Passion in Punxy

By Roni Adams

Traveling to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover Groundhog Day is the worst thing reporter Amy Mitchell can think of. Until, that is, she gets stranded in a snowstorm and has to find refuge with a family who are part of the famous Phil’s inner circle. Maybe she can turn her bad luck into breaking news if she can uncover animal abuse in this strange town that seems to have gone insane. Cozying up to the small town veterinarian, in the hopes to get a scoop, certainly won’t be a hardship either. Ken Patterson has been one of Punxsutawney Phil’s handlers for several years. He’s not excited about having to be hospitable to a reporter who seems to be looking for any hint of mistreatment of Phil. Since he already lost his wife, when he put his groundhog before his marriage, Ken wasn’t worried about Amy finding any wrongdoings. But he was afraid she might find a way into this heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Jan 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781628303223

Roni Adams

Roni Adams is multi-published in short story and full-length fiction. Her love of romance novels began when, as a teenager, she would sneak the books of the mom whose kids she babysat and read the "naughty" parts. Although a writer of newspaper articles, opinion pieces, and even confessional stories, writing romance remains her passion. Her first full-length novel, Beauty and the Geek, was released by The Wild Rose Press in the summer of 2007 and she hasn't looked back since. Her “Double B” series from the Yellow Rose line, also at The Wild Rose Press, has received high praise and has a fan base who eagerly await the next in the series. Adams writes sassy heroines and heroes who can take them on. She never shies from the hottest of love scenes but makes sure the reader feels the emotional impact of her characters in every encounter. While she never bases her stories on real life she does admit that from time to time her three sons and other family members do seem to pop up in her books. Adams resides in Upstate NY in a tiny hamlet nestled along the Erie Canal. With her three sons now grown she fills her time with nagging them about wanting grandchildren. She enjoys traveling with her husband of 30 years and spending time at their place on Lake Ontario in the summer. Winters find her in her kitchen baking and cooking and sharing with friends and family.

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Passion in

Punxy

by

Roni Adams

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Passion in Punxy

COPYRIGHT © 2014 by Roni Adams

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by RJMorris

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Champagne Edition, 2014

Digital ISBN 978-1-62830-322-3

Published in the United States of America

The windshield wipers worked frantically against the glass as Amy struggled to see through the heavy snow. Stark naked terror coursed through her as she gripped the steering wheel. Outside her little car, the snow blew and swirled across the road, obscuring her vision most of the time.

No one in her right mind travels in weather like this for a story, especially a stupid story, she muttered.

Drawing a deep breath, she tried to keep calm. She was in the middle of what had to be a blizzard, and she had no clue where she was. Her GPS had lost its signal long ago. The only thing keeping her going forward was the sporadic shiny red markers along the side of the road. She’d been following them for what seemed forever hoping to come to a main intersection, but now she’d even settle for a farm house with lights on.

Traveling to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover Groundhog Day wasn’t the highlight of her career. Although her boss had hinted that maybe she could find something more beyond the usual will he or won’t he see his shadow story, she wasn’t looking forward to this. If the groundhog was being mistreated and she uncovered it, she wouldn’t be very popular. Who knows what kind of crazy thing small town folks might do if she threatened to expose their dirty little secret.

Why couldn’t I cover the Potato Queen or the Sauerkraut Queen or any other small town summer festival, Amy muttered.

All of a sudden a light in her rear view mirror grabbed her attention. The unmistakable twirling of red and blue could only be a police car. Startled, but relieved she put her blinker on to signal she was pulling over, and she inched ever so slightly toward what she hoped was the edge of the road. When the car didn’t go in a ditch, she closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of thanks. Almost at the same time relief washed over her, another thought hit her. She was completely alone in literally the middle of nowhere, and this unknown policeman was approaching her car. She had to pray he truly was a good guy because he could do whatever he wanted to her out here, and no one would find her body until the spring thaw.

You’ve been watching too many crime dramas. She pushed the electric button and lowered her window but only halfway.

The man at the side of her car wore a large cowboy style hat and a heavy dark blue parka. On his coat was the unmistakable gold star signifying he was a sheriff not a policeman. Were you heading to the beach on this lovely day?

Her gaze lifted to his face where warm blue eyes sparkled with amusement.

The beach? What was he talking about? Um, no, I’m actually trying to get to Punxsutawney. Am I even close?

In the few seconds he’d been standing there, the snow had already covered him in a thick layer, but he didn’t seem to notice. You’re in Punxsutawney, but most of the roads have been closed due to this blizzard. Where are you headed?

To the first hotel I come to.

You have a reservation?

A reservation? Was he kidding? It wasn’t New York City; it was a small town in Pennsylvania. No, I figure I’ll find something once I get there. Of course I didn’t expect to hit this kind of weather. The forecast I heard just called for a bit of snow.

Yeah, well, a bit of snow around here can pretty much mean anything from a few inches to this.

"I see that. Do