High in Trial - By Donna Ball Page 0,65
while I said my good-byes and then came back to walk us to the parking lot. A bluish twilight was starting to fall over the South Carolina countryside, and the busy agricultural fairgrounds, which only yesterday had been the site of such joy and colorful activity, seemed bleak and haunted. Some men were loading the blue and yellow panels of the A-frame into a step van, and a lone RV pulled away toward the exit. A car door slammed in the distance. Except for the police vehicles that were parked close to the pavilion, there weren’t more than half a dozen cars left.
Cisco walked in close heel at my side. After the events of the afternoon, he’d been very, very careful to keep his attention focused on me. I had so much to apologize to my dog for. He hadn’t bargained on this. I’d promised him a fun weekend. He’d promised to do his best. He had kept his promise. I had not.
Miles held my hand. After a time, I glanced at him uncertainly. “Are you mad at me?”
He looked surprised. “For what?”
“For putting you in danger. And me. And everyone. I was worried maybe you wouldn’t want me to hang out with Mel anymore.” And before he could answer, I burst out, “I don’t know why these things happen to me, Miles, I really don’t. I don’t mean for them to. But you’re right. I lead a reckless, dangerous lifestyle, and I’m always getting into trouble, and I should’ve gone to the beach with you when you asked. I’m so sorry.”
He stepped in front of me, halting my forward progress, and dropped both hands onto my shoulders. Cisco obediently and alertly sat at my side when I stopped. Miles said, “Are you serious?” There was a puzzled, genuinely incredulous frown on his face. “Honey, what happened today wasn’t your fault. It was the fault of a crazy man. Even the police, with inside information and advance warning, couldn’t stop it. How were you supposed to?”
“That’s not the point.”
“It’s absolutely the point. And another thing. These things keep happening to you because you’re bright and curious and stubborn and brave and you have a heart as big as a golden retriever’s.” The smile in his eyes coaxed a small, reciprocal one from me. “And I would be proud to have Melanie grow up to be just like you. Only…” He fell into step beside me again, dropping one arm to my waist. “Let’s not take her to any dog shows for a while.”
“Trials,” I corrected him. “They’re called trials.”
He dropped a kiss on my hair. “I love you, babe.”
I said, “I love you back.” I pressed my head briefly against his shoulder and added softly, “Let’s go home, okay?”
So we did.
When we got there, a long and complicated story of love, lies, and betrayal was waiting for me, and it was good to have a friend by my side while I heard it. When that story was finished, I would never look at my life, or the people I loved, in quite the same way again.
Perhaps, after all, that wasn’t such a bad thing.
~*~
Also in The Raine Stockton Dog Mystery Series
SMOKY MOUNTAIN TRACKS
A child has been kidnapped and abandoned in the mountain wilderness. Her only hope is Raine Stockton and her young, untried tracking dog Cisco...
RAPID FIRE
Raine and Cisco are brought in by the FBI to track a terrorist …a terrorist who just happens to be Raine’s old boyfriend.
GUN SHY
Raine rescues a traumatized service dog, and soon begins to suspect he is the only witness to a murder.
BONE YARD
Cisco digs up human remains in Raine’s back yard, and mayhem ensues. Could this be evidence of a serial killer, a long-unsolved mass murder, or something even more sinister… and closer to home?
SILENT NIGHT
It’s Christmastime in Hansonville, N.C., and Raine and Cisco are on the trail of a missing teenager. But when a newborn is abandoned in the manger of the town's living nativity and Raine walks in on what appears to be the scene of a murder, the holidays take a very dark turn for everyone concerned.
THE DEAD SEASON
Raine and Cisco take a job leading a wilderness hike for troubled teenagers, and soon find themselves trapped on a mountainside in a blizzard… with a killer.
ALL THAT GLITTERS: A Holiday Short Story e book
Raine looks back on how she and Cisco met and solved their first crime in this Christmas Cozy short story. Sold separately as an e-book or bundled with the print edition of HIGH IN TRIAL.
Spine-chilling suspense by Donna Ball
SHATTERED
A missing child, a desperate call for help in the middle of the night… is this a cruel hoax, or the work of a maniacal serial killer who is poised to strike again?
NIGHT FLIGHT
She’s an innocent woman who knows too much. Now she’s fleeing through the night without a weapon and without a phone, and her only hope for survival is a cop who’s willing to risk his badge—and his life—to save her.
SANCTUARY
They came to the peaceful, untouched mountain wilderness of Eastern Tennessee seeking an escape from the madness of modern life. But when they built their luxury homes in the heart of virgin forest they did not realize that something was there before them… something ancient and horrible; something that will make them believe that monsters are real.
EXPOSURE
Everyone has secrets, but when talk show host Jessamine Cray’s stalker begins to use her past to terrorize her, no one is safe … not her family, her friends, her coworkers, and especially not Jess herself.
RENEGADE by Donna Boyd
Enter a world of dark mystery and intense passion, where human destiny is controlled by a species of powerful, exotic creatures. Once they ruled the Tundra, now they rule Wall Street. Once they fought with teeth and claws, now they fight with wealth and power. And only one man can stop them… if he dares.
Also by Donna Ball
The Ladybug Farm series by Donna Ball
For every woman who ever had a dream… or a friend
A Year on Ladybug Farm
At Home on Ladybug Farm
Love Letters from Ladybug Farm
Christmas on Ladybug Farm
Recipes from Ladybug Farm
Vintage Ladybug Farm
Romance Revisited by Donna Ball
MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER
He was a cowboy looking for a wife. She was a lady specializing in brides. They were made for each other... They just didn't know it yet.
A MAN AROUND THE HOUSE
He was the answer to a busy working woman's dreams. But was he too good to be true?
FOR KEEPS
He's an animal trainer who lives by one rule: never get attached. She's a social worker who knows all too well the price of getting involved. It may take an entire menagerie to bring them together, but eventually they both must learn that sometimes it's for keeps.
STEALING SAVANNAH
He was a reformed jewel thief now turned security expert and her job depended on his expertise. But could he be trusted not to steal the most valuable jewel of all-- her heart?
UNDER COVER
She's working on the biggest case of her life, and her cover has already been blown-- by the very man she's investigating. Now they must work together to solve an even bigger mystery-- their future together.
THE STORMRIDERS
They were thunder and lightning when they were married, and their divorce has been no less turbulent. But trapped together during a deadly blizzard with the lives of an entire community depending on them, they discover what's really important, and that some storms are worth riding out.
INTERLUDE
Sometimes a chance encounter is over in a moment, and sometimes it can last a lifetime.
CAST ADRIFT
She was a marine biologist on short deadline to find a very important dolphin, with no time to waste on romance. He was a sailor who knew there could only be one captain on his ship-- himself. But two weeks at sea together could change everything...
~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR….
Donna Ball is the author of over a hundred novels under several different pseudonyms in a variety of genres that include romance, mystery, suspense, paranormal, western adventure, historical and women’s fiction. Recent popular series include the Ladybug Farm series by Berkley Books and the Raine Stockton Dog Mystery series. Donna is an avid dog lover and her dogs have won numerous titles for agility, obedience and canine musical freestyle. She lives in a restored Victorian Barn in the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains with a variety of four-footed companions. You can contact her at http://www.donnaball.net
Table of Contents
High in Trial epub