Savages Buck & Doe #1
Adult Romance
Date Published: October 27, 2018
The music festival turned from a night of singing, laughter, and fun into a nightmare when a monster took the lives of fifty-eight innocent people in the form of an automatic weapon. Within fifteen minutes, the shooter irrevocably changed the lives of the families and friends left behind.
Disillusioned and angered, Sabastian Savage stood at his father and older brother’s gravesite, holding his inconsolable mamma, when he noticed an adorable blonde crying as hard as his mamma. Who was she? And why was she so distraught? Sabastian wished he could find out, but a funeral was not the time.
Evangeline Rossi, or Emmy for short, was painfully shy, and with good reason—too many people had hurt her. So, when she met someone who sincerely cared, she held on with both hands. Shawn Savage had been one of those people, having been a father figure for her while she struggled to support her granddad and herself, and his death truly gutted her.
Months after the funeral, Emmy ran into the sexy, handsome Sabastian, Shawn’s own son and a man she had seen often yet in no way had the confidence to speak to. So, of course she was flattered when he directed his attention her way . . . until he opened his mouth.
Now Emmy was stuck between a rock and hard spot. The remaining Savage brothers had banded together to fill their father’s shoes by helping their mamma’s dream become a reality, which in turn extended to offering Emmy the opportunity of a lifetime. But, could she accept if the jerk was part of it? Did Emmy have the courage to stand up for herself and sweeten Savory Sabastian?
Excerpt:
Just as Sabastian led Emmy back to the waiting room, three people
rushed up to them.
“Emmy, what happened? Is he okay?” her mother asked.
“We don’t know anything yet. May found—” Emmy couldn’t finish as
she started to cry. Sabastian pulled her tighter into his side, cooing that
everything would be okay.
“Emmy, you need to pull yourself together. It’s not the time to
fall apart,” her mother bit out harshly, trying to get an answer. “Now, tell me
what’s going on.”
Sabastian snapped his head up. This woman’s tone and the derogatory
way she spoke angered him. He had been raised to never hit a woman, but if this
lady didn’t tone it down, he would break his mamma’s steadfast rule.
Before he could say a word, his family descended.
Valentina called out, “Emmy?”
Emmy lifted her head and turned into Valentina’s open arms.
“It’s okay, cara mia. Your granddad is going to be fine. He’s a
strong man.” Valentina rubbed her hand down the sobbing girl’s head.
Alessandro came over and hugged her back. “We’re here, Em. Anything
you need.” When he stepped back, he noticed his brother’s scowl and instantly
tensed.
Luca and Santino kissed her head and rubbed her back, giving their
reassurances, while she was still wrapped in Valentina’s arms. As they backed
up, they also felt the tension coming from Sabastian.
“Excuse me. I don’t mean to be rude, but we need some answers. I’m
Linda, Emmy’s mother, and this is her brother, Andrew, and her sister,
Mary-Grace. Emmy, who are these people? And please tell me what happened.”
Her passive-aggressive tone had all the Savages on edge, and
Valentina felt Emmy wither.
Sabastian answered for her with every protective fiber in his body.
“I’m Sabastian Savage, Evangeline’s boyfriend.” He continued even after seeing
Linda’s surprised expression, “This is my mamma, Valentina, and my brothers:
Alessandro, Luca, and Santino. Albert collapsed and was brought in by
ambulance. They just took him back for some tests. That’s all we know.”
He wouldn’t ask now because Evangeline had too much on her plate, but
he wanted to know why her mother was so surprised about him and the family.
“I’m sorry we had to meet like this,” Valentina said as she
continued to coddle the young woman. “Albert and Emmy have become a very big
part of our family, and we are here to support them. Sabastian, you take care
of Emmy, while I chat with Linda and her family.”
Sabastian wrapped Evangeline protectively in his arms as he led her
to a chair. Thank God his mamma had shown up when she did.
His brothers followed, surrounding them, for which Sabastian was
thankful as he talked to Evangeline.
“Piccola amore, are you okay?” He wiped her tears with the palm of
his hand, then kissed her face.
Santino found a box of tissues and handed her one.
“I’m okay. I just have to pull it together.” She blew her nose.
“You take your time. Nobody is going to rush you.”
“My mom doesn’t like it when I get overly emotional,” she
whispered. “She thinks there is a time and a place for everything. I have to
stop and talk to them.”
Alessandro grunted.
Sabastian looked to his brothers and saw revulsion. That’s when it
occurred to him that they were all there.
“Who’s at the resort?”
“We didn’t want to wait, and the waitresses and the woman who does
the prep said they could manage on their own,” Santino answered. “Luca called
Gavin and Justin from the winery, and they said they would be more than happy
to help out until we got back.”
Sabastian was touched. “Thank you.”
The boys gave him a look like, Are you fucking kidding me? She’s just as important to us.
Sabastian nodded an apology.
“As soon as you’re ready, we’ll be right by your side.”
A doctor came out and called Evangeline’s name. Everyone stood and
approached the doctor.
Linda took over. “I’m his daughter-in-law, Linda Parish. How is
he?”
The doctor looked a little overwhelmed by the amount of people.
“Mr. Rossi’s next of kin is listed as Evangeline Rossi. Is she here?”
