Title: Who Wants To Marry A Doctor?
Author: Abigail Sharpe
Release date: July 1st, 2014
About Who Wants To Marry A Doctor:
The Doctor Is In . . .
As a single mom and pediatrician, Sabrina Bankhead doesn't have time for romance. All that changes when she reluctantly agrees to take part in a dating show fundraiser for a children's hospital. But once she sets eyes on the journalist hired to cover the show, none of the four contestants stand a chance. If she doesn't choose one of the eligible bachelors, the hospital doesn't raise a cent. What's a lovestruck doc to do?
Investigative journalist Quinn Donnelly is on the mend after an assignment in Afghanistan left him both physically and emotionally scarred. Though he's itching to return overseas and finish his story, he'll have to be content with this fluff piece assignment to cover a local dating show. One-night stands are Quinn's forte-but after he meets Sabrina, he's ready to say yes for the long haul. After years of chasing the next big story, Quinn is starting to wonder if maybe home really can be where the heart is . . .
Excerpt:
Shy Ann’s was next in Quinn’s quest to find Sabrina. He opened the door and surveyed the patrons. Sure enough, she sat by the bar, the top of her lovely head barely visible among the crowd. No one sat next to her.
She swiveled in her chair as if an unknown force made her turn around. After a brief second of eye contact, she slowly and deliberately turned away from the door.
A surge of energy passed through him and he marched up to the other side of the bar, away from Sabrina and near the bell that hung over the counter. “Melora!”
The other woman turned at the sound of her name but frowned when she saw who called it. She poured him a Guinness and slammed it down on the counter. “Drink this and go.”
“Melora, I have a problem!”
Instead of ringing the bell and getting the attention of everyone at the bar, Melora turned away and got another drink order. Quinn steeled himself with determination and rang the bell himself. “Hey, Dr. Bankhead! I have a problem!”
The crowd quieted down and every pair of eyes focused on him. Murmured conversations carried through the restaurant, but he held Melora’s gaze. Her angry gaze, with eyes narrowed and lips pursed together. To keep from yelling what she really wanted, Quinn was sure.“Quinn has a problem!” she shouted through gritted teeth. He didn’t care.
“The doctor is in!” roared the crowd.
“What’s your problem? Asshole.” She said the last part quietly enough that only those around the bell heard.
He took a deep breath. This was it. His one chance. “I’m involved with the smartest, prettiest, funniest woman on the planet. Only something happened and now she thinks I’m the biggest jerk to ever walk the hallowed streets of Harbin.”
“Then I’d say you should cut your losses and get the hell out of our town.”
“I’m not finished. The thing that happened. It was completely independent of anything I did. Only she won’t let me close enough to explain.”
Melora tapped her finger on the bar and shot a look over at her sister. Sabrina shook her head.
“If this woman is as smart as you say she is, then you’re out of luck. The doctor has spoken!”
The crowd cheered in approval, but Quinn wasn’t done. He flipped a nickel in the jar that read Psychiatric Help, 5¢, and rang the bell again. When Melora didn’t turn around, he kept ringing.
“What now?”
The crowd quieted again. Quinn ignored Melora and turned to Sabrina. “I can’t leave it like this.”
Sabrina hopped off her stool and came to his side of the bar amid the hushed whispers of the other patrons. Her lips fixed in a small half-smile and ran her fingers lightly down his chest. Her eyes told him this was not an act of forgiveness but he braced himself for whatever she wanted to dish out. He deserved it.
“Quinn, I believe I act for all womankind when I do this.” She lifted his glass of beer and poured the drink on his head, then shook the remnants out.
The cool shock of the drink was nothing like the ice that replaced the fire in his belly. The crowd quieted down while beer poured down his hair and cheeks and wet his shirt and jeans, eventually dripping to his feet.
“Okay, then.” He held his voice low and smooth. Another bartender tossed him a towel, and he wiped his face, then folded the material neatly and handed it back, his desire tightly reined and shoved into the deep recesses of his soul. “The doctors have spoken!”
The patrons roared and he put a twenty dollar bill in the jar. He left without looking back at the woman who had almost changed his life.
About Abigail Sharpe:
Abigail is a Boston-bred Yankee now eating grits and saying “y’all” in North Central Florida. She dreamed more of being a stage actress or joining the CIA than being an author. While she still enjoys participating in community theater productions and singing karaoke, the secret-agent career was replaced by hours at her computer, writing stories of love and laughter and happily ever after.
About SIGNED, SEALED,
DELIVERED:
Juliana has spent thirteen
years in the same teaching job. She's ready to dive into a new career with both
feet . . . when a run-in with the hottest man she's ever seen knocks her head
over heels. But with her failed marriage to a fellow teacher fresh on her mind,
Jules can't afford to lose herself in a relationship-no matter how perfect it
may seem. Connor Wilson has hit rock
bottom when he loses his career as a top-notch Realtor because of a large
gambling debt. Now, in a small town he finds a fresh start-and a gorgeous
redhead who sparks new life into him. Together they start a successful real
estate company, but when pleasure sneaks into the business, they'll have to
decide what they can let go . . . and what they can't live without.
