“I like the sound of that. But still, I need to make a phone call. By tonight, there’ll be a ring on your finger.”
The one thing she knew about Gray Preston was, when he was determined to make something happen, it happened. “Okay. Ring on my finger tonight. Got it.”
He leaned back and pulled her against him again. “See? There’s nothing we can’t accomplish together. Just wait ’til we start making babies.”
She grinned. She couldn’t wait for that part, either.
Dear Reader:
I hope you enjoyed Gray and Evelyn’s love story in One Sweet Ride. There will be more stories to come in the Play-by-Play series, when Carolina and Drew’s story, Melting the Ice, releases in February 2014.
In the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to Emma Burnett and Luke McCormack, the first couple in my new Hope contemporary romance series. Hope Flames is the first book in this series, and will follow the lives of people who live in Hope, Oklahoma, a small town in northeast Oklahoma. I’ve wanted to write a small-town contemporary romance series for a while now, and fortunately, Berkley has given me the chance to do that.
Emma has returned to Hope after a long absence, and has set up a veterinary medicine practice. She’s come to town carrying scars from her past, hoping to clean the slate and start fresh. The last thing she wants is to get involved with anyone, as her last relationship left bitter memories that can’t be easily forgotten. But when she meets police officer Luke McCormack, he reminds her how long it has been since she’s opened her heart. Luke has scars of his own from a bad marriage, so he steers clear of relationships, but there’s something about Emma that draws him in. Can the two of them heal their damaged pasts and find a love that will give them hope for the future?
I hope you’ll pick up Hope Flames when it releases in September 2013, and enjoy this first chapter excerpt that follows.
As always, thank you for your support. I love hearing from you!
Jaci
HOPE FLAMES
WHO KNEW GOING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in debt could be so exhilarating?
Emma Burnett could barely contain her excitement as she looked over every aspect of her just-about-to-open new veterinary practice with a heavy dose of pride and more than a little trepidation.
It was six fifteen in the morning. Her staff would be arriving soon. She grinned at the thought. She had a staff now.
“We’re here, Daisy. We made it.”
Daisy, her yellow Labrador retriever, thumped her tail and looked up at her, dark eyes filled with adoration. You had to love a dog because no matter what happened, they’d always love you back. You could have an awful day, be grouchy and in the worst mood, and your dog would still sit at your feet and be there for you.
Emma rubbed Daisy’s head and locked up her bag in her office, then closed the door, moving into the lobby. Daisy followed along, sniffing every square inch of gleaming tile Emma had spent the weekend polishing to perfection.
Sure, she could have had a cleaning service do that, but this place was hers and she wanted to do it herself.
This place was hers. She still couldn’t quite believe it.
She swept her hand over the reception desk, tapped her finger on the desktop computer that was hopefully filled with appointments for the day, then moved on through the double doors leading to the back room where the sparkling instruments awaited her first touch.
Cages were ready, and so were the exam rooms. The OR was prepped. Everything was spotless and sterilized.
She was in debt up to her eyeballs, but come hell or rising water from the creek down the road, this place was all hers now. It had taken years and more than a few major detours, but Hope Small Animal Hospital was now owned and operated by Dr.
Emma Burnett, DVM.
She inhaled and blew it out, letting the dual feelings of satisfaction and utter terror wash over her. At least this time it was a healthy dose of terror. Not like before.
It would never be like before again. She’d lost five years of her life on that mistake and now, at thirty-two, she was making a late start. But after going back to school and working with a veterinary group in South Carolina, she was finally home and on her own with a practice that was all hers.
A knock on the front door made her startle. She curled her fingers into her palms.
“Calm, Emma. This is your big day.” She hurried to the door, grabbing her keys out of her lab coat pocket.
It was Rachel, her receptionist, along with Leanne, her tech. Her two assistants were the gas in the engine that drove this clinic. She smiled and unlocked the door. “Good morning.”
“Mornin’, Dr. Emma,” Rachel said with a grin, her arms laden with donuts and coffee. “Thought you could use these.”
“It’s so good to be back here again,” Leanne said, her long blonde hair braided into two pigtails, her purple scrubs plastered with tiny paw prints.
Totally adorable.
“You’re my lifesavers. Both of you. Thank you.”