Release Party--Four to get ready...

Great dream getaway ideas yesterday, my friends. You make me long for sandy beaches and tons of hours to read for pleasure myself...

Now to get ready for day Five... Link on over to LivetimeTV.com's "Let's Talk Romance" at Romance B(u)y the Blog, for a sneak peak of the fun we'll be having tomorrow with Michelle Buonfiglio's lovely Bella's:

http://www.lifetimetv.com/lifestyle/entertainment/romance-buy-the-book/blogs

In addition to the fun out here tomorrow, I'll be hanging at "Let's Talk Romance" at RBTB and inviting everyone there to hop over and join our Because of aBoy Release Party. With all that back and forth, we're bound to have a blast. To register and leave a comment at RBTB, don't forget not to leave spaces in your UserName (that's what tripped me up, when I couldn't get it to accept my info).

The topic of the day (well, tomorrow), is heroes and what makes up your ideal (both the larger than life hero, as well and the one who might be living right next door to you). Tell us what's most important to you in the man you'd trust with your life!

For more insight into what I think, check out the link above--my guest blog on LifetimeTV.com's "Let's Talk Romance" begins tomorrow!!!

To keep things moving here, I've added a final excerpt below. If you're a newcomer, link backwards through this week's earlier posts for more of the great scenes coming your way in Because of a Boy!

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The two great totes I'm picturing are up for grabs--the red XOXO bag I'll give to one lucky Thursday/Friday commenter.


The extra-special BCBG "shopping girls" tote will go to a lucky blog buddy who hangs out over the weekend and leaves a comment either Saturday or Sunday. And of course, I have a few more promo items left and a handful of books, all from Romantic Times '07, and one final Borders gift certificate, so keep leaving us your thoughts while we all get to know each other.

And don't forget, leaving a comment between now and the end of December puts you in the running for the designer Isabella Fiore bag I'm giving away in my website contest. Check out my contest page for more details and a great picture of the purse someone will be taking home after the first of the year!!!

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Before I forget...

Wednesday's winners--

Mina, the Nine West tote is yours!

Pat Cochran, you'll receive a selection of books and RT '07 promotional items!

and Cheryl (cas2ajs) , a Border's gift certificate is yours!

All winners, keep emailing me those pony express addresses...
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And One final excerpt:

This scene takes place after thier romantic black moment--when we're certain their relationship won't make it. But Kate's just heard that Stephen might have been seriously injured trying to protect the little boy they've been fighting to save throughout the whole book. It's a great set up for the resolution of both the romance and the battle these two heroes have been waging to protect Dillon and his father...

*****

Kate raced into the ER, not bothering with the reception desk. She slowed enough to pass through security and its scanners, then headed for the double doors that lead from admissions to the trauma area. It took three tries to get her card to swipe, then she was running inside, desperate, her heart breaking.

There was shooting outside the safe house, Martin had said when he'd phoned. The Digarros didn't make it inside. Either someone was tracking your lawyer friend, or something got leaked at DEA. Sounds like APD shut everything down pretty quickly, but there were some injuries...

Her brother hadn't been able to tell her anything more, other than that more than one ambulance had been called, arrests had been made and that everyone who needed patching up was on their way to the hospital. Stephen's friend Curt had been the one to contact Martin, and both of them would meet her at the hospital as soon as they could. Robert had been listening to her end of the phone call, and he'd already grabbed his keys before she'd hung up. After breaking every speed limit on the way from his house, he was outside conquering the parking deck packed with weekend visitors, while she sprinted toward a reality she wasn't sure she could bear.

Were Dillon and his father all right?

She hadn't heard from Stephen. Was he okay? Was he--

"Kate!" Marsha called from the other end of the hall.

Trauma was in chaos, as usual. Less critical cases were fast-tracked to an entirely different area, leaving the specialist in the trauma unit to triage and focus on high risk patients.

"I came down as soon as I heard." Marsha zigzagged through the maze of staff and patients, gurneys and other equipment, to get to Kate. "What happened--"

"Where is he?" Kate didn't stop for the answer. Ducking into each alcove, she stopped only long enough to see the face of the patient being treated.

"Who?" Marsha hustled behind her. "Dillon? He's upstairs. They're admitting him to pediatrics, and there's a slew of APD on the floor making everyone nervous. What happened?"

Kate pulled her friend aside as EMTs rushed in from the Ambulance Bay, pushing a gurney and calling out the patient's stats for the doctor hustling alongside.

"Dillon's okay?" Kate asked through the weight of the fear still pressing down on her. "Then he wasn't shot?"

"Shot!" Marsha grabbed her to keep Kate from rushing off. "He's perfectly fine, just weak. But he's terrified and he won't talk to anyone. Kate what happened? Where you with him when--"

"No." Because Stephen hadn't wanted her there. He hadn't trusted her not to be the kind of distraction he couldn't afford, while he faced down federal authorities who held his client's future in their hands. And now... "I have to find him..."

She wrenched away from her friend. Checked the next examination area, knowing as she went that she was getting closer to the rooms reserved for only the most critical patients.

"Dillon's upstairs," Marsha insisted, still close behind.

"Not Dillon." Kate turned the corner, her heart and her feet stopping at exactly the same moment, at the sight of the man being treated on a gurney in the crowded, over-filled hallway outside the largest trauma suite. "Stephen!"

He was looking away from her, into the trauma room, while an intern set stitches in his shoulder.
The sleeve of his shirt had been cut away to expose the wound. What was left of the expensive knit was covered in blood. Too much blood to have come from such a small injury.

Kate's gaze rose from cataloguing his condition. The intensity of his gaze locked with hers. Relief at seeing her warred with something else in his eyes. Something that looked too much like giving up to belong in Stephen Creighton.

Seeing, feeling, his pain was what finally got her moving again.

"Are you okay?" She rushed to his side. The intern who'd been working on him melted away--either finished with his task, or uneasy with the tears Kate couldn't keep from falling as she wound her arms around Stephen. "Martin said there was shooting...that there were injuries."

When Stephen didn't hold her in return, she eased away. He held himself rigidly erect. Rage was the only thing alive in his eyes now...