“You’re not a one-night stand, Nora.”

“No, I’m a two-night stand,” she said slowly and deliberately, not missing Mark’s wince at her choice of words. “You don’t need to be the good guy here. I told you I wouldn’t expect anything from you. You happened to be there when I was feeling vulnerable. I didn’t wake up hoping for bouquets of roses and impassioned declarations.”

“Some would say you’re protesting too much,” Mark replied. Nora was surprised by the slight frown furrowing his brow. He leaned forward, focusing his brilliant blue eyes on her. “Tell me the truth, Nora.”

She froze. He couldn’t have guessed, could he? Was the word pregnant branded on her forehead?

Pregnancy Countdown

Linda Randall Wisdom

www.millsandboon.co.uk

In memory of Frances Gesswein, my very own Grammy Fran. While you weren’t my biological grandmother, you werethe grandmother of my heart who probably encouraged your “red-haired granddaughter’s” rebellious spirit a little too much at times. I cherish the times we had together and I miss you very much.

And many thanks to Arlea Johnson for her husband and the dead coffeemaker story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Randall Wisdom is a California author who loves movies, books and animals of all kinds. She also has a great sense of humor, which is reflected in her books.

Books by Linda Randall Wisdom

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

250—WE GIVE THANKS

284—LADY’S CHOICE

293—APPEARANCES ARE DECEIVING

310—CODE OF SILENCE

325—SINS OF THE PAST

350—A MAN FOR MAGGIE

372—O’MALLEY’S QUEST

382—VOICES IN THE NIGHT

401—FREE SPIRITS

422—SOMETIMES A LADY

443—THIS OLD HOUSE

457—UNDER HIS SPELL

470—A MAN FOR MOM

487—THE COUNTESS AND THE COWBOY

515—NO ROOM AT THE INN

541—VEGAS VOWS

561—HE’S A REBEL

596—COUNTERFEIT HUSBAND

608—MOMMY HEIRESS

627—TWIST OF FATE

641—DO YOU TAKE THIS MAN…

671—NAUGHTY ’N NICE

681—MR. & MRS….& MRS.?

707—BELLS, RINGS & ANGELS’ WINGS

751—SHE’S HAVING HIS BABY

774—THE LAST TWO BACHELORS

831—MY LITTLE ONE

865—BRIDE OF DREAMS

920—TWO LITTLE SECRETS

991—PREGNANCY COUNTDOWN

Dear Reader,

The first time a friend tried these brownies she said they were better than sex. Naturally, this is something we tend not to say to men. Poor babies just wouldn’t understand that there are times when chocolate is extremely important to our well-being!

BETTER THAN SEX BROWNIES

aka Texas Brownies

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

½ cup margarine

½ cup shortening

1 cup strong brewed coffee or water (I use flavored coffee such as french vanilla or Bordeaux coffee.)

¼ cup cocoa

½ cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

Frosting

½ cup margarine

2 tbsp cocoa

¼ cup milk

3 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Combine flour and sugar. In heavy pan combine margarine, shortening, coffee or water and cocoa. Stir and heat to boiling. Pour boiling mixture over the flour and sugar in the large bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Mix well using wooden spoon or high speed on mixer. Pour into well-buttered 17" × ½" × 11" jelly roll pan. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until brownies are done in center.

While brownies bake, prepare the frosting. In pan combine margarine, cocoa and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Mix in powdered sugar and add vanilla; stir until smooth. Pour warm frosting over brownies as soon as you take them out of oven. If you want thicker frosting, add half again, or double the ingredients.

Enjoy!

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

Epilogue

Chapter One

Nora Summers thought about how the day was meant to be spent. She would have been dressed in a lovely lilac gown with a circlet of flowers on her head. She would have been watching her best friend get married. She would have spent the afternoon eating cake, drinking champagne and dancing. She would have joined her friends in trying to catch the bridal bouquet and she would have cried happy tears as she watched her best friend and her new husband leave on their honeymoon.

Instead, today she bid a last goodbye to her beloved grandmother.

Nora’s flight home was delayed for almost six hours. The airport was quiet as the cranky passengers disembarked.

“I’ll be home soon,” she murmured to herself as she trudged up the corridor toward the terminal interior. “I will be in my very lovely soft bed where I will indulge in lots of sleep.”

She moved past people waiting for the arrivals. She stopped short when a familiar figure straightened up from a leaning position against a pillar and walked toward her.

Nora decided she was dreaming. Men wearing tuxedos weren’t a normal sight at airports at 1:00 a.m. Especially not this particular man whose wardrobe consisted of blinding Hawaiian-print shirts and shorts or jeans.

“Hey, Nora.” His smile was dazzling against his tanned skin. He reached out and took her carry-on bag from her, then switched it to his left hand while circling her waist with his right. He kissed her gently on the forehead.

She wrapped her arms around him. She felt the strength of his body under his clothing. There was comfort in the familiar lime scent mingled with the warm aroma of his skin. Hints of different perfumes were added to the mix. She guessed Mark had been a very popular guy at the wedding.

“Mark, what are you doing here?” She was tired enough to feel bewildered by his unexpected appearance.

“Ginna mentioned what time your flight was due in,” he explained as they walked through the terminal. “I thought you might appreciate a ride home.”

“I do appreciate it,” she admitted. “But my flight was delayed for almost six hours. You haven’t been here all that time, have you?”

“Funny thing about airport terminals. They’re loaded with coffee kiosks and bars with wide-screen televisions.”

Nora shook her head trying to dislodge the fuzz clinging to her brain. Weariness was making it difficult for her to think clearly.

“Where are your baggage-claim tickets?” Mark asked.

“I only have my carry-on.” She gestured to the bag he held in his hand.

“How did you manage that? When Ginna goes away for more than a day she requires at least two suitcases.”

“I only needed a black dress,” Nora said dully. She was tired enough to take a nearby chair, curl up in it and go to sleep.

Mark squeezed her shoulder, offering silent comfort as they walked toward the entrance.

“I’m impressed.” She looked him over from head to toe. “What threats were used to get you into formal wear?”

He moved off a couple paces. He spread his arms out wide and cocked one hip in a fashion-model’s pose.

“Like it? It was my wedding gift to Gin. Plus she said if I showed up at her wedding wearing my favorite shirt she’d personally burn every piece of clothing in my closet. Since she’d been in a pretty crazy mood the past few weeks, not to mention she always backs up her threats, I wasn’t taking any chances.”

Nora nodded. She knew her friend would have done exactly that. “She’d invite everyone over for a barbecue and marshmallow roast.”

Mark winced. “Yeah, she does have that cruel streak.” He again flashed a smile that weakened many a woman’s knees, including Nora’s once upon a time.

They were silent as they exited the terminal and headed for the parking lot.

Mark stopped at an elegant-looking Jaguar sedan and unlocked the passenger door for Nora before going around back to open the trunk and set her carry-on bag inside.

“Your father let you take one of his cars?” She slid onto the buttery-soft leather seat.

“He said you should be picked up in style. I won’t tell you what he said will happen if I get so much as a microscopic scratch on it,” he added ruefully as he slid onto the driver’s seat.

Nora smiled. She knew Lou Walker, Mark’s father, only too well. The older man was an expert in the art of restoring classic automobiles. His family liked teasing him that he treated his vehicles like beloved children. She didn’t doubt that Lou demanded nothing less than a blood vow that Mark would protect the Jaguar with his life.

The engine purred like a satisfied kitten as Mark drove out of the parking lot.

