Table of Contents

Cover Page

Excerpt

Dear Reader

Title Page

Dedication

About the Author

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

Copyright

“We had no business kissing like that!”

Tyler caught Julie by the shoulders. “Why not? We’re both legal and free.”

“All the more reason for us to be careful.” She shook off his touch and walked to the end of the deck, to the exact spot where they had first kissed eight years ago.

Tyler followed. “All I’m asking is what’s so bad about our being together?”

“I’ll tell you what’s so bad,” Julie answered, suddenly furious with herself. “How you make me feel, that’s what. It isn’t right It isn’t good. It isn’t even—”

Tyler’s lips smothered the rest of her sentence, which was forgotten in the wake of one devastating kiss. Clearly she had no willpower where he was concerned.

Clearly, he knew it…

Dear Reader,

This month Silhouette Romance has six irresistible novels for you, starting with our FABULOUS FATHERS selection, Mad for the Dad by Terry Essig. When a sexy single man becomes an instant dad to a toddler, the independent divorcée next door offers parenthood lessons—only to dream of marriage and motherhood all over again!

In Having Gabriel’s Baby by Kristin Morgan, our BUNDLES OF JOY book, a fleeting night of passion with a handsome, brooding rancher leaves Joelle in the family way—and the dad-to-be insisting on a marriage of convenience for the sake of the baby…

Years ago Julie had been too young for the dashing man of her dreams. Now he’s back in town, and Julie’s still hoping he’ll make her his bride in New Year’s Wife by Linda Vamer, part of her miniseries HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

What’s a man to do when he has no interest in marriage but is having trouble resisting the lovely, warm and wonderful woman in his life? Get those cold feet to the nearest wedding chapel in Family Addition by Rebecca Daniels.

In About That Kiss by Jayne Addison, Joy Mackey, sister of the bride, is sure her sis’s ex-fiancé has returned to sabotage the wedding. But his intention is to walk down the aisle with Joy!

And finally, when a woman shows up on a bachelor doctor’s doorstep with a baby that looks just like him, everyone in town mistakenly thinks the tiny tot is his in Christine Scott’s Groom on the Loose.

Enjoy!

Melissa Senate, Senior Editor

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

New Year’s Wife
Linda Varner

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Special thanks to pilots Jack and Sharon Davis for their

suggestions, advice and critique.

LINDA VARNER

confesses she is a hopeless romantic. Nothing is more thrilling, she believes, than the battle of wits between a man and a woman who are meant for each other but just don’t know it yet! Linda enjoys writing romance and considers herself very lucky to have been both a RITA finalist and a third-place winner in the National Readers’ Choice Awards in 1993.

A full-time federal employee, Linda lives in Arkansas with her husband and their two children. She loves to hear from readers. Write to her at 813 Oak St., Suite 10A-277, Conway, AR 72032.

Prologue

“Yo, Ty! Would you see if the birthday gal’s out on the back porch? It’s twenty minutes till a brand new year—party time!—and we can’t find her anywhere.”

Tyler Jordan nodded agreement to Don Newman, host of this fun and confusion. Winding his way through the jam-packed room, bright with streamers and bobbing balloons, Tyler dodged more than one guest wearing a colorful party hat and wielding the noisy blow-outs provided earlier. He chuckled as he slipped into the kitchen, then headed straight out the back door to look for Julie, one of Don’s two younger sisters.

Tyler saw her at once, standing alone and bathed in moonlight at the far end of the porch that stretched across the rear of the rambling Victorian house. Instead of calling out, he just stared for a moment at the slender brunette, marveling that she could be so different from her ditsy kid sister, Kit. Though Don, a college classmate, seldom talked about his female siblings, he had once commented that the oldest was “legal.” Tyler, of course, had figured out which was which the moment he met the two girls upon his arrival earlier that evening.

He now crept forward, not stopping until he stood just behind his favorite of Don’s sisters. “So you’re not a missing person after all, but a star gazer.”

“Yes,” she murmured, as though somehow she’d known he was there all the time. “Aren’t they gorgeous tonight?”

“Breathtaking,” Tyler answered. He ignored the night sky, instead gluing his gaze to the dark-eyed beauty who’d stolen his heart. Julie laughed, obviously pleased by the offhanded compliment.

“It’s almost midnight,” she said after a moment’s silence.

“Which is why Don sent me out here to get you.”

Julie nodded that she’d guessed that. Turning her back to the yard, she leaned against the ornate iron rail that edged the porch, then crossed her arms over her chest in a self-hug Tyler wished he could help her with. Her bold gaze swept Tyler from head to toe.

“So what do you think of our midnight birthday party tradition?”

“I think it’s perfect for someone born at 12:01 on January first.” Tyler, too, leaned against the rail, so close that the smell of her cologne instantly assailed him. The subtle floral scent brought to mind sunrise streaming through an open window, crisp cotton sheets and lazy wake-up kisses that led to morning love.

At once Tyler wished he could whisk Julie away to just such a place. They’d celebrate her birthday with a private party neither would forget. That is, if he hadn’t imagined the incredible instantaneous chemistry between them when they were first introduced. Had he? Tyler had to wonder, risking a sidelong glance in Julie’s direction. At that moment she shivered violently, and he realized why she hugged herself.

“My God!” he exclaimed. “You don’t even have on a coat.”

“You could share yours,” she suggested.

Tyler hastily unzipped the leather bomber jacket that was a gift from his parents on his twenty-second birthday, four years ago. He opened the front of it wide in invitation. Julie stepped up to let him share his warmth. Conveniently, Tyler’s temperature shot up another couple of degrees, and his heart began to thump erratically against his rib cage.

Wired as he was, Tyler didn’t trust himself to do anything more than hold the jacket around her with a loose hug, his chin resting on the top of her head. To his delight, Julie slipped her arms around his waist and pressed her body closer.

Green light? he wondered, even as she tipped her head back and met his questioning gaze square on. She smiled at him, a sexy smile that was an unmistakable invitation.

Accepting it but still holding back, Tyler did nothing more than touch his lips to hers in a brief, brushing kiss. Julie sighed with what could only be frustration. Reaching up to clasp her hands behind his neck, she took the initiative, tugging his head down to press her mouth fully to his. Her tongue teased for entry, sending a shock wave clear to Tyler’s toes. Groaning his defeat, Tyler gave in to their mutual desire, parting his lips, then taking control of the kiss.

And what a kiss it was! Wet, wild and wonderful…but not enough to satisfy him. Not nearly enough.

How could it be when Julie seemed to be everything he’d ever dreamed of? Her heated response set him on fire, and at once hungry for whatever he could coax from her, Tyler planted kisses on Julie’s cheeks, nose, chin and neck. Ah, but she tasted good…so damn good.

