Journal Jots – Blog

“A love everlasting,” she whispered,

the kind of love her soul had ached for with Eric.

And the kind of love that was only rooted in faith.

— Love Everlasting by Julie Lessman

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!

Yes, it’s true, Love Everlasting, book 2 in the Isle of Hope series, is now available for PREORDER!!

And to celebrate, I’m giving you a sneak peek at Tess and Ben’s relationship in LE with an excerpt at the end of this blog, so be sure to check it out.

And not only that, but if you preorder Love Everlasting by September 1st, you will earn an extra five entry points in my contest below! So if you have already done so, make sure you check that option in the Rafflecopter box below for a shot at having a character named after you in — yes, you guessed it — LOVE EVERLASTING!!

As far as updates, I just finished final edits for my Christmas novella, “Last Chance Christmas,” which will be in the Cowboy Christmas Homecoming Christmas collection along with novellas by Mary Connealy, Ruth Logan Herne, and Anna Schmidt, releasing in October.

I will give you a sneak peek at that in the weeks ahead, but for now you can check out the synopsis for each novella and if you like, PREORDER it HERE. But rest assured when an accident-prone saloon girl connects with a widowed pastor and his four daughters, not to mention a crochety aunt, trouble follows …

Right now I am doing final edits on Love Everlasting before it goes to the formatter, then I dive into book 1 of my Silver Lining Ranch series, Love’s Silver Lining, which is going to be SO fun, I promise!

Well, I better get cracking, so here’s some announcements following by a Ben and Tess excerpt from Love Everlasting — I hope you enjoy it!

Hugs and Happy Weekend!

Julie

99-Cent Sale!!

99-CENT SALE ON A GLIMMER OF HOPE! I’m gearing up for the release of Love Everlasting with a sale on the prequel novella to Isle of Hope — A Glimmer of Hope — so if you haven’t read it yet, now’s a good time! It has a 5-star rating on Amazon and will give you a sneak peek into Isle of Hope, plus the first chapter, so I hope you check it out!

A Glimmer of Hope

  

 Preorder Love Everlasting!

Book 2 in the Isle of Hope series, Love Everlasting, available for PREORDER HERE!

Contest!

Win your name in Love Everlasting (which will also be in paperback by Christmas) along with a signed copy!!

How? INSPIRED READS (which is a great Christian freebie/sale ebook site, so I recommend subscribing) is asking its readers to let them know what Christian Kindle books you would like to see more of AND give them the names of your favorite authors! 

SO … ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO ENTER IS:

1.) Go to the Inspired Reads Facebook page at the link below and leave a comment telling them who your favorite authors are and what you are currently reading. Please note you are not required to mention me as a favorite author to enter the contest, but if my books are favorites of yours, I would greatly appreciate the mention. Then come back here and enter the Rafflecopter box below. Easy, right?

INSPIRED READS CHRISTIAN KINDLE BOOKS ON A BUDGET

AND … EXTRA POINTS ARE AVAILABLE BY:

1.) Sharing the contest via Facebook or Twitter daily.

2.) Helping to promote the preorder of Love Everlasting by sharing the promotion graphic above on FB and/or Twitter.

3.) Preordering Love Everlasting yourself.

The contest ends at midnight on September 1st, and I will announce the winner in the following Journal Jot, so GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

EXCERPT FROM LOVE EVERLASTING

Sweet Southern tea, what am I doing? Tess slammed two stiff palms to Ben’s chest, hoping he hadn’t heard the moan that almost slipped from her lips when he’d kissed her. “You’re crazy all right, Carmichael,” she hissed with a last-ditch flail of arms, desperate to keep him in line until she could drive her terms home. “And God help you if you think you can waltz in here—”

He cut her off with another kiss so urgent and deep, his groan tangled with hers as she melted against his chest. Her fingers dug into the hair at the back of his neck, trying to decide if she wanted to grab him or gouge him. With a desperate groan, his mouth slid along the curve of her jaw to nip at her ear before smothering her throat with hungry kisses. “God help me is right, Tess, because I want you more than I have ever wanted anything in my life.”

“Ben, wait, please—”

He silenced her weak protest with another ravenous kiss, like a man starving for the only sustenance his soul could abide. “I can’t, Tess—not any longer,” he rasped, voice hoarse with a need he obviously could no longer deny, “I want to marry you now.”

Oh, Ben … She went completely still in his arms, her fingers at the nape of his neck suddenly limp and flat. Me, too, but … She sagged back, facial muscles wilted with a sadness she’d only displayed one other time. The night he’d revealed a past that had almost cost him her love.

Her heart ached as he fumbled in his pocket for the diamond ring he’d so longed for her to wear, holding it out with shaky fingers. “Marry me, Tess—tomorrow, the next day, I don’t care—but soon because I need you like I’ve never needed anyone before.” Her resolve weakened when he cradled her face in his hands. “In my life,” he whispered, nuzzling her neck with a tenderness that immediately lured her eyelids closed. “In my house …” He mated his mouth with hers, exploring until he coaxed a soft mew from her throat. “And most definitely in my bed …” he said with an answering groan, voice husky as he devoured her body and soul.

Her breathing was as ragged as his when she finally pushed him away, soggy eyes revealing the depth of her love.

And her hesitation.

“Ben, I love you, I do,” she said quietly, the deep slash between his brows putting a stranglehold on her heart, “and I want to be your wife so badly, I can taste it—”

“Oh, me too,” he said, diving right back in to nibble her neck all over again.

