That First Special Kiss

by Gina Wilkins

  It was the kind of kiss a man gives a woman he finds attractive.

  Letter to Reader

  Title Page

  Books by Gina Wilkins

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Copyright

  It was the kind of kiss a man gives a woman he finds attractive.

  Shane had only leaned over to kiss Kelly’s cheek. But somehow the kiss went astray, landing on the corner of her mouth instead.

  She felt her eyes widen, felt her breath lodge somewhere deep in her chest. Shane drew away only a fraction of an inch, his gaze locked with hers, a startled expression in his eyes. And then his mouth was on hers, and he was kissing her in a way he had never kissed her before.

  Kelly’s reaction was sheer pleasure. This, she thought dazedly, her hands settling tentatively on Shane’s shoulders, was one amazing kiss....

  Dear Reader,

  This September, you may find yourself caught up in the hustle and bustle of a new school year. But as a sensational stress buster, we have an enticing fall lineup for you to pamper yourself with. Each month, we offer six brand-new romances about people just like you—trying to find the perfect balance between life, career, family and love.

  For starters, check out Their Other Mother by Janis Reams Hudson—a feisty THAT SPECIAL WOMAN! butts head with a gorgeous, ornery father of three. This also marks the debut of this author’s engaging new miniseries, WILDERS OF WYATT COUNTY.

  Sherryl Woods continues her popular series AND BABY MAKES THREE: THE NEXT GENERATION with an entertaining story about a rodeo champ who becomes victi to his matchmaking daughter in Suddenly Annie’s Father. And for those of you who treasure stories about best-friends-turned-lovers, don’t miss That First Special Kiss by Gina Wilkins, book two in her FAMILY FOUND: SONS AND DAUGHTERS senes.

  In Celebrate the Child by Amy Frazier, a military man becomes an integral part of his precious little girl’s life—as well as that of her sweet-natured adopted mom. And when a secret agent takes on the role of daddy, he discovers the family of his dreams in Jane Toombs’s Designated Daddy. Finally, watch for A Cowboy’s Code by talented newcomer Alaina Starr, who spins a compelling love story set in the hard-driving West.

  I hope you enjoy these six emotional romances created by women like you, for women like you!

  Sincerely,

  Karen Taylor Richman

  Senior Editor

  Please address questions and book requests to:

  Silhouette Reader Service

  U.S.. 3010 Walden Ave , PO. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

  Canadian. P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

  GINA WILKINS

  THAT FIRST SPECIAL KISS

  Books by Gina Wilkins

  Silhouette Special Edition

  The Father Next Door #1082

  It Could Happen To You #1119

  Valentine Baby #1153

  Her Very Own Family #1243

  That First Special Kiss #1269

  Family Found: Sons & Daughters

  Previously published as Gina Ferris

  Silhouette Special Edition

  Healing Sympathy #496

  Lady Beware #549

  In From the Rain #677

  Prodigal Father #711

  §Full of Grace #793

  §Hardworking Man #806

  §Fair and Wise #819

  §Far To Go #862

  §Loving and Giving #879

  Babies on Board #913

  §Family Found

  Previously published as Gina Ferris Wilkins

  Silhouette Special Edition

  ‡A Man for Mom #955

  ‡A Match for Celia #967

  ‡A Home for Adam #980

  ‡Cody’s Fiancée #1006

  ‡The Family Way

  Silhouette Books

  Mother’s Day Collection 1995

  Three Mothers and a Cradle

  “Beginnings”

  GINA WILKINS

  declares that she is Southern by birth and by choice, and she has chosen to set many of her books in the South, where she finds a rich treasury of characters and settings. She particularly loves the Ozark mountain region of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, and the proudly unique people who reside there. She and her husband, John, live in Arkansas, with their three children, Courtney, Kerry and David.

  Chapter One

  Kelly Morrison’s tiny apartment almost reverberated with laughter, conversation and music. It was the first Saturday in November, and her group of single friends had gathered, as they did on the first weekend of each month, for an evening of gossip and games. They alternated homes, though not in any particular order, and tonight they had congregated at Kelly’s place.

  Carrying a tray of cheese cubes, fruit slices and crackers, she walked out of her kitchen with the slight limp she hardly even noticed anymore. She set the tray on the round oak table that took up one corner of her combination living room and dining room. Three men and two women were gathered around the table, waiting for her to rejoin them. “Whose turn is it?” she asked.

  “Yours,” Heather Pearson said, reaching for an apple slice. “Roll the dice.”

  Kelly took her seat, rolled the dice and moved her game piece the required number of spaces. She groaned when she saw the category. “Sports...great. My worst category. Okay, what’s the question?”

  Heather’s twin brother, Scott, read from a game card. “Who won the NASCAR Winston Cup series in 1995, 1997 and again in 1998, becoming the youngest driver ever to win three Winston Cup titles?”

  Kelly mentally debated between the few race car drivers she could actually name. “Jeff Gordon?” she hazarded.

