SCOTT NOVA
Cover model - EMT/Firefighter
Fun Facts about Scott
1. I drive with two feet; yes i'm sure you went and reread that one! :) I learned to drive in a '70 Nova at the drag strip before I even had a license (can drag race at 15 with parents consent) and the way the brake pedal and gas pedal were offset, I got used to using both feet and I continue to this day. It's incredibly efficient and allows for more control of the car.
2. Incredibly scared of spiders! No need to explain, they are friggin evil demons from the depths of hell!
3. VERY flat feet that even donald duck is jealous of!
4. Love to make people laugh & quote some of my favorite comedians; Jeff Dunham, Lewis Black, Dave Shapell(sp?) . I got a great knock knock joke....ok you start! :)
5. LOVE LOVE LOVE Captain Crunch!!!!! best cereal EVAH!
6. I have a purple 70 nova drag car! I grew up building race cars with my dad (some ours, some others' cars) and I absolutely LOVE all that I learned while doing it. I'm told being mechanically inclined is sexy! :)
7. My first cover was "Quicksilver" by Cindy Holby - right after competing for Mr. Romance in 2011 in LA. The first event was the welcoming party at RT. Cindy Walker walks us into a room full of about 300 women and says "ok boys, do what you do" and let me tell you that's intimidating.
9. I can change a diaper in less than 10sec's - cause trust me...you do NOT want that thing letting loose from my son while it's out in the open.
10. I once put a dozen of roses, strategically placed with lit candles from the entrance of the house, to the bedroom where I stood holding the last rose for a certain special someone!
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FEATURE AUTHOR JAIME RUSH
Unforgivable By Tina WainscottAs Katie emerged from the thicker part of the woods, she saw the house first, washed in light and rising out of the distance. Music floated through the air, a rock and roll station that faded in and out. She peered around the trunk of one of the oak trees that surrounded the old plantation home.
A man walked out of the house carrying a length of wood. Her heart reacted first, not a startled jump but a different kind of jolt. He was tall and lean, his brown wavy hair reaching just past his collar, a blue handkerchief as a headband. He wore jeans and a long-sleeved plaid shirt that was left unbuttoned. She glimpsed a hard chest and taut stomach as the shirt flapped opened with his movements.
Spooky Silas, the kids used to call him.
He stopped short of the circular saw and, amazingly, looked into the trees surrounding the house. She hadn’t made a sound. He set the wood against the sawhorses and turned down the radio. And he kept searching.
She was able to do nothing more than press closer against the tree.
Silas.
Could it be him, after all this time? It seemed a dream, a crazy dream that spun her insides and made breathing difficult. The last time she’d seen him had haunted her, Silas being taken away, all because he'd helped her so many years earlier. Even though he had been cleared of suspicion in his father’s death, he’d still been an orphaned minor. He’d been relegated to state protective services, and Katie had never seen him again.
Spooky and mysterious, yet tender and compassionate. He’d touched her little girl soul and left an imprint that hadn’t quite gone away.
Silas walked toward the edge of the encroaching trees, then turned back toward her. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he inhaled, the memory of the lanky teenager evaporated. He was still lean, but his chest and shoulders had broadened. He’d grown even taller. The last time she had seen him, he’d been an adult to her young eyes. Now he was all man, and the thought stirred her in some inexplicable way.
When he opened his eyes, he looked right at her. She was still certain, despite her hammering heartbeat, that he couldn’t see her. She shrank behind the trunk and waited for him to look elsewhere. Curly green mold that was plastered to the trunk pulled at her hair, but she didn’t even move to disentangle herself. This wasn’t the way she wanted to see him again. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see him at all, wasn’t sure it was wise. She’d wait him out, for as long as necessary, and go home.
She should turn around and leave. And she would have if he hadn’t been walking right toward her…
The Offspring Series: Book 6
Darkness Becomes Her by Jaime Rush
"Wake up, Ally!"
Her daddy's voice, hands shaking her. Not a dream. Her eyes snapped open, finding his face, scared and desperate, hovering in front of her. "You've got to hide now."
She tumbled out of bed, heart squeezing her chest. "What's happening, Daddy?"
"The man I told you might hurt me, he’s here, Allybean."
She swiped up her penguin, the one with the special coin sewn inside it. She couldn’t breath all of a sudden. "Where's Mommy?"