“But …” She squirmed from his grasp with two rigid palms, arms locked to keep him at bay. “I have concerns.”

The air in his chest seemed to slowly seep out. “My temper?”

She shimmied off his lap to slip back in her own chair, the absence of his warmth chilling her as much as the vulnerable look on his face. “Yes, your temper, although it’s not my chief concern at the moment because losing it only twice in a number of years is not a deal breaker.”

His throat convulsed several times before he spoke. “Deal breaker?” he whispered, voice a near croak as he slipped the ring back into his pocket.

She studied him with caring eyes that longed to kiss away every worry line in his face. “Jealousy, Ben,” she said softly, bracing her arms to her waist again as if shutting him out. “I can’t abide jealousy because nothing will destroy a relationship faster than that.” Her gaze veered beyond him to absently trace the shore, a mist of moisture glazing her eyes. “I never fully realized it at the time, but jealousy was one of the root problems in my marriage to Adam. Our fights escalated the last few years because he wanted me to attend conferences with him, you see, but I never wanted to go. I used my job as an excuse, which infuriated him, of course, and it was certainly a factor in the rift between us.”

She swallowed hard as she met his gaze once again. “But it wasn’t the main reason.” She looked away, skimming her arms as if she were cold, not knowing if it was because of the chill of a sudden sea breeze or her guilt, but either way, a shudder rippled her body. “It wasn’t until Adam and Karen got involved that I realized just why I couldn’t tolerate those stupid conferences where women flirted and fawned over Adam like I wasn’t even there. I was jealous and couldn’t handle it, so I chose to turn a blind eye to it all, trusting Adam far more than I should have.” Expelling a shaky breath, she finally faced him again. “So when he ran away with Karen, the monster of jealousy finally took over my soul, blackening my heart until it snuffed out any love I may have had for my husband.”

Ben reached to give her hand a squeeze. “That won’t happen, Tess, I promise.”

She stared at him for several seconds, regret etched into every pore of her face. “You can’t promise that, Ben, because it’s my Achilles’ heel.” A muscle jogged in her throat. “But I can promise you I will do everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t happen to us.”

He gave her a lazy smile while he slowly circled her palm with the pad of his thumb. “Put me under lock and key?”

She didn’t crack a smile. “No, Ben, not you. Your temper.”

He dropped her hand, eyes in a squint. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Huffing out a sigh, she rose to pace the deck, her arms in a tight fold. “It means I have two conditions before I put that ring on my finger, Dr. Carmichael, and you can either comply or we can call it quits.”

“You’re joking.” He stared, mouth dangling.

“Nope.” Her chin jutted up as if to prove her point. “Dead serious, Dr. Doom, and no amount of kissy-face is going to change my mind.”

 He ground his jaw as he leaned back in his chair, elbows on the armrest and fingers laced. “And what exactly are these ‘conditions,’ Tess?” he said, giving her a death glare over the clasp of his hands.

She held up a hand and one finger along with it. “One, I want you to deal with your bitterness towards Cam, because I refuse to marry a man where jealousy blackens his soul like it did mine.”

His lips took a hard twist. “It won’t, Tess, as long as he stays away from you.”

Head cocked, she sucked air through teeth clenched in a tight smile. “Yeah, well, that’s just it, Ben—Cam is my friend and as a widower who’s wife died from cancer, he’s helped me through my grief a lot, which means his friendship is here to stay—”

Ben shot to his feet. “Over my dead body,” he growled, “not if you become my wife.”

She scrunched her nose. “Which is a pretty big ‘if’ right about now, Doc, so you might want to hear me out.” She shrugged. “If not, I’ll be happy to give your eulogy.”

Leaning forward, he stared her down, hands perched low on his hips. “It would be downright irresponsible for you to even consider a friendship with another man, Tess, especially one I can’t stand, and there isn’t a marriage counselor alive who wouldn’t agree with me.”

“Maybe,” she said with a slow nod of her head, remembering that Adam had called her irresponsible once as well, and she supposed she had been. But this was different. Ben’s ring wasn’t on her finger yet, and unless he was willing to rid his heart of the bitterness he still harbored toward Cam, it didn’t look likely. The barest semblance of a smile flickered at the edge of her mouth as she arched a brow, hoping a tease would soften the blow. “But then it’s not the marriage counselors you want to take to bed, now is it, Dr. Doom?”

He turned away, slashing fingers through his hair. “This is nothing short of blackmail, and if you really loved me, you wouldn’t do this.”

“On the contrary, Ben, it’s because I love you that I am doing this.” His eyelids weighted closed as she tenderly touched his arm, her voice soft with the deep affection of a woman in love. “Why on earth would I stand by and allow the man I adore to be eaten up by bitterness when it’s a cancer we can cure?”

His ribcage deflated in one noisy bluster of air. “What else?” he bit out, tone as sharp as the hackles she’d apparently raised.

Silence reigned for several seconds before she whispered her second request. “I’d like for you and Cam to be friends.”

He spun around so fast, it made her dizzy, his eyes dry sockets of shock. “Are you crazy?”

She moved in close to wrap her arms around his neck, tone husky to convey her intent. “Yes. Undeniably, unequivocally, and certifiably crazy in love with an unbelievably stubborn man with whom I hope to spend the rest of my life.”

