Just Perfect (35 page)
Authors: Julie Ortolon
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Women's Fiction, #Contemporary Women, #Domestic Life, #Single Women, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Romantic Comedy, #Contemporary Fiction, #Humor, #Series
What sort of person would live in such a strange place
1
?
In spite of her fascination, a sense of foreboding crept uj the back of her neck. She had plenty of experience dealing wit! wealthy eccentrics, but this place went beyond odd into tht realm of the bizarre. Maybe she should toss her pride to the wind and buy a plane ticket home. Thinking of the challenge though, stopped her from retreating. If Maddy and Christine could complete their challenges, she could do the same.
She ran a quick hand over her hair to be sure her riol of brown corkscrew curls was still neatly confined in a braic down her back. As for her attire, there wasn’t a thing she could do. She was stuck with the white shorts and stripec “crew shirt” she’d purchased from the ship’s store. It was neat enough, even if this was her second day wearing it.
Okay, no more stalling. Squaring her shoulders, she lifted the circle of gnarled iron and knocked three times. The bang ing echoed through what sounded like a vast, empty space evoking visions of gothic mansions from old horror movies.
No sound followed.
She stood in uncertainty, wondering again if she’d taken
i
wrong turn. An eternity later, the panel began to creak opei on rusty hinges. She braced herself, half expecting to see Frankenstein’s Igor smiling evilly and bidding her to enter.
For Amy, the reality proved nearly as frightening. The man who answered the door was quite possibly the sexies man she’d ever seen in her life.
Most authors say they grew up reading. Not Julie Ortolon.
Born with dyslexia, she didn’t even learn how to read until her early twenties, when she discovered that romance novels were worth the effort. It was only with the additional discovery of computers with spell-check that she was able to turn her favorite hobby—daydreaming romantic stories—into a career. Having her first novel hit the
USA Today
bestseller list was a dream come true. Julie lives on the shores of Lake Travis near Austin, Texas, where she is working on her next romance written with her trademark Texas humor. You can learn more about Julie by visiting her Web site at www.ortolon.com. Or e-mail her at julie
ortolon.com. She loves to hear from readers!