Every superhero has an origin story. The Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team in Scarlet Springs is home to a bunch of heroes, but the couple who started it hasn't yet gotten their story. 

Megs Hall and Mitch Ahearn have been at the heart of the Colorado High Country series from the beginning. Over the past couple of years, I've gotten so many requests for their story, in part because Megs, with her smart mouth and steel spine, is such a popular character. 

Fans of the series know that the two met as young people in Yosemite Valley in the early 1970s, where they helped establish the sport of free climbing. How can I resist writing a story set partly in the 1970s when things were groovy and far out?

Writing this story has been a blast. I was 9 years old in 1973, the oldest child of a semi-pro climber who has at least one first ascent credited to his name (Cadaver Crack on Castle Rock in Boulder Canyon). His climbing partner for that climb was Richard Nixon. No, not that Richard Nixon. Can you imagine being an adult in the early 1970s with the name Richard Nixon? But I digress...

Take Me Higher will be out on August 31 in ebook and paperback. Preorder your digital copy now! Read on for the back blurb to the story. I will share an excerpt soon. 

Tropes: Older couple, small mountain town, forbidden love, celebrity couple, strong heroine, rescue, lifelong love

CLOSE TO HEAVEN: A Colorado High Country Christmas (Colorado High Country #5) is OUT! That had to be a speed record.

Kindle US, Kindle UK, Kindle CA, Kindle AU, iBooks, Nook, Smashwords (international, all ebook formats).

It should be out at any time on Kobo as well.

This full-length novel tells the story of two of people’s favorite characters — Rain Minear and Joe Moffat. We’ve seen them in every Colorado High Country book so far as the general manager and owner, respectively, of Knockers, the brewpub. Now their story comes front and center.

Rain was a mother at 16, abandoned by her much older babydaddy to give birth in a minivan alone. She grew up poor, managed to raise her daughter by working hard and sacrificing, and now at 37 feels alone.

Joe grew up with everything, but his heritage is a burden to him. He is haunted by ghosts of Scarlet Springs' past. He plans to stay single, have no children, and leave all his money to a foundation for the people of Scarlet. I’m telling you right now that things don’t work out the way he'd planned them. In the end, no one will be more grateful for that than Joe.

I hope you enjoy the story!

Here's the blurb from the back of the book:

A woman at a crossroads…

Rain Minear has fantasized about finding herself in Joe Moffat’s arms for years. It’s just her luck that the night it finally happens, he’s carrying her into the emergency room. It’s Joe who steps up to help her when a tragedy brings her life crashing down. He gives her a place to stay, helps her get back on her feet, and even tries to save her Christmas, though he’s never cared for the holiday. But he’s far too ethical to sleep with a member of his staff, holding her at arms length despite the long-simmering attraction between them.

A man haunted by the past…

Joe Moffat moved to Scarlet Springs to repay a debt. He’s struggled for years to keep his hands off Rain. She’s the general manager of his brewpub, and he is not that kind of boss. But, oh, she turns him on. More than that, she has the biggest heart of any woman he’s ever known. He’d do anything to see her smile again, even put up a Christmas tree and listen to carols. 

A season that changes two lives forever…

When a Rocky Mountain blizzard leaves them snowbound, they can no longer ignore their feelings for one another. As their passion turns to something deeper, it becomes clear to them both that this will be the most important Christmas of their lives.

It’s a fun and emotional story that gives us a glimpse into the historical past of Scarlet Springs and its people. It was a blast for me to research mining history and Colorado history for those parts of the story. 

Want an excerpt? I know you do. Without further ado...

From Close to Heaven...

While Joe set up the tree and retrieved box after box of Christmas decorations from storage, Rain rolled out the cookie dough, cut circles in the dough with a glass—Joe had no cookie cutters—then sprinkled the dough with sugar and put the cookies in the oven. She watched Joe as he came and went. Some part of her wanted to pretend that they were a happy couple preparing for Christmas together, but she was too much of a realist to play that game. Besides, Joe was anything but happy. He seemed tense, even grouchy. He was probably still upset about his SUV being stuck in a ditch.

He was always the first person in town to help others in times of trouble, but he had a hard time asking for it. Worse, he hated being out of the action. Now, he was stuck here with her for a couple of days, sidelined by a storm.

Rain cleaned up the mess she’d made, wiping flour off the countertop and getting the dishes into the dishwasher.

