SweetTale Books—The Magazine

SweetTaleBooks

Sweet Books With Character

October 2012 Volume 1, Issue 2

In this Issue:Meet Nancy O’Berry, Author of Western Romances!

Free Book Over Time! Ch. 6-12 of Get Me Out of Africa

Hidden Treasure Within these Pages! ‘I Love To Eat’ Recipe:

Our New Puppy, Calvin!

www.SweetTaleBooks.com

http://www.SweetTaleBooks.com/

2

Table Of Contents Hidden Treasure Rules (page 2) Puzzle (page 2) Meet Nancy O’Berry (page 3) Free Book Over Time: 'Get Me Out of Africa' (ch 6-12) (page 17) I Love to Eat Recipe: (page 66) Links (page 67) About Me (page 67)

Hidden TreasureSomewhere within this magazine are two hidden treasures. It could be a coupon for a book, a 'first come first serve' gift certificate, or some other type of gift. It's also possible there's something to solve to get a prize. Check through all the pages to find the hidden treasure. The treasures are only good through this month. Good luck!

Puzzle: Check out this word search for October and Halloween for fun!http://www.sweettalebooks.com/wordsearch_october_2012.html

HIDDEN TREASURE: Since no one won last month’s hidden treasure, here it is again…it was embedded in the ‘Get Me Out of Africa’ excerpt. This will ONLY be good until October 31.

Solve the following and email [email protected] with the answer to the following cryptogram. CZS EGHBC CPX KSXKDS PZX BXDFS CZGB VTO BSTO CZS VTBPSH CX QS PGDD PGT V CST OXDDVH VQVLXT NGEC ISHCGEGIVCS. IZSIU QM YDXN VC BPSSCCVDSYXXUB.YDXNBKXC.IXQ CX EGTO XRC CZS VTBPSH VTO PZX PXT. Winners will be listed on my blog

________________________________Copyright © 2012 SweetTale Books

All Rights Reserved

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.sweettalebooks.com/wordsearch_october_2012.html

3after identified. Cryptogram created on http://www.rinkworks.com/brainfood/p/cryptmaker1.shtml#p_cryptmaker1.


All Rights Reserved

4

Meet Nancy O’Berry It’s my honor to introduce my friend, Nancy O’Berry, who is an author of western romances. Her website is http://www.nancyoberry.com.

One of her romances is entitled, ‘A Cordial Christmas.’ It’s a fantastic story, and I’m not a history buff. LOL! But I loved the story! It’s very touching and just makes a reader feel warm all over, just in time for Christmas.

Here’s the blurb:Dobson Winters is a miserable man. After his wife's death, he shut himself off from the rest of the world, but a deathbed ultimatum changes that. Now, he must find Holly Watson and marry her to save his soul. Redemption comes in an unexpected package and it takes the gift of a child's unconditional love to change a man heart.


All Rights Reserved

http://www.nancyoberry.com/

5

When a man thinks he has nothing to live for, life has a way of coming full circle.