She stood on tiptoe to sway her lips against his, and he swallowed her up in a raspy groan. “God help me, I love you so much, it aches,” he whispered, taking her mouth with a ferocity that mirrored the love that they bore.

She pulled away to cup his face with her hand, a sheen of tears in her eyes she hoped told him that she felt the same. “That’s what I’m counting on, Dr. Doom,” she whispered, nuzzling his lips with a tenderness meant to drain all the anger from his soul. “But I promise you, Ben Carmichael, that once I say ‘I do,’ I’ll do everything in my power to make the ache go away.”

“You better,” he said with a mock snarl, tugging her lip with his teeth, “if befriending Phillips doesn’t kill me first.” Emitting a growl, he wandered her throat before gently biting her earlobe, obviously to let her know he wasn’t thrilled with her demands. “But you can’t blame me if he spits in my eye.”

“He won’t,” she said with an assurance she felt deep in her soul. “Cam’s a reasonable man, Ben, so all you have to do is dig down for some of that hidden charm you’ve buried beneath the surface like gold. And I know it’s there, Dr. Doom, or you wouldn’t have stolen my heart like you did”

He grunted, tugging her back on his lap after sitting back down. “Yeah? Well you might have to do some pretty heavy convincing, Miss Perky, before I’m ready to share any charm.” He burrowed his lips into the crook of her neck, making her squeal when he wandered back to explore her mouth with his own.

“Well …” She chuckled, twisting to do a little ear-tugging of her own. “Look at it this way. You won’t just be doing it for your future wife, you’ll be doing it for Karen,” she said softly, reminding him of the struggle he’d overcome to forgive his ex-wife. “And yourself, Ben, since making amends to her brother will finally put all your demons to rest.”

He pulled back to pierce her with his trademark Ben Carmichael glare, as if the significance of her statement had just hit him square in the chest. Inhaling deeply, he expelled it again in one long, arduous sigh of surrender. “I just hate to admit when you’re right.”

She feathered his ear with the softest of kisses before her mouth trailed to caress the bristle of his jaw. “I don’t know why, Dr. Doom,” she whispered, her chuckle lost in the sweet depths of her kiss. “I love you more when you do.”

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

and a light unto my path.

— Psalm 119:105

Without question, our Scripture quote today is one of my favorites because God’s Word has truly been — from the first moment I cracked the Bible open at the age of 23 — a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

So when I started writing books, the one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted each of my book titles to be Scriptures, not only to reflect the theme of the novel, but as my own silent prayer that they would somehow shine light on the importance of applying God’s Word in our lives.

For instance, my original series title for The Daughters of Boston was “The Wind of God” series, where each book had a Scripture title with the word “wind” in it:

— A Passion Most Pure originally was A Chasing After the Wind from Ecclesiastes 2:26.

— A Passion Redeemed originally was Chaff before the Wind from Psalm 83:13-16.

A Passion Denied originally was On the Wings of the Wind from Psalm 104:1-4.

And, yes, I will admit that Gone With the Wind did have a tiny bit of influence on me in wanting the word “wind” in the titles!

But I will also admit that Scriptures titles were SO important to me, that it pained me a great deal to give up my original title of my first book — A Chasing After the Wind — for the final title of A Passion Most Pure. 

You see, A Chasing after the Wind was pretty much the theme woven throughout the book, and so I was grateful when Revell let me keep that Scripture on the opening page. For me, “wind” is symbolic of the Holy Spirit, which fit because the heroine, Faith O’Connor was “chasing after the wind,” that is, the Holy Spirit or God’s leading in her life. But the hero, Collin McGuire, too, is “chasing after the wind,” but in his case, it’s the wind of futility, chasing after his will (sin) rather than God’s, which according to Solomon, is “meaningless” and nothing more than “a chasing after the wind.”

So after Revell said the original title had to go, I came up with the title of A Passion Most Pure … along with about 80 others (yes, I am a bit anal), but I admit that I did not like it at first. My daughter remarked, “Mom, will anybody really buy a romance novel with the word ‘pure’ in the title?” Unfortunately, I wondered the same thing, but Revell knew what they were doing and I now feel the title fits perfectly—reflecting not only romantic passion that strives to remain pure, but passion for God, which really is “A Passion Most Pure.”

Needless to say, when I got the opportunity to Indie publish my own series, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted Scripture titles/themes for all three books. Originally book 1, Isle of Hope: Unfailing Love, was to be Unfailing Love. But I loved the title Isle of Hope soooooo much, that I decided to not only make it the name of the series, but also make it the main title of book 1 with the subtitle of Unfailing Love.

Clear as marsh mud off the shores of Isle of Hope?

Yeah, I can be pretty confusing. But if you think you’re confused, you should be inside my mind! Not pretty!

So the Scripture theme for book 1 in the Isle of Hope Series, Isle of Hope: Unfailing Love is:

Many are the woes of the wicked,

but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him.

—Psalm 32:10

Which is, as many of you already know who’ve read it, perfect for the heroine Lacey Carmichael, whose wild lifestyle brings nothing but “woe” prior to her prodigal return to her hometown of Isle of Hope, Georgia. But as Lacey had to learn — and I, too, in my own life — God’s “unfailing love” does not fail when we turn to Him and His Word.

