Thursday Recipe - Pepper Relish

This makes a lovely relish - sweet and slightly spicy, perfect for hot dogs and adding to tuna salad or mixing with mayo to make sandwich spread. It doesn't take too long. One batch doesn't make much, only 3 or 4 cups, which is not nearly enough for the way my family eats pickles.

Bell peppers are easy to grow. Plant four or five plants to get enough peppers for this recipe. We get enough peppers for a fresh batch every week or so starting late August and going until frost kills the plants. Of course, we also eat the peppers in other ways, so I only get two or three batches total.

Sweet Pepper Relish

12 large red or green peppers, finely chopped
1 T. pickling salt
3 c. sugar
2 c. vinegar

Mix peppers and salt. Cover and let stand at least 12 hours.

Drain peppers, pressing out all liquid. Heat peppers, sugar and vinegar t boiling, stirring frequently, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 45 minutes. Pack into hot jars and process to seal.

For canning, check out these books and sites:
USDA Guide to Home Canning (PDF download)
http://www.homecanning.com/
Ball (brand of canning jars) site
http://pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm
National Center for Home Food Preservation

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

I call this one: Curbside Recycling.

I whipped this up over the weekend for fun.

Thursday Recipe - Bread and Butter Pickles

This is one of my favorite recipes. My kids eat these like candy. I have a hard time getting cucumbers to grow in my yard, though. One year, I substituted sliced and chopped zucchini (If you want pictures, this post has them). Turned out wonderful. Don't be too particular about the vegetables being exactly the right amount, close enough is good enough for this recipe. If you don't like onions, you can substitute peppers or more cucumbers for part of the onions.

These are slightly sweet, very crunchy pickles, great for sandwiches or burgers. If you want them spicy, try adding a t. of red pepper flakes with the other spices.

Bread and Butter Pickles

3 qts thinly sliced unpared cucumbers
7 c. thinly sliced onions
1 red pepper cut into strips
1 green pepper cut into strips
1/2 c. pickling salt
1 c. water
2 1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. white vinegar
2 T. mustard seed
1 t. celery seed
1 t. ground turmeric

Mix cucumbers, onions, and peppers. Dissolve salt in water, pour over vegetables. Place a solid layer of ice over vegetables. Weight with heavy object and let stand 3 hours.

Drain vegetables. Mix remaining ingredients in large kettle, heat to boiling. Add vegetables, bring back to a boil. Pack into hot jars and process to seal.

For canning, check out these books and sites:
USDA Guide to Home Canning (PDF download)
http://www.homecanning.com/
Ball (brand of canning jars) site
http://pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm
National Center for Home Food Preservation

I've been tagged? The Next Big Thing

Darcia Helle tagged me in this challenge. It sounded fun so I'll go along with it. I'm supposed to tag five other bloggers, but since I usually refuse to play and I know many of you do, too, I'm not going to tag anyone. If you want to play, consider yourself tagged. Leave a link in the comments and I'll pass your name and post around if you like.

The rules are simple. I have to:

1. Answer 10 questions about my current WIP (Work-In-Progress) (see below)
2. Tag five other writers and link their blogs so we can all hop over and read their answers. (see above)

Here are the questions:

1. What is the working title of your book?
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
3. What genre does your book fall under?
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

1. Title: Dark Dancer
2. Idea: I wanted to play with fairyland, elves, and airships. So I did. The plot is a mess, but that's why it's a work-in-progress.
3. Genre: This one is fantasy/steampunk. I tried to make it a romance but the characters didn't want to cooperate.
4. Actors: *raise eyebrows* No idea. I don't work that way. I do have cover art in mind, if I ever get to that point with this one.
5. Synopsis: Sabrina has the power to save fairyland from the Seligh who are bent on destroying it.
6. Publishing route? I don't think that are ahead. I have no idea where this book will be published, if it is ever published. I've got a lot of editing work to do first.
7.  How long to write first draft? I'm still working on it. I started it last winter, set it aside for a few months, then finished most of it during August for CampNanoWrimo. My rough drafts take anywhere from a week to three or four months, depending on how much writing time I've got and how much of the story I've got worked out in my head.
8. Other books? Um, no idea. I don't usually read steampunk or fairyland stories.
9. Inspiration? Frances Pauli wrote a great urban fantasy fairyland trilogy. Check it out. The link is to her blog tour last February but it gives you all the info on the books. I loved them.
10. Pique reader interest? Don't hold your breath. This one has a lot of polishing before it's ready for even an editor to see. Meanwhile, go check out my space opera series. Books 1 and 2 are published, book 3 just went to the publisher.

