Title: Between a Wolf and a Hard Place
Author: Terry
Spear
Series:
Silver Town Wolf, #7
ISBN: 9781492645115
Pubdate:
April 4, 2017
Genre: Paranormal
In Silver Town, the secrets
run deep…
Alpha
werewolf Brett Silver has an ulterior motive when he donates a prized family
heirloom to the Silver Town hotel. Ellie MacTire owns the place with her
sisters, and he’s out to get her attention.
Ellie
is even more special than Brett knows. She’s a wolf-shifter with a unique
ability to commune with the dead. Ellie has been ostracized, so she protects
herself and those she loves by revealing nothing—not even when strange and
dangerous things begin to happen in Silver Town. And especially not to the devastatingly
handsome and generous wolf who’s determined to win her over…
USA Today bestselling author TERRY SPEAR has written over 35 paranormal romances featuring
werewolf and jaguar shapeshifters. In 2008, Heart of the Wolf was named
a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. A retired officer of the U.S.
Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found
homes all over the world. She lives in Spring, Texas.
Available at:
Excerpt
A SIGN YOU MIGHT BE A SHIFTER
If when you yank off your clothes—and shift! (Surprise!)
When Brett and CJ arrived at the inn, they got out to help
guide the piano movers. Laurel met CJ outside, giving him a big hug and kiss.
Brett sighed. He’d love it if he and Ellie got to that point in their
relationship—and soon. They’d both been busy lately, she with the inn and he
with reporting about Victorian Day festivities. So he hadn’t seen her as much
as he would have liked.
As soon as they went inside, he saw Ellie showing the movers
where she thought the piano should go, while Meghan insisted it should be more
to the right of the stairs.
Then Ellie caught his eye and smiled, and he felt his whole
outlook brighten. She was the darkest-haired redhead of the bunch, her long,
curly hair auburn in color, and to him, sexier and more mysterious. He wanted
to ask her out tonight. He could cook, though he’d do better grilling outside.
She turned her attention to the piano again, frowning. And
Meghan was frowning too.
Poor movers. Brett thought the two ladies would have the men
relocate the piano all over the lobby before settling on the perfect place for
it. Instead, Ellie suddenly looked pale and said it was fine where it was.
Meghan quickly nodded, looking just as ashen.
CJ and Eric readjusted the burgundy, brocade-covered bench
in front of the piano, which made Brett remember he needed to box up all the
sheet music and books and bring them over. He’d taken them out of the bench
when he had its seat cushion reupholstered last year, and they were still
sitting in a box in the spare bedroom.
Brett paid the movers and they cleared out.
“Got to get back to work,” Eric said, giving Brett a knowing
look. “Late shift working as a park ranger tonight.”
“Yeah, I’ve got to get back to the business of sheriffing.”
CJ smiled at Ellie. “Can you drop me off at the station, Eric?”
“Sure thing,” their eldest brother said.
Sarandon was admiring the piano, arms folded across his chest,
when he realized his brothers were leaving and snapped out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, I’ve got to get back to work too.”
Brett knew Sarandon didn’t have a guide job in the park
tonight, so he was glad Sarandon was vacating the premises pronto, taking his
brothers’ cues. Now if only Ellie’s sisters would leave the two of them alone.
Laurel took Meghan’s arm and hauled her toward the back
door. “Let’s go fix supper, why don’t we?”
“For two, three, or four of us?” Meghan asked with a smile
in her voice as they disappeared outside.
Brett didn’t hesitate before he moved toward Ellie, placed
his hands on her shoulders, and leaned her gently against the piano, blocking
her from escape if she thought to put on the brakes again. “Would you be up for
dinner for two? You don’t have any guests for the next week, unless something has changed.” He rubbed his
thumbs against her shoulders, loving the feel of her, the sweet, fresh
fragrance of her. She looked beautiful in her soft teal sweater,
rust-and-teal-plaid skirt, and high-heeled boots, her dark-red hair in silky
curls around her shoulders.
