Delicious Tease Contest Day #2: Beth Williamson

I'm really excited to introduce Beth Williamson today. I met her for the first time in September, at Lora Leigh's RAW, and was so impressed with what a wonderful person she was. Her new book, The Stranger's Secrets features what she she does best: super sexy cowboys! So check out the blurb and excerpt below, and don't forget to answer the question of the day to be entered to win a $15 gift certificate to Amazon, courtesy of Beth!

It's about the love, not the look.
The Stranger's Secrets is my third Brava book and my first disabled heroine. This is the last in a series that began with The Education of Madeline and The Redemption of Micah. The heroine of The Stranger's Secrets is Micah's sister.
She's not only disabled, she's got a tongue sharper than a knife and a chip on her shoulder bigger than Texas. She's not perfect, far from it. Sarah is intense, really intense. I still cry when I read parts of this book, more than a year after I wrote it.
Funny how as a writer I get so emotionally involved with my characters. Perhaps I'm just a wus at heart. *blush*

In any case, Sarah has a very good reason to be so against Yankees in general. As a child of the south, and wounded as no woman should ever be, she is unprepared for Whitman Kendrick, the Yankee who explodes into her life and her heart.

Writing someone who walks with a cane was a challenge at first, but then it became a natural rhythm the more the story went on. I tried to make her as strong as I could, yet as vulnerable as she was. It was a delicate balance (no pun intended, I swear!).

I'd like to think my heroes and heroines always have something special about them, something unique and not the same old, same old, y'know? I've read countless westerns with pouty females and alpha males. Not a bad thing, but I want my characters to stand out.

In the case of The Stranger's Secrets, I took a chance making her disabled, similar to having a homeless heroine in The Legacy. It wasn't what people expect and I hope that's a good thing. What's life without the unexpected? Boring I should think. :)

TITLE: The Stranger's Secrets

PUBLISHER: Kensington Brava

ISBN: ISBN-13: 9780758234735

BLURB:

Betrayed By Her Own Heart, Sarah Spalding has learned to forge her own way and never to trust anyone—least of all a Yankee. But when her companion abandons her while on a train to Colorado, Sarah begrudgingly accepts the help of Whitman Kendrick—a Yankee, yes, but one with the most bewitching green eyes. Allowing Whit to be her traveling escort is one thing, taking him as a lover is another—even though she’s tempted beyond reason ...

Whit Kendrick isn’t quite sure what to make of the sharp-tongued, sassy woman sharing his train compartment. All he knows is that Sarah is refreshingly different from most women—and his urgent, primal attraction for her is unlike any he’s experienced. Breaking down Sarah’s wall of defense won’t be easy. But Whit is determined to prove to Sarah that they’re more alike than different—and loving each other is all they need…

EXCERPT:

The dining room was nearly bursting at the seams. There was only one unoccupied table by the time Sarah and Whitman arrived to eat. Unfortunately it was in a corner and made for two.
“Told you to hurry,” Whitman grumbled under his breath.
Sarah couldn’t stop a very unladylike snort, again. “Next time I’ll run up the stairs and you stand at the bottom then.”
He didn’t respond, but she saw the corner of his mouth twitch, as if he was holding in a laugh. Perhaps the serious Yankee did have a sense of humor after all.
When they sat down, Sarah realized it was the first time they were face to face. On the train and even walking to the hotel, they’d been beside each other. Facing Whitman was an entirely different experience.
He wasn’t classically handsome, but damn, he was exactly the kind of man Sarah was attracted to. His face was angular, the late day whiskers only added to his appeal, his nose was slightly crooked, and a few scars were scattered here and there as if he’d been wounded by small pieces of something.
But it was his eyes which captured her attention. Deep, green and framed by those long eyelashes, Whitman had the sexiest gaze she’d ever seen. Fortunately or unfortunately, she felt a tug of sensual awareness just looked at the tousled chocolate locks above those eyes.
Hell and crackers.
He frowned. “Why are you scowling at me?”
“I’m not scowling.” She fiddled with the fork and knife on the table while hoping the missing waitress would appear to save her from the awkward situation.
Damn Mavis Ledbetter. The woman was over by the window with that same gentleman, completely ignoring the fact she’d been paid to take care of Sarah. Whit had been right—she was going to fire Mavis and leave her in whatever town this was.
“She said she was a spinster.” Whit followed Sarah’s gaze. “Looks as if she hasn’t given up the quest for a husband though.”
“She spent so much time declaring she was a spinster, she kept most men away from her.” Sarah frowned at Mavis. “Nobody in town wanted anything to do with her because of her reputation.”
“You’re from the same town then?”
His question was one anyone in polite company would ask, but Sarah found herself unwilling to answer any personal questions. So she decided to insult him to keep him disliking her. “You’re nosy.”
“You’re rude.”
“You’re pushy.”
He barked a laugh. “And you’re refreshingly honest.”
Sarah found herself holding back a chuckle. What was it about this annoying Yankee that set her on her head? Aside from being handsome, there wasn’t anything else remarkable about him. She needed to figure out his appeal so she could combat it and keep her distance, at least as much as she could considering they were stuck in a train compartment together for fifteen hundred miles.
“Then you won’t mind if I continue being honest.”
He nodded. “I wouldn’t expect any less.”
Why in the hell did that make Sarah’s heart thump like a bass drum? Back home when she ate a meal, it was with her friends, a group where everyone chatted and relaxed. Sitting with Whit made me feel jumpy and awkward—a condition Sarah was definitely not used to.
“You make me uncomfortable,” she blurted.
His eyebrows went up. “I do?”
Now that she’d gone down that path, she had to finish her thought. “I’m sure you’ve heard the song before, Mr. Kendrick, but Yankees aren’t high on my list of favorite folks, much less one I have to rely on. It’s going to take some time for me to ah, adjust, so if you can, be patient with me.”Whit nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
She didn’t want to demand anything from the man. After all, there was no reason for him to help her. His actions told her more than anything that he was a gentleman. “When life kicks you once, you get back up and move on. When life kicks you a dozen times, you’re less willing to forgive and trust.” That was as far as she planned on going with that train of thought. He seemed like a sharp man and could likely understand why she felt uncomfortable.
“Don’t worry. I won’t give you any cause to kick me back. I promise.” The sincerity in his gaze made her want to believe him.
Ridiculous of course, why should she trust a stranger? She had to rely on him to be her companion, however that would turn out. Yet expecting him to carry her bags was a far cry from trusting him with her life. Sarah could take care of herself, for the most part anyway, and she regretted the fact she couldn’t do it all the time.
“Good because I bite when I kick.” She fought back a grin.
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

Thanks, Beth, for being part of our Contest Extravaganza! This book sounds super hot and super delicious.

So tell me y'all, what was the most unique hero or heroine you ever read in a book? Or maybe it was a secondary character? Something that really stood out for you as a reader, that you still remember today. Don't forget to comment to be entered to win a $15 Amazon Gift Card!