There was Jack Munroe with a vase of white rosebuds cradled in his hands.

“These are for you, to say thank you. I owe you an apology,” Jack said.

“Please, don’t worry. It was understandable given the circumstances.”

Katherine had to move closer to accept the bouquet, close enough to notice he didn’t wear a wedding ring. Not that she should be noticing. Not that she wanted to.

“You’re generous to say that. Needless to say, I don’t take criticism of my daughter very well.”

“I wasn’t criticizing her. Just trying to make things right. Everyone makes mistakes, especially teenagers.”

How could he have gotten it so wrong? The woman wasn’t high and mighty, she wasn’t righteous and judgmental. She was amazing. And if he stood here one second longer and kept this conversation going, then he was going to make a huge mistake.

JILLIAN HART

makes her home in Washington State, where she has lived most of her life. When Jillian is not hard at work on her next story, she loves to read, go to lunch with her friends and spend quiet evenings with her family.

Precious Blessings
Jillian Hart

www.millsandboon.co.uk

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

—Galatians 5:22-23

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Letter to Reader

Questions for Discussion

Chapter One

“Go on, do it.” The barely audible whisper skimmed over the tall aisle of displayed greeting cards on the other side of the store.

Ordinarily, there was too much noise in the Corner Christian Book Store to hear a low, private conversation. But with the heavy February snowfall tumbling just outside the Spring Is Coming front window display and the fact that most of the customers had hurried through their shopping and left for home when the snow began falling in earnest, the whispering was almost too loud in the quiet, nearly empty store.

Katherine McKaslin didn’t stop her work straightening and restocking the greeting-card display, but she did look around. The last time she’d heard those words whispered in the store, someone had been shoplifting.

Two teenage girls stage right, between the crystals case and the humorous greeting cards. They giggled softly, their heads bobbing together to tell secrets. All Katherine could see of them over the chin-high displays were the tops of their heads. One had a tuft-like hairdo of orange spikes, and her friend had blond hair streaked with blueberry strands.

Ah, teenage rebellion. It was a stage she’d missed entirely, which was probably why she was thirty-two and still single. She’d always been stuck in the same rut. There was comfort in the familiar.

Whenever she got an impulse to color her hair—not orange or blue—and maybe add a few highlights to her plain blond locks or wear shoes with more than a sensible one-inch heel, it was short-lived. What would her family think? How would she explain it?

They’d probably say, that’s not like you, Katherine, what’s gotten into you? And so here she was, thirty-two and working in her parents’ store, wearing sensible low-heeled shoes and a black blazer, blouse and skirt that suited a conservative businesswoman. Ever since she’d been a teenager, she’d been afraid of making mistakes.

“I’ll be back,” Spence, her brother, called as he shrugged into his nicest coat. “Send prayers and positive thoughts.”

“Already done.”

With a chime of the overhead bell, the door swished shut behind Spence and she was alone on the floor. She swung her gaze back to her work, pressing down serious worries over the store’s worsening financial situation. Her stomach tightened with dread, but before she could send a prayer on Spence’s behalf, a blur of movement caught her eye.

There, in the corner security mirror, she had a perfect view of the blue-haired girl slipping something inside her oversized purple book bag.

Oh, no. You aren’t shoplifting, right? Katherine waited, pulse thumping, hoping against hope the teen was reaching for her cell phone. Or maybe the girl was checking where she’d left her keys. Customers did that all the time.

But even as she searched for other possibilities, Katherine knew gut-level that it was serious. One look in the mirror showed the empty spaces in the crystals case right in front of the door. The door that should have been locked. Sure enough, the blue-haired teenager had just made a colossal mistake.

Go on, kid, put the figurines back. That would be the best outcome for everyone involved, she thought as she crossed the floor calmly to the counter. Give the girls the chance to do the right thing.

It had happened before in situations like this and it could happen again. She stared hard at the top of the girls’ heads and wasn’t surprised when the blue-haired girl looked up. Katherine couldn’t tell the girl’s exact expression beneath the layers of mascara, thick black eyeliner and shadow, but she thought she saw a flash of fear before a brittle hardness settled into a cold-eyed stare.

Okay, maybe not the nicest girl on the planet, but she didn’t look like the worst, either. And that brief flash of genuine emotion was telling. The girl wasn’t well practiced at stealing. Maybe she wasn’t a hardened criminal just yet.

“Put them back, please.” Maybe the please had been a little too polite. That was another one of her problems. “Return the figurines or I’ll call the police.”

Those hard eyes widened in horror. In a split second both girls dashed around the display case, and raced toward the door.

Big mistake. This was not what she wanted. Katherine took off after them, heart heavy, as the detectors went off. The girls flew out onto the sidewalk. Another few seconds and they’d be lost in the thickly falling snow.

Kelly slung open the break room door. “What’s wrong?”

“Shoplifters. Call the cops.”

Trusting her best employee to make the call, Katherine hurried out into the storm. The blast of the cold January snowstorm struck her like a brick wall. She swiped the wind-driven snow from her face. Which way had they gone?

North, into the storm and in the direction of the high school, judging by the fresh sets of boot prints. The veil of snow thickened, and they were gone from her sight. Right along with about two hundred and fifty dollars in merchandise she suspected.

Great. Katherine dropped to a walk, lost in the swirling snow. It wasn’t the financial loss to the store that bothered her. Those girls were on a troubled path. The police were on their way, and it was out of her hands now. Too bad, because she knew how devastating the consequences of a single act could be.

Watch over them, Lord, she prayed. Those girls would need all the help they could get.

“They’re on their way,” Kelly’s voice called through the storm. “Katherine? Are you out here?”

“Yes, thanks, Kelly. Go back inside where it’s warm.” Too bad her toasty and sensible goose down coat was hanging neatly in the break room closet. She could really use it about now. Her teeth chattered; she was already an icicle. There was no sense chasing after the girls in this cold, not when she had no chance of catching them, since she was probably the slowest runner in the world.

Best to head back inside and wait for the—

A flash of blue shot through the thick veil of snowfall. The police? Were they already here? Talk about a quick response. Lights strobed dully, but the vehicle had stopped somewhere in the middle of the parking lot. Had they caught sight of the girls?

The beam of red and blue faded. Didn’t they usually leave those on? She couldn’t see a thing, the storm was whipping up into whiteout conditions. Then a girl’s voice rose above the wind just up ahead and Katherine rushed toward the sound.

“Hurry, Dad!” One of the girls’ voices rose above the wind. “We gotta get outta here right now. Uh…cuz we’re totally freezing.”

Perfect. The dad had come to pick up the girls, and she could fix this right now. Speak with the man responsible for his shoplifting teenager. Not that she liked confrontations, but this had to be done. She wasn’t sure what had happened to the police cruiser, but the slam of a door told her she was running out of time. Hurry. She could still catch them.

Suddenly, shadows materialized from the shroud of falling snow. She recognized the shape of a patrol car, the taillights glowing faintly red as it idled in the lot. She had a perfect view of the blue-haired teenager sheltered in the front passenger seat, but she couldn’t see the driver.

“Officer?”

No response, but the blue-haired girl’s shocked face filled the front passenger window. The vehicle eased forward.

“Officer! Wait!” She couldn’t believe her eyes. They were actually getting away? What kind of police were the city hiring? Men who covered up crimes for their daughters?

Oh no you don’t, mister. Sometimes it paid to be ultra-organized—although some people might call it slightly compulsive. She whipped her pen and notepad of sticky notes she always carried with her out of her pocket and ran after the car, squinting at the faint license plate numbers. Once she had them safely noted, she huffed to a stop and slipped the note and pen safely into her pocket.

The taillights stopped, barely more than a faint glow in the thick curtain of snow. Thank goodness, he’d stopped. Now she could straighten this out, even if her chest was knotted up so tight she couldn’t breathe. She really hated confrontations, but she could handle this.

How on earth should she handle this? If this was the responding officer and he was the father of one or both of the girls, then he was going to be upset, naturally. She didn’t like upset men, but then, who did? She took a steadying breath. Lord, help me find the right way—

Was it her imagination or were those taillights coming closer? Wait, the rear bumper was definitely rushing toward her. She stopped running, but her heel slid forward on the ice. She skated right at the approaching license plate. He was going to hit her.

Tires squealed and the vehicle stopped. She thudded against the car, stopping her forward skid with her hands against the end of the trunk. Her knee struck the bumper of the car. Pain shot through her kneecap.

