena): Then I guess I’d have to thank Eric Abernathy. If he hadn’t beat the crap out of me I’d never have met the two of you.
(Tony): We went to Oregon as a favor to John Millerson. He was Eric’s parole officer and wanted us to find him and bring him back to Texas. Instead, we found Rena and brought her back.
(Marc): We definitely got the better end of that deal.
Aine: I know our readers have enjoyed learning about you three so far, but I’m getting a little bored, so I’m going to heat things up. Serena, how would you end this sentence, "I wish Tony and Mark would _____?" *leans forward to eagerly hear your response*
[Serena]: Leave the door open when they take a shower together and let me watch them sometimes. I think that would be totally hot.
(Tony): Princess, all you had to do was ask. I’ll pull you up a chair for a front row seat next time.
Aine: [Marc], would you prefer to give [Serena] a bubble bath or a back massage? Why?
[Marc]: That’s a no-brainer. I’d give a back massage over a bubble bath any day. Just thinking about my oiled up hands sliding all over that silky skin, up and down her curves, makes it hard to sit still in this chair.
Aine: How many of you remember that old show, The Newlywed Game? Well, these next questions are going to help us play a similar game. Let’s see how well you two know each other. [Tony], what would [Serena] say is your aphrodisiac? *waggles eyebrows*
[Tony]: She has to know that licking me behind the ear turns me on faster than anything else.
Aine: [Serena], did he correctly guess your answer? How would you have answered that question?
[Serena]: Truthfully, I was going to say slow dancing in a candlelit room. That always seems to get his motor running.
(Marc): They’re both full of it. Rena’s turned on by slow dancing in the dark, almost uncontrollably. As for Tony, what really gets him going is to watch me with Rena. He’s a bit of a voyeur, and the longer he watches the hotter he gets. Now me, I happen to be turned on by touch. A simple foot or shoulder rub has me acting like a cave man.
Aine: [Wow, I’m getting excited just listening to you.]*sits back in his chair* [Serena], what would [Tony] say is a spot guaranteed to drive you crazy with passion? Is he correct in that assumption?
[Serena]: He thinks my neck and breasts are the best places to caress and kiss me to turn me on. (leans closer) He’s wrong, though. The base of my spine, in the middle of my back, right above my tail bone should be his target. Sometimes he licks, or caresses me there and I go from Idle to Full Throttle in a matter of seconds.
(Tony): I think I’m going to just let this one go and agree with her. My mamma didn’t raise no fool and sometimes it doesn’t pay to disagree.
Aine: Wise answer! *readjusts his position in the chair* It’s time to cool things off just a tad. Serena, as far as you know, what is Marc & Tony’s idea of a perfect date?
[Serena]: Packing a picnic that includes chicken, éclairs, and a bottle of bubbly water. Then, they saddle up the horses and we take this feast out toward the swimming hole and spend the afternoon lounging, taking short walks and making love on an old, soft blanket.
Aine: Guys, is she correct? If not, what is your idea of a perfect date?
[Tony]: I think she pretty much nailed it. We’ve spent some pretty good times out by the stream.
(Marc): You’ll get no arguments from me.
Aine: Marc, your turn in the hot seat. What is Serena’s idea of a perfect date?
[Marc]: That’s easy. She likes to get all gussied up and have us take her to the La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant in Gun Barrell. There’s nothing that woman likes better than Mexican food. Then, she’ll want to head over to the Rancher’s Club to listen to their live music. She hates line dancing so she makes us slow dance to all the songs.
Aine: Serena, is he correct? If not, what is your idea of a perfect date?
[Serena]: He’s mostly correct. If we could find a place that had music from the 70’s I’d be in seventh heaven.
Aine: In your adventures, journeys or travels, have the three of you had the chance to have the “perfect date,” or the closest you could get to one? Where did you go and what did you do?
[Tony]: For the three of us it was the day we taught Rena how to ride. We’d picked up a basket of food from Millie’s Café and drove her out to the swimming hole. We had a couple of our hands saddle the horses and leave them out there so it could be a surprise.
