Stealing His

Heart:

A Sweet

Contemporary

Romance

(Finding Love,

Book 2)

Delaney Cameron

All rights reserved. No part of this e-
book can be reproduced, distributed, or
transmitted without the written
permission of the author.

This book is fiction and its characters are
purely a manifestation of the imagination
of the author. Any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, places, and
events is entirely coincidental. (28)

Other books by Delaney Cameron:

Team Mom: A Sweet Contemporary
Romance (Finding Love, Book 1)
Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary
Romance
Finding Allie: A Sweet Regency
Romance Novella

For updates or to sign up for my
newsletter, please go to:

delaneycameron.weebly.com

Dedication

To Ryan: thank you for showing me

that an illness doesn’t have to define who

you are.

Prologue

Matt smiled at the animated conversation
being tossed around among the various
members of Ian’s family. This
experience was so different from his
own. His father hadn’t been around
enough to count on, and his mother died
when he was a teenager. The only family
he had was Eric, and they hadn’t seen
each other in months.

His older brother had crowned a

fantastic career as a college pitcher by
getting drafted. He was currently playing
with his minor league team in Vero
Beach, Florida. Matt had joined the
army out of high school. He’d been at Ft.
Benning for the past eleven months, and

was due to be shipped to Iraq in a few
weeks.

Sensing movement around him, Matt

looked up guiltily, hoping no one had
noticed his preoccupation. Several men
were leaving the deck, presumably to
build a bonfire. Tonight’s celebration
was in honor of Katie’s birthday, the
oldest of Ian’s three sisters. She was
also the girl Ian had been trying to set
him up with since they came home on
leave.

It hadn’t been easy, but so far Matt

had managed to avoid his friend’s
scheming. In his mind, there wasn’t any
point in getting involved with someone
right before he left the country. His
glance went to the far end of the deck

where Ian had cornered his girlfriend
Faith. No need to worry about him for a
while. Smiling faintly, he stood up and
walked over to an oversized cooler
sitting outside the door leading into the
house.

Childish laughter, carried by a sultry

summer evening breeze, reached his
ears. It was a stark reminder of how
quickly time was slipping away. Where
would he be this time next year? He
lifted the lid of the cooler and surveyed
the contents before plunging his hand
into the melting ice. After finding what
he wanted, he wiped the dripping can on
his shirt.

“Don’t you know soda is bad for

you?”

A quick glance over his shoulder

confirmed that he hadn’t imagined the
high-pitched voice. A young girl was
standing behind him, hands on her hips
and head tilted to the side. “I do know,
but I thought that since this is a party, I
could have one.”

“That’s your second. You drank one

before dinner.”

Matt popped open the lid and took a

drink. “How do you know?”

“I was watching you.”
“Why were you watching me?” he

asked as he resumed his seat. This was
taken as an invitation to sit on the arm of
his chair.

“I wanted to see what all the fuss is

about.”

“All the fuss about what?”
“About you. Katie and her friends

haven’t stopped talking about you since I
got here. I wanted to see you for
myself.”

“And now that you have, what do

you think?”

Her tip-tilted nose twitched slightly.

“Oh, you’re nice enough, I guess; but
your eyes don’t remind me of melted
chocolate. Natalie says the silliest things
sometimes.”

Matt choked on a laugh. “Who’s

Natalie?”

“One of Katie’s friends. Let’s not

talk about them anymore. I want to know
why you look sad.”

“I didn’t realize I was looking sad.”

She tapped her chin with her finger

several times. “You’re not now, but you
were earlier.”

“Hmm. I’ll have to remember to

smile more.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”
He stared down at her in surprise.

She was a persistent little thing.
“There’s nothing to tell.”

“My mom says it isn’t good to keep

things inside. You need to let it out.”

His mother had said something

similar. He wished he’d taken more
time to talk to her when she’d been
alive. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She leaned toward him and lowered

her voice. “You should go talk to Katie.
Then maybe you won’t be sad.”

Had Ian put her up to this? It was

definitely something he’d do. “I’d
rather stay here with you.”

Her blue eyes widened. “Why? I’m

not that interesting.”

“Who told you that?”
There was the merest hint of a shrug.

“It’s kind of obvious when no one wants
to talk to you.”

“I’m talking to you.”
A small hand came to rest on his

arm.

“You’re nice. If I was older, I

wouldn’t mind being your girlfriend.”

Matt tugged on one of the pigtails

hanging over her shoulder. “Should I
come back when you’re all grown up?”

“I’m only twelve. You’d have to

wait a long time.”

“Girls like you are worth the wait. I

think they got the fire started. We should
probably head that way.”

She stood up and reached for his

hand. “Can I sit with you while we make
s’mores?”

“If you want to.”
The sound of voices behind them

caused her steps to quicken. “We need to
hurry. Once the little kids get here, there
won’t be anything left.”

Matt hid a smile. “I haven’t had

s’mores since my one and only Boy
Scout camp.” He’d lasted exactly two
days before the troop leaders called his
mother to come get him. Looking back
now, he couldn’t blame them for wanting

him gone. In forty-eight hours, he got a
fish hook stuck in his arm that required a
trip to the ER, fell out of a tree, and
bloodied the nose of the kid who’d
dared to make fun of a girl he liked. That
last one had been the only part of the
trip he enjoyed.

“I like my marshmallow almost burnt

because then it’s crispy on the outside
and all melted on the inside.”

“Me, too,” he agreed with a grin.
Once they reached the picnic table

set up some distance from the blazing
fire, she thrust two sticks and a bag of
marshmallows at him while she grabbed
a box of graham crackers and handful of
Hershey bars.

“I don’t think we’ll have to worry

about running out of anything,” he
murmured as he followed her to a
wooden bench nearby.

A half hour later, the combination of

a heavy meal and a too-sweet dessert
were having their inevitable effect on
Matt. His stomach was in full protest.
That obviously wasn’t the case for his
companion. In something like awe, he
watched her stuff another gooey
marshmallow in her mouth. “How many
of those have you eaten?”

She looked up at him. “Four. Or is it

five? I’m not really sure. When are you
going to do it?”

“Do what?” he asked, wishing he’d

stopped at one. He’d have to hit the gym
early tomorrow to undo today’s

indulgences.

“Go talk to Katie.”
“I never said I was going to talk to

her. I hardly know her.”

A shrewd look entered her face.

“That’s the point of taking a walk.”

“How do you know so much about

this?” he asked suspiciously.

“I read some of my mom’s old

romance books. They were hidden in the
attic.” She stopped to lick her sticky
fingers. When that didn’t work, she
wiped them on her shorts.

“You can’t believe all that stuff you

read in books.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know that, but

you have to be alone with a girl to kiss
her.”

Matt sat up abruptly. “Who said

anything about kissing her?”

“You have to. She’ll be expecting

it.”

“Now you’re scaring me.”
“Look, Katie’s walking toward the

house, and she’s by herself. It couldn’t
be better.”

“You’re starting to sound like Ian.”
Her mouth turned down. “Ian’s

leaving soon. Are you going away, too?”

“Yes.” He moved the bag of

marshmallows out of reach. “You’re
going to make yourself sick.”

“How long will you be gone?”
“Long enough for you to forget all

about me.”

“I won’t forget you.”

“That’s what they all say.”
She stood up, sticky hands on her

hips, remnants of marshmallow and
chocolate stuck to her cheeks. “Well, I’m
not them.”

“No, you’re not,” he agreed slowly.

“Like I said earlier, you’re a girl worth
waiting for.”

Chapter One

Nine years later…
As Darcy waited offstage for her cue,
she wondered how she’d let herself get
talked into this. She’d just finished a
summer internship followed by a frantic
day of packing up the contents of her
apartment. Filling in for one of the
actresses in her sister’s play wasn’t
what she’d envisioned doing within days
of her return to St. Marys. Instead of
soaking up rays on the beach, she’d been
stuck learning lines and helping Cason
scour thrift stores for props.

With a shake of her head, she

returned her attention to the stage. If she
could get through the next half hour, this

particular ordeal would be behind her.
She wiped a bead of moisture from her
face and tried to ignore the urge to rip
off the itchy red wig resting on her head.
Thankfully, she only appeared in a few
scenes, but this final one involved
getting up close and personal with a man
she’d met exactly two times. Gerard was
personable and good-looking, but that
didn’t make it any easier to kiss him.

Cason had complained about her

efforts in that direction after the dress
rehearsal the night before. You should
have seen your face, Darcy. You looked
as if he was trying to bite you. You act
like you’ve never been kissed before.
What would her sister say if she
admitted that she hadn’t? More to the

point, what girl in her right mind would
want her first kiss to be from a stranger
in a play?

The pealing of a bell penetrated her

thoughts. Her head snapped up in time to
see a hand waving frantically from the
opposite side of the stage. Great! She
missed her cue. Cason was going to kill
her. With a burst of movement that
would certainly bring censure later, she
stepped out of the shadows and
delivered the first of her lines in a voice
she hoped could be heard beyond the
third row.

Several minutes elapsed before she

ceased to be aware of the pounding in
her chest and felt reasonably certain she
wasn’t going to faint. Her hands were

slightly damp, but nothing short of
getting this scene out of the way was
likely to cure that.

Gerard was moving toward her with

a smile that should have settled the
tension in her stomach instead of making
it worse. He clasped her hands - the
ones that were definitely still sweaty -
and raised them to his lips. Darcy tried
not to squirm as his goatee tickled her
skin. She closed her mind off to
everything but the man in front of her,
silently applauding his acting ability and
shamefully aware of how little help she
was giving him. It couldn’t be enjoyable
to work with a statue, which is what
Darcy looked and felt like.

As he led her to the couch, she felt a

sudden urge to laugh. Gerard was about
to say the words most women dream of
hearing. Instead of being scared, she
should take a moment to enjoy the
experience. This was probably the
closest she’d ever get to hearing a man
tell her that he loved her.

* * * * *

Matt’s chin fell forward to his chest, the
jolting action snapping his eyes open and
bringing with it the realization that he’d
fallen asleep. Again. He peered down at
his watch, trying to read the dial without
appearing to do so. How much longer
could this play possibly last? This
wasn’t a Broadway show; it was
amateur theater.

This date didn’t rank as his worst,

but it was definitely in the top three.
Dinner had been an epic failure. It was
impossible to make conversation with a
person whose only verbal offerings
were ‘yes’, ‘no’, and ‘that’s so funny’.
At least his steak had been good. The
drive to the opera house had been no
better. By the time the lights dimmed in
the auditorium, he’d run out of things to
say.

This is what he got for listening to

a twenty year old. Jonathan was too
focused on what a female looked like
rather than what kind of person she was.
Something Matt had been guilty of at that
age, too. He’d quickly found out that
appearance is a poor indication of
compatibility.

The girl he took to prom came to

mind. She had the face of an angel, but
man, did she get mad when he forgot
her birthday. She wrote the date in
shaving cream on the hood of his car. It
was still there when he sold it several
years later. A chuckle escaped him,
drawing an annoyed glance from Vera as
well as the elderly woman seated on his
other side. Not to worry; after tonight,
neither of them would have to see him
again.

He murmured an apology and told

himself to behave. His problem was
he’d been with one person too long. He
didn’t want to start over with someone
else. A twinge of guilt went through him.
It didn’t seem right to be with one girl

and be thinking about another – even if
the girl in question had made no
attempt to hide her boredom with his
company.

Frustrated and trying not to show it,

he lifted his eyes back to the stage. The
cute red-head he’d noticed earlier was
making another appearance. She must be
new at this; the poor girl had that deer-
in-the-headlights look. Not that he
blamed her. He couldn’t imagine being
on a stage in front of an audience.

* * * * *

Gerard was reaching the end of his
monologue. Darcy hoped she didn’t look
as scared as she felt. Her glance moved
to the left of his face and settled on the
back of the brown patchwork sofa. She

noticed a darker spot in the fabric that
seemed to be moving. How could that
be? Blinking her eyes, she looked again,
and her body stiffened. The dark spot
wasn’t a spot at all. It was a huge,
brown spider, and all eight legs were
heading her way. What was she going to
do? At the rate the thing was moving, it
would be upon her in seconds.

The pressure on her fingers

increased. Her glance flew to Gerard’s
face. Oh, no! She was supposed to be
saying something. What was it? Her
eyes darted between the spider, which
seemed to have increased its speed, and
her impatient companion.

Gerard got tired of waiting for a

response that clearly wasn’t coming and

pulled Darcy into his arms. The spider,
startled by the movement, shifted
downward, landing on her shoulder.
From there instinct and panic took over.
Nothing else mattered except putting as
much distance as possible between her
and the spider. A scream loud enough to
be heard by the people waiting in the
lobby erupted from her throat as she
jumped up from the couch and swiped
frantically at the sleeve of her dress.

“Is it gone, Gerard? Is that awful

spider gone?” she shrieked.

After a moment of stunned silence,

the audience roared with laughter.

Darcy’s cheeks flooded with color.

Not only had she embarrassed herself,
but she’d turned what was supposed to

be a touching scene into a farce. Cason
would never forgive her.

In this she was right. In the so-called

green room (which was actually
yellow), Cason fumed and fussed about
never being able to hold up her head in
public. Darcy waited until she ran out of
breath before apologizing again. She
also pointed out that it would be her and
not Cason who would draw all the
attention.

This comment did little to pacify her

sister. All Darcy could do was hope that
her faux pas would be quickly forgotten.

* * * * *

Matt pulled into the parking lot of the
apartment building where Vera lived. An
evening that had grown progressively

more uncomfortable was almost over.
He got out and walked her to the door,
his mind already thinking ahead to the
next day.

“Would you like to come in for a

while? It’s not that late.”

It was, however, too late to save

this evening. “I really should be going. I
have to work tomorrow.”

“I had a great time. Too bad that girl

had to ruin the play by freaking out over
a spider.”

This probably wasn’t the right time

to tell Vera that the spider incident had
been the most exciting moment of their
date. “Maybe she’s allergic to spider
bites.”

She shrugged, and another awkward

pause followed. What was she waiting
on? And then it dawned on him. She
couldn’t be serious. They hadn’t
exchanged fifty words the entire night.
He wasn’t going to make things worse
by pretending to feelings he didn’t
have.

Matt held out his hand, and she took

it after a moment’s hesitation. “Thanks
for a nice evening, Vera. Enjoy the rest
of your weekend.”

“You, too.”
Back in his car, he exhaled a long,

exasperated breath. “Well, that went
about as well as I expected. Maybe I
should stick to something I’m good at –
like fishing.”

By the time he got home, his usual

good humor had risen to the surface.
He’d known this wasn’t going to be
easy. Sarah might not be with him
physically, but she was with him in
every other way.

* * * * *

Darcy frowned as she read the note
taped to her bathroom mirror. Left the
script in the kitchen. You’re playing
Sylvia. The first rehearsal isn’t for ten
days. Plenty of time for you to learn
your lines.

Cason must truly be desperate. It had

only been a week since that disastrous
scene with the spider. No amount of
persuasion was going to get Darcy to
accept another part. Ripping the note
into pieces, she undressed and stepped

into the shower.

The cooling of the water told her it

was time to get out. There would be no
sitting around the house today. She’d
agreed to go to a craft show with her
mother to help sell the canned pickles
and blackberry jam they’d spent the last
four days making. Downstairs in the
kitchen, she poured coffee and
halfheartedly flipped through the script
lying on the table.

“This is worse than the other one,”

Darcy said to the empty room. “Sylvia is
madly in love with her best friend’s
boyfriend. Doesn’t she have any pride?
She needs to go find her own man.”

“What are you talking about?”
She swung around to greet her

mother. “This play Cason wants me to be
in. It reads like a teenager’s diary.” She
turned a few more pages. “Like this
scene, for instance. This Sylvia person
lets a guy who’s engaged to someone
else kiss her. Not only is she boring, but
she’s also the world’s worst best
friend.”

“It sounds like a typical romantic

drama to me. The audience will love it.”

“That doesn’t say much for the

audience.”

Her mother removed a tray of

cupcakes from the refrigerator. “You
should do the play. It will get you out of
the house. Who knows? You might meet
someone.”

Meeting someone wasn’t the

problem. Getting them to stick around
was where things went downhill. Darcy
shook her head. “There are more
enjoyable reasons to get out of the house.
How long before we need to leave?”

“Fifteen minutes.”
“Then I better get going.” She gulped

down the rest of her too-hot coffee and
put her cup in the sink. Back in her room,
she quickly changed into shorts and a t-
shirt. Now she knew why Cason hadn’t
bothered to deliver the news in person.
She hadn’t wanted to be there when
Darcy looked through the script. Well,
her sneaky sister could just forget it. She
didn’t need any help finding things to do.

* * * * *

Matt grabbed a towel from the plastic

bag in the cooler and wiped his face and
neck. At this rate, he was losing water
faster than he could take it in. His glance
swept over the neatly mowed lawn and
stopped at the tall hedge still waiting to
be trimmed. Had he really chosen to
have a landscape business in Georgia
where the late summer temperatures
hovered in the nineties? Not even the
breeze coming off the ocean made any
difference in this kind of heat.

Eric usually did all the trimming, but

his brother had something more
important to do today. Matt’s sister-in-
law Julie had gone into labor a few
hours ago.

As he poured gas into the trimmer, a

beach ball bounced off the cab of his

truck and rolled into the grass. Matt
capped the gasoline can and walked
over to retrieve it. A little girl’s voice
could be heard on the other side of the
privacy fence separating the two yards.

“Mommy, my ball is gone.”
“It’s not gone, darling. I’ll get it.”
A faint smile touched Matt’s lips as

he picked up the ball. He was reminded
of the time he and Eric were tossing a
football around in the backyard. All it
took was one errant pass to break an
expensive bay window. Their mother
had been less than pleased when she
was confronted by an angry next door
neighbor. Neither of them had been able
to sit down for a week after that episode.

He followed the fence to where it

formed a right angle. As he turned the
corner, the gate opened and out walked a
woman. Blonde hair spilled from the
straw hat on her head. She could have
been anywhere between twenty-five and
thirty-five. When their eyes met, she
smiled.

He returned her smile and held out

the ball. “I think this is what you’re
looking for.”

“Yes, it is. Thank you.” She reached

to take it from him.

“No problem.” He pointed to her

head. “You’re well equipped for the
heat. I accidently left my hat at home
today. Big mistake! It’s hot enough out
here to scramble eggs on the pavement.”

A giggle erupted from behind the

gate followed by a freckled face
surrounded by bright red hair. “That’s
silly.”

“Silly?” Matt asked in mock horror,

putting his hands on his hips. “Are you
calling me silly?”

The little girl laughed again. “He’s

funny, isn’t he, Mommy.”

The woman lightly touched the girl’s

head. “It’s not polite to call someone
silly. Thank the nice man for getting your
ball.”

“Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome, but just call me

Matt. Sir makes me feel old.”

“Stella, take the ball and wait for me

in the house.” After the girl ran off, the
woman looked back at Matt. “We just

moved in a few days ago. I’ve been
looking for a lawn service. Are you
taking new customers?”

“Sure am. Does Friday work for

you?”

“That would be great. How do I pay

you? I may not be home when you
come.”

“I take cash or checks. If you’re not

home, I’ll leave an invoice in your
mailbox.”

“Checks? You’re very trusting.”
Matt shrugged. “I’ve found that most

people can be trusted.” He pulled his
phone out of his pocket. “Can I get your
name so I can add you to the schedule?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s Cason Finnegan.”
“Thank you, Cason. I’ll be here next

Friday.

Matt returned to his trimming. This

was the third new account this month. He
and Eric were quickly reaching the point
where they might have to hire a second
crew to handle their growing customer
base. Business had really picked up in
the last two years – more than either of
them expected. Matt gave all the credit
for that to his brother.

Gibson Landscape Company would

never have been more than an idea in
Matt’s head if Eric hadn’t supplied the
capital to buy the equipment. His
celebrity status as a former major league
baseball player hadn’t hurt either. The
name Eric Gibson was marketing gold.

Their success had allowed Matt to

build his dream house. It had been
thrilling to watch the blueprints he and
Sarah poured over for months become a
reality. It had been agonizing to live in
the house without her. Almost as bad as
losing Sarah was the knowledge that he
hadn’t seen it coming. He thought he
knew her as well as he knew himself.
Shouldn’t he have noticed that
something was wrong?

* * * * *

Pine Needle Park was alive with
activity. Artisans from St. Marys as well
as the surrounding communities were
energetically setting up booths in the
grassy area ringed by the pine trees after
which the park was named. As she flung
a white cloth over the oblong table,

Darcy wished she’d remembered to
bring an umbrella. It was already warm
and would only get more so as the day
wore on. Lifting a heavy cardboard box
off the ground, she began arranging
Mason jars in neat rows.

Her mother joined her a few minutes

later, carrying a clear plastic container
of cookies. “I hope I brought enough
baked goods,” she said.

Darcy glanced pointedly at a second

box on the ground. “Are you serious? We
must have twelve dozen cookies and half
that many cupcakes.”

“I don’t like to run out. Whatever I

don’t sell, I can freeze.”

“Since we’ve established that we

have enough, can I have one? I didn’t

have time to eat breakfast.”

Her mother lifted the lid a few

inches, allowing Darcy to slip her hand
inside. “Going without breakfast isn’t
healthy. This is what I was afraid of
when you decided to go away to college.
It’s important to eat regularly and get
enough sleep. In my day, daughters only
left home when they got married.”

“Aren’t you glad times have

changed? You might have been stuck
with me forever.”

Her mother made a sound between a

sigh and a grunt. “The girls of today are
too worried about finding themselves
and having a career. Independence is
great, but it can be carried too far. That
business degree you’re working so hard

to get won’t keep you warm on a cold,
winter night.”

Wasn’t that the truth? And it wasn’t

like Darcy didn’t want someone in her
life. No one seemed to understand how
difficult it was for her to have a
relationship. “I wish we’d brought some
milk to go with the cookies.”

“You’ll have to make do with

lemonade. Let’s go get the rest of the
stuff.”

Darcy followed her mother to the

silver van parked underneath a towering
live oak tree. She pulled on a swath of
moss dangling from the gnarled
branches. “Remember when we gathered
all that Spanish moss to make wreaths
and ended up covered with chigger

bites.”

Her mother nodded as she rummaged

around in the back of the van. “How can
I forget? We spent the next week with
cortisone cream smeared all over our
arms and legs. Can you get that box of
jelly? I’ll get the cupcakes and the
lemonade.”

Darcy felt her phone vibrate. It was

most likely Alison. Her friend was still
walking on air because her boyfriend
had finally proposed. “I’ll get it right
after I check this text. You better get
back to the booth. I’ll be right behind
you.”

“Don’t be long. You know I can’t

make change without writing it out on
paper.”

Darcy pulled out her phone and

glanced at the screen. It wasn’t Alison. It
was the pharmacy. In the rush of coming
home, she almost ran out of medicine.
Thankfully, she’d been able to get her
prescription transferred here. As much
as she hated taking pills, she knew the
consequences if she didn’t. Grabbing the
box of jelly, she closed the rear door of
the van and hurried after her mother.

* * * * *

Matt stood by his brother’s side, both of
them looking at the sleeping baby visible
through the window of the newborn
nursery. “I’m glad she looks like Julie.
One of you running around is more than
enough.”

Eric nodded. “You can’t be more

relieved than me. I’m scared to death to
take her home. She looks so small and
fragile, and I don’t know the first thing
about babies.”

“What did you do? Sleep through all

those childbirth classes?”

“There’s a big difference between

doing all that stuff to a doll and having to
do it for a real baby. What if I do
something wrong?”

“You won’t be taking care of Nerina

alone. Julie is going home with you,
too.” Matt started to laugh. “Remember
when I went with her to one of those
classes because you were out of town.
She got so angry; I didn’t think she’d
ever forgive me.”

“What did you expect? You told the

class you were her boyfriend.”

“I didn’t think anyone would actually

believe it.”

“Don’t get me started on the subject

of what people will believe. I lived in
the public eye for too long.”

“At least that’s slowed down a little.

Marrying Julie has lessened your appeal,
at least with the female portion of the
population.”

“Marrying Julie is the best thing

that’s ever happened to me. Today is the
second best thing.”

“Which makes winning the World

Series a distant third. Some of your fans
might think you’ve gone too far.”

“I’ll tell you something, Matt. I

didn’t think I could love Julie any more

than I do, but watching what she went
through to have Nerina gave me a whole
new appreciation for her. Men have it
easy.”

“Don’t let Julie or any other female

hear you say that.”

“Just wait; you’ll see what I mean

when your time comes.”

Matt stepped back from the window,

his dark eyes shadowed. “I thought my
time had come. I was days away from
asking Sarah to marry me, and she tells
me she doesn’t love me anymore. I’m
still trying to process that.”

“All you can do is take one day at a

time. There’s no quick fix. Love is
tenacious. It slips into your heart and
takes over.”

“You’re telling me. Why couldn’t

Sarah have taken my love with her when
she left? It’s not doing me any good. It’s
been five months and three dates that
were memorable for all the wrong
reasons. When your divorce was final, I
couldn’t understand why you wanted to
be left alone. You kept telling me you
weren’t ready. I thought that if you went
out occasionally it would help you get
over Sydney more quickly. Now I know
that it’s not as simple as filling that void
with another person.”

Eric nodded. “It only takes a few

seconds for your heart to break; it can
take weeks, months, and even years for it
to heal. The process is different for
everyone. The only advice I can give

you is stay busy. It sounds obvious, but it
helps. I know you love Sarah; but
believe me, it’s better that she told you
before rather than after you got
married.”

“I know you’re right. Here I am

complaining when you had it so much
worse. At least Sarah didn’t announce
her decision on a talk show.”

A flash of distaste passed over

Eric’s face. “Exactly. Getting over
someone is difficult enough without it
being discussed on the nightly news.”

“All of that is behind you. You’ve

got Julie now.”

“There’s a Julie for you, too. The

right girl is out there waiting for you to
sweep her off her feet.”

Matt sent him a skeptical glance. “So

Sarah wasn’t the right girl? I wish you’d
said something sooner.”

Eric grinned, but refused to take this

obvious bait. “Julie’s parents will be
here tomorrow.”

“You’re going to have a houseful. It’s

a good thing you’ve got a big house.”

“Yeah, and one more won’t hurt, so

don’t start making excuses for why you
can’t come over.”

“That means I have to shave and get

a haircut.”

“Only if you want them to recognize

you.”

Matt looked at his watch. “I better

get over to Pine Needle Park. I promised
your wife I’d pick up her birdhouses.”

“I didn’t think there was a power on

earth that could get you to a craft show.”

“I didn’t either, but have you ever

tried to refuse to do something Julie
asked? It’s impossible.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. I

don’t even fight it anymore.”

“Smart man. See ya later.”

* * * * *

Matt groaned audibly when he saw the
number of booths lining the perimeter of
the park. How was he supposed to find
the birdhouse man in this mass of
confusion? If that wasn’t enough to make
him want to turn and run back to the
truck, there wasn’t a male under fifty in
sight. He felt like one of those fish stuck
in a glass bowl at the pet store.

Crowds weren’t his thing at the best

of times. He couldn’t always pivot fast
enough to get out of the way of a running
child, a kid on a skateboard, or a woman
pushing a stroller. All three of those
hazards were present today.

Taking a deep breath, he dove into

the fray. The first booth was selling
knitted doilies. Behind the table sat his
high school science teacher. She still
looked as stern and unbending as ever.

“Matt Gibson! Is that you, dear?”
Dear? That wasn’t what she’d

called him when she caught him putting
a ‘For Sale’ sign in her front yard.
“Hey, there, Mrs. Bannerman. How are
you?”

“I’m fine. What brings you here

today? Picking up something for your
wife?”

He was picking up something for

another man’s wife. It was a depressing
thought. “I’m looking for the man who
makes birdhouses. Do you know where
he is?”

Her wrinkled face broke into a

smile. “Mrs. Higgleston will know. He’s
her son-in-law. She’s over by the hot
dog cart.”

His piano teacher was still alive?

Mrs. Higgleston had to be in her
eighties. The last time she’d seen Matt,
he’d been a skinny fifteen-year-old with
acne. Would she even remember him?

“Thank you, Mrs. Bannerman.”
By the time he made his way through

the throng, Mrs. Higgleston had bought
her hot dog and moved on. He tracked
her down in front of a table selling
cookies, cupcakes and something in
Mason jars. Not wanting to interrupt the
animated conversation she was having
with a man wearing an enormous
cowboy hat, Matt stationed himself close
by and tried to blend in.

To his left, a little boy straddling a

bicycle that looked too big for him was
talking to an attractive young woman on
the other side of the table. The way the
child’s eyes kept straying to the spread
of treats brought a grin to Matt’s face.

“Are those chocolate chip cookies?”

the boy finally asked, pointing to the
ones closest to him.

“Sure are. I’ve also got oatmeal

raisin.”

“Do they have nuts in them?”
“No nuts.”
“I’ll take a chocolate chip cookie

and some lemonade.”

“Good choice.”
A small hand grabbed a plastic cup

and filled it with the pale yellow drink.
Then the woman wrapped not one, but
two cookies in a napkin. A handful of
change was offered and refused. After
the boy ran off, she reached into her
pocket, took out a few wrinkled dollar
bills and pushed them through the
opening in the plastic lid of a large tin
can.

“You may have started something

you’re going to regret,” Matt told her as
he stepped into the gap left by the boy.

She glanced his way, her eyes

widening enough for him to notice that
they were somewhere between dark blue
and gray. A strange expression passed
briefly over her face. “You’re probably
right. Can I get you something?”

He picked up one of the jars. “Are

these sweet pickles?”

“They are, but the official name is

bread and butter pickles.”

“Did you make them?”
Slim fingers with pale pink nails

pushed a few loose strands of wavy,
dark blonde hair behind her ear. It was
then he noticed the scar running down
the side of her neck.

“Only if you count holding the

funnel, putting on the lids and making the
labels.”

“I think we can count that. I’ll take

two jars.”

“That’ll be three dollars.”
Matt removed a ten-dollar bill from

his wallet and handed it to her. “Keep
the change for your lemonade fund.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she

protested, her eyes not quite meeting his.

She must have noticed his leg. He

knew that seeing it made some people
uncomfortable. “I want to.” He glanced
around. “Now, where did she go? She
was right here.”

“Who are you talking about?”
“Mrs. Higgleston. For an elderly

lady, she moves fast.”

The girl stood on tiptoe and looked

around. “She’s over by the pies.”

“Then I better hurry before she

leaves again. Thanks for the pickles.”

She smiled at him, just as she’d done

to the little boy. “You’re welcome. I
hope you like them.”

He felt a flicker of recognition strong

enough to make him wonder if they’d
met before. The next moment the feeling
was gone, leaving him staring at her
foolishly. He hurriedly grabbed the
Mason jars and turned away. He didn’t
have time for this. He needed to find
his former piano teacher, pick up the
birdhouses for Julie, and get out of
here.

* * * * *

Darcy’s glance lingered on the dark hair
and broad shoulders before dropping to
the shiny, black prosthesis extending
from just above his knee into his running
shoe. Dismay mixed with the shock
radiating through her. The last time she’d
seen him, he hadn’t been missing part of
his leg.

He hadn’t recognized her. But then

again, why would he? Their one and
only meeting wouldn’t have meant much
to him. It shouldn’t have meant anything
to her, either. But it had. She’d never
forgotten the young man with kind eyes
who told her she was a girl worth
waiting for. What had been just words to
him had stolen her heart. For years, she

dreamed of the day he’d come back to
find her grown up and so beautiful that
he’d fall instantly in love with her.

As she got older, the image she

carried in her mind blurred, but it never
completely disappeared. It was always
there in the shadows of her
consciousness. The boys in her classes
didn’t stand a chance when compared to
a hero whose likeness and persona had
been rendered perfect by the passage of
time. Who could compete with a guy
who possessed no flaws?

By the time she reached high school,

her practical side had convinced her
romantic side to stop living in the past.
She couldn’t keep waiting on something
that was never going to happen. It was

time to grow up. The silly infatuation
she’d been nursing for so long had to
end.

Until a few minutes ago, she would

have said she’d been successful in
putting that incident behind her. But does
the heart truly forget? Or does it lock
away those memories until the person
comes along who has the key? A wistful
smile touched Darcy’s lips. It didn’t
matter what the answer was because it
was too late. Three years too late.

The accident that sent her careening

over an embankment changed everything.
Although she walked out of the hospital
a week later, the head trauma she
suffered left her with recurrent seizures.
The official diagnosis was epilepsy; a

word that on its own strikes fear and
distaste in most people. There were few
aspects of her life that weren’t impacted.
Everyone - even her family - began to
treat her differently.

It didn’t take long for word to get out

at the small college she attended in north
Georgia. When she walked into class,
every eye in the room watched her as if
she might suddenly morph into an alien.
Her social life came to a screeching halt.
Guys didn’t want to be bothered with a
girl who could be fine one minute and
unresponsive the next. Darcy slowly
accepted the truth: she wasn’t dating
material anymore. Worse than that, she
wasn’t sure she was marriage material
either. No matter how she looked at it,

she was a liability.

Her mother’s words broke into her

thoughts.

“Darcy, I can’t find my phone. It’s

not in my pocket or my purse. Your dad
is going to be so upset if I lose another
phone.”

“You didn’t lose it. I remember

seeing it in the cup holder in the van. I’ll
go get it.”

“Oh, did you? That’s a relief.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
After retrieving her mother’s phone,

she noticed Thad - the little boy to whom
she’d given the cookies and lemonade -
sitting cross-legged next to his bike on
the far side of the parking lot. His
attention was fixed on the metal chain

dangling loosely below the pedal.

“Need some help?” she asked.
His head turned in her direction,

streaks of tears making a path down his
grimy face. “Can you fix it?”

Darcy crouched down beside him. “I

can try. Let me see if I remember how
this works.”

As she slid the chain back on the

smaller ring attached to the rear wheel,
her fingers collected a coating of tacky
grease. Hoping she could get it off
before she rejoined her mother, she tried
to loop the chain over the larger ring.
There wasn’t enough slack to go
completely around. What was she doing
wrong? Blowing out a frustrated breath,
she absently wiped her fingers across

her forehead. Great! Now there was
grease on her face, too.

“You make pickles and repair

bicycles. I’m impressed.”

The deep voice caused her to jerk

slightly. Why did it have to be him? She
was a sweaty, greasy mess. Darcy
slowly turned around. “Don’t be. I
obviously don’t know what I’m doing.”