A tall shadow of a man emerged out of the snowfall and loomed over her, as big as a grizzly. “What is your problem, lady? I almost hit you. You can’t go running at a moving vehicle. What’s wrong with you?”

She opened her mouth but no words came.

He halted, towering above her with what had to be over six foot three inches of brawny, powerful man. His baritone boomed like thunder. “Are you hurt?”

He was kind of scary, and her knees wobbled. She opened her mouth again and to her surprise a word actually came out. “Y-yo.” Too bad it was a word that didn’t make any sense.

“Do you need help? Detox?”

Maybe it was his judgmental tone or the derisive lift of his upper lip, but her shock melted away like ice under hot water. “Excuse me? I certainly have never needed anything close to detox. When my sales associate called 911 for assistance, this isn’t what we had in mind. An officer doesn’t usually help the perpetrators escape the scene of the crime. What kind of cop are you?”

Wow, was she being assertive or what?

“I’m the off-duty kind of officer on his way home after a bad shift. And that means I’m in a horrible mood.” He put his hands on his hips, emphasizing both the breadth of his iron shoulders and the shadowed gun holstered at his hip. “Now, why did you run at my vehicle?”

“I was writing down your license-plate number. I told you. We called in a shoplifting incident.”

“You’re not in any danger?”

“Well, no. Not since you got out of your car.”

If that made a dent in his one-track line of thought, she couldn’t see it. He was more shadow and substance in the heavy storm, and the snow didn’t touch him.

“Look, I’m a state trooper, not a town cop. This isn’t my jurisdiction. Why don’t you go back into your little store and wait for the proper authorities to show up. And stay away from moving vehicles. You could have gotten hurt.”

Wow, she didn’t like condescending, self-important men. And it had been a while since one had made her so angry so fast. “I don’t need a big strong man like you to tell me that. What I need is for you to bring your daughters back to my store—”

“Daughter. The other girl isn’t mine.”

“The blue-haired girl stole two collectible figurines from my store.”

“No way, lady.”

“Are you listening to me? You just aren’t getting this through your head, are you?”

Why me? Jack Munroe swiped the snow from his eyes. He wished he could rub away his exhaustion as easily. He was beat, and he’d reached his tolerance quota for the day. The last thing he needed was a high-and-mighty woman like the one standing before him, all judgmental righteousness. He’d used up his patience for dealing with that kind of woman when he’d been married. “You’re not in any danger?”

“No.”

“Is anyone else in any danger?”

“Uh…no.”

“Did you hurt yourself when you ran into my patrol car?”

“No.”

“Fine. I don’t know why you’re so confused, but I’ve had a hard day. I’m not going to deal with this nonsense, not right now. I suggest you go back inside before you freeze and wait for the local cops to come take your report.”

He watched as the woman reached into her slim skirt pocket. Not for a weapon, no, but a hundred-dollar pen and small notepad. She began writing furiously, pausing to sweep off the fat snowflakes that landed on her dainty pink pad.

Leaning in, she squinted at his chest. She was tall, and in the dusk of the storm, her light hair gleamed like platinum. “Your badge number. Now, your name would be…?”

She didn’t look delusional and psychotic, not for a woman who was standing in an arctic storm in a designer suit and glaring up at him like a hungry reporter ready to jot down crucial information on her square pad of sticky notes. She didn’t look confused, but efficient and organized.

Maybe that was the clue he’d overlooked. He was just dog-tired. He still couldn’t understand why she’d run at his car. She wasn’t in danger and she wasn’t in trouble. “Look, lady, sorry if I missed something. You need help with some shoplifter?”

“Have you heard a word I’ve said?”

“I just finished a double shift, lady. I’m dead on my feet.”

“I’m sure it’s difficult for a father to hear—”

“Don’t listen to her, Daddy.” Hayden popped out of the car and gave him a wide-eyed Bambi look.

Apparently, she’d forgotten about the shocking things she’d done to her face and her hair. And where did she get those clothes? She looked like a thrift shop had exploded on her. He gaped at his daughter, his little girl, and could not see her beneath the layers of thick makeup. A clown wore less makeup.

“We didn’t do anything wrong, honest, Daddy.”

It was that uh-oh feeling in his gut that kept him from believing her flat-out. One question drilled through his tiredness. What had he missed? There was clearly some misunderstanding on the part of this store clerk.

The sound of an approaching car and the wan glow of headlamps had him turning to look over the snow berm in the center of the parking lot. Thank heaven above. “There are the local uniforms to your rescue.”

And mine, he thought.

“Fine. Are you coming or not?”

“Now why would I do that? Hayden, get back in the car.” He meant to take a step back, but it was as if some unseen force held him in place. “You go get the help you obviously need. Good night, ma’am.”

Katherine felt her blood pressure soar into the red zone so fast the top of her skull throbbed. “Sure, go ahead and run off. I have the information I need and I’m sure those nice officers will be in contact with you, Trooper…? What’s your last name?”

“Munroe. I hope you get this straightened out.”

“I will, but I am sorry for your daughter’s sake. Sadly, this happens even in a Christian bookstore, and while I’m very faithful and forgiving, a crime is a crime.”

Katherine watched the lawman’s granite hands fist tight. She felt his gaze sharpen on her like a blade aimed and ready.

“A Christian bookstore?” The trooper’s dark brow arched upward. “Hayden, tell me you didn’t do this. You didn’t shoplift. And not from a Christian bookstore.”

There it is, Katherine thought, the possibility cracking through the denial. Good, she’d rather take care of this now, the right way. “Mr. Munroe, I’ll see you inside.”

She left father and daughter to settle their problems and hurried through the storm to greet the officers climbing out of their cruiser. With every step she took her emotions cooled and she felt the bite of the frigid wind.

And regret.

Chapter Two

This was the last thing he needed right now. Jack swept the white stuff off his hat brim as he watched that bookstore lady disappear into the thick curtain of snow. It had been a long time since he’d disliked a woman so much so fast. He couldn’t say why he had such a strong reaction to her—other than the fact that she’d accused his only child of a crime. Not that she was right about it.

No way, he thought, shaking his head, knocking more snow from his brim. Not his Hayden. Her friend, maybe. Now Jan, he’d believe hands down, was a shoplifter. She was the problem, a problem he was going to take care of right now.

“Daddy, how can you even think that? I didn’t steal whatever she was talking about. She just wanted to blame us. I don’t know why.”

Why was it that whenever he looked at his daughter, he looked past the teenager he hardly recognized to the little sweet thing she’d used to be, five years old with her arm around her favorite doll, running to greet him at the door when he came home from work?

You have to face the facts, man. She’s not five anymore. The more Jack looked, the more he recognized Heidi in that look. In fact, it troubled him deeply that with every passing day, his daughter was acting out the grief of her mother’s death. While time had dulled his sharp grief, it hadn’t seemed to do the same for Hayden.

He had to get control of this situation, put his foot down about the kind of friends Hayden had, and maybe get her involved in church activities. He’d been meaning to join a church, but ever since they’d moved to Bozeman six weeks ago, he’d had his hands full juggling crisis after crisis.

Maybe it was time to let a few things fall and take his daughter to church because he had every intention of keeping her on the straight and narrow. She obviously needed it if this was the type of trouble her new friend was into.

“That store lady is just mean, Daddy.”

“Get back in the car.”

“But Daddy, you don’t believe her, do you?” Big innocent eyes stared up at him.

His heart melted. Again, he still saw his sweet little girl. The trouble was, he also saw a strange teenager staring up at him with his Hayden’s eyes, while wearing clown makeup and rock-video-star clothes.

A momentary flash of rage turned his vision red, blurring everything. Her doe-eyed expression, the rapid blinking that told him she was lying. Man, was he mad. Yep, Hayden was covering for her friend. And he was going to come down on them both like a ton of bricks.

No more makeup. No more unsuitable clothing. He did not approve of this. Red hazed his vision again. Is this how she went to school? Had she been like this all day? How long would it take to change back into the nice-looking, decent girl he was used to seeing? She had to wash the blue out of her hair. Her appearance had to be a temporary thing so that she could wash the makeup off her face, climb back into the clothes she was supposed to be wearing and he’d never know the difference. If he hadn’t stopped by to check on her earlier, he might not have caught this version of his daughter.

Fury wasn’t the word. He set the rules and he expected them to be followed. No arguments. No exceptions. No excuses. “Get in the car.”

“Good, ’cuz Jan has to be home by four-thirty.” She dropped into the front passenger seat and shared a smug look with her friend in the back seat.