Tyler felt Julie slip her hands under his sweater. Lightly she raked her fingernails over his bare back, an incredibly tantalizing action that further fueled his need. Tyler responded by palming each of her breasts in turn through the thick yarn of her oversize sweater.

But even that wasn’t enough—not when she was so willing, so obviously excited by his touch. Taking his cue from Julie, Tyler slipped his hands under her sweater and traced with his fingertips the lace-encased fullness hidden there. Her breasts seemed to swell to his touch. The tips grew noticeably taut. Her breaths became soft pants that Tyler’s kiss stole away. His body tensed, strategic parts hard and ready for love.

He struggled with the front clasp of her bra. Somewhere nearby a door slammed.

Tyler leapt back, his own breath now ragged. A quick glance round revealed that they were still alone. Gulping audibly, Tyler looked down at Julie, now a good three feet away and obviously rattled. They exchanged a rueful glance, then shared a guilty laugh.

“Something’s happening here,” he blurted, anxious to let her know how serious he was about this.

Julie’s smile instantly vanished. She nodded solemnly, but said nothing.

“I didn’t expect this.” He could barely get the words out, suddenly and uncharacteristically flustered, thanks to this woman he’d met mere hours ago. “I just came to Idaho to ski.”

She nodded again.

“Don told me he had two sisters, but I never dreamed—” Tyler swallowed hard again. “I never dreamed one of them—” He shook his head, completely at a loss for words. “God, but you’re beautiful.”

Her smile lit up the night.

Tyler relaxed and smiled back. “We’ll just take this thing slow, okay?”

“Slow?” Her twinkling eyes challenged him.

Tyler chuckled. “Well, maybe not.”

For a moment they just looked at each other, then Tyler cleared his throat rather loudly. “I, um, guess you’d better go in. Don’s going to send out a search party if you don’t.”

“You’re not coming?” Julie caught hold of his arm as if she feared he’d suddenly vanish into the night.

“In a minute.” He did not add that he needed time alone to cool down. Surely she knew. They’d been standing so close…

“Promise?” Suddenly she sounded more like her teenaged sister than the mature young woman that she was.

Tyler, charmed by her unexpected air of innocence, nodded. “Nothing could keep me away, Julie. Nothing.”

With obvious reluctance, she left him and entered the house. Moments later, Tyler heard her guests cheer a welcome. Anxious to join the midnight fun, he sucked in a lungful of frosty air and willed his love-tense body to relax. He thought of the week that lay ahead and vowed to spend every hour with Julie, a woman like no other, surely the woman of his dreams. Several minutes of fantasizing about the days to come slipped by before Tyler came to with a start and glanced at his watch. Cursing softly, he spun and headed straight for the kitchen.

Just as he stepped through the door a noisy countdown to the New Year’s birthday began in the next room.

“Ten…nine…eight…”

Determined not to miss a millisecond of Julie’s special night Tyler quickened his pace.

“Seven…six…”

Just before he got to the living room door, he spied a two-tiered, heart-shaped birthday cake sitting on the table. It had not been there earlier.

“Five…four…”

The fancy red writing on it leapt out at him.

“Three…two..”

Tyler stumbled to a halt.

“One!”

And read the words.

Wild cheers and congratulations echoed off the walls, but Tyler stood in stunned silence, staring at the sentiment that changed his life forever and not for good.

Happy Birthday, Julie.

17.

Chapter One

Eight years later

“Happy birthday, Sis.”

“Thanks,” Julie Newman McCrae replied, setting down a warm pitcher of spiced apple cider so she could accept the hug that Kit Porter, her older sister by four years, offered to her.

“So tell me, how does it feel to be twenty-five?” Kit might as well have been asking how it felt to be a leper. She looked that horrified.

Julie shrugged. “So far it’s not a bit different than twenty-four…or twenty-three…for that matter.”

“Oh, but it is,” Kit teased, brown eyes twinkling. “And I’ll tell you why.” She glanced around as if to make sure no one eavesdropped, then leaned close, whispering, “The big three-oh is just five years away now.”

“Only one for you,” Julie retorted.

The redhead groaned and sagged against her sister. “Oh God, don’t remind me.”

Laughing, they shared a sympathetic hug.

“Donnie boy is finally here.” Kit ran a hand through her short, copper-colored hair, a genetic throwback from an Irish great-great. “And he’s brought someone with him.”

“So what else is new?” Julie questioned. One of her older brothers worked public relations for New-Ware, their father’s cookware business, and had more friends than an Idaho winter had snowflakes. He was forever bringing one or another of them to Clear Falls, where the six-bedroom, three-story home owned by Julie’s dad, widower John Newman, was located. Luckily she had planned her birthday party refreshments with that in mind. “I have plenty to eat tonight.”

“Yeah, well they both have suitcases,” Kit advised. “Not to mention skis. So you may have more than tonight to worry about.”

Julie sighed at that news, though she didn’t really mind it. Of all the household tasks she’d taken on in exchange for rent-free accommodations, cooking was the one she liked most and did best. She got plenty of practice, too. In the five months since her dad had suggested the trade-off and she’d agreed to it, they’d been alone together in the house for maybe a week.

Julie’s dad blamed that on their proximity to the ski slopes. Julie blamed it on his big heart. After all, who had talked her oldest brother, Sid, into leaving his two stepchildren and his baby in Idaho while he and his wife explored European markets for New-Ware? Who had demanded Kit move back home, when her sailor husband was stationed on an aircraft carrier? And who always insisted that Don stay at the house whenever he was in town, whether or not he had girlfriends, co-workers or buddies in tow?

John Newman, that’s who.

“Well, I hope they have an appetite for cold cuts, dips and leftover birthday cake,” Julie murmured, picking up the pitcher again and slipping out the door of the kitchen so she could hug that rascal of a brother she hadn’t seen for a month. “Because that’s what we’re going to have for days to come.”

A second later she deposited the pitcher on the buffet table. Ever the perfect hostess—at home and at the New-Ware cooking demonstrations that were her source of income—Julie assessed the table to see if it lacked anything else.

It didn’t, and gratefully she wound her way through the crush of friends and relatives to where her brother and his companion stood talking.

Don, a handsome young man by even a stranger’s standards, looked especially wonderful to his little sister tonight. Though six years separated their ages, Julie bad always been particularly close to him.

“Don!” she exclaimed when still several feet away. He turned, all smiles, and engulfed her in a bear hug that threatened her rib cage. “You just missed the countdown.”

“Sorry about that,” he said with a shrug of apology, adding, “Happy New Year.”