All Rights Reserved

6

~~~~~

Nancy also sent me an excerpt for you to enjoy:

Chapter One

Dobson Winters was not the kind of man that celebrated things. He didn't celebrate his birthday, the Fourth of July, or Thanksgiving and he wasn't about to lend his blessing or his money to the town of Cordial, Texas to decorate the square for nothing. Christmas was a holiday best left alone.

"Just a few decorations, Mr. Winters," the banker began. His eyes nervously darted to the bowler hat sitting quietly on his lap.

"The answer is still, no."

"But, Mr. Winters, sir, the children will be most disappointed. They look so forward to the holiday. The decorations are old and faded." the preacher in black, sitting next to the banker spoke.

"Look here, Reverend," he began. "Christmas is a holiday created for the likes of Sam Russell at the General Store and those self centered pious folks, who step inside your walls to pray for the fortune when they should be hard at work bringing it in. I got over ten thousand head of beef to answer to. I got no time or extra wealth to pay for decorations used one day out of a year."

The thin little minister sitting beside the banker blanched and tugged at the white collar around his neck as if his words suddenly made it grow too tight.

"Really, Mr. Winters, have you no heart?" the banker scolded. "Think of your wife she loved the holiday. Why not a day goes by that we aren't reminded-"


All Rights Reserved

7

The banker's words proved the last straw. "Gentleman, our meeting is over." As he spoke, he rose to his feet. Stepping back, his hand closed around his father's double barrel shotgun he'd cleaned just that morning. The two men who sat before him scrambled to their feet.

"Now, Mr. Winters." The Reverend's eyes grew wide.

"Dobson," the banker cautioned. "Be reasonable."

His eyes narrowed. He flipped the breech latch and broke the gun open. The men began to sweat as he glided two cardboard shells home. "You know, my daddy once told me a seat full of buckshot deters most highway men from pickin' a man's pocket." The click of the barrel as it closed sent the two men into action. Tripping over their feet, Reverend Thomas of Cordial's First Presbyterian Church hurried toward the front door, followed closely behind by Thomas Carter.

The banker slammed his bowler onto this head and cut Dobson a hard glare. "The town council will hear of this - about how you treat your guests. Just because you founded the town, don't give you a right to be rude."

"It gives me every right," he snapped, his upper lip curling back, so the men might see the white of his teeth. "I didn't tell you to set up your tents or build homes around my stockyards. But, you did it. Nor did I request any sheriff to monitor the saloon you all invited in to town. Yet, I put up with it." He shoved the barrel against the banker's backsides. The man let out a yelp as he

and the preacher wrestled with the front door. "Oh, I pay my fair share of taxes and usually keep my mouth closed. In fact, until today, I've lived up to the town's motto, never a discouraging word. Well, not today boys, I will be damn if I pay another dime."


All Rights Reserved

8

In their hurry to leave, both men collided, their shoulders wedged as they tried to press through the door in unison. Squeezing out the entrance, they lengthened their strides as they moved toward the buggy.

"But your wife," the minister called over his shoulder. "She wouldn't want the town to go without a Christmas."

His heart constricted. How dare they. How dare they bring her up! "Don't you ever go there, you two bit Bible thumper." He could feel his face grow red from the heat of anger as his eyes bore into the Reverend. The little man's Adam's apple bobbled as if it were a boulder being tossed down downstream through a rapid. "Now, git!" he bellowed. Moving to the edge of the porch, he turning the gun barrel skyward curled his index finger over the trigger, and let loose one shot.

The percussion of the gun echoed in the still air. Both men let out a yelp like a wounded dog. The speed of their retreat increased. They fumbled, their feet slipped, yet somehow they managed to scramble aboard and turn the horse around. "You haven't heard the last of this," Thomas Carter shouted as the Reverend brought the lines down upon the horse's back. The iron rims hissed against the ground as they left at a fast trot.

"Damned fools," he snarled. In the quiet of the ranch grounds, he watched them pass the barn and caught one last look as they tossed him a glare mixed with fear and pure hatred. He broke open the barrel and pulled the empty shell from the smoking gun. By golly, they got the message that time. Tossing the spent shell onto the ground, he pulled the unused ammunition out and returned it to his vest pocket. He turned and stared at the empty doorway of the two-story log home he'd built. A momentary expression of hurt rolled across his face deepening the lines next


All Rights Reserved

9

to the grim turn of his lips. She should be here. By all rights, Miranda should be there, standing in the doorway, waiting for him.

Recalling his late wife had been a low down trick. In his mind, the right Reverend and that weasel of a banker got off easy. Storming through the heavy oak door, the eight-inch walls of the Texas pine seemed to cringe. He paused and laid the rifle on the table long enough to shut the door. With a half turn, he slammed the wood at the entrance way so, the windows along the front of the great room rattled. His left hand reached out and swiped the weapon off the table surface. He took one-step toward his desk and spied his Chinese cook peering around the edge of the dining room. His eyes rounded, a meat cleaver raised in his right hand. Dobson leveled him a hard glance.

"Ain't you got some meat that needs fixing?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth, than the little man disappeared. He rushed toward the kitchen, his queue waving madly down his back, with a stream of gibberish echoing in his wake.

"Good." he huffed.

Stomping to the gun cabinet, the cattleman removed the loose lock and stowed the firearm away. He put the unspent shell beside the weapon in case any other do-gooder ventured into his path. The door closed, he turned the key in the lock and secured the guns from prying hands. Staring at the silver key, the edges of his mouth turned down.

Who was he kidding? There weren't any prying hands. That dream ended ten years ago like so many others. His fingers closed around the key so tight, he could feel the cold metal cut into his skin of his palm. Damn them all for reminding him of the season.


All Rights Reserved

10

A log in the hearth split. The sound echoed across the room and sent sparks leaping up the chimney. He heard the wood break apart with a heave; then give something akin to a human gasp of despair. A sudden chill filled the air. He shook it off and walked to the fireplace to stare. One hand on the mantle, without thinking, he placed a boot upon the stone edge, and reached for the wrought iron poker to shove the timber further back.

Ten years ago, next week, he sighed and it seemed like yesterday.

Not wanting to dwell on the memory, he placed the poker back, and moved across the room to his desk. Issuing a grunt, Dobson sat down and picked up his pencil, intent on resuming his work. There were only two pages to put in his ledger. Concentrating on the figures, he could push all the other thoughts from his mind.

Two hundred cattle marked to make their way down to the winter pastures. From that, he and his men would cut out the heifers due to calf and move them closer to the barn. He wanted the accounts up to date so they could order supplies against the first snows of winter that were bound to fall soon. Tomorrow, he'd make the journey into town and lay in the basics. His thoughts drifted to the conversation with the men from town. On second thought, he'd make sure to double it. That way, he wouldn't be bothered to go into town and have his ear bent about their foolish notions of celebrating a holiday meant to line a merchant's pockets until long after the first of the year.

He counted the tallies again and as he worked, the pale sunlight moved at a steady pace across the desk. A twinkle flashed and caught his eye. He brought his gaze up and found the golden light centered on the woman pictured in the framed tin-type. He paused. His heart tightened as he remembered the luminescence of her blue eyes, similar to smoke. Her dark hair, as she always wore it, in one long braid and coiled at the nape of her neck. His


All Rights Reserved

11

mouth softened. In the picture, he could see the two hairpins, which held that thick braid in place.

Another memory surfaced making him wince. He'd ridden a loco horse at the county fair that summer in order to earn enough money to buy the jade combs she'd seen in the window down in Austin. They were building this home back then. Most days, he hardly had enough money to make ends meet let alone give 'em extras. But, oh, how her eyes had lit up when she saw those pretties. She'd never asked, just given a soft sigh that turned his heart over as they walked away.

It was something a man couldn't forget. Scrimping and saving added enough to the winnings. In the middle of a blinding snowstorm, he'd ridden down and shown up at the door by daybreak. Curled up in an old thin coat, he sat and waited, till they opened. The wrapping was worse than any kid's. Still, when he'd given them to her, she'd cried. Unable to stand her crying, he'd kissed her and kept right on kissing until all traces of her tears were gone. Forgotten were the chores and the cattle. Alone in this cabin, they did what a man and woman did best - made love.

How his heart ached. The memory of lying in her sweet arms made his heart ache. He placed his pencil down to rub the sear from his chest as he reached out and picked up the frame. She might be gone, but the hurt was never far from the surface. That day, in that cold creek, the rushing water took her laughter, took everything that made living so easy. Worse, it took the innocent bundle she held close to her heart and for that, he'd never forgive.

Dobson opened the top right hand drawer of his desk. He stroked the image once with his thumb, then laid it face down, and pushed the drawer closed. His soul empty, he stared at the ledger until the figures before him swam.

***________________________________

Copyright © 2012 SweetTale BooksAll Rights Reserved

12

"Misser Winters, you come now, eat. Food hot. Chow Ming wait no more."

The cook's broken English startled him. The golden light, now grey, cast its shadows across the room, and he glanced at the tiny man looking so angry. "Didn't hear you, Chow. Sorry."

"Always sorry, always sorry!" He threw his hands up in the air. "You come now."

With a nod, he rose from behind the desk and followed his cook toward the dining room. A hot plate sat before his chair at the head of the table, loaded with steak, mashed potatoes, and string beans from the garden. Chow Ming poured a steaming cup of coffee as he took his seat. For some reason, he felt the need to levy a compliment. "Looks good."

A string of high-pitched sounds rushed from the cook's mouth. He cringed and wondered just what kind of cussin' he seemed to be getting in the man's native tongue. "Speak English, damn you."

Chow Ming's eyes narrowed. A boney finger waved before his face. "I say, course it good. I not learn to cook for nottin'. My parents pay teacher. You hire me cause I fill your belly and cowboys belly. Now, you eat."

The cook finished and leveled a hard glance in his direction. Dobson suppressed the urge to flinch. Picking up his knife, he brought it through the meat. It cut like butter. Swirling the chunk around in the gravy, he brought it to his lips and chewed. As he did every night, his eyes opened wide, he gave a nod of his head, and looked at the man standing to his right. "Very good."

"Told you so," Chow Ming chirped and walked away.________________________________


13

Any other time, he might have laughed, but not tonight, not this month, not after today. Placing the knife down on his plate, he picked up his cup and drank. The silence seemed deafening. He looked down the empty table. His glance at the empty places around the table made a wave of loneliness roll over him. He wondered why in the world he went through the motions, when it seemed like a waste of time.

Somehow, bite by bite, he somehow made it through dinner. He declined a piece of pie, settling on the second cup of coffee. With the cup in his hand, he proceeded to make his way back to the great room intent on finishing the ledger. Two lamps had been lit, pushing the shadows back against the walls.

Outside, a gust of wind blew rattling the cedar shakes on the roof. A cold chill stole the warmth from his shoulders. The howl of the wind increased. Paper rattled. He watched as the pages of his ledgers flipped as if being skimmed by an unseen hand. He shivered.

Walking to the desk, he glanced about, but nothing seemed moved or changed. "Chow Ming must have gone outside," he murmured in hopes of dismissing the eerie sense that someone was watching him. Suddenly, the idea of working on the ledger seemed less appealing. He shook it off and moved back to the settee. He settled down and placed a foot upon the rough-hewn coffee table, then stared into the dancing flames.

He could read. There was a book sitting on the table to his left. But, that would require the energy he didn't seem to possess. So, he sat, thinking of nothing, just staring at the fire until the embers settled against the grate and lost their glow. He rose and picking up a kerosene lamp, moved toward the steps that led upstairs to his bedroom. Perhaps tomorrow would be better, he thought. Perhaps tomorrow, and he'd believe the lie.


All Rights Reserved

14

***

Holly Watson sat before the shimmering flames of the fire Mr. Tarkington and the other wranglers created. The small wagon train would cross the rise tomorrow signaling the last leg of their journey to Fort Worth. She pulled at the shawl across her shoulder in hopes of keeping the cold night air off the back of her neck. A gust of wind rattled the canvas covering her small wagon, which sat right behind her. From inside, a small child's voice called out in fright.

"Holly."

"Go to sleep, Lucy."

"Holly, I'm scared."

With a sigh, Holly rose and walked to the rear of the faded green wagon. The yellowed canvas parted a tiny face wide-eyed with fear and just as pale peered out. Holly's hands moved to her hips as she regarded the child. "Why aren't you asleep, young lady?"

"I'm scared. Someone shook the wagon."

"It was the wind."

"Are you sure?"

She leveled a stern look at the child whose face reflected her own delicate features. "Yes, now move back."

In an instant, the face disappeared. Holly gathered her skirts and stepped upon an overturned crate to reach the wooden board she used to get up to the back of the wagon. She gave her heavy canvas skirts a shake and glanced at the tiny girl in the cotton gown that seemed too thin for the evening chill. "Lucy, climb


All Rights Reserved

15

under those quilts right this very minute." Reaching down, she lifted the heavy covering and the little girl clambered underneath. Outside another gust of wind rattled the canvas and the scent of hardwood from the campfire drifted in.

"What's that?"

"Just the wind," Holly said again as she smoothed the golden blonde hair away from the round blue eyes staring back at her. "You need to get some sleep. We have a long journey tomorrow."

"Are we almost there?"

She smiled at the excitement dancing in the little one's eyes. "Almost," she whispered.

"And we'll be there before Christmas?"

"Before Christmas."

As she watched, Lucy snuggled deeper beneath the cotton quilts. Holly sat down on the edge of the box bed. Her hand stroked the child's shoulder until the muscles began to relax and Lucy's eyes grew heavy.

"Tell me again about Christmas when you were little."

Her smile softened. "You've heard that many times."

The little head nodded. Lucy folded her hands together and turned on her side. She tucked her fingers beneath her cheek on the pillow. "Tell it," she begged.

"Well," she said. "When I was little, your grandpa would go up to the hills above the ranch. For days, he'd search for that perfect


All Rights Reserved

16

tree. Sometimes it would be cedar, but mostly, he'd cut down an old pine." She smiled at the memory. "Momma would pop corn."

"And you and Uncle Nick would string it up with needle and thread." The child finished for her.

Holly nodded. "That's right, me and Uncle Nick."

"I hope I can see Uncle Nick soon."

"Soon."