“I’ll be glad to take a look for you.”
Thinking of his leg, she said, “That’s

okay. I can figure it out.”

She might as well have stayed silent.

He lowered his six-foot-plus self to the
ground. Darcy belatedly scooted over,
but not before his shoulder brushed hers.
A pleasant tingle slid down her arm. Get
a grip, Darcy. You’re twenty-one, not

sixteen.

“Now, let’s see what the problem

is.”

When he reached for the chain, she

noticed the tan lines on his sculpted
arms. He obviously spent time outside.
What kind of work could he do?

While she was speculating on his

possible career, he slid the chain over
the top of the larger ring and pushed
forward on the pedal. To her amazement,
the links clicked into place, allowing
him to align the rest of it around the ring.
That had been too easy.

“You’re all set,” he said, looking at

Thad.

“Thanks, mister.”
“You’re welcome.” After Thad

pedaled away, Matt surveyed his hands
and then looked at hers. “It seems we
have the same problem.”

Darcy laughed. “I hope there’s soap

in the bathrooms. I don’t think water
alone is going to get this off.”

“I’ve got some hand soap and paper

towels in my truck. It might not get it all
off, but it’s a start. Come with me.” He
led the way to a white truck with Gibson
Landscape Company written in bright
green letters on its doors and tailgate.

She’d been right about him working

outside.

Reaching into the passenger side, he

grabbed a bottle, and held it poised in
the air. “Hold out your hand.” She did
so, and he pumped a few squirts of gel

into her palm and then his own. “Since
we’ve reached the sharing soap stage,
we should probably introduce ourselves.
I’m Matt Gibson.”

“Darcy Withers.” She braved

another glance at his face. It was the
same and yet different. His features had
matured, acquiring character where
they’d only been boyishly handsome
before. “Are you related to Eric
Gibson?”

Matt nodded as he handed her some

paper towels. “I’m his much less famous
younger brother. Are you a baseball
fan?”

“Not really. My dad is, though. I’ve

heard him talk about Eric. Does your
brother still live here?”

“Sure does. I saw him this morning.

He became a father a few hours ago.”

“Oh, how nice! And you became an

uncle.”

“Yep. Having a baby around is going

to take getting used to.”

That sounded like he didn’t have

children of his own. What about a wife?
“I remember when my sister had my
niece. Everything revolved around the
baby’s schedule.”

“They also require a houseful of

special furniture and gadgets not to
mention the inevitable baby-proofing. I
lost count of how many electrical outlets
Eric and I covered with those plastic
caps.” He tossed the towels back into
the truck. “So, Darcy Withers, what do

you do when you’re not selling pickles
and helping little boys with their
bicycles?”

“Until recently, I was a student at

Brownley College majoring in
economics. Unfortunately, the powers-
that-be decided they don’t want to offer
that degree any longer. So, I came home.
I’m going to take a semester off while I
decide what I want to do.”

He gestured toward the park. “How

much longer do you have to stay?”

“Until we run out of stuff to sell or

five-thirty whichever comes first.”

“That reminds me. I left my pickles

with Mrs. Higgleston. She’s going to
think I bailed on her. I came out here to
make a call because I couldn’t hear

myself think in there.”

“And I’ve been keeping you from

doing that. If you want, I’ll tell Mrs.
Higgleston what you’re doing.”

“That would be great,” he said,

reaching for his phone. “Thanks, Darcy.”

As she turned away, she resisted the

urge to look back at him. In a way, she
wished she hadn’t seen Matt again. It
hadn’t been easy, but she’d come to
terms with the way her life was now.
She didn’t need or want a reminder of
how much she lost when she veered off
the road to avoid an oncoming car.

* * * * *

Matt watched Darcy until she
disappeared into the crowd. Something
strange was going on. He liked to think

he was a rational person - as rational as
someone who’d fought in a war and
survived a catastrophic injury could be -
but maybe he was losing grip on reality.
Maybe losing Sarah had been his tipping
point.

Those talk show psychologists

would have a field day with him. He
could just hear their analysis. Mr.
Gibson’s traumatic experiences in the
military combined with his recent
breakup have resulted in his present
search for familiarity. This is why he
persists in thinking that he and a
woman he just met are already
acquainted.

Whatever the explanation for this

strange phenomenon, it wasn’t going

away. If anything, this feeling that Darcy
wasn’t a stranger was getting stronger. If
he didn’t figure it out soon, he was going
to go crazy. And if he didn’t call Eric, he
was never going to get home.

A few seconds later, his brother’s

voice sounded in his ear. “Having fun?”

“Yes and no. Is your wife available?

I need to ask her a question.”

“She’s feeding Nerina. Tell me what

you need to know, and I’ll ask her.”

“The man sold out of acorn

birdhouses before I got here. He can
make more, but they won’t be ready for
two weeks. Is that okay or should I look
for something else?” Matt heard the
murmur of voices and then Eric was
back.

“She said to order the acorns.”
“Will do. Anything else you need me

to do other than picking up your mail and
taking care of Delilah?”

“I can’t think of anything.”
“In that case, I’ll see you later.”
When Matt walked by Darcy’s table,

she was busy with a customer. After he
ordered Julie’s birdhouses and retrieved
his pickles, he looked in that direction
again on his way to the truck. She wasn’t
there. Maybe that was for the best.
He’d spent too much time thinking
about someone he’d probably never see
again. Never mind the fact that he
couldn’t explain why he was so drawn
to her in the first place.

After getting the much-needed

haircut, he stopped by the grocery store.
All he had at home was a few protein
bars, a package of Oreo cookies and a
gallon of milk. A reminiscent smile
crossed his face. Well, that wasn’t
exactly right; he’d just acquired two
jars of pickles. Grabbing a shopping
cart, he headed to the produce section.

The first person he saw was Sarah.

She must have come from work because
she was still in scrubs, her long hair
loosely arranged in a bun. Memories
sliced through his tired brain of burying
his face in its silky softness. A familiar
ache burned in the region of his chest.

She hadn’t seen him yet. If he moved

now, he could avoid this confrontation.
Unfortunately, the rest of his body

refused to obey. The few months he’d
gone without so much as a glimpse of the
woman who haunted his dreams and
most of his waking moments had been
miserably long. Any pleasure he derived
from seeing her was dimmed by the
knowledge that she didn’t love him.

Her last words returned to him with

painful clarity. We can still be friends. If
she’d suddenly jumped up from the
couch and slapped him, he couldn’t have
been more shocked. Did she have any
idea what she was asking? He shouldn’t
have to explain why such a thing was
impossible. She should know that they’d
shared too much to revert to the
impersonal nature of friendship.

He was on the point of turning away

when someone else stepped into the
scene. Holding his breath, Matt waited
to see if the man was merely another
customer looking for watermelon or
someone who would render this
nightmare complete. When the man’s arm
snaked around Sarah’s waist and his
head bent to kiss her, Matt actually
swayed as if someone had punched him
in the stomach. Part of him wanted to
leave before they saw him, and the other
wanted to rip the guy’s arm out of its
socket. He knew neither of those wants
had a chance of happening.

Through a haze of pain and anger, he

saw Sarah’s head turn in his direction.
The happiness in her face faded, telling
him that she was as dismayed by this

unexpected meeting as he. He nodded,
hoping she would understand his wish to
avoid conversation, or worse, an
introduction to the man who’d taken his
place.

A man with two good legs.
The thought was out before he could

stop it. Had he really sunk this low?
Such sentiments were beneath him and
unfair to Sarah. At no time in their
relationship had she ever had a problem
with his injury. It was okay to be upset
about seeing her kiss someone else; it
wasn’t okay to indulge in ridiculous
conjecture and self-pity.

A long, ragged breath forced its way

out of his lungs when she dipped her
head slightly and walked away.

The emptiness of his pantry was a

minor concern. Matt had lost any desire
for food. It was ironic that a man who’d
spent time in a warzone where every day
carried the potential to be his last could
get so upset about something that in the
scheme of things was trivial. Even so, he
wasn’t going to risk running into them
again as he made his way through the
store.

As he replaced the empty cart and

returned to the truck, he forced himself
to face the unpalatable truth. Sarah had
moved on. She wasn’t coming back to
him. Was this the impetus he needed to
finally put her behind him?

Chapter Two

Darcy closed the front door of Cason’s
house with a guilty feeling of relief.
She’d much rather take Stella to the park
than watch her sister obsess over how to
arrange furniture in the living room.
Glancing at her mother, she said, “Let’s
get out of here before she changes her
mind.”

“Tim has the patience of a saint.”
“I know. I would have locked her in

the attic already.”

Stella giggled and took the hand

Darcy held out to her. “Did you bring the
bubbles, Aunt Darcy?”

“Got them right here in my

backpack.”

“Can we get on the swings first?”
Darcy waited until the threesome had

safely crossed the street before she
answered. “Of course. You’re going to
like living so close to the park. I
remember coming to Lakeside to watch
my cousins play softball. It didn’t have
the huge playground back then.”

“Mommy said you and Grammy are

coming over to stay with me this week
while Stacy’s on vacation.”

Here was yet another complication

of epilepsy. Darcy couldn’t babysit
Stella without another person there. It
was a good thing she’d shelved any
dreams of having children. A mother
who required her own sitter was a
handicap no matter how one looked at

it. “That’s right. I’ve got some fun things
planned for us to do.”

“What kinds of things?”
“Oh, like visiting the zoo, going to

story time at the library, and spending an
afternoon on the beach.”

Stella jumped up and down. “Can

we get ice cream?”

“I think we can fit that into our

schedule.” Darcy guided her group
across the parking lot, through the gate
and up the hill to where the playground
sat overlooking several baseball fields.
“Okay, first things first. Sunscreen.”
Going over to one of the benches, she
delved into the front pouch of the
backpack and retrieved a slim, pink can.
Once she’d sprayed Stella and herself,

she offered it to her mother.

“No, thanks, dear. I’m not planning

to get in the sun. I’m going to sit in the
shade and finish this chapter.”

“Sounds good. We’re off to the

swings.”

Over the next hour, adults and kids

trickled in from the parking lot. The
sound of childish voices and playful
giggles brought a smile to Darcy’s face
as she obeyed Stella’s pleas to be
pushed higher. If only she could go back
to a time when all she had to worry
about was what to wear to school the
next day.

“Can we blow bubbles now, Aunt

Darcy?”

The question jerked her back to the

present. “Sure. We need to find
somewhere less crowded. Let’s go to
that grassy area behind the baseball
field.”

When told about the next activity, her

mother again demurred, hardly removing
her eyes from the book in her hand. “You
two go ahead. Just stay where I can see
you.”

Darcy followed Stella’s erratic

progress down the sloping hill. The
lyrics to “Apples and Bananas” floated
back to her on the breeze. She and
Cason had driven their parents crazy
singing that silly song on car trips.

Once she deemed they were far

enough away from everyone else, she
uncapped two neon orange bottles and

handed one to Stella. “Let’s see who can
blow the most bubbles in five minutes.”

Stella dunked the wand into the

bottle, raised it to her lips and blew so
hard she sprayed Darcy’s face and t-shirt
with the clear, sticky liquid. “Sorry,
Aunt Darcy.”

Darcy laughed as she wiped her

cheeks. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Try again,
and pretend you’re blowing out candles
on your birthday cake.”

The little girl nodded and then

shifted to the side to look at something
beyond Darcy. “Look! There’s that silly
man again.”

“What man?” Darcy asked as she

swung around quickly. About fifteen feet
away, Matt was strolling in their

direction, a disturbing smile on his
handsome face, and a small dog trotting
behind him. Her heart did a queer jump
when their eyes met. Flustered by her
reaction, she said the first thing that
came into her head. “You got a haircut.”

“You don’t have to sound so

regretful. It’ll grow back.” He turned to
Stella. “I told you to call me Matt.”

She stepped closer and bent down to

examine his prosthesis. “What happened
to your leg?”

Darcy glanced at him anxiously.

Would he be offended by the question?

“You mean this?” He indicated the

bandage adorning the muscular calf of
his good leg. “I cut myself shaving this
morning.”

Stella screeched with laughter. “Not

that leg. The other one.”

“Oh, the other one. Why didn’t you

say so? I was in an accident, and the
doctor decided it would be better if he
just gave me a new leg.”

“Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore.”
“Aunt Darcy was in a car accident

once. I heard Mommy and Daddy talking
about it.”

Darcy hoped he wouldn’t ask for

details. The last thing she wanted to do
was get into a discussion about
accidents.

He met her glance briefly and then

indicated the small dog sitting next to his
feet. “In all this excitement, I forgot to

introduce you to Delilah. She actually
belongs to my brother, but he’s a little
busy right now so she’s staying with
me.”

“Delilah? That’s a funny name for a

dog,” Stella pointed out.

“I know. My brother has a strange

sense of humor.”

By this time, Darcy had recovered

sufficiently from the shock of seeing
Matt again to realize something. “How
do you two know each other?”

“I was called into action yesterday

morning to retrieve a beach ball.” When
she continued to look confused, he
explained, “I was mowing the yard next
door to Stella’s house when this huge
object came flying over the fence. If I

hadn’t been paying attention, it might
have knocked me out.”

“It couldn’t have,” Stella protested.

“It only has air in it.”

Matt wagged a finger in her

direction. “I was trying to make the
rescue sound more exciting.”

“Mommy says you’re going to mow

our yard, too.”

“That’s right. I’ll be coming to your

house every Friday.”

Which meant Darcy would probably

see him again. It was ridiculous to feel
so happy about it. The whole situation
was impossible. The more she was
around Matt, the more she would want to
be around him. And the greater chance
that he might remember who she was.

Not that it was some big secret or
would even matter to him. She just
preferred him not to know. No use
digging up the past now.

Stella had abandoned the bubbles

and was trying to entice the dog into her
lap. “Can you bring Delilah with you on
Friday? Aunt Darcy and I could watch
her for you.”

“I wish I could, but I’ll be gone all

day. That’s too long for her to be away
from home.” Matt picked up the bottle of
bubbles and blew some in Darcy’s
direction. “I used to love doing this.
When my brother got married, his wife
didn’t want to do the throwing rice or
birdseed thing; instead, they had
everyone blow bubbles as they left the

reception. I hadn’t done bubbles in at
least twenty years. It was like reliving
my childhood.”

“Twenty years?” Darcy asked. “You

must be older than you look.”

“I’ll be twenty-eight in a few

months.”

That meant he’d been about

nineteen when she met him. It seemed
like a lifetime ago. “So, you’re dog
sitting today, huh?”

“Yeah. Delilah and I came to the

park to get some fresh air. She’s not too
happy about being stuck at my house.”

Darcy bent down and ran her hand

over the soft, brown fur. “That’s
understandable. She’s used to being in a
certain place with certain people. Now

her routine’s been changed. Animals
don’t like change.”

Matt nodded slowly. “I don’t like

change, either.”

“Sometimes change is good;

sometimes it’s less good.”

“Eric ruined Delilah by carrying her

around all the time. The only way I
could get her to go to sleep last night
was to hold her, like Stella’s doing
now.”

How many guys would go to such

lengths to comfort a pet? “You’re
getting practice for when you keep your
niece.”

“Oh, no. I’m not ready for that. I’d

be a nervous wreck.”

Darcy slowly rose to her feet. “I was

the same way when Stella was born, but
that scared feeling gradually goes
away.”

“Hopefully, it will be that way for

me, too.”

“Is Matt short for Matthew?”
“I get asked that a lot. It’s actually

short for Matterson. You’ve got a unique
name, too.”

“My mother’s a Jane Austen fan.”
His heavy brows lifted. “Who’s Jane

Austen?”

“You must not have paid attention in

your English lit classes. She lived in the
1800s and wrote romantic novels. My
name comes from one of the male
characters in Pride and Prejudice. Mr.
Darcy.”

He grinned teasingly. “You don’t

look like a boy to me.”

“I’ve often wondered exactly what

my mother was thinking when she named
me. How long have you been mowing
yards?”

“About three years now. Eric usually

helps me, but he’s taking off this week
because of the baby.”

“Did you play baseball, too?”
“Just little league. Once I got older, I

switched to football.”

“Oh, I love football, especially

college football.”

“Let me see if I can guess what team

you root for.” He narrowed his eyes and
rubbed his chin. “I’ll make the most
obvious choice and go with the Georgia

Bulldogs.”

She shook her head. “Try again.”
“You crossed the border. You’re a

Crimson Tide fan.”

“Here’s a hint. My team isn’t in the

SEC.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “I

thought I was dealing with a serious
college football fan here. Everyone
knows the only real football is played in
the SEC.”

“Those words would start a riot at

my house. My dad played football at
Clemson, and Cason’s husband
graduated from there.”

“Well, at least you’ve got the right

mascot. We’re both Tigers.”

“Oh, no. I’m dealing with an Auburn

fan. You guys are the worst.”

He shook his head sadly. “Now

that’s just hurtful. I bet if you watched a
few games with me you’d be singing a
different tune.”

Darcy ignored the stirring of the silly

butterflies in her stomach. “We’d
probably end up fighting all day.”

“Or really liking each other, but then

again, I’m already well on the way to
that already.”

His words disarmed her completely,

making it difficult to maintain the
detachment she reserved for occasions
like this. Both regret and relief flowed
through her when she heard her mother
calling to her from the playground.

“Darcy, honey, don’t you think we

ought to be getting back to Cason’s
house? It’s almost lunchtime.”

She cupped her hands over her

mouth and yelled, “Be right there.”
Turning back to Matt, she said, “It’s that
time, I guess.”

“I need to think about leaving, too.

Eric is bringing Julie and Nerina home
today, and I’ve been invited to dinner.”

Darcy gathered the bottles of

bubbles and dropped them into her
backpack. “Nerina? There’s another
unusual name. I don’t think I’ve ever
heard it before.”

“It’s my mother’s name.” He

crouched down next to Stella. “Thank
you for taking such good care of
Delilah.”

She reluctantly handed him the dog.

“Maybe when Aunt Darcy brings me
here again, you can come with Delilah.”

“I’d like that.” He ruffled her hair

and stood up. His glance went to Darcy.
“The pickles were really good. Is there
any way I could get more?”

“Of course. The pantry at home is

overflowing with them. How many jars
do you want?”

“Would four be too many?”
“Ten wouldn’t be too many. My

mother is an ambitious gardener. She
must have had at least fifty cucumber
plants and all of them produced well.
I’ll leave your pickles at Cason’s house.
You can pick them up on Friday.”

“Thanks; that would be great.”

* * * * *

As he retraced his steps to the truck,
Matt realized with some surprise that his
headache was gone. Was that the result
of the Advil he’d taken or spending
time with Darcy and Stella? His glance
swung to Delilah; her short legs were
doing their best to keep up with his long
strides. “I’m not the only one who had a
good time, am I?” he asked as he
scooped the dog into his arms. “You
were milking it for all you’re worth.”

It had been convenient to blame his

malaise on staying up too late watching
television. The more likely culprit was
the twenty or so times he’d relived those
harrowing moments in the grocery store
the day before. The hot shower he’d

taken had removed the sleepiness, but
hadn’t improved his mood. Neither had
the discovery that he’d run through his
pathetic supply of food.

This had given him an excuse to get

out of the house. Grabbing Delilah, he’d
hit the first restaurant he came to. After
several chicken biscuits and a large
coffee laced with sugar, he’d felt
marginally better. He hadn’t, however,
relished the idea of going back home
where every room reminded him that he
was alone.

It was at this point that he decided to

go to the park. Delilah would enjoy
running around, and he could check the
progress of the new sod he’d put down
on one of the practice fields. That

decision turned out to be a good one.
During the short time he talked with
Darcy and Stella, he’d managed to forget
about the woman he lost and the new
man in her life.

The ringing of his phone interrupted

his thoughts. It was his best friend’s
widow. The friend he lost the same day
he lost his leg.

“Hey, Faith. How’s it going?”
“Hi, Matt. I hate to bother you, but

I’ve got a flat tire. This is terrible
timing, too. I start a new job tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be right

over.”

Thirty minutes later, the tire had been

changed, and he was standing in Faith’s
tiny kitchen. Delilah was investigating

the laundry room, looking for something
to destroy.

“I haven’t seen you in a while.

How’s life been treating you?” she
asked, handing him a glass of tea.

“Thanks,” he said as he took a drink.

It was hard to believe Ian wouldn’t
walk into the room at any moment. Life
was so unfair sometimes. “Business is
booming. My personal life is another
story. Sarah broke up with me.”

“Oh, Matt, I’m sorry to hear that. The

last time we talked you were looking at
engagement rings.”

He took another long swallow of tea.

“That was just wishful thinking on my
part. What’s this about a new job? I
thought you were happy teaching at the

tech school.”

“The problem was one of the other

teachers. He wouldn’t take no for an
answer.”

His face darkened with anger. “Did

he say anything inappropriate or touch
you?”

Her eyes fell from his. “He made

me…uncomfortable. He’d follow me to
my car, that sort of thing.”

“You should have told me. There are

ways to take care of that.”

“The last thing you need is to get

involved in something like that. Anyway,
it was time for a change. I got a job
teaching at Coastal Georgia in
Brunswick. It’s better pay and shorter
hours.”

“It’s also a longer drive.”
“I only have to be on campus three

days a week and none of my classes are
at night.”

He put his empty glass on the

counter. “That was my next question. I’m
glad you won’t be driving back after
dark.”

Faith laughed. “I made sure of that.

Katie stopped by the other day. She’s
expecting baby number two.”

“Ian tried so hard to get me

interested in her. Given the fact that I’m
still single, I probably should have taken
his advice.”

“Katie has no sense of humor. You’d

have spent most of your time apologizing
for saying the wrong thing.”

He threw his arm around her

shoulders. “You know me too well,
Faith. It’s scary sometimes.”

“I can’t help but know you. We grew

up in the same neighborhood.”

“You adored me until I made the

mistake of introducing you to Ian.”

Faith poked her finger in his chest.

“You didn’t put up much of a fight to
keep me.”

No, he hadn’t. He’d had other

things on his mind. His mother was
dying of cancer. “We were more like
brother and sister.”

“I like to think we still are. Thanks

for fixing my tire.”

“No problem. You can call on me

anytime. Good luck with the new job.”

* * * * *

Darcy knew her mother’s silence during
the walk back to Cason’s house was
merely temporary. As soon as they were
alone, the interrogation into the subject
of Matt would commence. Her mother
needed little incentive to launch into a
full-scale investigation more suited to
solving a crime than discussing her
daughter’s adventures with the opposite
sex.

Events soon proved her right. They

barely made it to the stop sign at the end
of Cason’s street before the floodgates
opened.

“Wasn’t that the man from the craft

show?”

It could hardly be anyone else.

There weren’t that many men in St.
Marys walking around with a
prosthetic leg. “Yes, it was.”

“He’s even better looking without all

that stuff on his face. Did you ever see
such soulful eyes?”

Soulful eyes? Oh, brother. “I didn’t

notice.” What she had noticed was how
they twinkled with humor and made her
feel things she didn’t want to feel.

Her mother went on. “It’s a shame

about his leg. I wonder what happened
to him.”

“He told Stella he was in an

accident.”

“Was it a car accident?”
“He didn’t say, and I don’t know him

well enough to ask.”

“What do you know him well enough

to talk about?”

“College football, mostly.”
Her mother nodded. “That’s a start.

Did you find out his name?”

A half dozen questions in less than

twenty seconds. That must be some kind
of record. “Matt Gibson. He’s that
famous baseball player’s brother.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know Eric

Gibson had a brother. Matt must keep a
low profile. That’s not necessarily a bad
thing. Did he ask for your number or
anything?”

She bit down on her lip to keep from

laughing. Her mother obviously held an
exaggerated view of Darcy’s
attractions. “No. For all I know, he’s

married.”

“I doubt he’s married. He wasn’t

wearing a ring.”

Darcy turned in the seat to look at

her mother. “You couldn’t have seen that
from where you were sitting.”

“No, but I was close enough

yesterday.”

“Why am I surprised by this? I

should know by now that I’m dealing
with a professional.”

“It’s called being practical. There’s

no use getting excited about him if he’s
married.”

Again Darcy had a difficult time

keeping a straight face. “Were you
excited about him? I think that’s
something Dad would be interested in

knowing.”

“Excited for you, darling. You can’t

tell me you weren’t affected. I saw the
way your eyes followed him when he
left our table.”

Was there anything this woman

didn’t notice? “I was looking at his leg.
I hadn’t noticed the prosthesis before.”

“You weren’t looking at his leg

today.”

“How long were you watching us?”
“Long enough.”
“If that’s the case, I’m surprised you

were so eager to get me away from the
park.”

Her mother waved at one of the

neighbors. “That’s all part of the
strategy. It will pique his interest.”

If so, it will be short lived. “Mom,

do you hear yourself? There is no
strategy.”

“Do you know what he does for a

living?”

“He owns a landscape company.”

She didn’t add that Cason had hired him
to do her yard. No one could say she
hadn’t learned anything from that
auditing class last semester. Just answer
the question. Don’t anticipate or
elaborate.

“Hmm. Maybe I should think about

getting him to take care of our yard. Your
father isn’t getting any younger.”

“You’re joking, right? Dad is only

fifty-four and runs two miles every
morning. He’s in better shape than all of

us put together.”

Her mother pulled the van in the

driveway and waited for the garage door
to open. “I need to finish that dress for
Stella. It’s only a week ‘til school starts,
and she wants to wear it on the first
day.”

Darcy seized on this new topic of

conversation as she unbuckled her
seatbelt and reached for her backpack.
“I’ve been asked to French braid her
hair. Apparently, Cason can’t do it
right.”

“What time do we have to be there in

the morning?”

“Seven-thirty.”
“I’ll get up early and make some

apple bran muffins to take with us. The

last time I was over there for breakfast,
all Cason had was pop-tarts and frozen
pancakes. Can you imagine?”

Knowing no answer was expected,

Darcy followed her mother into the
house. She might have been successful in
redirecting her mother’s attention away
from Matt, but she’d failed miserably
with herself. She spent the remainder of
the day alternating between fear and
hope that he’d been serious about
possibly watching football together. Not
that she could accept, but it would be
nice to be asked.

* * * * *

The next morning Matt pulled up to the
garages adjacent to Eric’s house where
their lawn equipment was stored. He

was checking the oil in the lawnmower
when he heard the front door close. A
few minutes later his brother appeared
behind him, face unshaven and lines of
fatigue around his eyes. “Good morning,
sunshine. How’s life with a baby?”

“Never a dull moment.”
Matt looked at him more closely.

“You look terrible. Did you stay up all
night?”

“Nerina eats every two to three

hours. There isn’t time to sleep.”

“Does it take two people to feed

her?”

Eric smiled tiredly. “I’m not

answering that. How’s Delilah?”

“Missing you and Julie. I’m a poor

substitute. I gave her a little treat

yesterday by taking her to the park.”

“You took my dog out in public?

What could have prompted such a brave
act?”

“Being tired of my own company.”
“That sounds about right. How did

the sod look?”

Matt reached for a spool of line for

the trimmer. “Better than I expected. The
rain we got last week helped.”

“Julie loved the pickles you

brought.”

“Good. I’m planning to get more.”
Eric’s brows went up. “You’re

willingly going to another craft show?”

“I found a way around that. I got to

know the person who makes them.”

This produced a knowing grin. “I bet

you did. Is she pretty?”

Very, but she doesn’t seem to know

it. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“I don’t know; you tell me.”
“I don’t have time. I’ve got four

yards to mow and fifty bales of pine
straw to put down.”

As Matt pulled out of the driveway,

he knew his evasive comments hadn’t
fooled his brother. Eric could read him
like the proverbial book. Thankfully, he
wasn’t the kind of person to force a
confidence. In that regard, the two of
them were opposites. Matt had the ‘rush
in where angels fear to tread’ mindset;
Eric was the personification of ‘act in
haste; repent in leisure’.

Matt’s silence today wasn’t because

he didn’t want to talk about Darcy. Until
he understood why he felt such a
connection to a stranger, there wasn’t
anything he could say that would make
sense.

* * * * *

Darcy set aside the book in her hand and
glanced at the antique grandfather clock
Cason had driven halfway across the
state of Georgia to purchase. Three-
fifteen. She’d been reading for thirty
minutes and hadn’t registered a single
word. No blame for this lapse could be
laid at the door of the author. The story
was a good one. The fault was with
Darcy, and the fact that her attention was
fixated on what wasn’t going on outside
Cason’s house.

With a sigh that was half impatience-

half irritation, she stood up and paced
the floor of the living room. She’d used
the lamest excuse to get out of going to
the library. She’d endured the
speculation in her mother’s voice and
the disappointment in her niece’s face.
And for what? So she could count the
ticking of the clock and run her eyes
across the same group of words over
and over?

Her behavior since seeing Matt at

the craft show had been anything but
normal. She wasn’t acting with any
sense of logic. In doing so, she was
breaking her own rules. The rules she’d
made to avoid situations like this.

In the midst of this internal lecture,

her ears detected the unmistakable sound
of a diesel engine. She’d waited five
days to hear it. Five long days during
which she’d told herself repeatedly that
nothing good could come of this. It had
been a waste of time if the excitement
growing in the pit of her stomach was
any indication.

Glad there was no one around to

witness her childish antics, she raced
across the hardwood floor into the
dining room and skidded to a stop in
front of the wide window facing the
driveway. One trembling finger slowly
lifted the slat of the blinds just enough
that she could see without being seen.

Matt had just emerged from the

interior of the truck. Polarized

sunglasses hid his eyes, but the smile she
recognized sat on his lips. He lowered
the tailgate and stepped into the trailer,
maneuvering his way around the
commercial size mower. A few seconds
later, the engine roared to life. The
mower moved down the ramp and into
the yard. After stopping to say something
to the younger man with him, he
disappeared around the side of the
house.

Darcy let the slat of the blind fall

into place and stepped back.

He was here. Now she could calm

down and stop acting so juvenile.
Unless she planned to run from window
to window through the house so she
could watch his progress. To keep

herself from being tempted to do that,
she unloaded Cason’s dishwasher,
cleaned the downstairs bathroom, ran the
vacuum, and folded two loads of
laundry. Those tasks occupied her hands,
but did little to keep her mind away from
him. Over and over the same set of
questions went round and round in her
head.

Would Matt remember to pick up

the pickles? Or would he assume no
one was home because there weren’t
any cars in the driveway? At this point,
she hardly knew which one to hope for.
What she did know was the protective
walls around her heart that she’d spent
months constructing were in danger of
crumbling. And there didn’t appear to

be anything she could do about it.

Her musings were interrupted by a

loud knock on the front door. The anxiety
she’d managed to subdue returned with
renewed strength. She was risking
everything she’d worked so hard to
achieve. Why had she put herself into
this position? Because Matt wasn’t like
the others. He already had a place in
her heart.

She hastily ran her fingers through

her hair and forced herself to walk
instead of run to the door. Breathe,
Darcy. You’ll need air to talk. Matt was
in the act of cleaning his sunglasses on
the hem of his shirt when she opened the
door. He looked up quickly, a grin
dawning on his damp face when he

realized it was her, and not Cason. His
brown eyes, surrounded by even darker
lashes, looked directly into hers.
Hypnotic was the only word to describe
their effect on her. Darcy’s heart
thundered against the wall of her chest
so loudly she knew he must be able to
hear it.

“Hey, Darcy. I wasn’t sure if anyone

was home. Jonathan and I just finished.
Here’s the invoice. Tell your sister
there’s no hurry on that.”

As she took the envelope from him,

she heard something clatter to the floor.
Probably the mop. She’d forgotten to
put it back in the laundry room. Biting
her lip, she said, “Let me get your
pickles.”

“I knew I forgot something. I didn’t

bring any cash with me.”

“Don’t worry about it. Your

contribution to the lemonade fund will
cover you. Be right back.” She retrieved
the box and handed it to him.

“Thanks. Sorry about the mix-up.”

He looked away from her for a moment.
“You know, football season starts next
weekend. Would you like to come over
to my house to watch a few games?”

The suddenness of the invitation

robbed her of any kind of preparation.
For a few seconds, her mind refused to
cooperate. Then force of habit took over.
“That would have been fun, but I’ve got
other plans.” Lying was sort of justified
if it prevented something worse from

happening, right? And this wasn’t so
much a lie; just a tiny exaggeration.

He nodded. “Okay. Maybe another

time. Thanks for the pickles. Have a nice
weekend.”

Nice weekend? She’d just

guaranteed herself a horrible weekend.
“You, too,” she said with a smile that
seemed pasted on her face.

Movement was beyond her. She

watched him turn and descend the steps
to the sidewalk. Regret came at her in
ever increasing waves.

This was for the best.
Maybe if she kept repeating that line

to herself enough times, she might
actually believe it. Spending time with
Matt would mean she’d have to tell him

the truth about herself, and the cycle
would start over again. By refusing, she
was saving herself future pain and
disillusionment.

* * * * *

Matt was glad Jonathan was occupied
talking to his girlfriend during the ride
home. He needed a few minutes to figure
out what just happened. One minute he’d
been having a conversation about
pickles, and the next he was hearing
Darcy refuse his invitation to watch
football. He wasn’t sure whether he was
more confused that he’d asked or
disappointed that she said no.

Their acquaintance could be counted

in minutes and yet he’d thought about her
on and off all week. That hadn’t been

the case with any of the three women
he’d asked out in the wake of Sarah’s
abrupt departure from his life. What
was the difference? Why had Darcy
made such an impression?

He knew it was more than the fact

that her eyes reminded him of the last bit
of sky visible at sunset or that she didn’t
mind getting greasy fixing a bicycle
chain. This attraction went deeper than
that. It was close enough to real interest
to get his attention.

After dinner, he walked over to

Eric’s house. He found his brother sitting
in the porch swing holding his new
daughter. “You look like you know what
you’re doing.”

“I’m getting into the swing of things,

no pun intended. What’s in the box?”

“Julie’s pickles.”
“I’m curious to meet this woman

who makes pickles.”

Matt placed the box on the seat of a

chair and went to lean against the
railing. “That probably won’t be
happening.”

“What does that mean?”
“The offer of my company was

politely refused.”

Eric pressed a kiss on Nerina’s

forehead. “It happens to the best of us.
Give it some time and ask her again.”

“I plan to. You know I don’t give up

easily.”

“I guess this is as good a time as any

to tell you that Sarah dropped by today

with a gift for Nerina. She told Julie
she’s seeing someone.”

Matt grimaced. “I know. I ran into

her and that someone at the store last
weekend.”

