Just Count On Me-- Part Two

Welcome to part two of Just Count On Me... the short story that bridges the Bradford series with my new series, Counting On Love that starts on June 11th :)

PART TWO

The crew all reacted at once.  Without another word, they ran for the rig, going through their checklists by habit and tearing out into the night, siren wailing within minutes.

The Bradford Youth Center was the non-profit center that kept kids off the streets and gave them a place to go when things got shitty at home—as they often did for the kids in that part of the city.   Sam and Sara’s dad, David Bradford, had founded the center and it was still run under the supervision of the Bradford siblings and supported by David’s trust, private donations and lots of volunteer hours.  Many of those hours were put in by the Bradfords and their friends and spouses.

Sara was the acting Administrator.

“Who’s there right now?” Dooley asked as they all sent their wives text messages.

“Sara’s there,” Mac said, feeling cold seep through his body as he let the reality in.

“Jess was supposed to go over tonight too,” Sam said, his voice tight.  “Dani’s at home with the twins.”

Their crew worked the seven p.m. to seven a.m. shift so it was about bath and bedtime at Sam’s house.

“Morgan and Eve?” Mac asked about Dooley and Kevin’s wives.  

The girls were all friends.  It wasn’t uncommon for one or more of them to show up at the Center to help with something or just to hang out.

“Morgan’s at the B & B,” Dooley said.  Morgan owned a Bed and Breakfast just outside of town.  “She had a couple checking in tonight around eight.”

It was seven thirty six.

“Eve’s at home,” Kevin said.  “She’s been going to bed really early the last couple of months.”

Eve, Sara and Jessica were all pregnant, due within days of one another, but the pregnancy and morning sickness was hitting Eve the hardest.

Mac pulled in a relieved breath.  At least they weren’t all at the Center.

The pain in his stomach wasn’t any better, but he was glad the others were safe.  Sara was at the center.  That was a fact.  And until he saw her and held her again, he wouldn’t be pain free.

“Sorry, Ma—”

Mac slapped a big hand against Dooley’s chest before the man could get the rest of the words out.  “Don’t you fucking be sorry.  More than half the girls are safe and Sara and Jess are going to be, so just shut the fuck up.”

Dooley just nodded.

“They’ve got procedures,” Kevin said in the calm voice they all depended on at times like this.  “They have smoke detectors and emergency exit plans.  Sara and Jess are smart.  It’s going to be fine.”

Mac appreciated the words.  They were true.  But they didn’t do a thing to make him feel better.

Sam took the next corner sharply and they all hung on.

“Someone should call Ben,” Kevin said, pulling out his phone again.  Ben was Sam’s other brother-in-law, married to Jessica.  He was also a trauma surgeon at St. Anthony’s.  “He working tonight?”

Sam shook his head, gripping the steering wheel to the point his knuckles turned white.  “He might be there too.”

Ben was fond of the Center and spent a lot of time there, as they all did.

But if Ben was there tonight, it meant that their young daughter, Ava would be too.

Fuck.  Mac gritted his teeth and gripped the bar on the door by his seat.  They had a siren.  That was the only way to speed up the trip and Sam was doing everything he could to dodge the cars that were slow to get out of the way. 

“I can’t get him,” Kevin said a moment later after dialing Ben’s number.

“Dammit,” Dooley muttered.

Sam and Mac weren’t even able to say that much.

Finally they came to a screeching halt in front of the Center.

There were already three fire trucks on scene and an ambulance.

“Dixon and his crew are here,” Dooley said, bailing out.

Mac took in the details of the scene on autopilot.  There were smoke and flames coming from the window on the east end of the building.  The end with the kitchen. 

A wave of nausea swept over him and he had to stop and force himself to breathe.  He closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest, pulling air in through his nose and then letting it out through his mouth.

The right personnel are already on scene, they’re taking care of things, he told himself.

He lifted his head and looked around, fighting the urge to run into the middle of the chaos.  But that would only add to the commotion.  He knew better.  He had to give the guys room to work and he had to get a hold of himself.

