Full Circle

If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you…run.

Nine years ago, Elisa Haley set tongues wagging when she returned home from college single and pregnant. Finally, her long-delayed graduation is just weeks away. She’s ready to move out and move on to a bright, shiny future in another state…until a face from her past walks into her brother’s veterinary office. A man who once offered her one night of comfort in his arms. The memory burns as hot in her soul as the guilty secret he must never learn. Tired of the big city, grieving a recent loss, Dr. Liam Barton longs for a home and family in a quiet small town. When he arrives for his first day at the veterinary clinic, he’s not surprised to find Elisa behind the desk. Curiously, though, she barely acknowledges their shared past, and insists she can’t wait to get out of the town he’s already come to love. Elisa, determined to be nothing more than friends, tries fixing Liam up with Windy Flats’ most eligible women. Yet the old passion still simmering between them melts her resolve, and uncovers secrets that refuse to stay buried. Secrets that put both their hard-earned futures—and their hearts—at risk.

Warning: Paranormal? No. Sci-fi? Nothing otherworldly here. Just a sinfully gorgeous vet who loves animals, and knows how to turn a gal inside out with supremely mushy love scenes? Oh, absolutely!

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B Cincinnati OH 45249 Full Circle Copyright © 2011 by Avery Beck ISBN: 978-1-60928-585-2 Edited by Sue Ellen Gower Cover by Scott Carpenter All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: September 2011 www.samhainpublishing.com

Full Circle Avery Beck

Dedication

To my wonderful editor, Sue-Ellen Gower, for your tireless efforts to meet deadlines and polish my vision of this story to a shine. It is a privilege to work with you.

To Ann, for moving the book of my heart off the computer and into the hands of readers.

For my husband, one of the good guys, who broke a bout of writer’s block when he told me to forget the publishing industry, stop worrying about the market and write what matters to me.

Pixie gals and so many writer friends—I hope you know who you are!—thank you for the encouragement and advice to keep on keeping on through seemingly endless frustration, because there are many ways to realize the dream. You were right.

Chapter One

No matter how many times she had seen it, Elisa Haley still marveled that a woman would wear dancing clothes to bring an animal to an appointment. She eyed the spectacle entering the office and added a line to the employment ad she was writing up: Must entertain clients who hit on the boss. She hid a smile and deleted the sentence. Maybe it was a bit much. She left her desk and pushed open the door that separated the waiting area from the rest of the clinic, containing her amusement until she was safely out of sight. Her brother would be crowned the hottest veterinarian in Texas if certain customers had their way. She found Justin on his knees in an examining room, scrubbing what remained of a foul-smelling mess left by the last nervous patient. “You’ve got another one.” “Another what?” he grunted, not looking up. “Secret admirer. Or should I say, blatant admirer. The head-to-toe spandex is a little conspicuous. That and the fact that her dog comes down with a mysterious illness every other day.” He straightened with a groan. “Mrs. Dale, huh?” “You got it.” “Brilliant. This is exactly the reason I’m bringing on another doctor. I don’t have time for this stuff.” Elisa picked up the instruments lying on the exam table, prepping the room while he washed his hands in the sink. “Oh yeah, Dr. What’s-His-Name. I hope he knows a good receptionist, because I’m getting out of here at the end of the summer. At the latest.” Justin rolled his eyes and she didn’t need to ask why. He hated that she was leaving town and he blew off her plans at every opportunity. It hurt, but she wasn’t about to back down. She was two months away from a degree she should have earned six years ago. An ice storm in hell wouldn’t take her eyes off that diploma. Her brother grabbed a paper towel from the wall dispenser. “You have several weeks left before you finish your summer classes. Can you stop rubbing in the fact that you’re leaving until we get a little closer to the date?” “I just want you and Mom and Dad to know that you’re not changing my mind. I’ve worked too hard for this.” “I understand that, but right now, you have responsibilities here. Did you finish the ad so I can start interviewing for your replacement?”

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“Working on it right now.” “Wonderful,” he replied, but his tone said quite the opposite. She decided not to argue with him. As her graduation date approached, he grew more and more frustrated with her decision to move, and by now she was used to his snappiness. It was all part of the maddening barricade her family had built around her and refused to take down. If they could surround her with bubble-wrap, they would. She rubbed her temple and tried to erase the image of her younger self sobbing in her bed after she’d made it home from surgery. She could still feel the crumpled sheets against her wet cheek, the nauseating emptiness in her stomach. She hadn’t come out for days, had barely moved except to stare at the meals her mother brought to her room. Back then she had needed unconditional support, and her parents and brother had provided it. For that, she was grateful. But the drama had ended a long time ago. Her family didn’t understand that every time they tried to cloak her in their overprotective shell, her urge to leave grew stronger. She wasn’t nineteen anymore, and she’d long ago gotten tired of being the guest of honor at their pity party—not to mention the subject of citywide disapproval. The best thing she could do for herself—the only thing she wanted to do—was reclaim the bright future her surprise pregnancy and despicable ex-boyfriend had forced her to give up. In a couple of months she would be sitting in a corporate office in a position of importance, not answering phone calls from amorous pet owners in a sleepy town. Until then, she was stuck. “Justin, I’m sorry. You know I’ll be here whenever you need me until I graduate.” “Thank you. Now please help me find a harmless way to treat that innocent dog.” Elisa stifled a laugh and accompanied him to the waiting room. She returned to her chair, nearly shielding her eyes from Mrs. Dale’s neon miniskirt and matching stilettos. Wow. That was a lot of pink, even for a woman whose…well, quirky fashion sense was known around town. Justin pasted on a smile. “Hello, Heidi. How can we help you this morning?” The stilettos clicked closer to the reception desk. “Dr. Haley, I’m sorry to bother you, but could you give Rainbow another look? She seems to have lost some of her spunk.” Elisa peered around her computer monitor. It was definitely one of those visits. The Chihuahua in Heidi’s arms seemed to be pursuing freedom with plenty of spunk. “The roundworm pills we prescribed last week aren’t working?” Justin asked. Heidi struggled to keep her grip on Rainbow. “Oh yes, they’re working. I’m just afraid there might be something else wrong with her. Something we missed at the last appointment.” A flush crept along her unnaturally blonde hairline. Heidi didn’t mean any harm. She knew Justin was married, and so was she—to the high school football coach, a man who cared more for the game than his

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wife. Elisa didn’t blame her for needing attention now and then, but being a witness to women’s fantasies about her brother was something she could do without. She shook her head and tried to look interested in the document in front of her. She wanted to do more online research about the company where she’d recently had an interview, but she couldn’t do it on the clock while Justin looked over her shoulder. At last, he led Heidi to the back of the clinic to poke and prod poor Rainbow. But instead of finishing the ad or resuming her job search, Elisa worried about their earlier conversation. Would he have enough help when she was gone? The local teenagers were available for hire during summer vacation only, and since Justin and his wife were expecting another baby, he would be juggling three kids on top of his steadily increasing patient load. Not for the first time, guilt crept into her chest. As usual, she pushed it away and gazed out the front window instead, hoping the clear, blue sky would reassure her or at least provide a distraction. Sustaining the clinic wasn’t her problem. That’s why Justin had hired— Liam. She blinked. Where had that name come from? Justin had hired the guy outside, the handsome man in a tie who had just parked and gotten out of his car in the clinic’s small lot. The man looked an awful lot like the long-lost friend she planned never to see again. Pretty much like his identical twin, in fact. Except Liam didn’t have a twin. Oh no. Elisa leapt from her seat. Five seconds later, she burst into the room where Rainbow panted happily on the exam table. Justin turned, startled. “What’s wrong?” “I need to talk to you. Now.” He apologized to Heidi and joined Elisa in the brightly painted hallway. Blue—it was supposed to be a calming color. Funny. In half a minute, the-Man-Who-Could-Be-Liam would enter the building. Fear consumed her. “Who is that guy about to come in here?” she demanded, her voice a panicked stage-whisper. Justin glanced into the lobby and out the glass door then faced her with an irritated expression. “That’s the big emergency? He’s the new doctor, Liam Barton. He’s starting today, remember?” Elisa couldn’t breathe. She’d heard Justin mention a new doctor. She hadn’t heard his name. She had assumed—even hoped—it would be an older man with thick glasses and a bad toupee. Someone safe, who couldn’t possibly interfere with her plans. It would be easy to work with that kind of man. Facing a guy she hadn’t seen in a decade, one who could destroy her life all over again if he uncovered the truth, would be a challenge of Olympic proportions.

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“Liam—Liam Barton?” She hadn’t spoken or heard that name in so long. It sounded foreign, though her memories were far too familiar. “Are you sure?” “Unless he lied on his résumé, that’s his name. Do you ever listen when I talk to you?” Not really, because she had tuned out his list of all the reasons she should stay in Windy Flats, none of which she agreed with. But she sure would have listened if she’d known he was talking about Liam. “I need you to show him around this place while I finish up with Rainbow. He’s your age and has spectacular credentials. You should get along great. I’ll be out soon.” Justin returned to the exam room. Elisa’s stomach formed knots that would make a Boy Scout jealous. They had gotten along great…and later, not so great. Interesting that a man who had done nothing but try to protect her could make her feel so sick.

Liam closed the door of his Explorer and inhaled the breezy rural air. Though June in central Texas sent temperatures soaring above ninety, the sparsely populated roads and rich green trees of Windy Flats offered a welcome respite from Dallas’s endless traffic jams and multiple high-rises. The silence alone made him feel he was on vacation instead of beginning his first day at a new job. He shouldn’t have any problem building a life here. He dropped his sunglasses into his pocket and headed for the single-story building in front of him. Modest in size, it appeared to have once been a house, which gave it a warm atmosphere a sterile office building couldn’t compete with. No wonder the town’s residents brought their beloved pets here for treatment and, occasionally, boarding. He’d done his research—Dr. Haley’s place was popular. To earn the partnership he eventually hoped to gain at the clinic, Liam suspected he might work harder to earn the respect of the clients than he would to treat their animals. The sun blazed down and he sweated as he made his way up the sidewalk, but the chill that greeted him when he stepped through the door didn’t come from the central air-conditioning. An attractive woman sat behind the desk, and though her fingers stopped typing when he entered, she continued to stare intently at her screen as though willing him to turn around and walk back out. He cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I’m—” “The new doctor.” Coming out of her trance, she rolled her chair away from the computer and faced him with crossed arms. His mouth fell open, his heart sinking to his knees. This woman didn’t look exactly like her, but at the same time, he knew those eyes. He knew that face, that voice. Elisa Haley, his most painful loss until his mother’s unexpected death a few months ago. She was in the same room with him for the first time in nine years.

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“That’s right,” he managed to say through his shock. “Looks like you succeeded in your field of choice too.” He was referring to the way they’d met, in a first-year biology class back in college, where they had discovered their mutual pursuit of medicine and become friends. If they focused on the good memories, maybe he wouldn’t have to think about what had happened later. But she winced at his words. “I didn’t think you’d recognize me. I’ve changed a little.” A little was hardly accurate. The girl he remembered had long blonde hair and wore her makeup too heavy, her skirts too short. Not that she hadn’t looked good, but she had dressed that way for Brett. She had done entirely too many things for that loser. With any luck, that was part of the change. This woman had Elisa’s expressive eyes, and that same mouth he’d stopped himself from kissing so many times before he finally couldn’t take it anymore, but her hair was dark and barely touched her shoulders. Pastel scrubs draped her petite frame, and the absence of her old signature red lipstick brought more attention to flashing brown eyes that had back off written all over them. That was different. She’d never been much for telling anyone to back off. That kind of grit would have saved her a lot of trouble. He wanted to say a thousand things, ask a million questions. But his future in Windy Flats depended on everything going well today, and he couldn’t risk his position at the clinic by letting old hurts distract him. He opted for the casual greeting. “How have you been?” The strain on her face told him she didn’t welcome his presence. She stood and handed him a clipboard stuffed with paperwork. “Justin’s with a patient, and he wants me to show you around until he’s finished. So let’s see. The first thing you should know is that we have a long list of female clients. With the addition of you, it will likely grow.” Ah, she wanted to play that game. As though he were a player who had left her. As though she hadn’t blatantly chosen someone else, and a miserable excuse for a man, at that. “That’s interesting, but I’m here for the animals, not the women.” Her gaze flicked to his left hand. She wasn’t going to ask, because she was doing a great job pretending this was the first day she’d ever laid eyes on him, but he didn’t mind her indifference. The last several years had brought nothing but bad news, and he intended to seek a long-term relationship without bringing any of that negativity with him. This town was his new home, his new start. Running into Elisa wouldn’t change that.

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She came out from behind the desk. “Well, some women make unnecessary appointments and waste everyone’s time. Justin finds it pretty annoying and I’m sure you will too, but it’s just something you’ll have to deal with. The more you flirt, the more money the clinic makes.” At last, she offered a smile—a small one, but enough to let him know she was joking. He was thankful for that. A reputation as the town gigolo wouldn’t do him any favors when it came to dating, and he wanted something more meaningful than a fling. “And what about you?” he asked. “Do the male residents line up to have you treat their pets?” “Nope. I won’t be here soon. I have plans.” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re leaving your clients?” Elisa fell silent. Possibly he had pushed for too much information from a woman he hadn’t seen in years, but words used to come easily between them. A bit of awkwardness, he could understand. Her treating him like a complete stranger, though, was odd. “I’m not a doctor,” she finally answered. “I’m helping out my brother. I decided this isn’t the business for me, so I’m finishing school right now and—” She stopped then clapped her hands. “But who wants to hear about that? Finish your paperwork and then I’ll show you around. Justin should be here soon.” She avoided his eyes and talked business while she bustled around her desk. She’d mentioned something about school…and that she’d lost interest in her dream of becoming a vet. His mood soured. He could guess what had thrown her off track. Hoping for the whole story, Liam feigned casual interest. “What are you studying?” She handed him a pen and directed him to the row of blue chairs that lined one wall of the waiting room. “Public relations.” Swallowing his disbelief, he scrawled his personal data across the top of the first form and waited for her to continue. She’d always talked about being involved in people’s lives, immersed in hands-on experience. Why in the world would she choose something so…corporate? His ears met silence. She wasn’t going to give him an inch. He pressed on. “That sounds interesting. Where would you like to work?” “I’ve gotten some interest from a software company in Nashville.” Elisa’s face twisted, and she snatched the forms from his hands. “You can finish this paperwork later. Let me show you around this place so we can both get to work.” Tossing the clipboard onto her desk as she passed, she stalked into the back of the clinic. Liam followed her, not keen to cause problems during his first hour on the job. “Did I say something wrong?” She stopped inside a doorway. “I don’t want to talk about my plans. I want us to…just work today, okay?”

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In other words, let’s pretend we never knew each other. Apparently, it was the theme of the day. If he’d entertained any hope that over the years she might have come to value him more than she used to, he could go ahead and forget it. His role in her life remained that of sidekick—nice guy, reliable pal. Oh well. He had spent enough time picking up the pieces each time her arrogant ex broke her heart. If she still went for that type of guy, it wasn’t Liam’s business or problem. Elisa’s gaze dropped when he met her eyes, as if she knew what he was thinking. She quickly turned and headed toward a chocolate Labrador cowering in the corner of a steel cage. She talked sweetly to the pup in an attempt to coax it to its food bowl. “This is the kennel area,” she explained. “And this is Hershey. He’s friendly most of the time, but he gets very sad when his owners go on vacation.” She stepped back, and Liam bent inside the cage door to stroke the top of the dog’s head. Hershey offered him an affable lick. At least he had started off on the right foot—paw?—with someone in the place. He could feel Elisa staring at his back, and for a moment he thought she might slam the gate on him. He needn’t have worried. By the time he stood back up and locked the cage, she was in an exam room, calling out instructions from behind the wall that separated them. “Everything you could possibly need to treat an animal can be found in one of these rooms. If there’s something you don’t find, just—oh!” He rounded the corner and crashed right into his new colleague. Her startled cry was cut short when her mouth jammed into his shoulder, and he instinctively grabbed both of her arms to stop her from falling. She broke free of his grasp but didn’t back away. She lifted her hand to her bottom lip, her body close enough to make contact with his if either of them moved. Carefully, so he wouldn’t touch anything else and start a fight, he put a finger to her chin and examined the injury. “It’s swollen, but I don’t see any blood.” Their eyes met, and a troubled look passed through hers. “Elisa…after work, we should—” “No.” She shook her head, her voice quietly insistent. But before she turned away, he caught a glimpse of something soft in those brown depths. Had she actually missed him? He slipped on his lab coat to force his mind back to the task at hand. He had a job to do. But if he had to work with Elisa to earn it, they needed to face the past. He didn’t like the choices she’d made, nor did he particularly want all the details, but it was her life and he had to respect that. He couldn’t deal with this god-awful stilted conversation every day. He followed her back to the reception area. Her gaze fell on him again, void of any trace of the longing he had seen seconds earlier. “Do you have questions about the job?” “I have questions about you. How’s the baby? Not much of a baby anymore, I guess.”

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Her face paled. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out except a shaky breath. Just when he was about to ask if she was all right, she spoke. “I…thought you knew. I miscarried.”

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Chapter Two

His child. She’d lost his child. Elisa had failed to mention that part, and several hours later, her stomach urged her to stop the car and go hang her head over a toilet. Lost in her fears, she went on autopilot and almost crashed into the unexpected vehicle occupying her brother’s driveway. Cursing, she backed up, parked on the street and looked out the window at Justin’s spacious, modern home. The exterior was constructed in warm shades of brown brick, surrounded by a lush green lawn and professional landscaping. After a few years in her new career, she hoped to be in a place just like it. But for once, her new career wasn’t the first thing on her mind. Her current job had caused her enough problems. Nothing could have prepared her for Liam’s questioning about the baby. Thankfully, his first appointment had walked in the door right after she’d told him about her loss. At the end of the day, she had finished her work and snuck out of the office while he was with a patient. He’d never had time to react. She needed to keep it that way. “Laura!” She entered the house and let the screen door slam behind her. “Lau-ra! Are you here? I need to—” “What’s wrong?” Laura Haley rushed into the foyer, wiping her hands on an apron. “Oh, hey. I’m sorry.” Elisa hugged her as best as she could, what with Laura’s bulging tummy getting in the way. Since Justin’s wedding when Elisa was in high school, his wife had been her closest friend— and a welcome haven from her brother’s constant lecturing. “There’s no emergency. Didn’t mean to make you run.” She laughed. “I don’t know that I’d call it running. Hobbling, maybe. So what’s going on? You sounded terrified.” “I was wondering if you can tell me anything about Li—I mean, Dr. Barton. He and Justin sounded pretty chummy at the office. Do you know what he’s doing here? Or if he’s leaving soon?” Laura lifted an eyebrow. “Well, he’s here for the job, of course. You’re right that he and Justin hit it off right away, which is great because Justin’s been so stressed. As far as I know, assuming everything works out with the clinic, Liam wants to settle down here.” Settle down. As in, stay forever.

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The funeral march droned in Elisa’s ears. She wasn’t staying forever, which was a plus, but she would have to work with him until she moved. How could she avoid discussing the past for all those hours, every day? Laura pressed her palms together, her mouth a hundred-watt grin. “You think he’s cute.” Oh brother. A sinkhole could swallow her up any time now. Liam was the last man on earth she wanted to see in town, much less in her place of employment, but leave it to Laura to get the impression that she was attracted to him. The woman knew her too well. “He is not cute.” “Come on, El, you can admit that he’s hot. For heaven’s sake, I think he is, and I’m married with kids.” She squirmed, but her friend had a point. “Fine. He’s good looking. I guess.” Laura nodded, her smile fading. “Still don’t feel like dating?” If only. Elisa wished her problem with Liam was the problem she had with every other man— disinterest. Not, say, the catastrophe her life would become with him in it. “I know him,” she said, cursing the wobble in her voice. She should be stronger than this by now. “Liam and I went to school together.” Laura’s eyes widened. “School? Does he—” She craned her neck to make sure no one else was within hearing distance then lowered her voice anyway. “Does he know about all that?” “He was Brett’s roommate.” It sounded crazy even as she said it. Her ex-boyfriend’s roommate? It was true, but hardly honest. Liam had more to do with her child than anyone knew. More than she herself had known until it was too late. “We lost touch years ago,” Elisa continued. “He asked about the baby today. He thought I’d had her.” “Oh, honey. Did you tell him…?” She shook her head. “Not how far along I was. Just that I had a miscarriage. He doesn’t need to know the rest.” Laura nodded. “I understand.” “Please don’t tell Justin about this. He’ll throw a fit if he hears Liam had anything to do with Brett, and I don’t want this to interfere with Liam’s job.” “Don’t worry. It’s between you and me. You can always talk to me in confidence, you know.” “I know.” Elisa hugged her again. Maybe one day she could tell her the whole truth. If anyone would understand, it would be Laura. But Elisa couldn’t overcome her shame long enough to discuss it, even with her best friend.

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“Wow, I’m starving and something smells good.” She headed for the kitchen. Behind her, Laura said something, but Elisa didn’t stop. She had already spent too much time thinking about Liam for one day. In fact, she hadn’t been able to keep her mind on anything else since he had touched her at the clinic. Their collision in the hallway was an accident—a brief one, at that—but he’d been close enough to unearth her buried memories of his heady scent, the feel of his skin. And she’d never forgotten the oceanblue irises of his eyes, or his hair that matched the color of sand. How easily her imagination turned that analogy into a cheesy mental picture of Liam on the beach, tanned skin glistening in the sun as he smiled down at her and pressed her bikini-clad back against the shore. Oh yeah. Fantasies were made of guys who looked like him. But so were nightmares. Her mind formed a darker picture of Liam’s friend at the university—his roommate. Tall, handsome and capable of melting a teenage heart with one flash of his grin, Brett had been a delicious piece of eye candy. And like all things sweet, too much of him could be dangerous to a girl’s health. For Elisa, he’d been toxic. The typical cheerleader-and-football-star couple, Brett had been as womanizing and narcissistic as the jock stereotype, and Elisa had done nothing to downplay the ditzy part of her role. Confidence, that’s what she’d believed it was. They had been full of themselves, thought they were practically porn stars. She thought they were in love. Brett, on the other hand…well, he was an eighteenyear-old. A college kid unprepared for the consequences of doing whatever the hell he wanted, usually under the influence of some kind of alcohol. Just like her. When she got pregnant near the end of that first year, she assumed they would deal with it, start their family a little early. But Brett never had any interest in sharing a future. He only dated her because they had so much fun— Elisa choked on the thought. It hadn’t been fun at all. Acrobatic, maybe. Dumb, definitely. But not fun. The end result of those adolescent episodes made her head hurt so badly, she grabbed a doorjamb for support. Laura, one step behind, put a hand on her shoulder. “You all right?” “Yes. Promise,” she added, when Laura gave her the doubtful-mom look. Elisa shook her head, diffusing the memory. There had to be some way to get out of the terrifying conversation Liam wanted to have, the one where he would ask for answers she refused to give. Come to think of it, they wouldn’t have a lot of opportunities to talk. Patients would keep them busy during the workday. She had either classes or homework most evenings, and who knew what made up his life? He hadn’t worn a ring at work, but maybe he’d accidentally left it on the bathroom counter that morning. He could be happily involved with a partner, a pet or an intense, time-consuming hobby.

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Or he could be right there at her brother’s kitchen table. Alone. No wedding ring or hint of anything else that would take up his time so she’d never have to face him. Her blossoming hopes deflated. She was pretty sure her mouth was open, but before she embarrassed herself, Laura came in for the save. “Liam, Elisa, I believe you met today?” He looked up and smiled. Right at her. “Hey there.” Hey there. How many times had he greeted her with that phrase and a big smile, every time she entered his and Brett’s dorm room? How many times had she waved in response and then headed straight for Brett, leaving Liam in the friend zone so she could giggle and kiss a man who’d ended up being the devil himself? She glanced at Laura, who squeezed her hand and went back to making dinner. Elisa was on her own, the most familiar kitchen in the world suddenly uncharted. “Everything okay?” Justin asked her from across the room while he filled several glasses with ice. “Fine.” She clenched her fingers into tight fists, fearing if she let her hands free, they would make their way to her brother’s neck and start squeezing. This was all his fault. Hiring Liam, inviting him to dinner…was he trying to kill her? Thank goodness he didn’t know about their history. The only thing that stopped her from strangling her brother was the knowledge that Liam’s presence wasn’t part of some ignorant matchmaking trick. Justin knew better than to do something that wrong. She pictured the SUV in the driveway, and it registered as the same one Liam had driven to work that day. If she had figured that out before she’d come inside, she would have jumped back into her car and headed for the nearest fast-food joint. “Have a seat, El.” Laura pulled a casserole out of the oven and set it on the stovetop to cool. “Hope you don’t mind that we invited Liam to dinner too. He won’t have furniture until tomorrow and his dishes are still packed.” “Of course I don’t mind,” she lied, taking a few steps toward the table. “How’s the little one?” “Kicking away. He loves turkey casserole and he can smell it coming.” She shook her head. “Woman, you are crazy. Three boys? I’d be out of my mind.” “Justin, don’t you say a word,” Laura chastised her husband, who had opened his mouth to undoubtedly respond that Elisa was out of her mind. He believed she should have long ago gotten over her aversion to marriage and kids, and that was something they would probably never stop arguing about. Either Liam was still looking at her, or else he had decided to look again. Both options made her nervous. “Couldn’t very well take that job in Nashville with three boys on hand, right?” he said.

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Finally, Elisa made eye contact with him. It was no surprise that he remembered their brief discussion about her future. He always had shown too much concern for her. At nineteen, that attention had driven her into his arms and changed everything. Since she couldn’t avoid him, she might as well make an effort to be friendly. His support could go a long way in getting Justin to leave her alone about moving and she needed someone on her side of that debate. She smiled. She owed him some kindness for being such a witch to him earlier in the day when he hadn’t done anything wrong. But I did. How could she have ever thought he didn’t need to know something so important? She’d believed she could ignore the truth, and now the universe was laughing in her face. She chose a seat across the table from him. “That’s right. Thank you, Liam.” Justin snorted. “She’d move to Nashville even if someone paid her a million dollars not to—” “Daddy!” His eight- and five-year-old boys, Kevin and Jack, barreled into the kitchen and tackled him. He ruffled their matching russet haircuts and untangled his legs from their grasp. “Hey, guys. Sit down, dinner’s ready. Wash your hands first.” They obeyed. Liam wore a sentimental grin while he watched her nephews bound around the kitchen. He wanted to have kids. His desire for fatherhood was all over his face. Elisa no longer needed to wonder why Liam had chosen the small clinic in Windy Flats over the prestigious downtown Dallas location where, according to his paperwork, he had last worked. He wanted to start a family, and in this town, a man with his good looks and career success would have no problem finding a woman more than willing to bear his children. A shiver traveled down her spine, and once again, she shoved the memory from her head. Two months and you’ll be back on schedule. Like it never happened. For politeness’ sake, she scooped some casserole onto her plate and picked up her fork, but she couldn’t stomach a single bite. She heard vague bits of conversation as Justin and Laura welcomed Liam to Windy Flats and discussed work at the clinic. At some point the kids begged to be released from the table to continue playing in the backyard, and the slamming of the door behind them jolted Elisa back to reality. “…ready to give up the bachelor life for good, huh?” Justin was saying. “I don’t know, man. It might put the clinic in the red if I have to tell the ladies you’re hitched someday. Why don’t you play the field a bit longer?” Liam chuckled, but he leveled his gaze on Elisa, his eyes tinged with bitterness only she could see. “I’ve been around that block enough times,” he said. She glowered. How dare he imply that she used him?