Which brings me to book 2 in the Isle of Hope Series, Love Everlasting, my September release that you will be able to preorder soon, so stay tuned to Journal Jots! My Scripture theme for LE is:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

therefore I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

I will build you up again, and you will be rebuilt …”

—Jeremiah 31:3-4

A love that lasts forever is exactly what the heroine, Shannon O’Bryen, and the hero, Sam Cunningham, are looking for, although neither really believes it’s a reality since both have been badly betrayed in love. But it’s God’s “unfailing love” that draws them, woos them, and builds them up again, awakening them not only to His everlasting love, but the prospect of a human love that can last forever too.

In book 3, Love Unchanging, we have a rebellious heroine, Cat O’Bryen, who has turns her back on God and His precepts. But despite it all, the pastor hero, Chase Griffin, remains steadfast in his friendship with her, his love changing no matter what she does. Just like God’s love for us, which makes the Scripture title/theme below all the more poignant.

Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity

and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?

He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love.

—Micah 7:18

Sigh … I love romance, and everyone reading this blog today knows that. But as far as I’m concerned, there is no romance more powerful than Christian romance, which not only gives you a great love story to light up your heart, but a lamp to light up your life.

Hugs and Happy Weekend!

Julie

 

99-Cent Sale!!

99-CENT SALE ON A GLIMMER OF HOPE! I’m gearing up for the release of Love Everlasting with a sale on the prequel novella to Isle of Hope — A Glimmer of Hope — so if you haven’t read it yet, now’s a good time! It has a 5-star rating on Amazon and will give you a sneak peek into Isle of Hope, plus the first chapter, so I hope you check it out!

A Glimmer of Hope

  

 

Contest!

Win your name in Love Everlasting (which will also be in paperback by Christmas) along with a signed copy!!

How? INSPIRED READS (which is a great Christian freebie/sale ebook site, so I recommend subscribing) is asking its readers to let them know what Christian Kindle books you would like to see more of AND give them the names of your favorite authors! 

So ALL you have to do is go to the Inspired Reads Facebook page at the link below and leave a comment telling them who your favorite authors are. Please note you are not required to mention me to enter the contest, but if my books are favorites of yours, I would greatly appreciate the mention. Then come back here and enter the Rafflecopter box below. Easy, right? I will announce the winner in the September 2nd Journal Jot.

INSPIRED READS CHRISTIAN KINDLE BOOKS ON A BUDGET

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

therefore I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

Again I will build you up again, and you will be rebuilt …”

—Jeremiah 31:3-4

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That sound is a huge sigh of relief that book 2 in my Isle of Hope series, Love Everlasting, is finally finished and on its way to publication, so WHOO-HOO!!!!

Now, I’m not sure how I’m going to transition from Isle of Hope in 2016 … to Virginia City, Nevada in 1885 for book 1 in my Western series that will release next year, but hopefully it won’t be too difficult. You see, I took a sneak peek at the first chapter I’d written for Love’s Silver Lining, book 1 in the Silver Lining Ranch series that I sold to Gilead, and I’m happy to say it got me revved for the Wild West. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that there’s a near-naked cowboy clad in only a sheet at the waist, a runaway bride, and a crotchety nun. Pique your interest? Hope so, because it should be fun!

But I digress because TODAY is the day I promised sneak peeks at the hero and heroine of Love Everlasting and the first and second chapters. But first, here’s the jacket blurb:

He sets hearts on fire.

She’s been burned by love.

Can hope survive the flames of the past?

School teacher by day, ghostwriter by night, sweet and shy Shannon O’Bryen doesn’t mind writing romance on the sly, but to live it? No, thank you, not since the man she loved turned out to be a player who broke both her heart and her spirit. Now focused more on her faith and her fiction, she vows the next time she falls in love, it will be safely—through the pages of a book.

Dr. Sam Cunningham is a charismatic player who breaks hearts as regularly as he washes his pearl-white Corvette. Abandoned as a baby, Sam was an orphan shuffled through the foster-care system, bitterly driven to prove he is worthy of love—the kind that lasts forever. Once he learns Shannon is a romance writer, he coerces her into helping him win back his ex-girlfriend. Shannon teaches him about faith and the true definition of love, and he soon discovers he’s been seeking it in the wrong place all along—and with the wrong girl. But can he convince a woman who’s been burned by love to open her eyes—and her heart—to a love everlasting?

THE HEROINE, SHANNON TERESE O’BRYEN:

Okay, since Shannon and Cat are twin sisters, I needed to find one actress or model who could appear both sweet and shy like Shannon and then sassy and sexy like Cat (whose faith in God went south when her pastor dad deserted the family years prior). And I think I did pretty well. Shannon and Cat have strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes, which matches the actress below, whom I’m sure you’ll all recognize.

The top shot is how I see Shannon — shy, sweet, serious, and caring. And the bottom shot is how I see her twin sister Cat, who is sassy, flirty, spunky.

THE HERO, DR. SAM (HAM) CUNNINGHAM:

I’ve had a real struggle finding Dr. Sam Cunningham because he has dark curly hair, brown eyes, and was the “heartthrob of Memorial Hospital” before Jack ousted him, so he’s supposed to be incredibly hot. Here’s what I came up with, but if any of you out there send me a pic that you like better of what Sam could look like and I use it, I will send you a signed copy of Love Everlasting.

Okay … ready to read Chapters One and Two? Okay, Chapter One can be found HERE at the end of the blog. And Chapter Two follows at the end of this blog, so I hope you enjoy this sneak peek at Love Everlasting.

