Reunion of the Heart

By Faye Price

Kate Madison, a young, up-and-coming advertising agent and co-owner of HomeGrown Designs, has just ended a two year relationship because of a dream that has haunted her since college. One steamy night that ended with a life-altering kiss has spoiled her. No other man has been able to turn her world upside down with a simple touch of his lips like that night. After experiencing it once, Kate refuses to settle for anything less. And Greg, her most recent ex, definitely did not do it for her.
There is no time to wallow in self-pity, though. A request for the advertising services of her company has sent her to Second Chances Animal Rescue Centre. Her world is about to be turned on its head once again.

Max Daniels is the veterinarian and partner in Second Chances Animal Rescue Centre. He loves animals and has always wanted to help them, in spite of his father’s attempts to get him to join the family business. He is carrying a lot of baggage from his past, including the memories of one magical night in college. Max has been hurt before and has been a little slow getting back into the saddle.

As Max takes Kate’s hand in his, Kate is transported back in time to a college street dance. The hand is the same one that had held her close all night. The man is the same one that has haunted her dreams every night since. Max is “the guy” who had given her “the kiss”.
Fate brought them together once. Will fate allow them to come together again?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Faye Price
• Release date: Aug 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9780992058210

Faye Price

My first romance novel, A Stranger in the Darkness, was published by PublishAmerica in November, 2008. I am a member of Canadian Romance Authors Network and eharlequin.com. I live with my husband and two children on a small farm in Elm Creek, Manitoba. Visit my website at www.fayeprice.com for more information.

Book preview

Reunion of the Heart

Published by Farmhouse Publications

Copyright 2013 Faye Price

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for you personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter One

His fingers ran lightly up her arms, sending shivers rippling through her body. She leaned into him. His body felt strong and safe against hers. It was almost as is they were made for each other. He dipped his head down towards hers. Ever so gently, he pressed his lips against hers…

Kate woke up in a tangle of sheets, her body dampened by a thin layer of sweat and her breathing ragged. She had been having the same dream since college. And it always left her breathless and yearning for more.

The dream came and went, depending on what was happening in Kate’s life, and specifically her love life. It usually increased in frequency whenever Kate felt bored with her latest partner or when she was single.

I know. I know. Greg wasn’t the one, Kate mumbled to her ceiling as she tried to untangle the sheets wrapped around her legs. She kicked at them fruitlessly until she gave up and simply pulled the quilt up to her chin. That’s why I finally showed him the door.

Kate rolled over and glanced at the neon green lights of the alarm clock sitting on the night table beside her bed. She pulled the pillow over her head as she groaned, Ugghhh… Two o’clock. I hate two o’clock. It is the worst time of day ever!

Kate pulled the covers up to her chin and tried to will herself back to sleep.

* * * *

I don’t know why you’re losing so much sleep over Greg, said Anna. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she settled into an overstuffed chair in Kate’s living room. You said yourself he didn’t rock your world and get your juices flowing.

I know, replied Kate as she poured herself a generous glass of white wine. She settled herself on the floor in front of the fireplace. Flickering white candles replaced burning logs but Kate still found the small flames soothing. It’s not Greg that I’m losing sleep over though. I wish it were. I know that eventually I will get over him. I liked him a lot but I don’t love him.

The dream again? asked Anna, already anticipating the answer. Whenever Kate’s love life lacked a little spice, the dream resurfaced.

Yup, Kate nodded in confirmation. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. It never fails. Whenever I get bored or lonely, HE shows up to taunt me with what I am missing.

The doorbell interrupted Kate and Anna’s conversation, putting further exploration of Kate’s lack of sleep on hold temporarily. Anna jumped up to let in two laughing women, laden down with takeout bags from the local Chinese restaurant.

Tonight was girls’ night in. Once a month, Kate, Anna, Janet, and Racheal got together to eat, drink, and psychoanalyze each other and their lives. It was a standing tradition since the four women had met their first day of college. They even called emergency meetings on occasion when one of them needed some extra girl-therapy.

This gathering was one of those emergency occasions. A month ago, Kate ended a two-year relationship with her boyfriend, Greg, and had been wallowing in the doldrums ever since. Anna rallied the troops in an attempt to jumpstart Kate’s recovery. Everyone gathered at Kate’s condo to cheer her up.

