Summer Romance Rewind… Trust with Hearts

 

Happy Summer everyone!

To celebrate the season, I’m sharing a look at my hot summer romance, Trust with Hearts.

Trust with Hearts is an example of how a story idea can come to an author anytime, anywhere. One night I was waiting for a concert to start and a premise for a romance popped into my head: A woman falls in love with her cousin’s best friend, but doesn’t realize he’s a famous country singer.

I knew I had to write it down, but the only paper I had was the envelope the concert tickets came in. (Yes, this was years ago!) I scribbled a brief outline and a character list before the concert started. And that’s how Trust with Hearts was born—but not right away.

I was in the middle of revising another romance at the time, so I took a few hours and wrote a detailed outline, snippets of dialogue, and character information about Trust with Hearts, then set it aside. About a year later, I pulled out my notes and started writing. The idea was still fresh in my head, and the book practically wrote itself. (I always advise writers to take down ideas as they appear—otherwise they might fade into oblivion.)

Trust with Hearts was an interesting book to write. The heroine, Sherrie, has left a bad relationship, and on the spur of the moment, goes to West Virginia and moves in with her cousin Dave. Unknown to her, Dave already has a houseguest—his friend Curtis. Curtis is a country boy and Sherrie is all city.

I enjoyed playing off their differences and had fun inventing vexing situations for them to get on each other’s nerves. And boy, do they! Right on page 1, Curtis and Sherrie start an on/off love/hate relationship—and soon realize there’s more to their teasing and feuding. Before long, they discover they have a lot in common, and begin a steamy summer romance.

Some of my favorite scenes are when Curtis climbs a tree to rescue a kitten, when Curtis and Sherrie realize they like each other, and the big bombshell scene when Sherrie learns Curtis’s secret. I also liked writing the scenes where Dave plays matchmaker and counselor to each of them. In his own way, he brought this unlikely couple together. 

But you can’t have a good romance without drama, and the book is filled with it. Sherrie confronts her abusive ex-boyfriend, reexamines her life, and finds her purpose. Curtis is healing his wounded heart, dealing with a major family crisis, and going out of his way to keep a huge secret from Sherrie. Throughout the book Cutis and Sherrie face their pasts, work on their personal issues, and learn to love and trust again.

Trust with Hearts is not just a romance, it’s also a summer romance, so when I was writing the book I made sure to include specific details to bring out the “summer romance” theme: hot, sticky, sweaty days and nights, cool iced tea, gardening, and even heat stroke. The details pull the reader into the story and into Curtis and Sherrie’s world. And since Curtis is an expert in country music, I worked those details into the plot and even had Curtis give Sherrie a very erotic guitar lesson!

Trust with Hearts is a summer romance with interesting characters, an unusual storyline, and plenty of sizzling love scenes. It will make you laugh, cry, and root for love. I hope you’ll add it to your summer reading list.

Here’s the book summary and links:

 

 TRUST WITH HEARTS

After a bitter breakup, Sherrie Parker seeks refuge at her cousin Dave’s house in rural West Virginia. Early one morning, she runs into Dave’s other houseguest, a singer named Curtis Taylor. The last thing Sherrie wants is to share living quarters with a country music crooner – even if he is sexy, in a cowboy sort of way.

Thrown together by circumstances, Sherrie and Curtis get off to a rocky start, but soon discover they have more in common than they ever imagined. Unable to fight their growing attraction, they give in to their desires and start a sizzling summer romance.

Everything is perfect between them until Sherrie discovers Curtis is keeping secrets from her – and his biggest secret of all will change everything. Can their newfound love survive, or will destiny keep them apart forever?

Order Trust with Hearts here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074422FHY

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/mgrK7R

Read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/trust-with-hearts

I created a Facebook page for my contemporary romances. Visit it here:

https://www.facebook.com/Contemporary-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1965702023664339/

I hope you enjoyed this blog. I welcome questions and comments from readers and other authors. Contact me via the form on my site or on social media.

Happy Summer!

