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Now available for pre-order!\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 Godsend is the first novel in the Hell Yeah! Heritage series. If you ever wondered where those Thrust from his home, Austin McCoy travels west to build a new life for himself in the wilds of Texas. Civilization has not yet arrived to the wilderness where he settles and his nearest neighbor is more than two days\u2019 journey through Indian territory alive with bear, cougar and wolves. While difficult, carving out an existence amidst these dangers is not what weighs heavily on his heart. With nothing and no one to share his days, Austin is lost. The answer to his prayers comes from a very unexpected source\u2026<\/p>\n Jolie Dumas has also been torn from the only home she has ever known. The beloved daughter of a plantation owner and his quadroon mistress, she is horrified to be sold into slavery after the death of her parents. Bought and paid for, she is chained and walked from New Orleans to Texas. Before she can be delivered to her master, the slave trader is killed and Jolie escapes. Alone and vulnerable, she seeks a safe place to hide, not knowing the sanctuary she finds may end up being the one place she truly belongs.<\/p>\n When Austin opens his heart and home to the beautiful woman, he has no idea the future she faces. Knowing what awaits her if anyone finds out the truth, Jolie hides her identity from him. Having been betrayed before by those she trusted, she has no idea that in Austin\u2019s eyes she could not be more perfect. EXCERPT<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Sandy. Time to lock the door and call it a night.\u201d Austin McCoy urged his dog to join him inside. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a hard day. Time to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n The big hound stepped over the threshold, making for the hearth and flopping down in his usual spot.<\/p>\n \u201cWe made good headway today. I think we\u2019ve cleared another acre, soon we\u2019ll have enough room for a few more cows.\u201d<\/p>\n Sandy\u2019s only response was to roll over.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you hungry? I\u2019ll hang this pot of stew over the fire to warm it. Tomorrow, I think maybe we\u2019ll put some corn in the coals to roast.\u201d<\/p>\n Austin\u2019s voice rang in the empty space. Taking off his hat, he chunked it on the table. Yes, he was going crazy. The only live creature he had to talk to was his dog and Sandy was a poor conversationalist. He sank down in a ladder back chair with a cowhide bottom and let his gaze rove around the small log cabin he\u2019d built with his own two hands. \u201cHome, sweet home.\u201d The simple dogtrot structure was made from pine logs he\u2019d cut and stripped of their bark. After he\u2019d peeled them smooth, he\u2019d notched the logs on the corners, then set them together, filling the cracks with a mixture of red clay and pine straw. This humble abode was nowhere near as fancy as the home he\u2019d left in Tennessee, but Austin was no longer welcome in his family home. After his mother died, his father had remarried. When his young wife\u2019s wandering eye had fallen on Austin, his father quickly decided it was time for his only son to venture west and make his own fortune. Stephen McCoy had given Austin his inheritance early, wishing him well and sending him on his way.<\/p>\n The lure of adventure was strong and the prospect of his own land in the rich territory of Texas had been some consolation for walking off and leaving everything he\u2019d ever known and held familiar. Now, six months since he\u2019d broken ground six miles south of the spot the Indians called Red Mound, he was fast beginning to regret the decision. Hard work and the dangers he encountered daily were not the cause of Austin\u2019s deep depression. No, it was the isolation. The loneliness. The complete and utter void that seemed to surround him, made Austin want to throw his fists in the air and rail at the heavens. What he wouldn\u2019t give for someone to talk to, someone to hold at night\u2013someone to love.<\/p>\n Austin longed for a wife.<\/p>\n How many nights had he lain alone in his bed and ached for release? He\u2019d not been with many women, but since becoming a man he\u2019d not gone so long without feeling the sweet relief that only a woman could give. And what scared him more than anything, was that there was no end in sight to this exile. Months and years of loneliness stretched before him. How would he endure it? Where would he find a wife in this wilderness? He\u2019d made the long journey to Nacogdoches, only to find women as scarce a commodity as silk. And if there was one, he was no prize. His mind returned to his home in Tennessee, the women he\u2019d courted, the plans he\u2019d made. All of that was gone. What did he have to offer a lady?<\/p>\n Only love, only to be cherished.<\/p>\n Running a frustrated hand through his long hair, he stood up in disgust. \u201cNo use wishing for something I can\u2019t have, is there boy?\u201d<\/p>\n Feeling rested enough to feed his hunger pains, Austin hung the cast-iron pot on the hook over the flames. While he was there, he stoked the fire and added another log. Sandy raised up and cocked his ear. \u201cDid you hear something outside?