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“Sounds like both of these guys were hellions when they were younger.” Laura reached for the casserole spoon while she glared at Justin for bringing up the topic. Elisa wanted to hug her again. “But they did grow up and realize that spreading their, uh, love as much as possible wasn’t the most important thing in the world. Right?” “Not important, but fun,” Justin cracked, and Laura gave him a playful smack on the arm. Elisa’s gut wrenched. She laid her fork across her plate. “Sex is overrated.” Around the table, witty banter and clanging silverware fell silent. An unmistakable wave of pity washed over her. She did not want their pity. Even worse, she could feel Liam’s gaze on her, could almost hear the questions and criticism rolling through his mind. Why was he doing this to her? Why did he care? It had been so long. Too long. None of it mattered anymore. Yet somehow, even having been reacquainted with him for only a day, she knew if she poured her heart out to him, he would listen. He always did. That was the last thing she could ever do. If she considered him anything more than a coworker, it would be the biggest mistake of her life. At least, the second biggest. With the three of them staring at her, she got up from the table and left the house. The sun had set, and her breath wheezed in her ears as she moved through the blackness, her footsteps hitting the pavement faster and faster, not stopping until she was locked inside her car. With the gas pedal pinned between her toes and the floorboard, she made it back to her place in less than five minutes. She slammed and locked her front door then dashed up the stairs and into the bathroom. Furiously, she wiped forbidden tears from her eyes and filled her bathtub, letting the rushing water drown out the image of the two lines on the pregnancy test, the sound of the baby’s heartbeat, Brett’s taunting laughter…and worst of all, the sympathetic voice of the doctor saying it was over as Elisa came out of her anesthesia-induced fog, nothing left in her abdomen but a bunch of stitches. If only she hadn’t been so afraid to contact Liam. If only she hadn’t assumed she had four months left to make that phone call. Her life wouldn’t have fallen to pieces. She wouldn’t be sitting here, nine years later, still playing catch-up.

The slamming of the window pierced the night air and destroyed any doubt that a robe-clad Elisa had spotted him. His shoes momentarily planted in the wilting grass, Liam watched as she yanked the curtains closed and wiped out his ability to see her. He regained his ability to function and hurried across the yard to knock on her door. He had to explain what he was doing there—now—or he’d find himself back in the fast lane before he’d collected his first paycheck. Of all the women in Windy Flats he could have picked to star in his impromptu peep show, Elisa

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was the worst possible choice. As his boss, Justin would fire him immediately. As Elisa’s big brother, Justin would knock out a few of his teeth even sooner. The door remained closed despite his repeated knocks. “Go away, stalker boy!” answered her muffled voice. As he’d suspected, she was on the other side. Probably squinting out the peephole and watching him squirm. He thumped his forehead on the door. “Elisa, open up. I know this sounds cheesy, but I can explain. Please let me apologize.” Silence. He looked to the sky for help and raised his hand to knock again then heard the door click. Elisa stood in front of him, wearing the fuzzy pink bathrobe he’d seen—by accident—in the upstairs window. The effect hit him like a stray baseball to the side of his head. The color made her look feminine and a thousand times more delicate than the shapeless, tomboyish clothes he’d previously seen her wearing. Just like that afternoon in the office when he’d caught her eye for a moment, he was reminded of the girl she used to be and the way she had once looked at him. Only once. One passionate night, before she’d run off and eloped with Brett despite the way that guy treated her. That thought alone turned Liam off, never mind what he’d seen a few minutes ago. And what he was looking at now. “You can apologize from right there.” Elisa spoke to him through the screen door, her arms folded over her chest. He backed up and stood in the middle of her front porch so she could see all of him, as though the absence of binoculars and girlie magazines would convince her that he wasn’t a peeping Tom. “I’m really sorry. Justin and Laura told me where you live, and I came by to see how you’re doing because you seemed so upset when you left. When I got out of the car, you were…just there in the window. I couldn’t help but see you. I was only here for a sec—” “If Justin and Laura wanted to know how I was doing, why didn’t one of them come over?” “Justin said he’s the last person you would ever talk to about it, and Laura was having some back pain.” Her stern expression crumbled. “Back pain?” she asked, her tone laced with fear. “Is she all right?” Liam searched for the right words, not that he had a clue what those would be. He couldn’t claim any experience with pregnancy or its aches and pains. “I think so. She was resting and said she’d call you in the morning.” A late-evening jogger passed by. Elisa stared out at the street then seemed to realize the whole neighborhood would hear their conversation if they continued it that way. “Wait here. Let me get dressed.”

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She shut the door and he leaned against the rickety porch railing, flooded with relief that she might let him in. He had come to see why she’d bolted from dinner, but more importantly, to follow up on what she had told him earlier. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that the baby he’d spent much of his youth fretting over hadn’t been born. He wouldn’t have brought it up so casually if he’d known such a thing. And how would he? Elisa left school when she found out she was pregnant. Liam had never heard from her again. All these years, he had assumed she, Brett and the kid were living as one big, dysfunctional family. A couple of minutes passed, and he inspected the house to distract himself from the possibility that she may not come back. The exterior was painted white with the exception of the front door, garage door, and surrounding trim which all boasted the same dark green color. The paint was peeling and the grass dying in the sweltering summer heat. The whole place reminded him of something out of the seventies and didn’t exactly scream pride of ownership. His mental list of questions about Elisa’s life grew even longer. At last, she fumbled with the locks again and then opened the door, this time wearing shorts and a University of Texas longhorn T-shirt. That must be where she attended school now. But why? She had transferred out after that first year to go who-knows-where with Brett, but she should have graduated from her new place around the same time Liam did—six years ago. He had no idea where she’d gone or what had happened in the near-decade since their friendship came to an abrupt end. A tugging in his gut urged him to find out, and to do it without liking her too much. On top of the fact that she was his boss’s sister and his coworker, he had traveled that road with her before— and seen its dead-end. “Welcome to my humble abode.” Elisa opened the door wider and gestured for him to enter. “Thank you.” He nodded. More stilted conversation. Liam stepped onto the hardwood floor. The interior of the house matched the outside, old and in need of repairs. A fresh coat of paint would benefit every wall, and the floor needed refinishing. With a few tools, he could do some serious updating in here. But the condition of the house didn’t disturb him as much as the absence of Elisa’s belongings. There wasn’t the stash of sentimental knick-knacks he’d known women to display, or any photos of family and friends on the wall—just a few pieces of furniture in the living room, and around the corner, a vintage kitchen table surrounded by four green vinyl chairs. The stuff looked way too old to be hers. “Do you own this place?” he couldn’t help asking. She strolled into the living room, never meeting his eyes. “No. This is temporary.” Temporary. It seemed to be the way she liked things—she had also said she would leave the clinic before long. He fought the urge to ask her why she was determined to leave a town he already knew he was going to enjoy. Dinner conversation had revealed Justin asked her that question often enough, so Liam kept his expression neutral. He’d have a better chance of getting her to talk if she thought he couldn’t care less.

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“The house belongs to my parents,” she explained. “They lived here years ago, and when they moved up to a nicer home, they kept this one and rented it out. They’re letting me use it for free until I finish school.” “That’s very generous.” “If you want to call it that.” She sighed and stared into space. After a moment, she focused on him, waving her hand toward the kitchen. “Do you want a drink? I’m sure I’ve got a beer or something.” He shook his head. These formal niceties were driving him insane. He had seen her in her pajamas at midnight, curled up on the couch watching a movie with Brett, who’d spent most of the time on his laptop checking email. When she had the flu, Liam found her pale, red-eyed and miserable after he skipped class to go to the drugstore and take medicine to her room—because Brett had been busy helping some other girl “study”. For God’s sake, they had made love. She didn’t have anything left to hide from him. “All I want is for you to stop playing this game.” She froze in the doorway to the kitchen then faced him, her expression wary. “What game?” “The one where we don’t know each other.” “Of course we know each other. I never said we didn’t.” “I never got a chance to tell you today, but I’m very sorry about your loss. I didn’t get the news.” You never told me. “It’s all right. It was a long time ago.” She didn’t look all right, and she avoided his eyes. Since her mind was on the past, he might as well pull the trigger. “Where did you go, Elisa? And what happened to Brett? Did he finally do something bad enough to make you leave him?” “He left me.” Her voice rose, her defenses up. “Trust me, I wish I’d been smart enough to leave him instead.” Liam would be first in line to agree with that, but now wasn’t the time to insult her. That deadbeat Brett could go to hell. He hated that he had once considered the guy a friend. He stepped closer to her. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Guess I just never understood what you saw in him.” She shrugged. “We were young. He was cute, I was naïve…you know the drill. Women have sex to get love, men give love to have—” “He hit you. Is that your definition of love?” Elisa jolted, as if right then, Liam had done the same thing. “He did once,” she admitted then quickly added, “He said he was sorry. It never happened again.” Liam’s eyes narrowed. He’d lived with the guy. He knew his temper. “It would have.”

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She sighed. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. Besides, where were you if you were so concerned about me?” “You moved in with Brett. Your choice was clear.” “I thought I loved him. I thought he would be a good provider—” “I know. You stayed with him because he knocked you up. You should have kicked him out the moment you lost the baby.” She blinked. Her whole body shook. “That’s none of your business.” It wasn’t. He’d gone too far, and he needed to end this conversation before his frustration got the best of him, if it hadn’t already. He couldn’t stand listening to her defend her relationship with a guy who had lied to her, cheated on her, laid his hands on her for the purpose of causing pain—then got her pregnant and ran off. It was a blessing in disguise that she didn’t have to spend her life raising Brett’s kid. Someday, she would get a chance to make a baby with someone who actually gave a damn about both of them. He nodded. “You’re right. Again, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here.” “Liam, I didn’t mean—” His pager went off. He yanked it out of his pocket so fast he nearly dropped it. Anything to avoid listening to more of her excuses. “It’s your brother,” he said then glanced at his watch. Almost nine o’clock. Elisa seemed equally relieved for the distraction. “You better take it. Could be an emergency at the clinic.” He placed a call to Justin, during which Justin spoke a couple of rushed sentences and hung up before Liam had a chance to answer. His concern must have been on his face though, because Elisa jumped in front of him the second he hung up. “What’s wrong?” He sighed. “It’s not the clinic. Justin’s taking Laura to the ER. She—” “Oh my God! And he didn’t call me? Who’s taking care of the boys?” “Laura’s sister. He didn’t want you to worry. He just wants me to know where he is in case he doesn’t show up at work tomorrow.” She shoved her feet into the nearest pair of shoes. “Which hospital?” “Elisa, he said it’s probably ligament pain or something. They’re just going to be on the safe side, you don’t have to—” “Or something could be horribly wrong. I’m going. Which hospital?” She looked terrified. Once again, he was certain she was thinking about her miscarriage—which he still hadn’t gotten a chance to ask her about—and she didn’t need to drive a car with that much on her mind. “I’ll take you there if you’re that worried,” he answered.

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“No!” Her lids flew open wide. “I’ll be fine. I’d rather go alone.” “Are you sure?” “Positive.” She was already out the door. He followed her, told her name of the hospital Justin had mentioned then watched her taillights disappear around the corner before heading back to his place. What had happened in her life nine years ago? Though he’d sworn he was finished shielding her from Brett’s actions, if violence had caused the loss of Elisa’s pregnancy, the guy had a jail cell waiting for him. One way or another, Liam had to find out.

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Chapter Three

Elisa returned from class the next evening and found her front door unlocked. What in the world…? Her heart pounded. She left the door ajar and backed away, fumbling in her purse for her cell phone. She’d lived alone long enough to know she should call for help rather than walk inside, but her hands shook so badly that even after she grabbed the phone, she couldn’t aim well enough to press 9-1-1. “Elisa, is that you?” Her finger froze over the keypad. The familiar male voice had come from the house. “I’m in the kitchen,” he called. She exhaled heavily and put the phone away. An intruder wouldn’t announce his location—and that was Liam’s voice. She hoped he wouldn’t pick on her about leaving so quickly last night. She had, of course, seen him at the clinic earlier, but so far she’d succeeded in keeping their discussions professional during work hours. She hadn’t yet admitted to him that she’d driven to the hospital in Austin, a trip of forty-five minutes each way even without traffic, only to find out that Laura had a case of false contractions and everything was fine. Oh, and she’d also scored a lecture from Justin—the same one she’d heard a few dozen times—about overreacting to every little thing with the baby. Her brother had paged Liam thinking he was at his own house and had never intended to tell Elisa about the trek to the emergency room. That bothered her a lot. Her own false contractions had ended up being very real and led to emergency cesarean delivery of a baby not developed enough to survive. She wasn’t overreacting. She was being prepared, and Justin should appreciate her experience, not keep her in the dark. When she entered her home and saw Liam lying on the kitchen floor, his head and arms stuck inside the cabinet beneath the sink, Elisa cursed her brother yet again. Damn him. She’d complained for months about the repairs that needed to be done around the house. Instead of dragging his butt over to help her fix them, Justin had put his spare key to what he considered to be good use. After last night’s fiasco, she would make sure to get it back from Liam before she took any more baths. “What is going on in there?” she asked when he stopped banging on…whatever he was banging on. He waved a wrench in greeting. “The leaky faucet is about to leak no more.” “You’re a regular Mr. Fix-It.” “I can be quite the handyman.”

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“You scared me to death. I thought you were a burglar. Where’s your car?” “I walked. Sorry to scare you. Justin said you wouldn’t be home until later.” Ha! She’d been right—her evil brother had plotted this surprise. Good thing class had ended early today so she could bust him. Liam continued his assault on her pipes. Elisa tossed her books onto the sofa and then joined him in the kitchen. He was flat on his back, his denim-clad legs bent and spread. She opened the fridge and stuck her head inside its cool interior longer than necessary before grabbing two sodas and placing them on her mother’s old kitchen table. She didn’t know whether to appreciate his help or be annoyed that he had resumed the caretaker role, even though this time he was fending off water damage instead of a selfish boyfriend. She opted for the former, hoping he would take it as a sign that she enjoyed his company more than she let on. As a kid, she had made a lot of mistakes, but the way she’d treated Liam was one she could fix. He had proven many times that he didn’t deserve her blowing him off as a nice guy, a face in the crowd. He was so much more than that. “So what are you doing here, Liam Barton?” The rhythmic grinding of the wrench stopped again. “What? I just told you. Fixing your faucet.” “No, I mean, what are you doing here. In Windy Flats. Sounds to me like you were making quite the living back in Dallas.” He dropped his tools and emerged from beneath the sink, quirking an eyebrow at her. “Been talking with your brother?” “Yep. After I told him about you spying on me in the bath, he was willing to tell me anything I wanted to hear.” Liam stared in horror. “I didn’t see you in the—” He stopped then cracked a smile, looking more relieved than amused at her joke. “That’s funny,” he said. “I’m more inclined to believe that if Justin heard anything about you being naked, he’d run from the room before you had time to ask one question.” Hearing him use the word naked, in reference to her no less, gave her goose bumps and distracted her from his playful jab. She took a swig of her drink and swiped at her forehead. He joined her at the table, reaching for the unopened can. “Thanks.” She nodded, lost in another ridiculous fantasy involving Dr. Liam Barton and the kitchen table. Something must be wrong with her. Why was her temperature rising about a hundred degrees? She hadn’t been attracted to a man in years. But yesterday at work, his finger on her chin had made her toes curl. Chins and toes were unrelated, she was sure. And those blue eyes…she couldn’t remember the last time a man’s eyes had made her want to lose control instead of run in the other direction. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She could remember—it was the night she’d spent with him.

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“Actually,” he continued, interrupting her reverie, “you’re right. Money was good in Dallas, but money isn’t everything. My life was nonstop work. Not to mention twenty-nine is a little old to be hanging around bars. I’d like to settle down and this town seems like a great place to do it.” Elisa cringed. Laura had been right about him, and so had she—he dreamed of becoming a dad soon, she was sure of it. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night,” he said, his voice suddenly quieter. “Are you kidding? I stand naked in front of my window all the time.” There was that word again. Must have been a Freudian slip. She hadn’t been quite nude—thankfully. But Liam made her feel so exposed and vulnerable, the robe hadn’t provided much comfort. In spite of the summer heat, she usually left her bedroom window cracked at night so she could hear the breeze and the neighbor’s wind chimes. For years, the noise had calmed her and kept her mind from wandering to things like Brett, Liam and the baby so she could sleep. From now on, she’d have to remember to close the curtains during any mad rushes to the bathtub. And get back that spare key. “I’m talking about the discussion,” Liam said. “I shouldn’t have pushed you.” Oh. That. “It’s no big deal,” she replied, trying hard to believe it. “In fact, I wanted to show you the rest of the house, but I, um, had to leave. I guess Justin told you everything is okay with Laura and the baby?” “Yes. I’m glad to hear it.” He fell silent but left his gaze trained on her, like he wanted to say something else. Every time he looked at her like that, so seriously, she knew what was on his mind. She couldn’t let him ask her what happened. If he did, she would have to make up an answer, and she did not want to lie to his face. He didn’t deserve that—not that he deserved to be unaware that he’d fathered her child, but the child hadn’t made it and there was no point bringing that up nine years after the fact. “Would you like that tour now?” she blurted when he opened his mouth to speak. He closed his lips and smiled, letting her change the subject. “Sure.” “This way.” She got up and walked to the living room, with him following. But as she stood in the middle of the house, a sad feeling settled inside her. She was about to give the world’s most boring tour, because she had nothing to say about the place. She hadn’t bothered to do anything with it that would make it her own—she had only focused on how soon she could leave. “This place looks barely lived in. Have you been here long?” She sighed. Liam had noticed the lackluster environment. How could he not? Her parents’ thirty-yearold furniture didn’t come with a lot of personality. Or color. She really should have done something about all that green. “Nine years. I’ve been in Windy Flats since I left school.”

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He opened his mouth again then closed it, and resigned to nod. No doubt he was too stunned to respond. Elisa hurried to explain her strange living habits. “But I’ve only been in this house for five of those years. I spent the first few with my parents. They live in Florida now.” She hesitated then nodded toward the stairs. “Let me show you the second floor. That’s where I spend most of my time. I only come down here to cook.” “I see.” Liam fell in behind her. The wooden steps creaked beneath his weight, and she raised her voice so he could hear her while she talked in front of him. “I’m grateful that my parents have given me a rent-free place to live,” she said. “But since they own the house and I live so close to Justin, well, that has plenty of disadvantages.” Liam was quiet for a moment. “I’m sure it’s got a few advantages, though, right?” “I guess, but my family is so overprotective. I feel like I’m three inches tall and they’re hovering over me. My parents retired and moved out of state last year, and my mom still manages to watch my every move. Sometimes I wish she’d just get off my back.” Elisa led him into a room and flipped on a light. “This is my study. If I’m not at the clinic, I’m in here.” When he didn’t answer, she turned around and found him looking right past her, his eyes full of pain. “Are you all right?” He blinked and met her gaze, but this time, he looked away first. “I can’t argue against having a mother who’s concerned with the well-being of her child. My mom passed away last fall.” Oh hell. Elisa put her hand on the back of her desk chair to steady herself. Guilt rushed through her, both for complaining about her mother and for not knowing he’d been through such a terrible loss. She’d met his mother once. It was Parents’ Day on campus. Naturally, she had paid more attention to Brett’s family, trying to decide if she wanted to be a part of it—oh, if only her younger self had a lick of sense—but she remembered Liam’s mother being young and beautiful, and both of his parents had seemed very proud of him. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. It didn’t seem like enough, but what could she possibly say that would make him feel better? She didn’t ask what happened, but the question must have been in her eyes, because he answered, “Brain aneurysm. In the middle of the night. She didn’t suffer.” Judging from the way he turned away and looked out the window, he had—and still did. Elisa’s chest ached. She watched the back of his head for a moment. He was very still, as though he’d fall apart if he moved. She wanted to hold him.

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Full Circle

Her steps were light, somewhat fearful, but she made it across the room and stood at his side. He blinked now and then, but other than that, he remained motionless. It took her a few seconds and several nervous twitches of her fingers, but finally, she took his hand. His fingers closed around hers. She could barely breathe. She hadn’t touched him since that night so long ago, but seeing him in so much pain was more than she could bear. “I’m here for you,” she said softly. “I’ve lost…family.” “I know.” She squeezed his hand, a tiny bit. Then her arms were around him, and his around her, a long, tight embrace that melted away the years. His chest moved with each breath and his hands pressed against her back. She laid her head on his shoulder, let her cheek brush his shirt and inhaled the scent of him—she didn’t know if it was cologne, aftershave, detergent or something else, but it was him and she had missed it more than she’d ever allowed herself to believe. She yearned to tell him everything, but she would have to honor the memory of their daughter alone. He had lost his mom. There was nothing to be gained by dumping the news on him that he’d also lost a child. When they separated, Liam gave her a sheepish half-smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to unload my baggage like that.” Elisa couldn’t begin to speak about her own baggage. She squeezed his hand one more time and then reluctantly let go. He surveyed her office, which had a little more personality than the first level of the house since she spent so much time there. A bookshelf near the window stored a collection of porcelain cats, the animals she hoped she’d continue to love since she was destined to become an old lady with eighteen of them. Then she spotted the small photo on top of the shelf, and her heart almost stopped beating. She snatched up the picture before Liam could get a look at it, but not before he saw what she’d done. He looked amused. “What’s that?” She hid it behind her back. Very slick. “It’s just a…really bad picture of me from a while back.” What was it doing on the bookshelf, anyway? She kept those photos in a box at the back of her closet, where no one else would see them. But she had wanted to look at this one a few days ago, and in the chaos of Liam’s arrival and her resulting emotional haze, she’d neglected to pack it away. “Let me see it. I bet you’re beautiful.” Elisa forced a half-hearted laugh. “No way. Let’s go back downstairs.” She stuck the picture into a row of books and pushed Liam toward the staircase before he could argue. She had an idea, a plan that would keep them too busy to talk about the past as well as find Liam a woman—so he could get on with the life he’d obviously moved here to find after losing his mother. She

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owed him that much before she moved away and left him behind—again. It wasn’t a very appealing thought. “If you want to get your name around town, there’s an annual Fourth of July celebration coming up next month,” she told Liam when they returned to the kitchen. “It’s a huge deal and everybody in Windy Flats will be there. You should check it out. You’ll jumpstart your client list, maybe even find yourself a Mrs. Barton.” She’d have sworn he blushed at that. “I didn’t say I was looking for one of those. Having some fun with a nice lady would do just fine.” He looked at her, right through her eyes and into her soul, and she heard what he wasn’t saying. A nice lady like you. She definitely had to get him a girlfriend. Because he wanted her and she wanted him, and that would never do. “Great. I was thinking I could show you around and introduce you to some of the locals. There are plenty of nice ladies, just make sure you check out their left hands before you put the moves on them. Don’t want to get yourself caught up with one of those housewives who can’t say no to a sexy vet.” “How about tonight?” he suggested, and though the idea made Elisa nervous, she was happy he’d steered their conversation away from the somber turn it had taken earlier. “It’ll still be light for a couple of hours and I wouldn’t mind looking around downtown. You do have a downtown, right?” “Yeah, complete with a gas station and a thirty-year-old ice cream shop.” They both laughed. Liam gathered up his toolbox and tossed it in the back of Elisa’s car since he’d left his at home. She didn’t mind driving—it would feel way too much like a date to be riding in the passenger seat of a hot guy’s car. She didn’t date, didn’t even like spending time with men who weren’t part of her family, but she needed Liam’s friendship. She needed him to support her decision to leave, and to stay at the clinic so her brother wouldn’t be overwhelmed with work when the new baby arrived. Since she could no longer avoid him, she would do everything in her power to keep her affectionstarved body and emotions under control. The way she’d done since the day she moved back to this town.

Elisa had definitely changed. On one hand, Liam was glad to see it. She was no longer a doormat who got herself attached to the wrong people and into trouble. On the other, she had turned into the most restless, unsettled person he’d ever met. How could she have not hung so much as a single photo during the five years she’d been in that house? The sun had begun to set on downtown Windy Flats, which consisted of a couple of blocks’ worth of small businesses housed in old historic buildings, and true to Elisa’s word, a gas station and an ice cream

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shop. The tour hadn’t taken long, and now they sat at a picnic table on the restaurant’s patio, eating small cups of rocky road ice cream and enjoying the orange-streaked sky. “So, what do you think?” Her lips slid a bite of ice cream off her spoon and sent Liam’s imagination into overdrive. “Is it quiet enough for you?” “The town? It’s perfect.” It was perfect—for him, anyway. With its locally-owned businesses, sprawling baseball fields, and organized youth activities, Windy Flats was a place made for families. He had every intention of having a family, the sooner, the better. He ached to recreate the happiness of the home where he’d been raised and pass on the closeness his own family shared before his mother unexpectedly left them. She had talked about grandchildren so often. He would give her some, even if she wouldn’t have a chance to read to them at night, or bake cookies with them, or watch their eyes light up when they opened her carefully chosen Christmas gifts. His fingers clenched, and he tried hard to relax. He couldn’t bring her back—he could only do his best to bring her dreams to life. He needed to focus on that. He had ditched the career-minded, opportunistic women of the big city to search for something simpler. Someone less risky. Instead, he’d found Elisa. Elisa was beyond risky. She’d made a grand effort to show him the highlights of the small town and look happy about it, but he could see it was the last place on earth she wanted to be. She had city lights and dollar bills shining in her eyes. Her intense desire to leave raised enough red flags to doom any possibility of a future with her. Marriage and children, the most important things he hoped to have in his life, made her cringe. She used to want those things—with Brett, unfortunately—and Liam wasn’t sure why she’d changed her mind. Was she afraid she would lose another baby? Feminine giggles erupted behind him. A glance over his shoulder revealed a pack of five women huddled together in the parking lot. When they saw him watching, they stopped laughing in favor of whispering and shot disapproving looks in his direction. So he hadn’t been seeing things. Those women had been gawking since he and Elisa had arrived, and this new development made him sure that he wasn’t just feeling the self-consciousness of a new guy in town. “Do I smell or something?” he asked, leaning over so only Elisa could hear him. Laughing, she finished her last bite and tossed her spoon into her cup. “What?” “Shh. Seriously. Is there ice cream hanging from my nose? Is there anything about me that would make you want to stare?” “That’s probably not something you should ask me in public.”

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Her suggestive response surprised him—pleasantly—but he squelched the impulse to finish what they’d started a decade ago. First, he needed to find out what the women were chattering about, and he prayed it wasn’t the same scandal that had followed him out of college and into Dallas. There, although it had ruined his chances with the last woman he’d dated, he had managed to keep it contained to a small number of people. But small towns could weave wicked grapevines, and negative rumors would kill the admirable reputation he was trying to establish at the clinic. He gave her his best chiding look. “You’re very cute, but can you help me out here?” For a second, she looked like she’d smack him for using the word cute to describe her, but she leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Yes, Doctor. What’s the problem?” “You see those women over there?” “Mm-hmm.” “Do you know who they are?” She tossed a covert glance across the parking lot to inspect the group. “The blonde is Mrs. Dale, who I’m sure you’ve had the pleasure of meeting at the clinic. The dark-haired one works at the real estate office down the street, and the other three I recognize but can’t remember much about them.” She paused. “Why do you want to know who they are?” “They’ve had their necks craned in our direction all night long. Hence the question of ice cream hanging from my nose.” Her face paled. “Are you sure they’ve been watching us?” “Pretty sure.” He paused, watching her expression flicker between fear and anger. “It’s no big deal. I’m probably imagining things.” She hopped off the picnic table. “No, you’re right. They’re the gossip center of this town. If you did have ice cream on your nose, they would notice and then they’d tell everyone else about it.” “Let’s get out of here, then. I could do without the meddling.” “Here, here.” Elisa lifted her empty cup in a toast before throwing it in the waste can. Liam followed suit, and a horn beeped as they headed back to Elisa’s car. He looked up to see Justin and Laura waving from their massive SUV and supposed they would need a vehicle that size to tow three kids around. A pang of envy tore through his chest. Justin stopped the truck, and Elisa approached his open window to tell him about the busybodies inhabiting the restaurant. “We’re getting out of here,” she said. “You guys want to hang out?” “We definitely don’t need to stay here,” Justin answered, putting his arm around Laura’s shoulders. “We hit the drive-thru. The baby wanted some ice cream.”

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They all shared a knowing laugh, and Laura grinned at Elisa. “I was going to stop by the baby store around the corner while Justin picks up the boys from soccer practice. You want to look around with me? I could use some female time.” Liam thought Elisa would rather do just about anything else, but to his surprise, she conceded. “Sure. Wait a minute—I can’t. I’m Liam’s ride.” Justin and Laura exchanged a look of surprise and immediately tried to conceal it. “It’s cool,” Justin said. “He can come with me to pick up the boys or I’ll drop him at his place. You ladies can take Elisa’s car.” Liam looked at Elisa, silently questioning her, and she smiled in agreement. It dawned on him that this arrangement would keep them from the awkward goodbye moment that would certainly come if she took him home. “Sounds good to me,” he answered, thankful for an exit that wouldn’t force him to decide whether to try to kiss her and embarrass both of them. “Thanks for the tour, Elisa. I had a good time.” “You’re welcome. Thanks for the faucet.” If he didn’t want her so badly, the comment would have amused him. His friends in Dallas would heckle him for weeks if they knew a woman’s response to an evening with him had been “thanks for the faucet”. Laura got out of the truck, and the two women walked away. When Elisa looked back and gave him a little smile, he couldn’t help staring after her. “I’m surprised she was out with you tonight,” Justin said while he started the engine and drove away from the restaurant. Liam tore his gaze from the women’s retreating backs. “Don’t worry, it wasn’t a date. You’d break both my legs, right? Maybe an arm or two.” “No way, I don’t want to handle all of our clients alone.” Justin grinned. “If you don’t hurt her, it’s all good.” “I’d never do that.” Not purposely, anyway, but the accusatory glares of the gossip group reminded him that there was one way he could hurt her. Elisa already trusted him about as far as she could throw him, and if she got wind of his disastrous past she’d definitely end up on the side of the crowd that believed him to be a heartless thug. “Hey, man—is there anyone with the last name of Black around here?” Justin’s forehead crinkled. “Don’t think so.” Good. Liam didn’t think so, either—a university board member with that much wealth and influence would have no reason to be in such a small town. That was one reason he had jumped at the opportunity to move there when Justin offered him a job at the clinic.