Kelli A. Wilkins

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 20+ romance novels, and 6 mystery/horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror and mystery stories.

Kelli released her fourth gay romance, A Thousand Summer Secrets, in April 2024. This tender contemporary romance takes place over a summer weekend, where two friends reconnect while seeking love and acceptance.

She published The Route 9 Killer, a mystery/thriller set in Central NJ, in 2023.

Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and social media links.

 

Meet the Character Day: Chatting with Curtis Taylor from Trust with Hearts

 

This “Meet the Character Day” blog is part of a series examining my romance novels. In each “Behind the Scenes” blog, I talk about why I wrote the book, share my thoughts on the plot and/or characters, and reveal what I loved most (or least) about writing the book. The “Meet the Character Day” blogs are fun chats with the heroes and heroines from my romances. Warning: blogs may contain spoilers.

Hello romance lovers! Today we’re chatting with Curtis Taylor, the hero from Trust with Hearts by Kelli A. Wilkins. Let’s see what’s on his mind…

 

Greetings, Curtis. Trust with Hearts is a contemporary summer romance. Can you tell us a bit more about the book?

Sure, I’d be glad to. The basic premise is: Sherrie moves in with her cousin Dave, and I’m already staying there. So we’re sorta thrown together and forced to get along. Or not. Sherrie is a city girl and hates country music, and I’m a country boy who just happens to make his living in country music, so you can imagine there’s lots of opportunity for conflict. But once we get past all that, Sherrie and I start a tenuous, yet passionate, summer romance. Readers will be intrigued and hooked right away.

In a good romance, the relationship between the hero and the heroine usually gets off to a rocky start. Tell us about your first meet with Sherrie. What attracted you to her?

Well… nothing. (Laughs) I met Sherrie early one morning—before she even knew I was staying with Dave. And she was a bit grouchy. She said a “banjo boy” kept her up all night playing music… Well, I didn’t take the insult too kindly, and I told her so. And off we went, right on page 1, we started fussin’ and feudin’. I liked teasing her, and I thought she was pretty (and had great legs) but she needed to tone down her attitude.

Sherrie came from the city and you’re a country boy at heart. How do you make that work in a relationship?

For the first few chapters, we fought like cats and dogs. Sherrie would insult country music (or me), and I’d tell her she didn’t know what she was talking about. After a few weeks of being forced together, (Dave conveniently left us alone a lot. It was his way of playing matchmaker.) I saw her vulnerable side and opened up to her. In time, we realized we both had been hurt in previous relationships and had serious trust issues. Once we dropped our defenses, we got along just fine.

Most romance readers know Kelli likes to torment her main characters. She tends to put them through the emotional wringer. When Kelli wrote the book, she gave you and Sherrie a lot of baggage, trust issues, and conflict. Tell us how she made your life miserable.

For most of the book I’m hiding a big secret from Sherrie, and when she finds out the truth it nearly ends our relationship. Kelli said the “bombshell” scene where Sherrie learns my secret was one of her favorites to write—but it put us through hell.

Sherrie already had a hard time trusting people, so learning I’d lied to her about something major shattered her trust in me and destroyed our relationship. At the same time, I’d just gotten horrible news, and I was in no mood to be questioned or to deal with a royally pissed-off girlfriend. I didn’t behave in the best way, and shut Sherrie out. (Thanks Kelli.) It took Sherrie a long while to come around, and for a time, I was certain we were finished. But in the end, we have a happy-ever-after.

But I’ll give Kelli credit, she wrote several amazing love scenes. And I certainly can’t complain about those. Sherrie and I weren’t incompatible in the bedroom, by any means! (Laughs)

Describe yourself in four words.

Stubborn, complex, sexy, talented.

Do readers need to be country music fans to enjoy Trust with Hearts?

Not at all. The book uses country music as a backdrop and setting for the main romance. If anything, country music fans might find Sherrie’s loathing and lack of understanding about the genre amusing. Readers who don’t like country music will probably agree when Sherrie calls country music “sad songs in denim.”

