A Cold Dark Promise (A Wedding Novella) Read online

  “How’d they get out?” Mallory wondered. Rex had been bunking with Barney for company. The main worry was the children becoming scared or getting knocked over. Alex stood in front of her while Reilly shepherded Michael and Jane’s daughter, Taylor, off to one side.

  Alex whistled to Rex, but both dogs had the bit between their teeth and were ready to run until they dropped. Mallory walked swiftly to the French doors off to the side at the back of the reception hall. She indicated the security guard open up and he obliged, throwing the doors wide. A split-second before the dogs headed toward freedom, she realized the cake was in the direct line of their escape.

  Her mouth dropped, and she watched in alarm as the dogs ran full tilt toward it. Darsh Singh reached over and lifted the stand that the cake was set on a fraction of a second before the table beneath it was demolished.

  The music stopped, and Mallory found herself staring in horrified anticipation at her mother who’d wanted and needed everything to be perfect.

  Margret Tremont clapped her hands over her mouth and Mallory thought it was all over. And then the senator started laughing, and the whole room seemed to exhale a sigh of relief.

  Security closed both sets of doors into the reception area in case the dogs decided to do a celebratory loop. Darsh laid the cake carefully on the nearest table and gave a mock bow.

  Mallory started clapping, and Alex joined her with a sharp wolf whistle.

  “Let’s get that sucker cut before anything else can happen,” Alex urged.

  “What about the dogs?”

  “We’ll save them a piece.” Alex then showed her his cell phone. A text from Frazer apologizing for letting the dogs out and telling him to be on the lookout for the mutts.

  “Frazer can trudge through the fields after the dogs. You and I are going to cut the cake, and then we’re going to dance with your parents and each other for as long as you want. And, when you’re done, or you need a break from all these people, I’m going to carry you up to our room and make love to you for hours.”

  “Carry me?” she said dubiously. She was no lightweight.

  “Carry you,” Alex insisted. He stepped closer. “And you’re going to let me because I love you and I promised, in front of all these people, to worship you with my body. I hope to get started on that sooner rather than later.”

  Her heart went all fluttery. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” He gave her a stern look.

  She just smiled at him. People said your wedding day was supposed to be the best day of your life, but she suspected there would be many, many more days to choose from and she intended to enjoy every one of them.

  “I love you, Alex,” she said tenderly.

  “I love you, too, Mrs. Parker.”

  Dear Reader

  Thank you for reading A Cold Dark Promise. I hope you enjoyed Alex and Mallory’s wedding story. Please note, this is not the last book in the Cold Justice Series. Expect more next year.

  1. If you have time, please help other readers find this book by writing a review. Thank you!

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  Look out for book #10 in 2018!

  www.toniandersonauthor.com/newsletter

  Cold Justice Series Overview

  A Cold Dark Place (Book #1)

  Cold Pursuit (Book #2)

  Cold Light of Day (Book #3)

  Cold Fear (Book #4)

  Cold In The Shadows (Book #5)

  Cold Hearted (Book #6)

  Cold Secrets (Book #7)

  Cold Malice (Book #8)

  A Cold Dark Promise (Book #9~A Wedding Novella)

  Watch out for Book #10 in 2018!

  The Cold Justice Series books are also available as audiobooks narrated by Eric Dove.

  Check out all Toni’s books on her website (www.toniandersonauthor.com/books)

  Acknowledgments

  In August this year, I attended a writing retreat in the lovely town of Shawano, Wisconsin (not far from where I set Cold Pursuit) with four of the most talented and wonderful people I know (Kathy Altman, Jenn Stark, Carolyn Crane and Rachel Grant). It was a time of furious plotting and artistic rejuvenation. Before I went to Wisconsin I’d realized there was something missing from this novella and they helped me figure out what that something was. Needless to say, this was a lot of story to try and fit into a forty-thousand-word format, but I hope you enjoy the results of my labors. I wanted Alex and Mallory to have the best wedding possible, considering all the pain their journey has involved. But there was no way I could write more than a chapter or two about an actual wedding. I’d always intended to reveal more of Jane Sanders’s tragic past and this was the perfect opportunity. Despite what some reviewers will undoubtedly say, this is not the last Cold Justice Series book, although I am contemplating a possible spin-off at some point.

