A Wild Thirst for Revenge (Preview)

---

OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, "Legends of the Lawless Frontier", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

---

Prologue

Nate stood at the barred window, staring out at the bright blue Utah sky. The prison walls smelled dank and musty like they always did. He was looking forward to getting some fresh air when they let him out for his walk later on that day.

“Keegan,” he heard behind him, and he turned to look at the guard, Thomas, who had become a friend of his in his nearly ten year stay at the Correctional Facility in Ogden. He was 300 miles from his home in Sovah. He’d long ago stopped feeling nostalgic for the place and had instead delved into learning medicine and law. Thomas helped him get the books he needed and Nate’s one remaining friend on the outside, Lyndon Graham, supported his efforts in any way he could, going so far as to buy a ranch for Nate to come back to when he was released.

“Mornin’, Thomas,” Nate greeted the guard.

“You got a package from Lyndon. I put it in your cell. I gotta take you back if you want it because I locked the cell door. Don’t want nobody takin’ your stuff.”

Nate felt gratitude slide through him. “I appreciate that, thanks.”

Thomas nodded, “You plannin’ on goin’ back here soon? You get your walk time soon.”

Nate nodded back, turning to look through the window once more, “I’ll be glad when I can look through a window without bars on it.” He began walking toward the guard.

“You got, what, nine months left?”

Nate gave him a look, raising his eyebrows, “Six. What, you tryin’ to make me stay longer?”

Thomas threw back his head and laughed, “Buddy, you been here long enough. I’ll be glad not to look at your ugly mug anymore.”

Nate joined the guard, laughing quietly as they walked down the hall toward his cell.

“So what’s the newest discovery for you?” Thomas asked.

Nate knew Thomas couldn’t fully comprehend the work Nate had been doing while locked up in the state prison. He couldn’t believe it had been three years since he’d made the initial discovery of a possible treatment for tuberculosis that could be the beginning of a cure being found. Since then he’d sent careful instructions to Lyndon, who carried out the experiments in the lab he’d built at the ranch. Lyndon was the one who contacted medical professionals, but it was very difficult for him to have research done without taking a chance that the men he was working with would steal the discovery.

Nate wished that he had been the one to conduct the tests and the research. Lyndon sent him long letters, describing the homes and clinics he visited with the various samples to be tested. He not only sought the permission of the doctor running the clinic but also of the patient who had TB. If they agreed to the trial run, it had to be done in secrecy with only Lyndon and the patient present.

Nate tried to tell Lyndon it wasn’t worth that much secrecy, but Lyndon disagreed. He was the one out there performing the trials so Nate let him do what he wanted. He trusted his friend, though he shouldn’t have done with his track record.

Nate had been given ten years for the robbery of a bank in Derry, which was about 75 miles from his home in Sovah. He was set up by someone unknown and the investigators found some of the money in his cottage. He was innocent but it could not be proven. The money found was all they needed to convict him.

Since that terrible day nine and a half years ago, the day he entered the Ogden Correctional Facility, Nate not only researched and learned medicine but he also law. Lyndon knew more about the law because he had at one time been a bounty hunter. He’d given up the life because it was so dangerous. Nate had him use his contacts to continue the robbery investigation. Nate was sure Lyndon would be able to track down who had set him up.

Unfortunately, it was Nate himself who came up with a possible scenario, but when he brought it up to Lyndon, he didn’t receive a return letter in regards to that. It made him wonder if Lyndon had even received the letter. Maybe someone out there was misdirecting his mail, reading it first and not wanting the inquiry to get out.

He was just being paranoid. He told himself that every time the thought came to mind.

His notion was that his ex-sweetheart, Katie, and ex-best friend, Zeke, were the perpetrators of the crime. He was sure Katie hadn’t actually participated in robbing the bank but Nate could see Zeke pulling it off if he got a friend to go with him. There were two robbers, and Nate had been given an additional two years for not “giving up his accomplice” and “refusing to say where the rest of the money was.” He was certain any lawman still interested in his case would be following him all around Sovah when he returned.

The sheriff who had arrested him was convinced of his guilt. Nate wouldn’t be surprised if the man gave up his home in Derry and moved to Sovah just to keep an eye on him.

Nate didn’t care either way. He was an intelligent man and he would do whatever it took to clear his name.

He waited while Thomas unlocked his cell and went in to get the package the guard had put on his cot.

It was a small package, in the shape of a regular envelope but thicker.