There’s a rumor that once upon a time the book had an entirely different ending. Is it true?

Yes. When Kelli originally wrote the book, Sherrie and I were in a horrible car accident and I nearly died. Sherrie risked her life to pull me out of a burning car. Kelli deleted those scenes from the current edition of the book, and wrote a new epilogue to tie up everything.

Will there be a sequel to Trust with Hearts?

After Trust with Hearts came out, Kelli was going to write a sequel, but other books got in the way and it never happened. Her idea was to have Dave fall in love with my girl cousin. (She seeks refuge with Dave the same way Sherrie did.) Kelli has shelved the project, but she did say if enough readers want a sequel, she might be persuaded to write a novella-length version of the idea. (Readers: Let her know your thoughts about this on social media.)

Anything else you want to add?

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with readers and talk about this great book. Trust with Hearts is a summer romance with interesting characters, an unusual storyline, and plenty of sizzling love scenes. It will make you laugh, cry, and root for love. I hope you’ll add it to your summer reading list.

Kelli has written romances in all genres—historical, paranormal, contemporary, gay, and straight—but they all have two things in common—they’re all unique stories, and they’re anything but boring! I invite readers to catch up on all of Kelli’s romances and visit her on social media. If you missed any blog in this series, you can catch up here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/blog

TRUST WITH HEARTS

After a bitter breakup, Sherrie Parker seeks refuge at her cousin Dave’s house in rural West Virginia. Early one morning, she runs into Dave’s other houseguest, a singer named Curtis Taylor. The last thing Sherrie wants is to share living quarters with a country music crooner – even if he is sexy, in a cowboy sort of way.

Thrown together by circumstances, Sherrie and Curtis get off to a rocky start, but soon discover they have more in common than they ever imagined. Unable to fight their growing attraction, they give in to their desires and start a sizzling summer romance.

Everything is perfect between them until Sherrie discovers that Curtis is keeping secrets from her – and his biggest secret of all will change everything. Can their newfound love survive, or will destiny keep them apart forever?

 

Order your copy here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074422FHY

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/mgrK7R

Read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/trust-with-hearts

Kelli created a Facebook page for her contemporary romances. Visit it here:

https://www.facebook.com/Contemporary-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1965702023664339/

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 20 romance novels, 7 non-fiction books, and 3 horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror stories.

She released Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics to Get You Writing in early 2021. This fun and innovative guide to journaling is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get you writing about your feelings and emotions.

In 2020 Kelli published Love, Lies & Redemption, a western romance set in 1877 Nebraska. This novel blends a sensual love story with mystery and danger.

Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor

Visit her website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and to find all her social media links.

 

 

 

 

Behind the Scenes: Trust with Hearts (A Contemporary Summer Romance)

 

This “Behind the Scenes” blog is part of a series examining my romance novels. In each blog, I’ll talk about why I wrote the book, share my thoughts on the plot and/or characters, and reveal what I loved most (or least) about writing the book. Warning: Blogs may contain spoilers.

Trust with Hearts is an example of how a story idea can come to an author anytime, anywhere. One night I was waiting for a concert to start and a premise for a romance popped into my head: A woman falls in love with her cousin’s best friend, but doesn’t realize he’s a famous country singer. I knew I had to write it down, but the only paper I had was the envelope the concert tickets came in. (Yes, this was years ago!) I scribbled a brief outline and a character list before the concert started. And that’s how Trust with Hearts was born—but not right away.

I was in the middle of revising another romance at the time, so I took a few hours and wrote a detailed outline, snippets of dialogue, and character information about Trust with Hearts, then set it aside. About a year later, I pulled out my notes and started writing. The idea was still fresh in my head, and the book practically wrote itself. (I always advise writers to take down ideas as they appear—otherwise they might fade into oblivion.)

Trust with Hearts was an interesting book to write. The heroine, Sherrie, has left a bad relationship, and on the spur of the moment, goes to West Virginia and moves in with her cousin Dave. Unknown to her, Dave already has a houseguest—his friend Curtis. Curtis is a country boy and Sherrie is all city.