He scanned the scene. There was a small group of kids huddled together near a tree on the west end of the building.  Two others were sitting in the back of the ambulance, breathing through oxygen masks.  Dooley was there getting a report from Sierra, one of the female paramedics on Dixon’s crew. 

Kevin put a hand on his shoulder.  “Do I need to worry about you going in there and making things worse?” he asked.

Mac looked over to find that he had a fistful of Sam’s shirt. Clearly Sam needed to be held back.  Mac understood that.  They were trained emergency professionals… but this was personal. 

Firefighters were running around and yelling, but Mac knew from experience that their actions were carefully orchestrated.  They knew what they were doing.

Him barging ahead, shoving people out of the way and knocking down the front door wasn’t going to do any good.

Still, he itched with the desire to do exactly that.

“No. I’m good,” he told Kevin.

Kevin met his gaze, studying him.  Finally he said, “Don’t make me regret believing you.”  Kevin Campbell was the nice guy of the bunch and the most laid-back, but he was a big guy with a rock solid sense of right and wrong, and if you fucked with him, he’d knock you on your ass.

Mac took a deep breath and then gave him a nod. “Promise.”

Kevin strode toward where Cody Madsen, the fire chief, was standing talking into his headset, directing his crew.  Kevin kept a hold of Sam’s shirt, like Sam was a four year old who couldn’t keep his hands out of the candy bins.  But Sam wasn’t fighting Kevin’s hold.  He probably knew, deep down, that he needed his friend to keep him in check.

“Mac.”

Mac turned at the sound of his name.  It was Conner.

“Where is she?” he asked without preamble.

Conner looked exhausted.  He had soot smudges on his clothes and face, his eyes were blood shot and he pretty much looked like hell. He and his crew had already put in twelve hours and fires with multiple possible victims were always hard.

He shook his head.  “They haven’t brought her out yet.  We’ve treated about twenty kids.  You have any idea how many might be here tonight?”

Mac felt the chill that had permeated his body on the ride over, seep deeper and begin to freeze. No.  Sara had to be okay.  She had to.  Too many people needed her.  Elijah needed her, their baby needed her, and Mac would, quite simply, die without her.

He cleared his throat, determined not to be a reason for anyone to pull their attention from the fire and the people inside.  If he freaked out, passed out or punched someone else out, the cops and paramedics would have to attend to him rather than the people who really needed them.

“There could be up to fifty, but there’s not really an attendance sheet, you know?  It’s whoever shows up,” he told Conner.  “Can’t the kids tell if someone got out or not?”

“They’re trying to take a roll call but they’re pretty shaken.”

“What happened?”

“Not sure yet.  Kids say they were using the microwave, but no other appliances.”

“Jessica’s probably in there too,” Mac said, feeling that he was on the verge of beginning to shake.  He was ice cold.  He recognized the signs of shock, but he also knew he had to keep his shit together.  If he couldn’t help, then he shouldn’t have come.

Making himself look back to the Center, he knew that there was no way in hell he could have stayed away.  So, he just needed to hold it together.

“I’m calling in the rig from Methodist,” Conner informed him.  “We haven’t had a lot of work to do yet.  All those kids got out on their own and we’ve treated only two for smoke inhalation.  No burns.  But if there might be twenty more kids inside, I’m gonna need some help and you guys aren’t going to be any good to us.”

Mac started to protest.  They were all here.  “We’re the best crew in this city.”

“Yeah, yeah.  I’ll give you that, when it’s not this personal,” Conner said.  “But not tonight.  Tonight you’re civilians.”

He started to turn away to talk to the man who’d just approached them, but Mac grabbed his arm.  “Dixon.”

“Yeah?”

Mac swallowed hard.  “When they pull Sara out, I want you to make it personal.  Got it?”

Conner didn’t say anything for several seconds.  Then he gave a short nod.  “I got it.”

Mac gave him a nod back.

Then Conner gestured to the man next to him.  “Mac, this is Shane Kelley.  He’s a buddy of mine, an offensive lineman for the Hawks, and a cop.  That last part is the important part right now.  If you try to go into that building, he’s going to knock you down or shoot you.”

