IN HIS SAFEKEEPING—a conversation with Tara and Brad

Harlequin has reissued 16 of my backlist titles in ebook.  Today I'm talking with Brad Harrison and Tara Ford from IN HIS SAFEKEEPING, a mystery/romantic suspense from Harlequin Intrigue originally released in print and currently available in ebook.

Hello Tara and Brad.  I know you're both very busy.  Thank you for making time in your schedule to sit down with me.

Tara:  Thank you for inviting us.

Brad:  It's nice to be here.

My first question is for you, Brad.  It might be a bit awkward.  I hope I'm not stepping on any toes.

Brad:  Uh Oh…that sounds ominous.  (grabs arms of chair as if bracing himself)  I guess I'm ready.  Go ahead.

Tara:  Don't worry, I'll protect you.

Brad:  (tilts head, raises eyebrow and gives her a teasing grin)  I thought protection was my area of expertise.  As a Deputy U.S. Marshal, that's one of the things we do.

And that brings me to the subject of my question.  You and Tara first met when you were protecting her from a killer who was doing away with all the witnesses in a case that was a done deal—the defendant had been convicted on all counts and sent to prison.  He subsequently died in prison of a heart attack.  So…well, I guess I have two questions about this.

First question is why did Tara need protection?  Why were witnesses being killed when the trial was over and the defendant's death from natural causes put an end to the possibility of him being released from prison.  And next—

Brad:  Let me handle that question before you get to the other one, and I think I already know what that is.

Five out of six witnesses living in different parts of the country had died within six months, all from mysterious 'accidents'.  I found that way too coincidental, especially when two of the witnesses were in the Witness Security Program and had new identities.  Tara was the only witness still in the Seattle area and alive.  I took my suspicions to my boss who told me to stop spending my time pursuing something that was not a case.  I couldn't accept his decision.  Every fiber of my being said the remaining witness was is danger and I needed to protect her.  What I didn't realize at the time was how difficult it would be to convince her of that little fact.

Tara:  (chuckles)  I readily admit that trust was so far down my list that it barely registered at the bottom.  (becomes serious)  But when someone blew up my car, I began to come around to his way of thinking.

Brad:  And your second question?

The two of you…isn't it against the rules for you to become personally involved with someone you're protecting?

Brad:  Yes…both 'company' rules and very definitely my personal rules.  My only excuse is that it was a highly unusual situation.  I was a one man protection team with no backup and no Marshals Service support or help.  Some unknown person was trying to kill Tara for an unknown reason and when this person realized a Deputy Marshal was on the scene, I became a target, too.

Wouldn't that, along with Tara's car being blown up, be proof enough of the danger to go back to your boss?

Brad:  It would, except for one little thing.

Tara:  Actually one very big thing.

Brad:  With two of the dead witnesses in the Witness Security Program, given new identities and relocated to different parts of the country, the only way for a killer to have located them would be with inside information.  There was a leak of information from the Marshals Service.  I had no way of knowing who I could trust.

Tara:  That pretty much made it the two of us against the world type of thing.

Brad:  I had an immediate attraction to her and add a set of circumstances that made it nearly impossible to not get personally involved…well…(he gave her a loving glance) what can I say?  It was meant to be.

Out of all your contacts there wasn't anyone you could trust?

Brad:  Well…there were two people I could trust, two people who were willing to help.

Who?

Tara:  (smiles)  I'm afraid you'll have to read the book to find out.

Well…how about this.  Why were the witnesses being killed? Was it just a revenge thing?

Brad:  That's what I thought…for a little while.  At first it seemed like the most likely motive.  Then it became obvious that revenge had nothing to do with it.  You'll need to read the book to find out the answer to your 'why' question.

LOL…I can see that more questions aren't going to get me any more information.  Brad…Tara…thanks for being here today.

IN HIS SAFEKEEPING, Harlequin Intrigue by Shawna Delacorte reissued in ebook format.  Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com (do search for author name Shawna Delacorte).  Barnes and Nobel for NookBooks at http://www.bn.com and Amazon for Kindle at http://www.amazon.com and other online vendors.

Stop by my website for additional excerpts from IN HIS SAFEKEEPING and information about my other Harlequin/Silhouette ebook reissues.    www.shawnadelacorte.com

Blurb:

HER PROTECTOR

One by one the government witnesses who'd testified against a mob associate began to die—and now Tara Ford was the last witness remaining. Suddenly with a killer shadowing her every move, she was forced to rely on the protection of U.S. Deputy Marshal Brad Harrison—a man whose take-charge attitude made her temper flare and whose strong sensuality made her heart race.

Brad never let emotion interfere with duty. But in close proximity with all-too-sexy Tara, he forgot all the rules. His instinct to keep her safe was as basic as his desire for her. And when he held her tenderly, he couldn't help but wonder who posed the most immediate danger—the killer or Brad's charge.

G-Excerpt (inside front cover excerpt):

"We need to get something clear right now, Tara." Brad's words were very matter-of-fact, his attitude all business. "I expect to have my instructions obeyed without hesitation or questions. Your life could depend on your immediate response to my orders."

