Excerpts

Shadows from the Past (December 2009)

An Excerpt From...
Shadows from the Past
by Lindsay McKenna

It was time. As she sat at her bedroom table in Montana, Kam Trayhern's hands grew damp. Outside her window, the May dusk turned a lush pink and orange above the Douglas firs surrounding the two-story Montana home of her adopted parents, Morgan and Laura Trayhern.

Now that she'd returned from a harrowing trip to Africa, she had to face the rest of her life, starting with her birth. Kam lifted a folder marked Tracy Elizabeth Fielding. She opened it and smoothed out the papers inside with trembling hands. She shouldn't be so emotional about this. But she was.

Her gaze fell upon the black-and-white photo that had haunted her for years. The edges were stained and darkened from age and damage from the earthquake that had hit Los Angeles twenty-eight years earlier. A marine dog handler and her golden retriever had found Kam and her biological mother in the debris of their destroyed apartment complex. That day, Kam's mother had died but she had lived, thanks to that marine, Callie Evans. Kam had been taken to Camp Reed on the Marine Corps base for treatment of her minor injuries.

Kam turned on the desk light to get a better look at the old photo. Just like that the dusk within the room disappeared, but nothing could make her nightmares disappear. She had to face facts. Morgan and Laura Trayhern had adopted her when they discovered she had no family. Her mother had been an orphan and there was no trace of her father. At the time of the quake, many records, memories and photos had been lost—forever. All Kam had from the apartment was this photo. It had been found in her mother's purse.

The photo showed her mother, Elizabeth, with black curly hair like her own, standing with three men. She wore a white lab coat for a Los Angeles veterinary convention. Another vet stood next to her, smiling toothily for the photo. The note on the back identified the veterinary convention. A businessman in a dark gray suit stood on the other side. Kam's gaze drifted to the third man, the tallest one, to the left of her mother. He looked like a cowboy with his black Stetson. His weathered square face, a mustache and narrowed eyes spoke of the harsh elements, most likely from ranching.

How many times had Kam looked at this photo and wondered if one of these three men were her father? Kam frowned and peered more closely at the man standing with her mother. She felt an instinctive churn of her gut as she looked almost longingly at the cowboy. He stood out from the others. Taller than all of them, he was built lean, like a wolf. His face was darkly sunburned, deep creases and laugh lines showed at the corners of his eyes. Everyone in the photo was smiling except him. And her mother was caught looking in his direction. Was this a secret look of love?

A lump formed in Kam's throat. Of course, her adopted father, Morgan, had turned over every stone to find her biological father. After all, Morgan was in the security business at the highest levels of the government with his super-secret Perseus and Medusa companies. No one in the outside world knew what he did for a living. As a cover, Morgan had created a real-estate front to hide his real reasons for being in Phillipsburg, Montana. His secret offices were located deep below the basement level of the turn-of-the-century Victorian house. Kam had been raised in a two-story cedar home not far from the office.

Morgan had promised Kam to find every possible scrap of information on her mother, and over the years, he had. The questions remained: Who had fathered her? And why hadn't that man ever come forward to claim her? These questions cut like a knife. Because she owed Morgan and Laura everything, Kam had waited a long time to approach them about seeking her biological father herself. She simply did not want to hurt them. But now she couldn't put it off. She had decided to take a hiatus from her professional photography job as a stringer for several global newspapers and magazines. This way, she'd have the time and energy to conduct her search. And her parents had to know her plan.

Kam wiped her damp hands on the sides of her jeans. How would they react? Again, her gut tightened with fear. Would they be angry? Throw her out of the house that she had called home for twenty-eight years? Oh, it was true that she was a globetrotter and had come home only about once a year since turning twenty-one, but still… Kam dreaded the possibility that they would kick her out of their lives.

And then, where would she be? Without any family. Her mother had been an adopted child, and the people who had adopted her were dead along with whatever memories and information they had. It was the worst kind of ending for Kam—to be an orphan of an orphan. What had she done to be a lost spirit in this lifetime? Kam believed in reincarnation, believed that her soul would never die, but that it would return lifetime after lifetime into different bodies to learn how to become a compassionate and spiritually enlightened human being.

Two of the few items retrieved from Elizabeth's destroyed apartment had been a book on Buddhism and one on reincarnation. These books were now dog-eared from being read so many times. Kam had wanted to adopt her mother's views on life and, to a degree, she had. Consequently, her beliefs were different from those of the Trayhern family. They didn't mind nor did they try to force her into their belief system.