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They came to a red light, and Liam gripped the door handle until his knuckles hurt. He did not want any part of his relationship with Kelly Black following him to Windy Flats. It couldn’t even be called a relationship—more like an attempted one-night stand gone terribly wrong. There had been a huge party, and it was a huge university. He’d had no idea who she was when he had gone upstairs with her. And never in his most demented dreams would he have imagined the stunt that she and her big-shot father had pulled on him. He sighed and turned his attention to a more appealing thought. “Anyway, we weren’t exactly ‘out’. Elisa was just showing me around town. I think she’s trying to find me a girlfriend.” “Any hot prospects?” “Nah. Not yet.” Unfortunately, the only hot prospect in sight was leaving in two months and had never been interested in dating him. Exactly what he didn’t need.

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Chapter Four

During her pregnancy, Elisa hadn’t stepped one foot inside a baby store. The experience had been plagued with disaster from the positive test to the operating room, and she had avoided all things baby. The only good thing to come of that fiasco was that it revealed Brett’s true colors before she wasted any more of her life on him. “We don’t have to go baby shopping if you’d rather not.” Laura’s gentle voice cut into her thoughts. “I’ll admit I just wanted to get you alone.” “It wasn’t a date,” Elisa answered, knowing her friend was bursting with questions about her evening with Liam. She thumbed through a rack of newborn-sized overalls. “And it’s fine if we baby shop. I’m happy for you. I need to get over my hang-ups eventually.” She also needed something to distract her from the familiar scene that had taken place at the restaurant. Liam had clearly been concerned that the gossip cronies were spreading rumors about him, and as much as she wanted to ease his mind, she suspected the women had been discussing her past and that wasn’t something she could explain to him. “Are things getting better?” Laura asked. Her evening with Liam had been a blast. In fact, she’d noticed a disturbing pattern that she enjoyed every day she spent with him. While other men in town sparked no more feeling in her than indifference— at best—Liam made her laugh. He made her feel worthy and special, even if she didn’t particularly want that kind of attention from him. She had given up on dating so long ago, she would be lucky if she remembered how to do it. During the first few months, after Brett had skipped the state and the baby was gone, she’d tried to meet someone new. But the toll the situation had taken on her became quickly apparent, and none of her dates had appreciated the fact that after a few evenings of anticipation, they wouldn’t be having sex with her. Hell, she couldn’t even bring herself to kiss any of them. Eventually she had given up. What was the point of going out with someone she could never get close to? She would only make him agitated, and then she’d get angry with herself for having the problem in the first place. “Liam is nice,” she admitted. “But there’s no way—I mean, I’m not sleeping with him.” Laura picked out a sleeper printed with dinosaurs and draped it over her arm. “You don’t even want to try?” “I’ll only be here until the end of the summer. I don’t need a man in my life.”

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“I know, but maybe he could help you out a little. If you know what I mean.” Elisa stared at her friend. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you. You want me to have a one-night stand with Liam?” “I want you to have fun again.” The concern in Laura’s eyes made hers start to sting. She hadn’t associated men, dating, or sex with fun in ages. During that first year of college, she and Brett had done a lot of things—stupid things. But for nine long years, she had gone without so much as a kiss. Hard to believe that was even possible, but she’d done it. How could she think about having sex again? Within a month of getting pregnant and moving in with Brett, he had dumped her for some socialite and his wealthy parents had paid her off so she wouldn’t bother him for child support. Facing single motherhood and mounting depression, she’d dropped out of school to return to this small town and move back in with her parents. If that wasn’t enough to deter her, losing the baby when she was five months along had been a nightmare she would go to the convent to avoid going through again. “Elisa?” Laura stood in front of her, a stack of tiny blue outfits on her arm. For five minutes, Elisa had stood motionless in front of that same rack of clothes. “Oh no. I was supposed to be helping you pick stuff out. I’m sorry.” “Stay right there, hon. Just let me pay for this.” After Laura made her purchase, they exited the store and dawdled down the sidewalk, following the streetlamps that lit a path back to Elisa’s car. The breeze blew strands of hair onto her cheeks and dried the tears that lingered behind her eyelids. Laura put an arm around her shoulder. “In case you ever question it, you should know that we all continue to support you. Myself, and your parents…and I promise you, Justin does too. He gets on your case because he likes to play the protective big brother, but he’s proud of you.” So Laura had seen her staring at the baby clothes. She had always known that her family supported her, and she felt bad sometimes for insisting that she had to get away from them, but she just couldn’t stay in Windy Flats. So much for your big plans, Brett had sneered on his way out the door of their barely lived-in apartment, back when she still thought the baby was his. Go home to Mommy and Daddy now. Have fun working at the Mini-Mart and raising your litter of kids. She shivered and rubbed her arms. No, she could never stay in this town that was going nowhere and risk allowing Brett’s prediction to become reality. And now that Liam lived here, she absolutely had to get away. She couldn’t spend the rest of her life looking at the reminder of that lifeless infant she’d briefly held before saying goodbye. As tiny as her daughter had been, Elisa had seen Liam’s features in her face.

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“Honey, what’s wrong?” She heard sniffling. Her nose was wet. Oh Lord, it was her. She was crying. Tears streamed down her face, just as they had so many years ago. Laura dug a tissue out of her purse. “Oh, I knew I shouldn’t have brought you here. This baby stuff is too much.” They reached the car. Elisa shook her head and took the tissue. When she’d cleaned up her face and regained control of herself, she leaned against the hood and swallowed hard. “It’s not that,” she said. “I have to tell you something…about Liam. Remember how you said I can talk to you in confidence? It’s really, really important that you keep this to yourself.” Laura looked a bit alarmed, but she nodded. “What happened?” Elisa puffed out a breath. She felt ill. There was only one way to say this—directly. “Liam was my baby’s father. He has no idea. He doesn’t know how far along I was when I lost her. I was planning to contact him, but she was gone before I had the chance. And then I figured there was no point because, well, there’s no child.” “Sweetie.” Laura took her arm. Though her tone remained gentle, her expression was serious. “That doesn’t make it irrelevant. He needs to know.” She shook her head. “He lost his mother a few months ago. He wants kids. I can’t tell him now. It will only hurt him.” Panic rose in her chest. “He’ll think I lied, that I tried to hide it from him all along, and really I had no idea until we’d already lost touch. We used protection, and I had no reason to believe it wasn’t Brett’s until my first appointment with the doctor, and that wasn’t until—” “Elisa, calm down. I believe you.” “But he won’t.” “You won’t know until you tell him.” Elisa closed her eyes. She could not fathom what his reaction would be—or what in the world she would say. Hey, Liam, remember that night we spent together? Yeah, you got me pregnant, not Brett. And not only did I never tell you about it, but the baby—your baby—was stillborn. Sorry. She wanted to crawl into a hole just thinking about it. “I know you don’t want to hear this,” Laura said as they climbed into the car. “But Liam seems like a really good guy.” Elisa nodded. He was. His hardworking, compassionate self had always been far too good for her, the overconfident, irresponsible cheerleader. “And you’ve changed a lot since your wild days,” Laura continued, knowing, as usual, what Elisa was thinking. “I’m not saying have ten kids with him, I’m just saying…don’t be afraid of him. He’s not Brett.”

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Elisa spoke quietly. “No, he isn’t.” But after years of missing Liam, she’d just gotten him back. If he knew she’d kept such life-changing news from him, he’d look down on her—leave her—the same way Brett had. And that’s what she was afraid of.

Liam swallowed the last of his beer when Laura and Elisa pulled into the driveway. “Hey, man, your wife’s home.” Justin peered out the window. “’Bout time. I knew I shouldn’t have let her run loose in a baby store without some testosterone to keep things under control. We probably have six car seats now.” “I doubt that. Laura seems like a levelheaded gal.” “Yeah, she is. It’s Elisa who could use some lessons in common sense.” He tossed his beer can into the trash with a grunt. “I’m sure we’ll have no problem finding a receptionist,” Liam assured him. “We won’t.” “So why do you want her to stay here?” Justin scowled and busied himself with transferring dishes from the sink to the dishwasher. “Who says I do?” “You always get that poisonous look on your face when she talks about Nashville.” He shoved a plate into the bottom rack, his jaw clenched. “She needs to stay at the clinic.” Before Liam could ask why, Elisa’s irritated voice echoed through the hallway as she and Laura entered the house and found the men in the kitchen. “I can see nothing’s changed here. Big brother trying to run my life again?” Justin turned on her. “You know I’m right.” “I know that you don’t know what you’re talking about.” She crossed her arms and glared at him. Liam glanced at Laura, who gave him a sympathetic smile and set her bags on the counter. “Justin,” she said pleasantly, “can we talk about this later? It’s late and you all have to be at work in the morning. Together.” He growled but dropped the subject. “The kids are asleep,” he mumbled to Laura, then brightened as he patted her bulging abdomen. “How are you feeling?” She shrugged and leaned against the nearest cabinet door. “Really tired. Lots of pressure. But that’s part of being seven months pregnant.” Justin hugged his wife for a long time and Liam looked at Elisa, who stood with him on the opposite side of the kitchen. They needed to leave, and his car was at home. “Is that ride still available?” he whispered. “I don’t have a car here.”

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A look of panic flashed across her face. “Sure.” She answered him quietly then raised her voice. “We’re leaving, guys. See you tomorrow.” Justin and Laura nodded, and thankfully, didn’t ask any questions. “Oh wow,” Elisa proclaimed a few minutes later, when Liam pointed her to the driveway of his new house. “This place is gorgeous.” Pride surged in his chest. It was his first home—more expensive than he’d planned, but he had bought it knowing that he wanted to stay for a long time, possibly forever. He’d had the money for a house in Dallas, but he had stuck with apartments since he’d lived alone and stayed way too busy to bother with a yard and constant home maintenance. But he had moved to Windy Flats hoping to change his single status and slow his life down. He wanted to tend his large lawn, and someday, he wanted to watch his sons or daughters play on it. But while he watched Elisa stare at the house, he knew she wasn’t picturing a big, happy family playing a disorganized game of flag football. She was picturing her small, aging home and wishing for something bigger. Something better. Something she would never find in Windy Flats, or in him. He gazed at the limestone two-story that he still couldn’t believe belonged to him. “Thanks. I sank quite a chunk of my savings into the down payment, but it’s worth every penny. I plan to be here a while.” She mumbled something that sounded like, “Why?” He just smiled, mainly because he didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry.” She shut off the engine and dropped her keys into her lap. “Just because I’m not happy here doesn’t mean you can’t be.” “I’m glad you realize that. Why don’t you come in? Only for a minute,” he added when she opened her mouth to object. “I don’t know. Laura was right, it is getting late.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s nine forty-five. Give me fifteen minutes.” She stared at the wheel. He listened to her breathe while she chewed on her lip. Finally she pushed her car door open. “All right. I don’t know why I’m doing this, but okay.” They walked to the front door, and he showed her inside before closing the door behind him, unsettled by the tone of her last comment. Why would she assume he had invited her in for no other reason than seduction? “I have a lot of respect for you, Elisa. You know that, don’t you?” Her face took on the wary expression of a child who had been told not to talk to strangers. He hated that she didn’t trust him any more than that. “You’ve been very nice, yes,” she said.

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“It’s okay to be friends, then? You don’t need to have one hand on the mace if I ask you to come in so I can show off my new place.” He grinned at her and she blushed, seemingly embarrassed at her show of paranoia. “Of course it’s okay.” But she didn’t budge from the foyer. She fidgeted and looked so uncomfortable that he couldn’t stop himself from asking the question. “What is it about me that bothers you so much?” He dropped his keys into his pocket. Her face twisted with uncertainty. “You don’t bother me.” “You’ve been acting weird since the second I walked into the clinic. Have I done something wrong, or do you regret what happened between us?” She stared at him, and he didn’t break away from her gaze. Suddenly his house was very warm. She swallowed. “That…was a long time ago. It doesn’t matter.” “Thanks a lot.” “You know what I mean.” “I’m not sure that I do. Did that night mean anything to you? Or were you killing time while you and Brett took a ‘break’?” Her eyes grew wide. “Don’t say that like I’m some kind of whore. You’re the only one I’ve been with besides him. Of course it meant something to me.” Liam fought to hide his shock. “You haven’t been with anyone since college?” Based on Brett’s tales of how…willing she used to be, that part of her personality, much like the rest of it, had done a complete one-eighty. “I’ve dated,” she informed him, her tone sharp. “Several guys, as a matter of fact. Just because I didn’t sleep with them doesn’t mean we didn’t do…things. And trust me, it wasn’t worth it.” Uh-huh. She may have dated a lot of men, but it didn’t sound like any of them had been worth ten seconds of her time. He took a step forward, sensing a long-standing tension in her that he very much wanted to release. He may permanently ruin their delicate friendship, but she was leaving soon anyway. What did he have to lose? “So you haven’t met anyone who knows how to touch you.” Her lashes fluttered as he stepped toward her again, shrinking the gap between them until her ragged breathing was the only thing standing in the way of a kiss. “I suppose not.” She pressed her lips together and stuck her nose in the air, but she could no longer hide the fact that her aloof façade was slipping away. Her gaze skirted his. Liam took her hand and led her into the living room, thankful his moving van had arrived on time so they could make good use of his couch.

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“Sit down, Elisa. That’s about to change.”

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Chapter Five

Kissing was a bad idea. Kissing was the kind of thing that led to touching, that led to groping, that led to getting naked and doing things that had severe consequences. So when Liam wrapped his fingers around hers, Elisa expected to jump a mile. She expected to be mad or frightened or frustrated, all of the things she usually felt when a man put the moves on her and invaded her personal space. Instead she wanted to pull him closer as though he could protect her from ever feeling pain again. She sat next to him. Neither of them spoke. She looked down at their entwined hands and then up into his blue eyes. He was going to kiss her in about three seconds, and despite her fear of all things sexual, she wasn’t going to stop him. She wouldn’t show him yet again how her abusive ex and the loss of her child still affected her. That would lead to more of his questions. She could only hope this moment didn’t backfire. He brushed his free hand over her cheek and she closed her eyes, her chin dropping in a half-nod. Every inch of her skin waited on pins and needles. Her claim that she’d done “things” on other dates had been a bit of an exaggeration—she just wanted to avoid discussing her relationship problems. So many years had passed since she’d touched a man, but Liam was gentle. He wouldn’t pressure her for sex. She could trust him. She released his hand and draped her arms around his neck. He held either side of her waist lightly and moved closer. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see the moment his lips were about to touch hers— instinct would force her to pull away, and that was the last thing she wanted right now. So she sat, blindly, feeling only the slight motion of his head where her hands rested until suddenly, his warm mouth swept softly over hers and every muscle in her body failed. Oh God, he tasted good. So good. She sagged against him and his grip on her tightened, presumably so she wouldn’t fall over. His name escaped her throat. His lips were so soft and warm, she couldn’t tell where his ended and hers began…because she was kissing him back. She hadn’t meant to, hadn’t even tried, but she couldn’t stop. She moved with him, parting her lips more, brushing her fingers over his hair, feeling more and more like she would pass out from experiencing this level of pleasure. Liam’s hand rested on the small of her back, drawing her closer with only the slightest pressure. An invitation, not a demand. His torso skimmed hers and she jumped.

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She didn’t intend to, but he heard her sharp inhalation and broke the kiss long enough to give her time to object. Which she should have. But she couldn’t speak, couldn’t pull herself out of his arms and the seductive promise they offered—the chance to feel like a woman. The chance to be touched like a woman and discover that at some point during the years that had passed, her problem with making love had gone away on its own. When she said nothing, he cradled her neck and traced the outline of her jaw. He brought his mouth to hers again, his fingers stroking her hair while his tongue— No. Finally, she found the strength to pull away. A kiss on the lips was enough. More than enough. She tried to focus on him, but the room was spinning, probably a result of all the blood that had rushed south. “I’m sorry, Liam. I shouldn’t have done that. I—” “Why not?” She blinked a few times then saw the heat in his eyes and realized that her act of desperation had ignited something much more dangerous—passion. Her heart raced, and his proximity threatened her precious self-control. A shiver of forbidden lust made its way down her spine, through her abdomen and between her legs. She stiffened. “Because we already know it’s a bad idea to cross that line. And because we work together.” And because the last time we did that, we made a baby. The tension in his posture revealed his physical frustration, but his tone was kind. “You know, a few minutes ago you didn’t even want to come in here. And then you kissed me, and now you’re pushing me away. Is this the part where I try to read your mind?” Now what was she supposed to say to that? She couldn’t tell him that he looked and tasted delicious, and that if she were a normal human being she would have no problem getting hot and sweaty with him. Nor could she explain why she would have a problem getting hot and sweaty with him. Not wanting to think about her past, she focused on the much more pleasant image of Liam, who patiently waited for an answer. She struggled for an explanation. “I—um…you’re a very attractive man. But I’m leaving town soon, and I don’t want to take advantage of you.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was honest, nonetheless. He saw right through her attempt at nonchalance and pulled her against him again, the desire in his eyes setting her on fire. “I didn’t mind,” he murmured, this time slipping his tongue into her mouth before she could stop him. Something inside her curled into an exquisite knot of excitement, a feeling she hadn’t experienced since her heady and naïve teenage years. For a minute, she forgot about the consequences and let herself taste him, smell him, feel the sensation of a strong male body holding her.

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If only. She actually wanted to go to bed with him. The thought terrified her. She pulled away again. “Liam—” “Am I no good?” Oh Lord. He was good. She had allowed herself the indulgence of running her fingers through his hair while they’d kissed, and now the sight of its mussed condition and his flushed face made her weak. “No, you’re…great. I just—we can’t—” He nodded. “You don’t have to explain. Besides, it’s ten o’clock. My time’s up.” No, no, no. This wasn’t ending well at all. Kissing him was bad enough—kissing him and then leaving him upset with her was unacceptable. She followed him to his front door. “It’s not you,” she blurted before he opened it for her. “I can’t sleep with anybody.” He had turned to look at her, and now he stepped closer. “For the record, I only kissed you, but what do you mean by that?” Her face flushed with regret. There she went, trusting him without considering the consequences. “I just can’t. It’s complicated.” “Is it because of the miscarriage?” She should have been offended by such a personal inquiry, but as she’d feared, talking with Liam still came as easily as writing in her own diary. She opened her mouth to say, “Of course not,” but closed it before the words came out. He had given her the perfect excuse to keep a safe distance between them. “I don’t really like to talk about it,” she said. And that was the truth, even though she felt a twinge of guilt that he would interpret her oversimplified answer as yes—and she would let him. “We won’t, then.” He lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. “Goodnight, Elisa.” When she was safely in her car, she released a breath fraught with tension and leaned against the back of the seat. Liam had been nothing but kind to her, and he didn’t deserve to be deceived. But during that kiss her body had proven its unreliability, so appealing to the obvious gentleman in him was the only sure way to keep him at arm’s length. Only then did it occur to her that Justin and Liam were getting along like they’d known each other forever. And Justin knew exactly when she’d lost her baby. She would have to limit the guys’ opportunities to sit around and talk about her. She trusted Laura, but her brother would spill everything he knew if he thought there was a chance it would keep her in Windy Flats. Liam didn’t know anyone else in town yet, so if she wanted to keep him away from Justin then he’d have to spend time with…her. So much for keeping her distance. With a sigh, she drove away, recalling his asking if he was “good”. What he didn’t know, and what she wasn’t ready to admit, was that he made more than her body feel good. He brightened her soul, made

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her smile even when her thoughts were her only company. She had been living in the dark for so long. She’d spent so many years running from a harrowing past, a dark secret, and Liam felt like sunshine streaming through windows that had been boarded up for ages. Since Brett’s departure, no one had been able to break through her tightly constructed emotional walls. What would be the consequences if she let Liam do exactly that?

“There you go, girl.” Liam administered the last shot and ran his hand over the soft coat of a twoyear-old calico. The cat’s owner, a pretty dark-haired woman who looked to be in her early twenties, smiled warmly. “Thank you so much, Dr. Barton. I found her roaming the street and I thought she might make good company since I live alone.” Liam nodded, politely returning her smile. He was tempted to warn the girl it wasn’t wise to announce her solitary living arrangement to men she had just met, but he kept his mouth shut. She’d made it fairly obvious that she wanted him to know—and that the cat wasn’t the only one she thought would make good company. Alexis Hunter was a dramatic combination of dark hair, blue eyes, and a body that someone her age would be proud to show off. She seemed nice, but Liam hadn’t yet managed to tear his thoughts away from the woman behind the reception desk and the way her lips had felt against his. He cleared his throat. “I’m sure she’ll be a great companion. She’s had all her shots now, and she seems to be perfectly healthy and friendly. Please feel free to give me a call after she gives birth and we’ll find a place for those kittens.” “Thanks.” Alexis wet her lips and smiled again, an unmistakable spark of interest in her eyes. “I just might do that.” Before she could tell him what else she might do, Liam escorted Alexis and her cat to the door, then noted the empty waiting room and turned to Elisa’s desk. “Geez, you weren’t kidding about the—” He stopped, since he was talking to the air. Her chair sat vacant, the generic screensaver on her computer swirling in a repetitive motion. Liam returned to the back of the clinic and saw that the restroom door was open and no one inside. Where else could she have gone? “Elisa?” He checked all the exam rooms, starting to worry until he peered into the kennel and found her there. Sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of an open cage, she cradled a beagle in her lap. She spoke softly and stroked its back, and both of them looked content as could be. “Are you okay?”

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Her head snapped up in surprise. “Oh. Yes, I’m fine. We’re never too busy this late on Fridays, so I like to come back here and give the animals some attention before they’re all alone for the weekend.” Liam pinched his jaw closed to ensure his mouth didn’t hang open. He’d been under the impression that she hated her job and showed up for work each day strictly for the paycheck. Yet sitting there with that dog in her lap, she looked happier than he’d ever seen her. He wished he could make her feel that way when she was with him. Two weeks had passed since their moment of passion on his living room sofa. It had become apparent when they’d shown up at the clinic the next day that Elisa felt even more awkward working with him than she had before, which was strange seeing as they’d already slept together. This time it had been only a kiss, though Liam dreamed all the time of having a closer encounter. That didn’t seem likely, because to avoid making Justin suspicious and causing trouble at work they had returned to being friends, and though she seemed to be at ease in his casual company, she was still plenty wary of intimacy. Their fingers had touched the other day when she helped him wrap a dog’s injured foot, and she’d jumped like his hand was the top of a hot stove. “You still enjoy working with animals?” he finally asked. She shrugged. “It’s part of the job. I can’t just let them sit back here all day.” “Looks like you’re very good with them. I’m surprised you don’t have a pet of your own.” “Why bother? I’d have to give it away when I move.” Of course. When she moved. Somehow, Liam kept forgetting that at the end of next month, Elisa would be gone. There weren’t any more appointments on the books and if the front bell rang, they would hear it, so he sat next to her. “I know I’m old and all now, but you can still talk to me.” She didn’t move, and she couldn’t run away because she was trapped between him and the wall with a dog in her lap—which was why he’d chosen this moment to ask her to talk. “I’m not sure what you mean.” “What happened after you left school? Why are you bent on landing a corporate office when this is what you’ve always wanted and you obviously love it?” Next to him, her body stiffened. “I didn’t want to be a receptionist. I wanted to be a vet.” “So why aren’t you?” “You’ve got a lot of nerve.” Her eyes blazed. In a way, he was glad for that. She needed some emotion injected into the shell of herself that she’d become. If he had to piss her off to make it happen, so be it. “A lot of nerve is acting like we hardly know each other. I was there, remember? I knew Brett well. I know you got pregnant. What I don’t understand is why you disappeared.”

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“I did not—” The beagle’s ears twitched, and Elisa lowered her voice. “I did not disappear. You did. I found out I was pregnant and you never spoke to me again.” He sighed. Unfortunately, she was right. He’d been disgusted to discover that shortly after she spent the night with him, she had fallen back into bed with Brett—and without protection, apparently, which was crazy given how much Brett got around. And she ended up pregnant with the baby she lost. It was a sad situation that could have been avoided. But it also hadn’t been his business, and he knew that now. He and Elisa had never agreed to get together. She hadn’t owed him anything—he had just hoped her willingness to make love with him was a sign of something more than her being bored that particular night. In his dumb and hormonal youth, he’d taken what should have been an entertaining friends-with-benefits situation and blown it completely out of proportion. Liam nodded. “I’m sorry. I was upset then, and I overreacted. I didn’t come in here to argue with you. Honestly, I’d just like to know about your life over the past several years.” She stroked the beagle’s head. It seemed to keep her calm. “There isn’t much to tell. I’ve been here the whole time. After the baby…after I lost it, I moved in with my parents for a while to recuperate and then worked some odd jobs and started taking classes.” “And Brett? When did he disappear?” “Not long after we found out about the pregnancy. We only lived together for a few weeks before he took off with a fellow trust fund brat he’d apparently been dating behind my back for quite some time.” Deadbeat. Liam wanted to punch his lights out. “I heard he got married a while back. I assumed it was you.” “Hell no, it wasn’t me.” He smiled at the tenacity in her voice. “I’m glad.” “Me too. Because in a matter of weeks, it will be like none of that ever happened. Took long enough, don’t you think?” She stood, clearly done talking. He followed suit, uneasy about her plans. He understood why she wanted a new life—he’d played that card himself, leaving the city after his mother died so his memories of her wouldn’t be so prominent everywhere he looked. But the memories were still there, and always would be. Elisa seemed to believe that the moment she stepped foot in Nashville, settled into a job and a city so far from what she’d intended when she went to school and experienced so much pain, she would forget about Brett and her lost child. That wasn’t going to happen. She returned the beagle to its cage and locked the door then checked to make sure all the animals had enough food and water. They went back to the waiting room and Elisa skimmed the appointment database on her computer.

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“Looks like you’re done for the week, Dr. Barton. I assume you’ll be at the Fourth of July picnic tomorrow?” “Definitely. Justin and I signed up for the sand volleyball tournament.” She groaned. “Oh brother. Does this town need to see you guys having a testosterone contest?” “Actually, we’ll be on the same team, representing the clinic. Businesses from all over town are competing, and the winner gets a year of free advertising in the local paper.” “Whoopee. Like the two of you shirtless in front of every woman in Windy Flats won’t be enough publicity.” “Who said we were going without shirts?” “It’s going to be a hundred degrees tomorrow. Maybe even hotter.” “We’ll wear muscle shirts. Tight ones. The kind that will stick to our sweaty bodies and—” “Shut up.” Elisa smiled and gathered her things to leave. “I certainly hope you’ll be there, but if you want to look at me shirtless, all you have to do is ask.” She stopped and looked at him with an expression of feigned boredom, her hand across her chest. “Be still my heart.” He was getting to her, and he liked that. Though he wanted so much more, if the stone-faced girl he’d seen during his first day on the job was comfortable flirting with him, they had made progress. With time, maybe their relationship would move beyond old acquaintances and she’d trust him again. Except she can’t wait to get out of this town, a nagging voice reminded him. And if he wanted a wife and children in the near future, he needed to start looking for a woman who was happy right where she was.

