Perpetual Life

By Jamie Salisbury

Just when Albert and Anne think they're settling into family life with their newborn son, William, Anne's father is up to some high jinks of his own. Still determined to get his hands on Anne's inheritance by hook or by crook, John is getting more and more dangerous. And he has help!
Having previously dismissed Anne's so-called gut instincts when it comes to reading people, Albert learns quickly she's almost as good as George, his father's long-time cook. When George distrusts a stranger in Albert and Anne's house, Albert learns the hard way to listen.
Anne learns more family secrets her father has kept well hidden all these years. Secrets that are closer than she knows.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jamie Salisbury
• Release date: Mar 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301533961

Jamie Salisbury

Writing romance stories with passion and sass, Jamie Salisbury has seen several of her books soar to #1 on Amazon. Her novella, Tudor Rubato was a finalist in the 2012 RONE (Reward of Novel Excellence) awards. The cover won for Best Contemporary Cover. Now in 2014, her novel, Life and Lies was nominated for a RONE in the Erotica category. Her books are both self published and now include several published through Secret Cravings Publishing. Music, traveling and history are among her passions when not writing. Her previous career in public relations in and around the entertainment field has afforded her with a treasure trove of endless story ideas.

Book preview

Perpetual Life

By

Jamie Salisbury

Copyright © 2013 by Jamie Salisbury

Smashwords Edition

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Cover

Anya Kelleye

Anya Kelleye Designs

Cover Model

Jimmy Thomas

Romance Novel Center

Dedication

This book is dedicated to anyone who has had a dream. Pursue it. Dreams do come true.

To all my followers and readers: Thank You!!

Praises for the Albert and Anne series!

What they're saying about the best seller, Perpetual Love, the start of the saga:

This is my first Romantic/Western and most enjoyable. I am not familiar with Jamie Salisbury but this book has me interested to read more of her work. The characters became real - entertaining from beginning to end.

I love all of the characters we are introduced to in this book. You can tell the author has put her heart into them and you feel all of their emotions as you read the story. There are some editing issues but the author is concise and descriptive in her story telling and it flows very well. I'm glad I picked this book up and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series and watching the growth of this author.

This was a good story line with a couple of twists thrown in to keep it interesting. The main characters developed their attraction for one another over a period of time. No steamy love scenes. Very fun interactions between the brothers. I also enjoyed the relationship the boys had with their dad. Author did a good job of showing the changes in Albert after he met Anne.

Perpetual Emotions:

The action in this book is intense, as is the romance, and it all kept me turning the pages to see what would come from the madness of John Wallace's plotting. Once again, the emotion the author writes into these characters is stunning. At times I was so angry with Albert that I wanted to throttle him myself, but then his true love for Anne would shine through and pull me right back to wanting a man just like him for myself. More, Ms. Salisbury, I must have more!

The author brings the Wild West" alive with the second book in this series.

My rating is ZZZZ and I am looking forward to next book in the series!"

Perpetual Family:

Perpetual Family is my favorite book of this series so far. Albert and Anne both step up to the plate in this book and show us the strength and character they both possess. Anne's fierce love for her husband and child along with Albert's tender, loving care of his wife and baby, and his fear for their future as long as John Wallace is alive, make up the backbone of this story.

The emotions are all there, again, in this book, the joy, the love, the anger and the heartbreak for the suffering Anne has endured throughout her life. April 1st and the release of the final book in this series cannot come soon enough for me but, by the same token, I will be very sorry to see this series end.

Chapter One

As the two men rushed to get to Albert’s ranch, Bill Ward had finally caught up with Mariah. Dang horse, what spooked you so bad? he asked, slipping a lasso around her neck. It was here he noticed a trickle of blood from her right, front foreleg. What’d’ ‘ya do hang yore’ leg up on a slat in your stall? You ain’t never been this skittish before, well let’s git’ you on home. Albert’s gonna’ have my neck if he finds out I was out lookin’ for you, instead of staying with Miz Stuart.

Back at the house, John watched Anne process his latest revelation, before continuing, You were to follow your mother in death, fitting don’t you think? Mother and daughter dying of the same malady, but your infernal grandfather ruined everything. I found out just days before I planned to administer the poison to you, that he had changed his will. When your mother became ill, he went to see his attorney and had it re-written, and left everything to you. I was forced to forgo my plans and care for you all of those years in order to control your money.

If that was the case, you lived well at my expense, Anne sneered.

Ignoring her biting comment, he laughed, and then added, Now that I think back, as you grew older, you did become a formidable adversary, far more spirited than your mother. If nothing else, you proved entertaining - always trying to stay one-step ahead of me. That is until you met and married Stuart, then all your attention turned to him and my plans went up in smoke. I thought your fortune was lost to me forever, until I came up with this idea. Being named to a position in Washington made all my plans possible.

As she realized he was indeed capable of murder, she questioned, How could you murder my mother - your wife? What did she ever do to you to make you hate her so?

She held me back, constantly nagging me to take her back to England. Though, her mood did improve after she met Elizabeth Stuart. They did everything together and it kept Margaret’s mind on something else other than annoying me. If Elizabeth had lived, perhaps your mother would be here today, he sighed. However, life is unpredictable; you never know when your time is up. Don’t you agree Anne?

It was here that she attempted to reason with him, "You can have everything - the ranches, the money, everything, if you will leave my family alone. You can draw up the papers right now; I’ll sign anything you want. Do with me what you will, just leave my son and Albert alone."

Very generous Anne, but a little late, you should have made me that offer long ago-perhaps things could have been different. There is a good chance I would have left you to live your life in peace, he declared, before continuing. Since we’re being candid with each other, and seeing that your life is nearly over, you might want to know that you aren’t my only child. I have a son – your brother.

I have no brother, my mother had one child – me, she protested.

Ah, but you do, actually a step-brother, you two have different mothers. His was a woman I kept company with for years, someone who, shall we say, was far more suited to me and my tastes, John smiled.

I don’t believe you, Anne replied.

"I’m not concerned with what you believe or don’t believe. Everything I am doing will benefit him. He is the child I wanted, the child that honored my wishes and followed the path I chose for him. He and I are very much alike, unlike you who fought me every step of the way as you grew up. It is because of all of this, I feel no guilt about ridding myself of your mother, just as I will feel nothing when I rid myself of you and your brat. Then after I see to Albert, I will wait a respectable amount of time before I go to court and petition to inherit your estate. I will finally be able to give your brother everything he has been denied all these years because of you."

As the words he spoke began to sink in, anger Anne had never known filled her being. Her father, by his own admission, had killed her mother, denied her a relationship with a young man that he assured Anne was her brother, and now had come to their home to kill Albert, William, and her. It was more than enough justification for Anne, as she slowly slipped her hand around