It was time. Now was the time to focus and not dwell on the past. As scared as she was, Kam knew she had to initiate the search and conquer this fear. Why should she be afraid anyway? She was wise and worldly thanks to her career. Many times, she'd gone into war-torn and ravaged third-world countries to bring people's suffering and needs to the world's attention. Her photos had garnered her many awards over the years and she'd made more than enough money to take time off to hunt for her real father.

Taking a deep breath, Kam glanced down at the watch on her wrist. The family would sit down to dinner at 7:00 p.m., as always. She'd arrived three days earlier from her last assignment in Africa. Her mother, Laura, was throwing a party for her this weekend. Her brother Jason and his wife, Annie, and their children lived nearby and would attend. Kathy, one of the fraternal twins, had just married raptor rehabilitator, Sky McCoy. They, too, would be at her return celebration dinner.

Knowing her father would be home by now, Kam decided to talk with him first. Morgan always had a glass of red wine and relaxed from the day's pressures before dinner in the airy library. Standing up, Kam rubbed her knotted stomach. Above all, she didn't want to upset Morgan and Laura. They were the last people she ever wanted to hurt. Torn because she loved them deeply, she sighed.

Kam picked up the photo and headed downstairs. Classical music wafted through the cathedral roof of the cedar home. She smelled basil and knew her mother was probably cooking up a pesto sauce to go with some Italian dish. If only Kam had an appetite.

Her father sat in the study surrounded on three sides by floor-to-ceiling shelves of books. He was in his favorite burgundy leather chair reading. Her heart blossomed with a fierce love for this man. Never had he or Laura ever treated her as anything but their treasured daughter. He lifted his head and a smiled with welcome as she entered the room. She noted he was graying at the temples, but his hair still gleamed black beneath the stained-glass lamp suspended above him.

"Hi, Dad," she greeted, her voice hoarse and wavering.

"Kam. Well, are you finally caught up on sleep and out of the jet lag?"

She forced a smile she didn't feel and brought up an upholstered burgundy stool. "Yeah, I think I've left Africa behind."

Morgan closed his book and gave her an assessing look. "Is something wrong? You seem upset."

"I could never hide a thing from you, could I?" She managed a strangled chuckle. Her hands shook slightly as she nervously held the picture between them.

Morgan took a sip of his wine and placed the glass back on the cherry lamp table next to his chair. "No," he murmured, giving her a softened look. "What are you holding?"

Kam was forever surprised by Morgan's keen alertness. He always knew when something was on her mind. "What? Oh this…" Her mouth grew dry and the fear amped up so much that she felt nearly suffocated. She held out the photo to him. "Dad, you remember this picture they took from my mom's purse after I was rescued?"

Frowning, Morgan studied the photo. "Yes, I do, Kam." Softening his tone, he added, "What have you decided to do?"

Kam cleared her throat. "Dad, I think that one of these men might be my biological father." She rushed on when his brows raised. "I know this probably sounds silly and far-fetched but my gut instinct tells me this. I—I want the chance to find out. I want to take the next year off and run down the leads."

Nodding, Morgan rested his elbows on the arms of the chair and clasped his hands. "It's time, Kam. Laura and I were wondering when you would begin the long, hard journey to try and find your father."

"You did?" Her voice sounded thin and stretched. Heart pounding furiously in her breast, she lowered her eyes. "I don't want to hurt you, Dad. Or Mom. I—I know this has to be painful for both of you."

"Baby girl," Morgan whispered, reaching out to her, "we expected you someday to try to locate the man who made it possible for you to be in our life." He gave her a quick squeeze on the shoulders and released her. "You're human, Kam. Every person wants to know who their mother and father are. You're no different." He tousled her short hair. "Frankly, we were concerned because you didn't seem to want to go on that journey. We know you wear your heart on your sleeve. And we know how sensitive you are toward all living things. We felt you just hadn't built up enough of a desire to go after him yet. I'm glad this moment has come, Kam. For you."

Blinking through sudden, hot tears, Kam absorbed Morgan's quick embrace. It was filled with such love and caring. "I—I just don't want to lose you two."

"You won't ever lose us, Kam," Morgan assured her, his voice growing raspy.