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Chapter Six

Elisa tugged at her tank top and resisted the urge to wipe the sweat forming on her chest. The picnic had started only an hour ago and already crowds huddled beneath the misting systems mounted around the park, and bottled water vendors couldn’t restock fast enough. Many of the women in attendance didn’t hesitate to strut around town in their bikini tops, and Elisa couldn’t help but think that Liam would have no problem finding a “nice lady” before the end of the day. Next to her, Laura wheezed and began sucking in gulps of air. Elisa stopped walking and put a hand on her friend’s arm. “Hey, are you all right?” She nodded but bent her head down without responding. After a moment, she straightened and swiped the back of her hand across her forehead. “It’s really hot out here.” Laura had dressed for the weather as best as she could in a loose cotton T-shirt and shorts, comfortable shoes and a wide-brimmed hat. But Elisa remembered her pregnant summer days and how easily the heat could make a woman faint. “Do you want to sit down? Look, there’s an empty bench.” They claimed the seat and Elisa offered Laura her bottle of water, but she refused. “No, thanks, sweetie. I’ve had two already and I’ll be in the bathroom all day at this rate.” Elisa laughed. Laura turned to her and smiled. “You seem to be in high spirits today. Having a good time with Liam?” The teasing tone of Laura’s voice suggested she already knew the answer. Elisa held back a smile and bit her lip, pretending to be unsure about what to reveal. Busy schedules—and admittedly, Elisa’s desire to avoid Justin’s lecturing—had kept them from spending time together in a while, and she was dying to share the news so they could squeal like a couple of schoolgirls. It had been a long time since she’d had that much fun. “Come on, El, what happened? Don’t you dare leave me hanging like that.” “We kissed.” Laura gasped. “Oh, honey! That’s fantastic!” It certainly had been. As well as amazing, earth-shattering, mind-blowing… Elisa looked out at the crowd and the people milling around her. Justin and Liam had taken her nephews to get their faces painted. The sugary smell of funnel cake wafted through the air. Families lined up to play ring toss and eat turkey legs, and a sound system blared Top 40 hits from an Austin radio station.

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She blinked hard and tried to shake off the emotional cloud hovering over her. She hated these moments when sentimental nonsense crept in and made her question the dream that, after nine years of pain and hard work, would soon be a reality. Nashville was only, what, a two-hour flight away? Thanks to the money Brett dumped on her as well as the many years she’d been working, she had more than enough saved up to make as many trips back to Texas as she liked. She could come back any time if she wanted to visit Justin and Laura, Kevin and Jack, the new baby…and Liam. Liam, the man she hadn’t been able to look in the eye since her moment of weakness in his living room. The one who managed to get her to talk about the past decade, a subject she never discussed with anyone. Her answers had been vague, but still…how could she have let herself lose control like that? How could she allow herself to trust him, in a physical and emotional sense, when she knew where that kind of trust led? If she wasn’t careful, she would end up getting attached to that euphoric feeling. She’d pine away for him like she had with Brett, until his desire for her became her entire identity. She already thought about him each night before she went to sleep, and sometimes, she even wished he was there with her. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if they could share a fling, but Liam wanted a family. She could see it every time he looked at Justin, Laura and the kids. Who was she kidding? She could see it every time he looked at her. Liam wouldn’t have left her the way Brett did. No, he would have popped the question complete with stunning engagement ring and he’d have been the best damn dad in the world—because it was the right thing to do. Not because he loved her. Not because he had any real desire to spend his life with her. And she’d be damned if she would hand her heart and her life to a man for no reason other than obligation. She wanted to be chosen. Somewhere in her dark, wounded heart, she still believed in romance. She couldn’t believe she actually wanted an affair, wanted Liam to be one of the casual Casanovas she usually despised. But that would be less painful than getting into a long-term relationship with him simply because he felt she was his responsibility. Liam deserved to get married and have children with a woman he honestly loved. Elisa had plans of her own, goals she had spent years preparing for. Falling for her ex-boyfriend’s charms had been a huge mistake, keeping the truth from Liam an even bigger one, but she would not spend the rest of her life paying for her feelings for the two men. She had to make a fresh start. “Mom!” Kevin burst onto the grass to show Laura the baseball painted on the side of his face. “Isn’t this cool?” “And I got a soccer ball,” Jack added proudly. Laura leaned over and wrapped them both in a hug. “You both look great! Where’s your dad?”

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“Over there.” Elisa glanced in the direction of Kevin’s pointing finger, where Justin and Liam headed toward them. Shirtless. Oh boy. She hadn’t seen Liam sans an article of clothing in almost a decade, but now, witnessing his bare skin in person, her mind overflowed with images of his young, strong body over her…next to her…beneath her. Time hadn’t touched him. If anything, he looked better. Suddenly, the blazing sun wasn’t the only reason she sweat. She wanted him so badly she couldn’t sit still. “Ladies,” Justin greeted them. “How’s it going?” “It’s hotter than Hades out here,” Laura replied. “I don’t think I’m going to last too much longer.” “The volleyball games are about to start. Think you can stay through those?” She rubbed his arm. “Of course, honey. Reminds me of college, when you used to show off for me.” Elisa pretended to stick her finger down her throat. “Tone it down, guys. Three’s probably enough, don’t you think?” Laura laughed and patted her swollen tummy. “I’m thinking so. Hey, he kicked me!” She grabbed Elisa’s hand. Liam stood next to where she sat on the bench, and she could feel him watching while Laura held her hand against the T-shirt. Thump, thump, thump. The surprisingly strong pulses pressed against her palm. Her own baby hadn’t grown quite big enough for her to have ever felt any kicks. Oh, if only she had known from the beginning of her pregnancy that the baby was Liam’s. He would have been there for her, would have supported her. Maybe she would have carried her daughter to term if she hadn’t been so incredibly stressed about single-motherhood and Brett’s cruel abandonment. Elisa snatched her hand back before tears could threaten. Justin and Laura would understand, but not Liam. He could never know her secret. At least, not until she was safely settled in Nashville and didn’t have to worry about facing him again. “That’s really sweet,” she said, scrambling to her feet. “Hey, there’s a big shade tree right in front of the sand volleyball court. Let’s claim it before someone else does.” She led the group across the park, knowing the adults were staring at her and praying that her brother and Laura would be kind enough not to blow her cover in front of Liam. No one said a word. They tossed a blanket in the stretch of shade the tree provided, and Liam played Rock, Paper, Scissors with the boys until the referee asked volleyball participants to report to the side of the court for instructions. “Wish me luck, babe.” Justin kissed his wife on the cheek and strode off.

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Liam winked at Elisa then joined her brother. The gesture rocked her down to the tips of her toes. She couldn’t believe the things that man did to her body when he wasn’t even touching her. Elisa checked on Laura, admired her nephews’ painted cheeks, and watched the games, until it came time for Justin and Liam to face off against the management of Windy Flats’ most popular burger joint. When Liam strode onto the sand, sunglasses on, all bare bronzed skin and charming grin, he had one hundred percent of her attention. Would her schedule in Nashville allow her to fly home every weekend to see him? Of course, that ridiculous thought was a byproduct of her unreasonable lust and the fact that years had passed since she’d had sex. That kind of dry spell could make a person crazy, as it had obviously done to her. If she didn’t know Justin was in his thirties and Liam nearly there, she would have sworn they were both back in school, showing off for the scantily dressed women who crowded around the makeshift court to pant and giggle. One woman in particular caught Elisa’s eye, a younger girl with beautiful curls that tumbled halfway down her back. Alexis Hunter. Her mother had been part of the gossip session outside the ice cream shop. Alexis attended the University of Texas full-time. Elisa had a summer class with her, and they saw each other every Tuesday when she went into Austin for school. As much as she wanted to hate Alexis for her beauty and her freedom—what she herself would give to be twenty-one again without a university withdrawal and a lost child already behind her—she couldn’t deny that the girl was kind. And gawking at Liam as though her eyes were about to fall out of her pretty head. Elisa didn’t know whether to be jealous or thrilled. No doubt Alexis wouldn’t turn down the chance to be Mrs. Liam Barton. He was hot, he had a prestigious job, and Alexis’s mother lived alone and would probably love to help out with a handful of grandkids. The crowd cheered when Liam spiked the ball and sent his opponent sprawling in the sand. He pumped his fist in the air and gave Justin a high-five. Laura’s teasing tone sounded in her ear. “Not bad, is it?” “What, the game?” “The view.” Elisa waved her hand. “They know it too. Look at the way these women are staring. You should be worried.” Laura laughed. “Not a chance. Justin’s not going anywhere. You, on the other hand, might want to stake your claim.” “Are you kidding?” “Elisa, the man is gorgeous. I guarantee you he’ll be taking somebody home tonight and wouldn’t it be nice if it were—”

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“I encouraged him to come here for the specific purpose of meeting women. Women who are not me.” “Is that what you want?” Elisa stared at her friend for a long moment. “Yes,” she lied. “That’s what I want.”

Liam lingered at a water cooler and sucked down his eighth cup of the lukewarm liquid. No way was he going to pay three dollars to drink out of plastic instead of paper, especially when he’d probably end up spending thirty bucks to quench the thirst that game had brought on. Thanks to Justin’s last-minute save and subsequent game-winning point, they’d won the final round of the tournament. The clinic would be getting some free publicity, and Liam needed all the new clients he could get. So long as business continued to grow, Justin had agreed to make him a partner effective a couple of weeks before the baby’s due date. “Well, hello again, Dr. Barton,” a female voice purred. Liam lowered his cup and found himself staring into the midnight-blue eyes of Alexis Hunter. How appropriate her surname seemed at that moment. “Please, call me Liam,” he answered in the polite tone he always used with her. Maybe if he kept some professional distance between them, it would stop her from ripping her clothes off—or his. Granted, she was attractive. Sexy, even. She wore a black bikini top decorated with white polka dots and a solid black miniskirt. The top only covered half of her breasts and he suspected it pushed them up quite a bit as well. If he had wanted a fling, this would be it. But he wanted a family. And in the immediate future, he wanted Elisa. “Liam.” His name rolled off Alexis’s tongue and disappeared into a seductive whisper. “I like that.” The polite smile. The casual nod. He tried it all. It didn’t work. “You looked great out there,” she gushed, one red fingernail twirling a lock of her hair. “Thanks. I’ve been playing for more years than I can remember.” “It shows.” Thank goodness he’d put his shirt back on or he was certain she’d take a bite out of him. Alexis smiled sweetly. “Are you staying for the street dance this evening?” “I’m not sure. Dr. Haley’s wife isn’t feeling too well, and I think I’ll be heading back with them to help out.” “Don’t worry about it,” said a familiar female voice, as footsteps sounded behind him. He almost spit out his water when he turned and saw Elisa standing there. How much of the conversation had she heard?

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“It’s all taken care of,” she continued. “I’m going back to help Laura with the boys so Justin can stay here and talk up the clinic.” Alexis clapped her hands. “So you’re free, then?” “I don’t—” “As a bird,” Elisa answered for him. A grin filled with ulterior motives stretched across her face. “Elisa, are you sure Justin and Laura don’t need me for anything?” “Absolutely.” “You’re positive.” Liam stared at her, willed her to hear the words he wasn’t saying, the ones he couldn’t say in front of Alexis. You’re positive you don’t mind if I spend the day with another woman. Even after what happened at my place. He could see in her eyes that she understood. “Positive.” She quickly turned to Alexis and gave her a friendly smile. “You two have fun. Have him home by midnight,” she teased with a wagging finger. Alexis laughed. “I don’t know about all that.” The younger girl winked at him, and Liam pushed aside the guilt he felt for enjoying the attention. Elisa had made it clear she wanted him to find someone else. He’d hoped she had been playing hard to get, but if she could stand there and order him to spend the evening with a willing, beautiful woman, then she truly wasn’t interested. It hurt, but at least he knew the truth. He had to move on. Now was as good a time as any. “All right,” he conceded. “I’ll see you later, then.” “Monday morning, eight o’clock sharp.” With a quick wave, Elisa spun and walked back to the blanket where Justin, Laura, Kevin and Jack sat eating sandwiches beneath the tree. Liam swallowed his sense of loss and studied Alexis. She was lovely, and she did want him. He’d be a fool to blow her off. One day with her wouldn’t hurt anybody, least of all Elisa. “You two know each other?” he asked. “Yeah, we have a class together. Elisa’s really sweet. I’m sure it’s great having her for a secretary.” Liam cringed, glad that Elisa hadn’t been around to hear that comment. Though he could tell Alexis liked Elisa and hadn’t meant to be negative, Elisa would have been insulted. She had such big dreams and being a secretary certainly wasn’t one of them. “Elisa’s very sharp. Fun to be around,” he said absently, envisioning her daily post behind the front desk and the way he longed to kiss her every morning when he walked in the door. “She’s kind of quiet in school. But she always gets A’s and that’s what I’m jealous of. I guess she spends a lot of time studying. I’d rather have some fun, you know what I mean?” With a giggle, Alexis placed her palm against his back and led him across the grass to introduce him to a group of her friends.

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A few hours later, the street dance was in full swing. Liam had to admit, he was having a good time. He’d spent the afternoon meeting nearly everyone in town, had given out several business cards and even been invited to lunch by a single thirty-something after he’d saved her dog from heat exhaustion. The woman owned a small tax business and had moved from Houston to Windy Flats to care for her widowed mother, only to end up loving the town so much she’d decided to stay. Then there was Alexis, who had made it clear she attended college only to please her mother and would be more than happy to stay at home and raise “two or three cute babies”. Every time he turned around, he met a kind, attractive woman interested in giving him exactly the kind of life he’d come here to begin. If only he hadn’t run into Elisa first. He wasn’t quite sure why he was so drawn to her. Sure, she was pretty and spunky, and when she let her guard down, the most passionate woman he’d ever met. Though they had only been together one night so long ago, he would never forget how fascinated she had seemed by everything that happened between them and all the ways he had touched her. It wasn’t too surprising, given that her only other experiences had been at the hands of a self-centered prick. Still, there was something else. Was it the challenge? In college and at his private practice in Dallas— not to mention the bars—women had hit on him enough that Elisa’s new witty, distant attitude had a way of turning him on. But in the long-term, he didn’t want a challenge—he wanted a wife and children. He wanted to realize his mother’s dreams of a big extended family, and pass on the happy childhood he had spent with his parents and three brothers. Given all the ladies who had shown him interest during the picnic, why did his mind remain on Elisa, who didn’t want any of it? “Oh, Liam!” Alexis left the girlfriend she’d been talking with and rushed to his side as slow, rhythmic music began to play over the speakers. “I love this song. Let’s dance.” She grabbed his hand and marched to the middle of the main street that ran through Windy Flats, a section of which had been blocked off to accommodate the celebration. Couples swayed all around them, and Alexis wasted no time wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning close to him.

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Chapter Seven

Elisa didn’t recognize the slow melody that played in the distance, but its thumping bass line magnified the loneliness that had been rippling through her since she’d left her brother’s house. When Justin had arrived home from the picnic, he and Laura had settled in for a quiet evening and Elisa had returned home, where she now sat in her driveway, alone with her thoughts. Her car’s overhead light faded and left her shrouded in blackness. A couple of blocks to the east, Justin and Laura were curled up on their sofa watching TV together. To the west, most of the people in Windy Flats danced, drank and laughed…together. Elisa had never been much of a romantic, and she didn’t understand the moisture that burned behind her eyes for the second time that day. She couldn’t stand to be alone for another minute. She shoved the door open and got out of the car, looking down the street to the glow that emanated from the extra lighting the town had set up for the dance. Not knowing exactly what she planned to do when she got there, she took off toward the party, her shoes crunching on loose pellets of gravel. She slowed her pace as she approached. Most of the crowd had paired off for a slow dance, and she didn’t want to appear more isolated than she already felt. As she stood in the dark outside the rectangle of light that encased the celebration, she caught sight of what she hadn’t known until that moment she wanted to find. Liam Barton and he wasn’t alone. A golf ball-sized lump of regret lodged in her throat at the sight of his arms around the tiny waist of that younger, prettier woman. Yes, she had told him to spend the afternoon with Alexis. She’d said that she was okay with it—she’d practically made him go. But she hadn’t meant it—hadn’t he seen that? Didn’t he know that when she succumbed to kissing him, something she hadn’t been able to do with any other man since her life changed, she had given up all hope of being indifferent to his relationships with other women? Of course he didn’t. He couldn’t have known that. Because she hadn’t even known it until just now. As fast as she’d made the decision to rejoin the picnic, she turned around and hurried away.

“You smell so good,” Alexis cooed, nuzzling the front pocket of Liam’s shirt. “What is that cologne you’re wearing?”

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He didn’t answer. He couldn’t even think straight and he was beginning to feel sick. Alexis rested her head on his shoulder, and his back went rigid. Something about being at the party with this girl seemed very wrong. It was nearly dark. The fireworks display would be starting soon, but the only woman he wanted to hold in his arms beneath the colorful show of light was Elisa. His mind kept drifting to their kiss from a couple of weeks ago, and the time they’d made love years before that. It wasn’t a lot of intimacy, but it was enough. Elisa wasn’t the kind of woman who would take her clothes off for anyone who asked. They had shared something, and standing there holding another woman—a girl he didn’t know or want—felt like a betrayal. The second chance he’d longed for in his youth had been staring him in the face since his first day at the clinic. The look in Elisa’s eyes when she’d walked away that afternoon had been one of anxiety, not happiness. She rarely told the truth regarding her emotions, and once again she had played the card of indifference. He had convinced himself that she didn’t want him. He had done it to make himself feel less rejected and less guilty for spending the evening at Alexis’s side. He had made a huge mistake. And if anything was going to happen between them, he had to find out now. He unraveled himself from Alexis’s grasp. “I’m sorry, I have to go.” “Now? But—” Her objection faded into the distance as he made his way to his car. He didn’t want to be rude, but he also didn’t want her to follow him. He had things to think about, and he wished he had just left earlier when Laura and Elisa had taken the kids home. The five-minute drive seemed to take an hour. He glanced at the clock on his car stereo. It was after nine—too late to call Justin and get Elisa’s phone number? No, that would be obvious, and he didn’t want Justin to think he was preoccupied at work. His first inclination was to go straight to Elisa’s house, but that event had scared the daylights out of both of them last time. Finally, he decided to make up an excuse to run into her in the morning. Maybe he could take her to Sunday brunch and ask her for a date. A casual date. One that wouldn’t inspire serious feelings in either of them considering she only had time for a summer fling. He sighed. This was going to be harder than he’d thought. When he turned onto his street and approached his house, he saw a figure sitting on the step of his front porch. His chest tightened, his body on alert until he reached his driveway and got a closer look. It was a woman, sitting with her knees pulled to her chest and her head down. When she heard the engine, she looked up and shot to her feet. It was Elisa.

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“Liam.” She barely got the word out before she ran down the sidewalk and straight into his arms. He kissed her, stroked her hair, held her close. He was warm. Strong. Right. “Liam,” she gasped again, “I never should have—I didn’t want—” “Nothing happened,” he assured her. “I left her at the park. You’re the only one I want.” She raked her hands through his hair and sifted the soft strands through her fingers while disbelief, excitement and anxiety coursed through her. Just as she’d begged the stars for moments ago, he was there with her, his body pressed against hers. She didn’t know whether to cry or drop to her knees in gratitude to the universe. Maybe both. “Elisa,” he murmured between kisses, “let’s go inside.” She nodded then drew her hands out of his hair and down his jawline. “I’d like that.” He unlocked the door, a sound that had never inspired erotic thoughts until this second, when she considered what awaited her on the other side. Her gaze dropped to the couch where they had last touched each other, but she wanted to go someplace else. A bigger, softer place, with pillows and sheets. A shiver rocked her. Liam flipped on a dim lamp, just enough light to keep them from walking into furniture, then nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck. “I’ve waited forever to touch you.” “Please do it now. I don’t want to change my mind again.” Stunned by the power of her need for him, she didn’t flinch when he lifted her T-shirt over her head and brushed his fingers over the satin cups of her bra. But when he unclasped the garment and it fell to the floor, she was hit with a blast of cool air as well as the realization that they were moving closer to the act that had a history of ruining their relationship. At the same time her entire body clamored for his touch, it grew tense with worry. His soothing voice grazed her ear. “Relax. I just want you to feel something.” He leaned down and closed his lips over the tip of her breast. She clawed at his hair while a dizzying rush of arousal shook her from head to toe. “Oh—Liam—” He sucked harder. She pushed her hips against him and he held them still, making no move to arouse her with anything beyond the rapturous caress of his tongue on that one tiny spot. She moaned again. He raised his head to meet her eyes, and she instantly mourned the loss of the intimate contact. Her chest rose and fell. He searched her gaze and she hoped he would find no sign of regret, no hesitation. She wanted—needed—him to keep touching her. There was no longer any point in denying that

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he was the only one she trusted to do it. It scared her to admit that, but not on her life could she stop him from making her feel as good as she felt in that moment. “Please,” was all she could say. He kissed her, and her eyelids dropped closed, patterns swirling behind them. It had been way too long since she’d experienced this kind of intimacy. She was almost delirious with pleasure. His mouth found her other breast, but this time his fingers massaged the first one and sent jolts of ecstasy searing through her once more. She wanted to burst out of her skin. Her gasps seemed to echo throughout the room, but there wasn’t anything she could do to stop her response to the bliss of his touch. “Elisa.” He waited, again, for her permission to keep going. What a man. What a beautiful, respectable, purely erotic man. “Don’t stop.” She forced the words from her throat, too tense with pent-up need to hold much of a conversation. She pulled at his shirt until it was over his head and off. When she tossed it aside, it landed on the staircase, which gave her weakening body a fabulous idea. She took a few steps back, bringing Liam with her, and sank down onto the stairs. Her limbs felt like lead, but she drew her palms over his skin, urging him closer, aching to find release against the movement of his skilled hands. He raked a hand through her hair and smiled. “I hoped you would say that.” Seconds later, his fingertips trailed down her abdomen, released the button of her shorts and wandered down between her thighs. She almost hit the ceiling. Instead, she rested her head on a stair—thank goodness for soft carpet—and anchored her hands to his shoulders. When had he gotten so damn solid? The man had an upper body made of iron. She tried not to think about his lower half. Yet. He traced a path over her lacy underwear, something she always wore because it made her feel a little bit sexy, even though no one ever saw it. He explored slowly at first, and then caressed her until she didn’t know where she was or who she was, nor did she care—she was only aware of tasting Liam on her lips and enjoying the welcome pressure of his hand while he touched and stroked her until she shouted, and the unmistakable tremors of orgasm pulsed through her. Wow. What seemed like years later, she opened her eyes, slightly embarrassed—she was not used to doing that in front of someone. But Liam’s warm smile instantly put her at ease. He helped her up, fixing the button he’d undone so her shorts wouldn’t fall off when she stood. “Do you still want to do this?” he asked, the heat in his eyes every bit as intense as it had been before he’d blown her mind.

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Just as her heartbeat began slowing to its normal rate, it sped up again. He had taken the edge off for her so she wouldn’t sleep with him to sate a burning physical need and then regret it in the morning. His capacity for selflessness was unlike anything she’d ever seen. It always had been, and she was glad that over the years, he’d held onto that trait. “Yes,” she said, and meant it, though she didn’t bother to add that she didn’t know if she could do it. It had been so long, she was practically pure again. He placed his hands on each side of her chin and kissed her. They were still topless, and when her skin brushed his bare chest, another wanton sound escaped her throat. “I love hearing you moan,” he murmured against her ear before pulling back to look at her again. That fire in his eyes made her tremble. She worked hard to continue breathing. How long had it been since she’d experienced the anticipatory moment before sex? How would her body react after all this time? Liam appeared ready to help her answer that question. He took her hand and led her up the stairs into his bedroom. She looked at the huge bed. It would feel wonderful to fall asleep beneath the thick comforter, snuggled up to him with her head on his chest and his arm around her shoulder. It would feel amazing to make love with him, maybe right on top of the blankets. She didn’t think she could wait the amount of time it would take to pull them out of the way. He stood behind her and touched her shoulders. “Has it really been that many years?” he asked quietly. Fear collected in her heart at the reminder that this might not be as easy as it should be for a woman of twenty-eight, but she nodded. It was what she wanted. He was what she wanted, her problems be damned. If he couldn’t get her body to cooperate, no one would. She turned to face him. Her words shook. “Make love to me, Liam. I want to know what it’s like, now that we’re…grown up.” He searched her eyes, and passion filled his. “Nothing would make me happier.” Her smile bursting with anticipation, Elisa placed her hands on his bare torso. She traced the soft outline of his muscles, and rather than thinking of the younger guy she’d once known, she became aware of the insanely sexy man he was now. Heaven only knew if she’d survive the ecstasy of seeing—and touching—the rest of him. “I could look at you forever,” she breathed. “You can do more than look.” Her nipples strained against him, clamoring for attention. He obliged, kissing each of them while he slid the rest of her clothes off. Goose bumps covered her flesh. They moved closer to the bed, and after making quick work of his own pants, he put his arms around her and joined her on the sheets. She looked up at him, suddenly fraught with anxiety. She was naked. So was he. There was only one thing left to do and she hadn’t been able to do it in nine years.

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“I don’t know if I can do this,” she finally admitted. She hoped he knew that she meant physically, not that she wasn’t ready to be with him. He kissed her and massaged her shoulders while he held his weight above her. “There’s no pressure here. Tell me if you change your mind.” The sincerity in his eyes eased her fear. Her lids dropped closed and she gave herself over to what was happening. His focus on her pleasure never ceased to amaze her. Brett hadn’t wasted any time having his fun—sometimes he hadn’t even bothered to get all her clothes off, as long as he had access to what was important. Forget Brett. And she did, because Liam lay beside her and buried his face in her neck, kissing the skin just beneath her ear. A shiver traveled through her back and down to her feet. His hand rested on her hip and she arched up from the mattress, searching for his touch. When she found it, her lips parted. A quiet moan escaped. She delved her palms into his hair. She couldn’t believe what she was doing with him, what they were sharing and how right it felt. Her body seemed to take on a life of its own, twisting and pushing against the sweet pressure of Liam’s fingers as he indulged her for the second time tonight. He spoke to her, but she barely heard the words. She could sense him watching her but her eyes remained closed, her nails digging into the sheets while he moved one finger inside her. Sure enough, her muscles tightened, threatening to keep him out. He continued to caress her, slowly but firmly. He slipped another finger inside and she gasped, relishing the stretching sensation even as she worried that his generous attention wouldn’t be enough. “You’re so warm,” he said, dropping kisses along her collarbone. “So wet. Tell me you want me, and I’ll give you anything you need.” He didn’t need to ask twice. Or even once, really, but she loved his voice and his words made her body hurt for more. “I want you so much,” she breathed. “Now. Please.” He sheathed himself with a condom from his bedside drawer and then lowered his body to hers with a deep kiss. Gently, he pressed inside her. She gripped his shoulders, threw her head back and begged her body not to betray her. Not now, not with this man. It didn’t listen. She felt the resistance immediately, but Liam didn’t seem bothered or even surprised. Slowly, he pushed further, responding to both her moans of pleasure and her warnings that it was too much. With a gentle caress he eased her legs apart. She didn’t fight it. She just held tightly to him and looked into his eyes while their impassioned breaths mingled on her cheek. “Keep going,” she told him. “Don’t stop trying.” “I won’t give up on you.”

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She nestled into his sheets, soft and cool against her back, a delicious contrast to Liam’s warm, solid body in front of her. Relaxed, she cleared her head of logical thought and opened to him even more, sweat and heat building up around her and blocking all knowledge of the world outside that room. There was pressure, and suddenly she was flooded with awareness of him moving inside her. She’d done it. “Oh my God.” Her voice rattled. She felt like she was in shock. And shock was the best feeling ever. “Is this okay?” His expression was laced with concern, so she nodded and smiled. It was more than okay. She tried to slow down her racing heart and mind and take in every second of what was happening—she was actually with a man. Liam was making love to her. She studied his face, experiencing for the first time the unparalleled ecstasy of two adults discovering each other and growing closer with every touch, every breath. All of those teenage episodes had been nothing but experimentation, nothing but casual sex. Nothing compared to the depth of emotion in that moment with Liam. She didn’t even think about stopping the tears, because it would have been impossible. Droplets trickled down her cheeks even as she gasped and arched into his rhythmic thrusts. He kissed away the moist trails. “I hope those are good tears.” She opened her eyes and held his gaze. “Yes,” she whispered. “They are.” His body continued to move with hers, driving her to heights of ecstasy she’d only known in her dreams, and she burned the feeling into her memory. No one ever heard of third chances—once she left town, she would almost certainly never touch him again.