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Thomas said, leaving the door open and walking away.

Nate unwrapped the package and pulled out a wad of folded papers. He unfolded a single piece that was on top and read his friend’s words with tingles of excitement and anticipation.

“Dear Thomas,” the letter read, “the last trial was successful, with all three patients. I wish I could say it’s a cure but it has been lauded as one of the best treatments to have been found to date. I have found a company that would like to buy it for $50,000.”

Nate stopped reading. For a moment, he went numb, staring at the figure.

“I’ll be coming to get you in six months, Nate,” the letter continued. “I hope you are ready to rejoin society because we have a lot more research work to do. Congratulations, my friend. You did it.”

Chapter One

“Jackie. Are you all right?”

Jackie turned to see Hester, the elderly wife of her aging employer, giving her a look of concern.

In truth, Jackie wasn’t all right. She was afraid. She wasn’t afraid of anything physically damaging happening to her. It was something completely different.

For five years, Jackie had been working in the pharmacy, which had only been built five years before she began her employment there. She was the only female she knew that was even interested in pharmaceuticals, and it had taken several years to for her to gain the trust of the people in the town. Now Mr. Harrison was retiring and someone had already bought the pharmacy.

Mr. and Mrs. Harrison had come from New York where he had worked in the industry for fifty years, developing techniques and treatments for various diseases and injuries. He was a brilliant man and still spritely for 72. But he wanted to go back to New York, so he and Mrs. Harrison had sold the pharmacy to a man named Nathaniel Keegan. She knew nothing about the man who was coming to take over the pharmacy. Only that she was afraid he would reject her and turn her out. Most men did upon immediately meeting her. There were very few females in that line of business. It was a man’s job.

Hester set a gentle hand on her shoulder, “It’s going to be all right, Jackie. I promise you this man is not going to turn you out.”

“But how do you know that?” Jackie asked, trying to hide her fear but knowing it was coming through in her voice. “He could throw me out the door right away.”

Hester shook her head, giving her a comforting look. “Solomon asked him to keep you on. He has a partner who is doing all his negotiating. I think he might be in another country right now. But this man assured Solomon that Nathaniel will not make you leave your job here. He even said he would help you learn more so that someday you could take over if you wanted to.”

Hearing those words made Jackie’s heart quake. She wanted to believe it. But she was having a hard time. It had taken her so long to gain the trust of the town; how could this stranger come in and immediately decide he was okay with having a female assistant? It sounded like he already had a partner. Surely he would get rid of her so his partner could take her position.

“I… I’m glad to hear that,” she said, trying to appease her elderly friend. “But… I… I remember the way everyone looked at me when I first started working here. They were so… judgmental. I’m afraid he will make me leave.”

Hester patted her shoulder again and then put her arm around Jackie, giving her a warm squeeze.

“Please don’t worry so much, dear. You’ve had enough pain in your life. You shouldn’t be stressing yourself out.”

Jackie tilted her head to the side and gave Hester an affectionate look, “Thank you, Hester. I’ll try not to worry.”

Hester nodded and turned to leave. Jackie didn’t really want her to go but she wouldn’t make a move to stop her. She watched the thin woman walk away with surprising agility for her age. Jackie loved both Hester and Solomon Harrison like they were grandparents. She had lost her own parents when she was 18, seven years ago, when they took a trip on a ship across the ocean and it sank. She’d been left with her little brother, who was only eleven at the time, and they’d immediately picked up and moved to Sovah.

Now he was the one who was 18 and he’d been on his own since 16, working for a delightfully eccentric wealthy couple on their ranch. He was a horse groomer, one of the best in Utah.

Peter was a brilliant young man, smart and capable. He was strong and enjoyed doing his own thing. He was always there to support his sister, no matter what. When she’d started working at the pharmacy, he was just thirteen, but that didn’t stop him from defending her against every bad word anyone said to her. He’d gotten in a few fist fights, in fact, in her honor.

She felt a wave of love for her brother wash through her and wished he still stayed with her in the cottage her parents had left her. They had actually left the house to her brother, as was tradition. But he had turned the deed over to her and signed off on it. He may not have done that if the Pattersons hadn’t offered him almost an entire wing in their huge mansion just on the outskirts of Sovah.

Jackie was proud of Peter and didn’t want to hold him back. She was happy to have a house of her own, but sad that he had to grow up and move away. She’d gotten used to taking care of him and having a companion she could talk to after work. They were still close, but it just wasn’t the same.

