A LITTLE HELPâAND A LOT OF LOVE
Ever since her mother died, nurse practitioner Kayley Quartermain has been searching for somewhere to belong. She wants that somewhere to be her hometown of Bedford, but first she needs a job. Thankfully, her matchmaking godmother offers a solution: a career matchâand hopefully a romantic one, tooâassisting recently widowed Dr. Luke Dolan at his clinic.
Still adjusting to life as a single dad, Luke is reluctant to accept Kayleyâs help. Sure, sheâs great at her job, and five-year-old Lily adores her, but Lukeâs developing strong feelings for Kayley, too. For Lilyâs sake, he needs to be careful about whom he lets in. But with Kayley fitting in so perfectly as they rebuild their lives, could she be the one piece theyâve been missing?
Just as she was about to turn toward her vehicle, which was parked in his driveway, Kayley glanced down.
And that was when she saw it. There was a bright, shiny new penny right in her path.
Without giving it a second thought, Kayley quickly bent down to pick it up. Sheâd stopped abruptly without giving Luke any warning, making him walk right into her as she stooped over the coin.
The unexpected contact almost caused her to pitch forward, and she would have done just that had Luke not grabbed for her, pulling her to her feet and throwing her off balance. Her body hit his. Air whooshed out of her and she found herself looking right up at him with less than half an inch between them.
Temptation, fast and furious, appeared out of nowhere, taking control while his brain went on temporary hiatus for about ten seconds.
Before he realized what he was doingâand the consequences that would come with itâLuke found himself kissing Kayley.
* * *
Matchmaking Mamas:
Playing Cupid. Arranging dates.
What are mothers for?
Prologue
One moment the blond-haired, attractive woman with the kind blue eyes wasnât there; the next moment, she was. Her very presence seemed to dominate the real estate office, an office devoted to a business that Maizie Sommers had taken such pride in building up over the years.
The only business that Maizie took even more pride in was the one that she and her two lifelong best friends, Theresa Manetti and Cecilia Parnell, conducted unofficially. A business that yielded no monetary rewards. However, the rewards that it did yield were far richer than any dollar amount.
And it was as if the woman standing before her now sensed that fact despite that they had never really talked about it.
âMaizie,â the woman said in a soft voice, âyou need to help Kayley find someone. I donât want her spending the rest of her life alone. Itâs not right. She has so much love to give and no one to give it to. Iâd find her someone myself, but I canât do that now. And she is your goddaughter,â Karen Quartermain added pointedly. âHelp her, Maizie. Please.â
The womanâs quietly worded request seemed to fill up every single space within the room.
Gasping, Maizie bolted upright. She wasnât in her officeâshe was in her bed.
Her bedroom was dark, except for the ray of moonlight intruding like a laser through the window. It was shining on something on the rug. Something small and round.
Blowing out a long breath, Maizie ran her hand along her forehead.
A dream. It was only a dream.
Her brain should have realized that even though every detail had seemed so incredibly vivid and real. Her office had looked just like her office. And her friend had looked just like her friend. Except that Karen had looked the way she had a year ago, before she became ill.
Why in heavenâs name was she dreaming about Karen Quartermain, Maizie silently asked herself. Sheâd never dreamed about Karen, even when she was alive. Why now, two months after her friend had died?
With a sigh, Maizie lay back down. It was still very early. Turning on her side, she faced the window. She inhaled deeply and willed herself to get back to sleep.
Vivid or not, it was just a dream, nothing more. Nothingâ
What was that on her rug?
The moonlight made her light gray rug appear pale even as it highlighted something on it.
Whatever it was looked as if it were winking at her.