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Synopsis of The Royal Pain:
Dallas Mae Jenkins is in for the ride of her life. Fleeing her abusive husband who will stop at nothing to find her, she ends up wrecking her truck and horse trailer in a small dairy community of rural Utah. It doesn't take her long to realize something strange is going on with her rescuers, and she may be in just as much danger here as she was in California. However, she's stranded, and she better get used to the idea.
Tom Allred manages the top dairy in the State for Jacob and Ina Royal. He finds himself helping a woman he wants absolutely nothing to do with. The mere presence of her horse at the dairy drags up nightmares of the past for all of them, and he wants Dallas gone. That is, until he realizes she has stolen his heart.
Excerpt from The Royal Pain:
Tom left his trailer headed for Ina’s, determination in each step. He had every word set in his mind as to what he was going to say to her. His logic was simple. The old woman could certainly understand it. He had the cash in his pocket for her to give to Dallas which would more than pay for her truck repairs and her expenses out of town. He sighed with satisfaction. She would be as scarce around here as hen’s teeth shortly. His gut felt better already.
He reached for the screen door, but his eye caught sight of Ina in the corn patch. He headed out there, hopeful his plan would work.
"Mornin’, Ina."
"Not as hot today.""Nope."
"Could you hand me that other bucket?" she asked, picking another ear of corn.
He handed it to her and cleared his throat. "Ina, I—"
"Could ya pick a few ears while you’re talking, Tom. Dallas and I wanted to get the rest of this picked before it gets too late in the day."
"Hi," Dallas said, walking up behind him.
Damn, now she’s here."Here are some more buckets," she said, looking all pretty in her rosebud shirt.
"Ina, I really need to talk to you alone," he explained.
"Oh, I need to talk to you, too. It’s time for the San Pitch Social. Well, I been forgetting to mention that I offered to provide the beef for the barbeque this year."
"Forgettin’ to mention! That’s in a week! Those beef need to be dressed out, cooled, and hung to age. You should have told me before this."
"Now, Tom, there’s still time. You missed a couple of ears."
He wanted to throttle her. Cuss words were the only words coming to his mind.
"You’ll love the San Pitch Social, Dallas. We go every year. It’s our July 24th celebration for when the Utah pioneers settled this valley. And Tom, ya need to buy Dallas a duck.""A duck?" Dallas questioned.
"Look, Ina, I really need to talk to ya." He ripped an ear of corn from the stem and felt the niblets popping in his hand underneath the shucks."This year you buy a chance to win a mule by placing your name on a rubber duck. Then they take them up the canyon and release them down the San Pitch River. The first one down wins the mule."
"Honestly, I don’t need a mule. I have a horse."
Ina giggled with laughter.
"Ina?" Tom tried to interrupt.
"Not a real mule, Dallas Mae, one of those four-wheeler kinds."
"Oh. I can’t go to a barbeque. I don’t have a thing to wear. I have two shirts and a pair of jeans. Thanks, anyway," Dallas stated.
"I have some old things of Venna’s you can wear and there’s makeup and stuff of hers in the bathroom. Sure, ya have to go."
"Ina?" Tom tried again.
"You go over to the Gas and Go in Manti and buy us all another duck, Tom. There’s money in my purse on the counter."
"Would ya... would ya listen to me, old woman?"
Ina paused. "You’re not shucking. What’s the matter?"
"Look, I’ll get the beef ready for ya, but somebody else is gonna have to take it to the barbeque and cook it for ya ‘cause I’m not goin’. Now, can I talk to ya about somethin’ else?"
"But I already talked to Cora. Your whole family is coming up from Richfield this year. Carry these buckets over to the shade for us so we can get it shucked."
He picked up four five gallon buckets and carried them to the shade of the cottonwood tree where they had already set up the picnic table. Hunch and Roundup raced around his feet. Gracie rested under the old table."I ain’t goin’. I’ll... I’ll go buy the damn ducks, but I ain’t goin’," he seethed.
"Don’t buy me a duck," Dallas reasoned. "I don’t know what I would do with a mule."
Tom whirled around, frowning. "You stay out of this."
"Just look at this," Ina exclaimed. "Dallas showed me a new way to shuck corn. In all my born days, look at this." She cut off the end of the cob with her knife, unwrapped the shucks, and then wiped off the silk with a towel.
Tom took off his hat, wiping at the sweat. "I like pullin’ the shucks off better."
"This is easier on my hands."
Tom quickened his pace, proving his way was faster, cleaner, and better.
"I know ya don’t want to go, Tom, but I need for you to go. No one can cook the beef like you can. It would be a disaster without ya. You know I need you to represent us. You know I need ya—"
Acid bore a whole the size of Texas in his gut. "All right, old woman, but I’m not helpin’ ya shuck your damn corn." He stomped off meaner than a new sheared sheep. Did he ever once get anywhere with her? She’d done it to him again.
He kicked up dust as he headed for his truck. Now he had two beef to kill today, ducks to buy, the social to go to, and Dallas around to go to it. Could things get any worse? He didn’t see how the hell they could.
Reviews:
Romantic suspense is Cindy Christiansen's forte. A well-constructed plot with twists and turns and a vivid sense of place are hallmarks of this page turner. A fun read with a satisfying ending.
Dorothy Keddington
Author of Return to Red Castle, Jayhawk, Aisling of Eire
and other fine books
~ * ~
Dallas Mae Jenkins is on the run from an abusive husband when she wrecks her truck and trailer in Utah. She is unable to trust anyone and with no money she is in a hopeless situation. Tom Allred has sworn off women and certainly doesn't have time for this wayward girl. However, he takes her to the only safe place that he can think of...the dairy. There she is taken under the wing of the co-owners wife, Ina. Danger lurks around every corner when Dallas is attacked at the dairy. Will Dallas confide in Tom or Ina about her past before someone gets hurt? Can Tom ignore the feelings of love in his gut for Dallas?
Cindy Christiansen pens a story riddled with suspense, mystery and emotion. The main characters are well developed and you feel the inner turmoil as they try to decide what to think about each other. The reader slowly begins to see through the layers of deceit and the ending is heartfelt. The Royal Pain is a triumph for Christiansen.
4.5 out of 5 Stars
Manic Readers Review
manicreaders.com
~ * ~
The Royal Pain is an intricate,multilayered mystery crossed with a love story. Ms. Christiansen has shown us the true love; one that is enduring through both joy and pain.
No one knows who killed a man three years ago or why the death still impacts the dairy farm. Pure accident places Dallas and her horse in the middle of this mystery as she flees an abusive husband.
She didn’t expect to find love in the gruff manager of the farm, yet the attraction cannot be denied.
The author uses terms that endear the characters to the reader. She makes you a part of the story and the folks that populate it.
This book is a quick read because you find yourself eager to know what happens next. A well crafted tale that will leave you feeling uplifted. I highly recommend it.
4 out of 5 Pawprints
Foxpaw Reviews
www.careyfoxlady.googlepages.com
The Fox Lady
Awards:
Romance Writers of America, First Place, Great Beginning Contest, Contemporary Work by an Unpublished Author
Buy it at Wings ePress, Inc.:
The Royal Pain
A Romantic Suspense
ISBN: 978-1-59705-335-8 (e-book)
ISBN: 978-1-59705-704-2 (paperback)