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Aug
28 2011 | ||
***THIS QUALIFIES AS ONE OF THE ELIGIBLE ENTRIES TO WIN GRAND PRIZE #1***
In Making Chase, the series opens up and readers get to know the Murphy family. Tate has pretty much raised her siblings, protecting them from their hardscrabble life as best she could. Here’s the opening scene with Tate and her sisters in the small, family run hair salon as they take their morning peek at the glory of Matt Chase
CHASE BROTHERS: MAKING CHASE by LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2007, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, Samhain Publishing
Tate Murphy sat in the comfy chair at her station, sipping coffee and looking out the window. It was a Saturday in the very beginning of February. Winter had been cold but spring was beginning to imagine itself. The trees carried buds, heavy with leaves and the air wasn’t quite as chilly as it’d been even a week before.
All in all, a lovely day. Soon to be even lovelier. One leg crossed over the other, foot slowly kicking back and forth, she waited for her morning visual donut. Matt Chase.
Ah, there he was. Hot damn, her body lit up when he pulled his truck into the lot adjacent to the salon. Hopping out, he hefted a duffel bag over one shoulder and loped across the street.
“Good Lord the man looks good enough to eat,” Tate murmured as she took a drink of her coffee. Faded jeans showed off long legs and a nice, trim booty. A hoodie sweatshirt fended off the cold but didn’t stop her from seeing the work-hard body beneath. He was in dire need of a haircut and she had no trouble admitting she’d love to get her fingers in it. A bit shaggy, it curled up just around his ears and touched the back of his collar. A color like burnt sugar.
Although he had on cool-looking sunglasses, she knew the eyes beneath were a light green, fringed with chocolate lashes. Mmm. Mmmm. Mmmm.
“Ah, I see his hotness has arrived.” Anne, co-owner and her next youngest sister, stood next to her, leaning into the chair.
“Kinda makes me want to set a fire,” Tate said, one corner of her mouth lifting.
“Um, I smell something burning already. Your panties perhaps?”
Blushing furiously, she spun, laughing at Anne’s outrageous comment. “I’m gonna light a candle for you. Three.”
Anne joined her in laughter. “You just about raised me, I expect I need all the help I can get.”
“Hey, divas, did I miss him?” Beth, the last owner and next youngest sister after Anne approached to refill everyone’s coffee cup.
“Yeah, he just went inside. But there’s always lunchtime.” Sated for the morning, Tate stood and began to get all her tools in order, making sure her station was stocked and ready for the day.
Four years before, Tate and Anne had decided to buy the rundown old house at the far end of Main Street and renovate it into a hair salon. They’d scrimped, saved, worked multiple jobs and got the down-payment together and then had spent months doing the renovation work themselves. Luckily, they had a large, and free, workforce. With eight Murphy kids and two spouses to help, they’d been able to paint, knock out walls, drywall, replace the plumbing, landscape, and apply for all the proper permits and licenses. Hell, they’d even put up a new roof. A few months after Anne graduated from beauty school, Tate left her old salon in Riverton and they opened the doors to Murphy’s Cuts and Curls.
Two years after that, Beth came in as part owner and ran the business end of things. The salon was a family affair. Beth had been helping out with the books when she’d offered to buy in at a smaller share. The place would wither and die without her to, well, do everything that needed doing. Not only did she handle the books and deal with ordering supplies but if someone needed a shampoo she could do that too.
Truthfully, Tate had wanted a fancier name but their youngest sister, Jill, who was getting her degree in marketing, told them that if they kept the name folksy but not too cutesy, it’d make people more comfortable.
Jill must have had something, because from the moment they’d opened, they’d done a brisk business. Women stopped leaving town to get their hair done. Tate and Anne offered everything from the giant hairspray helmet the women like Polly Chase preferred to the stylish razor cuts her daughter-in-law Liv currently sported. It made Petal seem a friendlier place to Tate, who always had felt an outsider there.
Tate made a decent living. Enough that she’d been able to help Tim and her other siblings pay tuition at the University of Georgia for their two youngest siblings. Before that, she worked to pay for her younger brother Nathan’s college and master’s in teaching. They’d all worked together to help out when the others had needed it and that’s what counted.
“Anne, your first client of the day is a color, I’ll send her over to Tate for the cut,” Beth announced as she made another pot of coffee.
Tate looked at the place she and her sisters had built from the ground up and pride swelled her heart.
I’ve got two different prizes to give away: 1) A copy, digital or print, Winner’s choice, of MAKING CHASE to one lucky winner chosen from the responses to this post. The winner will be announced tomorrow. The winner is responsible for checking back to see who has won and to claim their prize within 2 weeks or I’ll redraw. Good luck!
2) And then from all the comments to all the guest blogs and posts I’m doing for Once and Again, I’ll choose THREE winners of a complete set of the CHASE BROTHERS books in digital or paper – winner’s choice. International entries are absolutely welcomed. These winners will be announced 8/29.
August 28th, 2011 at 1:03 pm · Link
ohhh I love this book! Tate is just so funny with her “visual donut”. And Matt… 😯 wow. The Chase Brother books are so wonderful.
August 28th, 2011 at 1:20 pm · Link
Rumor~ has it 😉 …your Chase Brothers Series is totally *awesomepants*! 😀 sooo I’m really wanting to read this series Hard 🙂 #Chase thanks for the sweet peek excerpt, Lauren
August 28th, 2011 at 1:27 pm · Link
This is by far my fave of the series!! I just loved that Matt fell in love with Tate, more for what she was on the inside. I loved how fiercly she loved her family and what she risked to spare them the pain that was her dad.