Hugs and Happy Weekend! Julie

 

99-Cent Sale!!

99-CENT SALE ON A GLIMMER OF HOPE! I’m gearing up for the release of Love Everlasting with a sale on the prequel novella to Isle of Hope, A Glimmer of Hope, so if you haven’t read it yet, now’s a good time! It has a 5-star rating on Amazon and will give you a sneak peek into Isle of Hope, plus the first chapter, so I hope you check it out!

A Glimmer of Hope

 

Chapters 1 and 2 of Love Everlasting!

 

I have loved you with an everlasting love;

therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

Again I will build you up again, and you will be rebuilt …

—Jeremiah 31:3-4

 

Chapter One

Isle of Hope, Georgia, May 2015

“Okay, smile pretty—hot guys at three o’clock.”

Shannon O’Bryen smiled, more because of her friend Margo’s mumbled man alert than the need to charm any “hot guy.” Tugging the neckline of her sequin halter dress a bit lower, Margo casually skimmed a pinky along the rim of her Diet D.P., nonchalantly chatting about a book she’d discussed with Shannon, Cat, and Amy not five minutes ago. When her finger slid from the rim into her soda, Shannon could do nothing but giggle. The sound set off a chain reaction of laughter around the table in the middle of a fancy fundraiser for Memorial Hospital.

Peeking over her shoulder, Shannon expelled a sigh of relief, grateful the “hot guys” were only her brother Jack and his coworker, Sam Cunningham. Because although each of the girls around the table were looking for Mr. Right, Shannon was definitely not one of them. Despite the slinky blue dress and four-inch heels her twin sister Cat had coerced her to wear. Nope, she preferred her Prince Charming confined between the covers of a book, thank you very much, where he couldn’t stomp on her heart.

“Well, one viable ‘hot guy,’ anyway,” Shannon’s twin sister Cat said with a lazy smile, a twinkle in her blue eyes as she fluffed the back of her long strawberry blonde hair. “My brother Jack is taken, but his doctor friend, Sam Cunningham, is still very available.”

“And very, very attractive,” Amy whispered with a gulp while Margo sucked DP off of her finger. Both girls covertly tracked the progress of Jack and Sam as they headed their way through a sea of people and tables.

Too attractive. Shannon watched as Sam flirted with every girl he could on the way to their table, Jack’s warning that Sam was a “player” resonating deep in Shannon’s soul. No matter the boyish twinkle in brown eyes that made every girl feel special or a crooked smile always tipped with tease, Shannon had no doubt that beneath that magnetic façade was a man whose good looks and lust for women spelled doom for any girl sucked into his orbit. Whirling them around and around in a lovelorn spin that only made them dizzy.

And so sick that avoidance was the only cure.

“Heeeeeey, ladies, I’m in dire need of a dance partner, so who’s willing to help me out?” Dr. Sam Cunningham ambled forward with hands in the pockets of his tux, his shirt and tie as disheveled as the dark curls that spilled over his forehead.

“You’re in dire need, all right,” Jack said with a slant of a smile, his eyes far more sober than Sam appeared to be, “of a lift home.” Looping an arm around Sam’s shoulder, he homed in on Shannon. “Shan, would you mind driving Sam home? I’m up next on the podium for some announcements, so I can’t take him right now, and he’s pretty hammered. He’s feeling no pain, but I’ll tell you what—his bar tab will give him sticker shock on the next credit card statement.”

Shannon blinked, stomach roiling over going anywhere with Sam Cunningham. “Uh … sure, Jack, but wouldn’t a cab be better?”

“I don’t wanna go home,” Sam interrupted, a faint slur of his words a perfect complement to the glassy look in his eyes. “I wanna dance.”

“Yeah, well you can dance your way to Shan’s car, dude, because you’re in no shape to do anything but crash.”

“I’ll drive him home.” Cat jumped up so fast, she jolted the table, sploshing everyone’s drinks along with it. She caught her lip with her teeth, giving a waggle of brows while she reached for her purse. “I’ve been wanting to get to know Sam better anyway.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Sam said with a wayward grin. “Jack’s been way too possessive of you girls, if you ask me.” He gave Cat a slow wink. “Forbidden fruit, I suppose.”

“In your dreams, Dr Love.” Jack flashed Cat a wry smile, resorting to his role of annoying big brother that Cat always accused him of. “Sorry, Catfish, but that would be the blind leading the blind, so I’ll stick with the sober and sensible twin.” He zeroed in on Shannon once again, the plea in his eyes weakening her defenses. “Shan, I really hate to ask, but I don’t trust Sam in a cab because he’ll just go to a club and drink.”

“What are you, O’Bryen, my mother?” Sam scowled, and even that looked good on him.

Shannon chewed at her lip, not sure why Jack would put her in a situation like this with a Romeo he’d warned both Cat and her about.

“Come on, Cat, let’s dance …” Sam extended his hand to her sister, practically tripping on the leg of a chair when he rounded the table.

Ignoring Sam’s comment, Jack bent close to Shannon’s ear, kneading her shoulder in a coaxing manner. “Normally I wouldn’t let Sam within a mile of either you or Cat, sis, but he’s hurtin’ pretty bad because Jazz showed up with another guy.” Jack glanced across the ballroom to where Jasmine Augustine—both his and Sam’s ex-girlfriend—laughed and danced with some good-looking guy. “So I don’t trust him to go straight home.” His smile was laced with apology. “Nor do I trust him with any woman in this room but you, Shan. Unlike most players, Ham has an innate kindness and sensitivity that naturally disarms people. I swear he’s so lousy with a bone-deep charisma, the man can charm the spots off a leopard. So I need someone mature and levelheaded, with an immunity to players.”