Okay, what was up? Whatever it was, his instincts told him he wasn’t going to like it. As he folded his lengthy frame behind the wheel, he already knew what he had to do. He had to get this straightened out fast.

“Did you see her shoes?” Jan asked Hayden. “I think those shoes went out of fashion in 1942.”

Hayden giggled. “And did you see her skirt? She could be a nun in that skirt.”

Okay, he was seeing red again. “Enough. Show some respect. Now I want you to apologize to the store lady and give back whatever it was that you stole from her.” He caught Jan’s gaze in the mirror as he negotiated through the parking lot. “Got it? Or you’ll be in more trouble than you know what to do with. I’ll make sure of it.”

“It’d be hard to do, since I didn’t steal.”

“It’s true, Daddy. She didn’t take anything.”

Lord, I’m gonna need a little help here. He parked next to the townie’s patrol car in front of a lit storefront. Welcome to the Corner Christian Bookstore was written in tasteful black script across the double glass doors. The troubled feeling in his gut went from a squall to a full-out hurricane.

“Daddy, you can’t stop here. You said we were going to take Jan home.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“You don’t want Jan to get into trouble with her mom.”

Where had his sweet little girl gone? He stared in shock at the stranger in his passenger seat, and saw the same look his wife gave when she was annoyed. Whatever was going on, he planned to nip it in the bud.

He killed the engine. “You girls are going to do the right thing.”

“What right thing?” Hayden acted as if she didn’t have the slightest clue what he was talking about.

He couldn’t believe she’d do something so wrong as to shoplift. It was out of the question. She knew better. He’d raised her better than that. Even though he could plainly see her unsuitable clothes and makeup, he had to cling to that truth. He couldn’t take it if he lost Hayden the way he’d lost his wife.

He studied Jan in the rearview mirror. Yep, there was a flash of anxiety stark on her face. So, it was just like he figured. She was the problem. Relief coursed through him. “You girls bring your book bags and come with me. We’ll get this straightened out with the bookstore lady.”

“But I’ll be late gettin’ home,” Jan piped up.

He wasn’t fooled; he could sense the fear amping up a notch. “Don’t you worry. I’ll talk to your mom if she has a problem. This won’t take more than a few minutes. Now march.”

He figured being late home was about to be the least of Jan’s problems.

The late-February storm hit him like the dead of winter. He hadn’t acclimated yet to this much colder climate. It hadn’t helped that he’d been out in this weather all night. As a new member to the state’s ranks, he’d pulled swing shift and would be doing that for the next year at least, before he could hope to move to a day shift. He was exhausted, but he didn’t mind working nights or in this bitter cold, not when he considered how good this move was for his daughter.

How good this move was going to be, he corrected, once she found a few better friends. Forget Phoenix’s heat and sun. What mattered was keeping his daughter growing up the right way.

“Hayden, what are you doing? Go back and get your book bag.”

“But Daddy—”

“Do it.”

She heaved a dramatic sigh and trudged back to the cruiser. He kept one eye on Jan, who was frowning into the store window. The girl was obviously watching the store lady in her sensible shoes. Jan could take some lessons in sensible attire.

“Hayden, what are you doing?”

“Nothing, Daddy.”

“Are you trying to take something out of your book bag?”

“Just looking for my lip gloss.”

“Forget it. Close the door. Come on.” First things first. He’d deal with this situation, then the makeup.

Hayden slung the strap over her shoulder and marched right past him. She and Jan fell into stride side by side, sharing a look he couldn’t name.

He followed them to the door. The trouble was that Hayden was choosing the same sort of friends she’d had back in Arizona. Well, he’d fix that right now. Sure of the outcome, he motioned for the girls to go in ahead of him, not at all surprised when the alarm clanged like an air-raid siren. Both girls jumped, and he watched Jan’s chin shoot up in sheer rebellion.

Guilty, he figured. He watched his daughter’s head hang and thought, good. Maybe she’d see the kind of girl Jan was.

To his direct left he spotted the pair of local law enforcement boys standing at the checkout counter along with that woman. All three had turned at the sound of the alarm, which fell silent again.

So, they’d been filling a report? It looked like Jan had just landed herself in some trouble. He was sorry for that, but maybe there was a silver thread in this. At least it would be a lesson for his little girl. “Hand the officers your bag, Jan.”

“That’s like so totally not fair. What are you, like a crooked cop?”

“Zip it.” And just where had Jan gotten that attitude? His gaze arrowed to his daughter, who was gazing innocently at the ceiling. Her sweetheart face was flushed bright red. He couldn’t imagine how any amount of embarrassment could show through so much makeup.

“Do, it Jan. Hey, ma’am—” He motioned to that woman stalking toward him. “Here’s your culprit. Satisfied?”

“Hardly.”

As she snapped closer on those shapely heels, he saw her for the first time in full light. Snow still melted in the liquid sunshine of her long, sleek hair, which framed her intelligent, oval face. He was helpless to look away from her.

She wasn’t pretty. No, that was too plain a word. She wasn’t beautiful, that was too ordinary. He didn’t want to like this woman, but he did appreciate the natural look of lush lashes over her big, violet-blue eyes.

Her perfect nose had an elegant slope and her high delicate cheekbones were classic, not that he ought to be noticing. She had a soft mouth with tiny smile lines in the corners, as if she laughed often. Her chin, dainty and finely cut, complemented her face to perfection.

No, she wasn’t beautiful, she was more than that. Striking, that’s what she was. Classic. She was a real impressive lady, and she dressed the part in a tailored jacket, blouse and skirt. Lovely.

Not that he was noticing. Merely an observation.

He had a hard time being civil to a woman who had wrongly accused his little girl. Or to the teenager who had actually done the stealing.

“I’m going home. Later, Hayden,” Jan said, then marched right back the way she came.

Not his problem, he thought as the door swung shut behind her. He’d delivered the true culprit. It was up to the local boys to deal with Jan. He shot a hard look at that woman, who was glaring up at him as if he were personally responsible.

“I’m taking my daughter home.” He laid one hand on Hayden’s shoulder to steer her back through the detectors.

“Excuse me, Mr. Munroe?”

“You’re testing my patience, lady.” He turned on his heel. Behind her the two officers looked less than certain. What was their problem? “Look, I’ve been on shift since six o’clock last night. It’s now 3:56 p.m.”

“I’m aware of the time, Mr. Munroe.”

“There was a semi jackknifed on the interstate just out of the city limits, and I spent most of the night and half the day seeing to the clean-up and the investigation. I’m dead on my feet.” He looked past the unhappy woman to the uniforms standing beside her. “I’d appreciate it if you boys would wait to give me a call if you need a statement.”

Sheer exhaustion had him steering his Hayden back toward the door.

“Uh, Mr. Munroe?” That woman—that extraordinarily annoying woman—called after him. “Wait—”

He kept going. Maybe by tomorrow he would have cooled down enough to offer that woman the apology he probably owed her for his snarky mood. Even if she had wrongly accused his daughter.

A deafening claxon squealed right in his ear. He saw the guilty look sneak across his little girl’s face and still his denial remained. Not his Hayden. Maybe Jan had put the stolen items in Hayden’s bag. Maybe they had accidentally fallen off the shelf and into her bag.

He was desperate and he knew it, but it simply couldn’t be true. His daughter? His Hayden had said she didn’t do it. She’d lied, too. Anger began to huff up with each strangled breath.

“Daddy, I can explain. I didn’t know.” She looked at him desperately with a helpless gesture and those wide innocent eyes.

He wanted to believe her. Except his common sense had kicked in and, fueled with the rage, he was trembling with temper. Careful, controlled, he gritted his teeth to hold back the overwhelming urge to shout, a natural reaction to a teenager’s misbehavior. “Take what you stole out of your bag and give it back.”

“But, Daddy, I—”

“You heard me. Do it.”

Hayden gave a put-upon sigh but bowed her head and started digging through her things. It took all his effort and a quick prayer for self-control to stand there and not explode like a lit keg of ten-year-old dynamite.

One look at that woman had him praying for an extra dose of control. Overwhelming irritation jabbed deep into his chest. Probably from lack of sleep, sure, but the bookstore lady agitated him. To make matters worse she held out her slender hand, palm up, to receive a very expensive-looking cut-crystal figurine.

“Thank you,” she said in that prim voice of hers. “Now I want the other one.”

“There’s only one.” Hayden attempted the wide-eyed look again.

