by L. B. Dunbar
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Thank you for reading.
Want to start at the beginning? Speak From The Heart
Enjoy older/over 40 characters in small towns? Silver Brewer
Want to read a spin-off of the Heart Collection? The Heart Remembers
Stay up to date on all things L.B. Dunbar: Love Notes
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More by L.B. Dunbar
Sexy Silver Foxes
When sexy silver foxes meet the women of their dreams.
After Care
Midlife Crisis
Restored Dreams
Second Chance
Wine&Dine
The Silver Foxes of Blue Ridge
More sexy silver foxes in the mountain community of Blue Ridge
Silver Brewer
Silver Player
Silver Mayor
Silver Biker (2020)
Collision novellas
A spin-off from After Care – the younger set/rock stars
Collide
Caught – a short story
Smartypants Romance (an imprint of Penny Reid)
Tales of the Winters sisters set in Penny Reid’s Green Valley.
Love in Due Time
Love in Deed
Love in a Pickle (2021)
Rom-com for the over 40
The Sex Education of M.E.
The Heart Collection
Small town, sweet and sexy stories of family and love.
Speak from the Heart
Read with your Heart
Look with your Heart
Fight from the Heart
View with your Heart
A Heart Collection Spin-off
The Heart Remembers
The Legendary Rock Star Series
Rock star mayhem in the tradition of King Arthur.
A classic tale with a modern twist of romance and suspense
The Legend of Arturo King
The Story of Lansing Lotte
The Quest of Perkins Vale
The Truth of Tristan Lyons
The Trials of Guinevere DeGrance
The Island Duet
The island knows what you’ve done.
Redemption Island
Return to the Island
Paradise Stories
Abel
Cain
Modern Descendants – writing as elda lore
Modern myths of Greek gods.
Hades
Solis
Heph
Keep in touch with L.B. Dunbar
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Turn the page for an excerpt of The Heart Remembers.
Excerpt -
The Heart Remembers
(a spinoff from the Heart Collection)
1
[Katie]
“What the . . .”
As I’ve stepped out of the bathroom, I bump into the hard wall of someone’s chest.
“I’m so . . .” My apology is cut short when I look up. Rich, dark, deep brown eyes arrest the words within me. A slow grin curls supple lips, exposing dimples difficult to see in the thick scruff on his jaw, unless you are up close. Definitely discernable up close. So discernable. So close. Charm exudes from his expression as those eyes spark and his mouth curls into a lopsided smile.
“Levi,” I whisper finally finding my voice, noting the warmth of two thick hands on my upper arms, holding me only slightly back from his firm body. His eyes drop to my mouth and I swallow.
Levi Walker is my aunt’s ex-husband’s little brother, and that’s a mouthful to explain. He’s also my childhood crush and no longer a swoon worthy teenager but all man at thirty-something.
I blink up at him, my face instantly heating as I recall a situation similar to this exact moment. Different house, but same scenario, ten years. I was exiting a bathroom and he caught me in the hallway. Words were exchanged about him being a hero as he’d gone off to the Marines and was home on leave. Then he kissed me. My first kiss at seventeen. He was twenty-four.
My lids lower, taking in the smiling red lips facing me now.
The kiss then was sweet, wet, and powerful, at least to me. It seared my teenage heart with a memory and a longing. I wanted to be kissed again like he’d kissed me then.
At the time, some friend of a friend caught us in the hallway where he accused me of being a child. I was seventeen but the other guy said I was ten and, Levi freaked out, stepping away from me like I’d given him the clap. My heart, which soared one minute, crashed to my feet as he trampled over it with his military-issued boots.
I ran from him, telling him he was no hero. Only heroes were worthy of kisses like that.
I was so naïve.
“Katie?” Levi’s toughened voice pulls me from the haunting memory.
Hopefully he’s forgotten that moment ten years ago. Please let him have forgotten it. However, I quickly recall it isn’t my only embarrassing moment with him.
“Katie girl, how are you?” His question reminds me that Levi thought of me as a child. Despite my twenty-seven years, he’ll always remember me as a little girl with blond braids running through sprinklers, making rain, or blowing bubbles in backyards during family functions. Levi is like an adopted member of the Carter clan but it’s not some nefarious romantic trope like my best friend’s older stepbrother. He’s a family friend who has a long-standing connection with my aunt, which makes him off limits to my desires but sometimes still flooding my fantasies.
“Hey, Levi. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
This week-long celebration is for Uncle Tom. As the eldest of the Carter siblings, he’s turning sixty years old and wants a rip-roaring party, thus bringing everyone together. While he and his wife Karyn live on Elk Lake, he’s rented a house on the big lake—Lake Michigan—although we’re still within the city limits of my hometown, Elk Lake City. Tom wanted everyone under one roof which his house could not accommodate, so here we are. It’s a ten-bedroom house with three floors on the edge and a beautiful view of the large lake. The attendees include the four core siblings, plus spouses and their nearly grown children, totally roughly fifteen extra people. It’s a tight fit but we’re here.
