Animal Prints: Sweet Small Town Contemporary Romance (Michigan Moonlight Book 1) by May Williams Page A

didn’t notice any effect.”
    “Isolated cottage, wine, dinner. What else, Collie? Candles, firelight?”
    “Yes,” Colette admitted in a small voice, “but nothing happened.”  
    “Nothing, but a whole bunch of romance.” Lexy sighed. “Romance disappeared somewhere between the second and third child.”
    “It comes back.” Jade patted her elder daughter’s hand. “Collie, we’ve got a full schedule this afternoon. If you’re going to have time to clean up for your date, we better start seeing patients.”
    “I can’t go on a date with him. I don’t even know him.” The panic rose in Colette’s throat.  
    “You should go.” Jade reached across the table and squeezed Colette’s arm. “Are you meeting him there?”
    “Yeah.” Colette lifted her head from the table and met her mother’s eyes. Her mother’s steady gaze helped her regain her self-control.
    “Smart girl. Now, both of you, go back to work.” With a wave, the elder Peterson dismissed her daughters.

    Colette hustled around the last corner on her way to Eileen’s at exactly seven that evening. She glimpsed the sparkling waters of Little Traverse Bay between the downtown buildings, enjoying how the water danced with the light breeze, jumping up in little splashes—like what her heart was doing. She wanted to see Ian, wanted to spend more than one summer evening with him, but she needed answers to some questions.
    Questions and answers she should have considered on the island, but she got distracted— easily distracted—by him. A situation that wasn’t going to change, she realized, when she saw him standing outside the restaurant. His khaki pants and open-collared blue shirt were crisp, new, and seemingly designed to enhance his physique. She hoped the green sun dress and kitten heels she’d chosen did the same for her, since she’d agonized more over her outfit for tonight than she had since her senior prom.
    With his attention focused on a slice of bay through the buildings, he hadn’t noticed her yet. His fingers rubbed together like he was itching to have his camera in his hands to capture the brilliant blue water and the golden light. A sudden breeze caught her hair, blowing it across her face. When she’d tamed it behind her shoulders, she felt his gaze on her face. He had an intensity about him that she’d never seen in anyone else. It was as though he absorbed every detail simultaneously. ++
    She smiled despite the scrutiny. Maybe she could make this a friendly conversation versus the FBI style interrogation she’d planned in her head throughout the afternoon.
    “Hi,” she said, quaking a little under his gaze. “Am I late?”
    “Nope. Right on time.” His eyes dropped down her figure and she held her breath. What was he thinking? He took her hand, stroking his thumb over its back. “You look beautiful,” he whispered and leaned closer, brushing his lips against her cheek.
    Disappointment was her first emotion. She wanted a kiss like they’d shared on the ferry, but perhaps he was just being considerate. They were on a street in her hometown. Either way, it was a good reminder to keep a little distance between them. For now.
    “Ready to eat?” he asked.
    “Always. Lead on.”  
    Inside the restaurant, the hostess took them to a corner booth, isolated and romantic with a little spray of roses waiting on the table. She slid around the booth, putting her purse and shawl between them on the seat. Distance, she reminded herself. Questions needed to be answered.
    “I hear the wine cellar here is very good. What do you like? A Michigan wine?”  
    “Whatever you’re having,” she responded, studying him in the dim light of the restaurant. He sure didn’t look like a man who would cause her heartache and trouble. When he ordered a local Merlot after listening to the advice of the waiter, her sister’s plan came back into her mind. She’d get him to talk about himself over the wine and learn what she needed