Katherine shook her head, her gaze locking on the teenage girl’s. “The lamb figurine has a security strip, too. What do you think is going to happen when you turn around and head back out the door?”

“Oh. Okay.”

The big man’s jaw dropped as his daughter’s innocent expression faded. She dug out a second figurine.

It was a sad thing to see a man lose belief in his child’s innocence, Katherine thought. The big hulk of a state trooper puffed up like a weightlifter getting ready to set an Olympic record. His hands fisted and his hard, masculine mouth drew downward in a heartbreaking frown. The tarnished glint of shock in his handsome brown eyes ought to have made a sensible teenager feel shame and vow never to disappoint her dad like that again.

But not this girl. She tossed her hair as she handed back the figurine. “Have it. I didn’t want it anyway.”

“Well, you took it,” Katherine said with care. “And giving these things back doesn’t change the fact that you stole them in the first place.”

“Miss McKaslin,” one of the local officers shouldered in. “We can handle it from here.”

“You’re pressing charges?” Jack Munroe raised his fists to his forehead as if his skull was about to blow.

Poor man. She felt sorry for him, but it didn’t change the facts. “You know the consequences of shoplifting. Does your daughter?”

“Does it need to come to that?” His hands dropped away, revealing stark sadness etched into the planes of his face. He radiated responsibility. “Believe me, I’ll set her straight. There’s no need to take this any further. Please.”

She didn’t know what to do with his obvious sincerity. He seemed invincible iron, and his gaze meeting hers shone with hard honesty. She could sense his hurt like cold in a winter wind. He was a good man, she could see it.

It was the girl she had to consider, who glared through her thick, spiky mascara-coated lashes with a ha-ha attitude.

Katherine quietly placed the crystal lamb in her blazer pocket along with the shepherd and considered her options. She didn’t doubt that Jack Munroe had been up all night working, just as he’d said. Dark exhaustion bruised the skin beneath his eyes, and she wagered that this mighty mountain of a man never did anything that was short of upright and honest his entire life. Pressing charges would hurt him more than the girl.

“She returned the items.” He managed to unclench his jaw enough to speak.

“Only when she was caught. If you hadn’t brought her back here, she never would have returned the figurines. She’s not truly sorry, and that’s my concern. This could happen again in another store.”

“Lady, I’m gonna ask you.” He swiped a hand over his eyes, a gesture of holding back his temper or one of fatigue, or both. “Please. Let me handle this.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“I don’t know.” He swung around to glare hard at his daughter, who shrank at his look and finally hung her head in shame.

Maybe not such a tough girl—yet. Katherine folded her arms over her chest, already caring about the girl’s welfare. She was a softy, as her brother was always accusing. And it was true. She wasn’t worried about the figurines. What worried her was this girl with one foot on a path that could only lead to more trouble. “I’ll require restitution.”

“How much?” Jack reached for his wallet but stopped as Katherine shook her head.

“No, I’m not talking about money. I want volunteer work.”

Jack’s head pounded worse as Hayden let out a bellow.

“No way. Daddy, I’m not working for free in this…this store. Dad, you can use my allowance money—”

“It’s volunteer work,” Miss McKaslin interrupted evenly. “The local churches have a united charity, and they always need reliable help. There are a lot of teenagers from the youth groups involved at the free supper kitchen and the shelters. Maybe she could put in, what, sixteen hours of work? That’s roughly the value of the figurines. And she’ll make some good friends there, I’m sure.”

Youth-group kids? That caught his attention. A very reasonable solution. But what cinched it was the belligerent cock of his daughter’s jaw.

“I won’t do it, Daddy. I’m not gonna waste my time with a bunch of losers and homeless people.”

By the Grace of God, he thought. He’d sheltered her too much, he could see that painfully and—maybe, just maybe—spoiled her a little. But how could he have not?

She had no idea about the world he worked in every day. The one where bad things happened to good people, where sometimes the world’s harshness could break a spirit, and compassion and doing the right thing held immeasurable value.

It was time for his girl to grow up a little. “We’ll take your suggestion, Miss McKaslin.”

“Call me Katherine, please. I’ll have one of the coordinators call you.” She smiled, and tension drained out of her slender shoulders, squared so stubbornly under her tailored blazer.

Even though he didn’t like her, he had to admit she had class. And the smile she extended to Hayden wasn’t triumphant, but compassionate, and that impressed him, too. So he couldn’t like the woman for accusing his girl, even if she had been right, but he appreciated what she’d done. And handing him the opportunity of forcing his daughter to get involved with a youth group was just what he’d needed.

Being new to town and settling into a house and a job had taken a lot of his energy. Other priorities had been shoved aside. But no more. Resigned, he accepted the pen and notepad Katherine had taken from her pocket and handed to him.

As he jotted down his home number, he couldn’t help noticing the subtle hint of her perfume, something light and tasteful. He couldn’t say why his hand shook a little as he returned the pen and notepad.

Probably because he was working on twenty hours without sleep. That was it. “Thank you.”

Katherine wasn’t sure what to say to a father who had a big challenge on his hands. But despite her attitude, she was certain that his daughter was a good kid down deep. “Good luck.”

“You say that like you think I’m going to need it,” he said.

“I’m sure things will be smooth sailing for you from here. Hayden, you’re going to like Marin. She’s a cool youth pastor.”

“I don’t think so.” The girl rolled her eyes and gave her shank of blue hair a toss behind her shoulder and headed back through the detectors. “C’mon, Daddy, let’s get out of here.”

For an instant, Jack Munroe looked like he feared his daughter would set off the alarm again. His wide, linebacker’s shoulders looked as rigid as granite, as if he carried a heavy burden on them. Once they were through the sensors without an alarm, a visible wave of relief passed over his handsome features.

Yep, he was going to need more than good luck. She would put him on her prayer list tonight.

She turned to thank the town officers, who were already on their way out.

Kelly looked up from the book she was reading at the register. “Are you okay? You don’t look okay.”

“I’m fine. Now that it’s quieted back down, I don’t think we’re going to see a lot of business with this storm. Did you want to go home? The roads are only going to get worse.”

“But then you’ll be here alone.”

“I’m going to close down early. Don’t you worry about me. Just drive safely, okay?”

“Thanks, Katherine.” Kelly gathered up her college textbooks and headed toward the back.

Alone. Katherine wrapped her arms around her middle. She was getting real used to being alone. Lights flashed on and glared in the front window—the headlights of the state trooper’s cruiser. He was talking to the daughter. She could barely make them out through the thickly falling snow.

Maybe it was the ghosts of old memories rising up, or seeing those girls, teenage girls, and remembering what was best not thought about, but she hurt.

All it took was one wrong move, even well-intentioned, and look how far-reaching the consequences. This was her life, she thought. She turned her back on father and daughter and went back to restocking.

Turned her back on memories that, felt anew, would keep her up most of the night.

Chapter Three

“Thanks, Pastor. You have a good afternoon, now.” Jack hung up the phone in the quiet of his home office. The empty house echoed around him as he turned in his chair and stared out the window.

A cold winter’s landscape met his gaze through the picture window that faced the rugged range of the Montana Rockies, spanning the entire length of the horizon. The ice-capped peaks jutting against a white-gray sky were breathtaking and a change from Phoenix’s low camelbacks, which he’d seen all of his life. This Montana landscape wasn’t too hard on the eyes, but snow covered everything from the distant mountaintops to the shrubs outside the window. Miles and miles of snow.

Too much snow. Worse, a thick cloud layer was building across the entire dome of the sky. Just his luck that another six to eight inches were forecast to start falling by sundown. And if it did, then he could kiss his night goodbye.

He better put calling Mrs. Garcia on his to-do list. The sixty-something housekeeper stayed over in the guest room on the nights he worked in order to keep an eye on Hayden. He scribbled Mrs. Garcia on line ten, right below the reminder to call the lady from the Christian bookstore.

Miss Katherine McKaslin. He didn’t know what to think of her. He owed her. He didn’t like her, but he’d behaved badly last night. Yep, that’s the way it went. He always wound up coming across like a jerk whenever he was around a single woman. Which worked out just fine, he guessed, since he’d never been more than undecided when it came to the idea of marrying again.

This little shoplifting incident might have a serious silver lining—and that was the youth pastor he’d just spoken to. A friend of Miss McKaslin’s.

Why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? She was tall, slim, proper and lovely, definitely lovely. He didn’t want to like her. Besides, remembering how angry he’d been over her accusing Hayden—and then her being right about Hayden—was something he was never going to get past.