“I won’t be offended if you want to nap on the way home.” Within moments, he was driving onto the freeway that boasted more than moderate traffic even at the late hour. “I can imagine you’re exhausted with all that flight delay.”

She smiled her thanks and leaned back against the headrest.

In no time, the gentle glide of the car lulled her into a light doze. Mark glanced at her a couple times as he drove down the freeway.

He’d always thought Nora was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever known. Tonight was the first time he’d ever seen her looking weary and dejected. Her skin was pale and her emerald-green eyes weren’t flashing their usual fire. Even her copper-penny hair had lost its luster. She looked like a woman who’d lost an important part of her world. Which he knew she had.

Nora and her grandmother had been close. The elderly woman had raised her after Nora’s father abandoned his family, and her mother retreated into herself. She never talked about it much, but Mark guessed that she wasn’t more than five or six when it happened. Nora had been helping his sister, Ginna, plan her wedding when she’d received word her grandmother was dying. Nora had immediately flown to Seattle and remained with her grandmother until the end. Mark had been looking forward to dancing with Nora at the reception, but it wasn’t to be. While Ginna had recited her wedding vows to Zach, Nora had attended her grandmother’s funeral.

All it took was Ginna’s mention that Nora was returning that evening for Mark to suggest he pick her up. His reason being, after the week she’d had, Nora shouldn’t have to worry about finding transportation home.

Nora and Mark had dated for a few months a couple of years ago. The only description he could give to their relationship then was stormy. He recalled times she’d appeared insecure, which he couldn’t understand since he’d never given her a reason to doubt his fidelity. His father had raised his sons to revere the opposite sex, and if there was one thing Mark was good at, it was revering women. To this day, he didn’t know the exact reason why Nora had broken up with him.

“NORA. Nora,” The male voice whispered her name. “Hey, you’ve arrived at your castle, Sleeping Beauty.”

Her lids felt leaden as she strained to lift them. “I don’t think I can move. Could you just wave a wand and pop me into my bed?”

Mark chuckled as he climbed out of the car. “Sorry, I left my wand at home. Besides, with my luck, you’d end up in a parallel universe.” He walked around to the passenger door and opened it. “Let’s just try it one step at a time, shall we?” He took her hand and helped her out. He gazed at the house, frowning. “Has anyone been staying there while you were gone?”

“Just dust bunnies.” She looked in the same direction. “Oh, the lights. I put a few lamps on timers so it wouldn’t look as if the place was deserted.”

“Good idea.” Mark left her long enough to pull her bag out of the car’s trunk.

He was on her heels as she entered the house.

“Thank you for picking me up,” she said, reaching for her carry-on.

“Wait a minute.” He set the bag down. “You don’t think I’m going to leave without checking the closets and under the bed, do you?”

Nora laughed. “Everything is fine, I’m sure of it.”

“I don’t see the Brumb anywhere around.”

“I wouldn’t have left Brumby alone this long. He’s staying at the Canine Castle,” she said, explaining her dog’s absence.

“Ah.” Mark nodded. “Five-star facilities for the discriminating canine. Since he isn’t around to keep the place safe, I consider it my duty to ensure everything’s all right.” He wandered toward the back of the house.

Nora walked into the family room and set her purse down on a table. She could hear doors opening and closing. She was grateful she’d picked up her clothes before she left for Seattle. Looking around the room, she felt as if she should be doing something, but had no idea what.

Inside, she felt numb. All she wanted was to be left alone so she could lie down and give in to tears. Again.

“All’s safe,” Mark announced, coming into the room.

Nora managed a brief smile although she felt as if her lips were ready to fall apart along with the rest of her.

“Thank you again for picking me up.” She none too subtly herded him toward the front door.

He held up his hand in a stop position. “One more thing. I’ll be right back.” He walked outside.

“Mark!” Her protest was ignored as he walked swiftly down the front walk.

She stood in the open doorway and watched him take something out of the car. He returned carrying a small pink box.

“Ginna asked me to give you this,” he told her, handing her the box.

Nora held the box in one hand and opened it with the other. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she stared at a slice of white cake decorated with delicate lilac flowers. She knew the filling was tart lemon and the frosting rich enough to send anyone into immediate sugar shock. She, Ginna and Cathy, Ginna’s mother, had sampled more than their share of wedding cakes before the final decision was made. She blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. It didn’t work. She looked up.

“This is so sweet of her,” she whispered.

“Aw, Nora, don’t cry,” Mark pleaded, getting that panicked look all men get when facing a tearful woman. “I’m no good with tears.” He took the box out of her hand before she dropped it, and gently pushed her toward the family room.

He set the bag on the coffee table and turned to face her.

“You treat injured people for a living. Some of them must cry,” she sniffed. Her face crumbled with fresh tears.

“Yeah, but I don’t know them.” He reached out and pulled her into his arms. He bestowed awkward pats on her back while looking as if he was ready to run at any minute.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed into his jacket. “Maybe I’m just tired. It’s been a traumatic week.”

“Hey,” he said gently, now softly rubbing her back. “You’ve had a lot going on. Ginna told me she wanted to go with you and you told her no. Maybe you should have let her so you wouldn’t have been alone.”

“And have her postpone her wedding? No, I wanted her to go ahead. There was nothing she could have done in Seattle. Besides, think of the commute from Newport Beach. She had a wedding to attend, since she was the guest of honor.” She tried for a bit of humor, but the stark look of misery in her eyes belied it. The last thing she would have done was ruin her best friend’s wedding.

“There is definitely something she could have done. She would have been with you,” Mark pointed out.

Nora shook her head but said nothing. She wrapped her arms around his waist. It had been a long time since she’d been in a man’s arms. She’d forgotten how good it felt. All week she’d run on sheer nerves and coffee. She’d sat there and watched her grandmother’s spirit leave her. Now she felt as if a big piece of herself had gone missing. Growing up, she’d only had her grandmother to count on when her father left her and her mother. Then her own mother had mentally abandoned her daughter. With her grandmother gone, Nora was now truly alone.

All of a sudden she knew just what she needed.

“Please stay, Mark. I don’t want to be alone tonight,” she whispered against his shirtfront. When she felt his body tense, she started to pull back. “I’m sorry. I’m tired. I don’t know why—” Her words were cut off by the swift descent of his mouth on hers.

NORA’S DREAM involved lying in front of a cozy fire. She felt so comfortable that she thought about stretching out under her lovely soft blanket to keep this comfy feeling.

She smiled as the heat wrapped itself around her. Then her sleepy mind realized something touching her wasn’t all soft and fluffy and comfy. In fact, it felt pretty firm. And male.

Her eyes flew open.

She wasn’t lying in front of a fire. Yes, there was a soft fluffy blanket, but it was draped down around her ankles. The warmth she was experiencing had to do with something more than any flames. A gentle rumble resembling a snore sounded in her ear while a hand settled in a warm possessive position over her breast. She didn’t miss that she hadn’t bothered putting on a nightgown last night. An equally naked male body was lying spoon-fashion against her back. Then she noticed the male body was definitely aroused, and that had her memory replaying everything in living color.

Oh my God! What have I done?

Nora’s first instinct was to jump out of bed and put as much distance between her and temptation as she could. Her second instinct was to snuggle back against the human furnace that was keeping her so warm and toasty. Perhaps give a couple of wiggles to wake the rest of him up. Or maybe she’d just try to breathe, because she was positive all the air had left her lungs.

