June Foster – Romantic Excerpt – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Inspirational romance author, June Foster shares how her characters meet & a romantic excerpt from her latest release, What God Knew. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing for a Kindle copy. Deadline: Nov 14th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s June:

How Tammy and Michael Meet
In What God Knew, Tammy Crawford is a geriatrics nurse at El Camino General Hospital in El Camino, California. Growing up in the shadow of her older sister Joella, Tammy is a free thinker and has always rejected her family’s Christian views. Getting ahead in the medical profession is her primary goal. When she loses a dear patient one morning, he says, “I’m going to see Jesus now.” Though she wouldn’t take this from him, she believes the man was misguided.
Grieved because the elderly gentleman reminded her of Grandpa Crawford, the only man who ever accepted her for who she was, Tammy restrains her emotion when the attending doctor verifies the time of death. Now she needs a moment to grieve. She heads to the doctors’ lounge for a cup of coffee, gulping back her tears.
With a shaky hand, she pours herself a cup of hot coffee from the pot, spilling it on her fingers. The liquid burns and she lets out a yelp. From behind her, a soothing, masculine voice offers to fill her cup. When she turns around, a handsome doctor, whose nametag says Dr. Michael Clark- neonatal specialist, smiles at her. She’s captivated by his dark brown eyes and skin the color of a caramel latte.
Dr. Clark invites her to sit a moment and take a deep breath. After Tammy tells him how she lost an elderly patient today, she’s fascinated by his words. On occasion he loses one of his premature infants but is comforted by the knowledge that he or she will be in the presence of God.
After Tammy returns to the geriatrics floor, she can’t stop thinking about the gorgeous doctor who appears to be so sure about his convictions, so grounded in the faith she’s rejected for years.
Excerpt from What God Knew:
Tammy stood in the hospital lobby peering out at the stormy afternoon. Raindrops the size of small pebbles splattered the sidewalk and parking lot. A flash of lightning split the darkened sky and thunder echoed, sounding like a giant grumbling ogre.
She zipped up her jacket and pushed the button to open her umbrella. The lever wouldn’t budge. She poked again. Nothing. The old contraption needed to find a home in the garbage can.
Gripping the useless thing in one hand, she hoisted her purse on her shoulder and pushed through the glass doors. She’d have to forge on despite the weather. A little rain never hurt anybody.
With careful steps, she maneuvered the wet sidewalks. The rain soaking through her clothes, she increased her pace to her car at the end of the second row. She dared to take quicker steps and focused on the ground, heading straight ahead.
A pair of feet appeared in front of her before she could stop the momentum. Bam. Whoosh. A person landed on the pavement.
Tammy gasped. Michael Clark lay prone on the ground clutching his chest, his white lab jacket a muddy mess. The sharp end of her wayward umbrella had somehow knocked him backwards, and he’d slipped in a puddle of water. “Oh, Doctor.” She dropped her umbrella and reached to help him up.
“It’s Michael.” Holding on with one hand and pushing up with the other, he rose to his feet. “Remind me not to tangle with you again—or your vicious umbrella the next time I’m not paying attention.” He smirked.
The rain continued to pelt her scrubs, soaking all the way to her skin, but looking up at him, a rush of pleasure warmed her. “Are you okay?”
Still rubbing his chest, he opened up his umbrella and held it over her. “Oh, sure. Just a stab wound to the solar plexus, but I’ll get over it.”
Despite the serious potential of their accident, she laughed. “I didn’t realize how lethal an umbrella is. I’m so sorry.”
He winked. “No harm done. Don’t think I need first aid.”
Tammy grinned, drops of water dripping from her hair. “All right then.” She picked up her useless umbrella and started to move on.
“Let me walk you to your car, Nurse Crawford.”
She nodded, savoring his nearness next to her. The smell of rain and his aftershave were intoxicating.
When she pressed the unlock button, Michael reached his broad forearm across in front of her and held the door open.”Try not to stab anyone else. They may not be as resilient.”
She laughed. “What were you thinking about? I mean what kept you from paying attention?” She lowered into the driver’s seat.
“Just a project I’m working on, but maybe in the future I should concentrate more on attractive nurses wielding dangerous weapons. Have a nice evening, Nurse Tammy.”
She smiled at him and started the engine.
Michael nodded and turned back to the hospital.
Her grin felt as if it reached all the way across her lips. The good looking doctor had flirted with her.
About June: An award-winning author, June Foster is also a retired teacher with a BA in Education and a MA in counseling. In 2013, June’s book Give Us This Day was a finalist in EPIC’s eBook awards and in 2014 a finalist in the National Readers Choice Awards for best first book. Ryan’s Father won The Clash of the Titles book of the month for January 2014 and was one of three finalists in the published contemporary fiction category of the 2014 Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Writing Contest and Awards. Deliver Us was a finalist in COTT’s 2014 Laurel Awards.
June has written four novels for Desert Breeze Publishing. The Bellewood Series, Give Us This Day, As We Forgive, and Deliver Us, and Hometown Fourth of July. Ryan’s Father is available from WhiteFire Publishing. Red and the Wolf, a modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Books One, Two, and Three in the Almond Tree Series, For All Eternity, Echoes From the Past, and What God Knew are all available from Amazon.com as well as Misty Hollow.
June enjoys writing stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. June uses her training in counseling and her Christian beliefs in creating characters who find freedom to live godly lives. Find June online at http://junefoster.com, @vjifoster for Twitter, and http://facebook.com/AuthorJuneFoster.
About the book – What God Knew: Neonatal specialist Dr. Michael Clark is passionate about saving the lives of premature babies. But the pediatrics department at El Camino General can’t provide the care many of his preemies require. Now he wants to build a specialty hospital where he can better care for his young patients.
Tammy Crawford is an accomplished geriatrics RN who wants nothing to do with her sister Joella’s religious beliefs. She’s independent and doesn’t need anyone, including God in pursuing a new job as a nurse practitioner.
When she falls in love with the intriguing Michael Clark, she must reconsider her resolve to devote herself completely to her career and not be distracted by a romantic relationship. Now the obstacles are insurmountable. She’s in love with a man from another culture and a different race.
Michael acknowledges his growing affection for the beautiful nurse yet can’t ignore his brother’s deep racial prejudices.
Can two people who are as different as night and day find a life together?
Question for readers: Are you an umbrellas person or do you brave the weather without one?

Come back Nov 4th for Kimberly Rose Johnson!