Anna cleared the low, metal coffee table as Racheal and Janet spread out an assortment of takeout boxes. Aromatic steam mingled with rapid chatter as the women filled their plates and settled in for a group session.

So, started Racheal. She popped a piece of spicy chicken into her mouth and chewed carefully before continuing. Anna, here, has been telling us about your love life problems.

Kate pushed her half-empty plate away. Food just held no appeal for her lately. She cradled her glass of wine between her hands and leaned back among the pillows that she piled on the floor. Not really a problem. I don’t have much of a love life anymore.

What happened this time? asked Janet. She curled her legs under her, a signal that she was settling in to do some serious analysis. Janet was the resident psychologist, being the only one of the group to have taken a course or two in psychology during college. She loved to hand out advice, especially when it involved relationships and love. I thought Greg was going to be ‘the one’?

Yeah, agreed Racheal, nodding her head. He was around the longest for sure. I don’t remember any other guy lasting more than six months. Tops.

There just wasn’t enough magic there. Kate shrugged her shoulders dejectedly. She pulled a pillow into her lap and hugged it close. Tears threatened to spill over but she willed them away. Greg was just not worth crying over. He was a great guy but he had never been ‘the one’. I probably kept him around longer than I should have. Wishful thinking I guess.

She’s been having the dream again, piped up Anna. She knew that Kate would not mention that her recurring dream of passion had returned. They had discussed it so many times in the past that everyone knew its details intimately. But Kate was still a little shy about the hold that it had over her.

Ah… the dream, said Janet and Racheal in unison. They exchanged knowing looks with Anna. They all knew that every man that Kate had dated since that one fateful night in college was compared to the man in the dream.

During their junior year at college, the girls had attended a fundraising dance for a local charity. A mysterious stranger had found Kate standing alone by the bar and had asked her to dance. One dance led to an entire night of dancing. The last song was slow and sensual, a song written for lovers. Wrapped in each other’s arms, they had swayed to the music under the stars. As the song slowed to an end, they shared an innocent and tender kiss.

The kiss had shaken the ground under Kate’s feet. It had been full of raw, primal emotion. Never had she been so impacted by one simple kiss. It had left her dazed and longing for more.

Before Kate knew what had happened, Anna was whisking her back to their dorm room, lamenting about her lack of luck that night. Kate replayed the kiss over and over again in her head as she tried to collect her bearings. She fell asleep that night with the feel of the kiss still on her lips.

The haziness in her brain had subsided by morning but the memory of the kiss remained as poignant as the night before. Kate woke with heat pooling in her veins, but it quickly turned to ice as realization set in. She did not know the stranger’s name. She knew very little about him in fact. They had spent the night talking with their bodies instead of words.

Kate had spent the next year searching for her stranger. Every class she attended, every event, every party, every college hot spot, Kate searched faces for the one etched in her memory. Anna, Racheal, and Janet tried to help Kate. They talked to everyone they knew to see if anyone knew who the stranger might be. But all attempts were futile. Kate’s stranger had disappeared into the night where he seemed destined to remain.

From that night on, Kate compared every kiss she shared to that one kiss. No other kiss ever came close to tilting Kate’s world on its axis. She tried to move past it, to find another phenomenon, but never seemed to convince her heart to do so too. It was holding out for her destiny.

Greg wasn’t the one? asked Janet.

Kate shook her head. A frustrated sigh took all the air out of her body. Not even close. I’ve known for awhile that there just wasn’t any spark. No matter how vividly I let my imagination run. He just became comfortable and easy to have around. Like an old sweater. I tried to make myself make it into something more but it just wouldn’t work.

Janet leaned over and enveloped Kate in a big bear hug. She hated to see her friend in such turmoil. It’ll be okay honey. So Greg wasn’t the right one. He wasn’t that cute anyway.

Yeah, agreed Racheal enthusiastically. She immediately jumped on what Janet was trying to do. Whenever one of the women were going through a break-up, they gathered together to pick out the flaws of the ex-boyfriend. They did not intend to be mean. Instead, they used it as a form of therapy. By picking out the flaws, the ex-boyfriend no longer appeared so perfect and getting over him was easier. His hair was always crunchy looking, like it would shatter if you tried to touch it. I couldn’t imagine trying to run my fingers through it. Yuck!

