PROLOGUE

Courtney Elllison had been running ragged all morning, trying to meet her clients, do graphics work, and take care of her children, so the giddiness and persistent skipped beats hadn't been as noticeable until this second. Now she had to meet with Jill and the band—The Charismatics. As an account executive for PRPlus, a public relations firm, she was in charge of overseeing her accounts as well as those of her staff. The irregular beats rushed her, seeming to have gotten worse the last few months. Maybe it had something to do with her having met Lucas, that big, dark-haired macho guy who had the most alluring smile she had ever seen, but sometimes he seemed so elusive, while other times it was as though he intended to pick a fight with her over the most trivial things.

Trying to locate a lady's room back stage seemed akin to searching for a single ash in a used fireplace. Props hung everywhere, as did scene backdrops; ripped playbooks littered the back halls. Courtney ran into over-flowing closets, dead-end nooks and crannies . . . but still no bathroom. At last finding one, she eyed herself in the mirror. Gosh, I look white as snow. I've got to get some make-up on. Being as disorganized as she was this morning, it came as no surprise that she had left her purse in her car. She headed out of the ladies room.

Instantly she gasped. Certainly her heart had stopped beating . . . it had thumped right along and then came that big gap.

She shook her head, caught her breath and held her chest, grabbing a stage prop for support, waiting for it to pass.

Minutes later, she collected herself, straightened her skirt, took deep breaths, and then continued toward the sound of the band's music, knowing it was the way out. Her hands jiggled as she dabbed at the perspiration building above her lip, at her temples.

She started walking again, hoping to make it to her car and out into the invigorating fresh air where the cold breeze and bright sun would jolt and stimulate her.

Thump! Thump! Thump, the erratic beats pounded, snagging inside her rib cage. She stopped, afraid to move, feeling as though she would never breathe again, that her heart would never recover from missing that single beat.

She wet her lips, swallowed hard and turned around, looking for a place to sit where she could put her head between her legs to get rid of the lightheadedness.

In one smooth motion she slumped to the floor.