Dawn of Surrender: A MacKenzie Family Novella Read online

  Dawn of Surrender

  A MacKenzie Family Novella

  By Liliana Hart

  1001 Dark Nights

  Dawn of Surrender

  A MacKenzie Family Novella

  By Liliana Hart

  1001 Dark Nights

  Copyright 2017 Liliana Hart

  ISBN: 978-1-945920-54-7

  Foreword: Copyright 2014 M. J. Rose

  Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

  Book Description

  Dawn of Surrender

  A MacKenzie Family Novella

  By Liliana Hart

  MacKenzie vs. MacKenzie...

  Cole MacKenzie is content to be the sheriff of Surrender, Montana, but he’s needed for a greater purpose. The United States needs a U.S. Marshal with a certain kind of experience to track the leader of the notorious Silver Creek Bandits, as they leave a trail of bodies in their wake with every bank they rob. The leader is smart, cunning, and ruthless. And he's also his brother.

  Elizabeth MacKenzie never dreamed she’d marry Cole MacKenzie, but thanks to her father’s meddling, Cole was hers to have and to hold. Forever. She needed an equal, not a man to rule her life, and Cole fit the bill every in every way. If only he loved her.

  One heart is broken and the other is bent on revenge, but love is a choice, and it's one Cole and Elizabeth are determined to make.

  About Liliana Hart

  Liliana Hart is a New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly Bestselling Author of more than 50 titles. After starting her first novel her freshman year of college, she immediately became addicted to writing and knew she'd found what she was meant to do with her life. She has no idea why she majored in music.

  Since self-publishing in June of 2011, Liliana has sold more than 5 million ebooks and been translated into eight languages. She's appeared at #1 on lists all over the world and all three of her series have appeared on the New York Times list. Liliana is a sought after speaker and she's given keynote speeches and self-publishing workshops to standing-room-only crowds from California to New York to London.

  Liliana can almost always be found at her computer writing, or spending time with her husband and five children.

  Connect with me online:

  twitter.com/Liliana_Hart

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/lilianassweetharts/

  My Website: www.lilianahart.com

  Also by Liliana Hart

  Click to purchase

  THE MACKENZIE SERIES

  Dane

  A Christmas Wish: Dane

  Thomas

  To Catch A Cupid: Thomas

  Riley

  Fireworks: Riley

  Cooper

  A MacKenzie Christmas

  MacKenzie Box Set

  Cade

  Shadows and Silk

  Secrets and Satin

  Sins and Scarlet Lace

  The MacKenzie Security Series (Includes the 3 books listed above)

  1001 Dark Nights: Captured in Surrender

  Sizzle

  Crave

  Troublemaker

  Scorch

  Spies and Stilettos

  Sweet Surrender

  Dawn of Surrender

  The Promise of Surrender

  THE GRAVEDIGGERS SERIES

  The Darkest Corner

  Gone To Dust

  Say No More

  THE COLLECTIVE SERIES

  Kill Shot

  THE RENA DRAKE SERIES

  Breath of Fire

  ADDISON HOLMES MYSTERIES

  Whiskey Rebellion

  Whiskey Sour

  Whiskey For Breakfast

  Whiskey, You’re The Devil

  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

  JJ GRAVES MYSTERIES

  Dirty Little Secrets

  A Dirty Shame

  Dirty Rotten Scoundrel

  Down and Dirty

  Dirty Deeds

  Dirty Laundry

  STANDALONE NOVELS/NOVELLAS

  All About Eve

  Paradise Disguised

  Catch Me If You Can

  Dedication

  To all the readers who love the MacKenzies. I hope you keep a little piece of Surrender in your hearts forever.

  Acknowledgments from the Author

  A huge thanks to the team at 1001 Dark Nights! I couldn’t ask for more amazing people to work with, and what makes it better is that they’re friends. So to Liz, MJ, Jillian, Kim, and everyone who makes this such an incredible experience, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It’s been a pleasure and an honor.

  A huge thanks to my husband, Scott, who goes above and beyond in all things husband. He listens to me work my way out of corners I’ve written myself into, smiling and nodding. He keeps me hydrated with endless Route 44 Sonic drinks, and he doesn’t sleep until I do when I’m on deadline. He’s the best support system a girl could ask for. I’m lucky to have married a real life hero.