I enjoyed playing off their differences and had fun inventing vexing situations for them to get on each other’s nerves. And boy, do they! Right on page 1, Curtis and Sherrie start an on/off love/hate relationship—and soon realize there’s more to their teasing and feuding. Before long, they discover they have a lot in common, and begin a steamy summer romance.

Some of my favorite scenes are when Curtis climbs a tree to rescue a kitten, when Curtis and Sherrie realize they like each other, and the big bombshell scene when Sherrie learns Curtis’s secret. I also liked writing the scenes where Dave plays matchmaker and counselor to each of them. In his own way, he brought this unlikely couple together. 

But you can’t have a good romance without drama, and the book is filled with it. Sherrie confronts her abusive ex-boyfriend, reexamines her life, and finds her purpose. Curtis is healing his wounded heart, dealing with a major family crisis, and going out of his way to keep a huge secret from Sherrie. Throughout the book Cutis and Sherrie face their pasts, work on their personal issues, and learn to love and trust again.

Trust with Hearts is not just a romance, it’s also a summer romance, so when I was writing the book I made sure to include specific details to bring out the “summer romance” theme: hot, sticky, sweaty days and nights, cool iced tea, gardening, and even heat stroke. The details pull the reader into the story and into Curtis and Sherrie’s world. And since Curtis is an expert in country music, I worked those details into the plot and even had Curtis give Sherrie a very erotic guitar lesson...

When I was writing Trust with Hearts, I fell in love with the characters and considered writing a sequel. (A few readers were interested in a sequel too!) The basic plot would have been Dave falling in love with Curtis’s girl cousin (we briefly meet her in the book). But I’ve since abandoned the project. If enough readers want a sequel, I might be persuaded to write a novella-length version of my book idea. (Readers: Let me know your thoughts about this on social media.)

Trust with Hearts is a summer romance with interesting characters, an unusual storyline, and plenty of sizzling love scenes. It will make you laugh, cry, and root for love. I hope you’ll add it to your summer reading list.

 

 TRUST WITH HEARTS

After a bitter breakup, Sherrie Parker seeks refuge at her cousin Dave’s house in rural West Virginia. Early one morning, she runs into Dave’s other houseguest, a singer named Curtis Taylor. The last thing Sherrie wants is to share living quarters with a country music crooner – even if he is sexy, in a cowboy sort of way.

Thrown together by circumstances, Sherrie and Curtis get off to a rocky start, but soon discover they have more in common than they ever imagined. Unable to fight their growing attraction, they give in to their desires and start a sizzling summer romance.

Everything is perfect between them until Sherrie discovers that Curtis is keeping secrets from her – and his biggest secret of all will change everything. Can their newfound love survive, or will destiny keep them apart forever?

 

Order Trust with Hearts here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074422FHY

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/mgrK7R

Read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/trust-with-hearts

I created a Facebook page for my contemporary romances. Visit it here:

https://www.facebook.com/Contemporary-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1965702023664339/

I hope you enjoyed this “Behind the Scenes” look at the making of this hot summer romance. I welcome questions and comments from readers and other authors. Contact me via the form on my site or on social media.

Happy Reading,

Kelli A. Wilkins

Summer Romance Spotlight… “Trust with Hearts”

Hi everyone,

Today I’m sharing a look at the making of my contemporary summer romance, Trust with Hearts.

Readers are always curious about how books “happen” ‒ how do they start out as a random idea and become an actual book, filled with great characters, drama, and sizzling love scenes? The answers vary, and each novel comes to me in a different way.

How did Trust with Hearts come about? Is the sexy and sultry Curtis based on a particular country music celebrity? Here’s the scoop…

The idea for Trust with Hearts came to me before a country music concert. I was sitting in the front row before the show started, when all of a sudden the whole plot and all the characters jumped into my head. Naturally, I started scribbling down notes (on the back of an envelope, of all things!) before the house lights went down.

