Bøger af Freya Barker

Open roads and honor meets poke bowls and self-control.I'm a homesick nomad.A protégé, a mountain man, an ally, and a seeker.My name is Wapi.I'm a work in progress looking to belong, and though my road has been a winding one, my heart has found focus. I'm a straightlaced hellcatA princess, a fool, a target, and a handlerMy name is Lisa.I can lash out fiercely when wounded, but my claws retract and my love glows bright in the hands of the right man.We got off on the wrong foot-hostility thick between us-but when murder hits close to home bringing about a second chance, those sparks now stoke a different flame.Setting hearts on fire.

Violence corroded her... Obedience defiled her... Fear kept her chained... Freedom is hard to embrace when she's never learned to trust. Yet in the span of a second, she grabs a single opportunity and runs toward it. Straight into the sanctuary of a pub at the end of a wharf. She doesn't understand the concept of friendship. She's never felt the connection of a relationship. She's as innocent as the driven snow and yet tainted with corruption. Still, she finds herself surrounded by people who accept her, without even knowing the first thing about her. But one of them is determined to dig deeper. He treasures his friends, yet he's steered clear of committed relationships. He likes his life comfortably predictable and entirely controlled. Until it isn't. For months he's avoided interacting with The Skipper's newest addition. Perhaps realizing that once he looked deeply into those liquid brown eyes, he wouldn't be able to turn away. When his present and her past puts them both on the brink of change, they are forged through fire as one.

Innocence marked her... Violation crippled her... Love left her raw... The life she carefully rebuilt is challenged when she is confronted with the sins from her past. The carefully applied protection is at once ripped away, leaving her exposed and vulnerable. Her single night of indulgence with the silver-eyed stranger is only the beginning. He sees right to the heart of her and she is unable to ward off emotions that have been deeply buried. With the sting of betrayal still fresh in her soul, she's surprised to find herself opening up to the honest integrity of the sharp-eyed, rough-looking biker. When he lost everyone who mattered, he was left without roots and learned to be content simply living in the moment. Completely unprepared for the feisty blonde bartender with old pain marring her clear-blue eyes, he questions his own rules of detachment, as she unwittingly finds a way under his skin. Appearances deceive and when the masks fall away, revealing deep, dark secrets, there is nothing left but to hang onto each other and survive the storm.

Nowadays Kendra Schmitt puts most of her time into the new clinic in Cedar Tree. Always the responsible one in her family, she has avoided any kind of entanglement. In particular with a persistent young investigator. With her schedule a bit more predictable, she is ready to explore a personal life and concedes to what turns out to be a disastrous blind date. Junior member of the GFI team, Neil James, has seen and experienced more than most at his age. When his team becomes part of a task force investigating a series of murders in the area, his protective instincts kick into high gear. The victims' profiles closely match that of a certain physical therapist. Neil has been trying unsuccessfully for over a year to get closer to Kendra. Now that she might be in danger, he's determined to break through her resistance and goes all out to win her trust. Especially now that the killer's focus appears to have zeroed in on Kendra.

An assignment has just turned interesting for GFI investigator Malachi Whitetail. When a shy, mousy woman walks into his local diner, it takes him a minute to recognize her as an employee of the real estate office he's been monitoring. Not a believer in coincidence, Mal decides a closer look at the short brunette might be warranted. It will be the first, but certainly not the last time, he finds himself coming to her rescue. Kimeo Lowe leads a pretty quiet existence, which is why, when she ends up a witness to a crime, her curiosity into her boss's suspected shady dealings gets kicked into high gear. She may not be the most sociable of people, but she's always been independent and industrious, so when an opportunity to dig a little deeper arises, she doesn't think twice. It would seem that this time she's bitten off a bit more than she can chew, and when a freakishly tall Native American Adonis intervenes not just once, she decides sleuthing may be best left to professionals. But it's a bit too late. Just when life has settled into a comfortable routine, Kim finds herself dealing with not just one, but two threats on her life. With every turn there are new challenges to face, and Mal is not about to let her face them alone. Not even when he turns out to be no match for her most dangerous enemy.

