Rebecca Carey Lyles – Real Life Romance – Part 1 of 3

Shannon here: Romantic Suspense author, Rebecca Carey Lyles shares how her husband proposed, plus a chance to win her debut novel, Winds of Wyoming in paperback or e-book. Comment on any post dated June 25 – June 29 for a chance to win. Deadline: July 7th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Rebecca:

Thirty-eight years ago, my husband, Steve, proposed by accident—or at least that’s how he acted after the words “will you marry me?” slipped out of his mouth. 
We’d attended college together and dated off and on while in school. After college, we and our respective single roommates somehow ended up with apartments at opposite ends of a large complex. Close proximity made it easy for us to spend most of our free time together. 
Eventually, Steve and I struck a deal. He’d buy the groceries, and I would prepare the meals, including his lunches. Early one spring morning, he stopped by my apartment to pick up a lunch I must have thrown together at the last minute. As we hugged goodbye, those dangerous words, “will you marry me” fell from his quivering lips onto my eager ears. This wasn’t exactly the romantic moment I’d been hoping for, but at least the words were right.
During my lunch break that day, I tottered on my high heels the ten blocks from where I worked in the heart of downtown Denver to where I knew Steve was making UPS deliveries on the outskirts of the bustling city center. When he saw me coming, a look of terror crossed his face and he scrambled to the other side of his delivery van. I followed. He trotted around the back. I stuck with him. Finally, for the sake of time, I suppose—he was on a strict delivery schedule—we stopped the cat-and-mouse game. 
And I asked if he’d said what I thought he said that morning. My heartthrob hesitated and then nodded and waved goodbye as he ran toward a nearby office, a package in his hand. I checked my watch, saw that my time was up, and headed back to work. Not the most romantic encounter. 
The romance came that evening, when Steve reiterated his marriage proposal, and I said “yes.” We sealed that deal with a kiss or two and a call to my father to ask his permission—and were married three months later.
About Rebecca: Though debut novelist Rebecca Carey Lyles grew up in Wyoming, she and her husband, Steve, currently live in the neighboring state of Idaho. She enjoys the creativity and beauty that abound throughout her adopted state as well as opportunities to hike, camp, snowshoe and cross-country ski in the midst of God’s grandeur. Favorite outdoor experience: While hiking in the Wyoming mountains one summer, she came nose-to-nose with (well, ten-feet from) a beautiful white wolf. Currently, she’s putting the finishing touches on a Winds of Wyoming sequel titled Winds of Freedom. Connect with Rebecca at http://www.beckylyles.com, http://www.widgetwords.wordpress.com, Facebook: Rebecca Carey Lyles, and Twitter: @BeckyLyles.
About the book: Fresh out of a Pennsylvania penitentiary armed with a marketing degree, Kate Neilson heads to Wyoming anticipating an anonymous new beginning as a guest-ranch employee. A typical twenty-five-year-old woman might be looking to lasso a cowboy, but her only desire is to get on with life on the outside—despite her growing interest in the ranch owner. When she discovers a violent ex-lover followed her west, she fears the past she hoped to hide will trail as close as a shadow and imprison her once again.
Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Winds-Wyoming-Neilson-Novel-ebook/dp/B006SPP7G8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332786400&sr=1-1
Come back June 27th for Rebecca’s wedding.