“That must have been fun.”
“It ranks up there with having my

four wisdom teeth pulled.” He came
over and peered down at the baby. “Is
she always like this?”

“Not when she’s hungry. If you don’t

get the bottle fixed fast enough, she’s not
shy about letting you know.”

“Just like her daddy.”
Eric chuckled. “It’s getting cool out

here. I’m going to take her inside. You
coming?”

“Just long enough to give Julie the

pickles. I promised Delilah another
walk.”

“If you keep this up, my dog is never

going to want to leave your house.”

“I know. It’s all part of my evil plan

to steal her away from you.”

* * * * *

Darcy woke up the next morning
determined to put yesterday behind her.
She was allowing herself to get worked
up over something that had no substance.
What was that saying about ships that
pass in the night? It was the perfect
description of her and Matt. That
meeting all those years ago didn’t have
any bearing on today.

Her little pep talk worked until she

and her mother arrived at Cason’s house

and parked behind a familiar white
truck. Her heart jumped into her throat
and refused to budge. What was he
doing here? The answer wasn’t long in
coming. Cason and Matt appeared from
around the side of the house.

“Darcy? Are you listening to me?”
“I’m sorry, Mom; what did you say?”
Her mother smiled knowingly.

“Don’t apologize. If I was thirty years
younger, I’d stare at him, too. He’s not as
obviously good-looking as his brother,
but he’s got a smile that will curl your
toes. Could you get those clothes out of
the back?”

Beauty really was in the eye of the

beholder. In Darcy’s mind, there wasn’t
a man on the planet better looking than

Matt. She retrieved the bags and fell
into step behind her mother, wishing she
could disappear altogether. This was a
definite setback to being able to put
him out of her mind.

“I’ll draw up some plans and email

them to you next week,” he was saying
as the two groups converged on the
sidewalk.

“That would be fantastic. I can’t

wait to get rid of this outdated
landscaping,” Cason said as she turned
to greet them. “Hey, guys. Let me
introduce you to Matt Gibson. He’s
going to transform this yard into
something worthy of a magazine. Matt,
this is my mother, Melody Withers, and
my sister, Darcy.”

Matt shook her mother’s hand first.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Withers.” He
did the same with Darcy. “Your sister
and I are already acquainted. We met at
the craft show last weekend and a few
other times since then.”

Cason sent Darcy an amused glance.

“Really? This is the first I’ve heard of
it.”

Not liking the look or the topic of

conversation, Darcy held out the bags.
“Here are the clothes you wanted.”

“Oh, good, you remembered to bring

them. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find
something I can use.” She turned to Matt
with a look that confirmed Darcy’s
worst fears. Cason was up to something.
“Have you ever done any acting? I

organize the community theater program,
and I’m always on the lookout for
volunteers, especially young, male
volunteers.”

Darcy resisted the urge to choke

Cason. This was her sister at her
interfering best.

Matt chuckled. “I was a shepherd in

a Christmas play when I was eight years
old. I’m not sure that qualifies as
acting.”

“That’s close enough for me. I’m

starting rehearsals on a new play next
week, and I’m still short a man. It’s a
minor role with only a few dozen lines.
Darcy is playing one of the supporting
characters. Would you be interested in
helping out?”

Darcy wanted to sink into the

ground. Only Cason would dare to
imply that Matt would drop everything
to be in her play because of Darcy. She
jumped in before he could answer. “I
haven’t agreed to take the part, Cason.
I’m still living down my last
performance.”

“Look at this as a chance to redeem

yourself.” Cason glanced back at Matt.
“What do you say? All the proceeds
from ticket sales go to charity.”

“Before I accept or refuse, I need to

know what kind of time commitment
we’re talking about.”

“Rehearsals are at seven on Monday

and Thursday at the old opera house. As
we get closer to opening night, we’ll

rehearse on Sunday afternoons.”

“That’s not too bad. Is this going to

be a problem?” Matt pulled up the hem
of his work pants to reveal the
prosthesis.

“I wouldn’t think so. You’ll be

wearing long pants in the play.”

“As long as you don’t expect Brad

Pitt, I’m willing to give it a try.”

“I can’t ask for more than that.”
Darcy fumed in silence. Her sister

had won this round, but the war was far
from over. She would enjoy thinking of
a creative way to get back at Cason for
this. Forcing a smile to her stiff lips, she
looked at her mother, who’d done
absolutely nothing to help the situation.
“Don’t you need to try that dress on

Stella?”

“Yes, I do. Where’s my

granddaughter, Cason? I’m surprised she
isn’t out here by now.”

“She’s watching a movie with her

daddy. Go on in; I’ll be right behind
you.” Cason held out her hand to Matt.
“Thanks for coming by. I’m looking
forward to seeing those plans. Don’t
forget about Monday night at seven.”

“I’ll be there.”
With a wave and a saucy grin that

made Darcy long to smack her, Cason
disappeared into the house.

“Well, that was interesting,” Matt

said on a laugh.

“Wasn’t it? And they wonder why I

chose to go to college four hours away.”

“I know the feeling. Your sister is

hard to turn down.”

She looked at him curiously. “Is

there really nothing else you could be
doing with your evenings?”

He laughed again as he slid the

clipboard under his arm. “Actually, there
isn’t. A few months ago someone I’d
been with for a long time broke up with
me. It’s been hard to get back in the
dating scene.”

Darcy envied this unknown woman.

She would give anything to be in a
position to have Matt in her life. “You
might find that being alone is preferable
to working with Cason. To say that
theater is her passion is putting it mildly.
Since I’ve been away, I’ve been able to

avoid being involved in her
productions.”

“And now that you’re back?”
Darcy made a face. “Not so easy.”
“I’m on my way to Lakeside. Would

you like to ride along? You can fill me in
on what I’ve committed to.”

Thanks to Cason, it would be

pointless to refuse to go with him. All
Darcy had to do was shelve him in the
friend zone and forget the romantic
nonsense. Surely she was mature
enough to do that. “Okay. Just let me
tell them where I’m going.”

* * * * *

While he waited for Darcy, Matt
sketched a few ideas for Cason’s yard
on his clipboard. As he debated what

kind of border plants to use, another part
of his mind was picturing Eric’s face
when he told him about this latest
development. Volunteering to be in a
play was the last thing anyone would
expect Matt to do. He’d just given his
brother enough material to tease him
with for months to come. And he still
wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to
something so far out of his comfort zone.
As Darcy had alluded to, was he really
this desperate to fill up his free time?

Behind him, he heard the click of the

door closing. Shoving the pencil behind
his ear, he turned around in time to see
Darcy descending the stairs. Her wavy
hair had fallen over part of her face.
That elusive feeling stole over him

again, the one he’d tried to rationalize
because it made no sense. If they’d met
before, why couldn’t he remember it?

“Are they okay with me stealing you

away?” he asked, allowing her to
precede him on the narrow sidewalk.

A faint smile passed over her face.

“They’re glad to have me out of the
way.”

“I hope Stella won’t be upset that we

went to the park without her.”

“They promised to take her for ice

cream. We can’t compete with that.”

“You’re right.” He closed the

passenger door and went around to his
side. After all this time, it was still
strange to look across the console and
not see Sarah sitting there. To hide his

confusion, he asked, “How’s your
weekend going so far?”

“I spent the morning looking through

boxes of stuff I brought home from
college. I didn’t realize how many things
I accumulated while I was away.”

“I moved into a house recently. It’s

amazing what you think you can’t live
without until you have to find a place to
put it.”

“Where did you move to?”
“Off River Road. Eric let me build

on part of his property.”

“Is that the huge estate surrounded by

the brick wall?”

Matt nodded. “He had to do that for

privacy reasons.” Bypassing the parking
lot, he used a service road leading to the

rear of the park. “We planted some sod
out here recently. I wanted to make sure
it’s getting enough water.” He stopped
next to a metal storage building. A few
minutes later, they were walking along a
chain link fence.

“What made you go into the

landscape business?” she asked.

“Desperation, really. I wanted to be

a policeman, but after I lost my leg, I
couldn’t do something so physically
demanding. I bought a second-hand
mower and started doing lawns. Eric
returned to St. Marys about that time and
offered to help me get the business
going. Without the investment of his time
and money, I’d never have made it. To
this day, he won’t accept a salary.”

“He sounds like a generous person.”
“He’s the most unselfish person

you’ll ever meet.” Matt bent down and
pulled on the grass. “The roots are
extending into the soil. That’s what I
wanted to see.”

“Do you take care of all the parks in

St. Marys?”

“Just Lakeside. Eric coaches little

league here, but he’s taking this fall off.
Not even his love of baseball would be
enough to pry him away from Nerina and
Julie right now.”

“I’m liking him more and more.”
“Maybe I better stop talking about

him. I want you to like me.” Even in the
sunlight, he could see her cheeks turn
pink. He needed to stop with the stupid

comments. She wasn’t used to him yet.
“Eric tried to talk me into coaching a
team, but those kids and their parents
don’t want me. They want former major
league pitching sensation Eric Gibson.”

“They should be grateful to anyone

willing to give up their free time to
coach someone else’s kids.”

He laughed as he bent down again to

check the grass. “You sound like my
sister-in-law. That’s a compliment by the
way. Julie’s one of those people you
can’t help but admire. Of course, I’d like
her anyway because she’s been so good
for Eric.”

“You and your brother seem very

close.”

“That’s a result of losing our mother

when we were teenagers and having a
father who was away more than he was
home.”

Darcy trailed her fingers along the

fence. “Cason and I weren’t all that
close growing up, mainly because
there’s ten years between us. She got
married when I was in sixth grade, and
moved to South Carolina. When she
came back to St. Marys, I was leaving
for college. It sounds strange to say it,
but she’s more like an aunt than a sister.”

By this time, they’d circled the field

and were back at the truck. Instead of
opening her door, he propped his
shoulder against it. “Did you leave any
broken hearts back at college?”

“No. I don’t date much,” she

admitted in a low voice.

“A beautiful girl like you? I don’t

understand it.”

Her glance fell to the scuffed toes of

his work boots. “There are some things
that being nice to look at can’t
overcome.”

Was she talking about herself?

“Like what? Do you snort when you
laugh?”

She smiled, but it was tinged with

sadness. “I wish it were that simple.”

Time to back off. She obviously

didn’t want to talk about whatever it
was. “Most things in life are simple.
Humans just enjoy complicating
everything. Anyway, I’m sorry for
putting you on the spot like that. I tend to

speak first and think later.”

“Don’t worry about it.”
He was on a roll. He’d managed to

embarrass Darcy twice. Could he make
it a threesome? “Tell me about this play.
I’m not the most literary person, but is it
something I might have read in school?”

“It’s a contemporary play written by

one of Cason’s former teachers. I
haven’t read the whole thing, but it’s
your standard romantic drama, full of
clichés and worn-out plot lines. My
character is in love with her best
friend’s fiancé. It’s not a part I would
have chosen which is exactly why Cason
wants me to do it.”

“What did you mean when you said

you were still trying to get over your last

performance?”

Darcy brushed the bangs out of her

eyes, her lips forming a wry smile.
“Cason roped me into being a substitute
for one of the other actresses who got
sick. As the leading man was taking me
into his arms, a huge spider landed on
my shoulder. The rest is a bit of a blur,
but basically I made a complete fool of
myself.”

Matt slapped his forehead. “Now I

know why you seem familiar. I was at
that play. You’re the redhead.”

She nodded slowly. “That was me,

all right; hiding under an itchy wig.”

“I was on a blind date of all things.

The spider incident was the best thing
that happened all night.”

“That’s not good.”
He shrugged. “It was one of those

evenings you don’t want to repeat.”

“I’ve had a few of those. But that

play tops them all. I’ve never been so
embarrassed in my life.”

Matt pushed away from the truck and

opened the passenger door. “I’ve had so
many embarrassing moments that I’ve
lost count.” Closing the door, he walked
around and got inside. “Here’s one that’s
not too shocking or gross. When I was a
little boy, I was really thin. We’re
talking stick figure here. One afternoon I
dove into my friend’s pool. It was a
perfect dive, no belly flop or anything.
The force of the water caused my
swimming trunks, which were too big

for me because they were actually
Eric’s, to slide down. I didn’t think too
much about it because I pulled them back
up before I got out of the water. What I
didn’t realize was the part of my body
usually covered by the trunks wasn’t
nearly as tan as the rest of me. Without
knowing it, I mooned everyone at the
pool party.”

Darcy laughed so hard she had to

wipe her eyes. “That’s a good one, but I
was hoping for something more recent.”

Matt grinned as he started the truck.

“It only gets worse from there.”

* * * * *

When they pulled into her sister’s
driveway, Darcy wasn’t surprised to see
Cason, Stella and her mother sitting on

the porch. What was this? The 1800s? It
was a simple trip to the park for
goodness sake.

“Were we gone too long?” Matt

asked.

“Of course not. My family tends to

forget that I’m an adult.”

“I get the same treatment from Eric.

It’s because we’re the younger siblings.”

Neither of them noticed that Stella

had left the porch. When she knocked on
the driver-side window, they both
jumped. Matt shut off the engine and got
out.

“Hey there, Stella. How was the ice

cream?”

“I had a chocolate dipped cone with

sprinkles. Mommy got upset because it

dripped all over my new shirt.”

“That happens to me, too. Let me

scoot around you so I can help your aunt
get out of the truck.”

Stella tilted her head. “Can’t she get

out by herself?”

“Yes, but a gentleman is supposed to

open a lady’s door for her.”

“My daddy doesn’t do that.”
Darcy turned away so they wouldn’t

see her laughing. How would Matt get
out of that one?

He bent down and cupped his hand

over Stella’s ear. Whatever he said sent
Stella running back to the porch where
Darcy could see her talking excitedly to
Cason.

As she slid out of the truck to the

ground, she asked, “What did you tell
her?”

“That I was trying really hard to get

you to like me.”

He didn’t know it, but he’d just

thrown gasoline on a fire. There was no
way Darcy would be able to keep her
mother and Cason grounded in reality
now. They’d be making a wedding guest
list by tomorrow morning. “It was nice
of you to protect Tim, but be prepared
for the can of worms you’ve opened.
Stella is like Cason; anything you tell her
will likely come out at the most
embarrassing moments.”

“I’m not worried about it.”
Darcy stepped out of the way so he

could close the door. “I’ll ask you that

again after you’ve faced the firing squad
on the porch.”

“No time like the present.” He put

his hand on the small of her back and
urged her forward.

A pleasant warmth spread through

her at his touch. She needed to think
about something else. Blushing like a
teenager every time he got close wasn’t
helping things.

“Did you two have fun?” Cason

asked with a smirk.

“Checking sod has never been so

exciting,” Matt admitted with a sideways
glance at Darcy.

Flustered by the look, Darcy turned

to her mother. “How did the dress fitting
go?”

“All I’ve got left to do is the hem.”

Her eyes flicked to Matt. “I read in the
paper that your brother is speaking at the
Heritage House charity dinner.”

“I didn’t know that, but I’m not

surprised. Eric never turns down
anyone. He’s very generous with his
time.”

“What’s it like being related to a

celebrity?” Cason asked.

“I don’t really think of him that way.

To me, he’s just my older brother.”

“It’s kind of weird to have him

mowing my yard.”

“We’ve had some interesting

reactions from people. Usually the guys
want him to sign something, and the girls
want a picture with him. A few people

have asked him if he’s mowing lawns
because he lost all his money, and one
man offered him a loan.”

“People can be so nosy,” Darcy’s

mother said.

“That’s one of the downsides of

being a public figure.” He glanced at the
watch strapped to his wrist. “I didn’t
realize it was so late. I’ve got another
stop to make. I’ll do my best to be on
time for rehearsal on Monday.”

“That’s okay,” Cason assured him.

“Come whenever.”

His goodbye smile included them

all, but that didn’t stop Cason. As soon
as the truck disappeared down the street,
she wagged her finger at Darcy. “He
couldn’t take his eyes off you. That must

have been some sod-checking session.”

Darcy sent a warning glance in

Stella’s direction. “He wanted to know
about the play.”

“He wanted an excuse to get you

alone.”

“Your imagination is as active as

ever.”

“I don’t have to use my imagination.

Stella, tell Aunt Darcy what Mr. Matt
said.”

Stella looked up from trying to catch

a lizard. “He said he liked Aunt Darcy,
and that’s why he wanted to open her
door.”

“Need I say more?”
“You’ve said too much already,”

Darcy replied on a long-suffering sigh.

“Let’s talk about something else.”

“Don’t get so defensive. You act like

him being interested in you is a bad
thing. Men like that don’t come along
every day.”

Darcy didn’t feel up to arguing the

point. Let Cason believe what she
wanted. If by some miracle Matt did
become interested in her, it wouldn’t be
of long duration. Once guys found out
about her epilepsy, they moved on.

Chapter Three

Two evenings later, Matt removed his
work gloves and wiped the sweat from
his face. Eric appeared from around the
side of the house carrying a blower.
“Sorry I took so long,” he said as he
joined him. “I’m a little slow today.”

“That week off with Julie and Nerina

ruined you. You’ve gone all soft on me.”

“I can tell you where I’d rather be

right now.”

“Quit complaining. You’ve got a

lovely wife and daughter to go home to.
All I’ve got waiting on me is a dog.”

“You’re the only one who can change

that.”

Matt grabbed a water bottle and

poured it over his head. “That’s where
you’re wrong. It takes me and one other
person to change that. I wish Julie had a
sister.”

“She’s only got a brother and that

reminds me of something. I’ve got a
favor to ask you.”

Matt shook the water from his hair.

“I’m not sure I want to hear it. The last
time you asked me for a favor, I found
myself stuck with fifty kids for a week-
long baseball camp.”

“This has nothing to do with

baseball. It’s a fundraiser for Heritage
House.”

“I heard something about that. I wish

you’d stop volunteering for all these
things.” Matt sighed wearily. “What do I

have to do?”

Eric laughed at his impatient

expression. “Go to dinner and give a
short please-donate-to-this-worthy-
cause speech.”

“I’m terrible at giving speeches.”
“This from the guy who picked up a

construction cone and serenaded his
girlfriend in the Disney World parking
lot in front of at least a hundred people.”

Matt threw his hand up. “Don’t

remind me. That’s probably why she
broke up with me. Anyway, when is this
dinner?”

“Next Sunday night. I didn’t realize

when I agreed to do it that it’s the same
weekend Devon’s due home.”

“I guess you can’t miss welcoming

Julie’s brother back into the fold.”

“Not unless I want to sleep on the

couch.”

“Julie would never do something

like that.”

“I’m not taking any chances. The

dinner starts at six. You can invite your
new friend to go with you.”

One eyebrow went up. “You’re

enjoying this, aren’t you? Doing to me
what I did to you.”

Eric tried to look nonchalant and

failed. “It does have a certain appeal.”

Might as well tell him the rest and

get it over with. “Here’s something else
for you to enjoy. I agreed to be in a
play.”

“How did that happen?”

“One of our new customers is big

into community theater. She asked me if I
would be interested in taking a small
part. I’ve got lots of free evenings now,
so I thought why not?”

“Uh-huh. There’s more to this story

you’re not telling me.”

“What makes you say that?” Matt

asked, walking around to get in the truck.

Eric secured the blower on the

trailer and then joined him. “Is the pickle
girl in the play, too?”

“Her name is Darcy so you can stop

calling her the pickle girl.”

“The fog of confusion in my brain is

beginning to clear.”

“Quit trying to be a poet. It makes

you sound ridiculous.”

“I’m trying to connect the dots.”
Matt laughed as he maneuvered his

way out of the driveway. “When you’re
finished, could you explain what’s going
on to me? When I saw Darcy at the craft
show, she looked familiar. The other day
I realized that she was in that play I went
to see with Vera. I thought I’d solved the
mystery, but now I’m not so sure. I think
I must have met her somewhere else. I
just can’t figure out when and where.”

“What’s her last name?”
“Withers.”
Eric shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a

bell. Has she mentioned that you’re
familiar to her?”

“No, and I haven’t said anything. I

promised myself I’d never use the ‘have

we met before’ line.”

“Well, if you have met before, one or

both of you will eventually remember. It
doesn’t matter at this point. If she’s
managed to get you on a stage, she’s
obviously made an impression. I’d just
go with it and see what happens.”

“That’s what I’m doing. Now, back

to this dinner. I’ll have to borrow one of
your overpriced suits. I don’t have
anything worthy of a charity dinner in my
closet.”

“My so-called overpriced suits are

at your disposal. By the way, Julie said
to tell you that Mrs. Parsons made
lasagna.”

“Put my portion in the freezer. I

won’t have time to come over for dinner

tonight. I’ve got a rehearsal at seven.”

Eric pointed to the clock on the

truck’s dashboard. “You do realize it’s
six-thirty now?”

“Sure do. That’s why I’m speeding.”

* * * * *

Darcy waited patiently while Cason
went through all the craziness of the new
school year for both herself and Stella.
There was no point in launching into a
discussion about the play until she had
her sister’s full attention. But she did
wish Cason would hurry; they’d be at the
rehearsal in a few minutes.

“I don’t know why I keep doing this

to myself. Trying to balance my
obligations to my students at school and
my commitment to the community center

is getting more and more difficult. They
want me to do two plays before
December.”

“Just tell them you’re too busy.

There must be someone else who can
either take over for you or at least
lighten your load.”

Cason sent her a swift glance. “I’m

looking at her. You took drama in high
school, and you’re very available.”

“You can forget that, sis. I don’t

know the first thing about organizing an
actual production.”

“You wouldn’t be doing everything.

You’d be helping me do it.”

“I need to get a real job, Cason. You

know, the kind that pays money. And
while we’re on the subject of plays, how

could you have given me such a terrible
part? My character has the personality of
a wet blanket. I can’t pull off being
foolish and flirtatious at the same time.”

Cason turned into the paved lot and

parked close to the door. “You can’t
always play a character that’s like you.
That’s the fun of acting; you get to be
someone else. I don’t know why you’re
making such a fuss. You should be
thanking me. I’ve given you the
opportunity to see Matt two evenings a
week.”

“Maybe I don’t want to see him two

evenings a week.”

“You’re in denial. It will be fun

watching him wear you down.”

Darcy shook her head as she stepped

out of the car. “Whatever. Just do me a
favor and stop giving me opportunities.”

Cason smiled as she grabbed a thick

notebook from the back seat. “The lady
doth protest too much.”

“And please don’t start with the

Shakespeare quotes.”

“Can’t help it. I’m doing a unit study

of Hamlet in two of my drama classes.”

As she followed Cason in the

building, Darcy hoped this would be the
extent of her sister’s ‘assistance’ with
her social life.

* * * * *

The minute hand was nudging the quarter
hour when Matt reached the entrance of
the old opera house. He was only fifteen
minutes late. One good thing about

being in the military was it didn’t take
him long to get showered and dressed.
When he entered the lobby, he could
hear Cason’s voice through the half open
door leading to the main theater.

As he walked down the long aisle to

the stage, he wondered what had
possessed him to do this. If even half of
these seats were filled on opening night,
there would still be a lot of people
watching him forget his lines. His eyes
moved over the small group gathered in
a circle until they found Darcy. Okay, so
he knew why he was here.

Cason turned her head enough to

catch sight of him. “Hey, there. Glad you
could make it.”

“Sorry I’m late.”

“No problem. Everyone this is Matt.

He’s going to be playing Clark.”

“Hello, everyone.” Matt waved a

hand before heading for the empty chair
next to Darcy.

As soon as he sat down, she leaned

over and whispered, “I was beginning to
think you weren’t coming.”

She smelled like lavender mixed

with vanilla. “It was Eric’s first day
back at work, so it took us a little longer.
He kept stopping every half hour to call
Julie.”

“How sweet!”
“Quiet, everyone,” Cason said, with

a frown in their direction. “Tonight
we’re going to read through the play. On
Thursday, we’ll start working on the first

scene. I need a few people here before
seven so we can set up some furniture.
The play opens up in a college library.
Charlotte, go ahead and get us started.”

As the reading progressed, Matt was

relieved to find that Cason hadn’t
exaggerated. His part was small and his
appearances few. This was definitely
something he could handle. The play
itself was just as Darcy described it –
pure chick lit. Some of the lines made
him want to roll his eyes. He couldn’t
help thinking that it would go over better
as a comedy.

As he listened to Darcy doing a

decent job of portraying a woman
scorned, he remembered her comment at
the park about not dating. Had she, like

him, been through a bad experience?
Or was it something else? She’d said
there were things that being nice to look
at couldn’t overcome. Taken literally, it
suggested that the problem lay with her.
What in the world could it be?

* * * * *

The play slowly wound to its inevitable
conclusion. Darcy barely heard Cason’s
last minute instructions. It was somewhat
ironic that her part in a random play was
so close to the details of her situation
with Matt. Like her character Sylvia,
she’d been reunited with someone from
her past. Was she destined to share the
same fate of loving in vain?

Cason appeared in front of her. “That

wasn’t too terrible for a first reading.”

Darcy closed her script. “I’m even

more convinced that you gave me this
part on purpose. I come across as
unlikeable and silly. I get it that I’m
supposed to be heartbroken, but that
scene where I try to blackmail the guy
into leaving his girlfriend is just
ridiculous. It doesn’t make any sense at
all.”

Her sister turned to Matt. “What do

you think?”

“I agree. It comes out of nowhere.”
“I should have known you’d agree

with Darcy.” Cason reached into her
pocket. “Tim’s calling me. Let me see
what he wants.” She walked away,
leaving them alone.

Matt uncurled his tall figure and

stretched. “That has to be the most
uncomfortable chair I’ve ever sat in.”

Darcy laughed as she came to her

feet. “I was glad to sit down. Mom and I
had a marathon pie-baking session
today.”

“What kind of pies did you make?”
“Peach and strawberry rhubarb.”
“For another craft show?” he asked

with a smile that had her stomach doing
somersaults.

“No, this is a bake sale at the church

on Saturday.”

“I may have to stop by. Strawberry

rhubarb is my favorite with apple
running a close second.”

Darcy fidgeted with the script in her

hand. If he came to the bake sale, she’d

have seen him three times in one week.
She wasn’t sure her heart could take this
many meetings. “Football starts on
Saturday. You won’t want to leave the
house to come to a bake sale. I’ll bring a
pie to Thursday’s rehearsal. It will save
you a trip.”

“I have two yards to mow so I’ll be

out anyway.”

“Yeah, but you won’t want to make

another stop. Let me bring the pie to you
on Thursday. It’s the least I can do for
you agreeing with me about that scene.
Once Cason gets an idea in her head, it’s
hard to convince her to change it. Like
everyone else in my family, she likes
getting her way.”

His lips twitched. “Don’t most

people like getting their way?”

“Yes, but they try not to make it so

obvious. I’ll get an earful on the way
home about how I need to feel Sylvia’s
pain and sense her desperation.”

“You could delay the lecture by

letting me drive you home.”

He was right about that. Besides,

what harm would it do? She’d already
spent two hours sitting next to him,
listening to him breathe and watching
his hands turn the pages of the script.
“I hate to take you out of your way.”

“How far out of the way could it be?

St. Marys isn’t exactly Atlanta.” The
lights above them dimmed slightly. “Is
that a hint that we need to leave?”

“It’s probably some kids playing

with the lights. The children’s theater
group meets here, too. There’s a smaller
stage and auditorium behind this one.”

They walked side-by-side up the

aisle and into the lobby. Here they found
Cason talking to a young couple Darcy
didn’t recognize.

“Is that rain I hear?” Matt asked as

he walked over to the door and opened it
a few inches. “Yep, it is. I’ll go get the
truck and meet you at the entrance.”

As soon as the door closed behind

him, Cason finished her conversation
and came over to join Darcy. “Going
somewhere?”

“Matt’s giving me a ride home.”
“Should I tell Mom not to expect you

for a while?”

Here we go again. “You’re seeing

romance where none exists.”

“And you’re deliberately sticking

your head in the sand.”

“We’ll have to discuss this

fascinating topic again some time,
preferably in a year or two.”

* * * * *

Matt surveyed the wall of water falling
from the dark sky. The weatherman had
let him down. It wasn’t supposed to rain
until tomorrow afternoon. With a shrug,
he left the protection of the overhang. He
was soaked by the time he climbed
inside the truck.

As he pulled close to the curb, he

saw Darcy appear from inside. Reaching
across the console, he opened the

passenger door. “Be careful,” he
warned. “The concrete is slippery.”

In a few seconds, she was beside

him. “Oh, look at you. You’re so wet!
We should have waited a bit.”

“I couldn’t take the chance that you’d

change your mind.”

She looked up from buckling her

seatbelt. “Why would I do that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It was a

silly idea that went through my head. I
was going to suggest a late meal, but I
don’t think there’s a single part of me
that’s dry. Can I offer you something
from the drive-thru of your choice?”

“I wouldn’t mind something to drink.

All that talking made me thirsty.”

“How about a few donuts to go with

it?”

“I never say no to donuts.”
“Great. Dunkin Donuts here we

come.”

When they arrived, the parking lot

was deserted, but the drive-thru wasn’t.

“I guess we’re not the only ones who

don’t want to get out of our vehicle,”
Darcy said as Matt took his place at the
end of the line.

“This gives us time to decide which

donuts we want.”

“That’s not a problem for me. I like

glazed and Boston cream.”

“Have you ever had fried glazed

donuts?”

“Yes, they’re amazing! My roommate

and I used to make them at least once a

month.”

“I believe I could eat anything as

long as it’s fried in butter.” He edged
closer to the drive-thru window. “It
looks like the rain is picking up again.”

“Will this mess up your mowing

tomorrow?”

“It depends on how long it rains

tonight and how hard it’s coming down
in the morning. Wet grass is tough on
lawnmower blades.”

“What do you do on the days you

can’t mow?”

“Work on the equipment. Something

is always breaking down or needing
maintenance.”

“How do you know how to do that

stuff?”

“I’ve always been mechanically

inclined. It looks like we’re up next.
What would you like to drink?”

“I’ll take Coke.”
He drew up to the window and

smiled at the older woman behind the
cash register. “Hey, there…” His glance
went to her nametag. “Alison. Can I get
six glazed, six Boston cream, a large
coffee, and a large coke?”

“Yes, sir. That’ll be twelve seventy-

five.”

Darcy watched him arrange the

drinks in silence. When he placed the
box of donuts on the console, she started
to laugh. “Did you really order a dozen
donuts?”

“I missed dinner. Are you in a hurry

to get home?” he asked as he waited for
the traffic to clear. “I was thinking we
could go down by the river.”

She hesitated a few seconds. “What

time is it now?”

“Almost nine.”
“I can go for a little while, but I need

to be home by ten.”

The early time surprised him until he

remembered that she had her parents to
consider. “No problem.” He slowed as
he left the paved street and turned on a
narrow dirt road dotted with pot holes
brimming with muddy water. “Looks like
the weather kept all the teenagers at
home,” he said as he parked next to a
picnic area and cut the engine. “I used to
spend a lot of time here when I was

younger.”

“Doing what?” she asked with a

grin.

“Fishing, of course. What else?”
“Is that what they called it back in

your day?”

He opened the box and held it out to

her. “Very funny. Have a donut.”

She pulled one out and bit into it.

“Oh, my goodness. It’s still warm.”

“Just the way I like them.” Matt lost

no time getting his own. “Whenever I felt
the need to escape, I grabbed a fishing
pole and headed this way. Eric heard me
one night and followed me. I think he
reached the same conclusion you did –
that I was meeting a girl. Given that my
dad had a wandering eye, he wanted to

make sure I wasn’t following in his
footsteps.”

“Are you telling me you never

brought a girl here?”

“Well, no, I’m not saying that. This is

one of the places I got my face slapped a
few times. What about you? Did you
ever let a boy bring you here?”

Darcy reached for a napkin to wipe

her fingers. “Just one. His name was
Marvin, and he was my biology lab
partner. It took him a half hour to work
up the nerve to hold my hand. His
fumbling attempts to kiss me might have
been funny except I was so scared.
Every time Marvin got close, I panicked
and turned my head. Instead of my lips,
he got a mouthful of hair. He finally gave

up and drove me home.”

Matt nodded knowingly. “Next to

getting slapped, the last minute head turn
is the worst. You get all your hopes up
and end up choking on hair.”

Darcy opened her straw and slid it

through the lid of her soda. “I’m starting
to see a pattern here.”

“Yeah, a less confident man might

have given up. Not me. I persevered
until I found a girl who actually liked me
enough to let me kiss her.” He absently
reached for another donut. “We dated for
a few weeks, but all we did was fight.
She didn’t like me talking to other girls,
and I didn’t like being told what to do.
Six years in the army cured me of that.”

“Is that where you got hurt?”

“It happened on my second tour in

Iraq. I stepped on an IED and woke up in
the hospital with only part of my left leg.
I also found out my best friend died in
the blast. That was a pretty rough time in
my life; dealing with my injury and the
guilt of knowing my friend would never
see his wife again. Even after I’d come
to grips with this thing,” he tapped his
prosthesis, “I wasn’t sure how anyone
else would feel about it. Then I met
Sarah, and it didn’t seem to matter
anymore. We were together for almost
two years. About five months ago, she
told me her feelings had changed. I was
completely blindsided by it. I’d been
looking at engagement rings for weeks.”

“Two years is a long time. Sarah had

become a part of your life.”

He smiled ruefully. “More than I

realized. I always prided myself on
being independent. Love makes that
almost impossible to maintain.
Everything I do, and everywhere I go
reminds me of her.” He waved his hand.
“Even this place. I’ve identified as a
couple for so long that I feel lost being
single again.”

“The last of my friends from high

school just got engaged. All the others
are married. Sometimes I feel as if I
dwell on another planet. It’s hard to hide
the fact that you’re alone.”

He tapped his fingers on the steering

wheel. “Maybe we could help each
other with that.”

“How so?”
“You’ve told me that you’re not

dating right now. I’ve told you about
Sarah, so you know where I’m coming
from. Why not do things together as
friends? With no pressure to be anything
else until or unless we want to?”

“Are you serious?”
Matt laughed. “I’m perfectly serious.

You don’t have to make a decision right
now. Think about it. If you don’t feel
comfortable with it, I understand.”

She looked away from him. “You’d

have to put up with the constant hints and
comments you’ll inevitably hear from
members of my family. After your
remark to Stella, they won’t believe
we’re not dating.”