“Same to you,” she replied.

“And happy birthday.” Don set her back on her feet. “How does it feel to be twenty-five?”

Julie smiled at his unwitting echo of Kit’s earlier question. “You should know. You were there six years ago.”

“Low blow,” Don scolded, but he laughed. “I brought someone with me,” he said. “I ran into him at the gas station on the corner, and since he didn’t have motel reservations anywhere, I talked him into staying here a night or two. Dad seemed pleased. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Hey, I’m just a guest, myself,” Julie replied with a laugh, for the first time shifting her full attention to Don’s companion.

“Hi, I’m Julie McCrae,” she said, automatically extending her hand to him as she raised her gaze to meet his—dark, intense and too, too familiar. At once Julie was hurled back in time eight years to a birthday party just like this one.

She forgot her name. She forgot her manners. She forgot how to breathe—astonishing reactions that floored her.

“Actually, I think you two have already met,” Don commented, apparently oblivious to her life-threatening discomfiture. “This is—”

“Tyrone, right?” she blurted, desperate that this man now holding her hand so tightly would never guess what he’d done to her fragile, teenaged ego at that party so long ago.

“Tyler,” he solemnly corrected. “Tyler Jordan.”

“Oops,” Julie said, adding a who-cares-anyway laugh. She tugged her fingers free of his and swiped them down her black wool pants. “Sorry. I’m terrible with names, but I never forget a face. How long has it been since we last, um, spoke? Six years, seven?”

“Eight years, eleven minutes and—” he glanced at his watch “—thirty seconds. At a party just like this one.”

Julie nearly choked and glanced quickly at Don. She’d never told anyone about the intimacies shared with Tyler just before midnight so long ago out on the porch.

Did this mean Tyler had?

But Don just laughed and slapped his old friend on the back—an act of affection that meant he didn’t know the truth. Julie, of course, should’ve guessed that. Don had bored her with more than one tale of Tyler’s dangerous—no, foolhardy—exploits through the years, things Don would never have told her if he’d been aware of what had happened between them. “No wonder you didn’t argue when I invited you to come home with me. You remember what great parties my little sis throws.”

“Yeah,” Tyler agreed with a half smile. “What great parties she throws.” His gaze dropped to Julie’s mouth and lingered there. Immediately she wondered if it were her parties he remembered or her kisses. But no, it couldn’t be her kisses. He’d long since proved that they—and everything else about her—were totally forgettable.

Unfortunately such wasn’t the case for Julie, who suddenly remembered not only the kisses they’d shared but the caresses that had accompanied them. And then there had been that awful moment later when she’d been forced to face the fact that Tyler had only been playing with her out on the porch…

A little surprised by the vividness of her memories, Julie gave herself a get-it-together shake. Surely she wasn’t still mourning a relationship that had never existed anywhere except in her fanciful, teenage head.

“And speaking of birthdays,” Don continued, bringing her back to the here and now, “I’ve brought you a present from Uncle Sy.” He looked at Tyler and winked. “It’s special. Really special.”

Julie looked at her brother’s empty hands, then all around. “Where is it?”

“In the garage.” Don grinned.

“The garage?” She turned toward the back of the house, fully intending to step out the kitchen door and see whatever her eccentric uncle, Silas Newman, had sent. Don stopped her with an outflung arm.

“Not yet. I want Dad to get the camera, and I want all your guests to come watch.”

Though avidly curious now, Julie obeyed. She eyed Don rather suspiciously as he ushered their dad, Kit and the guests in the direction of the garage, knowing he wasn’t above playing a good practical joke on her. And while she usually didn’t mind them, she wasn’t at all sure she could handle another surprise this night.

On that thought, Julie shifted her gaze to her first surprise, still standing next to her, his gaze on Don. Discreetly she assessed him—the man who’d broken her teenage heart so long ago. He looked older than his age, which she’d always assumed to be the same as Don’s. In fact, she could have sworn she saw a silver strand or two gleaming in his otherwise brown hair. And there were wrinkles around his eyes, too—little crow’s feet that the sun had most likely furrowed into his skin.

Or had hard living engraved them there? After all, it must be tough to seduce a woman at every port, or in his case, on every mountain.

Woman? Julie almost laughed. Not by a long shot. Just a teen with raging hormones, too easily flattered by big brother’s dashing college friend. She should have known that Tyler hadn’t meant a word he said.

And she should’ve gotten over it long ago.

At that moment, Tyler’s gaze found and locked with Julie’s. She jumped as if he’d reached out and touched her. Then, acutely embarrassed, she brushed past him to hurry up Don. Julie managed one step away before Tyler caught her by the arm.

“I’d really like to speak with you,” he said. “To explain…and apologize.”

“Whatever for?” Julie responded, easing her arm free. God, but he was still gorgeous. And at Tyler’s touch, every hormone in her body—hormones surely older and wiser—sprang to life and waved for attention just the way they had the first time she met him. Rattled, sweating, Julie could barely fake a smile.

Tyler laughed—a humorless sound. “I know damn good and well you remember what happened at your birthday party eight years ago. In fact…if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re still pretty steamed.” He sounded as if he couldn’t believe it, either.

“About something that happened that long ago? Trust me, Tyler, I’ve had much better things to do than carry a grudge against you. Besides, if anyone should apologize, it’s me for trailing after you like some little lost pup that first evening we met. As for that midnight fooling around—”

“Stop it!” Tyler hissed, stepping so close she had to tip her head back to meet his gaze.

But meet it she did. “You don’t owe me an explanation or an apology. That’s water way under the bridge. Now please excuse me. I have guests and a party to attend to.”

“Fine,” he coolly replied. “We’ll talk later. When everyone is gone.”

“Everyone will never be gone,” she said, stepping back to put precious inches between them. “In case you hadn’t noticed, this house is a lot like Grand Central Station…or maybe the Grand Hotel would be more appropriate?”

He winced, clearly picking up on the jibe. “I won’t hang around here long. Hell, I won’t hang around at all—if you’ll talk with me tonight.”

“Stay as long as you like,” she said. “It’s nothing to me.” With that, Julie whirled and hurried to Don and her dad, who had his video camera in hand.

At the sight of her grinning parent, Julie instantly regretted her rudeness to Tyler. Her father had seemed so lost since the death of Julie’s mother almost nine months ago. Knowing how devastating it was to lose a spouse, she suspected that loneliness was the main reason he’d begged her to come live with him again and not any desire to help her save rent money.

“Are you ready?” Don asked. His bright eyes and flushed cheeks bespoke his excitement, and Julie made a special effort to push her disturbing encounter with Tyler out of her head.