Joe walked in, another big box in his arms. He set it down on the floor near the living room fireplace. “I think this is the last one. I had planned to donate all of this. I just never got around to it.”

Rain dried her hands. “Maybe because it means something to you?”

He shrugged. “Nah. I’ve just been busy.”

Rain rested her hands on her hips. “We don’t have to do this, Joe. If this isn’t fun for you, it won’t be fun for me either. We can just chill and watch TV or do our own thing if that sounds better to you.”

He drew in a breath, closed his eyes, the tension inside him palpable. “You’re right. Sorry. I’m being an ass.”

“I didn’t say that.”

He opened his eyes, his lips curving in a lopsided grin. “Maybe you should have.”

“I’m sorry about your SUV.”

“It’s nothing. Compared to what you’re going through…”

She wanted him to know she understood. “It’s hard for you to ask for help, I know, especially when you want to be out there helping other people.”

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

“Okay, now, get over it. Everyone needs help once in a while—even the mighty Joe Moffat.”

He raised a dark eyebrow. “Is that how I come across?”

“Only when you’re beating yourself up for being human.”

Some of the frustration left his face. “Good to know.”

He walked over to his sound system, pulled out his iPod. “Christmas music. Let’s see what I have on here. Andy Williams. My grandmother loved him.”

Rain didn’t want to be negative. “He’s fine.”

Joe frowned. “Okay, so not Andy Williams. How about the Chipmunks?”

“The Chipmunks?” Rain laughed. “You listened to the Chipmunks?”

“No to the Chipmunks?”

She had a better idea. “Do you trust me?”

“Sure.”

Rain drew out her cell phone, found her Christmas playlist, then plugged her phone into the sound system and hit play. José Feliciano’s Feliz Navidad spilled into the room. “I love this song.”

She couldn’t help herself. She sang along and then started to dance, the happy melody and the Puerto Rican rhythm calling to her.

Joe crossed his arms over his chest and watched her, a grin on his face, his gaze warm. “You have a beautiful voice,” he said when the song ended.

The compliment hit a sore spot inside her.

“Not beautiful enough to make a career out of it.” She walked into the kitchen, checked the oven timer.

One minute.

“Come on now. You don’t know that.” He was still watching her, and she knew he was trying to decide whether to let it go. He changed the subject, pointing to the speakers. “What’s playing now?”

“Celtic harp. Kim Robertson.” Rain searched for an oven mitt, grateful that he hadn’t pushed her. “She’s incredible. I saw her play in Denver a few years ago.”

The timer beeped, and Rain took the cookie sheets out of the oven, the sweet scent of fresh sugar cookies mingling with the bright pine scent of the tree. She left the cookies to cool, joining Joe in the living room, where he was going from box to box as if trying to decide where to start.

He glanced over at her. “Let’s open these up, and see what we have.”

“You don’t know what’s in them?” She found this funny.

“They belonged to my mother. They were handed down to me after she passed, but I haven’t opened them.”

Was that it? Was that why he’d seemed so tense?

“If this is going to dredge up unhappy memories for you or make you sad, we can decorate with popcorn or ribbons or old socks for all I care.”

“Old socks?” He chuckled. “It’s fine, really. I wasn’t close to my parents. At Christmas, staff decorated the trees—several of them—for my mother’s Christmas parties. They also did all of my mom’s Christmas shopping. I was away at boarding school until right before the holiday. By the time I got home, everything was decorated, and the gifts were under the tree. It’s not something we did as a family.”

An ache in her chest, she watched as he chose a box and lifted it onto the coffee table. It made her sad to think that he had no real attachment to any of these decorations, no happy memories of putting up the tree with his parents and hanging his favorite ornaments year after year. The stuff in these boxes was just stuff to him. No wonder he’d planned to donate it.

“Let’s see what we’ve got.” He lifted the top off the box he’d chosen.

“Oh!” Delight washing through Rain. “They’re precious.”

On top sat a box of old European-style blown glass ornaments in pastel colors with glittering white, gold, and silver details—angels, Kris Kringles, shimmering birds with feathers for tails, elves, a little church, a trumpet, a cello, a violin. Each ornament was tucked carefully into tissue paper.

Joe took out one of the angels, turned it over in his hand as if it were a Rubik’s Cube. “How do you hang them on the tree? There are no hooks.”