If you want to take the challenge, please do. Leave me your name and a link to your blog post answers in the comments and I'll be happy to consider you tagged.

Thursday Recipe - Tutti Fruitti Jam

I know spring is the time for rhubarb, but in the fall as the weather cools down, my rhubarb usually perks up again. If you can't find fresh rhubarb and you aren't growing your own, you can try frozen. If you don't have rhubarb, try growing it. If you have a partially shaded area that stays damp, it's perfect. Rhubarb is a pretty ornamental that also tastes great.

This is an interesting recipe. It doesn't set up for me, ever, but it's a great syrup for pancakes or waffles. Or you can warm it up and pour it over vanilla cake as a quick dessert. It makes a great holiday treat. Use it in jam filled cookies or tarts. Have fun with it.


Tutti Fruitti Jam

1 pineapple
1 orange
1 lemon
7 c. cut-up rhubarb
7 c. sugar

Peel and remove core from pineapple, then cut it into small chunks. Cut lemon and orange into quarters, remove any seeds. Grind pineapple, orange, and lemon using food processor. Add sugar and rhubarb to ground fruit, cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours. (If you don't have a food processor, you can chop it fine by hand but it will take you a while.)

Pour fruit into a large pot, bring to boil. Simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Jam should thicken slightly. Pour into hot jars and process to seal. Or you can cool, pour into freezer containers, and store in the freezer for up to three months.

Or pour it into pretty jars and give away to your friends. Just tell them to refrigerate it and use it within a month.

Author Interview - Debra Soles

Please welcome Debra Soles to the Far Edge of Normal!
Since, coming across her first romance novel at twelve she has been enthralled. By fifteen she knew she had to be a romance writer and help spread the love, but in a new more spectacular way, thinking outside the box. Mainly writing Futuristic Romance, she makes stories of vampires, witches, weres, aliens, a pirate found through time-travel and even a contemporary about Native American Indians, to share her own feelings on the L word. Debra grew up in the Carolinas, but now lives in Massachusetts with her hubby Tim and their wonderful son T.J.

My site
On Twitter 
On Facebook

My NCP site
On Amazon
On Barnes & Noble

Tell us about your writing - What genre do you prefer to write? What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your personal favorites? Anything new coming up? 
One thing my readers know about me is that, I have no set genre, other than romance. All my books revolve around the telling of a great love story and I always love adding in whatever feels good to me. Aliens, witches, weres, vampires, winged demon lords, Native American Indians, even pirates. I use scientists, soldiers and even musicians with a mechanic or two thrown in for good measure. As long as there is love, I'm going to try writing it.

My favorite of all my books, would probably have to be Book 1 of my Zogone series, Old Dreams.
I wrote for twelve years, getting rejection after rejection, trying to fit into the mold. Then, finally, I said to heck with it and started writing just for me. I let myself go and wrote the oddest love story about...aliens! That was Old Dreams. It became my first book to be published and the first of a four book series.

Upcoming- I'm working on a number of things right now, including the second book in my Haven Sent series, You Were Wrong! The first book in the series Talkers was released back in March of 2012. It's a story about Alien rock stars, which a nasty stalker problem and the heroes of the two books are twins.

I'm also working on another time-travel, a questionable contemporary and a YA sci-fi book that has my head spinning with ideas of the apocalypse.

What about you as a person? What do you do to relax? Favorite movies or tv shows? Hobbies?
I have a million hobbies and most days it seems like I am never completely still. I love movies and I'll be the first to tell you I've always watched way too much TV. There is constantly music going in our house, because none of us could go a day without it. When I am not writing I always have my hands doing something, drawing, knitting (though as a newbie, not very well), blogging, dancing around the house no matter how silly I look at times. walking endlessly around the lake, as long as I am in motion.

One of my major hobbies is learning about other cultures. I'll read a Japanese manga, watch the anime version most of the books are turned into, then turn around and watch the live action versions in Asian Drama form. I'm completely hooked on my dramas, Taiwanese, Japanese and Korean. Sometimes all three countries will remake the same manga book and I love seeing how different each country works the story.