Holly pulled the shawl from her shoulders and laid it across the foot of the bed. Rising, she turned the wick of the lantern low so the shadows wouldn't dance across the canvas. Her hands made quick work of sliding the skirt around and unbuttoned it, letting the garment pool at her feet. She didn't have the heart to tell Lucy, she'd be nearly grown before the man she knew as Uncle Nick set eyes on her again, thanks to that heartless man.

The blouse followed the skirt. The cold air flicked the hair on her arms and made them stand on end. Crossing her arms over her camisole, Holly moved back to the bed, then quickly arranged her gown, and drew it over her head in one quick motion. Her hand reached for the lever that raised the glass on the lantern. She pursued her lips and blew.

The light flickered as if trying to hold on to the wick before it fluttered out and all that was left behind no more than a thin trail of smoke, which rose toward the canvas above. Like a ghostly angel ascending to heaven carrying their hopes and dreams. She watched it move until there was nothing left to see. With

so much riding on her return to Cordial, somehow it seemed fitting.


All Rights Reserved

17

Holly glanced at the sleeping child. She lifted the blankets and crawled in beside Lucy. Whatever misgivings lingered in her mind, they slipped away as the child snuggled close. She was going home and when she got there, everything would be all right. She'd find her feet again and life would turn around. Holly tilted her head and placed a kiss on top of Lucy's silken strands.

"Just two more days," she whispered. Her eyes caught the darkened sky between the canvas flaps. A star blinked back. Holly mouth softened as she made a silent wish.

To purchase your copy of A Cordial Christmas for $0.99 please follow the links below, Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/A-Cordial-Christmas-ebook/dp/B005POOES0/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/91873

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/A-Cordial-Christmas?keyword=A+Cordial+Christmas&store=ebook

Enjoy! It’s just a cool Christmas story!


All Rights Reserved

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/A-Cordial-Christmas?keyword=A+Cordial+Christmas&store=ebook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/A-Cordial-Christmas?keyword=A+Cordial+Christmas&store=ebook

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/91873

http://www.amazon.com/A-Cordial-Christmas-ebook/dp/B005POOES0/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

http://www.amazon.com/A-Cordial-Christmas-ebook/dp/B005POOES0/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

18


All Rights Reserved

http://www.sweettalebooks.com/%00%E5%A1%B9%EF%92%81%E1%B4%BB%E4%A1%BF%E2%B2%AF%E5%B6%82%E8%97%84%E6%8C%A7%00%00%EA%AE%A5

19


All Rights Reserved

http://www.sweettalebooks.com/%00%E5%A1%B9%EF%92%81%E1%B4%BB%E4%A1%BF%E2%B2%AF%E5%B6%82%E8%97%84%E6%8C%A7%00%00%EA%AE%A5

20

Free Book Over Time'Get Me Out of Africa' (chapters 6-12):I'm giving you a book, but it'll take time to read it. With a few chapters in each issue, you'll have a free 'book over time.'

Find more information about this book and the sequels at www.andiealexander.com/et1.html.

Blurb: *** Book 1 in the Extreme Travel Series ***

An African business trip for Kes Madrid turns out to be a lot more exciting when she and her sexy-but-engaged boss fall into the Zambezi river after their raft tips over. Landing on the Zimbabwe side has Kes terrified. She wants to go home, but her boss has other plans, putting them smack-dab in the middle of a coup. The nation's rebels and the CIA are ready to take the country away from the dictatorial leader and give it to the people. In the


All Rights Reserved

http://www.andiealexander.com/et1.html

21meantime, Kes' life will be put on the line as the most wanted in the nation, which is definitely not on her 'bucket list.'


All Rights Reserved

22

‘Get Me Out of Africa’by Andie Alexander

(continued from last month…)

Chapter 6

“Cold?” Mr. Hamilton asked.“Just a bit. I wish I would’ve brought my jacket.” Or clothes,

or a toothbrush, or…anything.I rubbed my arms and legs.Mr. Hamilton opened one of the backpacks and removed a

blanket packed in a thick plastic bag. He removed the blanket from the bag and draped it around my shoulders, then knelt in front of me and pulled the blanket shut, tucking it in all around me. He watched my face with a half-grin. “Is that better?

“Yes, thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”


All Rights Reserved

23

He stayed in a kneeling position in front of me, looking simply adorable. I had to remain objective, but I saw what Tara saw in him.

“I just want you to know I’m not the evil man you think I am,” he said in a sexy British accented whisper.

I kept quiet. I couldn’t argue with him, because he was the one who was going to protect me through the night, but I didn’t want to agree with him either.

Mr. Hamilton stood and wiped the bowls with a hand towel he’d brought with him. This man thought of everything. It was nice of him to know how to cook, because my idea of cooking was the flash-fire method—done in 60 seconds and black with the smoke alarm going off. I’d even removed the batteries from the smoke detector in my apartment, because of a few incidents of neighbors calling the fire trucks and the news media.

The last incident made me famous on channel 147, the local cable channel run by a 90-year old man, with only his mother and wife as his viewers, I think. Regardless, I wouldn’t have known how to cook the soup over an open flame without singeing the hair off my arms, at least.

As Mr. Hamilton put the dishes into the backpack after he sat down, I decided to clear the air. “You’re quite a chef,” I said.

“By heating up some soup and opening a can of fruit?”


All Rights Reserved

24

“Yeah. You have no idea.” No one would ever understand how the culinary gene had passed me by.

He leaned back against a huge rock, just studying me. “Actually, I do. You have no skill in the kitchen whatsoever.”

“That’s kind of a nasty comment, but amazingly true. How did you know that?”

“Your boyfriend Jason told me.”“He’s not my boyfriend. We go out sometimes.” I paused for

a minute. “You talked to Jason?”His blue-eyed gaze stayed on me, making it rather

uncomfortable while he spoke. He was so laid-back, unlike what I’d seen the rest of the two weeks when he was accompanied by his pink-clad fiancée.

I put his gaze aside in my head and faced him, feeling like he was seeing right through me while he spoke.

“I have to know what I’m up against whenever I want to get a project done right,” he said. “So I asked your friends and family about your strengths and weaknesses. I have a whole list if you’d like to see them.” He pulled his wallet out of a plastic bag in the backpack.

“That’s really not necessary.”He shrugged his shoulders and put his wallet into his back

pocket. “If you don’t want to know, that’s fine, but I’ll keep it with me in case you ever want to see it.”


All Rights Reserved

25

Something wasn’t right. “You asked my friends and family for my strengths and weaknesses?”

He nodded. “Yes, and they weren’t allowed to tell you.”“How did you keep them quiet?” I was more intrigued than

angry.“That’s another conversation.” Eventually he’d probably tell me, but I didn’t want to find out

how much he’d paid them. It would just make me angry. Knowing my family and friends, they could all be paid to keep quiet.

“So, my family and friends know I’m out here in the unknown?” I asked.

“No, but they do know you’re going to be delayed.”“And no one will call out the Army or Marines to come and

rescue me? Maybe the CIA, the FBI, or even the Cavalry?” He grinned then chuckled slightly. “No. It’s been taken care

of, and your family is fine with it all.”From his expression, he wasn’t going to tell me more. I

guessed it was time to change the subject. “What other faults do I have?”

“None for now. We have to get our bed ready.”I sat up in surprise. “Bed? Singular?”“Unless you want the mosquitoes to eat you tonight.”I hopped to my feet while pulling the blanket tighter. “All

right, Mister. What, exactly, do you have in mind?” I didn’t like ________________________________


26

his tone, and could hold my own if he had other things in mind. If I only knew karate, I could’ve taken him down.

“Don’t worry. It’s honorable.” He stared up at me. “Remember, I’m engaged to be married. I already talked to Jason, and he said it was all right.”

“What was all right?” “If I slept with you.”I didn’t like this one bit. With the blanket around me, I took a

big step backward and tripped over a huge jagged rock, making me fall and hit the ground with a thud.

“Doggoneit!” I held onto my foot and winced in pain. Mr. Hamilton crawled over to me and touched my shoe.

“Let me look at that,” he said with a gentle tone.Yanking my foot away from him, I gingerly removed my shoe.

“No way. You have plans to sleep with me, and I’m not going to let you get on my good side by trying to take care of me. You’re being way too nice about this. I wonder what happened to you since this morning.”

“Nothing. I just want you to know I’m not evil.”“Right. The devil would say something like that too, if he had

ulterior motives.” His laughter was friendly, but at the time, I was in pain and

ignored him. Holding back the tears, I examined where I’d stepped on the stone. At least there was no blood. I hated blood.


All Rights Reserved

27

A stray tear started down my cheek, followed by another, and yet another. I didn’t know if I was crying from stepping on a killer rock, or from the idea that I’d be attacked by either type of beast—animal or human—out here in the wilderness.

Mr. Hamilton watched me take care of my foot then sat back down. He seemed to watch me a lot, which I certainly didn’t appreciate.

“That must hurt. You’re crying.”“You’re intuitive,” I said. “I don’t like pain and I don’t like

blood. At least I’m only angry about fifty percent of those things. Pain makes me cry, but I’m not a crier for much of anything else.”

“You completely misunderstood me,” he finally said. “First, I didn’t mean sleep with you. I meant sleep with you…for protection and warmth.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” The tears stopped flowing and I wiped my face and nose with my arm.

“I did say so. I asked Jason if I could sleep with you, and he said, ‘she’s all yours, dude,’ or something like that. If I might make an observation, I’d say you make the decisions in your relationship with Jason.”

I hated being psychoanalyzed. “It’s not really a relationship. How did you know I go out with Jason, anyway?”

“I found out from your co-workers and the people you eat lunch with.”


All Rights Reserved

28

“So, you did talk to Anita. We eat lunch together a lot.”He nodded, staring into the fire for a moment. “She works for

me, and was more than pleasant during our lengthy meeting.”“Lengthy?”Lifting his gaze to me, he almost seemed amused, the rat. “If

you consider two hours lengthy.”“About me? For two hours?” I didn’t think I was that

interesting.“Does that bother you?” He studied my face yet again. It was

getting annoying, especially with his adorable light blue eyes framed by his soft-looking brown hair. Physically, he was very attractive, but between his haughty personality and the fact that he was engaged, I wrote him off, yet again, as I had the entire time we’d been in Africa.

“Sure, it bothers me,” I said. “I had no idea any of this was going on, and she never told me. What did she say about Jason?”

He grinned. “Only everything you’ve ever told her about him.”

“Everything?”He straightened his legs, picked up a twig and threw it into

the fire. It caught fire quickly, making the flame rise slightly, then die out. “Actually, you don’t talk about Jason much at all. It struck me as strange for a woman to go out with someone and not talk about them to anyone.” His gaze turned knowing as he directed


All Rights Reserved

29

his attention to me yet again. Watching, watching, watching—very annoying. It made me wonder if he was psycho.

I had to answer his comment. “Jason and I are friends, but it’s pretty much platonic.”

“I don’t need to know about your personal relationship. I just don’t think Jason is…how can I say this?”

“Very bright? No, he’s not, which is why our friendship works. He’s never made a real move on me, which I don’t understand, because I don’t think I’m ugly. He’s so laid back that I doubt he’d ever notice what I looked like.”

Mr. Hamilton stared out into the countryside then turned back to me. “No, you’re not ugly at all, but quite the opposite. I just find the whole situation between you and Jason…interesting.”

I felt my mouth fall open, staring at him. Mr. Hamilton crawled toward me and closed my open mouth as he chuckled. “You’ll attract bugs and they’ll eat you from the inside out.”

I shut my mouth and felt my eyebrows lift. “You’re kidding me? I could die if I eat a bug?”

“No, but I like to see you get worried.” He sat back and laughed, throwing another stick into the fire. It cracked and popped, and the flame died down again. “You’re free entertainment for me.”

“Very funny.”


All Rights Reserved

30

I replayed his comment in my mind. Quite the opposite? Huh? I looked nothing like Tara and never wanted to. I couldn’t ask him more about that. It was way too personal and too far into the psychobabble range. I had to think about something different and yanked on my shoe, buying me some time.

When finished, I watched Mr. Hamilton. “Why do you say the situation between Jason and me is interesting?”

“You’re so goal driven and want to get ahead. Yet you date someone who’s not driven in any way, even sexually.”

Sexually. He was giving me clues right and left, and if I were in a bar, I’d be slapping this guy across the face in about a minute.

I took my time to think of an answer. “We’re hardly dating. We’re friends. He doesn’t demand anything of me, which gives me time to do what I want. It works.”

“I see.” He just stared at me, deep in thought.I had to know. “What did you mean by ‘quite the opposite’

when you said I wasn’t ugly?”His eyes stayed on mine, and it appeared as if he was

choosing his words wisely. “You’re very pretty…beautiful actually. It makes me wonder why you stay with Jason and why you don’t move on. You have so much to offer a man, yet you hide behind him.”

What was he talking about? “Why do you care?”


All Rights Reserved

31

“I care about all my employees, current…and otherwise. I want them all to be happy, and most of them are. But you…” He shook his head, watching me. “You seem cynical, like the world hasn’t given you a fair shake for some reason.”

“It hasn’t.” “Why? Is your job that awful?”I studied him for a moment. What was his angle?

“Considering I have no job, I’d have to say yes, it is.”“How about the job you had this morning? Is it that bad? Is

there something I should do to make it better for those still there?”

Now I got it. He wanted to know how to make his employees happy so they wouldn’t jump ship. “I don’t know. I do my job and live my life one day at a time. I really don’t think long term, so I’m not sure if I can help you.”

“I think you can. I think you know more than you’re telling me, and I really want to know. If I’m having problems at the newspaper, it would be nice to find out before they escalate.”

“I’m not a business person.” I wanted to change the subject, fast. He was seeing and analyzing more of me than I wanted him to. “What about you and Tara? What does she think of you taking off with another woman?”

Mr. Hamilton’s expression suddenly lost all emotion. “Tara doesn’t know what’s going on. She probably thinks we’re lost, and


All Rights Reserved

32

the guide will take care of her. I didn’t tell her anything, other than what you heard.”

“What—that you and I would take one raft and she and the guide would take the other so we could make sure we got good pictures?”

“Yes.”“Why do you keep things from her?”He kept quiet for a moment. “It’s hard to explain Tara and

me. She’ll be the queen of the house and her social club, and I’ll be the one who’ll make the money and keep my mouth shut on all domestic issues.”

“Is that what you want for your life?”“I guess so.”He was silent and I knew what that meant. I needed to be

quiet while he sorted out his life and the imminent wedding to the queen of pink he must certainly dread.

Tara loved pink and I never saw her in any other color, even for the entire week we’d spent in Zambia working on our article. She really wasn’t the type to be anyone’s friend and definitely wasn’t marriage material for anyone, long term. Why he agreed to marry someone like that was beyond me, but I wasn’t about to interfere…much.


All Rights Reserved

33

