Thunder Rolls: Episode 8 (Rising Storm) Read online

  Thunder Rolls

  By Dee Davis

  Rising Storm

  Episode 8

  Story created by Julie Kenner and Dee Davis

  Thunder Rolls, Episode 8

  Rising Storm

  Copyright 2015 Julie Kenner and Dee Davis Oberwetter

  ISBN: 978-1-942299-08-0

  Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  Thunder Rolls

  By Dee Davis

  Rising Storm Episode 8

  Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

  Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

  As Hannah Grossman grapples with the very real possibility that she is dating one Johnson brother while secretly in love with another, the entire town prepares for Founders Day. The building tempest threatens not just Hannah’s relationship with Tucker and Tate, but everyone in Storm as dire revelations threaten to tear the town apart.

  ABOUT DEE DAVIS

  Bestselling author Dee Davis has a masters degree in public administration. Prior to writing, she served as the director of two associations, wrote award winning PSAs, did television and radio commercials, starred in the Seven Year Itch, taught college classes, and lobbied both the Texas Legislature and the US Congress.

  Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything In Its Time, was published in July 2000. Since then, among others, she’s won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards.

  Recently she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Romance Writers and has also been nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award for romantic suspense from Romantic Times. In addition, she is a Hall of Fame member of the New Jersey Romance Writers and was awarded an Odyssey Medal from Hendrix College.

  To date, she has written over twenty-five romantic suspense, time travel, and women’s fiction novels and novellas. Among her latest books you’ll find her A-Tac, Liar’s Game, and Last Chance series.

  She’s lived in Austria and traveled in Europe extensively. And although she now resides in an 1802 farmhouse in Connecticut, she still calls Texas home.

  Connect with Dee online:

  Website: http://www.deedavis.com

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/deedavisbooks

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/deesdavis @deeSdavis

  Also from Dee Davis

  Click to purchase

  Random Heroes Collection

  Dark Of The Night

  Dancing In The Dark

  Midnight Rain

  Just Breathe

  After Twilight

  Liars' Game Series

  Lethal Intent (short story)

  Eye Of The Storm

  Chain Reaction

  Still of the Night (Novella)

  Last Chance Series

  Endgame

  Enigma

  Exposure

  Escape (Novella)

  A-Tac Series

  Dark Deceptions

  Dangerous Desires

  Desperate Deeds

  Daring (Novella)

  Deep Disclosure

  Deadly Dance

  Double Danger

  Dire Distraction

  Matchmaker Chronicles

  A Match Made on Madison

  Setup In SoHo

  Time After Time Series

  Everything In Its Time

  The Promise

  Wild Highland Rose

  Devil May Care Series

  (with Julie Kenner)

  Raising Hell (Julie Kenner)

  Hell Fire (Dee Davis)

  Sure As Hell (Julie Kenner)

  Hell’s Fury (Dee Davis)

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR

  I’ve always believed in dreaming big. But I’ve learned over my lifetime that dreaming big isn’t the same as making it so. And when Julie and I first started discussing the idea of creating Storm, Texas, while I fell in love with our creation, I wasn’t certain we’d be able to bring it fully to fruition. I was wrong. Taking the reins from our initial imaginings for the series, the wonderful writers who make up the first season episodes have breathed amazing life into every character. And these imaginary people who have become so close to my heart have become real, not just to me but to readers as well.

  For that I have to thank the amazing Julie Kenner, the best friend and business partner a girl could ever have! Without her, none of this would exist! And both Liz Berry and MJ Rose for their belief in this project and the tireless hours they have spent making sure everything is just right. And of course the first season authors: Lexi Blake, Elisabeth Naughton, Jennifer Probst, Larissa Ione, Rebecca Zanetti and Lisa Mondelo.

  FOREWORD

  Dear reader –

  We have wanted to do a project together for over a decade, but nothing really jelled until we started to toy with a kernel of an idea that sprouted way back in 2012 … and ultimately grew into Rising Storm.

  We are both excited about and proud of this project—not only of the story itself, but also the incredible authors who have helped bring the world and characters we created to life.

  We hope you enjoy visiting Storm, Texas. Settle in and stay a while!

  Happy reading!

  Julie Kenner & Dee Davis

  Sign up for the Rising Storm/1001 Dark Nights Newsletter

  and be entered to win an exclusive lightning bolt necklace specially designed for Rising Storm by Janet Cadsawan of Cadsawan.com.

  Click here to subscribe.