She thought about going to visit Peter at the Pattersons’ house after work. They were always kind and generous to her. They loved her like a daughter, just like they loved Peter.

She’d made up her mind to go over there and see them when she had only a few minutes left of work.

The ride to the Patterson mansion seemed shorter than usual. She was in front of their porch steps before she knew it.

She grinned wide when the door was flung open and Mrs. Patterson came out, throwing her arms out excitedly as if she hadn’t seen Jackie in years.

“Jacqueline!” she cried out, running toward the edge of the steps so quickly that Jackie was afraid she would tumble down them. She hurried to run up the steps to meet the woman, hugging her before she could get to the edge of the porch.

“It is so good to see you, dear.”

Jackie pulled back, giving the woman a big smile, “How did you know I was coming?”

Maureen Patterson laughed heartily, throwing her head back. She hugged Jackie again. “Oh, you know me, my dear. I can always feel when a friend is coming over. Your brother is in the stables taking care of the horses as usual. Would you like to come in for some coffee or tea?”

“I would love some, thank you. It’s been a difficult day. I’m very afraid.”

Maureen nodded. Jackie could tell she was about to say something profound. She usually did. “Yes, you worry that you will be replaced at the pharmacy. Tell me, my dear, why don’t you trust the young man that’s coming to take over the pharmacy from Solomon?”

Jackie pulled in a deep breath. She felt like she’d been pulled to the Patterson mansion just so Maureen could settle her mind. The woman was wise and knew maybe a little more than most people.

She didn’t bother to question how Maureen knew what she knew. She just went with it.

“I don’t know him. It took me so long to get everyone to trust me. Now this man is coming to take over and… I worry so much that he will make me leave.”

Maureen shook her head, “Come inside, my dear. Let’s talk.”

Jackie followed Maureen inside, admiring the interior design as usual. She was always impressed with the style and luxury she saw. Maureen and her husband, David, had excellent taste and didn’t overdo it.

They sat in the lounge across from each other. Jackie always felt comfortable with Maureen, even if she was a little strange. She drew comfort from the woman. The Pattersons had helped them through the transition after their parents died and taken care of them, even though Jackie was independent at 18. She wasn’t ready to care for a teenage boy, that was for sure. But the Pattersons made sure Jackie and Peter didn’t strangle each other before they could make something of themselves.

“I suppose I should let Peter know I’m here,” Jackie said, turning her hazel eyes to look out the window.

“No need, dear,” Maureen said, gently, reaching out to grasp Jackie’s knee and squeezing it with an affectionate look. “Peter will be in later. Stay for dinner. Let’s have some family time, shall we?”

Jackie suppressed the tears that clogged her throat. She felt so incredibly blessed to have the Pattersons – no matter how eccentric and strange – to substitute for her Ma and Pa in her times of need.

“Thank you, Mo,” she replied, using the familiar term of her friend’s name. “I would love to stay for dinner.”

“A Wild Thirst for Revenge” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Nate Keegan spent ten years of his life locked up in a prison cell, convicted of a crime he never committed. Being totally isolated, behind bars, he discovers the treatment for a deadly disease, which will make him amass a great fortune. When he is finally released from jail, he vows to track the evil criminals who framed him. Desperate to seek vengeance, it will take all of his skills to unravel the enigma of the terrible betrayal. But little does he know that his enemies were right before his eyes all along… What is he willing to risk in order to take the revenge he’s dreamt of for years?

While trying to turn a new page in life, Nate will buy a pharmacy in his hometown where a bright, young employee, Jackie, will steal his heart. Although they get off to a rough start , Nate soon finds in her a willing partner to investigate and dig out the truth behind this terrible downfall. Will they manage to finally solve the demanding riddle and fight injustice, despite the endless challenges they encounter?

Even though Nate and Jackie meet under the worst variety of circumstances, their lifetime adventure will bring them closer. As long as the enemies are still out there though, they cannot truly find the happiness they deserve. Will their nightmare be over, or will they both be doomed to a dreadful future, feeling trapped in a prison of their own making?

An action-packed story, featuring complex and fascinating characters, and twists and turns that will take your breath away. A must-read for fans of Western action and romance.

“A Wild Thirst for Revenge” is a historical adventure novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cliffhangers, only pure unadulterated action.

Get your copy from Amazon!

---

OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, "Legends of the Lawless Frontier", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

---