Tara glared angrily at him, but he stood his ground and refused to back down. Brad Harrison had her confused. He was a virtual stranger who had burst uninvited into her world, tried to take control of her life and demanded that she trust him. Yet his unwavering gaze sent a ripple of desire through her body unlike anything she had ever experienced. There was a lot more at stake here than a question of control.

Every time he touched her, a sensual rush coursed through her body. It was totally inappropriate for the situation and equally out of character for her. But for reasons she could not clearly fathom, she had made the decision to tentatively trust this very sexy and desirable man. Hopefully it would not be the biggest mistake of her life…or worse yet, the last decision she would ever make.

IN FORBIDDEN TERRITORY—a conversation with Angie and Ty

Harlequin has reissued 16 of my backlist titles in ebook.  I've persuaded Angelina Coleman and Tyler Farrell to chat with us today about IN FORBIDDEN TERRITORY, a Silhouette Desire originally released in print and currently available as a Harlequin Desire in ebook.

Hello, Angie and Ty.  Thanks for being here today.  So…Angie.  Let's start with you.  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Angie:  I grew up in Portland, Oregon, raised by my mother in a single parent house with 5 brothers.  I'm the only girl and I'm also the youngest.  Even though we're mostly scattered across the country these days, we're still emotionally a very close family.  The oldest of my brothers is McConnor…everyone calls him Mac.  He's 13 years older than me and stepped into the role of surrogate father.  It's a responsibility he continues to take very seriously in that he still thinks of me as that little girl who needs his guidance and protection even though I'm 24 years old.

He sounds like a fantastic guy, but the look on your face says there's maybe a little more to it?

Angie:  Don't get me wrong, Mac is an incredible person, I owe him so much…everyone in our family does.  It's just that I had a very difficult time convincing him that I'm an adult and not that scrawny little girl he sees when he looks at me.  I was engaged for a while to a man who came from an influential family with a moneyed background and was highly successful.  But it quickly became apparent that what he wanted was a decoration on his arm to show off at all the appropriate business and society functions.  He objected to my career even though I have degrees in both business and industrial design and was working for a design firm.  When I broke the engagement I wanted to move away from Portland.  I tried to approach Mac about giving me a job at his company, but he treated it as "isn't that cute of little Angie, wanting to work for me."  I knew I needed to prove myself to him.  More than anything, I wanted his approval and respect as an adult capable of taking care of myself.

And that's what brought you from Portland to Seattle?

Tyler:  That's what brought Angie into my life, although at the time I didn't know the underlying reasons behind her move.  Mac did manage to convey that he felt very protective toward her and telegraphed a hands off type warning without actually saying those words.

That must have made things rather awkward for the two of you.  Would you mind telling us a little about your family, Ty, and your background?

Tyler:  My family?  The word dysfunctional immediately leaps to mind.  I'm an only child raised with money in a house where ongoing arguments between my mother and father was the normal daily routine.  They finally divorced when I was in high school, but the constant battles didn't stop.  If I learned one lesson during my formative years it was that money can't buy happiness and the idea of a happy family and a close relationship was too elusive to even consider.  If it hadn't been for my observation of Mac's close relationship with his family, I would have said the concept was pure fiction.  I met Mac the first day of our freshman year at UCLA.  He was just starting college even though he was two years older than the rest of our freshman class.  I learned later that he had to forfeit a scholarship because he needed to work to help support his family.  We immediately became good friends with a mutual interest in sailing and boat design.  After college we went into business together designing and building custom sailboats.  We've been very fortunate and the business is highly successful.

Angie:  I had met Ty once when he and Mac were in college.  He came to the house one weekend when I was 10 years old.  The one thing I remember clearly from that visit was thinking what an arrogant jerk he was.

Tyler:  (chuckles good-naturedly) I obviously made quite a terrific first impression.

Angie:  Then 14 years later we met again.  I had just arrived in Seattle following the breakup of my engagement, intent on getting a job.  I was staying at Mac's house on Bainbridge Island until I could find a place of my own.  Mac was supposed to take me to lunch that first day but he was buried under a deadline for a design project and asked Ty to fill in for him.

Tyler:  Actually, he begged me to take his kid sister off his hands so he could finish the design…just pizza and a movie was his idea of how to entertain his kid sister, as he insisted on calling her.  I had visions of that scrawny 10 year old girl I had met once.  Well…one look was all it took.  He may have thought of his sister as still being a child, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth.

So the two of you met and the rest is history?

Angie:  Not at all!

Tyler:  Not even close!

So how did it all happen?  How did it move beyond pizza and a movie? How did you handle Mac's 'hands off' attitude?

Tyler:  I'm afraid you're going to have to read the book.

Angie:  We do agree on that.  You'll need to read the book.

Well, I can tell by the identical expressions on each of your faces that asking any more questions will be futile.  Thanks Angie and Ty.

