Samhain Publishing

Catch Me in Castile, is released today.

Twenty years ago my husband and I were love-struck newlyweds joyfully sightseeing in Spain. As we wandered around inside one of the amazing Castilian castles, a guide told us the horrifying legend of a nursemaid who dropped (accidentally?) a baby out the tower window and then jumped to her death.

The legend stuck with me long after we returned home.

My writer’s mind turned the story over and created a “what if?” scenario. What if for five hundred years people believed a nursemaid jumped to her death, but in truth, she didn’t go willingly. And it was no accident. (Play menacing music here) Would she still haunt the tower searching for someone to solve her mysterious death? And what if the only person who can see her is an American woman suffering a nervous breakdown and about to become a murder victim herself? Add to the mix a yummy Spanish doctor with ghosts in his own closet and…voila! Catch Me In Castile is born.

I hope you enjoy it!

Here is the blurb:
Seeing dead people is bad enough. Loving him could make her one of them.

When the mother of all panic attacks prompts Erin Carter’s boss to pass her over for promotion, her mind doesn’t just crack. It explodes like an egg in a microwave, shattering her career along with the company car she crashes into the office building.

The death grip she’s kept on her sanity slipping, she takes a friend’s advice and flees to Spain. There she finds comfort in the healing arms of surgeon Santiago Botello—until a fifteenth-century ghost warns her that being with Santiago is dangerous, possibly even lethal.

Santiago has his hands full protecting his sister from a dark curse and his family from a very modern-day psychotic killer. The last thing he needs added to his plate is a neurotic American. Yet something about Erin tugs at his heart so hard he wants to wrap her in his arms and never let go. No matter the risk.

Erin’s attraction to Santiago makes her the killer’s next target. Survival means she must face her greatest fear, solve an ancient murder mystery—and hang on tight to the one man she’s fallen crazy in love with.

Warning: This book contains a woman willing to lose her mind for love, a hot Spaniard with hands a girl could die for, deadly family curses, a ghost with memory disorder, and a really mad killer.

Excerpt:

What’s the matter with me?

My pulse raced, thinking about those amazing green eyes, his jet-black hair, the way he moved in those charcoal colored pants… Oh Lordy.

Tossing clothes out of my suitcase, I searched for my nicest blouse while frantically, hand-pressing the wrinkles out of the black skirt.

It may have been a little soon after the Jack fiasco to fantasize about Santiago. But in a way, it felt healthy. Normal. Santiago came with no boost-me-up-the-ladder fringe benefits. It was simple girl-thinks-boy-is-yummy attraction.

This trip was about the normalization of Erin. If the healing process involved a hot studly Spaniard, all the better. I didn’t need a man to clean up my life, or lack of life. No, I knew that responsibility rested solely on my shoulders. But Maria was right. Being a goddess, even for a few weeks, had a nice sound to it.

I rummaged through my carry-on and pulled out the blue notebook. Under Get a Life I wrote a second goal: 2) Relax. Flirt. Enjoy a man, just because. Become a goddess.

“Goddess,” I said to my reflection. The dark circles had faded to light smudges, but my eyes were still tired, my complexion too pale. “Yeah, right.”

Straightening my back, lifting my shoulders, I swiped a little pink lip gloss on my lips. Fingers of excitement tingled down my back and twisted my stomach in knots.

Get a hold of yourself, Erin, I chided myself. It’s just dinner.

I took a big breath and turned out the light.

When she walked into the room, Santiago’s heart did a painful miss-beat against his breastplate, as if it stopped dead in his chest only to start again with her smile.

He’d been sitting on the edge of the sofa impatiently waiting for Maria’s friend to show herself. He wanted to speak with her alone, while Maria showered, to determine the woman’s mental state. She had acted so oddly at the airport. His sister had hinted at some sort of breakdown and he could not, in good conscience, leave a fragile female in this house. It was far too dangerous.

He had enough trouble taking care of his mother and shielding his sister from the darkness. How in the hell could he protect another woman? He couldn’t. He’d insist she move out.

But when he saw her…

Sweet Mother, when he saw her all rational thought ended.

“Hello again.” Her voice was as smooth and promising as satin sheets.

His gaze traveled across her curves. She didn’t look fragile. No, she looked good enough to eat. She lifted an eyebrow, shooting him a look loaded with hunger. Need coursed through his own veins. Her smile produced a punch of heat to his groin.

Mierda, he was in trouble.

“Buenos tardes. Did you have a nice rest?” He asked.

“Yes, and, I um—” she moved closer, her cheeks flushed, “—need to apologize for earlier at the airport. I made a perfect ass of myself.”

She came around the couch to sit and he noted how perfect her ass was. His gut twisted. “No apologies necessary.” He forced himself to study her clinically, searching for grounds to throw her out of the mansion. It didn’t take a Chief of Medicine to notice her pale skin and dark-rimmed eyes. “Are you feeling all right?”

Her crooked smile told him she knew she was being examined. “Well, doctor, I’ve had better years.” Her laughter was husky and rich. “But I’m determined to get a life. No time like the present, right?”

He was mesmerized by what sparked from her tired eyes. She was determined and more—she was courageous. Something horrible had happened to her. He could see she hadn’t slept well in days, maybe weeks, and yet she smiled. How had she accomplished that? He longed to dig deeper, to know her secrets. The muscles and nerves in his cheeks rarely turned upwards anymore. Laughter was a thing of the past.

“Hey guys. Glad you two are getting to know each other,” Maria called from the hallway.

He jumped to his feet and met his sister halfway across the room. “Wonderful to have you home, sis.”

Maria hugged him. “I can’t tell you how it feels to be here. Staying for dinner?”

He cast a look over his shoulder towards Erin, feeling the hunger rumble in his bones. He had to get away from her, fast. “No, I’m meeting Helena tonight.”

“Helena?” Maria asked.
He couldn’t take his eyes off Erin when he said, “She’s a volunteer at the hospital. A friend. We’re discussing an intern program over dinner.”

“I see,” Maria said.

“Nice to speak with you, Ms. Carter.” He willed his legs to walk him right out the door. Instead, he found himself standing before her, his hand outstretched. She rose and placed her hand in his. They didn’t shake. Instead, their eyes locked and he bent and placed a kiss on her cheek.

“You too.” Her eyes were on his lips. “See you soon?”

He was still holding her hand. No woman had captivated him so quickly, so completely. She was trouble. Big trouble. He had to get out of there. “Soon.”

Finally, somehow, he made it to the front door.

Maria’s voice carried all the way from the living room and bounced off the entry walls. “Surprise of surprises. My brother has a girlfriend. Hospital Helena. Great, huh?”

“Um, yeah, great.” Erin’s voice floated to him like a breeze.

Frowning, he turned the knob and left.

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