Mac felt his eyes widen.  He knew Shane’s name from some of his own cop buddies.  He was one of the best.  He’d also watched the guy play football.  The he’s-going-to-knock-you-down thing would hurt.  “You got me a watch dog?”

“Something like that.”  Conner slapped Shane on the shoulder and headed for his rig.

Shane gave him a grin.  “You’re not the only reason I’m here, if that makes you feel any better.”

Mac shrugged.  “Nothing’s really going to make me feel better right now.”

Shane nodded and started in Cody Madsen’s direction.

“You’re not going to stick right by my side to make sure I don’t do anything stupid?” Mac asked.

Shane glanced back at him.  “I’m a pretty good shot even from a distance.”

Ah.  Fantastic.

Mac looked over to where Conner was already calling in another ambulance to be there for the victims they expected out of the building.  He was right to make the call.  He was right to keep their crew out of there.  No way could even Dooley or Kevin stay detached enough to do their job effectively.  One third degree burn on one of the kids they cared about and they’d be a mess.  If it was anything worse…

Mac shut that down.  That definitely wouldn’t help.

He watched Cody stride toward Conner and say something just before they both broke into a run toward the building.

It was the damnedest thing, but if Sara needed attention he wanted it to come from Conner.  Conner would make sure everything was above and beyond for Sara. 

Just like that fucking stuffed dog.

Come back tomorrow for Part Three of Five of 

Just Count On Me!

Just Count On Me-- Part One

As I was writing She's the One and planning the new series, Counting on Love, I realized that it was very important to me that everyone understand just how this series is connected with my (our? :-) ) beloved Bradfords.  But, I also didn't want to spend too much time with Mac, Sam, Dooley, Kevin and Ben in the books in the new series because, well... they have a way of taking over, you know? :)  Sure, it's in a good way.  Yes, I love hanging out with them too.  Very much.  Too much maybe :)  But trust me when I say that Conner, Ryan, Shane, Nate and Cody deserve their pages.  They really do!  

So, instead of letting the Bradford boys take over, I told them they had to behave in She's the One (which they *kind of* do), and in exchange I would write a short story to share with readers so everyone would understand how they're all connected and that the Bradfords are still, very much around :)

So, here's Just Count On Me... the introductory story that bridges the Bradfords and Counting On Love!

PART ONE

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Mac Gordon came up short in the break room at St. Anthony’s hospital.  He and the rest of his paramedic crew were just coming on shift.  And right in the middle of the sofa in the break room was a gigantic stuffed dog with a big pink bow tied around its neck.

Without reading any kind of tag, he knew exactly who it was for.  And who it was from.

“I’m going to kill him.”

Sam Bradford chuckled and slapped him on the shoulder.  “You say that at least twice a week.”

Kevin Campbell crossed to the dog and read the big heart shaped tag.  “I’m happy to follow you around like a puppy.  Happy Birthday.  Love, Conner.”

Mac stomped forward, “Oh, he did not sign it love.”

Kevin laughed and stepped back out of the way. “No.  He didn’t sign it at all, actually.”

Mac re-read the card.  “This is over the top.”

Dooley Miller was grinning like a dumbass.  “You had to be expecting it.  There’s no way Conner would let Sara’s birthday go by without doing something stupid.”

Mac stared into the dog’s eyes.  Dooley was right.  He had been expecting Conner Dixon to do something to commemorate Mac’s wife’s birthday.  Conner claimed he was madly in love with Sara and would never find another woman to compare.  Mac knew that seventy-five percent of that was simply a convenient way for Conner to fuck with Mac’s head.  But there was that other twenty-five percent that he knew was true.  Conner had met Sara without knowing she was married to Mac and had immediately hit on her. But, even after finding out she belonged to Mac, he kept up his flirtation.  “People break up every day” was his favorite saying when Mac was around.

And there were his jabs about how much older Mac was.  And how Conner was exactly the right age for her.  And his crazy statistic that seventy percent of married women cheat.  And his endless supply of compliments and come-ons that had made Sara blush more than once.

