Mom in the Making (Love Inspired) - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Kit Wilkinson is a former Ph.D. student who once wrote discussions on the medieval feminine voice. She now prefers weaving stories of romance and redemption. Her first inspirational manuscript won the prestigious RWA Golden Heart and her second has been nominated for the RT Reviewer’s Choice Awards. She resides in Virginia but spends as much time as possible in the south of France.

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"Wait a minute, miss. That's mine." Wasn't that his coffee? Justin Winters stood wide-eyed as a tall blonde slipped away from the pick-up counter with a steaming cup of fresh coffee. He double-checked the number on his ticket. Thirty-two. Yep, that was his coffee. And he wanted it. Badly. The strong aroma of fresh Colombian had tantalized his senses long enough. "Hel-lo-o. Excuse me, ma'am. That's my order."

Oblivious to his calls, she continued off with the coffee in her hands. Justin hurried after her, ducking his head a few times to avoid the fancy light fixtures that hung too low for anyone over six-two, meaning they hit him right in the nose. He tapped her shoulder. She turned. Long, golden curls flipped and bounced over the collar of her jacket then settled around her soft face. And, oh, what a face!

Justin froze, forgetting all about the cup of coffee he'd wanted so desperately. In fact, the beautiful woman could keep the coffee. Coffee was nothing. Not when compared to peachy lips stretching into a sweet smile, a perfect dimple on the left cheek and a brilliant set of clear, azure eyes. Those things had coffee beat hands down.

She pulled a pair of earbuds away from her head and shoved them into an oversize shoulder bag. She glanced up at him, blue eyes gleaming. "Sorry. Did I forget something?"

No. But he had. He'd forgotten how to speak. The Afghan war zone hadn't provided a lot of views like the one in front of him and it had rendered him senseless, turning him into a gawking, gaping Neanderthal. Mouth open, arms dangling, the whole bit.

"Did you need something?" she asked.

"I did." Justin jerked a smile over his face, stretched his torso long and tall, and reached up to rub a hand through his buzz cut. Instead of his hair, his fingers whacked one of the light fixtures, sending it into orbit around his head. So much for a good first impression. Smooth move, Winters.

He steadied the light. The woman's crystal blue eyes opened wide with amusement. Justin cleared his throat, hoping to swallow down his own embarrassment. He'd never been too suave around the women, but this was a rather rough start even for him. He had stopped her for a reason, right? His eyes made a quick scan of the surroundings.

"Coffee," he said, as if locating a set of misplaced keys. "You—you took my coffee."

Her smile grew wider and Justin thought he might go weak in the knees.

"Oh, dear," she said. "I guess my music was too loud. I heard the wrong number. Sorry. Here."

She handed him the drink and flowed gracefully back to the counter, the loose fabric of her dress and jacket billowing behind her. A soft, clean scent way more tantalizing than ground coffee beans swirled around him as she moved away, and then again as she crossed back in front of him with a different cup in her hands. Justin drank in all of her—her classic bone structure, her peachy colored cheeks and her perky nose. She was a beauty with a face he'd never forget. It was also one he'd never seen before, which, in a town as small as Glendale, Tennessee, could only mean one thing— she was new.

"Glad you caught me," she said, glancing over her shoulder as she passed back by him still standing there like a statue cemented to the floor. "I don't even drink coffee. Herbal tea."

She floated away again. This time to the fixings table where she dumped two or three packets of raw sugar into her cup and proceeded to stir rapidly with a wooden stick.

Justin followed her to the table as if a string were attached between them. He poured a generous portion of half and half into his coffee, even though he preferred it black, and struggled to put a thought together.

He was as nervous as if he was waiting for his final test into the 101st Army Airborne. Even his palms were sweating, and it wasn't because of the hot coffee in his hands. And why? He certainly wasn't in the market for romance. Far from it. He was already married to his work. And that's the way he liked it. So why was he reacting so strongly to this woman?

He hardly knew, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. He grabbed a napkin from the counter and wiped his moist hands, pretending something sticky had spread on his fingers. She looked up at him again and smiled. His heart pounded against his ribs.

"Glendale Emergency Medical Team." She squinted to read the crest on his shirt as she leaned across the counter to throw away her tea bags. "You're a paramedic? That must be interesting work. How long have you done that?"

"W-well—" His voice cracked. He paused and swallowed hard. "Actually, it's my first day on the team here in Glendale. I just came home from active duty." He decided to leave out the part that he'd been sent home to recover from Post Traumatic Stress.

"What branch of service?"

"Army."

"Really? Like a Ranger or Delta Force?"

He blushed a little. "More like the 101st Airborne."

"Wow. So you're a pilot and a medic?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of?" She lifted an eyebrow, grinning at his vague answers, but seemed uninterested in pushing her questions. He was glad. He wasn't in the mood for explaining that he was neither of those things but still more than qualified to wear the medic uniform.

"Hmm. That's interesting," she continued. "Never heard of that but it sure makes being a sixth-grade teacher sound really boring."

"No way. A middle-school teacher? Now that is a dangerous job."

She smiled and took a sip of tea. "Sometimes it can be."

Justin gulped his coffee, forgetting both that it was hot and that it had cream in it. He could only imagine the face he'd made. She didn't seem to notice.

"So you're from Glendale?"

"Born and bred." He nodded. "But you're not?"

"Nope. Atlanta. Been here a few months. But I just got a job today. So, who knows, maybe I'll stay."

"Congratulations." So she was new to town. And now that he thought about it, people only moved to Glendale for two reasons—either to attend the university or to marry someone who already lived here. Suddenly, he felt silly. She was married. Of course. She had to be. He glanced down at her ring finger. Not that he cared or anything. He didn't. He was home to heal his mind. Not to date. But he could be curious, right? No harm in that?

Her left hand hugged the cup of tea. No rings. It was bare.

Justin smiled wider. "It's not easy to find work these days. That's great."

"I know. I was very fortunate. Although it is temporary and certainly not as exciting as being a medic and a pilot."

"Yeah, I don't know how exciting being a medic in Glendale is going to be. In fact, I'm on duty right now and you see that I'm here at the coffee shop. I don't think we get many calls." He paused and took a sip of coffee, bracing himself for the unwelcomed taste of cream. "So you must be either teaching at Glendale or Lakeview. Those were the only two middle schools in the county when I was growing up, and I don't think that's changed."

"Lakeview. I'll be filling in for Mrs. Fox while she's on maternity leave."

"Then you'll meet my little sister. She's a teacher there, too." Justin lifted a brow, thinking that might be convenient. "Her name is Katie Winters. Look her up when you start."

She nodded sweetly, her golden waves following the soft motion of her head. A little blush rose to her cheeks.

Man. She sure was pretty. Justin wanted to ask her her name and find out a little more about her. He wanted to keep...