Kam searched his blue-gray eyes and saw tears. "You've given me so much. You are so generous, kind and caring…."

"And we'll always be that way with you, Kam. When you love someone, that never changes. Time only deepens love. And that's how we feel about you. I'm sure Laura will be glad to hear your plans."

Just like that, Kam's heart stopped racing and she felt more at peace. "So, you really think Mom will be okay with this?"

Morgan chuckled and sat back in his chair. "If I know her, she'll want to help you find your birth father. Listen to me, Kam. All we want is for you to be happy. We know how much it means to have those few items from your mother's apartment. Parents are bedrock for a child. They tell you where you came from, what kind of person loved you enough to have you. And now, you need to find your birth father."

"He's never come to find me…" Kam choked. Tears blurred her vision for a moment. "You don't know how many nights I lay up there in my bed wondering why he never came to see me. I—I have had so many nightmares about this, Dad. That he didn't want me…"

The words were terrible to say. To admit. Kam thought them often, but to say them out loud was like having a weight sit on her that she could no longer avoid or dodge. She saw Morgan's face twist with concern.

"Kammie, don't go there. At least, not yet. What if he didn't know about you?"

"I've run through that scenario," Kam admitted.

"But if that was so, why didn't my mother contact him? Tell him she was pregnant with me? Why didn't he return to her life and take the responsibility?"

Shrugging, Morgan said gently, "We won't know those answers until you find him and confront him."

She pressed a hand to her chest. "I just get so envious of people who know who their birth moms and dads are. I ache inside because I don't. I just feel this huge hole in my heart and there's nothing that can really fill it except to know who my father is."

"I know," Morgan whispered, a catch in his tone. Reaching out, he squeezed Kam's hand. "One step at a time, baby girl. When we have dinner tonight, let your mom know what you want to do. I'll bet she can help."

Nodding, Kam clung to his hand. Morgan Trayhern was a giant in the military and spy business. His reputation was one of respect, integrity and admiration. This man, who was so powerful, was also her dad, the man who had raised her with nothing but love. Kam knew how lucky she was, and, as she sat there clinging to his grip, she understood that her biological father would never meet his stature of this man.

Laura and Morgan sat with Kam after the dinner table had been cleared.

The Seeker (August 2009)

USA TODAY bestselling author Lindsay McKenna presents TIME RAIDERS, a thrilling new series of paranormal adventure, time-travel, and passion through the ages. Leap through time with The Seeker, a mesmerizing tale of danger and desire in Ancient Rome...

Delia Sebastian is a trained historian and psychic. Former Army Captain Jake Tyler is her swaggering ex-lover, who can read her most intimate thoughts--and desires.

Together they will make the risky leap back to 44 B.C. to infiltrate the court of Julius Caesar by posing as Grecian mercenaries. But with assassins everywhere, will old passions reignite to undermine their
cover--leaving them trapped in history forever?

Dangerous Prey (December 2008)

Dangerous Prey Book Cover--December 2008 I spent a great deal of time with Susan Hamilton of High Country Raptors, in Flagstaff, Arizona, to do the background research for this book. Susan taught me a great deal about the raptors and I shared many enjoyable hours with her. Her website is at: www.highcountryraptors.com

If you go to my blog:

These four blogs will give you the grass roots of working with Susan and her wonderful raptors. I've put a good deal of information in DANGEROUS PREY and hope you enjoy the education that she gave me--I'm passing it on to you.

One thing for sure, I hope all who read this book will look at hawks, owls, falcons and other raptors with new respect. We desperately need them to keep our rat, mouse, gopher and snake population down. There is a balance between raptors and what they eat in order to survive.

And here's a peek at the book coming out in December, 2008:

If you love Morgan's Mercenaries, then get ready for Kelly Trayhern's book!

"She is the fraternal twin of the family. Expert pilot kelly Trayhern thrives on risk--and nothing's more exciting than fight fires, dropping water from her helicopter onto the blazes below. But on one especially perilous mission, the furious flames change her life in a way she never expected...

Raptor rehabilitator Sky McCoy had his own dream of flying, dreams that were brutally crushed when he was a teenager, and only the quick actions of fearless Kelly Trayhern saved his life. He had to leave her then, but he's never forgotten her--and when she needs him most, nothing will keep him away.

Now, the mysterious native American is determined to heal Kelly's spirit as he heals his birds of prey. But can he save her life despite the evil threat h knows is looming, waiting to destroy everything he loves?"

