Synopsis

A reckless romance brings Diana Prescott to Gull Harbor. Pride makes her stay but locks her heart tight. Then she meets Will Applegate. Too perfect and way too good for Diana, given her history. But what woman can turn down an ice cream tour of southern Michigan?

Will brings out the best in her. She even volunteers for Sunday afternoon dances at the nursing home where he’s the administrator. Men over seventy with bowties and bald spots feel safe. Of course, Will hangs around, wanting more than a dance. She begins to melt under the heat of his blue eyes, hotter than a July beach day.

Turns out Diana and Will are good together, like turkey and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy...until an accident robs her of the one thing her missing mother left behind. Her delicate blonde beauty. She shuts down and Will is at a loss. Not a good time for his sister to dump a surly niece on him. But Diana recognizes teen-age abandonment. She steps up to help with resources honed by experience. Love takes them deeper than the surface‑‑ a lesson Will and Diana might learn together.

Excerpt

After a few turns on the dance floor, Will slowed down. Heat burned through Diana’s body when his hand tightened on her waist. “So why me?”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Why did you ask me to dance for the lady’s choice and not your date?” His left arm remained rigid, keeping his distance. She liked that. Needed that separation right now.

“Cole and I were fixed up.” How embarrassing to admit it.

“Really? A beautiful woman like you could have anyone.”

His matter of fact tone made her smile. “You think so, huh?”

“I know so, not that I’m complaining. I’m kind of new here, trying to learn the ropes.” He whipped her around and broke into a brisk two-step. She welcomed the diversion.

Then he slowed down. Diana caught her breath. “So you’re not mad that your date’s interested in another man?”

He trained those all-knowing eyes on her. “Look, I may be a country boy, but I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. The dance sounded like fun and I felt like coming so I asked Kate. I don’t meet many women at the nursing home... I mean, not under the age of sixty.”

With a rueful smile, he did a back step and she followed. “California swing, right?”

His eyes widened. “You know the steps?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.”

“Game on.”

What followed was exercise enough to glue Diana’s dress to her body like a leotard. When they passed under an overhead fan, she squeezed one firm bicep and stopped. “Stay. Just for a minute.”

“Right. Let’s rest.” Will cupped her right hand on his chest. They swayed in place. She felt the steady thud of his heart under his damp shirt.

But just when her resolve was weakening, he spun her out and whipped her back again. “What was that?”

“I like to surprise people.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She laughed at his pleased smile. Really, Will was a trip. This guy might be fun. But she couldn’t let her guard down. Not after what had happened last time. “I don’t usually act like this. Don’t take me seriously.”

“What if I want to take you seriously?” Will pulled her even closer.

“Guess we’ll just have to see about that.” She licked her dry lips.

She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. But maybe.

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About the Author

Barbara Lohr writes contemporary romance, both adult and New Adult. A flair for fun and subtly sexy love scenes is her trademark. Her Windy City Romance series presents dynamic women, hot heroes, and heartwarming stories. The Man from Yesterday series launched with Coming Home to You, a nostalgic backward glance at past relationships in Gull Harbor, a small Michigan beach town.

In Barbara’s books, feisty women take on hunky heroes and life’s issues. Travel has always been a passion and foreign lands often provide settings for her work, along with Michigan beaches. She likes to cook and makes a mean popover, although dark chocolate is her favorite food group. She lives in the South with her husband and a cat that insists he was Heathcliff in a former life.

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