Paws for Love
by Mara Wells
Publication Date: 2/23/2021
About the Book:
Broken hearts—man, woman, and
dog—have a second chance for love, healing, and happiness under the warm Miami
Beach sun in this endearing contemporary romance…
Danielle Morrow works tirelessly for a greyhound rescue helping retired racing dogs find their forever homes. She guards her heart as vigilantly as her two adopted greyhounds guard her. One heartbreak per lifetime is enough for any woman, and no one she’s met since her high school boyfriend dumped her to join the military has ever tempted her enough to risk love again.
Knox Donovan expected to be career military, but an injury and an honorable discharge leave him uncertain of his future. When his brothers ask him to come back to Miami Beach to help with their new condo conversion, he has no intention of staying on in the city that has so many bad memories for him.
Knox is reminded that not all his memories are bad when he sees Danielle again at the grand opening of the new Fur Haven Dog Park. Fifteen years haven’t softened the pain of their breakup. But Knox is different now, more hard-edged and suspicious, and when he bonds with the retired racing greyhound, Sarge, Danielle’s cool reserve begins to melt. Sarge needs special care after the injuries that ended his racing career, and it’s not long before Danielle realizes that Knox does too. Can Danielle trust her heart to the only man who’s ever broken it?
Meet the Author:
Mara Wells loves stories, but especially stories with kissing. She works in academe, and lives with her family and two rescue dogs--a poodle-mix named Houdini Beauregarde and Sheba Reba Rita Peanut, a chihuahua-mix in Hollywood, Florida.
Purchase
Links:
Amazon:
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Kobo: http://bit.ly/3iU2C0h
Bookshop: https://bit.ly/36AT45V
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Read an Excerpt:
“I
guess we don’t know as much about each other as I thought.” Knox frowned at the
bushes, picking strings out from between his fingers.
Danielle
stared at him, hand frozen in mid-eight-ball shake. It hadn’t occurred to her
that he’d had secrets in high school, too, but of course he had. He’d never
wanted to talk about his family, especially his mother, deflecting questions
with hot kisses that left her unable to remember her own name, much less any
topic of conversation. She gave the eight ball a half-hearted shake to avoid
responding. What was there to say anyway, especially after all this time?
Knox
nodded at the eight ball. “What’s it say?”
Danielle
showed him the result—concentrate and ask again. “I didn’t ask a
question, so it makes sense that the eight ball has no wisdom for me.”
“What
kinds of things did you ask as a kid?” Knox stood back from the bushes, head
cocked, then stepped forward to flick a few strands so they draped on the
leaves evenly.
Danielle
plopped onto the front step and shook the ball again, still no question in mind.
“Will there be a math quiz tomorrow? Does Tommy Peralta like me? Will I get Ms.
Kandice for homeroom next year? You know, kid stuff.”
“Did
it answer you?” Knox took a break from hedge decorating and sat a careful few
inches away from Danielle, close enough that she could imagine leaning against
him but far enough away that she didn’t. Not that she would, she reminded
herself. It wasn’t like that with Knox, not anymore.
She
handed him the ball. “Sure. It’s what kept me coming back.”
“And
did Tommy Peralta like you?”
Danielle
folded her hands in her lap, fiddling with the nail on her thumb. “I believe
the most common reply was Don’t count on it. Sometimes I got Ask
again later, which I liked better. More hopeful.”
Knox
gave the ball a hard shake. “Was Tommy Peralta a complete idiot?”
Without
a doubt.
“See?”
Knox held the response so she could see it. “You weren’t asking the right
questions. And there seems to be an abnormal amount of idiotic guys at your
middle school.”
“I’d
say it was a normal amount of idiotic guys.” Danielle laughed, comfortable with
Knox in a way she usually wasn’t with new people. But Knox wasn’t really new,
was he? Just different. Older, more mature. And certainly more built. The width
of his thigh next to hers made her feel small. When he laughed, too, she found
herself inching toward him on the tiled step.
“What
questions should I have asked?” Danielle caught her lower lip in her teeth, but
it was too late to stop the words before they escaped. It wasn’t so much the
words themselves as the way she’d said them. Low, breathy. Was she really
sitting on Eliza’s front porch flirting with her ex-boyfriend? She was.
Knox’s
eyes locked onto her lower lip, and he took a long blink. “You should’ve
asked—” He coughed and started over, this time in a high-pitched cartoon voice,
“Will I grow up to be the fairest of them all?”
Danielle
laughed at the question and his poor acting skills.
“Here.”
He handed her the ball after shaking it.
She
hefted the weight of it in her palms, turning the plastic window toward her.
It
is certain.
Danielle
blushed. She felt the heat rise, knew it made her freckles blend together until
she was one red-faced mess. She ducked her head, letting her bangs swing
forward to cover her cheek while she pretended to study the ball.
“Two
for two. Guess that thing is pretty accurate.” Knox closed the
remaining inches between them, and their hips touched.
Danielle’s
breath caught in her throat. She shook the ball idly to cover her intense
reaction to Knox’s nearness.
“I
always thought so,” she said once she’d coached her breathing back to normal.
“It made me sad when Eliza packed it up for the year.”
“Ask
it something now.” Knox nudged her with his knee.
Danielle
slanted a glance at him under her eyelashes. She couldn’t shake the rightness
she felt in Knox’s presence. The awareness of him, the longing for him. Did he
feel the same pull? She asked the question in her mind and shook the ball.
Better
not tell you now.
The
breath rushed out of her. Had she really thought the Magic Eight Ball would add
clarity? A kid’s toy? She deserved the disappointment that flooded her, bowing
her spine so that she curled into the ball on her lap.
Knox
tipped the ball his way with a finger. “A secret question, huh? That’s not
playing fair. You have to ask it aloud. That’s the rule.”
“You
didn’t even know how to play this game five minutes ago.”
“Now
I do. Only questions asked out loud get real answers. Go ahead, ask it what you
really want to know.” His blue eyes dared her.
Her
heart sped. They might’ve had their secrets back then, but he’d always helped
her feel braver than she really was. His eyes traced her face, the crinkles
around his eyes tightening like he wanted to smile. His gaze landed on her lips
and stayed there. “Go on. Ask.”
Danielle
licked her suddenly dry lips, and Knox’s breath hitched.
“Does
Knox Donovan want to kiss me?” Danielle closed her eyes and shook the ball.
The
lightest of touches brushed across her lips. Her eyelids fluttered open at
Knox’s gentle kiss. His lips pressed against hers for the briefest moment, his
blue eyes intent on hers. Her own lips curled into a smile, and she leaned into
the kiss, exerting her own pressure. He pulled back a fraction of an inch, then
returned for another caress. It was simple and innocent, the tickle of their
lips against each other, but her heart pounded like she was in the middle of a
particularly brutal spin class.
***
Excerpted from Paws for Love by Mara Wells. © 2021 by Mara Wells. Used with
permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks
Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.
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