For now she settled for holding her breath. She stealthily made her way out of bed without waking her companion. She crept into the bathroom and carefully closed the door behind her.

She flipped the light switch and winced as the bright light poured down on her. Perhaps checking herself in the mirror wasn’t such a good idea. She moaned softly as she leaned across the counter to get a closer look at herself.

Her hair looked as if it had been through a wind tunnel, while her cheeks were much too rosy for someone who must have had maybe a good half hour’s sleep for what remained of last night.

This wasn’t the mirrored reflection of a woman who was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. Her eyes sparkled with brilliant emerald lights, her normally pale skin was flushed with color and, if she wasn’t mistaken, there was the slightest hint of a satisfied smile curving her lips.

“Oh my God,” she moaned again. “I look like a woman who spent last night making the kind of wild incredible love that you only read about in books.” She noted how languid her movements were as she stretched her arms over her head. She stared at her reflection again, leaning over the counter until her nose almost touched the glass.

“It’s not as if I picked up a stranger in a bar and brought him back home for incredible sex. It’s not as if I’ve just had a one-night stand,” she whispered to her image. “All right, it was a one-night stand because this can’t happen again.” A whimper escaped her lips. “Oh my God, I had sex with my best friend’s brother,” she whispered to her image. “I had heart-stopping, mind-blowing, wild, crazy lovemaking that deserved nothing less than a triple-X rating.”

More strangled whimpers left Nora’s lips. She braced her hands against the sink edge, feeling light-headed as she tried to concentrate on regulating her labored breathing.

She straightened up and pushed her hair away from her face. Nothing but an application of shampoo and conditioner would help her tangled tresses.

She took the quickest shower in history, all the while praying Mark wouldn’t wake up and decide to join her. After last night, she wasn’t sure she could resist him.

Last night.

A heated tingling started way down in the pit of her stomach at a memory that was sending some very real pictures to her mind. All in incredibly living color complete with sound effects.

She moaned and quickly twisted the knob to cold. It took a lot of willpower not to shriek as the icy water rained down on her head.

“It was temporary insanity. It was temporary insanity.” She turned the four words into her personal mantra.

By the time her body temperature equaled that of the South Pole, Nora felt prepared to face the day.

And Mark.

MARK WOKE UP feeling as if he’d conquered the world, and it had nothing to do with the comfortable bed he was lying in.

He rolled over hoping to find a warm and willing Nora lying beside him, but no such luck.

He settled for lying back and thinking about the previous night.

He’d only planned on picking Nora up at the airport and depositing her safely at home. He was lucky enough to still have both sets of grandparents, so the idea of losing a loved one was foreign to him. But he’d figured that Nora would be feeling pretty low when she got back. The least he could do was make sure she didn’t have to go home alone.

What he hadn’t expected was to have her in his arms and later find himself in her bed.

When they had dated, their relationship hadn’t moved to the intimate stage. Not that he hadn’t tried. But instead of charming his way into her bed, he had found himself out in the cold.

To this day he still wasn’t sure why Nora had broken up with him. If that hadn’t been bad enough, she had tripled the action by doing it on Valentine’s Day.

Since that day, Nora had treated him as if he were a carrier of the worst kind of plague. At one point he’d even gone so far as to ask Ginna why Nora had broken up with him. All his sister had done was give him one of those haughty sniffs she did so well and inform him that if he wanted to know that badly, he’d have to ask Nora directly. Since she hadn’t been returning his phone calls, that hadn’t been an option for him.

That had been two years ago and he still hadn’t found the nerve to ask Nora what caused the breakup.

He’d been stunned when she told him she didn’t want to be alone last night. At first he’d kissed her as an attempt to comfort her. The last thing he would have done was take advantage of a woman who was vulnerable, but dammit, she’d felt so good and so right in his arms. Then when she’d asked him to make love to her, he couldn’t think of anything else but banishing the shadows from her eyes. Calling what they’d shared mind-blowing was an understatement. If he hadn’t woken up in Nora’s bed, he would have been convinced it had been nothing more than a hot fantasy dream.

He was in the midst of remembering every incredible minute, when the door opened and Nora breezed in.

She looked more animated than she had when he’d picked her up at the airport. Her copper-penny hair was piled up into one of those complicated twists secured by a tortoiseshell clip. He was disappointed that she was covered up by a deep emerald-green plush robe that fell to her toes. He preferred seeing her bare skin flushed with desire. But he’d settle for the coffee cup she held in her hands.

“Good morning,” she greeted him with a bright smile and a light kiss on the mouth. She stepped back before he could deepen it. She handed him the cup. The rich aroma of coffee tempted his nostrils. “There’s a razor and clean towels in the bathroom,” she informed him. “I’ll have breakfast ready by the time you’re done.” She smiled at him again before she exited the room.

“I would have been willing to sacrifice myself as the main course,” he told the closed door. Since she didn’t return, he settled for climbing out of bed and walking into the bathroom, where he found his tuxedo hanging neatly on the back of the door. The last he remembered, his jacket had been abandoned somewhere in the hallway and the pants tossed on the floor just before they fell onto the bed.

Mark turned on the shower and tested the temperature before stepping into the cubicle. He surveyed the array of shower-gel bottles lining the shelf.

“I can either smell like a sugar cookie, fudge brownie or key lime pie,” he murmured. “Whatever happened to plain old vanilla?” He finally settled on key lime pie, thinking it would be similar to the lime-scented shaving foam he used. He soon discovered it wasn’t even close.

It wasn’t Mark’s first time in a woman’s bathroom, but it was the first time he’d been in Nora’s. Deciding he had the time, he did a little exploring. A closet revealed a colorful supply of towels in tangerine, turquoise, lime and lemon colors. The bath towels were oversize, the dimensions perfect for a man. He wondered how many men had showered in her bathroom. He quickly decided it wasn’t something he wanted to think about.

Once he finished, he towel dried his hair and worked to make himself as presentable as a morning-after visitor could be.

Mark left his jacket in the bathroom as he followed his nose to the kitchen. The homey aroma of food cooking sent his appetite level up several notches.

Damn, if he didn’t feel like the man of the house going in to have breakfast with the woman of the house. He stopped abruptly. Now where had that come from?

WHO KNEW?

Nora felt her pulse rate start to speed up as sultry images again invaded her mind.

Mark’s family liked to tease him that he never moved any faster than he had to. Last night, Nora had learned that was very true. The man knew how to draw lovemaking out until she’d been gasping and crying out for him to put her out of her misery. He had ignored her pleas, and when he finally did release her, she felt as if she’d been shot out into space among the stars.

She was positive she still hadn’t come down.

Nora concentrated on putting last night in a logical perspective. It wasn’t working. She didn’t want to call last night a mistake, but the word was blinking in bold red letters inside her head. She feared making love with Mark was the first step down a path she didn’t dare travel. She told herself she could make it easy. She could blame the event on unsettled emotions. She’d been grappling with mind-numbing grief that had evolved into the need to connect with another living being. Mark holding her last night had fed that need.

She tried to tell herself that it could have happened with whomever had been holding her last night, but Nora had never been a good liar.

Come on, Nora, call it what it was. A one-night stand.

Sure it was. The earth spun around, the stars fell down around us. I’m still in shock.

Making love was different with Mark. They shared a past, even if that past hadn’t included their being lovers. After they broke up, she’d told herself it was easier because they hadn’t been lovers. That had been because she wasn’t completely sure of Mark. For a man who’d been given more than the usual allotment of charm, he’d never provided her with any reason to distrust him. But she had always felt it could happen at any time. Mark had only to flash one of those devastating smiles of his and women fell all over him. Literally.