She was soft in his arms and appeared receptive when he
leaned down to kiss her. It seemed like the perfect time. No one was around.
The piano had been the perfect gift. Now it was time to kiss her like he’d
wanted to since they’d first started dating. As soon as their mouths touched,
she responded by wrapping her arms around his back, but then Eric felt her jump
a little and pulled his mouth away, wondering if he was going too fast. If he’d
done something wrong.
She quickly moved against him, pushing him away from the
piano, her heartbeat racing, her breathing unsteady, the color that had infused
her cheeks instantly draining from her skin.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as Ellie moved him even farther
from the piano. He thought maybe she had gotten static-electric shock from
touching it.
“Let’s go have dinner,” she said, her Irish accent more
pronounced as it was whenever she was overly worried. The sisters had been born
in the United States, but their parents had been born in Ireland, and they’d
picked up their parents’ accent. He loved it. “Any place is fine.”
Yet she was visibly upset, and he wasn’t sure what the
difficulty was.
“Thanks for the piano. It’s beautiful.” Ellie glanced back
at it, but not in an admiring way. She was looking off to the right of it, a
frown marring her temple , which he thought was odd.
“Why don’t I take you to the Silver Town Tavern? If you like
steak, they have great cuts there. And
we can catch up on what’s been going on.”
“I hear you’re working on some interesting stories.”
“Yeah. My favorite? The last time the Silver Town Inn was
part of the Victorian Days celebration. The idea seemed appropriate since this
will be the first time the inn is open for business during the festivities
since then.”
“I can’t wait to read it.” Ellie glanced back at the
vicinity of the piano one last time before she shut and locked the front door
to the inn.
“We can help you move the piano again if you don’t think
it’s in the right place,” Brett offered, getting the car door for her.
“Uh, no, I think it’s fine.” But she didn’t sound like she
thought so.
He was afraid he’d pushed her too fast on the kiss, yet
she’d seemed so willing. He didn’t know what he had done wrong, but he had
every intention of proving how much being with her meant to him, no matter what
the difficulty might be.
***
Ellie couldn’t believe that not only had Chrissy shown up,
looking interested in the piano, but so had some other woman. She was older,
with white hair and dark eyes, and had appeared when Brett leaned Ellie against
the piano and gave her the beginning of a spine-tingling kiss. It was so
reminiscent of the start of the dreams she was having about him that Ellie
could have screamed when seeing the ghost shook her up and ruined the
in-the-flesh fantasy with Brett.
When Brett and CJ arrived at the inn, they got out to help
guide the piano movers. Laurel met CJ outside, giving him a big hug and kiss.
Brett sighed. He’d love it if he and Ellie got to that point in their
relationship—and soon. They’d both been busy lately, she with the inn and he
with reporting about Victorian Day festivities. So he hadn’t seen her as much
as he would have liked.
As soon as they went inside, he saw Ellie showing the movers
where she thought the piano should go, while Meghan insisted it should be more
to the right of the stairs.
Then Ellie caught his eye and smiled, and he felt his whole
outlook brighten. She was the darkest-haired redhead of the bunch, her long,
curly hair auburn in color, and to him, sexier and more mysterious. He wanted
to ask her out tonight. He could cook, though he’d do better grilling outside.
She turned her attention to the piano again, frowning. And
Meghan was frowning too.
Poor movers. Brett thought the two ladies would have the men
relocate the piano all over the lobby before settling on the perfect place for
it. Instead, Ellie suddenly looked pale and said it was fine where it was.
Meghan quickly nodded, looking just as ashen.
CJ and Eric readjusted the burgundy, brocade-covered bench
in front of the piano, which made Brett remember he needed to box up all the
sheet music and books and bring them over. He’d taken them out of the bench
when he had its seat cushion reupholstered last year, and they were still
sitting in a box in the spare bedroom.
