When my agent first sent Proof by Seduction out to editors, it started with a scene between Gareth and Ned. I had played with the concept of ditching that initial scene, but had never quite figured out how to do it. On the one hand, I wanted to get rid of it because I felt as if it were like starting off playing a symphony with a variation, rather than a theme; on the other hand, getting rid of it would have ruined some of the symmetry that comes later in the book.

When HQN acquired the book, my editor had some ideas for how to tighten up the manuscript, and ultimately, that first scene disappeared. But since the book has apparently been showing up on shelves, both real and virtual, for about a week now, and as its official release date approaches, I thought it might be nice for everyone to see how it originally began…

Here you are: the original first scene of the book. Think of it this way: Gareth meets man-eating elephants, and lo, they are herbivores.

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