Shannon sighed. Ah yes, my immunity to players. I’ve definitely been inoculated by the best.

“All right, Jack.” She tossed her purse strap over her shoulder with a heavy sigh as she rose. Pushing her chair in, she gave him a twist of a smile. “But you owe me, big brother.”

“And then some,” Jack said with a kiss to her head. He tucked a finger to her chin. “And don’t let him bamboozle you, Shan. The man has a masters in roguery, so it might be good to lend him an ear, but nothing else.” He tugged on her hair. “He keeps a key under the potted palm by his front door, and his address is 665 Parkway, Apt. B.”

“The operative word being “potted,” she said with more sarcasm than normal.

He grinned. “I have his car keys, so Lacey and I will drive his car home later, okay? Just get him inside and make sure he stays there.”

Shannon’s mouth went flat. “You want me to tuck him in too?”

Jack grinned. “Might be a nice touch, but not necessary.” He leveled a finger at her with a mock glare. “I don’t want you within twenty feet of his bedroom, young lady, you got that?” He winked. “I’m trusting you, Shan.”

“Glad one of us does,” she mumbled, shaking her head when she turned to see Sam dipping Cat in a dance move next to the table, almost dropping her.

“Okay, come on, Twinkletoes.” Jack pulled Sam away from Cat to hook an arm over his shoulder, carefully guiding him toward the door. He tossed Cat an off-center grin. “And if I ever see you dancing with this joker again, Catfish, I’m going to toss you into the river, got it? He’s off-limits to you and Shan because he’s dangerous to women’s health.”

“Yeah?” Sam mumbled, stumbling along beside Jack, “then how come it’s my health that took the hit this time?”

“Have fun, you lucky duck,” Margo called as Shannon followed Jack and Sam to the door. “Sure wish it were me.”

“Me too,” Shannon muttered, wondering if she could talk Jack into putting Sam in the trunk.

“Jack, I’m fine, I swear.” Sam’s argument sounded convincing enough except for a near miss with a chair, and Shannon couldn’t help the ghost of a smile when her brother gave him a Gibbs smack to the back of the head.

Shannon could have kissed Jack when he dumped Sam into the back seat of her car instead of the front, where a low groan coaxed another smile to her lips.

“I think I’m gonna die …” His voice was no more than a croak as he lay face down across the seat of her mother’s 1999 Chevy Impala, his bristled jaw flat against her beige upholstery.

“No you won’t, Ham,” Jack said, employing the nickname Sam had earned in residency because of his practical jokes and show-off tendencies. “You just need to get past this obsession with Jasmine and move on with your life, man. There are other fish in the sea.”

A hiccough interrupted Sam’s moan. “I don’t like fish. I like her. She’s one in a million.”

“Yeah, and so’s the headache you’re gonna have come morning, bro, if you don’t get some decent sleep.” He shoved the rest of Sam’s legs into the car and slammed the door, opening the passenger side to offer Shan a penitent smile. “I can’t thank you enough, Shan. Jazz dumped him for some new intern, and it’s been a rough week for him, you know?”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she whispered, her heart aching for him despite his inebriated state. “Is there anything else I can do to help cheer him up?”

“Yeah, you can pray for him, and maybe even share some of that wisdom you’re so famous for. Never seen Ham this down before, and it has me a little worried, you know?”

“Sure, Jack.” She peeked into the back seat where snores could be heard while drool puddled on the upholstery. “I feel bad for the poor guy.”

Jack grinned. “I knew you would because of your oversized heart of gold, kiddo, but not too much, okay? Ham has been known to take advantage of the kindness of strangers.”

A grin tugged at Shannon’s lips as she glanced over her shoulder. “Doesn’t look like he could take advantage of much of anything right now.” She wrinkled her nose. “Except Mom’s car seat.”

“Yeah, well that’s when he’s at his most dangerous, I’m afraid, catching woman off-guard with his little-boy charm. So unconscious or not, keep your distance, okay?”

She started the car with its customary sputter and a growl, shifting into gear as she slid Jack a wry smile. “Distance would be a cab, Jack, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good girl.” With two firm taps of her roof, Jack closed the door, hands in his pockets as he watched her drive away.

A snort sounded from the back seat and Shannon had no choice but to smile. A cab, definitely.

In another state.

 

Chapter Two

 Stupid fly. Sam Cunningham swatted at the insect, its stupid buzzing getting on Sam’s last nerve. It landed again, and he literally growled, flailing his arm to shoo it away. “Beat it, before I nail your butt to the wall.”

“Now that I’d like to see.”

Sam jolted up with a groan, drool smeared on the side of his mouth as he squinted into the eyes of an angel.

Okay, he couldn’t be dead because his head was pounding too hard, and dead people didn’t feel pain, right? Not unless … He shot straight up, head in a vice as he groaned in misery, kneading his temples. His stomach burned like the devil and his throat was so parched, it felt like it was on fire.

Uh-oh … fire!

Yep, he was dead.

And now he was going to pay for his sins.

“You’re not going to throw up, are you?” A quiet voice asked, soft with sympathy.

He glanced up at the angel through slits in his eyes, voice barely a croak. “I might. Where am I?” he rasped.