  Thanks, as always, to Kathy Altman for being my critique partner. She breaks down my stories and seems to understand my brain (no mean feat). And thanks to Rachel Grant for the beta read despite her busy schedule.

  Thanks to my editors, Alicia Dean, and Joan Turner at JRT Editing, for the polish (commas are my kryptonite). My cover artist, Syd Gill, who, as always, did a great job capturing the essence of the story in pictorial form. And Paul Salvette (BB eBooks) who formats my ebooks with such care, and the guys at Createspace who take care of the print book interiors.

  I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten someone, maybe Martha Stewart for her “Weddings” magazine or Pinterest for feeding me everything else I needed to visualize the wedding, plot and characters.

  As always, I want to thank my husband for being awesome, and my kids for being the best people in the world (and, yes, I’m biased!).

  About the Author

  New York Times and USA Today international bestselling author, Toni Anderson, writes dark, gritty Romantic Suspense novels that have hit #1 in Barnes & Noble’s Nook store, Top 10 in the Amazon, iBooks, and Kobo stores. Her novels have won many awards, and she’s been nominated for the prestigious Romance Writers of America® RITA® Award.

  A former Marine Biologist from Britain, she inexplicably ended up in the geographical center of North America, about as far from the ocean as it is possible to get. She now lives in the Canadian prairies with her Irish husband and two children and spends most of her time complaining about the weather.

  Toni has no explanation for her oft-times dark imagination, and only hopes the romance makes up for it. She’s addicted to reading, dogs, tea, and chocolate.

  If you want to know when Toni’s next book will be out, visit her website (www.toniandersonauthor.com) and sign up for her newsletter. If you want to read other fascinating stories about life in a city that during winter is sometimes colder than Mars, friend her on Facebook: (facebook.com/toniannanderson).

  Toni donates 15% of her royalties from EDGE OF SURVIVAL to diabetes research—to find out why, read the book!

  Reviews

  COLD FEAR (Cold Justice Series, bk #4)

  (International Bestseller.)

  “Superbly crafted stories like these are the reason romantic suspense is my go-to genre.” —USA Today.

  COLD LIGHT OF DAY (Cold Justice Series, bk #3)

  (2015 Winner ARCA Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence & the Book Buyers Best Contest.)

  “This has easily cruised into my top ten romances … in the history of EVER.” —Heroes and Heartbreakers.

  TOP PICK “Cold Light of Day has all the elements of a great romantic suspense…danger, romance, action, and intrigue. I’d recommend Cold Light of Day to any romantic suspense reader looking for a thrilling adventure!” —Harlequin Junkie.

  COLD PUR
SUIT (Cold Justice Series, bk #2)

  (2015 Winner of National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award.)

  “I’d highly recommend Cold Pursuit to any romantic suspense reader.” —Harlequin Junkie.

  “Toni Anderson’s new Cold Justice series is sizzling suspense and hot romance – the perfect summer read!” —Mom’s the Word.

  A COLD DARK PLACE (Cold Justice Series, bk #1)

  (Winner of the New England Readers’ Choice Award, and the 2015 Aspen Gold.)

  “Toni magically blends sizzling chemistry between Alex and Mallory with lots of suspenseful action in A Cold Dark Place. At times I wanted to hide my eyes, not knowing if I could face what might or might not happen! The edge of your seat suspense is riveting!” —Harlequin Junkies.

  “Recommended for fans of Toni Anderson and fans of dark romantic suspense. You’d definitely love this one!” —Maldivian Book Reviewer’s Realm of Romance.

  DARK WATERS

  (International bestseller. National Readers Choice Awards Finalist.)

  “In this action-packed contemporary, Anderson (Dangerous Waters) weaves together a tapestry of powerful suspense and sizzling romance.” —Publishers Weekly.

  “The pacing in this book is superb. The tension really never lets up … I never felt there was a good ‘stopping point’ in this book, which is probably why I was reading all night.” —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.

  DANGEROUS WATERS

  (International bestseller. 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award Finalist.)

  “With a haunting setting and a captivating cast of characters, Anderson has crafted a multifaceted mystery rife with secrets. Readers will have to focus, as red herrings abound, but the result is a compulsively engrossing page-turner.” —Romantic Times (4 Stars)

  “A captivating mix of suspense and romance, Dangerous Waters will pull you under.” —Laura Griffin, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author

  “With vibrant writing, a cast of damaged, captivating characters and a plot that’s deliciously diabolical, Dangerous Waters will have you mesmerized from page one.” —HEA USA Today

  “The vivid picture of the scenery adds ghostlike images to the dark and dangerous mystery. Plot twists interlock, never letting up until the last pages.” —Coffee Time Romance (5 Cups)

  THE KILLING GAME

  (2014 RITA® Finalist, and National Readers Choice Awards Finalist.)

