In His Eyes Page 21

  Later their guests passed through the reception line at the Whittaker Woods Country Club. Will had insisted that their party be here, where it all started. “You’re such a romantic,” she’d teased.

  “Oh, and you’re not?” he shot back with a grin.

  Okay, Will had a point. They were alike that way. She’d never forget that first pizza he’d brought her or the bag of weeds at the road. A relationship was created from small gestures and big moments. And it took time. Diana knew that now.

  Dinner passed in a blur. She could hardly eat a thing. Around them, guests chattered and laughed. Everyone was so happy for them. But when the quartet began to play, she turned to Will. She didn’t need a vocalist to recognize this song. “Did you request this?”

  “Of course.” Leaning over, he kissed her cheek.

  Strains of “I Only Have Eyes for You” filled the room. She could hear their guests sigh and saw Chili and Sarah exchange a glance. Did they remember that Firemen’s Ball as vividly as she did?

  Diana turned to her husband. “Dance, Mr. Applegate?”

  “With pleasure, Mrs. Applegate.” He swept her away in his arms.

  As they whirled around the dance floor, she was filled with gratitude. Her feet hardly touched the floor. How lucky that she’d found Gull Harbor. Oh, she’d come to the town for all the wrong reasons. But as Carolyn reminded her the other day, she’d put her stamp on it. Paid her dues and owned it. Sure, she’d met challenges, like the burns she thought marred her forever. But those stumbles along the way gave her a chance to see the true depth of Will’s love. And Maisy was right. The half-moon indentation on her cheek had paled to sexy.

  Humming, Will guided her around the floor.

  “What, no twists and twirls?” she chided after steps that were more a waltz than California swing.

  “Later,” he promised, one hand edging onto her bare back.

  She released a shiver. “Later.” For them there would be a later. Always.

  Will anchored her. She knew that now. “All packed to go camping?” he whispered against her ear.

  “Yep. All set.” Had she packed enough bug spray? Diana had no idea what awaited her.

  The music changed tempo. “Ready?” Will was gathering himself. She’d felt that energy before.

  “You bet.” She’d been practicing. And boy, she’d show him.

  That would probably never change either.

  THE END

  If you enjoyed In His Eyes, I’d sure appreciate it if you would post a short review where you purchased this book or on Goodreads. Other readers find new books through comments made in reviews. Many thanks for taking the time! Read more about the men and women of Gull Harbor:

  Coming Home to You

  Always on His Mind

  Here’s an excerpt from Coming Home to You. Kate Kennedy returns to Gull Harbor after her mother becomes ill. She doesn’t even get to the house when she meets a man from her past. She’s never forgotten Cole Campbell. What woman could?

  The thumping started when Kate Kennedy reached Greta’s Gifts on Red Arrow Highway. Cheese curls churned in her stomach as she tapped the brakes. Almost home but something was wrong with the kayak strapped to her roof. Gravel crunching beneath the tires, she pulled into Greta’s and parked. The sun bounced off the hood of her SUV, but a cool May breeze bathed her face when she cracked open the door.

  Welcome to Michigan. Her eyes felt grainy from fourteen hours on the road, but she was home.

  Stretching, Kate breathed in the lake, damp and beachy. The tightness in her shoulders eased. Pine trees caught a high spring gust and the familiar rustle made her smile. Her stomach gurgled. Not much to eat the whole ride from Boston except peanut butter and jelly, plus bags of cheese curls washed down with coffee.

  Looking up, she exhaled. At least she hadn’t lost Gator, her green kayak. A red security tie flapped in the breeze. Must have lost the other strap along the way. Kate scrubbed her face with hands shaking from all the caffeine. A semi roared past, kicking up dust. She tugged up the zipper on her hoodie.

  “Doggone it, Gator. I want to be stretched out on the beach, not wrestling with you.”

  The kayak slid a bit more. Too bad she’d left her small kitchen stepladder in the Boston condo, along with a lot of other stuff. When she yanked the remaining red band, it fell away in her hand. One frustrated shove and Gator retaliated, smacking her square in the chest before clattering to the ground. The pain bent Kate over like a paper clip. She almost didn’t hear the door slam behind her.

  Blinking furiously, she pulled herself up, grateful for the sunglasses. No way would anyone see Kate Kennedy cry. A man ambled toward her in work boots, worn jeans, and shoulders that tested the seams of a beat-up jean jacket. That walk looked familiar and her heart kicked up a beat. He wore aviator sunglasses, so no telling for sure. A black and white dog hung out of the pickup, Great Dane ears pricking forward. Big muzzle, big dog.

  “Need some help?”

  Yep, it was him. Kate’s legs weakened but she straightened. “No, I’m fine.”

  His eyes shifted to the kayak. “Doesn’t look fine to me.”

  She fisted her hands on her hips. “I’m fine. And so is Gator.” Her chest throbbed.

  Blue eyes swept like a July wave over the tops of his sunglasses. “Gator?”

  She swallowed. “My kayak. Seemed appropriate.”

  “I see.”

  But Cole Campbell had never understood why Kate wanted all her belongings named and in their proper place. Shoot. They’d been on the high school debate team together, and he didn’t recognize her? Maybe it was her recent drugstore dye job. She’d had brown hair in high school. Now she ran a hand over blonde hair, crisp from two days of neglect.

  He swayed back on his heels, a Good Samaritan with second thoughts. The two empty seats of the kayak stared up at them. “Lucky you didn’t lose it on the road. Could have smashed into another driver. You need to batten it down.”

  How she used to hate being lectured by him. “Thought I did. It was dark when I loaded it.”

  “Try doing it in the daytime. You could kill somebody.”

  “I left at midnight.”

  “Midnight?” He lowered the glasses and his eyes darkened.