\u201d Austin grew still to listen also. He heard howling in the distance, but nothing out of the ordinary. \u201cJust that big old timber wolf and his pack, nothing unusual.\u201d Sandy lifted his nose to take a whiff, giving Austin a long look from his limpid brown eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to check it out?\u201d<\/p>\n Just voicing the question gave them both a jolt of energy. The dog and man both rose to head for the door. Austin picked up his rifle, just to be on the safe side. \u201cLet\u2019s go see what we can find.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026In the small lean-to, full of tools, Jolie nestled down in the straw. She was scared and hungry, but at least she had shelter of a sort, enough to give her a chance at a few hours of sleep. The scratches on her body made her feel raw and achy. As she closed her eyes, the sorrow in her heart knew no bounds. With no food, no money, and nowhere to go, Jolie didn\u2019t think she would make it. She\u2019d tried to find some berries to eat, to no avail. The only sustenance to be found was the raw turnip she held in her hands, which she would attempt to eat as soon as she rested enough to have the energy. As she laid her head against the rough wood, Jolie tried to reason with herself about all that happened. What had she done to deserve this? Was she less than her Aunt Lisette or Grandmother Dora? Was she not a human being like they were?<\/p>\n Jolie hugged herself and tried to reason the mystery of slavery. All that her Grandmere and mother had told her, the whispers that she\u2019d heard from Eula and her papa, all the things that she\u2019d seen while at Oak Hill came back to her. The tiny cabins the workers had lived in, how they lined up for water and food to be doled out to them, the men who guarded them on horseback with dogs at their sides\u2013all of the things that she\u2019d chosen to ignore and not see. If she didn\u2019t acknowledge the injustice, it wasn\u2019t real. Closing her weary eyes, she knew there would be no more avoiding the travesty. The nightmare had become her reality.<\/p>\n \u2026Sandy took off ahead, his nose to the ground. Austin followed closely, his rifle loaded and ready. Not too many days ago, he\u2019d seen a panther. He had no wish to kill the big black cat, but it could take down one of his oxen, not to mention a full grown man. Austin cocked his ear toward the area where the three head of cattle were penned. There was no unrest, so he didn\u2019t think there was a predator about. When they came even with the shed, Sandy veered over to nose around. The closer he came, the faster he walked, tail in the air. \u201cWhat is it, boy?\u201d Austin asked. \u201cSomething there?\u201d He figured it was an armadillo or a possum, hopefully not a skunk. The last run-in the mutt had with a skunk, Austin had dipped him in the creek four times, scrubbing him with lye soap until they both could tolerate the stench.<\/p>\n With only the light of the moon to guide him, Austin drew closer to the shed where Sandy was now nosing his way past the door that had somehow been left ajar. Hearing the dog\u2019s whimper, his curiosity rose to a high level. His animal wasn\u2019t reacting the way he would expect if there was prey or some type of threat. No, Austin was confused to see Sandy\u2019s tail begin to wag. \u201cWhat have you found?\u201d<\/p>\n Coming close, he pulled the door open a bit wider so the moon\u2019s rays could filter into the near darkness. \u201cWhat?\u201d he whispered. At first he thought the intruder was a man. The hat pulled down over the face and the jacket obscured his view, but the long hair and bare legs sticking out from what appeared to be a dress of some kind convinced him otherwise. He blinked once or twice. Were his eyes deceiving him? Perhaps this was some kind of cruel joke that his mind was playing on him. This was a woman. Going to his knees, he knelt by the small trespasser. \u201cMa\u2019am? Are you all right?\u201d He shook her shoulder gently.<\/p>\n The touch jerked Jolie awake. All she could think was that Coffi or the bear had her. A scream erupted from her lips before her eyes focused on the face in front of her.<\/p>\n The sudden noise caused Sandy to bark. Austin sat back on his hills, giving the girl a little space. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, I\u2019m not going to hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n Before, Jolie would never have thought to fight for herself, but after what she\u2019d been through, having been sold into slavery, defending herself had become second nature. But without a weapon or light enough to see her surroundings, all she could think about was running. Jumping to her feet, she tried to figure out a way to get past the big man who blocked her way. \u201cPlease, just let me go. I\u2019ll leave. I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n Leave? He took in her tattered clothing and bare feet. She was so small. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to leave. Come into the cabin where it\u2019s safe. Aren\u2019t you hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n The turnip she\u2019d taken from his garden still lay at her feet. \u201cYes.