Kate is the daughter of Matt and Molly from THE WREN, and THE STARLING is the first of five novels featuring the second generation of Ryans in the Wings of the West series.
Colorado
1899
Kate Ryan has always had a streak of justice in her. When she decides to apply to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, nothing will stand in her way. Initially hired in a clerical position, she quickly works her way up to field agent with the help of her mentor, Louise Foster. When Louise is injured, Kate gets her first assignment and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Henry Maguire has been undercover in the household of wealthy entrepreneur Arthur Wingate. Employed as a ghostwriter to pen the man’s memoir, Henry is also searching for clues to a lucrative counterfeiting scheme. When Henry’s “wife” shows up, he’s taken aback by the attractive woman who isn’t Louise. Now he must work with a female agent he doesn’t know and doesn’t necessarily trust. And because he has another reason for coming into Wingate’s world, Kate Ryan is unavoidably in his way.
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Excerpt from The Starling
Kate slid a sidelong glance at him. “Did you learn anything this evening?”
Only that you’re an enigma, and I can’t fathom my reaction to you.
“I did.” Henry hoped he wasn’t slurring his words.
When he didn’t elaborate, Kate said, “Well?” Her tone was tinged with annoyance.
“You sound upset,” he said.
“When I told you to watch the brandy, I didn’t tell you to go and drink the brandy.”
“I’m not happy about this either,” he muttered under his breath. He never let his guard down while working. Until now. Until Kate Ryan.
It was easier to blame her than the fact that he was unsettled about spending time with Wingate more than he had anticipated.
Her eyes lingered on him, and he held her gaze, drinking in the fierce intelligence reflected at him. He’d never had much use for meek women. Kate Ryan’s ambition, dedication, and obvious independence matched his own.
But she was so young. What could she possibly bring to the table? Except that she was beautiful and confident and capable. In that moment, he knew she would go far in the Pinkertons.
The hunger for her ignited in a flash, far more intense than earlier. He turned away before she sensed it, before he did something stupid like try to kiss her. Not that she’d given any indication of reciprocating the attraction.
He clamped down on his very male reaction, knowing it would ruin whatever working relationship the two of them might have. He needed to concentrate on that, because if she was as intelligent as he suspected, he would have a hard time keeping her away from his true mission of ferreting out what had happened to his father.
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Print will be available in August.
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