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.”
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