~~~~~

Chapter 7

After a few quiet moments when all that was noisy was nature, I sat up and faced him. “Do you love her?”

He was quiet for a while. “She’ll be in charge of the house and our children, if we have any.”

“You didn’t answer me.” I leaned closer, lowering my voice. “Do you love her?”

Mr. Hamilton turned toward me, and I could see the hint of a tear in his eye from the firelight. “What is love, anyway?”

“Oh, sir,” I half-whispered. “You’re in over your head, aren’t you?”

“Yep.” He looked back at the fire, found a stick, and threw it on the flames. It hissed and spit, then calmed down again before he continued. “Tara’s dad and my dad had it all arranged. We played together since we were kids, back at the country club. We never dated anyone else in high school, because it was expected for us to get married. I mean, I could’ve done much worse. Her father’s loaded and she’s his sole heir.”


All Rights Reserved

34

“I bet it would disgrace your name if you didn’t marry Tara and didn’t abide by your dead father’s wishes.”

Mr. Hamilton nodded, watching the fire. “You got it. Ever since my father died a year ago…” He stopped speaking. He needed time.

I moved beside him, reached out to hold his hand and he squeezed it in return.

“What about your mother?” I finally asked. “What does she think about all of this?”

He kept staring into the flames. “My mother died when I was young. I didn’t know her at all.”

I had no idea he was so alone in the world. Here he was, Mr. Powerful and Mr. Rich, when in reality, I was the one with more wealth than he had because I had a huge family that loved me, lived near me, and helped me out. I almost pitied him.

“I’m so sorry,” I said in a half-whisper, holding his hand tighter.

“It’s okay.”“I’m here for you, if you need me. I promise it’ll be a secret,

too.”He lifted his gaze toward the darkness. “I know. I found that

out. You’re loyal and can keep a secret to your death.”“You mean, like a dog?”


All Rights Reserved

35

He smiled, and it was good to see. “Yep. You got it.” He let go of my hand as he chuckled, leaned back against the rock, and stared up at the sky. “Have you ever seen so many stars?”

That was a romantic come-on line if I’d ever heard one. But, coming from him, it almost sounded friendly. I moved closer, leaned against the rock, and studied the twinkling lights above us. “They’re beautiful.”

“Can you point out any of the constellations?”“Not really. I can find the big dipper and the moon and that’s

about it.” Mr. Hamilton grinned and showed me every constellation and

every planet and star that he knew. He was very knowledgeable about the night sky. His voice, in that slightly British accent, was calm and mesmerizing. I learned more that night about the universe than I ever knew before or ever wanted to know.

“How do you know so much about the stars?” I asked.“My father had a telescope and we’d go to the top of

whatever mountain or hill we’d decide upon and just look at the sky. He wanted to become an astronomer, studying it in college. But, when my mother…” He stopped talking.

“It still hurts, doesn’t it?” “I’ll never be able to completely get over her death. I

remember so little about her and wish I knew what really


All Rights Reserved

36

happened to her. Every child needs a mother figure that truly cares about them.”

Feeling closer to him than ever, I realized he was just a human being. I think he wanted me to see that.

I leaned up against his shoulder and he moved his arm over my shoulders. “I’m really sorry,” I said. “I wish I could take away the pain.”

He reached up and stroked my hair. “Having you here helps, believe it or not. I’m glad you’re with me. You’re a good person, Kes.”

“Thanks.” I looked up at his face, and had to know. “How did she die?”

He checked his watch. “That’s another whole long story. I like sitting here with you, though. You’re very comfortable to me, for some reason.”

“I doubt that. I have a nasty streak, which you’ve already seen.”

“You’re independent and can take care of yourself. When you feel threatened, you don’t let anything get by you. You have a strong sense of right and wrong, which I admire.”

“You do? Why are you telling me this?”“I think you need to hear it. I also don’t want you to think of

me as evil, but would rather we get along. I know that’s going to be tough, but that’s my goal.”


All Rights Reserved

37

“Why? We’re just going to find a town and get out of here, then go back to Denver, where you’ll be the boss and I’ll be hunting for a job.”

He was silent for a moment. “We’ll see.”I looked up at him, his arm still over my shoulders. “What do

you mean? We’re flying back as soon as we can get a flight, right?”

“No. We’ll be delayed, remember?”I moved away, watching him. “How long of a delay are we

talking about?”“Until we’re done. That’s all you need to know.”“And you’re not telling me anything else?”“No. It’s too dangerous for you to know any more than that,

so please don’t ask me.”“Fine. But at some point you’re going to have to tell me.”“I know, but not yet. It’s bedtime right now.” He moved away

from me, opened his backpack, and pulled out another blanket wrapped in a thick plastic bag. Everything looked and smelled new. He also removed a huge piece of mosquito netting from yet another plastic bag, then dug around a bit more, taking two small pillows from their own plastic bag. “Sleep with me?” he asked, his adorable blue eyes meeting mine.

“Sure. I’d love to.” Now that I knew what he meant, it was more of a reassurance we’d protect each other from whatever the


All Rights Reserved

38

evening held. I felt closer to my ex-boss and knew he’d be faithful to me, since I knew his secret about Tara and how he felt about his upcoming—probably pink—wedding.

First, he laid out the blanket that had been warming me, and then put the two pillows side by side. We lay down, resting our heads on the pillows, with mine away from the fire but closer to nature. He insisted we lay that way in case the fire decided to jump out of the circle of rocks. He really was a gentleman at night, even though he was a tyrant by day, with Tara on his mind.

After we were comfortable on the small pillows, he covered us both with the other blanket and finally wrapped us from head to toe with the mosquito netting, tucking the ends in around us. It was hot under the material, but knowing about the evenings in Africa, it would be safer and warmer than what was to come.

He turned his head toward me. “Good night, Kes.”“Good night, Mr. Hamilton.”He rolled over onto his side, his eyes on me. “Please call me

James. This is rather ridiculous. I’m not even your boss anymore.”“You told me to continue calling you Mr. Hamilton on this trip

because the relationship between us hadn’t changed, even though we weren’t in the office any more. Besides, I like this better. It keeps you on your toes. And, if any cannibals do capture us, they’ll think you’re my master and they’ll let me go.”

“Very funny.”________________________________


39

I smiled and turned away from him then closed my eyes. For some reason, I felt very close to him, and even considered him a potential friend. I still had to keep my distance, though. Once Tara reappeared, I’d be out on my own.

Even though I tried, I couldn’t sleep, certain I was lying on the killer rock that had attacked my foot earlier. While listening to noises all around us, I heard some animals run past our camp. I kept my eyes shut, figuring if I couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see me.

After a long while, I fell asleep and dreamed about riding a huge elephant while being chased by natives. Some of them got farther away as the scenery changed to Denver. I was still on top of the elephant, riding on the freeway around the mile-high city.

