Justin Warfield ran away to Italy to put the events of last summer and a certain dark-haired private eye behind him, to no avail. If anything, he can’t help but rehash what happened over and over. When he finally returns to South Carolina, the hotel he runs with his brother has suffered a series of incidents that are starting to look less accidental after a death threat is received.
Not satisfied that Moses Lee and his local police will find the culprit, Peter Warfield calls in the services of his good friend Marcus Drummond to help. Marcus is torn. He wants to help his friend, but he also knows that if Justin has moved on after their failed flirtation last summer, he will be devastated.
Tensions mount as danger seems to follow them at every turn, stalking them as they get closer to solving the mystery of who is behind the sabotage of the hotel.
I read the first book in this series last year and had a bit of trouble remembering it, so it took a little bit for me to get into this book. Justin had pushed Marcus away after the first book leaving both himself and Marcus hurting. This book begins just after Justin has returned to Beaumont and there have been “accidents” happening around the hotel.
Marcus and Justin are forced together again when Justin’s brother, Peter, calls Marcus to come and help. Both plan to avoid each other, but it doesn’t work out quite as well as they thought. When Peter decides to be responsible and to actually talk to Marcus about his feelings things seem to take a turn for the better. However, no matter what happens between them there always seems to be something going wrong.
In this story we get to see both of the MCs points of view, but are also given a glimpse of the one who is causing all of the problems. Seeing how Justin and Marcus still care for each other and are willing to work through their problems was wonderful, but knowing the crazy thoughts of someone wanting to hurt them dampened it a little. They’re working out their relationship at the end of the book and it seems like the series may be continuing and if it does, I can’t wait to see these characters a bit more.
Title: The Pinkerton Man Series Author: C.J. Baty Genre: Gay Romance, Historical/Western Length: Short story + Novella Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have C.J. Baty here today to talk about historical romances. Welcome, C.J.
Why write a western/historical romance?
That’s an extremely good question because I never in my wildest dreams thought I would. When Wayward Ink Publishing put out a call for stories for an anthology, “Men in Uniform”, I knew immediately I wanted to be a part of this. I’d been a fan of WIP and their anthologies for quite a while. I did have a problem though. I had no idea what to write.
There are so many great cop, firefighter, defective stories out there. Some of my favorite authors write those kinds of stories but I had never attempted it. So what was I going to write. My mind flashed back to a fan fiction story I wrote several years ago and I wondered could I use that theme but put in America during the same time period. I did my research and found that the Pinkerton Agency was in its early beginningsand they had a very distinctive uniform . . . bowler hats, long leather coats and a unique badge. That was it for me. When Lily Velden informed me that the Pinkerton Man had been accepted for the anthology, it was a joyful day indeed. I was going to be a part of the Wayward Ink family.
I fell in love with Stiles from the moment I first typed his name. He’s not ashamed of who he is or with whom desires. There are times when he has self doubts, but he is a loyal to those he cares about and he is driven to see justice done. He was a character that I could see having many adventures. I can’t wait to share more of them with you.
Book One Synopsis
THE PINKERTON MAN
Stiles Langberry leaves England under the dark cloud of blackmail.
He resettles in America with a new name, becoming a Pinkerton Agent.
His new employer sends him undercover to a brothel that serves homosexual men, where prostitutes are being murdered. In the course of his investigation, he becomes involved with Paul, one of the prostitutes. Complicating matters, one of the suspects draws Stiles like no man before him. Stiles knows he must stop the killer before he strikes again.
Book One Synopsis
HOME ON THE RANGE
Pinkerton Agent Stiles Long is sent to the Circle W Ranch to uncover who is killing the ranch’s cattle. In order to discover the truth about the goings on at the ranch, Stiles has to prove to the ranchers he’s more than a good-looking city slicker.
Savage Beare, the head ranch foreman, is far from happy that Stiles is there to check things out. He has secrets of his own.
Stiles finds Savage incredibly good-looking, but cold and aloof.
He’s also a suspect. One of many.
When Stiles’ best friend and partner, Lizzie Ferguson, is kidnapped things begin to shake apart.
Stiles doesn’t trust anyone and he needs to find Lizzie before it’s too late.