What gets your creative juices going? Do you write to a music, and do you want to share your playlist?
To write, I always have to have music going. Music is definitely my muse. My mp3 playlist is constantly changing and I'm always willing to check out new songs. My love of cultures goes to music too. On my mp3 I have songs in English, Spanish, Japanese, a lot of Korean and even a few from time to time in Mandarin Chinese. My music list is so full of variety and interesting songs I couldn't give you a simple list.  But, I love sharing all my great finds, Every Monday I post Music Monday on my blog to share a different song that inspires me to write or just is so great I have to share it.

I'll have to check it out. I'm always on the lookout for more music. "All writers must have cats, especially if they write fantasy or speculative fiction." Do you have a stand on this one? Any cute pictures of your kitty or other pet?
Furry creatures are a must! In the old days I would have said it had to be a cat for sure. But, now... two of the greatest loves of my life are ferrets. The first is a petite albino ferret named Shiva. She acts like a teenage girl, diva princess who is the center of everyone's world. You must always give the princess what she wants when she wants it or everyone knows she isn't pleased. Bossing her brothers is a full time job and her favorite place do that is while having a hoodie baby, meaning riding in the hood of my son’s hoodie. She is happily minding everyone’s business as you can see from her picture. The look on her face says she is the boss lady.

The second ferret is the baby of the family. Scooter, named because he hits the floor and hauls major booty. He thinks he is a human babe. If he doesn't spend half the day curled up on mom's chest listening to my heart beat, he isn't happy. That kid is 100% snuggler and the lovingest creature I've ever seen in my life. He has a collection of teddy bears and bunnies to substitute when I’m busy, because he has to be loving something.

The day we brought him home was the happiest day of Shiva's life. He is her baby. She washes him, snuggles him, plays, pets, completely tends to him. I've never seen two animals love each other so much. It is a sight to see for sure. They are my constant writing buddies, snuggling next to me or playing tag right over top of my laptop, but I couldn't write with out them any more. As a matter of fact Shiva makes an appearance as a character (a naughty villain) in my 4th Zogone book, New Beginnings, as a ten foot long goddess who kidnaps the main character Megumi.

What organizations do you recommend for those wanting to become writers? Any advice you'd like to share about writing?
Write what you like and write what you know. If you don't enjoy your genre the writing won't go smoothly. Also write about things you know about. If you enjoy baking, add it into one of your books. You might think something so normal is something everyone would already know about. That just isn't true. Some people can't tell the difference between a grilling pan and a muffin tin. Your every day common could be someone else’s extraordinary.

The best place to look for help when becoming a writer is between the pages of someone else's books. Read, read and then read some more. I hit the library almost every weekend. You would be surprised at all the info hidden in the depths of silent halls. Same for the internet. Find a good search engine and info is only a question away.

Good advice. What writers inspired you to become an author?
When I was twelve, I got my hands on my first Harlequin Romance. The picture on the front lured me in, but it was the love story that kept me coming back for more. Every romance I could get my hands on from Harlequin and Silhouette, then I became an avid collector of Danielle Steel novels. I absorbed every story as if it were life and death. By the time I was fifteen I had a collection of close to a thousand titles and knew I had to be a writer.

The one writer that inspires me to keep going, keep writing and pushing even at the hardest moments though, is Nora Roberts. My favorite book is actually her born in Ireland Series. I actually mention one of my characters reading it in my Native American Indian contemporary, His Kiss.

Any special appearances or events that you want to mention?
Romancing the Hop- August 31st-September 3rd, 2012. My blog will be listed along with the other participants in the blog hop on- http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/p/romancing-blog-hop.html

If you could travel to any time in history, when would you visit?
That is a hard one. I think about all the interesting and horrible events of the past I would have liked to live during, then stop and think about how women were treated during each time. If I were a man there would be endless possibilities, but as a woman... I'm not the type to be left at home, bought, sold or traded. I'm also too mouthy and stubborn to be beaten into submission. If I were a man, you could hand me a sword and God help any villain that got in my way.

