Teacher Kate
Abbott's fresh start in Still Harbor was the beginning of the life that she and
her two best friends always imagined for themselves. Still, being a working
single parent of a special needs daughter hasn't exactly improved Kate's love
life. But Kate's preference for nachos over men quickly disappears when she
meets the oh-so-sexy Matt Lane.
Until she
finds out he's a cop.
Matt’s mind was
spinning. What the hell had he gotten himself into? Kate was a mother. Well,
one date wasn’t going to hurt him. He could sign up for the donation and then never
see her again. He paused before getting into the SUV and pretended to glance
down at his phone. He hadn’t made any commitments. It was a working date,
nothing more.
He opened the
door for her and he could read the surprise on her face when he did. “Uh,
thanks,” she said, but then paused, not stepping into his SUV. Instead, she
turned to look at him, crossing her arms in front of her.
“I just want to
be clear,” she began softly. “I’m not looking for anything other than a
donation. I can tell you’re surprised that I have a daughter.” Her head was
tilted back so that she could look at him squarely in the eye.
He cleared his
throat. “So only one is yours?”
Kate surprised
him by smiling, and he found himself smiling in return, then looking at her
mouth. She was not what he’d expected, and his attraction to her was only increasing
instead of diminishing. That should have sent off some warning bells.
“Yes. The
little girl with glasses, Janie, is my daughter. She has Down’s syndrome. I
adopted her. There is no father, no husband, no anyone,” she said softly, but
in a voice that was filled with conviction, slightly defensive.
He stared at
her, speechless, impressed. She made him think of all the good women in his
life, the ones who had sacrificed and loved him. She made him think all the
naïve thoughts he’d once had about people when he was little, before he learned
how horrible they could really be. Her expression reminded him of himself when
he’d defiantly look up to his father, hoping for acceptance, but bracing himself
for the worst.
He swallowed,
hard. “Why didn’t you introduce me to your daughter?”
Her eyes
narrowed. “I read the expression on your face. I saw the shock and I have no
intention of introducing my daughter to someone who won’t be around tomorrow.
Don’t worry, I’ve gotten used to it. I also know that I’ve had to choose
my…friends wisely. I don’t put up with crap from people, so if you want to
donate, it will be greatly appreciated. If you were after something else and
now want out, that’s fine too. Just don’t waste my time and don’t bother acting
all charming if you’re after a quick screw. I don’t work that way,” she said,
backing up abruptly.
Matt grabbed
her hand, finding his voice. “Don’t do that, don’t assume I’m like everyone
else.” He didn’t know what the hell he
was doing, or what he was promising, but he didn’t want to be that guy she was
describing, and he didn’t want to say good-bye to Kate.
Author Info
Victoria always knew she wanted to be a writer and in grade five, she penned her first story, bound it (with staples and a cardboard cover) and did all the illustrations herself. Luckily, this book will never see the light of day again.
In high school she fell in love with historical romance and then contemporary romance. After graduating University with an English Literature degree, Victoria pursued a degree in Interior Design and then opened her own business. After her first child, Victoria knew it was time to fulfill her dream of writing romantic fiction.
Victoria is a hopeless romantic who is living her dream, penning happily-ever-after's for her characters in between managing kids and the family business. Writing on a laptop in the middle of the country in a rambling old Victorian house would be ideal, but she's quite content living in suburbia with her husband, their two young children, and very bad cat.
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