Joan Kilby - To Be a Family

The courage to try again

What do you do when your dreams for tomorrow happen today? John Forster’s plans to eventually be a father hit high gear when he’s granted custody of his little girl. Although he does his best, it’s soon clear she needs help adjusting to this small Australian town. Fortunately, there’s one person with the right skills to assist—Katie Henning. Too bad she’s his ex-fiancée.

Seeing Katie with his daughter resurrects John’s dreams about having a family together. And the simmering attraction that still sparks when he’s with Katie makes him think, maybe. Maybe he can make up for their past. Maybe he can build on what they share now. And maybe they can have that future he’s always wanted.

“Did I break your heart?”

Katie blurted the words, suddenly desperate to know if the accusations were true. “Am I the reason you haven’t found someone else and married?”

John swore under his breath. “Is that what my mother told you?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t listen to her.” He plastered on a grin. “Do I look like a guy with a broken heart?”

Taking his question seriously, Katie studied him in the dappled green light filtering through the oak tree. She saw shallow creases between his eyebrows and a mouth that used to laugh a lot more than it did now. She saw that something intangible was missing in his eyes. “You look like a man who hasn’t found what he’s looking for.”

Dear Reader,

In To Be a Family the hero travels to Bali to claim his six-year-old daughter whose mother has passed away. Why Bali? This beautiful Indonesian island is a popular holiday destination for Australians. It’s renowned for its surf beaches, vibrant nightlife and for being relatively inexpensive.

When I first traveled there twenty-five years ago, what I loved was the lush scenery, the intricate paintings and carvings, the colorful local customs and the friendly, gentle people. Oh, and the delicious food! My husband and I hadn’t been married long at that time and the trip was almost like a honeymoon.

We returned to Bali last year and stayed in a tiny fishing village just like the one where the hero’s daughter lives. The day we arrived we followed a funeral procession similar to the one I’ve described in the book at a crawl down the winding narrow coastal road.

The village is so small and out of the way there are few tourists and little in the way of amenities. No TV, no internet, no telephone. We spent our days snorkeling on the coral reef right offshore and the evenings relaxing, reading and talking. As I write, we’re planning another trip there next month. I can’t wait.

I love to hear from readers. Write me at joan@joankilby.com or c/o Harlequin Enterprises Ltd, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9. For more info about me and my books visit my website, www.joankilby.com.

Till next time!

Joan Kilby

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

When Joan Kilby isn’t writing her next Harlequin Superromance title, she loves to travel, often to Asia which is right on Australia’s doorstep, so to speak. Now that her three children are grown, she and her husband enjoy the role reversal of taking off and leaving the kids to take care of the house and pets.

To my wonderful editor, Wanda Ottewell.

You bring out the best in my writing and inspire me to stretch my wings.

Sometimes you even understand my characters better than I do!

Thank you so much.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

KATIE GAZED at the children’s book section in Summerside Books, pretending she was just browsing, drawing out the anticipation of seeing Lizzy And Monkey on the shelf.

She had finished having a coffee and a chat with Josie, the owner of the shop. Now she couldn’t wait any longer. The bright red cover was in her peripheral vision. Slowly, slowly, she let her gaze alight. Her breath caught.

Lizzy And Monkey by Katie Henning.

With the cover facing out. Thanks, Josie.

She took out her cell phone, glanced around to make sure no one was watching and snapped a photo.

“Katie, hi.” John Forster appeared from around the corner of a bookshelf. Six foot four, he had the broad shoulders of a swimmer, the lean build and sun-streaked blond hair of a surfer. With a wink he presented her with his profile, a strong nose and chiseled jaw. “Did you get my good side?”

“Hey, John.” She stuffed her phone in her purse.

Of all the people who could have caught her gloating over her book—it had to be her ex-fiancé. If he could still be called that after seven years apart. There must be a statute of limitations on how long someone could be referred to as an ex. Ex-fiancé, ex-lover, ex-friend. Now he was the chief of police in Summerside and her brother Riley’s best mate. Someone she didn’t avoid exactly, but neither did she spend a moment longer in his company than was necessary for small-town politeness.

His intense blue gaze swept over her from head to toe then returned to linger on her face. “You look great. I like your hair like that. What are you up to?”

Self-consciously she tucked a dark strand of shoulder-length hair behind her ear. He always did this, acted as if he didn’t remember they’d broken up. Even though she never gave him the slightest encouragement.

She moved away, pretending to look at other books. “I’m looking for new titles for my classroom.”

The long dimples in his cheeks deepened. He pulled Lizzy And Monkey off the shelf. “This looks interesting.”

She reached out to stop him from handling her book. Grinning, he backed up, daring her to come after him. She snatched her hand away. “You know about this. How?”

“Riley, who else?” John flipped through the colorful pages. “Congratulations, by the way. I remember you talking about wanting to write, years ago. It’s a big achievement.”

“Thanks.” She made a mental note to kill her brother the next time she saw him. Or at least seriously maim him.

“Why so secretive? You’re a published author now. You’ll have to get used to publicity. You should have a launch party and sign copies.” Somehow he’d edged close enough to nudge her.

His bare arm heated her skin below the cap sleeve of her cherry-red dress. He smelled like bracing ocean winds, sea minerals and memories. Although he didn’t surf professionally anymore she knew he still swam in the bay every morning.

Casually she stepped away. His touch didn’t affect her one way or another. And they were no longer on flirting terms.

A burst of laughter from a group of teenage girls heading to the in-store café reminded her where she ought be. “I’ve got to get back to school.” She tried to ease past him to get to the central aisle. “Excuse me.”

“Katie, wait.” He deliberately blocked the narrow space between bookshelves.

“The lunch bell is going to ring soon.” Coolly she gazed into his Paul Newman eyes. He didn’t bother her. She didn’t care. She’d gotten over him long ago. She refused to make herself late because of him. There was nothing he could say that would detain her another second—

“Do you think a six-year-old girl would enjoy your book?”

Except that. Damn it, with a few words she was hooked.