As for Marc and I, it was quite a bit different. After we left the DEA we took a vacation before settling here in the states. Our most memorable romantic date was in Paris. We’d walked along the Seine and took a boatload of pictures of Notre Dame, when we came across this little café. We stopped and ordered a bottle of wine and some sandwiches and while we were there this street artist came by and sketched us. He was so good you could see the desire in our eyes right there in his drawing. It was the first night we used the “L” word.
[Serena]:You guys never told me that story. They have that picture framed and hanging in our bedroom.
Aine: You guys are going to have to have another drawing done with the three of you because I can see the love shining in all your eyes. ] I want to switch gears just a bit. March has close connections to Ireland, and as many of us acknowledge, Ireland is steeped in myths and mysticism, as are many Native American tribal beliefs. Do any of you believe in this type of mysticism? Have you had any experiences that helped you develop these beliefs?
[Serena]: No, I don’t believe in mystic things and I’ve certainly never had anything in my life happen to change my mind. I used to pray as a child for my mother to find some way to get in touch with me after she died but of course those prayers were always in vain.
[Tony]: I’ve always believed in Native American myths. I have a series of tribal tattoos on my back that I got after experiencing my first Spirit Walk. A couple of years before I joined the DEA I lived in New Mexico. A good friend of mine was a full blooded Pueblo chieftain. He set me up to do a Spirit Walk. He had me fast for two days, and then put me in a buffalo skin tent with a small fire inside. He burned some type of powder that caused a silky type smoke that I inhaled leaving me kind of lethargic and susceptible to my innermost thoughts. During that time I had all kinds of dreams including the one that led me to the DEA and my future with Marc.
(Marc): What a load of hogwash! I don’t believe in anything mystic, but I do believe he probably had you smoking a little weed there, big guy.
Aine: I guess one man’s weed is another man’s vision. Do you believe in fate and destiny or are most things just a happenstance of coincidence? Why do you feel the way you do?
[Serena]: I think we all just live as victims of coincidence. I don’t believe it was fate that brought the three of us together, and I can’t believe it was fate that let Eric take out his frustrations on me.
[Marc]: I’d have to agree with Serena. Fate is pretty mystical and I don’t believe that our destinies are pre-determined and that nothing we do can change what fate has decreed for us.
(Tony): I’d have to disagree. I believe we’re all fated for certain things but I also think that we can help shape and guide our own destinies. I think we were fated to meet up with Serena, one way or another. We pushed the envelope, so to speak, by deciding to take on the bounty hunting job and by bringing her home with us.
Aine: Sounds like an argument for another time. .Where do the three of you see yourselves in 5 years?
[Tony]: Relaxing on our ranch with a bunch of little cowboys and cowgirls running around.
[Marc]: Yeah, that sounds about right. We need at least four little cowpokes to make a decent size family.
(Serena) Okay, I see myself as exhausted. (laughing) But it’s a happy exhaustion. I see us settled, with family and friends coming to visit and a big family to love.
Aine: I’m sorry folks, but that’s all the time we have for today. Thanks to Serena, Marc and Tony for joining us today and giving us some great answers. We hope you’ll check out their story, Catch Her When She Falls.
To learn more about their author, Missy Martine, visit: http://www.missymartine.com/
Before we begin, I must remind everyone of the Moonlight Mistresses boring rule to please try and keep your responses to a PG13 atmosphere – *eye roll*. However, they haven’t seemed to care about double entendres, so let them fly!
My guests today are, Marc Weller, Tony Estabon and Serena Dammler– please, have a seat on our lovely couch! – from The End of the Road Haven Ranch in Grays Prairie, Texas. Their tale can be found in Catch Her When She Falls a novel creation by Missy Martine. It’s the sequel to her best selling novel, Table for Three.
*Settling comfortably onto the sofa, *
You three make a fine looking triad! I did a wonderful job pairing you three up if I do say so myself! Then, I just love all of my matches!
Aine: Most everyone knows how you two met up with Serena, but not many of us know how the two of you got together. Please, Tony, tell our readers how you first met Marc. Was it by your design, or his?
[Tony]: I guess you could probably say it was the US Government’s design. Marc and I went through training together at Quantico about seven years ago.
Aine: Marc, would you say it was love at first sight or did you find him repulsive?
[Marc]: (laughing) I don’t think it was love at first sight, but I definitely didn’t find him repulsive.
(Tony): Tell the lady the truth now, you were horrified when you met me.