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Chapter Eight

Liam never dreamed that the morning he woke up next to Elisa, the feeling in his stomach would be one of dread. But there it was. She lay on her side in his bed, her arms tucked under her pillow. Her hair stuck out in places, and the sheet had slipped off her body so he could see the soft curve of her backside. She was beautiful. Last night had been amazing. He’d never felt so connected to a woman, so sure that what happened between them had gone beyond physical pleasure. But then morning had arrived, and he’d been hit with the realization that the goddess he’d spent the night making love with was Elisa Haley, newly independent woman, who planned to get out of town as soon as she possibly could. Granted, she was still asleep, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t going to wake up and announce that his efforts of the previous night had convinced her to stay. The sheets rustled, and she stretched. Modestly, she pulled the blanket up to her neck when she realized he was looking at her. She’d also done that after the first time they slept together—because he was a casual friend, someone who didn’t mean anything to her but happened to be there when she needed a man’s touch. The next day, she hadn’t been so comfortable being naked around him. Last night, he hadn’t stopped to think about the possibility that she might still see him as a temporary fix. Though they’d come a long way, they were nowhere near happily ever after. They probably never would be, but if he’d learned anything from his mother’s passing, it was to enjoy what he had right now. “Good morning.” He brushed his fingers over her cheek. “How was your night?” She blushed. “Before or after I fell asleep?” “After. I know it was great before.” “Confident, aren’t we?” He raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed. A lovely sound. Something he could get used to hearing on a regular basis. “Hey.” She looked at him, suddenly concerned. “Those condoms we used…they worked, right?” Ugh. Liam didn’t like that she was thinking of Brett in any way, shape or form when she had just made love with him, but given what she’d been through before, he understood her concern. “I would assume so. They didn’t break, if that’s what you’re asking.”

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“Yeah. Okay, good.” “Everything all right?” She nodded. “Everything’s fine. I guess I’m just paranoid.” He kissed her forehead. “Don’t be. I take responsibility for my actions, Elisa. I’d never leave you alone.” She bit her lip then smiled and ran a hand through her unruly hair. “Well, never mind all that. I really had a good time last night.” Her voice grew soft with those last words, and Liam felt a surge of relief that she seemed in good spirits. Discussing pregnancy, she had looked like doom, and it wasn’t something he wanted to think about much, either. Not until he’d found the woman he would spend his life with. Considering her plans, it obviously wouldn’t be Elisa. His mind dredged up a memory of another woman, one who had pinned an unplanned pregnancy on him. He pushed the thought away. Elisa wasn’t that kind of person…yet she had been awfully concerned about the effectiveness of their protection. He shook his head. He was the one being paranoid. He tossed the blanket away from him and pulled on a pair of shorts. “Breakfast?” “Surprise me. I’m going to borrow your shower.” “Go ahead.” She moved to get out of bed, but he held her bare body close. “I’ll try not to join you.” She grinned and kissed him. “Don’t try too hard.” Liam watched until she disappeared behind the bathroom door and turned on the water. Though he wanted to raise a family in Windy Flats as much as she wanted to leave, he could imagine her carrying his child. That was a surprising thought. And a dumb one. Move on. She isn’t interested. The phone rang, and he tripped over their scattered clothes as he hurried to answer it. “Hello?” “Hey, dude. Justin.” “What’s going on, man?” Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He hoped Justin couldn’t sense over the phone line that his sister was showering in the next room. “I have a favor to ask. I got last-minute notice about a business conference in Austin tomorrow. Can you handle the clinic?” “Sure. Have fun.” Justin snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what I’ll do while listening to lectures for six hours.” They laughed and said goodbye, and Liam went to the kitchen to make breakfast after nixing the idea of getting in the shower with Elisa. He couldn’t push the situation when he didn’t yet know how she would react to being in the office with him after they’d made love—twice—last night. He didn’t know what he would do if Justin found out. And he had no idea how he would cope with Elisa’s firm intent to leave.

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Elisa leaned against the cold tile of Liam’s shower and let the hot water roll down her chest. She moved her fingers over her abdomen, praying she wouldn’t be struck by lightning twice. She’d been the condom’s one percent failure rate the last time she slept with Liam. Surely it couldn’t happen again. I’d never leave you alone, he’d said. She believed him. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was that she’d kept—was still keeping—an enormous secret. She hadn’t even given him a chance to be responsible for his actions the way he claimed he would be. She couldn’t imagine how much he’d despise her if he found out about his baby. And now that they had been naked with each other, had made love as adults aware of the consequences instead of teenagers under the influence of tequila, his opinion of her was suddenly very important. Also, if she were to get pregnant by some freak accident, she would, for the second time, be bound to Windy Flats. And for the same reason. Maybe she should just give up sex. She took a breath. She was overreacting. Her nerves were on overdrive due to the emotional event she’d just experienced for the first time in ages. Focus on the positive. She caressed her skin and imagined the way Liam held her closely, gently— Oh no. She found a rough patch on her skin and looked down in horror. Her c-section scar. She’d completely forgotten about it. Her heart pounded. What if Liam had seen it last night? She thought hard. No. If he had seen it, he must have thought it was from some other kind of surgery, but she didn’t think he had. He’d never had his eyes that low. They hadn’t gone quite that far. And she was sure he hadn’t felt it, because his fingers on it certainly would have gotten her attention. Disappointment washed over her along with the water. They couldn’t spend any more time in his bed—or hers, or anywhere, for that matter. She couldn’t risk him seeing the proof that she’d delivered their child, that she had failed to carry their daughter safely and hadn’t lost her in the first trimester like everyone except Justin, Laura and her parents believed. And she had invited him into the shower! Had she lost her mind? Quickly, she shut off the water and grabbed a towel. She’d had an amazing night with him, but her naked body was something he could never see again.

By two o’clock on Monday afternoon, Elisa had gotten nothing done. Liam must have figured out how to put out some sort of electromagnetic field, because it pulled at her during every moment she spent

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in the same building with him. Certainly it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that over the weekend, he had delighted her body in ways reminiscent of something out of a romance novel. It had nothing to do with his masterful hands, talented mouth and perfect moves. Nope, that wasn’t it at all. Luckily, the clinic had been quiet all day and she hadn’t been forced to concentrate on work too much. In fact, there had been two cancellations and no walk-ins. She couldn’t remember the last time business had been so slow. Even Mrs. Dale had failed to make her regularly scheduled appearance. Liam, to her relief, had spent most of the day in the back, taking care of the pets in the kennel and checking the inventory. By keeping his distance, he kept their affair out of the office and she was grateful for that. Thank goodness Justin would be in the city all day. He would have heart failure if he found out she’d slept with the new doctor. Then again, maybe he would encourage their relationship, thinking it would keep her in Windy Flats. Which it wouldn’t. She and Liam didn’t have a relationship, and one night of hot sex wasn’t enough to distract her from her goals. But it was enough to distract her from work, because she jumped a mile when the phone rang. “Windy Flats Veterinary Clinic, how may I help you?” “Elisa, it’s Laura.” Her stomach twisted into a hundred knots. The tone of Laura’s voice made it clear something was wrong. Elisa spoke quietly. “Hey, are you okay?” “Justin won’t answer his phone. I need help. I need—can you come—” Laura couldn’t seem to catch her breath long enough to finish, and Elisa didn’t wait to hear it. Her friend was panicking, and panicking pregnant women didn’t usually bring good news. “I’m on my way.” She hung up the phone and grabbed her purse just as Liam entered the waiting room. “Laura called and she needs help,” she blurted. “Can you take care of things here on your own?” His brow furrowed with concern. “Absolutely. Go.” “I’ll call you when I know something.” Elisa sped to her brother’s house. When she got there, Laura was on her hands and knees on the kitchen floor, her face splotched with tears. Elisa bent close to her. “Oh my God, what happened?” “I don’t know. It hurts. I think I should call the doctor.” Laura swallowed and tried to take slow breaths, but her voice was frail and she shook with nerves. “Damn right you need to call the doctor. No, I’ll call the doctor. You just sit down and breathe. Where are Kevin and Jack?”

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Elisa helped her to a sitting position, and Laura leaned her head against a cabinet door. “They’re playing at a friend’s house. They should be back in about an hour. The doctor’s number is on the fridge.” After speaking briefly with a nurse, Elisa placed a call to Liam asking him to close early and come to the house to watch the boys while she took Laura to her appointment. Then she returned to the kitchen. The sight of her sister-in-law—her best friend—sitting on the floor, her hands protectively covering her round belly, shot a barrage of images through Elisa’s mind, a miserable slideshow of the worst day of her life when she had been on the floor in tears of pain. Though nine years had passed, she could feel the contractions as if they’d hit her yesterday. She put her hand to her stomach, then her mouth, then fisted her hands and tried to stay calm. Laura needed her. She took a deep breath. “Your doctor wants to see you, and we need to leave right away. Do you feel good enough to make the drive?” “I think so.” Laura took her hand and struggled to stand up, then abruptly sat back down. “Oh God. Oh no.” She started sobbing. “Oh no,” she repeated. “Not now!” “What is it? What’s wrong?” “My water broke!” “What?” Laura lifted her maternity shirt, and they both inspected her pants. Sure enough, a wet spot was making its way across the fabric. “But you’re not due until—” “August thirty-first.” Christ. It was the sixth of July. “I have to get in touch with Justin!” Laura punched the buttons on her cordless phone. Still no answer. “What am I going to do?” “We’ll keep calling him. His conference is in Austin, and so is the hospital—he’ll make it. Don’t worry. You have to calm down so we can go—” “Calm down? This baby isn’t due for another eight weeks! Ow!” she screamed, doubling over and holding her stomach. Elisa bit her lip and held Laura’s hand, trying to hide her own concern. A doctor might have been able to delay the contractions, but no one could reverse the fact that Laura’s water had broken. She was having that baby today, and with nearly two more months to go in her pregnancy, Elisa didn’t want to consider what that could mean. “Listen to me, I had the same pain when I went into active labor. We need to go right now.” “I need to talk to Justin,” Laura groaned. She pushed up to her knees and stared down at the floor. “Oh God. Oh God…”

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“I’ll be right back.” Elisa touched her friend’s arm and then, so she wouldn’t scare her, bolted into the living room and called 911 from the phone in there. When she closed her eyes, she could see the bright lights over her head in the operating room. She’d been in so much pain, and there had been so many faces surrounding her, but she hadn’t recognized any of them. “Liam,” she’d said, as consciousness faded. “I need to talk to Liam.” A nurse had shushed her. “Your family’s in the waiting room, honey. Try to relax.” The baby’s father, she’d tried to say, but no words would come out. He’s the baby’s father. I need him. Liam… “Elisa, can you hear me?” She looked around, groggy, hoping to see Liam and hear him tell her everything was all right. But he was still at school and hadn’t talked to her in months. That wasn’t his voice. It was her obstetrician. She was in a recovery room. She wasn’t pregnant anymore. Elisa gulped for air, panic rising inside her at the memory of what came next, of holding her tiny, silent baby girl but not taking her home. She had to relax. She’d been only twenty weeks along. That was different. At thirty-two weeks, Laura’s baby had a much better chance of survival. But first they had to get to the hospital. She ran back to the kitchen and prayed the ambulance would arrive soon. “Try to keep breathing,” Elisa said quietly as she sat on the floor next to Laura. “One…two…” “That doesn’t work worth a damn, you know that!” “It will distract you from the pain.” “I’ve had two babies, I already know all this.” “You don’t know about going early and being scared out of your mind. Please let me help you.” Laura squeezed Elisa’s hand and lowered her voice, calmer now that the contraction had passed. “I’m sorry, honey. Your one was probably worse than all three of mine. Have you told Liam yet?” “He’s coming over to watch the boys when they get back from their friend’s house. He should be here soon.” “Not about me, about your baby. Have you told him it was his?” “Oh, Laura! No, and why are you thinking about that? We need to focus on you.” “I’d rather focus on anything else right now except the fact that this baby has decided to come two months early.” The sound of an approaching siren coincided with Laura’s next shout of pain. Elisa ran outside and directed the paramedics into the kitchen.

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“She’s only thirty-two weeks.” She grabbed the first paramedic by the arm and led him to Laura’s hunched-over figure. The medical personnel huddled around Laura and swiftly prepared to take her to the ambulance. Elisa spotted Liam hovering in the doorway to the kitchen. She hurried to update him. “I’m going to the hospital with Laura,” she said. “I’ll come back when Justin gets there. You’ll stay here for the boys?” He nodded. “Is everything all right at the clinic?” Liam waved off her question. He looked concerned, but she didn’t have time to tell him anything else because the paramedics were heading out the door. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and followed them.

Every breath emptied from Liam’s lungs. The ambulance pulled out of the driveway, and he collapsed on Justin and Laura’s living room couch. The sirens grew softer with distance and he wished the paramedics would come back for him. He couldn’t breathe. Have you told Liam yet? About your baby. Have you told him it was his? The women hadn’t seen him come in. He hadn’t wanted to interrupt, seeing as Laura was in a lot of pain and the only man who could help was her husband, so he had waited in another room—and heard every word of their conversation. Elisa’s baby…was his? The baby she’d lost? But she had mentioned going into labor. And they had used protection, both in the past and two days ago. Had she lied about the miscarriage, or were the two women talking about a different pregnancy all together? Good God, did he have a child somewhere? And why the hell hadn’t she told him? Laura knew. So Justin probably did too. They had kept a secret from him, and based on what he’d heard, it was a damn significant secret. He had an overwhelming urge to confront Elisa immediately and demand answers, but it wasn’t the time. There was a tiny life in danger, and he couldn’t bring himself to argue with her in the middle of such an emergency. But he knew right then it was over. He didn’t even want to imagine the possible answers to the question of why she would play him for such a fool. His cell phone rang and he snatched up the call, grateful for the distraction. “Liam, it’s Justin.” “Thank God, please tell me you’re at the hosp—”

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“I’m on my way. Listen, I talked to the neighbor who has the boys right now, and she said she’ll keep them over there for the day, so you don’t have to stay at the house.” “Got it. I’ll go reopen the clinic.” “You can keep it closed if you want, since Elisa and I are—” “I can handle it.” Just the sound of Elisa’s name frustrated Liam so much, it was either stay busy or go insane. “Worry about your wife. I’ll take care of things here.” “Thanks, man.” Justin quickly hung up. Liam headed back to work, where he found Mrs. Dale waiting outside the front door. She wasn’t wearing her usual perky smile, though her tight clothes and high heels remained. “Good afternoon, Heidi.” Liam unlocked the door and let her walk in front of him. “What can I do for you and Rainbow today?” She cleared her throat and clutched her dog protectively to her chest. “I had an appointment with Dr. Haley thirty minutes ago,” she answered in a stiff tone. “Rainbow hasn’t been eating well.” Have you tried feeding her? Liam wanted to respond. He’d learned quickly that Elisa was right about some of the women who visited the clinic. This woman’s obsession with Justin would drive them all crazy. “Yes, I’m sorry.” He grabbed a paper cup from the water cooler in the waiting room and filled it. “We had to close briefly. Dr. Haley’s wife is in labor and he’s at the hospital right now. Have a seat and I’ll be right with you.” Labor. He downed the water, trying to cool the rage that brimmed inside him when he thought about Elisa having his baby and not letting him in on the news. What if she’d given it up for adoption? He’d never forgive her. The list of maddening possibilities grew longer. She had a lot of explaining to do when they were alone again. A look of horror crossed Heidi’s face. She backed away. “No, thank you. I’ll not have a man with such a lack of ethics treating a member of my family.” Choking on his drink, Liam dropped the cup into a trash can. “Excuse me?” Heidi waved her hand condescendingly. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard. Your, um, activities are all over town.” Activities? This sounded eerily similar to a conversation he’d had with a colleague in Dallas a few months ago regarding Kelly Black. “I’m sorry, Heidi, but you’re mistaken.” “I’ll come back when Dr. Haley is back at work. A decent family man,” she mumbled as she left the office. Liam stared after her, wishing he’d furnished his new house with a punching bag. After this day of hell, he needed a safe place to let his frustration erupt.

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He’d let his priorities get way off track. If news of his past hit the rumor mill here, his life in Windy Flats would be over before it began. He would have to tell Justin and show him the proof that he was innocent. At the very least, that might save his job. Once he found out the truth about his mystery child, he was directing his focus back where it belonged—honoring his mother and planning a future that didn’t include Elisa Haley.

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Chapter Nine

Rrrrng. Tuesday afternoon, Elisa tapped her fingers on her desk, staring at the five-figure number on the computer screen. She’d gotten three hours of sleep after returning from the hospital. She turned down the volume on the phone, because the noise stung her rest-deprived ears. Rrrrng. She felt like a stranger in the clinic where she’d worked for five years. Something was very wrong. There hadn’t been any appointments today, and Liam said yesterday he’d only treated a couple of minor injuries. In fact, that was the one sentence he’d spoken to her since she’d come in this morning. Rrrrng. That was the third ring. Damn. Justin hated it when she let the business line ring more than twice. She snatched it up and delivered her standard greeting, still more interested in her online banking—or, preferably, a nap—than the call. “May I speak to Elisa Haley, please?” a pleasant female voice replied. That got her attention. She glanced at the Caller ID. The number had an out-of-state area code. She squelched the urge to dance while she listened to the recruiter offer her a job in Nashville, at the company where she’d interviewed a few weeks ago. But by the time the lady finished explaining the details of the position, Elisa’s desire to shimmy had been reduced to a halfhearted tap of her foot. She didn’t have enough experience to start in the PR spot she’d aimed for. However, the higher-ups were impressed enough with her academics and enthusiasm to offer her an entry-level spot with the company—an internship. An internship that wouldn’t pay her a dime for six months, after which she’d move up to a position with some kind of salary. She thanked the recruiter for the offer and politely requested a day to think about it. Not getting paid for six months wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind…but so what? She wasn’t in this for the money. She was in it for the prestige, to prove to her family and her slimeball ex-boyfriend that getting pregnant at nineteen hadn’t doomed her to lifelong employment at the corner store—or as it may be, a career answering phones because her brother had felt sorry for her and given her the job. Her eyelids dropped closed as she pictured the party girl she used to be. The tiny figure, long blonde hair, short cheerleading skirt…and complete lack of common sense. She’d been a Barbie doll with an exuberant libido.

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And she’d believed Brett had loved her for her mind. Ha. After she lost him as well as her baby, Elisa had resigned to wearing jeans and oversized shirts. She’d cut and darkened her hair. She had wanted to look tough, even though she’d been dying inside. She turned her attention back to her account information. Thank God Brett’s parents had forced that chunk of money into her lap, because her fabulous new career wasn’t going to have a fabulous paycheck for quite a while. The silence in the building almost hurt more than the piercing ring of the phone. Good thing they didn’t have any patients coming in, because Liam was nowhere in sight. He’d been in some other room all day. What was going on with him? He hadn’t even answered his phone last night when she’d tried to call and tell him about her nephew. Caleb Joseph Haley had entered the world relatively safely, though way too early. He would be spending the next several weeks in the NICU. Elisa had visited there briefly, walking on eggshells as she’d followed Laura through the maze of Isolettes, too many of them occupied by tiny infants hooked up to tubes. Her heart caught in her throat when she pictured Caleb lying there in such fragile condition. He was thin and frail but resting peacefully, his breathing assisted by a complex setup of machines. Those machines hadn’t been able to save her daughter. She couldn’t fathom how terrified Laura must be feeling. Elisa hadn’t wanted to leave the hospital, but her parents had arrived in town to help out Justin and Laura, and the clinic needed her. At least, she had believed it did, but business was unusually slow lately. And heaven only knew what had gotten into Liam. Though she tried hard to give him the benefit of the doubt, his distance so soon after they’d made love reminded her way too much of his behavior toward her after spending the night with her in school. Alexis Hunter walked into the clinic, and Elisa got up from her chair when she noticed the cat wasn’t with her. “Alexis, is everything all right? Did Peanut have her kittens?” “Oh yes, four of them. Everything’s fine. Actually, I’m here to apply for the receptionist position.” Elisa’s eyes narrowed. “The recep—” She stopped short, then remembered Justin had put their ad in the newspaper before Laura’s unexpected labor and delivery. He wanted someone to be trained and ready to go so there wouldn’t be any lag time when Elisa moved away. But Alexis? “Do you have an appointment, or do you just want to fill out the application?” “I’ll fill out the app, but if you wouldn’t mind, if Dr. Barton isn’t busy I’d like to go ahead and interview too.” Alexis flipped her hair over her shoulder. She was dressed to the nines in a black pin-striped skirt and suit jacket.

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Justin was spending most of his time at the hospital, and he had told Elisa and Liam that he trusted them to handle any applicants who might come in. By now, the whole town knew about Caleb’s early arrival. Alexis could have specified interviewing with Liam for that reason, but Elisa had a sinking feeling she was interested in more than the job. She was a beautiful, confident girl—Liam’s leaving the dance on Saturday night wouldn’t deter her. Elisa handed over a clipboard and application form then chewed her pen. Why did she feel so insecure? Over the weekend, Liam had made it clear he wouldn’t pursue a relationship with Alexis or anyone else while they were sleeping together, but what would happen when she went to Nashville? The mental picture of Liam and Alexis chasing their four kids around his nice big yard almost made her gag. Alexis filled out the form in record time and returned to Elisa’s desk. “Hey, listen,” she said quietly, looking around to make sure there was no one else within earshot. “Sorry about the stuff with my mom.” “Your mom?” She shrugged, tossing off a casual laugh. “Yeah, you know how gossipy people around here can get. They think you’re trying to gain respect by marrying a doctor, but I told her you’re moving as soon as you graduate, so there’s no reason you’d want to be with Dr. Barton.” “When did I lose respect?” Elisa asked incredulously. “Don’t ask me. My mom said I was too young to understand when ‘it’ happened. Whatever that is.” Elisa’s world cracked then fell to the ground in pieces. The town hadn’t forgotten about her pregnancy. Liam strode into the waiting room, answering the page Elisa had sent him when Alexis first arrived. “Ladies,” he said. “What can I do for you?” Elisa pasted a smile on her face. “Alexis wants to interview for the receptionist position.” The younger girl nearly bounced with excitement. “Yes, you’re looking for a couple of part-time people, right? I figure I can work evenings and weekends, and someone else can take the hours I’m in school.” Liam chuckled. “I can see you haven’t thought about this at all,” he joked. “Come on back, I’ve got about half an hour before my next appointment.” Without so much as a smile in Elisa’s direction, Liam led Alexis to his office, still chattering with her. Elisa released a breath and sagged against the back of her chair. Liam was being an inconsiderate jerk, Windy Flats hadn’t changed at all, and she knew with more certainty than ever that she had to get out. Soon. Did people really have nothing better to think about? Yes, her return from college so soon—pregnant, no less—had shocked her old-fashioned community. She’d been the subject of disapproving glances and relentless gossip. Only her parents, Justin and Laura had stood by her. The rumors and ostracism, though still present, had at least lessened after her pregnancy ended, because she had insisted her family tell

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everyone it was a first-trimester miscarriage. That was a somewhat common occurrence, and it had drawn less attention than the true, more dramatic event would have attracted. She’d had no desire to rehash the story of delivering and laying to rest a baby who hadn’t survived, even if it might have won the town’s sympathy. Even if their intentions were good, people would have asked her questions and talked about it endlessly. She had wanted to pretend it never happened. In a way, she still did. One would think that after nine years, her personal life would be at the bottom of the town’s agenda. But it was clear her neighbors still judged her by that one mistake. She wasn’t about to go through that again. So much for thinking about the job. Elisa picked up the note with the Nashville recruiter’s number on it and reached for the phone.

Liam said goodbye to Alexis just in time to hear Elisa tell someone on the phone that she would be “happy to start in September”. She had to be talking about her new job. In another state. Like hell. She wasn’t going anywhere until she shared that secret of hers with him. It was closing time and they were alone. No time like the present. He locked the door and took a deep breath, then turned around. “What was that about?” “That company in Nashville I told you about. They offered me a job.” “Congratulations.” “Thank you.” She looked at him briefly, but her gaze dropped when she saw that he wasn’t even smiling. All right, Barton, stop being an ass. He didn’t want to act like this, but it was difficult to look her in the eye, much less speak civilly to her, when all he wanted to do was shout questions about what had happened to his baby. He would get his answers. Tonight. But he couldn’t treat her this way after what had happened between them. “How about a celebration?” He forced happiness into his expression. “Can I buy you a drink?” So it was a bit lame. He should have asked her that before he spent hours in bed with her. Although, given the circumstances, taking a step back could be a good idea. They could talk over a drink, and he needed to get a conversation started instead of springing his frustration on her. The more defensive she got, the less likely she’d be to tell him the truth. Her face relaxed, and he was glad he’d made the effort to be kind. The last thing he wanted to do was send them spiraling back into another decade of silence. They stopped in for happy hour at a local restaurant, and Elisa told him about the new job. He held her hand, enjoying their discussion and their time together. If only he had arrived at Justin and Laura’s

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house a few minutes later yesterday. He wouldn’t have overheard the bit about Elisa’s baby. He would have taken her home tonight and made love to her again. But he would still be clueless that he’d been a father. That wasn’t acceptable. When they ran out of innocent topics to talk about, Liam drove her home. He parked in her driveway, and she looked at him, surprised, when he turned off the engine. “My car is at the clinic,” she reminded him. “I know. I’ll take you to get it in a minute. Is it all right if I come in first?” “Of course.” She got out of the car and led him to the door. When they were inside, she said, “I didn’t get to tell you about the baby. He’ll be in the hospital for a while, but he’s stable.” Liam nodded. “Justin called earlier, to check on things at the clinic. He told me. I’m very happy for him and Laura.” Silence. They looked at each other. It was now or never. Why the hell couldn’t he speak? “Are you worried about Caleb?” Elisa asked. “Your nephew? Of course. Do you think I’m completely heartless?” “Why are you being defensive? What’s wrong?” His jaw clenched. He should just say it, right now. Tell her that he heard the truth. But he couldn’t get a damn word out. He glanced at the stairs. “I saw something in your office the other day that needed a repair. Let’s go check it out.” “Now? But—” “Sure, no point in wasting time.” He was already halfway up the stairs and didn’t bother listening to her objection. They were going to be fighting soon, anyway. It couldn’t be avoided. Elisa stopped in the doorway of her study and watched him poke around. “What are you doing?” Liam was sure the picture she’d insisted on hiding from him would offer a clue. But where had she put it? “Do you have a file cabinet or something?” Maybe on her desk. He walked toward it and inspected the papers on top of it. Nothing of interest. “What are you looking for?” she asked again, her voice raised. “You’re freaking me out. Please go home if you can’t tell me the truth.” He swiveled, fire burning in his lungs at the sound of her demand for truth when she couldn’t give him the same. “A birth certificate, Elisa. I’m looking for a birth certificate. Some kind of proof.” She stared at him, her face pale. Oh, she definitely knew what he was talking about.

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“Who—who have you been talking to?” she rasped, her eyes filling with moisture. “Laura wouldn’t— ” “I haven’t talked to anyone. I heard what Laura said about the baby when she was in labor. Your baby. Or should I say ours?” Elisa’s chest moved up and down. Her petrified stare shifted to the side of his head. She appeared to be rewinding in her mind and going over the conversation she’d had with Laura in the kitchen. “Oh, Liam. I can explain…” “Please do.” He nearly snapped at her. Once again, he was having a terrible time keeping his anger contained. The more he thought about Elisa keeping news of a child—his child—from him, the more furious he became. Was this a child he could have told his mother about before she died? Elisa meant the world to him, but if she had denied his mother the chance to share a few holidays with her grandchild…if she’d denied him the opportunity to know his son or daughter… The thought made him ill. If she would do that, then she wasn’t the person he’d always believed in. He couldn’t say she would be much better than someone like Brett. He tried once more to speak calmly. “Just tell me. All of it. What happened when you and Brett got back together and you found out you were pregnant?” That was the only time Liam had been more furious with her than he was right now. After he and Elisa spent the night together, after she admitted to him that Brett was a terrible boyfriend on every front and she wished she would have acted on her feelings for Liam sooner, she had turned around and gotten back together with that loser. Had slept with him again. Had announced her pregnancy—courtesy of Brett—just weeks after she’d been in his bed. That had been the end of their friendship. That had been the end of their part in each other’s lives, until his first day at the clinic. “I’m running out of patience here,” he muttered when she didn’t answer. Her eyes were full of fear. Did she think he would hit her? Which guy did she think she was talking to? “Tell me about the baby, Elisa. Was it Brett’s?” “No.” Her voice shook. Along with her hands. In fact, pretty much every part of her was shaking. Liam already knew whose baby, in fact, it had been. But still, he was so shocked he could barely form a sentence. His mouth opened and closed, repeatedly, until finally Elisa began talking again. “I didn’t keep it from you on purpose. I didn’t know. I swear to you, I believed one hundred percent that it was Brett’s. It wasn’t until my first appointment, when I was supposed to be eight weeks, that I found out I was fourteen.” Some quick math told him she was already gone from school at that point, and he hadn’t bothered to look her up. Guilt crept in, but only a twinge. How was he supposed to know she needed him if she hadn’t said so?