IN FORBIDDEN TERRITORY, a Silhouette Desire by Shawna Delacorte reissued in ebook.  Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com (do a search for author name Shawna Delacorte).  Barnes and Noble for NookBooks at www.nb.com.  Amazon for Kindle at www.amazon.com as well as other online vendors.

Check out my website for additional excerpts from IN FORBIDDEN TERRITORY and information on my other Silhouette/Harlequin ebook reissues.  www.shawnadelacorte.com

Blurb:

The Danger Zone:

Filling in as a guide and companion for his best friend's kid sister was cramping Tyler Farrell's bachelor lifestyle. At least, until a drop-dead-gorgeous, very-grown-up Angie melted his bones with one searing kiss. She was supposed to be off-limits…but Tyler liked playing with fire.

Angie wanted to prove she wasn't a child anymore. And what better way to do so than a no-strings affair with Tyler-the perfect love 'em and leave 'em guy? Except that the closer she got to Tyler, the hotter the attraction burned and the harder she fell in love. Somehow she had to convince commitment-phobic Tyler that she was his to claim—permanently!

G-rated excerpt #1:

Tyler Farrell's business partner barged into his office, panic covering his face as he pleaded, "You've got to help me out, Ty. Take her off my hands for the next few days."

"Take who off your hands?"

"It won't take that much of your time. She's just a kid."

"Who's just a kid?" Tyler's confusion began to turn to irritation. "What are you talking about, Mac?"

McConnor Coleman paused a moment as he took a calming breath. "All I know is what Mom said when she called the other day. It seems that my kid sister wants to move from Portland to Seattle, get a job and her own apartment. She arrived last night and is staying with me until I can help her get settled. I promised Mom I'd keep my eye on her. You know, maybe take her to a movie one evening and buy her some pizza. Take her on the harbor tour or to the top of the Space Needle. Stuff like that."

Mac renewed his determination. "It's not like you'll have to put your busy social life on hold so you can wine and dine her. Like I said, she's just a kid. You know the kind of long hours I'm going to be putting in until this new design is finished. The pivotal point of our company's expansion plans is dependent on this design. I don't want her sitting all alone at my house and I certainly don't want her going out at night by herself."

Ty made a valiant attempt to put some logic to Mac's obviously frazzled state of mind. "We're on Bainbridge Island, not in Seattle. There's no reason why she can't go out alone."

"A young girl should not be out on the streets alone." Mac's tone of voice said there was no room for discussion of the matter.

Ty allowed a slight frown to wrinkle across his brow. An image popped into his mind of Angelina Coleman, the annoying little girl he had encountered once at Mac's mother's house in Portland, Oregon.

He shook his head and emitted a sigh. "I really don't have time—"

"Am I too early for lunch?"

Ty whirled around in the direction of the sound. The sultry voice perfectly matched the beautiful blond vision framed in the doorway. A quick surge of desire shoved aside Ty's initial shock. Could this gorgeous vision be the same person Mac had been referring to as his kid sister?

Mac rushed toward her. "Angie...is it noon already?" He glanced at his watch, a sheepish expression covering his features. "I guess the morning got away from me."

She shot a teasing grin at her brother. "Why am I not surprised?"

Recovering from his initial shock, Ty leaped into action. He grabbed Angie's hand, kissed the back of it and made a courtly bow. "Angelina Coleman...Tyler Farrell at your service. You probably don't remember, but we met several years ago." A jolt of charged energy emanated from their clasped hands. A heated surge of desire swept up his arm and through his body. Her unwavering gaze, combined with the vibrancy of her expressive green eyes, sent another ripple coursing through him—a strange combination of lustful desire and caution.

"I most certainly do remember you. It was fourteen years ago, a month or so before you and Mac graduated from the University of Washington. Mac was the one worrying about finals. I was the scrawny ten-year-old with braces on my teeth." A dazzling smile lit her beautiful face and a touch of humor surrounded her words. "And you were the arrogant jerk."

Ty released her hand, clutched at his chest and staggered back a couple of steps as if he had been hit by a mortal blow, his action eliciting a spontaneous laugh from her. It was an enchanting sound, one that left him wanting to hear it again and again. The moment he broke the physical contact with her a strange sense of loss made its way into his consciousness. Her words startled him, but they had been said more in fun than with any show of malice. At least that was the way he chose to take it.

HAVING THE BEST MAN'S BABY—a conversation with Jean and Ryland

Harlequin has reissued 16 of my backlist titles in ebook.  Today I'm talking with Jean Summerfield and Ryland Collier about HAVING THE BEST MAN'S BABY, a Silhouette Desire originally released in print and currently available as a Harlequin Desire in ebook.

Thank you, Jean and Ry, for joining me today.  The two of you first met in high school where you were good friends.  Then suddenly you were like strangers to each other.  After graduation you each went your separate ways and didn't have any contact for fifteen years.  That seems odd to me.  If you were such good friends, what happened and why didn't you stay in touch?

Jean:  That's a tough question that doesn't have an easy answer.

That's an odd statement.  Can you elaborate?