(Marc): I wouldn’t say horrified, cowboy. I just wasn’t expecting to meet up with anyone like you.
(Tony): When I met Marc he was as straight as arrow. I don’t think he’d ever even considered being with another man in a romantic way.
(Marc): (Chuckling) I can’t deny that. I was feeling things I never thought I’d feel for anybody, much less a man, from the first day we were introduced.
Aine: Since chaotic happenstance tends to put characters like yourselves in situations where they must work together or live together for one reason or another, tell us what chaotic happenstance “forced” the two of you to work or live together. How did you both feel about this?
[Marc]: They put us as roommates and I was a goner. Hell, he ran around naked half the time trying to tempt me.
(Serena): What made you think he was trying to tempt you?
(Marc): Little things, or not so little things. He’d give me that look he has, you know the one.
(Serena): Oh, yeah, that come on, let’s get busy right now look.
(Marc): Exactly! Combine that with a naked, aroused body and what’s a guy to do?
(Tony): Apparently, nothing. As I recall you managed to avoid my looks and come-ons for several months.
Aine: [Tony], would you say that your relationship developed easily or would you say there was some reluctance?
[Tony]: (Laughing) Oh, there was plenty of reluctance. He went out of his way to prove his masculinity and sexual preferences that first month.
(Marc): (Frowning) I did no such thing.
(Tony): You most certainly did. There were 7 women in the class with us and he nailed six of them in the first four weeks. If that’s not trying to prove your masculinity I don’t know what you’d call it.
(Marc): I was merely sowing my wild oats!
(Tony): (snorted) Right, just call him Farmer Marc!
Aine: How long did it take you to know your true feelings for the other? At what point did you know, “this is the one”?
[Tony]: I think I knew from the beginning I didn’t want to be with anyone else. There was just something about him that made me want to cuddle him up and hide him away from all the hurt and ugliness in the world.
(Marc): Okay, I admit, I took a little longer to know my heart. We’d been training for a couple of months when they sent us overseas. We were going to take part in a series of field exercises in the dessert. One of the instructors there showed inappropriate interest in Tony.
(Tony): Inappropriate interest! What are you talking about? He was totally professional at all times.
(Marc): Yeah? Well then tell me, what was he trying to teach you that night behind the mess? Some kind of mouth-to-mouth espionage?
(Tony): (Grimaced) You saw that, huh? Well, if you did then you saw me push him away.
(Marc): (Grinning) Yeah, I saw everything. But that’s what made me realize that I didn’t want anybody else’s hands on you but mine.
(Serena): I better be the exception.
(Marc): Always, Sunshine! I feel the same way about you. I don’t want anybody else laying hands on you either.
Aine: [Tony], what would you say was your biggest obstacle to overcome before you could settle into a relationship with Marc?
[Tony]: Definitely our work with the DEA. They have a no-tolerance policy toward discrimination, but that doesn’t mean it’s always safe to flaunt alternative lifestyles. If we’d let our relationship become public knowledge they wouldn’t have let us work together and that’s something neither one of us wanted.
(Serena): You never told me why the two of you left the DEA.
(Tony): We were on a mission in New Mexico when our cover was blown. To this day we still don’t know how the turned us. Anyway, things got ugly and a firefight broke out when we escaped. Marc took two rounds in his right leg that shattered bones. It pretty much took him out of the spy business permanently.
(Marc): Tony told me he didn’t want to continue working for the government if I couldn’t be with him so he resigned when the kicked me out on a medical discharge. He took care of me all through re-hab and then we bought the ranch a few years later.
(Tony): And then, we had the good fortune to meet up with Rena.
(Serena): (Frowning) My name is Serena and I wish you’d lose the nickname.
Aine: This is for any of you. Would you like to thank anyone – other than me, of course – for getting you three together?
[Marc]: I guess I could thank Hector Raviroz.
(Serena): Who’s that?
(Tony): You are really crazy, cowboy. Raviroz is the one who shot him.
(Marc): Well, if he hadn’t shot me, we might still be running cases for the Feds. His bullet led straight to us playing house.
(Serena): Then I guess I’d have to thank Eric Abernathy. If he hadn’t beat the crap out of me I’d never have met the two of you.