“And you’d have to put up with my

juvenile sense of humor. As long as
we’re honest with each other, it doesn’t
matter what anyone else thinks. It’s
almost ten. Time to go.” He finished the
last bite of donut in his hand and started
the truck. “Thanks for coming tonight.
We’ll definitely have to do this donut-
binging thing again.”

* * * * *

After watching until Matt’s truck
disappeared around the corner, Darcy
turned from the window and walked into
the kitchen. She found her mother
wrapping miniature loaves in decorative
plastic wrap. “I thought we agreed to do
the zucchini bread tomorrow.”

Her mother looked up with a smile.

“I wanted to get a head start. I wasn’t
sure what your plans would be. What’s
that in your hand?”

Darcy plopped the box of donuts on

the counter. “We made a detour on the
way home.”

“I figured that out.” Her mother’s

eyes were alight with anticipation.
“Anything exciting happen?”

“Like what? We barely know each

other.”

“Did he kiss you goodnight?”
Darcy rolled her eyes heavenward.

“This isn’t a Hallmark movie, Mom.”

“Did he ask to see you again?”
“He didn’t have to. I’ll be seeing

him Thursday. Have you forgotten that
he’s in Cason’s play?”

“Of course not, but that’s not really a

date.”

“Which makes perfect sense because

we’re not dating. By the way, I want to
give him one of the strawberry rhubarb
pies.”

“That’s fine, but you need some new

clothes and a trip to the beauty salon.
You should have some highlights put in
your hair again.” She reached across the
counter and picked up one of Darcy’s
hands. “A manicure wouldn’t come
amiss, either.”

“Why do I need a makeover?”
“Men are like children. They have

short attention spans.”

“In that case, I’m better off doing

nothing.”

Her mother made a clicking sound in

her throat. “Why are you working so
hard to pretend you don’t like him?”

“I’m not afraid to admit that I like

him, but I’ve been down this road
before. Everything’s fine until I mention
the word epilepsy. Then they can’t get
away fast enough. Let’s face it; I come
with baggage that’s impossible to
ignore.”

“Give Matt a chance. You don’t

know how he’ll react.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway. He’s not

interested in me like that. He’s still in
love with his ex-girlfriend.”

“Did he tell you so?”
He didn’t have to. Some things don’t

have to be spelled out. “He was getting

ready to ask her to marry him when she
broke up with him.”

“Matt doesn’t strike me as the type to

spend the rest of his life crying over
spilt milk.”

Only her mother would compare

recovering from a broken heart to
worrying about a drink. “And you know
this from your long acquaintance with
him?”

“I know because I can read people.

It’s romantic to think you can only love
once, but the human heart is surprisingly
adaptable. In the right circumstances, it
will open up for someone else.”

“I hope you’re not implying that I

represent the right circumstances.”

“Can you say for sure that you’re

not?” She came around the counter and
slipped her arm around Darcy’s waist.
“Don’t judge all men by a few bad
experiences.”

It was more than a few, but this

wasn’t the time to destroy her mother’s
illusions. Darcy laid her head on her
mother’s shoulder. “I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will, darling.”
The rest of the conversation was

about the proposed shopping trip. Darcy
agreed to a few additions to her
wardrobe and a trim to her hair. She
would need both of those before she
started looking for a job anyway.

It wasn’t until she was in bed

watching a few beams of moonlight
make their way across the ceiling that

her mind returned to the conversation
with Matt. His suggestion that they spend
time together was a two-edged sword,
both a joy and a torment. The words of
refusal had hovered uselessly on her
lips. She hadn’t been able to deny
herself his friendship. The knowledge
that his heart belonged to another was
protection enough. It was only her own
that was at risk.

* * * * *

A flat tire on his lawnmower resulted in
Matt missing the first half of Thursday’s
rehearsal. When he did arrive, his hair
still slightly damp from the shower, he
looked in vain for Darcy. As one part of
his mind went through a possible list of
reasons for her absence, the other part

was dealing with a level of
disappointment that seemed out of
proportion to how long he’d known her.

It was fortunate that he didn’t appear

in the first scene. Given his state of
distraction, he would have been more of
a liability than an asset. Swallowing his
frustration, he found a seat in the first
row and pretended to follow along in his
script.

No one was more relieved than him

when Cason finally called a halt. But
even then, he had to wait until the stage
had been cleared of furniture and
everyone else was moving toward the
exit before he could ask the question that
had been on his mind since his arrival.

“I’m sorry about being late again.

Are you regretting asking me to be in this
thing?”

Cason glanced up from the page she

was writing on. “If you had a major role,
the answer would be yes. Since you’re a
minor character, I can put up with it.”

“Did Darcy have something else to

do tonight?”

The pencil Cason was holding

dropped to the ground. Matt picked it up
and handed it to her.

“Thanks,” she replied, her eyes

avoiding making direct contact with his.
“She couldn’t be here because she fell
down the stairs this morning.”

“Oh, no. Is she okay?”
“She cut her head open and has some

pretty colorful bruises, but she didn’t

break any bones. I’ve got your pie in the
car.”

Who cared about the pie? This was

terrible. He ran his fingers through his
hair, annoyed that he hadn’t known about
this sooner. “Do you think she’d mind if
I dropped by to see her tomorrow?”

“Only in the sense that she won’t be

looking her best. She went face-first into
the banister. We better get going before
they turn out the lights on us.” Cason
started up the aisle, and he fell into step
beside her.

“Face first? How did that happen?”
She waited while he opened the door

to outside. “That’s something you should
hear from her.”

What did that mean? Thoroughly

confused, he watched in silence as
Cason retrieved a foil-wrapped pie
plate from her car.

“Here you go – one strawberry

rhubarb pie.”

He took it from her absently.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me. I can’t bake a pie

to save my life.”

Matt didn’t question the impulse that

led him to drive by Darcy’s house on his
way home. He told himself it was
because he wanted to make sure he
remembered where it was so he
wouldn’t have to spend time looking for
it the next day. This was pure nonsense
since his truck had GPS as did his
phone. It also didn’t explain why he was

peering up at a lit window that he
wasn’t even sure was hers.

With a sigh, he took his foot off the

brake and pulled away from the curb.

* * * * *

Darcy contemplated her reflection in the
mirror with a faint smile. A jagged line
of stitches stretched across her forehead.
Her left eye was angrily red and
surrounded by an array of colors from
dull yellow to deep purplish blue. A
larger abrasion decorated her cheek and
lower jaw. She looked eerily similar to
how she’d appeared after the car
accident - the event that started all this
in the first place. Interviewing for a job
probably wasn’t an option at this point.

Twenty-four hours had passed since

she’d come back from what she
humorlessly referred to as her personal
black hole to find herself lying at the
bottom of the stairs, her entire body
throbbing with pain, t-shirt streaked with
blood and her mother sitting beside her
in tears. As was usual when this
happened, she couldn’t remember
anything leading up to or during the
seizure.

Somehow she’d managed to

convince her mother not to call an
ambulance, but she’d known she
couldn’t avoid going to the emergency
room. Twenty stitches and an x-ray later,
she was back in the car on her way home
feeling as if she’d gone over another
embankment.

Five weeks, two days. That’s how

long it had been. Now the clock started
over. How much time would elapse
before it happened again? And what
would she be doing when it happened?
These were the uncertainties that had
become her reality.

“It’s a good thing I’m not hung up on

my looks,” she muttered as she tried to
run a comb through the tangles in her
hair. “Because no amount of makeup
could cover this.”

An exasperated sigh escaped her lips

as she put down the comb and walked
across the hall to her room. After
struggling her way into one of Cason’s
old Ron Jon Surf Shop t-shirts and a pair
of shorts, she grabbed her laptop off the

nightstand and went to sit in the window
seat.

Memories flooded her mind as she

looked through the glass at the clear blue
sky. How many hours had she sat in this
spot? From her perch high above the
ground, she’d felt like a princess
surveying her kingdom. As she got older,
she’d found it the perfect place to spy on
Cason. Darcy had spent many Friday and
Saturday evenings watching her popular
sister get picked up and dropped off.

At the time, she’d thought it a

terrible waste to get so wound up about
a member of the male species. All they
knew how to do was produce strange
noises, make excuses when they
discovered you could do something

better than them, and laugh at jokes that
weren’t funny. Why would any girl want
to spend time with them?

All of that changed the night she met

Matt Gibson. Young as she was, Darcy
suddenly understood why that group of
girls had been so interested in him.

She understood even better now.
The rumble of a loud engine startled

her. Glancing in the opposite direction,
she watched a white truck pull into her
driveway. She instinctively drew back
from the window even as her heart
pounded furiously in her chest.

Please let this be a dream. She

leaned forward a few inches and peered
around the side of the curtain. No such
luck. Matt was on his way to the front

door. In none of those previous girlish
fantasies - when she’d imagined him
coming to her house - had she been
looking like an accident victim.

The doorbell rang and a few seconds

later she heard her mother’s voice and
the deeper tones of Matt. This was
followed by the dull clump-clump of feet
on carpeted stairs. It couldn’t be him.
Even with two adult daughters, Melody
Withers had strict ideas about a male
being allowed inside the hallowed
grounds of a single female’s bedroom.

Not bothering to knock, her mother

breezed through the half-closed door and
walked over to where Darcy sat waiting,
the pleased smile on her face not quite
able to erase the strain of yesterday’s

events.

“Someone’s here to see you.”
Darcy waved a hand behind her. “I

know. I saw him arrive. What am I going
to do? I can’t let him see me like this.”

“A man who cared enough to come

by and see how you’re doing isn’t going
to let a few bruises bother him.”

“Did you say anything?”
“Of course not.”
She set the laptop aside. “This isn’t

how I wanted him to find out.”

“I know that, but sometimes you

don’t get to choose the time and place.
Life does it for you.”

Darcy stood up and tried to smooth

the wrinkles out of her shirt. Should she
change into something nicer or did it

matter? He wasn’t going to be looking
at her clothes. “Where is he?”

“In the living room pacing the floor

like a caged lion. This is just my
opinion, but he doesn’t look as if he got
a good night’s sleep.”

“What does that mean?”
Her mother gave her a little push

toward the door. “It means he took the
time to worry about you. Go put him out
of his misery.”

* * * * *

While he waited for Darcy, Matt
checked his messages. Mixed in with the
usual ones from customers and sales
reps was one he hadn’t been expecting.

Are you busy Sunday afternoon? I

need to see you.

A vexed laugh escaped him. Why did

Sarah need to see him? To tell him she
was getting married? An empty feeling
settled in his gut. His steps faltered and
then stopped. It wasn’t that he didn’t
want her to be happy. He did. But he
didn’t want to hear about it or think
about it. Was that immature and
childish? Probably, but he couldn’t help
it.

In the middle of this mental debate,

Darcy walked into the room. Matt had
seen some awful things in Iraq - things
he would never forget - but the sight of
her bruised and battered face brought a
lump the size of a golf ball into his
throat. He instinctively moved closer
and gently ran his fingers over the

swollen skin. The sudden tenseness in
his companion brought him to his senses.
What was he doing? His hand dropped
to his side, and he stepped back. “It
looks very painful.”

She pushed some hair behind her ear

and managed a wobbly smile. “It’s much
better today, thanks to hourly ice packs
and Tylenol.”

To give his hands something to do,

he stuffed them in his pockets. “As I was
pulling into the driveway, I realized I
should have called first. Sarah would get
so upset with me when I showed up at
her place unannounced. I tried to tell her
that it didn’t matter to me that her hair
wasn’t perfect or that her legs weren’t
shaved.” He stopped suddenly, realizing

that he’d just made two mistakes: he’d
strayed from the point, and he was
talking about one girl to another.
“Anyway, I was so anxious to find out
how you were doing that I didn’t think.”

Her tentative smile grew. “It was

sweet of you to worry and even more so
to take time out of your busy day to come
see me.”

His fingers itched to touch her face

again. What was wrong with him? Once
was bad enough. “I, uh, brought you
something. It’s out in the truck.”

“Oh, Matt, you didn’t have to do

that.”

“It’s nothing special; just something I

thought you might like. I’ll be right
back.” All the way to the truck, he

berated himself for not getting flowers.
That would have been more appropriate.
When he returned, she was sitting on the
couch. He nervously set the terra cotta
pot on the coffee table in front of her.
“It’s lamb’s ear.”

She stroked the thick, silvery green

leaves overflowing the sides of the pot,
her lips forming a pleased smile.
“They’re so soft – like touching velvet.”

Almost as soft as her skin had been.

“Lamb’s ear is part of the mint family,”
he heard himself say. What was he? A
talking encyclopedia on plants?

Darcy didn’t seem to notice. She

turned the pot around slowly. “Thank
you so much for bringing it. You’ll have
to give me some instructions. I’m not

very knowledgeable about plants. My
mom has the green thumb.”

Maybe he hadn’t totally messed up.

She seemed to like it. Feeling less
awkward, he dropped down next to her.
“It’s super easy. Just set it in a sunny
area and water it every once in a while.”

“I have a window seat in my room.

I’ll put it there.”

“Is your room the one on the front of

the house?”

“Yes, it is. Why do you ask?”
He grinned teasingly. “Because I

might want to see you in the middle of
the night, in which case I would need to
know which window to throw stones
at.”

“Should I keep a rope ladder handy

in case I want to come down and join
you?”

“It’s for sure I can’t climb a rope

ladder to join you. Those days are
over.”

“Is that another one of those things

that got your face slapped?”

Matt shook his head. “Trying to steal

kisses got my face slapped. I never tried
anything as bold or risky as sneaking
into a girl’s room. My mother taught me
better than that. College football starts
tomorrow. Are you excited?”

Darcy leaned back against the

cushions, her head barely reaching his
shoulders even sitting down. “Very.
Clemson plays at three-thirty.”

“Same time as Auburn. You aren’t

going to keep having plans on game
days, are you? I wasn’t kidding about
wanting to watch football with you.”

Her glance fell from his. “I feel bad

about that. When you first asked me, you
caught me by surprise. I didn’t know
what to say so I said I had plans.”

“That’s understandable. Here’s this

guy you just met inviting you to his
house. I don’t blame you for being
cautious. A woman has to be careful
these days.”

“It wasn’t anything to do with you.

It’s because of something that happened
to me; something that isn’t easy to talk
about.”

Had someone physically hurt her?

His hands clenched into fists. Was that

why she didn’t date? “Then we won’t
talk about it.”

“That wouldn’t be fair to you. If

we’re going to spend time together, we
have to talk about it. In fact, I should
have mentioned it the other night.”

Matt felt the vibration of his phone.

He’d asked Eric to text him when he left
the house. As much as he wanted to stay,
he knew he had to get going. Their
business demanded keeping customers
happy and that meant staying on
schedule. “You’re the best judge of what
you need to tell me. Right now, I’ve got
to go. Eric is on his way to your sister’s
house to work on her yard, and
everything he needs is on the trailer
attached to my truck. How about you

come over tomorrow, and we’ll talk
before the game?”

“Okay. Thanks for not being upset

with me.”

“A refusal every now and then is

good for a guy. It keeps us humble. I’ll
pick you up around two.” He reached for
his phone. “Let’s exchange numbers in
case something comes up.”

“My phone’s upstairs. Be back in a

sec.”

He moved over so she could get past

his legs. “Take your time on the stairs.
We don’t want another fall.” As soon as
he was alone again, Matt stared at
Sarah’s text as if seeing it for the first
time. How could he have forgotten
that? More importantly, what was he

going to do about it?

* * * * *

Darcy grabbed her phone off the dresser
with a feeling of jumping off a diving
board into the deep end of a pool. Was
she really doing this? None of her
actions with Matt made any senses. It
was as if someone else had inhabited her
body.

She caught her reflection in the

mirror and her mind replayed in vivid
detail the feel of his fingers moving over
her face. Surprise had held her
motionless, her breath suspended in her
chest, every thought stolen from her
mind. She wasn’t foolish enough to
believe his gesture meant anything but
kindness, but that didn’t make the

experience any less precious or
memorable.

He was flipping through one of her

mother’s Good Housekeeping magazines
when she returned to the living room.
“According to this article, vibrant colors
are all the rage this year. Why didn’t
someone tell me that before I settled for
beige walls and off-white trim?”

She took the magazine from him and

handed him her phone. “There’s nothing
wrong with the traditional look. I’ll go
ahead and warn you. I get loud when I
watch football.”

“I do, too,” he confessed with a slow

smile that completed her state of
distraction. “Now I don’t have to try to
be quiet when I’m bursting at the seams

to yell.”

She followed him to the door. “How

many yards do you have to mow today?”

“Three, but one of them is five acres.

We should get done by seven. Are you
still helping with the bake sale
tomorrow?”

“No, I’m staying home with Dad.”
“Thanks for telling me. I’ll make

sure I’m on my best behavior when I
come over to get you.”

“Just don’t make any remarks about

how great the SEC is in football, and
you’ll be fine.”

“I’m very willing to perjure myself

if necessary.”

“Why is that?”
“I think that’s pretty obvious by now.

See you tomorrow afternoon.”

After he left, Darcy closed the door

and leaned against it. Delight and fear
warred for dominance within her. There
was a reason she avoided situations like
this. The few times she’d allowed
herself to get interested in someone had
ended in disaster. It wasn’t easy to
forget being rejected for something she
couldn’t control.

She’d hoped to delay telling Matt

about the seizures. Had it been wrong to
want some time with him where she
could pretend she was like everyone
else? That she didn’t have this
menacing cloud hanging over her all
the time.

Falling down the stairs had taken

care of that.

Darcy slowly walked over to the

coffee table and picked up the clay pot.
“I’m going to do my best not to
prematurely end your life.”

“Who are you talking to?”
Embarrassed at being caught talking

to a plant, Darcy held it out to her
mother. “Matt brought me this. Wasn’t
that sweet of him?”

“Yes, it was, and practical, too. Cut

flowers die after a few days. This is a
more permanent reminder. I like how he
thinks.”

“Whatever his reason, I appreciate

it. I only hope I don’t kill the poor
thing.”

“Did you tell him?”

“Not yet. He couldn’t stay long, and I

didn’t want to just blurt it out. I’ll tell
him tomorrow. He invited me to his
house to watch football.”

“I wish you’d asked him to come

here. You’re still recovering from
yesterday.”

“I’ll be fine, Mom.”
“I’m your mother. I have the right to

worry about you. You don’t know how
many times I wanted to come to that
college and bring you home.”

“But you didn’t, and I’m the better

for it. I have to live as normally as I can
without endangering myself or others.”

“Living normally includes having a

social life, and I think Matt’s a safe
place to start. He’s not like those other

boys you went out with before.”

“No, he’s not,” Darcy agreed.

“That’s the only reason I’m doing this.”
Well, not the only reason, but it was the
only one she could tell her mother.

* * * * *

Matt went through the motions of
mowing grass, but his mind was on the
reply he’d sent to Sarah’s text – the one
that would bring her to his house on
Sunday. Why hadn’t he refused? Was it
because he had a morbid and possibly
destructive curiosity to find out how
well she was doing without him? Or
was it because he needed to see how
well he was doing without her?

He’d thought he was doing a good

job of behaving normally, but he should

have known he couldn’t fool his brother.
As they were unloading the equipment
from the trailer, Eric broke the silence
that had fallen between them.

“If you don’t want to do the Heritage

House dinner, just say so. I can’t take
any more of the silent treatment.”

A chuckle erupted from Matt. “So

this is how to get your attention. I never
realized it was so easy.”

“Or bizarre. You and being quiet

don’t go together.”

“Sorry. I’ve been a little

preoccupied. Sarah invited herself over
on Sunday.”

Eric couldn’t hide his surprise. “Is

she having second thoughts?”

Matt shook his head. “I doubt it. It’s

more likely that she’s getting married
and wants to know if I’ll stop acting like
a baby and come to the wedding.”

“That could be done over the phone

or on neutral ground at a restaurant.
Coming to your house suggests it’s
something more personal. Between you
and her.”

“That doesn’t make sense, Eric. A

few weeks ago she was making out with
some guy in the produce section. Which,
as long as we’re talking about it, is
something I never could get her to do
with me. In public, I mean. Not that I
wanted to, but you know what I…
anyway, it was disappointing on several
levels.”

Eric tried to turn a laugh into a

cough, but it didn’t really work. Matt
ended up joining in. “I can imagine. Let
me remind you that a few weeks ago you
hadn’t met Darcy. A lot can change in a
short amount of time.”

Matt flipped his sunglasses into his

hair and lifted his shirt to wipe his face.
“What are you trying to say?”

“Things may not be as cut and dried

as you believe.”

“If you think that cleared up anything,

you’re wrong.”

“I shouldn’t be giving advice

anyway. I didn’t exactly bat a thousand
with women.”

“You went one for two. That’s better

than me.”

Eric laughed. “You’ve still got a few

at-bats left in the game. Should we set
another plate at the dinner table?”

“I’m too nervous to eat now, thanks

to you and your ‘second thoughts’
theory.”

“I thought – wrongly, it seems – that

you would welcome such an
opportunity.”

Matt looked at him strangely. “What

makes you think I wouldn’t want to get
back with Sarah?”

“Because you said you were too

nervous to eat. If you’d said you were
too excited to eat, that would have been
a different story.”

“Nervous or excited – there’s not

much difference.”

Eric took a few steps toward the

house and then turned around. “I’ll ask
you that again after you talk to Sarah.”

With a disgusted grunt, Matt climbed

into the truck. As he drove the short
distance home, he wasn’t thinking about
the possibility that Eric was right. He
was more concerned that he hadn’t
thought of it himself. Shouldn’t he - the
man who loved Sarah - have been the
one to jump to that conclusion?

Chapter Four

Matt watched as Julie arranged plates of
food on the island in his kitchen. When
he’d asked her for ideas on what he
should have to eat when Darcy came
over, she offered to make chicken
enchiladas. He should have known that
her generosity would extend well
beyond that.

“Have I told Eric lately how lucky

he is to have you?” he asked as he
grabbed a stuffed mushroom.

She laughed as she slapped at his

hand. “Stop that. You’ve got to leave a
few for Darcy.”

“I didn’t mean for you to do all this.”
“I know you didn’t, but it gave me an

excuse to get back in the kitchen.”

“Well, the food part of this afternoon

will be a success. Let’s just hope I don’t
ruin it by being my overly energetic self.
You know how I get when I watch
football.”

“You’re like me. I can’t sit still when

I watch a game.”

“I guess I better leave to pick her up.

It’s one-forty.” He looked at his cargo
shorts and t-shirt. “Maybe I should
change into jeans. Do you think it will
bother her to have to look at this all
afternoon?” He pointed to his prosthesis.

Julie patted him on the arm. “She’s

already seen it, Matt. No use hiding it
now. It’s part of you.”

“I wish I wasn’t so nervous. This

isn’t even a date. I guess it’s because
Darcy is coming here as opposed to
meeting her somewhere else.”

“That’s natural enough. You and

Sarah more or less planned this house
together. The important thing is don’t
keep looking back. The past is the past.”

Evidently Eric hadn’t told Julie that

Matt’s ‘past’ was coming over
tomorrow.

* * * * *

Darcy surveyed the discarded pile of
clothes. She’d spent the last hour trying
to decide what to wear. Nothing seemed
right. What was her problem? They’d be
watching football. It didn’t matter what
she had on. There were far more
important things for her to worry about.

Turning away from the bed, she

reached into the closet for her tennis
shoes.

It would be unusual for it to happen

again so soon, but that was no
guarantee. Her seizures followed no
particular pattern. The worse part was
she wouldn’t know until it was over.
There was no warning, only that horrible
moment when she came back from
nothingness to find herself in an
undignified position surrounded by
people staring at her. No matter how
many times it happened, it never got
any easier.

She needed to tell Matt before they

left her house. That way if he changed
his mind, he wouldn’t have the

awkwardness of having to bring her
back home. She’d learned that lesson
the hard way.

With a sigh, she grabbed her purse

and started down the stairs. Just as she
reached the foyer, the doorbell rang.
Since she hadn’t heard the truck pull into
the driveway, she figured it wasn’t Matt.
She opened the door - prepared to buy
whatever the neighbor’s kid was selling
this week - and there he stood. Shock
kept her silent for a few seconds.

“Oh, hey, Matt.”
“You look surprised to see me. I did

say two, didn’t I?”

Wishing she didn’t feel and sound so

breathless, she nodded. “Yes, you did,
but I didn’t hear the truck.”

He waved a hand toward the

driveway. “I didn’t bring the truck.”

Her glance strayed beyond him to the

sports car sitting beside her mother’s
van. “Is that a Corvette?” she asked, a
note of admiration entering her voice.

“A 1967 Stingray to be more

precise.”

“It’s beautiful. I’ve always wanted to

ride in one.”

“Let’s hope it lives up to your

expectations.” His glance came back to
rest on her. “I can honestly say that I
never liked Clemson t-shirts until
today.”

She felt something tighten in her

chest. He could say that with her
looking like this? “Would you mind

coming in for a minute?”

“To meet your father?” he asked as

he followed her inside.

“No, not that. You’ve been granted a

reprieve. The bake sale ended early. He
and my mom went over to Cason’s
house.”

“That’s too bad. I was looking

forward to talking football with him.
You didn’t tell me he was a tight end.
That’s the position I played in high
school. I don’t like to brag, but Eric
doesn’t have all the athletic talent in the
family.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t, but I’m more

impressed by what you did for your
country.”

He threw her a lopsided smile.

“Keep that up, and I’ll forget I’ve only
known you a few weeks.”

The look in his eyes confused her. “I

thought it would be easier if we had our
talk here.”

“Whatever you think is best.”
She led the way to the living room.

Once they were seated, Darcy drew a
steadying breath and focused on Cason’s
wedding picture hanging on the opposite
wall. “Three years ago, I was in a car
accident. In trying to avoid hitting
another vehicle, I went over an
embankment and landed in a ditch. The
car I was driving was an older model
that didn’t have an airbag. I experienced
severe head trauma from being thrown
into the windshield. The seizures started

in the hospital. I had one on Thursday
morning. That’s why I fell down the
stairs.” She slowly returned her glance
to his face, steeling herself for the
inevitable shock and horror she would
find there. What she did find took her
breath. The same eyes she’d once heard
described as melted chocolate reflected
only concern and kindness.

Matt reached over and pried one of

her hands loose from where she’d
knotted them together. “I’m so sorry that
happened to you.”

A myriad of sensations burst into life

within her: an awareness of the latent
strength in the hand holding hers, a
tingling warmth spreading like wildfire
from her fingers to her arm and to the

rest of her body, and the realization that
the first crack had appeared in the armor
surrounding her heart.

“If you’d like to change your mind

about today, I completely understand. It
won’t hurt my feelings at all.” This
wasn’t true, but it was the polite thing
to say.

He looked at her in surprise. “I’ve

had women use some creative excuses to
get out of going somewhere with me, but
this is a first.”

“I’m not trying to get out of it,” she

said in a rush. “I’m trying to let you get
out of it. Do you want to spend time with
someone who might have a seizure in the
middle of a conversation?”

“If that person is you, then the

answer is yes. I’ve been looking
forward to this all day.”

Was he just being nice? Or did he

not understand? Her eyes searched his,
not sure whether to believe him. “Have
you ever seen someone have a seizure?”

“Not in person, but I survived a war

in Iraq. I’m pretty sure I can handle this.
Why don’t you fill me in on what I
should do if something happens.”

Darcy was for a moment speechless.

She’d never had anyone ask her this
before. They were usually too busy
trying to figure out how quickly they
could get away.

Her eyes fell to the level of his chin.

“I have what’s called absence seizures.
That means I essentially ‘check out’ of

whatever I’m doing at the time. For all
intents and purposes, I’m unconscious. I
won’t respond to you or anything else. If
I’m standing or sitting when it happens,
I’ll suddenly go limp and fall. I usually
come back after a few minutes. If I don’t,
then you need to call 911.”

“That certainly sounds doable.”
Her lips twisted sadly. “I’ve found

it’s best to be upfront about things. It
helps avoid any unpleasant surprises.”

“I appreciate you telling me

something so personal. I know what it’s
like to be physically imperfect in a
world that demands perfection. You’re
no less attractive because you have
seizures.”

“I haven’t found that to be the case.”

Matt squeezed her hand gently.

“Until now you hadn’t.”

She heard the sincerity in his deep

voice. These weren’t merely words,
spoken to give comfort without any idea
of their true meaning. His experiences
had deepened the compassion and caring
she’d recognized in him all those years
ago. In both instances, he had glimpsed
her vulnerability and not turned away.
Was it any wonder that he was slowly
piercing through her resolve to guard
her heart?

* * * * *

As Matt escorted Darcy to the car, he
felt like borrowing his brother’s the fog
of confusion in my brain is beginning
to clear comment because that’s exactly

what was happening. Finding out Darcy
had epilepsy explained many things
about her that had puzzled him including
her remarks about not dating.

He couldn’t blame her for such an

attitude. She lived in a constant state of
uncertainty that altered the everyday
experiences everyone else took for
granted. Worse than that, she couldn’t do
anything to delay or prevent the
inevitable. Just going with him today
was a huge act of faith on her part.

Once they were on their way, he

turned to her. “So, what do you think of
my ride?”

“I’m loving it. It’s strange to sit so

close to the ground. I feel like I’m in an
Indie race car.”

“I got this one up to a hundred once,

but that was on a deserted highway at
two in the morning.”

“A hundred miles an hour? I’d be

scared to death to go that fast.”

Matt sent her a quick glance. “I hope

you won’t be offended by this question,
but do you drive?”

She smiled faintly. “I’m not

offended. It’s a natural question, and the
answer is no. I don’t have good enough
seizure control. I’ve already been in one
car accident. I couldn’t live with myself
if I had a seizure while driving and
ended up hurting someone.”

He couldn’t imagine not driving.

How many people would act so
unselfishly? “That decision couldn’t

have been easy.”

“Driving was one of the hardest

things for me to give up. When you can’t
drive, you lose a good bit of your
independence.”

Her mature handling of a tough

situation was impressive and only
increased his respect and admiration for
her. “Acknowledging your limitations is
half the battle.” He drew up to an
imposing black and gold entrance gate.
After putting the window down, he
punched in a code. “The other half is
getting everyone else around you to do
the same.”

“People mean well, but they don’t

understand the difference between
helping and taking over.”

“Exactly. Some battles just have to

be fought alone.” Once inside the gate,
he veered away from the main driveway.
“Eric’s house is about a half mile down
that way. He wouldn’t hear of me
building anywhere else. I fought him on
it for over a year because I didn’t feel
right getting a parcel of land I didn’t
work for. But as you’ll find out when
you meet him, Eric is both generous and
persuasive.”

“You don’t want me to meet him

today, do you? Because I’d rather not. It
was hard enough letting you see me like
this.”

But she had let him see her. Surely

that was a sign that she was
comfortable with him. He felt an

inordinate amount of satisfaction from
that, something he’d have to figure out
later. “I understand. We’ll do it another
time.”

Darcy’s attention was drawn to the

house. He tried to see it through
someone else’s eyes instead of what it
had become for him: a reminder of the
woman he lost. It was impossible to
forget that it was Sarah who wanted the
classic red brick and shutters. Their
lively disagreements about an island in
the kitchen and hardwood floors instead
of ceramic tile had ended with her in his
arms. He wasn’t sorry when Darcy
finally spoke. This wasn’t what he
wanted to think about right now.

“It’s lovely and homey at the same

time.”

“Thank you.” As he helped her out of

the car, she looked at him and smiled.
His pulse leapt to life with enough vigor
to make it obvious what was happening.
The force of his reaction to a woman
who wasn’t Sarah surprised him.

“How far apart are the houses?” she

asked. “I can’t see anything for all the
trees.”

Matt smiled faintly. It was obvious

that little incident had been entirely one-
sided. “Not too far. About a five minute
walk. Basically, we live on opposite
sides of a lake with lots of woods in
between.” As they approached the front
door, he could hear barking. “Julie must
have put Delilah in the laundry room

when she left.” He ushered Darcy into
the foyer. “You can put your purse on
that table. The kitchen is this way.”

She followed him into the spacious

room, her eyes widening at the food
arranged on the granite countertops. “Is
all of that for the two of us?”

“Sure is. Let me put Delilah outside

while we eat.” When Matt opened the
door, the dog shot through the opening
and without pause, ran to where Darcy
stood. “Hey, now, I’m the one who’s
been taking care of you.”

* * * * *

Darcy crouched down to let the dog sniff
her hand. “She wants to check me out
and make sure I’m safe to have around.”

“She’s spoiled rotten, but I have to

admit she’s good company.” Matt
walked over to the door leading to the
porch and whistled. Delilah looked at
him and then back at Darcy. “She’ll still
be here when you get done. It’s time to
go outside.” The dog trotted over to sit
by the door. “Good girl.” Matt reached
into a jar on the counter, removed a dog
biscuit and gave it to Delilah. “Try to
resist the urge to bury that bone in my
petunias.” Then he opened the door and
let her go outside.

Darcy stood up and leaned against

the counter. “Is she a digger?”

He nodded. “It’s like she knows

when I’ve planted something new.”

“Dogs are very intelligent. My

doctor told me about a company that

trains dogs to live with people who have
epilepsy. Apparently, some dogs can
sense in advance when someone is going
to have a seizure. They alert their
owners to help them avoid injury.”

“I’ve heard about dogs for the blind,

but this is incredible. Have you thought
about getting one?”

“I looked into it. As you can

imagine, the dogs are very expensive.”

“It would certainly be worth it,

especially when you have to be alone.”
He opened a cabinet and removed two
glasses. “What can I get you to drink?”

“I’ll take tea if you’ve got it.”
“I wouldn’t normally, but Julie

thought you might like it. Get a plate and
dig in.”

“It all looks good. I don’t know

where to start.” Darcy picked up a plate
and sent him a teasing glance. “I fully
expected to be eating off Auburn plates.”

Matt grinned as he reached into the

refrigerator for the pitcher of tea. “I
wouldn’t ask you to do that.”

“Are those sausage balls? I love

those.”

He came around the island to stand

next to her. “Me, too. This is what I like
to see: a girl who’s got a good appetite.
There’s nothing worse than trying to eat
with someone who barely puts anything
on their plate.”

“Tell me about it. My roommate was

always on a diet. Worse than that, she
was always trying to get me on one. I’m

sorry, but I’m not going to starve myself
just so I can wear skinny jeans.”

Matt’s eyes drifted over her from

head to toe. “From where I’m standing,
you have no worries in that area.”

Darcy felt her face grow warm.

“This guacamole is delicious.”