Not that he wanted to get past it.

Still, it wasn’t like he could forget the sympathetic look she’d given Hayden. Sympathetic, when Katherine had the right to be angry, or worse.

You owe her, man. And you know it.

His little girl could have found herself in juvenile detention if Katherine McKaslin had been unforgiving. But instead, the uptight, high-and-mighty shop lady had been nothing of the sort. Her kindness had handed him the best break he’d had in a while. The pastor he’d spoken to on the phone sounded like just the sort of help his little girl needed.

And that brand of decency was hard come by in this world.

By the time the first airy flakes of snow began to fall, he knew what he had to do.

In the quiet of the bookstore, Katherine leaned against the doorjamb to her brother’s office and tried to make sense of the male brain. “The dangerous winter storm warning isn’t just speculation. It’s fact. Have you looked out the window?”

“It’s a few flakes. Big deal.”

“It’s a perfect time to close the store, before the blizzard hits. Right?”

“What do we do about the customers who stop by later, depending on us to be open for them? I can’t be here. I’ve got a meeting at the church.” Decked out in his best suit, white shirt and tie, Spence gave his computer keyboard a few more taps. The printer in the corner started spitting and clattering. “We can’t disappoint our customers. It’s not good for business.”

“Fine, I’ll send everyone home and I’ll stay.”

“Alone? Like you did last night? You know I don’t approve of that. It’s not a safe world.”

“True, but I’m a capable adult who can take care of herself.” Really, she knew her brother cared, but there was only one harder-headed man on this earth, and that was their father, of course. Both of them could test a girl’s patience without the slightest effort. “Go to your meeting.”

“I can’t go if you’re going to be here alone.”

“Then we close now.” Katherine watched her big brother wrestle with that. “I’m going to go out onto the floor. Do you need anything before I go?”

“No. This spreadsheet you did for me is great.” Spence straightened his paisley tie as he rose from his leather chair. “I think they’ll be pleased.”

“Good.” She figured that was as close to an okay on closing the store early as she would get. “Drive carefully out there.”

She left her brother stewing over his financial worries and the lost revenue of closing early—as if anyone would be out shopping with the current weather warnings. Poor Spence. He took his responsibilities so seriously. Too seriously.

“Hey, kiddo.” She cornered the fiction aisle, where her younger sister was shelving books. “You need help with that cart?”

“Sure. You know what the Bible says, two can accomplish more than twice as much as one.” Ava straightened from her work with a wink. “You don’t look busy.”

“You know me, I never work.”

“I know. It’s terrible. You know what everyone says? That lazy Katherine. Next they’ll be commenting on that wild outfit.” Ava laughed, a light, easy trill.

“Aren’t you funny?” Okay, so she wasn’t a fashion plate. Katherine glanced at the black cable turtleneck sweater and her favorite pair of black wool trousers. Sensible, as always. “There’s a minus-ten-degree wind chill outside.”

“Hey, I know.” Ava chose a volume from the cart and turned to study the shelves. Her outfit of choice today was a smart safari jacket, a lace-edged purple Henley and a pair of jeans tucked into suede boots. She looked like she’d walked off a fashion magazine. “I heard you had a little incident last night.”

“The shoplifting? Yeah, but we got the figurines back.”

“I wasn’t talking about that. I heard a rumor that you caught a certain state trooper’s attention.”

“It’s ridiculous. Who did you hear that from?”

“Nobody. Well, Aubrey and me, we felt compelled to review the security tape. Then Aubrey bumped into Dean getting coffee this morning, you know, one of the responding officers last night?”

“Yeah, yeah.” It was a small city. Sometimes hardly more than a small town. “You and that sister of yours—”

“She’s your sister, too—”

“—have the wrong idea.”

“Which is?”

“Trust me. That man can’t stand me.” That had come across pretty clearly last night. “I don’t believe you got that from the tape. He was horrible. He—”

“Yeah, so you didn’t really notice him at all, huh?”

“Not at all.” Katherine grabbed a half dozen books from the cart and moved down the aisle. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to distract me from the fact that you left the crystals case unlocked.”

“My bad.” Ava didn’t look a bit remorseful, and she wasn’t doing a whole lot of shelving either. “So, back to the state trooper. Was his name Jack? Do I have that right?”

Yeah, she had the name right. But she was hard-pressed to explain why it felt like the lining of her rib cage contracted painfully whenever she thought of him. “It isn’t like that. He’s married, I’m sure. And why aren’t you shelving?”

“I’ll get to it.” Ava sidled close. “I happened to notice he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.”

“And this is important because…?”

“I don’t want you to give up hope.”

Why did that make her ache inside, all the way down to her soul?

Because she had lost hope. Hope of ever finding the right man.

“He’s out there, I know it.” Ava slid a book into place. “I pray for you finding him every night.”

Her soul ached a little more. “I’m afraid you’re wasting your prayers. A lot of men just wouldn’t understand….”

There was the past left unsaid between them.

Ava’s hand found Katherine’s and gently squeezed. “You only need the right man to understand. To see what a great woman you are.” Her gaze shot over Katherine’s shoulder for a brief moment. “I bet he’s on his way to you right now. Maybe, so you won’t miss him, the Good Lord will send a sign. You know, like a handsome man bringing white roses.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just telling you I think my prayers are going to be answered. I’m lucky that way, you know.” Ava snatched another book from the cart. “I pray, it happens. Right?”

“Almost always. You have a serious gift with prayer. But you have to accept that some things aren’t meant to be. I have.” And talking about it was painful. She slipped a historical romance into place on the middle shelf and straightened the books around it. She liked tidy shelves. Keeping the shelves tidy was something she made a difference at.

Repairing the damage done to her life almost fifteen years ago was something that could never be done. Not even God could change what was past.

The bell over the door chimed. A customer, she wondered, or Spence back from the meeting that was probably cancelled?

“You’d better go see who that is,” Ava commented as she laboriously struggled to slip a paperback book onto the shelf, obviously too busy to check on the possible customer.

What was up with her? Katherine glanced around the aisle and the book she held slid from her fingers. As the book hit the floor, the thud sounded just like her heart stuttering in shock. There was Jack Munroe, broad-shouldered and substantial, with a vase of white rosebuds cradled in his big, capable-looking hands.

That Ava. She must have spotted him getting out of his car. Really. “Hello, there. How are things working out with your daughter?”

“Better. She’ll be grounded for about the next decade or so. Nothing major.” He handed over the roses along with a striking half grin. “These are for you, to say thank you. I owe you an apology. I’m sorry I was such a…well, I can’t say it in polite company.”

“Please, don’t worry. It was understandable given the circumstances.”

“You’re generous to say that. Needless to say, I don’t take criticism of my daughter very well.”

“I wasn’t criticizing her. Just trying to set things right.”

“I know that.”

She had to move closer to accept the bouquet, close enough to notice that Ava was right. No wedding ring. She also noticed how the green and gold threads in his dark-brown irises softened the gaze that had seemed so imposing last night. Laugh lines added character to his face.

Not that she should be noticing. Not that she wanted to.

Katherine breathed in the sweet old-fashioned roses’ scent. It was hard to dislike a man bearing flowers—from both him and Hayden, obviously. “Thank you. This was thoughtful of you.”

He smiled, a full-fledged one that made those threads in his eyes glint. Very nice. She snapped away, focusing her energy on setting the vase on the front counter instead of feeling the effects of that smile.

Where was Ava? Katherine had the feeling that her sister, with her matchmaking thoughts, was spying through the book stacks. Really.

Katherine did her best to appear unaffected, because of course, she was. “How is Hayden doing?”

“Mad at me. Mad at you. But I think that’s a teenage thing. She’s probably angriest at herself.”

“Probably.”

“I got a hold of your pastor friend this afternoon. She said you’d already called and told her about Hayden wanting to join the youth group’s project at the shelter. She didn’t know anything about the shoplifting problem.”

“I didn’t feel like it was my place to tell her. Everyone makes mistakes, especially teenagers.”

Her words of compassion struck him like a sucker punch to the chest. His first impression of this woman had been way off base. Out in left field. He didn’t know how to tell her that. Didn’t know if he should.

“I’ve been friends with Marin forever. She has all kinds of youth-group activities and projects going on all the time, not just with the shelter. Hayden will love her, I promise.”

“I believe you.” How had she gotten past his defenses so easily? Jack rubbed the back of his neck, puzzled and, he had to admit, intrigued. “You’ve done a good thing for my girl. I know you’re thinking, That man and his kid are a mess. But I’ve been trying to right this boat for a while. Hayden’s a good kid.”