“What do you mean?” Rain gaped at him. “Have you never decorated a Christmas tree before?”

“I told you. We had staff for that.”

“Well, it’s about time.” She found a small box of ornament hooks and opened it. “You take one of these and pass it through that little loop there. See?”

“Okay. Yeah. I get it.” He took it from her, started toward the tree.

“Oh, no, you can’t put it up yet. First, you have to put up the lights.”

He stopped mid-stride. “Lights? Right. I wonder where those are.”



Putting Christmas lights on a tree could test the patience of a saint. They found two big boxes of the damned things—dozens of strands of white lights—and went to work replacing old bulbs and putting the strands on the tree one by one. Rain took charge, imparting her vastly superior experience in Christmas tree decorating to him.

“You don’t want to drape the lights over the ends of the branches. You need to weave them through the tree, get them deep inside.”

She showed him how this was done, starting at the bottom of the tree and passing the lighted strand around its girth to him, their fingers brushing as they handed the strand back and forth. Awareness sang through him at her touch. Their gazes met through the tree’s green branches, the warmth in her eyes a provocation.

Twinkling lights. Soft music. The scent of pine.

Damn.

Joe was in trouble. He knew he ought to distance himself from her somehow, maybe go back outside and try digging out his Land Rover again, but he couldn’t get himself to step away. Their fingers lingered now, the touch deliberate.

They put strand after strand on the tree until it glittered and Joe was about to lose his mind. Then they moved to the ornaments—a new kind of torture. Every time they opened a box, a look of wonder came over Rain’s face, her smile and happiness putting a hitch in his chest. His pulse was tripping, and he wasn’t even touching her.

Jesus.

He got to his feet, walked to the window, needing some distance.

“These must be antique.” She held up a trio of angels. “Look. The faces are made of painted wax, not plastic.”

 “Yeah.” He turned to look out onto a windswept world of white, working to get his emotions under control, while she continued to rummage through the box.

“Oh!”

He heard her exclamation, recognized the excitement in her voice, but didn’t turn to see what she’d discovered, too caught up in his own feelings.
“Do you have any tape or thumbtacks?”

He answered without facing her. “They’re in the drawer next to the fridge.”

When are you going to tell Rain how you feel about her?

Rico’s words came back to him. Damn Rico anyway. What the hell did he expect Joe to do? Was he supposed to pull Rain aside and admit to her that he’d had sexual fantasies about her for far too long? Should he tell her that her smile, her laughter, the very sight of her put a warm feeling in his chest or confess that he spent more time at Knockers than he needed to so he could be close to her?

Listen to yourself. You’re pathetic, man.

When this storm passed, he would make an effort to meet someone again. He’d sign up on one of those online dating sites and—

“Oh, Joe.” There was a sing-song tone to her voice that cut through his thoughts.

He turned to find her standing in front of the sofa, a teasing smile on her lips, a look of expectation on her face.

She looked up at the ceiling, drawing his gaze with hers.

Hell.

Mistletoe.

It was plastic, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Rain.” He shook his head, but his feet began to move. “I’m your boss.”

Her gaze held his, an almost pleading look in her eyes. “Oh, who cares? It’s Christmas. I’m not going to sue you, if that’s what you think.”

“It’s not that.” Joe had come from a long line of assholes, and he was trying desperately not to become one himself.

Just give her a quick peck on the cheek.

Okay. Yeah. Sure. He could do that.

He closed the distance between them, hesitated for a moment, then ducked down to press his lips to her cheek. But his body betrayed him, and his mouth found its way to hers. It was just a brushing of lips, but the shock of it brought him back for another pass and another. Her lips were warm, soft, pliant, the sweet scent of her skin intoxicating. But he was going to stop. Any moment now, he would draw away from her and end this incredible … exhilarating… foolishness.

It was her little sigh of pleasure that undid him.

He drew her against him, claiming her mouth in a hungry kiss. She came alive in his arms, arching against him, matching his fervor, her tongue meeting his stroke for stroke, her fingers curling in his hair. God, she tasted like heaven and felt perfect in his arms, her breasts pressing against his chest, her body soft in all the right places.

Joe’s heart thrummed, blood surging to his groin. Some part of him realized that he hadn’t stopped, that he was still kissing her, but he didn’t care, not when kissing her felt so… damned … right. He nipped her lower lip, drew it into his mouth, felt her tongue graze his upper lip, her fingers fisting in his hair.