“Past ready,” she replied, trying to muster enthusiasm for Uncle Sy’s gift.

“Good. Now stay put until everyone is set, okay?”

“Okay,” Julie promised, biting back a smile. She felt a stirring of excitement. Never had she seen Don so worked up. What on earth awaited her out in the garage?

“Come on, Dad.” Don led the way to the back door, through which Tyler had just vanished. His dad grinned mysteriously at Julie, then followed. Don did the same.

Julie, blessedly alone for the moment, sucked in a couple of deep breaths to compose herself before she trailed her brother out the door. At first she saw nothing but her guests, standing all in a bunch. Then they stepped aside, en masse, to reveal…a car.

And not just any car—a wickedly red 1956 Corvette convertible in mint condition.

Julie knew this because she’d pointed out this very machine countless times at Uncle Sy’s Seattle automobile museum where she had worked so many summers. It was the most popular exhibit there.

Was.

Now, for some reason, it sat in her dad’s garage.

“Voilà!” Don exclaimed, flinging out his hand, palm upward, in the direction of the Corvette.

The car? Uncle Sy wanted her to have the car? Julie caught her breath. “You can’t mean…?”

“I do.”

“Oh my God.” At once Julie’s knees threatened to buckle. She clutched Kit’s arm for support, took several fortifying breaths, then moved, trancelike, toward the sleek roadster. Slowly she walked around it, touching first a fender, next a headlight and last the wind-shield.

“Well?” Don prompted when she’d completed her inspection.

“It’s real,” Julie announced. Her guests exploded into laughter…and congratulations.

“Get in,” John Newman prompted over the din, his eye to the camera.

Julie nodded rather numbly and obeyed. Once behind the wheel, she touched the dash, the radio, the white leather seat next to her…fully expecting everything to vanish. When they didn’t, she grasped the wheel, tossed her head back and closed her eyes, already imagining herself speeding down some scenic highway—mountains all around, blue sky and sunshine overhead, hair blowing in the wind.

“What a car. What a car.“ It was Kit, now sitting in the passenger seat. Julie looked at her in surprise—she hadn’t even heard the other door open. “Do you know what this baby’s worth?”

“Yes,” Julie said. At once she felt guilty. Though Uncle Sy had always been generous with his many nephews and nieces, he’d never given any of them something so expensive.

“Now don’t you worry about it,” Kit whispered as though reading her mind. “Apparently all the Newman cousins will get one when Uncle Sy dies. He just wanted you to have yours now. Dad’s supposed to send him the videotape so he can see your reaction.”

“But what did I ever do to deserve a gift like this?” Julie asked.

“You lived and worked with that old man for—” Kit frowned “—how many summers?”

“Six.”

“Well that’s six more than anyone else could’ve. Believe me, honey, you earned this car.”

Suddenly car keys dangled before Julie’s eyes. “Why don’t you take her for a spin?” Don suggested. “The roads are dry.”

“But my guests…”

“Dad’s taking care of them.”

Julie looked up to find that only three people remained in the garage besides herself—Don, Kit and…Tyler.

Tyler. She’d almost forgotten him in the excitement. But there he stood, not three feet away, as classically American as her little red sports car and every bit as dashing…damn him. His eyes never left her, and not sure how much more her poor old heart could take this night, Julie snatched the keys from Don.

“Yes!” Kit fairly bounced with excitement in the seat.

Don stepped away from the car. Julie inserted the key into the ignition. She paused before starting the engine, taking a moment to familiarize herself with the car. She saw the gear selector, the accelerator, the brake pedal and the…clutch. At once her soaring spirits took a nosedive.

“Oh, no.”

“What’s wrong?” Don demanded, instantly by her side again.

“It has a standard transmission,” Julie moaned.

“But of course it does…” His jaw dropped. “You mean you still can’t drive a standard?”

“No.”

“You’re kidding!” Kit exclaimed.

Julie glared at her. “You mean you can?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.” Kit looked very smug. “Monty taught me.” Monty was Kit’s absent husband.

“Then you can teach me.”

“Okay…but not this week. I’m working split shifts at Clearwater Regional so I’ll be out more than in.”

Julie just shook her head. How Kit, who worked as a relief nurse all over town, ever kept her complicated schedule straight Julie just didn’t know.

“I can teach you,” Don said.

“When?” Julie demanded.

“Whenever you want,” he replied. Then he frowned. “Except…It’s officially Saturday, isn’t it? I’ve got top salesmen arriving around nine a.m. I have to pick them up and get them settled at their hotels. Actually, I guess I’ll pretty much have to entertain them during the day until next Sunday.”

“You mean neither of you can help me before next weekend?” Julie heaved a heartfelt sigh of disappointment.

“Maybe Dad would show you how,” Kit suggested.

“I’m sure he would,” Julie replied. “I’m also sure neither of us would survive the experience.” She well remembered another driving lesson—back when she was a teenager yearning for a license. Apparently Kit remembered it, too, for she winced.

“Why don’t we go inside and ask for a volunteer?” Don asked. “Surely one of our guests would be willing to take you on.”

“No!” Julie replied, so loudly that her brother jumped. “If you so much as hint to those people I can’t drive this car you are a dead man, understand?”

Eyes twinkling, Don nodded.

“I have some time on my hands,” Tyler said. “I’ll teach you.”

Julie’s heart somersaulted at the unexpected suggestion. “No thanks—”

“But that’s a great idea,” Don argued, cutting off her refusal.

“Yeah, great,” Kit echoed with enthusiasm. Clearly both of them thought Tyler’s idea the perfect solution.

Unfortunately, Julie didn’t. Her gaze locked with Tyler’s. She noted that a hint of a smile—no doubt of triumph—now turned up the corners of his mouth.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” she murmured, vastly irritated. She opened the car door and stepped out on the pavement.

“You don’t have to ask,” Tyler replied. “I’ve already volunteered.”

“That’s very generous, but I—” Julie broke off, suddenly aware of Don’s and Kit’s puzzled frowns. They didn’t understand her dilemma—never would, unless she told them everything. Julie had no intention of admitting she’d never gotten over that two seconds’ worth of foreplay eight years ago.

So why not keep things simple and accept his offer? Julie asked herself. A possible argument sprang to mind immediately: she didn’t want to spend a single moment alone with Tyler. Didn’t want to hear the explanation or the apology that would justify what he’d done back then and eliminate all excuses not to fall for him again.

Not that she really would…

Although deadly attractive with those chiseled features and that rugged jawline, Tyler Jordan was undoubtedly as much of a daredevil as ever and, therefore, totally incompatible to her current goals of marriage to a rock-solid man and lots of babies. Ignorance of what she really wanted had contributed to her devastation when he left so abruptly all those years ago. Inexperience then exaggerated the impact of the encounter, etching it so indelibly on her brain.