“I saw that in her. That she’s good, without a doubt.”

There it was again, that compassion, lovely and kind. Katherine was a striking woman, but with her heart gentle in her eyes, he felt captivated. A strange emotion dazzled through him, and it felt like first light on a bleak winter’s morning, changing everything.

Remember, Jack, you don’t like this woman. Correction: you don’t want to like this woman. He scrubbed his hand over his eyes. What had they been talking about? That’s right, Hayden. “She’s a real good kid. Used to be. Is. Things haven’t been smooth for a long time, but this—this shoplifting thing—is the first serious problem we’ve had. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

“Believe me, I’m not casting stones.”

“It’s a little hard for you not to. She stole from you.”

“True. But she wouldn’t be the first shoplifting teenager in this store. She won’t be the last.”

How could he have gotten it so wrong? This woman wasn’t high and mighty, she wasn’t righteous and judgmental. She was amazing. And if he stood here one second longer and kept this conversation going, then he was going to make a huge mistake. She’d done it again, gotten beneath his defenses. He was just about to open up and talk about his life and the part of himself he kept under tight lock and key.

But opening up just made a man vulnerable. So he had one option, and one option only. Time to get out of Dodge while he could. Time to escape before he started thinking that if and when he tried dating again, he’d look for a woman like this one.

Maybe this one.

Nope, he just couldn’t see Katherine saying yes to a date with him. She’d turn him down flat. His life was a mess; he knew it. He was no prize, plenty of women he’d dated had said it.

To save what dignity he had left, he headed out into the wind and storm. It was abrupt, probably came across as rude, but he’d done the best he could.

Once inside his cruiser, as he let the engine warm and the fog clear from the windshield, he could see her inside the store, going about her work. There was something about the way she moved with unconscious grace. The way she stopped to tuck a strand of her light blond hair behind one ear, and it was an utterly feminine gesture.

He missed the gentleness of a woman in his life. Katherine McKaslin made him remember a time when he hadn’t been so isolated. When he’d been a man unjaded by life and believing in love’s illusions.

Yep, buddy, it’s best to just keep on going.

So he put the car in Reverse, backed away from the curb and didn’t stop until the bookstore disappeared from his rearview mirror. Until there was just blinding snow behind him and a long, lonely night’s work ahead.

Katherine knew what her sister was going to make of it. The moment the back door swung open, she braced for the worst. She was about to get hit with double barrels.

Aubrey, Ava’s twin and mirror image, rushed down the devotionals aisle. “Are those the flowers? You were so totally right, Av. White roses. Talk about classy.”

Behind the cash register, Katherine tried to take the kidding with the love it was meant. “Nothing says thank you like white roses, don’t you think? It’s a thank-you, girls, not a sign of romance.”

Ava abandoned all pretense of shelving and trotted up to add her two cents. “That’s the story she’s sticking to—”

“—but we know better,” Aubrey finished.

“You should have seen how he was looking at her.”

“Like on the tape?”

“More.”

The twins nodded together, looking as if they were having a twin moment of shared thoughts.

Katherine grabbed the cash tray and closed the empty drawer. “I hope you two are headed home. The state patrol just closed the highway outside of town.”

“The state patrol.” Ava’s tone held huge significance.

“Exactly. She didn’t seem riveted to their bulletins before.”

“You two.” Her face felt hot. Couldn’t they see they were embarrassing her? It wasn’t easy being the big sister. No respect. “Go. Shoo. Call me when you get home.”

“She just doesn’t want to talk about him,” Aubrey said to Ava.

“Nope. We’ve seen this stage before.”

“The denial stage?”

“Uh-huh.” The twins bobbed their heads together. “Are you sure you don’t want us to stay?” they asked in perfect unison.

“I’m sure.” She loved her sisters. It was impossible not to. They were dear, even at the ripe old ages of twenty-seven, dressed in similar colors and style, naturally identical in just about every way, from the long sweep of their platinum hair to the lopsided crook of their grins. From the day they’d come home from the hospital, she’d always known they were special. A girl couldn’t have more loving and loyal sisters anywhere. “Go. I’ll give you twenty minutes to make it home and if I don’t hear from you, I’m calling.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Bye.”

The twins walked away together, their voices cheerful and growing faint, and then fainter. The back door closed, and she was alone.

And why did Jack Munroe stay on her mind the entire time she closed up and totaled the day’s deposit? Maybe it was the delicate perfume from the tightly closed rosebuds. Maybe it was the big deal the twins had made about the man who was showing simple courtesy by bringing flowers as a thank-you. Either way, she was not in denial about liking Jack.

Jack Munroe with his grizzly-bear temper and his rigid-spine stance was a black-and-white kind of man. No gray areas allowed. He was an officer of the law. He spent his work life judging others, finding them guilty of speeding or reckless driving or worse. She’d seen the mortification on his face when he’d admitted what his daughter had done. He was a play-by-the rules kind of man.

She was looking for that kind of man, but she would guess that Jack Munroe had never made a major mistake in his life. He might have a blind spot when it came to his daughter, and rightly so, otherwise he didn’t look like the kind of man who forgave mistakes easily.

So, that was that.

Chapter Four

“This is lame, Dad. I won’t do it.”

Jack lifted his gaze from the mountainside road long enough to take in the confrontational jut of Hayden’s chin and the fury in her cool eyes.

Uh-oh. He knew that look. It was the same one he’d been dealing with for most of the week, ever since he’d hauled her home from Katherine McKaslin’s store.

“I won’t and you can’t make me.”

Keep your cool, Jack. Through the haze of falling snow, he negotiated the final curve and spotted the exit for the ski resort. “You’ll choose to do this or I’m adding more volunteer time to your sentence.”

No answer came, but the fury of her silence increased the temperature in the car by a full ten degrees.

It didn’t matter. Nothing could change his mind. He’d decided Hayden was going to join Marin’s youth group and participate in every single youth-group activity until he got his good Hayden back. He knew she was hiding somewhere behind the sullen belligerence. If he had to devote his day off to that cause, then fine. No sacrifice was too great for his little girl.

I saw that in her. That she’s good, without a doubt.

Why did Katherine’s words come back to him? He could hear her dulcet, precise tone. Could remember the play of the overhead lights on her straight blond locks, held neatly in place by a sensible barrette over each ear. She’d been understated elegance in her modest black sweater and slacks. Katherine didn’t need makeup or high fashion to be lovely.

Eventually Hayden would come to the same conclusion about her own appearance. His ears still rang from the heated argument they’d had over her makeup and shocking fashion statement. She’d been wearing her approved school clothes when she left the house each morning, he’d learned, and then had changed at Jan’s house, reversing the process after school.

And you didn’t even guess it, man. That’s what ate at him the most.

Hayden stared out the window with enough hatred to melt half the snow pack on the mountain peaks. “This is all that awful store lady’s fault.”

“Miss McKaslin is the reason I didn’t have to bail you out.”

“Right. I can’t believe how wound up everybody got over some lousy figurines. Just chill.”

Jack hit the brakes and the Jeep skidded into a parking slot. “What has gotten into you? Do you think if you push me hard enough, I’ll move us back to Phoenix? Is that what this is about? Then you’re flat wrong, missy.”

“I hate this place. I wanna go home.”

“This is home. If you don’t want to like it here, fine. But you will do one more week’s volunteer work—”

“Dad!”

“Another word, and it’ll be two.” He waited for the red haze of rage beating dully in his eye sockets to fade. The heartbreak of a disappointed father did not.

Hayden’s face had scrunched up in resentment, but at least she held back. It was an effort, he could see that by the hard cinch of her mouth, but she stayed silent. That was an improvement.

Relief cooled some of the anger, but didn’t begin to touch the ache in his heart. “Get your things. Pastor Marin said you kids are meeting for prayer and fellowship in the lodge before the group lesson.”

More sullen silence. Hayden whipped her door open and shot out of the car, not so eager to join the youth-group meeting, he figured, but to get away from him. Well, he could handle anything she could dish out because he was her father and he was committed. One hundred thousand percent. He grabbed the keys and climbed out into the bitter weather.

Movement caught his eye. A slender woman with her back to him was ambling away from the parking lot. She was dressed in warm sensible skiwear and carrying an expensive set of skis.

Was that Katherine? Surprise sparked like a new flame in his chest.