As one of the several single women in the under thirty collection of cousins, I’m on the top floor, like the forgotten servant’s quarters in a gothic mansion, although not quite as mysterious or dark. It’s bright and sunny with skylights and a central bathroom for four bedrooms. Apparently, Levi has a guest room up here as well.
“Tricia invited me.” Tricia Ramirez is my aunt, my father’s youngest sister, and someone I adore. She’s fun, spirited and loves my uncle Leon something fierce. From family lore, their love is well deserved.
“I didn’t realize you were in the area.” We’re still standing in the bathroom doorway. His hands still hold my arms and my palms lay flat on his chest. It’s such an awkward position for a casual conversation, especially as his t-shirt is thin and I can feel his heart pattering under the worn material.
Does his heart remember me?
It’s a silly question to ask at my age and in my current relationship status which I won’t be sharing with anyone this week. This celebration is about Tom.
“I’m not. I’ve been . . . having a rough time . . . and Tricia thought I should come home, well, here, for some time off.”
My brows pinch with concern. Levi’s military path was successful, and I’d kept up from afar, writing him love notes I never sent and dreaming of him fulfilling heroic deeds to win my heart. But the reality is, war is evil, and Levi lost a limb in his battles. I don’t recall the details, but I am aware that he’d been hurt and suffered, and then struggled with recovery once state
side.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I imply of his struggles. Tricia worries he drinks too much, as his father did, and he has a temper, as his brother once had, but the man before me appears calm and tender, and not drunk like he was when we shared that first kiss.
Levi shrugs, rubbing his hands up and down my upper arms before realizing what he’s doing. Then his palms go flat, and his fingers pull back. Slowly, he lifts his hands up and away. He looks from one arm to the other like I’ve singed him where he touched me. Either that, or he’s surrendering as he had on that night.
Jesus, fuck, I’m sorry, Katie girl. The words whisper through my head. A memory dusted off. They were harsh words after asking me if I wanted to kiss him, telling me I was looking at him like I wanted his mouth.
Kiss me, sweet girl.
Gah, men are just . . .
“So, you’re staying the week, and your room is up here.” It’s not really a question, just a clarification.
“Yeah.” Levi sheepishly glances down at his feet, forcing me to look as well. The platinum steel leg is on display at the end of his shorts. He slips his hands into his pockets and wiggles the toes of his one foot in a flipflop. “I’m up here with my son.”
My head lifts. I don’t recall him having a child. Is he married? When did this happen? Why hadn’t anyone told me? My heart hammers in my chest while I have no reason to be upset. He was a crush when I was a kid. I’m an adult and so is he. We both moved forward.
Only, everyone is expecting me to get engaged soon, and it isn’t going to happen.
The possibility of Levi being married hits hard for some reason. Not that he doesn’t deserve it. Despite the drunken kiss, he’s a nice guy who happens to be a great kisser. He’s still hot, plus solid chest and working heart, and just . . .
“Wow. I didn’t know you were married.” I sound offended and clear my throat, attempting to soften in the second try. “That’s amazing. Congratulations. And a kid, wow. Just wow, yeah.” I’m rambling because I do that. For someone who spent years holding in her words, I let them flow and too freely sometimes—like now—when I’m nervous and upset for no reason. Who cares if he’s married? We all deserve to be married, find that partner in life, the one who loves us unconditionally, and gives us a family, wants to build a family, with children, lots of children.
I’m not jealous. I’m not.
“Oh, I’m not married.” Levi lifts a hand and scratches under his chin, his fingertips forcing the scruff to make a sound like sandpaper on fresh wood, and I wonder what those coarse hairs would feel like against my jaw, along my neck, between my thighs.
Wait? What?! I should not be thinking such things about my aunt’s ex-husband’s younger brother who is still hot as hell even as he ages.
“Yeah, it’s a long story, but yes, I have a kid. A son. His name is AJ.” Pride fills his voice. “He’s six months old.”
And another ball drops, shattering my heart. He wasn’t kidding when he said he had a baby. Six months is practically an infant. It’s a precious time. All that new growth and discovery, and new words, and first steps, and my heart aches again. A shaky hand comes to my forehead, fingers pressing across the tight skin, certain baby fever is evident over my brows.
“I can’t wait to meet him,” I whisper. The words are rough, hardly hiding my heartbreak as they leak out. Not jealous. Levi’s forehead furrows as his eyes assess my face.