CJ BATY lives in southwest Ohio with her very patient husband and two encouraging children. Her heart however, lives in the mountains of Tennessee where she hopes to retire some day. The mountains have always provided her with inspiration and a soothing balm to the stresses of everyday life.
The dream of writing her own stories started in high school but was left on the back burner of life until her son introduced her to Fan Fiction and encouraged her to give it a try. She found that her passion for telling a story was still there and writing them down to share with others was much more thrilling than she had ever expected.
One thing she has learned from life and she is often heard to say is, “You are never too old to follow your dream!”
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have CJ Baty here today talking about why write an western/historical romance? Welcome, CJ!
Why write a western/historical romance?
That’s an extremely good question because I never in my wildest dreams thought I would. When Wayward Ink Publishing put out a call for stories for an anthology, “Men in Uniform”, I knew immediately I wanted to be a part of this. I’d been a fan of WIP and their anthologies for quite a while. I did have a problem though. I had no idea what to write.
There are so many great cop, firefighter, defective stories out there. Some of my favorite authors write those kinds of stories but I had never attempted it. So what was I going to write. My mind flashed back to a fan fiction story I wrote several years ago and I wondered could I use that theme but put in America during the same time period. I did my research and found that the Pinkerton Agency was in its early beginningsand they had a very distinctive uniform . . . bowler hats, long leather coats and a unique badge. That was it for me. When Lily Velden informed me that the Pinkerton Man had been accepted for the anthology, it was a joyful day indeed. I was going to be a part of the Wayward Ink family.
I fell in love with Stiles from the moment I first typed his name. He’s not ashamed of who he is or with whom desires. There are times when he has self doubts, but he is a loyal to those he cares about and he is driven to see justice done. He was a character that I could see having many adventures. I can’t wait to share more of them with you.
Now more about The Pinkerton Man series…
Book One Synopsis
THE PINKERTON MAN
Stiles Langberry leaves England under the dark cloud of blackmail.
He resettles in America with a new name, becoming a Pinkerton Agent.
His new employer sends him undercover to a brothel that serves homosexual men, where prostitutes are being murdered. In the course of his investigation, he becomes involved with Paul, one of the prostitutes. Complicating matters, one of the suspects draws Stiles like no man before him. Stiles knows he must stop the killer before he strikes again.
Book One Synopsis
HOME ON THE RANGE
Pinkerton Agent Stiles Long is sent to the Circle W Ranch to uncover who is killing the ranch’s cattle. In order to discover the truth about the goings on at the ranch, Stiles has to prove to the ranchers he’s more than a good-looking city slicker.
Savage Beare, the head ranch foreman, is far from happy that Stiles is there to check things out. He has secrets of his own.
Stiles finds Savage incredibly good-looking, but cold and aloof.
He’s also a suspect. One of many.
When Stiles’ best friend and partner, Lizzie Ferguson, is kidnapped things begin to shake apart.
Stiles doesn’t trust anyone and he needs to find Lizzie before it’s too late.
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A deep voice coughed at his side. Stiles looked up to see an incredible pair of green eyes fixed on him. A feeling stirred in Stiles and he tested the waters by grinning at the gentleman to his left. He smiled back: a wide jubilant expression.
“Hello. Is that seat taken?” he asked, pointing at the seat across from Stiles.
Stiles waved his hand in a ‘have a seat’ motion and the man sat gracefully, facing him. Removing his hat, his eyes sparkled as he looked Stiles over. There was no doubt that he liked what he saw.
“Patrick O’Donnell.” He offered his hand to Stiles.
Taking the hand firmly in his own, Stiles felt the warmth and smoothness of the man’s skin. He was definitely not a rancher. Stiles doubted he’d ever done a hard day’s work in his life. Their hands lingered, entwined longer than polite society would approve. One more clue that he was as inclined as Stiles was for the company of another virile man.
“Stiles Long,” he said as their hands separated and they reclined in their respective seats, each observing the other.
“Where would you be traveling to, Mr. Long?”
“I’m headed for Mercer, Wyoming on business.”
“Business in Mercer.” He laughed. The sound was deep—smooth like the skin on his hand—and made the hairs on Stiles’ body stand to attention.
“Do you know the area? I’m looking at buying a ranch there.”