Although inspired by real-life, the character of Curtis isn’t based on that one particular country music superstar – rather, he’s a blend of three or four cowboy-hat-wearing singer/songwriters. Elements of the “inspirational” singer are there, but I used my imagination to fill in background details and invented whatever else I needed to make the story work.

Trust with Hearts is a bit different from my other romances in that it has a more “traditional” romance novel feel – but still contains plenty of heat. Although Sherrie and Curtis are attracted to each other, they’re total strangers and are hesitant about getting involved in a relationship. They’ve both been unlucky in love, and aren’t sure if giving their hearts away is even worth the time or trouble.

The book gives them the whole summer to get to know each other. Readers peek into their troubled pasts and follow along as Curtis and Sherrie heal their hearts, love, and learn to trust again.

The subplot of the book – Sherrie’s devotion to save Kitty Corner – was crucial because I wanted to give her a purpose, something to build her self-esteem. Sherrie’s cat adoption project lets her help unfortunate cats who need rescuing and good homes. It parallels how Dave takes Sherrie in (aka “rescues” her) and gives her a second chance at a new life.

And, on a more personal note, giving Sherrie the “job” of helping cats allowed me to make a social/personal statement. I’m a cat person and I’ve written three cat care books. I always advocate adopting pets (of all kinds) from shelters and giving them a real home. (Would you want to live out the rest of your life in a wire cage?)

Back on topic: Knowing how I often write sequels, a reader asked if there will be another book following up Trust with Hearts. Will Dave get his own story?

I do have an idea for a sequel in mind. What if Curtis’s cousin Jen suddenly had to move in with Dave? Hmm… I already have a plot brewing in the back of my mind, so if readers would like to see a follow-up story, let me know!

I’m glad to say that the book has received some great reviews:

“Trust with Hearts is a must read. You will laugh, cry, and in the end, you will totally fall in love with the story. It is character rich, and full of drama along with some sizzling scenes to spice it up. The relationship with her characters helps us see that Curtis and Sherrie may not make it, but then, as the drama unfolds, and she shows us their hearts, we realize there just may be more there than meets the eye. This book will remain on my favorites shelf for a long while, and it is a definitely recommended read from this reviewer.” - Rose, Reviewer, Romance at Heart.com

“4.5 stars! Trust with Hearts is beautifully written. You struggle with Sherrie as she tries to regain her footing, and Curtis’s charm is intoxicating as it flows off the pages. I am always thrilled when I get the chance to discover a new-to-me author who I can’t wait to read more from.” - Emily, Reviewer, SingleTitles.com

Here’s the book summary and an excerpt:

TRUST WITH HEARTS

After a bitter breakup, Sherrie Parker seeks refuge at her cousin Dave’s house in rural West Virginia. Early one morning, she runs into Dave’s other houseguest, a singer named Curtis Taylor. The last thing Sherrie wants is to share living quarters with a country music crooner – even if he is sexy, in a cowboy sort of way.

Thrown together by circumstances, Sherrie and Curtis get off to a rocky start, but soon discover they have more in common than they ever imagined. Unable to fight their growing attraction, they give in to their desires and start a sizzling summer romance. 

Everything is perfect between them until Sherrie discovers that Curtis is keeping secrets from her – and his biggest secret of all will change everything. Can their newfound love survive, or will destiny keep them apart forever?

A tame excerpt:

“I told Sherrie to work things out with you. She seemed fine with it,” Dave said as he stirred a pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove.

Curtis carried the supper dishes to the table. “Yeah, well, that sure changed fast.”

He set Sherrie’s plate close to Dave’s. The round table would fit the three of them fine, but he didn’t want to get too close to Sherrie. He didn’t need to start a new fight with her when they hadn’t finished the old one yet.

“She came down to the cottage blaming me because she couldn’t sleep. I coulda let that go, until she insulted my music… again,” he added. “Did you tell her about me?”

Dave sprinkled black pepper into the spaghetti sauce. “Of course not. All she knows is you’re staying here and working on your music. I didn’t mention anything about,” he paused and looked toward the kitchen doorway, “CJ, or the hospital. If you decide to tell her, that’s up to you.”