  As a bonus, all subscribers will receive a free

  Rising Storm story

  Storm Season: Ginny & Jacob – the Prequel

  by Dee Davis

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Book Description

  About Dee Davis

  Also from Dee Davis

  Author Acknowledgments

  Foreword

  Family Trees

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Rising Storm

  Season Two, Coming in 2016

  1001 Dark Nights

  Special Thanks

  FAMILY TREES

  Allen Family

  Alvarez Family

  Douglas Family

  Grossman Family

  Johnson Family

  Moreno Family

  Murphy Family

  Prager Family

  Rush Family

  Salt Family

  CHAPTER 1

  “It’s a wonder we ever get anything done.” Hannah Grossman grinned at her sister as the final organizational meeting for the Founders’ Day celebration broke up and the two of them rose from their seats in the parish hall.

  “Between Marylee and Senator Rush’s posturing and Marisol and Rita Mae arguing over pies, we’re lucky we’re having an event at all,” Joanne said.

  “Well,
thanks to your help, I’ve got a feeling everything is going to come out fine.” Hannah paused as Tara Douglas waved for her attention. “Marylee should be thanking her lucky stars.”

  Her sister had worked her ass off to make things move smoothly for the Founders’ Day celebration. Although Hannah couldn’t help but think that the appointment had done as much for her sister as it had for Marylee Rush. In the wake of her husband’s defection, Joanne had bloomed, the fun-loving girl she’d used to be making at least an occasional appearance.

  “Goes both ways,” Joanne said. “I need the money. And working for her hasn’t been nearly as difficult as I expected it to be. She’s actually kind of nice—in a starchy sort of way.”

  Hannah laughed and squeezed her sister’s arm. “I’ll see you at the festivities?”

  “You’d better be there. I’m counting on you. For moral support if nothing else.”

  Marylee gestured for Joanne and the sisters parted, Hannah making her way past the Pragers and Marisol—still deep in discussion about crusts and fillings—over to where Tara was standing.

  Most of the women in town had made the meeting. Some because they truly wanted to help and others because, quite honestly, they were afraid of Marylee Rush. The town’s grand dame might have pulled the wool over Joanne’s eyes, but Hannah knew when to call a spade a spade, and Marylee only cared about one thing—her sainted son and his never-ending quest for political stardom.

  And Storm’s Founders’ Day festival was the perfect vehicle to move forward his ongoing campaign. Truth be told, politics and all the sidestepping that it entailed left Hannah cold. Same for committees and meetings. If it hadn’t been for her mother’s insistence and her sister’s need for support, Hannah would have skipped the whole damn thing. Give her a herd of sick cows over a society get-together any day. At least with the cows you could always be pretty certain of where you stood.

  Shaking her head at her own whimsy, she dismissed all thoughts of the Rushes as she broke free of the milling women to stop in front of her friend. Tara’s normally pretty face looked a little drawn, her eyes tired and the corners of her mouth pinched. Dealing with two growing children wasn’t an easy task under any circumstance, but when you added in the fact that one was autistic and the other acting out, it meant long hours and sleepless nights.

  “Wasn’t sure you’d be here today,” Hannah said. “Does that mean things are better at home?”

  Tara’s face flushed. “Nothing miraculous or anything, but I think maybe Bryce has turned a corner. Or at least he’s trying to, anyway. And that’s a start, right?”

  “Absolutely. As long as the two of you have each other you can handle anything.” Hannah felt a surge of jealousy, surprised at the intensity of the emotion. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have someone. Tate Johnson was a good man. It’s just that if she were honest, she’d never really felt like they were a team. Not the way Bryce and Tara had always been.

  “From your mouth to God’s ears.” Tara smiled as her sister-in-law, Kristin, joined them.

  “I’d have thought you had a direct line,” Kristin said, her smile not as bright as usual. “I mean, what good is it having a pastor for a husband if not to give you immediate access?”

  “Sadly, I don’t think that’s the way it works,” Tara said, studying Kristin. “You okay? You look tired.”

  Kristin shrugged. “Just late nights working on the festival. Plus a few extra party gigs. The Rushes are having a cocktail party for some of their high-rolling friends attending the festival. And the Vorderstrausses are having a BBQ to celebrate Loretta’s return to the fold.”

  “I heard she was back in town,” Hannah said. “I can’t believe they actually managed to extricate her from the cult. Somewhere in California, right?”

  “Yeah, scary stuff. Makes the problems with my kids seem like nothing.”

  “Maybe not nothing.” Kristin laid a comforting hand on Tara’s arm. “But better than Hare Krishna or whatever it was. I heard she shaved her head.”

  “These days that’s not that unusual,” Hannah laughed, flipping her long braid over her shoulder. “I saw a kid the other day with the word ‘no’ shaved into the backside of his head.”