His smile told her he’d noticed the

blush. “I’m sure Julie would give you
the recipe. Don’t forget the meatballs.
They’re in the crockpot by the
microwave.”

She balanced a full plate in one hand

and a glass of tea in the other. “There’s
no more room. I’ll have to get them next
trip.”

He pointed over his shoulder. “The

living room is through that archway

behind me. If you can find the remote,
turn on the game. If not, don’t worry
about it. I have a bad habit of carrying it
around with me.”

“It must be a man thing. My dad does

that, too.”

The first thing Darcy noticed when

she walked into the room was the
billiard table sitting at the far end. Was it
just for decoration or did he actually
play? The sound of whistling in the
kitchen recalled her to the task at hand:
finding the remote. She sat down on a
black leather couch that looked as if it
had just come off the showroom floor.
The same went for the mahogany
entertainment center lining the opposite
wall with its flat screen television and

impressive looking stereo system.

“No luck with the remote, huh?”
Darcy glanced around guiltily. “I’m

sorry; I haven’t looked for it yet. I was
admiring your pool table.”

“I got hooked on billards in the

army.” He stuck his hand down in the
space between the seat and the arm of a
large recliner. “Here it is. We’ll watch
Michigan beat up on some small school
until our games start. If I get too rowdy,
let me know.”

“The same goes for you,” she

assured him.

To her surprise, he joined her on the

couch.

“Do you play?” he asked.
“Play what? Football?”

“No. I meant pool.”
“I’m decent.”
“Maybe we can fit in a game during

halftime.”

“All right, but don’t get your hopes

up. I’m probably not on your level.”

He reached for his glass. “Or I’m not

on yours. We’ll have to find out. Either
way, I won’t let you win just because
you’re a girl.”

“I expect no less.”
His glance slid down her again.

“That’s not to say I won’t get distracted
by the fact that you’re a girl. I’m only
human, after all.”

She swiped at his leg with her hand.

Instead of skin, her fingers met the
smoothness of hard plastic. “I’m sorry. I

forgot about your leg.”

“That’s something I don’t hear very

often,” he said, laughing. “Sometimes it
seems like all people see when they look
at me is the prosthesis.”

“I know what you mean. Epilepsy

can’t be hidden for long either. I’ve
come to think of it as an actor waiting in
the wings of my brain for his cue. When
the signal is given, I don’t get to be in
the audience. Someone else has to tell
me how the performance went.”

“That’s an interesting analogy. Does

it mean you can’t remember having a
seizure?”

“That’s right. The only residual

effects I have are any bumps or bruises I
collect on the way to the ground.”

“How many seizures have you had?”
This time she laughed. “I stopped

counting at thirty.”

“And I thought feeling pain in a leg

that isn’t there anymore is hard to deal
with. I admire you, Darcy. It takes
courage to face the unknown.”

“Real courage is doing what men

and women like you do every day to
protect this country.”

He shook his head. “Bravery isn’t

reserved for heroic acts on the
battlefield. It means denying yourself for
the good of others. Isn’t that what you’re
doing by choosing not to drive?”

“I don’t know.” A long sigh slipped

through her lips. “There’s a fine line
between being independent and allowing

something to define me.”

“Only you can decide where that line

is. Just don’t be afraid to move it back
and forth every once in a while.” He
glanced at the television. “Did Michigan
just score again?”

“They must have. We shouldn’t be

surprised. It’s not as if they’re playing
anyone.”

* * * * *

Matt wasn’t worried about Michigan’s
fourteen point lead; he needed a few
minutes to regain his composure. He was
a little unsettled by how much he’d
wanted the lifeless piece of plastic
attached to his body to feel Darcy’s
touch. Here was further proof – if he
needed it – that his reaction to her

earlier at the car hadn’t been a fluke.
He’d known for days that his interest in
her was growing. What he didn’t know
was whether she felt the same way about
him.

“Are you ready for round 2?” he

asked. She sent him a playful grin that
set his heart racing.

“You read my mind.”
It was a good thing she couldn’t

read his. He scooted over to the end of
the couch. “Okay, here’s how this is
going to work. The last one to the
kitchen has to do the dishes after the
game. On your mark…get set…”

“Wait!” she yelped. “I’m not ready

yet.” Darcy edged to her end of the
couch.

“What are you worried about? Your

opponent only has one good leg.”

“I don’t like doing dishes.”
Matt laughed. “Neither do I. Go!”
They both jumped up and turned in

opposite directions to get around the
couch. Darcy belatedly made a grab for
her plate. That few seconds delay was
enough to allow him to reach the kitchen
ahead of her.

“How about the best two out of

three?” she asked between breaths.

“No way. I only won this time

because you went back for your plate.
Ready for dessert? I still have some of
that pie you gave me, which by the way,
is as good as my mom’s.”

“I’m glad you liked it. I’ll take a

small slice.” Darcy moved over to
where he stood.

As he slid a piece on her plate, he

said, “I was kidding about the dishes.
You’re my guest.”

“How about we compromise and do

them together?”

“We’ll see. Right now, I’m going to

make coffee. Want some?”

“I’m not much of a coffee drinker. I

like hot chocolate with marshmallows. I
love how they get all soft and gooey as
they melt. It’s almost as good as roasting
them.”

Matt’s hand froze in the act of

scooping coffee into the filter. He looked
down at her, his eyes puzzled. Someone
else liked gooey marshmallows. Who

was it? As if a curtain had been swept
away, the fragments of memories he’d
been chasing for weeks finally came
together. “You’re the little girl I met at
Ian’s – the one who liked s’mores.”

Darcy nodded slowly. “You

remembered. I didn’t think you would.”

“You already knew? Why didn’t you

say something?”

She shrugged. “It didn’t seem

important. It’s been a long time.”

“Not important?” he echoed in

amazement. “Do you know how hard
I’ve racked my brain trying to figure out
why you seem so familiar? I thought I
was going crazy or something. When did
you figure it out?”

“As soon as I saw you.”

“Really? Well, in my defense, you

had it easy. I haven’t changed all that
much. You went from a cute little girl to
breathtaking.” As he watched the color
in her face deepen, he went on, “I don’t
remember you blushing back then,
either.”

“Please stop! You’re only going to

make it worse.”

“If memory serves, you polished off

about four s’mores that night. I kept
thinking you were going to be sick, and I
was going to get blamed for letting it
happen.”

“It’s nice to know that the one thing

you remember about me is how much I
ate.”

“That’s not all I remember. Not by a

long shot.”

* * * * *

Darcy didn’t want to go any further
down Memory Lane. The innocent
comments they’d exchanged held no
special meaning for him. His heart
hadn’t been touched by the first stirrings
of love. He hadn’t spent the next few
years spinning fairytales in his head
about a person he’d only met one time.
“We should probably get back to the
game. It’s almost three-thirty.”

His dark eyes gleamed with

mischief. “All right; but I definitely want
to talk more about this. We’ve got some
catching up to do.”

Not if she could steer him in

another direction.

Her doubts about being able to be

herself when she watched football
quickly vanished. Matt was every bit as
vocal as she was. At one point, he
became so frustrated with the inability of
an Auburn receiver to catch a pass that
he wadded up his napkin and threw it at
the television.

“What is it with our receivers today?

They can’t catch a cold, let alone a
football.”

“So much for thinking I need to dial

back my enthusiasm a bit.”

“I warned you.”
He gave her a playful push with his

shoulder. She felt the impact all the way
to her toes. That wasn’t how she was
supposed to react to someone in the

friend zone. “Is it safe to put a cue stick
in your hand?”

“I’m only like this with football.”
And she was only like this with him.

Darcy got up to retrieve the napkin and
then walked over to the window. “I see a
glimpse of blue water through the trees.
That must be convenient. You don’t have
to go to the river anymore.”

“Or worry about Eric following me

when I get the urge to fish in the middle
of the night.”

She turned around to face him. “I

used to go with my dad to the causeway.
He liked to get out there before everyone
else so it was usually still dark. The mist
would slowly rise off the water, and the
only sound was the occasional seagull

flying overhead. I watched a lot of
sunrises with a fishing pole in my hand.
It was like nothing else I’ve ever
experienced.”

“A girl who likes billiards, football

and fishing. Have I entered some kind of
alternate reality?”

“There are plenty of women who

enjoy those types of activities.”

“They must all be in hiding because I

haven’t been able to find them. Well,
look at that. One of our receivers
actually caught a pass.”

Darcy returned to the couch, hoping

he wouldn’t notice that she left a little
more space between them. “Don’t get
too excited. It wasn’t enough for a first
down.”

“You’re just cranky because your

quarterback has thrown two
interceptions today, both of which were
returned for touchdowns.”

“Do you blame me? There wasn’t a

Clemson player within ten yards of
either pass.”

“On one of them, it looked like the

receiver ran the wrong route.
Quarterbacks are like pitchers. They get
too much credit if their team wins and
too much blame if their team loses.”

When their games went to halftime,

Matt stood up and walked over to the
pool table. “If you’re not too exhausted
from yelling at your players and
complaining about the refs, we could
play a game.”

“Don’t get me started on the refs.

They’ve been awful today.” She joined
him on the other side of the room. “This
is an older model, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. A bowling alley in

Atlanta was going out of business. I got
this thing cheap because it was in such
bad shape. It took me a few months to fix
it up.”

“You did a great job.” She selected a

cue stick from the case. “These don’t
look as if they’ve been used.”

“They haven’t. Eric and Julie gave

them to me as a housewarming gift.” He
grabbed the triangle rack off the wall.
“Ready to show me what you can do.”

“Sure. You want to break?”
“Ladies first.”

Darcy placed the cue ball to the left

of center. Matt finished setting up the
balls and moved to the side, out of her
line of sight. On the break, she pocketed
a ball, much to her delight. His
comments about not letting her win ran
through her mind. She decided to play a
little trick on him. Knowing his sense of
humor, she wasn’t worried about him
getting upset. The only problem was
pulling it off. With him watching, she
wasn’t sure how well she’d be able to
play. “That means I get to keep going,
right?” she asked innocently, trying hard
not to smile.

He nodded. “Just make sure you only

aim for the solid ones.”

After she’d successfully banked the

next three shots, she turned to him again.
“I can’t believe this. I’ve never played
this good before.”

Matt’s mouth quirked into a knowing

grin. “You can stop pretending now.
You’ve made your point. It’s time to
come clean. Who taught you to play?”

Darcy surveyed the table before

leaning down to take another shot. “No
one. I watched videos and practiced on
the pool table at the YMCA.”

“Why pool?”
She avoided his glance by rubbing

cue chalk on the end of her stick. “I had
a crush on this guy who lived and
breathed billiards. I figured if I learned
to play, I could impress him.”

“Don’t stop there. Tell me the rest of

this fascinating story.”

After she pocketed another ball, she

said, “He was impressed until I beat
him. I didn’t know then that boys don’t
like losing to girls.”

“Some of us actually outgrow that.”
Darcy laughed. “That’s good to

know. Now I can beat you with a clear
conscience.”

“Go ahead. I promise not to cry or

break my cue stick, but I might feel
compelled to express my frustration in
some way.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What would

that be? Not letting me watch the rest of
the Clemson game?” The smile he sent
her wasn’t reassuring. What was he
planning?

“You’ll find out if you win.”
“I see what you’re doing. You’re

trying to distract me.”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course I am.

The question is: is it working?”

Of course it was working, but she

wasn’t going to admit it. Not bothering
to answer, Darcy concentrated on her
next shot. It teetered on the edge of the
pocket for a few agonizing seconds
before dropping in.

Matt started ticking off points on his

fingers. “Knows when to be quiet.
Check. Calm under pressure. Check.
Beautiful eyes. Check. Nice legs.
Check.”

“You’re not playing fair,” she

protested. “That’s a sign of a poor

loser.”

He crossed his arms, grinning

unrepentantly. “You only have to make
two more shots, and you’ll know exactly
what kind of loser I am.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Oh, me, too.”
Determined not to let him rattle her,

she didn’t look his way again until the
eight-ball was safely in the corner
pocket.

He pushed away from the wall and

came to stand beside her. His fingers
tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, his
mouth parting in a crooked smile. Her
breath caught in her throat as what felt
like a current of electricity passed
through her.

“Next time, I break first,” he said

softly. “It’s the only way I’ll ever get a
shot in.” Taking the cue stick from her,
he returned it to the case.

Darcy slowly let out the breath she

was holding. She’d been a fool to think
she could be around him and not be
affected. “I’m not sure how much it will
help you. I’m going to do my own share
of distracting.”

Matt laughed as he sat down next to

her. “You’re already doing that. I’m
hoping that by continuing to expose
myself to you, I’ll develop some
immunity.”

“I’m not sure what that means.”
“It’s just my way of saying I like you.

That shouldn’t be a surprise. I liked you

when you were twelve.”

“Did you? I liked you, too.”
“When you think about it, we’re just

picking up where we left off.”

Except this time she wasn’t a little

girl, and he wasn’t leaving town.

* * * * *

The start of the third quarter pulled
Matt’s attention back to the game. He
and Darcy spent the next two hours
arguing amicably over their respective
teams’ performance. When the final
seconds ticked off the clock, he had little
trouble persuading her to play another
game of pool. In spite of going first, he
still managed to lose, something he
should have seen coming given his total
lack of focus. It was much more

enjoyable to watch her play than to
concentrate on making his own shots.

Over his protests, she insisted on

helping him clean up the kitchen before
she left. Not that he minded. Standing
next to Darcy at the sink had been just as
exciting as sitting next to her on the
couch. Long before he was ready, the
last dish was put away, she’d said
goodbye to Delilah, and they were
walking out to the car. Where had the
time gone?

As they waited for the gate to open,

he glanced her way. “I hope I convinced
you that Auburn fans aren’t all bad.”

She laughed. “I knew that already. I

only said that to see what you’d say.”

“So, it was a test. Does that mean I

might be able to talk you into coming
over again?”

“I think so, yes.”
Her lips curved into a shy smile that

drew his gaze to her mouth. He didn’t
need the fluttering in the region of his
heart to know what was happening. His
talent for speaking first and thinking later
had landed him in trouble again. He’d
only spent one afternoon with Darcy, and
he already wanted to break the first rule
of the ‘just friends’ contract. “Good. Are
you coming to rehearsal on Monday?”

“I don’t know. It depends on what I

look like by then.”

“If you decide to go, let me know

and I’ll pick you up.”

“Cason doesn’t mind driving me.”

“Neither do I.”
When they reached her front door,

she turned to him. “Thanks for inviting
me over. I had a great time.”

“I did, too. Let me know about

Monday, okay?”

“I will. Goodnight, Matt.”

* * * * *

Darcy downplayed the events of the day
to her inquisitive mother. For the
moment, she wanted to keep the wonder
and happiness welling up inside to
herself. Tomorrow would be soon
enough to explain Matt’s extraordinary
reaction to hearing about her epilepsy.
Right now, she was too moved - too full
of emotion - to talk about it calmly.

Being normal was one of those

things you didn’t fully appreciate until
you no longer fit the definition. Then it
was all you thought about. Matt had
done what no other guy had been able to
do: make her forget about her seizures.
His acceptance ignited a tiny spark of
light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
Part of her wanted to let go of her fear
and move toward the light. If she closed
herself off from this chance, she might
never get another one.

Letting such thoughts take root in her

heart was dangerous because it gave her
hope. Hope meant she wouldn’t be
content with what he’d offered and what
she could realistically give in return.
She would want more. Hope raised the
stakes and added expectations. It

increased the risk of hurt and
disappointment.

In spite of his comment about picking

up where they left off, Darcy knew they
were essentially starting from scratch.
Telling Matt about her seizures was just
the tip of a very large iceberg. Would his
tolerance endure when faced with the
realities of epilepsy? Or would it be too
much for him, too?

* * * * *

Matt was hardly aware of driving home
and entering the house. It was Delilah’s
mournful yelps from the laundry room
that reminded him of more pressing
concerns. He bent down to pick her up.
“Are you jealous that I spent the
afternoon with Darcy? Or are you just

hungry?”

An hour later he was standing on the

bank of the lake hoping to catch a few
catfish. This is where he did most of his
serious thinking. Since his breakup with
Sarah, he’d spent hours and hours in this
spot. As he stared unseeingly at the
glass-like smoothness of the water, he
remembered the pain in Darcy’s eyes
when she told him about her seizures.

How many unkind comments and

cruel rejections had it taken to put it
there? His fingers tightened around the
handle of the fishing rod. He’d like to
have a round or two with those guys
who hurt her, who hadn’t been able to
get past a medical diagnosis long
enough to see the sensitive, caring girl

in front of them.

It was strange how he’d learned

more about her from what she hadn’t
said. Like him, she’d been forced to
accept that she’d never be the same
again. Did she ever manage to forget
the accident that changed her? Or was
she plagued by nightmares as he was?
At least she carried no guilt. Matt had to
live with knowing that Ian didn’t get the
chance to come home. There had been
many times when he wished it had been
him who died so that Faith wouldn’t be a
widow.

“Caught anything?”
Matt jerked at the sound of Julie’s

voice. “Not yet. What are you doing so
far from home?”

“Getting some exercise. How was

your day with Darcy?”

“It went great thanks to your culinary

skills.”

“I doubt the food had anything to do

with it. When you’re done scaring all the
fish, drop by the house. Just because we
have a baby doesn’t mean you have to
stop coming to visit.”

“I’ve been giving you space.”
“That was a nice thought, but we

miss you. Eric needs some male
companionship after being closed up in a
house with two females all day.”

“Yeah, right. I’m just waiting for him

to tell me that he’s decided to retire from
mowing lawns because he can’t bear to
be away from his girls. What’s he doing

now?”

“Taking a nap. He’s got the late shift

tonight.”

Matt slowly reeled in his line. “Did

he tell you about Sarah?”

“He mentioned it.”
Picking up his tackle box, he closed

the distance between them. “Do you
share his absurd theory?”

“Truthfully, I don’t know what to

think. When Sarah came to see Nerina,
she didn’t ask about you, and I didn’t
volunteer anything.”

“You’re as tactful as Eric.”
As they approached the house, the

screen door opened and his brother
walked out. “I wondered where you’d
run off to.”

Julie met him at the bottom of the

stairs and lifted her face for his kiss.
“Where’s our daughter?”

“Still sleeping, but getting a little

restless.”

“I better get a bottle going.”
After Julie left, Eric looked at Matt.

“You saved me a trip. I’ve got another
favor to ask.”

Matt leaned his rod against the porch

railing. “Can you let me get the first
favor done before you spring another
one on me?”

As usual, Eric ignored this. “Julie’s

birthday is in two weeks. I’d like to take
her out to dinner.”

“Uh-oh. I know where this is going.”
“Hear me out first. It would only be

for a few hours. Nerina will likely sleep
the entire time.”

“And if she wakes up? What then? I

don’t know anything about babies. Do
you really want me taking care of
yours?”

“It’s not that complicated, Matt.

We’ll show you exactly what to do. And
if you’re unsure about anything, you can
call us. It’s not as if I’m taking Julie to
dinner in New York City. We can be
home in fifteen minutes.”

“Can’t you get one of Julie’s

friends?”

“All of them have families of their

own.”

If he had someone else with him, it

wouldn’t be so nerve-wracking. Darcy

had mentioned taking care of Stella.
Maybe she’d be willing to help him.
“I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I ask.”
“Some official-sounding woman

called me this morning from the Heritage
House Foundation confirming the change
from you to me. She asked if I minded
appearing in uniform. I suppose I have
you to thank for that.”

“Now you don’t have to wear one of

my overpriced suits.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?”
Eric’s lips twitched into a

mischievous grin. “Because you had
other things on your mind. I’m a little in
awe of you. Darcy today and Sarah
tomorrow. You’re becoming quite the

man about town.”

“When you say it like that, it sounds

terrible. The situations aren’t in any way
the same.”

“Not yet anyway.”
“You’re sticking to the idea that

Sarah wants to get back together.”

“I am, but I’ve been wrong before.”
“The only reason I was able to forget

about it today was because Darcy was
with me.”

“I was hoping you’d bring her over

to meet us.”

He’d told Eric about Darcy falling

down the stairs. At that time, he hadn’t
known the reason. “She’s sporting a
colorful black eye right now. She wasn’t
up for meeting new people.”

“That’s understandable. Getting used

to you is challenging enough.”

“I know. I definitely didn’t get much

of the Gibson charm.”

“Just enough to make you dangerous

and a little impatient.”

Julie appeared at the door with

Nerina in her arms. “Okay, boys, time to
come in. I’m getting hungry.”

As Matt followed them into the

house, his uneasiness about tomorrow
once again took precedence in his
thoughts. In a way, he wished Sarah
hadn’t contacted him. After months of
sleepless nights, he was finally making
progress getting over her. He didn’t
want to stir up all those old feelings
again.

Chapter Five

Darcy had previously arranged to meet
her friend Alison for lunch at the mall.
That was before her tumble down the
stairs. With her face displaying most of
the colors of the rainbow, their plans had
changed to getting together at her house
instead. She wasn’t prepared for
Alison’s reaction to her new look.

“Oh, Darcy. It’s so much worse than

I thought.”

“They’re just bruises, Ali. There’s

no lasting damage. The key is avoiding
mirrors.”

“How can you joke about it?”
“What else can I do? Sit around all

day and cry. Let’s stay out here on the

porch. Mom’s still working feverishly
on some new chicken salad recipe for us
to try.” Darcy took her usual spot on the
steps. “Have you and Rob decided on a
date yet?”

Alison laid her purse and phone on

the bench by the front door and then
came over to sit down next to Darcy.
“We’re thinking March or early April.
Neither of us wants a huge wedding, but
you know my mother. She’s talking
several hundred guests and a reception
at the yacht club.”

Darcy laughed. “You’re the daughter

of a judge and an attorney. What did you
expect?”

“Rob has threatened to elope, and I

have to admit the idea is romantic.”

“Only until you get back in town and

have to face two sets of angry parents.”

“Mom and I are going shopping for

dresses on Friday. You know how
different my taste is from hers. I foresee
countless trips and endless arguments.
Please say you’ll come with us. I need
someone along who’s on my side.”

“I don’t think your mom wants me

there, too. Looking for a wedding gown
is a mother-daughter thing.”

“I’m the bride. I should have a say in

a few things.”

“We’ll have to see how I look by

then. I don’t want to upset the other
customers.”

Alison examined her perfectly

manicured nails. “I was surprised you

felt up to going on a date yesterday.”

How many more times was she

going to have to explain this? “It
wasn’t a date, and Matt had already seen
me.”

“I wanted to text you for updates, but

Rob told me to leave you alone.”

“They would have been very tame

updates. We basically watched football
and stuffed ourselves with food.”

“You like him a lot, don’t you?”
Like had been left in the dust.

Darcy was - very foolishly - falling in
love. “Yes, but he only sees me as a
friend.”

“That can change. If he’s one of

those shy types, you may have to be the
one to get things rolling. You know, let

him know you’re interested.”

Shy wasn’t the first word that came

to mind when she thought of Matt. Alison
might be disappointed by the lack of any
physical sign of interest, but Darcy
wasn’t. Matt had made his enjoyment of
her company obvious without resorting
to actions that would have seemed
strange given his comments to her about
Sarah. “I hit him with some pretty heavy
stuff, and he didn’t run screaming from
the room. No need to get ahead of
ourselves.”

“You’re right. We should be

celebrating the fact that you actually
went to his house in the first place. That
tells me he must be special. It’s been a
long time since you allowed a guy to get

near enough to ask your name let alone
ask you out.”

Darcy was relieved to hear the door

open. Her mother’s arrival couldn’t have
been timed better. Not even Alison
really understood her reasons for opting
out of dating. Some things couldn’t be
explained; you had to experience them
yourself.

* * * * *

Matt glanced at his watch for the tenth
time. Sarah’s habit of running late hadn’t
changed. Never had he found that trait so
annoying. He couldn’t sit on the couch
any longer. Whistling for Delilah, he
opened the front door and waited for his
little companion to come out of hiding. A
few seconds later, she appeared with

one of his socks in her mouth. He bent
down to take it from her.

“You’ve been poking your nose in

the laundry basket again, haven’t you?
Get outside and find one of those bones I
bought.”

Deprived of her prize, Delilah

bolted through the opening and into the
yard. Matt walked around to the side of
the house and grabbed the hose. Might
as well do something productive while
he tried to ignore the tension building
inside him.

Something shiny in the grass by the

sidewalk caught his eye. When he
looked closer, he saw that it was an
earring – the same one he’d seen Darcy
wearing yesterday. He picked it up and

put it in his pocket. Then he reached for
his phone to send her a message.

One pearl earring found.
Are you sure you sent this to the

right person?

How many women do you think

come to my house?

I don’t know. I’ve never been to

your house. This is Alison. I’m Darcy’s
friend. She went to help her mother in
the kitchen.

Was this a joke? Hi, Alison. This is

Matt, another friend of Darcy’s. It’s
nice to meet you, or in this case, text
you.

Same here. I’ll tell Darcy about the

earring.

It appeared someone else had been

using Darcy’s phone. He turned on the
water and adjusted the nozzle. A few
minutes later, his phone beeped.

I’m so glad you found the earring. I

couldn’t figure out where I lost it. The
set was a graduation gift from my
parents.

Matt smiled. It’s safely in my

pocket. Have you decided anything
about tomorrow?

Alison’s reaction to my appearance

has given me second thoughts. I’ll let
you know when I make up my mind.

Okay. Your friend had me going

there for a few minutes.

She thought your response was

great. I didn’t know this, but
apparently, she used to have a crush on

your brother.

I hear that all the time. It’s okay to

admit you did, too.

We’ll leave a discussion about our

childhood crushes for another day. I’ve
got to go.

Darcy’s remark about her friend

didn’t surprise him. Half the women in
St. Marys had a crush on Eric. It came
with the territory.

Matt was almost finished watering

the plants on the porch when Sarah’s car
came to rest outside his garage. Calm –
he needed to be calm. Across the
distance of the yard, their eyes met and
held. For a brief moment it was as if
they’d gone back in time, but the
impression left as quickly as it came. He

slowly put down the hose and walked
over to meet her at the top of the stairs.

“You went with forest green for the

door and shutters,” she said as she
joined him. “It looks nice. Thanks for
letting me come over.”

“No problem. Did you want to talk

here or inside?”

“Here’s fine.” She took a seat on one

of the wicker chairs and waited for him
to do the same.

The silence that fell between them

was awkward and strained, so different
from what it had been before. Matt
wanted to fill it with something, but had
no idea what. When her purse fell off the
table, they both reached down to get it.
He held it open while she picked up the

few items that had fallen out.

With heightened color, she sat the

purse on the ground beside her chair and
glanced at him uncertainly. “Now that
I’m here, I don’t know where to start.”

This admission surprised him. Sarah

was one of those people who were
never at a loss about how to handle a
situation. Unlike him, she was always in
control. What could have happened to
get her so obviously rattled? “Tell me
how work is going.”

“My new job is going well. I had to

get used to working five days instead of
three, but having every weekend off is a
nice tradeoff. What about you? Are the
Gibson brothers still mowing yards?”

It seemed strange that she didn’t

know. Matt leaned back in the seat and
tried to relax. “We can’t stop now. I’ve
got a mortgage.”

“You should have enough customers

to hire other people to do the work.”

“We did pick up a few part-time

college students for the summer. The
problem is most of them are allergic to
manual labor. All they want to do is ride
the mower and text their girlfriends. It’s
like they can’t make a single decision on
their own.”

“How does it feel to be an uncle?”
“It’s a little scary.”
“Nerina looks like a miniature Julie,

doesn’t she?”

He nodded. “We should all be

thankful for that. Eric’s features look fine

on him; I’m not so sure they’d look good
on a female.”

She clasped her hands tightly

together in her lap. “When I came to see
the baby, it was like coming home. There
was a time when I practically lived at
Eric and Julie’s house.”

“That’s because you were dating a

guy that had just started a business and
was saving for a house. I didn’t have any
extra money for expensive dates.”

“I didn’t mind. Those were fun

times. Seeing it all again was like a
wake-up call. After I left here that day, I
drove around for hours trying to tell
myself that I hadn’t made a mistake. But
I finally had to admit the truth. I never
should have broken up with you. At the

time, it seemed like the only thing I
could do. We were getting closer and
closer to marriage, and I got scared. I
wasn’t ready for that level of
commitment.”

Matt sent her a puzzled glance. “You

told me you didn’t love me. That’s not
even in the same ballpark as being
scared of commitment.”

Sarah made an impatient movement.

“I was confused. I know now that I
never stopped loving you. My actions
hurt you terribly, and I’m sorry about
that. Is there any way you could give me
another chance? Could we start over?”

He could hardly believe what she

was saying. “Start over? What about the
man I saw you with?”

“Jason’s a great guy, but he’s not

you. We had something special, Matt. I
think we could have it again.”

Her words moved him, but not in the

way he would have expected. Instead of
being happy, he was shocked and
perturbed. It wasn’t that he doubted her
explanation. Sarah hadn’t purposely
misled him or cheated on him. If he
loved her, there was no reason they
couldn’t try again.

But did he still love her? Or had

Darcy’s entry into his life somehow
muddied the waters?

“It’s not that simple,” he said

haltingly. “I met someone.” He knew by
her expression that she hadn’t even
considered such a possibility.

“Is it serious?”
Matt hadn’t thought about his

relationship with Darcy in terms of
Sarah. The two were distinct in his
mind: the one a part of his past, the other
a potential part of his future. He’d never
envisioned a scenario where he would
have to choose one or the other.

In a purely selfish way, he resented

being put in this position. Sarah was the
one who’d walked away. If she’d just
explained her doubts about where they
were headed, he would have given her
all the time she needed. And he wouldn’t
have become interested in someone
else.

This was the crux of the matter. If he

went back with Sarah, he couldn’t

continue to see Darcy. Was he prepared
to do that? Was the chance of a future
with Sarah enough to make him forget
his attraction to Darcy? Or had that
ship already sailed?

“Not yet, but I’d be lying if I told you

that she doesn’t mean anything.”

Her lips twisted. “Which is another

way of saying it’s too late.”

Matt raked his fingers through his

hair. In every way that mattered, it was
too late. He couldn’t define exactly how
it had happened, but he knew that the
all-consuming love holding him to
Sarah had faded. “Yes, it is.”

Grabbing her purse off the floor, she

slowly rose to her feet. “If that’s the
case, there’s nothing more to say. I’m

sorry I wasted your time.”

“Don’t say it like that, Sarah. You

didn’t waste my time.”

Her eyes were dark with frustration

and anger. “Then I wasted mine, and to
make matters worse, I swallowed my
pride for nothing.”

A strange numbness settled over him

as he watched her leave. He
mechanically rolled up the hose and
drifted inside the house, his actions
hardly registering. There was a scene he
never wanted to live through again.
Would he wake up tomorrow and regret
his actions? Should he have taken more
time to decide? There were no easy
answers. For better or worse, he’d made
his choice.

* * * * *

Darcy did what she could with
foundation and dark sunglasses, but short
of wearing a bag over her head, there
was no hiding the fact that her face had
come in contact with a hard surface. The
only reason she was leaving the house
tonight was because of Matt. It was her
fault he’d been dragged into Cason’s
comedy of errors. She couldn’t leave
him to suffer through another rehearsal
alone.

Her mother met her at the bottom of

the stairs. “You look like a movie star
trying to escape the paparazzi.”

“Thanks, Mom. That’s just the look

I’m going for.”

“Should I leave the light on for

you?”

“Please do. The last thing I need is

to trip over something trying to get to the
front door.”

Her mother pushed aside the lace

curtain. “Matt just pulled up. His injury
hasn’t kept him from staying in shape,
has it? He’s got muscles on muscles.”

Darcy laughed as she tugged on her

mother’s arm. “Come away from that
window before he sees you.”

“I wonder why he didn’t bring the

car.”

“Probably because this one is easier

to get in and out of.”

“Well, I’m off to the kitchen. I need

to check on the meatloaf. Have fun
tonight.”

Darcy opened the door just as Matt

pushed the button for the doorbell. She
eyed his stubble of beard with
amusement. “Are you attempting to get
into character?”

He grinned widely as he pointed to

her sunglasses. “I was going to ask you
the same thing. This is my normal look. I
hate shaving.”

“Well, this isn’t mine, thank

goodness.”

“You make even a black eye look

good.”

She laughed as she stepped into the

truck. “I don’t believe you, but thanks
anyway.”

When he got in beside her, he

reached into one of the cup holders and

retrieved a small envelope. “One earring
as promised.”

She took it from him. “Where did

you find it?”

“In the grass by the sidewalk. It must

have fallen out on the way to the car.
Your friend Alison has a good sense of
humor. Was she your roommate in
college?”

Darcy nodded. “We met in high

school. I couldn’t have made it living
away from home without her.”

“Good friends are a blessing we

should never take for granted.” He
started the truck and backed out of the
driveway. “I’m glad you decided to
come tonight.”

“After Alison left yesterday, Cason

came by and gave me her interpretation
of ‘the show must go on’ speech. She
convinced me that any discomfort with
my looks is vanity and should be
avoided.”

“She takes her directing duties

seriously, doesn’t she?”

“Too much so. I wish she’d find a

new hobby. How was your Sunday?”

“Remember that Heritage House

fundraiser your mother mentioned? Eric
wasn’t able to go after all. His brother-
in-law returned from Afghanistan
yesterday. He, Julie, and Nerina drove
over to Columbus for the welcome home
party. So, those poor people expecting to
hear about baseball had to listen to me
talk about life in the military.”

“I’m sure they weren’t disappointed.

You’re every bit as interesting as Eric.”

“You obviously aren’t familiar with

Eric’s history. Have you been a good
girl and memorized your lines?”

“I know the ones for the second

scene which is what we’ll be doing
tonight.”

“I have a whopping thirty-five

words. I might take a nap. You can nudge
me when it’s time to say something.”

“Did you have a bad day?”
“You could say that. I ran into a very

angry dog who took exception to my
presence on his property. If the owner
hadn’t showed up, I’d probably still be
running.”

“Does that happen often? Running

into angry dogs, I mean?”

“A few times a year. Carrying treats

in my pocket helps, but I didn’t have
time to get to them today. It wouldn’t
have mattered anyway; Beau was past
caring about dog biscuits.”

“I’m glad you didn’t get bit or

anything.”

“Me, too.” He pulled the truck into

the parking lot and shut off the engine.
“Are we going to continue the tradition
and get something to eat afterward?”

“As long as you don’t mind the

drive-thru again. I’m not ready to face an
entire restaurant of people.”

