Greetings from Melbourne, Australia, and as always, thanks to Delilah for making her blog page, one of my favourite places to visit.
Let’s talk firsts.
First crush. First kiss. First love.
Katelyn Jennings can answer all three with one name. Dane Browne.
Most know him as the GOAT of Australian Rules Football. A midfielder with a pile of accolades who has a humble nature and is generous with his time.
Katelyn remembers him as a sweet and sometimes goofy teen who stole her heart. Her crush on him, before their fifteenth birthday, came after his mother lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Their first kiss on Valentine’s Day, six months later was the start of their love story.
As she discovers, promises can’t always be kept and at eighteen, their split is heartbreaking. After moving to Kingston Creek to be with her family, she makes a new life for herself. That is, until a trip to the supermarket changes her fate…
Excerpt from The Athlete by Deb Robinson:
Dane Browne followed Jess, his brother’s fiancé, down aisle after aisle while navigating the wonkiest trolley known to mankind.
When he considered exercise to combat his fatigue from the three hour drive to Kingston Creek, this was not what he had in mind. A run would’ve been better. Or some warm up drills. He was usually at peace with himself whenever he exercised.
‘Crap!’ Jess exclaimed when they were halfway down the final aisle. ‘I forgot to get toothpaste. We have to go back to the personal care section. Then I promise we’re done and we can get some lunch.’
On the way back to aisle seven, his trolley collided with another, steered by an elderly lady. The woman gave him the filthiest glare. And as he rounded the corner, he almost wiped out a cereal display. That was followed by lingering stares from two guys and one female. Just as well his on-field skills weren’t like this. He pushed his niggling thoughts aside and concentrated on the task at hand.
‘Dane?’
Here we go…
‘Dane Browne, is that you?’
He prepared himself for the stock standard football conversation he’d undertaken more times than there were days in a year. And as his head turned, his gaze latched onto familiar and pretty amber eyes. The surprised yet beautiful smile was just as familiar.
‘Katelyn!’ He was as flabbergasted as she appeared to be. ‘What’re you doing here?’
‘I could ask you the same thing.’
He saw Katelyn’s gaze slide across to his shopping companion before it lingered, long and hard.
‘Congratulations!’
Huh?Â
‘Obviously your engagement hasn’t been unearthed yet or it’d be splashed across every media site there is.’
‘No…’ He looked from Katelyn to Jess and saw the rock gleaming brazenly on her ring finger. ‘Shit, no!’
Jess honed in on him, hands on hips as a scowl crossed her face. ‘And just what’s that supposed to mean?’
‘I didn’t mean that…’ This was going from awkward to painful, by the nanosecond. He took a calming breath just as he did right before he lined up to kick a goal. ‘Katelyn, this is Jess, my soon to be sister-in-law.’
‘Oh!’ Katelyn’s expression softened before a grin broke out. ‘Which Browne brother are you marrying? Ooh, can I take a guess?’
‘Sure,’ replied Jess with a bright and friendly grin.
The three of them took up the space in the middle of the aisle and as an elderly man approached, they moved aside while waiting for him to slither past.
‘It can’t be Zane. And from what I remember, I always doubted that Blaine… I mean Blayze, would ever marry, so that leaves Dane’s older brothers.’
While she spoke, he took in the honey blonde hair that was pulled up into a ponytail. He couldn’t tell if it was shorter than he remembered.
‘I’d have to guess Kane.’
‘And you’d be right…’ Jess laughed. ‘You obviously know the brothers well.’
‘Katelyn was my girlfriend in high school,’ he explained.
‘Okay…’ Jess looked from Katelyn to him. ‘How about I take the trolley and make a start at the checkout? You guys catch up. It was lovely to meet you, Katelyn.’
‘Thanks, Jess…’ Katelyn’s tone sounded a little breathless. Unsteady. ‘It was nice to meet you, too.’
As Jess wheeled the trolley away and much to his annoyance, quite easily, his gaze returned to Katelyn.
‘So, how’ve you been?’ He’d never really been good with small talk. It always felt uneasy and forced. ‘It’s good to see you.’
Trying to act nonchalant, he rested his elbow on the nearest shelf. And subsequently knocked down multiple boxes of condoms. Their weightless drop to the floor was as audible as a pin dropping in a silent room.
‘Shit!’
He and Katelyn hadn’t seen each other since they were eighteen. This moment eight and a half years later was far from a best on ground performance.
The Athlete
‘Dane was easy. All he wanted, was to play footy.’
Recently ‘The Great Dane’ Browne has been questioning whether he can return to the elite level of Australian Rules Football and more importantly, whether he wants to.
Katelyn Jennings has never really made peace with her breakup with her high school sweetheart and for good reason. But a chance meeting will put her heart and her life through the ultimate test.
They’re about to discover whether you can move on from your first love. And for Dane, it’s about discovering who he really is AWAY from the game.
This sexy, contemporary romance is sweet & spicy and will warm your heart. It includes brotherly banter and a HEA.
Book two in the 5 Shades of Brothers Browne series.
Pre-order your copy here!
The Athlete is the second book in the 5 Shades of Brothers Browne series and is Available on e-book as a pre-order NOW with official release expected on July 3rd.
High school sweethearts √
Second Chance at love √
Sweet and Spicy √
Browne brothers’ banter √
FREE Read
To celebrate the pre-order and my third blog with Delilah, I have a FREEBIE…
Book 1 in the series, The Cop is now available on e-book for a limited time at
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