Fortuna by Elaine
Cantrell
Blurb:
Aimee
Sherwood never dreamed that following her fiancé into the witness protection
pro-gram would land her in a haunted house in a town that’s downright creepy.
She’d have laughed if she had been told the guy who lives down the road might
be her soul mate, not the man whose ring she’s wearing. Life in West Virginia
is nothing like life in Los Angeles, but between bean ball battles with Marilyn
Monroe, remodeling a crumbling farmhouse, and starting a new business, Aimee’s
life is anything but dull.
Excerpt: Rocky and
Aimee participate in a wrestling match.
As they
appeared in the doorway leading into the arena, speakers blasted Rocky’s theme
song as the announcer roared, “Ladies and gentlemen, Rocky Stone is in the building!”
Spotlights
blinded Aimee when they hit her. Rocky gave her a masterful kiss as dry ice
sent fog roiling around them. With Rocky striding out in front, she and Thin
Lips Rich followed, waving to the crowd and clapping the entire time. Rich
spread the ropes apart for her and Rocky to enter the ring.
She
strutted around, throwing kisses and motioning for the audience to stand up. The
crowd went crazy when a wild swirl of bagpipe music filled the arena. They
loved Rocky’s show. Clapping in unison, they cheered, “Rock-y. Rock-y. Rock-y.”
With the
focus off her, Aimee relaxed a little. Thank
goodness nobody’s staring at me now. I hate the outfits Rocky wants me to wear.
‘Your clothes are a part of my stage personality,’ he said. He wants me to look
like a party girl.
She
glared at the dress. It was made of spandex covered in electric blue sequins
and was so short it was dangerous to sit down. Not only that, her boobs would
probably fall out of the bodice any time now. The horrible dress had been
designed to push up the assets.
Cade
McCoy, whose hair was a greasy-looking, dirty blonde that reached his
shoulders, threw off his hat and black leather vest and shouted something to
Rocky, who ignored him. The barrage of noise intensified as Cade flexed his
muscles at the screaming fans. Aimee clapped her hands to her ears to protect
them even though it would annoy Rich. She’d be deaf before this debacle finally
ended.
Her part
was finished for the moment. She glared at Cade, kissed Rocky, and took Rich’s
arm as he escorted her from the ring, taking care not to catch her stiletto
heels in the ropes. The heels had blue sequins on them too.
The next
fifteen minutes were pure purgatory. She held her breath when Cade put Rocky in
a headlock and punched his face. He released Rocky and gave him a kick in the
butt that sent him sprawling. Rocky seemed dazed by the punches.
Before he
could get to his feet, Cade slipped under the bottom rope and shoved one of the
timekeepers from his chair. He grabbed the chair and took it into the ring with
him. As the crowd roared and screamed, he smashed Rocky from behind with the
chair.
Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.
Cade
paraded around the ring, jeering at the audience and gloating over Rocky’s
fall. Rocky should have gotten to his feet by now, but he hadn’t moved a
muscle. Cade strutted across the ring and kicked his leg. Hard. Rocky didn’t
move.
Aimee
didn’t realize she had gotten to her feet and was moving until she bumped into
the ring. “Rocky, get up,” she screamed, her voice reverberating around the now
strangely silent arena.
The
referee hustled over to Rocky. He took the precaution of motioning Cade back,
even though Cade had moved away and wasn’t even close to Rocky. Bending over,
he touched Rocky’s shoulder and said something Aimee couldn’t hear. He barked
an order to the timekeeper, who picked up a radio.
Two
paramedics, exuding competence and authority, rushed to the ring with a
stretcher. They put Rocky in a neck brace and carefully loaded him onto the
stretcher. As they trotted out of the arena, Rocky’s arm fell from where it lay
on his chest. It looked so loose and floppy that Aimee screamed again. She ran
behind the paramedics with tears and mascara streaming down her cheeks.
Buy
Links:
Elaine Cantrell’s
Biography
Elaine Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina. She holds a master’s degree in personnel
services from Clemson University. She is
a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary society for women
educators and is also a member of Romance Writers of America. Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003
winner of the Timeless Love Contest.
When she isn’t writing or teaching, she enjoys reading, traveling, and
collecting vintage Christmas ornaments.
Author Links:
Character Interview:
Cade
Rhonda: Welcome to Centerville
Today, a Viewer’s Choice TV program. My name is Rhonda Dalton, and my guest
today is Cade McCoy. Cade, welcome to the show. Could you introduce yourself to
the viewers?
Cade: (Smiles at Rhonda) I’d be
glad to. As Rhonda said my name is Cade McCoy, and I live at Bad Creek Farm.
Rhonda: Are you a farmer, Cade?
Cade: I raise five gaited saddle
horses. All of them are show quality, purebred animals.
Rhonda: Was raising horses your
main goal in life?
Cade: Yes, so far. I was only
wrestling to save money to buy the farm.
Rhonda: Horses are expensive.
What would you do if you won a million dollars?
Cade: I’d get my breeding program
on the fast track and set up group homes and counseling for troubled kids.
Rhonda: Is there a special lady
in your life?
Cade: (hesitates) Maybe, but we
have a few things to work out between us.
Rhonda: What’s her name?
Cade: I call her Sunshine,
although that’s just my nickname for her.
Rhonda: I hope everything works
out for you and your Sunshine, Cade. Thanks for being a part of our program
today.
Cade: Thanks for having me.