  Her chin came up. “Highway’s quiet at night. Just the truckers.”

  “Exactly. Truckers. You think that’s safe?” He obviously didn’t. But that was none of his business. “I’ve, ah, probably got some rope in the back.” She seriously doubted it.

  “I’ll be glad to help.” Cole’s attention shifted to her jeans. The corners of his lips lifted. “You saving that for something?”

  Kate looked down. A cheese curl was caught in a warm spot and she batted it away. No time for games. Especially not with him.

  His eyes flitted from her to Gator and back. A stern mask slipped into place. Cole’s teenage acne had left faint pockmarks that definitely didn’t detract from his macho appeal.

  Was he going to help her or not? Her chest throbbed. Could this day get any worse? The boy she’d lusted for in high school didn’t even recognize her. Kate’s throat closed. Nothing like feeling forgettable.

  In two thrusts of his muscular arms, Cole had Gator back in the rack on top of her SUV. Disgusting how easy he made it look, but it gave her time to enjoy the view. Cole Campbell had definitely left “gawky” behind.

  “Thank you.”

  Wheeling around, he caught her staring and grinned. “Got that rope?”

  Her face burned. “Sure. I’ll get it. Let me just check Bonita.”

  “Bonita?” He tilted his head.

  “My car.” One glimpse of the pretty blue SUV on the lot and she knew it was Bonita.

  “Sure. Right.”

  Popping open the back gate, Kate launched herself into the tightly packed boxes and bulging trash bags. Her rear end felt big as a helium balloon.

  “Finding anything? I might have something in the truck.”

  Feeling him
hovering, she tried to squeeze her butt tighter.

  When she heard the scratch of his boots, Kate thought maybe he was leaving. Her disappointment surprised her. After all, she wasn’t at her best. If you’re going to run into an old flame… well, a man you wanted to be your old flame… a girl should look hot, not sweaty.

  Kate was sweaty. And not in a good way.

  Finally, she climbed out empty-handed. Cole was ambling toward her with a roll of heavy gauge rope.

  “That looks serious.” Her mother wouldn’t even be able to get a clothespin around this sturdy stuff, although she’d probably try.

  “Want to stand on the other side and catch this?”

  “Sure.” I’d hold anything for you. Like my breath.

  While Cole tossed a length of rope over the kayak, his dog watched from the pickup with mild interest. Grabbing the rope, Kate threaded it back and he knotted it securely. “First, I like to tighten the bow and then the stern.”

  “You kayak?”

  Whipping out a Swiss army knife, he cut the rope. “Way too much work. I sail.”

  Of course. She pictured an elegant yacht skimming Lake Michigan. Samantha McGraw would be rubbing her tan body against his. Kate didn’t need the instant replay. Had enough of that in high school.

  Cole worked with calm efficiency, the way he’d handled Student Council or Debate Club.

  Oh, yeah. He’d handled their debate group just fine.

  When he turned back, his eyes went to her hair. Smiling, Cole whisked something from the mess. Her breath left her body.

  Maybe she was just tired.

  Or maybe she was desperate for a man’s touch.

  He handed her a cheese curl. “You missed this.”

  “Great. Thanks.” She jammed it in her jean pocket and then felt stupid. Was she going to press it in her high school scrapbook? Kate slammed her back gate shut.

  Cole’s eyes rested on the Massachusetts license plate. “Passing through or coming for the summer?”

  “That depends.” He still didn’t know her? She edged toward the driver’s door. “Thanks for your help.”

  Cole cocked his head to one side, like he was listening to her voice. “Sure. No problem.”

  “Got to get to an appointment.” Maybe a shrink. She opened the driver’s door so fast she almost cracked herself in the mouth.

  “Ah, huh. Well, good luck.”

  “Right. Thanks.” Kate needed more than luck this trip. Without looking back, she peeled out and did a U-turn on Red Arrow. In bad need of a friendly face, she headed into town.

  To continue reading Coming Home to You, Click Here.

  In His Eyes

  Copyright © 2017 Barbara Lohr

  All rights reserved.

  ebook ISBN: 978-1-945523-02-1

  Print ISBN: 978-1-945523-03-8

  Purple Egret Press

  Savannah, Georgia 31411

  Cover Art: The Killion Group

  Editor: The Editing Hall

  Dedication

  For Harbor Country in Michigan, an area that has always held magic for my family.

  Licensing

  All Rights Reserved. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold or given away to other people. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems. With the exception of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews, this work may not be reproduced without written permission granted by the author

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events and places in the book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or used fictitiously. Any similarity of real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Other Books by Barbara Lohr

  Man from Yesterday

  Summer Riptide (novella)

  Coming Home to You

  Always on His Mind

  Windy City Romance

  Finding Southern Comfort

  The Southern Comfort Christmas

  Her Favorite Mistake

  Her Favorite Honeymoon

  Her Favorite Hot Doc

  The Christmas Baby Bundle

  Rescuing the Reluctant Groom

  Acknowledgements

  Many thanks to Romance Writers of America and Central Ohio Fiction Writers. My core of fellow writers have been invaluable to me, along with the loops and FB pages with other authors who share their wisdom. To my Street Team, the women who give me advice and input, a huge thank you for being there when I need you. You are gems, all of you! As always, I’m grateful to Kim Killion for covers that rock and to Chris Hall of The Editing Hall for her input and editing skills.

  For my daughters, Kelly and Shannon, reading has always been a shared joy. We often stretched out with books on the shores of Lake Michigan. My grandchildren, Bo and Gianna, bring me such happiness. No surprise that they appear in my work. To my husband Ted, words aren’t adequate to thank you for your love and support. You’re my rock who steps into the role of computer guru when emergencies arise. May we have many more wonderful years together that include trips to Leopold’s for chocolate sodas.