Still, Mac hadn’t killed Conner yet.  Hadn’t even hurt him.  Because the kid was actually pretty cool. 

He was a phenomenal paramedic, for one.  On calls, Mac knew that Conner would make the right decision, would make it quickly, and would give a one-hundred-and-ten percent effort every time.  That got him a lot of forgiveness.  Then there was his off-duty side.  He was funny, he could take as much shit as he gave, and he was a good friend and leader to his crew.  He was also the big brother to four dynamic younger sisters.  The Dixon Divas were something.  They were gorgeous, out-going, bright and flirtatious.  Mac had to admit that he felt a little sorry for Conner.  At least some of the time.  He was protective of his sisters and he was always there for them, no matter what trouble they got into.  Mac admired his ability to keep his cool and do the right thing even while clearly wanting to lock them all in a convent permanently.

“He shouldn’t have delivered the damn thing here,” Mac said, still staring at the dog.  Sara was going to love it.  Sure, she’d end up giving it to Elijah, their three-year-old son—Mac loved calling Eli their son since the adoption had been made official last month.  Still, she would think Conner was sweet for getting her something for her birthday.

“He had to deliver it here.  That’s the only way to be sure we saw it and could give you crap about it,” Dooley said, plopping onto the couch next to the dog that was bigger than he was, and looping his arm around its neck.

“Look at it this way,” Kevin said to Mac.  “He’s got great taste in women and he idolizes you as the man who got Sara Bradford to fall for him.”

Mac had heard that argument before.  It was a good point.  It still didn’t mean that the guy should be giving gifts to another man’s wife.

“Maybe I’ll give Conner some ideas about where he should shove this dog,” Mac grumbled.

“Hey, I wonder where those guys are,” Sam commented, twisting the cap off a bottle of water.  “It’s really quiet in here and I’d expect to see Conner’s smug face by now.”

“I’ll go check on him,” Mac said.  “I can’t wait to see him.”

Mac headed for the front of the ER to get the news about Conner’s crew from the front desk staff.  

When the rigs went out on calls, the girls up front kept track, knowing that the ambulances would often be returning with patients for the ER staff.

“Hey, Lisa,” Mac greeted as he came to the reception desk.  “Where’s Dixon’s crew?”

“Hi, Mac.”  Lisa gave him a smile.  “Just heading back.  Code blue at one of the nursing homes.”

“'Kay, if you see him before I do, tell him I want to talk to him.”

She grinned.  “He told me that you might leave that message.”

Mac shook his head.  This kid was something.

“So you saw the dog?”

“Yeah.  He carried it through the main doors so everyone would see it.”

“Okay, be honest—is it sweet?  Sara will like it?”  He already knew the answer.  Sara would be flattered by Conner’s attention but would take it as nothing more than a compliment.  Mac wasn’t worried.  But he had a theory going and he wanted to test it with Lisa.

“Of course it’s sweet,” Lisa said.  “Any woman would love to have a guy try so hard to win her over.”

“Even if she’s already with another guy?”

“Even better,” Lisa assured him.  “Having two great guys crazy about you is a fantastic fantasy.”   

Uh, huh.  So far his theory was working out.

“So tell me, what’s wrong with him?” Mac asked. “Why can’t he get a girl of his own? A single girl?”

Lisa laughed.  “There’s nothing wrong with him.  Conner’s got it all.  He’s hot, sexy, heroic, funny—and obviously romantic.”

Yep.  That was part of the theory.  Conner was showing his charming, romantic side to all the women by being supposedly ga-ga over Sara.  Sara—a woman who wouldn’t expect any kind of actual commitment or a promise or a diamond ring.  He was winning all the women over and not making one single can’t-get-out-of-it-later promise.  He was essentially seducing them all without any expectations of next day phone calls.

“Do all the women hate Sara?” he asked.  The women in his life—his friends’ wives and sisters—weren’t the jealous types but he worked around enough women in the hospital to know all about female jealousy.

“No,” Lisa assured him.  “Everyone loves Sara.  Because she’s never going to actually have Conner.”