Anna piped up to add her own observations to the pile, And those eyebrows! Creepy. They looked like two fuzzy caterpillars crawled up on his face and took up residence! I kept waiting for them to form chrysalides and turn into butterflies.

And what about his big, ugly toes? Gross, suggested Janet. I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing that they were anywhere near me in bed.

The women continued to pick apart Greg, starting with his appearance and moving on to his personal hygiene, his personality, his habits. Each suggestion grew more outlandish than the last. Before long, the women were laughing so hard tears streamed down their faces and hiccups replaced words.

The laughter felt good to Kate. Deep in her heart, she knew that she would never have been completely happy with Greg. He was a great friend and they shared many good times. She would always look back on the time spent with Greg as happy times. But Kate knew that she would have eventually grown bored and restless if they had stayed together. Better to end it now before she got in to deep. Kate needed fire in her life and could not settle for anything less.

Ah, come on ladies, Kate said as soon as she could talk again. She swallowed a long sip of wine to chase away the last remnant of laughter. You all know that Greg is gorgeous. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with his personality. He’s a great guy and deserves someone who will truly appreciate him. I, unfortunately, am not that woman.

Okay girl. Then it is time to get down to business, said Janet. She moved to sit beside Kate on the floor. Anna and Racheal followed suit until the women sat in a semi-circle around the fireplace. Janet filled each woman’s glass with more wine before continuing, We want all the dirt. And no holding back. What was Greg like between the sheets?

There were no secrets between the four women, especially when it came to their love lives. They shared with each other intimate details about their experiences and relationships, comparing notes and reactions. The women even attended a sex workshop together annually. They all believed in exploring sexual relations with the opposite sex to the fullest. Nothing was too racy for the four of them.

Kate took a minute to think of how to answer. Greg in the bedroom had always been an anomaly to Kate. As romantic and attentive as he could be outside the bedroom, Greg was only lack lustre, at best, inside. Mediocre at best.

You mean that Adenomas God was a dud? asked Racheal, surprised. The women leaned closer, silently coaxing more details out of Kate.

As dull as the late night news on a holiday, confirmed Kate. I got real good at faking an orgasm.

You sure sounded like you were having a good time the night I stayed over, said Anna. She knew that there had been some performance issues early on in the relationship but thought the last workshop the women had all attended resolved everything. Kate left full of ideas and excitement over moves to try on Greg.

Fake, said Kate. She gave a non-committal shrug of her shoulders before taking a sip of wine. What can I say? I’m a great actress.

What was the problem? asked Janet. Was his package too small?

Kate smiled as she remembered Greg’s assets. She had had such high hopes the first time she saw him naked. Oh no. That was one area where Greg was definitely NOT lacking. The man was hung like a horse.

The suspense began to frustrate the other women. They wanted details and they wanted them now. Racheal tried to prod Kate for more information, What was the issue then? Couldn’t he keep it up?

No, hedged Kate. She enjoyed torturing her friends. She could never get much of a response from Greg but these three women were easy to get all hot and bothered. It was more like performance issues. The guy lacked imagination when it came to the bedroom.

Janet gave a low whistle. That’s hard to believe. A young virile male specimen like that?

Kate nodded her head. Yup. He had one position and one position only. It was missionary or nothing.

You’ve gotta be kidding! exclaimed Anna. She echoed the disbelief felt by the rest of the group. He wasn’t willing to try anything else?

Wouldn’t even talk about it. And sex outside the bedroom was a big no-no. I could hardly get him to make out on the couch. It was as if he was in a time warp or something. He was stuck in the 1950’s bedroom. All action belonged in the bedroom and that’s where it stayed. I tried everything I could think of but nothing worked. He wouldn’t react to anything unless it was between the sheets.

Amazing, said Janet in awe. She shook her head sadly at the thought. Such a huge waste of a hottie. Why is there always something wrong with the good ones? They are either gay, a mama’s boy, or lacking in bed. Sad, sad, sad.

Is it too much to ask for a guy who is sensitive, a good listener, rugged and manly, and who has the sexual prowess of a tiger? asked Racheal. "All a woman wants