“Actually, I’m headed home to Mercer myself. I own the hotel and saloon in town. Patty’s Place. Will you be staying with me?” One corner of his lips turned up, giving his face the appearance of a one-sided grin. It caused Stiles to return the same.
“It seems I will be for a night. Though, I will need to hire a coach to take me to the Circle W Ranch as soon as possible.”
A shadow fell across O’Donnell’s face and a scowl reached the corners of those green eyes, which were now dark and stormy. “You’re looking at the Circle W to buy.” It was not really a question. It was more accusatory in meaning.
“Possibly.” Stiles decided it would be better to tread carefully until he knew more about Mr. Patrick O’Donnell. The man stayed a moment longer, then made an excuse that he needed to see someone else on the train. Stiles watched after him as he went and felt a little dumbfounded. What had just happened?
About the author
CJ BATY lives in southwest Ohio with her very patient husband and two encouraging children. Her heart however, lives in the mountains of Tennessee where she hopes to retire some day. The mountains have always provided her with inspiration and a soothing balm to the stresses of everyday life.
The dream of writing her own stories started in high school but was left on the back burner of life until her son introduced her to Fan Fiction and encouraged her to give it a try. She found that her passion for telling a story was still there and writing them down to share with others was much more thrilling than she had ever expected.
One thing she has learned from life and she is often heard to say is, “You are never too old to follow your dream!”
As he approaches his fortieth birthday, Justin Warfield feels alone, drifting like the sand that blows along the beach near his family’s hotel. He has done exactly as his father wanted. Married the right girl and carried on the family tradition of running the Warfield Hotel. On paper things seem perfect, but happiness hasn’t been a part of his life for a very long time.
Marcus Drummond once spent a summer with his best friend Peter at the Warfield Hotel and fell hard for Peter’s much older brother. Five years later he’s back, and this time hopes that Justin will see him as more than his kid brother’s friend.
Sparks fly when the two meet again, but there are a few things standing in their way. The closet that Justin has himself buried in and someone on a killing spree, dumping bodies on the Warfield beach . . . victims that indicate Justin may be involved in some way.
The night air was cool and damp as it blew off the ocean. Ian McAlister toed the sand where he stood, looking out into the darkness surrounding him. A soft glow filled the sky over the Warfield Hotel several hundred yards away. This was a public beach and closed at night, and the only sound was the soft lapping of the water against the shore.
Ian fingered the note in his pocket as he thought of the words he’d read over and over again since he’d received it.
“Ian, I need your help. Please. Come to the Warfield and meet me on the beach at 10 p.m. on Friday evening. There’s a spot on the north end of the beach, just between the public beaches and the private beach of the Warfield. There’s a sign, meet me there. Don’t tell anyone. Please, Ian, I need you.”
Ian had not heard from Justin Warfield since Justin got married. It had been too hard to see each other as only friends. They’d each gone on with their lives. But for Ian, Justin Warfield was a hard man to forget, so when the letter arrived, his decision to come had been easy.
The sound of footsteps treading through the sand caused Ian to turn around. He was surprised to find a gun aimed at him.
“What are you doing?” Ian asked, but there was no answer.
He felt the pressure as the impact of the bullet pushed him back slightly. A searing pain knifed its way into his chest. He didn’t have time to run or even scream out. Darkness took him as he crumbled to the ground.
C. J. Baty lives in southwest Ohio with her very patient husband and two encouraging children. Her heart however, lives in the mountains of Tennessee where she hopes to retire some day. The mountains have always provided her with inspiration and a soothing balm to the stresses of everyday life.
The dream of writing her own stories started in high school but was left on the back burner of life until her son introduced her to fan fiction and encouraged her to give it a try. She found that her passion for telling a story was still there and writing them down to share with others was much more thrilling than she had ever expected.
One thing she has learned from life and she is often heard to say is: “You are never too old to follow your dream even if it takes you fifty years!”
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Justin Warfield ran away to Italy to put the events of last summer and a certain dark-haired private eye behind him, to no avail. If anything, he can’t help but rehash what happened over and over. When he finally returns to South Carolina, the hotel he runs with his brother has suffered a series of incidents that are starting to look less accidental after a death threat is received.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 