“The back seat of my car, and I’m Jack’s sister in case you don’t remember.” She gently tugged on his arm, obviously hoping to remove him from her vehicle. “Which would be a miracle, given the brain cells you destroyed tonight.”

He grunted, gingerly attempting to unfold himself from the car while bowling balls ricocheted in his head. “I don’t believe in miracles.”

“You should—it’s a miracle you’re even alive after the alcohol you consumed.”

“Wish I wasn’t,” he muttered, hand to his eyes as he teetered on the sidewalk, limbs as limp as the crumpled tie dangling around his neck. He sniffed. “What’s that awful smell?”

“Vomit. You puked on your tie and shirt,” she said, the empathy in her tone now laced with a hint of a smile.

He groaned. “Noooo! This is my best tie—a Ralph Lauren black.” One eye opened a sliver. “Not in your car, I hope?”

“Nope, that’s miracle number two—you puked in the parking lot, so Jack and I cleaned you up first with wet wipes I keep in my glove compartment.”

“For sloppy drunks you happen to cart home?” He managed to scrape his eyes open all the way, noticing for the first time just how pretty she was.

“Nope, you’re my first.” She hooked an arm to his waist. “Ready?”

“Always,” he said with a smile that was worth the pain, “when there’s a pretty woman by my side.”

She paused, face in a pinch as she stared up with mouth agape. “Seriously? You’re going to hit on me when you can barely walk and smell like puke?”

He gave a faint shrug, smile sheepish. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

“I guarantee you, Dr. Cunningham,” she said in a stern tone tempered with tease, “the only thing you’re going to gain with comments like that is a whop alongside the head.”

“Ouch.” He grinned while she steered him toward his luxury villa with a strength and determination that belied her small size. “I can take it from here—Shannon, is it?”

“Yes, but I have strict orders to get you inside and down for the night before I leave, so I’m here till I get the dirty deed done.”

He chuckled. “Ah yes, the ‘sober and sensible twin.”

“That’s right, Dr. Love,” she said, employing Jack’s nickname for him while she turned the key in his door, “which means the party’s over and you’re done for the night.”

“Wait …” He spun around, heart in his throat. “Where’s my car?”

“Jack’ll deliver it in the morning, Doc, so move it inside, please.” She nudged him into his spacious marble foyer that never failed to elicit a feeling of pride, always reminding him he’d finally arrived. A far cry from a flea-bitten room over a bar on the wrong side of the tracks, Sam’s villa—along with his “preowned” pearl white Corvette—were his pride and joy. Absolute proof he was worth something, despite desertion by a two-bit mother and the rantings of a foster father who claimed he’d only amount to a pile of dung.

He fumbled to turn on the light, then reveled in the gasp that popped from Shannon’s lips, her voice tinged with an awe he never tired of hearing. “Wow, this is some place, Doc,” she whispered, eyes peering up the vaulted foyer with its sleek chrome and natural teak stairway that zigzagged against a floor-to-ceiling wall of glass. Cream walls resplendent with equally pale modern works of art were beautifully complemented by a central circular mirror and a lush spray of white calla lilies in a tall pottery vase. Each and every piece deliberately designed to evoke the clean and simple beauty he so craved in his own life.

“It’s so striking,” she whispered, leaving his side to wander the entryway with a look of awe as if she were Alice perusing Wonderland for the very first time. “Utterly clean and pure. Not at all what I expected of a notorious bachelor.” She turned, the look of astonishment on her face making him grin and wince at the same time. “Wow! You didn’t do this yourself, did you? I mean a designer put it together for you, right?”

“Nope, all mine,” he said, chest swelling with pride even as his stomach rebelled with a twinge of nausea. He fought it off, suddenly aware he smelled like a pub on payday.

Her jaw actually dropped. “I don’t believe it.”

He forced a flirtatious smile, barely minding the throb in his head. “Every shade of paint, every stick of furniture, every piece of art,” he said with a hand to his heart, “straight out of my depraved brain, I promise.” He suddenly steadied himself with a hand to the wall, a flashback from his childhood making him dizzier than the booze in his body.

“I’ll come back soon, I promise,” his mother always said, night after night, the stench of alcohol on her breath making him nauseous. Only she never did, leaving a skin-and-bones five-year-old to fend for himself in a rat-infested room over a dive of a bar. And when her lush of a boyfriend gave her a choice between Sam and him? Sam’s teeth ground hard as he swayed on his feet. No contest. Because his so-called mother was weak—seeking her self-worth in a loser who had absolutely no worth at all. While giving her son promises that were worth even less.

“No,” Sam stressed with a hint of a slur, focusing glassy eyes on a woman who for some strange reason, he wanted to know the truth. “I give you my word,” he emphasized with surprising clarity, “because you see, Miss O’Bryen, promises are nothing more than a puff of air. But my word is my unbreakable bond, as honest and pure as I can ever hope to be.” The dizziness passed, and he stood up straight and tall, the “player” in play once again. “Because despite my notoriously black reputation, I am inexplicably drawn to things that are simple and pure, honest and clean, and completely unblemished by my own sordid life.”

Her gaze met his and held. “It’s beautiful,” she said softly, head tipped as if she couldn’t quite figure him out.

“Thank you.” He leaned on the knob of the open door, making every effort not to waver on his feet. “Unlike its owner at the moment, I’m afraid. It seems I’m in dire need of a shower.”