If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones would you choose? What food would you serve?
From my Zogone series, their is a secondary character, a scientist named Dr. Mandrasport. I would love the chance to sit down with him and pick his brain. He is a scientist that specializes in human chromosomes and cryogenics. I could see myself completely nerding out, sitting with a spoon halfway to my mouth, which of course would be hanging open in fascination as Dr. Mandrasport droned on about cryogenics.

What would  serve?
I really have no idea what I could serve him as a main dish. As for dessert, I can imagine handing him a bowl of banana pudding. A bowl layered with vanilla wafers, then slices of banana covered in vanilla pudding. It would be funny to see such an esteemed scientist poking at his pudding going, "It smells divine, but it looks questionable to me." as the vanilla pudding jiggled at him happily.

Do you add chocolate chips and other fun stuff to your pudding?
If you could travel anywhere, on earth or off, where would you go?
If I could travel anywhere, running off for a year wouldn't be enough. I love learning about other cultures and even speak bits and pieces of 7 or 8 languages. I would probably start off in Asia, going from Japan to Taiwan, to South Korea, before getting lost in the mountains of China.

Next, I would have to go to Scotland to see the place where one of my great, great grandfathers came from. and visit the rough wonderful highlands I once wrote about. Then, over to the land of green in Ireland, to head to County Clare, which I fell in love with reading books by Nora Roberts.

By the time I'm done trekking all over, it would be a great time for a nap. The best place for that would be on a bright, beautiful beach in Hawaii where I could happily write surrounded by blue, daydreaming my life away.

You and I have similar dreams. I'd love to see the karst hills in China and walk the moors of Scotland and live in Ireland for a while. What color would you wear if you had only one choice?
That would be a toss up between purple and blue, which are my two favorite colors. As  matter of fact I especially requested that all my covers have blue and purple on them. Almost all of them have one of the two colors on them. :)

I love purple myself. Delicious color. Describe your dream writing spot.
My dream spot would be in an old farm house way out in the country. It would be a few stories tall, with an attic fully equipped as a study and a library. My desk would sit next to a pretty shaped window over looking acres of green, a big round horse corral, maybe a barn and a tree with a tree house and an old tire swing.

That sounds perfect! Reminds me of my grandparents farm. Good memories.
Thanks for stopping by, Debra. Good luck with your projects.

Thursday Recipe Addendum - Peeling Tomatoes

I realized after I posted the chili sauce recipe that maybe not everyone knows how to quickly and easily peel tomatoes.

Get a really big pot and fill it 2/3 full of hot water. Bring to a boil.

Drop the tomatoes into the pot, don't crowd them. Let them cook for about a minute until the skins start to split, remove from the pot and drop into a sink full of cold water.

Using a sharp paring knife, cut the stem end off. The skin should just slip right off. If the tomatoes are not vine-ripe, they'll be a lot harder to peel.

If you have a pasta cooking insert, it works great to get lots of tomatoes in and out in a hurry.

Thursday Recipe - Roasted Chilies and Chili Rellenos Wraps

We just started participating in Bountiful Baskets. It's a food co-op. They explain it all nicely on the site. You put in your order on Monday, pick it up on Saturday. Fresh produce for you, money for the small farmers, everyone wins. The only problem we have is also a benefit - you never know what's going to show up in your basket.

The last two weeks we've gotten these:

Lovely Anaheim chili peppers. I've never really used fresh peppers besides bell peppers and I'm not a huge fan of those. The first week I got these, I just stared at them for a while wondering what to do with them. I'd seen a FoodNetwork show where they roasted them. Roasted peppers sounded good, and if I got real ambitious, we could have chili rellenos for dinner, right? Umm, maybe.

We have been enjoying having a propane BBQ for the last month, courtesy of the contractor rebuilding our kitchen. It's a long story. Let's just say, I'm a fan. I want one of my own now. My only experience before was with a stupid little tabletop grill that might warm up a slice of cheese if you waited an hour. I've cooked in dutch ovens and over fires, but that's a messy proposition.

These are about halfway done.

Back to the peppers. I roasted them in the BBQ, but didn't do it long enough. I was paranoid about burning them. Roasting them longer makes them easier to peel. You WANT the skin to turn mostly black.

After roasting them, set them aside in a metal bowl loosely covered with a big plate or giant plastic bag. Let them steam and cool down for an hour or so. Then, peel off the skin and discard it.