"She's all right. He won’t hurt her."
“But he’ll hurt me?” The words squeaked out of her mouth.
“I don’t know what he’ll do. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”
He tugged her hand down the hall to the closet and shoved aside the coats.
"How will I know when it's safe to come out?" Fear squeezed her voice into a whisper.
"Either your mother or I will come get you. You'll be okay."
He didn't look as though he felt that way. He looked scared, and that made her even more scared. "I love you, Allybean." And he closed the door, shutting her in the dark.
Daddy had always seemed overprotective and kind of worried. When she turned nine a year ago, he told her there was a man who wanted to hurt him: his own brother, Russell. Daddy had shown her a picture, trained her to be on the lookout for him. He had something called the Darkness inside him. Daddy had promised to tell her more when she was old enough to understand.
Now Russell was here, and she didn’t understand, not at all. Minutes dragged by, each one so long, so painful. She squeezed her penguin and felt the coin her father had put inside. Through the fur she could barely make out the cross on it. The symbol was supposed to protect her, to hide her presence from the man who was hunting Daddy.
A thump froze her. Like someone being thrown against the wall. Loud, harsh voices, two men … and Mommy. They were screaming all at once, their words crashing on top of each other. Another thump. Tears filled her eyes. Please, don't die, Daddy.
She tried to peer through the slats in the bi-fold door but could only see the hallway. What if she crawled out but kept the penguin with her? It would only be for a few seconds.
Her mom cried out, the same way she did when she’d dropped a heavy pan on her foot last year.
Mommy!
The men's voices got even louder, but nothing from her mommy. Her ears were buzzing, making it hard to hear more than angry voices. Have to look.
She stretched through the opening. What she saw froze her heart. There was blood everywhere, splattered on the walls and puddling on the floor. And her mommy, she was lying on the floor. Not moving. Ally stifled a cry.
"I can heal her," one of the men said in a voice so thick, it was impossible to tell who was talking. "I can use Darkness to heal her, but then she’ll have it, too."
"Don’t touch her."
Those words, raw and hoarse.
The men moved into view, like two boxers, squaring off, punching, lunging like in the movies Daddy watched. She was in the dark, and she was pretty sure they couldn't see her. They fought, growling and shoving, moving in and out of her view.
The bad man said, "Does the child have Darkness, too?"
"No, she's normal. Leave her out of this."
The child? Her.
"My son inherited it,” Russell said. “Your daughter probably did, too. If she holds Darkness, she'll have to be … contained. Trained."
"The hell she does!" A loud sound, and a chair slid across the floor.
She'd stretched farther out into the hallway without even realizing it, and now saw Russell, his back to her, his foot on her father's chest. She wanted to burst out, to save him, but stopped herself. Anger and fear, it froze her, closing in her vision. No, not her vision. She saw blackness. Her father, turning into … she blinked. Couldn’t be. He was now a black blob of smoke.
Russell stepped back, facing the dark mist. "You've been trying to suppress Darkness, just like before. But I’ve been working with it, mastering it."
He became the same smoke. The blobs took shape, changing to something solid again, to huge, mean wolves. Her daddy's smoke was gray; Russell's was black. The wolves fought, snarling, and then the black wolf spun like the Tasmanian Devil in the cartoons and wrapped around her father's wolf. Terror gripped her, making her eyes water and her throat dry. Was she really seeing this?
Go back in!
The shadows became men again, and one of them fell to the floor. The bad man! Her daddy was okay!
She got to her feet. Her legs felt so wobbly, and she hardly had breath. She took a staggering step toward the kitchen, her fingers clutching the penguin. Her daddy knelt by her mommy's body on the floor. “No. You can’t be gone.” Such pain in his words. Smoke snaked out of his hands as he leaned over her, sending … sending the smoke into her mommy.
"No!" The word roared out of her throat.
He turned to her, and … his eyes were gray, not the green she knew. He wasn't her daddy. He looked like him, but she knew, knew in her heart, that he wasn't. Russell had gone into her daddy’s body.
“There you are.” He jumped up and grabbed for her.
Fifteen years earlier …
"Wake up, Ally!"
Her daddy's voice, hands shaking her. Not a dream. Her eyes snapped open, finding his face, scared and desperate, hovering in front of her. "You've got to hide now."