The video for Dangerous Prey is now available for viewing.

Mission: Christmas (November 2008)

MISSION: CHRISTMAS by Lindsay McKenna and Susan Grant

These pilots are on a flight mission to save Christmas and rescue the love they discover on the way.

Mission: Christmas book cover LINDSAY MCKENNA USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

"The Christmas Wild Bunch"

When pilot Mike Murdoch learns a woman has been sent in to tame his unruly task force, he’s prepared to hate her. But the more he flies with Dallas Klein, the more she gets under his skin…and into his heart. Can their love withstand a dangerous Christmas Day mission?

More...

SUSAN GRANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

"Snowbound with a Prince"

On a humanitarian Christmas drop in Northern Europe, USAF pilot Kat Wallace reunites with Prince Alek, a rebel leader out to restore his people’s freedom. Cut off from the outside world, they join forces to survive…and battle a fiery attraction.

More...

THE CHRISTMAS WILD BUNCH by Lindsay McKenna.

This short story is about an executive office for the Black Jaguar Squadron. Major Dallas Klein finally leaves Peru and their secret base run solely by officers and enlisted women, for a border assignment. Dallas is asked to become executive officer for the Border Patrol and will be in charge of flying Cessna aircraft over well known drug corridors in Mexico to the US border. Mike Murdoch, ATF agent, is the head of the "wild bunch" at the Border Patrol airfield just inside the US boundary. Murdoch does not want to have a woman for a boss. The sparks fly immediately between them and Dallas doesn't tread lightly. She's been in charge for years and knows what it takes to whip the Wild Bunch into shape to chase the bad guys, the drug smugglers. Will Mike bend his iron will to her steel will? Or not? These two get along like a cat and dog warily circling one another. And yet, they are inexplicably drawn to one another. Will Dallas be able to tame this group of challenging ATF pilots? Or not?

SNOWBOUND WITH A PRINCE by Susan Grant

During an unprecedented cold wave causing death, injury, and extensive damage to property throughout most of Northern Europe, Major Kat Wallace volunteers to fly a humanitarian Christmas drop to assist those affected by record-breaking snow. Stranded in bad weather, she soon finds herself battling off hostiles.

Kat’s reason for taking a mission so close to Christmas is quite sentimental. While serving as a young pilot training instructor, she met Prince Alek, crown prince to one of the oldest, unbroken lines of royalty, second only to the Danes, who is attending pilot training at her base. Despite her attraction to the impossibly cocky prince, when put in the position to pass or fail him on a check ride for which he’d obviously not prepared despite his undeniable, natural flying skills, she busts him, causing him to meet a review board to determine whether he stays or goes. Recognizing his potential that he doesn’t seem to see or accept in himself, she recommends that he get a second chance. But it’s too late. He’s called back home to face revolution, never to be heard from again. In the years since, she’s often wondered what happened to him.

Alek is anything but dead. For years he’s been fighting as a rebel leader, determined to restore the monarchy in his homeland as well as his people’s freedom and honor. He’s made many mistakes, not the least of which was refusing to accept that there are consequences for bad behavior. From the bastard son he fathered when he was eighteen (a motherless boy he now at 31 cares for) to his not educating himself on the problems of his kingdom, he has made many mistakes. Now he’s set out to right those wrongs, even if it means losing his life in the process. He owes part of his epiphany to the gorgeous, fast-talking, and (to his confusion and dismay) totally unaffected by his charms USAF pilot Kat Wallace, who (rightfully so) bounced his ass out of pilot training. She changed his life, even if he didn’t yet recognize it. Somehow she saw in him what he didn’t, or couldn’t, but what he hoped to God he could call on now in the battle for his homeland, his people, and the chance to reverse his failing them.

Kat is more than wary of the wannabe prodigal prince’s intentions. She’s not entirely convinced he’s done playing with life as if it were a silly game. But with communications cut off, weather moving in and her own crew to protect, Kat forms a way-outside-the box (not to mention protocol) alliance with Alek. With forces joined, and their fiery attraction melting the wintry ice, Kat and Alek wonder if trust alone will be enough to survive the dangers looming ahead.

The Quest (February 2008)

The Quest by Lindsay McKenna Have you ever wondered about crop circles?

