A deal she canât refuse!
Allison Kincaid can make a great sales pitch. But showing up at Joe Gallahanâs motel asking for a favor is her toughest challenge yet. A year ago they were more than just colleagues at a big PR firm. When work came between them, Joe put the blame on Allisonâ¦and his opinion hasnât changed.
Sheâs shocked, however, when Joe agrees to help. Even though she doesnât love his terms, she accepts them because sheâll get what she needs. If striking a deal with him means donning a pair of coveralls and swinging a hammer, so be it. Working side by side with Joe again, they might be able to repair the past. They just might get a second chance, too!
âJoe, we had good reason for what we did.â
Allison could hear the pleading note in her voice. âSurely after all this time you can accept that.â
âIâm not having this conversation, Allison. I donât want to talk about the agency, or Tackett, or any lame offer he sent you to make. Unless you want to pick up a paintbrush and dig in, you need to leave.â
âJustâ¦give me a chance to change your mind.â
âAnd how do you plan on doing that, Allison? Wait. Let me guess.â Joe set the water bottle on the ladder and with one swift motion pulled his shirt over his head. âYou and me, Slick. Right here, right now. Remind me how convincing you can be.â
Heat slapped at her cheeks. Her knees felt loose. He was unbelievable. She was unbelievable. While part of her loathed his over-the-top he-man tactics, another part couldnât help admiring the hard, sculpted plane of his bare chest.
Shame sidled in, jacking her chin high. âThat wasnât what I had in mind, Joe.â
Dear Reader,
Welcome back! Iâve missed you! Iâm so very excited to be able to take you on another journey to Castle Creek. After Harlequin Superromance released The Other Soldier last summer (July 2012), I received a number of emails expressing hope that Iâd give Joe Gallahan his own book, since readers were curious to know the motel ownerâs story. I have to admit I was curious about him myself. :-)
Forgiveness plays a pivotal role in Staying at Joeâs. As the book opens Allison and Joe are both harboring grudges, along with a double dose of heartache. It takes a lot of soul-searchingâand sly encouragement from certain matchmaking eldersâfor the two to realize the life decisions they made were based on bad assumptions. Now not only do they need to forgive each other, they need to forgive themselves. (I just hope that Joe forgives me for everything I put him through!)
By the way, in the latter part of the story Allison samples a rather unusual cake. Occasionally my mother finds all kinds of glee in baking this cake, challenging the unwary to name the two secret ingredientsâwhich no one has ever been able to do! Then, giggling maniacally, she reveals the mystery and the partakers refuse to believe that they ateânay, relishedâsuch a peculiar blend. If youâd care to have a copy of this recipe (which really is quite delicious!) please send me an email at [email protected] and Iâll fix you right up. Or send me an email even if you wouldnât care for the recipeâIâd adore hearing from you!
Thank you again for coming back to Castle Creek!
All my best,
Kathy Altman
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathy Altman writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense and the occasional ode to chocolate. When sheâs not plotting romance novels or writing reviews for USA TODAYâs Happy Ever After blog, sheâs probably putting in her forty hours a week as a computer programmer for the air force, watching the Ciarán Hinds version of Persuasion or making other people feel superior by letting them win at Scrabble. Find Kathy online at www.kathyaltman.com, or email her at [email protected]âsheâd adore hearing from you!
To my own personal PR crewâMom, Mary, Jerry, Bill and Stephenâyou all keep me going and I love you more than ham.
To Toni AndersonâI couldnât have done justice to Joe without you.
To Kathy Jonesâhow lucky am I, to be your friend?
And to the sweetest, most thoughtful romance fans everâBarb Kopsic, Carol Shaffer, Rhonda Sipe, Carol Opalinski, Mary Kennedy, Julia Broadbooks, Louise Hackworth, Edie Faile, Yvonne Cruz, Judy Kuhns, Marlee Soulard, Dolores Finley and especially Linda Esau.
You all are the best and I couldnât appreciate you more!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
For a newly published author, writing that sophomore book (the second published book) is notoriously stressful. Actually itâs downright agonizing. If your first book was well received, you canât help but fret that readers will find the second a complete and utter letdown. If that first book tanked, youâll spend every waking moment worrying that the second will disgrace your name beyond all hope of redemption and obliterate any chance of a writing career while everyone reading your words is rummaging for antacid or scrambling for a paper shredder as black rain erupts from the skies and cats begin to bark and small children everywhere demand brussels sprouts for breakfastâ