Bio:

"…and I -- I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

-The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

The last line from award-winning author Emma Ray's favorite poem pretty much sums up her life. Her tendency to do her own thing is what her friends and family love best, and least, about her. Chaos is a constant in the Garrett home, which currently houses three intelligent, energetic children, a devoted husband, her grandmother, and a very large, very lazy, white tom-cat.

No matter how busy, Emma Ray writes every day. If she didn't, she says they'd put her in a white coat with buckles. Fans can contact her at emmaraygarrett@changelingpress.com or visit her website at http://www.romance-the-night.com.

Snowbound: Cold Fire
Buy link: http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=804

Blurb:

Forest Ranger Eric Lathem's quite a hunk -- and ten years Kate Jeffries' junior. So she's kept her infatuation to herself, her guilty secret. Now Kate's stranded high in the Rockies, and Eric's hiked in to rescue her. Little does she know rescue's the least of his plans.

Official excerpt:

***
"Mayday, mayday. This is Kate Jeffries to Ranger Station Seven. Do you read me?"
The sound of cracking wood startled Kate and she dropped the radio. Forestry work gave her great satisfaction, and being a park ranger was all she'd ever dreamed of, but spending the last two weeks deep in the Rockies had left her feeling unsettled. A spontaneous snowstorm had dumped more than three feet of powder over the last four days. Being trapped in camp, waiting for a rescue, didn't put her in the best of moods.
A cold shiver wracked her body and the hair on her neck stood up. Something was watching her, out there, in the darkness. Leaves crunched, small branches snapped. Kate's breath frosted the air in fast, white puffs of warmth visible in the night, as awareness prickled her skin.
Kate struggled to get her breathing and pulse under control. Her eyes searched the darkness around the small camp, looking for a shape, any shape, among the shadows. Seeing nothing, she moved slowly, carefully toward her tent and the rifle within.
"Kate! Kate! Can you hear me?" The loud calls came from just inside the tree line, right outside the light cast by the fire.
She bit her lip to stop a startled screech and turned to face her guest. "Eric? Eric!" Adrenaline drained from her body, leaving her weak and strung out. Thank god, another human being, she thought.
Eric Lathem emerged from the darkness. "Kate! I've been tracking you through the woods for three days. I tried to let you know I was on my way, but there must be something wrong with the radio. I could hear you, but you couldn't hear me. I got here as soon as I could."
She let out a relieved laugh and pressed a palm to her pounding heart, using her free hand to grip his forearm. She wanted to throw herself at him and hug him hard, but she settled for the simple contact. "Damn it. You scared the shit out of me."
Eric's tall muscular form was a welcome relief. Kate stood five feet eight in her bare feet, but Eric had at least six inches on her. He was ten years her junior and an absolute hunk. Dark blond hair fell about his face in a casual cut. He had large eyes, thickly lashed, and so dark she couldn't tell whether they were midnight blue or black. Broad shoulders, a wide chest, and heavily muscled arms all tapered to a slim waist and a firm ass. An ass Kate dreamed of fondling on a regular basis. His nose was slightly upturned and his jaw, rock solid. He had thin, yet sensual, masculine lips. They were the icing on a scrumptious Eric cake.
"You hiked in?" She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to push away her sensual thoughts. She didn't need a twenty-something stud knowing an older woman had the hots for him. She'd never live it down. "Why didn't you bring the snowmobile?"
"I was in the snowmobile. It's about twelve hours that way." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "It was either go forward or go back, and the weather service is forecasting more snow. I wanted to get to you." His eyes glinted in the firelight and Kate warmed under his gaze.
***
Explicit Excerpt:
***
She knew exactly what she looked like to men. An athletic form and no-nonsense attitude drew them in. As did her large breasts, but she wasn't pretty by any stretch. She could see exotic, maybe, with her Cherokee heritage. Kate had a bold look, but she wasn't pretty.
"You seem a little edgy. Have you been sleeping?"

"Do I look like I've been sleeping?"

"Obviously not." His lips turned up slightly.

Kate couldn't help but return the smile. "I'm really glad to see you, but do you have a plan for getting off this mountain?"

"We'll start back down in the morning."

"Don't you have your radio?"

"I did, on the way up. I tried it after the cat broke down, but couldn't raise anything. The storm must have taken out the tower. Don't worry, Kate. I'm the best mountaineer around. We'll get home."

Kate dropped into her chair. He was right, but the thought of being stuck with him overnight, in her tiny tent, made her palms sweat. "You're probably hungry. Let me get you something to eat."

"Okay." He unzipped his coat and shrugged out of it.

"Isn't it a little cold to be without a coat?"

"I'm getting too warm. I don't want to sweat."

Sweating was the biggest danger in the cold, so Kate nodded instead of telling him to put the damn coat back on anyway. The thermal shirt he wore beneath the coat clung to his shoulders and chest, making her want to lick her lips as she imagined the skin beneath. She needed something to do before she jumped all over Eric, so she stood and offered him her seat, then headed to the pot over the fire.

He watched her as she worked. Even though her back was to him, Kate felt his gaze like a touch. After about five minutes, she tapped the wooden spoon on the side of the pot and turned around. "What?"

Eric looked up at her, fingering the hem of his shirt. He gave a small nod before standing, lifting the shirt up and off.

Kate's eyes bulged. "What are you doing? I thought you were hungry?"

"I am. For you." Eric dropped his shirt to the ground, revealing warm skin and a broad, muscular chest. His dark nipples stood out against the light brown tan of his torso.

When she realized she was in danger of actually drooling, Kate snapped herself back into reality. "I'm flattered, really."

"Shut up, Kate." Eric's midnight gaze bored into hers. He slowly slid one hand down his chest, taking a moment to circle one of his nipples.

Kate watched the movement, wishing her fingers stroked his body. "What did you say?"

"I said, shut up." Eric unsnapped the button fly of his jeans. The moment the denim parted, his long, thick cock burst forth.

"Eric!" Kate's jaw dropped. She tried to close her eyes, but miracles weren't happening.
***