“I doubt that’s gonna happen, seeing how she feels about country music,” he replied as he arranged silverware next to the plates. “You know I rarely offer up opinions, Dave, but your sweet-lookin’ Yankee cousin’s—”

He stopped as he saw Sherrie standing in the doorway. “Oh Lord.”

“His Yankee cousin’s… what?”

He breathed a sigh of relief. At least Sherrie hadn’t heard him call her sweet-lookin’. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Truth be told, Sherrie was sweet-looking.

Waves of chestnut-colored hair framed her oval face. Her almond-shaped brown eyes were draped with long lashes, she had a kissable, rosebud mouth, and from what he’d seen of her this morning, Sherrie was curvy in all the right places. Too bad she acted so moody.

He stared into her eyes for a full fifteen seconds. His piercing baby blues were capable of rendering women speechless. They had the power to charm, as well as disarm, anyone.

Sherrie shifted her gaze to the floor and he smirked. Direct eye contact had done the trick. Sherrie might have lots of fight, but she had nothing to back it up.

“Ornery,” he answered. “I was about to say ‘ornery’.”

Dave banged the wooden spoon on the edge of the pot, breaking the tension in the room. “Sher, I thought you were gonna apologize to Curtis.”

“I did, but then His Royal Majesty dismissed me.”

Curtis moved back as Sherrie strode past him and yanked the refrigerator open. She stuck her head inside and rummaged around.

He took advantage of the opportunity and admired the way her denim shorts clung to her backside. A tingle spread through his groin as he envisioned running his hands up the back of her smooth thighs. He turned his head as she took out the pitcher of sweet tea.

“What were you looking at?”

“Nothin’.” Why did he feel compelled to touch her? It must be hormones, he reasoned. The last thing he needed was to get involved with a Yankee woman who hated him on sight. He scratched his chin and chuckled. Now there was a switch. Women all over the world would pay a fortune to spend five minutes in the same room with him, and yet Sherrie despised him.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Nothin’.”

“Bull.” Sherrie sat at the table and poured herself a glass of tea.

He rolled his eyes. Naturally, she had taken his seat. He wouldn’t protest. Sherrie was Dave’s cousin, and he’d been raised to respect women—even stubborn Yankee women.

Order your copy here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Hearts-Kelli-Wilkins-ebook/dp/B074422FHY

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/mgrK7R

I hope you’ll check it out. Trust with Hearts was a lot of fun to write and blends a sultry romance with heartwarming drama.

Happy Reading!

Kelli

P.S. I created a Facebook page for my contemporary romances. Visit it here:

https://www.facebook.com/Contemporary-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1965702023664339/

New Romance Release - Trust with Hearts

Hi romance lovers,

I’m pleased to announce the release of my contemporary romance novel, Trust with Hearts. The hero is a sexy cowboy-like country music singer who gets involved with a young woman trying to put her life back together.

Here’s the book summary, links, and a tame excerpt:

Trust with Hearts

After a bitter breakup, Sherrie Parker seeks refuge at her cousin Dave’s house in rural West Virginia. Early one morning, she runs into Dave’s other houseguest, a singer named Curtis Taylor. The last thing Sherrie wants is to share living quarters with a country music crooner – even if he is sexy, in a cowboy sort of way.

Thrown together by circumstances, Sherrie and Curtis get off to a rocky start, but soon discover they have more in common than they ever imagined. Unable to fight their growing attraction, they give in to their desires and start a sizzling summer romance.

Everything is perfect between them until Sherrie discovers that Curtis is keeping secrets from her – and his biggest secret of all will change everything. Can their newfound love survive, or will destiny keep them apart forever?

Here’s a tame excerpt from Trust with Hearts:

“I told Sherrie to work things out with you. She seemed fine with it,” Dave said as he stirred a pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove.

Curtis carried the supper dishes to the table. “Yeah, well, that sure changed fast.”

