By Kristy McCaffrey
I'm pleased to share that The Starling is out. Don't miss this new, full-length novel in my 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.
Kate Ryan 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.
The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling
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Excerpt
Kate used the glass of sherry as a shield. It was obvious undercover agent Henry Maguire was stunned to see her and less than happy with her presence. Luckily, she had known who to look for from a photograph Mr. Jones had given her, although it hardly did justice to the man before her.
Henry Maguire had presence. There was simply no other word for it.
His intense blue eyes accented the hard line of his jaw like the frozen slopes of Colorado where her cousin Molly Rose had lived. Kate couldn’t help but notice his clean-shaven face and the citrusy smell coming from him. It was pleasant in a way that unsettled her, and she was entirely uncertain why.
But she had been warned … Henry was expecting Louise Foster, and he would have no idea who Kate was. It was unfortunate that Mrs. Wingate had caught Kate right at the door and had started speaking with her, because it had made contacting her “husband” fraught with danger.
But it was over. Henry had accepted the charade, and they were now working together. He had said he wanted to speak privately, but as yet he hadn’t, so Kate could only conclude it wasn’t safe to do so while at the party. She vowed she wouldn’t break protocol. She wouldn’t say anything to Henry that his loving wife, who had been separated from him for nearly two months, wouldn’t say.
“When did you arrive?” Henry asked.
“Earlier this evening.”
“How did you get here?”
“A man named Francis O’Malley brought me. I hired him.” The Pinkertons had hired him, but she couldn’t say that aloud. “I believe he’s a blacksmith in town, and he runs a livery too. He offered to stay, but I assured him that you would be here and see me home.” Her lips stretched into a smile, but she couldn’t hold Henry’s gaze as he watched her rather intently, so she took in the room.
It was quite festive. The Wingate wealth was on grand display with sparkling crystal chandeliers hanging from tin ceilings, a tiled floor covered in ornate rugs, and stuffed chairs likely imported from Europe.
As she brought her attention back to her “husband” she caught him still staring at her, those ice-blue eyes holding her briefly spellbound. He must have been watching her the entire time she had scanned the room. She shifted, feeling a bit uncomfortable, wanting to clear the air more than anything.
Had she done something wrong? Was she dressed inappropriately?
But a second glance around the room revealed that while her gown might not be quite as fancy as the many ladies in attendance, it was good enough. It had been Louise’s dress, after all, and Kate had to believe her mentor had been very prepared to enter this operation as Henry’s wife.
That was it. Henry was upset about Louise.
She turned to him. “I’m sure you’re worried about my dear sister, Louise.”
He regarded her with interest. “I am,” he replied in a measured tone. “Is she well?”
“Unfortunately, no. She’s indisposed at the moment, but she should be better soon.”
Henry accepted the news with a nod, his gaze conveying a glimmer of concern. Suddenly, Kate felt terrible. It had been clear from Louise that she valued Henry’s expertise, as well as his friendship, but Kate hadn’t thought any further than that.
The additional assignment that Louise had given Kate—privately and outside the dictates of the job—now seemed to take a different tone. Louise had asked Kate to keep an eye on Henry because eight years ago his father had died in an accident in Trinidad, apparently falling to his death down a mine shaft. Kate had inferred that Louise considered Henry compromised, and that it could place him at odds with the job the Pinkertons had been sent to do.
But now the worry in Henry’s eyes, however brief, said something else. Did he and Louise have a relationship that extended beyond business associates? Is that what his irritation was about? Did Henry love her? And why did that thought cause another ripple of unease in Kate?
Ignoring it, she added, “She’ll be all right. You’ve no need to worry. The bullet missed all vital organs.”
His eyes flicked back to her, reflecting shock.
Oh, no. He did love her.
Copyright © 2022 K. McCaffrey LLC
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