She simply stared, her calm look of compassion so disarming that the smile slowly dissolved on his face. All at once, he felt his shoulders relax, the need to impress suddenly as absent as his sobriety. “Thank you, Shannon,” he said quietly, somewhat baffled by the calming effect that she had, “for putting up with me tonight and getting me home.” He took a stab at a smile that came out more as a flinch. “I’ll be happy to have the inside of your car fumigated and detailed, so just send me the bill.”

For some reason the kindness in her eyes put a hitch in his throat he could only blame on the booze. She slipped her purse off her shoulder and laid it on the teak half-moon table. “That won’t be necessary,” she said with a faint smile, “but I suspect a pot of coffee will be. Can you direct me to the kitchen?”

He studied her through bleary eyes, wondering if the aura of innocence he detected was real or just the effect of the alcohol on his brain. “You don’t have to do that, Shannon. The vomit was already above and beyond the call of duty, so I’ll give Jack a good report.”

She huffed out a sigh bigger than her. “Sorry, Doc, blame it on the curse of being the sensible and sober twin because that means I follow orders, and Jack asked me to make sure you go to bed and don’t go out again. So if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to follow through with coffee and even lend an ear if you like.”

He stared for several dizzy seconds, then shut the door, figuring a cup of coffee was preferable to a vertigo spin in bed. “Sure. Kitchen’s down the hall, and it won’t take me three minutes to shower.” He eyed the lofty staircase with a dull gaze. “Now the stairs? Might be more like twenty.”

She paused halfway to the kitchen. “Need help?”

“Nope.” He made his way to the staircase, trying hard not to weave. “The hangover will be wicked enough without Jack’s fist if I get one of his sisters into my bedroom.”

“O-Okay.” She spun on her heel and all but sprinted down the hall.

But not before he saw the delicate rise of color in her face that lured a smile to his lips. He shook his head as he methodically scaled one step at a time, fisting the steel banister to hold himself up. He sure didn’t blame Jack for banning him from his sisters, especially Shannon. There was something so sweet and wholesome about her that it almost made him want to protect her himself.

He paused at the top of the stairs to catch his breath, the thought of Jack’s sister in his “lair” quirking his lips. Obviously Jack was concerned about Sam’s welfare enough to put his sister in harm’s way, which only deepened his gratitude to the man who was quickly becoming a close friend. His mouth crooked. Even if he was annoyingly bent on saving Sam’s soul.

Plodding into his massive bedroom, he peeled off his clothes, leaving a trail on his way to the master bath before turning the shower all the way to scalding. Woozy, he braced his hands on the vanity, mind as foggy as the steam billowing behind him like thunderclouds portending a doozy of a storm. He peered into the mirror, muscled arms taut with his weight while bleary eyes and a sagging face shadowed with bristle confirmed the storm was already here.

And it was a stinkin’ category five.

He dropped his head, the pain in his chest suddenly making the throb in his brain look like lollipops on immunization day because he’d lost Jazz again.

A second time.

And losing always left a bitter taste in his mouth.

You’re nothing but a loser, kid, just like your old lady.

Kind of like spewing in a parking lot, only this time the nausea was in his heart.

Peering up, he saw a ripped body honed at the gym and chiseled features Jazz once likened to a Greek god, and determination steeled his bones. Because inside he knew his feelings for Jasmine and hers for him went far deeper than a pretty face. “You’ll be back, Jazz,” he whispered, “because I’m the one you come to when you’re hurting, and the one who makes you laugh when other makes you cry.”

Like Jack when he dumped you for Lacey.

An odd mix of resentment and regard churned in his gut along with the booze, reminding him that it had been Jack who’d stolen Jazz away the first time after Sam cheated on her. But then it was Jack who’d sent her running right back after Jack up and married Lacey. Jasmine had been devastated, but Sam had been ready, wooing her back with love and understanding and an iron-clad resolve to never stray again.

Until she dumped him for an intern.

Sam’s eyes shuttered closed. Just like his so-called fiancée dumped him in college.

Right after she had an affair with his professor, destroying Sam’s confidence along with the man’s marriage.

Mind and body wobbling, he quickly opened his eyes, desperate to purge the memory from his brain along with the alcohol from his system.

Stepping into the shower, he welcomed the hot water that battered his body raw. Well, he’d lost Jazz twice, but he’d also won her twice, and if it took every trick in the book, he’d do it again. His jaw automatically hardened, resolve to win her back pummeling through his veins as hard as the steaming water pummeled his body. But right now he needed to numb the ache in his heart, so he’d start with a cup of coffee with a pretty woman who just might help fill the hole in his chest.

At least for a while. He lathered his body, aching with the need to feel worthy and clean. He suddenly thought of Shannon, and his body instantly relaxed, the thought of coffee with her suddenly the only thing he wanted to do. After all, he could use an honest sounding board after all the angst Jasmine had put him through. And he’d begin tonight by picking Shannon’s brain as to how he might win her back. Because Shannon did mention lending an ear.

Stepping out of the shower, he expelled a burdensome sigh. And maybe, if she realized just how badly he was hurting, she’d lend him even more. Like a few innocent kisses—and only kisses—from a woman who could help ease his pain. Sagging over the sink, he kneaded the throb in his temple, desperate to free himself of this awful loneliness that always haunted his brain. His eyelids weighted closed. Because he had to.

Jack’s sister or no.