Kismet and Cartwheels

By Laura Harner

For the free-spirited Park Williams, leaving the relative safety of the Willow Springs Ranch for a remote cabin near Flagstaff to spend some quality alone-time with his new boyfriend seems like a no-brainer. They can get to know each other while hiding away from the bad guys who may or may not be looking to kill his lover. At least it seems like a good idea right up until the minute he is standing on the front porch, with a man he’s known less than three weeks, and who spent two of those weeks in police custody. Oh shit.

Tanner Triplett is having a bad month. After two attempts on his life, he’s helped put his father and brother behind bars, lost his beloved ranch, and oh yeah...stepped out of the closet in a big way. But it remains to be seen if he’s in bigger danger from the men he’s agreed to testify against, or the golden-haired, cosmic-quoting devil trying to kill him with soy-gurt.

Join Park, Tanner, and their dogs Scooby and Taco as they make the move east to the Mountain Shadows Resort to meet up with their new neighbors and join in the fun that is Pulp Friction 2014.

About Pulp Friction 2014
Laura Harner ~ Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ T.A. Webb

The Pulp Friction 2014 Collection. Four authors. Four Series. Twenty books. One fiery finale. Spend a year with an eclectic group of strangers brought together through circumstances, as they are tested by life, and emerge as more than friends.

The strongest bonds are forged by fire, cooled in air, smoothed by water, grounded in earth.
Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laura Harner
• Release date: Mar 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781937252779

Laura Harner

Laura lives on waterfront property in Arizona because she's always wanted to be an oxymoron. She once enjoyed hobbies such as gardening and travel—now the characters in her head compel her to tell their stories, so she writes. (It doesn't actually help quiet the voices—but it keeps the folks in the white jackets at bay.)She shares her home with an ever-revolving cast of characters—some of whom are actually real—and is living her dream of building her own version of the Willow Springs Ranch.With over fifty published novels and novellas, Laura is an international bestselling author of erotic romances, romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and Highland romances. Her books can be found at all major online retailers.Connect with her online at:http://lauraharner.com

Book preview

Kismet and Cartwheels

Elemental Connections

A Pulp Friction 2014 Bonus Book

Laura Harner

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

Copyright © 2014 by Laura Harner

Cover photograph by DWS Photography

Cover Art by Laura Harner

Edited by Jae Ashley

All rights reserved.

Smashwords edition published in the United States by Hot Corner Press.

ISBN: 978-1-937252-77-9

Warning: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Contact the publisher for further information: [e-mail]

Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

About Pulp Friction 2014

Mountain Shadows Campground Map

About the Author

Also Available

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following trademarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Crocs: Crocs, Inc.

Mickey Mouse: Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Radisson: Radisson Hotels International, Inc.

Starbucks: Starbucks Corporation

Star Trek: Paramount Pictures Corporation

The Muppet Movie (1979): Henson Associates

Chapter One

Tanner rested his hand on Park’s back for a moment before pulling away as if burned. Public displays of affection were a foreign concept to him, having grown up on a ranch, surrounded by men. PDA between men? His father would have called it an abomination before God. But now his father was in jail—most likely for the rest of his life—and Tanner was the one responsible for putting him there.

As if sensing the jumble of thoughts in Tanner’s head, Park slowed his brisk walk and reached for Tanner’s hand, threading their fingers together. After a few more steps, Park stopped and faced him.

Tanner, I think this campground is exactly the right place to keep you in Flagstaff while you answer the investigator’s questions. I mean, look at it, he commanded, swinging his arm palm up in a Vanna White imitation. An isolated location at the end of a dirt road in the middle of the Coconino Forest. Giant ponderosa pines, cabins far enough apart for privacy, no reason for any traffic to pass this way, only guests or residents, right?

Tanner opened his mouth to speak, but he needn’t have bothered. Park wasn’t finished. Look at Scooby and Taco, he said with another sweeping arm gesture, referring to his Chihuahua and Great Dane. Park smiled toward his dogs, but Tanner’s gaze never left his lover’s face. Park had pulled his long golden blond hair into a tail that made Tanner’s fingers itch to tug it free. The blue-gray eyes were highlighted by black eyeliner and just a hint of blue powder brushed over the lids. With high cheekbones and a straight, narrow nose, Park Williams was the most exotically beautiful man Tanner had ever seen. And for parts of the last three weeks, they’d been lovers. Tanner’s first lover.

As the eldest son of a homophobic parent—that was a lot to accept all by itself. When you added in the fact that his own brother had tried to kill him—not once, but twice, and there was likely still a bounty on his head—well, the remote location of the campground was probably ideal.

Pulling his attention to where Park wanted it, Tanner saw the two dogs racing from tree to tree, sniffing the base before marking their territory, quivering with excitement. No doubt they were imagining hours of chasing down wildlife in their futures.

I think we might have to leash them if we stay here, Park. Unless you can be sure Scooby isn’t going to go chasing after the first deer to cross his path.

No doubt. He’d probably think a passing deer or elk was his big brother, Taco, and chase him into the woods. Park raised their joined hands and brought them to his mouth where he kissed Tanner’s knuckles. As for the hand holding? If whoever owns this campground is offended by our holding hands, or the fact that we plan to sleep together—

We do? Tanner laughed.

"Sleep, shower, suck. A regular trifecta. And if the owner has problems with that, it’s better to find out now, because we’re not going to stay one minute if he or she has a problem