“Damn right.”

“But I will say, he’s set the bar high.  Sara’s also got it all.  The next girl he actually asks out should feel pretty good about herself.”

Mac groaned inwardly.  And Conner was setting it up so all the women he did finally pay attention to would be totally flattered. 

“Plus, watching a guy flirt with another girl calls attention to him—and how cute and sexy he is.  It makes you automatically judge whether or not you would say yes to him.”

“How does Dixon do most of the time?” 

Lisa gave him an I-know-you-already-know-the-answer-to-this look.  “He could have any single woman in this hospital.”

Exactly as Mac suspected.  Conner was setting himself up to be able to just snap his fingers and have woman all over him. 

It was actually quite brilliant.

“Okay, I want to see him the minute he gets back.”

Lisa gave Mac a wink.  “I’ll tell him”

“Mac!” Kevin shouted from the doorway.  “Let’s go.  Got a call.”

“See ya’,” he called to Lisa as he broke into a jog.  “Where we goin’?” he asked as he hit the break room.

No one said anything.  They were all looking at Sam.  Sam looked like he was about to be sick.

Mac was instantly concerned.  “What the fuck, Bradford?”

Sam swallowed, with obvious effort.  “It’s a fire.”

“Where?” Dooley demanded.

Mac felt his gut clench before Sam said the words.

“Fifteen seventeen Washington.”

Everyone stopped breathing for just a moment.  They knew that address.  Very well.  It was the address for the Bradford Youth Center.

Stop back tomorrow for Part Two!!

Welcome Mari Carr!

Scorching Summer is here!

I’m thrilled to be participating in a celebration of RED HOT reads with some of the most talented writers I know. On June 11, my book, Full Moon, will release alongside Erin’s new story, She’s the One, as well as books by Harper Fox, Joely Sue Burkhart and Shelli Stevens!

Today, Erin is allowing me to shanghai her blog to do a little shouting about Full Moon. In the two years since her divorce was finalized, Josie’s life has become one long, boring routine. Work, home, repeat. She has her hands full as a single parent, and while she’s not looking for a serious relationship, she sure wouldn’t mind getting laid.

When her friend Zoey challenges her to make a New Year’s resolution for a second chance at happiness, Josie goes one better and creates the “Howl List”. Every full moon, she will indulge in a different sexual fantasy. Right at the top? Sex without strings.

Fate leads her to the Blue Moon bar in January. After all, what better place to howl? And when she meets Jake Stewart, the sexy bartender, and engages in some red-hot sex with a stranger, her year seems to be off to a great start.

At least, until Jake declares he wants all her full moons… 

“I want the rest of your full moons.”

“The list is twelve months’ worth.”

He nodded, seemingly unfazed. What exactly was he asking for? A year’s worth of sex? Or more?

“Give me your last name, your phone number and then show me the list.”

She hesitated, started to refuse him. Then she realized it was pointless. He’d won them all the very first night, but her stubbornness had prevented her from seeing that. “My name is Josie Jacobson. But you know that. You’ve seen my credit card.”

He grinned, not bothering to deny the truth. “I still wanted you to give it to me.”

“Does that mean you looked up my number?”

“It’s unlisted.”

She scowled, pretending to be angry. “You cheater. Give me your cell.”

He handed it to her without asking why. She was continually touched by his trust in her. She opened his contacts and added her name and number to the list. “There. That’s me.”

He glanced at the number, then pushed the button. Her phone rang and she laughed when he said, “Just checking.”

“Now.” Jake held out his hand. “Last thing. Hand it over.”

She reached into her purse and pulled out the list, wondering if there was anything on it that Jake would balk at. She hadn’t held back any of her deepest, darkest desires when she’d made it.

He perused it slowly. “Spanking. Role play. Double penetration.”

She blushed when he said the last, his gaze rising to capture hers. 

She held her breath, waiting to see what he’d say.

Jake narrowed his eyes just briefly, then looked back at her list. “No sex-in-a-car fantasy?”