Nora never stopped to think that it was her own insecurity that pushed her away from Mark. That what her father had done to the family had remained in the back of her mind and affected any chance of Nora finding love because she was afraid she would be left behind the way her mother had been. She never stopped to think that the breakup might have been her fault, not Mark’s. Nora couldn’t live with the fear that one day, Mark might be tempted to leave.

“Something smells good.”

She whipped around so fast the small pitcher she was holding slipped from her fingers. Only Mark’s quick reflexes kept it from shattering on the floor. He set the jug on the counter.

“Pancakes?” He eyed the golden-brown circles on the hot griddle.

“Sourdough pancakes,” she explained, picking up a plate. “What with my being gone a while, I didn’t have too many supplies in the house, but I did have my sourdough starter and I had some freeze-dried eggs to use along with some sausage from the freezer. I’m surprised I had as much in there as I did.” She nodded toward the coffee pot. “There’s juice in the refrigerator if you want any. Glasses are in the cabinet.”

“Want some?”

Been there, done that.

She banished her mocking private voice to the far reaches of her brain. The man was merely inquiring if she wanted orange juice.

“Yes, thank you.” She slowly poured more of the pancake batter onto the griddle. At least she could hold on to her composure on the outside.

It wasn’t the first time a man had spent the night in her bed. Although, for many months, the only male who had been there was Brumby, her beloved bulldog.

A few minutes later she handed Mark a plate heaped high with pancakes, sausage and a couple of scrambled eggs. The look of bliss on his face rivaled Brumby’s when he was given a beef bone.

“Tell me about the wedding,” she requested when she sat down across from him.

“The usual. Everyone was dressed up like grown-ups, Zach looked as if he was ready to pass out at any moment, Ginna looked gorgeous,” Mark replied. “The only hitch was the nephew-to-be, Trey, taking his ring-bearer duties too seriously. When big brother Jeff untied the ribbons to give the rings to Zach, the little guy pretty much threw a fit. He said loud and clear that he was to protect the rings and Jeff couldn’t have them. Trey’s sister, Emma, told him to shut up and stop acting like a baby. That broke up any solemnity the service had.”

Nora smiled at the idea of Zach’s twins adding a few surprises to the ceremony. “Who caught the bouquet?”

“Our aunt Minnie pretty much trampled the competition,” he replied. “Six marriages and she’s still hopeful she’ll eventually get it right. I give her credit for perseverance.”

“And the garter?” She referred to the custom of the groom tossing the bride’s garter over his shoulder toward the single men. A custom that revealed who the next groom would be.

Mark studied his pancakes as if they held the secrets of the universe. “No one interesting, although Aunt Minnie wanted to participate. Dad and Gramps told her no way.”

Nora arched an eyebrow. Her smile grew in proportion with her glee as she easily figured out who the lucky recipient was.

“You caught the garter?”

“It was a conspiracy. I had no plans on standing out there with the other idiots,” he said. “At the last minute, Jeff and Brian pushed me out into the front of the group, and just like the Red Sea the group parted so the garter was literally thrown in my face.” His expression boded ill for his two older brothers.

“You should have known you’d be the next target. Your dad said he hopes Nikki waits until she’s forty before she gets married,” Nora reminded him, speaking of his youngest sister.

“Nikki has no desire to get married until she’s out of medical school. It’s Aunt Minnie who needs watching. The reception had barely started before she had husband number seven narrowed down to three victims.” He leaned back in his chair and spoke, emphasizing his words with eloquent gestures.

Nora’s smile widened into a genuine one as she listened to Mark’s stories about friends and relatives celebrating his sister’s special day. He described each incident so well that she felt as if she were right there with him.

But she also knew she had to consider last night a one-night stand even though that kind of experience wasn’t her style. The last thing she needed was to get caught up with Mark Walker again. It hurt too much when she’d broken up with him. After making love, she feared that not only her heart, but her soul, wouldn’t recover if she got involved with him a second time.

She’d put all the blame on herself for last night. She was hurting and vulnerable and he was there.

There was no reason for it to happen again, no matter how much her tingling body argued with her at just the memory of what had flared up between them.

No reason at all.

Chapter Two

“I really appreciate you fitting me in, Nora,” Lucie Donner said, settling back in the soft-cushioned salon chair.

“You sounded so urgent on the phone I was afraid you were going to walk in here with purple hair.” Nora smiled at Ginna’s new sister-in-law.

“After everything that’s gone on, that would be a plus,” Lucie laughed.

“That’s right, you lost part of your house. What’s happening with that?” She ran a brush through Lucie’s hair then ran her fingers through the shoulder-length strands.

“You haven’t lived until you come home and discover an airplane engine has dropped into your home office at ten o’clock in the morning,” she confided. “Talk about a shock.”

“And?” she prodded.

“And I realized that ordinarily I would have been sitting in there, except I had a parent-teacher conference with Nick’s teachers that morning. I’ve decided it’s time to make some changes. I sold the house.”

“You’re moving? I thought it was being rebuilt for you after the accident.”

“Accident is an understatement,” Lucie chuckled. “Almost half my house was flattened after that jet engine fell through the roof. I didn’t even want to consider going back there. I’d mentioned selling it to a neighbor and he wanted to buy it for his son and daughter-in-law and rebuild the house to his own specs. He offered me a great price and I took it. I’m hoping that moving to a new area will give Nick a new chance. I swear, it was getting to the point where I thought I’d have to seduce a judge just to keep my baby boy out of jail,” she said.

“I thought he was doing much better.” Nora mentally cataloged highlight shades and which ones would do best for Lucie.

“Oh, he is. I haven’t received a call from the school for almost three weeks. That’s pretty much a record for him. But I never drop my guard,” she chuckled, half turning. She froze. “Ohmigod!” She grasped Nora’s arm. “Is that who I think it is?”

Nora smiled. She easily guessed which client Lucie was staring at. She pressed her hands on Lucie’s shoulders, keeping her turned to the mirror. “Yes, it is. Try not to drool.”

“Drool would be the least of my problems. I once seriously thought about moving to Australia because of that man. Look at his smile!”

Nora chuckled as the object of their conversation turned toward them, smiled and winked.

“Now I can die happy,” Lucie sighed. “Right after you turn me into a blonde.”

“And we want this because…?”

Lucie’s smile dimmed. “We want this because I’ve come to realize life is much too short. Just the idea of having that engine come so close to wiping me out started me thinking about my priorities. I realized a majority of my outside contacts consist of being the helper mom at Nick’s school, chaperoning his class’s field trips, and being a voice over the phone when someone is booking a trip. Other than occasional recharge days here at the spa, I haven’t done much for myself. I don’t mean that I hate being known as Nick’s mother or Zach’s sister or even so-and-so’s travel agent. But, there are days when I’d like someone to think of me as Lucie, Wild Woman.”

“Well, Wild Woman, you don’t have to be blond to change your life. Besides, going totally blond wouldn’t suit your coloring,” Nora explained. “What if we intensify your highlights? That won’t be as drastic.”

Lucie stared in the mirror at her reflection. “Whatever you think best.”

“Carte blanche. I love it.” Nora combed her fingers through the other woman’s hair. “Don’t worry. You’ll look great when I finish.”

She brightened. “Maybe the new me will tempt the sexy Australian.”

Nora chuckled. “Oh, honey, stand in line.”

