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For Barbie Furtado
My beta reader, my cyber-daughter, my #1 Zoe fan—this one is most certainly for you.
Acknowledgments
Three cheers for the names who are not on the cover of this book but must share the credit and the love for all they do to bring my stories to life!
First of all, thank you to the readers who inspire me to pour my heart onto every page. Because of our social-networked world, I feel like I know so many of you! I love every letter, every Facebook comment, and every tweet. I’m eternally grateful to all of you who took a chance on visiting Barefoot Bay to fall in love—thank you!
On the research front, special thanks to Dr. Aris Sastre, who, at the time of writing, was chief resident of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and who is also my beloved nephew-in-law. (Is there such a thing?) Aris is a brilliant and talented physician and is very generous with his time for Aunt Rocki’s medical questions.
Additional research assistance came from Sgt. Adrian Youngblood of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and Captain Jeff A. Thompson of Thompson Aire Hot Air Balloon Rides, both of whom answered questions and offered great insights. (If you want to float over Orlando, go to Thompson!)
My publishing team at Grand Central is superb at every turn in the process, starting with tireless Executive Editor Amy Pierpont, who leaves an indelible mark on every page of my books. Detail-oriented and sweet-as-pie assistant Lauren Plude keeps me in line and on time, and extremely generous Managing Editor Bob Castillo doles out patience and pages whenever I need them. And huge thanks to the art department for giving this book the cover of my dreams!
Also heartfelt thanks to literary agent Robin Rue, who is never more than a click or a call away with guidance, humor, balance, and sanity. (Not necessarily in that order.)
My writer girls, Kresley Cole, Leigh Duncan, Louisa Edwards, Kristen Painter, Lara Santiago, and Gena Showalter, are the best best friends. The support and encouragement they showed during the writing of this book was unparalleled in our long history as friends.
My beloved husband, Rich, and our two superstar teenagers, Dante and Mia, who (try to) leave me alone when I need to write and show me the love even when all I do is talk about the book. Those three (and the dogs!) humble and delight me.
And, finally, to my good and loving Father, who came through with words and wisdom exactly when I needed them most. I can’t remember a book that had me asking for as much help as this one, and He answered every prayer.
Prologue
Zoe reached into the backseat and pulled a faded black bandanna from her purse, snapping it like a lion tamer’s whip inches from Oliver’s face.
“Blindfold time,” she announced, her eyes glistening like dew on fresh-cut grass.
He choked softly. “I won’t be able to see.”
“Ya think?” She gave his arm a playful punch, lingering on his muscle, which of course he flexed for her. “You know, Dr. Oliver Bradbury, for a Mensa-IQ summa-cum-laude chief resident of Mount Mercy Hospital who got himself into college at sixteen…” She nudged him. “You’re not the sharpest scalpel in the sterilization tray. Turn and tie, them’s my rules.”
“As if you ever met a rule you couldn’t chew up and spit out.”
That made her laugh. “We are not getting out of the car and going past those trees until I’m one-hundred-percent certain you are blinded.”
“I am.” He leaned closer to her mouth. “By you.”
“Sweet.” She obliged, but the kiss was quick. “Now let me tie this.”
“You think I’m kidding?” He tossed one final glance at her, then complied with her order. “You’ve wrecked my life, Zoe.”
“Aw, thank you.”
“Everything was all orderly and simple and straightforward and—”
“Boring.”
“As hell,” he agreed. “And now I’m letting you blindfold me and take me into the woods at the crack of dawn to do…God knows what, but I think I’m going to like it.”
She was dead silent while she knotted the bandanna.
“I am going to like it, aren’t I?”
More silence.
“Zoe?” He dragged out both syllables of her name, his voice lifting the long e in a playful question.
As she adjusted the material, her fingers caressed his cheeks, scratching the twenty-four-hour-shift shadow. “You’ll like it if you’re ready to face your fears.”
He turned to her, and even though he couldn’t see her, he could imagine the smile he’d been admiring and exploring for a month now, the smattering of freckles decorating a slightly upturned nose, and those honey-silk curls brushing her cheeks and begging to be tangled in his fingers. God, he loved her, even when he couldn’t see her. And that, he admitted to himself, was the only thing that scared him.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” he lied, mustering his macho. Not of anything in those woods, anyway.
“Not a thing?”
An image so old and dark that he could barely remember details flashed in his brain, but he instantly erased it. “My only fear is losing you,” he told her, which was the absolute truth.
“Oh, you are freaking Shakespeare today. And you’re lying. You’re scared of heights and I know it.”
He didn’t like them, but…scared? “What makes you think that?”
“Ahem, first date? Skydeck of Sears Tower? Your excuses for not going up there were pathetic.”
“Those weren’t excuses. I wanted to get you home and in bed.”
“Mmm.” She leaned so close he could feel the warmth of her lips before they touched his. “Guess that worked.”
He closed the space and took the kiss. “Could work again. Let’s get out of here if you want to face some fears. I’ll scare the clothes right off you.”
She laughed. “We can do that later, but first…” Her voice trailed off.
“But first what? Survive your latest bout of crazy?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
He tried to imagine what in the rural area outside of Chicago could be life-threatening. “Are you going to make me climb a tree or something?”
“Umm…something.”
“What something?”
“I’m going to tell you something.”
A little jolt of joy kicked his chest, making him lift the edge of the bandanna for a one-eyed peek. “Hell, yeah.”
She tugged the blindfold back over his eyes. “You don’t know what I’m going to say.”
Oh, yes he did. Three little words he’d been declaring and she’d been refusing to reciprocate.
“I’m going to tell you…something very important, very secret, and very…” For a second she hesitated, and he could hear her inhale a shaky breath. “Very revealing about me.”
This time her vague answer made him grin. “ ’Bout damn time.”
“Hope you’re smiling like that after I tell you.”
Of course he would be. She loved him. He’d be the happiest guy in the world. He might propose then and there. Who cares if they’d only known each other for a month? For the first time in his life he wasn’t following the expected course, and nothing had ever felt better.
“Just say it, Zoe. Move your lips and say I…” He kissed her mouth. “Love.” He nibbled her lower lip. “You.” He sucked gently, making a squeak. “Your turn.” Come on, Zoe.
“Or you could skip the preliminaries.” She sucked his lip right back, way noisier and with more gusto, then shoved him to the door. “Go.”
He let her lead him through the woods, along a trail he could see through the bottom of the blindfold, but he played her game and didn’t cheat. They spent a good ten minutes crossing a grassy field, holding hands. With each step, he inhaled the scent of pine and honeysuckle and thought about what he’d say after she finally admitted she loved him.
Zoe, will you marry me? No, too straightforward.
Zoe, make me the happiest man on earth and marry me. She’d howl at the cliché.
Ever since the moment I saw you, I knew this was inevit—
“Stop.” She froze them both in place. In the distance, he heard voices, a cry of something that sounded like a mix of terror and joy. Where were they?
She pressed against his chest, sliding up on her tiptoes to reach his lips with hers. “Will you do this for me?”