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  “So, your dad married Josh’s mom?” he asked. If Brenna and her father were close, perhaps she could give him some insight into improving his relationship with Eliza.

  “No.”

  “But…” Hadn’t she said Josh was her stepbrother? And she mentioned a stepmother.

  Brenna turned to the window overlooking that backyard. “I hate to break up the kids’ fun, but I really do have some computer work I should get to.”

  “Of course, sorry.” The last thing he’d wanted was to overstay his welcome. “I should have herded them inside sooner, instead of sticking around to shoot the bull.”

  “I’ve never liked that saying,” Brenna admonished with mock affront. “But at least it’s not as bad as ‘more than one way to skin a cat.’ What kind of monster came up with that?” She gave an exaggerated shudder.

  Was the silly banter her way of softening the impression that she was kicking them out?

  “From here on out, only metaphors in which no animals are harmed,” he promised solemnly. “Where do you stand on ‘raining cats and dogs’?”

  Her lips twitched as she tried to keep her expression deadpan. “It depends. Are they wearing protective gear?” At the last moment, her suppressed smile broke free, making her truly beautiful, and it was as if something inside Adam had been liberated, too.

  Without conscious, rational thought, he leaned forward and kissed her.

  At first it was only the feather-light contact of his mouth against her smile, but even that sent a jolt straight through him and down to his toes. He nipped at her bottom lip, grazing his tongue over her, nearly overcome with the urge to haul her closer, frame her face in his hands and kiss her deeply. I want her. Wanted her smiles, her playful conversation, her more serious observations about life and her delectable body.

  Stunned at the intensity of his reaction, he righted himself. “I…” Should apologize, yet he couldn’t bring himself to say he was sorry. How could he pretend to regret the kiss when what he really wanted was to do it again? Soon. Thoroughly.

  “Should go,” she supplied tremulously, as if unsure of her own words. Her clear green eyes were startled. But did they also reflect back something more? “You should get going.”

  “Right.” His feet wouldn’t move.

  They stood there for a heartbeat that felt like a lifetime, staring at each other.

  He cleared his throat. “I’ll round up my kids.”

  She nodded, bemused.

  Neither of them said anything else, but when he got to the back door, he couldn’t resist looking over his shoulder at her. She remained in the same spot, motionless. Except that she’d pressed her fingers to her lips.

  As he stepped through the doorway, a whisper of sound followed him. He thought it might have been Wow.

  Chapter Eight

  “Hey, sis.” Josh opened the front door wider to let Brenna past, but rather than flash one of his customary smiles, he scowled with concern. “Are you getting enough sleep?”

  “Not even close,” she admitted with a wan smile. “So stop badgering me to go out with Nick Zeth or J. C. Delgorio or whoever you’re trying to fix me up with next and just let me stay home so I can go to bed early.”

  Little does my brother know. She didn’t need his help finding a man to stir her interest—she’d been kissing just such a man in her kitchen two nights ago!

  Josh narrowed his eyes. “What?”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “No, but you were thinking something. I could smell the smoke.”

  “Ha ha.” She poked him in the shoulder. “You’re hilarious. You ever think about taking that act on the road…far, far from Mistletoe?”

  Natalie appeared behind him in the doorway that led from the foyer into the dining room where they’d all be eating. “Josh, are you giving your sister a hard time?”

  “Nah, we were just chatting. Apparently she’s too tired to date.”

  Maggie poked her head around the corner, wiping flour-dusted hands on her apron. No doubt she’d just put one of her wonderful pies in the oven. “Date? Brenna, honey, did you go on a date this weekend?”

  “What can I help with?” Brenna asked, effectively sidestepping the issue of romance.

  For a whole twenty-three minutes.

  As Fred passed the barbecued chicken to Brenna, he asked, “Know who I saw at Waide Supply?”

  Brenna hazarded a guess. “One of the Waides?” Zachariah and his wife had owned the hardware and feed store for years, but it was mostly run these days by David Waide and his sister, Arianne.