About Sandy James:
Sandy James lives in a quiet
suburb of Indianapolis with her husband. She's a high school social studies
teacher who especially loves psychology and United States history. Since she
and her husband own a small stable of harness racehorses, they often spend time
together at the two Indiana racetracks.
Sandy’s SM:
Buy links for SIGNED, SEALED,
DELIVERED:
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1nILTsL
iTunes: http://bit.ly/TBZusI
Amazon: http://amzn.to/TngXF0
Connor
Wilson leaned back in his chair and waited for the presentation to start. Not
that the seminar was going to change his mind about facing this new real estate
market solo. He was there strictly for research, learning everything he could
about the competition.
He’d
made this move to such a small market for all the right reasons, and there was
profit to be had here. He could smell it as easily as a pig sniffing for
truffles.
Max Schumm. Cloverleaf’s number one
Realtor. He held court near the front of the conference room, close to the
table his assistants had piled with swag—calendars, pens, refrigerator magnets.
Not a surprise that his office staff, his minions, were all women while his
Realtors were mostly men. He counted only two ladies in the bright blue Schumm
blazers, and every advertisement he’d checked contained listings by males.
The
town and the surrounding counties were ripe for the picking.
Time for the king to get knocked off his
throne.
Glancing
around the three big, round tables set with six places each, Connor sized up
the people who thought they might have the chops to sell homes. A pitiful lot
it was. He’d dismissed each and every one, noticing Max doing the same thing as
he appraised the newbies. The only person Max kept staring at was Connor,
probably because he knew a true salesman when he spotted one.
Perhaps
he even recognized him from his past. Indianapolis wasn’t a huge market, but it
was somewhat close and Connor had been well known there. Two years away wasn’t
all that long to distance himself from making sales or getting new listings.
Their paths might have crossed on a long-distance move, although he was sure
he’d have remembered a man like Max. Damn if the guy didn’t look like an
eighties game show host, from his oversprayed hair to his fake tan to his
far-too-white teeth.
What
Max didn’t know was that Connor had no intention of becoming part of Schumm
Homes. While Max would undoubtedly make him an offer of employment, there was
only one firm Connor intended to work for—the newest agency in town.
Wilson Realty.
The
time for the program to begin came and went, causing him to make a mental note,
matching the information he’d already gathered. Tardiness was one of Max’s
sins. He had others, but the most mentioned was his disregard for other
people’s time.
Just
as Max stepped closer to the podium, talking in low tones with the Ramada’s
technical advisor, a kid who had to be right out of college, a couple appeared
at the double-door entrance.
Connor
caught and held his breath when he saw the woman.
Hair
the color of a setting sun—the most gorgeous shade of natural red he’d ever
seen. It was long and down, bouncing around her shoulders in wavy cascades. She
wore a perfect black dress. Not a slutty “little black dress” but one that
would work fine for business and pleasure, with a square neck that showed a
hint of generous cleavage. She was curvy without being too curvy. Her legs
seemed to go on forever, and the black stilettos were enough to finish him off.
He
was no longer thinking about Max Schumm or real estate or the Cloverleaf
market. Connor wasn’t going to be paying an ounce of attention to anything
anyone had to say tonight. Not with the redheaded vision heading right for his
table. Too bad she was with another guy, because there was nothing he wanted
more than to take her home.
It
had been a long time since he’d felt such a swift and severe attraction. The
closer she drew, the harder his heart pounded. Since the last empty seats were
at his table, it was a given she and her escort were going to sit next to him.
“Mind
if we sit here?” she asked, her husky voice hitting him right in the groin.
“Um,
no. Go ahead.” Then the blood started flowing back to Connor’s brain long
enough for him to remember his manners. He stood up and pulled out the chair
for her, drawing a lopsided smile from her escort, who hadn’t made a move to
help.
She dropped a
rather large black purse on the floor, sat down, and smiled sweetly over her
shoulder as Connor pushed her up to the table. “Thanks.”
“You’re
welcome.”
Her
perfume drifted his way. Something light yet sensual. Hell, everything about
her was sensual. She moved like a feline, all sleek lines and confidence. He
wanted to sweep the gorgeous creature into his arms, carry her up to his
third-floor room, and make love to her until they both collapsed in sated
exhaustion. He let a light chuckle slip as he wondered what she’d say if he up
and told her exactly what he was thinking.
She
tossed him a charming smile, but he couldn’t enjoy it because he was too busy
looking to see if she or the guy who’d escorted her to the table wore a wedding
ring.
Neither
did, and Connor did a mental jig. He wasn’t leaving without this beautiful
creature’s phone number.
Maybe
his fresh start in this new place was truly going to be his salvation. Maybe he
could really leave his past behind and forge a new life here after all. Maybe a
leopard could finally change his spots.
For
the first time in as long as he could remember, he felt the confidence and
purpose that had been missing for far too long. He would make a life for
himself here, earn a decent profit, and maybe get back to the world of the
living.
Only
time would tell.
Ooo I didn't know Sharpe's was out! I really enjoyed the first one :)
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