Whether she stumbled backward onto the sofa or whether he urged her, he couldn’t say, but one moment they were standing, and the next he was lying on top of her, pressing kisses along her throat, her pulse frantic beneath his lips.

She whimpered, her hips moving beneath his, grinding herself against his erection. She reached for the top button on his jeans. “Joe. I want you.”

“Yes.” What the hell had he just said? “No. No, Rain, we can’t.”

“Why not?” Rain stared up at him, disappointment and desire naked in her eyes. “We’re adults. I want you. You want me.”

As if the hard-on in his jeans left any doubt about that.

“I’m your employer, Rain.” Joe pulled away from her and got to his feet, everything inside him protesting the abrupt loss of contact. Not sure what to do or say, he started packing together the empty boxes.

“Seriously? That is your excuse? I told you. I’m not going to sue.”

“Do you really think I’ve got some kind of risk assessment going on in my head right now?” He glanced over at her. “I’m trying to be fair to you.”

Her expression fell, and she broke eye contact.

Shit. 

He’d hurt her. He didn’t want that. “Rain, I—”

“It’s okay, Joe.” She stood, smoothing her hands over her blouse. “Let’s get these boxes put away and have some cookies.”

Joe said what he’d been trying to say. “I care about you.”

“I know. You care about all of the staff.” She packed tissue paper into two empty boxes then closed them, shutting herself off from him, too.

This is what happened when he ignored his own better sense. He shouldn’t have kissed her in the first place. What the hell had he been thinking?

Copyright (c) 2017 Pamela Clare — All rights reserved

I am so excited to share this story with you. It has all the deep emotion of an I-Team story but it’s set in Scarlet Springs, where people take care of each other and there are no election politics.

It is availble at Amazon:

Kindle US
Kindle UK
Kindle AU
Kindle CA


You can also find it at Barnes & Noble.

Nook

And, of course, it’s out in iBooks.

iTunes

You can also find it in all ebook formats at Smashword.

Smashwords

Watch for it to pop up soon on Kobo.

It will be out in paperback probably by March 10.

Here is the blurb on the back of the book:


A Gold Star wife alone…

Ellie Meeks promised her pilot husband that if he was killed in combat, she would live her life to the fullest. Three years later, she is still alone, raising the twins he never met. She has no interest in dating or meeting men—until one snowy night when a stranger helps her get her sick kids safely home. That stranger turns out to be a former Army Ranger and a member of the elite Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team. He’s also tall, rugged… and irresistibly sexy. 

All it takes is one kiss…

Jesse Moretti came to Colorado to get Iraq out of his head, using the adrenaline of extreme sports and high-risk mountain rescues to keep his mind off the past. But getting involved with Ellie might be the riskiest thing he’s ever done. It’s not just their explosive chemistry. There’s something about Ellie that gets inside him, opening him to feelings he’s tried hard to ignore. 

When passion ignites…

Ellie feels alive in Jesse’s arms and happier than she ever thought she’d feel again. But their relationship comes at a price for him, and soon Ellie sees that she must help Jesse fight the demons of his past to protect the love of a lifetime—and save the heart of a hero.



If you haven’t tried the series yet, Barely Breathing, the first book is only 99 cents at Amazon, B&N, iTunes, Kobo, and Smashwords. Slow Burn is available for $4.99, also at at Amazon, B&N, iTunes, Kobo and Smashwords. Both books are also available in paperback online via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indiebound.

Let’s celebrate with a contest!

Comment on my blog for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of SLOW BURN, Eric Hawke’s book (book 2).

In the meantime, sharing is caring. Thanks in advance for helping to spread the word on social media and in the real world. You’re the best!

Last year was pretty incredible. I went from writing ZERO published words in 2014 to writing more than 225,000 published words in 2015.

Yes, I am back. I think I have earned the right to say that.

But time flies, and now we’re almost halfway through the first month of 2016. I thought I’d give you a glimpse of what lies ahead.

Right now, I’m working on the first book of a new series. I introduced the town of Scarlet Springs in Soul Deep, Jack and Janet’s story. A small mountain town full of quirky residents, it is the setting for a new contemporary romance series featuring characters from a mountain search and rescue team.