Or perhaps the problem was the nature of their parting. He was unfinished business for sure. As for her physical reaction to him now…a momentary lapse, nothing more.

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Julie therefore asked, adding a sweet smile. “I mean…you did come to the mountains to ski.”

“I’ll still have time for that.” He returned her smile, revealing teeth that flashed gypsy white against his naturally bronze-toned skin.

Julie gulped at the sight and wondered briefly if she hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of her life. Then she gave herself a mental kick in the backside. They would only be together an hour, maybe two at the most. She could keep her hands to herself for that long— would have to if she intended to shift gears and steer. “All right then. How about later this morning, after we sleep off the party?”

“Fine with me,” he replied, cheerfully adding, “And don’t you worry. After a week or so of lessons, you’ll be a pro. I guarantee it.”

Chapter Two

A glass-domed anniversary clock on the mantel chimed the time—3:00 a.m. Tyler Jordan, a volunteer member of the clean-up crew, worked his way through the living room, picking up abandoned paper plates and disposable plastic cups to toss into a trash bag. He battled with his conscience, knowing full well that Julie wanted him to leave, but reluctant to do so until he explained his behavior all those years ago.

So what if she’d already told him she didn’t care why he ran away? Her body language said she lied, and even if she spoke the truth, he needed to say his piece. Tyler hated unfinished business. This was definitely that— and the only reason he’d abandoned his ski plans so abruptly when he’d run into Don at the gas station.

Don’s news that Julie was now widowed had nothing to do with anything. It was the birthday party and the fact that Julie lived with her dad again that cinched the impulsive decision to drop by. When presented with the perfect opportunity to right old wrongs, Tyler had made the most of it. Any man with scruples would, and heaven knew he could claim more than his share of those—the very reason he’d landed himself in this mess.

“I’m on my way out to the trash barrel. Want me to take that for you?” Don reached for the bag Tyler held. “This was the last bag in the box, but I think there are more in the pantry. Go ask Julie.”

With a glance around the still-littered room, Tyler nodded and made a beeline to the kitchen, hoping to catch Don’s sister alone. If they could talk now, he wouldn’t have to sleep over. Contrary to what he’d told her brother, Tyler did have accommodations for tonight—a motel room he’d already put on his credit card and would have to pay for whether or not he utilized it. Fairly certain he wasn’t welcome at the Newman house—at least by Julie—Tyler preferred utilizing it.

Worse, he’d paid a hefty entrance fee for a downhill skiing competition on a slope the locals had dubbed GR—Grim Reaper. Tyler planned to win the race and add another trophy to his growing collection.

A push on the swing door later, Tyler stepped into the kitchen, painted bright yellow and trimmed in blue gingham. Julie stood alone with the dishwasher she loaded. Since she didn’t look up when he entered, he paused for a moment to study her, just as he’d done eight years ago.

The years had been kind. She was almost the same size as when a teen, though a little more filled out, as mature women usually are. Her brunette hair hung to just below her shoulders, slightly curled on the ends and gleaming reddish in the light. And though she had her back to him, he knew feathery bangs framed her oval face.

For just a second Tyler closed his eyes and pictured that girl-next-door face. He saw wide brown eyes with thick lashes. He saw an uptilted nose and dimples. He saw a friendly smile.

Encouraged by his vision, Tyler stepped closer, something she hadn’t allowed all evening. Whistling, busy, Julie didn’t seem to notice his soundless approach until he stood mere inches away. Then she stiffened, whirled and stepped back, crimson-glossed lips still pursed for the tune. Tyler’s gaze focused first on those full, kissable lips, which had once touched his, then dropped to her breasts, which rose and fell with every agitated breath. He remembered how silky her skin felt to the touch—how incredibly responsive she was. His heart skipped a beat.

“Don’t you ever give up?” Julie snapped, self-consciously brushing off her bulky maroon sweater at the exact spot where he’d been staring.

“I didn’t come in here to talk,” Tyler retorted, a half truth. “I came to get another trash bag.”

“Oh.” She looked flustered, embarrassed. “I thought…well, it doesn’t matter.” Pushing up her sleeves, she crossed the room to the walk-in pantry, opened the door and disappeared from view.

Tyler sagged against the counter and struggled to get a grip on his emotions—not an easy thing to do. There was something about this woman—had been from the moment he’d met her—that kept him off balance. She was a magnet to his steel.

She drew his gaze. She annihilated his composure.

She turned him on.

Tyler couldn’t explain it and didn’t like it, but the fact remained: Julie Newman McCrae had power over him, power she didn’t even know she possessed…thank God. Just thinking about it made Tyler’s forehead bead with cold sweat because this time, this time, she was legal.

“Julie?” He sort of croaked the word.

At once, she stuck her head out from behind the pantry door and frowned at him. “What?”

“I lied. I did come in here to talk.”

She huffed her opinion of that and stepped from the pantry, new box of trash bags in hand. “For crying out loud, Tyler! Can’t we just forget about what happened? It’s old news. Very old news. And doesn’t even matter.”

“Then why are you still angry with me?”

“I’m not.” They stood toe-to-toe now, separated only by the width of the box she thrust at him.

“The hell you aren’t,” he retorted. “Your face is red. Your hands are trembling, and for two cents I’ll bet you’d throw that box at me.”

For a second Julie said nothing, then she heaved a lusty sigh. “To be honest, I’d do it for free, which means I am still upset. Unfortunately I can’t begin to tell you why, since I didn’t even know it until tonight.” She shook her head in disbelief. “What happened between us all those years ago is nothing compared to what I’ve been through since, yet for some reason I’m still irritated about it.”

“Then let me explain…please. And we’ll put it to rest once and for good.”

“Oh, all right,” she said after another hesitation. “Explain if you must, but I can’t promise I’ll like you any better. If I’ve held a grudge this long, I’ll probably take it to the grave.” She set the box on the counter and crossed her arms over her chest, clearly waiting for him to speak.

At once Tyler’s wits took a leave of absence, taking along his tongue. He felt his face heat, a sure sign he, too, blushed.

“I…uh…well…uh…” Damn it. Tyler took a deep breath and tried again. “Do you think we could step out to the porch? Your brother will probably burst in here the moment I—”

As if on cue, Don pushed through the swing door. “What’s the holdup?” His gaze leapt from the box of bags to Tyler to Julie. “So are you two going to talk all night or get on with the show? It’s 3:00 a.m. I’ve had several beers too many, and I’d like to get a couple of hours shut-eye before I have to get up again…”

Wordlessly Julie extracted two bags from the box. She gave both men one and then turned her back on them, busy once more with the dishwasher.

