Robin Wells - Still the One

From the very beginning, there had been some intangible bond, something that drew Zack to Katie.

It was as if her heart were transparent and he could see right into it and it was a safe place. She made him feel things hed never felt with anyone elseunderstood and accepted and whole.

His hands landed on her waist.

A hot shock ricocheted through him; his groin was against her bottom, his nose in her hair. She smelled like herbal shampoo and Katiea scent that smelled like summer and desire and a nameless longinga scent that made him so hard, so fast, that he could have been seventeen again.

Neither one of them moved for long seconds. And then his fingers tightened around her waist as if they had a will of their own. His mouth moved against her hair.

She inhaled sharply, then gave a little moan. He dipped his head and kissed her neck, right where her pulse beat, right on the little brown birthmark. He felt her pulse flutter under his lips.

Turn around, Katie, he whispered. Turn around and kiss me.

Praise for Robin Wells

4 Stars! A delightful romance [and] wonderful tale.

RT Book Reviews on How to Score

How to Score

Wellss contemporary romance hits the mark.

Publishers Weekly

Sweet and absolutely perfect!

RomanceNovel.tv

Sexy and enjoyable.

Bookloons.com

[A] character-driven romance full of wonderful subplots Perfect.

Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, LA)

A good way to spend a summer afternoon.

BellaOnline.com

Between the Sheets

Warm, romantic, sexy.

Midwest Book Review

A fascinating contemporary romance.

HarrietKlausner.wwwi.com

Exceptional storytelling, writing, and characterization make this a page-turning read.

RomRevToday.com

A refreshing, tender love story.

EyeonRomance.com

ALSO BY ROBIN WELLS

Between the Sheets

How to Score

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright 2010 by Robin Wells

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Forever

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com.

www.twitter.com/foreverromance

Forever is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing.

The Forever name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

First eBook Edition: May 2010

ISBN: 978-0-446-56969-9

Contents

To Ken, who will always be Still the One!

Special thanks to the worlds best parents, Roscoe and Charlie Lou Rouse; the worlds best daughters, Taylor and Arden; the worlds best cowboy lawyer brother, Dick Rouse; and the worldsmake that the universesbest husband, Ken.

Id also like to thank my dear friend Lisa Bourgeois for helping with the many family health issues that occurred during the writing of this book. Lisa, you are beyond a jewel; you are the Hope Diamond of friends!

Last but not least, I want to thank my amazing editor, Selina McLemore, for her insight, wisdom, and guidance. Selina, you are the greatest!

What are you doing Saturday night? Lulus protuberant green eyes, magnified by her round horn-rimmed eyeglasses, met Katie Charmaines light brown ones in the salon mirror.

The question set off Katies internal cupid alarm. Lulu had promised to quit playing matchmaker, but that was three fix-ups ago. Im not sure, Katie hedged as she towel-dried Lulus red curls. Why?

Well, I was wondering if you want to come over for dinner.

Katie blotted Lulus hair, aware that the four other women in her kitschy pink-and-black beauty shop were actively listening over the drum of rain on the salons slanted roof. Not that they could help it; the Acadian-style Curl Up N Dye beauty salon was only slightly larger than the space shuttle. The two stylists chairs, the manicure station, and the window-seat waiting area were within such close proximity that all conversations were public property.

But then, most conversations in Chartreuse were like that, anyway. The close-knit nature of the community was both the blessing and the curse of living in the small Louisiana town.

Katie put down the towel, picked up a wide-toothed comb, and eyed Lulu sternly in the mirroror, at least, as sternly as she could manage. Katies late husband used to say that her face was half angel, half pixie, and that she couldnt muster a stern look if her life depended on it. When we have kids, theyre going to walk all over you, Paul used to tease.

The fact hed died before shed been able to prove him wrong was the tragedy of Katies life. Pushing aside the thought, Katie slid the comb into Lulus hair. Youre not trying to fix me up again, are you, Lulu?

Oh, no! Lulus eyes rounded in faux innocence.

Bev, the tall, angular stylist dabbing a shade called Brown Sugar onto the retired librarians gray roots in the next chair, let out a disbelieving snort. One of Katies closest friends, the forty-something blonde winked at Katie in the mirror. Lulu would never do that. How could you even think such a thing?

Katie opted to ignore Bevs sarcasm. So it would just be dinner with you and your family? Katie pressed.

Well Lulu fiddled with the edge of the pink-and-black polka-dotted styling cape draped around her like a giant bib. Not exactly.

Just as Katie suspected. She worked the comb through Lulus short curls. So who else, exactly , will be there?

Well Lulu blinked earnestly. My Robby just put porcelain veneers on a new patient from Hammond.

A male patient? Rachel the manicurist looked up from Josie Pringles hangnail, her straight black bob swinging.

Lulu nodded, nearly jerking the comb out of Katies hand. Hes single and hes really nice and now he has a beautiful smile, so I thought Id invite him over, too.

And you dont call that a fix-up? Katie demanded.

Oh, no! Lulu said. The thought never occurred to me.

Bev snorted again.

Youre a terrible liar, Lulu, Rachel said.

Not to mention incorrigible, Katie added.

I dont know what you mean. Lulu turned up her palms and attempted to look baffled. Since it wasnt far from her usual expression, it wasnt much of a stretch. Im just inviting a couple of friends to dinner.

A couple of friends you happen to be fixing up on a blind date, Bev said.

Rachel giggled.

Nice try, Lulu, called Josie, an attractive thirty-nine-year-old brunette who was rocking her sleeping eight-month-old daughters stroller with her foot as she got her nails done.

I think you should go, Katie, said Mrs. Street, the elderly librarian.

Yeah, called Josie. It never hurts to meet new people.

Katie stifled a sigh. She knew her friends meant well, she really did, but she wished theyd quit trying to meddle in her life. Thanks, but no thanks.

Hes got beautiful teeth now, Lulu said earnestly. You know what good work my Robby does. She flashed her own shockingly white veneers, which slanted out like a row of venetian blinds. Robby really should have sent Lulu for some orthodontic work before slapping those puppies on her overbite, Katie thought for the umpteenth time.

She ran the comb down Lulus scalp, sectioning off the front from the back. I really appreciate the thought, Lulu, but Im not interested.

Still?

Still. And probably not ever , she thought, tackling a snarl in Lulus hair.

Katie, honey, Mrs. Street said gently from the next chair, its been two years.