Two hours later, Lucie surveyed her new image. Shades of dark blond, gold and copper added more light to her hair. Nora had trimmed a few inches off the ends, giving her a more casual look.

“I like it,” Lucie said. “Now to buy some new clothes to go with the new image.”

“Are you sure Nick can handle having a sexy mom?” Nora teased.

“If I can handle that sky-high IQ of his, he can handle this.” She quickly stroked dark coral lip gloss across her lips. “Yep, just what I needed.”

“You’ll be beating the men off with a stick,” Nora predicted.

Her face lit up. “You know, that wouldn’t be so bad.”

After Lucie left, Nora glanced at the empty station that belonged to Ginna. She missed having her best friend there. Then she mentally reminded herself that Ginna knew her only too well. The last thing Nora wanted her friend to hear was that Nora had slept with her brother.

Even if a tiny voice deep inside reminded her that sleep hadn’t been exactly high on their list that night.

“HEY, buddy, Magnum called. He wants his shirt back!”

Mark rolled his eyes at the reference to the famed television private detective operating out of Hawaii.

“Ha, ha, very funny. I never heard that one before,” he said with perfect deadpan delivery. He opened his locker door and pulled out a navy blue polo shirt with the fire department’s insignia embroidered on the upper left-hand corner of the chest. He hung up his short-sleeved shirt on a hook inside the locker. He didn’t care what anyone else thought. The shirt with swaying palm trees and hula girls dancing under the trees across the white cotton fabric was one of his favorites. He tossed his well-worn khaki shorts into his locker after pulling out navy twill pants that finished his uniform, identifying him as a paramedic.

“I hate to think where you find those shirts,” his older brother Jeff said as he also changed into his uniform. His locker door slammed shut with a metallic clang. “I worry about you, baby brother. I’m thinking in forty or fifty years you’re going to be one of those little old men with the knobby knees, eye-blinding plaid Bermuda shorts, black socks and sandals who’ll be chasing sweet young things.”

“As to that horrifying little-old-man picture you drew, there’s no way I’d steal that pleasure from you, big brother. Don’t worry, Jeff, I’m leaving that up to you and Brian.” Mark clapped him on the back. “I can see it now. You two will be wearing shirts that match Abby’s and Gail’s dresses,” he said, referring to his brothers’ wives. You’ll all take cruises together and play shuffleboard and bingo. Maybe you two will even go wild playing a few hands of canasta. Lights out at nine,” he snickered. “You’ll be real party animals.”

“Grandma would whomp you upside the head if she heard you describe her lifestyle that way,” Brian, Mark’s other older brother, warned. “That woman can party all three of us combined under the table and you know it. That’s why Gramps quit traveling with her. He couldn’t keep up with her.”

“I thought Theo had agreed to go on that Alaskan cruise with Martha and her bridge club,” Eric, one of the brothers’ friends and co-workers, commented as he walked past them.

“Grandma said Gramps could stay home, which makes him happy since he doesn’t like cruises. But he didn’t like it when she told him he cramps her style,” Jeff replied.

“She is the grade-A party animal,” Eric agreed. His head whipped up when a piercing signal echoed over the speaker system. “Time to roll!”

Mark and Brian exchanged telling looks as they heard information about a multivehicle traffic accident. They knew their skills as paramedics would be needed.

At the station, Mark was known as the party animal. If there was a practical joke played, he was most likely behind it. He was the one to plan any celebration. But when it came to his work as a paramedic, he was all business. Anyone who was familiar with the lighter side of the man would not recognize his more serious demeanor.

The two brothers climbed into their EMT truck and rolled out with the fire engines. Their day was just beginning and it was promising to be a long one.

MARK COULDN’T STOP thinking about Nora. He was convinced his fingertips could still feel her silky skin. He even imagined her subtle scent was imprinted on him. He could feel the touch of her lips on his mouth, his jaw, his shoulder and just about everywhere else on his body.

He remembered once reading about a fever in the blood.

That’s how he thought of her. She was a fever that never let up.

So if they had something that good, why hadn’t she returned any of his calls in the past couple of weeks?

No wonder he was parked outside her house at six o’clock in the evening.

He hadn’t realized before just how isolated Nora’s house was. While its location on the end of the street was ideal for privacy, the nearest house was set some distance away with a small park in between. He frowned at the open grassy area set between Nora’s house and her neighbor’s. Most of the area was set up with a variety of playground equipment. He thought it was a nice little neighborhood park where mothers could take their kids for playtime. But he didn’t like it for Nora’s sake. With evening coming on quickly and the old-fashioned–style streetlights spaced far apart, he felt she was too vulnerable to a home-invasion robbery.

“Why did she pick a house that doesn’t offer very much protection?” he muttered, sitting slouched behind the steering wheel. “Any pervert could sit out here watching her.” He didn’t stop to think that anyone might view him as the kind of unwanted intruder he was visualizing.

Finally realizing it might not be a good idea for him to just hang around there, Mark switched on the truck engine with the intention of leaving. He was getting ready to pull away from the curb when he noticed a light turn on by the front door. The door opened and a tan-and-white bulldog walked out. He slowly made his way down the front walk in a bowlegged waddle while Nora stepped out onto the porch. She leaned against the front post and watched her dog walk across the street and over to Mark’s truck. He stopped by the front tire and awkwardly lifted his leg.

“Damn dog,” Mark muttered, throwing open the door and climbing out. He scowled at the damp spot on his front tire. The dog looked up at him and gave a canine grunt.

“Are you lost?” Nora called out with a mocking tilt to her lips.

“I just happened to be in the neighborhood,” he said, offering her one of his patented killer smiles while inside he winced at the use of an old line that hadn’t lost any of its idiocy over the years. Judging from her set expression, it wasn’t working. He forced himself not to flinch when Brumby attached himself to his leg. “Ah, would you call off your dog, please?”

Nora’s gaze shifted downward to her dog then back up to meet Mark’s eyes. “Brumby has a mind of his own.”

“And that was a fact I’d happily put in the back of my mind.” Mark shifted from one leg to the other. Damn! He hadn’t felt this awkward since fourth grade, when he’d asked Julie Chambers to sit with him at the class picnic. She had turned him down flat and elected to sit with Ryan Miller instead. Payback had come in the form of a nice juicy-looking lizard showing up inside Julie’s hamburger. The teacher had had no trouble nabbing the culprit. And Mark had suffered detention after school for three weeks. He hadn’t minded. It had been worth it.

“Can I come in?”

He didn’t miss the indecision shadowing Nora’s eyes before she finally gave a brief nod. She called out to her dog and waited as the bulldog lumbered back up the walkway. Brumby rotated his head just enough to look back at Mark with a gaze that was suspicious at best.

“I was invited,” he informed the dog as he followed Nora into the house.

“One of my neighbors called me to say there was a strange man lurking across the street from my house. She was ready to call the police, but I informed her you were fairly harmless,” she told him as she made her way to the rear of the house. “Of course, if you’d rather have the police hauling you in I can call her back and tell her to feel free to make the call. She loves nothing better than to call in anyone she considers a pervert. You’d make her day.”

“Gee, thanks for saving my dignity. Such as it is.” He found himself walking carefully as Brumby still tried to keep himself plastered against Mark’s leg.

Nora eyed his shirt covered with swaying palm trees and hula girls. “Have you ever had a parrot try to built a nest on you?”

“Not lately.”

