~~DEEP BLUE~~ Kat Martin Re-Issue!!!!!

DEEP BLUE, by Kat Martin

Excerpt

Hope felt the deck sway beneath her feet.  The Conquest was eighty-feet long and looked to be very well equipped.  She glanced around and spotted a fiftyish, silver-haired man walking toward her while a taller, dark-haired man followed a few feet behind. 

She smiled at the first man.  "Hello, I'm Hope Sinclair.  It's very nice to meet you.  You must be Conner Reese."

He gave her a warm, inviting smile.  "Actually, I'm Bob Gibson, captain of the Conquest."  He turned to the man behind him.  "This is Conner Reese."

She tried not to stare.  If she'd had more time, she would have known everything there was to know about the partners of Treasure Limited.  As it was, she knew Brad Talbot, the money man, and she had met Eddie Markham, the owner of Pleasure Island.  This man, the head of the search operation, Conner Reese, was nothing at all what she had expected.

She extended a hand.  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Reese.  I'm Hope Sinclair.  I assume you've been expecting me."

"Expecting you to what?"

She didn't like his tone, or the unfriendly look in his eyes.  But she had to admit they were gorgeous, the same incredible blue as the sea.  And he was handsome.  Remarkably so.  He was wearing red swim trunks and canvas deck shoes, his chest bare and nicely sculpted with muscle.  He had a set of very impressive biceps, a lean, flat, six-pack stomach, and a pair of shoulders that would stretch the limits of a size seventeen shirt.  And he was tall, at least six-foot-two, with a very dark tan. 

Still, it was obvious he wasn't pleased to see her and that jabbed her temper.  She didn't want to be there in the first place.  The least he could do was be pleasant.

She pasted on a smile.  "Since you weren't told I was coming, I suppose I had better explain.  I'm a writer for Adventure magazine.  I'm here to do an article on your search for the Spanish galleon, Nuestra Senora de Rosa.  I assumed someone from the magazine would have called you."

"Yeah, well they didn't.  Adventure might like to do a story, but unfortunately we're not interested.  It's a shame you came all this way for nothing but that's the way it is.  The last thing we need is a bunch of people finding out we're down here looking for sunken treasure."

She worked to keep her friendly smile in place, all the while cursing Conner Reese.  "I'm afraid you don't understand.  I've been assigned to do this story and that's what I intend to do."  She glanced around at the ultra-modern equipment on the deck, most of it new.  "You probably have a satellite phone out here.  Why don't you call Brad Talbot?  He can explain what's going on."

"Talbot?  This was Talbot's idea?"

A noise behind them interrupted her answer.  She turned to see one of the crewman coming down from the wheelhouse holding a cell phone, a huge black man in baggy knee-length shorts and a blue-flowered shirt.  He had a chest the size of a wine cask and arms that would rival Mike Tyson's. 

"It's for you, boss."

Reese took the phone, flicked a glance at Hope, then turned and walked a couple of feet away.  He was angry and getting madder by the minute, speaking louder and louder until she could hear every word.

"Are you insane?  We let her write a bunch of articles about this operation and we're going to have every amateur treasure hunter within two thousand miles breathing down our necks.  This isn't the States, Talbot, it's a private island.  The only laws here are the ones they make up.  We won't have a damn bit of protection--legal or otherwise--if we start to have trespassing problems."

Talbot said something lengthy on the other end of the line. 

"This is crazy," Reese said.  Then, "Fine--have it your way.  But don't say I didn't warn you."  Reese ended the call and took a deep breath.  He handed the phone back to the big black man.  "Thanks, King."

"No problem, boss."

Reese turned to face her, a scowl on his handsome face.  "I guess you're staying, since Talbot holds the purse strings."  He gave her a perusal that went from her breasts to her toes and sent her hackles up another notch.  "But then you probably knew that already."

Hope clamped down on a nasty retort and the captain stepped into the fray. 

"Why don't I take the lady down to her cabin?" he suggested, trying to prevent what was fast becoming a mutual dislike.

Reese gave Hope a cold, hard smile.  "I'll take care of it.  I want to make sure our guest gets properly settled in."

Ignoring his grim expression, Hope reached for her carry-on.  Surprisingly, Reese picked it up before she had the chance.  At least he knew how to behave like a gentleman, though she figured he usually chose not to.

She sighed as she followed his broad, muscular back along the deck to the ladder.  It was going to be a helluva long three weeks.

I love to travel, do you?

by, Kat Martin

People who know me know I love to travel.  If I didn’t write two books a year, I would be gone all the time.  Fortunately, I married a man who enjoys taking off for parts unknown as much as I do.  Next year, for instance, we’re headed to Europe for a Greek Island cruise, then we’ll be spending a week in Rome.  I can hardly wait!

People ask us how we decide where to go.  Most of the time, work takes us somewhere and we just add a little time to visit nearby places.  When I was writing Historicals, we spent a good deal of time in England for research.  Because we were there, we also traveled to Scotland and Ireland.  

We went to a romance conference in Germany, added some days, and got to see a great deal of that country. 

In the States, we link conferences or business meetings to travel.  Last year we were in New York for two weeks for Thrillerfest and Romance Writers of America.  During that time, we took the train up to West Point--a fantastic place to see.

Years ago I wrote a book called DEEP BLUE.  Conner Reese owns a salvage boat and he’s searching for sunken Spanish treasure off the coast of Jamaica.  The last thing he wants is Hope Sinclair, a snoopy lady reporter, along for the ride. 

Since I had never been to Jamaica, we decided to make the trip.  I got to do the research I needed, and we had a great time walking the beach and lying in the Caribbean sun.

This summer, we traveled cross-country to Albuquerque, to a Western Writers’ conference for my husband, who writes Western and Historical novels.  On the way home, we stopped in Denver for RomCon, a Romance readers’ convention that was a great deal of fun.

Once I drive a few miles out of town, or climb aboard an airplane, I’m able to stop thinking of work.  At home that’s nearly impossible to do.  So I try to escape as often as I can, not all that easy since I have deadlines and re-writes and book promotions I have to do.

So what about you?  Do you like to travel?  And if you do, how do you choose where you want to go?  Love to hear from you.  If you haven’t read DEEP BLUE, I hope you’ll give it a try.  Have a great summer.  Warmest, kat