“Tricia tells me you’re successful.” It’s an odd comment, one reminding me we are virtually strangers at this point in our lives and I’m not good with small talk. I like to talk, now, a lot, but not with idle chit-chat to fill the space.
“I . . . were you needing this?” I hitch a thumb over my shoulder, recalling our position. Me just inside the bathroom. Him just outside of it.
“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” We do this awkward shuffle where he steps back, but not far enough, and I step out, but we’re still too close. Then his hands catch me again, and I feel as if I’m tugged to him, which is a ridiculous thought. My palms flatten on his firm chest again, squeezing this time, just getting an extra feel of his strength, which is equally embarrassing, as his brows hitch, aware of my touch.
Then he smiles. His red mouth curls. Those dimples beam. My mouth waters.
Will he kiss me?
What in the name of Hades? He isn’t going to kiss me.
“It’s great to see you again, sweet girl,” he whispers, his gaze lowering to my mouth once more, and I’m very much in fear that Levi Walker does remember that kiss with a teenage girl.
And it’s a memory he probably wishes he could forget.
Original Playlist
For Touch Screen 2015
“I’ll Be Seeing You” – Nataly Dawn
“Let Her Go” – Passenger
“A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More Touch Me”
– Fall Out Boys
“In My Life” – The Beatles
“You and Me” – Lifehouse
“If I Fell” – The Beatles, performed by Evan Rachel Woods
“Back to Black” – Amy Winehouse
“Over” – Black Shelton
“Run (featuring Sugarland)” – Matt Nathanson
“Come Away With Me” – Norah Jones
“A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More ‘Touch Me’”
– Vitamin String Quartet
“Wrecking Ball” – Miley Cyrus
“If I Die Young” – The Band Perry
“Wake Me Up” – Avicii
“In Love With A Girl” – Gavin DeGraw
“Say Something (featuring Christina Aguilera)
– A Great Big World
“Apart From Me” – The Avett Brothers
“Shoot The Moon” – Norah Jones
“Give Me Love” – Ed Sheeran
“Love Me Again” – John Newman
(L)ittle (B)its of Gratitude
Scene: The Final Act
Admittedly, during a world pandemic in 2020 was not the time to decide to rewrite five books in my first series plus a spin-off (which was not part of the original rewrite plan). But once committed to an idea, this author must follow through. So, it was in November 2019 that inspiration and motivation to rewrite the Sensations Collection, improving both syntax and plotlines of the Carters and Scotts. This journey back to my first series, written and published in 2014 and 2015 was a true joy and labor of love.
First and foremost, I’d like to thank Mel for sticking with me with tough love and motivating speeches to get it ‘better’. To Jenny, who worked with my crazy deadlines and pulled off some late nights of her own to meet mine. To Karen, for last minute touches to get it right, and to the Always ARC team readers who found any word left behind.
A second THANK YOU to those members of the Always ARC team, L.B. Lovelies, who read or re-read as the case may be, five books in a manner of five months to help me rebuild lost reviews from the unpublishing of the first series. Your support means everything to me and as I’ve said in the group – this is my dream, so thank you for keeping it alive.
Finally, I want to thank the city of Elk Rapids, Michigan, for being the original inspiration for the Carters and the Scotts, and continuing to be the inspiration as the stories were improved. I’d like to hope I brought a small corner of the real place alive to readers to honor me with purchasing these books.
Always, thank you to Mr. Dunbar, MD, MK, JR and A, who have been on the journey with me where it all started as just a dream about a man and his child, which turned into a book, and then five, and then twenty-five more books having nothing to do with the first collection. I love you all as much as the Carters and Scotts love their families.
About the Author
Love Notes
www.lbdunbar.com
L.B. Dunbar has an over-active imagination. To her benefit, such creativity has led to over thirty romance novels, including those offering a second chance at love over 40. Her signature works include the #s
exysilverfoxes collection of mature males and feisty vixens ready for romance in their prime years. She’s also written stories of small-town romance (Heart Collection), rock star mayhem (The Legendary Rock Stars Series), and a twist on intrigue and redemption (Redemption Island Duet). She’s had several alter egos including elda lore, a writer of romantic magical realism through mythological retellings (Modern Descendants). In another life, she wanted to be an anthropologist and journalist. Instead, she was a middle school language arts teacher. The greatest story in her life is with the one and only, and their four grown children. Learn more about L.B. Dunbar by joining her reader group on Facebook (Loving L.B.) or subscribing to her newsletter (Love Notes).
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Other Books by L.B. Dunbar
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
More by L.B. Dunbar
Keep in touch with L.B. Dunbar
Excerpt of A Heart Remembers
(L)ittle (B)its of Gratitude
About the Author