  Scott nodded. “Correct.”

  From across the table, Michael Chang sighed gustily. “Man, she gets all the easy ones,” he complained. “Who didn’t know that one? My last question was about some obscure European playwright no one could have named except maybe his mother.”

  Kelly laughed and reached for her diet soda. “Just lucky, I guess.”

  She smiled at the friends gathered in mismatched chairs around her table: Scott Pearson, Michael Chang, Cameron North, Heather Pearson and Amber Wallace, all in their mid- to late-twenties. At twenty-four, Kelly was the youngest by a year or two, but she fit in very well.

  It had always been very important to Kelly to fit in.

  She looked automatically toward the empty folding chair next to her. Someone was absent from the gathering tonight, and she missed him—just as she would miss any of her friends who hadn’t been able to attend the monthly event, she assured herself.

  Following her glance, Heather mused, “Where do you suppose Shane is tonight? It’s not like him to miss without calling.”

  “He didn’t even call you, Cam?” Amber asked.

  Brushing his heavy blond hair away from decidedly wicked blue eyes, Cameron lounged in his chair and shook his head. “Haven’t heard from him today. I guess he got a, uh, better offer this evening.”

  Kelly frowned, reluctantly picturing Shane with the leggy, busty redhead he’d introduced her to at a party a couple of weeks earlier. Kelly hadn’t liked her. At all. Of course it wasn’t any of her business who Shane Walker dated, she thought hastily. She and Shane were buddies. Pals. Practically family. They made it a point not to get in
volved in each other’s love lives.

  Not that Kelly actually had a love life.

  Scott was frowning at an empty plate. “Aren’t there any more of those chocolate things?”

  “You ate them all,” his twin sister pointed out. “You pig. Some of the rest of us might’ve liked to have a few.”

  Kelly chuckled and pushed herself out of the chair again. “As it happens, there are more in the kitchen. Since I know how Scott is about chocolate, I bought extra.”

  Scott’s green eyes lit with greed. “There are more?”

  “Keep your paws off them, pal,” Michael grumbled. “I haven’t had any yet.”

  “Whose turn is it anyway?” Amber complained. “Isn’t anyone paying attention to the game?”

  Grinning, Kelly was halfway to the kitchen when her doorbell rang. She immediately altered her course. “I’ll get it.”

  She threw open the door without bothering to check the peephole. And then she felt herself relax. Now the evening was complete.

  A lanky cowboy stood on the walkway outside her ground-level apartment. He wore a denim jacket, jeans and an oatmeal-colored denim shirt with dusty boots and a worn leather belt. In deference to a light, misty rain that had been falling most of the day, a battered black Stetson was gripped in his left hand, which hung loosely at his side. His coffee-brown hair hung in a shaggy forelock over blue eyes that usually gleamed with amusement. Kelly saw no amusement there now.

  “You look like you’ve had a rough day,” she blurted impulsively.

  Shane Walker grimaced and stepped across the threshold. “A guy always likes to be greeted with compliments.”

  She smiled apologetically. “It wasn’t a criticism. Just a comment.”

  He smiled then, sexy dimples flashing. “Forget it. You’re probably right. I’ve had a hell of a day. By the way, I know I promised I’d have your VCR back by tonight, but it’s not ready yet. I haven’t had time to take it apart and find out what’s wrong with it.”

  “I’m in no hurry for it,” she assured him. “Whenever you have time to look at it is fine with me. It was nice of you to volunteer to fix it, since I didn’t really want to pay a repair bill for something I don’t use that often anyway.”

  “I still think it’ll be something minor, once I get a chance to work on it.”

  “Take your time. Go on over to the table and sit down. I’ll get you something cold to drink.”

  He slung an arm around her shoulders and gave her a casual hug. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”

  As often as Shane had hugged her during the year and a half or so they’d known each other—and, since he was an affectionate and demonstrative person, there had been many friendly hugs—Kelly had never quite become accustomed to it. She always reacted with a quick jump of pulse that she hid with a breezy smile and a brusque, sisterly manner. She did so again now.

  “Sit,” she said, giving him a teasing push that served to break the contact between them. “I’ll be right back.”

  Shane sauntered toward the table, where he was greeted warmly and noisily. By the time Kelly returned with a cold soda for Shane and another plate of chocolate cookies, he was already settled comfortably in his chair and engaged in conversation with his friends. He brushed off questions about his tardiness, saying only that he’d been detained at the cattle ranch he owned and operated with his father.

  Amber pushed the game board away in exasperation when no one showed any interest in reaching for the dice. “I take it the game’s over. Oh, well, I was losing anyway.”

  “You always lose,” Cameron drawled. “You just always seem to think it will be different next time.”

  Amber punched his arm, then giggled and sat on his knee. She and Cameron had been dating for the past three months—which, Kelly thought wryly, was pretty much a record for Cameron. The whole gang had predicted disaster when the two long-time friends had become lovers—especially since everyone believed Amber was more intensely involved than Cameron—but so far, so good.