  “The Killing Game is an exhilarating, masterfully-crafted mix of life-and-death adventure and political intrigue. It’s also a riveting romance, and with the author’s trademark gritty and evocative prose, wily imagination and fierce respect for the plight of the snow leopard and the war-torn country it inhabits, this book is one unforgettable read.” —Kathy Altman Goodreads Review. (5 Stars)

  “I’d recommend this to any romantic suspense reader looking for a unique, intricately woven story that will really touch you.” —Peaces of Me (5 Stars)

  “This is a smart story. This is a sexy story. This is a well written story. This is one of my favorite romantic suspense stories I’ve read all year. I wish there was more!” —Love Affair With An e-Reader (5 Stars)

  EDGE OF SURVIVAL

  “Anderson writes with a gritty, fast-paced style, and her narrative is tense and evocative.” —HEA USA Today

  “… more substance than one would expect from a romantic thriller.” —Library Journal Reviews

  “Edge of Survival is without a doubt, one of the most exciting, romantic, sexy stories I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year and I will definitely be looking for more by Toni Anderson.” —Blithely Bookish (5 Stars)

  “Sensual, different; romance with a bit of angst, just how I like them; Edge of Survival is a romantic suspense not to be missed.” —Maldivian Book Reviewer’s Realm of Romance (5 Stars)

  “Whoever thinks a story concerning a woman who does fish research would be boring hasn’t read Edge of Survival!” —Book Lovers Inc. (5 Bookies)

  STORM WARNING

  (Best Book of 2010 Nominee —The Romance Reviews.)

  “Storm Warning is an intense, provocative paranormal romance with a suspenseful twist…This is a book that I am unquestionably adding to my keeper collection.” —Night Owl Reviews (TOP PICK)

  “It is exactly the way I like my romantic suspense novels to be.” —The Romance Reviews

  “The plot is full of suspense and some pretty incredible plot twists. … will have you on the edge of your seat.” —Coffee Time Romance & More

  SEA OF SUSPICION

  (Best Book of 2010 Nominee —The Romance Reviews. National bestseller.)

  “Deeply atmospheric and filled with twists and turns, Sea of Suspicion kept me flying eagerly through the pages.” —All About Romance

  “Sea of Suspicion is one heck of a book! The twists, turns, passion, and many colorful characters give Ms. Anderson’s novel a delightful edge.” —Coffee Time Romance

  “Set along the coast of Scotland, Sea of Suspicion is a riveting story of suspense and the depths and heights of human character.” —The Romance Reviews

  HER LAST CHANCE

  (2014 Daphne du Maurier finalist.)

  “A high intensity story, with action from the first page on, an intricate suspense tale with twists and turns that are surprising and a conclusion that is as near to closure as is possible to come. The characters are deep and rather brooding, but manage to lose themselves in each other. And the writing is clever, hot and altogether fabulous!” —Ripe for Reader

  “From the opening scene I was turning the pages totally entranced in the story. I’ve loved all this authors books but at this moment this has to be my favorite.” —SnS Reviews

  HER SANCTUARY

  (National bestseller.)

  “Her Sanctuary is a riveting fast-paced suspense story, filled with twists, turns, and danger. As the story flows seamlessly between the protagonists and antagonists, the tension rises to fever pitch. Just when you think you know the good guys from the bad, Anderson provides a surprising twist, or two.” —Night Owl Romance (TOP PICK)

  “Her Sanctuary is a book I can easily and highly recommend for all readers and lovers of great books. It is truly worth every minute it takes to read, so head over to The Wild Rose Press and pick up a copy today.” —WRDF

  “Suspenseful, riveting and explosive, this reader absolutely loved this story.” —Fallen Angel Reviews (5 Angels)

  “Ms. Anderson presents us with one fantastic story that has me wanting more.” —Romance Junkies (4.5 Blue Ribbons)

  “For a fast paced, enjoyable read filled with secrets and surprises, Her Sanctuary will fill all your expectations.” —Romance Reviews Today

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