Before Emmy or Sabastian’s family could answer, Linda continued,
“She is my daughter. Doctor, it’s better if all of us listen to the information.
That way, we can keep it straight.”
Sabastian pushed them closer. He wasn’t going to let Linda take
over something that Albert had trusted Emmy with.
“This is Evangeline, his granddaughter and caregiver.”
“Ah, then you are the one I have to ask a few questions to. First,
let me tell you, it wasn’t a heart attack. We have the results of his EEG, and
everything looks good. He just had a CT scan, and the technician reported it
wasn’t a stroke that we can see. Mr. Rossi is going for an X-ray now, but I
don’t really think they will find anything either. Do you know what medications
he takes?”
“Yes, I do. He takes blood thinners. Coo . . . uh, coo . . . I
can’t remember the name it starts with C.”
“Emmy, from now on, I think you should have it written down and
carry it with you at all times,” Linda reprimanded her.
All the Savages were frustrated at the woman who couldn’t give her
daughter five minutes to think.
The doctor turned back to Emmy. “Is it Coumadin?”
“Yes, that’s it. Sorry. He also takes pills for high cholesterol,
Lipitor. He takes it in the morning. And he just started on insulin.”
A light bulb went off in the doctor’s head. “That’s the information
I was looking for. I will put in a rush on his bloodwork. The symptoms for a
stroke can be the same as extreme hypoglycemia. It happens when there is too
much insulin and not enough sugar. I’ll have a nurse come and get you when you
can see him. If it is what I suspect, he’ll be fine. Although, I am going to
keep him here for a couple days to monitor him.”
Emmy became alarmed. “I gave him the dose of insulin they told me
to.”
“Are you sure?” her mom questioned.
“Ninety-nine percent.” She started to bite her lip, fearing she had
screwed up.
“I’m sure you did, cara mia,” Valentina consoled her.
“Was he sick today?” the doctor asked.
Evangeline felt guilty when she answered. “I’m not sure. I leave
for work at five fifteen. He was still sleeping. I called him at ten, and he
didn’t say anything about not feeling well.”
“Okay, we’ll figure it out. I’ll come out when I have some answers.
I only want two people in there at a time.”
“Of course. Thank you, Doctor,” Linda answered for everyone.
When the doctor walked away, Linda turned to her daughter. “That’s
a positive. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Why didn’t you tell me you got a job? Or
that you have a new boyfriend?”
Emmy felt like an eight-year-old child in front of the Savages,
especially Sabastian. She avoided all eye contact and rubbed her neck. “I
didn’t want to tell you until I passed the probational three-month period, and
then you guys started your busy time, so I just figured it could wait until I
saw you.” She lifted her eyes to see her mother’s reaction.
The look of disappointment was written all over her face. “I wish
you had told me. I would like to know what my daughter is up to. I guess
congratulations are in order.” She stopped and assessed her daughter’s clothes.
“I assume by your uniform you are a line cook.”
There were intakes of breath from all the Savages.
Annoyed, Sabastian answered before Emmy. “No, Mrs. Parish, your
daughter is one of two chefs at our resort, and she also teaches cooking
classes to our guests.”
Linda’s eyes sprang open with surprise, along with Andrew’s and
Mary-Grace’s.
“Emmy’s not a chef,” Andrew responded.
“She most certainly is,” Alessandro was quick to fire back. “She
has even cooked for Prince Edward of England and Ryder Vaughn from the rock
band Fornication.”
Before he could say anything else, Santino added, “They were so
impressed with her and her cooking that the men took her class, then bragged
and asked for the recipes.”
Mary-Grace snorted. “Come on. Seriously? Emmy barely got a high
school education. When did she manage to get a culinary degree?”
“Mary-Grace, that’s enough,” Linda reprimanded.
Emmy froze in her spot. The seeds of embarrassment began taking
root deeper than they ever had before and blossoming across her body and face.
Like her granddad always said: the cat was out of the bag. They
would think less of her now, and the feelings of inadequacy would take over,
like they had before, when she nearly quit school. The Savages would all know
her secret. Alessandro said it didn’t matter, but it did.
It mattered to her.
About the Author
Anne Marie Citro grew born and raised in the greater Toronto area of Ontario, Canada. She grew up in a large, loving family. Anne Marie is married to a very patient man. He is the love of her life. They have four very cool sons, and the girls they brought into their family that have become daughters of her heart. She has been blessed enough to finally have two beautiful granddaughters after four sons. She has her own personal gaggle of girlfriends, who enrich her life on a daily basis and make her laugh. Caesar Friday is her favorite day of the week. Caesars with the girls and date night with her hubby. She worked with special-needs teenagers, that taught her how to appreciate life and see it through gentler eyes. Anne Marie was encouraged by her husband to follow her lifelong dream to write. She loves the characters that take over imagination and haunts her dreams. She loves the arts and she has tried her hand at painting, wood sculpting, chainsaw carving, wood burning, metal and wire sculptures. Yes, her husband is a very patient man! Anne Marie is an avid reader and enjoys about three books per week. But nothing makes her happier than riding on the back of her husband's Harley and throwing her arms out and feeling the wind race by. Anne Marie and her husband take a few weeks every year to travel to spectacular destination around the world. Anne Marie is excited and can't wait to see what the next chapter holds for her life.
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Thanks for sharing your book and for the giveaway too.
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