(Tony): We went to Oregon as a favor to John Millerson. He was Eric’s parole officer and wanted us to find him and bring him back to Texas. Instead, we found Rena and brought her back.
(Marc): We definitely got the better end of that deal.
Aine: I know our readers have enjoyed learning about you three so far, but I’m getting a little bored, so I’m going to heat things up. Serena, how would you end this sentence, "I wish Tony and Mark would _____?" *leans forward to eagerly hear your response*
[Serena]: Leave the door open when they take a shower together and let me watch them sometimes. I think that would be totally hot.
(Tony): Princess, all you had to do was ask. I’ll pull you up a chair for a front row seat next time.
Aine: [Marc], would you prefer to give [Serena] a bubble bath or a back massage? Why?
[Marc]: That’s a no-brainer. I’d give a back massage over a bubble bath any day. Just thinking about my oiled up hands sliding all over that silky skin, up and down her curves, makes it hard to sit still in this chair.
Aine: How many of you remember that old show, The Newlywed Game? Well, these next questions are going to help us play a similar game. Let’s see how well you two know each other. [Tony], what would [Serena] say is your aphrodisiac? *waggles eyebrows*
[Tony]: She has to know that licking me behind the ear turns me on faster than anything else.
Aine: [Serena], did he correctly guess your answer? How would you have answered that question?
[Serena]: Truthfully, I was going to say slow dancing in a candlelit room. That always seems to get his motor running.
(Marc): They’re both full of it. Rena’s turned on by slow dancing in the dark, almost uncontrollably. As for Tony, what really gets him going is to watch me with Rena. He’s a bit of a voyeur, and the longer he watches the hotter he gets. Now me, I happen to be turned on by touch. A simple foot or shoulder rub has me acting like a cave man.
Aine: [Wow, I’m getting excited just listening to you.]*sits back in his chair* [Serena], what would [Tony] say is a spot guaranteed to drive you crazy with passion? Is he correct in that assumption?
[Serena]: He thinks my neck and breasts are the best places to caress and kiss me to turn me on. (leans closer) He’s wrong, though. The base of my spine, in the middle of my back, right above my tail bone should be his target. Sometimes he licks, or caresses me there and I go from Idle to Full Throttle in a matter of seconds.
(Tony): I think I’m going to just let this one go and agree with her. My mamma didn’t raise no fool and sometimes it doesn’t pay to disagree.
Aine: Wise answer! *readjusts his position in the chair* It’s time to cool things off just a tad. Serena, as far as you know, what is Marc & Tony’s idea of a perfect date?
[Serena]: Packing a picnic that includes chicken, éclairs, and a bottle of bubbly water. Then, they saddle up the horses and we take this feast out toward the swimming hole and spend the afternoon lounging, taking short walks and making love on an old, soft blanket.
Aine: Guys, is she correct? If not, what is your idea of a perfect date?
[Tony]: I think she pretty much nailed it. We’ve spent some pretty good times out by the stream.
(Marc): You’ll get no arguments from me.
Aine: Marc, your turn in the hot seat. What is Serena’s idea of a perfect date?
[Marc]: That’s easy. She likes to get all gussied up and have us take her to the La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant in Gun Barrell. There’s nothing that woman likes better than Mexican food. Then, she’ll want to head over to the Rancher’s Club to listen to their live music. She hates line dancing so she makes us slow dance to all the songs.
Aine: Serena, is he correct? If not, what is your idea of a perfect date?
[Serena]: He’s mostly correct. If we could find a place that had music from the 70’s I’d be in seventh heaven.
Aine: In your adventures, journeys or travels, have the three of you had the chance to have the “perfect date,” or the closest you could get to one? Where did you go and what did you do?
[Tony]: For the three of us it was the day we taught Rena how to ride. We’d picked up a basket of food from Millie’s Café and drove her out to the swimming hole. We had a couple of our hands saddle the horses and leave them out there so it could be a surprise.
As for Marc and I, it was quite a bit different. After we left the DEA we took a vacation before settling here in the states. Our most memorable romantic date was in Paris. We’d walked along the Seine and took a boatload of pictures of Notre Dame, when we came across this little café. We stopped and ordered a bottle of wine and some sandwiches and while we were there this street artist came by and sketched us. He was so good you could see the desire in our eyes right there in his drawing. It was the first night we used the “L” word.
