The Bond That Ties Us Christine d’Abo.pdf

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

The Bond That Ties Us

ISBN 9781419912009

Edited by Briana St. James.

Photography and cover art by Les Byerley.

Electronic book Publication July 2007

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written

permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-

3502.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales

is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

T HE B OND T HAT T IES U S

Christine d’Abo

Dedication

For my husband Mark, who has encouraged me every step of the way in my

writing journey. Thank you for every time you kept the kids busy while I wrote, rubbed

my back when it was sore and gave me a hug when I was feeling down. This book

would never have been written without your love and support.

I would also like to thank my editor Briana. I know there is nothing more

challenging than walking a new author through the editing process. Thank you for all

of your support and advice!

The Bond That Ties Us

Chapter One

Thank god, she was finally here. With a shiver of anticipation, Haylie Bond stepped

off the shuttlecraft into the bright hangar bay of the Eurus colony. Casting a glance

around she was pleased to see the large windows on the far side of where the shuttle

had set down. They’d landed on the planet mid afternoon but the winds were so strong

the bright red sand of the planet was whipping around the colony like traveling

tornadoes. Still, the alien sight reassured her she really had made it. If someone had told

her a year ago she’d be taking up residency on Earth’s newest colony, twenty light

years from home, she would have laughed.

She hadn’t been this excited about anything since, well, ever. Haylie took a deep

breath, held it for a moment and released it. Calm . Stay focused on the situation, take in

what you need and get down to the business of being the best damn security chief this colony

ever had .

The crowd behind her began to grumble and Haylie quickly found herself being

pushed past by the other colonists. She sighed, grabbed her bag and hopped into the

newly formed line that led them to customs. A strange scent tickled the end of her nose,

something resembling cinnamon. Must be my imagination.

As she and Sara stood in line, Haylie scanned the rest of her surroundings. The

shuttle bay consisted of sleek, reinforced acrylic plastic walls. There wasn’t a sharp

corner in the hangar. Black and gray seemed to be the only colors available to the

interior decorators. Oh well . It could be worse—puce, for example.

The floors were composed of some compound she hadn’t seen before. Tapping the

toe of her boot against the surface didn’t reveal anything special, nor did it leave a scuff.

It would be interesting to see if a laser blast would mark it. She’d have to find out what

it was made from. The surface was black, of course, and shiny, which added to the new

feel of the station. Hard to believe this place had been around for thirty years.

Haylie spun on her heel and let her excitement sharpen her senses. The simple

beauty of the place struck her. Even the warm glow of the lighting strips gave the place

a surreal feel. She was grinning like a fool, but she didn’t care.

“God, this place is dull. Earth has been setting up colonies all over our galaxy for

two hundred years—you’d think they’d have learn how to dress these places up a bit.

The first impression people get…boring,” Sara said as she dropped her knapsack with a

thud.

“I think it’s stunning.”

“You would. I bet you’re twitching to grab your notebook. Do a quick sketch.”

God, she hated it when Sara did that.

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