Debbie: Well, (turns to Laura) this is the first stop on our tour of Red River. You’d think we would have stopped at the Bakery, but no here we are in front of Red River’s steakhouse. The one where Abby went on that blind date with...(huge eye roll) Elliot.

Laura: Yeah, Elliot Swanson, attorney at law. Hmm…what can I say? Let’s look at the menu.

Debbie: Well, the food looks excellent. They certainly do give huge portions, lol. Remember how disgusted Abby was by the huge hunk of rare steak Elliot devoured?

Laura: OMG! Disgusting. (chunks a roll at Debbie) Okay…if you don’t quit talking about that man, I’m going to lose my appetite.

Debbie: You just jinxed yourself woman. He's heading this way.

Laura: Crap. Of course he is. (glares at Deb then looks up) Elliot Swanson, what a surprise. So good to see you. Why don’t you join us? Take a seat next to Debbie, she was just talking about you.

Elliot: Why Elliot would be honored to sit next to such a beautiful woman.

Laura: Yes she is. And she’s single, too.

Elliot: (raises brow) Is that so? Well, play your cards right, and Elliot might ask you out for a date.

Debbie: (kicks Laura HARD under the table) Why, bless your little heart. I'm sure I'd be honored, Elliot, but I'm just not sure I'm ready to take that step yet. But do, please tell us about yourself. Now, since Laura and I wrote you, I know you're not a main character, so what is your role in the book. (beyond being an insufferable pig)

Elliot: Why I’m Elliot Swanson, attorney at law. (pops a card, hands it to Debbie, and grins) This town couldn’t survive without his expertise. Why, Elliot is an expert at lots of things, if you catch the meaning.

Laura: Ahem. Um, I heard you were called down to the police station for questioning about those horrible murders.

Elliot: What? That buffoon, Detective Parker, doesn’t know his head from a hole in the ground. Elliot Swanson did not murder anyone. Elliot’s a lover not a killer. (turns toward Debbie) Though he has been referred to as a killer lover on more than one occasion. Can I buy you a drink?

Debbie: I'm DD tonight, sorry. So, what makes you so important to this town? I still don't get it. You're a defense attorney. I guess that in itself could be important, but you seem to think there is more to it than that. By the way, Detective Parker did get his guy, so I guess he knows something.

Elliot: (snorts) He stumbled into it. The whole town knows he’s a joke.

Debbie: Well, Abby sure doesn't. They seem quite happy together.

Elliot: Poppycock. It won’t last. The whole town knows she’s one step away from the loony bin, what with her going into hysterics over a peppermint. It’s a piece of a candy, for Pete’s sake. Who’s ever heard of such a thing?

Debbie: Elliot, why do you keep referring to yourself in the third person? Don't you find it annoying?

Elliot: (snicks air against his teeth and narrows eyes) Exactly what are you driving at, Ms. Gould? There’s no need to poke a tiger with a pointy stick. I’ve heard this song and dance before. Abby Montgomery lied about her availability for dating as well. Caught her at the café across town with her high school heartthrob. (puts hand over his heart) You cut deep, Ms. Gould, all because Elliot Swanson flirted with a beautiful and desirable woman.

Debbie: (spews the drink of water she'd just taken all over the front of Elliot) What the f—?

Laura: (abruptly sits up and looks toward the window) Wait. Did someone just have a wreck outside?

Elliot: (brushes shirt off and stands) Elliot needs to go check on the people outside, see there was anyone at fault. They might need a lawyer. (nods) Ms. Garland. Ms. Gould. And don’t be afraid to use that card. (winks)

Laura: A lawyer? What about a paramedic? I swear, I think he really believed he had a shot with you. (eyeballs Deb) You’re not gonna call him, right?

Debbie: Not if he was the last man alive in Red River!

Laura: LOL I didn’t think so. (looks at menu) Hmm…what looks good to you?

Debbie: Ohhh this Vermont Maple chicken looks awesome!

Laura: Perfect. Gotta keep our strength up for this blog tour.

Debbie You know it. Okay so lets eat and decide the next place we should check out. And please make it somewhere Elliot is NOT! That is one creepy dude. It's no wonder Ethan considered him a suspect.

Vermont Maple Chicken

Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

1 chicken, 2-1/2-3 pounds, cut up or equivalent chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup Pure Vermont Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
Dash of pepper (optional)
1/4 cup sliced, chopped or slivered almonds
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken pieces in a shallow, buttered baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients and pour evenly over chicken. Bake uncovered 50-60 minutes. Baste occasionally.

BLURB:

....Seven years ago, Abby Montgomery survived a brutal attack. Now she is ready to put her pain in the past and move on with her life. The problem is, one by one the men in her life are being viciously murdered.

....The detective assigned to the case, Ethan Parker, has demons of his own to hide. As the danger gets closer to Abby, so does Ethan. But can they get past his secrets before the killer gets to them? Sometimes the sins of the mind are more depraved than the sins of the heart.

EXCERPT:

....“Moment?” He raised his eyebrows, tried for a surprised expression. “We were having a moment? Where was I?”

....A husky laugh escaped Abby’s lips. She gave him a playful shove, but he caught her hand, his fingers encircling her delicate wrist. With great care, he bowed his head and pressed his lips to the center of her palm. Her sharp intake of air told him she liked it.

....“Is this the moment you were referring to?” He kissed her wrist. “Or this?” His mouth grazed along her skin, up the side of her neck to the tender point below her ear.

....“Mmm.” She tilted her head, offering him better access.

....He inhaled, reveled in her unique scent. A mixture of spicy vanilla and exotic flowers invaded his senses and sent the room slowly spinning. Primal lust roared through him, demanded he possess her in a rush of carnal passion.

....But Ethan resisted.

....Intent on enticing Abby into a wild, heated frenzy, he trailed the tip of his tongue along her throat. Her pulse hammered beneath his ardent attention, and he reveled in her response. His fingers slid over her supple skin. One hand sought the silky tresses adorning her head while the other coaxed her legs across his lap then slipped around her waist.

....He pulled back, stared into her lovely face. Eyelids fluttering, she sighed in his arms. When she looked at him, desire burned bright in her eyes. His heart stuttered at the sight, and hot need rushed to his groin.

....“Abby.” Her name rolled from his tongue in a mix of desperation and lust. A voracious hunger to taste every inch of her body washed over him. The urge to kiss the small of her back, to run his tongue along her skin, delving and dipping into her secret, sensitive places, all but overwhelmed him. “Tell me to stop. If you’re not ready, honey, tell me to stop right now and by all that’s holy, I will. But you need to know how much I want you right now.”