Jean:  (glancing at Ry as if to determine if he agreed with what she was about to say)  Back then I couldn't imagine why he would want to be friends with me.  At sixteen, I was overweight, had a mouth full of metal braces, wore ugly glasses, and my wardrobe consisted of second hand clothes that looked like they belonged to a maiden great-aunt…which wasn't far from the truth.  In other words, I was an awkward mess.  Ry, on the other hand, was star quarterback of the football team, class president, and had people falling all over him wanting to be his friend…especially the cheerleaders.  We had a couple of the same classes and just fell into a pattern of walking from the first class to the second class together and struck up a friendship.

Ryland:  Jean was so easy to talk to.  I genuinely enjoyed her company.  She was the only person where I truly felt like I could be myself without needing to guard what I said and did in order to protect what was going on in my home life.  As to what happened…well, it was my fault.  I wasn't responsible for the circumstances that set it up, but I take full responsibility for the terrible way I handled it.

You keep referring to 'it' as in set 'it' up…handled 'it'…what is the 'it' you're talking about?

Ryland:  A terrible mistake I made that haunted me for fifteen years.  Not a day went by that I didn't have to deal with the guilt over what I'd done.  Jump forward fifteen years to the time I returned to town to be Best Man at my best friend's wedding, a time frame that exactly fit in with a consulting contract I had just signed. When I realized who the Maid of Honor was, I kept vacillating between the anxiety of having to face up to my guilt and the thrill of finding a long lost friend I thought I'd never see again.

So the two of you reconnected at a wedding after fifteen years.  And the wedding provided a conducive setting for your own romance?

Jean:  Yes and no.

Meaning what?

Jean:  Certainly the week leading up to the wedding was filled with activities involving us with each other and ongoing contact with a bride and groom who were obviously head-over-heels in love with each other.  But then a dark cloud descended over things…I thought I was pregnant, I discovered that Ry's consulting contract with the company I worked for had a very definite and it seemed negative impact on my job.  And then there was the night his wife showed up at my front door…

His wife?

Ryland:  Not wife…EX-wife.  Very much EX-wife.  With everything that was going on it's not surprising that things became confused.  Words were said in the heat of the moment…once again, I managed to do a lousy job of handling an awkward situation.

So your path to happiness wasn't as smooth as it might have been?

Ryland:  LOL.  Not even close.

Jean:  I thought for a while that the path had totally disappeared.

That sounds serious.  What happened?

Jean:  Sorry, you'll need—

I know…LOL, I'll need to read the book to find out.

Ryland:  That's it, exactly.  :)

Then that's exactly what I'll do!

HAVING THE BEST MAN'S BABY, a Silhouette Desire by Shawna Delacorte reissued in ebook format.  Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com (do a search for author name Shawna Delacorte).  Barnes and Noble for NookBooks at www.bn.com.  And Amazon for Kindle at www.amazon.com and other online vendors.

Visit my website for additional excerpts from HAVING THE BEST MAN'S BABY and information about my other Harlequin/Silhouette ebook reissues. www.shawnadelacorte.com

Blurb:

Suddenly With Child:

Fifteen years had passed since Ry Collier broke her teenage heart.  Fifteen years during which the golden boy had amassed a fortune, making a name for the man.  Fifteen years during which she'd blossomed into a woman bearing little resemblance to an awkward schoolgirl, if Ry's searing, searching appraisal in meeting her again was any indication.  But quickly, best man Ry knew why the maid of honor looked familiar.  And despite the past, they shared a bed.

And Jean Summerfield became pregnant.

Now she had to tell Ry that one reckless, remarkable night of passion had made a baby.  And risk history repeating itself...

G-rated excerpt (inside front cover):

The passion of Ry Collier infused her with a heated desire.  Certainly physical desire.  But mere infatuation?  No matter how much she denied it, things had moved far beyond mere infatuation.  Once again she was losing her heart to someone in spite of her intentions never to do it again.  Then all her thoughts stopped and she gave herself over to the exhilaration building inside her.

Tonight, following the rehearsal dinner...

The decision to make love with him would take them down an unknown path, one that could lead to love or disaster.  An uneasiness tried to replace the positive feeling.  She shoved it aside.  If she was falling in love—

If...  That was a laugh.  She knew in her heart that it had gone beyond the "if" stage.  She was far too involved to turn back now.

FALLING FOR THE ENEMY—a conversation with Paige and Bryce

Harlequin has reissued 16 of my backlist titles in ebook.  Today I'm talking with Paige Bradford and Bryce Lexington about FALLING FOR THE ENEMY, a Silhouette Desire originally released in print and currently available as a Harlequin Desire in ebook.

Hello, Paige and Bryce.  Thank you for making room in your schedule to chat with us today.

Bryce:  It's our pleasure.

My first question is for you, Paige.  You moved from St. Louis, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California, then you went to work for Bryce's company…is that correct?

Paige:  I'm from Los Angeles originally.  After my divorce, I returned to be near my father.  He was my only family.

