THE BODYGUARD STARTED IT…

Hello, everyone! I'm Genie Gabriel, and I'm so pleased to be participating in my first Book Brew here at Coffee Time Romance. 

 

I didn't set out to write a series that featured several police officers as heroes. In fact, the book that introduced the O'Shea family wasn't even part of the series. 

 

THE BODYGUARD started out as a woman on the run from domestic violence. When her children are kidnapped by her ex-husband, she turns to a former bodyguard who blames himself for not protecting his wife during a call to save an abused woman. While battling the worst winter weather in decades, Mitch and Julia's search takes them to the small fictional town of Halo, which is the home town of my LEGACY series…

 

But let's back up and save those kids first!

 

 

**The sign said welcome to Halo, Oregon. Through Julia’s weary eyes, the streetlights did indeed look like glowing halos. In spite of the heavy snow, a large number of people moved about town. Those people turned to watch Mitch and Julia’s progress as they drove slowly down the street and stopped in front of a building that proclaimed it was the Halo General Store.

 

A tall man wearing a cowboy hat broke away from the cluster of men near the doorway and walked to the Jeep. "Mitch. I wish I had better news."

 

Mitch shook the deputy’s hand. "Dawson Browning, this is Julia Cabot, the mother of the children who were kidnapped."

 

The deputy tipped his hat back, revealing tanned, rugged features that would be more at home riding a Montana range in the hot July sun than battling a snowy mountain winter. On this December day, snowflakes caught in his moustache as they swirled in heavy drifts against the sides of the buildings.

 

"Do you have pictures of your children?" Dawson’s piercing gaze was filled with sympathy.

 

Hope buoyed Julia as she looked at the group gathering around the Jeep. The solemn eyes of two dozen bearded men gazed back at her. "You mean all this is for Abraham and Angelina?"

 

"Yes, ma’am." Dawson straightened, drawing Julia’s gaze upward. He wasn’t quite as tall as Mitch or as broad, but he possessed the same bearing of authority. "There’s another storm coming in and we plan to find those children before it hits."

 

A murmur of agreement rose from the men gathered around.

 

"Come on inside and we’ll get you outfitted and ready to move out."

 

Julia followed the group into a large community hall festooned with holly, evergreens and red satin bows. At one end, a regal evergreen tree stood center stage, its tiered boughs rising gracefully upward. Popcorn strands interlaced with red and green paper chains, like the ones Abraham and Angelina helped make for the tree at home. Pain fisted in Julia’s chest. She should be wrapping the last of the children’s gifts, not slushing through ice and snow to save their lives.

 

Her gaze followed the zigzag path of the paper chains to the top of the tree. High above the handmade ornaments shimmered an angel wearing an iridescent gown, with golden hair that cascaded in curls to her feet. She stretched her arms toward the heavens, seeming to beseech a higher power, as Julia did. Please, God, send your angels to watch over my children.

 

Julia carried a cup of coffee to the banquet table where a poinsettia centerpiece had been pushed aside to make way for a huge topographical map of the surrounding area. The holiday stars and angels hanging from the wooden beams of the high-ceilinged community hall now overlooked a myriad of snowshoes, skis, backpacks, and climbing ropes stacked on the worn plank flooring that stretched across the room.

 

A group of men stood around Dawson Browning as he outlined the search plan. Although volunteers, these men were experts, Julia realized. They knew the territory. They knew rescue procedures. They were prepared for anything, if the verbal checklist of snow and climbing equipment and first aid supplies was any indication.

 

Wanting to learn all she could, Julia listened carefully to the rapid, brief conversations. The references to hasty crews and grid searches didn’t fully make sense, but the intense expressions and warning of another storm were clear: the twins had to be found quickly.

 

 

**Excerpt from THE BODYGUARD, copyright Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabriel.

 

To find out more about THE BODYGUARD and all my books, please visit my blog at <http://oshealegacyseries.blogspot.com/> or my Web site at <http://www.GenieGabriel.com>. 

 

Thank you so much for being part of the Book Brew! I'll be giving away one free e-book of THE BODYGUARD to a commenter today.