Something hit my left side, away from Mr. Hamilton, awakening me with a jolt. As I opened my eyes, I realized my head was on Mr. Hamilton’s chest, and someone or something was on the other side. I was afraid to look, because whatever it was, I was sure we were goners.

Edsel just added another chapter to my eulogy.

~~~~~


All Rights Reserved

40

Chapter 8

I froze in my position, thinking I should play dead. If it were an animal, maybe the mosquito netting would keep its teeth from piercing my side.

Someone began speaking in a foreign tongue right beside me. I opened my eyes to a slit and saw three huge African men standing over me with big elephant guns. From what I saw, none of them had bathed or combed their hair for years, maybe even decades. The thought of it made me think I didn’t look any better with my mud-encrusted new tan shorts.

I had a sneaking suspicion my sleep was over for the evening, since my ride through Denver on an elephant while lying on Mr. Hamilton’s chest had come to a screeching halt in the middle of the freeway during rush hour traffic in my dream. As I turned toward the men, I reached over and hit Mr. Hamilton on the stomach.

“Wake up!” I whispered. “We have company.”The men murmured something unidentifiable, then began to

chuckle. It must have been funny, because the men doubled over in laughter.

Mr. Hamilton rubbed his eyes and came instantly awake, facing the three men. “Do you need help?”


All Rights Reserved

41

One of the men with an extra-bad hairdo cleared his throat and tried his best to communicate with us. “Give me money.”

It sounded like those cheesy pleas kids give their parents when they’re away at college.

“Money?” Mr. Hamilton asked.“Yes, money.”Mr. Hamilton took off the mosquito netting as he sat up,

pulled his wallet from his back pocket, and gave the men all his visible money, looking like about fifty bucks.

“Now, give me girl,” the man with the bad hairdo said.“Me?” I squeaked, pointing to myself. “You want me?” I

moved closer to Mr. Hamilton, praying I’d wake up from this nightmare.

“No.” Mr. Hamilton stared them down as he put his arm around my waist.

They drew their guns and aimed right at our heads.“Girl,” Bad Hairdo demanded.Mr. Hamilton didn’t flinch, pulling me closer. “No. Take me

instead.”After Bad Hairdo said something to the other men, they stuck

out their tongues in disgust, and then laughed. I was sure they wanted me for some ‘fun’ and Mr. Hamilton wasn’t as much fun to them. I just thought it was amazing Mr. Hamilton had fought for me and even put his arm around me. If I wasn’t worried I was


All Rights Reserved

42

going to die, I’d consider it flirting and rather nice, because it felt so comfortable to me. I was seeing a different side to Mr. Hamilton.

Bad Hairdo nudged us both with his gun. “Fine. Both.”He instructed us to get up and follow him. After grabbing our

backpacks and blankets, we followed the three men. I wished I’d taken those karate classes. Even with their guns, I could’ve taken these three with no problem, just like they did on television.

Maybe I was watching too many movies.We seemed to be heading south, but it was hard to tell as we

wound through the bushes and dodged wild animals. When we finally came upon some huts in a circle around a campfire, they pushed us into one of the smaller huts and tied us to the center pole, our backs touching. The place contained various cooking utensils, so it was probably a storage hut and not a sleeping hut.

The men laughed while leaving the hut, probably to sharpen their knives or think up something ‘more special’ to happen at dawn.

“Did you sleep well?” Mr. Hamilton asked.I yawned for a moment, tired at the thought of sleep. “These

men are probably going to rape me and kill us both and you’re asking if I slept well? You didn’t have to stick your neck out for me, by the way.”


All Rights Reserved

43

“I was raised to take care of women. There was no way I was going to let them take you alone. I’d never find you again if I did.”

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’d either take care of myself or die. Either way, I’m not your worry.”

“Yes, you are. I have to do this. I can’t let someone working…I mean traveling with me, get hurt without fighting for them, at least. I’d never live it down in my mind.”

What an odd man. It almost sounded like he cared about me. “So it’s your conscience that wants to save me?”

“Something like that.”“Figures,” I muttered.When I was certain the men weren’t returning, I tried to

remove my hands from the ropes, but every time I pulled, the ropes got tighter.

“Now, did you sleep well?” Mr. Hamilton repeated.“Not really, did you?”“After you put your head on my chest I did.”I snapped my head to the side. “You knew about that?”“Yep. When you started to snore, you moved to my chest.”“Very funny. I don’t snore.”“I thought it was hilarious, because you do snore and loudly,

too.”I was getting angry, because I didn’t need that reputation

following me. “I do not. Take that back.”________________________________


44

“Here I thought you hated me, and you ended up sleeping on me.” His laughter was just annoying. “Are you attracted to me, or what?”

“Don’t get your hopes up. Help me get undone. Our hands are close enough to each other, right?”

He moved so our fingers touched, but he wasn’t able to do much.

“Can you untie me?” he asked.“No. I pulled on the rope and now I can’t even feel anything.

I think I cut off all the circulation, and my fingers will all fall off and I’ll bleed to death.”

“Not a worrier, huh?” “Nope.”“I can’t quite…” He kept trying, but my numb hands weren’t

going to cooperate. I could almost feel the pressure of his fingers touching mine, but all my other sensations were gone.

The flap to the tent opened. A woman in all black appeared in the doorway, wearing too much makeup and a dress that was too long. Why would someone wear a long black dress and makeup out here in the wild? She almost appeared to be Tara’s long-lost Goth cousin, replacing pink with black. She wasn’t African, wasn’t white, but was dirty white. She seemed so out of place in a country that was dark-skinned. Maybe she’d fallen into the


All Rights Reserved

45

Zambezi and was also on a safari? Or maybe she wanted to kill us both?

~~~~~

Chapter 9

“Who are you?” Mr. Hamilton asked the woman in black. The woman checked both ways before entering the hut.“I came to help.” Her accent was strong, and it didn’t sound

like English was her native tongue. Either that, or she was just a bad actress. “I’m Zuwarah, witch doctor apprentice.”

Translation, for all of us non-Africans—crazy Goth lady with a few dozen marbles missing from her Chinese checkers game. Of all people to show up, I had to get the rotten actress with no sense of fashion.

“Why are you here?” Mr. Hamilton asked.“To free you both.”I had to admit, I might have judged her a bit harshly. But, if

she was a witch doctor’s apprentice, she may have had other ideas about needing our skulls as paperweights for her desk back


All Rights Reserved

46

at the witch doctor’s office or something. So, I was going to reserve judgment on this ‘woman,’ and I use the term loosely, because of the crazy look in her eyes and the fact that she’d never used a brush in her life—either on her teeth or on her long black hair. Her hair was so unkempt, sticking out in every direction, looking like long black snakes all over her head. I stared at her, just waiting for the snakes to move.

She turned and peeked out the door then returned to us. After she undid the ropes and helped me get feeling back into my purple fingers, the woman took one of each of our hands in hers and said a chant over us, taking her sweet time. I was anxious to get out of there, but I had to respect her because she’d just freed us from a fate worse than who-knows-what.

When she was done chanting, we were either blessed or Mr. Hamilton and I were officially married—I had no way of knowing. The woman in black checked outside again then ushered us toward the flap-door without a word. We grabbed our backpacks, took our bedding, and ran away, with the black-dressed Goth woman in the lead. After escaping into the night, she helped us back to our trail.

I checked my watch in the moonlight and realized it was almost sunrise. The elephant ride through Denver and the business of giving elephant rides to children to make money would have to wait until I fell asleep again.


All Rights Reserved

47

“How can we thank you?” I asked as she showed us our path.“Save us from the evil that leads this land. That will thank me

enough. Now, go and meet your people. They are waiting for you.”

Both Mr. Hamilton and I glanced at each other for a moment, and when we looked back to where she was standing, she was gone.

“Where did she go?” I asked. We searched everywhere, but she’d disappeared.

“I don’t know,” Mr. Hamilton said. “Those guys will be on the lookout for us again. Let’s get moving.”

We started back on our journey, using the path to the southwest while packing the bedding we were carrying into the backpacks along the way.

“By the way, you can sleep on me any time,” he said.I stopped and faced him. “What’s up with you? Why do you

keep bringing up that sleeping thing?”“I just thought it was nice and I wanted you to know it.”“Got it. Now, drop it. It’s embarrassing me.”He laughed at me and pinched my cheek. “You’re so cute

when you’re embarrassed.”I slapped his hand away from my face, unable to believe it.

What was the matter with him? He’d changed since the day before, and I wasn’t sure which Mr. Hamilton I hated more.


All Rights Reserved

48

I was cranky. Exhausted from lack of sleep, I wished I were back on the magical elephant running through Denver. At least then, I could stop at a restaurant and get something to eat and no one would pinch my cheek, telling me I was cute.

After walking for at least an hour, we stopped to watch the sunrise and eat some breakfast. The sky was beautiful in its reddish-orange glory above the plains where different animals roamed. Every sunrise and sunset seemed more beautiful than the last, making my green eyes light up with imagined dollar signs each time I clicked the camera for another shot. I was going to make a bundle on the shots of the sky alone.

As I noticed some giraffes in the distance munching on leaves at their eye level, I lifted my camera and zoomed in closer. Their dark purple tongues were long, and my telephoto lens brought in the crisp detail. I took some pictures of the giraffes, and even got some great shots of the small birds resting on their long necks. More money shots, for sure. I could feel my bank account move into the black with each snap of the camera.

Mr. Hamilton’s morning beard was evident as he started a small fire surrounded by rocks. He put some water on to boil while I took more pictures of the animals just rising from their slumber in the early morning light.