Pain punished her... The bottle numbed her... Guilt kept her trapped... In the dark alley of a pub, the words "Please don't" take hold of her heart and break the silence she seeks. Thinking herself beyond redemption, she tentatively grabs on to the slim thread of hope that unfolds inside of her. Holding her secrets close, she can't resist the comforting draw coming from The Skipper. The unconditional friendships it offers, the protective roof it provides, and the spark that its owner ignites in her, melting the frost off her heart, and slowly stripping away her resistance. His life flows from one crisis to the next. Under the pressure of competition crowding him out of his family's pub and the need to protect his children from the ruins of a bad marriage, he barely breathes. That is until a mane of strawberry-blonde hair and a set of big, pale blue eyes, shake him up. He never expected the shadow of a woman he finds on the floor of his washroom to bring him the air, the balance and the light he's been missing.

More often than not, Clint Mason has his foot firmly wedged in his mouth, which tends to get him in plenty of hot water with the ladies. Although his laid back good ole' Southern charm does not fly far with the female population of Cedar Tree, the big burly contractor hides his dark side well. The only one Beth Franklin allows herself to rely on is Beth, and so far that has served her well. Just when her son disappears after dropping his little guy off on her doorstep, her life seems to spiral out of control. For the first time ever, fearing for his safety, the fiercely independent waitress is forced to be on the receiving end of a helping hand. That's not easy for her, especially since the shovel-sized hand belongs to a man whose approach has run hot and cold the last year, leaving her feeling off balance. With a steady and commanding force, he exposes her softer side, while doing everything he can to keep her and those close to her safe.

When her surly teenage son moves back to live with ER physician Naomi Waters unexpectedly, her motherly instincts go on high alert. Nothing could've prepared her for the wave of trouble that follows him back into her life. Sheriff Joe Morris blew his chance with Naomi a few years back when he'd moved faster than his own past allowed. At the first opportunity to get his foot back in the door, he takes it and risks everything to keep her and her son safe. But working for a future isn't easy when you're fighting to survive your past.

Patience has always been Caleb Whitetail's strength. Quiet and unassuming is what you see with the GFI investigator, but the blood boils hot right under the surface. He kept his distance for years only to see the woman who has held his attention almost lose her life not just once, but twice. He is done standing in the shadows. Katie Acker, once a tough and athletic security specialist now struggles daily to walk. The closest to family she has are her colleagues at GFI. Especially the man who saved her life and always has her back. So when she unwittingly becomes the focus of a Mexican cartel, it's no big surprise she finds him right by her side. With the combustive change in their deepening bond, Katie and Caleb do not see the oncoming danger - until it surrounds them.

Love. Lies. Crimes. What if you were given free reign to break the law...to commit a crime? Would you be brave enough to do it? Ten writers will plot and weave stories of love, lies, and crime. You will want to buckle up and prepare for the ride. These deliciously twisted minds will serve you stories not apt for the faint of heart. You will sit on the edge of your seat gasping, sighing, laughing and crying page after page... Will darkness defeat the light, or will gun powder, switchblades and bloodshed reign? Read ten bone-chillingly twisted, and provocative stories penned by ten brilliant masterminds of crime. They're waiting. Are you ready? Participating Authors: Freya Barker Kimberly Blalock, Danielle Jamie, Katheryn Kiden, Addison Kline, Jesse Lorenzo, Loren Kendall, Imy Santiago, Courtney Shockey, Madison Street, Melissa Toppen, and Silla Webb 100% of the proceeds from this anthology will benefit Toys for Tots.

Deprival haunted her... Regret troubled her... Silence left her detached... A life in the service of others is both penance and a blessing. She soothes her personal hell by pulling victims from theirs, helping them on their path to survival; never finding her own. When a crippling blow finally evaporates her last hope, the temptation to give up is strong. Still, she can't find it in her to turn her back on those who need her: the innocent, whose rescue is her perpetual goal. He was blind, but now he sees how his family has sifted through his fingers. The reality hits hard when his son becomes a stranger, slipping deeper into transgression. Concern has him call on the one person he fears will see his own failures all too clearly. A woman he's kept his distance from for his own protection. What appeared to be an incompatible pairing, turns out the unyielding bond needed to heal them all.

