Pictures from Seychelles / Excerpt from BABIES IN THE BARGAIN

BABIES IN THE BARGAIN: Coming on July 3rd, 2009, to The Wild Rose Press.
Only nine days left.

WoooooHooooo!!!!!!


Today I received a box of pre-ordered copies of BABIES IN THE BARGAIN. I can’t tell you my joy at holding my book. To celebrate the happy event, a few friends came to my place to share a drink with my husband and me. They all toasted to the success of my book and bought their copies.








I am posting a few pictures from the beautiful islands of Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, West of Africa. They are famous for their turquoise waters and giant turtles. I will have more pictues tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I am giving you an excerpt from BABIES IN THE BARGAIN. I hope you will enjoy reading while glancing at the pictures from La Digue and Mahe, two islands in the Seychelles.











Contests wins: The Beacon; Launching A Star; The Suzannah;Great Expectations; Golden Gateway; Gotcha, Enchanted Words;Winter Rose; Duel on the Delta; Linda Howard Award of Excellence....

• Short Synopsis:
  With only one year left to complete her medical training in Neonatology, Dr. Holly Collier vows not to let anyone mess up her sacrosanct schedule. Especially not the drop-dead gorgeous Dr. Marc Suarez who broke her heart seven years ago.

• 
  When a tragic accident transforms the carefree playboy into a dedicated but novice father to his nephew, Holly gives in to her maternal instincts and turns her structured life upside down for the orphaned preemie. But can she learn to trust Marc again and believe in true love?

Excerpt:

Marc stared at the infant suckling and the gorgeous woman feeding him as if he was her own child. A perfect picture of maternal love. For a moment, he imagined her in a silk dishabille, baring a breast to a hungry child, while his knuckles caressed the baby’s cheek and the mother’s flesh in the same loving gesture.

Blonde and lovely Holly.

Mesmerized, he sucked in a deep breath and squatted beside the rocking chair, clenching its arm with itching fingers.

Paulito needed a loving mother, but even with imaginative effort Marc couldn’t picture himself married. At least not yet.
Holly could be the closest thing Paulito would ever have to a mother, if...

“Move in with me,” Marc whispered.

“What?” The bottle dropped from her hand. Her gaze shot to him, incredulous and bewildered.

“What did you say?” Her voice lowered to a rough murmur.
“Come live in my condo,” he said, with a firm tone to convince himself his request wasn’t completely crazy.
His eyes strayed over her blushing cheeks, her parted lips. He inched closer, unable to resist the sweet temptation...then jerked backward.

Conflicting feelings twitched his insides. His baby needed Holly, the best mother in the world. If she agreed to live under his roof, he swore he’d never take advantage of their proximity in the same house. He’d behave like a gentleman—even like a monk—to make her forget his playboy reputation. And he’d battle his attraction to Holly every step of the way, so as not to scare her away.

“Are you crazy?” Her jaw sagged and her eyes rounded, two beautiful turquoise pools shimmering with uncertainty.

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.” He stroked the baby’s scalp. “Paulito needs you and you love him.” It was the only possible way he could give his son a loving mother...and protect himself from a noose around his neck and his Abuelita’s nagging.

She exhaled, her gaze following his fingers’ gentle motion on Paulito’s head. “Of course I love him, but I have my work. I’m as busy as you, if not more.” Her lips pinched as she narrowed her eyes.

“If you move in with me, we could dovetail our shifts and share his care.”

Please, Holly, say yes.

“You and me, living together? Just like that?” She flipped her hand open. “How could you even think about it?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply any...hmm.”

Never.

He blinked. The thought had filtered through his mind, but to his credit, he’d discarded it right away. “It’s just a roommate arrangement. Consider it a business proposal, cross my heart.” With all due respect and no hanky-panky, so help me God.

Marc gazed at her with deep longing. This arrangement would torture him for sure, but to have Holly caring for Paulito, Marc would squeeze every bit of lust out of his system. He silently vowed to maintain his part of the bargain if she agreed.

Winners of the Father's Day contest:

Celia Yeary and traveler. Please email me at mona@monarisk.com. Make sure you sign up to my mailing list to be eligible to win. Thank you for posting coments.