Josie raised her eyebrow. “I lost my virginity in the backseat of an ancient Grand Marquis to the man who is now my ex-husband. Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt and sold the car.”

“Gotcha. Vehicles are out. I’m actually pretty relieved. My car has a wicked small backseat. Not sure we’d both fit back there and still be able to move.”

Full Moon is available for preorder from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Samhain.

Be sure to check out Harper, Shelli and Joely Sue’s blogs as well because I’ll be sharing different Howl list items and excerpts! And don’t forget to enter the contest—lots of prizes, lots of chances to win!

Enter our Rafflecopter Giveaway !  Prizes from each author, plus a grand prize $50 gift certificate to Amazon or Barnes & Noble!

Welcome Shelli Stevens!

Are you ready to get hot? ;) Scorching Summer has arrived!
In case you don't know me, I'm Shelli Stevens, and I'm seriously excited to be sharing an upcoming release day with some fun, talented authors! Check out these fantastic books releasing June 11th from Samhain Publishing.

Good Girl Gone Plaid by Shelli Stevens (that's me!)
Her Grace's Stable by Joely Sue Burkhart
Full Moon by Mari Carr
Brothers of the Wild North Sea by Harper Fox
She's the One by Erin Nicholas

Today Erin is allowing me to hang out on her blog and share a bit about Good Girl Gone Plaid, and sneak you a pic of my prize! Thanks, Erin.

Let me say the title of this book came to me first, and I developed the series around it. I adore The McLaughlins, my imported Scottish family who now resides on Whidbey Island in the Pacific Northwest. 
And, seriously, I hope you adore the first in the series, too!

Falling for the bad boy is even more dangerous the second time around.

* * *

The McLaughlins, Book 1

In high school Sarah fell for her best friend’s older brother—one of the sexy, Scottish McLaughlin boys. But a painful betrayal showed her she’d been a fool to give her heart to a bad boy. At least it made it easier to leave him and move halfway around the world when her Navy dad got stationed in Japan.

Eleven years later, the death of her grandmother has forced Sarah back to Whidbey Island for a month. It’s the length of time she must stay in her inherited house before she’s allowed to sell it, take the money and run. But when she sees Ian, bad as ever and still looking like sin on a stick, she can’t keep her mouth from watering.

One look at Sarah stirs up the regret lingering in Ian’s heart—and never-forgotten desire lingering in his body. He should walk away, especially since divorced single mothers aren’t his style. But when she starts showing up at his family’s pub, he can’t resist a little casual seduction for old time’s sake.

One thing quickly becomes clear, though. The heat between them is causing an avalanche of secrets and betrayal and nothing will ever be the same.

WARNING
A bad-boy hero who’s good with his hands, a heroine who’s trying to be good. Contains liberal consumption of Scotch whisky, a Highland Games competition, men in kilts wielding large poles, and a potential Sarah McLaughlin of the non-musical kind.

Now available for pre-order on Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Samhain

Excerpt
The car began to slow in a jerky spurts, and the thud, thud, thud came from what sounded like a flat tire.

Kenzie maneuvered the car to the side of the road and put it in park. She glanced over at Sarah and winced.

“Umm…”

“Flat tire? I’ve got this.” Sarah reached for her seatbelt. “My dad made sure I knew how to change one before I even got my license.”

“That’s not it. I know how to change a tire too.” Kenzie tugged on a braid and grimaced. “It’s just I was going on a camping trip a few weeks ago and wanted a little extra space—”

“You took out the spare?” Sarah guessed.

“I took out the spare.”

Some things never changed. Fighting the urge to laugh or groan in frustration, Sarah just shrugged.

“Do you have AAA? We can get them out here—”

“No need. I’ve got brothers.” Kenzie waved her hand, already dialing a number on her cell phone.

She was calling her brother? Gripping the seatbelt now, Sarah’s stomach went into full on butter churn mode.

She couldn’t face him. Couldn’t see him.

“Kenzie…” Her plea was almost inaudible, but her friend must’ve heard it—and the sudden anxiety in her voice—because she glanced over quickly.

Sympathy flashed in her eyes. “Hey, don’t sweat it. I’m calling Aleck.”

