Looking for all the world like an escapee from prom night, Clare Wingate stood center stage in front of an Idaho Steelheads hockey banner. The usually reserved, dignified, and obsessively self-contained romance writer held a wineglass in one hand and a microphone in the other while she belted out a song about a skinny lad.

Maddie and Adele looked at each other, twin expressions of shock rounding their mouths.

“What the hell is she singing?” Adele asked as they returned their attention to the stage. “Did she just say ‘big fat fanny’? That sounds like Queen.”

“Oh my God.” Maddie gasped. “I think it’s Fat Bottomed Girls.”

The men watching the performance whooped and hollered and cheered Clare on as she went into the chorus and begged them to take her home tonight.

Together Maddie and Adele shoved their way through the crowd, two spots of pink froufrou among a throng of muscle-bound men. Something was wrong. Something terrible had happened in Clare’s world. Whatever it was, was bad. Real bad. Bad enough to force the wheels off her perfect pony cart.

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my gratitude to Homicide Detective Danny R. Smith for his help in the writing of this book. A twenty-one-year veteran of the Los Angeles County’s Sheriff’s Department, Officer Smith’s assistance was invaluable and went above and beyond the call of duty. Any mistakes are mine, as is any use of creative license. I would also like to thank fellow writer and friend Candis Terry for her answer to my frantic “help me” e-mail. Candis, you really came through.

About the Author

RACHEL GIBSON’s first two romance novels-Simply Irresistible and Truly Madly Yours-were named among the Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year by Romance Writers of America. And in 2002 True Confessions was awarded the RITA® for the Best Single Title Contemporary Romance of the Year. She has won numerous awards, including the Golden Heart and National Reader’s Choice.