She tumbled out of bed, heart squeezing her chest. "What's happening, Daddy?"
"The man I told you might hurt me, he’s here, Allybean."
She swiped up her penguin, the one with the special coin sewn inside it. She couldn’t breath all of a sudden. "Where's Mommy?"
"She's all right. He won’t hurt her."
“But he’ll hurt me?” The words squeaked out of her mouth.
“I don’t know what he’ll do. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”
He tugged her hand down the hall to the closet and shoved aside the coats.
"How will I know when it's safe to come out?" Fear squeezed her voice into a whisper.
"Either your mother or I will come get you. You'll be okay."
He didn't look as though he felt that way. He looked scared, and that made her even more scared. "I love you, Allybean." And he closed the door, shutting her in the dark.
Daddy had always seemed overprotective and kind of worried. When she turned nine a year ago, he told her there was a man who wanted to hurt him: his own brother, Russell. Daddy had shown her a picture, trained her to be on the lookout for him. He had something called the Darkness inside him. Daddy had promised to tell her more when she was old enough to understand.
Now Russell was here, and she didn’t understand, not at all. Minutes dragged by, each one so long, so painful. She squeezed her penguin and felt the coin her father had put inside. Through the fur she could barely make out the cross on it. The symbol was supposed to protect her, to hide her presence from the man who was hunting Daddy.
A thump froze her. Like someone being thrown against the wall. Loud, harsh voices, two men … and Mommy. They were screaming all at once, their words crashing on top of each other. Another thump. Tears filled her eyes. Please, don't die, Daddy.
She tried to peer through the slats in the bi-fold door but could only see the hallway. What if she crawled out but kept the penguin with her? It would only be for a few seconds.
Her mom cried out, the same way she did when she’d dropped a heavy pan on her foot last year.
Mommy!
The men's voices got even louder, but nothing from her mommy. Her ears were buzzing, making it hard to hear more than angry voices. Have to look.
She stretched through the opening. What she saw froze her heart. There was blood everywhere, splattered on the walls and puddling on the floor. And her mommy, she was lying on the floor. Not moving. Ally stifled a cry.
"I can heal her," one of the men said in a voice so thick, it was impossible to tell who was talking. "I can use Darkness to heal her, but then she’ll have it, too."
"Don’t touch her."
Those words, raw and hoarse.
The men moved into view, like two boxers, squaring off, punching, lunging like in the movies Daddy watched. She was in the dark, and she was pretty sure they couldn't see her. They fought, growling and shoving, moving in and out of her view.
The bad man said, "Does the child have Darkness, too?"
"No, she's normal. Leave her out of this."
The child? Her.
"My son inherited it,” Russell said. “Your daughter probably did, too. If she holds Darkness, she'll have to be … contained. Trained."
"The hell she does!" A loud sound, and a chair slid across the floor.
She'd stretched farther out into the hallway without even realizing it, and now saw Russell, his back to her, his foot on her father's chest. She wanted to burst out, to save him, but stopped herself. Anger and fear, it froze her, closing in her vision. No, not her vision. She saw blackness. Her father, turning into … she blinked. Couldn’t be. He was now a black blob of smoke.
Russell stepped back, facing the dark mist. "You've been trying to suppress Darkness, just like before. But I’ve been working with it, mastering it."
He became the same smoke. The blobs took shape, changing to something solid again, to huge, mean wolves. Her daddy's smoke was gray; Russell's was black. The wolves fought, snarling, and then the black wolf spun like the Tasmanian Devil in the cartoons and wrapped around her father's wolf. Terror gripped her, making her eyes water and her throat dry. Was she really seeing this?
Go back in!
The shadows became men again, and one of them fell to the floor. The bad man! Her daddy was okay!
She got to her feet. Her legs felt so wobbly, and she hardly had breath. She took a staggering step toward the kitchen, her fingers clutching the penguin. Her daddy knelt by her mommy's body on the floor. “No. You can’t be gone.” Such pain in his words. Smoke snaked out of his hands as he leaned over her, sending … sending the smoke into her mommy.
"No!" The word roared out of her throat.
He turned to her, and … his eyes were gray, not the green she knew. He wasn't her daddy. He looked like him, but she knew, knew in her heart, that he wasn't. Russell had gone into her daddy’s body.
“There you are.” He jumped up and grabbed for her.