All Rights Reserved

49

He joined me within a few minutes, sipping something from a cup. Together, we watched the sky and a few antelope trying to find something to eat.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” I asked, looking out over the plains.I felt his gaze on my cheek while his arm moved onto my

shoulder. “Yep. Absolutely gorgeous.”Surely he couldn’t be commenting on me. I hadn’t showered

in a day, still had mud on my new tan pants, and smelled of the Zambezi and various other odors. As I turned to face him, his grin widened while watching me. I could smell the coffee on his breath, he was that close.

“I was talking about the sunrise,” I said.“Uh-huh.” He kissed my cheek and walked away. I just hated when this happened. Now I’d have to deal with

this stupid crush of his. Although he was good looking, he was still engaged to the obnoxious queen of pink. I believed in commitment and he wasn’t for me. I’d have to deal with this problem later as well, from the tone in his voice.

Not only was I out in the wild and been kidnapped by evil men and freed by a witch doctor’s apprentice, but this man who had hated me so much was probably in love with me. I really wasn’t up for a soap opera. Those karate lessons would’ve come in handy right about now.

“Breakfast is ready,” he sang. ________________________________


50

He sat in front of the fire and dished some food into the two bowls. As soon as I turned away from the gorgeous colors and joined him at the fire, he handed me a hot cup of coffee and some oatmeal in a bowl.

“Where did you get this coffee?” I held up the cup and pointed to it for the male visual indicator.

“I found it at the kidnapper’s camp, risking my life to get some just for you.” His singsong voice made me want to puke. I shot him that ‘you’re full of it’ look, and he chuckled before his voice returned to normal. “It’s instant. Drink it. It’s not too bad.”

I drank the coffee and ate the oatmeal while savoring every bite, thankful I wouldn’t have to scrounge for food out in the wild.

After finishing our breakfast, I started to clean up the camp by putting out the fire and wiping the bowls.

“You don’t have to do that,” Mr. Hamilton said, emptying his cup.

“Yes, I do. You cooked, so it’s only fair I clean up. I should’ve done it last night, too, but my foot hurt.”

He stopped what he was doing and just stared at me. “You’re so unlike Tara. She’d hire someone to clean up, even out here. She wouldn’t want to break a nail or sweat. But, look at you. You don’t care what you look like.”

I threw dirt on the fire. “Thanks for nothing.”


All Rights Reserved

51

“That’s a compliment. You’re someone who can adapt to whatever’s needed.”

“Thanks.” I didn’t know how to take it, but just wanted my toothbrush, my deodorant, and a warm shower in a hotel room with a comfy bed, a soft pillow and a television with cable.

“Is your foot better?”I glanced down, checking out my sneaker. “Yeah. It was

nothing.” I lifted my eyes to his face, which appeared smitten with me. I had to ignore it. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine and can take care of myself, other than cook.”

A grin covered his whole face. I didn’t think I was that amusing, but he certainly did. “I like taking care of you.”

I blew out a breath. “I’d rather you didn’t.”He said nothing else, but just chuckled. Karate wasn’t good

enough for this situation. I had to step up my game for this guy.In less than an hour, we were back on our trek across the

plains, beaten down by the heat of Africa. We wandered through many grassy areas of the country, and with the scorching sun, I was covered in sweat in no time. It was heating up fast and I needed some water. We stopped for a drink, but it wasn’t much help because the water had turned hot in the backpack.

“Are you okay?” Mr. Hamilton asked, sitting on the ground beside me.


All Rights Reserved

52

“I think I’ll live. Why would anyone want to live here? It’s really hot.”

“I don’t know.” He touched my arm. “But you’re very fair-skinned, so I’m sure you’re feeling it more than most people.” He took his hat off his head and offered it to me. “Want this?”

He was going to give me his hat? So I was a person, after all? “No, it’ll just make me sweat more, but thanks anyway. Can you tell me why we’re out here now?”

“No. I have to protect you and if you know more, I’m worried it’ll get you in trouble. Just keep me company and you’ll be fine.”

Weird. Simply weird.After we took another long drink, Mr. Hamilton took my hand,

helping me stand up. “Ready?”“I think so. I wonder what it feels like to be dehydrated and

close to death?”He laughed, pulling me closer to him. “I don’t think you’re

close to death. Why do you worry like that?”“It keeps my mind busy.”“We need to work on that. There’s nothing to worry about…

yet.”I spun my head toward him as we began to walk again.

“Yet?”“Never mind.” He looked out over the savannah. “Why don’t

you get some pictures of those animals for the article?”________________________________


53

“You know, honey works a lot better than vinegar, even though I don’t work for you anymore.” I thought for a moment. “I’ll do it, but I want to know what changed you.”

“Nothing. You’re just seeing the real me now.”I carried the camera and shot a few pictures while we walked,

but it was a difficult journey. After about an hour, he turned toward me. “This is tough for

you, isn’t it?”“I’m fine.” I wiped my brow with my hand, the sweat covering

it.“I could carry you if you want.”I turned toward his red face in confusion. “You’re insane. No

way.”“I’m just trying to be nice. I can be nice.”“I just wonder what’s wrong with you. You haven’t been nice

for two weeks. What changed you?”“Nothing.” He took my hand and dragged me to a small rock.

“Sit. I don’t need you passing out on me.” He opened a backpack and handed me some water. It was around noon, and with the sun beating down, I felt like I’d been baked. I looked out over the landscape, seeing what seemed like miles of dead grass with leafless trees, offering no shade. The backpacks seemed heavier than ever, almost leaden.


