Kristen Ethridge | Excerpt from The Doctor’s Unexpected Family

I’m so excited to be back on Fresh Fiction! I am hard at work putting the finishing touches on the next book in the Port Provident: Hurricane Hope series, SHELTER FROM THE STORM, which will be out at the end of this month. (Eeek! Excited author alert! Follow me on my Amazon author page, on Facebook, and on my newsletter list so you can get all the release details!) So, while I’m here today, I thought I’d take a few minutes and introduce you to Pete and Angela, the hero and heroine of my latest book, THE DOCTOR'S UNEXPECTED FAMILY.

Let’s pop down to Port Provident, an island off the coast of Texas and visit Pete and Angela. They’re at Pete’s beach house, standing on the deck and watching the stars at the end of a long day.

Read the Excerpt

“Your heart. What’s it telling you to do?”

She leaned forward, bringing her face and her body close enough that a gulf breeze wouldn’t be able to flutter between them. At the tentative touch of her hand on his chest, Pete felt his fingers press automatically a little more firmly at the small of her back.

He waited, unsure of what to do. If her hand slid up to his shoulder, if she tilted her head just so, if she gave him the slightest encouragement in any one of a hundred different ways, he knew what his heart would tell him to do.

Or at least what he’d be encouraged to do by a powerful mix of adrenaline, a dash of hormones…and a shooting star overhead. Pete caught a fleeting burst of movement out of the corner of his eye. “Did you see that?”

She shook her head and from her lips came a slightly breathless “No, what?”

“A shooting star. The meteor shower must be getting started.” Pete didn’t move his hand, didn’t take a step. “Make a wish.” He knew what he was wishing for right now.

Angela took a deep breath in through her nose, then closed her eyes as she let it out. She smiled and her cheeks rounded. Her brown eyelashes laid like a whisper along the curve of her skin. Pete couldn’t have looked around for another careening star if he’d wanted to. Blood shot through his veins like the fastest meteor above them.

Angela wasn’t the first woman he’d ever wanted to kiss, and the stars overhead were not the first ones he’d ever wished on. But together, what they combined to make him feel—that was a first.

“I can’t ask what you wished for, can I?” Pete questioned.

The smile lingered on her face and her eyes slowly opened like the dawn of the sun over the horizon. “It’s like blowing out birthday candles. You can’t share, or it won’t come true.”

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?”

Pete wasn’t about to share the thoughts in his head, either. He didn’t understand them all himself—he certainly didn’t expect Angela to, either.

And he didn’t want to scare her off. She and Celina needed a good place to stay, and there weren’t many options in Port Provident right now. That downstairs apartment was perfect for their needs. It had been hard enough to convince Angela to stay in the first place. He couldn’t give her any reasons to leave.

“No, no we can’t.” She slowly slid her hand off Pete’s chest and as she moved, the night breeze stirred and flowed in the new gap between them.

The moment disappeared like the trail behind a quick-moving star overhead.

“Did you wish for anything, Pete?”

He just couldn’t tell her how he’d studied her eyes, her smile, and the way his heart beat a little faster when her palm laid over it. “Not really.”

I hope you enjoyed getting to meet Pete and Angela and I hope you’ll visit Port Provident soon—all of my books are set there, and they’re all available on Amazon. Port Provident is a great place to find sweet, emotional romance set in a beachside town you’ll want to call home. Come visit!

GIVEAWAY

Do you still make wishes on stars? Leave a comment below and be entered for a chance to win a copy of THE DOCTOR'S UNEXPECTED FAMILY.

About Kristen Ethridge

The writing bug bit Kristen Ethridge around the time she first held a pencil. A 2012 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award Finalist, Kristen was discovered by Harlequin through their 2012 So You Think You Can Write contest.

She writes contemporary inspirational romance for Harlequin's Love Inspired line, as well as sweet contemporary romance. Her favorite stories are filled with love, laughter, and happily ever after--and her favorite happily ever after is the story of God's love. Although she has fun creating characters, Kristen's favorite people are her family. She lives in Texas with her husband, children and a self-important poodle. Visit her online.

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About THE DOCTOR'S UNEXPECTED FAMILY

GRACE FINDS YOU IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED PLACES…

Dr. Pete Shipley is on a mission to save lives and he’s ready to move to another corner of the world where his skills are needed. City Councilwoman Angela Ruiz is a single parent fighting to save her hometown after Hurricane Hope tears through Port Provident, leaving destruction across the community she has sworn to serve. Together, they team up to found The Grace Space, a Christian-based community gathering spot in the heart of Angela’s district, where residents can get food, household goods, and basic medical care while Port Provident rebuilds after the storm.

When Pete’s appointment to an international medical mission comes, will the doctor follow his lifelong dream and leave Port Provident, The Grace Space, and Angela and her daughter—or will he stay with the family he didn't expect to love and realize he can change the world without leaving home?

Hurricane Hope: One storm changes Port Provident forever...and for good