\u201d Could she risk it? There was the possibility this man could hurt her, but what choice did she have? \u201cIf you\u2019ll let me rest for a little while, I\u2019ll be on my way soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Austin didn\u2019t know what to think. \u201cAre you alone? Where did you come from? Those questions and more were racing through his mind. He rose and offered her his hand. \u201cThe ground\u2019s rough. Do you want me to carry you?\u201d<\/p>\n Jolie would\u2019ve laughed if she\u2019d felt more confident. \u201cNo. I\u2019ll be fine. I\u2019ve walked a long way already.\u201d<\/p>\n He couldn\u2019t fathom what she was saying. Knowing what lay beyond his small clearing, Austin was flabbergasted to find this tiny female seeming to be at the mercy of the world. \u201cPlease, come in and let me check your feet and get you something to eat. Sandy and I were just about to have supper. Somehow, he knew you were out here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe did?\u201d Jolie laid her hand on the big dog\u2019s head. \u201cHe\u2019s soft.\u201d The memory of the vicious dogs used on the plantation to keep the slaves in line caused her to jerk her hand back. \u201cHe won\u2019t bite me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, he won\u2019t bite.\u201d Austin was anxious to get his guest inside. \u201cWe\u2019re glad to have some company, aren\u2019t we, Sandy?\u201d<\/p>\n His dog answered with a bark, which made Jolie smile. \u201cOkay, for a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n As Austin led his guest back to the cabin, he tried to make her feel more comfortable. \u201cMy name is Austin McCoy. What\u2019s yours?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJolie.\u201d She answered automatically, then immediately regretted it. Would her buyer look for her? Did he know her name? She really had no way of knowing one way or the other.<\/p>\n \u201cJolie.\u201d Austin said it, savoring the way her name sounded on his lips. \u201cThat\u2019s a beautiful name. Where are your folks? Were you attacked by Indians?\u201d The thought of her just barely escaping with her life made his blood run cold.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were attacked. My parents are dead.\u201d Both of those things were true, albeit unrelated.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n When he opened the door to the cabin, the smell of food caused her to sway. She hadn\u2019t realized how weak she\u2019d become.<\/p>\n Austin shot out a hand to stabilize her. \u201cHow long since you\u2019ve eaten.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA couple of days.\u201d She tried to remember. Coffi hadn\u2019t really cared whether the women had eaten or not.<\/p>\n As soon as he got Jolie inside, Austin began to do everything he could do to make her welcome. \u201cHere, sit here.\u201d He gave her the more comfortable chair, a rocker that sat next to the fireplace. \u201cAnd water, let me get you some water.\u201d Moving to the bucket of well-water he kept on the small cabinet in what passed for his kitchen, Austin ladled a cup full and carried it to her.<\/p>\n Taking the water, she gratefully took a drink. \u201cThank you.\u201d It tasted so good, she greedily drank it all.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get you more.\u201d He hastily refilled the cup, then found a bowl to dip up some of the stew. \u201cThis is rabbit, but I\u2019ve added some potatoes and onions I raised in the garden. I think it\u2019s edible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re very kind.\u201d Jolie sat the cup on the floor and raised her hands to grasp the clay dish with the tin spoon.<\/p>\n \u201cMy pleasure,\u201d Austin said and he meant it. Even by the light of the kerosene lamp, he couldn\u2019t make out her features. The hat cast a shadow over her face, but from what he could see of her neck and arms they were covered with mud and numerous scratches. \u201cI think I\u2019ve got an herb salve that might make those sore places on your face and arms feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n Jolie heard him, she just couldn\u2019t stop eating long enough to answer.<\/p>\n Raised a lady, she managed not to shovel the food between her lips\u2013just barely.<\/p>\n It did Austin\u2019s heart good to watch her eat, but he couldn\u2019t stop worrying about what would happen to her if she left again. \u201cWhere will you go? Do you have relatives?\u201d<\/p>\n Swallowing the last delicious bite, she licked her lips, then hung her head. \u201cI\u2019m not sure what I\u2019m going to do.\u201d Just the thought of trying to find a place to live, some way of making a living, was more than she could comprehend.<\/p>\n Austin wanted to offer help. He wanted to do something. Noticing again her tattered clothing, he spoke quickly. \u201cDo you have any other clothes?\u201d He hadn\u2019t seen any type of satchel, but she might have left it at the lean-to.<\/p>\n Jolie glanced down at the rag she wore. \u201cNo, I must look a mess.\u201d What could she say? \u201cI ran to get away.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded. \u201cI\u2019m sure you were terrified. Would you like to wash up and change? I could pour up some water for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Cleaning herself sounded like heaven. \u201cPlease, yes. But I have nothing else to wear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure I can find something.