Don glanced around the room. “Where are Kit and Dad?”

“Kit has to work tomorrow, er, today, so I sent her to bed an hour ago,” Julie told him without glancing up from her work. “As for Dad, since he’ll be up again at dawn with Timbo, I waived his KP duties altogether.”

“My brother’s three-year-old stepson,” Don said to Tyler by way of explanation. “He also has a step-daughter named Carly, and a baby of his own, Josh. ‘Gramps’ volunteered to baby-sit.” Don explained the situation as he led the way to the door, which he held open for Tyler. “You do remember that Dad manufactures gourmet pots and pans?”

“I remember.” Short of looking as if he didn’t want to help out, Tyler had no choice but to step back into the formal living room. Though a bit frustrated at first, he soon decided to make use of Don’s presence to fill in a few blanks. “Um…Julie’s a widow, right?” he asked as he continued clean up.

“Uh-huh. Her late husband, Cord, was an Alaskan Smoke Jumper—ever heard of them?”

“Sure I have,” Tyler murmured, shocked by a stab of what felt suspiciously like jealousy. Alaskan Smoke Jumpers were men’s men, noted for their courage and skill. Tyler couldn’t begin to compete with one of them.

Compete? With a dead man? At once ashamed of his misguided envy, not to mention his lack of sympathy for Julie, Tyler sharply corralled his emotions. “How long were they married?”

“Just under four years. Though Julie has never said anything, I’ve always suspected the marriage was not a happy one. They were a mismatch, in my opinion. She’s the kind of gal who wants the traditional stone cottage, complete with white picket fence and a yard full of kids. He preferred a log cabin in the woods, big enough for two, but not for three. He also had this thing about physical challenges—” Don chuckled “—something you can relate to, I guess. Why, it was nothing for him to skip Christmas with the family so he could climb a mountain somewhere.”

“And Julie moved home right after the funeral?”

“Well, back to Idaho, anyway. That was about a year ago, I guess. She’s been working for Dad half of that time and living here in the house since a few months after my mom passed away.”

“I heard about your mom. I’m sorry.”

Don nodded, and the men worked in silence for a moment.

“Does Kit work for your dad, too?”

“Kit’s a nurse,” Don said. “She was the wild child— the rebel who didn’t want any part of the family business.” He shook his head and grinned. “You’d be surprised how many people assume she’s the baby of the family.”

“Actually…I wouldn’t.” Tyler cleared his throat, a self-conscious sound to his own ear, though Don didn’t react to it. “Kit’s married?” At the party he’d noticed that she wore a wide gold band.

Don explained his sister’s circumstances, adding, “Her husband, Monty, has another five months on the carrier, then he’ll be out for good. I’m assuming they’ll find a place of their own, though not if Dad has any say in the matter. He invented the always-room-for-one-more concept, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I had,” Tyler admitted.

“You’re still with Sky Flight, I guess?” Don asked, referring to the commercial airline for which Tyler had piloted the last five years.

“No. I left them about this time last year.”

Don straightened, a look of surprise on his face. “I thought you loved your job there.”

Tyler hesitated, not for the first time at a loss for words to verbalize the restlessness that had prompted his leaving the best job he’d ever had. “I needed a change, a challenge.”

“So what are you doing now?”

“Nothing until spring. Then I’ll probably do what I did last year—charter work, some crop dusting.”

“Are you still into stuff like mountain climbing, white-water rafting, motorcycle racing, bungee jumping…?”

“I didn’t do any bungee jumping at all last summer.”

“Came to your senses?”

“Nah. I just didn’t have time for it. I was too busy with the county fairs.”

Don frowned. “County fairs?”

“I do a little stunt flying for a friend who manages an air acrobatics show. We follow the fairs.” He grinned. “You should see me in my getup. Charles Lindbergh all the way.”

When Don arched an eyebrow, Tyler shrugged. “There’s good money in it.”

“Yeah, well, it’d have to be better than just ‘good’ before you’d catch me doing nosedives over a gawking crowd.” Shaking his head in obvious bemusement, Don picked up one last paper plate, which he tossed into his bag. He then perused the room. “Guess that does it. Let me get rid of these bags, and then I’ll show you where you’re going to sleep.”

“Are you sure it’s okay if I stay here? I mean, I can find a motel downtown if it’s any trouble at all.”

“Dad was so thrilled to have you that he’s sleeping in one of the spare rooms so you can have the good bed.” Don waved away the protest Tyler opened his mouth to make. “Trust me, you’ll pay for the comfort. By the time you leave here Dad’s going to know every detail of every adventure you’ve had for the past eight years and then some. He’s nosier than an old woman.”

“My ex would clobber you if she heard a sexist remark like that,” Tyler murmured with a laugh.

Don’s jaw dropped. “I didn’t know you got married,” he murmured, just as Julie exited the kitchen into the living room.

Very aware of her presence, Tyler shrugged. “I used the term loosely. Actually, we just lived together for a while.”

“What happened?” Julie asked, crossing the room to set yet another bulging trash bag at her brother’s feet.

Tyler gave her a long look. “She started talking weddings,” he replied. “We had an agreement, a no-strings setup that worked well, then all at once—” he shook his head, as always mystified by female logic that turned pros into cons. “I’ll never figure out what the hell I did to make her think I was ready to tie the knot.”

“Of course you won’t,” Julie interjected rather sharply. “Men and women aren’t on the same wave-length.”

“What are you talking about?” Tyler asked, a thoughtless question that earned him a what-did-I-tell-you smile from Julie and a wry laugh from Don.

“I’m talking about sexual differences,” she replied, rocking back on the heels of her black leather scrunch boots, “and I don’t mean the obvious physical ones.”

“I kind of like the obvious physical ones,” Don interjected, ducking when Julie swatted at him.

“What I’m saying is that women place different meanings on certain things than men do.” When Don and Tyler exchanged a baffled glance, Julie sighed. “For example, take your basic, everyday kiss.”

Tyler tensed.

“Why do you kiss a woman, Don?” Julie asked.

Her brother grinned. “Several reasons, but mainly because it’s a good way to get close enough to explore those obvious physical differences you mentioned.”

Julie nodded. “Exactly. To you—and most other men—” she looked pointedly at Tyler “—kisses are nothing more than a lead-in to sex, which, as we all know, is the ultimate male goal.”

“And what are kisses to you, er, to women, if I may ask?” Tyler frowned slightly as he waited for her reply.

“A woman considers physical intimacy to be a stepping stone to the ultimate female goal, which is commitment.”

