Don't Mess With Texas (50 page)
Read Don't Mess With Texas Online
Authors: Christie Craig
Tags: #Mystery & Detective, #Contemporary, #Fiction, #Romance, #FIC027010, #Suspense, #Adult, #Erotica, #Women Sleuths
The dog barked and took off running.
Feeling as if she’d been caught doing something really bad, she dropped the papers back on the desk, and slapped the file closed. She stepped away from behind the desk, but in her haste to move quickly, her purse knocked the folder off, and the file and all dozen or so papers scattered on the floor.
“Damn,” she muttered and dropped to the floor on her hands and knees to gather the evidence of her wrongdoing. She heard footsteps moving closer and her heart pounded.
Snagging the folder and papers, she threw them on the desk. She was about to stand up when she heard the footsteps enter the room, followed by the sounds of clicking paws.
Friggin’ great.
Now all she had to explain was why she was down on all fours behind someone’s desk. Her heart did another flip-flop when she remembered she was possibly dealing with angry ex-cops, now ex-cons who’d been accused of murder.
The dog pranced around the desk and gave her a big lick right on the lips then started sniffing her bacon-scented hair. Those footsteps moved closer still, and her mind raced right along with her heart.
The deep masculine sound of a man clearing his throat came from behind her. “Nice view.”
She looked back over her shoulder, praying she’d come up with a good excuse for being in this ridiculous position. But the moment her gaze landed on the clown, the only thing she came up with was a scream. A loud one.
From the desk of Christie Craig
Dear Reader,
As an author of seven humorous suspense romance novels, I’m often asked how I come up with my characters. Since the truth isn’t all that fun to describe—that I find these people in the cobwebs of my mind—I usually just tell folks that I post a want ad on Craigslist.
One of those folks replied that she’d be checking out my ad and applying for the position of romance heroine. Right then I wondered if she’d ever read a Christie Craig book. Well, it’s not just my books—every good story is really a triumph over tragedy. (Of course, I have my own lighter spin of tragedy.) And by the ending of my books, my heroines have found a man who’s smoking hot and deserving of their affection, and they’ve experienced a triumph that’s sweeter than warm fudge. Friendships have been forged, and even the craziest of families have grown a whole lot closer. And I do love crazy families. Probably because I have one of my own. Hmm, maybe I get some of my characters from there, too.
Point is, my heroines had to earn their Happily Ever After. The job requires a lot of spunk.
Take poor Nikki Hunt in DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS, the first book in my Hotter in Texas series, for example. Her cheating ex ditches her at dinner and sticks
her with the bill. She then finds his dead body stuffed in the trunk of her car, which makes her lose her two-hundred-dollar meal all over his three-thousand-dollar suit. Now, not only is Nikki nearly broke, she’s been poisoned, she’s barfing in public (now,
that’s
a tragedy), and, worse still, she’s a murder suspect. And that’s only the first chapter. Nikki’s fun is just beginning. You’ve hardly met Nikki’s grandma, who epitomizes those family members who drive you bonkers, even though you know your life would be empty without them.
As we say in the south, Nikki’s got a hard row to hoe. For certain, it takes a kick-ass woman to be a Christie Craig heroine. She’s gotta be able to laugh, because sometimes that’s all you can do. She’s gotta be able to fight, because life is about battles. (I don’t care if it’s with an ex-husband, a plumber, or a new puppy unwilling to house-train.) And she’s gotta be able to love, because honestly, love is really what my novels are about. Well, that and overcoming flaws, jumping over hurdles, and finding the occasional dead body.
So while in real life you may never want to undergo the misadventures of a Christie Craig heroine, I’m counting on the fact that you’ll laugh with her, root for her, and fall in love alongside her. And here’s hoping that when you close my book, you are happy you’ve met the characters who live in the cobwebs of my mind.
And remember my motto for life: Laugh, love, read.
Dear Reader,
I’ve always loved the “Oh no, I’m in love with my best friend’s sister!” trope. It doesn’t matter what the genre or setting is, we all know sisters are forbidden fruit. This scenario is just so full of pitfalls and angst and opportunities for brothers to be protective and for men to have to really, really prove (and not just to the girl) that they love the girl. How can you not adore it?
Add in the complications of a younger son’s lot in life—lack of social standing, lack of fortune, lack of prospects—and you’ve got quite the series of hurdles to overcome before the couple can attain their Happily Ever After (especially if the girl he loves is the daughter of a duke).
If you read the first book in the League of Second Sons series, you’ve already met the sister in question, Lady Boudicea “Beau” Vaughn. She’s a bit of a tomboy and always seems to be on the verge of causing a scandal, but she means well, and she’s got a fierce heart.
You will have also met the best friend, Gareth Sandison. He’s a committed bachelor, unquestionably a rake, and he’s about to have everything he’s ever wanted—but knew he could never have—dangled in front of him… but he’s going to have to risk friendship and honor to get it. And even then, things may not work out quite as he expected.
I hope you’ll enjoy letting Gareth show you what it means to be RIPE FOR SCANDAL.
Dear Reader,
In late 2010, while I was writing HOME AT LAST CHANCE, something magical happened that changed the direction of the story.
A friend sent me an email with a missing pet poster attached. This particular poster had a banner headline that read “Missing Unicorn,” over a black-and-white photograph of the most beautiful unicorn I have ever seen. The flyer said that the lost unicorn had last been seen entering Central Park and provided a 1-800 number for tips that would lead to the lost unicorn’s safe return.
The unicorn poster made me smile.
A few days later, my friend sent me a news story about how hundreds of people in New York had seen this poster and had started calling in reports of unicorn sightings. Eventually, the unicorn sightings spread from Manhattan all the way to places in Australia and Europe.
At that point, the missing unicorn captured my imagination.
The worldwide unicorn sightings proved that if people take a moment to look hard, with an innocent heart, they can see unicorns and angels and a million miracles all around them. As we grow up, we forget how to look. We get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily living, and unicorns become myths. But for a small time, in New York City, a bunch of “Missing Unicorn” posters made people stop, smile, and see miracles.
The missing unicorn and his message wormed its way right into my story and substantially changed the way I wrote the character of Hettie Marshall, Last Chance’s Queen Bee. Sarah Murray, my heroine, tells Hettie to look at Golfing for God through the eyes of a child. When Hettie heeds this advice, she realizes that she’s lost something important in her life. Her sudden desire to recapture a simple faith becomes a powerful agent of change for her and, ultimately, for Last Chance itself. And of course, little Haley Rhodes helps to seal the deal. Haley is a master at seeing what the adult world misses altogether.
I hope you keep your ability to wonder at the world around you—to see it like a child does. You might find a missing unicorn—or maybe a Sorrowful Angel.