\u201d He rose to find her anything of his that would come close to fitting. \u201cA shirt, I\u2019ll find a shirt for you. As small as you are, the length will be almost like a gown.\u201d<\/p>\n As Jolie sat there by the fire, her belly full, with a dog at her feet, she was transfixed by the big man with the long honey blond hair moving around the room, doing his best to make her comfortable. As she waited, she trembled. Residual shock from all she\u2019d endured still echoed throughout her body.<\/p>\n \u201cJolie, you can come and clean up.\u201d He snapped his finger. \u201cSandy, get up. We shall wait outside. When you finish, we\u2019ll return.\u201d<\/p>\n He gave her a kind smile, then left her alone. As soon as he was gone, she glanced around. After Oak Hill and even the bungalow, his home was simple and barren. But for the first time in weeks, she felt safe. Taking the rag he\u2019d given her to use, she dipped it in the lukewarm water and began to clean the mud and blood from her body.<\/p>\n Outside, Austin leaned against the side of his cabin, flummoxed by all that had happened. How different this evening had turned out to be than the one he\u2019d envisioned. For a little while, he was no longer alone. When a smile played upon his lips, his selfish feelings shamed Austin. How could he take pleasure when this woman had suffered so much loss?<\/p>\n Standing in the darkness, he kept an eye on Sandy who explored a few feet away. \u201cDon\u2019t go far, boy.\u201d Austin was aware of the dangers that lurked in the darkness. The knowledge that Jolie had been exposed to those same dangers and soon would be again caused a shudder to rip through him. How could he let her return to the wilderness? The very idea was intolerable. He\u2019d have to accompany her to a settlement, see that she was safely delivered to\u2026his mind clamored for answer. Perhaps the Spanish mission in Nacogdoches could offer her sanctuary until she could find someone or\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cMr. McCoy, Austin? You can come back in now.\u201d<\/p>\n Her soft voice broke into his thoughts. \u201cVery well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSandy.\u201d He called his companion and they reentered the cabin. Aware she had changed into his clothing, he cautiously let his gaze move up her body, starting at her small feet, which were now clean from the mud that had been caked on them. By the time his eyes climbed to her face, Austin was speechless. He\u2019d never seen a more beautiful woman. Her skin was the color of gardenias, and her eyes were a purplish blue that reminded him of a delphinium flower that had grown in his mother\u2019s garden. The hat was gone and now he could see she had dark hair which fell to the middle of her back in long, loose curls\u2026and her lips, her lips were the color of a pomegranate. Her beauty almost brought him to his knees.<\/p>\n Sable Hunter is a New York Times, USA Today bestselling author of nearly 50 books in 7 series. She writes sexy contemporary stories full of emotion and suspense. Her focus is mainly cowboy and novels set in Louisiana with a hint of the supernatural. Sable writes what she likes to read and enjoys putting her fantasies on paper. Her books are emotional tales where the heroine is faced with challenges. Her aim is to write a story that will make you laugh, cry and swoon. If she can wring those emotions from a reader, she has done her job. Sable resides in Austin, Texas with her two dogs. Passionate about all animals, she has been known to charm creatures from a one ton bull to a family of raccoons. For fun, Sable haunts cemeteries and battlefields armed with night-vision cameras and digital recorders hunting proof that love survives beyond the grave. Welcome to her world of magic, alpha heroes, sexy cowboys and hot, steamy to-die-for sex. Step into the shoes of her heroines and escape to places where right prevails, love conquers all and holding out for a hero is not an impossible dream<\/p>\n Newsletter<\/a> | Amazon<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Goodreads<\/a> | Twitter<\/a> Now available for pre-order!\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Godsend is the first novel in the Hell Yeah! Heritage series. If you ever wondered where those McCoy men came from\u2026these historical novels will take you to their beginnings. Deeply sensual stories of romance and adventure, they will capture your imagination and your heart. History is definitely worth repeating. … Continue reading #PreOrder – Godsend by Sable Hunter @huntersable<\/span> ![\"1319227286PreOrder_Amazon_Button\"](\"https:\/\/roughdraftbookblog.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/08\/1319227286preorder_amazon_button.jpg?w=150&resize=150%2C50\")
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\nMcCoy men came from\u2026these historical novels will take you to their beginnings. Deeply sensual stories of romance and adventure, they will capture your imagination and your heart.
\nHistory is definitely worth repeating.<\/p>\n
\nShe is his Godsend.<\/p>\n![\"godsend](\"https:\/\/roughdraftbookblog.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/08\/godsend-teaser.jpg?w=300&resize=341%2C227\")
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