Mark sniffed. If he wasn’t mistaken, he could smell cinnamon and a few other scents that could only add up to one thing, cookies fresh from the oven. He closed his mouth before he embarrassed himself by drooling. There was no hiding his hopeful expression.

Nora sighed. “I suppose you want some of my cookies.”

He opened his mouth, ready to throw out one of his infamous lines loaded with innuendo. Luckily for him he closed it in time.

Nora glared at him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.

“Yes, please,” he said meekly, shifting over to lean against the counter. He watched her place several good-size cookies on a plate. She opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a carton of milk. A filled glass soon followed the plate to the table. A soft snuffling sound attracted her attention. “No cookies,” she told her dog in a firm voice. “The vet said you have to lose five pounds.”

A rumbling response from the bulldog told them his opinion of the diet. He settled back awkwardly on his haunches. His tongue lolled happily as he gazed up at his mistress with adoring chocolate-brown eyes.

Nora didn’t miss that a pair of sizzling blue eyes were also watching her. Except, instead of adoration, she saw something more fundamental in his stare. Her first instinct was to look away, so she forced herself to return his steady gaze. She wasn’t about to let Mark know he left her feeling unsettled.

Without taking his eyes off her, Mark pulled the chair out on the other side of the table. When Nora settled herself in it, he carefully pushed it forward before walking around to the opposite chair and sitting down. He picked up a cookie.

“Oatmeal?” he questioned. She nodded. “Please tell me these don’t have raisins in them.”

“I firmly believe oatmeal cookies should only come with chocolate chips,” Nora told him, aware of his extreme dislike for the tiny wrinkled fruit.

He bit into one and groaned with delight. “Still warm,” he muttered, taking a second bite. “Damn, these are good!” He paused. “Please don’t tell my mom I said that or I’ll never get any cookies out of her again.”

“You’re safe. It’s your mother’s recipe,” she replied.

Mark polished off the rest of the cookies in record time. He cast a beseeching look in Nora’s direction.

“Brumby begs a lot more eloquently.” She carried the plate over to the counter and put a few more cookies on it then dug a dog biscuit out of a box and tossed it in Brumby’s direction. The dog’s jaws promptly parted long enough to catch the biscuit before snapping shut. A low rumble of satisfaction sounded deep in his throat after he finished his treat. He looked up with hopeful eyes.

“You are so pathetic,” she sighed as she tossed him another biscuit.

“Spoiled is more like it,” Mark muttered then grabbed his plate before she could take it away from him. “Well loved,” he amended.

“You’re as pitiful as the dog.” She used a spatula to place the rest of the cookies on a cooling rack. When she finished, she turned around. “Care to tell me the real reason you’re here?”

“I wanted to make sure that you were all right.”

That wasn’t the answer she had expected.

“I’m fine,” she said shortly.

Mark didn’t take his eyes off her. “After—”

“We had sex, Mark,” she said flatly. “No promises were made, no declarations given, no strings attached. Let me make this perfectly clear to you. I haven’t been sitting by the phone in hopes you’d call. I didn’t expect you to show up with flowers and candy and spouting love poems. It was just one night, Mark,” she said in a voice that sounded forceful. “I needed some comforting that night. It was nothing more.” She ignored his wince at her blunt word choice. She mentally put his expression down to a fragile male ego. Not that what she said might matter to him. That she might matter to him.

Mark leaned back against his chair, one arm draped along the back.

“Don’t ignore the truth, Nora. We had more than a one-night stand,” he said softly.

“I was grieving for a beloved relative,” she stated just as softly. “I was vulnerable.”

“Don’t try to say I took advantage of you.”

“I’m not saying that!” She paused and took a deep breath. “You’re off the hook, Mark.”

He shot to his feet so fast his chair fell backward onto the floor.

He blew up at her. “Off the hook? Who the hell said I thought something that ridiculous? Dammit, Nora! Can’t a guy just stop by to see a woman? Can’t he come over to see how she’s doing when she’s been through a rough time without her thinking the worst of him?”

“Are you saying you came by here without an ulterior motive?” She smiled when she saw the guilty flicker in his eyes.

Bingo!

“I was worried about you.”

His simple statement doused the fury still roaring inside her like a cold shower. Nora collapsed against the counter. Her hands gripped the edge so tightly the knuckles turned white from the strain.

“I’m fine,” she managed to say eventually but not convincingly.

“No, you’re not.”

She laughed. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“Only someone who’s lying to herself.” He walked over to her and gently pried one of her hands away from the counter’s edge. His thumb gently caressed the inside of her wrist in a manner that wasn’t the least bit intimate. “Pulse a little too fast. Pupils reacted a little quickly. Shallow breaths,” he recited. He smiled at her look of surprise. “Honey, you forget I’m a trained paramedic. I can recognize the signs of full-blown panic a mile away.”

She snatched her hand back. “I am perfectly calm.” That wasn’t panic in her voice, was it? She hadn’t counted on her emotions getting the best of her. “Dammit, Mark! Why are you here? We had a nice night, but that’s all it was. Afterward, you were supposed to go your way while I went mine. You weren’t supposed to return to the scene of the crime!”

He looked affronted. “I don’t recall doing anything illegal.” He screwed up his face in thought. “Well, maybe in some states people could consider that one thing…” He paused with a meaningful look.

“Stop it!” She didn’t care that his wince meant her shriek was less than pleasant to his eardrums. “Stop the jokes. Stop the ‘I wanted to know you were all right’ idiocy. Just stop it all!” She blinked furiously to keep the tears from falling. She was positive that at that moment she downright hated the man. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her cry. She took a deep breath to settle herself down and waited for Mark to crack one of the many jokes that resided in his memory bank. She was certain that he could come up with one that would fit the occasion.

Instead, he stood there and calmly looked at her as if she hadn’t just screamed at him. Silence stretched between them like a taut wire.

Mark moved a step forward. He lifted his hand to cup her cheek. She resisted the urge to lean into his touch. She closed her eyes against the tumultuous feelings welling up inside her.

“Please go,” she whispered, keeping her eyes closed.

“You don’t want me to go, Nora.” His breath was a warm caress against her forehead.

“Yes, I do.”

“Then open your eyes, look directly at me and tell me to go,” Mark murmured.

Her lips parted slightly. Whatever she was about to say was swallowed up by Mark capturing her mouth with his own.

A dizzying sensation she’d only experienced once before returned in full force. She gripped his shoulders as her knees gave way and the world spun crazily around her. She tasted the rich flavor of chocolate on his tongue, felt the hardness of his body against her. For one wild moment she wanted to crawl inside his body and just plain feel.

“Do you really want me to go, Nora?” he murmured against her ear.

She dragged her senses to the surface as her lips formed the word yes.

“No,” came out instead as she drew his mouth back to hers.

Mark didn’t need to be reminded where Nora’s bedroom was. Nor did he have to be forcibly dragged to the back of the house. He kicked the door shut and danced Nora toward the bed.

Nora was left awash in sheer sensation as she reveled in Mark.

A faint scent of lime was on his cheeks, the taste of chocolate on his tongue and the sound of seduction as he whispered in her ear.

Clothing fell to the carpet a piece at a time. Sheets rustled their own story as they dropped onto the bed.

She arched up under his touch as he reacquainted himself with every inch of her body. Lightning zigzagged through her body as he pressed his mouth against her nipple and gently suckled. As if he wasn’t making her crazy enough, he started moving farther down, dropping soft kisses along the way.

“Mark!” she wailed, blindly reaching for him. She was greedy for all he could give her.

