Walker was still staring off in the distance as he said, “Makes your heart stop beating when the person walks into a room?” he barely said.
I just stared at him. “Yes.”
“I want the type of love my parents have,” Walker said with a smile as he slowly turned and looked into my eyes.
“Yeah…me, t
oo,” I whispered as I looked away. “What about you? Never found that one girl who makes your heart stop?” I asked as I bumped his shoulder with mine.
When he reached down and took my hand, I sucked in a breath of air and tried to contain the crazy feeling zipping through my body. I looked at him, and as our eyes met, something happened. Something changed between us, and my heart was slamming in my chest.
Walker stood, pulled me up, and brought me closer to his body. When he placed his finger on my chin, his eyes landed on my lips, and I fought to hold in the moan I so desperately wanted to let out. He slowly leaned down and brushed his lips against mine, and we shared our first kiss. It was slow…yet full of passion. Our tongues danced together, and we both let out a moan as Walker pulled me against his body.
When he pulled his lips away, he whispered, “Promise me something.”
I swallowed hard and whispered back, “Anything.”
Walker looked into my eyes and smiled. “Wait for me, Taylor.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
“Say it, Taylor,” Walker said.
I tried desperately to ignore the feeling of him pressing himself into me.
“I promise you, Walker, I’ll wait for you.”
I have to thank God first. If he hadn’t blessed me with the gift of storytelling, none of this would even be possible.
Darrin Elliott—You truly inspire me in more ways than you know. Thank you for loving me like you do. Thank you for putting up with what you do, and thank you for supporting me as I chase this dream of mine. I love you forever and always.
Lauren Elliott—Can I just say the older you get, the more fun it is getting? You are truly your father’s daughter, and if you only knew how many things you inspire me to write about, you would probably just keep your mouth shut! I love you, and I am so proud of you. I’m also glad you got your “smart math” from your father.
Heather Davenport—Again, I have to say it…I would be lost without you. Your friendship means so very much to me. Thank you most of all for being real with me and for not being afraid to tell me when a scene sucks. You truly do rock, girl! Love you lots!
Kristin Mayer—The other Special K! What would I do without you? You keep me sane. You let me bitch when I need to bitch, and you make me laugh until I almost pee my pants at least once a day. I’m so glad we are friends, and I’m so glad you sent me that Bullshit button…oh, and my Magic 8-Ball!
Molly McAdams—I hope you know how it kills me to go more than one week apart for our lunches. Your friendship means the world to me, and I would be lost without you. You make me laugh…you make me GASP…you make me say WTF…and you make my heart feel happy! #PeasAndCarrots
Gary Taylor—Thank you for your never-ending support. Thank you for your songs, too. You and I are like kindred souls when it comes to songs. Don’t ever stop sending them because they almost always inspire a scene. Your friendship means the world to me, and I love you like a brother.
Kathy Bankard—My quote fairy and so much more! I know how busy you are, so I can’t thank you enough for all that you do for me. Most importantly, thank you for your friendship. It means more to me than you know!
Jovana Shirley—How you put up with me and my silly grammatical mistakes that I seem to keep making book after book, I’ll never know, but thank God you do! You are the queen of editing and formatting. You turn my babies into something so wonderful, and for that, I can never thank you enough.
Jemma Scarry—You are an amazing friend, and I could never thank you enough for dropping everything when I send you a book to beta read. Thank you for not being afraid to say something is off or needs to be reworked. Your little notes make me laugh, and you would totally kick ass as an editor…just saying! I can’t wait to see your face in July! Love you, girl!
JoJo Belle—I really wish you would just move to Texas already! Thank you, JoJo, for being such a wonderful friend. Thank you for reading my books when I send them to you and for giving me your honest feedback. I love the notes you leave for me while you are reading. They totally make my day. You make me laugh, girl, and I cannot wait to see you in July. I’m tackle-hugging your ass!
Nikki Sievert— I’m so glad Kristin gave me your name! I know we just met but I can’t thank you enough for beta reading for me!
My Street Team (Kelly’s Most Wanted)—Thank you for everything you do for me! I can’t even begin to say what it means to me that you would take time out of your own busy worlds to spread the word about these books. I hope that I can continue to write stories that you fall in love with, including cowboys who melt your heart!
My HIPPA Girls—Fifty of the most amazing women ever. Most of y’all were on my original street team, and the fact that you stick with me blows my mind. Thank you for letting me bounce ideas off of y’all…for letting me vent…and for just being amazing friends. I’d be lost without you girls!
My Wanted and Broken Discussion boards—What can I say? Y’all make me laugh, you make cry, and you make me want to be a better author and person every day. Thank you so much for your support. You will never know what it means to me.
To All My Readers and Friends—None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for y’all. Thank you so much for your support. Thank you for letting me share the stories in my head with you. Here is to many more to come!