Tyler winced at her use of the C word—a word thrown at him before, a word he’d come to dread.

Julie, obviously not missing his reaction, lifted her chin and looked down her nose at him. “That’s why we take it so personally when someone we consider a possible mate kisses and runs. Now if you two will excuse me, I’m going to bed.” That said, she sashayed past the men, leaving in her wake an icy chill that made Tyler shiver.

When they were alone again, Don shook his head. “Don’t mind her, Ty. She’s always been like that-poking her nose where it doesn’t belong, analyzing everyone’s motives, handing out free advice.” He flashed a grin of mock exasperation. “It drives me nuts some-times, but what can I do? I’m stuck with her.”

Well, I’m not, Tyler thought, renewing his determination to have his say and bring their conflict to closure. Come tomorrow—er, today—they’d talk. He’d finally clear the air once and for all and get on with his life, unhampered by the guilt of old sins and the hard feelings of foolish misunderstandings.

Tyler woke with a start and lay in confusion, heart pounding, unsure of where he was. Something had wakened him…a sound that didn’t belong in his apartment.

He frowned into the dark and only gradually recalled the where and why of his current situation. A quick glance round the room confirmed it: Idaho. Julie’s house. Tyler glanced at his travel alarm, groaning when he saw the time, 4:30 a.m. He’d slept barely an hour and felt like hell.

What on earth had shattered his dreams? he wondered even as he heard the sound again. Crying. A child’s crying. One of brother Sid’s crew, no doubt. Perhaps the early bird.

But no, he decided moments later, frowning again. Something was wrong. This cry was one of pain.

At that moment, someone pounded on his door. “Dad? Are you awake?”

In a flash, Tyler stood beside the bed, tugging sweats over the briefs that were all he’d worn to bed since the house was kept so warm. He reached his door just as it opened.

“Dad, I-” Julie gasped. “You! Oh God, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize there’d been a switch in rooms.” She clutched a pajama-clad toddler against her chest—a boy, Tyler guessed—and jounced him as she spoke. “Where’s Dad sleeping?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know,” Tyler admitted. “Is this Sid’s stepson?”

“This is Sid’s baby, Josh. He fell out of bed and now he’s bleeding from somewhere, but won’t let me look to find out where.”

Tyler fumbled for the overhead light switch for what seemed an eternity before he found it. He then reached out to catch Julie’s elbow and lead her into his room.

“Sit on the bed,” he said, a command Julie obeyed with obvious reluctance. Josh sobbed softly, a sound that wrenched Tyler’s heart and reduced the child’s aunt to near tears, from the look of it.

Tyler dropped to one knee by the bed and touched the boy’s shoulder. “Hey, Josh, whasamatter?”

Without releasing his stranglehold on his aunt Julie, the toddler turned his head just enough to identify the speaker. His eyes, huge and dark, brimmed over with tears. Tyler instantly spotted the blood—on the boy’s face and on his aunt’s filmy pink nightgown—oozing from a jagged cut on the underside of his chin.

“It’s coming from a cut—see?—just under his chin, there. We’re going to have to wash it off so we can see how bad it is.”

“There should be a cloth in the bathroom,” Julie replied, pointing to the door that led to the bath just off Tyler’s room.

Tyler made short work of finding the cloth and wetting it with warm water. A quick search of the medicine cabinet produced Band-Aids, which he hoped were all he’d need. By the time he returned to the bed, Julie had managed to seat Josh in her lap so that Tyler could see his chin.

She reached for the cloth and Tyler gave it to her. The instant she tried to dab Josh’s chin he began to struggle and scream again.

“Let me,” Tyler said, taking the cloth back. “Josh. Hey buddy. Look-a here.”

Josh, still crying, but clearly curious about Tyler, did as requested.

“That’s great. Now be a big boy and let me wash you up, okay?”

To Julie’s obvious astonishment, Josh again did as asked, struggling only when Tyler touched the actual cut to asses its severity.

“It’s not deep,” Tyler was finally able to announce. “Just a scratch, really. No stitches required.” While he talked, he bandaged, then he used the cloth to clean Josh’s hands, Julie’s hands and finally her neck—tender ministrations endured without complaint from child or aunt. Gallantly he kept his gaze above the tips of her breasts, dark shadows under the sheer fabric of her gown. “There, all done. Feeling better?”

The question was directed to Josh, but Julie answered it. “Much, thanks. You’re very good at this. Got any little ones of your own?”

“No, thank God,” Tyler replied, a candid, but thoughtless, reply that earned him a censorious frown from Julie.

At once she placed a noisy kiss on her nephew’s head and hugged him hard—sure indication she valued rug rats much more than Tyler did. She then caught her breath, obviously just realizing that the gown she wore covered everything but hid nothing. Julie raised her gaze to meet Tyler’s, her face and neck flushed from forehead to cleavage.

“I’ve got to leave now…”

Though sorely tempted to argue, Tyler didn’t. Instead, he stood back and let her rise. Holding Josh to her chest as before—this time to hide breasts Tyler had once caressed—Julie backed toward the door. Only when she reached it did she spin around, and then just to dash out. She was quick, but not so quick Tyler didn’t get a glimpse of skimpy black panties, nearly bare bottom and long, shapely legs.

At once his body responded to the sight. With a groan he fell facedown on the bed, overcome with memories of the taste, smell and feel of her. Was this, then, the power she held over him? Sheer sexual thrill? It was a familiar spell, to be sure. One not experienced since the first time they met, eight years ago, but one well remembered all the same. The difference was their ages. She’d been a child then, a hot-to-trot teenager whose kiss had not revealed her innocence, but set him on fire. How did she kiss now that she was grown up and experienced in the ways of love? Tyler dared not try to imagine. If the kiss of a teen could haunt him for eight years, what would the kiss of a woman do?

Tyler groaned again, softly, but from the heart, then crawled back under the covers. Surprisingly he slept, but his dreams were crazy and erotic—the dreams of a man beguiled.

“More bacon?”

“Yes, please.”

Standing just outside the kitchen swing door, Tyler listened to the sounds of a family at breakfast. Several emotions washed over him at once, not the least of which was discomfort that surely resulted from the fact that he was the only child of a single parent. Acutely aware of his past experiences with—and subsequent aversion to—large, noisy families, Tyler actually turned to slip back upstairs when the door swung out and hit him in the backside.

“Oomph!” he exclaimed as a small boy charged past him.

“Come on in, Tyler,” called John Newman from the kitchen. “There’s plenty to eat and a place to sit now that Tim’s headed to the den. The Tournament of Roses Parade is on, you know, and he doesn’t intend to miss it.”