Story telling at it’s best!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀
August 28th, 2011 at 1:44 pm · Link
this book sounds amazing!! thanks for the great opportunity to win the book!
alainala@hotmail.ca
August 28th, 2011 at 2:13 pm · Link
LOVE, LOVE Chase series. I am glad to get a little update in there lives with Petal Ga. series coming out, plus I am really looking forward to these new stories.
August 28th, 2011 at 2:13 pm · Link
I’ve recommended this series when someone wanted a good contemporary.
August 28th, 2011 at 2:33 pm · Link
oh i loved this story!!! with me not having the “model” body this story was all more special to me. I loved how you made tate get the hot guy no matter what the other social society thought! And matt was just perfect listing to his heart instead of everyone else and being shallow.It just goes to show beauty is only skin deep!
August 28th, 2011 at 2:48 pm · Link
Lauren’s talent shines in this series as well in any series she writes. The Chase Brothers are are characters that you want to get to know on every level. And men that you want to have by your side in bed every night. While most of us don’t have men like that, it is nice to be able to curl up with the books about them. Thanks Lauren.
August 28th, 2011 at 3:43 pm · Link
Thanks for the contest. I have added the books to my Need to get. I added them to my calendar on my phone so i get the reminder. Otherwise i forget what books are coming out. Keeping my fingers crossed.
August 28th, 2011 at 3:46 pm · Link
I love the first book in this series and would love to see how the other Chase brothers end up.
August 28th, 2011 at 4:01 pm · Link
The Chase brothers are on my fall hit list for reading. I am so excited about this contest. Thanks for the great series of giveaway. Never Enough is almost here!!!! 😆
August 28th, 2011 at 4:16 pm · Link
Love, love, love the Chase brothers. Thanks so much for this great contest you’re doing!
August 28th, 2011 at 4:22 pm · Link
Hm, “visual donut” is better than “eye candy” but I may go with “visual tiramisu”. 😉
August 28th, 2011 at 4:49 pm · Link
Would love to win the print copy of this book. Sounds great.
Gmapeony
August 28th, 2011 at 5:32 pm · Link
Amazing! I can’t wait!! You are totally going to blow my book budget!! THANK YOU!! 😀
August 28th, 2011 at 5:59 pm · Link
Such an awesome series! I can’t put them down. I re-read them and they get better every time! And out of all the Chase brothers, Matt would be my “visual donut” too 😉
August 28th, 2011 at 6:16 pm · Link
This series looks fabulous! Can’t wait to try them!
August 28th, 2011 at 6:33 pm · Link
I love this one the most of the Chase books..Tate is so great to read about…can’t wait to learn more about her family.
August 28th, 2011 at 7:01 pm · Link
One of my all time favorite series. Can’t wait for Nathan & lily
August 28th, 2011 at 7:18 pm · Link
I love the Chase and the Murphy families. Am looking forward to reading Nathan’s story.
August 28th, 2011 at 7:22 pm · Link
I would like to meet these Chase boys 😉
August 28th, 2011 at 7:50 pm · Link
Oh, I love those Chase brothers!
August 28th, 2011 at 8:11 pm · Link
Thanks so much for the fab giveaway, Lauren!
Would love to win yours 🙂
judimello AT gmail DOT com
August 28th, 2011 at 8:13 pm · Link
The Chase Brothers are fantastic – I wish I could have them for myself!!!! Very Yummy!
August 28th, 2011 at 8:43 pm · Link
I read this. The Chase brothers are HOT! Hard to pick a favorite
August 28th, 2011 at 8:45 pm · Link
Ok! I have been reading about this series for over a week, have been checking your website every day somtimes more than once a day….ok everyday more that once a day! I am ready to be a “FF” (FOREVER FAN) That is when I can read a series from an “New to Me” author, faithfully becaome a fan of all his/hers work. From what I have read recently about your books, gathering snipets from your website and others. I can say I am halfway there. I already added the books from you current six series to my amazon whish list and your new series, “A Bound by Magick” comming out soon, o my waiting for list. I truly look forward to getting to know you and your charaters! 😛
August 28th, 2011 at 9:11 pm · Link
I think that Tate is my favorite of the Chase wives. I think that I laughed out loud the most with this one. 😀
August 28th, 2011 at 9:38 pm · Link
Lauren, Lauren, Lauren….
I SOOOO enjoyed reading MAKING CHASE that I hope I can read more of the series soon. I rarely cry while reading books, but with this one I did, plus I too laughed out loud a lot. I could relate to Tate on so many levels, and the background storylines also kept me turning pages quickly.
Thanks for sharing!
August 28th, 2011 at 9:40 pm · Link
Sounds great. I havent read anything in the Chase series yet. Really looking forward to them.
August 28th, 2011 at 11:24 pm · Link
Loved the Chase family! I’m looking forward to Polly and Edward’s story too. 😀
August 28th, 2011 at 11:46 pm · Link
I really love this series! I am thrilled that we are going to be revisiting the salon soon.
August 29th, 2011 at 12:55 am · Link
I just love your books as well. Already have quite a collection on the kindle 🙂
August 29th, 2011 at 1:05 am · Link
Love this series ^^ Really look forward to reading this one 😉
August 29th, 2011 at 1:58 am · Link
The Chase Brothers series is one of my favorites!
August 29th, 2011 at 4:33 am · Link
After Kyle and Maggie’s book this is my favorite. It’s nice to see a story about a woman that is not a size 4. I think the Matt is a great guy and I was so glad to see him with Tate.
August 29th, 2011 at 6:37 am · Link
i am soo falling hard for the Chase bros and the brown sibs…got to have…
August 29th, 2011 at 9:10 am · Link
Love this series… love this family and often re-read the stories!
August 29th, 2011 at 9:11 am · Link
One of my all time favorite series. Love the Chase’s
August 29th, 2011 at 12:13 pm · Link
I love the Chase Brothers series!