  “No, Gabriel Sloan, buying some equipment. He’s still single, isn’t he?”

  At the mention of the man with the semi-infamous past, Maggie choked on her dilled cucumber and tomato salad. “Gabe Sloan? But he—”

  “Don’t you think there comes a time when we all have to let go of the past and move forward?” Fred wasn’t looking at his wife as he asked the question, but his stepdaughter.

  I am moving forward! She was building her own company, establishing real roots in the community, creating the stability she’d always craved.

  Fred heaved a sigh. “I just want to see you happy, Bren. I’ve gone it alone and I’ve been in love. It makes a world of difference.”

  “Well, when I can find a man as loyal as my dog, I’ll think about it,” she joked. “Let’s face it, Zoe would drag my unconscious body out of a burning building, while half the men in the world can’t even manage to call when they say they will.”

  Natalie laughed, but tried to disguise it as a cough when Josh sent her a hurt look.

  “Oh, honey.” Maggie’s expression was so maternal and concerned that it twisted something in Brenna sideways. “That’s not why you broke up with Kevin, is it, because you questioned his loyalty?”

  “No, I wasn’t speaking literally,” Brenna said with a sigh. For starters, he broke up with me. “I just…So, Nat, how’s the flower business?”

  Giving her a sympathetic glance, Natalie began telling them all about a wedding she was doing next weekend and the bride’s various meltdowns so far. Then there was a wedding scheduled for the Fourth of July in which the bride had gone wholeheartedly with the red-white-and-blue theme. Not only in the flowers, but in gowns—her two bridesmaids would be wearing red-and-blue dresses.

  Brenna listened with half an ear. Maggie’s question about Kevin had reminded her of one of the last things he’d said before correctly deciding they were not meant to be. He’d been in Intense Discussion mode.

  “It must have killed you when your mother left,” he’d said.

  “Not so much.” She’d tried to joke away old pains. “Here I am, still alive.”

  “Poor Brenna.” He’d brushed his hand over her hair soothingly. “Is that why you’re so aloof? Metaphorically leaving people before they can leave you.”

  And about a week later, Kevin had left her.

  Which was for the best, but he’d had a point. If she ever hoped to find the happiness Fred and Maggie shared, the kind that Josh and Natalie aspired to, she would have to get better at opening up to people.

  Her mind flitted back to Adam. What would it be like if she let herself get involved, just on a short-term basis, with someone she already knew was leaving? It wasn’t as if she would have to wonder in the back of her mind when it would all end. The idea was morbidly appealing. It replaced chance and romantic whim with a modicum of control and certainty.

  Lost in thought, she almost missed it when Josh suddenly said, “I saw the Varner family at the lodge this morning.”

  Brenna’s gaze flew to his face, searching for any sign of knowing smugness. Had Josh guessed that she was thinking about Adam? Had he somehow sensed any of the attraction she felt for the doctor?

  “I talked to them as they were headed out tubing.” He smiled. “That Morgan is one cute kid. Says she’s turning five this week.”

  “Friday,” Brenna provided reflexively.

  Maggie raised her
eyebrows. “Who are the Varners? I can’t place the name.”

  “I’m pet-sitting for them while they’re on vacation at the lodge,” Brenna said. They would meet her at the vet clinic in the morning when she dropped off Ellie for her procedure. Kevin would give Adam a call after the operation to let him know how the little cat was recuperating.

  “The Varners are those tourists from Tennessee,” Josh clarified. “Remember? The surgeon who picked up Brenna? Adam really wants to take his two oldest rafting, but Morgan’s too young. Nat, I told him I’d see if you might be willing to babysit.”

  Natalie bit her lip. “I don’t know. I mean, I’d love to, that’s not a question, but the shortest trip you do is almost four hours. I’ve got multiple weddings and receptions coming up, not to mention the float for the Independence Day parade.”

  Brenna found herself hoping that Josh hadn’t made his babysitting offer within earshot of the kids. It sounded as if there had been past occasions when they’d had their hopes dashed when it came to time with their father, and she didn’t want her stepbrother indirectly contributing to that.

