Keeper by Surprise

Book Description:

Keith Hanson is your typical college student -- the only things on his mind are getting decent enough grades to keep his dad off his back, and getting his girlfriend, Carly, into bed.  And not necessarily in that order.  But when his parents are killed in a tragic car accident on their way home from visiting him at Penn State, he's stunned to find that his father's will calls for him to be guardian to his fourteen year-old sister, Dana, and his twin seven-year-old siblings, Leo and Linda. 

Lisa Carle is tired of her wealthy father handing everything to her on a silver platter.  She needs to prove that she can make her own way in the world.  A social worker with Family Services, she's always the last one to leave the office at night, and never sees any reward for her hard work.  Summer's here, so she sets two goals for herself:  embark on a carefree summer romance to get her out of the office more, and second, prove to her boss, Dragon Lady Madeline, that she deserves to be promoted.

One night, Dana disappears.  Keith tracks her down to the driveway of her renegade boyfriend, Russell's house, inside a foggy-windowed car.  In a fit of rage, he punches Russell.  Unfortunately for Keith, Russell happens to be the Mayor's son.  The Mayor contacts Madeline, the Director of Family Services, and asks her to keep an eye on this new young head of the family to see if he is up to the challenge of his new role.  Madeline assigns Lisa to his case, and fills Lisa in on a plot she has hatched to use Keith as a pawn, to achieve not only Madeline's, but Lisa's brightest career aspirations.

Despite the professional nature of their relationship, Lisa is instantly attracted to Keith.  She sees him as a key in helping her achieve one of her summer's goals -- but not both.  Which will it be?  Will she go along with Madeline's diabolical plot for advancement, using Keith in the process?  Or will she succumb to her attraction to him?

Author's Notes:

I'm happy with how this book turned out.  When Keith and Lisa are together on the page, it sizzles with sexual tension!  Lisa is a character I pulled from my second novel, Momentary Lapse.  I liked her in that book as a secondary character, so now she has her chance to shine in her own story.  Keith is a great guy with a tough father in his background, and I was able to explore that relationship and how it helped to mold him into the young man he is today.  And especially fun was building the relationship between teen-aged Dana and Keith.  Sparks fly when Dana feels that Keith is tromping on her independence!  It was fun getting into the head of a teenager and writing that character.   I'm especially proud of the romance between Keith and Lisa -- my first truly romantic storyline since my first book, Whispers of the Heart.

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