All Rights Reserved

54

I suddenly realized how I’d write the article for this trip, if I were still employed. It was an awful place to vacation if you intended to stay out in the wild, and I’d warn people away. Maybe adding a map with a skull and crossbones over Africa would give them a hint.

~~~~~

Chapter 10

Mr. Hamilton took another drink. “Ready to go again?”“No time like the present.” I stood up and lifted the heavy

bags. We began walking again, spending the time talking.After a while, I had to change the subject to something more

important. “I have a stupid question.” I knew it wasn’t stupid, but he was being so nice, so I had to relent. “Where are we headed, exactly?”

“To a town. We need a place to stay, because you can’t handle this weather.”


All Rights Reserved

55

A town? He could be a little more specific, although I doubted any towns were even in this desolate country.

I sighed, wishing the air was a little cooler. “I’m fine, and you know it. It’s affecting you more than me.”

“I don’t think so,” he said. “Women need to be cared for.”“That’s crazy talk. I’m not fragile.”He glanced toward me, checking me out, I swear. “You

surprise me. I was sure you’d be as helpless as Tara, but you’re someone to be reckoned with. I’m impressed. You’re more useful than I thought you’d be.”

“Is that a compliment?”“Yes, ma’am, and I don’t hand those out very often.”“I bet.” I was also certain he never heard compliments very

often from the queen of pink.We kept walking, and around lunchtime, we sat down to eat

lunch on a big rock. Mr. Hamilton removed two cans of pre-cooked ravioli from one of the backpacks, handing one to me.

“This can’s already hot,” he said. “I don’t think I could warm it up this much over the fire.”

I juggled the thing in my hands, along with the plastic spoon, and then popped the burning metal top and inhaled the sweet hot pasta.

“What do you think of Zimbabwe?” He took a few bites.


All Rights Reserved

56

“I don’t think I’d want to live here. I mean, you’d put your car in the driveway, and in the morning, you’d have a poisonous snake inside waiting to eat you and a lion sitting on top waiting to devour you. It’s definitely not my cup of tea.”

He finished his ravioli then moved his gaze to look out over the dry savannah. “My mother loved it here. This was like her second home.”

“Your mother? Did she live here?” “That’s a long story.” He put his trash back into the backpack

and waited for me to finish and take a drink. “Ready?”“Not quite. Tell me about your history. I want to know more.”

For some reason, I kept thinking there must be some connection between his mother and us being in Zimbabwe.

“There’s not a lot to tell right now. I don’t see much water around here, so I don’t think the animals will bother us today. I also don’t think we’ll get too many pictures.”

“Changing the subject, I see.”“Yes, I am. I’d rather talk about the future. Where do you see

yourself in five years?”“I have no idea. Considering I have no job, I think I’ll take it

one step at a time and see what happens. I may even have to move away from Denver.”

He faced me. “You’d move away from your family? They seem like they’re your support system.”


All Rights Reserved

57

“I have to get a job to live, so I might have to move. Now tell me about your past and your mother. I have a feeling this trip is about her.”

“I’m not ready to talk about her yet. She’s an unknown in my life.”

As weird as it was, I decided I wouldn’t pressure him, because he didn’t seem ready to talk about her. For some bizarre reason, he mentioned her a lot. Was it because Zimbabwe made him think of her, or did he always obsess about her? She must’ve been here at some point, since she liked the country.

We started walking again. To pass the time, I snapped pictures of the native wildlife we finally began to see. We passed some fighting warthogs, a black rhino asleep while standing up, a huge anthill, a bunch of wildebeests, and a few elephants in packs. We even saw a baby elephant walking beside its mother. That picture alone got a cute factor of ten, so the money shots were racking up. Pretty soon, I’d be able to afford a new car that actually ran instead of living in the repair shop.

“We must be getting close to a nature preserve,” Mr. Hamilton said. We stopped so he could check the map. “The animals usually don’t stray too far from water, so there’s got to be a waterhole somewhere.” He studied the map. “I’d guess we’re close to the Hwange National Park.”


All Rights Reserved

58

According to the map, we’d come a long way from the Zambezi River, about twenty miles in the past day. We kept on our journey, and within a few hours, we stumbled across a village of natives. One mostly naked man sat in the middle of the camp, sharpening a sword.

Mr. Hamilton approached him. “Can you tell me where we are?”

The man yelled something, and various other men, dressed only in loincloths, walked out of their huts.

Mr. Hamilton pulled out a map and pointed. “Can you tell me where we are?”

The men spoke some language amongst themselves, and then one of them walked toward me. He touched my hair while other men joined him. They were all speaking at once, touching me all over while using gestures that made me think they were interested in more than just helping us find our way.

“Let me alone!” I screamed, trying to get away, but they were holding onto my arms. I kicked and fought, but the men just smiled and laughed more.

“No,” Mr. Hamilton said. He pulled a huge knife from the backpack and the men just backed away. Mr. Hamilton yanked me to his chest, my backpacks against him. “She’s with me. Don’t touch her.” He wrapped his arm around my waist, making me thankful he was with me.


All Rights Reserved

59

Some topless women walked out of one of the huts, more well-endowed than I’d ever be.

Mr. Hamilton cleared his throat from behind me. “Can you help us?”

One of the older women approached us. She handed Mr. Hamilton something that looked like a fertility statue made out of bone or tusk, because it appeared phallic. She made him take it, and we backed away. I was just glad to leave, watching as they waved and smiled at us. Mr. Hamilton let go of me, but kept his knife out as we ran down the path away from the village. As soon as we were sure they weren’t following us, Mr. Hamilton finally put his knife away.

“I feel so…so…violated!” I wiped the imaginary intrusion from my skin and clothing.

“You don’t want to know what they were doing behind your back.” Mr. Hamilton handed me the statue. “I think this was for you, and by accepting it, I’m afraid I may have just given your hand away in marriage.”

I pushed his hand back to him. “You keep it. I don’t want it anywhere near me. Just let them try to think they’re married to me. A well-placed knee is always an option. Those loincloths weren’t too thick.”

“—but they were revealing. I don’t know if you noticed, but they didn’t cover anything.”


All Rights Reserved

60

“I noticed, not that I’d even have to look, the way they were pressing themselves against me. And those women—naked from the waist up and much bigger than me.” I pushed my breasts up to prove my point. I let them drop; watching as they almost disappeared.

Mr. Hamilton turned red. I’d embarrassed him, but he still laughed at me. “You have the most amazing sense of humor.”

“Sick, huh?”“Not at all. I can see why Jason stays with you. You’re fun,

don’t demand much, and you’re faithful.”“I think most women are faithful.”“No, they’re not. Trust me.” He stopped speaking, retreating

into himself. I was getting a better picture of what Tara was like. I assumed she’d cheated on him and didn’t love him, but she wore the pants in the relationship—definitely pink pants. I knew I didn’t like her from the moment I met her about a week or so earlier and really didn’t like her fascination with the color pink.

Considering how she’d treated me when we got onto the plane, I thought of her as snotty, rude, and ignorant of how normal people lived. I thought back to that first encounter. I hated how she made me sit in the back of coach while she and Mr. Hamilton sat in first class for the entire trip and on each leg from Denver to Zambia, even though I had a first class ticket too. It was demeaning, and I’m sure the rest of the passengers didn’t


All Rights Reserved

61

appreciate taking off a half hour late from Denver because of Tara’s tirade. I found it humorous, though, when the air marshal sitting beside me on the first leg in the back of the plane, offered to take her out for me when he showed me his gun. I laughed aloud with him, while everyone else in coach stared at us. The more I thought about it, Mr. Hamilton tried to keep her quiet and get me to return to first class, but she was in charge.

After walking for a while, I noticed the scenery had changed considerably. We headed down a path through a dense forest of tall trees, when out of nowhere, a vervet monkey with its black face and white-furred cheeks swooped down on us and grabbed Mr. Hamilton’s plain red baseball cap.

“Hey! Give that back!” Mr. Hamilton reached for it, but it was too late. The monkeys howled in what sounded like laughter while the red hat moved higher up into the trees.

I had to state the obvious. His hat was dead. “There’s no way you’re going to get it back.”

We both peered upward to see the little devils. “That was my favorite hat, too. Let’s just go.” He checked his

watch. “We’re going to be late.”“Late for what? We have an appointment? Out here in the

wilderness? Will you tell me what we’re really doing out here?”


All Rights Reserved

62

His gaze met my eyes, determination filling his face. “No. It’s for your own protection. If we get captured, they can’t know why we’re here.”

So he did have an agenda after all. I just wondered how it all figured in with his obsession with his mother. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Both of his hands moved to my shoulders. “Kes, trust me. They’ll go to no end to make you talk. Have you heard of the mafia?”

“Sure, but they’re not here.”“The bad people in this country will do worse than the mafia

when they find out why we’re here. This isn’t something you play with. It’s more than fire, and it’ll burn both of us. I’m just sorry I got you into this. I had no idea you’d be so…”

I tried to finish his sentence. “Naïve? Trustworthy?” “Adorable.” I felt my mouth drop. Adorable? What was he thinking? He

was engaged to a woman who looked like a model for the color pink, and he thought I was adorable? This wasn’t the same man I’d fought with the day before. What happened to him? What did I do to him to make him think I was adorable? I’d never, in my whole life, had a man call me adorable before. Strong, yes, one of the guys, yes, determined, yes, but adorable? No way. Did he


All Rights Reserved

63

mean adorable in a childlike way, a girl-next-door way, or in a sexy way? No matter what he meant, I was in deep trouble.

He turned and headed out of the forest while I still dealt with the ‘adorable’ comment.

A loud bang, sounding like a shot, disturbed the quiet and Mr. Hamilton instantly fell to the ground. Flocks of birds flew away and the monkeys went into a screaming frenzy, racing up to the tops of the trees. I hit the dirt and crawled to Mr. Hamilton, ready for more rounds. It took forever to reach him. I pulled him back into the forest, not knowing what I was up against. Some crazy person had a gun. Maybe the pith helmet guy from the lion tree was back for his ‘elimination’ revenge?

Mr. Hamilton wasn’t as heavy as I thought he’d be, but it was still a struggle to move him to a safer place. I glanced up at the monkeys with envy because they could escape. That’s when I noticed the red hat, making me doubly angry. But I had a job to do and turned back toward Mr. Hamilton. From his face, I could tell he was in shock and in great pain.

“What happened?” I asked.“They found me,” he whispered, then passed out.


All Rights Reserved

64

~~~~~

Chapter 11

I pulled Mr. Hamilton farther into the forest to a secluded spot behind the trees. The end of a bullet stuck out of his skin, making blood stream down his arm. At least it didn’t go straight through. If I had to guess, I’d think it was a ricochet shot, possibly not intended for him. However, I couldn’t take that chance, in case the gunman was just a bad shot.

I hated blood. No matter whose blood it was, it wasn’t for me. My sister was a nurse, so she didn’t mind it, but I hated blood. I even closed my eyes to take a bandage off a cut that had been healed for weeks—that’s how much I hated blood.

As much as I despised the thought of removing the bullet, this man was going to bleed to death if I didn’t help him. If this had happened when we first arrived in Zimbabwe, I probably wouldn’t have cared as much. But now, I had a bond with Mr. Hamilton. He presented himself as human, having saved me many times. I had


All Rights Reserved

65

to help him, because now, I really cared. He’d made our relationship personal.

I grabbed the first piece of cloth I could find from a backpack and pressed it on the wound so it wouldn’t bleed any more. It just so happened that the piece of cloth I chose was one of Mr. Hamilton’s expensive silk shirts, which didn’t do a very good job of soaking up the blood.

As the voices got closer, I zipped up the backpack in one quick motion, turning back to Mr. Hamilton.

“Wake up,” I whispered, slapping his face. After a few seconds of smacking him silly, he opened his eyes and looked up at me with a moan.

I covered his mouth with my hand. He should know better than to make noise. “Shhh!” I whispered into his ear. “We have to get out of here. They’re coming.”

He nodded and tried to stand up. I grabbed all the backpacks and moved Mr. Hamilton behind a huge tree in the back of the forest to hide. He held the cloth to his arm, while I tried to keep him from passing out by holding him up.

Three native men dressed in police uniforms entered the forest, speaking in both English and their native language. They each had small guns, and from the few words I could make out, they were looking for us. I peeked around the tree, barely able to see them. The monkeys still screeched and squawked from


All Rights Reserved

66

above, making it difficult to hear everything they were saying, but most of it wasn’t English so it didn’t matter. One man pointed and said something about the blood on the ground, but since I had the cloth on Mr. Hamilton’s arm, the blood trail only led to where we’d been minutes before.

The monkeys swooped down on the armed men and grabbed at their hair, while making loud sounds. The main culprit wore the red hat.

I took Mr. Hamilton’s hand and pulled him the best I could to another group of trees a few hundred feet away, hoping the group of three men were alone and wouldn’t see us.

Once we were out of sight, we rested beside a tree. Mr. Hamilton held his arm and doubled over while I took the cloth off his injury and looked at the wound. It was still bleeding. I tried not to lose my lunch, dealing with it the best I could.

“I can see the bullet,” I whispered.He kept his voice low. “Can you take it out?”“I’ll try, but you have to understand. I really hate blood.”“I don’t get women who hate blood. They have to deal with it

on a regular basis and yet they can’t stand the sight of it?”I leaned down and stared him in the eyes, ready for a nasty

gender fight. “Did you ever think that maybe the reason women don’t like the sight of blood is because they have to deal with it every month?”


All Rights Reserved

67

“I never thought of it that way,” he said with his head down. “I also never had this conversation with anyone. Have you?”

“Yep. More than once.”“Are you this open with people?”“Yes. Now I’m going to try to get the bullet out. Don’t make

any noise because I don’t want those guys to find us. Understand?”

“Got it.”I closed my eyes and imagined an apple pie. Gooey and

yellow, not red and gross. I dug my fingers into the hole in his arm, forcing a moan from Mr. Hamilton. I covered his mouth with my other hand while pulling on the bullet, working as fast as I could. It was a small bullet and I handed it to him.

“Now, do you have anything to clean this with?” I asked, opening my eyes.

“There’s some antiseptic in my backpack where you found this two hundred dollar shirt.”