[Serena]:You guys never told me that story. They have that picture framed and hanging in our bedroom.
Aine: You guys are going to have to have another drawing done with the three of you because I can see the love shining in all your eyes. ] I want to switch gears just a bit. March has close connections to Ireland, and as many of us acknowledge, Ireland is steeped in myths and mysticism, as are many Native American tribal beliefs. Do any of you believe in this type of mysticism? Have you had any experiences that helped you develop these beliefs?
[Serena]: No, I don’t believe in mystic things and I’ve certainly never had anything in my life happen to change my mind. I used to pray as a child for my mother to find some way to get in touch with me after she died but of course those prayers were always in vain.
[Tony]: I’ve always believed in Native American myths. I have a series of tribal tattoos on my back that I got after experiencing my first Spirit Walk. A couple of years before I joined the DEA I lived in New Mexico. A good friend of mine was a full blooded Pueblo chieftain. He set me up to do a Spirit Walk. He had me fast for two days, and then put me in a buffalo skin tent with a small fire inside. He burned some type of powder that caused a silky type smoke that I inhaled leaving me kind of lethargic and susceptible to my innermost thoughts. During that time I had all kinds of dreams including the one that led me to the DEA and my future with Marc.
(Marc): What a load of hogwash! I don’t believe in anything mystic, but I do believe he probably had you smoking a little weed there, big guy.
Aine: I guess one man’s weed is another man’s vision. Do you believe in fate and destiny or are most things just a happenstance of coincidence? Why do you feel the way you do?
[Serena]: I think we all just live as victims of coincidence. I don’t believe it was fate that brought the three of us together, and I can’t believe it was fate that let Eric take out his frustrations on me.
[Marc]: I’d have to agree with Serena. Fate is pretty mystical and I don’t believe that our destinies are pre-determined and that nothing we do can change what fate has decreed for us.
(Tony): I’d have to disagree. I believe we’re all fated for certain things but I also think that we can help shape and guide our own destinies. I think we were fated to meet up with Serena, one way or another. We pushed the envelope, so to speak, by deciding to take on the bounty hunting job and by bringing her home with us.
Aine: Sounds like an argument for another time. .Where do the three of you see yourselves in 5 years?
[Tony]: Relaxing on our ranch with a bunch of little cowboys and cowgirls running around.
[Marc]: Yeah, that sounds about right. We need at least four little cowpokes to make a decent size family.
(Serena) Okay, I see myself as exhausted. (laughing) But it’s a happy exhaustion. I see us settled, with family and friends coming to visit and a big family to love.
Aine: I’m sorry folks, but that’s all the time we have for today. Thanks to Serena, Marc and Tony for joining us today and giving us some great answers. We hope you’ll check out their story, Catch Her When She Falls.
To learn more about their author, Missy Martine, visit: http://www.missymartine.com/
Blurb:
Serena Dammler is recovering from a savage beating and needs protection. Cowboys and lovers Marc Weller and Tony Estabon are taking jobs as bounty-hunters, and their newest assignment is to capture her attacker and return him to Texas. They take one look at Serena’s fragile beauty and decide she’d be the perfect third to their family.
Serena’s always dreamed of catching herself a rich man, and she’d do just about anything to make that dream come true. She’s not going to allow herself to fall in love with her two cowboy protectors, no matter how sexy they are.
Marc and Tony want Serena as their third, but they want her love to be real and not based on their bank accounts. So what will it hurt if they take her to a little cabin on their ranch and pretend to be simple cowboys?
Excerpt:
“What room is Serena Dammler in?” Marc smiled at the elderly woman sitting at the information desk in the lobby of Pioneer Hospital. His fingers drummed impatiently on the counter while she pulled up the information on her computer.
“She’s on the second floor, room two twenty-one.” She pointed down the hall. “The elevators are down there on the left.”
“Thank you,” he mumbled and motioned for Tony to follow him. Silently, they entered the elevator and punched the button for the second floor. “After we talk to Ms. Dammler, we should drive by the sheriff’s office. We don’t wanna be busting heads with the local fuzz.”
Tony grunted, but didn’t say anything. The doors opened and together the two men walked over to the nurse’s desk and looked around. Marc didn’t see anybody at first, and then voices drifted out from a small room behind the desk.
