Blurb:
Off and running! In
her frenzied quest to escape from a groom her father has chosen for her, Danna
Rashba ‘borrows’ a limousine parked on Main Street. The last thing on her mind
is finding a groom from another wedding in the backseat. What are the chances
that the bride and groom from two different weddings running from the altar on
the same day? The last thing Danna wants is a hostage as she tries to escape
from her nuptials.
The last thing Eric
Harmon wants is to be saddled with yet another spoiled, needy woman. He’s
furious about this wrench in his plans, he accuses Danna of stealing. He wants
to send her home in a cab as soon as they get to the nearest town, but Danna
refuses. Much to Eric’s frustration, one thing after another seems to keep them
tied together.
Soon the generosity of
a local shopkeeper and several people in town have them mistaken for newlyweds.
Danna and Eric find themselves stepping into the role as husband and wife
leading them to realize they just may be each other’s ‘match’. But will Danna
be able to stand up to her rigid, old fashioned father and choose her own
husband?
Author:
Christina Lorenzen
started writing as a young teen, jotting stories in wire ring composition
notebooks. Her first typewriter made it faster to get all those stories out of
her head and down on paper. Her love of writing has sustained her through a
myriad of jobs that included hairdresser, legal secretary, waitress and door to
door saleswoman. Luckily for her, writing proved to be successful and a lot
less walking than going door to door. A Husband for Danna is Christina’s first
novel. She is busy working on her next. When she isn’t writing or reading, she
can be found walking her dog, talking to her herd of cats and spending time
with her family.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Panting from the short
dash from the church to the curb, Danna looked around wild-eyed, spotting a
limo at the curb. The fact that it wasn't her bridal party's limousine didn't
matter. She ran around to the driver's side and flung open the door.
The sound of her
wedding gown tearing broke the silence in the big empty car. Frustrated, she
shoved away the seat belt and fumbled with the ignition key. Fighting the
ostentatious bulk of her gown, she wiggled her bottom into the seat. She looked
up to see a whirling funnel of pink rushing toward the limousine. In the eye of
the storm, a snow-white gown accentuated one very red-faced bride.
A buzzing sound filled
her ears. She looked down and saw a small black box, which she recognized as an
intercom, between the seats. "Step on it!" a deep male voice boomed
from the back seat.
With no time to berate
herself for picking an occupied getaway car, she stepped on the gas and sped
away from the curb, barely glancing at the side mirror. Drive now, think later.
Slapping back the ringlets threatening to spill over her eyes, she checked her
mirrors. She was fast approaching the only traffic light in Shady Bridge.
She tried to push the
mess she had made from her mind. Goose bumps covered her bare arms despite the
unusual October heat. Seeing the light turn yellow, she stepped down hard on
the gas pedal and flew through the intersection, her head jerking back and
forth. She felt like a balloon as the air sailed from her lips. Apparently her
momentarily crazy driving had no effect on her male passenger.
The handful of stores
were behind her now, their faded old brick fronts growing smaller in her
rearview mirror. Now out of the heart of town, her shoulders began to relax.
She took a deep breath as she had seen her mother do countless times during her
morning meditation. Even as she relaxed her tense body, she couldn't help but
think about what she had done. It was as if she had been someone else — not
Danna Rashba, the sensible, practical daughter.
The mix of farmhouses
and Victorian homes on the outskirts of town were fading now too. Chewing her
lip, she veered onto the ramp that led to Highway Three. Her mind racing, she
tried to calculate how many hours she would have to drive to get far enough
away from Shady Bridge. Or at least far away enough from Nagpal Singh, her
husband-to-be who by now would have found out his bride had run away.
Wriggling in her seat,
fighting to flatten the outrageous bustle her sister had talked her into, she
cursed herself in silence. Why hadn't she grabbed her t-shirt and jeans?
Sighing, she shook her head. What was done was done. At least she had thought
to grab the beaded satin clutch she had picked out for the "big day."
The petite bag was about the only thing she had picked out on her own. All of
the other details of her wedding had been planned for her, including her
husband.
Danna kept an even
weight on the accelerator as she tried to decide where to go. Of course she
would have been able to focus better if not for the images of her very
displeased father that flashed in her mind.
Boom! Boom! She had
completely forgotten about the body attached to the male voice that had spoken
earlier. A low whirring noise filled the quiet car as the privacy screen
opened, disrupting her plotting and planning.
A large, tanned hand
tapped the driver's seat as he cleared his throat. "I think I've escaped
from that mess. Take me home to pick up my vehicle. I'll settle up with you
then."
Danna watched him in
the rearview mirror, his eyes never looked up from the gadget in his hand.
Wriggling to the right, hoping to see the face that went with the gravelly
voice, she took in a dark, handsome man pounding buttons on a cell phone.
"It's dead! I
don't even have the charger." He seemed oblivious to her as he tossed the
phone to the floor. Obviously he had no idea who was driving him.
