Happy May! I’m working on winter material at the moment (Rhythm, Smoke, Inc.), so every once in a while I go out to the garden to enjoy the now. Adding to my time confusion, when I’m not writing, I’m back in 1884, visiting the Old West. I’m editing the eight books in the Eclipse Heat series that will be re-released, or published for the first time, during the summer and early fall. Tupelo Gold, Hamilton and Comfort Quince’s story, comes out May 3rd. For today’s Eclipse snippet, I’m moving on to Five Card Stud, Sam and Eden McCallister’s story, scheduled out May 24th but maybe sooner since it’s ready now.
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Five Card Stud: Chapter One: First Lines:
After weeks of sober silence on the trail, the drunken laughter and raucous voices inside the saloon suited Sam McCallister just fine. It had been a long hunt, the McCallisters had brought in a string of outlaws, and judging by the sound of hammering coming from outside the Lucky Deal, the gallows was already under construction.
Sam chugged his beer, using the mirror over the bar to scan the room behind him for trouble. When he saw the lady gambler at the poker table, he forgot to swallow and frothy liquid spilled down his chin like drool.
“Who’s the woman?” he asked, wiping off the beer.
“That’d be Eden Pace,” the bartender answered and grinned. “She’s in the process of separating every man in the poker game from his week’s pay. You gonna see if you can best her?”
Five Card Stud © Gem Sivad 2016
Sam McCallister enjoys looking at Eden Pace across a poker table. She has to be the prettiest woman he’s ever seen, smart too, and the best card sharp he’s ever likely to meet. He has no doubt the lady gambler thinks she’ll win in their game of five card stud. He’s got a hole card that says she won’t–a Wanted for Murder poster with Eden’s picture on it.
Eden’s doing her own outlaw hunting. She’s on the trail of the man who killed her husband. Though she’d like to forget the past and let Sam McCallister give her a future, she won’t do it. She’ll bring her husband’s murderer to justice or die trying. When Sam gets in the way of her goal, she uses seduction to free herself. But the hard-headed bounty hunter keeps dogging her steps, blurring the line between pursuer and protector.
Eden’s got more trouble than Sam chasing her. She’s using herself as bait to unmask a master criminal. The monster knows who she is, and he wants her dead. But Sam’s not about to lose the woman he loves. He’s pushing all the limits in their high stakes game. With hearts on the table and death on the line, nothing is certain until the last card’s played.
Five Card Stud Available @ Amazon 99¢ Pre-Buy Now
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I look forward to reading this! Good snippet, Gem!
Oooh — I like this. Can’t wait to read more!
Nice! The lady’s a gambler, and she’s a good one. I like that about her.
Interesting woman. I’m sure she is going to cause him a lot of trouble.
Great imagery in these lines, Gem. I watched it as I read.
If he’s got any sense he’ll let her win at cards and beat her at something more interesting. LOL
Great descriptions … and I like the title! Look forward to reading more.
Wonderful beginning.
Fun description of spilling beer!
Hehe, and she’ll do it, too. Great snippet, Gem. I enjoyed this story and I’m so glad you got the rights back to it. 🙂
Great opening and the story sounds terrific!
How can he resist a challenge like that LOL? Loved the vividness of the scene, right down to the hammering going on outside. Great snippet!
Fantastic start to this story. I love Westerns!
Ooh, this sounds great! Can’t wait to see what happens when they meet. 🙂
So, which of the two will be better at stud? Interesting question.
😉
Another beauty of a snippet. Drool down his , Gem, Love your writing-really.
Some you win and some you lose… But I doubt this encounter will be the end of their competition!
Love the image of the beer running down his chin like drool. (If she has that effect on all men it’s no wonder she’s winning at poker!)
This scene was set up so well. I loved the introduction to Eden; it’s interesting what other characters think of her and it gives us all the insight we need in the scene to be drawn to her. Great job! Can’t wait for next week’s snippet.
That first paragraph is perfect. It totally sets the tone and fixes a time and place in the reader’s mind right off the bat.
Great start! A really strong, clear voice, tension and humour. Fantastic! Look forward to reading more…