  After dinner Fred said he wanted to check scores before dessert and, predictably, fell asleep in his recliner three and a half minutes later. Maggie shooed Josh and Natalie out the door the second they’d finished their pie so they wouldn’t miss the late movie they’d been planning to see.

  “I’m more than willing to clear the table by myself,” Maggie assured them. “It’s worth it, getting to spend the evening with you all.”

  Brenna hesitated. She could spare a tiny bit of time before starting her “good night” visits; the Turners lived over in this neck of the woods, anyway.

  “I’ll help with the dishes,” she told Maggie. When the offer reminded her of Adam—and the steamy moment they’d shared in her kitchen—she nearly groaned. It was a bad sign when menial housework got you worked up over a guy.

  Maggie looked taken aback. “Well, thank you, honey. I figured after the conversation earlier, you’d beat feet to get out of here.”

  “Which conversation?” Brenna asked as she collected all the linen napkins for the laundry. “Oh, you mean the one where Fred has stooped to randomly pawning me off on any single man who crosses his path? I’ve forgotten all about it.”

  “Sorry if we put you on the spot,” Maggie said sheepishly. “We’re just…”

  “Trying to be my family.” And family members looked out for one another, even if it came in the form of unsolicited dating advice. “Maggie Pierce, you’re a hell of a good mother.”

  For a second Maggie didn’t react. She went from frozen to blinking rapidly, tears welling up in her eyes. “I…I need to put these away in the fridge.” She blindly grabbed two containers off the dining-room table, one of which was empty.

  Brenna gave her a second of privacy, then followed her into the kitchen with a stack of plates. Maggie had one arm braced against the kitchen counter and was wiping her eyes with her free hand.

  “You okay?” Brenna asked softly. Jeez, no wonder she avoided the touchy-feely stuff as a rule. She hadn’t meant to make Maggie feel bad.

  “I apologize for…” Maggie fluttered her hand in a vague gesture. “You just caught me off guard.”

  If kind words from Brenna were startling enough to elicit an emotional meltdown, then she was the worst stepdaughter ever.

  Abashed, she asked, “You do know that I…love you, right?” The words didn’t come easily, hadn’t for decades, but that didn’t mean the feeling behind them was absent.

  “Oh, honey.” Maggie reached out to squeeze Brenna’s hand. “I do know. You’ve never wanted to talk about your mom—”

  “I still don’t,” Brenna said quickly.

  “But I hope you know I love you like my own daughter.”

  Even though Brenna had been quietly prickly in the beginning about accepting that love. Oh, she’d never been as outwardly bratty as Eliza—she hadn’t been that brave—but scared and scarred, she couldn’t have made it easier for the older woman, either.

  “Josh mentioned the Varner family?” Brenna began. She enthusiastically scrubbed dishes, glad to have something physical to do—and an excuse not to meet Maggie’s eye. “A divorced man and his three kids. I think watching him interact with them is part of what made me realize how much I appreciate you. He’s worried he’s not doing a good-enough job—”

  “All parents feel that way,” Maggie empathized.

  “—but he’s so patient with them, trying so hard to reach out to them. He may not see it as objectively as I do, but he’s a great kisser.”

  It wasn’t until Maggie’s jaw dropped that Brenna realized what she’d said.

  “F-father. I meant he’s a great father.”

  Maggie raised her eyebrows expectantly.

  “He really is great. With them. A very committed dad.”

  Still silent, Maggie shifted her weight.

  Brenna tossed her hands up in defeat. “Oh, all right, and he’s a great kisser. Judging from the single, solitary peck I have to go by.”

  Maggie beamed at her. “And will you be kissing him again?”

  “No!” Maybe. I sure hope so.

  Chapter Nine

  Adam was so out of practice with women that for one insane instant he actually considered seeking the advice of his fifteen-year-old son. So, Geoff, tell me about the first time you kissed your girlfriend. Was it awkward the next time you saw her? Did you mention it or just play it cool?