No, of course that’s not her. His surprise faded to nothing, nothing at all. He wasn’t even going to tell himself that he was wishing it was Katherine. With the way he’d been so rude, just abruptly walking away from her, if that was her, she would probably be running in the other direction as fast as she could.

The slam of the Jeep’s passenger door jarred him out of his thoughts. Hayden glared at him, all zipped and bundled up. “Where do I gotta go?”

“First we’ll hit the rental place. Get geared up.” He pressed the remote to lock the doors. “With any luck, we’ll get you to the lodge so you don’t miss a microsecond of the meeting.”

“Oh, joy.”

Hayden marched off ahead of him and didn’t look back.

He had that effect on a lot of females.

Katherine loved skiing; the sport had only one flaw, the fact that you had to go back up the mountainside. I’m not afraid of heights, she told herself stubbornly, I’m not afraid of heights.

Okay, she was. She’d never been able to talk herself out of this fear. Nor did the view of the rugged terrain far below her skis as she rode the lift ever look any less horrifying. She did the only thing she could do—squeezed her eyes shut.

“I know something to take your mind off falling to our deaths,” Marin said, ever helpful. “Hayden Munroe came to our worship and ski program. She’s taking her first lesson with the instructor this very moment.”

“That’s great.” Katherine’s initial thought was for the girl who was heading down a very troubled path. “I know you’ll have her feeling better about herself and her life in no time.”

Her second thought was, unfortunately, about Jack Munroe. Had he brought Hayden to the lodge? And if so, had he stayed?

Don’t think about that, Katherine. You’re not interested in him, remember?

“That father of hers is sure something.” Marin turned to the other member of their trio squished onto the narrow bench. “Holly, you’ve got to see this guy. It almost makes you believe in Mr. Right.”

Holly gasped. “But you don’t believe in Mr. Right.”

“True. I’ve done enough marital counseling in my career to know that he’s a myth. Katherine, we’re almost at the top. You might want to open your eyes now. I’m absolutely sure that there is no Mr. Right anywhere in existence on this earth. Just Mr. Almost-Right.”

“And those are few and far between.” With a scoot off the bench chair, Katherine landed, skis parallel and knees bent. When she turned to look over her shoulder, Holly and Marin swished to a stop behind her. “Trust me, Jack Munroe isn’t anywhere close to being Mr. Almost-Right.”

“Wow, did you hear that, Holly?”

“I heard it, Marin. Katherine’s in her denial stage.”

“What is it with everyone? The twins said the same thing. I’m not in denial. Really.”

“Of course you’re not,” Holly said in a comforting way, although Katherine wasn’t fooled. Not one bit. “So, tell me, is this guy—whoa, buddy!”

“Outta the way! Comin’ through!” A man shouted, in sheer panic.

Was it her imagination, or did that sound sort of like Jack Munroe? Katherine hopped out of the way just in time to see a blur speed by. The blur was a black-parka-wearing, wide-shouldered man crouched very low over his skis, his poles held straight in front of him as if he were roasting hot dogs over a campfire.

“That looks like doom on two sticks,” Marin commented. “I’d better pray for that man.”

“He’s going to need it. Oh, he went right through the first turn.” Holly cocked her head to listen. “He missed the trees. I didn’t hear a crash.”

What if that was Jack? Katherine kicked off and followed Marin down the trail. She couldn’t see anything of the fallen skier. That wasn’t a good sign. What if he was hurt?

Lord, please don’t let him be hurt.

“Hey, Katherine,” Marin called as she led the way. “Do you know who that man reminded me of?”

Yeah, she knew. And she was going to stay in denial about that, too. “A beginning skier who missed the rope tow for the bunny run?”

When they reached the first turn, all they could see was a hole in the snowbank and a single ski sliding crookedly along the trail.

Marin reached the edge first. “Mister, are you alive?”

Katherine knew it was him, even before his gruff baritone rang out from the trees.

“Yep. And better yet, nothing’s broken.”

Katherine’s heart skipped five beats as she joined Marin at the edge of the bank. Sure enough, she recognized the man below. Although he was in profile, looking down as he tried to free one of his poles from the branches of an evergreen tree, she already knew that particular man’s profile by heart. There was no mistaking the hard-planed, granite face. Or the dark shock of hair tumbling from beneath the black ski cap.

It was him. Her stomach clenched tight before it fell downward, tingling, all the way to her knees. Just the way it felt on the uppermost crest of a roller-coaster ride when suddenly down you plunged. Screaming.

Yeah, it was something like that. “J-Jack?”

He looked up. “Uhh…Katherine McKaslin?”

He said it in the same way someone might say, Oh, good, there’s a person infectious with bubonic plague. “Do you need help up?”

“No! I can do it just fine. You go ahead and keep right on with your skiing.”

“Oh no,” Katherine said sweetly “we’ll stay and make sure you get up all right.”

Great. Jack stared at the three women staring back at him. Humiliation eked into his soul like the icy wind through his coat.

Why does it have to be her, Lord? If he was going to disgrace himself, did it have to be in front of Katherine McKaslin? And why was his bad side showing whenever she was around? “I’m fine. Just getting my snow legs back.”

“Is that something like sea legs?”

Jack could tell she was holding back laughter. Mirth glimmered like flecks of amethyst in her deep violet-blue irises. He liked the sparkles in her eyes very much. “I haven’t skied since college. I figured it would come back to me.”

“I hope you didn’t ski like this in college.”

His pole came loose from the branches and he gave thanks for that. “Believe it or not, I was a pretty competent skier, but it’s taking its own sweet time coming back to me.”

“I hope it comes back to you before you hit the next turn.”

“Me, too.” Jack wondered how she could say that in a kind way, when she had every right to mock him? After all, he’d been a little overconfident in his abilities.

Okay, extremely overconfident. He grabbed one ski and hiked up the snowbank. “I heard that comment you made. The one about the bunny run.”

“Sound must really carry on this mountain.”

“Don’t you know it. Truth is, it was my pride. I didn’t feel dignified going down the same run as knee-high kids who could ski like Olympians.”

“So you chose the advanced run as an alternative?”

“At least I lived to tell the tale. So far.”

He made it to the top and drew himself up to his full height and still he didn’t feel tall enough, not in the eyes of this woman. He hated it. He really did. Because there was something incredibly special about her. She was easily balanced on her skis, leaning on her poles, serene and wholesome. She made his entire being, his entire spirit, take notice.

Suddenly, he was aware of someone else talking and then he remembered. There were two other women with Katherine. And as they were moving away, one was saying, “C’mon, Holly, let’s go fetch that ski.”

Ski. That didn’t register either. There wasn’t anything in this world but Katherine and the gentle quirk of her smile, and the thud of his pulse in his chest. She kept him glued in place. He could see her heart in her eyes. There wasn’t a drop of judgment, nor was she silently teasing him even when he might deserve it.

“Jack, are you going to be able to make it down okay? Marin has her cell phone. She can call for the ski patrol.”

“No!” He’d rather crash and burn and break every bone in his body—twice—than to admit defeat in front of Katherine. “I’m fine. It’s already coming back to me. I think the fall knocked loose some forgotten knowledge inside my head.”

“Good, because you could have been really hurt. I would hate to see that happen to you.”

That comment was tough on a man’s ego. Tough because she was concerned and caring. That made him like her even more. “Guess I’ll be going now. You want to catch up with your friends?”

She didn’t budge. She didn’t blink. The crinkle of a hint of a smile remained in the corners of her soft, pretty mouth. Snow flecked the fake-fur lining of her jacket collar and clung to the sleek matching ski cap. She looked like everything good and sweet in the world, and he didn’t want to think this way about this woman.

“Uh, Jack? Before you take off you need to know something. You’re missing a ski.”

It registered vaguely. He straightened his shoulders, looking as tough and manly as possible, considering he only had one ski. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” He had to face it. He was never going to impress this woman—not that he even wanted to, of course. But had he wanted to, his dignity had passed the point of no return. He stabbed his poles into the hard berm of snow, ready to go. “Goodbye, Katherine.”

Okay, she could take a hint. Katherine checked the trail for skiers, but no one was coming. She couldn’t just leave him here—as Marin had put it, he was doom on two sticks—but she sensed his pride was bruised more than anything.

The poor man. He towered over her, a big mountain of a guy, radiating capability and strength. He didn’t look as though he had a single weakness. So why was it hard to find the will to kick off and leave him standing there?