Brett paid the movers and they cleared out.
“Got to get back to work,” Eric said, giving Brett a knowing
look. “Late shift working as a park ranger tonight.”
“Yeah, I’ve got to get back to the business of sheriffing.”
CJ smiled at Ellie. “Can you drop me off at the station, Eric?”
“Sure thing,” their eldest brother said.
Sarandon was admiring the piano, arms folded across his chest,
when he realized his brothers were leaving and snapped out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, I’ve got to get back to work too.”
Brett knew Sarandon didn’t have a guide job in the park
tonight, so he was glad Sarandon was vacating the premises pronto, taking his
brothers’ cues. Now if only Ellie’s sisters would leave the two of them alone.
Laurel took Meghan’s arm and hauled her toward the back
door. “Let’s go fix supper, why don’t we?”
“For two, three, or four of us?” Meghan asked with a smile
in her voice as they disappeared outside.
Brett didn’t hesitate before he moved toward Ellie, placed
his hands on her shoulders, and leaned her gently against the piano, blocking
her from escape if she thought to put on the brakes again. “Would you be up for
dinner for two? You don’t have any guests for the next week, unless something has changed.” He rubbed his
thumbs against her shoulders, loving the feel of her, the sweet, fresh
fragrance of her. She looked beautiful in her soft teal sweater,
rust-and-teal-plaid skirt, and high-heeled boots, her dark-red hair in silky
curls around her shoulders.
She was soft in his arms and appeared receptive when he
leaned down to kiss her. It seemed like the perfect time. No one was around.
The piano had been the perfect gift. Now it was time to kiss her like he’d
wanted to since they’d first started dating. As soon as their mouths touched,
she responded by wrapping her arms around his back, but then Eric felt her jump
a little and pulled his mouth away, wondering if he was going too fast. If he’d
done something wrong.
She quickly moved against him, pushing him away from the
piano, her heartbeat racing, her breathing unsteady, the color that had infused
her cheeks instantly draining from her skin.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as Ellie moved him even farther
from the piano. He thought maybe she had gotten static-electric shock from
touching it.
“Let’s go have dinner,” she said, her Irish accent more
pronounced as it was whenever she was overly worried. The sisters had been born
in the United States, but their parents had been born in Ireland, and they’d
picked up their parents’ accent. He loved it. “Any place is fine.”
Yet she was visibly upset, and he wasn’t sure what the
difficulty was.
“Thanks for the piano. It’s beautiful.” Ellie glanced back
at it, but not in an admiring way. She was looking off to the right of it, a
frown marring her temple , which he thought was odd.
“Why don’t I take you to the Silver Town Tavern? If you like
steak, they have great cuts there. And
we can catch up on what’s been going on.”
“I hear you’re working on some interesting stories.”
“Yeah. My favorite? The last time the Silver Town Inn was
part of the Victorian Days celebration. The idea seemed appropriate since this
will be the first time the inn is open for business during the festivities
since then.”
“I can’t wait to read it.” Ellie glanced back at the
vicinity of the piano one last time before she shut and locked the front door
to the inn.
“We can help you move the piano again if you don’t think
it’s in the right place,” Brett offered, getting the car door for her.
“Uh, no, I think it’s fine.” But she didn’t sound like she
thought so.
He was afraid he’d pushed her too fast on the kiss, yet
she’d seemed so willing. He didn’t know what he had done wrong, but he had
every intention of proving how much being with her meant to him, no matter what
the difficulty might be.
***
Ellie couldn’t believe that not only had Chrissy shown up,
looking interested in the piano, but so had some other woman. She was older,
with white hair and dark eyes, and had appeared when Brett leaned Ellie against
the piano and gave her the beginning of a spine-tingling kiss. It was so
reminiscent of the start of the dreams she was having about him that Ellie
could have screamed when seeing the ghost shook her up and ruined the
in-the-flesh fantasy with Brett.
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