Anniversary Shenanigans: Author Visit + Giveaway - Cordelia Kingsbridge

We're tickled pink to have Cordelia Kingsbridge join in the shenanigans again this year with a fic that's sure to make you AWWWWWW!

Noah brightened at the familiar sound of heavy boots thumping along the linoleum. He looked up from his computer at the nurses’ station to see Rusty McMillan tromping down the hallway, dressed as usual in a battered leather jacket and distressed jeans laden with clinking silver chains. His motorcycle helmet hung from one hand, along with a small shopping bag.

When Rusty noticed Noah, he changed course and came to lean against the counter. Noah shot to his feet, eyes traveling helplessly from the scarred knuckles of Rusty’s massive hands, over his burly chest and the tattoos snaking up his neck, to his weather-beaten face and thick beard.

“How is she?” Rusty asked, his voice deep and gruff.

“It’s been a pretty good day,” said Noah. “I’ll be right in.”

Rusty nodded and walked away, disappearing into a room down the hall.

Liz, one of the newer nurses on staff, cast a contemptuous glance after him and popped her gum. “What kind of trashy asshole comes into a nursing facility dressed like that?”

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Noah snapped. “Rusty visits his mother almost every day. How many other patients’ kids do you see doing that?”

He left the nurses’ station before she could reply, and stopped outside the open door to Mrs. McMillan’s room. Inside, a frail elderly woman sat in a wheelchair by the large window, gazing out with blue eyes gone filmy with cataracts.

Rusty, who had set his helmet aside, knelt in front of her chair. “Hey, Ma. How you feeling?”

She turned her head towards him and frowned. “Who’re you?”

“I’m your son. Russell.”

She blinked, her expression one of utter incomprehension.

Rusty smiled. “I brought you something. See?” He reached into the shopping bag and produced a small stuffed Winnie-the-Pooh doll.

Mrs. McMillan’s face lit up. She reached for the doll with an excited gasp, then broke into happy chatter. Rusty grinned as he listened, still crouched by her chair.

Noah gave them a moment before he stepped into the room – the room that was plastered from wall to wall with Winnie-the-Pooh dolls, pictures, books, and other memorabilia, because Mrs. McMillan’s childhood love of the stories was the one memory she’d held onto throughout her struggles with dementia.

After giving Rusty a brief update, Noah left them in peace and rounded on his other patients. He was entering notes on a mobile computer in the hall an hour later when he heard Rusty’s boots approaching.

“Hey,” Rusty said. “Dr. Palmer told me you’re leaving in a couple of weeks?”

Noah bit his lip. “I’m moving into hospice nursing at a facility nearby. But don’t worry, we’re getting your mom used to the other nurses. The change shouldn’t be too jarring for her.”

“I trust you to do what’s best. I was actually asking because, uh…” Rusty cleared his throat, shifting from foot to foot. “I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner sometime?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I always figured it was against the rules for you to date a patient’s relative, so I never asked. But if you’re getting a new job, maybe we could…” Rusty shrugged and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, a slight flush on his rugged face.

Noah’s stomach fluttered like a thousand butterflies had been released at once. “Yes,” he said. “I’d love that.”

Right in the feels, ammiright? Be sure to let Cordelia know what you thought of her fic in the comments below!

ICYMI: Kill Game released 10/23 from Riptide Publishing and is the start of what promises to be a rollercoaster ride of a thriller series.

Homicide detective Levi Abrams is barely holding his life together. He’s reeling from the fallout of a fatal shooting, and his relationship with his boyfriend is crumbling. The last thing he’s prepared for is a serial killer stalking the streets of Las Vegas. Or how he keeps getting thrown into the path of annoyingly charming bounty hunter Dominic Russo.

Dominic likes his life free of complications. That means no tangling with cops—especially prickly, uptight detectives. But when he stumbles across one of the Seven of Spades’s horrifying crime scenes, he can’t let go, despite Levi’s warnings to stay away.

The Seven of Spades is ruthless and always two moves ahead. Worst of all, they’ve taken a dangerously personal interest in Levi and Dominic. Forced to trust each other, the two men race to discover the killer’s identity, revealing hidden truths along the way and sparking a bond neither man expected. But that may not be enough to protect them.

This killer likes to play games, and the deck is not stacked in Levi and Dominic’s favor.

Trust me, you don't want to miss out on this one. See our squee filled review HERE

We Unicorns thank Cordelia for helping us celebrate our 4th anniversary!

Thanks to Dreamspinner Press, enter to win any DSP audiobook! Giveaway ends 11/10 @ Midnight EST. Good luck!

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Don't miss entering in our month long unicorn giveaway HERE! It ends 12/1/17!

Trivia Question: Which shifter of a popular law enforcement series has a mate who loves all things all sugar? 5 pts