About your father…I understand that you're the one who found his body after he…

Bryce:  Would you mind skipping that topic?  It's an emotional—

Paige:  It's all right, Bryce.  Yes, I'm the one who found my father's body after he…he shot himself.  In addition to a suicide note, I also found scraps of paper in the fireplace that he had apparently tried to burn.  Bits and pieces of things that didn't make sense, lots of numbers.  (glances at Bryce as if seeking reassurance)  And Bryce's name mentioned several times.

Bryce:  (grasps her hand and holds it)  And that's when she started prying into my life, a situation that quickly came to my attention only I didn't have a clue why she was doing it or what she was looking for.

Paige:  Well, my initial findings led me to believe he was responsible for my father committing suicide.  I was determined to prove it…to bring him down and expose him for what he was.  Or, more accurately, what I believed him to be.  I also wanted to find some way of keeping him from closing down my father's company and putting 100 employees with families out of work.

Really?  Bryce, you actually owned her father's company?

Bryce:  Well, yeah…by default, actually.  I didn't really want it.

What happened next?

Bryce:  What else…I hired her as my personal assistant so I could keep my eye on her in order to find out what she was up to.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  (LOL)

No, I meant what happened next with her father's company.

Bryce:  You'll need to buy the book to find the answer to that one.

Okay, I'll accept that.  Now let me change the subject.  There's a question I've been dying to ask you.

Bryce:  (laughs softly then flashes a teasing grin)  Uh Oh.  That sounds ominous.  Do I need to consult my attorney?

LOL…I think you'll be okay.

Paige:  Don't worry.  (offers a mischievous grin)  I'll protect you if she gets too rough.

Bryce:  Looks like I'm covered.  Fire away.

From the beginning, I notice you called her Bradford rather than Paige, Ms. Bradford, or Mrs. Bradford, and continued it for quite a while in the same way as guys refer to each other by their last names.  Why did you do that?

Bryce:  That's an easy one.  From the first time we met I knew I had to keep an emotional distance and make sure nothing between us became personal.

Do I detect an immediate attraction?

Bryce:  Definitely.  Calling her Bradford helped me maintain that emotional distance.  At least for a while.

Paige:  I was feeling it, too.  As much as I wanted to believe he was the ruthless shark I had made him out to be, the more I was around him…the more I found out about him…my firm convictions began to crumble.  There was the Italian family who owned the small neighborhood restaurant in London, the business negotiations for new contracts, his work ethic.  Everything going on around me shot down all my preconceived notions until I didn't know what to think anymore.

Tell me about the avalanche.

Paige:  Plain and simple…Bryce literally saved my life.

What happened?

Paige:  It's all in the book.

Oh, I see.  LOL  Another suggestion to buy the book if you want to know the answers.  Sounds like a good idea.  Thank you for being with us today.

FALLING FOR THE ENEMY, a Silhouette Desire by Shawna Delacorte reissued in ebook format. Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com (do a search for author name Shawna Delacorte). Barnes and Nobel for NookBooks at www.bn.com and Amazon for Kindle at www.amazon.com and other online vendors.

Check out my website for more excerpts from FALLING FOR THE ENEMY as well as information on my other Harlequin ebook reissues.  www.shawnadelacorte.com

Blurb:

A Dangerously Desirable Boss:

Paige Bradford intended to expose Bryce Lexington for the ruthless shark he was. But when they started working together, the sparks they gave off jettisoned her best intentions…. Paige knew this corporate hunk wasn't what he seemed—but was she losing her heart…to the enemy?

Hiring oh-so-sexy Paige might have been the biggest mistake Bryce had ever made, but he had to learn what she was after. Especially since she had Bryce—the man with everything—wanting something far more precious: Paige's love.

G-rated excerpt (inside front cover):

The look on Bryce Lexington's handsome face said it all.  He liked what he saw, liked it very much. Paige felt an inexplicable tingle of excitement as he continued to stare at her. She quickly pulled the beach jacket on, covering her body from shoulders to mid thigh.

"Tomorrow, Bradford…" Bryce paused to take a calming breath. "Tomorrow bring your own swimsuit." He quickly turned and left the pool house without even pausing to look back.

Paige closed her eyes. The look of smoldering intensity that Bryce had greeted her with popped back into her mind. A tremor of sensual desire made its way through her body, then settled low inside her.

Paige was not sure what she wanted anymore or why she was still there. She probably should have resigned as she had originally planned, but now it was too late.

COWBOY DREAMING—a conversation with Melanie and Cody

Harlequin has reissued 16 of my backlist titles in ebook.  Today I'm talking with Melanie Winslow and Cody Chandler about COWBOY DREAMING, a Silhouette Desire originally released in print and currently available as a Harlequin Desire in ebook.

Good morning, Melanie and Cody.  Thanks for joining us today.

Melanie:  Thanks for the invitation.

My first question is for Cody.

Cody: (grins) Hit me with it.

As I understand it, you're from the New England area with a background in international finance.  How did you end up as foreman of a cattle ranch on the eastern slopes of the Rockies foothills in Colorado?

