Young archeologist Kylie Hafford heads to the remote Puebloan ruins of Lost Valley, Colorado, to excavate. Her first exploration of the crumbling ruins ends in a confrontation with a gorgeous, angry man who looks like a warrior from the Pueblo’s ancient past....
I hurried
along the trail until I reached the canyon rim, where I stopped and grinned.
The canyon cut across the land in front of me—maybe more of a ravine, really,
several miles long but only a quarter-mile across and a few hundred feet deep.
The bottom looked shady and cool, while the sun lit up the small ruin to my
right. ...
I couldn’t wait to
explore further. Of course, regular tourists weren’t allowed to leave the
trail, but one of the perks of being an archaeologist was special access. For
the next few weeks, this would be my playground.
The next site on
the map was just a vandalized rock shelter, and the trail guide complained that
people had torn down the walls before it could be excavated. Only part of one
wall and a jumble of stones remained. But the guide also mentioned that the
site might have yielded storage jars or food remains, had it been left for
archaeologists. Since my interest was ancient food, I decided to creep down for
a closer look.
Hovenweep Castle by Greg Willis
Creative Commons license
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I moved carefully,
so as not to disturb the loose rocks, and squatted near the biggest pile of
rubble. I gently lifted a few broken pieces, putting them back in exactly the
same place after I’d examined them. I couldn’t do much with the fragments, but
as always, I marveled over touching something from the ancient past.
Tomorrow would be
soon enough for scientific method, for testing and hypothesizing. Tonight I
only wanted to touch the magic of this ancient world. I closed my eyes and
tried to feel some ancient presence, to hear whispers from the past.
The air seemed to
tremble with possibilities. If only I believed in magic—
A shout slashed the
air. I twisted so fast I tumbled onto my backside.
I gaped up at the
man towering over me. Bare chest, muscular and bronzed. Black hair pulled back
from a face full of sharp planes and angles. Dark eyes fierce under scowling
brows.
My heart jolted
painfully. I’d come face to face with an ancient warrior. He was gorgeous.
And furious.
At me.
Whispers in the Dark, romantic suspense set in the Four Corners region of the Southwest, will appeal to fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Terry Odell. It has 4.2 star-average with 55 reviews. This title stands alone and is not part of a series.
“This book was a
delight from start to finish!”
“This book kept me
turning pages until the end. The plot was full of twists and turns, always
keeping the reader rooting for the heroine. Excellent read!”
Kris Bock lives in New Mexico, where she enjoys hiking, watching
the sunset from her patio, and hanging out with her husband and their ferrets.
Her home office looks out on nature, complete with distracting wildlife such as
roadrunners and foxes. Her BFA in photography is used mainly to show Facebook
friends how lovely the Southwest is.
Kris writes novels of suspense and romance
with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Read excerpts
at www.krisbock.com or
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Ancient warrior - really. Interesting bit here
ReplyDeleteBeautiful setting. Interesting characters. Well-written excerpt that drew me in. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJQ Rose
Fascinating snippet. Tweeted.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, maybe I need to visit a dig!
ReplyDeleteAlways wanted to go on a dig for ancient civiliations. Would be fascinating.
ReplyDelete