Ready for Halloween?

If you are and you love to read, go check out my short stories, THE WITCH WITHIN from THE WILD ROSE PRESS

Here's the Blurb:

A scream echoes over Witch's mountain. A three hundred year old carving attacks for no reason. Widow Glory Sinclair fights against an unknown evil as she struggles with her growing attraction for Sheriff Will Moore.


And an excerpt:


The trail narrowed and the trees grew thicker along the edges. Cassie stayed several feet in front of Glory. Rocks and boulders littered the path and tree branches, mostly bare of their leaves, angled across their way. Glory had to keep a hand ready for a limb snapping back too fast after Cassie released it.

Every cracked twig she stepped on, the wind rattling the leaves on the trees, and even the crows cawing, pounded against Glory’s mind. Her entire body remained tense, fear slowly eating at her senses. A branch fell from the canopy, snapping smaller limbs before striking the undergrowth and musky leaves littering the forest floor. Glory froze, her gaze shot toward the spot several yards into the woods just to their left.

Glory glanced at Cassie. Her little girl stood a few feet further up the trail, a worried frown crinkled her smooth brow. Unable to speak, Glory nodded to reassure her and somehow managed to force a smile out. She moved toward Cassie, shooing her ahead.

Another few minutes crept by and a twig popped to their left. Cassie kept moving but her gaze flew toward the sound. There deep in the dim reaches nothing moved. Glory’s glance caught sight of a dark shape near one of the trees. She slowed down and squinted. The size of a person, the form could have been a snapped off tree. Her heartbeat increased and the shape slid forward in the same direction they traveled.
Glory’s eyes widened. Though she couldn’t distinguish any detail, she knew that shape. The carving was moving parallel through the trees with them.

Without thinking, Glory lifted her skirts, and grabbed Cassie’s hand as she passed her. She half loped down the trail, pulling her daughter behind her. She didn’t think about the danger of moving so fast along the mountain path, she wanted only to put distance between her daughter and that thing following them.

The trees thinned out and a sharp turn came into view. Blood pounding in her ears, Glory skidded around the corner.

Black forelegs reared and Glory screamed. The mule, out of sight with the bend in the trail, snorted and neighed, its hooves landing a few feet from where Glory stopped, Cassie held behind her.

“Good Lord, woman, didn’t you hear me coming up the trail?” Will swung out of the saddle. He patted the mule’s neck as he stepped in front of it to reach her side. Snorting, the big animal nodded several times, its bridle rattling in the quiet, before settling down.

Will touched her arm. “Are you all right? Shade didn’t hit you, did he?”

She shook her head, unable to force the words out. She released her hold on Cassie and clasped the loose sides of Will’s white shirt where it was tucked into his pants. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his chest for a brief second, then turned her head and laid her cheek on his breast. She listened to the steady beat of his heart.

“Honey,” Will’s breath slipped over her right cheek. “Glory, are you all right?”

His heartbeat accelerated and she realized how she frightened him. She needed to sort through her thoughts before answering. She had to tell him what had happened but the uncertainty of how he would take to the news frightened her more than almost being stomped by his mule.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's on sale! It's a eerie tale of paranormal and romance. Be sure and contact me if you do and let me know how you liked it!

Comments

Mindy Blanchard said…
wow, Judy! Fantastic story. I can't wait to read it! Been missing you. Hope to see you at BWG soon.

Popular Posts