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He blew out a forceful breath, still struggling to form words. “Didn’t we use a—” “It didn’t work.” The whispered words hung, life-changing, in the air. She stared out the window. Liam’s heart pounded. What if this was his fault? He couldn’t remember every detail, but it was possible he’d put the damn thing on inside out or something. His mind had been a little cloudy at the time. They hadn’t been drunk, but they’d had enough. Brett had left for the night after throwing a fit over something and calling Elisa every name in the book, leaving her a hysterical mess. She’d found a bottle of liquor in the room and they had shared just enough to take the edge off before Liam set it aside and held her instead, which led to a night so full of passion, he doubted he’d have noticed a freight train rolling over him. He found the strength to look at her. “How do you know it was…me and not Brett?” “Timing. I didn’t see him for a month. I wasn’t with anyone else, and the ultrasound measurements were right on with the night I was with you.” She sighed. “You don’t have to believe me. It doesn’t make a spit of difference now.” “Wait a minute.” Forget guilt. Fourteen weeks. If she’d been pregnant at that point… “You didn’t have an early miscarriage.” She froze. Like a deer in headlights. Like someone who knew she’d fed him a huge lie and had done it on purpose. “Where the hell is my child, Elisa?” She shook her head. He could barely hear her. “I—she—” “She? You know it’s a girl? What happened, damn it?” “She’s gone,” Elisa choked out. “I lost her at five months. She was born…sleeping. She was stillborn. I’m sorry, Liam. I’m sorry.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. He was so overwhelmed with shock and grief that he couldn’t move. He had gotten Elisa pregnant. They’d had a baby girl…who didn’t make it. His chest felt encased in concrete. “Why—” His voice cracked and he stopped to take a few heavy breaths. He had to be strong before they both dissolved into sobs. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he finally asked, his voice much softer. He’d damn near screamed at her, and now he was a bigger ass than he’d been earlier. Stillbirth. Jesus, he couldn’t imagine what that must have been like for her. And at the time, he had been somewhere else, mad that she’d gone back to Brett. Who was the selfish loser now? “I was going to. I thought I had more time. I’d planned to get in touch with you a few weeks before the birth to see if you wanted to be there, but—” She covered her mouth and shook her head.

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He crossed the room and grabbed her, holding her against him while she cried. “You could have told me long before that. You could have told me as soon as you found out. What did you think I’d do?” “I didn’t want to be a burden. All you ever did was protect me from that idiot. It was time you had a life of your own.” “You don’t consider a child I fathered to be my own life?” “You would have married me just because of the baby. I didn’t want either of us to get married because of obligation instead of love.” Liam closed his eyes. She was right about the first part. Marrying her would have been the right thing to do. But her implication that they didn’t love each other hardly seemed accurate. Sure, they hadn’t known each other well enough back then to use that word. But after what had happened Saturday night? And now, feeling like he’d been absent from his whole life because he hadn’t been there for Elisa and their daughter nine years ago? He wasn’t certain what to call it, but he couldn’t let her walk away from him again. They had a lifetime to make up for what they’d lost.

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Chapter Ten

Elisa took the picture from Liam and tucked it back into the small photo album in her closet. It was an image of their daughter dressed in white, her eyes peacefully closed, taken on the day of her birth. He’d stared at it since Elisa had handed it to him ten minutes ago, and now he looked pained, even more so than the day he’d told her about his mother. She didn’t want him to hurt anymore. Frankly, she didn’t want to look at the picture for another second, either. If she thought the situation had been painful before, she’d thought wrong. A distant memory, no matter how miserable, had nothing on standing here with Liam. The man she had believed she would never see again sat at her desk, within arm’s reach, his head in his hands. His presence virtually wiped out the past nine years, making her feel as if she’d lost the baby yesterday…as if she’d fallen for him yesterday. The return of her feelings and the light speed rate at which they were growing overwhelmed her. He got up from the chair. “This is my fault.” “What?” Elisa shut the closet door more loudly than she’d intended and spun to face him. “Are you crazy?” “You don’t know how many times I cursed that pregnancy. I hated Brett for being so irresponsible, and I was angry at you for going back to him. I should have been there for you. Maybe we would have found out sooner. Maybe…” She grabbed his hands. “Don’t do that. I’ve already blamed myself and gone over all the things I could have changed to prevent what happened. There just isn’t anything. There’s nothing anyone could have done to save that baby.” “Then maybe, at the very least, I could have saved us.” His eyes reflected her own feelings—sorrow for the wasted years spent apart. “You did,” she insisted. “Just by being the amazing person you were. The one you still are.” He didn’t look convinced. She pulled him closer and touched his cheek. It was getting late, and the shadow of a beard scraped her fingers. She gave him a bittersweet smile. “Do you think it would have hurt so much to lose that pregnancy if you were some random guy? Do you think I would have thought about you all these years?” “I didn’t know that you did.” “Now you do.”

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He pressed his lips together, as if he didn’t know what to think about that. Did he really believe she hadn’t cared about him at all? What kind of person had she made herself out to be when she was younger? Her party-girl side had been worse than she thought. “Liam, I know I made some stupid choices. But I didn’t fall into bed with you just because you were there. I picked you for a reason.” “And what reason is that?” One of his hands landed on her hip while the other stayed intertwined with hers. She swallowed and met his gaze, still blown away by those familiar blue eyes, that quirky smile. “I trusted you. You had values. You made me laugh. You were always better than him and I knew it even when I was too dumb to act on it.” His grip on her tightened. Desire coursed through her. “I had a crush on you all along,” she said, smiling now that the tears she’d shed over the past hour had dried. “Couldn’t you tell?” He cursed and pulled her against him. The brush of his lips over hers was all it took to buckle her knees. She gripped him with both hands, but his arms were cinched so tightly around her waist she doubted she could go anywhere. He wouldn’t let her fall. She no longer wanted to depend on him that way, but tonight wasn’t about him taking care of her. It was about sharing everything they could before they had to separate again, now that they had nothing to hide. It was about finally letting him know that he was more than a friend to her, even more than a friend with benefits. Nine years ago, he had become a part of her. No matter where life took them, he would stay that way. “Liam.” She dug her hands beneath his shirt and helped him get rid of it. “I need you. Your skin. Your body. On mine.” “So you’re saying you don’t want these clothes on anymore?” She growled, her entire body itching to make contact with him. “Don’t tease me. I’m not in the mood.” It was hard to hear with her face buried in his neck, but she thought she heard him laugh a little, which thrilled her. After everything he’d been through, she wanted nothing more than to make him happy. “Exactly what kind of mood are you in?” A slide of her hands down his back revealed he was already naked. She didn’t know when he’d managed that, but it sure as hell wasn’t fair. She didn’t answer, just made a noise and squirmed against him. He looked amused at her frustration. “Where’s your bedroom?” Thank God. She pointed breathlessly. “Across the hall.” He took her there, scattering the rest of her clothes along the way. They didn’t bother with the light, instead feeling blindly for the bed. The moment they found it, she pushed him down and climbed atop him.

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She dug a condom from the box she kept stashed near her bed and sheathed him herself, eager to move straight to the long, uninterrupted moments she wanted to spend with him tonight. “Don’t move,” she said. “Just let me touch you.” She lowered her head to his chest, where she smelled some kind of spicy cologne. It was mindblowing, how easily she could relax around him now that he knew the truth. How much she enjoyed letting him in rather than keeping him out. His heartbeat thumped in her ear. Though she wanted to give him the world, she could only give him tonight, so she trailed her hand down his torso, kissed his collarbone and immersed him inside her in a fervid attempt to fill their senses with each other until everything outside that room ceased to exist. Breaking a sweat, savoring his moans, she thrust down and pressed her body against his until he gripped her hips and sucked in a breath. “Hold on, baby. Can I move now?” She smiled and brushed her hair out of her face. “Yeah.” “Lie on your stomach. Close your eyes.” Oh, Liam. Anything for you. She nestled her head on the pillow while anticipation zipped through her. A moment later, he touched her back, gently massaging her shoulders. He swept her hair to one side and kissed the back of her neck. “Can I do this?” When he asked the question, his rigid length bumped her legs, nudging them apart. She sighed happily and reached back to tangle her hands in his hair. Her sighs quickly turned to moans as he moved, still rubbing her back, kissing her neck and whispering words of passion in her ear. She couldn’t stop herself from calling his name, though it came out a weak sound because she could barely breathe when he was so deeply inside her. She didn’t want to sound weak or vulnerable or any of those wimpy things she’d been before, but she had never known a man like him. He made her forget the image of strength she was trying to project. He made her do things she would never do otherwise. He made her crazy. “Liam…” Oh hell, there it was again. How many times had she said it? How could she not say it when he was about to make her— She gasped. Her body clenched around him. He gripped both sides of her waist and brought his mouth to her ear again. “Yes. Do it, baby. Do it.” As if she had a choice. The feel of his body against her back and the sound of his voice only drove her higher. She wasn’t just crazy—she was crazy about him. When at last she regained control of herself, she turned over, needing to see his face while they made love. She met his eyes and melted at the sight of that smile. Her chest was so tight she wanted to explode. “I want more of you,” she managed to say. “All of you.”

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His expression told her he was ready to give her just that. But as he moved to bring their bodies together again, he paused, hesitant. She met his gaze but didn’t need to ask what he was thinking. The sentiment was right there in his eyes. He wanted to let nature take its course, bring their baby back to life. If only it were that simple. She closed her eyes. “Liam, I can’t. I have to leave town, and—” “Say no more.” The flash of uncertainty gone from his face, he lowered his mouth to hers and returned to his place inside her, ready to finish what they’d started. “When you go, don’t forget this moment, Elisa. You and me, right now.” Impossible. He hadn’t slipped from her mind during the years they’d been apart, and she certainly wouldn’t forget the way he was with her now…what was he doing to her? With every thrust he hit a spot that nearly brought tears to her eyes, made her believe she was his even though she knew she wasn’t and never could be. Every time she thought he’d driven her to the most intense high she could experience, he proved her wrong. He was so deep, her legs around his back, his mouth on her breast, her neck, her mouth. She pulled him closer, if that were possible, pushed herself up to meet him and tasted his kiss. Another climax built inside her. He put his hands in her hair, a sparkle in his eyes at the way she was losing control. “Do it again,” he murmured. “I’m going with you this time.” She touched his face. Her chest was so full of emotion she was having trouble taking a breath. He could do anything with her, and she would do anything for him. Impassioned movements of her body urged him to hit that peak as forcefully as she already had once tonight. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room, and by the dim moonlight on the windows she could see his body, that of a sexy grown man who was going on thirty and had probably been on quite a few dates. Where had that thought come from? “Elisa.” Liam’s quiet voice tore her from her disturbing thoughts. “What’s wrong?” She shook her head, hating the way her face always gave her away. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Not now. Not when they were having such an incredible evening together. “If you can tell me about the baby, you can tell me anything.” She sighed. True enough. “All right. I was thinking about your life. How much I don’t know about it. Did you have a girlfriend in Dallas?” “I don’t have one now.” “I know, but—” “It doesn’t matter.” He leveled her with a serious look. “We can talk about this later if you really want to, but trust me. You are the only one I want.”

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His kiss proved his point. Her mind was on overdrive, so she took him at his word and let him hold her. Besides, she had bigger problems than morbid curiosity about the number of lady friends he’d known over the years. Lying there with him, she had come to the terrifying realization that she would die of heartbreak the moment he married someone else and had a child. The very thought of it cut her soul to shreds.

“Hey, sweetheart, how’s it going?” Elisa didn’t have to look up from her work to know where the warm greeting came from. Liam stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, massaging them. That did feel good, and she could easily let him continue, given the week that had passed since she’d touched him. It had been that long since they’d had the discussion about their baby—and since his willingness to forego birth control had made it miserably clear he wanted a child and someone else would have to give that to him. If her body wasn’t capable of carrying a baby to term, she couldn’t take the risk. And there was the huge problem that she was heading to Nashville in six weeks, while Liam had just invested in a home in Windy Flats. Worst of all, he was reacting to the news exactly the way she’d feared—by turning his protective gene up to full power and showering her with affection. She understood that he’d just heard the news of the baby’s passing while she’d had nine years to get over it, but she’d gotten that kind of suffocating attention from her family for years, and it was the last thing she wanted now that her life was back on track. “Hi, Liam.” She turned her chair and took his hands, squeezing them between hers. “How’s Peanut?” “She’s all right. Her babies are fine too.” “And her owner?” Liam gave her the evil eye. “Wishes she had some little ones, I believe.” Elisa laughed. He had just returned to the clinic after a brief stop at Alexis’s place to check on the kittens, and as Elisa had suspected, the girl’s interest in him hadn’t waned. Her desire to become Liam’s domestic goddess would have been nearly as bad as Mrs. Dale’s interest in Justin if Alexis weren’t so much nicer. “You know Alexis and I will never be anything but friends,” Liam said. “There are other women in this town I’d like to…get to know.” “It seems you already know one of them pretty well.” “Yes, I do. But I’m sure I could learn more about her.” He scanned the waiting room and, seeing no one, leaned down and kissed her.

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Elisa closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of her chair, allowing him to nibble on her neck. “You know I can’t resist that,” she mumbled. “I know.” He tugged at her arm, causing her to blink and rise from her chair. “The office is closed for lunch, you know.” “Liam—” “For a whole hour.” Elisa opened her mouth to object but thought better of it. His idea did sound enticing, and besides, she was tired of their time together being filled with drama. “Where would we…” He grinned. “This way.” She followed him down the hallway and into a room that had always been used for storage. “Liam, there’s no space in—wow!” Her eyes widened. The boxes and file cabinets that had filled the space for years were gone, replaced with a cherry wood desk and black executive chair, one smaller chair for guests, and a wall adorned with diplomas. She swallowed a pang of envy when she spotted the one from the university she’d attended with him, as well as a degree from the graduate school she had once hoped to attend. If she had told him about the pregnancy while she was still pregnant, he’d have dropped everything to be at her side. Instead, he had made it to exactly where he wanted to be, because she had kept her mouth shut. It was the one bright spot in all that mess. “When did Justin give you an office?” “A few days ago. I spent the weekend getting it ready. It’s small, but it’s mine.” He closed the door, took her hand and led her to the extra chair, where he sat and pulled her onto his lap. “Mine to do whatever I want with.” Elisa loved that look in his eyes, a combination of pride for his accomplishments and desire for her. She brought her mouth down on his. His fingers found their way beneath her shirt and onto her bare back, brushing over her bra strap. She shivered and ached to feel him closer to her. They had to say goodbye eventually, before the first of September, that much was certain. But how on earth would she do it? She didn’t know how she could ever thank him for showing her how to enjoy intimacy again. Wait a minute—sure she could. For once, the memory of the wanton things she used to do when she was younger made her smile. Now she actually had a man to do them with—an honorable man who wouldn’t take advantage of her desire. She eased off his lap and knelt down in front of him, caressing him through his dress pants. She kissed her way up his leg, wishing they could close up shop and go home for the day. She wanted to please him. He deserved every bit of her attention. A loud knock rapped on the door. “Liam, you in there?”

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They both jumped. Elisa shot to her feet, exchanging a concerned look with Liam. When had Justin arrived? Why wasn’t he at the hospital? Another knock. “Answer me if you are, man. I need to talk to you. It’s important.” They hurried to straighten their clothing and regain their composure. Elisa’s heart pounded. Her brother’s voice had only contained that much doom twice before—long ago when she’d told him she was pregnant, and a week ago when he had burst into the hospital after Laura had gone into premature labor. She prayed nothing had happened to Caleb. “Yeah, come on in,” Liam called. Justin appeared in the doorway, looking so disheveled that Elisa wondered when he’d last taken a shower. His face fell even further when he saw her standing there, but he seemed too distracted to care about the unprofessional implications of her being in Liam’s office with the door closed. “I need you to leave,” he said promptly. “I have to talk to Liam.” Uh-oh. Maybe her brother did suspect something. “Justin, I—” “Go!” he barked. “Don’t even think about arguing with me. You’re lucky you still have a job.”

Dark circles shadowed Justin’s eyes, and he looked like he hadn’t shaved in a week. Liam forced himself to stay in his chair despite the way Justin paced, rubbing his eyes and then his chin. After the way he’d kicked out Elisa, Liam wasn’t sure he wanted to be on the receiving end of whatever his boss—and he hoped, still his friend—had to say next. “Liam, man…I don’t know how to say this.” “Look, if it’s about Elisa, we—” Justin waved. “I don’t care about that. In fact, if it were any other time, I’d be thrilled. That’s not why I’m here.” What was going on in Justin’s head if it had nothing to do with his relationship with Elisa? If the bad news involved Caleb, she would have been included in the conversation. Liam leaned forward. “Why don’t you sit down? You’ve got a lot going on. There’s no need to beat around the bush.” Justin stopped pacing and raised his hands in despair. “That’s just it. I need you at the clinic right now, and I have to do something awful to you.” His heart beat a little faster. Had Justin changed his mind about the partnership? Finally, Justin sat. “All right, look. There are rumors going around town.” A nauseating taste settled in Liam’s mouth. He didn’t know people well enough to be included in the grapevine, so he hadn’t heard what they were saying beyond Mrs. Dale’s refusal to let him treat Rainbow. But he had seen a few nasty looks thrown in his direction, the ones he kept hoping he’d imagined.

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Please, don’t let this happen again. Not after I lost my mother. Lost my child. “Your reputation is in the dumpster,” Justin continued, his voice pained. “That’s why a lot of our regular clients have stopped coming in. It’s not my business who you’re seeing, but I’ve heard a few of them saw you at the Fourth of July party with both Alexis and Elisa. At that point you were interesting enough to cyber-stalk, so they looked you up and found the story about the girl at the university. Are you telling me you haven’t heard any of this?” Liam was nauseous. He hated the way technology no longer let a person have a private life or leave anything behind. He began to understand why Elisa wasn’t thrilled with life in Windy Flats. He plunged a hand through his hair. “I can’t say that I have. I’ve been in here most of the time, running the clinic while you’ve been away. You know things have been slow?” The guy didn’t need this when he had a newborn son in the hospital. “I’ve seen the books. I know you and Elisa didn’t want to bother me, but I’ve been checking up on things.” Justin sighed and collapsed against the back of the chair. “This mess…it’s killing our business, Liam.” His stomach dropped. “You don’t believe that garbage, do you? I told you the truth about what happened to me. And I’d never screw around on Elisa. I haven’t screwed around with a twenty-year-old since I was a kid myself.” “It’s not that I believe the rumors. I don’t, actually. The problem is that everyone else in town does. People really think you could be some criminal who hurt that girl and got away with it. Most of the time this is a great place, but the people here are pretty conservative. You get on their bad side, and it’s…” He gestured an explosion in midair. “All right, I get it. It’s fine if you want to hold off on legalizing the partnership until this blows over.” Justin’s expression turned sick. “It’s not just that. I need you to… I need to ask you to resign.” “What? For how long?” But Liam hadn’t even needed to ask the question. The look on Justin’s face said it all. “You want me to leave. For good.” “I’m really, really sorry. Any other time maybe we could work something out, but I’ve got a wife and three kids to support. I’ve got a baby in the hospital and medical bills through the roof. We’ve lost more than half of our clients over the past few weeks and I just…I can’t afford that. I can’t put my family’s livelihood at risk. I’m sorry,” he said again. The catch in his friend’s voice tempered Liam’s anger. He wasn’t mad at Justin, anyway. Justin did have a family to support and hospital bills to pay. Liam would have done the same thing. He was mad at the town and all the people in it for lacking any sense and going to such lengths to ruin his life. “All right,” he answered. “Consider it done. I’m out of here.”

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Justin held up a hand. “Wait. I’m not kicking you out within the hour or anything like that. You’re a skilled and well-respected vet. I’ll be happy to give you the highest recommendation possible. It won’t take you long to find another job.” It pained Liam to see the hope in his friend’s eyes, and he knew this was hurting Justin as much as it was hurting him. But all he could say was, “I’ll be gone in two weeks.” Justin frowned then nodded and left. When he was gone, Liam looked around his office—his for all of four days—with a heavy heart. So much for his small-town dream. “What the hell was that?” Elisa burst in, her features twisted with anger. “Your brother told you?” “Of course not. I stood outside the door and listened.” Through his pain, Liam had to smile. He loved her spark. “I missed the last part, though, because I had to answer the phone. Wrong damn number. All I heard was something about you and me and Alexis.” She made a face. He sighed. “Yeah. Apparently rumors are flying that I’m trying to have a relationship with both of you. It’s killing business. That’s why things have been so slow around here.” “That’s ridiculous. What’s my brother planning to do about it?” Liam pressed his lips together. She wasn’t going to like this news, and he wished he could explain why it was happening so she would understand. But he wasn’t ready to tell her he’d been arrested once for assault—for attacking a woman while she slept and getting her pregnant to boot. The accusations were completely false, but Elisa didn’t have to believe that, and her trust was something he did not want to break. “I’ll be leaving the clinic in a couple of weeks,” he said, deciding against any explanation. A pause. “What are you talking about?” Her tone grew wary. She was going to explode regardless of how nicely he tried to word the announcement, so he just laid it out there. “Justin asked me to resign.” As he anticipated, her jaw dropped open and she jumped like she’d been stung. “Is he insane?” “It’s his decision to make, and he has to do what’s right for his family.” She made a noise of disgust. “I can’t believe this! Why in the world would he let those nosy women control his life? Can’t he ignore them?” “I’m afraid not. Their opinions have virtually stopped our customer flow. That means no income, and Justin has a family to support. Caleb’s bills are unbelievable.” Her face fell. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Liam. This is all my fault.”

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Chapter Eleven

Elisa knocked on her brother’s front door and racked her brain for an event that would have inspired Alexis’s mother to spread such a nasty rumor. Sorry about my mom, Alexis had said. Her mother, Pam, must have been the one who had started the spread of lies about Liam. She recalled sitting on his porch, waiting for him to return home from the picnic. A car had driven down the street, its headlights giving her hope that Liam had come back until it passed his house and she’d returned to her moping. The car. It had been a big, blue…some kind of SUV. Like the one Alexis’s mother drove. It was just like a Windy Flats woman to park down the street, turn her lights off and watch what happened when Liam came home. No doubt that’s exactly what Pam had done. God forbid she could have seen Elisa on the porch and continued on with her own business. That’s not what this town prided itself on. At nineteen, she’d made a mistake—although, given her feelings for Liam now, she hated to use that word—and gotten the town’s attention. Justin’s business and Liam’s reputation were suffering because of it. Pam Hunter wouldn’t have cared what Elisa had been doing on Liam’s porch that night if she didn’t already have it in her head that Elisa was an irresponsible whore. It seemed a little extreme, even for Windy Flats, to take that out on Liam. But at this point, nothing surprised her. All she cared about was making it right. Justin opened the door, a suspicious look on his face. “Since when do you knock?” “Since I thought Laura might be sleeping because she’s been at the hospital so much. I need to talk to you.” He stepped back. “So come in.” “Outside.” With a look of annoyance, he joined her on the porch. “What’s this about?” Elisa checked the windows to make sure they were closed and no one was eavesdropping from inside the house. Her parents, who were staying until Caleb was released from the hospital, didn’t need another reason to check up on her, and she didn’t want Laura worrying about anything but that baby. “Was anyone planning to tell me I need to find another job?” Justin’s eyes narrowed. “I knew it wouldn’t take you long to get the news out of Liam. You already found another job anyway, remember?”

Avery Beck

“I have six weeks left. And what is this stuff about firing him? You’ve got a baby in the hospital. You can’t afford to—” “I don’t have a choice, Elisa. People have stopped coming to the clinic because the rumors made them believe Liam is some kind of bad guy. I don’t want to let him go any more than you do, but it’s like you said—I have a baby in the hospital. I have bills to pay, and I need our clients back.” Elisa was ready to explode. “How can you let people do this to you? The rumors aren’t even close to being true!” “I know they’re not. It doesn’t matter.” “Of course it matters. Have you thought about what you’re doing to Liam?” Justin stared at her. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? This isn’t about the clinic. It’s about Liam. You’re crazy if you think I don’t know you’ve got the hots for him.” She rolled her eyes but an uneasy feeling settled in her chest. “Stay out of my personal life. I’m here because I think you’re making a big mistake. If Liam is gone, who’s going to run the clinic while Caleb’s in the hospital and you aren’t around? How is a clinic with no doctors going to help business?” After a minute of silence, Justin sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I’m closing the clinic.” Elisa glared at him until her eyes hurt. “I know you didn’t just say that.” “You heard me. For once, you’re right. Liam is leaving, and I can’t hire a stranger and entrust that person with my business while I’m away. To make matters worse, the landlord is tired of renting and plans to sell the building soon. I can’t buy it. I have no other options.” She shook her head, her mouth open. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this.” “I figured you didn’t care,” Justin answered, a hint of bitterness in his tone. “You said you’ll be giving your notice soon. By the time I close, you’ll be all packed and headed to Nashville.” “Stop it. Don’t put a guilt trip on me when you know why I have to go. I can’t believe you’d do something like this just to talk me into—” “You think this is about you?” Justin’s voice rose to a volume Elisa rarely heard him use. “How do you think I’m going to support my family when the clinic is gone? How am I going to pay my baby’s medical bills? You think this is a big joke? Here’s an idea—try thinking about someone besides yourself for a change.” He turned and reached for the door. Panic filled Elisa’s chest. Her brother’s words ripped her to the core, and she knew he’d meant every syllable. She thought of Caleb, of the clinic being in danger. She wouldn’t need to worry about being kept under the Haley family wing anymore. There were bigger problems in Windy Flats now, and she was on her own. “Justin, wait.”

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He stopped but kept his back to her. “What?” he said flatly. “What are you planning to do? Work in fast food?” He turned to look at her. “I’m going to close the business and use what used to be my rent money to pay off everything I can. Hopefully that includes the mortgage. After Caleb is home and healthy, maybe I’ll look for another—” “You’re going to give up everything you worked so hard for?” Elisa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re giving up your clinic, that you opened and are in charge of, and you’ll settle for ‘maybe’ working for somebody else someday? How can you do that?” “What do you care?” “Having your own clinic has been your dream since the day you went off to college!” “So what?” Justin snapped. “Are you following the dream you had when you went off to college?” That shut her up. She closed her eyes to block her brother’s accusatory glare. The moment Brett had laughed in her face and implied that her pregnancy would trap her into being a small-town nobody, she had pushed her dream of being a vet to a distant corner of her mind and that’s where it had remained. After losing Brett, Liam and her baby, it hadn’t seemed important. Nothing had. No one—not Justin, her parents, or even Laura—ever talked about the day she went off to college and could hardly contain her excitement at the prospect of attending her first biology class. Justin had opened his clinic that same year, and she’d had big plans to wear a white coat right alongside him. But she hadn’t even come close to enrolling in graduate school. Brett had painted an awful picture of what her life in Windy Flats would be like, and its vividness hadn’t faded from her memory. Despite his silence on the subject thus far, Justin obviously hadn’t forgotten about her lost dream. “That’s different,” Elisa answered quietly. “I have nothing to do with this. You said so yourself.” “It’s not different. Things change. You got screwed and your life changed, my clinic got screwed so my life is changing. Bad things happen to good people. In fact, since Liam is the only person in the world you might listen to, maybe you should ask him about that.” Justin moved away again, but she grabbed his arm. “What? What happened to Liam?” “Didn’t we just talk about this? The reason I have to ask him to leave?” “I thought that’s because people are being nosy about who he’s dating.” He stared at her, clearly aware of something she wasn’t. “You think people would boycott the clinic for—never mind. It’s not my place to talk about it.” “That’s a lame excuse.” “The point is, crappy things happen. It’s not the end of the world. Deal with it.” He returned to the house, slamming the door behind him. Elisa swallowed, a lump rising in her throat. Justin didn’t realize that when her life changed, it was the end of her world. Regardless of the way she’d chased a corporate job for the last few years, she’d be a

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million times happier if she had been able to realize her original goal. Trying to do something that wasn’t in her heart had been killing her inside for nine long years. If Justin closed the clinic, that’s exactly what would happen to him.

