Kristen Ethridge | Excerpt from The Doctorโs Unexpected Family
Iโm 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 Iโm here today, I thought Iโd take a few minutes and
introduce you to Pete and Angela, the hero and heroine of my latest book, THE
DOCTOR'S UNEXPECTED FAMILY.
Letโs pop down to Port Provident, an island off the coast of Texas and visit
Pete and Angela. Theyโre at Peteโs beach house, standing on the deck and
watching the stars at the end of a long day.
Read the Excerpt
โYour heart. Whatโs it telling you to do?โ
She leaned forward, bringing her face and her body close enough that a gulf
breeze wouldnโt 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 heโd be encouraged to do by a powerful mix of adrenaline, a
dash of hormonesโฆand a shooting star overhead.
Pete caught a fleeting burst of movement out of the corner of his eye. โDid
you see that?โ
She shook her head and from her lips came a slightly breathless โNo, what?โ
โA shooting star. The meteor shower must be getting started.โ Pete didnโt
move his hand, didnโt take a step. โMake a wish.โ
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 couldnโt have looked around for
another careening star if heโd wanted to. Blood shot through his veins like
the fastest meteor above them.
Angela wasnโt the first woman heโd ever wanted to kiss, and the stars
overhead were not the first ones heโd ever wished on. But together, what
they combined to make him feelโthat was a first.
โI canโt ask what you wished for, can I?โ Pete questioned.
The smile lingered on her face and her eyes slowly opened like the dawn of
the sun over the horizon. โItโs like blowing out birthday candles. You canโt
share, or it wonโt come true.โ
โWell, we canโt have that, can we?โ
Pete wasnโt about to share the thoughts in his head, either. He didnโt
understand them all himselfโhe certainly didnโt expect Angela to, either.
And he didnโt want to scare her off. She and Celina needed a good place to
stay, and there werenโt 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 couldnโt give her any reasons
to leave.
โNo, no we canโt.โ She slowly slid her hand off Peteโs 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.
โDid you wish for anything, Pete?โ
He just couldnโt tell her how heโd studied her eyes, her smile, and the way
his heart beat a little faster when her palm laid over it. โNot
really.โ
I hope you enjoyed getting to meet Pete and Angela and I hope youโll visit
Port Provident soonโall of my books are set there, and theyโre all available
on Amazon. Port Provident is a great place to find sweet, emotional romance
set in a beachside town youโll 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.
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.
Dr. Pete Shipley is on a mission to save lives and heโs 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 Angelaโs district,
where residents can get food, household goods, and basic medical care while
Port Provident rebuilds after the storm.
When Peteโs 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 daughterโor 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
yes just last night i did when i went for a night walk with my brother (Emily Stemp 9:49am September 18, 2015)
On the first star when I see it. It is so fun and I feel like a kid again. (Pam Howell 9:52am September 18, 2015)
I always wish on a star. You never know when it might be the lucky one! (Kristine Murphy 11:05am September 18, 2015)
Yes, and I make sure my grandchildren do too. (Sharon Berger 1:37pm September 18, 2015)
Not really since I raraly did it as a child. (Marissa Yip-Young 5:22pm September 18, 2015)
Wishing on stars is a time honored tradition in our family!!! Long may it live! (Shirley Bennett 8:52pm September 18, 2015)
I love all these responses! I'm sorry I was away from my computer most of the day, so I'm la little late in replying. But thank you all for stopping by and sharing your shooting star stories! (Kristen Ethridge 11:09pm September 18, 2015)
Yes , I still wish upon a star .I sorta believe the stars are little Angels that God has put up there to watch over us,they do put a little light in our life ,don't they ? It's a dark and gloomy night without the Moon and Stars . I love to look up into the starry night and think and dream , just me and my thoughts . It's nice . (Joan Thrasher 9:57am September 19, 2015)
I'm rarely out at that time of night and have only seen one or two. I keep my wishes simple, not self serving. (Nancy Luebke 1:06pm September 19, 2015)
I rarely get out at night but if I do love to look at the stars and dream of far away places (Jeri Dickinson 2:59pm September 19, 2015)
I always wish upon a star. Been doing so for most of my 67 years. Sadly, few if any of my wishes have come true, but that doesn't mean the next one won't. (Irene Menge 12:12pm September 20, 2015)
I really like Joan Thrasher's answer. I remember this lady at a Church function I went to told a story of the Stars to her Grandchildren. She said when we don't see the Stars God covers them with a blanket...Now, to answer your question I greet the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars and when I see a Falling star I feel nothing but magic :) Yes, I still wish upon a star. "There wouldn't be a Sky full of Stars if we were meant to Wish on the same One" ~ quote from Frances Clark (Holly Loch 3:03am September 20, 2015)
It's a funny thing that I never believed in wishing on stars as a child but now that I am older I have started to believe - go figure! (Felicia Ciaudelli 8:15am September 20, 2015)
If you didn't wish on a star, you have no hope, so of course, I wish on a star!! I'd also love to swing on a star, as in the old Bing Crosby song. If you remember it, that song will be in your head today!! lol I enjoyed reading your excerpt, and know that I'll enjoy reading your book even more!! Congratulations on your latest book, and I'm sure it's going to do well!! It's already on my TBR list!!! (Peggy Roberson 10:19am September 20, 2015)
I do wish on the stars for something wonderful to happen (Jeri Dickinson 2:49pm September 20, 2015)
yes just last night while walking after dinner (Emily Stemp 3:02pm September 20, 2015)
yes, yes I still make wishes on stars---and many of them come true (Timothy Younger 8:30pm September 20, 2015)
Every now and then. Usually it's for the continued health and safety of my loved ones. (Flora Presley 10:40pm September 20, 2015)
I'm still a child at heart and wish upon stars often. (Sue Farrell 10:36am September 21, 2015)
Frankly, I'm not outdoors at night, so I guess I need to say I don't wish upon the stars. Come to think of it, city lights make it more difficult to see stars. (Anna Speed 12:42pm September 21, 2015)
No I don't wish upon stars I really never have! (Denise Austin 6:04pm September 21, 2015)
Every time I see th first star (Jeri Dickinson 6:48pm September 21, 2015)
Yes, I wish on stars, but only the first one I see. "I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish, I wish tonight." That's what I was taught as a little girl. (Faye Gates 7:25pm September 21, 2015)
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