  “At least he’s taking a position,” Tara said. “And besides, I remember when you dyed your hair black, made like a member of the Addams Family, and ran off to that Marilyn Manson concert. Scared your momma to death if I remember right.”

  “Yeah, well, it was your momma who called my momma to tell her what I was up to.”

  “It wasn’t my fault you left me a note in my front hallway and she found it before I did.”

  “True enough,” Hannah laughed. “And I did survive.” She waved the tip of her braid. “Hair and all. And fortunately, my mother never found out about Skip Matheson.”

  Tara gave a little shudder. “That would have been the end of the world as we know it.” She looked over to Kristin. “Skip was a really bad boy.”

  “But oh my God, was he pretty.” Hannah smiled, remembering. “Still, he was definitely trouble. And after that night, I steered clear.”

  “After that night you were grounded for a month.”

  They laughed together and Kristin sighed, looking wistful. “I wish I’d had a mother who cared enough to ground me. Or friends like you guys to remember my past.”

  “You have us now,” Tara said, linking her arm with Kristin. “And if you like, we can even hook you up with Skip Matheson.”

  “Except,” Hannah said, coming to Kristin’s other side as the three of them walked from the parish hall, “Skip isn’t exactly pretty anymore.”

  Tara grinned at the two of them. “Prison will definitely do that to a man.”

  * * * *

  “So what’s with the urgent demand?” Tate Johnson walked into Sebastian Rush’s office, where the senator and Tate’s father were clearly already in deep discussion. A cryptic text from his father, which was no doubt more the result of Zeke’s lack of technical skill than any actual subterfuge, had summoned him here for an after-hours meeting. “I was in Marble Falls for a deposition and I had to cut it short.”

  “I’m sure you managed just fine,” Zeke said, waving a hand in dismissal. Despite the fact that his father had been the mayor of Storm for the past ten years, he’d never been all that impressed with Tate’s devotion to the law. As far as his father was concerned, there were only three things important in this life: cattle, family, and Storm, Texas. In that order.

  Still, he admired his father, and he knew what it had cost the old man to let Tate follow his own path. “So what scheme are the two of you hatching now?”

  Sebastian Rush was all about, well, Sebastian Rush, but like Zeke he believed in his hometown, and there was pretty much nothing he wouldn’t do to see that it maintained prosperity. “No scheming,” the senator replied, motioning to the bar in the corner. “Just planning for the future.”

  “Yours, to be specific,” his father said as Tate poured himself a strong measure of bourbon. One look at the anticipation reflected in the two men’s faces indicated he just might need it.

  “Care to elaborate?” he asked, dropping into a vacant chair adjacent Sebastian’s. The office, like the senator, was lushly appointed, everything on a grand scale with elegant furnishings and, more importantly, just the right touch of down-home comfort.

  “What would you think of running for mayor?” Sebastian asked without further pretext.

  Tate frowned, looking down into the amber depths of his bourbon. “Dad’s the mayor.”

  “Actually, I’m thinking of retiring,” Zeke said. “Your mother retires in another couple of years and it occurs to me that maybe it’d be nice for the two of us to have a little more free time.”

  Tate swallowed a snort. His mother was about as likely to relish free time as his dad. The two of them weren’t idle people. They were at their best managing things. Ranches, school systems, dynasties. “I don’t see you as a golf course kind of guy, Dad. And
even if I did, what makes you think I’d want to be mayor? Or that if I did, the people of Storm would get behind me?”

  “You’re a Johnson.” Zeke shrugged and then took a sip from his glass, his gaze locking with his son’s. “We take care of our own.”

  “Surely you’re not suggesting we own the town.” His mind was reeling, trying to read between the lines. There was something more to this than just the mayorship.

  “Of course not.” Sebastian laughed, the gesture not quite reaching his eyes. “That’d be my family.” The senator got up for a refill. “Seriously, Tate, I’ve had my eye on you for quite a while. You’re an excellent attorney and you’ve developed a rather ardent following.”

  “Comes with winning, I guess.” Tate ran a hand through his hair, still trying to figure out where this conversation was going. “But if I were to run for mayor, it wouldn’t be at all good for my practice.”

  “And if that’s all you want from life, then I can understand the need to hold on to it. But I’ve always thought you were destined for something bigger.” Sebastian sat down again, crossing one elegantly clad leg over the other.

  “Come on,” Tate said with a frown. “Being mayor of a second-tier Hill Country town is hardly something bigger. No offense, Dad.”

  “None taken. Although I do think you need to remember what all this town has given you.” Zeke’s expression had taken on a hint of rebuke, although for the life of him, Tate couldn’t figure out why.

  “I’m the first one to admit I’m proud to be from here. But I think most of what I’ve got came because of my own hard work and determination.”