Turning to him, Kat smiled. âI have to go. See you tonight?â
He didnât budge. And then, before he could consider the impact, he said, âOnly if you let me restore the boat free of charge, but with one condition.â
Slowly, her eyes seized his. âI will not sleep with you, Dane.â
A jolt hit his gut at the image of her warming his bed.
Maybe not today. He smiled grimly.
âWouldnât think of it.â
Liar!
Dear Reader,
I invite you into the life of Kat OâBrien, the third sister in my HOME TO FIREWOOD ISLAND miniseries. In The Doctorâs Surprise Family, Kat perseveres no matter what life tosses out. Suddenly, however, she is falling for a wounded serviceman full of sorrow and secrets whose only goal is to hide from the world. It seems, then, these two are polar oppositesâ¦. But Kat will not give up! She is determined to coax this war hero toward a future filled with family and love.
For further details of the first two books of my HOME TO FIREWOOD ISLAND miniseriesâTheir Secret Child plus And Baby Makes Fourâjoin me at www.MaryJForbes.com.
Warmest wishes,
Mary
P.S. While The Doctorâs Surprise Family only hints at a possible experience of war, my greatest hope is that all who serve their country find peace and love waiting at home.
How long are you going to sit on that motorcycle, pal?
Peering through the rain-splattered front window of her big, rectangular kitchen, Kat OâBrien wondered if the guy even breathed. At least fifteen minutes had gone by and he hadnât moved. Not a muscle, not a gloved fingertip. No, draped in a yellow slicker, he sat still as a stone carving on the leather seat of the big black bike parked in her circular drivewayâ¦staring ahead at the surrounding evergreens, leafless birch and maples and verdant winter undergrowth. Perhaps the hammering February sleet had frozen his body in place and it merely waited for a gust of wind to topple it and the bike to the ground.
God forbid, Kat thought.
Well, she couldnât stand here all afternoon ogling the fellow. If heâd come as a potential guest to her bed-and-breakfast, heâd knock on the door when he was ready. Or if he had gotten lost, sooner or later heâd crank the machine and boot it back to the village proper, a mile up Shore Road.
Restless, she returned to making cookies on the large wooden worktable, the one her late husband had constructed when he was alive, when his big laugh and voice boomed throughout the Victorian he inherited from his grandparents before he married Kat.
Again, she glanced toward the window. Seldom was she leery about her guests, and those she instinctively had gut-twinges about, she didnât book. However, the majority of her customers were annual returnees, folks loving the peace and quiet, the bit of wilderness offered within the hills and forests of Firewood Island. But this stranger had driven slowly up the lane to park and stare at God-knew-what.
Come on, mister, she thought for the tenth time. Make up your mind.
A shiver scurried along her arms. She told herself if his intentions were unsavory, he would not have ridden up on a guttural Harley-Davidson. Yet, she wasnât a fool. She always kept her doors locked, and she never questioned her instincts.
Currently, both her rental cabins stood empty. It was, after all, the last Tuesday of February. With fewer vacationers during the winter season in Washingtonâs Puget Sound, she was thankful that at least one manâDane Rainhart, whoâd been her older sisterâs boyfriend twenty years agoâhad booked the smaller cabin last week. He was due to arrive tomorrow for a three-month sabbatical, though from what Kat didnât know.
After putting the third cookie sheet in the oven, she set a candle centerpiece on the ten-seater rectangular oak table that had been in the OâBrien family for eighty years.
Should she stand on the veranda, yell out to gain the guyâs attention? Go tap his shoulder or his wet, glossy helmet?
Pressing her lips together to hold back a chuckle, she pictured her eleven-year-old son, Blake, rapping on the helmetâ¦. Yo, dude. Anybody home in there? Good thing school was in session for another hour.
Well, hopefully, before the school bus arrived, the man would come to his senses.
Sighing, she slanted another look toward the country-paned front window. Biker-man hadnât budged. Rain gear and big black boots aside, he had to be chilled to the bone.