These mystical symbols appear magically in fields of wheat, rape, and other grains over in Europe. In fact, crop circles appear the world over, with the greatest amount of them in the southwestern part of England. I have walked in and investigated crop circles with my good friend, Michele Burdet, a world class dowser from Switzerland in 2004. The book is a result of those forays into just created crop circles in the Wiltshire area of England.

And, for those of you who love Warriors for the Light, this is book three of the series! I do hope you enjoy it as archeologists Kendra Johnson and Nolan Galloway go on an Indiana Jones-like expedition to southwest England. They are in search of the third emerald sphere. But the Dark Lord of the Tupay, the heavy energy, wants it, too. And this time, he is not going to be denied.

If you love crop circles, danger, life-death struggles, then THE QUEST is for you! I hope you enjoy it.

Heart of the Storm (December 2007)

Heart of the Storm by Lindsay McKenna An audio version of HEART OF THE STORM is available through audible.com for those who would rather listen to a book instead of reading it. In our busy every day world, reading is an exotic pleasure at times that we just don’t have because of our hectic, stress-filled lives. Doubleday bookclub romance section, Rhapsody, will featured it as an alternate selection . And of course, Harlequin is putting out the ebook for ebook lovers.

Dark Truth (July 2007)

Dark Truth by Lindsay McKenna An Excerpt from Dark Truth

"Get outta my way! Move! Move!" a young Peruvian boy barked, pushing aggressively against her.

Ana Elena Rafael gave a small cry of surprise as she fought the grogginess of her dream and tried to disembark from the airliner. The aisle was jammed with a crush of restless passengers. The child shoved against her hip and then wriggled past. Ana had been patiently waiting to deplane at the Cuzco airport, when the abrupt attack occurred.

Stunned, she didn't have time to think or move. She'd been standing in the aisle of the first-class section when the pushy child launched himself into her. The boy and his father had sat right behind her during the Lima to Cuzco flight, the child shrieking and pummeling her chair.

Nerves raw, she threw out her hands now, completely off balance. To her dismay, she realized she was going to fall right into the arms of a passenger sitting on the opposite side of the aisle.

Ana saw the man turn and look up as she cried out, a surprised expression in his alert blue eyes. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she awkwardly pitched forward and he caught her.

She had been vaguely aware of the thirtysomething man when he'd boarded the plane in Lima. It was a one-hour flight up and over the mighty Andes to Cuzco, nearly thirteen thousand feet above sea level. He'd gotten up once to go to the restroom, which was located near the cockpit door.

Bothered by the constant hammering on the back of her seat, Ana hadn't take much notice of any other passengers. She recalled that when the man had come out of the restroom, his blue eyes had focused on her like a laser. Or maybe more aptly, because she was a wildlife biologist who studied jaguars, he reminded her of a big cat focused on its prey...

Unforgiven (October 2006)

Unforgiven by Lindsay McKenna Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Unforgiven

"One shot...one kill. The sixteen-pound sledge hammer came down with such fierce power that the granite boulder beneath shattered instantly. A spray of glittering mica exploded into the air and sparkled momentarily around the man who wielded the tool as if it were a weapon. Sweat ran in rivulets down Reno Manchahi's drawn, intense face. Naked from the waist up, the hot July sun beating down on his back, he hefted the sledge hammer skyward once more. Muscles in his thick forearms leaped and biceps bulged. Even his breath was focused on the boulder. In his mind's eye, he pictured Army General Robert Hampton's fleshy, arrogant fifty-year-old features on the rock's surface. Air exploded from between this thinned lips as he brought the avenging hammer downward. The boulder pulverized beneath his funneled hatred. One shot...one kill...

Nostrils flaring, he inhaled the dank, humid heat and drew it deep into his massive lungs. The only way he felt alive was to picture Hampton on every rock face he destroyed. Revenge allowed Reno to endure his imprisonment at a US Navy brig near San Diego, California. Droplets of sweat were flung in all directions as the crack of his sledge hammer claimed a third boulder victim.

Mouth taut, Reno moved to the next boulder. The other prisoners in the stone yard gave him a wide berth since they instinctively felt his simmering hatred, the revenge that was palpable in his cinnamon-colored eyes.

And they whispered he was different.

Reno enjoyed being a loner for good reason. He came from a medicine family of shapeshifters. The genes of his heritage allowed him to transform from human to jaguar at will. But even this secret power had not protected him--or his family. What life did he have left?"

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