Since moving to beautiful Cedar Tree, Colorado, Emma Young, mother of one adult daughter, has worked from home doing some online bookkeeping and baking for her best friend's diner to supplement her disability pension. Life has been pretty good, that is until she received a strange phone call that starts an alarming chain of events. Investigator Gus Flemming is hot on the trail of a bail skip with organized crime connections that bring him to Cedar Tree. Once there, the focus of his investigation lands squarely on the gently rounded shoulders of a vivacious red haired Emma, whose physical limitations have done nothing to damped her zest for life. When it becomes clear that Emma is at risk, Gus does't hesitate to step in and protect her. Call it a job with some very hot benefits......

Arlene Bowers is as tough as nails. She has survived a less than perfect marriage, managing to move past it to run her own diner. Her abrasive exterior has always been a way for her to hide behind the darkness and pain that she has endured, but a recent, violent attack and several disturbing phone calls have that tight hold on her emotions wavering. Seb Griffin showed up in Cedar Tree eight months ago and was hired on at Arlene's Diner as a cook. An ex-con with secrets of his own, Seb walks a fine line. Since he began working at the diner, he's developed feelings for his fierce, stubborn boss, and the need to keep his distance from her, to protect her, is a daily struggle. When it appears that Arlene's past has come back, rearing its ugly head while her defenses are low, Seb steps up and claims responsibility for Arlene, praying that he can keep her safe from whatever is coming her way.

Gunpowder and loyalty meets cocktails and ink.I am a laid-back wise guy. A veteran, a friend, a marksman, and a loner.My name is Honon.I may be hesitant to pull the trigger, but am not afraid to fire with the right target in my sights.I am a focused free spirit.A black sheep, a go-getter, a scrapper, and an artist.My name is Emme. I'm single-minded enough to reach my goals, but still moderately flexible when life throws a curveball.We make a reluctant couple-our hesitation evident-but when innocent lives are endangered, and hard-fought trust is challenged, we discover who we can count on. Each other.

When her sister, Pippa, goes missing, Nella Freling tells her boss she's taking time off from her job as a research librarian, hops in her sensible van, and heads south of the border to Montana. However, local police don't seem too concerned about a missing woman living in her motorhome. So Nella will have to look for Pippa by herself, unless she can convince a highly recommended tracker to help her, but sadly the rude and angry cowboy won't even listen to her at first.But Nella can be persuasive.The first time High Mountain Tracker, Fletch Boone, laid eyes on Nella, her ass was stuck in his grocery cart. The next time was at the ranch; she was wearing mud, head to toe. But when he catches sight of her a third time, hanging off a cliff, he can't turn his back again. What Nella lacks in survival skills she makes up for in sheer determination. Unfortunately, neither of those is enough protection when bullets start flying. Fletch has no choice but to jump in before the woman gets herself killed.And that would be a damn shame.

Horsepower and green thumbs meets justice and flip-flops.I'm a late bloomer.A geek, an introvert, an enigma, and a watchdog. My name is Paco.I'm determined enough to bide my time, yet too clever to pass up on opportunity. I'm a steadfast rebel.An outcast, a defender, a hothead, and an eccentric.My name is Mel.I'm resolute enough to carve my own way, but not too blind to see a better path.We are established loners-each limited by the boundaries we set-but when a young boy's life hangs in the balance, we discover we have more in common than we thought.

Ink and sawdust meets brisket and moxie.I'm a tattooed casualty.A charmer, a fraud, a skeptic, and a carpenter.My name is Tse.I'm cocky enough to believe my own lies, but too oblivious to see the truth is already out there.I'm a cautious perfectionist.A sister, a scrapper, a dreamer, and a workhorse.My name is Sophia.I'm capable enough to plan ahead, yet too powerless to avoid getting blindsided.We're complete opposites-one who plays it safe, the other a thrill-seeker-but when old sins resurface bringing violence to the present, our path forward becomes clear.

Free-spirited black sheep, Taz Boran, has worked tirelessly as a nurse bringing efficient medical care to Africa for the past eight years. But when her sister Nicky is told she doesn't have long to live, she immediately flies home to small-town Eminence, Missouri. Unfortunately, taking care of Nicky means being around her husband, Rafe; the one man Taz could never forget. Rafe is not only her brother-in-law but also took over the family veterinary clinic from her dad. As Taz becomes Nicky's home health care nurse-working closely with Rafe to make her sister comfortable-their latent attraction comes sizzling back to the surface. They won't betray Nicky, but if her dying wish is to see them get the happy ending they always deserved, can they really keep fighting what's meant to be?