by Elle James
“No, really, you're my very own angel, sent by the voodoo queen.”
Elaine frowned. He really was losing it. “Craig, stay with me long enough to get us back to the marina.”
“I'm with you, honey. Wild bullfrogs couldn't drag me away.” He lifted his head, squinted in the moonlight and pointed with his good arm. “That way.”
After what seemed to be an eternity, the boat glided up to the dock at Thibodeaux Marina. Craig had drifted in and out of consciousness, with Elaine waking him at every fork in the bayou to beg the next round of directions. She'd remained patient with him when he couldn't think straight. Actually, she was looking very tempting in her lacy white bra. Too bad he didn't have the energy to reach out and touch her, pull her close and kiss the rest of her clothes off.
Yup, she was his very own guardian angel. He just hoped he could hold on to her and keep her from leaving him again. He didn't even want to consider her walking away from Bayou Miste without him.
Was it part of his hallucinations, or had she really said she loved him? If she was just trying to make him feel good, it worked. He wished she'd say it again, just to be sure. His heart beat faster when she leaned close enough for him to feel her breath on his ear. Would she tell him the three words he longed to hear? She lifted his hand and wrapped his fingers around the boat paddle. “Hit them if they give you any problems.”
A quick kiss and she jumped out of the boat, like a confident sailor. How unlike the frightened waif of the first night he'd taken her out on the bayou.
Too weak to get out of the boat, he waited and watched her run across the dock in her jeans and lacy white bra. Wow! Even in his weakened condition Craig couldn't help but admire his brave and sexy angel.
He couldn't quite see up to the bait shop. But he heard a loud crash, the distinctive sound of shattered glass. She hadn't just broken a window in the bait shop, had she? Mild-mannered microscope junkie Elaine Smith?
Craig glanced down at the paddle in his hand and the two men bound in fishing line, glad he was on her side.
He must have passed out again. When he opened his eyes, the dark wasn't quite as dark and bright lights flashed in the distance up by the bait shop. Someone was talking to him.
“Craig, they're here to take you to the hospital.”
He looked up into Elaine's liquid green eyes. She wore a white T-shirt sporting a largemouth bass and the words “I'd rather be fishing” across her breasts.
“Will you be there?” he asked.
She smiled. “Wild bullfrogs couldn't keep me away.” She squeezed his hand and then backed away.
Two men in Emergency Medical Service uniforms helped him out of the boat and onto a stretcher. His legs were no longer useful. He hated being so weak when he needed to be strong for Elaine.
She followed close behind until they reached the parking lot where the ambulance stood, lights flashing, and the entire town out in force.
When they moved him to the wheeled gurney and pushed him toward the open doors of the ambulance, Craig stirred enough to say, “Wait.” He stared around at the familiar faces.
Mo was closest to him. “1 heard all de commotion. Thought maybe T-Rex was causin' trouble. Glad to see it wasn't.” He nodded toward a sheriff's car where a deputy was handcuffing Randall and Gator. “Dem's bad ones, dey are. I should have been dere with you, man.”
Craig looked up at Elaine. “I had backup.”
Larry stepped up beside Mo. “She's a keeper, all right.”
Craig's gaze never left Elaine's. “I know.”
“So, whatcha gonna do about it?” Ms. Reneau moved closer, towing Uncle Joe by the hand.
“What do you mean?” He knew what Ms. Reneau alluded to, but he didn't want to declare himself in front of everyone. He wanted to tell Elaine he loved her. But he wanted to present her with all the bells and whistles of a romantic evening, planned and choreographed to elicit the desired response. Or was he just scared? He'd lived so long at arm's length from real relationships; could he break old habits?
Uncle Joe stepped up beside him. His white hair stuck straight out and his T-shirt was on backwards. “She broke the window.”
“I'll buy you a new one,” Craig said.
“I'm not worried about the window.” Uncle Joe leaned closer and whispered, “If she'd do that for your rotten carcass, you stand a good chance of breaking that spell.”
“I know that, Uncle Joe. I also know I don't deserve her.” What the hell. “Elaine? Elaine?” He looked out in the sea of faces and almost panicked when he couldn't find the one he sought.
“I'm here.” She slid between him and his circle of friends, and scooped up his hand.
“Did you mean what you said out there on the bayou?”
In the grayish light he could tell the colors in her face deepened and she looked away. “Mean what?”
He understood her hesitation. “I worked out a deal with Littington to clean up the contamination.” That wasn't exactly a declaration of love, but he was warming up.
“I know. Littington's here somewhere. He told me.”
“I quit my job with the family firm.”