Liam lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the sun and peered up at the roof of Elisa’s house, where she teetered near the top step of an aluminum ladder. “What are you doing?” he called. She slathered a brush full of white paint onto the house then climbed down the ladder and wiped her forehead with the back of her arm. “Fixing a few things. Mom and Dad have agreed to put the house up for sale next week, and I’m heading to Nashville over the weekend to find an apartment.” “I thought you weren’t moving until September.” “I think it would be better if I leave sooner.” “Does this have anything to do with Justin letting me go?” She shrugged. Sweat poured off her body, and she wheezed. “Elisa, go inside. It’s blazing hot out here. You’re going to have a stroke.” “I have things to—” “Go.” He nudged her toward the door. Reluctantly, she sat in the kitchen, and he poured her a large glass of water while she wiped her moist skin with a towel. “Now tell me what’s going on.” “Nothing’s going on. I’m in the way here. Justin and Laura have a family to take care of, and Justin and you need to get your customers back. No one needs to be worrying about poor Elisa and how she’s going to screw up next. If I haven’t already screwed up the clinic.” “What are you talking about? You haven’t done anything to hurt the clinic.” “Liam, come on. Do you think people would care what you and I were doing together if they didn’t already have it out for me? I got pregnant and dumped as a teenager and the gossipmongers in this town thrive on that kind of soap-opera drama.” He should tell her what the real problem was. He needed to tell her, before she heard it from someone in the produce aisle. After all, people were avoiding the clinic because they didn’t like him, the doctor without ethics. But he didn’t really want to talk about Kelly when his time with Elisa was swiftly running out. Finding another job would be difficult, but doable. If only she knew how impossible it was going to be find another woman like her. Elisa tossed the damp towel into the sink and rose from the table. “I’ve got to take a shower. It’ll only take a minute, if you want to stay. You can hang out in here or watch TV or whatever.”

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She patted his shoulder and disappeared upstairs, preoccupied with her plans. Liam looked down at the table and ran his finger over a crack in the Formica. He hadn’t yet figured out how he would deal with saying goodbye to her in September. How could he possibly do it sooner than that? A wave of bittersweet need washed over him and he headed toward the staircase. Elisa might not appreciate his appearance in her bathroom, but he barely gave that a moment’s thought. If she was leaving, she’d leave with a memory of him imprinted on her mind. He found the bathroom at the top of the stairs, to the right. She’d left the door cracked to let out steam, and he smiled at the idea of bringing some in. The mirror was coated in fog. He peeled off his clothes and approached the curtain. She sure liked her showers hot. Today, so did he. Just then, the water shut off. He blinked, his plan momentarily derailed. But he brushed off his disappointment. He could make love to her as easily outside the shower as he could inside of it. She pulled back the curtain and emitted a small gasp when she saw him standing there. “I thought we didn’t want to make the rumors worse,” she said. She held a towel to her chest, but her gaze roamed his body. “Your curtains are closed. No one is watching.” He wrapped his arms around her and helped her out of the tub, tugging away the towel and tossing it aside. He drew his hands over her silky, sweet-smelling skin. “I need you.” More than he had ever needed anything in his life. She led him to her bedroom, and the sight of her walking nude in front of him was all it took to get his heart racing and his body ready to do whatever she asked. They lay side by side on the sheets, a heated tangle of arms and legs. He couldn’t stop kissing her, his urgency growing with each touch. She moaned his name, and he pushed his hands into her hair, wanting so much to bury himself inside her before they were too far away from each other to do this. But he didn’t want to rush, not when they had so little time left together. Besides, he hadn’t yet touched and pleased her in all the ways he wanted to. He kissed her neck, then her breast, then moved atop her and ran his hands over her torso, tracing her abdomen with his lips. She clutched at his head but didn’t ask him to stop, so he kept going until he found the soft place where she ached for his attention, then laved it on her until she cried out. He caressed her until her body stopped shivering, and he heard her whisper. “Liam.” She touched his chin and directed his gaze to a scar a few inches below her navel. “That’s where our baby was born.”

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Cesarean. On top of everything else that happened during what had to be a moment of pure hell, she’d had surgery. Who had held her hand? Helped her recover? Her family, he guessed. She and Laura seemed close. But it wasn’t the same. She’d needed him. His breath ragged, he put his finger on the faded line on her skin. “I should have been there.” She cupped his face and drew him up so his body was aligned with hers. “You’re here now. That’s what matters.” She pulled him closer and kissed him, urging him inside her. At some point, when he was too spent and happy to know how much time had passed, Elisa settled next to him and laid her head on his chest. “Justin said that something bad happened to you.” Liam closed his eyes, now spent and distraught. “I’m guessing you’d like to know what it is.” “If you want to talk about it.” He never wanted to talk about it, but she’d find out sooner or later, especially given that he was currently the talk of the town. He’d rather she hear it from him. “Something happened at school, long after you left. Remember Kelly Black?” She propped herself up on one elbow to look at him. “Wasn’t her dad on the Board of Trustees or something? Spoiled rotten, if I remember correctly.” “You do. And quite the party girl when her daddy wasn’t looking.” A few years had passed, but his mind could still read the headlines plain as day. He’d been front page news in the school newspaper. Hell, in the city’s newspaper. Thankfully, social networking hadn’t been as widespread back in those days, or the whole world might have pegged him as a rapist. “At the start of my senior year, I went to a party and ended up hanging out with her. I happened to be the unlucky one who was the last guy she remembered before she found out she was pregnant. So I was first on her mind.” Elisa’s fearful gaze raked his, so he quickly clarified, “Not by me. I didn’t do anything with her. I saw how drunk she was getting and left her in a bedroom to sleep. Someone else ended up in there later. Apparently, she was terrified of hurting her and her father’s perfect reputations, so rather than admit she’d been too drunk to use protection or even know who she’d been with, she cried rape. And pinned it on me.” Elisa’s grip on him tightened. She stared at him in horror. The memory still made him sick. “I was in my dorm studying for an exam when the cops showed up at the door. They had me in handcuffs so fast—” He took a breath. Recounting the miserable tale filled him with rage. He’d spent days in jail, living like a criminal and falling behind in his classes while the whole school and anyone who watched the local news pegged him as a sexual predator. All thanks to the scheming of a woman he’d never touched, barely even knew, and her power-hungry, unethical father. Liam sure as hell would set a better example for his children than that.

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“How could they do that? Without proof?” Elisa’s voice brought him back to the present and made him feel worlds better. He gave her a sad smile. “They had their proof. Word of a powerful man’s daughter, and dozens of people at the party had seen us go upstairs together. There was no reason for them not to believe something bad hadn’t happened up there. Except for what I said, and that didn’t seem to count at all. “Anyway, I suspect her father knew what was really going on. When he was told that a DNA test would have to be done on the baby to prove it was mine, and Kelly refused, they agreed to drop the charges.” The media had bothered—just for a minute—to report that he’d been falsely accused. It was amazing how much more coverage they’d given him while Kelly was playing the victim. But at least he’d been cleared, and he had legal papers to prove it. Maybe he could publish those in the Windy Flats Tribune and get the town off his back. He released a deep sigh. “That’s the main reason I have to leave. It isn’t just about us. People around here found out I was arrested, and why. They don’t think I’m innocent.” Elisa gaped at him, tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe anyone would do that to you.” Neither could he, even after all this time. He squeezed her more tightly. “Some people are just rotten.” “Yeah. Kelly and Brett would have made a good pair.” “I’m sure you’re right.” They were quiet for a moment. Liam’s chest hurt when he thought of the sorry people he and Elisa had gone through to get to each other. Why were they so insistent that a relationship wouldn’t work? People did the long-distance thing all the time. And since he was no longer staying in Windy Flats—though admittedly, not by choice—she wouldn’t have to worry about getting stuck there. In fact, there wasn’t any reason at all that he couldn’t look for a new job in Nashville. “Do you want me to go with you this weekend?” he asked, a spark of hope igniting inside him. “I’ll be happy to help you get settled.” Guilt filled her eyes. “I appreciate that, but no. I should go alone. I need to get used to the way things are going to be.” So much for hope. He hadn’t thought it possible after the story he’d just told, but even more pain built up inside him. It wasn’t the distance keeping them apart. She didn’t want his help, he could see that by the way she looked at him. She didn’t even want his presence. Not anywhere near her new life. It was difficult—devastating—to believe, but even after the incredible moments they’d shared over the summer, she was the same Elisa Haley who had liked him “as a friend”…who came to him when she needed comfort or distraction or seduction, but in the end, preferred the company of someone else.

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Screeching tires sounded from outside, followed by a terrified scream. They looked at each other and jumped out of bed. Liam threw his clothes on and peered around Elisa’s curtains. Heidi Dale stood in the middle of the road, still screaming, her hands on her face. Rainbow’s tiny body lay motionless at her feet. “Oh shit.” Liam ran outside, with Elisa calling that she’d be right behind him. Heidi was hysterical when he got to her. He issued dirty looks to the growing group of people standing in his way, then knelt on the street to administer first aid and prayed the dog was still alive. Rainbow’s chest moved slightly in and out, which relieved him. But there could be internal injuries. Elisa rushed to his side, and a rumble rolled through the crowd. Everyone standing there had seen him come running from her house, but that was too bad. They had bigger problems. “I need some things from my car,” he told Elisa. “Take a look at Rainbow and see what we can do.” She nodded. He bolted for his car, parked over in Elisa’s driveway. After he gathered the emergency supplies he always carried with him in case of situations like this, he turned and saw her carefully roll the dog onto its right side. “My baby!” Heidi cried. “What are you doing? Don’t hurt her!” A few people made ignorant comments about Elisa’s qualifications, but Justin wasn’t around to help and she was doing exactly what she should, so Liam let her work as he made his way back across the street. No doubt she’d learned a lot during her years working at the clinic, and he hadn’t forgotten how excited she’d been about veterinary medicine when he first met her at the university. This experience would be good for her. Maybe it would make her remember what she really wanted. Which he already knew wasn’t him. He stopped next to her and watched while she examined Rainbow’s eyes and gums, which were still pink. A good sign. Two of her legs looked injured and possibly broken, though he didn’t see any active bleeding. “Just her legs,” Elisa said. “We can’t know anything else without doing a scan.” Liam agreed. He reached to wrap the dog and get her back to the clinic, but he stopped when Heidi opened her mouth to comment. He couldn’t do anything without her consent. No doubt she’d intended to say something rude and refuse his help, but fear clouded her eyes when she glanced at Rainbow. She pressed her lips together, looking guilty. Elisa stepped closer to her and spoke quietly, but firmly. “Your dog can be saved, but we have to act fast. Justin’s at the hospital and I’m nowhere near qualified to do surgery. So if you want Rainbow to walk again or even continue breathing, I suggest you put aside your issues and let him work.” Tears glistened in Heidi’s eyes. With a brief nod, she stepped aside.

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Elisa stood at the window and watched a couple of airplanes roll over the tarmac. In a few minutes, her plane would arrive and carry her to Nashville, her new beginning. A place offering her a job that her brother didn’t give her and a place to live that her parents didn’t own. A town where no one knew about the bad decisions she had made before. Most importantly, a place where she wouldn’t have any reason to think about how much she had lost. She planned to spend the weekend hunting for an apartment and, with any luck, signing a lease. If she had time left, she’d shop for office-appropriate clothing. Her stomach ached and she bounced on her toes. She couldn’t stand to wait any longer than she already had. She just wanted to go. “Pane!” Elisa blinked. At her feet stood a little girl, two or three years old, pointing to the window with a big grin on her face. “Yes, that’s a plane.” A woman standing nearby flashed Elisa a friendly smile and took the girl’s hand. “Let’s go find Daddy.” The woman led the girl across the gate area to a dark-haired man reading in one of the chairs. He closed his magazine and hugged his daughter, who promptly jumped into his lap. The family was dressed in shorts and sandals. They looked like they were going on vacation. A lump rose in Elisa’s throat. She had never been on such a trip. She hadn’t gone anywhere since she’d returned to Windy Flats after her first year of college. Even though she had the money socked away in her savings account, she’d saved every bit of it for this moment, when she would finally get a “real” job and leave. Nothing else had ever been important to her. She paced. Her thoughts turned to Liam, how important he was and what an incredible father he would have been. Would still be someday. With someone else. God, that hurt. Damn it, where was that plane? She needed to board and leave her romanticized feelings on the ground. She had learned more than once that just because she felt something for a man, it didn’t mean he cared about her. She was aching for Liam now because they did amazing things in bed, and because he made her feel young again, but that was all baloney. She wasn’t young again. She was still graduating several years behind the people she’d grown up with. Her pregnancy had still occurred and failed. It had all happened, and getting warm and fuzzy over Liam was not going to make it disappear. The only thing that would make that happen was the destination listed at the gate. The end of the past. Nashville. Getting antsy, she approached the flight attendant manning the desk. “Excuse me, shouldn’t we have started boarding by now? Is the plane late?”

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The woman looked at her then nodded in the direction of a monitor that listed the night’s scheduled departures. Next to hers, a word blinked in bold red letters—DELAYED. Much like her dreams. And now, the first look at her new city. With a sigh, she hoisted her duffel bag over her shoulder and took a walk down the corridor, dodging late passengers, strollers, and the smell of airport food. It made her so angry to imagine where she could have been by now. She never would have guessed that her actions at nineteen would have such rippling effects on her life at twenty-eight. If she’d started this job in public relations right out of college six years ago like the rest of her corporate-bound peers, she could be fairly high in the chain of command by now. The recruiter certainly wouldn’t have claimed she didn’t have enough experience to be anything but an unpaid intern. She could have a big salary and a nice house with her name on the title, maybe even a husband and a kid or two. Wait, she didn’t want those things. Did she? A service dog passed, leading a woman with a cane. Elisa turned to watch them make their way down the hall, the dog’s tail wagging proudly. She smiled. She should call Justin and see how Rainbow was holding up. Or maybe Liam. He’d seemed so proud of the way she had handled the little dog’s injuries. But she couldn’t call Justin because he’d likely ignore her knowing she was on her way out of state, and she wouldn’t contact Liam for the same reason she’d told him not to accompany her on the trip. He was her old life, not the new one. No matter how amazing he was, hanging on to him meant holding on to the pain of her past. She bought a book in a gift shop and then returned to the gate. A couple who looked a bit older than Elisa sat in the row of chairs across from her. The frowning woman held a pile of crumpled tissues in her fist. Elisa kept her eyes on the book, but she couldn’t help listening to their conversation. “I loved that house,” the woman whispered. “I wanted it to be ours forever.” “We had four good years there,” her husband replied. “We didn’t even get to use the extra bedroom. We’ll be lucky if we can have a baby at all with our new budget.” “Try not to worry. I know we’re cutting back quite a bit, but it’s temporary.” “What if it isn’t? What will we do if we never get back to where we were?” “I don’t know, honey. But I have to take this job. Money doesn’t just appear out of thin air.” Elisa closed the book. She hadn’t read three words anyway. “Attention, passengers.” The attendant’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Boarding for flight 1231 to Nashville will begin shortly.” She invited families with small children and passengers who needed assistance to board first. Elisa stopped paying attention and glanced at her ticket. Another group would board and then it would be her turn.

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She looked outside while the distressed couple stood and made their way to the line at the door. The plane sat there, connected to the gate. The previous group of passengers streamed through the exit, and out on the tarmac, workers hurried to hoist the new luggage into the cargo area. She hadn’t checked any bags— her carry-on held her necessities. She hadn’t considered how she would transport all of that business attire she’d planned to buy. So there wouldn’t be any shopping. An announcement came for the first group of general boarding, those near the back of the plane, including the crying woman and her husband. Elisa watched them cross through the door, apparently leaving behind successful careers, a home they loved and the children they’d hoped to have. What had they done for a living, and where were they going? From a beautiful house they were proud to call home to a small rental that wouldn’t fit a nursery? If only money would appear out of thin air. They could walk off the plane and right back to their old, beloved life. She hurt for them. They reminded her of Laura and— Justin. His plan to provide a few services out of his home after he closed the clinic—what if that didn’t work? Currently, he was the only vet in town. When the clinic closed, it would take one doctor to come in and open up a new place, and all the residents would transfer there. They wouldn’t have a choice. Every pet owner she knew would choose a fully-functioning clinic over the guy barely holding on to his business. Her brother’s situation could go downhill fast. She doubted he actually planned to work in fast food, but even if he did, that wouldn’t pay for his big, beautiful house, Caleb’s medical bills and the everyday expenses of a family of five. What if they had to downsize? On top of having a premature newborn, Justin and Laura could lose the clinic, their house, and the entire life they had spent the past several years building. The attendant announced Elisa’s boarding group. Her whole body tingled. Her feet wouldn’t move. People were moving ahead of her. Nearly the whole waiting area was empty. She was going to get a crappy seat and run out of carry-on space if she didn’t get a move on. If money appeared out of thin air… If it did, it would keep the clinic open, which would be an enormous help to the people she loved the most. The employment and the dreams of the men she cared for depended on the clinic’s success. At the moment, Justin and Liam’s futures were in danger of crumbling the same way hers had so long ago. Her heart in her throat, she finally found the strength to move and took off running.

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Chapter Twelve

Sunday night, Elisa’s car screeched to a halt in front of Liam’s house. She stared, then blinked and stared again. She had left her dreams at the gate on Friday, cancelled the trip to Nashville and headed home. She’d put her car in the garage and hid inside for two days so Justin and Liam wouldn’t suspect what she had actually done this weekend, and now, she finally got to Liam’s place just to see this? For Sale, the sign read. Impossible. Liam had told her a hundred times how much he loved that house. She’d teased him, but only in good fun and to cover up her own insecurities regarding Windy Flats and rural family life. She was too late. He must have found a job. Her heart dragged the ground as she pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. Liam was standing on the porch before she had even shut the car door. “I thought you’d show up,” he said. “How was Nashville?” “What? Oh…fine.” She gestured frantically at the sign. “What are you doing? I thought someone was interested in buying the building to keep the clinic open. The realtor called Justin and—” “The owner changed his mind,” Liam interrupted. “Apparently that buyer wanted until the end of the week to make a decision, and he wants to sell now. It’s no use, Elisa. We don’t have the money to buy it from him. He’s going to sell to the city. We’re finished here.” Elisa fought the frustration growing inside her. Why hadn’t the realtor called her with that bit of news? “Did you find another job?” she asked. “Yes.” “Where are you going?” “Back to Dallas. When I left, I sold my practice to a friend from grad school and he’s agreed to let me back in. We’re opening a partnership.” Like he was supposed to be doing in Windy Flats, with Justin. Elisa fumed. She needed to make a phone call, in private. “When are you leaving?” “Probably next week.” He was far too nonchalant for her comfort. To him, maybe a clinic was a clinic, but she wouldn’t be in Dallas. Didn’t he care? “Justin can’t stop earning money next week. What’s he going to do for a living?”

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“He’s thinking about running some services out of his home.” “He’ll never be able to support the family on that! He needs facilities, he needs equipment, he—” “I know,” Liam said quietly. “He said he’s going to work an odd job until he can finance a new property.” Elisa fell silent. Justin had told her the same thing but she’d refused to believe it. Her brother, with all his years of experience and education, making minimum wage for someone else’s business. It was impossible to comprehend. “He has an advanced degree. A medical degree,” she insisted. “He can’t do that. There has to be another way.” “I’m afraid there isn’t.” “But that’s not fair.” Her voice wobbled. Her self-control was fading fast. “Well, sometimes the future changes in ways you don’t expect, and you have to go with it. You can’t spend your life blaming people and complaining that it’s not fair.” Something in the way he said that, the way he looked at her… “You think I should have stayed in school. I should have stuck with my original plan, is that it?” Liam ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Yeah. I think so.” She paced in the grass. “So what? If I were a vet, this mess wouldn’t be happening? What difference does it make what I do?” “No. You wouldn’t be able to stop this from happening. But you’d be happy because you would have spent nine years doing what you love, like Justin has. He’s okay with doing something simpler for a while because he knows it’s necessary and temporary, not the end of the world.” His accusation was unmistakable. “You sound like my brother. I get it. I’m shallow, and I’ve been wallowing in pity.” “That’s not what anyone thinks. But we all know how much you wanted to be a vet. It’s killing him— and me, for that matter—that you’ve spent all these years pretending to be someone you aren’t, following a dream that’s fake.” “It’s not fake!” she insisted, though her heart ached to differ. “I want to make something of myself. I want—” “You want to make yourself something Brett would be jealous of. He’d be pretty damn jealous if you were Doctor Haley, wouldn’t he?” “No. He would think that my brother got me the job, not my own intelligence. He would think that I got stuck in this town because of him, and that’s exactly what he wants.” “Who cares what he thinks? What do you want?” Liam. She wanted Liam.

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She knew it with every bone in her body, and she felt like an idiot for rambling on about needing another man’s approval when the one she wanted was right in front of her, and cared for her just the way she was. But he was right. She wanted to get back at Brett. In some way, his behavior had caused her to lose everything she loved. His arrogant, disrespectful personality was the reason he’d dropped her for another woman—even when he thought she was carrying his child. His habit of yelling at and even hitting her was the reason she’d turned to Liam in the first place, clearly a much better man, and ended up pregnant with a baby who had died. The dormant rage and desire for revenge had been inside her for too long. That was why, even though she’d been strong enough to turn around at the airport, she had needed time to think about writing the check. She couldn’t ignore the fact that living with Liam and having a family in Windy Flats wouldn’t impress anyone, regardless of how amazing it felt to imagine him coming home to her every night, going to bed with her every night, her taking his last name… All right, enough. She shook her head. “I’m not sure it matters what I want.” “It’s all that matters.” Liam crossed his arms. “I respect everything you’ve been through, Elisa. You’re one hell of a tough woman. But nine years is a long time to beat yourself up. I told you then, and I’ll tell you now—you need to get away from that loser, even his memory, and do what makes you happy. If you continue to let him decide your actions, he’ll control you for the rest of your life.” He kissed her forehead and walked back toward his front door. “I’ll stop by your place before I go,” he called over his shoulder. And he was gone. Along with her happiness and the only man she had ever truly been able to trust.

“Who in this town loves the clinic enough to drop that kind of money?” Justin asked when he hung up the phone Monday morning. “That was Barry, the realtor. He says an anonymous buyer is bringing in a check to buy this place today.” Liam stopped packing his desk and turned around. Justin stood in the doorway to his former office, holding his cell phone and looking mystified. “You’re kidding.” Justin shook his head. “Mrs. Dale?” Liam suggested, grinning. Justin groaned. “True, but she doesn’t have the cash, unless she secretly owns stock in Spandex or something.” Liam held back a laugh. “How’s Rainbow, by the way?”

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“She’ll be fine. But Heidi’s still insisting I do all the follow-up appointments, even though she’ll have to bring the dog to my house.” Great. Saving Rainbow’s life hadn’t managed to stop the gossiping, so even if the clinic reopened, it wouldn’t change his plans. Good thing he had something else lined up. “Hmm. She wouldn’t be the mystery donor, then.” Maybe Elisa would know, since she seemed so versed on the citizens of Windy Flats. Where was she, anyway? “Elisa off today?” Justin looked at his watch. “No, she’s an hour late. Have you heard from her since she got in from Nashville?” “Talked to her last night. She said the realtor had called you about a buyer, so I thought she might—” “What? How does she know that?” Liam shrugged. “I figured you told her.” “No, I haven’t talked to her at all since Friday at work, before she left. I didn’t want to get her hopes up so I didn’t say…oh my God.” “You don’t think she’s the buyer? Elisa doesn’t have that kind of money.” Justin dropped his phone. “Yes, she does.” Liam gaped. She was sitting on a pile of money that big, and she worried about not impressing anyone? What was she doing at the clinic’s front desk? She could have gone to school full-time, or renovated her house—hell, it wasn’t even hers. She was living in her parents’ house when she could have bought a brand new one. Plus, hadn’t she implied that she hated answering that phone? Didn’t it remind her that she was “only” a receptionist, not a vet? “You’re not serious. Why has she been working all this time?” “She didn’t want anybody to know. She was saving all the money to leave town.” He picked up the phone and stuffed it in his pocket. “She got a bunch of money from her ex-boyfriend’s parents. It’s a long story. And she’s been saving every dime.” Wow. Justin didn’t seem to know anything about Liam’s connection to Elisa’s past. He’d let Elisa explain that one, preferably after he was long gone, because Justin looked murderous at the mention of the ex-boyfriend. Brett’s parents had been filthy rich, and it sounded like they’d been in the camp of rotten people as well. “I can’t let her do this,” Justin continued. “I know she belongs here, but she worked a long time to leave and she’s been through a lot. Damn, if going away is what she wants to do, I shouldn’t have made her feel bad about it.” Liam shouldn’t have, either. He had no idea she’d been holding on to a windfall in anticipation of the moment she would move. Regret washed over him. Who was he to tell her how to live her life? Maybe he

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should have told her something that was his business. Like how much he loved her and wanted her to be happy. He exchanged a look with Justin. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Justin asked. “I’ll drive.” They jumped into Liam’s car and sped down the street to Elisa’s house. “She’s not home.” Justin raised his hands in the air. “Where would she be?” “Back at work?” Liam guessed. “We would have passed her car on the way over here.” “We have to find her before she drops off that check. What’s she going to do if she doesn’t go to Nashville?” “I have no idea.” Justin’s cell phone announced a call from Laura, and after a few moments, he clapped the phone shut and turned to Liam. “There’s our answer. She’s at the hospital with Laura.” “Let’s go.” He turned the car around and headed into Austin, hoping they could catch Elisa before it was too late to reverse a decision she’d regret forever. Why had he made her feel guilty? They had made love, but that didn’t give him the right to assume he knew what was best for her. If she had been planning her move out of state for that many years, then Nashville was where she needed to be. And he’d gone and made her feel selfish, and she’d spent her entire savings on the clinic. Even if she forgave him, he didn’t know if he ever would. After long moments of agonizing rush-hour traffic, they made it to the hospital and ran right into the two women in the main lobby. “Hey, guys!” Laura greeted them. “What are you doing here? We just saw Caleb and he looks great. The doctor said he’s well on his way to coming home. We’re going to get some coffee, do you want to join us?” Justin put his arm around Laura then narrowed his eyes at his sister. “There’s something we need to discuss first. Isn’t that right, anonymous buyer?” Elisa’s eyes widened. Justin had been right about her. She refused to look at either of them. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mumbled in a tone that made it obvious she did. “Really? So you know nothing about the fact that someone plans to hand the realtor a check for the down payment on that building today. You know nothing about the fact that if the sale goes through, we don’t have to close the clinic. You, Elisa, have no information about this situation.” Laura’s mouth had dropped open after Justin’s first sentence, and she grabbed him in a warm embrace. “Really? That’s wonderful news!”

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“You need to get the money back,” he said when his wife released him. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you’ll be miserable if you stay here.” Elisa blinked. She shook her head and pulled her keys from her purse. “I’m sorry, Laura, I have to go. I don’t know what any of you are talking about.” She shot past them and through the automatic doors of the hospital’s entrance, disappearing into the parking lot. Liam let her go. He would see her again soon enough. After all the time he’d spent convincing her to stay, now he had to turn around and tell her she needed to leave. And then he would have to deal with her absence.

Elisa sat on her bedroom floor between the boxes she’d packed over the past few weeks in anticipation of going to Nashville. She didn’t know what would be worse—if she had to turn around and unpack them, or if Justin refused the money and she’d have to leave after all. She looked at her copy of the cashier’s check and the dollar amount that was on it. That money had been saved for her new life in another city. It would have paid travel expenses, rent and all of her bills during the internship and until she got a paying job. Now, it was going to save Justin, Laura and Liam. She knew without a doubt that she had made the right decision—a decision that would provide a better future for everyone, including herself. Running to Rainbow’s rescue in the middle of street, helping Liam tend to her injuries, and then watching her wake up and later, walk again, had filled Elisa with more pride than any office job could ever provide. Justin and Liam were right. Her future was her decision. Not Brett’s, not Mrs. Dale’s or any of the other women in town who talked trash about her. She wanted to be a vet—right here in Windy Flats, where she could be with her family and Liam. If the clinic got back on its feet, he wouldn’t have to go anywhere. Somehow, they would make everyone see what a wonderful man he was—not at all the criminal that horrible girl had made him out to be. Besides, the animals were going to get sick and hurt, and Justin’s place was the only vet clinic for miles in any direction. Eventually, the clients would cave and let Liam do his job. She was sure of it. Unless, of course, Justin refused her offer. She was just providing the money—she wanted his name on the title. No one deserved to own that property more than he did. A soft rap sounded on her door. She jumped when she saw Liam standing in her doorway. “How did you get in here?” He dangled a key in front of him. “You never took your spare back.” Any argument she might have given him deflated in the face of her sadness. She had not wanted Justin to find out she’d written the check. But just as she’d expected, he wouldn’t accept the money now that he knew it was from her. He’d go right to Barry and refuse to sign the sale contract.

