By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Debra Parmley

Blinded by a bad date, Cecelia lives and works on a ranch that helps victims of domestic abuse. All she wants is to stay on the ranch, a place where she can find her way around in her perpetual darkness. She has no intention of dating again, especially not Marine Force Recon veteran, Brian “Barbie” Ken, even if his voice is so sexy it makes her knees weak.

Assigned to protect the patrons and workers at the ranch, Brian is fascinated by everything about Cecelia and has made it his life’s mission to take her out on a date. She might be the biggest challenge of his life. Convincing her to leave the ranch will take more than smooth talking after an ill-fated date robbed her of her eyesight. It will take Blind Trust on her part to go out again.

When her cousin ends up in the hospital in San Diego, Cecelia is desperate to visit. Brian offers to drive her. Cecelia agrees to go, taking a leap of faith to leave her familiar surroundings. When a sex trafficker kidnaps Cecelia from the hospital, Brian crosses the border into Mexico to rescue her and bring her home.

When Brian ‘Barbie’ Ken first sees Cecelia he is struck by her beauty, her silver hair is unusual and striking. When Hank calls to her as she’s walking directly toward a broom blocking the way, he realizes she’s blind.

When they’re introduced there’s none of the typical fawning that some women do over a man who’s single and built and Brian finds that more than a little attractive.

His job here at the Courage and Confidence Center for Women, aka Triple C Ranch or The Three C’s Ranch will be part of the round-the-clock security provided by Hank’s Brotherhood Protectors. The personal security is needed at least until the rebuild from an attack is completed and a state of the art security system is installed.

As Brian falls into the routine he also finds himself trying to get to know Cecelia better, he also wants to ask her out.

This is a favorite scene.

Brian had been working security at the ranch for over a week when he asked Cecelia out. He waited until it was break time and she’d gone into the ranch kitchen for a glass of lemonade and an oatmeal raisin cookie.

She looked up at him as he entered the room. “Would you like a cookie, Brian?” she asked.

Somehow, she always seemed to know when he entered the room, despite the quiet way he moved.

“How do you always know it’s me?” he asked.

“Your scent,” she said. “It’s unique.”

“In a good way, I hope,” he drawled.

“Oh, yes,” she said. “A very good way.” She smiled and held the plate of cookies out to him.

“Thanks,” he said. “They look delicious.”

“Lemonade?”

“I’m not much into lemonade,” he said.

“Milk then,” she said. “Cookies are always good with milk.” She laid her cookie down and moved toward the fridge.

“I can get it,” he said. “Go on and enjoy your cookie. You don’t need to wait on me.”

“Okay.” She gave in with no argument and moved back to her own cookie to take another bite.

He went to the fridge, removed the milk, and then found a glass to pour it in.

“Emma makes the best cookies,” Cecelia said.

“She does,” he agreed. “I could get spoiled, working here.”

“I’ll bet you don’t get many cookies on your jobs,” she said.

“This is the first job I’ve had where I’ve received even one cookie,” he said, with a laugh. “My jobs have been chasing down bad guys, or guarding somebody, or something.”

“What, they never handed out cookies? As a reward?” She laughed. “Someone needs to renegotiate your compensation.”

“The bonuses were good. No cookies though.” He dunked his cookie into the glass of milk and took a bite.

“Her oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite,” she said.

“They are really good,” he said, still munching on a bite.

When they’d finished the cookies, he seized the moment. “This has been fun,” he said.

“It has,” she agreed.

“Let’s do this again,” he said. “How about dinner in Bozeman this weekend?”

“You don’t want to go out with a blind girl,” she said, shaking her head.

“Yes, I do,” he said. “But not with just any blind girl. I want to go out with you.”

She laughed. “I’m nothing special. And anyway, I don’t date, I don’t do friends with benefits, and I’m done with relationships. But even if I did date, a relationship with me would be a lot of work. Men don’t handle that well.”

“I’m a Marine,” he said. “We’re used to a lot of work, overcoming obstacles, and succeeding at our goals.”

“Maybe so, but I’m not ready to go out,” she said. “I’m safe here, and I know where everything is.”

“You’d be safe with me, and I’d make sure you knew where things are,” he said.

“You’re going to keep trying to convince me, aren’t you?” She tilted her head toward him, looking upward, with an exasperated look on her face.

“Yes, ma’am, I am.” He nodded, then caught himself, realizing she wouldn’t see him nod. “What will it take to get you to say yes?”

“You don’t understand.” She shook her head. “I’m not going to get my sight back. This is how things will always be. And I don’t date. You should just give up now.”

“Give up?” He laughed. “You’re trying to convince a Marine to give up? Now that is funny.”
Debra Parmely. Blind Trust: Brotherhood Protectors World (Kindle Locations 151-182). Twisted Page Press, LLC.

While he’s unsuccessful in getting a date off the property, he does manage to have lunch with Cecelia and tries to come up with other date like activities to do with her on the property. Then fate steps in and lend him a hand, Cecelia needs to go to San Diego, to see her cousin is in the hospital.

Brian offers to take her as he has some business to attend to on the base at Coronado.

I love this relationship and how it progresses, the gift Brian gives her before they start the trip, the meals, the absolute understanding that she is independent even though she can’t see melted my heart.

Of course there had to be something that went FUBAR and I held my breath and sniffled through all of that.

I couldn’t put this book down, I love the way Debra has added this Ranch into the Brotherhood Protector’s world I have to go back and read her other books in this world. I really hope she plans on writing more.

5 Contented Purrs for Debra!

Debra Parmley

Fascinated by fairy tales and folktales ever since she was young, Debra Parmley has always ended her stories with a happy ever after. Every story she writes has an element of romance. She started out writing gritty western historical romance and damsel in distress stories. Her first book, A Desperate Journey, was traditionally published in 2008, after competing in the American Title II contest. A hybrid author, she went on to write for five publishers before branching out with her own Indie press, Belo Dia Publishing Inc. Belo Dia is Portuguese for Beautiful Day.

Debra writes historical romance, contemporary romance and romantic suspense. An Air Force veteran’s wife, she writes military heroes in the present and in the future. Debra’s work as a travel consultant gave her the opportunity to visit many countries. Her luggage often carried home folk tales from the countries visited.

Her three favorite things are dark chocolate, visiting the beach and ocean, and hearing from her readers. Each card, letter and email is a treasured gift, like finding a perfect shell upon the beach. For more information about Debra, please visit her website, links below.