Squaring his shoulders, Tyler pushed through the door into the kitchen filled with family members. Only Kit could not be accounted for. Tyler assumed she was already at work.

John gave him a big smile. “Have a seat. Have a seat.”

Tyler skirted the table slowly en route to the proffered chair, nodding an awkward greeting to all who ate and stopping at Josh’s high chair to lean down and peer at his bandaged chin. It looked great, he thought, an opinion reaffirmed when Julie spoke.

“He’s fine today. Thanks again for helping out.”

“No problem,” Tyler murmured as he brushed bread crumbs and bits of egg off the chair just vacated by Tim, then sat.

“I want you to know that I don’t always do that,” Julie said.

“Excuse me?” All Tyler could think of was her sexy nightgown. Did she mean that she sometimes slept naked? he wondered, body stirring at the thought.

“Run to my daddy for help when I get in a tight spot,” Julie replied, unaware of the direction his thoughts had taken, but setting him straight all the same. “I’m a big girl except where the kids are concerned. Then I fall apart at the least sign of trouble.”

Tyler squirmed to ease the sudden bind of his jeans and faked a smile. “The thought never crossed my mind.”

“Here, son,” said John, passing Tyler a blue china bowl filled with scrambled eggs, cooked to perfection.

“My mother has a bowl like this,” Tyler murmured for lack of anything else to say. “She’s a retired nurse, living in Washington state.”

“With your dad?” John asked.

Tyler shook his head. “Alone.”

“Your dad is dead, then?” Apparently John was every bit as nosy as Don had warned.

“A deadbeat. One of those guys who’ll skip out on a woman without marrying her when she tells him he’s going to be a daddy.” Tyler noted the looks of sympathy passed between Don and Julie. He also noted that Julie then frowned at her dad in an obvious attempt to shut him up.

It didn’t work.

“Sorry to hear that,” John said, his tone very matter-of-fact. “His loss, of course.”

Tyler shrugged in reply and set down the bowl, now minus a generous helping of the eggs.

“We have sausage and bacon, biscuits and hash browns, too,” John then said, clearly oblivious to the tension in the room or the fact that for some reason Tyler had just blurted his deepest, darkest secret. “Eat hearty.”

“Thanks,” Tyler murmured, his gaze glued to the table before him. In seconds his plate was filled and, to make further foolish confessions impossible, his mouth.

Tyler’s illegitimate roots obviously didn’t bother John, who appeared bound and determined to discuss them. “Your mother never married anyone else, then?”

Tyler quickly swallowed. “No.”

“So you have no brothers or sisters?”

“None.”

“Then I guess the Newman household is a culture shock for you, huh?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Well, don’t let that put you off. Big families are a lot of fun, son, and if you’re smart, you’ll find yourself a good, fertile woman real soon and get busy making one of your own.”

“Da-ad!” Julie scolded, her eyes shooting daggers at her tactless parent.

John looked at her in surprise, clearly clueless. “He’ll be glad he did, honey. Why, where would I be now if it weren’t for all you kids and grandkids? Alone, that’s where. Alone and lonely.” He pointed a finger at Tyler. “Your father made a poor choice that I’m sure he now regrets. There’s no reason for you to make the same one.”

“No, sir,” Tyler murmured, a lie. In truth, there were several, not the least of which was that big families gave him the willies. No, not even for old-age companion-ship would he endure the interference, inconvenience and irritation of them.

Chapter Three

“Are you, um, starting the driving lessons this morning?” blurted Don in an obvious attempt to change the subject. “We have sunshine. We have clear roads.”

Tyler exchanged a look with Julie, whose face still glowed pink with embarrassment for her dad’s pep talk—another reason Tyler was glad he didn’t have a houseful of kin to deal with.

“If that’s okay…?” she ventured. “The sooner we begin, the sooner we finish. I don’t want you to have to hang around here instead of the slopes. I’ve heard they’re great this year.”

“This morning is fine,” he assured her, adding, “As for the slopes, I’m on no set schedule this trip, so whenever I get to them is fine.”

“Tyler quit his job with Sky Flight,” Don told his dad, as if Tyler’s comment about schedules had just reminded him of the fact.

John poured himself a cup of steaming black coffee. “That so? Who are you flying for now?” He offered the pot to Tyler.

“Actually, I’m self-employed at the moment. I do some charter work and some crop dusting.” Tyler picked up an unused mug so John could fill it.

“He also performs with an air show,” Don added. Tyler noted that John seemed impressed by the announcement. Julie, however, appeared a bit stunned. Thankfully, talk turned to general topics after that. Tyler, no longer the subject of conversation, thank God, perused everyone at the table, beginning with a blond-haired girl who had to be Sid’s other stepchild. Petite, obviously shy, she sat to the right of her step-grandfather, John, who smiled down at her every few seconds.

Without a doubt John was the type of person who thrived on the chaos of a large family. Tyler didn’t remember the late Mrs. Newman all that well since he’d only met her once, but he carried in his mind an impression of warmth and motherly patience. He guessed that her loss was probably the reason John had called his family back home.

To the little girl’s right—was her name Celia? No, Carly—sat Don, complete with bloodshot eyes and unshaven face. One beer too many? Tyler wondered, instantly excusing the overindulgence. New Year’s Eve came just once a year. Tyler knew from experience that Don was a health nut who never drank anything stronger than beer and then only on special occasions such as little sis’s birthday party.

And speaking of little sis…she sat a high chair away from Don, at the end of the table across from her dad and to Tyler’s left. She looked beautiful this morning, he thought, none the worse for a night of drama.

With her hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing a tattered sweatshirt, she could easily have been sixteen almost seventeen, just as she was the day they met. That reminded Tyler of his mission, and noting that she’d finished eating, he made short work of cleaning his plate, too.

“Carly and I will take care of the kitchen,” John said, when Julie stood from the table, moments after Don excused himself and ran off to get ready for his salespeople, and carried her plate to the sink. “You get started on those driving lessons.”

“But—”

“Don’t argue.” He waved his hands as though to shoo them out. With a shrug, Julie met Tyler at the door, through which they exited.

“My jacket’s in the coat closet. Where’s yours?” she asked.

“On that hook there.” Tyler pointed to a rack near the front door on which hung his leather jacket. Since the closet was nearby, they walked together.

“Shall we?” Julie murmured after she’d donned a denim jacket, inclining her head in the direction of the door that led to the garage. Tyler led the way, opening the door and then stepping back so Julie could pass through it into the garage. Moments later found them peering under the hood of the Corvette—a dream car in Tyler’s opinion.

“I just want to learn to clutch and shift this thing,” Julie grumbled when Tyler automatically reached for the dip stick. “I already know how to check the oil.”

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