  I also want to thank my children. They really are the most incredible people, who have learned to adjust accordingly to the odd eccentricities, writing and deadline schedules kept by their mother. I’m grateful they love pizza and hot dogs, but I’m also grateful for the privilege of raising some of the finest people I know.

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One

  Click here to explore

  FOREVER WICKED by Shayla Black

  CRIMSON TWILIGHT by Heather Graham

  CAPTURED IN SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

  SILENT BITE: A SCANGUARDS WEDDING by Tina Folsom

  DUNGEON GAMES by Lexi Blake

  AZAGOTH by Larissa Ione

  NEED YOU NOW by Lisa Renee Jones

  SHOW ME, BABY by Cherise Sinclair

  ROPED IN by Lorelei James

  TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian

  THE FLAME by Christopher Rice

  CARESS OF DARKNESS by Julie Kenner

  Also from 1001 Dark Nights

  TAME ME by J. Kenner

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two

  Click here to explore

  WICKED WOLF by Carrie Ann Ryan

  WHEN IRISH EYES ARE HAUNTING by Heather Graham

  EASY WITH YOU by Kristen Proby

  MASTER OF FREEDOM by Cherise Sinclair

  CARESS OF PLEASURE by Julie Kenner

  ADORED by Lexi Blake

  HADES by Larissa Ione

  RAVAGED by Elisabeth Naughton

  DREAM OF YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  STRIPPED DOWN by Lorelei James

  RAGE/KILLIAN by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright

  DRAGON KING by Donna Grant

  PURE WICKED by Shayla Black

  HARD AS STEEL by Laura Kaye

  STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian

  ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham

  KISS THE FLAME by Christopher Rice

  DARING HER LOVE by Melissa Foster

  TEASED by Rebecca Zanetti

  THE PROMISE OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

  Also from 1001 Dark Nights

  THE SURRENDER GATE By Christopher Rice

  SERVICING THE TARGET By Cherise Sinclair

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three

 
; Click here to explore

  HIDDEN INK by Carrie Ann Ryan

  BLOOD ON THE BAYOU by Heather Graham

  SEARCHING FOR MINE by Jennifer Probst

  DANCE OF DESIRE by Christopher Rice

  ROUGH RHYTHM by Tessa Bailey

  DEVOTED by Lexi Blake

  Z by Larissa Ione

  FALLING UNDER YOU by Laurelin Paige

  EASY FOR KEEPS by Kristen Proby

  UNCHAINED by Elisabeth Naughton

  HARD TO SERVE by Laura Kaye

  DRAGON FEVER by Donna Grant

  KAYDEN/SIMON by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright

  STRUNG UP by Lorelei James

  MIDNIGHT UNTAMED by Lara Adrian

  TRICKED by Rebecca Zanetti

  DIRTY WICKED by Shayla Black

  THE ONLY ONE by Lauren Blakely

  SWEET SURRENDER by Liliana Hart

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  1001 Dark Nights story

  The First Night

  by Lexi Blake & M.J. Rose

  Table of Contents

  Book Description

  About Liliana Hart

  Also From Liliana Hart

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three

  Foreword

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Epilogue

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Four

  Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights

  Discover more Liliana Hart

  Special Thanks

  One Thousand and One Dark Nights

  Once upon a time, in the future…

  I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.

  I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and

  the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast

  library at my father’s home and collected thousands

  of volumes of fantastic tales.

  I learned all about ancient races and bygone

  times. About myths and legends and dreams of all

  people through the millennium. And the more I read

  the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered

  that I was able to travel into the stories... to actually

  become part of them.

  I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher

  and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I

  would not be telling you this tale now.

  But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off

  with bravery.

  One afternoon, curious about the myth of the

  Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to

  see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar

  (Persian: شهريار, “king”) married a new virgin, and then

  sent yesterday's wife to be beheaded. It was written

  and I had read, that by the time he met Scheherazade,

  the vizier's daughter, he’d killed one thousand

  women.

  Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived

  in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged

  places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had

  never occurred before and that still to this day, I

  cannot explain.

  Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have

  taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can

  protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to

  protect herself and stay alive.

  Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.

  And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a

  point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.

  And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that

  he might hear the rest of my dark tale.

  As soon as I finish a story... I begin a new

  one... like the one that you, dear reader, have before

  you now.

  Chapter One

  Montana, 1892

  For all intents and purposes, Elizabeth MacKenzie should’ve died on a Tuesday.

