Blame it on Texas

Winners!  Winners!!!  Abigail Beal, you won the $25 gift card.  Cat, you won a copy of Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis.  Sally Felt, you won a copy of The Things Called Love by Susan Andersen.  Barbara E. You won a copy of Lori Wilde's The Cowboy and a Princess.  And Marilyn Lopez, you won the copy of Sophie Jordan's Lesson's of a Scandalous Bride.  Please contact me at Christie (at) christie (-) craig.com

Oh, and anyone who wants a free, yes, FREE, e-copy of Shut Up and Kiss Me can go down load it at either B&N or Amazon  tinyurl.com/9o772ny and B&N tinyurl.com/cgro8m4
 


Contest! Contest! Today I’m giving tons of stuff: A $25 gift card to either B&N or Amazon and a copy of four great books that were just released a couple weeks ago—Sophie Jordan’s Lesson of a Scandalous Bride, The Thing Called Love by Susan Andersen, Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis, and one more copy of Lori Wilde’s A Cowboy and a Princess. So make sure you leave a comment! And make sure you come back tomorrow to find out who won!

Blame it on Texas

Zoe Adams has always been content with her quiet nights at home, sitting alone on her couch munching popcorn and watching TV--until her life turns into a real-life episode of the Unsolved Mystery Hunters show she loves. The story of a kidnapped girl triggers unexplained memories, and Zoe is dead set on figuring out why. Her search leads her to one of the Lone Star state’s richest families and to sexy PI Tyler Lopez.

Tyler has sworn off women, especially redheads with killer curves who poke their noses into his clients’ personal affairs. Still, he can’t deny the attraction any more than he can deny that some of Zoe’s crazy story makes sense. But when she becomes a hit man’s target, this cold case really starts heating up. Suddenly, Tyler will do anything to protect Zoe—even if it means risking his heart,

* * *

Break out the fans and turn down the air conditioner because you’re about to learn just how hot it can get in Texas. And how hot is that? Hotter than grits right off the stove. Yup, my second book in the Hotter in Texas series, Blame it on Texas, releases August 28th.

And Tyler, my Texas hero in this new release, should know just how hot Texas and grits are because Zoe, my heroine who is slinging hash at a small-town diner, just accidentally slung three plates of hot food on him. You gotta love a man who sits, doused in hot grits, hash browns, eggs—both scrambled and sunny side up—and some buttered toast, and not only does he not lose his temper, but all he can think about is how pretty the women is who just turned him into a breakfast buffet.

Ah, but what a delectable buffet he makes.

Now, when writing the whole buffet scene in Blame it on Texas, I will admit I downright plagiarized—but it's okay! You see, I plagiarized from my own life. Yup, writing wasn’t my first career. Slinging hash was. And I will not deny that, like Zoe, I slung some hash where hash shouldn’t get slung. Not that the scene was a complete copy. I was a married woman, and the man I’d just doused in food wasn’t anywhere near as hot as Tyler, so he wasn’t a potential love interest at all.

My situation was actually much worse.

The man I’d just upturned a plate of food on just happened to be the district manager of the restaurant I slung hash at. And there he sat, looking a little like Donald Trump in “You’re Fired” mode, wearing spaghetti and meatballs with a side of garlic toast plastered to his chest.

Oh, and I’m a little bit of a nervous giggler. Meaning, when I get overly nervous, I tend to giggle. I bit my lip to hold in my laughter, blurted out an apology, then grabbed a towel and went to help clean him up. I was pulling noodles from his hair, when those giggles exploded. And then all the other restaurant patrons joined in on the laughter.

What can I say…I was destined to be a writer and not a waitress. Not that the Mr. Donald Trump look-a-like said those magic words, “You’re fired.” Apparently, he was a nervous giggler, too, and everyone in my wait section laughed. I actually worked at that restaurant for another couple of years, and every time that man came in, he sat in my section. I guess after you dump a plate of food on someone, or get dumped on, you feel like you know someone.

At least that’s the way it worked with me and my district manager and the way it happened with Zoe and Tyler. Here’s an excerpt from the slinging hash scene. And make sure you leave a comment. Since I told you my “I-screwed-up” story, maybe you can share one of yours. Don't forget—today I’m giving away a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble and four copies of some great books to five lucky commenters. So make sure you leave a comment.

Excerpt:

When Tyler spotted the silver Cobalt with Alabama tags parked around the back of the diner, a thrill shot through him. After parking, he took a minute to figure out how best to approach Zoe. How best to find out why she was snooping around on, and under, his desk.

Inside, he immediately spotted her waiting on an elderly couple.

His gaze did a quick up and down of her shapely body. She filled out the white skirt and top to perfection. When she moved to a dirty table and started stacking dishes, he moved forward.

“Mind if I sit here?” He waited for her to look up, anticipating her reaction.

“No problem.” She barely glanced at him.

When she leaned over to clean the far end of the table, his gaze shifted to her ass and he recalled watching her crawl across his office floor.

“Coffee?” She gave the table two more swipes, her hips moving with the circular motion.

“That would be fine.” He sat down. “Thanks.”

He waited to see if she’d meet his gaze and hoped for a flash of recognition, but she didn’t look at him directly. He watched her step away. She snagged a cup and filled it. Then turning back, she placed the coffee on a tray loaded down with three plates of food.

She moved toward him and set the coffee on his table while balancing the tray with her other hand.

“Got some cream?”

Her gaze shot to his face, and her blue eyes widened with recognition.

He grinned.

She didn’t move, but one of the plates on her tray did. She adjusted her hold on the tray as if trying to prevent the disaster, but it was too late. Tyler saw it happening, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. The white plate flew off the tray, heading right at his head. He dodged the plate, but the warm grits and scrambled eggs made a direct hit with his face.

“Shit,” she muttered as the plate crashed to the floor.

He knocked a blob of butter from his cheek and looked at her. Her step back sent the second and third plate racing across the tray, and, once again, he was the finish line. Shredded potatoes, accompanied by the half-cooked eggs, plopped right in his lap.

Somehow, he’d managed to catch one plate, but the other plate bounced off the table, hit the linoleum, and shattered. As a thick glob of hot grits fell from the end of his nose, laughter exploded from the other diner patrons.

“I…” She stared at him.

He scooted his chair back from the table and stared down at himself. She dropped the tray on the edge of his table, grabbed his napkin, and started wiping grits off his chest. She kept wiping, following the trail of food down to his lap. She attempted to flip one half-cooked egg from his crotch. But the yoke burst and he watched it run between his legs.

Finally, she raised her head and met his gaze. He stared into her beautiful blue eyes and the sweetest mouth he could ever remember seeing. Appearing almost as mesmerized by his gaze as he was by hers, her hand slipped deeper between his legs. Her gentle touch came in direct contact with sensitive body parts and felt pretty damn good, too. She jumped back as if suddenly realizing where her hand was.

A smile pulled at his mouth. “It’s okay.” Actually it was more than okay. By damn, she was a pretty thing.


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