He smiled faintly as they walked into

the opera house. “Works for me.”

* * * * *

Two hours later Matt and Darcy were
eating tacos in the breakfast nook of his
kitchen. Now that he knew who she was,
he could see glimpses of the twelve year
old he remembered in the woman she’d
become. She still had the same
determination, candor and streak of
realism running through her character,
but the older Darcy had acquired an
irresistible charm of which she was
entirely unaware.

“Where’s your roommate tonight?”
“You mean Delilah? She’s back with

Eric. I wouldn’t admit such a thing to
him, but I miss her being here.”

“You should get a dog of your own.”
“I’ve thought about it. Any more

craft shows or bake sales coming up?”

“I don’t think so. I need to find a job,

but that’ll be challenging with my face
like it is. I’m not ready to work with the
public yet.”

Here was something he could help

with, at least temporarily. “I know a
landscape company that needs someone
to put their books in order. If you’re
interested, I can put in a good word for
you.”

“Are you joking?”
“Not at all. I should warn you that

the pay isn’t great.”

“I don’t mind that. When can I start?”
Her enthusiasm drew a smile from

him. “Before you agree, it might be a
good idea for you to see what you’re
walking into. It goes without saying that

you can change your mind at any time.”

Darcy played with the straw in her

drink. “It can’t be that bad.”

“It’s probably worse.” Matt gathered

up their paper wrappers and threw them
in the trash can. “There’s a reason I
never wanted a desk job, and why I need
Julie to help me balance my bank
account.”

He led the way down the hall,

stopping just outside the open door.
“Welcome to the corporate headquarters
of Gibson Landscape Company.”

The huge maple desk dominating the

smallish room was covered with
catalogs, flyers and receipts. Emerging
from the chaos was a computer screen,
but there was no sign of the keyboard or

mouse. Several drawers of the filing
cabinet behind the desk were open and
the floor surrounding the chair was
dotted with wadded up balls of paper. A
miniature basketball net hung over the
door of the closet.

Matt surveyed her shocked

expression with amusement. “I’m not
very organized.”

“No, you’re not,” she said,

chuckling.

“Want to reconsider? I won’t be

offended.”

She shook her head. “No way. This

is just the kind of challenge I need. I’ll
enjoy bringing order to this…madness.”

“If you’re available tomorrow

afternoon, I’ll swing by your house and

pick you up after we finish.”

“That’ll be fine.”
He turned off the light and followed

her back to the kitchen. “Eric wants to
take Julie to dinner for her birthday. He
asked me to babysit Nerina. Since
you’re the only person I know who’s had
any experience with babies, I was
hoping I could talk you into helping me.”

A shadow crossed her face. “I don’t

know. Would Eric and Julie be
comfortable with that?”

“I don’t see why not. I’m planning to

introduce you to them beforehand.”

She rubbed her hands up and down

her arms as if she was cold. “I meant
comfortable with my epilepsy.”

Matt caught her restless hands and

held them loosely in his. “I know what
you meant. Between the two of us, I’m
sure we can work out an effective
strategy for babysitting a newborn.”

“Effective strategy? Are we planning

a military campaign?”

He ran his thumb over the back of

her hand, noting the softness of her skin
in comparison with the roughness of his.
“Everything runs smoother when you
have a plan.”

“In that case, I’ll be happy to help.”
“You’ll need to know the day.” With

some reluctance, he let her go and
moved the necessary few feet to consult
the calendar on the wall. “Julie’s
birthday is a week from Friday.”

“I should be free then.”

“Are you free now to take a walk?”
“Let me take care of something

first.” She reached into her purse and
pulled out a pill box. Then she refilled
her cup with water from the sink. “I need
to take these before I forget.”

“Have I given you a headache? Eric

says I do that to him all the time.”

Darcy shook her head. “This is my

seizure medication. I’m grateful to have
it, but I never thought I’d be taking pills
twice a day at twenty-one.”

“I never thought I’d have to put on

my leg every morning, either. It’s all
about keeping things in perspective.”

He opened the door to outside. As

she passed him, the scent of vanilla that
always clung to her pulled at his senses.

If he made it through the rest of the
evening without kissing her, it would be
a miracle. “Is that why you needed to get
home by ten the other night?”

She nodded. “I didn’t have my pill

box with me.”

But she had brought it tonight. Did

that mean she’d hoped to spend time
with him? After they descended the
steps to the sidewalk, he reached for her
hand. “This is like old times.”

* * * * *

To Darcy’s surprise, Matt moved in the
direction of the driveway. Not that it
mattered where they walked. She was
too busy dealing with what was
happening inside her to worry about
such mundane details. What was it about

holding a man’s hand that was so
soothing and disturbing at the same
time?

“I’d take you to the lake except it

rained last night,” he explained. “If we
stick to the pavement, we won’t get
muddy.”

“I don’t mind. Just being outside is

nice.”

“I agree. How do you know Ian’s

family? I only remember seeing you that
one time.”

“I was spending the weekend with

one of my cousins while my parents
were out of town. Ginette was friends
with Katie. The night I met you was the
only time I was ever at their house.”

“I’m glad I happened to be there.”

“Me, too,” she said softly. Their

eyes met briefly, and then she glanced at
the sky. “Wow, you can really see the
stars here. There are too many lights and
traffic where I live. This has the feel of
being away from civilization – like
you’re out in the middle of nowhere.”

“When Eric bought all this ground, it

was in the middle of nowhere. Urban
sprawl eventually caught up with him.”

“And so the walls went up, huh?”
“He didn’t really have a choice. The

media tends to forget that celebrities
have a right to privacy as much as
anyone else. Eric doesn’t want his every
move captured on camera.”

“Have they tried using you to get to

him?”

“Not really. The only thing that

happened to me was a reporter followed
me through the gate. When he realized I
wasn’t Eric, he took off.”

“I don’t blame him. You’re a big

guy.”

Matt shrugged. “When a giraffe

marries a giraffe, they make more
giraffes.”

This was too much for Darcy. She

burst out laughing. “Thanks for the
biology lesson.”

“You’re welcome. Anything else you

need to know?” he asked innocently.
“Science was my best subject in
school.”

“I’ll take your word for it. You’ve

got the lake. Do you have a boat?”

He sent her an amused glance. “You

segued into that very nicely. The lake
isn’t big enough for anything other than
something with a trolling motor. We have
paddle boats, a Jon boat and a canoe.”

“When I was about fourteen, my dad

and I got caught in the middle of Clarks
Hill Lake in a thunderstorm. The wind
and waves tossed our little boat around
like it was a plastic toy. I really thought I
was going to drown that day. I haven’t
stepped on a boat since.”

“Does this aversion to water extend

to swimming?”

“Oh, no, I love to swim, but I prefer

to do it in a pool.”

“Me, too. Fortunately, Eric was

considerate enough to have one put in.”

She turned her head to look at him.

“Can your prosthesis get wet?”

“I’ve got a protective sleeve that

goes over it for swimming. Obviously,
for other things like showering, I remove
it completely.” He hesitated a few
seconds, his eyes watching her, as if
deciding whether to say more. “I don’t
sleep with it on, either.”

It made sense that he wouldn’t, but

Darcy was glad he couldn’t see the blush
entering her face. “I imagine your…your
leg gets sore.”

“If I overdo things, it does. The

stump has to have exposure to air. I take
off the prosthesis in the evening and
switch to crutches. Hopping around like
a kid on a pogo stick takes too much

energy.”

“Stairs must be challenging.”
“You’re not the only one who’s

ended up at the bottom.” He stopped
suddenly and turned her to face him. “Do
you remember what you told me the first
night we met?”

Her startled gaze dropped to the

level of his chest. This probably wasn’t
the best place to look, either. The thin
material of his shirt did little to disguise
the network of chiseled muscles
underneath. “I told you lots of things. I
was a regular little chatterbox back
then.”

“Let me refresh your memory. You

said that if I took a girl for a walk, she
would expect me to kiss her.”

To her annoyance, her eyes

instinctively rose to his mouth. What
was she doing? “I didn’t know what I
was talking about.”

“So it’s not true?”
His fingers began playing with the

hand he held, sending delicious tingles
up and down her arm.

“What I mean is, the situation

doesn’t apply to us. We’re just friends.”

“Would it be such a terrible thing if

we became more than friends?”

He wasn’t serious. He couldn’t be.

“I hadn’t thought about it. I like things
the way they are.”

“I do, too, but I don’t think we

should rule anything out.” He brought her
hand to his lips and lightly kissed her

knuckles. “It’s getting late. We better get
you home before your parents send out a
search party.”

Darcy let him lead her back to the

house, glad he didn’t seem to expect
conversation. She’d thought holding
hands was exciting; that was nothing to
the sensation of his lips grazing the
skin of her fingers. What would an
actual kiss from him do?

* * * * *

After returning from Darcy’s house, Matt
didn’t bother trying to go to bed. His
body was tired and his leg was aching,
but his spirits were soaring. He’d felt
the quiver that went through her when he
held her hand and heard the tiny sound
she made when he kissed her fingers.

Those two reactions told him something
important: Darcy wasn’t indifferent to
him.

He knew from experience that telling

Darcy her epilepsy didn’t matter to him
wouldn’t be enough. The qualities that
enabled her to be strong and independent
also made her cautious. It would take
time to draw her out of the protective
shell into which she’d been driven and
get her to believe he was different from
the guys in her past.

The following morning when he

arrived at Eric’s house to load the
equipment trailer, he was surprised to
find his brother waiting for him. “I
thought you were taking off today.”

“One of Julie’s friends is coming

over. There won’t be a quiet moment. I
figured I might as well help you.”

Matt shrugged. “Fine with me. The

sooner we get done, the sooner I can
pick up our temporary accountant. I
asked Darcy to help me tackle the mess
on my desk.”

Eric laughed as he laced up his work

boots. “It’s about time you got someone
on board who actually knows what
they’re doing. How did your meeting go
with Sarah?”

“It was uncomfortable to say the

least. You were right, by the way. She
did want us to get back together.” He
paused, his eyes shifting to a point in the
distance. “A few weeks ago, my
decision would have been a no-brainer;

but apparently I’m not the same as I was
a few weeks ago because I couldn’t do
it.”

“I figured as much. It’s because of

Darcy, isn’t it?”

Matt sank down on the tailgate of the

truck. “I really like her, Eric. She’s
beautiful but not obsessed about it,
intelligent, fascinating, complex, and just
fun to be with. If it didn’t sound so
ridiculous, I would say I’m half in love
with her already. How can I feel this
way so soon? Sarah and I dated for
months before I felt this level of…
closeness or whatever you want to call
it.”

“Falling in love isn’t an exact

science. There’s no time requirement.

Who’s to say that it can’t happen
quickly?”

“I always laughed at the notion of

love at first sight because it seemed
impossible to be so deeply connected to
someone without spending lots of time
with them. Maybe I underestimated or
simply misunderstood how love works.”

“I’m not sure anyone really

understands it. Love is unpredictable
and sometimes inconvenient, but I
wouldn’t trade the experience for
anything. To love someone else is the
closest you’ll ever get to being truly
selfless.”

“Because you want someone else’s

happiness more than your own.”

Eric picked up a pair of work gloves

lying in the bed of the truck. “Exactly.
That’s what makes love so different from
infatuation. The first is all about the
other person; the second is all about
you.”

“I want you and Julie to meet Darcy.

You’ll need to anyway because she’s
going to help me babysit Nerina.”

“I hope you don’t get so distracted

by all her fascination and complexity
that you forget why you’re there.”

Matt rose to his feet and closed the

tailgate. “Even if I did - which is
doubtful given my level of anxiety about
being responsible for your firstborn
child - Darcy won’t. She’s much more
mature than I was at twenty-one.”

“Who are you kidding? She’s

probably more mature than you now.”

“I’m sure she is. There’s something

else you need to know about her.” He
stopped and waited for Eric to look at
him. “Darcy has epilepsy. It was the
result of a car accident.”

The smile on Eric’s face

disappeared. “Seizures are no picnic. I
played baseball with a guy who had
them. It got pretty intense at times.”

“She had one last Thursday. That’s

why she fell down the stairs. Can you
imagine not knowing when something
like that is going to happen? I’d be
scared to leave the house let alone go
away to college like she did. I don’t
think she’s ever had a serious
boyfriend.”

“I’m not surprised. It takes a special

person to deal with something like that.”

“It doesn’t bother me.”
Eric nodded. “That doesn’t surprise

me, either. You don’t see obstacles; you
see challenges. And when you want
something, you don’t let anything get in
your way.”

Matt’s face broke into a smile.

“What’s got into you? Has Julie been
working on your people skills again?”

“Just telling it like it is.”
“Don’t do it too often. My heart can’t

stand it.”

Eric slapped him on the back. “Don’t

worry; I won’t.”

* * * * *

Darcy could hear Matt whistling in the

kitchen. She’d spent much of the
previous evening and most of today
wondering whether he would revisit the
subject of their relationship and what
she would say if he did. That in itself
was alarming because she knew what
her answer should be. But could she do
it? Or would her heart continue to
exert too much influence over her
head?

In any event, she’d worried over

nothing. After making sure she had
everything she needed, he left her alone.
Without his disturbing presence, she
should have been able to focus on
bringing order to the chaos in his office.
So, why couldn’t she?

The longer she sat there, separated

from him by a mere twenty feet, the more
disturbed her thoughts became. It’s a
wonder a bolt of lightning hadn’t shot
out of the sky when she told him she
liked things the way they were. The
truth was so different.

The beeping of the microwave

snapped her out of the trance she’d
inadvertently fallen into. A few seconds
later, Matt’s head appeared around the
corner.

“Time to call it a day. Those bills

and invoices will still be there next time
you come.”

Darcy pushed back from the desk. “I

didn’t realize it was so late.”

“You’ve been working nonstop for

hours. I was beginning to think you’d

forgotten I was here. Do you know what
that does to a man’s ego?”

She hadn’t forgotten he was there.

She’d been aware of his every move. “I
apologize for any harm done to your ego.
Once I get working, I block out
everything else.”

As she made to walk by him, he put

out an arm to stop her. “It would be
easier for me to do that if you weren’t so
pretty and didn’t smell so good all the
time.”

How could she be rational and

detached when he said things like that?
Darcy moved to put some needed
distance between her and disaster.
Unfortunately, the door was behind her
so she wasn’t able to go far enough. “Is

this how you talk to your employees?”

His smile had the butterflies in her

stomach spinning in circles.

“I’ve never had a female employee

before. If I’d known it would be this
enjoyable, I might have done it sooner.”

“Are you ever serious?”
“Not if I can avoid it. Taking life too

seriously makes you play scared.
Sometimes you have to take the road less
traveled and see where it goes.”

It would lead to her being alone.

With a broken heart. “What if I already
know where it goes?”

He slowly shook his head. “You only

think you know.”

His words tugged at her heart. She

wanted to believe he meant them. But

how could she? He only had a small
piece of the puzzle. There was still so
much he didn’t know. “When do you
want me to come over again?”

“Are we talking business or

pleasure?”

Was there a difference? “Work, of

course.”

“When we’re standing this close

together, it’s not as obvious as you think.
How about Thursday? Then we can
leave from here to go to rehearsal.”

She latched on to this suggestion. A

few days away from him might not be a
bad thing. “Thursday’s good. It should
only take me a few more sessions to
finish. Once I get things organized, I’ll
show you what to do. There’s nothing

difficult about bookkeeping. The
important thing is having a system in
place and being disciplined about not
letting things pile up.”

“Hmm. Private lessons. Now we’re

getting somewhere.”

Darcy shook her head and started

down the hallway to the kitchen. “You
don’t give up, do you?” she said over
her shoulder.

“No, I don’t. You might want to keep

that in mind.”

Chapter Six

The grin on Matt’s face disappeared as
he returned to the truck. His mood
change had nothing to do with Darcy or
her creative (but futile) attempts to keep
him at a distance. If she thought treating
him like a brother was going to drive
him away, she was way off.

The reason for his frown was the

five missed calls, three texts, and single
voice mail that had accumulated on his
phone while he’d been at the play
rehearsal. All of those attempts to reach
him originated from the same person.

He wondered how Eric was going to

take this latest development. Like a bad
penny or whatever that saying was,

their elusive father had reappeared.
This was a pattern with him. He would
stay long enough to make everyone
uncomfortable and then leave again.

Was wife number three still with

him? It was anyone’s guess. Matt tried to
remember the last time he’d seen his
father. By his estimation, it had been at
least two years. The plan for their newly
wedded father and his much younger
wife to relocate to St. Marys hadn’t
lasted six months. Without a word to
either of his sons, Mark Gibson
disappeared again.

Fifteen minutes later, Matt was

walking up the steps to Eric’s house. Just
as he reached the top, the door opened
and Julie appeared. Her eyes went to the

dog in his arms.

“Did Delilah sneak over to your

house again?”

He grinned as he put the dog on the

ground. “No; I found her chasing a rabbit
down by the gate when I came home.”

“I wonder what she’ll do if she ever

catches one.”

“Try to bury it. I’ve never seen a dog

so driven to dig holes.”

“You had rehearsal tonight, right? I

still can’t believe you’re in a play.”

“Me, either. I would have backed out

by now if it wasn’t for Darcy. The only
downside is putting up with the guy
who’s playing the leading man. He’s
always touching her arm or shoulder. I
want to tell him to keep his hands to

himself.”

Julie laughed. “You remind me of the

way Eric was when some of the fathers
of his little league players talked to me.”

“Eric has more self-control than I

do. He has that pitcher’s mentality of
never showing his emotions. When I’m
happy, sad, or whatever, it’s very
obvious.”

“Yeah, I’m like that, too. Eric is

almost impossible to have a good fight
with. He just waits quietly for the storm
to pass.”

“Speaking of the one person who

can make Eric angry, Dad’s on his way
here.”

Julie moved to sit down in one of the

chairs. “I guess he’s coming to see

Nerina. Eric called him last week.”

Matt dropped down in the chair

opposite. “Eric actually called Dad?”

“I managed to convince him that it

was the right thing to do.”

“You’re the only one who could do

it.”

“It was a very short conversation.

Less than two minutes. I don’t
understand how Dad can be happy living
the way he does. It’s like he’s afraid to
care about anyone.”

“I have a theory about that. I’ve

always believed that as much as he
could love anyone, he loved my mother.
His behavior doesn’t reflect that, but he
never forgot her birthday or their
anniversary. He made sure he was home

on those two days.”

“That’s a strange way to express

love.”

“My mother’s eyes would light up

when he walked in the room. It didn’t
matter how long he’d been gone; she
was always happy to see him.”

“I don’t think I could be like that.”
Eric strolled out the door. “Be like

what?”

“Like Mom,” Matt answered. “I’ve

got some news for you. You might want
to sit down first.”

“No need. When will he be here?”
“Sunday. I’ve been wondering how

to break it to you, and you already
know.”

“Have a little faith in me, Matt. I

know him better than anyone. When I
told him about Nerina, it was only a
matter of time before he came.”

“I didn’t think being a grandfather

would mean all that much to him.”

“From something he said to me, I

think he’s viewing this whole
grandparent thing as an opportunity to
make amends without having to actually
apologize or admit he did anything
wrong. I’m okay with it as long as he
doesn’t upset Julie.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s figured that out

by now. What I’d like to know is what
happened to Brianna.”

Eric shrugged. “We all know what

happened to Brianna. That union was
doomed from the start. A twenty-five-

year age difference isn’t easy to
overcome even when the couple is
madly in love. In their case, it lasted
longer than I thought it would.”

“You’d think he’d learn his lesson

and find someone born in the same
decade.”

“The women his age have

distractions like ex-husbands and
children. He doesn’t want to deal with
that. He’s always been an all or nothing
kind of person.”

“He’s not a family man, that’s for

sure. Are you going to be around on
Saturday afternoon? Darcy is coming
over to watch football again, and I
thought it would be a good time for you
to meet her.”

Eric looked at Julie. “We don’t have

any plans this weekend, do we?”

“No, and if we did, we’d cancel

them.”

Matt leaned forward in the chair. “I

assume Eric told you about her
epilepsy.”

“Yes. He also mentioned that she

went away to school. I admire her for
not letting seizures keep her from
pursuing her dreams.”

“She’s handled a bad situation with

guts and determination.”

“We’re looking forward to meeting

her, aren’t we, Eric? Just give us a heads
up before you walk over. That will give
me time to throw on some powder and
lipstick.”

“She really means it will give her

time to make sure I comb my hair and put
on a decent shirt,” Eric responded with a
grin.

Matt stood up. “I was going to fish

for a while, but I’m too tired. Give my
niece a kiss goodnight for me.”

“Didn’t you already get your

goodnight kiss?”

“Goodnight, Julie,” Matt said, not

bothering to answer his brother.

Eric chuckled. “That sounds like a

‘no’.”

“It sounds like he’s taking things

slowly,” Julie put in. “Given what Darcy
has been through, I think Matt’s doing the
right thing.”

“I know that. This is just a little

payback.”

“Which you’ve earned the right to

enjoy,” Matt conceded. “See you bright
and early in the morning.”

* * * * *

Darcy locked the door and then walked
over to look out the window. She never
moved a muscle until Matt’s truck left
the driveway. What had been a one-time
thing had quickly become a habit. Now
she couldn’t stop herself from watching
him leave.

She found her parents in the living

room engrossed in a black and white
Cary Grant movie. They made a cute
picture sitting together on the couch
sharing a bowl of popcorn. What was
the secret to staying in love for so many

years? Was it a choice that you made?
Or was it a choice that was made for
you?

“Did you lose the coin toss again,

Dad?” she asked. “That’s the only time
you’ll watch old movies.”

Her mother smiled as she reached

for the remote. “Actually, he picked this
one. It’s got Myrna Loy in it. We didn’t
expect to see you for a while. You’re not
sick, are you?” A worried note had
entered her voice.

Matt had asked her the same thing

when she turned down his invitation to
dinner. Her unimaginative ‘I’m a little
tired’ had been accepted with a smile
she hadn’t understood. “I’m fine. The
play is another story; it’s turning into a

farce. No one can keep a straight face
delivering those ridiculous lines.”

“Aunt Rita called earlier. She

wanted to know if you’d be interested in
working at the hospital gift shop. It’s
only part-time, but it’s better than
nothing.”

“I’ll fit right in. I look like a patient.

When did she want me to start?”

“A week from Monday.”
Darcy smiled. “That’s even better. I

should be almost normal by then. I’ll
leave you lovebirds alone to finish your
movie.”

In the privacy of her room, she sat

down on the bed and reviewed the mess
she was making of everything. Her
efforts to perpetuate the friendship myth

with Matt were making her miserable.
Worse than that, they weren’t working.
When they stood facing each other on her
mother’s welcome mat - alone except for
a few moths dancing around the porch
light - she knew she hadn’t fooled him.
And when he took her hand and ask her
in the sweetest, kindest voice if she
would come over to watch football on
Saturday, she couldn’t refuse.

She was worse than the moths on

the porch. She knew the danger of
dancing too close to the light.

The chime of her phone sounded

loud in the silence of the room. It better
not be Cason with another complaint
about her performance. Darcy was well
aware that her mind hadn’t been on the

play tonight. Grabbing her phone off the
nightstand, she glanced at the screen.
The text was from Alison.

Have to postpone shopping for my

wedding dress. The girl who was
supposed to work my shift at Starbucks
quit today.

This was probably for the best. The

idea of seeing her bruised face in the
three-way mirrors of every bridal shop
in town hadn’t been something Darcy
was looking forward to.

* * * * *

Matt grabbed his keys off the counter
and made for the door, his anticipation
building. Hopefully, the rain that had
threatened all morning while he mowed
his yard would hold off until he got back

with Darcy. By the time he pulled out of
the parking lot of Dom’s Pizza, the sky
had lightened considerably.

Darcy must have been watching for

him because the door opened just as he
came up the steps to her house. “Hi,
Matt.”

“You put your hair up. It looks nice.”

It also exposed the creamy skin of her
neck and shoulders. There went any
chance of keeping his mind on the
game.

“Thank you.”
He took the bag dangling from her

fingers. “You didn’t need to bring
anything. I told you I’d take care of the
food.”

“Don’t you want to try my mom’s

homemade brownies? They’re
fantastic.”

He’d rather try her lips. He’d been

thinking of nothing else but kissing her
for days now. “Of course I want to try
them.”

Darcy closed the door behind her.

“We’ll be bouncing off the walls with all
this sugar.”

“That’s not a bad problem to have.”
She led the way to the truck. “I

thought we might be in for a rough
afternoon, but it’s looking better now.
Every time there’s a thunderstorm, we
lose power. Does that happen at your
house?”

“Sometimes. If it gets bad, I go to

Eric’s. He’s got a backup generator that

runs almost everything.”

“That must be nice. We make do with

candles and flashlights.” As he opened
the door, her eyes landed on the large
square box with the bright red letters
resting on the console. “You got Dom’s.
What a great idea.”

“I picked up one of those chicken

white sauce pizzas you’ve been talking
about.”

Darcy hopped inside and took the

bag from him. “You said that chicken had
no place on a pizza.”

Matt hid a smile as he walked

around to join her. “I’m not afraid to
admit I could be wrong. How did
shopping for wedding dresses go?”

“We had to reschedule because

Alison had to work. I felt bad for her,
but I was actually relieved. I’m not quite
ready for the general public yet. I’m
supposed to start working at the hospital
gift shop a week from Monday.
Hopefully, I’ll look better by then.”

He maneuvered around the parked

cars on her parents’ street. “Am I losing
my accountant already?”

“It’s just a part-time job. I’ll still be

able to finish your stuff.” She lifted the
lid of the pizza box a few inches. “Can
you smell that? I might not be able to
wait until we get to your house.”

“Go ahead and have a piece. There

should be some napkins in the glove
box.”

“I don’t want to eat without you.”

Matt’s eyes narrowed when he saw

the blue car parked on the side of the
road with the hood up. He had to stop;
he couldn’t drive by like he hadn’t seen
it. “You might have to if you want it to
be hot.”

“Why is that?”
He slowed down and pulled up

behind the car. “Because we’re going to
make a slight detour. It appears Sarah is
having car trouble.”

“Oh, okay.”
He’d probably broken another of

those don’t-ever-do-this-with-someone-
you-like rules. There had to be one that
dealt with helping an ex-girlfriend
while out with another woman. Why did
these situations always happen to him?

“I shouldn’t be long; she’s probably

already called someone.” He got out of
the truck and made his way over to
where Sarah was propped up against the
grille of the car. She glanced up from
doing something on her phone. Some
things never change. Her obsession
with her phone had been a running joke
between them.

“I don’t want a lecture about

checking the fluids or letting my
roadside assistance coverage lapse.”

“Hello to you, too,” he said with a

wry smile.

Pushing away from the car, she

shoved the phone in her pocket. “Hi,
yourself. Do you happen to have any
water in your truck?”

“I do. Did your thermostat get stuck

again?”

“No, this was me forgetting to take

the car in for servicing. I’ve been sitting
here trying to figure out who to call next.
My parents are out of town, my brother
isn’t answering, and Jason’s phone is
going straight to voice mail. What’s the
good of having a phone if I can’t reach
anyone when I need them?”

“You could have called me.”
Sarah shrugged. “It didn’t feel right.”
He knew what she meant. They were

in a social no-man’s-land. It was
difficult to know exactly how to behave.
There was too much history between
them to make normal interactions
comfortable. “Well, since I’m here, let

me get the water.”

Returning to the truck, he opened the

back door and reached behind the seat
for a gallon of water. Only a few more
minutes, and this uncomfortable
encounter would be over. His glance
collided with Darcy’s. “I’m going to put
some water in the radiator. Be right
back.”

As he passed by her car, Sarah

emerged from inside. She held out her
hand for the water. “I’ll take care of it. I
just realized you have someone with
you.”

“A few more minutes won’t make

any difference.” He walked around her,
carefully removed the radiator cap, and
poured in the water. “That should get

you where you need to go.”

“Thanks for stopping. I’m not sure I

would have.”

He grinned. “Yes, you would. Enjoy

your weekend.”

“You, too.”
As Matt headed back to the truck, he

looked through the windshield to where
Darcy sat waiting. In a way, his actions
today were symbolic. He was walking
away from the familiar toward the
unknown. Life had brought him and
Darcy together a second time. He
wanted to believe it meant something.
As his old army captain had been fond
of saying: nothing happens by chance.

* * * * *

Darcy watched as Matt walked back to

the truck. At various times in the last few
weeks, she’d tried to form a mental
image of what Sarah looked like. She
hadn’t been anywhere close to reality.
The tallish, dark-haired woman who
finally emerged from behind the hood of
the car was a surprise, not because she
was lovely, but because she was older
than Darcy had imagined her to be.
Sarah was closer to thirty than twenty
and had the poise and confidence to
match.

Matt had looked the most

comfortable during their short
exchanges. Was he that good at hiding
his feelings? Or was he doing it
because he knew Darcy was with him?
Sarah’s smile seemed forced, and her

hands kept playing with the keys in her
hand. Was she embarrassed at being
confronted by someone she no longer
cared about? Would she have preferred
him not to stop?

Of the two of them, Matt received

the lion’s share of Darcy’s sympathy
because this had to affect him more. It
also said a lot about his character. He
obviously didn’t carry a grudge against
the woman who broke his heart.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stopped at
all. He really was a nice guy - not that
she needed a reminder. She had enough
proof from her own dealings with him.

“That didn’t take too long,” he said

as he got into the truck and shut the door.
“Thank you for being so patient.”

“No problem. I’m just glad you were

able to help.”

“It was one of those ‘do I or don’t I’

dilemmas. On the one hand, I didn’t want
to leave her stranded. On the other hand,
I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Why would I be upset? It would

have been unkind not to stop.”

He looked surprised by her

response. “Most women in your position
wouldn’t see things that way.”

* * * * *

Since Auburn was leading by double
digits in the second quarter and Clemson
didn’t play for another hour, Matt
suggested they walk over to meet Eric
and Julie.

“I’m a little nervous,” Darcy

admitted as they stepped outside. “I’ve
never met a professional baseball player
before.”

“Don’t be nervous. Eric is down-to-

earth, somewhat reserved, and
surprisingly modest. Think of him as the
opposite of me.”

“I was actually thinking that he

sounds a lot like you.”

He captured her hand in his. “You

obviously haven’t been around me
enough.”

“We can argue about it later when

I’m less agitated.”

“You’re worrying over nothing.”
When they emerged from the woods,

Darcy got her first view of the house. “I
was expecting something larger and

more…more opulent.”

“It’s twice the size of mine. Isn’t that

big enough for you?”

“I mean it isn’t a pretentious

mansion. It’s warm and welcoming like
your house.”

“Speaking of welcoming, Eric just

came out the front door.”

Her attention went to the figure

coming down the steps. The two
brothers didn’t look alike, but they were
built on similar lines and shared the
same smile.

“This is a nice surprise. I was just

telling Julie that we probably wouldn’t
see you until after the game.”

“I didn’t want to leave it too late.

Eric, this is Darcy Withers. Not only

does she make pickles and strawberry-
rhubarb pie, but she knows as much
about football as I do. Darcy, this is my
brother Eric, whose only fault is that he
prefers baseball over football.”

Eric held out his hand. “It’s a

pleasure to meet you, Darcy. My wife
will be out in a minute. She just got
finished feeding Nerina.”

Darcy took the outstretched hand.

“My dad is one of your biggest fans.
He’ll be so envious when I tell him I met
you.”

“You’re welcome to bring him by

some time.”

“He’d love that, but I wouldn’t want

to impose.”

“I don’t mind. I love talking about

baseball, something Julie and Matt only
tolerate because they’re too nice to tell
me to be quiet.”

The door opened and closed. “Have

we missed anything?” a voice asked
from behind them.

Eric looked over his shoulder, his

smile widening. “Just the introductions.”

A petite woman a few years older

than Darcy came to stand next to him, a
sleeping baby in her arms. Her curly,
blonde hair was cut short around her
pretty face. “You must be Matt’s friend.
In case you haven’t figured it out, I’m
Julie Gibson, and this is Nerina.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Julie. Your

daughter is beautiful.”

Julie straightened the tiny pink bow

visible in the wispy blonde curls of
Nerina’s head. “Thank you. We think so,
too. Right now she sleeps most of the
time, but yesterday, she actually smiled
at Eric when he picked her up. I have a
feeling she’s going to be a daddy’s girl.”

“I was one of those,” Darcy replied.
“Would you like to see the nursery? I

can show you where everything is so that
when you come next Friday, you won’t
have to waste time looking for
something.”

“That would be great.” Darcy

glanced at Matt. “Do you want to come,
too?”

“That’s okay. I’ve already had my

tour.”

* * * * *

After the door closed behind them, Eric
turned to Matt. “We might as well sit
down. This could take a while.”

Matt followed Eric to a set of chairs

at one end of the porch. “Dad’s arrival
still on schedule?”

“I assume so, but you know how that

goes. If he gets a better offer, all bets are
off.”

“What do you think of Darcy?”
Eric grinned. “Fishing for

compliments about your girlfriend? You
don’t need me to tell you the obvious.”

“She’s not my girlfriend yet. We’re

engaged in a battle of wills. She’s
determined to ignore what’s happening
between us, and I’m equally determined
to make sure she doesn’t.”

“You said it yourself; she’s afraid of

being hurt. She may even believe that
epilepsy is too much of a burden to ask
someone to share.”

“If that’s so, I’ll have to change her

mind.”

“Well, she couldn’t have a better

example of someone who’s risen above
adversity. You can understand where
she’s coming from because you’ve
already been there.”

The door opened, and Darcy stepped

outside. Both men stood up and walked
over to where she stood waiting.

“Finished already?” Matt asked.
“Yes. Julie sent me to tell Eric that

he’s wanted on the phone.”

“Then I better go see who it is. You

guys are welcome to hang around for a
while.”

“That’s okay. We’re too loud to

watch football in mixed company.”

Eric reached for the door handle. “I

refuse to believe Darcy comes anywhere
close to your level of craziness.”

Matt’s eyes twinkled. “You’ll just

have to see for yourself some time. I
don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

As they walked away, Darcy said, “I

like your brother and Julie. She was
telling me how they met. It’s funny that
she didn’t know who he was.”

“And even funnier that she wasn’t

impressed when she did find out.”

“It’s interesting to hear how people

meet and fall in love. My friend Alison

met her fiancé when he pulled her over
for speeding.”