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She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I guess I’ll be leaving after all.” “So it was you.” “Fine. It was me. Big deal.” She stood and put her hands on her hips. “It’s a very big deal.” Liam crossed the room and took her arms, his gaze full of pride. “A huge deal.” At least someone appreciated her effort. Too bad it wasn’t the person making the ultimate decision. “Why can’t he just take the damn money?” she cried. “I’m doing this for him! And for Laura and the boys…and you.” Liam’s eyebrows went up. “Me? Oh sweetheart, you can’t do anything for me. My house sold. I have to go, regardless.” She stared at him, her stomach turning. “You sold your house? But if Justin isn’t having financial problems anymore, he doesn’t have to let you go.” “He still needs clients. If they don’t want to see me, I can’t do any good here.” “But—” “Elisa, that’s a lot of money. If that check clears, you’re giving up your whole life, everything you’ve been planning for so many years. Are you ready for that?” “I’m not giving up anything. The clinic is my life. You are my life. I don’t want to go anywhere.” His eyes closed briefly, and he gave her a sad smile. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear you say that.” “Then stay with me. I love you.” Her breath caught on that sentence. She hadn’t planned to say it, hadn’t said it since the early months of her relationship with Brett. Then, she was eighteen years old and had confused the word with lust. Now, she’d never been so sure of anything, so aware of how much her heart ached for Liam. But her admission seemed to upset him. He pulled her against him and locked his arms around her, his lips to her hair. “You don’t need me anymore.” She jolted, taking a step back. She wanted to believe he hadn’t said that, but she’d heard it plain as day. “What is that supposed to mean?” “Look, Justin and I have been trying to tell you what to do, what we think is best for you, when we really should have butted out and let you run your own life. And now that’s what you’re doing. You’re strong.” “And…what? I don’t need you to protect me anymore, so off you go? What am I, your pet project?” He didn’t seem to hear her. “We’ll always be connected, Elisa. We have our baby, and some very good memories.” Yeah, memories of letting down her guard and trusting him with her body, heart and soul—several times over—only to find out he hadn’t loved her at all. He’d been playing bodyguard. Just like in school.

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“Even if I could stay, our relationship would never work here,” Liam continued, like he was ticking off a top ten list of excuses he could use to leave her. “Your own brother doesn’t even know we have a history. Do you want to hide the past forever? Constantly worry if the next rumor will put the clinic out of business?” He had a point there. But the rest of it was garbage. “I’d ask you to go with me to Dallas, but given what you’ve done for the clinic, I assume you no longer want to leave. Am I right?” He touched her cheek, and her heart broke. She nodded. He was right. She didn’t want a big city, never really had. She’d wanted love and happiness and had looked in the wrong place. Now, just when their future in Windy Flats had taken detailed form in her mind, she had to somehow dissolve the image and accept that Liam would never see her as anything but a person he had to comfort or protect. “Fine. Since you’re always worried about what’s best for me, make sure you let Justin know that if he doesn’t take that money, it’s going to charity. You want me to fend for myself, you got it.”

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Chapter Thirteen

Liam lingered in the doorframe between the hallway and the waiting room while Elisa packed her office supplies into a cardboard box to make room for Alexis at the reception desk. His heart surged with pride. It wouldn’t be long before she treated the animals herself instead of scheduling Justin’s appointments over the phone. She had been able to transfer a lot of her classes to her new degree plan, and in two years, she would be a vet. Too bad he wouldn’t be there to see it. Finally, it was closing day—the day Justin would claim ownership of the property where he’d built his life for the past decade. It had been a long, crazy three weeks, while Justin waited for the sale paperwork to clear at the same time Liam dealt with finalizing the contract on his house. On top of that, Caleb had come home from the hospital this morning. It was amazing to watch everything fall into place. Thank God for Brett and his superficial parents…and the baby Liam had made with Elisa. That money had saved the clinic and everyone who worked there. He could tell by the cloudless sky that their daughter was happy. And his mom—what would she think of all this? Would she stand by his decision, or lecture him for giving up the best thing that ever happened to him? “I bet Justin is thrilled to see this day,” he said, standing beside Elisa. She nodded. “I can imagine. You’re both crazy if you thought I was falling for that ‘you can’t do this’ lecture. I know what he wants.” “I sure will miss this place.” Sadness filled his chest. After today, he wouldn’t return to the clinic. He didn’t have much choice but to leave when clients still refused to see him. He guessed that Elisa wouldn’t have the same problem, because by the time she earned her license to practice, he would be a distant memory to the town gossipers. And maybe to Elisa. She turned to look at him but didn’t move closer. Despite the way he yearned to hold her, they had made an unspoken decision get used to being friends—without benefits. “We’re going to miss you too. You sure you don’t want to stay?” “I can’t. My buyer is moving in next week. Besides, my friend in Dallas is expecting me. Two doctors running around this place will be enough, don’t you think?” Elisa smiled, her features filled with genuine happiness that at last she was pursuing a dream she thought she’d lost. He was glad he’d played some part in getting her back on the right track…but not so

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glad he had made himself out to be little more than her helper. Clearly, she had been insulted by that conversation. She hadn’t touched him since, hadn’t said another affectionate word. In fact, he hadn’t seen her outside of the clinic at all since the day she’d told him she loved him. Loved him. Why couldn’t he believe that? Why hadn’t he said it back when he knew damn well it was the way he felt about her? The bell over the front door rang. Justin entered, accompanied by Laura and a car seat—occupied by a tiny, sleeping baby boy. Elisa gasped and ran to Laura’s side, bending to coo over Caleb. “Hey there, precious,” she said, touching the little blue blanket that covered most of his body. “Oh, he is just adorable!” “You want to hold him?” Laura asked. Elisa nodded. She moved the blankets aside and undid the safety belt, then lifted Caleb from the seat and cradled him against her chest. One of his hands moved, and then he was sound asleep again. Liam sat in one of the chairs, his legs weak at the sight of Elisa with the baby. Years ago, she’d held his baby that way, though their little girl hadn’t been breathing, and no little fingers had reached out. Just the thought of it tore him up, and he hadn’t even been there. He couldn’t fathom how Elisa, even at nineteen years old, had found the strength to live through every devastating moment of that day. Because she’s strong. He was an idiot for believing he’d protected her from anything. She had survived every parent’s worst nightmare without him. Maybe it was time he put aside his insecurities and took her at her word—she loved him. And possibly for the same reasons he loved her—because they shared great times, endless passion, history, a child, a career. Because in each other, they found what mattered in life. Not because he was her superhero. “I have to go get something.” Elisa handed Caleb to Laura and rushed out to her car. She returned with a small box, from which she pulled a light green knitted hat and matching socks. “I made these when I was pregnant,” she said. “I found them last week when I was packing up to move. Luckily I didn’t know what I was having, so they aren’t pink. He might not appreciate that.” “Oh, honey.” Laura passed her son to Justin and wrapped Elisa in a warm embrace. Liam stood to shake the proud father’s hand. “Good-looking kid.” Justin grinned. “Yeah, he’s all right.” Elisa arranged the hat on Caleb’s head, though it kept falling down into his eyes, and took a picture with her phone. “It makes me so happy to see him wearing something that belonged to my daughter.” “And mine.” The words were out of Liam’s mouth before he could change his mind. He was finished with secrets, and he wasn’t leaving town while he still carried this one. “Our daughter.” Ignoring her brother’s dumbfounded stare, Elisa put her arms around Liam’s waist and buried her face in his shirt. He held her, keeping it G-rated with great difficulty given the weeks that had passed since he’d

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Avery Beck

touched her. When she lifted her head, there were wet spots all over her face and his clothes. But she was smiling. “Our daughter,” she repeated. “What the…?” Justin said. Laura laughed and told him she’d explain later.

The following day, Elisa observed nearly two dozen bouquets of flowers artfully arranged in vases around the waiting room. “It looks like a greenhouse exploded in here.” Alexis laughed. “I like it. It brightens up the place. You need to talk to Justin about doing a little redecorating.” “I’ve thought about taking a paintbrush to the place myself. Blue is such a downer. How about…mustard yellow?” The phone rang, and Alexis stuck her tongue out at the mustard comment before answering it. “Windy Flats Veterinary Clinic, how may I help you?” Elisa smiled, grateful that Justin had hired Alexis for the receptionist position. Her bubbly personality went over well with the customers, who had come back to the clinic in hordes. Some had shown up with perfectly healthy pets, just wanting to pay the fee for an office visit because they were so sorry for the way they had reacted to news of Liam’s past and even the way they’d behaved toward Elisa nine years ago. Boy, were they sorry. The flowers had started coming within an hour of Elisa and Liam’s decision to tell their family and friends—and, via grapevine, most of the town—the truth about their child. A couple of deliveries had already been made this morning. The clinic would likely have a bouquet from every family Justin treated by the time all was said and done. Elisa was getting sympathy cards. It gave her closure she hadn’t even known she needed. “What happened when you were in school?” Elisa blinked, taken aback by the innocent but loaded question Alexis had asked her. “I made some bad decisions. You just have to be careful who you trust with your heart. I believed in the wrong man.” “Oh.” Alexis nodded solemnly, as though she’d been there, done that. “Yeah, breakups suck.” Elisa considered the simplicity of that statement. She liked it. Wouldn’t it be nice if that was all that had happened to her regarding Brett? A breakup? “Yes, they do,” she agreed. “It’s hard to accept that people you love are willing to hurt you so badly.” Some people aren’t. They’d had some misunderstandings, but Liam had never done anything with the intent to hurt her. She didn’t honestly think he ever would. But that was what had gotten her into trouble the first time, wasn’t it? Just like she’d told Alexis. She’d believed in the wrong man. But what if Liam was the right man?

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Alexis grinned. “Well, he got his, that’s for sure. You have everything now.” “I do?” “Oh my gosh, yes. You’re going to be a doctor! And you’ve got the best family, and Dr. Barton has the hots for you. I would love to be in your shoes! Girl, you are the luckiest person in the world.” Elisa stared at her. “And you are the smartest.” Alexis waved her hand. “Nah, I’m just an average student.” “You get an A for knowing more about life than I’ve been able to learn over the past nine years.” Unfortunately, what she had figured out had come too late. Liam had already sold his house and accepted a job in Dallas. She’d taken too long to get her head on straight, and now she would have to pay the real price. One much bigger than the cash she’d given up for the clinic. She had to say goodbye to him. He had asked her to meet him at her place after the clinic closed for the night. He was finalizing the sale of his house today, and after they talked, he would drive to Dallas. That evening at home, she lingered in the shower, her mind filled with memories of the times she’d spent in there with Liam. He was an incredible lover, a wonderful friend. He listened, he understood, he made her laugh. He was everything good in her life. How was she supposed to let him go? She sank to a sitting position on the floor of the tub and let the water run down her hair and over her body. It mixed with her tears, and as she drew the bar of soap over her legs she formed a plan. If there had to be a goodbye, it needed to be more than a quick conversation before he jumped in the car. She had to feel him against her, inside her, one more time. Maybe she could convince him to spend the night. But it wouldn’t make any difference. It still wouldn’t be enough. She got out of the shower just in time to hear an engine shut off outside the window. She peered through the blinds and couldn’t miss the big moving truck parked in her driveway. She hadn’t known until that moment she would actually be able to feel her heart breaking. Somehow she’d held on to a small hope that Liam wouldn’t really leave, but other people lived in his house now and his belongings had been packed up and stuffed in a truck. It didn’t get more obvious than that. She opened the door and tried to fake a smile, but her lips trembled. “Hi,” was all she could say. He stepped into the foyer and closed the door behind him, and before she knew what was happening, grief overtook her and she crumpled into his arms. She sobbed, harder than she had allowed herself to cry in years. “What’s this about?” he asked into the top of her hair.

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Avery Beck

She shook her head, unable to say the words. She’d told him she loved him before, and he hadn’t seemed to hear her. Now he was leaving. There would be no point in repeating herself. He let her cry for another minute then set her away and wiped the drops from her cheeks. He didn’t look all that upset, and that only made her angry. But at least she stopped crying. She sniffed. “Sorry. I’ve been a little emotional this week.” “I understand that. With the issues at the clinic and all.” “Yes,” she insisted. “And Caleb coming home.” “Is that all?” A grin played on his lips. Her eyes narrowed. “I’m glad you think this is funny. I guess since we’re just friends it shouldn’t be a big deal that you’re leaving.” Liam took her hand and sat both of them on the sofa. “You know damn well we’re more than friends.” “You don’t seem to think so.” “I’m a man. I’m holding in my emotions.” “Ha ha.” He put his finger to her chin. “Tell me what else you’re emotional about.” “I don’t want you to go.” “Why?” Elisa opened her mouth, but she was still too afraid to say it. Liam kissed her softly, and with his lips still close to hers, he murmured, “Tell me. I promise I’ll say it back.” Her heart pounded. “I love you, Liam. I’ll go crazy if you’re not here.” Her voice shook like she’d downed a few gallons of caffeine. Her body wasn’t much calmer. He smiled and squeezed her hand, probably to help her sit still before she jiggled right off the couch. “I love you too, sweetie. Good thing I’m not going anywhere.” She had some trouble processing those two unbelievable statements at the same time. “What are you talking about? Your moving van’s in the driveway.” “Justin offered me the partnership. Turns out gossip is a good thing. People are so sorry, business has exploded.” “But your house—you didn’t sell it?” “Oh, I sold it. Unfortunately, that was already a done deal when all this happened. I wanted to talk to you about that.” “I don’t have any money left, Liam. I gave it all to the clinic.” His eyes twinkled. “But you still have this house.” “I don’t own it. And Mom and Dad are going to sell it—” “To us. Actually, they’re giving it to us. For a wedding gift.” This time, she did fall over, luckily right into his grasp. “For a…what?”

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“A wedding gift. The house is ours, paid off. So we can put all of our money into fixing it up. Assuming there’s a wedding, that is.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. Holding her breath, she opened it up and nearly fainted when she saw the huge diamond sparkling back at her. She gasped. “Oh, Liam!” “It was my mom’s. She left it to me. She must have known this was coming.” Elisa grabbed his hand and buried her face in his shoulder, her answer coming out as a muffled squeal. He chuckled. “So, what do you think? It’s not Nashville, but I was hoping I could find a way to make your life just as exciting. Will you marry me?” She found the strength to lift her head. “Nashville couldn’t hold a candle to you. And yes. Yes.” He slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her. She practically jumped on top of him, so they both fell over on the sofa. He brushed her hair from her face and smiled. “I’m looking forward to giving Caleb a cousin to play with.” The doorbell rang. Liam raised a brow. “Well…maybe not now.” Elisa laughed and kissed him again, then ran to the door. Her family stood on the front porch grinning, her mother and Laura bursting to make wedding plans. There really was no privacy in this town, and Elisa had never been so happy about it.

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About the Author

Two-time Golden Heart® finalist Avery Beck has crafted compelling fiction since age five, when she played school with her best friend and sent home a “teacher’s note” that got the poor girl in trouble. It seems natural that her two passions, writing and studying relationships, have found an outlet in romance novels. She is fascinated with exploring the something that draws two people together, and she hopes to share with readers the humor, fun, drama and, best of all, joy of falling in love. Avery writes short, sexy contemporaries and believes life is not complete without the pursuit of dreams and an intense roll in the hay…or wherever one feels inclined to roll. Visit

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Look for these titles by Avery Beck

Now Available: Sexy by Design For His Eyes Only

One night of anonymous sex. Zero consequences. At least, that was the plan.

Sexy by Design © 2009 Avery Beck Dumped for another woman, Bree Jamison buries her white-picket-fence dreams—and her naturally shy demeanor—for a contract job behind the scenes of an erotic cyberstore. Her new life comes with a sexy public persona, and a driving ambition to earn a permanent position with the company. On the day she’s prepared to present her best work, she’s shocked to discover her future depends on impressing her only one-night stand. The one man who could blow her cover and ruin everything. Evan climbed out of poverty with sarcasm on his tongue and a ring in his eyebrow. He can’t believe the vixen in front of him is the same woman who fumbled her way through their single botched encounter. Her offer for a do-over is an opportunity he can’t pass up, not only to secure his reputation, but to satisfy his curiosity about the one woman he couldn’t please. In a bedroom full of the company’s products, fiery arguments lead to experimentation—and then to a passion that strips away their masks. In that vulnerable place, their troubled pasts collide, baring secrets that force Evan into a hard decision. And Bree back on the road to heartbreak… Warning: This title contains hot sex complete with four-letter words and battery-operated devices, as well as a kinky to-do list and the world’s most entertaining office job.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Sexy by Design: Bree couldn’t take the honest approach, not yet. They were barely treading friendly waters, and she couldn’t lose the upper hand until she’d convinced him that his original impression of her had been way off-base. “I can see I’ll have to prove you wrong.” Her fingers wrapped around the handle of her bottom drawer and pulled it out so hard the entire desk rattled. Inside lay a hefty collection of vibrators in different colors, textures, and sizes. Evan looked down at the array of fake penises and threw his head back in amusement. Chuckling, he managed to say, “I’m afraid work-related devices don’t count.” “You didn’t say that. You said I’d never seen one.” “I amend my earlier statement. So you’ve seen one. But you’ve never used one.” He drew that word out like a long, slow lick on an ice cream cone. Bree-flavored ice cream. From behind those sultry eyelashes he watched her, daring her to be turned on by his proposition. She wasn’t merely turned on. She was a hungry lioness circling her cage, waiting for the door to open so she could burst out and devour a succulent piece of meat. Yum.

She glanced at her office door to make sure it was closed. Time to put her seduction plan into action. Swallowing hard, she reached into the drawer and retrieved a sizable blue cylinder. Her hand shook with nerves, so she squeezed her fingers around the thing more tightly. If she were going to refute his assumptions, she couldn’t be afraid of a vibrator. She needed to act like she’d used one every day of her adult life. Like having a man watch her touch herself with one came as naturally as breathing. A smile played on her lips. Letting a man watch and using a sex toy? She could knock two things off the list with this one simple act. Simple. Right. Her smile fading, she blew out a shaky breath and brushed the tip over her exposed shoulder, seeing Evan’s mouth open just enough to let her know she had his interest. With excruciating slowness, she dragged the toy down her arm, making a U-turn at her wrist before bringing it back up and across her collarbone. She shivered at the cool, tingly trail it left on her skin and closed her eyes, wondering how she’d follow through with this show when she’d never even done it privately. Before she got that far, Evan rolled his chair closer. Her eyes snapped open. His penetrating gaze fixed on her, he removed the device from her skin and held it tantalizingly in front of her face. “What are you doing?” she objected. He didn’t answer, just turned it on with a single flick of his thumb. The purr of the tiny motor made her jump. The way he stared at her made her feel naked even though she remained fully clothed. The room was nearly silent, the buzz of the fluorescent lights drowned out by the beat of her racing heart. She should have bashed his hand, should have bolted from the chair. But she didn’t. “Don’t touch me with that,” she rasped. “Don’t you dare.” Yet still she couldn’t move. What was wrong with her? Evan’s attempt to take control of the situation wasn’t surprising, given his sky-high confidence level. But enjoying his power trip was not part of the plan. “So.” His breath caressed her neck as he dipped the pulsating tip into the top of her dress, grazing the cleft between her breasts. “Would you like a demonstration of what this thing is really used for?” He looked down, and she knew he’d spotted her rigid nipples poking through the thin fabric of her outfit. Lovely. As cavalier as he was to begin with, she didn’t want to reveal that, at the moment, her attraction to him was fueling her quest for sexual experience. Much as she hated to admit that, it was entirely, irrevocably true. Her mind begged her to move away from him. Your terms, remember? But her body refused to listen. One more moment of his dizzying nearness, one more second of his warm breath grazing her skin just the way it had when he’d been inside her, and she would lose this battle. She’d be taking lessons from him instead of showing him what she could do.

So why did it feel so good? An inkling of smugness in his smile, he moved the device down to her knee and began sliding it up the inside of her thigh. “I’ll take that as a yes.” No, no, no! “Evan—” “Happy birthday!” The door flew open and the entire staff burst in, cake in tow. Snapping to attention, Bree watched in horror as the vibrator dropped from Evan’s fingers and rolled underneath her desk. For once, he looked stunned as well.

The heart takes no prisoners.

Secrets and Seduction © 2011 Jane Beckenham The only emotion Leah Grainger can muster when thinking of her dead husband is relief. Until she learns his gambling debt threatens her beloved farm and the child she wanted to protect from the rootless existence she grew up with. The last straw? Her husband’s brother demands a meeting. When she charges into his office to tell him she won’t let another Grainger screw up her life, the startlingly handsome, former oil rig wildcatter goes for the jugular. He’s claimed legal guardianship of her daughter, bought her mortgage…and he’s moving in. The final email Mac received from his suicidal brother blamed Leah for everything. If it’s the last thing he does, he plans to protect his niece. Even if it means using his millions to gain the upper hand. And hardening his heart against the beautiful Leah’s protests of innocence. Yet something seems off. Leah is nothing like the uncaring woman his brother described. She’s warm, loving…and when a new threat to her child surfaces and she reaches out to him in need, his body won’t let him say no. Even when her last secret forces him to make a decision that exposes his most closely guarded possession. His heart. Warning: Contains tug-your-heart love, raise-the-roof lust, a marriage of convenience and hot sex that will give a whole new meaning to the word “wildcatter.”

Enjoy the following excerpt for Secrets and Seduction: Mac Grainger leant against the porch railing, arms folded across his broad chest. He stared at her, full mouth curling at the corners. Leah swallowed back the sudden lump in her throat. He’d changed from the suit he’d worn at his office into a pair of jeans and Polo shirt, making him appear deceptively approachable. Almost—because Leah knew Mac Grainger wasn’t a man to toy with. A few yards behind him, parked beneath the copse of cabbage trees, was a red Ferrari. Expensive, classic, with a hint of the devil. She shouldn’t have expected anything different. Leah backed up a step, hoping the shadow cast from the overhanging trees would hide the shock she felt heating her cheeks. “What are you doing here?” “Exactly what I said I would. I take my role as uncle seriously.” The bush she’d been holding slid from her grip and landed at her feet. “You can’t just walk in here any time you like. This is my property. I’ll…”

He stepped away from the porch and took a few steps toward her. “I’m not going away, Leah. We need to talk.” She glanced to the house. Charlee, please stay asleep. “Not now. Not here,” she countered. He came another step closer. “You can’t run away.” Could he read her mind? “You don’t get a choice, Leah,” he reminded her. Choice. That word highlighted their differences. Rich versus stone broke. “We can talk here,” she prevaricated. “We could, but we won’t.” “Pardon?” “Look, why make this harder than it has to be?” “It’s already hard. I don’t want you here.” “And I told you I’m not going away. So I guess we’re at an impasse.” For the count of several heartbeats, his dark eyes held her captive. He wasn’t about to budge. Somehow she had to get him on her side and appeal to his better nature. Did he have one? Of that, Leah wasn’t certain. He was, after all, Curtis’s brother. Steadying her nerves, she exhaled a choppy breath and wiped her hands down her jeans. She hooked her gaze with his, tilting her chin up a tad higher. “Five minutes. That’s all. Then you go.” She jumped off the back of the pickup and walked right past him, refusing to offer a whiff of weakness, even though resignation soured in her stomach and desperation constricted every breath. She took the front steps two at a time up to the wooden porch, where she peeled off her gumboots, entered her house and switched the light on in the entry hall. A crackle of electricity exploded above her, a current shooting from her fingertips and up her arm. “Ouch.” She yanked her hand back. The bulb above flickered momentarily, then a loud popping sound bounced off the walls, and the bulb died, sending the hall into darkness. “Damn.” “Problem?” “Nothing I can’t handle,” she snapped. Darn it. How many more bulbs would blow? “I might as well take out shares in the company that makes those blasted bulbs,” she grumbled. “It’s an old house and dates back to the eighteen hundreds. There’s bound to be…problems,” she said, unsure why she was trying to explain the shortcomings of her dilapidated house. “So get them fixed,” he countered. If only it were that easy. “Follow me.” She beckoned to Mac and led him down the hallway and into the welcoming kitchencum-dining-and-lounge area, grateful no more bulbs exploded overhead.

Leah knew he followed. She felt him right behind her, just as she’d done when she’d left his office. It was a sensation that was disconcerting and scarily exciting at the same time. Mac Grainger didn’t exactly frighten her, though she was uncertain what he really knew or didn’t know about Charlee. But she did, however, fear his power and what he could take away. A coffee, a chat, then she’d see him out. Easy. Confident she could cope with at least that, she washed her hands at the sink, wiped them on the towel she kept close by and busied herself in the kitchen. She reached for two mugs from a cupboard and, without asking him, tossed a spoonful of coffee into each. “Sugar?” she queried, holding a sugar bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other. He shook his head. He stood at the entrance to her tiny kitchen, so close that heat burned off him. Her mouth dried, and she slid her tongue across parted lips, only to catch him watching her like a falcon focused on its prey. “You don’t have to stand guard, Mr. Grainger. I’m not running.” “Yet,” he answered smoothly. Nerves spun taut, her fragile control tilted precariously. She directed her attention to the steam rising from the kettle, though her awareness of him burgeoned as she tried desperately to remember what, if anything, Curtis had said about him. Though in truth, her husband’s brother had barely rated a mention during their marriage, and while Curtis had been good-looking, charming her easily, Mac doubled the quota in the good-looks department. She peered at him through the wispy steam rising from the kettle. He was tall, imposing and sexy as hell, and even though it shouldn’t, her heart did a flurry of flipflops. Don’t let him charm you, Leah! The kettle’s reedy whistle echoed across the silence, breaking her thoughts, which was just as well. Those sorts of thoughts weren’t a good idea, and she chastised herself for even noticing him. She filled both cups and handed one to him, holding hers with both hands so he wouldn’t see them shaking. She walked right past him and back into her tiny lounge and stood beside the rough-hewn table. “I’m not letting you walk in here on a whim, so you can get that idea right out of your head, Mr. Grainger.” He took a sip from his coffee, his expression unreadable. “Tough. Curtis asked me to look out for her.” Leah’s heart constricted. “Why?” “Because I’m his brother and Charlee’s uncle.” Focusing on keeping her voice calm and controlled, she put her cup down on the table. “And I was his wife. As far as I’m aware, you’ve never been around, too busy for family. Curtis died weeks ago. Where were you then?”

Instead of answering her, he scanned the room, and Leah found herself bristling, knowing what he saw: the faded and peeled paintwork, a tired house in need of repair. She challenged him with an upward flick of her chin. “It’s not much, but it’s mine.” His gaze returned to her, his mouth severe. “Not quite.” “Pardon?” “Running this place must take a lot of time, energy and money.” He pointed toward her mail scattered on the table. The mail she didn’t want to read. Bills she couldn’t pay. “I’m not complaining.” “Borrowing money, spending it when you know you can’t pay it back.” He wagged a finger at her as if she were a spoilt child. “Tut, tut.” A sting of heat curled across her skin. “That’s not true.” “I’m no fool. You’re Curtis’s wife.” “His widow,” she corrected. “He said you never had enough money.” Leah met Mac’s gaze full on. Big mistake. He stepped closer. Not so close that he touched her, but still too close, his expression unyielding and full of condemnation. But it was her reaction to him that scared her the most. The awareness that fired up all over again. She shook her head, willing away thoughts that had no right being there, and backed up. “I’ve seen the loan documents, Leah. Your signature is quite clear, and according to an interesting conversation I had with Curtis’s solicitor, your big problem runs into five digits.” Leah’s shoulders slumped, and Mac bit out a harsh laugh, his tone as arrogant and brutal as the expression he wore. “Finally, I’ve got your attention.” “You have no right to nose into something that doesn’t concern you.” “You’re wrong. As Charlee’s uncle, I’ve made it my business. I promised Curtis to look out for his daughter.” “His… Curtis barely registered her existence.” Mac frowned, but even her uttering the truth didn’t swerve him from his self-proclaimed purpose. “I always keep my promises. Your husband insinuated certain…allegations.” Her heartbeat skidded to a standstill. “Rubbish.” But she had to ask. “About what?” “That you’re not a fit mother.” Leah threw her hands up, then shoved back the hair that had fallen across her eyes. Her palms were sweaty, and a sticky sheen of nervous perspiration slicked across her pores. “That’s ridiculous. Curtis was sick and not in his right mind.” “That’s your story, but don’t worry, I intend to find out the truth.”