“Just wait. It will get better,” he promised, pausing long enough to drop a kiss on her belly button before moving farther downward.

Nora threw back her head as she laughed. The sound that emerged was thin and high-pitched.

“Promises, promises. Ah!” she gasped as his forefinger brushed against the ultrasensitive nub of flesh.

She felt shock waves course through her as his fingertips brushed it again. Before she had a chance to recover, she felt his warm breath. After that, she knew nothing as she rode each cresting wave. Even then, Mark didn’t allow her to catch her breath before he moved up and over her.

“Open your eyes, Nora,” he ordered. His hips rested comfortably against her as if they were made to be together.

Except she noticed they weren’t exactly together. Not that there was any hesitation on his part. There was no doubt he was very interested. She could feel the proof against her. She didn’t want him merely nuzzling against her, she wanted him inside her.

“Mark!” She wiggled her hips against him.

“Look at me!”

She opened her eyes and looked up into eyes that were such a bright color, she felt as if she were drowning in a white-hot blaze of blue. Her hands had been gripping his shoulders. Now they reached up and cupped his face.

“Show me the world, Mark,” she murmured, bathing his lower lip with the tip of her tongue.

His smile flashed white as he bent his head to kiss her deeply at the same time as he thrust into her. Her hips arched up at the same time.

Mark not only showed Nora the world, he flew with her into the outer reaches of the cosmos.

Chapter Three

“Something is going on and I want to know what it is,” Ginna insisted.

Nora buried her nose in the newspaper. She couldn’t believe it. Her friend had been in the salon for barely ten minutes and she already sensed something. If Nora hadn’t had a full day booked she would have stayed home no matter how much she wanted to see Ginna.

“Did you know scientists found a dinosaur egg in an ice cave and they were able to successfully hatch it?” Nora reported in a bright voice. “And everyone thought those movies were fiction.” She gave an unladylike little snort.

“Nora!” The paper was snatched out of her hands. “You always make fun of those papers.”

She looked up with guileless eyes. “Do you mind? I’m studying for my next appointment. Mrs. Crockett loves to discuss the latest tabloid headlines. This way I can hold my own in the conversation.”

Ginna lowered her voice. “Mrs. Crockett also believes little green men visit her once a month and on Arbor Day. They go out for brunch and come back to her house for bridge.”

“That’s because they love her lemon tea cakes.”

Ginna dropped into the chair beside Nora. The women were relaxing in the well-appointed break room set up for the employees of the Steppin’ Out Hair Salon and Day Spa.

When Ginna had walked inside the salon that morning she’d gone over to Nora, studied her face and hugged her hard.

“You better tell me what is going on,” she’d whispered in her friend’s ear just before she released her.

Nora had been able to avoid any private conversation with Ginna all morning thanks to a heavy schedule. Zach showed up to kidnap Ginna for lunch. Now she was back with a little too-pleased brightness to her smile and stalking Nora with single-minded intent.

Nora’s time was up. She carefully folded the paper and set it down.

“Let’s see. You had a beautiful wedding and an even more beautiful honeymoon. You have a husband who adores you and two stepchildren who are absolute dolls. I am happy that you’ve found your true love in Zach, I really am. Yes, I’m a little envious, but I know you understand and forgive me for that envy.”

“You’ve been through a lot in the last month, sweetie. I saw your sorrow and I wished I could have been with you. But what I see in your eyes now isn’t all grief,” Ginna murmured. “I see confusion in there too and I don’t think it has anything to do with your grandmother’s death. Does it?”

Nora took a deep breath. She should have known Ginna’s sharp eye would pick up on her unsettled emotions.

Since the morning she’d woken up beside Mark again, she’d asked herself why she’d invited him back into her bed. She knew she couldn’t blame him. He’d taken his cues from her. She couldn’t lie to herself that she didn’t know what she was doing. Because she did know what she was doing and it was eating her up inside.

Making love with Mark transcended anything she’d ever experienced before. The two nights she’d spent with him were a pure sensual joy she could easily find herself addicted to. It had been a month and she still recalled every moment they spent together.

She was already addicted to that joy and craved more. Except that meant adding Mark to the equation. That was a dangerous combination.

“I miss Grammy Fran. I miss our nightly talks on the phone, her visits down here every Thanksgiving through Christmas and my visits up there every summer. I miss her advice,” Nora replied. “But I feel her spirit with me all the time and that helps. That’s probably what you see.”

Ginna leaned forward, propping her chin in her cupped palm as she stared at her friend. Nora resisted the urge to fidget under her piercing gaze. She’d forgotten Ginna’s eyes were the same brilliant-blue color as Mark’s. All the Walker family shared the identical eye color.

Except, while Ginna’s examined her with a disconcerting thoroughness, Mark’s eyes seduced her.

“Anyone I know?” Ginna asked softly.

Some kind of temporary insanity tempted me to make love with your brother, not just one night but two. The man is a genius in bed. He had me practically screaming with pleasure. Is that what you wanted to know?

“Nora, Mrs. Crockett is here.” A tall willowy woman in her early twenties seemed to float through the doorway. An off-the-shoulder peasant-style blouse in a creamy white topped a handkerchief hem skirt in the same color. Decorative embroidery in reds, yellows and greens highlighted a color that would have normally been boring at best. Black hair was skimmed back from an oval face that could have easily graced an antique cameo. Tan leather strappy sandals graced narrow arched feet with toes tinted the same red as the embroidery in her skirt and blouse. An equally narrow waist was cinched with a soft leather belt.

“Thank you, Paige,” Nora said, grateful for the interruption.

“She is so different from Renee,” Ginna commented, mentioning the receptionist who had worked at the front desk until just before Ginna’s wedding.

Nora nodded. “Paige is twenty-three and a graduate of Vassar who’s trying to decide what to do with her life. Her father is a producer at Warner Bros. and her mother designs jewelry that starts at five figures and she’s a close friend of the spa’s owner, CeCe. Paige’s ancestry goes back five generations in this state. Her great-great-grandfather was a senator and an aunt a couple generations back was in the Ziegfeld Follies. The woman later married a railroad magnate,” Nora replied. “CeCe said Paige needed to find her true self and she would be able to do it here. She’s a real sweetheart, to boot.”

“Good thing I snagged Zach before he got a look at Miss Way-Too-Good-To-Be-True,” Ginna said dryly. “Otherwise, I would have had to kill him to make sure he didn’t talk to her.”

“I doubt that would have happened. He was hooked from the first second he saw you. He even admitted it.”

Ginna grinned. “Yeah, I did look really good that day.” She waved her hands at Nora. “All right, escape to your client. I’ll corner you later and find out what’s happened while I was gone.” She heaved a theatrical sigh. “It’s not fair. I go away for a few weeks and I miss out on all the fun.”

“Somehow I doubt you thought about any of us while you were gone,” Nora teased as she fled.

For the next hour, Nora was relieved only to have to listen to her beloved client’s stories about past alien abduction.

“I know you think I’m cuckoo, dear, but I don’t mind.” Mrs. Crockett patted Nora’s hand after Nora finished styling her snowy-white hair. “My friends certainly think that, although they’re nice enough not to say so out loud. I appreciate you being so sweet and listening to me prattle on.”

“You don’t prattle. You use such vivid imagery when you tell me about your adventures, I think you should write about them,” Nora urged her. “There are magazines out there that would publish your stories.”

Mrs. Crockett’s eyes twinkled merrily. “Actually, I have written a few tales,” she admitted in her whispery-soft voice. “In fact, I would love it if you would read one of my little stories.” She dug into her briefcase-size black purse and pulled out several sheets of paper.