“Did he give her a ticket?”
“Yes. She says that’s when she knew

he was the one. You have to know
Alison to understand the logic of that.
She’s a born flirt. When she wasn’t able
to talk her way out of a ticket, she knew
Rob was different.”

Matt threw back his head and

laughed. “That’s a great story.”

By this time they’d reached the lake.

“Do you have a favorite fishing spot?”

“Every angler has a favorite spot.

Would you like to see mine?”

“Yes, unless you’re in a hurry to get

back to the game.”

“This won’t take long. It’s just on the

other side of the gazebo.” Reaching for
her hand, he led the way along a well-
worn path to a small clearing. “The
catfish like to hide in the reeds along the
edge of the water. There’s one really big
guy, but I’ve never been able to catch
him.”

“Does Eric fish?”
“Not as much now that he’s married.

I wouldn’t fish as much either if I had
someone waiting at home for me every
night.”

Her head dipped, hiding her

expression from him. “Was it hard
running into Sarah today?”

“Not in the sense that you mean.” He

paused, his eyes watching the late
afternoon sun dance off her hair. “She

came to see me last Sunday about getting
back together. I couldn’t do it.”

Darcy’s head shot up, all the color

draining from her face. “Why couldn’t
you?”

“Because I met someone else.”
She stared at him in silence, and then

her hand slowly rose to her mouth. “You
mean me?”

Did she really not know? “Yes, I

mean you.”

By this time, her lips were

trembling. “But that doesn’t make sense.
We’re just friends.”

He slid his fingers along the scar

running down her neck. “So you keep
saying, but I think we could be more than
that if you’d stop playing scared and

trust me.”

* * * * *

Darcy’s heart was hammering so hard
against the wall of her chest that she
could hardly breathe. Matt’s touch
warmed her skin, but it was his words
that set her insides tumbling. Had he
passed on an opportunity to get back
with Sarah because of her? “I don’t
know what to say. I never thought this
would happen.”

“That’s how it does happen.” His

hand cupped her chin, bringing her
mouth close to his. “Will you take the
road less traveled with me?”

She nodded because she couldn’t do

anything else. Speech was beyond her.

He leaned down and brushed his

mouth against hers. His lips were gently
insistent, stirring her to the depths while
depriving her lungs of breath and her
head of any rational thought. It was
everything a first kiss should be; long
enough to get her senses reeling and
short enough to ensure she would wait
impatiently for the next one. He shifted
slightly, and she felt his breath on her
neck, close to her ear.

“That was a promising start,” Matt

whispered.

His words added to her confusion.

She buried her face in his shoulder,
embarrassed and shaken by the intensity
of the feelings his kiss had awakened.
His hands slid around her waist,
drawing her close enough to know that

his heart was beating as erratically as
hers. Never had she felt so
cherished…so safe from the ugliness of
the world.

“Are all kisses like that?” she asked,

her words barely audible.

“If not, they should be.” He pulled

back a few inches, forcing her to look at
him. “Was that your first?”

“Yes. Couldn’t you tell?”
“How could I? I was dealing with

my own issues. Kissing a woman for the
first time is terrifying.”

Her hand crept up to touch the

slender chain around his neck. “Why is
that?”

“Well, your heart is urging you to get

on with it at the same time that your head

is telling you it’s too soon or it’s not the
right moment. And then when you do
decide to go for it, there’s this fear that
she won’t like it.”

She smiled faintly. “You don’t have

to worry; I liked it.”

He ran his fingers lightly through her

hair. “I’m glad because it will be
difficult to stop myself from doing it
again. If I have my way, I’ll be your
second kiss, third, fourth, and so on.”

Darcy was comfortably floating on

air, and for the moment, she didn’t want
to come back down to earth. Reality
would rear its ugly head soon enough.
Right now, she didn’t want to think about
what was going to happen tomorrow or
the day after that. “Does that mean you

liked it, too?”

“Probably a little too much,” he

admitted as he traced the curve of her
mouth. “I hope you realize that your
chances of being left alone to watch the
rest of the game aren’t good.”

“I’m willing to risk it.”
He laughed softly as he bent to kiss

her again, more slowly this time…

Chapter Seven

Matt’s first thought upon waking wasn’t
the imminent arrival of his father. It was
something more pleasant: kissing Darcy.
A reminiscent smile crossed his face.
Before the sweetness of her mouth had
taken his thoughts in another direction,
he’d glimpsed the uncertainty in her eyes
and felt the tension in her body. She
reminded him of a tightly closed rose
bud waiting for the right moment to
unfurl its petals to the warm rays of the
sun.

Even as he’d registered the softness

of her skin and the way her lips clung to
his, he was aware of a feeling of
humility. This wasn’t an easy step for

Darcy. He knew the treatment she’d
received in the past made it difficult for
her to open up to someone. In letting
their relationship move beyond
friendship, she was taking an enormous
risk. He vowed that she would never
have cause to regret it.

His phone rang while he was

debating between a protein bar or
leftover pizza for breakfast.

“Kinda early to be calling me on my

day off,” Matt accused Eric. “Have you
forgotten what it’s like to sleep in?”

“You weren’t sleeping. I can hear the

dripping of the coffee pot.”

“You didn’t know that when you

called.”

“Moving on. There’s been a change

of plans. Dad’s stuck in St. Louis. Don’t
ask me why he’s there. All you need to
know is that he won’t be here until
tomorrow night. That being so, Julie,
Nerina and I are going to the beach.
You’re welcome to come along.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. Darcy

mentioned going to the park with her
niece today. I think I’ll show up and
surprise her.”

“You don’t think she might need a

break from you? When I walked Delilah
just after midnight, your truck was still
parked outside the garage.”

“Were you keeping tabs on me? I

don’t know whether to be insulted or
flattered.”

“I just followed Delilah. I had no

idea you were keeping such late hours.”

“After the football game ended, we

watched a movie.”

“I hope you didn’t force her to watch

one of those sci-fi apocalypse films.”

“It was something with Hugh Grant. I

can’t remember the name of it.”

“You fell asleep, didn’t you?”
He hadn’t, but Darcy had. No need

to tell Eric that he’d spent the last hour
of the movie watching her sleep, and
wishing he didn’t have to wake her up.
Or that with every breath, she stole
another piece of his heart. “Sleep was
the farthest thing from my mind.”

“Wait until you have a baby. All

you’ll be thinking about is sleep.”

“Let me enjoy my illusions. I’m not

even married yet. Have fun at the
beach.”

“We will. If I don’t see you later, I’ll

catch up with you in the morning.”

As Matt heated a few slices of pizza

in the microwave, he planned his day.
Do laundry, wash the truck, and then
head over to the park.

Several hours later, he was sitting on

one of the benches in the playground
area assuring a little boy about six or
seven years old that he wasn’t a robot
from another planet. His companion had
been dropped off along with two older
children, who’d been only too happy to
let Matt take over entertaining their
younger brother. He couldn’t understand
any parent doing anything so risky.

Much to his disappointment, there

was no sign of Darcy. Had he
misunderstood her? Or had her plans
changed?

Something was tugging on his hand.

“Wanna go down the slide with me?” the
boy asked hopefully.

Matt tore his gaze from the entrance

to the park and focused on the red-
cheeked face in front of him. “I’m too
big to go down the slide, but I’ll watch
you.”

“Okay. Sometimes I need help.”
“No problem. What’s your name?”
“Jace.”
Matt smiled as he followed the

pudgy figure. After Jace tired of the
slide, they walked over to the swings.

They were joined by another little boy
and a woman he recognized as one of his
customers.

“Hey, Mrs. Walters.”
“Hey, Matt.” Her eyes went from

Jace back to him. “I didn’t know you had
children.”

“I don’t. I met this little guy today,

and he sort of adopted me. I actually
came here to meet someone, but she’s
either running late or changed her mind.”

Mrs. Walters helped her son into the

swing. “Have you called her?”

“My plan was to surprise her. In

hindsight, that might not have been such
a good idea.”

“It depends on the person. Some

people like surprises; others don’t.”

“Well, it doesn’t look as if I’m going

to find out – at least not today.”

* * * * *

As soon as she stepped through the gate
of the park, Darcy remembered what
happened the last time she and Stella
were there. They had run into Matt. She
hadn’t known then that several weeks
later he would kiss her and that she
wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about
it.

“Aunt Darcy, Mr. Matt is over by the

swings with some lady.”

Darcy’s startled glance swept over

the playground until it landed on the
swings. Her breath came out in a rush
when she realized the woman wasn’t
Sarah. “We weren’t expecting that, were

we?”

“Why is he here with her? He told

me he liked you.”

“That doesn’t mean he can’t have

other friends, too.”

Stella didn’t look convinced. “But

Mommy said…”

Darcy didn’t want to hear what

Cason said. “Hey, there’s no one on the
roundabout. I’ll race you over there.”

This diversion worked; Stella took

off running. As Darcy followed her at a
less vigorous pace, she told herself there
was probably a perfectly logical
explanation for why less than twenty-
four hours after kissing her breathless,
Matt was chatting up another woman.
She just couldn’t think what it could be.

“Aunt Darcy! Push me!”
Obeying the urgency in her niece’s

voice, Darcy grabbed the hand rail and
set the roundabout in motion. Why was
she thinking such ridiculous thoughts?
Matt wasn’t chatting up anyone. He
was being himself. It was his nature to
be friendly. She’d always said she
wouldn’t be the type of girl who
constantly jumped to the wrong
conclusions. So, why was she avoiding
him like he’d done something wrong?

With Stella’s squeal of delight in her

ears, she glanced over her shoulder in
his direction. Matt was bent down
talking to a little boy. Before she could
look away, he raised his head and stared
right at her. His smile told her that

yesterday hadn’t been a dream. His
glance left her long enough to speak to
the boy again and then the two of them
were walking over.

“Hi,” he said with a teasing smile.

“Surprised to see me?”

“Yes, I am.”
“So far so good. Happy to see me?”
“Yes, to that, too.” Her eyes drifted

to his companion who was clinging with
a death grip to Matt’s leg. “Who’s your
friend?”

“This is Jace. He’s been keeping me

company while I waited for you.”

He’d come there to see her. A ripple

of pleasure ran through her. Darcy
crouched down in front of the boy.
“Hello, Jace. I’m Darcy. Would you like

to get on the roundabout?”

“Yeah, but I don’t like to go fast,” he

replied shyly.

“Me, either,” she assured him as she

stood up and glanced at Matt. “What
about you?”

His lips twitched. “I sort of adapt to

the situation.”

“Yeah, I noticed that.”
He made a movement toward her and

then stopped as if he remembered where
they were and who they were with. “I’d
like to hear more about that later.”

“Would you?” she asked with a grin.
“You’re playing with fire, Miss

Withers.”

“I can handle it; I was a girl scout.”
Without waiting for his reaction,

Darcy took Jace over to meet Stella.
After making sure both kids had their
hands firmly on the bar, she gave the
roundabout a push. Matt stood watching
from a few feet away.

“I might not be able to make

rehearsal tomorrow. My father is coming
into town. He was supposed to be here
today, but his plans changed at the last
minute.”

The few things he’d said about his

father hadn’t been positive. “How long
is he staying?”

“Hard to say. He doesn’t like to give

out too much information.”

“Will you be able to come on

Thursday?”

“I’m planning on it. What are you

doing for the rest of today?”

The butterflies in her stomach started

to sing. “Nothing after I leave here.”

“Would you like company while you

do nothing?”

Did he even need to ask? “Yes, I

would.”

* * * * *

Matt watched Darcy work her magic on
Jace. It was more or less a repeat of
what she’d done to him. Most people
were good listeners or at least they tried
to be. Darcy took that a step further. She
had the rare gift of giving someone her
complete attention. He wasn’t sure how
it affected everyone else, but it made
him feel as if he was the most important
person in the world.

He heard a shout of laughter and

turned to see Stella running toward him.
“Mr. Matt, do you want to play hide and
seek?”

“Sure. Can I be ‘it’ first?”
“You want to be ‘it’?”
His eyes strayed to Darcy. “I’m good

at finding things.”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “We’ll see

how good you are. The roundabout is
home base. You count to twenty, and
we’ll go hide.”

As she passed by him, he bent down

and whispered in her ear, “If I find you,
what do I get?” He laughed as the color
swept into her face. “It’s nice to know
we think alike.”

She smiled at this before turning to

Stella and Jace. “Time for us to find a
place to hide.”

Matt sat down on the roundabout and

covered his eyes with his hands. “One…
two…” As he continued to count, he
could hear Darcy whispering and then
giggles followed by the sound of
retreating footsteps.

Once he reached twenty, he opened

his eyes and did a quick scan of the area.
No sign of his three targets. Coming to
his feet, he walked over to check inside
the wide tunnels connecting the different
sections of the playground set. Nothing.
The tree trunks were too thin to hide
behind. How far had they been able to
go in so short a time?

The only areas beyond the

playground that gave any sort of cover
were the dugouts and the concession
stand. There was a lot of open area
between where he was and where they
were probably hiding. If they saw him
coming, they’d run for home base, and
he’d never catch them. This operation
would require stealth and diversion.
Moving to his left, he followed the
sidewalk past the first dugout and around
the long side of the concession stand.
Once he disappeared behind it, he
doubled back toward the dugout, hoping
Darcy was still waiting for him to
appear on the other side.

Bending down, he walked swiftly

along the fence to the gate. Pushing the
gate open just enough to get through, he

crept to the side of the dugout and
flattened himself against the concrete.
The scuffling of feet brought a grin to his
face. Edging closer, he slowly peered
around the corner. Mission
accomplished.

Jace was hiding under the bench,

blissfully unaware that he could be seen;
Stella was crouched in the corner, facing
away from him; and Darcy was standing
on the bench looking through one of the
small square holes in the wall.

His thoughts took a quick detour as

he allowed his eyes to travel from her
orange flip flops to her ponytail. Talk
about a view he could look at for hours.
If they were alone, he wouldn’t
mind...well, best not to think of that.

They definitely weren’t alone.

Stepping further into the dugout to

block their escape, he asked, “What’s
going on in here?”

Three faces turned to him in varying

degrees of surprise. Darcy hurriedly
stepped down from the bench, much to
his amusement. “How did you get here? I
saw you walking in the other direction.”

He put his hands on his hips. “I was

in the military. Just because I drove a
tank doesn’t mean I don’t know how to
sneak up on the enemy.”

Darcy laughed as she dusted off

Jace’s shirt and shorts. “I can see I’ll
have to be more creative in the future.”

“Who’s going to be ‘it’ this time,

Aunt Darcy?”

“Well, since Mr. Matt found us at the

same time, we all have to be ‘it’.”

When they returned to the

roundabout, Jace’s brother and sister
came running up to them. “Mom’s on her
way,” the boy said, a cell phone in his
hand. “We’re supposed to wait in the
parking lot.”

Jace jutted out his bottom lip. “I

don’t wanna go.”

“We’re going to McDonald’s,”

added his sister.

“For a Happy Meal?” Jace asked

expectantly.

His brother nodded. “Yeah, but only

if we’re in the parking lot. If Mom has to
come looking for us, no Happy Meal.”

This was too much temptation for

Jace.

Matt watched them go with a grin.

“How easy kids are to manage at that
age! Offer them a few chicken nuggets
and a cheap toy, and you can get them to
do anything.”

Darcy sent him a sideways glance.

“It isn’t just kids. I’ve been around
adults like that.”

He looked at Stella. “Do you think

she’s talking about me?”

Stella laughed and grabbed his hand.

“Let’s swing. We couldn’t earlier
because you were talking to that
woman.”

So Darcy had seen him and chosen

not to come over. Did that mean she
was jealous or just being polite? He

really wanted it to be the first one. Matt
slowly lifted his eyes to her face. She
was looking everywhere but at him. “I
see. Well, the swings are empty now, so
let’s go before someone else shows up.”

After getting Stella situated, he

looked at Darcy and patted the seat of
the swing in front of him. “What are you
waiting for?”

She tilted her head to the side, her

smile quizzical. “Are you going to push
me, too?”

“Only if you ask nicely and say

‘pretty please’.”

* * * * *

Darcy sat down on the swing and
reached up to clasp the chains. She
didn’t realize that Matt was still standing

behind her. When he put his hands over
hers, she turned her head and looked at
him in surprise.

“Beautiful,” he murmured before

bending down to kiss her.

“Kiss her again, Mr. Matt.”
He sent Darcy an apologetic glance.

“I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”

“You’re funny, Mr. Matt.”
“You’re not the first to notice.”
“Are you going to marry Aunt

Darcy?”

Darcy almost fell out of the swing.

What was going to come out of Stella
next?

“Asking someone to marry me is

kind of a big deal. I have to be very sure
before I do something like that.”

“Well, Aunt Darcy is pretty, and she

makes good cookies.”

“I certainly couldn’t ask for more in

a wife, but do you think she’d be willing
to marry me? I’m not pretty, and I don’t
make good cookies.”

“That’s okay. You make her smile.”
Darcy felt the sting of tears in her

eyes. Leave it to a child to cut through
all the trivial stuff to what really
mattered.

“Thank you, Stella,” Matt said

quietly, his face wiped clean of
amusement. “I hope I keep making her
smile.”

“You will,” she stated with the

assurance so common in children. “I’m
hungry.”

The rapid switch from serious to

normal was typical. Matt and Darcy both
started laughing.

“It was all that talk of cookies and

Happy Meals,” he said with a grin. “I’m
in the mood for a chili cheese dog from
Mustard’s Last Stand. Anyone else want
to come with me?”

Stella’s eyes got big. “Can we, Aunt

Darcy?”

Darcy stood up and reached for her

phone. “It’s all right with me, but we
need to ask your mom.”

Not long after, they were sitting at a

wooden picnic table under a brightly
covered umbrella. Stella was working
on her second hot dog.

Matt wiped a blob of ketchup off her

chin. “She reminds me of another little
girl with a healthy appetite.”

A French fry hit him in the chest.

“Can’t you forget about that?” Darcy
asked.

“Nope. Every time I look at you, I

see a pigtailed girl with marshmallow
stuck to her cheeks and mouth.”

“This isn’t helping your cause.”
He managed to look innocent and

wicked at the same time. “But I like
marshmallows. And I like your…”

Unsure of what he might say next and

very conscious of the little girl with
them, she delivered a kick to his shin.
The problem was she wasn’t wearing
shoes, and she aimed for the wrong leg.
When her toes hit the hard plastic of the

prosthesis, she yelped in pain.

Matt laughed hard enough that he had

to be slapped on the back by Stella. The
glare Darcy sent him silenced any further
comment he might have been tempted to
make.

* * * * *

Matt waited in the truck while Darcy
walked Stella to the door. The moment
he’d been looking forward to all day had
arrived. He and Darcy were finally
alone. All in all, he’d done a decent job
of keeping his hands to himself. His only
slip had been the kiss on the swing, and
no man would have been able to refuse
that invitation.

The door of the truck opened, and

she stepped inside. He blinked like

someone waking from a dream.

“I hope you’re satisfied,” she said,

reaching for the seatbelt.

He put the truck in gear and backed

out of the driveway. “If you think that
one kiss is going to last me for the rest of
the day, you overestimate my self-
control and underestimate my attraction
to you.”

She colored slightly, but didn’t look

away. “I wasn’t talking about that. I think
I broke a few of my toes.”

Matt shrugged. “If you’re going to

play footsie with a guy wearing a
prosthetic leg, you need to have better
aim.”

“I wasn’t playing footsie,” she said

slowly, accentuating each word. “I was

attempting to stop you from talking. We
had a child with us.”

“Your method was a good one; you

just didn’t execute it properly.”

“The point is I shouldn’t have to

resort to such methods at all.”

“You’re right. I should be able to

resist teasing you.” He paused, a cheeky
grin parting his lips. “But I wasn’t the
only one throwing out provocative
comments.”

Darcy laughed. “Just making sure

you’re paying attention.”

“You’ve had my attention for some

time now.” He pulled up to the entrance
gate and punched in the code. ”You don’t
mind coming to my place again, do you?
All that activity today wore me out.”

Her smile faded. “Is your leg hurting

you? I hope I didn’t do anything when I
kicked it.”

He reached over and clasped her

hand. “This has nothing to do with you.
It’s just something that happens from
time to time.”

She looked down at their hands.

“You should have taken me home. You
need to rest.”

He squeezed her hand gently. “I need

to see you more.”

“That’s sweet, but it isn’t very

practical. When we get inside the house,
you’re going to get off your feet and
relax. You can even go to sleep if you
want to.”

Falling asleep in her arms. He

couldn’t imagine a nicer ending to the
day. He smiled as he drew up to the
garage and shut off the engine. “I might
do that.”

* * * * *

Matt’s comment about being tired
aroused Darcy’s protective instincts. As
she followed him into the living room,
she tried to see if he was favoring his
bad leg. She knew he wouldn’t tell her if
he was in pain. He’d just grin and bear
it. If he was alone, he could take off the
prosthesis. Should she tell him she
didn’t mind or would that put him on
the spot?

“Can I get you something to drink?”

he asked as he tossed his keys and phone
on the coffee table.

“No, thanks.”
When she walked toward the

recliner, he reached for her hand.

“Where are you going?”
“I’m giving you room to stretch out.”
Laughing, he pulled her into his

arms. “I can’t do this,” he pressed a
gentle kiss on one side of her mouth, “or
this,” he moved slowly across her lips
and kissed the other side, “if you’re over
there.”

Even that brief contact made her

pulse race. “I see what you mean,” she
said slowly.

“Do you?”
His head dipped lower, his lips

skimming across her face to the sensitive
spot below her ear. An involuntary

shiver coursed through her as her heart
joined her pulse in a mad dash to some
imaginary finish line.

Matt drew away slowly, smiling

boyishly. “I’m sorry. I got a little carried
away.”

Darcy wanted to sink into the

ground. She was behaving like a
teenager. “It’s me who should be
apologizing. I don’t have a lot of
experience in this area.”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.

Inexperience is underrated these days.
Personally, I find it very attractive.”

“You may find it boring after a

while.”

“Nothing about you is boring. As for

the other stuff, I want you to know in

here,” he touched his chest where his
heart would be, “that I will always treat
you with respect. If I ever do anything
that makes you uncomfortable, tell me.”
He sat down on the couch and pulled her
down beside him. “Expressing affection
should be a mutual thing, not one person
getting pleasure at the expense of the
other.”

Darcy smiled ruefully. “You’re

dealing with a newbie here. My seizures
more or less scared off anyone that might
have been interested in me. It probably
saved me a lot of trouble. There were
times when I didn’t like being alone, but
at least I didn’t end up with a broken
heart or worse. Some of my friends
found out the hard way that ‘I love you’

is a way for a guy to get what he wants.
Alison was the exception, but then again,
Rob is older than her. He’s not some
college kid looking for his next score.”

“That’s not what I’m looking for

either. I want more from a relationship
than someone to sleep with. I want true
love, the kind that binds two people so
tightly together that you don’t know
where one person ends and the other
begins.”

“You’ve just described my parents.

In personality and temperament, they
aren’t alike, but they complement each
other perfectly. They each know when to
lead and when to follow.” A shy smile
touched her mouth. “They still exchange
love notes. I’ve seen my mom put them

in my dad’s lunch or in his briefcase. He
puts hers in his sock drawer or taped to
the mirror in the bathroom. That’s what
I’d like to have with someone someday.”

Matt put his arm across the back of

the couch, lightly touching her shoulder.
“You’re lucky to have such a great
example of what marriage should be. I
grew up with a father who preferred to
be anywhere but at home. He used his
job as an excuse, but as I got older, I
started hearing the rumors of his affairs.
I used to tell myself that the only reason
my mother stayed with him was because
of me and Eric, but I was wrong. When
she got sick, he came home to see her.
I’ll never forget the look in her eyes
when he walked into the room. I knew

then why she stayed. It was because she
couldn’t leave. For all his faults, she
loved him.”

Darcy’s eyes glistened with tears.

When Matt saw them, his brows
puckered.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
She smiled shakily. “I don’t think

anyone could hear that and not be
moved.”

Matt drew her into his arms. “This

just confirms what I already know about
you. You’re tenderhearted and
compassionate.”

And he knew how to touch a

woman’s soul, making her aware not
only of him, but also of how much
better she was for knowing him. “I’m

not the only one.”

His fingers moved to her hair,

running slowly through the wavy strands.
“In the sunlight, your hair shines like
gold. In here, it reminds me of amber.”

Darcy tilted her head so she could

look at him. “And you’re a study in
browns. You have the longest, thickest
eyelashes I’ve ever seen on a man.
They’re the only remotely feminine thing
about you.” His chuckle brought a grin to
her face. She loved to hear him laugh.

“Well, I certainly hope so.”
She traced the indentation made by

the thin chain under his shirt. “I’m going
to miss you tomorrow.”

Matt caught her hand and brought it

to his lips. “Not as much as I’ll miss

you.”

* * * * *

Darcy blinked several times, trying to
focus her thoughts. Had she fallen
asleep on the couch? No, that couldn’t
be right. She wasn’t at home. Turning
her head slightly, she looked into Matt’s
face.

“Hi,” he said quietly.
She was lying in his arms, and she

couldn’t remember how she got there.
That could only mean one thing. “Oh,
no, not that,” she said in a tortured
whisper. She squeezed her eyes shut in
an agony of humiliation. “I’m sorry, so
sorry.”

“Look at me, Darcy.”
She slowly opened her eyes. He

didn’t look upset or freaked out. He
looked, well, normal.

“Don’t apologize, okay. You didn’t

do anything wrong. You were going to
have a seizure in front of me sooner or
later. I needed to see it so I would know
what it’s like, and you needed for me to
see it so you’d know I can handle it.”

“What…what was I doing? Were we

watching television?”

“No, we were just talking. You

stopped in the middle of a sentence, and
I knew.” He gently pushed back the hair
from her face. “How do you feel? Can I
get you anything?”

Where to start? She was mortified

that this had happened in front of him,
angry that she had this problem, and

scared that he’d never want to see her
again. “I’ve got a headache, but that’s
normal. I can sit up.”

“You don’t have to on my account. I

never complain about having a girl on
my lap.”

She smiled wanly. “You’re being so

nice about it. I know you must be
horrified.”

“Concerned, yes. Horrified, no.” He

reached over and caught a tear that had
slipped out of her eye.

“I don’t mind it for myself, but I hate

inflicting this nightmare on other people.
Why does my problem have to be so…
so public? Seizures make people
uncomfortable. It changes the way they
look at me.”

“It doesn’t change the way I look at

you.”

She had to make him understand.

Darcy sat up abruptly and moved to sit
beside him. “You’ve only seen one. I’m
not always sitting on a couch when it
happens, and I don’t usually have a man
conveniently close by to keep me from
falling off the couch.” Her hands worked
themselves into a knot in her lap. “Now
you know why I don’t date. I’m a ticking
time bomb that goes off suddenly without
warning. It’s too much to ask someone to
deal with.”

“You don’t have to ask. You have

someone right here who’s volunteering
for the job.”

Her eyes met his briefly and then

fell. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Can’t or won’t?” He leaned over

and kissed her softly. “One day you’ll
stop running. When you do, I’m going to
be here.”

* * * * *

Matt looked across the living room at the
man he called ‘Dad’ but whose presence
in his life had been tenuous at best.
They’d just returned from dinner at
Eric’s house. In an effort to ease the
pressure of an already tense situation,
Matt had suggested his father stay with
him.

The still-handsome features gave

little insight into the person underneath.
Mark Gibson had always been a law
unto himself; having neither the desire

nor the need to explain his actions. With
his usual penchant for secrecy, he gave
few details on the demise of his third
marriage.

There was, however, something

different about him this time. Matt
wasn’t sure his father was capable of
regret; this seemed more like
resignation. Had meeting his first
grandchild stirred some long forgotten
sense of familial feeling in his cold
heart? Or was he simply tiring of the
game he’d played relentlessly for thirty
years?

His abrupt appearances in their lives

were tolerated because that’s what their
mother would have wanted. There was
certainly no other bond between father

and sons. It was to Eric that Matt had
looked for guidance during those
formative years when a boy learns what
it means to be a man.

“I thought Sarah might be here

tonight,” his father said, breaking the
silence. “Did she have to work?”

Here comes a critique on how to

handle women from someone who
thinks he’s an expert. “Sarah and I
aren’t together anymore.”

His father shook his head. “That’s a

few years of your life you’ll never get
back. Why’d she leave? Didn’t she like
the idea of living on a millionaire’s
estate?”

“How do you know she left me?”
“Because you and Eric have the

same fatal flaw. You fall in love. When
you do that, you become the victim.”

Matt shook his head in disbelief.

“Do you honestly view love as an
adversarial relationship? I’ve been
giving you too much credit.”

“Love makes you weak; it gives

someone else power over you. It’s one
of the worst things that can happen to a
person.”

“Who is she?”
Mark moved restlessly in his chair.

“What are you talking about?”

“Who’s this woman who’s had the

nerve to make you a victim?”

“We’re not discussing me. If you

don’t want to talk about Sarah, then
don’t.”

“There’s nothing to talk about with

Sarah. She’s been out of my life for
months. If you want to continue to deny
the obvious, that’s fine with me. I’m
used to it.” Matt stood up and walked
over to the window to close the blinds.
“The guestroom is the second door on
the right down the hall. The bathroom is
across from it. There’s coffee, eggs,
bacon and cereal for breakfast.” Without
another word, he left the room. He was
in the kitchen looking at his schedule
when he heard movement behind him.

“Her name is Clarice.”
Without turning around, Matt said,

“Pretty name. Where did you meet her?”

“At the grocery store. She works the

ten-items-or-less line. She’s so out of my

league that it’s laughable.”

Out of his father’s league?

Incredible. The man’s ego was
enormous. Matt slowly turned to face
him. “I’m not sure what you mean by
that.”

“She’s good and decent - like your

mother. Her first husband died about ten
years ago. She’s got two children; one’s
married and the other’s in college. She’s
forty-five, but looks thirty-five. She’s
into knitting, gardening and ballroom
dancing. This isn’t the type of woman
who would ever get involved with
someone like me.”

He was right about that. “How did

you learn all this about her?”

His father’s cheeks reddened. “I got

a job at the same store.”

“You’ve been working in a grocery

store?”

“Like I said, love makes you weak.”
“Have you asked her out?”
“I’m too afraid she’ll refuse.”
Matt leaned against the counter,

unable to stop the shock from showing
on his face. “I never thought I’d ever
hear you say that.”

Mark shrugged. “Just enjoy the

novelty of me getting what I deserve. It’s
been a long time coming.”

“It sounds like you’re friends with

her. There’s no better place to start a
relationship than that.”

His father smiled distantly. “What

about you? Are you taking a one year

sabbatical from women the way Eric
did?”

“Let’s not make fun of Eric. Julie is

proof enough that he knew what he was
doing. But, to answer your question, I
am seeing someone. Depending on how
long you stick around, you’ll probably
get to meet her.”

“I have to be back at work on

Saturday.”

“Where is this job, if you don’t mind

me asking?”

“In Savannah.”
Matt’s jaw dropped open. “You’ve

been in Savannah all this time?”

“Brianna and I bought a house there.

After the divorce, she went back to
Texas and I stayed there.”

“You told Eric you were in St.

Louis.”

“Why are you surprised? Lying about

my whereabouts is what I do best.”

“Why did you need to lie at all?”
“Habit, I guess.”
There didn’t seem to be anything to

say to that. “I’m going to lock up and go
to bed. I’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

Matt closed the door of his room,

grabbed his crutches and walked over to
sit down in the chair by the bed. This
has been a night of surprises. That was
the most he’d talked to his father in
years. From the sound of things, Mark
Gibson was finally starting to grow up
and think about someone other than
himself.

As his fingers worked to remove the

prosthesis, he decided he’d devoted
enough thought to his father’s social life.
It was time to think about his. A smile
tugged at his lips as he grabbed his
phone.

* * * * *

Darcy put down the hair brush and
picked up the new bottle of lotion she’d
purchased at Bath and Body Works
earlier in the day. It was called Butterfly
Flower. Not even to herself would she
admit that she’d selected it with Matt in
mind. He was always telling her how
good she smelled.

One day you’ll stop running. When

you do, I’m going to be here.

She hadn’t been able to forget those

words. As much as she tried to harden
her heart against them, they persisted in
getting through, teasing her with the
promise of something she never thought
to have. His remarks chipped away at
her doubts and swept aside her
inhibitions just as his actions ripped
away her objections and weakened the
defensive arguments she’d hidden
behind for so long. How could she
continue to resist someone whose
tenacity equaled her own?

She applied a small dot of off-white

cream to her arms. The scent reminded
her of the time she’d been in South
Florida on vacation and the orange
blossoms had been in bloom. After a
slight hesitation, she put some lotion on

her neck. Matt seemed to like kissing her
there. Who was she kidding? She liked
it, too.

The sound of her phone vibrating on

the counter ended those thoughts. She’d
forgotten to take it off silent mode after
her shopping trip with Alison. A dreamy
expression entered her eyes. It had been
fun looking at wedding dresses, and
even more enjoyable helping her friend
try them on. Each one was more
beautiful than the last. Darcy didn’t
know which one she preferred; they all
made Alison look like a princess.

Walking over, she glanced down at

the screen.

Did I miss anything exciting at

rehearsal?

The smile on her lips deepened as

she picked up the phone.

Well, the alarm in the building went

off, and it took forever for someone to
figure out how to make it stop. I think
my hearing has been permanently
damaged. How was your day?

Not as exciting as yours. I ran out

of gas at the furthest point from the
trailer, accidentally mowed over a
water hose, and rescued Eric from an
overly aggressive widow.

Did your Dad get here?
Yes. He’ll be in town through

Friday. He’s staying at my house. Are
you an early riser?

It depends.
Can I talk you into getting up early

tomorrow? Say around six?

I guess I could do that. How should

I dress?

Something suitable for outside. Like

those jean shorts you had on yesterday.
On second thought, maybe not the jean
shorts. They were distracting to say the
least.

Okay, no jean shorts. Should I eat

first?

No. I’ll take care of breakfast.
This all sounds very mysterious.
All will be clear in the morning. I’ll

see you at six.

Darcy slid her arms into her robe

and went downstairs. Her father was in
the living room watching Monday Night
Football. She found her mother in the

dining room doing something on her
laptop.

“Checking your emails?” she asked

as she came into the room.

“I’m getting caught up with

Facebook.”

“I wanted to let you know that Matt’s

picking me up at six in the morning.”

