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lap. She hesitated as she put her hand on the box’s lid. Her eyes met his and she saw a world of emotions in his gaze.
    The lid opened easily and she caught her breath. Nestled in a bed of white satin was a fine gold bracelet. The bracelet was made with two slender bangles connected by a heart at the top, and by a gold chain at the bottom.
    “I love it, Blake.” Warmth flowed through her heart as she looked up at him. “It’s beautiful.”
    “Read the inscription.” He took the bracelet out of the box and held it in his palm. His hand was so big and the bracelet looked small and delicate against it.
    Her breathing was fast as she looked at the beautiful gift he had given her. Inside, the inscription read, “You’ll always be my little KitCat. Love, Blake.”
    She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
    He clasped it on her wrist. “That’s so you’ll never forget that I love you.”
    “You know how much I love you, too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was a kiss filled with everything she felt for Blake. It was more than love. It was more than caring. It was a deep friendship between two people who loved each other so much that it could never be taken away.
    The box and ribbon scattered on the floor of the loft as she rolled onto her back in the hay and he rolled on top of her. His weight felt comfortable, like he belonged there, his narrow hips between her thighs.
    They had never made love even though it was clear that they’d wanted each other for a long time. Maybe they were just waiting for the right moment. Or maybe he had been waiting until she was eighteen.
    Regardless, none of it mattered. He was all hers and she wanted him in every way possible.
    Lightning crashed and heavy rain pounded the barn roof as Blake kissed her and touched her gently in all the right places. He caused her to sigh and moan and cry out. He drove her crazy with the want and need that had been building inside her for so very long.
    A frenzy of need took hold of her and she arched up to him as he slid between her thighs—
     
    Cat sat up in bed, her heart pounding and aching all at once. She felt unfulfilled and her belly clenched with longing.
    She hadn’t had that dream in so long… When she’d left Blake, the dream and her mistake had haunted her for years. Over time, the dream had faded. She should have known it would come back once she saw him again. She’d thought her heart was healed, but this just proved that nineteen years hadn’t been anywhere near enough time away from him.
    She pushed the covers aside, slid out of bed, and went to her antique wood jewelry box. She was surprised to realize that her hands were shaking a little as she reached into the hidden pocket at the back. Her fingers touched cool metal and she drew out the gold bracelet that Blake had given her for her eighteenth birthday… The stormy night she’d lost her virginity to the man she loved.
    That night they hadn’t been kids anymore. They’d been a man and a woman in love.
    The fight had come six months later, and then she’d gone and thrown it all away.
    She hadn’t looked at the bracelet for nineteen years. It was a wonder she even remembered she had it. She turned the bracelet so that it caught the light and she could see the inscription on the back.
    You’ll always be my little KitCat. Love, Blake.
    A tear almost made its way to her eye but she managed to hold it back. Damn. Damn, damn, damn. She was thirty seven years old now, too old to be sick over lost young love.
    She slipped the gold bracelet back into its secret pocket and closed the jewelry box. Even though a part of her wanted to cry for that lost love, the other part of her knew that it was useless. It had been a long time ago. Whatever love had been there was long gone, and there was nothing to cry over any more.
    She pushed her fingers through her hair and wandered into the living room and went up to Sam’s cage.
    “Been up all night?” Cat bent and