What is an alpine rescue team? They’re the folks who will come after you if get lost, twist an ankle on a high mountain trail, are caught in an avalanche, or fall while climbing. They handle everything from lost mushroom hunters to helping to bring down dead bodies. In Colorado, they’ve helped rescue people during wildfires, and in 2013, they helped during the catastrophic floods we experienced. They do it all as volunteers, believing that charging for rescues would cause people to delay seeking help.

I have personal experience being rescued. I fell 40 feet while climbing in 1994 and was aided by a ranger who happened to be a paramedic, then got a free helocopter ride to a trauma center. Fun! Not. At. All. I am truly lucky to be alive. But I digress...

People on search and rescue teams include everyone from people who work with and train rescue dogs to hard-core climbers and skiers to paramedics to helicopter pilots. That means I’ve got a vibrant group of fabulously fit and courageous young men and women to choose from for this series.



Because I grew up in the mountains of Colorado, I hope to bring a fresh voice to the mountain town romance subgenre of contemporary romance, featuring the eccentricities that are common to mountain towns in this state. I love Colorado and grew up in a climbing family. I’m going to enjoy sharing my love of the mountains with you.

The series will be as hot as the I-Team series when it comes to sex, but it won’t have the suspense thread. Instead, it will have the action and adventure of taking you along on high-risk rescue missions. There will also be crossover appearances of some I-Team characters, especially Gabe Rossiter, who is a member of the Team.

I plan to have this first book out to you by the end of March or early April. Check this blog frequently for updates and excerpts!



After I finish the first [as yet untitled] book in this new series, I will either write Joaquin’s book, adding another book to the I-Team series, or I’ll write the first book in a series featuring Cobra, Javier Corbray and Derek Tower’s black-ops organization. Derek will be the hero of the first story. We’ll also get to see Nick and Holly in that series.

I haven’t decided yet which of the two I’ll write, and I can’t yet say when this book will be released because it will be published by Berkley.

When that’s completed, I will return to Scarlet Springs for the next book in that series.

It is my goal to get you three books this year. It’s a big goal, but I’m hoping I’ll be the equal of it.

Also, I’m changing things up a bit. Because Facebook essentially prevents people who follow me from, well, following me, suppressing my updates, I’m going to reinvigorate this blog and do all of my giveaways and contests through this blog and through my newsletter.

If you haven’t subescribed to my newsletter, please do. That way you’ll never miss a new release. Just click here, fill out the form, then watch your spam folder or Inbox for a confirmation email. You won’t be added to the list until you click the link in the confirmation email.

On the personal side

I just completed my plan for the year. I use a process I learned from the creators of Passion Planners (check Kickstarter). I did this for the first time last year. When I reviewed what I’d written a year ago, I was pleased to to see that I had taken some concrete steps in each area of my life I wanted to improve.

I made a new plan this year, one that includes everything from spiritual growth to becoming physically healthier and giving myself more time to live. The great thing about using this method of planning is that you build transformation into your daily calendar by choosing goals, prioritizing, and taking concrete steps to build the life you want.

For so many years, I have written at the expense of living. I don’t want to do that any longer. Writing needs to balance with other things in my life. I want to spend more time outdoors. I want to travel. I want to spend more time with my niece, nephews, and grandkids.



Speaking of travel...

Thanks to the unbelievable generosity of a friend, I’m going to France for three weeks in February. I’ll be able to see my younger son, who once again is teaching English there. We won’t be in Paris this time, but that gives us a chance to see other places. Our focus, however, is going to be on Verdun. We plan to be in Verdun on Feb. 21—the 100th anniversary of the start of that terrible battle.

We visited together in 2014, and I promised Benjamin we’d be back in 2016. At the time, I had no idea that breast cancer would devastate my finances, or that not being able to work would do such damage to my life. If it weren’t for my friend, I wouldn’t be able to keep that promise. The amazing thing is that I DO get to keep that promise. I can’t tell you what that means to me.

Yes, I’ll take lots of photos.

Those of you who’ve followed me on this blog for a long time know I was working my way through something called Project: Happiness. I have to say that fighting cancer blew away a lot of the smoke in my life and brought into sharp focus the fact that happiness is something you do each day. Yes, I have goals and projects and things I’m working toward, but if I don’t enjoy my life today, I might not get another chance. Although I carry a lot of grief with me, in many respects I’m happier now than I was before. I’ve worked terribly hard to get here.

In 2016, my overall goal is to become healthier and to live more fully. I hope you’ll follow that journey.