“Oops! I was just grabbing cloth.”“Don’t worry about it. You can make it up to me later.”I shot him a dirty look. “Don’t count on it.”I went through his backpack and found alcohol and some

gauze. I removed the bottle of water from the other backpack and used it first, pouring it over his arm and my hand so we’d be clean.

“That’s agonizing,” he groaned, his breathing unsteady.________________________________


68

“Stay quiet. I’m sorry, but I have to clean this up. I don’t have a lot of time.” I peeked around the tree, but the guys weren’t near us.

I covered Mr. Hamilton’s mouth again and poured the alcohol over his wound. It must have hurt, because he buried his teeth into my hand and howled. I bit my lip and kept silent, even though I was ready to haul off and clip him.

I yanked my hand away from him. “Did you have to bite me?” I asked in a half-whisper. I looked at the teeth indentions in the side of my hand. At least he didn’t draw blood. That would’ve made me pass out, because the sight of my blood was much worse than the sight of someone else’s blood.

I took the gauze, wadded it up, and packed it into the wound.“Can you hold this in place?” I asked, nodding toward the

gauze.“I’ll try.” He breathed hard, his eyes closed, and he struggled to keep

his head upright. If it had been me, I’d have been passed out on the ground.

He reached up and held onto the wad of gauze while I wrapped it in many layers, tying it off as tightly as I could.

“All done,” I said, and washed my hands in the water and alcohol.


All Rights Reserved

69

“Thank you so much. I would’ve died if you hadn’t helped me.” He lowered his head again.

“No problem. Now, are you going to tell me why those men were shooting at you?” I bent close to his head to hear his answer.

“They probably thought I was a poacher.”“No. I heard them say your name. That was the only thing I

could understand. And, it wasn’t Hansel, either. They plainly said ‘James Hamilton.’ Why would the police know your name?”

He looked up and stared at me. I could see his brain working overtime. “I can only tell you some of it right now. The rest is too sensitive.”

I glanced around the tree again, but no one was nearby. I returned my gaze to Mr. Hamilton’s face. “I’ll take any

information I can get.”“I applied to get into this country to find a man who knew my

mother.”I’d been right. “I just knew it had to do something with your

mother.” I kept quiet and listened as he breathed heavily. “My

application was denied, and I was told if I set foot in this country, I’d be in big trouble.”

“Why would someone be here who knew your mother?”


All Rights Reserved

70

“My mother was a missionary in Zimbabwe. She came here when I was about three or so. I don’t remember much about her. She died when I was about five or six.”

Now it made sense why he thought about his mother so much. “How would they know you’re here now?”

“Someone in the Zambian government must have told them,” he said with a groan. “I was also warned by our own state department not to cross over into Zimbabwe because it wasn’t safe for me.”

“What about me? Am I safe?”“I never told the Zimbabwean or Zambian government about

you. You were flying on your own, with Tara.”“But she was in first class and I was in coach.” I just had to

get in the last word about the matter. “We weren’t really flying together at all.”

Even though his head lowered slightly, his eyes met mine. “I’m so sorry about all of that. Once she makes her mind up about something, there’s no changing it.”

I thought about what he was telling me. “Instead of coming here, why didn’t you just call the guy who knew your mother, or send him a first class ticket to the States or something?”

He ignored my extra little dig about his fiancée. “There’s more to the story about this man, but I’m afraid you’ll be killed if you know anything else.”


All Rights Reserved

71

“Great. I can hardly wait.”“That’s more than I wanted to tell you.” He moaned,

clutching his arm even tighter, the pain evident on his face.“I’m glad you told me at least that part. Can you tell me

where we’re headed?”“Not yet.”“Why not?”“I’ll tell you when we get there,” he said. “It’s on a ‘need to

know’ basis, and it’s not time for you to know yet.”“I see.” I put his bloody expensive shirt and the other items

I’d used into the backpacks, and we started on our journey yet again. Since his arm hurt, I carried everything. We got out of the forest area and hid behind as many rocks and shrubs as we could find, in case the police were still on our trail. My life had just gotten a lot more interesting. If I had a computer, I’d look up his mother and more information on his life. I just needed the woman’s first name.

~~~~~

Chapter 12


All Rights Reserved

72

We continued on the path, moving as fast as Mr. Hamilton could go, until we found a place to stop. We sat down on a rock near some trees beside the dirt road and had a snack of crackers and water, which was all the food we had left. After we ate, we continued down the path, which was at least a mile long.

“How do you feel now?” I asked him. “Do I need to call out for an emergency response from our government to save you from dying?”

With a smile, he rested his good arm over my shoulders, on top of all the backpack straps. “No. I’m doing a lot better. I really appreciate you saving my life and not turning us in. Let me carry some of those things on my shoulders.” He took a few of the backpacks from my shoulders, lightening my load considerably.

“Thank you. Do you think you weren’t allowed in this country because of your mother?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Tell me about your life. I didn’t get the whole picture from your family.”

“There’s not much to tell. I go to work, then after work, hang out with Jason or my family. Jason keeps me from my family’s crazy overbearing ideas.”

“They like being part of your life.”“Not only that, they like controlling my life. That’s why I

moved away from home, and now I’m thinking I need to move farther away. I used to get calls from my mother on what to wear


All Rights Reserved

73

for the day. I swear, the lady had a calendar to tell me what to wear so I wouldn’t clash with what I’d worn the previous day.”

“It would be nice to have family like that. I never had someone to be there for me.”

I turned toward him as we walked down the road. “Not even Tara? I’m surprised.” I’d stopped from mentioning the color pink, mentally patting myself on the back.

“No. I’m not exactly on the top of her caring list. I’m on my own.”

“And you stay with her because of your fathers? That’s really crazy to condemn your life, married to someone who doesn’t care or believe in you, just because two old men thought they knew better. What do you really get out of this deal? I can see what she gets, and she’s in the driver’s seat. But you’re left out in the cold with someone who doesn’t even care about you. Is that what you really want in your life? That sounds lonely to me.”

He stared at me as we walked, looking as if a light bulb went off over his head. “You know, you’re right. I’m going to think this through.” He paused, looking over the landscape. “With my background, I’m really blind.”

“What does that mean?”“Never mind.”We approached a small gray shack with a good-sized garden

that stood at the end of the road. The house needed painting, but ________________________________


74

it was a welcome relief from the village of huts with the phallic symbol statue.

The front door of the small home opened, and a native woman, who was older than both of us, came out of the building with a dishpan full of some liquid. She saw us and screamed, making the dishpan fly into the air and toss the liquid everywhere. The woman disappeared back into the house, returning a few seconds later with a shotgun pointed toward us.

“Who are you?” she yelled in some accent that sounded French.

Great. Someone else wanted us dead. This really wasn’t a good place for a vacation. (To be continued…)

HIDDEN TREASURE!!! Get a free book (‘Touchdowns and Potions,’ by Markee Anderson) at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/22056 with coupon NP49N (good until November 5).


All Rights Reserved

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/22056

75

‘I Love To Eat’ Recipe

Caramel Brownies(also found at http://sweettalebooks.com/recipe_caramelbrownies.html)

Ingredients:14 ounce bag of caramels, unwrapped 1/3 cup evaporated milk 3/4 cup very soft butter 1 box German chocolate cake mix 1/3 cup evaporated milk 1 cup chocolate chips Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt caramels with 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Set aside. Combine 3/4 cup very soft butter, 1 box German chocolate

cake mix, and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Mix by hand until all the powder is incorporated in. Pat 1/2 of mixture into a 13 X 9 inch pan. Bake 6 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips over baked base and spread

caramel over chips. Drop rest of mix by small spoonfuls over top and spread

around (might need to use your hands because of the caramel).

Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and refrigerate.


All Rights Reserved

http://sweettalebooks.com/recipe_caramelbrownies.html

76

Links And PeepsHere are more of my ‘peeps,’ continued from last month:

A Few of My Peeps:Ann DuranNancy O'BerryBarbara SilkstoneThe Top Shelf

Fun Links:http://humortrain.com/

About MeI write as the following people: All my emails are on these pages, under ‘contact.’Markee Anderson (contemporary romances)

Website: www.markeeanderson.comFB fan page: http://on.fb.me/IB8LXzTwitter: https://twitter.com/MarkeeAnderson

Andie Alexander (mystery/adventure/romance)Website: www.andiealexander.com FB: http://on.fb.me/nCTE0b Twitter: https://twitter.com/andiealexander

Eryn Grace (Christian romances)Website: www.eryngrace.comFB: http://on.fb.me/Mq4oAR Twitter: https://twitter.com/eryn_grace

Kyra Myles (YA paranormal and sci-fi)Website: www.kyramyles.com FB: http://on.fb.me/Mq4mcp Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyraMyles

SweetTale Books brings all my personalities together under one roof. Website: www.sweettalebooks.com.FB: http://on.fb.me/Mq4qsy


All Rights Reserved

http://on.fb.me/Mq4qsy

http://www.sweettalebooks.com/

https://twitter.com/KyraMyles

http://on.fb.me/Mq4mcp

http://www.kyramyles.com/

https://twitter.com/eryn_grace

http://on.fb.me/Mq4oAR

http://www.eryngrace.com/

https://twitter.com/andiealexander

http://on.fb.me/nCTE0b

http://www.andiealexander.com/

https://twitter.com/MarkeeAnderson

http://on.fb.me/IB8LXz

http://www.markeeanderson.com/

http://humortrain.com/

http://www.the-top-shelf.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Silkstone/e/B0047L8A8W/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1348854463&sr=8-2-ent

http://www.nancyoberry.com/

http://annduran.com/

77Twitter: https://twitter.com/SweetTaleBooks


All Rights Reserved

https://twitter.com/SweetTaleBooks

Documents

SweetTale Books—The Magazine