Cody:  My family had been involved in banking and finance for literally generations and that's what they groomed me for…college degrees in business and finance including advanced education in Europe, travel, and foreign languages.  Bottom line—it wasn't what I wanted out of life.  So, defying family tradition, I looked around for something I felt comfortable with.  I knew I wanted to get away from the regimen of board rooms, suits and ties, and big business.  The great outdoors and ranching appealed to me.  And that's when I met Buck Winslow…a day that changed my life and gave me the sense of fulfillment and accomplishment I had been seeking.

What about you, Melanie?  You left home at eighteen and established a successful career as a freelance photographer.  The ranching life didn't appeal to you?

Melanie:  (wrinkled her forehead in a moment of contemplation)  It's not quite that cut and dried.  My father and I had a strained relationship at best…at least that's the way I saw it at the time.  Putting that together with my mother's death when I was eighteen, all I wanted to do was get away from what I felt was a painful place.  I had been interested in photography starting when I was about nine years old and knew that's what I wanted as a career.  Over the ensuing ten years after I left home, I established a successful career which had me traveling all over the world.  During that time I didn't have any communication with my father.

After a ten year estrangement, what prompted you to return to the ranch where you grew up?

Melanie:  That's another question that's difficult for me to answer.  For the last couple of years my thoughts had often turned to the ranch and the fact that my father was getting older.  However, my actually showing up at the ranch was a truly spontaneous thing.  I had just wrapped up a photo assignment and decided to do it.  I drove non-stop from Los Angeles to the eastern foothills of the Rockies.

Cody:  I'm a light sleeper.  It was the sound of someone entering the house in the middle of the night that woke me.  I immediately assumed it was a burglar breaking in.  You can imagine my surprise…actually my shock at discovering the intruder I tackled and pinned to the floor was a woman.

Melanie:  (laughs) Well, you can image my shock, too.  I don't think I've ever been as frightened as I was at that moment when Cody threatened me with bodily harm if I dared to move.

Cody:  In my defense, that was before I realized the intruder was a woman.

I assume you got everything straightened out as soon as you turned on the lights to see what was going on?

Cody:  Far from it!

Melanie:  Not even close.  Instant animosity which got worse as soon as I identified myself as Buck Winslow's daughter.  He made it very clear that he had no use for me and questioned why I had even bothered to return to the ranch at that time.  He was obviously very protective of my father, but I didn't understand why until I found out my father was…that he was dying.

With your father being very ill and you and Cody at each other's throat, how did you work that out?

Cody:  I suggested a truce until I could assess the situation.  I know how much it had hurt Buck when his only child abruptly left home without warning and he never heard from her again, how much he missed her.  It was going to be enough of a shock for him with his fragile health to have his long absent daughter suddenly show up without the added stress of the two of us arguing.  The last thing I wanted was for Buck to be upset.

Melanie:  I had no idea that my father was ill.  Cody said he had tried to reach me a year earlier, mailed a letter to the magazine where my photographs had just appeared, but I never got it.  When he didn't get any response he assumed I didn't care.  After I realized what was going on, I understood his attitude toward me—didn't like it, but understood it.  Over the next couple of days I learned so much about my father that I never knew.  He wasn't the cold unfeeling man I had always thought him to be.

Cody:  But then another roadblock appeared.  Mel decided I was taking advantage of Buck.  She misinterpreted something she saw and thought I was embezzling.

That sounds like more than just a wariness of each other.  What turned the two of you around?  When and how did you start seeing each other as something other than adversaries and start developing trust?

Melanie:  It's all in the book.

Cody:  (puts his arm around Melanie's shoulders and draws her close to him, then offers a mischievous grin)  I can disclose that we definitely did work out our differences and there's a happily ever after ending to our story.

LOL…and on that note I guess there's nothing left to say except thank you for being here with us today.

COWBOY DREAMING, a Silhouette Desire by Shawna Delacorte reissued in ebook format.  Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com (do a search for author name Shawna Delacorte).  Also available from Amazon for Kindle and Barnes & Noble for Nook as well as other online vendors.

Check out my website for more excerpts from COWBOY DREAMING as well as information on my other Harlequin ebook reissues.  www.shawnadelacorte.com

Blurb:

STRANDED

When Melanie Winslow returned to the Colorado ranch where she was raised, she never expected to find herself stranded in a mountain cabin with Cody Chandler. The rugged ranch manager was the answer to every daydream Melanie had ever had about strong, sexy cowboys.

WITH A SEXY COWBOY

But this one was real, with a kiss that made Melanie's heart beat faster, and a smile that hinted at the most intimate things. The trouble was, the last thing Melanie intended to do was fall in love with an untamed cowboy—no matter how perfect he seemed. If only her heart felt the same way….

Inside front cover excerpt:

Melanie felt Cody's warm breath across her cheek, then his lips on the side of her neck. His words tickled her ears. "We should figure out the sleeping arrangements for tonight."

He rose suddenly and added a couple more logs to the blaze. "There should be some sleeping bags in the cupboard," he said. "And another cot…" It was almost a question.

