PROLOGUE

It really was a shame. No, not a shame…a disappointment, Beth Prudhomme mused, as she sat at the intersection, waiting for the green light. She glanced out the car window at the man her friend had invited her to meet over dinner. Sam Carney was stopped in the lane next to her, also waiting for the light. Again she felt a twinge of regret, knowing nothing would ever come of their evening together.

It’d been silly to put any hope into this blind date. One look at Sam and it was clear they weren’t a good match. Beth could just imagine what her parents would say if they were ever to meet Sam. The thought was enough to make her smile. Her mother would have a fit of hysterics. In her mother’s eyes, she would view Sam as uncouth, vulgar, and a bane to society. All this because his hair was long and he had a beard. His tattoos would likely send her over the edge. But then her mother had high expectations when it came to the man Beth would one day marry.

It didn’t take her long to realize Sam felt the same way about her. His eyes had widened briefly before he could disguise his reaction when they were first introduced. He probably saw her as prim and pristine and oh-so-proper, which she was, thanks to her mother. Beth suspected Sam hadn’t been psyched about this dinner date, either, and briefly wondered what had led him into agreeing to meet her. She knew she’d been a big disappointment. The truth was, she’d liked Sam. Although they hadn’t spoken much, she felt drawn to his unconventional attitude, which was so unlike her own structured life. It’d been hard to get a read on him, other than when they were first introduced. Beth couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking; he gave away little of his thoughts other than the fact that he seemed more than anxious for the evening to be over. Beth didn’t blame him.

She had to admit Sam was handsome, definitely rough around the edges, but Nichole had warned her about that. His shoulder-length hair was tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck. He had nice dark eyes, she’d say that. The color reminded her of warm cocoa. He was tall; she estimated he must be six-two, which was a foot taller than her own petite frame. And he must outweigh her by a good seventy or more pounds. Her friend’s description of Sam had given her pause, but her aunt Sunshine had persuaded her to give it a shot.

“Why not? What’s it going to hurt?”

True enough, it hadn’t hurt, but still the taste of disappointment settled over her.

Sitting in the tall cab of his truck, Sam must have noticed her scrutiny, because he turned his head, looking down at her as they waited for the light to change. Goodness, the truck was so high up she’d need a step stool just to climb onto the seat.

The traffic signal turned green. Offering Sam a brief smile, she stepped on the accelerator and moved forward into the intersection, preparing to make the turn. That was when she noticed the car coming directly toward her, racing through a red light.

In that split second her eyes caught those of the teenage driver in the other car. She had her cellphone in her hand; her face twisted in a look of surprised horror. From that moment forward, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The girl’s mouth opened in a scream. She braced her hands against the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes, but it was too late.

Much too late to avoid a collision.

Knowing what was coming, Beth braced herself, too, but nothing could have prepared her for the impact of the other vehicle slamming into the driver’s-side door. The explosive noise of steel crashing against steel was loud enough to burst Beth’s eardrums. Despite her death grip on the steering wheel, her arms were jerked free, tossed above her head like a puppet’s string as the other car plowed directly into her, spinning Beth and her car around and around.

She opened her mouth to scream, but all that escaped was a gasp of sheer terror and pain, horrific pain.

And then…then there was nothing until she heard someone calling her name.

When she managed to force her eyes open, all she could see was Sam.