  Resisting the urge to bang his head on the steering wheel, Adam cranked up the music in the SUV to drown out his own asinine thoughts. All too soon, they’d reached the shopping center where Dr. Higgs practiced. It was very early in the day—technically the office didn’t even open for another half hour, but Dr. Higgs had explained that when the visit was surgical, he preferred to get an animal checked in before the lobby got hectic. It reminded Adam of the times he’d told a patient they needed to report to the hospital by 6 a.m. for pre-op. Most people agreed that was preferable to waiting half a day when they weren’t allowed to put anything in their stomachs after midnight.

  Brenna could have gone in the clinic, but as she had last time, she was waiting out at her car. With the two of them meeting here in a deserted lot, this felt almost like a clandestine encounter. Until he parked and his kids all began chattering at once, unbuckling their seat belts and practically tripping over themselves in their haste to see Ellie and Brenna.

  Adam lagged behind, studying her. She wore a black leather headband today, securing her coppery hair out of her face. She had on black-and-red athletic shorts and a white T-shirt emblazoned with her company logo. There was nothing sexy or glamorous about her appearance, but damn, he wanted to kiss her again.

  She shaded her eyes against the sun. “Morning.”

  “Hi. Thanks for meeting us here. Are you sure you want to pick Ellie up this afternoon? If you’re busy with other animals, I can come get her. We could meet back at your place,” he suggested impulsively. “The kids and I could bring dinner. We owe you.”

  He was almost certain she would say no—after all, she’d made it clear how crowded her work schedule was. And he still wasn’t one hundred percent sure how she’d felt about his kissing her.

  She nibbled indecisively at her lower lip, and it took real effort for him to tear his gaze away from her mouth. “Why not?” she finally said. “It might take some minor rearranging, but…I guess I have to eat sometime, right?”

  The words might not have been the most enthusiastic encouragement a man ever received, but her casual statement was belied by the smile she gave him. Bright, appreciative and a touch mischievous. A smile like that could make a man weak in the knees.

  “Brenna!” Morgan tugged at the hem of the woman’s shorts. “I made a card for Ellie. Wanna see?”

  “Of course.” Holding Adam’s gaze for just a moment longer, the pet-sitter knelt and turned to give his daughter her undivided attention. They talked for a few second
s about how Ellie would be a bit groggy afterward, but wouldn’t feel any pain during the procedure.

  “You guys can come visit her tonight,” Brenna said, brushing Morgan’s hair away from her face. “But she probably won’t feel like playing. Zoe, on the other hand, will be thrilled to see you. Think you could do me a favor and play some more Frisbee with her?”

  Morgan brightened. “That would be so fun!”

  “Great. Then I’ll see you later.” Having delivered the cat and agreeing that Adam would be the one picking her up, Brenna turned to go. She looked astonished when Morgan threw her arms around her legs in an impromptu hug.

  Adam was surprised, too. Morgan was sweet-natured, but he’d never seen her warm up to someone this quickly. Heck, even with him she’d been timid on occasion, shy to tell him about her day. He’d picked her up at preschool once and when another child asked who he was, Morgan had said, “That’s Dr. Daddy.” Yet there was no sense of that formality or hesitation with Brenna.

  A fact that did not escape his other children’s notice. Eliza and Geoff exchanged meaningful glances, then turned to him as if to ask half-a-dozen simultaneous, silent questions. He sighed. For an extremely educated man with fifteen years of parenting experience, Dr. Daddy had surprisingly few answers.

  “MORE THAN PUPPY Love, this is Brenna.”

  “Hey. It’s Adam.”

  Inexplicably, Brenna was reminded of a day she’d gone with Fred and Josh to Kerrigan Farms and they’d helped make real old-fashioned ice cream—the kind you had to hand-crank. She recalled drizzling rich, golden caramel—her favorite topping—over a bowl of vanilla. Adam’s voice sounded the way that sweet liquid caramel had looked. Warm, addictive, delicious. If she hadn’t been driving her car, she would have closed her eyes to better savor listening to him.

  “Brenna? You going through an area with bad cell reception?”