All right, Ms. I-can-take-care-of-myself-and-don't-need-anybody, what do you plan to do now?

This was not the time to panic, Melanie told herself. She was a self-sufficient woman who would handle this logically and intelligently.

As she watched, Cody jabbed the burning logs, causing embers to fly—like the hot sparks she felt every time he kissed her. The intensity in his face and the captivating pull of his masculinity drew her to him. Her insides melted into a simmering pool of desire.

Maybe common sense and levelheaded thinking weren't all they were cracked up to be….

AT THE TYCOON'S COMMAND—a conversation with Kim and Jared

Harlequin has reissued 16 of my backlist titles in ebook.  Today I'm talking with Jared Stevens and Kim Donaldson about AT THE TYCOON'S COMMAND, a Silhouette Desire originally released in print and currently available as a Harlequin Desire in ebook.

Hello, Jared and Kim.  Thanks for stopping by to chat with us.

Kim:  It's our pleasure.

Jared:  It's my understanding that you want to talk about how we got together.  The rocky road to love…so to speak.

LOL…yes, something like that.  You do have to admit that your story smacks of elements of the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Kim:  Yes, indeed…the family feud.

Jared:  Our grandfathers started a feud that had lasted decades.  And in a small coastal community like Otter Crest, something like that can't be hidden.

Am I correct in my understanding that neither of you stuck around Otter Crest after graduating from high school?  You each left in different directions to attend college then stayed away with your careers?

Jared:  I came back a little over three years ago when my father died and I took over the helm of the family empire.  The company is headquartered in San Francisco and that's my legal residence, but I spend a couple of months each summer at the family compound in Otter Crest.

Kim:  As for me, upon graduation the university I accepted a teaching job.  I had returned to Otter Crest when my father died to attend the funeral and settle his estate which basically consisted of his small house and personal possessions.  I had no intention of staying any longer than necessary.  But the day after the funeral, the Stevens' Enterprises corporate attorney showed up at the door of my father's house with a demand for payment of a long overdue financial obligation he claimed my father owed.  And that moment brought the feud full blown to the third generation.  I had perceived the timing of the demand for payment as purposefully designed by Jared as just another unethical Stevens' tactic.

You said he 'claimed' your father owed the debt.  Was it legitimate?

Kim:  My father had always insisted it wasn't so, but it turned out to be real.

Jared:  The corporation had a signed and notarized promissory note.  I had my suspicions about the ethics of how it came about, but the paper work was in order and legal.  My concerns in that area were what prompted me to make her an offer to work it off rather than paying it off.  The timing was unfortunate with regards to her father's funeral, but it was an attempt to reach Paul Donaldson's heir while she was in town.

So, Kim, that's when Jared offered you a means of settling the debt?

Kim:  Yes…he offered to let me work it off.  I immediately interpreted the offer as nothing more than a sleazy proposition—just another ploy by the high and mighty Stevens' family to belittle and humiliate a Donaldson.

Jared:  She totally misinterpreted my offer, but I understand why she made that assumption.

Kim:  I had a legal document drawn up stating that my working in his summer office would settle the debt.  It clearly spelled out a legitimate job situation.

That knowing smile and the glances between you two indicate something a little different than some straight forward office work.

Kim:  I thought I had been so thorough in covering all the bases by spelling out the work arrangement in a legal document, but he was one step ahead of me.  It was a job working as his assistant, but there was very little typing or other office work involved.  I picked up his dry cleaning, took his car to be detailed, took his dog to the vet and the groomer.  Well, you get the picture.  I was not a happy camper!

That's certainly understandable.  How about you, Jared?  What was your intention with all the personal chores rather than legitimate office work?

Jared:  Our families had been feuding for three generations.  I had just met her for the first time—lots of tension and a definite adversarial situation.  I had no idea if I could trust her around corporate business and felt uncomfortable about her having access to financial records.  I would have simply dismissed the debt if it had been between my father and her father, but it was a business debt and was on the corporate books as such so I needed to make an earnest effort to settle the obligation.  I had no personal interest in a stupid decades old feud and didn’t want to cause her financial difficulty by demanding she pay the debt.  The work situation seemed like a good compromise to me.

Kim:  I didn't know Jared, but had gone to high school with his younger brother, Terry…an arrogant jerk who embodied everything my father had ever said about the Stevens' family.  That, naturally, made me very wary of Jared.

Jared:  That's HALF brother.  My father was married six times and there were also all the mistresses and short term affairs.  I'm lucky there was only one half-sibling for me to deal with.

You and your brother…half-brother…don't get along?

Jared:  That's putting it mildly.  Kim is absolutely right in describing him as an arrogant jerk, but she left out the part about him also being totally irresponsible and believing he was entitled to whatever he wanted.  My father and I were never close, but he knew there was no way he could put Terry in charge of anything which left me heading the corporation be default while trying to keep Terry under control.

Sounds like you and Kim had several ups and downs before you settled into a relationship.