She thought of what her friends and her sisters had said. She did not like this man, not like that, and she wasn’t in denial about it. Really. So then, why did her heart crack just as little? And then a little more as she kicked off and away, swooshing over the iced, packed snow, leaving him behind? She could feel his gaze on her back like the press of the cold wind. As she negotiated the next curve, she glanced over her shoulder to see him standing there, looking as alone as she felt.

She spotted Marin and Holly waiting for her and she skidded to a rough-edged halt.

Marin was flushed with excitement. “When I talked to him on the phone, did I mention to you that I found out he isn’t married? He’s a widower.”

Katherine couldn’t stop the wave of sympathy for him. That was sad. It did explain the lack of a wedding ring.

“Did you see how he was looking at you?”

“Like I was contagious with the bird flu?”

“That’s the denial talking.” Holly held up Jack’s lost ski. “We would have returned this to him, but we didn’t want to interrupt.”

“There was nothing to interrupt.” So maybe she was in a little denial. But not much. “I get the strong feeling that Jack doesn’t like me at all.”

“He does,” Holly and Marin chimed in unison.

Did they know how wrong they were? Completely. “What do you two know about men? You’re both single.”

“Yeah, but we have the experience of many failed relationships between us. Here.” Holly handed her the ski. “Either go up to him or we’ll just wait around the next corner and you can wait here for him, since he’s bound to come looking for this.”

“Then he’ll find it just fine, whether I’m here or not.” She could see him starting down the trail, balancing on one ski. He was on his way down.

There was only one thing to do. She propped the slim black ski, brand-new and newly waxed, against the snow berm where it would be easy for Jack to spot when he limped around the corner. “You two have been plotting while I was talking to Jack.”

“Guilty,” Marin admitted. “He’s a great-looking guy. He’s a caring father, so I know he has a lot of heart.”

“You can have him then, because his personality isn’t so great.” Katherine wasn’t sure if that was the whole truth, but Jack’s first impression had been a whopper. Remembering how he’d behaved when they’d first met would keep her firmly entrenched in her state of denial. “C’mon, let’s get moving.”

“You’re just gonna leave the ski?” Holly looked crestfallen. “But, what about our plan? You can’t get to know him better if you don’t stay, talk, meet him in the lodge for hot drinks.”

“News flash. I don’t plan on seeing Jack Munroe ever again even if I have to avoid him. Let’s go, he’s almost here.” She pushed off, leading the way down the trail. Snow pummeled into her like little wind-driven bullets, and she didn’t look back. Didn’t want to.

Because she already knew what she’d see. The disappointment on her friends’ faces and Jack Munroe wobbling on one ski. Jack Munroe, who’d given her flowers and who had enough problems on his plate. Just because he was a widower didn’t mean she was suddenly interested in him. She was pretty sure that Jack was not the man she was looking for.

Humiliation was a sad thing. Jack had found his ski, but his dignity had taken a fatal hit. In front of Katherine McKaslin.

Why her, Lord? He took another sip of strong sweetened tea in the warmth of the lodge’s empty auxiliary dining room and tried to squeeze the memory from his mind of glancing up to see Katherine at the top of the ravine, looking like a gift from heaven dappled with snow.

The Lord wasn’t answering, and Jack had to accept it. Why he was continuously coming across as a bull in a china shop in front of Katherine might forever remain a mystery. Maybe the trick would be staying away from her. That shouldn’t be too hard to do, right?

Right. So stop thinking about her.

Okay, he focused on the view outside the wide picture windows. Stunning. The rugged snow-draped mountain peaks stabbed into the falling veil of snow. Closer in, the mountain slope lay in a pure mantle of white that felt as peaceful as it looked. Out front, just within his view, a half dozen teens on skis were clustered in a half circle around a beginning instructor. Hayden was one of them. She stood at the end, a little farther away than the others. He only saw her from behind but he knew that slump to her shoulders. She was scowling, looking nothing at all like the little girl he remembered.

Where had the time gone? In a blink of an eye, here she was, a teenager, fifteen going on sixteen, and he wasn’t ready for it. Something had gone wrong somewhere, and he didn’t know what. The move here to Montana, to a smaller city and a slower pace was supposed to fix that. And after the stunt she’d pulled in Katherine’s store, it was clear his little girl was a teenager on the edge of trouble. Funny, he’d always blamed the parents for something like that.

But he was simply doing his best.

Maybe finding a church would help with that. He simply hadn’t had the time with the move and the adjustment to a new home and job to start searching for the right one. Thank God for this opportunity. Jack’s chest tightened with a mix of emotions he couldn’t name except for one. Gratitude. If Hayden was going to act out, it had been a blessing that she’d done so in front of Katherine. That they’d been given this chance to make things right. It was an opportunity he refused to waste, and he wouldn’t let Hayden waste it either.

Katherine. His guts knotted when he thought of her. Maybe the Lord was trying to tell him something. Like give up any thoughts of dating. You aren’t cut out for it. Not that he’d been thinking on that real hard, but some of the guys at work were more than happy to offer to set him up. He’d turned them down, so far. He was doing fine enough on his own, right?

Well, as tough as it was to admit, not really.

“More tea, sir?” The sunny waitress breezed up to his corner table with another pot of steaming water.

Not in a sunny mood, he gave a gruff nod and kept his attention on Hayden. The snow was falling harder now, shadowing the kids so that it was hard to see them as they followed their instructor, sidestepping toward the beginner’s run. He watched Hayden’s blue parka grow smaller and disappear over a rise.

That’s when he felt it, a flicker of emotion stretching tight right behind his sternum and then popping free, like a rubber band snapping. What was that?

He didn’t have to look around to know who was coming his way. For some unfathomable reason, he could feel the string pulling tight again, right over his heart the moment he saw Katherine enter the dining room.

His gut instinct told him to duck, but it was too late.

Chapter Five

That man sitting at the window…there was something familiar about those mile-wide shoulders and the tidy shock of black hair. His posture was as rigid as a seasoned soldier’s, and she’d seen that black parka before.

Jack Munroe. Her feet froze in place in the archway between the lodge’s main restaurant and the practically empty room. Maybe he hadn’t spotted her. It wasn’t too late to tiptoe back out of the room.

Don’t be silly, she told herself. She’d planned never to see Jack Munroe again. This was a coincidence, not divine intervention or her secret wish. She’d simply find a quiet table on the far side of the dining room, pull out her book and wait for Holly and Marin to find her. She didn’t have to look in Jack’s direction whatsoever.

Luck might be in her favor. With the way he was gazing out the window, he might not even notice her. She could walk right past him. If he did happen to look her way, she’d toss him a polite smile. It sounded like a good plan.

So why did her feet take on a mind of their own and lead her to his table? “Did you ever find your lost ski?”

There wasn’t an ounce of surprise on his chiseled face as he pivoted in his chair and fastened his gaze on hers. Total control emanated from him like cold from the window. “I did. After a few more runs, skiing came back to me.”

“Good.” Katherine hadn’t spotted him on the advanced runs, so she guessed he’d tried a less challenging trail.

Well, she hadn’t intended to chat and didn’t want to. Time to make her escape. But the instant she took a step, his hand shot out and his fingers curled around her wrist. The shock of the contact startled them both.

“You can’t go yet.” He released her, but his gaze was pure black steel. “Not until I apologize.”

She didn’t know if it was fury at his overbearing manner or something like interest that froze her in place. The imprint of Jack’s hand felt like a brand on her arm. “Apologize? For which offense?”

“Are there that many?”

“You know the answer to that.”

“Sorry. I just—” Jack shook his head. What was he thinking? It had been a mistake to stop her. A mistake not to have kept as much distance between them as possible. “Is there any way we can start over?”

“Start over with what?”

She was going to make this as hard as possible. He squared his shoulders, ready to take a direct rejection. “We can pretend we didn’t meet the way we did.”

“You mean with your daughter stealing from my family’s store and you trying to run over me with your car?” Her soft dainty mouth tightened into a thin line. One slim eyebrow shot up as if he’d insulted her.

She wasn’t insulted, he realized. She was too nice a woman for that. He stood and pulled out the chair next to him. Watched deeper emotions play in her captivating eyes.

Whenever he was around her, he felt off-balance, as if he’d lost his center, his footing, everything he was sure of. Maybe she felt this, too. “If you can put those things behind you, I’d like to try again.”

“What makes you think I want to?”

“Just a hunch. Cop’s instinct.”

“Let me guess. Your hunches are wrong a lot, aren’t they?”

“You’ll have to sit down and find out.”

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