“Dr. Farin’s not happy about having her admitted to his service. I think he avoids making rounds on her whenever he can.”
“Well, what do you expect?” The unknown female snorted. “It’s hard to feel sorry for somebody that finally got what they deserved.”
“You really believe Serena deserved to get beaten up? I went to school with her, and she’s not so bad.”
“That’s your opinion, but I guarantee the rest of the women in this town don’t feel the same. I still remember when Randy fell all over himself fixing her car last year. For free, no less. She came around the shop in her skimpy clothes, practically drooling all over him.”
“Do you think he slept with her?”
“He always claimed I was imagining things, but I never really believed him. Hell, Joseph told us all about the things she was into.”
Marc had heard enough. “Excuse me,” he called out loudly. He waited for one of the women to stick her head out of the room.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there.” An attractive blond woman dressed in pink scrubs walked over to the counter, followed closely by a brunette who could have passed for her twin. Both women were young and had badges on their uniforms identifying them as Evie and Alice.
Tony leaned close to Marc’s ear and whispered. “Stepford nurses.”
Camouflaging his snort with a cough, Marc pulled out his notebook and wrote down the names of the two nurses. “Which way is room two twenty-one?”
The women glanced briefly at each other and then the blonde spoke up, nodding toward the end of the hall. “It’s the next to the last room down there on the right.”
The brunette smirked. “Are you friends of the patient?”
The emphasis on the word friends wasn’t lost on Marc. He narrowed his eyes and put his notebook aside. “No, we’ve never met the lady. Let me ask you something, Alice. Have you and Evie ever heard of HIPPA laws?”
Alice hunched her shoulders and looked down at her feet. “Of course we have. Why do you ask?”
“Because you’ve violated patient confidentiality about a dozen times since we’ve been standing here.” Without another word, Marc walked away with Tony following close behind.
Just as they reached the end of the hall, the door to room two twenty-one opened, and a tall man wearing a law-enforcement uniform stepped out. His name plaque identified him as Sheriff Burtram. Marc stopped and eyed the man critically. “Sheriff Burtram, I’m Marc Weller, and this is my partner Tony Estabon. We were sent by the Houston PD to track and retrieve one Eric Abernathy. I understand he had an altercation with one of your citizens Friday evening.”
Sheriff Burtram glanced from Marc to Tony and back again. “According to Serena’s statement, she practically invited him up here and then refused to give him the information he wanted when he showed up.” He chuckled. “Understandably, he was a mite pissed off after coming all this way.”
Marc gritted his teeth, struggling to control his temper. “Sheriff, you do realize that Eric Abernathy is a convicted felon now presently guilty of parole violation as well as wanted for a new list of charges?”
“Yeah, I know all about the boy’s background. His conviction was for malicious mischief. That hardly qualifies him for leg irons.”
“The man beat a woman severely enough for her to be hospitalized,” Tony said with a growl.
“Yes, I know the details. He had a little tiff with his wife, and he paid the ultimate price. Doesn’t make him a habitual criminal.”
“Except that now he’s gone and put another woman in the hospital. Most folks in law enforcement would call him a serial offender.” Marc couldn’t believe the attitude of the man.
“Well, son, let’s not forget that this little lady invited him to the party. She had an agenda all her own and tried to get him to do her dirty work for her. This time, things just happened to go wrong.”
“Sheriff, have you got your men out looking for Eric?” Marc asked.
“Yes, they’ve been given a description and told to keep their eyes open. But, I’ll tell you the same thing I told Cass. That boy’s long gone by now. He skedaddled out of there as soon as he heard my sirens, and he’s probably still running as fast as he can.” He crossed his arms across his chest. “Are you planning on going in to talk to Serena?”
“Yes, we need to get her statement before we do anything else. Unless there’s some reason you don’t want us talking to her.” Marc just wanted to wipe the smug smile off the asshole’s face.
“No, not at all. You go right ahead, but you best be careful. Serena will be all over you two like white on rice. She’s partial to young, handsome men.” Laughing, he walked away.
Tony sighed deeply. “Let’s get this over with so we can get the hell out of here.”
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Blurb for Fearless Love (Immortal Love, #2):
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