He set Sherrie’s plate close to Dave’s. The round table would fit the three of them fine, but he didn’t want to get too close to Sherrie. He didn’t need to start a new fight with her when they hadn’t finished the old one yet.

“She came down to the cottage blaming me because she couldn’t sleep. I coulda let that go, until she insulted my music… again,” he added. “Did you tell her about me?”

Dave sprinkled black pepper into the spaghetti sauce. “Of course not. All she knows is you’re staying here and working on your music. I didn’t mention anything about,” he paused and looked toward the kitchen doorway, “CJ, or the hospital. If you decide to tell her, that’s up to you.”

“I doubt that’s gonna happen, seeing how she feels about country music,” he replied as he arranged silverware next to the plates. “You know I rarely offer up opinions, Dave, but your sweet-lookin’ Yankee cousin’s—”

He stopped as he saw Sherrie standing in the doorway. “Oh Lord.”

“His Yankee cousin’s… what?”

He breathed a sigh of relief. At least Sherrie hadn’t heard him call her sweet-lookin’. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Truth be told, Sherrie was sweet-looking.

Waves of chestnut-colored hair framed her oval face. Her almond-shaped brown eyes were draped with long lashes, she had a kissable, rosebud mouth, and from what he’d seen of her this morning, Sherrie was curvy in all the right places. Too bad she acted so moody.

He stared into her eyes for a full fifteen seconds. His piercing baby blues were capable of rendering women speechless. They had the power to charm, as well as disarm, anyone.

Sherrie shifted her gaze to the floor and he smirked. Direct eye contact had done the trick. Sherrie might have lots of fight, but she had nothing to back it up.

“Ornery,” he answered. “I was about to say ‘ornery’.”

Dave banged the wooden spoon on the edge of the pot, breaking the tension in the room. “Sher, I thought you were gonna apologize to Curtis.”

“I did, but then His Royal Majesty dismissed me.”

Curtis moved back as Sherrie strode past him and yanked the refrigerator open. She stuck her head inside and rummaged around.

He took advantage of the opportunity and admired the way her denim shorts clung to her backside. A tingle spread through his groin as he envisioned running his hands up the back of her smooth thighs. He turned his head as she took out the pitcher of sweet tea.

“What were you looking at?”

“Nothin’.” Why did he feel compelled to touch her? It must be hormones, he reasoned. The last thing he needed was to get involved with a Yankee woman who hated him on sight. He scratched his chin and chuckled. Now there was a switch. Women all over the world would pay a fortune to spend five minutes in the same room with him, and yet Sherrie despised him.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Nothin’.”

“Bull.” Sherrie sat at the table and poured herself a glass of tea.

He rolled his eyes. Naturally, she had taken his seat. He wouldn’t protest. Sherrie was Dave’s cousin, and he’d been raised to respect women—even stubborn Yankee women.

Order your copy here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Hearts-Kelli-Wilkins-ebook/dp/B074422FHY

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1262138470

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trust-with-hearts-kelli-a-wilkins/1029121857;jsessionid=B34CBCAE108E078A185537FBAFB08F9A.prodny_store01-atgap04?ean=2940154716670

Inktera: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/a7e88b32-d5a0-43b6-b0d8-6e1e42b317b7

Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/354309578/Trust-with-Hearts

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/trust-with-hearts

I hope you’ll check it out. The book was a lot of fun to write and blends a sultry summer romance with heartwarming drama.

Happy Reading!

Kelli

Here are a few links to find Kelli & her writings on the web

Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/kelliwilkins

Website: http://www.KelliWilkins.com

Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb

Medallion Press Author Page: http://medallionpress.com/author/kelli-wilkins/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins

Facebook Contemporary Romances: https://www.facebook.com/Contemporary-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1965702023664339/

Facebook Gay Romances: https://www.facebook.com/GayRomancesbyKelliAWilkins/

Facebook Historical Romances: https://www.facebook.com/Historical-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1703805359922371/

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/KWilkinsAuthor/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1123678.Kelli_A_Wilkins

Authors Den: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?authorid=61801