  Kelly took her seat next to Shane. “How’s the family?”

  “Everyone’s fine. Molly won a school poster contest today. The prize was a fifty-dollar gift certificate. When I left, she was poring over a catalog, trying to decide what to buy.”

  Kelly smiled as she pictured Shane’s twelve-year-old half sister, a red-haired bundle of energy who brought a great deal of joy to her family. and whom Shane simply adored. “Good for her. What sort of poster did she make?”

  “It was a contest sponsored by MADD—Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Molly’s poster had an antialcohol slogan, and a picture she drew to illustrate it. I’m sure she’ll want to show it to you next time you visit the ranch.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.” She studied him more closely, noting that his smile still didn’t reach his eyes. He looked bone-tired, and maybe a little down. She didn’t remember seeing him look quite this way before.

  She wished she could think of something she could say to cheer him up.

  Kelly was very fond of Shane—just as she was fond of all the friends she’d made during the year and a half that had passed since she and her best friend, Brynn Larkin, had moved to Dallas. Now Brynn was married to Dr. Joe D’Alessandro and had made a special place for herself among Joe’s large, close-knit family. Brynn had also formed close bonds with the extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins she had discovered entirely by accident after moving to Dallas. Shane was one of Brynn’s cousins.

  Kelly and Brynn had considered themselves honorary sisters since they’d met in a foster home as young girls, when Brynn was fourteen and Kelly only eleven. Because of that connection, Kelly had been accepted among the Walker family with a warmth and generosity that had both astonished and delighted her. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she felt like a member of a family. And it meant more to her than she could ever put into words. Just as this group of friends had become very special to her because of the way they had taken her in when Shane had introduced her to them a little more than a year ago.

  She wondered if she was the only one to suspect that something was bothering Shane. It would certainly be difficult for a casual observer to tell that there was anything wrong. He laughed at the others’ jokes and told a few of his own. He jokingly fought Scott for the last chocolate cookie—and won. He teased Amber into a rosy blush, made an extravagant bet with Cameron over an upcoming football game, and talked airplanes with Michael, a professional charter pilot. Shane gave every appearance of being his usual, casually laid-back self.

  And yet ..

  As if by accident, he glanced her way and caught her watching him. Their gazes held for a moment. Shane must have seen something in her expression. “You okay?” he asked, softly enough that none of the others could hear.

  “I was going to ask the same of you,” she admitted as quietly. “Is anything wrong?”

  He hesitated, glanced at the others, who were paying them no attention, then shrugged. “I’ll tell you later.”

  Again Shane hid whatever he was feeling behind a quick quip and a lazy grin as he rejoined the conversation among the others. Kelly had always marveled at his ability to mask his emotions. His perpetual cheerfulness and exuberance made him very popular to nearly everyone who knew him, but she wondered how many people actually knew him well. She had always believed that there were parts of him he kept hidden—maybe even from those who were closest to him.

  Or maybe, she thought ruefully, she was delusional. Maybe she was imagining depths to Shane that weren’t there at all. Maybe he was exactly what he seemed- -a happy-go-lucky. serenely untroubled young cowboy, perfectly content with his life. Maybe she simply wanted to believe she could sense things about Shane that no one else could. Which was ridiculous. She certainly didn’t know Shane Walker better than his close-knit, loving family. Or this group of friends he’d known much longer than he’d known her.

  “Kelly, are there any more of those chocolate things in the kitchen?�
� Scott—one of Shane’s friends since adolescence—asked hopefully.

  She smiled and shook her head. “Sorry, that was the last of them.”

  He sighed gustily. “Then I might as well go home.”

  “You aren’t leaving yet?” Heather demanded. “It’s barely eleven o’clock.”

  Scott cleared his throat. “I, er, have to look over some paperwork from the office.”

  “Bull,” his twin retorted inelegantly. “You’re going to Paula’s place, aren’t you?”

  “And what if I am?” Scott asked defensively.

  Heather rolled her eyes. “Tell him, guys. She’s entirely wrong for him and everyone knows it but Scott.”

  Michael Chang immediately tried to change the subject. “Did anyone catch the score of the A & M game this afternoon?”

  His effort backfired when Heather immediately rounded on him. “Michael, you’ve met Paula. Tell Scott what you think of her.”

  “I—uh—” Michael tugged at the collar of his knit shirt. “I thought she had several truly amazing features.”

  Cameron laughed. Amber punched his shoulder.

  Heather turned to Shane. “He’ll listen to you, Shane. Tell Scott why I don’t like it that he’s spending so much time with Paula. Tell him how awful she is.”

  Stretching back in his chair, Shane folded his hands over his flat stomach and tilted one corner of his mouth into a half smile. “You should know by now that I never get involved in anyone else’s love life. If Scott enjoys spending time with Paula, I’d say that’s his business, not mine.”