“Where are you going that early?”
“He didn’t tell me anything except

that it’s outside.”

“Probably to the beach. Make sure

you take some sunscreen. You burn
easily.”

“I will. I’ll need to bring my

medicine, too.”

“Try not to stare too much if he takes

off his shirt.”

Did her old-fashioned mother really

say that? “I’ve seen muscular guys
before.”

Her mom laughed. “It’s different

when they’re with you.”

“Is that a reference to when Dad was

a lifeguard at the pool?”

“Could be. He did have all the girls

chasing after him. I couldn’t believe it
when he singled me out.”

Darcy bent down and kissed her

cheek. “It just shows what a smart man
he is.”

“I like to think so. Have fun

tomorrow.”

Chapter Eight

Matt watched Darcy’s face as they
pulled into the parking lot adjacent to the
causeway. It went from confusion to
dawning realization to happiness all in a
matter of seconds. She turned in her seat
to look at him.

“I thought we were going to the

beach.”

“We’ll do that another time. I’ve

been wanting to take you fishing ever
since you mentioned coming here with
your father.”

She reached over and lightly touched

his arm. His eyes dropped to where her
hand, small and pale, rested against his
tanned skin. A familiar wave of longing

swept over him.

“I’m glad you thought of it. I haven’t

gone fishing in a long time.”

That’s what they were here to do.

Fish. He needed to stop thinking about
how much he’d like to kiss each one of
her fingers and then work his way up
her bare arm to her shoulder. Taking a
deep breath, he said, “I brought a few
rods and reels for you to choose from.”

“This is going to be fun.” Darcy

removed her hand to unbuckle the
seatbelt.

He grinned as he exited the truck,

opened the silver tool box behind the
cab, and pulled out several fishing rods.
She joined him and immediately pointed
to a red one.

“I’ll use that one.”
Matt laughed. “You haven’t even felt

the weight or checked the reel.”

“It doesn’t matter. I like the color.”
“I shouldn’t be surprised by that.

Julie does the same thing.” He reached
around her to open the back door of the
truck. Then he slung the straps of two
portable chairs over his shoulder and
grabbed a large box before closing the
door with his foot. “If you can get the
rods and the tackle box, I’ll get the rest.”

“Are you sure? I can carry the

chairs.”

“I’m sure you can, but I’m doing it

today.”

In spite of the early hour, there were

already several people spread out along

the bridge. As they made their way to
one of the few open spots, Matt knew the
attention they were getting wasn’t
because of his leg. It was his companion
who was making all the heads turn.

After they were seated, he asked,

“Would you like some hot chocolate?”

“With marshmallows?”
“Given our history, do you think I

would offer you hot chocolate without
marshmallows?”

“I guess not.”
He poured a cup from a thermos and

then handed her a bag of marshmallows.
“Go for it,” he said, laughing as she
covered the entire surface of the
chocolate with them. “I also picked up a
few things for us to munch on.” He

opened the lid of a Starbucks box.
“Breakfast is served.”

Darcy looked inside. “Wow, this is

some selection.”

His eyes danced with amusement. He

knew what he wanted for breakfast, and
it wasn’t muffins or scones. “I wasn’t
sure what you liked.”

“The blueberry muffin is calling

me.” She peeled off the top, flipped it
over and took a bite. “Did you take off
work today?”

Never had he wanted to do so more

than right now. “No. I’m meeting Eric at
ten.”

“Mom and I are cleaning out the attic

this afternoon in preparation for a
neighborhood yard sale on Saturday.”

“It’s not all day, is it? I can’t imagine

watching football without you now.”

Darcy smiled as she put down the

muffin to take a drink. “I think the yard
sale ends at three.”

“That’s okay, then.” He threw her a

teasing glance. “Kissing after every
score has added an extra level of
excitement to the games.”

“I thought we should have kept it to

touchdowns, but you changed it to
include field goals. What’s next? First
downs?”

“That would be like that saying, ‘I

was at a fight and a hockey game broke
out.’ In our case, it would be we were
kissing and a football game broke out.”

She looked at the water and then

back at him. “Thank you for doing this. It
was sweet and thoughtful and romantic
and just really nice.”

He laid his hand over hers where it

rested on the arm of the chair. “I did it
because you’re sweet, thoughtful,
romantic and really, really nice.”

Darcy turned her hand over and

linked her fingers through his. “Are we
still on for babysitting this Friday?”

“Since that’s my dad’s last night

here, Eric postponed taking Julie out.”

“Your dad sounds like an interesting

person.”

“That’s one way of describing him.

He was well liked by the men who
worked for him, but I still don’t feel as if
I know him.” Matt put down his cup.

“Let’s see if we can catch any fish. I like
to use night crawlers. I also have some
lures if you prefer those.”

“My dad and I always used live

bait.”

He reached for a white Styrofoam

container. “Since you’re still eating, I’ll
bait the hook for you.”

“Thank you.”
Two hours later, they were packing

up to leave. For Matt, the most enjoyable
part of their time together hadn’t been
dominated by conversation or anything
to do with fishing. It had been the three
or four times he’d caught Darcy
watching him. What he glimpsed in those
unguarded moments gave him hope that
she was beginning to believe in him and

in the possibility of a them.

* * * * *

Darcy entered the house with practiced
stealth, the heat from Matt’s goodnight
kiss still lingering on her lips. Spending
time with him was definitely habit-
forming. Before today, she’d only seen
him once since their fishing trip and that
had been at rehearsal. But even then,
he’d had to leave immediately afterward
to help Eric install a new dishwasher.

It had been a pleasant surprise to

hear from him this morning asking if
she’d like to continue her efforts in his
office. Of course, the trip from Cason’s
house (where he’d picked her up after
mowing the yard) had included a detour
for hot fudge sundaes during which he’d

imparted the news that his father was
spending the afternoon elsewhere. His
emphasis on the fact that they’d be alone
had made her wonder how much work
she’d actually get done.

In this supposition, she was half

right. Matt left her to her own devices
for the length of time it took him to take a
shower. From that point, he found
several urgent reasons for needing her
attention. In spite of these interruptions,
she managed to finish setting up a system
to track receipts and expenses for his
landscape company.

Training him how to use the program

was somewhat challenging. He was
more computer literate than he’d let on,
but as a student, he showed a tendency to

distract his instructor at the most
inconvenient moments. One such
instance occurred in front of an
audience.

Darcy wouldn’t soon forget looking

over Matt’s shoulder and meeting the
mocking smile of a man who looked like
another Gibson brother instead of a man
old enough to be their father. She’d
flown off Matt’s lap so fast she’d almost
fallen down, something her companions
had found very funny.

After the introductions had been

made, the three of them walked over to
Eric and Julie’s house for dinner. No
amount of small talk could erase the fact
that Matt and Eric had little in common
with their father beyond the fact that they

were related. Everyone was polite, but it
was the kind of cordiality reserved for
strangers, not one’s own family. Used to
a very different family dynamic, Darcy
was only too glad to escape the tension
at the table to go help Julie with the
dishes. Matt joined them within a few
minutes, allowing Julie to attend to
Nerina, who’d just woken up and was
ready to eat.

As she brushed her teeth, she

remembered the conversation with Matt
on the drive back to her house.

“I’m sorry about tonight. I know

that wasn’t the most enjoyable dinner
you’ve been forced to endure.”

“There was nothing wrong with

dinner, Matt.”

He laughed. “You’re right. The food

was excellent. Everything else was
strangely familiar to me and shocking
to you. I went back and forth about
whether I wanted you to meet my dad.
He’s not really a part of my life, but he
is my father. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, it does. No matter how far

apart you two are, there’s a part of you
that wants to connect with him.”

“And we are far apart. It’s difficult

to undo years of apathy, and I’m still
not sure he believes it to be worth the
effort.”

“Whatever his faults, he clearly

adores Nerina.”

“I wonder how he feels about Eric

naming his daughter after our mother.

Does it bother him to be constantly
reminded of the woman he treated so
badly? Or is he just so hardened that it
doesn’t even register?”

“It’s probably best not to know the

answer. You can’t control or influence
another person’s conscience.”

“I just have to live with my own. I

have to work tomorrow. That rain on
Wednesday got me behind. I meant to
tell you earlier that Eric wants to take
Julie out on Sunday, but it slipped my
mind. That happens frequently when
I’m with you.”

“We can’t let it happen when we’re

babysitting.”

“Not when Nerina is awake. If she’s

sleeping; well, that’s another story. I

can’t be expected to go the entire
evening treating you like a sister. That’s
just setting me up for failure.”

“You’re ridiculous, you know

that?”

“I’m a man. It’s kinda how we

operate.”

Darcy laughed to herself as she shut

off the bathroom light and returned to her
bedroom. Matt had demonstrated that
concept quite well after walking her to
the door. She hadn’t felt like his sister by
the time he finished.

* * * * *

During the drive to Eric and Julie’s
house, Darcy made sure Matt understood
that her role in this babysitting adventure
was purely advisory in nature. She knew

her limitations and wasn’t prepared to
risk having a seizure while holding a
five-week-old infant. He assured her that
he understood her concerns and not to
worry about it.

Eric, looking like a movie star in his

black suit and gold tie, let them into the
house. “Nerina just went down for a
nap,” he said as he led the way to the
kitchen. “She’ll sleep at least an hour,
maybe more. Here’s the video monitor
so you can see and hear her.”

“Where are you taking Julie?” Matt

asked.

“I made reservations at the new

place that opened in the historic
district.”

Matt punched him playfully in the

arm. “Going all out, aren’t you? I
haven’t seen you this dressed up since
your wedding day.”

Eric grinned. “You’re probably right.

I’m all about comfort, and suits aren’t
made to be comfortable.” He turned to
Darcy. “I left our cell numbers and the
number for the restaurant on this
notepad. Julie will probably call a few
times herself just to check on things.
That’s her nature and no reflection on
you.”

“Why are you telling Darcy all that?”
“Because she’s obviously the brains

of this operation.”

Matt put his arm around Darcy’s

waist. “I can’t argue with that. She’s
also the beauty of this operation.”

“That goes without saying,” Eric

added as Julie walked into the room.
“Are you ready, sweet thing?”

The playful nickname brought a

smile to Darcy’s face. The love and
affection between these two was almost
palpable.

“Yes, I think so,” Julie said as she

joined them. “We appreciate you two
giving up your evening to watch
Nerina.”

“No problem, Jules,” Matt

responded. “And don’t worry about
anything here.”

Eric took Julie’s hand and started

down the hall toward the door. “We’ll
try, but we’re new at this parenting thing.
See you later.”

Matt followed them out and relocked

the door. When he returned to the
kitchen, he asked, “Want something to
eat? There’s plenty of food. Julie made
sure we wouldn’t starve.”

Darcy ran her hand across the

smooth counter. “I’m fine right now.”

“Well, I’m not.” His smile told her

they weren’t discussing food. “I want a
kiss, preferably in the next five seconds,
but I could wait as long as ten.” Without
a word, she lifted her face to his. The
teasing light receded from his eyes. “So
sweet, and so lovely,” he said softly.

His mouth dropped to hers in the

gentlest of kisses. He tasted like
chocolate, not surprising since she’d
seen him eating Hershey’s kisses in the

truck when he picked her up. Darcy was
unaware that her hands left her sides and
crept to his waist as if to keep him close
to her. When he would have drawn back,
she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips
more firmly to his.

A shudder went through him before

he moved to deepen the kiss, his arms
sliding around her waist and pulling her
against him. The most intoxicating
sensations began to build inside her,
inducing a sigh just loud enough to be
audible. Matt lifted his head and smiled
down at her.

“I guess it’s true what they say about

quiet girls.”

“Whatever it is, don’t tell me.”
He laughed as he released her and

moved to the other side of the kitchen.
“Okay, I won’t tell you. Just do me a
favor and don’t do that again until we’re
done babysitting. It’s hard enough to
keep my hands to myself.”

Did he think it was any easier for

her? Just the sound of his voice was
enough to make her as breathless as if
she’d just stepped off a rollercoaster.

“I’ll stay five feet away at all times.”
Matt looked up from pouring water

in the coffee maker. “Like that will help.
I could close my eyes, and I’d know you
were in the room. At first it was vanilla,
but you changed recently to something
more floral.”

“Do you like it?”
“I think I’ve proven that well

enough, don’t you? This thing will make
hot chocolate, too. Would you like
some?”

“No, thanks.” Darcy leaned down on

her elbows to look at the monitor. “This
is so cool – being able to watch your
baby without having to be in the room.”

“It’s especially convenient when the

nursery is located on another floor of the
house.”

“Cason set up Stella’s crib in her

bedroom for the first few weeks.”

“I think Nerina actually sleeps with

Julie and Eric.”

“Can you blame them?”
Matt pushed the button on the coffee

maker and came over to join her. “Not at
all. I’ll probably be the kind of dad who

sleeps on the floor by the crib.”

His words burned a trail of pain

deep into her heart. It wouldn’t be her
child he slept near. That could never
be. All the wishing in the world wasn’t
going to make her like other women.
The hours they’d spent together, the
whispered words they’d exchanged, the
kisses that left them both breathless –
none of those had changed reality.
Nothing could do that.

“You’ll make a good father,” she

said quietly.

“I hope to be. I don’t want my kids to

feel like I did. I want them to know that
they’re loved and that they have an
important place in my life.”

“I can’t see you doing anything else.”

“I have to be a husband first.”
“You will be someday.”
“You sound so sure about it. Do you

know something I don’t?”

Only that she wished he could be

her husband. She felt his hand touching
her back and then her hair. Would it have
been better not to know what it was like
to be close to him? Not to be forever
tortured by memories like this?

Movement on the screen caught her

eye. “I think Nerina is starting to wake
up.”

Matt glanced at his watch. “It’s not

time for her to eat.”

Darcy laughed in spite of her somber

thoughts. “She probably needs a diaper
change.”

He tapped her on the nose. “Only

one way to find out.”

* * * * *

Matt would be the first to admit he
wasn’t the most intuitive guy, but he
knew something wasn’t right with Darcy.
It wasn’t anything he could define or
even ask her about. To all outward
appearances, she was her normal self.
Had he said or done something to upset
her?

His glance went to the fussy baby in

his arms. Nerina was living up to her
reputation of being impatient when she
was hungry.

“Here you go,” Darcy said as she

handed him the warm bottle. “Sorry it
took so long. I had to figure out how to

operate the microwave.”

Matt took advantage of Nerina’s

open mouth to slip in the bottle. The
crying stopped immediately. “She’s a
happy girl now.” He glanced up at Darcy
who was still standing behind the couch.
“We burp her every two ounces, right?”

“That’s right. I remember Cason

walking the floor with Stella. That child
never wanted to burp.”

“Julie showed me what to do. If I

can’t get Nerina to cooperate, you can
try.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“Come sit down. I like you close by

for moral support.”

She did sit down, but not on the

couch with him. All was not well in

paradise.

“I was thinking we could go see a

movie Tuesday night. Would you like
that?”

Darcy picked up a magazine from the

coffee table and flipped through it. “I’ll
have to see how tired I am. I start
working at the hospital on Monday.”

He sat the bottle on the table and laid

Nerina over his shoulder. “What are
your hours going to be?”

“Every afternoon from one until six.”
“Not weekends, I hope.” Before

Darcy could respond, the sound of a
burp brought a smile to Matt’s face. He
kissed the top of Nerina’s head. “Good
girl. Now you can have some more of
this nasty smelling stuff.”

Once Nerina had been fed, Matt took

her upstairs to the nursery. After he laid
her on the changing table, he looked over
his shoulder at Darcy. “Your turn.”

“I’m not the one who needs the

practice,” she said as she moved into the
spot he vacated.

He handed her a diaper. “Sure you

do. You probably haven’t changed a
baby since Stella.”

“You’re right; I haven’t.”
Matt stepped to the side, content to

watch. He smiled tenderly when Darcy
bent her head to blow kisses on Nerina’s
neck and tummy. Whatever was wrong,
he was going to find out what it was
and deal with it. He’d known this road
wouldn’t be easy, but true love was

always worth fighting for.

* * * * *

As the evening wore on, the conviction
that she’d done Matt a great disservice
grew within Darcy. None of this should
have happened. Her selfishness along
with the mistaken belief that she was
the only one who could be hurt had
allowed things to reach this precarious
point. She’d put herself into the
unenviable position of disappointing
the person who meant more to her than
anyone. The only comfort in this
nightmare was she’d caught the runaway
train in time.

She was both relieved and alarmed

when Julie and Eric returned. She’d
gone over the situation with Matt a

hundred times. It wasn’t too late. She
could fix this. No irretrievable damage
had been done - except to her heart -
and she’d known that was going to
happen. Love wasn’t only about getting
the person you want. It was about being
willing to let someone go when you
couldn’t be what they need.

Without her in the picture, Matt

would be free to go back to Sarah. He
might be upset at first, but he’d get over
Darcy quickly enough. It wasn’t as if he
was in love with her.

The trip to her house was mostly

silent. She wasn’t so caught up in her
own misery that she didn’t sense Matt’s
confusion as well as his sideways
glances in her direction. The lump in her

throat had grown to the point where she
wondered if she’d be able to speak at
all. When he pulled into the driveway
and shut off the engine, she knew she
couldn’t delay any longer. It had to be
done tonight.

“Don’t get out yet, Matt. I need to

talk to you about something.”

His hand fell away from the door

handle. “Okay.”

She could just see the outline of his

face in the darkness. “I’m not sure this
‘more-than-friends’ thing is working.”

“Really? Why do you think that?”
“I’m not ready for a relationship.”
“With me or with anyone?”
“Does it matter?”
He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned

his arm on the console. “Yes, it matters.
I’ve waited a long time for you to be my
girlfriend.”

“I can’t be held to something I said

nine years ago. Neither of us are the
same people we were then. Life has
changed us.”

“Life changes everyone. I like to

think it’s made me more interesting. I
was already good-looking.”

Darcy bit her lip. “And modest, too.”
“Not really. I was arrogant enough to

think you liked me.”

“I do like you. I just don’t want

anything serious, and we’re heading in
that direction.”

He gently stroked the side of her

face. “You seemed to like the direction

we were heading.”

“Why are you making this so

difficult?”

“I’m trying to understand. You’re

saying one thing, but your actions say
something else.”

“I know, and I’m sorry about that. I

never intended for things to go so far.”

A chuckle escaped him. “Isn’t that

my line?”

She moved away from him. “This

isn’t funny, Matt. There’s no reason we
can’t be adults about this.”

“Being adults is exactly what we’re

doing.” His hand slid down her arm to
clasp her fingers. “I thought you were
beginning to trust me.”

“I do trust you. Who wouldn’t trust

you? This has to do with looking at
things logically instead of with…with
our emotions. The threat of seizures will
always be with me, overshadowing my
life and extending into the life of anyone
who gets involved with me. I don’t even
want to get into how impossible it is for
me to have children. You deserve
someone who doesn’t come with all
these problems.”

“Isn’t that for me to decide? I want

you in my life, and nothing I’ve seen or
you’ve said is going to change that.”

Why was he being so hard-headed?

Darcy took a deep breath. “You haven’t
thought things through. You’ve already
got your own physical challenges to deal
with. The last thing you need is to have

mine thrown on you as well.”

He smiled faintly. “I disagree. It’s

because I have my own that I’m in a
better position to handle yours. I
understand that life isn’t perfect, that you
have to make adjustments. I’m willing to
do that. Epilepsy doesn’t mean you can’t
get married and have children, Darcy. It
just changes how you approach them.
Should I give up on marriage because
I’m missing part of my leg?”

“It’s not the same, Matt.”
“For every reason you give me for

why we shouldn’t be together, I can find
ten more reasons that we should. No
obstacle is too big to overcome when
two people care about each other. Love
doesn’t see limitations; it sees

possibilities.”

Did he really believe that? “What

man would want to be stuck with
someone who may never be able to
drive? Who might burn down the house
because she has a seizure while
preparing dinner? Who will most likely
at some point have a seizure during their
most intimate moments? Who he can’t
safely leave his children alone with?
These are just a few of the complications
I bring to a relationship.”

“To the man who loves you, none of

that will matter. To the woman who
loves me, my leg won’t matter. Love
finds a way. It always does. Walking
away from what’s happening between us
isn’t going to solve anything, and in my

case, it’s too late. I’ve been falling in
love with you ever since you sold me
those pickles.”

She shook her head, unwilling to

believe him. “That can’t be. You were in
love with Sarah when we met. That’s
why I let myself get close to you. I didn’t
think anyone would get hurt.”

He wound a lock of her hair around

his finger. “It blows my mind that you
think so little of yourself. Did you really
believe I could spend time with you and
not be attracted to you?”

“Yes, I did. I thought it was only my

heart I was risking.” She looked down at
her lap. “I’ve fallen in love with you
twice now; once as a little girl and again
as an adult.”

His fingers lifted her chin so he

could look into her eyes. “Then don’t
push me away. Let me love you back.”

She wanted to, more than anything.

“I’m trying to be sensible and…”

Matt put his finger on her lips. “I

know what you’re trying to do. It won’t
work.”

She thought he might kiss her, but

instead he got out of the truck and came
around to open her door. After helping
her to the ground, he kept her hand firmly
in his as they followed the sidewalk to
the porch. As they stood facing each
other, he pressed a lingering kiss on the
palm of her hand.

“You’re a girl worth waiting for, and

I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to

believe that.”

Tears were running down Darcy’s

cheeks by the time she made it to her
room. Her purse slid to the floor as she
sank down on the bed and sobbed like a
child. Love doesn’t see limitations; it
sees possibilities. His words seared her
conscience and pierced her heart. Matt
hadn’t been guilty of putting a label on
her. She’d done it herself.

Maybe it was time to stop running

from love and embrace it instead.

* * * * *

Even for a Friday, the line at the bank
was long. Matt glanced at his watch for
the fifth time in as many seconds and
shifted his weight off his prosthesis. If
things didn’t start moving, he was going

to have to wait until Monday to make his
deposit. He knew his impatience had
less to do with the number of people in
front of him and more to do with his fear
that he wouldn’t make it to the hospital
before Darcy got off work.

Two weeks had passed since that

fateful, but very necessary discussion in
the truck. Tonight he had something
special planned, something he hoped
would remove the last of her doubts.

Twenty minutes later he picked her

up at the hospital entrance. Her eyes
went to his collared shirt and jeans.

“You look nice. Did you finish early

today?”

Only because he’d dragged Eric out

of bed and gone without breakfast or

lunch. “Yeah. I thought we’d celebrate
our eight week anniversary by going to
Pelican Point.”

“I met you at the craft show seven

weeks ago tomorrow.”

She’d been keeping track of it, too.

That was a positive sign. “I know that,
but I saw you in that never-to-be-
mentioned play eight weeks ago tonight.”

She tilted her head sideways. “Can

we count that? We didn’t even speak or
anything.”

“I knew when you went after the

spider that you were what I was missing
in my life.” This resulted in a pinch on
his leg.

“Keep that up, Matt, and you’ll be

eating at Pelican Point alone.”

“If you keep pinching me, we won’t

be eating at all.”

“Hmm. What should I do?” she said

softly, shaking her head.

“It’s simple. Keep loving me.”
She smiled. “I don’t think that will

be a problem.”

A short while later they were seated

at a table with a view of the St. Marys
River. After the waiter had taken their
order, Matt glanced back at Darcy. “I bet
the number of male customers visiting
the gift shop has increased since you
started working.”

“Why would it?”
“Because they all want to get a look

at you. Not that I blame them. If I was at
the hospital, I’d be buying all kinds of

things I don’t need or want just to get a
chance to talk to you.”

“And I’d end up getting fired for

ignoring all the other customers.”

“Then I guess I better stay away.

Have you ever heard of Callaway
Gardens?”

“No. Where did that come from?”
Matt laughed as he stirred a packet

of sugar into his coffee. “One of my
customers mentioned it, but I already
knew about it from when I was stationed
at Ft. Benning. It’s up the road from
Columbus. I never gave it much thought
when I lived there, but as a landscape
person, I’d like to see it. Apparently, it
has the world’s largest display of
azaleas, along with dogwoods and

crabapples. Spring would be the time to
go. That’s when all those things are in
bloom.”

“How far away is it?”
“About five hours. Not exactly a day

trip, but it would make a nice weekend
getaway. They’ve got cabins you can
rent.”

“You’ll have to plan a trip in the

spring.”

He was way ahead of her on that.

“Yes, I will.” Matt noticed the waiter
returning with their food. “I forgot how
big the portions are here.”

“You can handle it.”
“Thanks a lot.”
Darcy didn’t respond until the waiter

had arranged their plates and departed

again. “Well, there’s a lot of you to fill
up.”

Matt speared a shrimp and dunked it

into a red sauce. “That hole you’re
digging is getting larger.”

“You’ve made comments about my

appetite once too often.”

“Only because I love to watch you

eat.”

She sent him a suspicious glance.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing bad. I just get a kick out of

seeing you dig in and enjoy your food
without worrying about how many
calories you’re consuming. Females
stress too much about their weight. Most
girls these days are so thin you can
practically see through them. It’s like

trying to hug a bag of bones.”

“I guess that means I’m not a bag of

bones.”

He grinned widely. “Definitely not.

You’re all soft curves and silky skin, a
combination that’s hard to resist.”

“I’m glad you’re happy with me

because I’m useless at dieting.”

He stretched his hand across the

table and clasped her fingers. “I’m very
happy with you. If we weren’t
surrounded by all these people, I’d
prove that beyond all doubt.”

For the remainder of the meal, Matt

kept the conversation on trivial subjects.
As he listened to Darcy talk about
another proposed shopping trip with
Alison, he tried to calm the anxiety

within him. The last time he reached
this point with a woman, she told him
she didn’t love him. Was this time going
to be more successful?

As they walked out of the restaurant,

he drew her arm through his. “It’s still
early. Want to take a drive?”

“That would be nice.”

* * * * *

Not quite an hour later, Matt pulled into
the driveway of a two-story condo
facing the ocean. Darcy glanced at him
questioningly. “Are we adding breaking
and entering to our agenda for the
evening?”

He laughed as he reached across to

unbuckle her seatbelt, taking advantage
of the darkness and their closeness to

kiss her. “No need for that. I have a key.
This place used to belong to my dad.
Last year he sold it to Eric. Would you
like to see inside?”

“I’d love to.”
She glanced around with interest as

he led her through a tiny hall into a high-
ceilinged room that served as the living
and dining areas. The bamboo furniture
with its palm tree patterned cushions
gave it the feel of a vacation home. “Do
Eric and Julie come here often?”

“About one or twice a month.”
Darcy walked over to the window. A

sliver of moonlight bounced off the dark
water, giving just a glimpse of the
incoming tide. “Can you imagine having
this view every night?”

“Yes, very easily,” he replied. “I like

it even more with you in it.” He came up
behind her. “Have you given any more
thought to what you’re going to do about
your degree?”

“I’ve been looking into finishing it

online.”

“So you can stay in St. Marys?”
Did he really think she would leave

now that she’d met him? “Yes.”

“And be near me?” he asked, his lips

brushing against her ear.

She smiled to herself. “Maybe.”
“Maybe? What are you trying to do

to me?”

“I went away because I needed to

prove to myself that I could live on my
own. It was the right decision at the

time. But things are different now. I
don’t want to leave.”

He turned her around to face him. “I

don’t want you to leave, either. I’ve only
just found you again. I want you close so
I can learn everything there is to know
about you.”

“That could take a long time.”
“You’re right. It will take a lifetime.

Can you give me a lifetime, Darcy?”
Reaching into his pocket, he removed a
tiny black box. When he opened the lid,
her eyes flew to the diamond ring resting
on the ivory satin. “Will you be my true
love?”

She wasn’t sure she could bear so

much happiness. The wish she’d
concealed in her heart for so long was

finally coming true. “Oh, Matt,” she
whispered, her eyes misty with unshed
tears. “Yes, yes, I will.”

After sliding the ring on her finger,

he brought her hand to his lips. “This is
more than a symbol of my love for you.
It’s also a promise that I’m not going
anywhere. Marriage isn’t something to
be entered into lightly; it’s a lifelong
commitment or at least it should be. I’m
not going to rush you into anything
before you’re ready. Our engagement can
be as long as you want.”

His understanding of her fears and

uncertainty touched her deeply. She
wound her arms around his neck. “Do
you know how amazing you are?”

“Me? Amazing? Wait ‘til I tell Eric.

He won’t believe it.”

“I’ll tell him myself. I love you,

Matterson.” She drew his head down
and kissed him softly.

His arms closed around her. “You

may have started something you’re going
to regret.”

Darcy shook her head. “I don’t think

so.”

With a slow smile, he lowered his

head. His lips teased and caressed,
moving unhurriedly from her mouth to
her neck and shoulders and back again.
A groan slipped from him when her
fingers found their way into his hair.
When at last he broke away, he leaned
his forehead against hers. “I’m not sure a
lifetime will be long enough.”

Epilogue

Darcy removed the cookie sheet from the
oven and set it on a cooling rack. “That’s
the last batch.”

“Thank goodness,” Matt said as he

snagged a warm cookie off the spatula in
her hand.

“If you don’t stop eating them, we

aren’t going to have any left for Stella’s
party.”

“I can’t help it. Chocolate chip is my

favorite.”

“That’s what you said about the

sugar cookies.” She reached behind her
back to untie her apron. “I think I’ve
worked this thing into a knot.”

“How do you always manage to do

this?” Matt quickly unknotted the strings
and removed the apron, laying it on the
counter. “What do I get for helping you
escape?”

“Another cookie?” she suggested as

she swung around to face him.

Shaking his head, he moved closer.

“I don’t want another cookie.”

“How about a back rub?”
“Maybe later. Now stop kidding

around. You know what I want.”

She stood on tiptoe and kissed his

chin. “Satisfied?”

“Darcy Gibson, I’m warning you.”
“Warning me about what?” she asked

coyly.

Matt didn’t bother telling her. He

showed her. By the time he finished, they

were both out of breath. “Mmm. Sugar
and spice and everything nice,” he
whispered against her lips.

“We’re not done yet.”
“I know,” he said huskily. “I’m just

getting started.”

She pushed gently against his chest.

“That’s not what I meant. We need to get
this mess cleaned up. We’ve got
company coming over tonight.”

“I could probably convince you

otherwise.”

Darcy laughed. “Let’s not put it to

the test.”

He nipped playfully at her ear.

“Okay, I’ll behave. Before we start this
massive clean-up operation, I need to
tell you something.”

“I’m listening.”
“We’re going to Florida the day after

tomorrow.”

She walked her fingers up his arm, a

teasing smile parting her lips. “It’s kind
of soon to be going on a second
honeymoon. We’ve only been married
six months.”

“Second honeymoon? Our first one

isn’t over yet. I guess we should go back
to Callaway next spring. We didn’t see
much of anything outside our cabin.” He
grinned as her cheeks turned a pretty
shade of pink.

“Why are we going to Florida?”
“To pick up Mindy.”
“Who’s Mindy?”
“Your seizure dog.” As his words

sunk in, every scrap of color faded from
Darcy’s face.

“You…you arranged for me to have

a seizure dog? But how? They’re so
expensive.”

“We can’t put a price on your

happiness and peace of mind.” With a
strangled sob, she threw her arms around
his neck, pressing kisses on his face. A
pleased laugh escaped him. “I take it
you’re okay with adding Mindy to our
household.”

“I can’t tell you what this means to

me, Matt. This is going to help so much.”

“You don’t have to tell me, darling,”

he said softly as he brushed away her
tears. “I can see it.”

She took his face between her hands.

“Thank you for Mindy, and thank you for
loving me.”

He leaned down and kissed her.

“Thank you for letting me love you.”

Darcy smiled slightly as she drew

away from him. When she got to the
doorway leading into the hall, she
glanced back over her shoulder. “Okay,
here’s how this is going to work. The
last one to the bedroom has to do the
dishes. On your mark…get set…” She
didn’t get any further. It was later
decided that the race had ended in a tie.

The End

I hope you enjoyed Matt and

Darcy’s story. If you liked it, please

consider telling a friend or leaving a

review. Thank you!

For updates or to sign up for my

newsletter, please go to:

delaneycameron.weebly.com

Coming Summer 2016: Love of a

Lifetime (Finding Love, Book 3)

Also by Delaney Cameron:

Team Mom: A Sweet Contemporary

Romance (Finding Love, Book 1)

Julie’s calm life is thrown a curve ball
when her brother arrives the night
before his seven-month deployment
asking her to take care of his son. As a
preschool teacher, she’s used to dealing
with toddlers, not nine-year-olds.

Noting her nephew’s interest in
baseball, Julie signs him up for little
league. She’s anything but thrilled to
find out that his coach is a celebrity.

Eric returned to St Marys to lick his
wounds and start over. But even in his
hometown, he’s known more for his
unfortunate appearance on a reality
dating show than for his seven years in
the major leagues. All he has to show
for that poor decision is an ex-wife and
a broken heart.

Julie’s obvious disapproval makes her
the perfect choice for his team mom. If
she doesn’t like him, she won’t cause
any problems. But will that be enough

to keep his growing interest in her in
check? And as Julie’s preconceived
notions about sports figures slowly
unravel, will she be able to resist the
man behind the public persona?

Dream of Me: A Sweet

Contemporary Romance

Still reeling from the loss of her
parents, Aubrey agrees to take a job on
an island off the coast of Georgia. The
setting couldn’t be more idyllic; getting
along with her new boss couldn’t be
more problematic. Her warm, impulsive
nature doesn’t mix well with his cool,
detached disposition. Corbin just wants
peace. He’s already been burned by

love and has no intention of being so
again. The secret is not letting anyone
get close. What happens when a woman
who listens to her heart meets a man
who’s trying to forget he has one?

Finding Allie: A Sweet Regency

Romance Novella

Desperation leads Allie Simon to do
something she wouldn’t otherwise have
done. A gently-bred female doesn’t
offer herself to a stranger. If she does,
she must be willing to accept the
consequences. But what if among those
consequences is one she hadn’t
expected?

Nicholas Ashton knows all too well
what awaits him at Waverton: marriage
and the inevitable heir. He is only too
happy to delay his arrival by accepting
an invitation from an old friend to
spend a few weeks at Groome Hall.
When he is thrown (literally) into
Allie’s path, he begins to suspect his
hitherto calm, orderly life may never be
the same.

Allie and Nicholas might be determined
to forget their very unorthodox first
meeting, but fate has other ideas. And
when has fighting fate ever been easy?

Document Outline

Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue

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