  The bank was stifling despite the beginnings of a blizzard outside. As it was almost closing time, they’d already shut the windows and the brazier was burning hot in the corner. Sweat was dripping in some very unladylike places. Not that anyone in Surrender would call her a lady, but it had never mattered much what other people thought.

  There was a line of customers who’d waited until the last minute to do their business for the day. Most were shop owners who knew this would be their last chance to make a deposit before the storm shut everything down. And everything would be shut down. With luck, it would only be for a couple of days. At worst, it could be a couple of weeks.

  She worried about the cattle and the ranch, but she knew her foreman and the ranch hands would take good care of everything. Even if she wanted to make it back home, there was no way to do it safely. The storm had already found Surrender.

  She watched the gray clouds roll toward them through the western wall of windows, the mountains no longer visible and the snow swirling in several directions. The wheeze of the wind could be heard through cracks in the windows and door. The atmosphere in the room was fraught with tension. No one spoke, and everyone was wondering how long they had to see to necessities before things got so bad they had to find shelter in town.

  There were only two tellers behind the counter, Leroy Henry and Miss Adelaide Murchison. Lizzie had seen the bank manager, Samuel Peabody, peek out from his office once and then close the door. Lord knew, if work was involved Samuel was the first to disappear.

  Leroy barely came up to Elizabeth’s shoulders, and his body was so round he often gave the impression that he rolled from place to place instead of using his feet to walk. Miss Adelaide was unusually tall for a woman, almost a head taller than Elizabeth, and she had a long, hawk-like nose that made it seem as if she were looking down at everyone she talked to.

  Leroy was a sweet man, but he worked at half the pace of Miss Adelaide. No one had ever called Miss Adelaide sweet. She was the meanest, most contrary woman Elizabeth had ever known. She’d take slow Leroy over Miss Adelaide any day of the week.

  Elizabeth tapped the toe of her boot impatiently and tried not to fidget. She’d never been very good at waiting, especially when her plans involved a romantic night with her husband in the Surrender Hotel. Between the ranch and his duties as sheriff and dealing with her father’s death, they hadn’t taken time for a honeymoon.

  In many ways, Cole was still a stranger to her. And she knew she was like a stranger to him too. She was more than capable of admitting that she wasn’t like any other woman. And maybe that’s why their marriage had gotten off to an unusual start. But she had to think her uniqueness was part of the reason Cole married her.

  It had been Cole’s suggestion to take two nights away from everything. And the timing with the storm had worked out beautifully. No one was going much of anywhere over the next two days, and they could spend the time devoted to each other instead of the needs of everyone else.

  She and Cole had been two very independent people when they’d married. Elizabeth had never planned to marry at all, but her father’s foresight had protected her and the ranch that had belonged to her grandfather. Of course, she hadn’t realized that her father had asked Cole to marry her if he passed away. And she’d thought her father hadn’t known she’d been in love with Cole MacKenzie since she was a young girl. But he’d known.
/>   In his own way, he’d played matchmaker to make sure she’d gotten everything she wanted and still had control of the ranch. If her father hadn’t deeded the ranch to Cole after he’d agreed to marry her, then it would’ve been taken from her. The bank would’ve put it up for sale to the highest bidder and she would’ve been left with nothing. Women couldn’t own land in this part of the country. But their husbands could. And what she’d needed was a husband to keep her life from changing.

  And though she’d been in love with Cole for years, he was a good dozen years older than she was. She couldn’t help but wonder… If her father had never approached Cole about marrying her, would he have noticed her at all?

  She was hoping more than anything that the two days they spent together would give them a marriage like her parents. Cole had been a good husband. He was kind and patient, but he was distant. They circled each other, never knowing what to say, so they didn’t say anything and went on about their lives.

  The only time she really felt like they were speaking the same language was when they made love. They had no miscommunications there. What she needed was to know that Cole loved her, and that she was more than just a favor he was fulfilling for her father.

  But her time with Cole couldn’t start until she’d finished her errand at the bank.

  “Next.” Miss Adelaide’s shrill voice echoed in the building.

  Drat. Elizabeth could’ve sworn she heard the person behind her sigh in relief that they weren’t getting stuck with Miss Adelaide. On the plus side, Elizabeth would get out much faster and she could be on her way to the hotel. She straightened her spine and moved toward the old bat’s window.