Slit the peppers open and pull out the seeds. I also cut off the stems at this point. You will be left with a slimy, green slab of deliciousness. These peppers are a little bit spicy, a lot like the canned green chilies you can buy but much more delicious.

Yeah, it looks like a mess, but it tastes so good.

Here's my take on chili rellenos wraps. My kids gobbled these up.

Take one pepper. Smear it with a bit of cream cheese. Add in a few hunks of really old cheddar cheese (scrape off the mold first). Roll the pepper up. Set it on a ginormous tortilla (also from Bountiful Baskets), fold and roll it like an eggroll - fold 1/3 over the pepper, fold in the sides, roll it up. Microwave for 1 minute if you have a real microwave, 3 minutes if you use an old 300 watt beauty like ours used to be before we bought the new, powerful, lovely one above our stove. Enjoy.

You can add fresh salsa if you want, but I thought these were very tasty on their own.

Author Interview - Krystal Brookes

Let's welcome author Krystal Brookes to the Far Edge of Normal. When Krystal Brookes isn’t enjoying staring at the beautiful scenery of her Scottish home, she’s writing about what’s under hunky Highlanders’ kilts, feeding her nieces too many sweets then taking them home, and drinking way too much coffee.

She started out writing Star Trek fan fiction but has recently progressed to original stories for publication. She writes contemporary Scottish romance and science fiction romance. When the wet dreary weather in Scotland gets too much, she dreams of taking off in a spaceship to find warmer climes. Who wants to go to a sunny country when you can head for a sunny planet?

Tell us about your writing - What genre do you prefer to write? What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your personal favorites? Anything new coming up?
I write sci fi romance and contemporary romance and am dabbling in paranormal. I write mainly m/f but have also dabbled in f/f and menage. I only have 3 works published so far and they all have a place in my heart. Bounty was published first, Highland Fling was second and was the type of book I wanted to write when I was young (though I probably didn't imagine so much sex in it, lol) and Fan Girl and the Geek is a kind of fantasy autobiography for me.

What about you as a person? What do you do to relax? Favorite movies or tv shows? Hobbies?
I'm quick to anger but equally as quick to apologise and try to move on. I love social networking to relax. I love Downton Abbey, Castle, Star Trek Voyager, West Wing and Firefly.  I do have a major crush on Nathan Fillion

What gets your creative juices going? Do you write to a music, and do you want to share your playlist?
i like to listen to internet radio channels that play modern country. It's tuneful and easy to listen to and I love a lot of modern country acts like Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood

"All writers must have cats, especially if they write fantasy or speculative fiction." Do you have a stand on this one? Any cute pictures of your kitty or other pet?
I have no pets. I don't have an appropriate lifestyle to keep a pet. I'm also much more a dog person than a cat person. I'll stick with the giant spiders for now.

What writers inspired you to become an author?
Probably the authors I enjoyed when I was young. - Enid Blyton, Francine Pascale, Christine Marion Fraser

Any special appearances or events coming up that you want to mention?
Highland Haven, the second Kilrigh Heat series book is due out on 18th October.

If you could travel to any time in history, when would you visit?
Ancient Greece, I think. They were terribly civilised. Besides, I studied New Testament Greek at college so I think I would pick up the language pretty quickly.

If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones would you choose? What food would you serve?
Any of my heroes. They are all babes. For some reason my heroes always make French toast.  I would make chicken stuffed with haggis in a cream and mustard sauce. It's the fanciest thing I know how to make.

If you could travel anywhere, on earth or off, where would you go?
The nearest planet with intelligent life. There has to be intelligent life out there in this vast universe.

What color would you wear if you had only one choice?
Purple.

Describe your dream writing spot.
A beach in the summer, with a cool breeze wafting off the sea, dogs barking along the shoreline and guys with these little beach windsurfing things going by (hopefully with few clothes on and great abs.)

Find more about Krystal Brookes:

http://krystalbrookes.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Krystal-Brookes-Author/305059372898922
https://twitter.com/KrystalBrookes
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5779760.Krystal_Brookes
https://plus.google.com/u/0/102945611910059968448/posts
http://krystalbrookes.tumblr.com/
http://pinkpetalbooks.com/Krystal-Brookes/

All books available on Amazon (UK and US), Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Bookstrand, CoffeeTime Romance and Allromanceebooks.