She leaned over and kissed his lips. “Uh huh.”
He was getting a lot warmer. He inhaled deeply and blurted, “I love you, Elaine Smith. Marry me.”
She turned his face to hers. “Are you sure? I thought you were allergic to commitment.”
“I was.” He reached up and hooked his good arm around her neck and pulled her down to him. “Until I met a scientist with just the right chemistry for me. I love you because you're smart, passionate and completely committed to your work. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Did I mention passionate?”
She smiled and nodded.
“Look, I know I don't have a job and I don't really deserve you, but do you think you could love me anyway?”
Uncle Joe stared out at the bayou. “Guess you'll find out right about... now.”
Mo and Larry's gazes followed Uncle Joe's. While they'd. been talking, morning had come to the bayou. Bright orange sunlight streamed through the base of the trees, spreading a fiery trail across the black waters.
But Craig focused all his attention on the one woman with all the answers he needed.
She leaned close and whispered against his eat “I love you more than all the frogs in the bayou, Craig. I would like nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.” Then she kissed his very human lips in the red and pink light of dawn.
Since the night he'd fallen victim to the bizarre hex, he never thought he'd be saying it, but he sent a silent prayer to the voodoo gods in the bayou. “Thank you, Madame LeBieu.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Elle was born on Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane, Washington to parents who taught her the value of hard work. She grew up as a military brat moving from place to place, alas, only stateside in lovely places like Glasgow, Montana, Abilene, Texas and various places in California and Washington. Elle got her creative streak from her talented artist mother, her tenacity from her wonderful father and her inspiration from her writing buddy and delightful sister, Delilah Devlin.
As a former member of the Army and Air Force Reserves, Elle's traveled across the United States and to Germany, managed a full-time job, and raised three wonderful children, Courtney, Adam and Megan. She and her husband, Cleve, have even tried raising exotic birds in the Texas Hill Country. Ask her and she'll tell you what it's like to go toe-to-toe with an angry 350-pound bird!
Elle always loved playing make-believe and inventing stories of adventure and fun. At the turn of the century, she and her sister, Delilah Devlin (right) decided it was about time to t
ake writing by the horns and make it happen!
They challenged each other to write a romance novel. After chapter one, they decided to join forces and learn the craft together. Their first four novels were co-authored. After that, they took off on their own. Delilah turned to the hot stuff, writing romantica for Ellora's Cave. Elle writes a variety of genres from romantic comedy to suspense. She loves writing paranormal elements into her projects and does whenever possible!
Elle wrote and wrote for the first four years of her writing career, entered contests, finaled and began winning! In 2004, she won the RWA Golden Heart for Best Paranormal Romance for her manuscript TO KISS A FROG. TO KISS A FROG was her first book to sell.
In 2004, Elle left her successful career as an Information Technology Manager to pursue writing full time. She loves escaping into her stories, learning and growing with each character and plot. She writes because she likes to experience and evoke all the emotions from happy to sad, funny to frightening. She digs them all!
At home in Northwest Arkansas, Elle is busy writing tales of murder and suspense for Harlequin Intrigue. Her first Harlequin, BENEATH THE TEXAS MOON, was released in March 2006 and was a Romantic Times Top Pick for the month! She 's written numerous Intrigues since and is now writing for Harlequin Nocturne as well. Stay tuned for more from Elle James!
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Copyright
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LOVE SPELL®
March 2005
Published by
Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc. 200 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Copyright C 2005 by Elle James
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.
ISBN 0-505-52620-4
The name “Love Spell” and its logo are trademarks of Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
Printed in the United States of America.
Visit us on the web at
? HYPERLINK “http://www.dorchestepub.com/” ??http://www.dorchestepub.com/?
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AUTHORS PRAISE ELLE JAMES AND TO KISS A FROG!
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“Fun and fanciful, when it comes to romance Elie James rocks!”
-USA Today Bestselling Author Pamela Morsi
“Ellè James delivers voodoo magic and great fun with a biochemist heroine and a hero who oozes sex appeal even in his amphibian persona. A definite one-sifting read!”
-USA Today Bestselling Author Merline Lovelace
“Take a hot and steamy ride into the Louisiana bayous in To Kiss a Frog, a delightful, sexy romp. Elie James has done a marvelous job of twisting a clichéd fairy tale-and having the heroine be the savior of the 'frog.' Look out for heroes fallen under Voodoo curses!”
-Award-winning author Lori Avocato
“To Kiss a Frog is a fast-paced delight with a charming heroine and a captivating hero. A must read.”
-Award-winning author Judi McCoy
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