Aleck. The oldest McLaughlin brother. Relief came immediately and filtered through her taut muscles. She managed a weak nod before resting her head back against the seat.

She couldn’t focus on the conversation Kenzie was having. Couldn’t do anything but try and get her heart rate back to normal.

What a stupid, ridiculous overreaction. What the hell was wrong with her?

“Help is on the way.” Kenzie set her phone down in her lap and sighed. After a moment, she cast a sideways glance Sarah’s way. 
“You know I wouldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t throw you into an awkward situation with Ian. It’s not my business, and you need to face those demons when you’re ready.”

She’d be ready about a quarter after never. Wasn’t going to happen. Couldn’t happen. But, dammit, she’d known that just being on the island was gambling with the fact it might happen.

“I’m only here for a short while.” Sarah hesitated, trying to figure out how to put it delicately. “No offense, but you’re the only McLaughlin I intended to spend time with.”

A flicker of sadness passed over her friend’s face, but she nodded. 
“Understandable. Sorry I threw a wrench in those plans by making Aleck bring me a spare.”

“It’s fine. Really.” She could handle Aleck. He’d always been sweet and funny. Very much like a big brother she’d never had but wouldn’t have minded having.

Kenzie nodded. “Okay. So tell me about Virginia. How do you like living there?”

Appreciating the change of subject, Sarah told her about what had brought her there and how living across the country was. She’d begun to relax again, to enjoy the conversation with her old friend, when Kenzie whipped around and stared out the rearview window.

“Son of a bitch.”

“What is it?” Sarah turned to follow her gaze.

The red Camaro that roared up behind Kenzie’s car stopped maybe a foot from them, close enough to make her think he’d nudge their bumper.

That car. She knew that car.

Her heart, which she’d managed to slow, picked right back up again.

Please no.

“Can’t anybody follow instructions?” Kenzie growled, and opened her door. “Stay in here, Sarah. I’ll handle this.”

This wasn’t happening. Sarah shook her head as the Camaro door opened and six feet of tall, hard male slid out.

Everything inside her head started to spin as he strode toward Kenzie, a big, shit-eating grin on his face.

Sarah gripped the edge of her seat, her nails digging into the fabric. Her neck started to protest the awkward, twisted position, but she couldn’t look away.

Shock cocooned her body, but through it, almost clinically, she drank him in. He looked so much like he had eleven years ago. Beneath the tinted sunglasses she knew she’d find those rare, piercing green eyes all the McLaughlins had.

His brown hair held a hint red in the sunlight, and it was just a little too long. The body, still tall and solid, was maybe even bigger now. It looked as if he’d taken up lifting weights.

His shoulders were wide and she couldn’t help but remember how she used to cling to them when his mouth was on hers. How those shoulders, and his hands on her waist, had been the only things that kept her standing.

Just like all the McLaughlin boys, he was entirely too sexy. But more than sexy, he seemed dangerous. Especially now. He was the ultimate bad boy, seemed happy to claim the title and revel in it.
Instinct demanded she run. That she jump out of the car and run like a startled deer into the woods, no matter how illogical and ridiculous it seemed.

Whatever Kenzie was yelling at her brother couldn’t reach her ears through the car, but the tone did. Kenzie was livid.

Her brother shook his head, and then his big grin vanished. He yanked off his sunglasses and whipped his gaze to the car to where Sarah sat in frozen disbelief.

Their gazes locked and her world bottomed out.

It was unavoidable. She would have to face him. The realization that she had no choice became evident when Ian ignored her sister’s protests and strode toward the car.

No, no, no.

Despite the childish instinct to hit the lock and keep him out, she made no effort to stop him when he reached her door and pulled it open.

“As I live and breathe. Sarah Thornton.” His Scottish accent was faint, but stronger than his sister’s. The voice was so familiar and had the power to make her knees weaken.

But even though he smiled, his eyes were frigid emerald stones that pierced deep. They were potent enough to shatter her heart all over again.

He tilted his head and murmured, “Welcome back to Whidbey Island.”

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