Karen Rose - Have You Seen Her?

Her eyes softened. "I thought I was going to cry."

She was thinking about Nicky's gift then, not the one he'd given her. That fact made him love her even more. What kind of woman would get excited over a seven-year-old's handmade storybook populated with kissing llamas, yodeling rhinos, and glue-eating kangaroos?

A mother would, that's who. She leaned forward and plucked the book from the top of her small pile of gifts and opened it once again to the last page where Nicky had scrawled in purple crayon, To Jenna, From Nicky and below in very small letters , I love you . She traced her fingertip over the three little words and sniffled.

Steven pulled her close again and kissed the top of her head where her hair had grown just long enough to be considered very stylish. "If I'd known you were that easy to please I'd have made the plane tickets with crayon myself."

She looked back up at him and her eyes sparkled. "I can't believe it. You're really going to take off two whole weeks to go to Hawaii with me?"

I'd do anything for you , he thought. "Um-hmm. But there's kind of a catch."

Her violet eyes narrowed. "What catch? Kent and Harry are not coming."

He drew a breath, then spit it out. "I want it to be our honeymoon trip." Her eyes widened.

"Your logic appears to be flawed, Special Agent Man," she said lightly. "We can't go on a honeymoon unless we've had a wedding first."

He didn't take his eyes off hers and in two long beats of his heart, all teasing fled and her eyes heated. "Marry me, Jenna. Be my family."

"Yes," she whispered. "It's all I've ever wanted. You're all I've ever wanted. I love you."

He fumbled in his pocket for the simple but elegant diamond ring that had been all but burning his skin all morning, brought it out, slid it on her finger. "I love you, too." But she didn't look at the ring, just kept looking into his eyes. As if she couldn't get enough of him. And he knew that this time, with this woman, he'd done it right.

Karen Rose fell in love with books from the moment she learned to read, with Jo from Little Women and Nancy Drew becoming close childhood friends. She started writing stories of her own when the characters started talking in her head and just wouldn't be silenced. When she's not writing stories for readers, Karen writes stories for computers-programming keeps the other side of her brain out of trouble. She lives in sunny Florida with her fantastic husband, an avid fisherman, and two wonderful daughters who also love to read-and write! Karen would love to receive your e-mail at karen@karenrosebooks.com , and be sure to check out her Web site at www.karenrosebooks.com .