ALL FOR A DEAD MAN’S LEG: Harriet Ruby, Tour Director Extraordinaire Series
My name is Harriet Ruby, Tour Director Extraordinaire.At
least I thought I was worthy of that title until one of my tourists,
Archie Philpot, died in the middle of my first, solo European tour.
Teaming up with William Talbot, a seemingly kind stranger who turned out to be a spy in disguise, I tried to keep my tourists happy and unaware while smuggling poor old Archie's body out of Morocco. I never expected my newfound friend and helper to be the love of my life. It certainly didn’t hurt that he was such a hunk!
But before our romance even got properly started, we were chased by terrorists, smugglers and murderers. Since my role model had always been Tour Guide Barbie, I was out of my league and had to rely on Will to get us to safety.
Little did I know that getting out of Moroccowas just the beginning... [70k $6.00 ISBN # 978-1-934657-16-4]
Unable
to orient myself, I closed my eyes again and snuggled closer to the
other body. If I was suffering from hallucinations, so what? The
person beside me turned over. Strong arms wrapped around me. Mmmm.
Then Will kissed me again. I knew it was Will. I recognized the
lingering scent of his musky aftershave spiced with a smidgen of salt
from the ocean water, the firmness of his lips, the muscled chest and
slight coarse hair. Everything I'd fantasized about all day. This time
I was breathing, so I responded with enthusiasm.
Nice. Really nice.
Finally,
he eased us apart and sat up beside me. He placed his hand on my
shoulder and gave me a little shake. "Come on, Harriet, open your
eyes. I know you're in there."
With reluctance, I did as I was told and smiled up at him. "How'd you know I was awake?"
In the subdued light, his teeth flashed as he smiled. "Well, Let's
see. You stuck your tongue down my throat and nearly chewed off my
lip. That's a pretty sure sign."
"Sorry," I said, not sorry at all. "I was dreaming."
"I'll never tell." I adjusted the covers around me, my face burning.
Considering the fantasies I was having, I must be feeling a lot better.
"How, ah, did I get like this?"
He knew exactly what I meant. "I had to warm you up."
I propped myself up on my elbows, making sure the blanket was tucked around my chest.
"Warm me up for what?" My imagination shifted into overdrive, running
away with me. It must have shown on my face. Maybe it was the way I
was panting, not to mention the drooling.
He laughed as he climbed over me, got off the bunk, and stood up. I
was disappointed to see he was wearing an ill-fitting pair of trousers
that looked to short for him. Only his chest was bare.
"Not warmed up for that you're thinking. I mean warmed up as in not
dying. You know, to prevent hypothermia. Any other kind of warming up
might be a little awkward right now." He indicated our surroundings
with a lift of his chin.