Blurb for Bounty
When Gemma Scott’s shuttle crash lands on Alcatraz prison planet, she’s sure of one thing. If the impact doesn’t kill her, the inmates will. She wakes up in the hut of a convicted terrorist and wonders how long it will be until the handsome but dangerous man finds she was the one who arrested him two years earlier. As their attraction grows, they work together to help Gemma escape the dangerous planet. But they can’t deny the sparks that fly between them.

Excerpt
“I see you’re awake,” a gruff male voice stated.
Gemma looked in the direction of the voice. Wherever she was, it was dark and damp smelling. Her mind was struggling to make sense of what had happened. She could tell there had been an accident but the immediate events before it were extremely fuzzy.
“Where...?”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re safe–for now. How are you feeling?”
“Sore and groggy,” she replied quietly.
She couldn’t quite make out the man in the dim light. She didn’t recognize his voice or where she was. Her memory was still fuzzy but something in the back of her mind scared her. She seemed to be alone with this man and she certainly was not in a hospital.
“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you crash land your shuttle into a planet Ms. Scott.”
“How do you know my name?”
“Your ID was in your pocket. And your phase gun was in your holster.”
“Where is my gun now?” Gemma asked, trying to stop the fear in her voice.
“It’s safe.” The man moved forward into the thin shaft of light coming from the dim overhead light on the ceiling of the hut they seemed to be in. The man was tall, muscular and tanned, with a shock of medium length brown hair. She recognized him, but couldn’t quite recall from where.
“I’d prefer it if you returned my gun. I need it.”
“I said it’s safe.”
She sat for a few moments trying to remember what had happened. She knew she had to get her gun back from this man but her head was too befuddled to form a coherent argument for now.
As the details of the accident came back to her, she squinted again at her rescuer, trying to recall how she knew him. She felt her blood drain as she remembered.
“I need to fix my shuttle,” said Gemma, hoping that he hadn’t realized who she was.
“It’s dark outside, you won’t be able to do anything just now.”
She tried to sit up but a shard of intense pain ripped through her shoulder and made her fall back on the pillow.
“You dislocated your shoulder, so I had to put it back in the socket. It’s going to be sore for a while.”
She rubbed her shoulder and grimaced.
“Thanks, I think.”
“If I’d left you in that shuttle, believe me, you would have been murdered or worse.”
“What’s worse than being murdered?”
“On this planet? Not being murdered and being kept alive long enough to be aware of what they’re doing to you.”
She shuddered.
“Thank you for not leaving me. I heard them banging on the shuttle hull. How did you get rid of them?”
“I have a reputation around here. Apparently I can rip a man’s throat out with my teeth.”
“Oh!” She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear any more. The man smiled wolfishly at her.
“Don’t worry, Gemma. I’m not hungry just now.”
She did her best not to show her fear. Not having her phase pistol was a problem. She always felt braver on the other end of the cold slender metal tool.
“Umm, what’s your name?”
“Rob. Rob Paris.”
His name triggered the memory that she had buried under a hundred other missions. He was a terrorist and she had hunted him for weeks before he had turned up on an abandoned planet on the edge of Terran space. She’d stunned him and kept him unconscious as she had transported him on her shuttle back to Earth to face trial. She wondered if he would remember her. She’d shot him from behind, so with a bit of luck, he hadn’t made the connection.
“Pleased to meet you. Are you a prisoner here?”
“What do you think?” he drawled.
“Well, I assumed but...”
“But what?”
“Never mind. Can I get my pistol please?”
“I said I was keeping it safe.”
“That’s very kind of you but I’d prefer to have it, if it’s all the same to you.”
Rob walked over and sat on the bed. He clasped her chin roughly in his hand and moved her head back, peering into her eyes. He let go as suddenly as he had grabbed her.
“Hmph! You’re definitely slightly concussed. As for your pistol; you’re in no shape to be carrying a fire arm. If any of those brutes came in here, you’d never be able to get it out the holster quick enough to kill them.”
“I always have my pistol set to stun.”
“I noticed.”
“You noticed?”
“Well, I noticed it was set to stun when I took it from you.” Gemma looked hard at him. Did he know? His gaze was unwavering and she was having difficulty reading him.
Gritting her teeth, she swung her legs out of the bed. Her shoulder was agony. Only then did she realize that she was wearing nothing but her bra and panties.
“Where are my clothes?”