Kim:  And one frightening incident that made everything else pale in comparison...an incident by the name of Chloe.

That sounds interesting.  Who is Chloe and what happened?

Jared:  You'll need to read the book to discover that.

LOL…why am I not surprised?

AT THE TYCOON'S COMMAND, a Silhouette Desire by Shawna Delacorte reissued in ebook format.  Available at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com (do a search for author name Shawna Delacorte).  Barnes and Noble for NookBooks at www.bn.com.  Amazon for Kindle at www.amazon.com. And other online vendors.  Check out my website for additional excerpts and information on my other Harlequin ebook reissues.  Shawna Delacorte at www.shawnadelacorte.com

Blurb:

Employed By The Enemy:

Working for Jared Stevens was not how teacher Kim Donaldson wanted to spend her vacation, but doing so would pay off her father's debt and end the long-standing feud begun by their grandfathers.  If only Jared hadn't matured into a handsome man with a magnetic appeal and a smooth, sexy voice that made concentrating extremely difficult.

Reformed playboy Jared was nothing like his unethical father.  He was hard working and responsible...and his attraction to his newest employee was immediate and powerful.  Jared found their passionate battles in the office led to steamy lovemaking in the bedroom.  But could a woman who no longer trusted find love with a man afraid of commitment?

G-rated excerpt (inside front cover):

"I'd be willing to let you, uh...work off the debt."

The shock traveled through Kim's body, followed by a sharp jab of anger compounded by the lascivious gleam in Jared's eyes and the unmistakable challenge in his face.

"You'd what?"

"I'd be willing to make arrangements for you to work off the debt this summer while you're not teaching."

"That type of ludicrous line might work on the many women who frequent your bedroom, but I'm most certainly not one of them!"

"Whoa!  Hold on there.  I don't know what you're assuming, but I'm offering a legitimate position, handling the summer office chores."

It made sense, but did she dare trust what he said?  He was a Stevens.  For as long as she could remember, their families had been enemies...

Those We Lost In 2015

As with every year, 2015 saw the loss of many notable people in the public eye from the entertainment industry, sports and politics. I've gathered a short list cross section of several of those we lost from the entertainment industry listed here in chronological order according to date of death.

January 1             Donna Douglas, 81

Best known for her role as Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies television series.

January 7             Rod Taylor, 84

Australian born actor who starred in numerous movies, most notably the movie of H.G. Welles' novel The Time Machine and Hitchcock's The Birds. He also had many guest starring roles in various television series.

February 14        Louis Jourdan, 93

French actor who starred in such musicals as Gigi with Leslie Caron and Can Can with Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine. On the dramatic side, he played the James Bond villain in Octopussy. He also had numerous television roles and was equally adept playing the good guy and the bad guy.

February 27        Leonard Nimoy, 83

Certainly best known as Spock, half-human and half-Vulcan character from the original Star Trek television series in the late 1960s followed by a series of highly successful Star Trek theatrical movies. In addition to acting, he also directed and was a published author.

May 14                 B. B. King, 89

Legendary blues musician

June 7                  Christopher Lee, 93

British actor who was considered the master of the horror genre and a renowned film villain.

June 25               Patrick Macnee, 93

British actor best known for his role as the suave, sophisticated British secret agent John Steed with his trademark bowler hat and umbrella in The Avengers television series. He appeared in many films and guest starring roles in numerous American television series.

July 10                Omar Sharif, 83

The Egyptian born actor is best known for his starring role opposite Peter O'Toole in Lawrence Of Arabia and his starring role in Dr. Zhivago.

July 21                Theodore Bikel, 91

Stage and film actor who created the lead roles on Broadway in The Sound Of Music and Fiddler On The Roof. He had many film roles, including the Russian submarine captain in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, and numerous guest starring roles in various television series.

August 30           Wes Craven, 76

Filmmaker who defined the horror genre with his movie franchises of Nightmare On Elm Street and Scream as well as other movies.

September 1       Dean Jones, 84

Starred in several Disney movies including The Love Bug as well as many television roles.

September 6       Martin Milner, 83

Best known for his starring roles in Route 66 television series as well as Adam-12. His career spanned half a century starting as a young teenager and included both movies and guest starring roles on several television series.

October 24                   Maureen O'Hara, 95

Born in Ireland, she enjoyed a long career in American films. Her most notable role was probably the original Miracle On 34th Street. She also co-starred with John Wayne in several movies, her favorite being The Quiet Man set in Ireland.

October 30                   Al Molinaro, 96

The character actor is best known for his co-starring role as the owner of 'Arnolds' for several seasons of the Happy Days television series.

November 28      Marjorie Lord, 97

A film actress probably best known for her starring role opposite Danny Thomas in the television series, Make Room For Daddy.

December 4        Robert Loggia, 85

An actor best known for his character roles as tough guys, gangsters, cops, in movies and on television but became 'famous' for his role with Tom Hanks in Big with particular emphasis on the scene where the two of them played the giant piano keys by dancing on them.

And there you have it. As I said, a very short cross section on those who have entertained us over the decades.