A FRESH START
Widow Kate Sullivan moved to Cupidâs Bow, Texas, to get her teenage son on the right path. But their new life in the small town gets off to a rocky start when her son is caught shoplifting by the sheriff. Kate is immediately attracted to Cole Trent, but sheâs not ready to fall in love again, and certainly not with another cop.
Cole should have known Cupidâs matchmakers would scramble to fix him up with a smart, beautiful woman like Kate. The single dad has managed to evade their efforts until now, so he and Kate come up with a plan to keep the matchmakers at bay. Pretending to be a couple was a good idea, until Cole realizes his feelings are anything but pretend. Can he convince Kate to give their romance a real chance?
âWell played!â Admiration danced in Coleâs blue eyes. âYou helped convince Becca Iâm off the marketâI could kiss you.â
Kate inhaled sharply, but it didnât seem to put any air in her lungs. âItâs, ah, probably best if you donât.â She started to take a step backward.
âOh, I donât know.â His voice dropped lower. âBeccaâs got spies everywhere.â
âCole, I...â Her voice was husky, unfamiliar. Though he was no longer touching her, he stood so close her thoughts were short-circuiting. Could she allow herself to kiss him in the name of convincing Becca he was taken? A flimsy excuse, at best, but so tempting. She swallowed. âI have to go.â
âCan I call you later? We didnât finish our conversation.â
She lifted up on her toes, pressing a quick kiss against his cheek. It was a peck, nothing more, but effervescent giddiness fizzed through her. Sheâd surprised herselfâand she could tell from his sudden, absolute stillness that sheâd shocked him.
âJust in case any of Beccaâs spies are watching,â she murmured.
Dear Reader,
Falling in love isnât always easy. If it was, theyâd probably use a different verb for it! And parenting definitely isnât easy. Like the heroine in this book, I also have a thirteen-year-old son. (I donât have small twins like the hero, but since my kids are only a year apart, they were often mistaken for twins in their preschool years.) The thing about loveâand parentingâis that the hard work can yield amazing rewards.
Kate Sullivan loves her son, but heâs become increasingly rebellious in the two years since her police officer husband was killed in the line of duty. After a school suspension, Kate decides to take drastic measures and move them to Cupidâs Bow, Texas. Kate hopes the fresh start will benefit both her and her son.
But is there room in that fresh start for falling in love?
Sheriff Cole Trent is a single dad with twin five-year-olds. He has his hands full and, much to his match-making motherâs chagrin, has declared himself too busy to date. But then he meets Kate Sullivan, a beautiful woman who understands his parenting woes and makes him smile. Their attraction is instant, their chemistry unmistakable. But after the devastating loss of her husband, Kate canât imagine making her heart vulnerable againâespecially not with another man in law enforcement. Can Cole convince her that the rewards are worth the risk?
This book is my first set in Cupidâs Bow, and I hope youâll come back for future stories about other townspeople! Meanwhile, you can learn more about what Iâm writingâand what my crazy family is up toâby following me on Twitter @TanyaMichaels.
Happy reading!
Tanya
TANYA MICHAELS, a New York Times bestselling author and five-time RITA® Award nominee, has been writing love stories since middle school algebra class (which probably explains her math grades). Her books, praised for their poignanÂcy and humor, have received awards from readers and reviewers alike. Tanya is an active member of Romance Writers of America and a frequent public speaker. She lives outside Atlanta with her very supportive husband, two highly imaginative kids and a bichon frise who thinks sheâs the center of the universe.
This book is dedicated to all my fellow parents out there also raising one of those wondrous and terrifying creatures known as a âteenager.â
Prologue
Kate Sullivan had barely spoken on the ride from the middle school to the house. Sheâd worried that if she opened her mouth to say something, she would start yelling. Or crying. Neither seemed like a good idea while driving.
As they walked in through the garage door that led to the kitchen, her thirteen-year-old son, Luke, broke the tense silence. âI know youâre pisââ
âLanguage!â She spared him a maternal glare over her shoulder.
âI know youâre mad,â he amended. The patronizing emphasis he put on the word was the verbal equivalent of rolling his eyes. âBut it really wasnât my fault this time.â