Heâs the one worth keeping!
Love at first sight? Cassie Michaels thinks that notion exists only in the movies. Until she meets Peter Chapman and finds herself in deep, that is! Heâs gorgeous, charming and very determined to see where this attraction can go. So even though the small-town E.R. where they work has a no-dating policy, itâs not long before sheâs seeing him after hours.
But the rush of this affair takes a backseat when Cassie receives a serious diagnosis. How can she focus on a commitment with Peter when she needs to focus on recovering? Still, he proves his worth when he doesnât walk away so easilyâ¦.
âDo you think this is a date?â
âIt will be if you kiss me,â Peter replied instantly.
Cassie laughed. âBe serious.â
Oh, he was serious. Okay, sheâd spoken her mind, heâd followed suit. He couldnât help himself. âIâd like to kiss that sexy baseball cap right off your head.â
âWe just met a short time ago, Peter.â
âDoes it matter?â
Her gaze slid from his face to the lighthouse behind him, as if thinking over her next answer. When those beautiful blue eyes darkened with desire, his blood fired. The twin braids falling over her shoulders lay like two lifelines to her mouth. He watched caution replace the want in her eyes as he lifted the baseball cap from her head. She leaned back. âSlow down, surfer dude.â
Those were definitely not the words he wanted to hear.
Dear Reader,
Itâs so easy to be in love when all is well in the world. Love is truly tested and the real measure of a man or woman comes to light when adversity strikes. As a hopeless romantic, I prefer to believe that love conquers all. This fact was proven to me when my beautiful niece, an emergency room nurse, was struck with cancer in her late twenties.
Cassie Michaels, the heroine in A Man to Believe In, was drawn from this vibrant, beautiful and compassionate woman, who attracts the admiration of her coworkers, friends and family because she is so generous with her own love. In the beginning of her career, she met and fell in love with her boyfriend, who is also an emergency room nurseâa man of integrity, honor and love.
When this inspirational woman was diagnosed with Hodgkinâs lymphoma, her prognosis was good, but the chemotherapy was grueling. Hair and weight loss, nausea, lethargy, lack of appetiteâall draining and distressingâbrought some dark moments, but she never lost her positive attitude. When she was at her absolute lowest point during treatment, her boyfriend asked her to marry him. He wanted her to understand his deep love for her and his absolute confidence that they would spend the rest of their lives together. Today, my niece is free of cancer. When this book is released, these two lovers will have been married for two months. I will be at their wedding, celebrating my socks off!
I cherish a good love story, whether in real life or fiction. A Man to Believe In is complete fiction, but know that it was inspired by a true love story that I watched unfold, through adversity, only to triumph into happily ever after. God, I love my job!
Happy reading, my friend! Please let me know how you liked the story. Contact me at [email protected].
Much love,
Kathleen Pickering
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathleen Pickering believes the best stories are drawn from real life, where readers can relate to the action and breathe that sigh of satisfaction at the end when the hero and heroine find âhappiness ever after.â Inspiration is never more rewarding than achieving oneâs goalsâwhether in love or lifeâafter overcoming challenges with dignity, integrity and grace. Kathleen draws her characters and stories from real-life situations. She loves to travel and usually finds her adventures become research for her writing, because love and adversity dwell everywhere. When she sees or experiences either, she is surely taking note to share with her readers.
This book is dedicated to Marrianna and Drewâtrue inspiration for the power of love in their lives and in their professional world.
PROLOGUE
NO WAY COULD he compete with the dead.
Peter approached the memorial, the sculptureâs relief taking shape against the silhouetting sunrise. A pink granite pillar supported the bronze form of a man standing in a boat. The inscription read In Remembrance of Those Lost at Sea While Fishing These Waters.
His insides wrenched at the thought of Cassie surviving a near brush with death yesterday, Kyleâs name, not his, on her lips. He remembered the grateful look of love in her eyes when she had regained consciousness and had seen him. Yet, when speaking about going home, she had wanted Kyle.