Bringing Down Sam (27 page)

It didn’t snow, but otherwise, the day was absolutely perfect.

“So, Mrs. Kenneman, how are you feeling?”

“Absolutely wonderful,” she said, tightening her arms around her new husband’s neck as they danced their first dance as a married couple. “I can’t ever remember being happier.”

He stared down at her, his expression tender, his green eyes sparkling with love. “Neither can I, sweetheart.”

All around them in the ballroom at Ruthie’s family’s hotel, their friends and loved ones looked on, toasting to their future and sharing their joy. Of course Diana, Ruthie and Leanne were there—bridesmaids, all. Eve’s mother, her husband and their three kids had made the trip from California and beamed throughout the entire ceremony. Sam’s father and mother, his sister and her family had sat together, peaceably, on the other side of the church. Nobody talked about the absence of Eve’s father—now jailed, but he’d thought to send a card—or Robbie, still a black sheep for the stunt he’d pulled last year. Though his apologies had been accepted, the relationship between he and his cousin and uncle remained a cool one.

The one familial issue she’d worried about was the fact that Sam had asked his half-brother, Jake, to be a groomsman. The two of them had been working on their relationship over the past year and had formed a friendship. She hadn’t been sure how her future mother-in-law—whom she adored—would take that. Fortunately, the ex-Mrs. Jacob Kenneman had never blamed the son for the biological father’s indiscretions and the ceremony had gone off without a single hitch.

“So, any quotes for the paparazzi now that you’ve brought down the most infamous bachelor in Philadelphia?” Sam asked, a self-satisfied smile on his handsome face.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe I’ll suggest that other women hire me?”

He squeezed her and gave her a mock scowl. “Not a chance, woman. You’re mine and I don’t share.”

“Well, neither do I, buddy. Remember that the next time some morning-TV show bimbo interviews you about your new book, gushing about how sexy a loving, attentive man can be.”

“You weren’t seriously jealous!”

She hadn’t been, not really. Eve had never felt more confident of anything in her life than she did of Sam’s love for her. He wore it on his person, showing her every single moment of the day that he adored her just as much as she did him.

“Honey, I might as well be wearing blinders, I don’t even see any other woman but you,” he added.

“Good.”

His lips twitching, he continued, “I mean, come on, we both know I’ll never meet a woman who not only looks amazing in a white negligee…but can also sell bubble bath and training pants.”

She threw her head back and laughed as he spun her around the ballroom, sending her white gown spinning about her legs. They spun and spun until she was dizzy with happiness and delight, feeling as though they were flying on air. As they spun, as everyone else in the room faded away until she felt they were the only two people on earth, she knew she was absolutely sure of one thing.

She had never brought Sam down. They lifted each other up—today and every other day for the rest of their lives.  

*********

Though this book has just been published, I actually wrote a version of it several years ago, when I first began writing for Harlequin’s
Temptation
line. My editor loved it but couldn’t buy a former-supermodel heroine so this book—and the intended sequels about Eve’s best friends—seemed destined for the reject pile.

Then my brilliant editor came back to me with a suggestion. She especially liked the character of Ruthie, the bubbly chef, and asked me to write a proposal with her as the heroine. I did…and she bought the book three weeks later! Finally, my “second book syndrome” was over. That story became
Suite Seduction
, my second published novel, released in December 2000.
Suite Seduction
is still one of my top two favorites of all my
Temptations
, so if you like this book and want to read more about Ruthie, do check it out. You won’t find Eve, Leanne or Diana within its pages—I pulled out all the continuity elements from what I’d planned to be a series—but Ruthie is still one of my favorite heroines, she’s still a chef at her family-owned, run-down old hotel, and she’s a great character.

When I decided to self-publish
Bringing Down Sam
, I had to do a lot of work on it and at least half of the book you’ve just read is brand new. First, because I wanted to update and modernize it, second because my writing has changed somewhat over the years, and third because I had actually cannibalized that book for use in other ones that were published later. I absolutely loved Sam and definitely hijacked some of his character traits when creating Nate Logan, the hero of my fourth book,
Into The Fire
.
I also stole some of the love scenes—which I have replaced with new material for
Bringing Down Sam
. I also liked Eve’s backstory and used something similar when creating Melody, the heroine of
She’s Got The Look
. The four-friends-margarita-night theme carried over into that one, too.

I have so enjoyed going back to this quartet of friends that I’m planning to dust off
Reforming Jake
, which was supposed to be book two in the series. (It stars Leanne as the heroine, and Sam’s half-brother Jake as the hero.) I intend to finish that story—I’d only written three chapters—and release it sometime in late 2012/early 2013. Do watch for it! And if all goes well, Diana’s story will follow.

If you would like to see more of how my writing style and voice progressed after the sale of my first book,
Night Whispers
, check out my other self-published titles,
Angel Baby
and
Coming Home
.
As you can see, I was still figuring out what I wanted to write when I grew up…lol! The books are slightly different in tone—more emotional—but that sexy vibe is there right from the beginning.
Bringing Down Sam
is where I really felt like I started to hit my stride as the author of very sexy, humorous contemporary romances.

And if you have a minute, would you consider writing a review for this book? I’d love to hear your thoughts and would truly appreciate the support!

Best wishes always—

Leslie

PS: Visit me online at
http://www.lesliekelly.com
or at my blog site
http://www.plotmonkeys.com
!