This Heart of Mine
To Jill Barnett
for her talents as a matchmaker
Contents
Chapter 1
The day Kevin Tucker nearly killed her, Molly Somerville swore…
Chapter 2
Kevin suddenly remembered that he’d been too preoccupied with his…
Chapter 3
A dim wedge of light from the hallway fell across…
Chapter 4
Kevin dropped back into the pocket. Sixty-five thousand screaming fans…
Chapter 5
Molly’s eardrums rang from the blast of the toy whistle…
Chapter 6
Our Chicago Celebrity of the Week spotlight turns to wealthy…
Chapter 7
I’m fine,” Molly told her sister every time they talked.
Chapter 8
Molly crawled with Roo into the backseat of the snappy…
Chapter 9
Kevin had his cell phone pressed to one ear, the…
Chapter 10
A few hours later Molly stepped back to admire the…
Chapter 11
Molly set the alarm clock Kevin had left for five-thirty,…
Chapter 12
Kevin looked as though she’d punched him. “How did you…
Chapter 13
Use the stepstool to check that top shelf, will you,…
Chapter 14
Any ideas for a new book?” Phoebe asked early the…
Chapter 15
After her dip in the lake, Molly showered and changed,…
Chapter 16
Lilly hated herself for saying yes, but what art lover…
Chapter 17
By Tuesday, Molly was worn out from the ups and…
Chapter 18
It’s nice that Kevin finally decided to spend some time…
Chapter 19
Molly sat in the gazebo staring out at the cottages…
Chapter 20
They changed out of their suits in time for Molly’s…
Chapter 21
Lilly leaned back into the chaise and listened to the…
Chapter 22
Molly heard Kevin’s quiet curse and fixed a smile on…
Chapter 23
Oh, boy…Molly stalled as long as she could—brushing…
Chapter 24
Only the presence of the kids made the trip back…
Chapter 25
Lilly stopped just inside the B&B’s kitchen door. Molly had…
Chapter 26
Molly ripped the paper from her yellow pad. This was…
Epilogue
All the animals in Nightingale Woods gathered for the christening.
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other Books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Credits
Cover
Copyright
About the Publisher
1
Daphne the Bunny was admiring her sparkly violet nail polish when Benny the Badger zoomed past on his red mountain bike and knocked her off her paws.
“Oh, you pesky badger!” she exclaimed. “Somebody needs to squeeze the air out of your tires.”
—Daphne Takes a Tumble
The day Kevin Tucker nearly killed her, Molly Somerville swore off unrequited love forever.
She was dodging the icy places in the Chicago Stars headquarters parking lot when Kevin came roaring out of nowhere in his brand-new $140,000 fire-engine-red Ferrari 355 Spider. With tires shrieking and engine snarling, the low-slung car sprang around the corner, spewing slush. As the rear end flew toward her, she flung herself backward, hit the bumper of her brother-in-law’s Lexus, lost her footing, and fell in a cloud of angry exhaust.
Kevin Tucker didn’t even slow.
Molly gazed at the fading taillights, gritted her teeth, and picked herself up. Dirty snow and muck clung to one leg of her excruciatingly expensive Comme des Garçons pants, her Prada tote was a mess, and her Italian boots had a scratch. “Oh, you pesky quarterback,” she muttered under her breath. “Somebody needs to castrate you.”