Nora took them from her. “I’m flattered you’re asking me,” she said honestly.

“You don’t have to be kind with your critique, dear.” The elderly woman patted her arm. “But I would be interested in your response.”

“I’ll read it before I see you next week,” Nora promised.

She watched the elderly woman walk toward the front of the salon where an equally elderly man sat on one of the soft-cushioned couches. His wrinkled face lit up in a smile as she approached him. The two walked out together, arm in arm.

“I thought Mrs. Crockett was a widow,” Ginna commented, following the direction of Nora’s gaze.

“She is. That’s Harold, her boyfriend,” she explained. “She told me she likes to call him her boyfriend because he makes her feel seventeen again. It seems they were high-school sweethearts, had a fight back then and they broke up. They didn’t run into each other again until a few years ago. Both spouses are gone and they decided to give it one more try.”

“How adorable! Did she ever say what the fight was about?”

Nora chuckled. “He wanted them to be intimate, she told him no. Sixty years later, they’re living together. She said she hasn’t told her mother she’s living in sin. The woman would be horrified.”

“You mean her mother’s still alive?”

“She’s ninety-eight and going strong. She lives in Leisure World in Laguna Niguel.”

“And now Mrs. Crockett is writing stories about her alien visitors?” Ginna eyed the papers with curiosity.

Nora nodded as she held up the papers. “For the past sixty years they’ve met for brunch at one of the hotels in Newport Beach. She’s never said which one.”

“Since your next appointment is here and I have a free hour, may I read the story?” Ginna’s glance focused on the papers.

Nora handed them to her. “Don’t tell me the ending.”

As she worked that afternoon, Nora found herself looking toward the front every now and then. Did she expect Mark to walk through the door and declare that she was the only one for him? Was that why she’d spent the past few nights picking up her phone every now and then to make sure it was working? Or looking out the window every time Brumby gave one of his rumbling barks? She was furious with herself for these feelings of expectation.

After all, she was the one who’d told him that what they had was nothing more than sex. She didn’t want any ties between them. She didn’t want to expect more and have him fail her somewhere down the road. She had pretty much told him she would prefer he didn’t come back.

“I am such a hypocrite,” she muttered to herself as she stood in the supply room selecting hair color.

“Nora!” Ginna ran into the room. The papers Nora had given her were in her hand.

Nora turned and noticed her friend’s high color. “What’s wrong?”

Ginna carefully folded the papers in half then half again. “I suggest you stand in a cold shower when you read this.”

“What?”

Ginna laughed. “Trust me, Nora. This stuff is so hot it’s downright sizzling. Mrs. Crockett didn’t just write about her alien visitors, she wrote about their sexual practices. This makes the Kama Sutra sound like a grade-school textbook.”

“Their what?”

Ginna nodded. Her blue eyes danced with laughter. “We aren’t talking about little green men here either. We’re talking about guys with huge orange—” She gulped. “I can’t go on. The thing is, she writes an incredibly believable story. It doesn’t read like a joke.” She lowered her voice. “It reads like the truth.”

Nora took the papers from her and tucked them into her skirt pocket. “No offense, Gin, but I think you honeymooned a little too hard.”

“After I read her story I wanted to call up Zach and tell him to be ready, because I was going to jump his bones big-time when I get home,” Ginna admitted as she walked back to the door. “If she gives you any more stories, I want to read them!”

Nora shook her head in disbelief. “Oh yes, the woman had way too much honeymoon,” she muttered under her breath.

“HEADS UP, little brother.”

Mark looked up at Jeff, who held out a can of beer. He accepted the icy can. “I just finished three straight games of dodgeball with twenty million kids. I’m discovering I’m getting too old for those games.” They were at their parents’ house for the family weekend barbecue.

“You volunteered to be their first target,” Jeff reminded him. He dropped into the patio chair next to him. “So who are you looking for?”

“Your hot-stuff wife. Who else?” Not for anything was he going to admit who he was really looking for.

Mark knew Nora had a standing invitation to attend the weekend barbecues and any other party thrown by the Walkers. She’d still shown up once in a while even after they had broken up.

It wasn’t until today that Mark realized Nora hadn’t been out here for some time. For the past couple of years, he’d been able to put her out of his mind. Mainly because it was easier that way rather than constantly wondering what went wrong between them. It was only after the first time they made love that he’d found himself looking for her. Not that he asked about her. Privacy about one’s love life wasn’t an option in the Walker family. If he asked about Nora, his mother would want to know if they were dating again. There was no way he’d admit they’d slept together. Cathy Walker would be making noises that it was time for her baby boy to get married. Then Jeff and Brian would join in on the chorus…and Ginna. Hell, Ginna would just plain make his life miserable. She’d done more than her share of that right after he and Nora broke up.

He’d always felt Ginna’s accusations about his being a scuzzball were unfounded. After all, he’d been the injured party in the relationship. All he knew was that they’d gone out for the evening, at some point she had turned a little surly, and by the end of the night she had told him not to call her anymore. When he’d demanded a reason, all she’d said was that she finally saw him for what he was and she didn’t like it. When he’d asked her exactly what she meant, she’d coldly informed him that he, of all people, ought to know. He’d left her house confused, angry and just plain hurt. He had called her, wanting to know what went wrong, and she had refused to even speak to him. Finally, he’d pushed his hurt deep down inside and went looking for any woman who would assure him he was still a stud. He’d never admitted that his mega-dating spree hadn’t helped one bit.

To this day, he still had no idea what he supposedly did wrong that night. And he still wanted to know.

Come to think of it, he’d add to that interrogation by asking Nora why she pretty much threw him out of her house that second morning. Some hostess she’d been. The last time, she didn’t even offer him coffee.

“Like hell you’re looking for my wife,” Jeff said amiably, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Admit it. Abby terrifies you.”

“Yeah, she does have that scary quality, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like looking at her. Your wife is one hot-looking babe. Ow!” He clapped his hands on top of his head where he’d just been delivered a painful thump.

“Ingrate,” Abby Walker informed her brother-in-law with a shark’s smile. She stepped around him and dropped into her husband’s lap. She looped her arm around Jeff’s neck as she studied Mark. “No wonder you can’t keep a girlfriend. You always look like a fugitive from a Jimmy Buffet concert.”

“I give you a compliment and this is what I get in return?” Mark grumbled.

“Be grateful you didn’t get worse.” Abby stared him down.

“Fine, you’re an old crone.”

Which everyone knew was untrue. Not when Abby was blessed with California-blonde good looks. As a mother of three small children, she should have looked tired and worn out. Instead, she was the picture of energy and health in a pair of pink floral-print capris and a solid-pink tank top that bared her flat midriff. Her sun-golden blond hair was pulled back in a complicated braid he knew Ginna had created that morning. At the moment, Abby looked more like a college cheerleader than a thirty-something mom of three young children who kept her constantly running.

Until recently, Mark hadn’t bothered to consider how lucky his older brother was. Now he looked at Jeff and saw more than a guy who had lost his freedom on his wedding day. Now he saw the father of twin girls and a boy who was starting to walk, a loving husband to a woman who was drop-dead beautiful. He remembered when his brother seemed to have a girlfriend for every day of the week. Then Abby flew into Jeff’s life with hurricane force and Mark’s big bad brother had fallen like a ton of bricks for the energetic blonde.

Mark watched Brian on the other side of the yard talking to their dad. Brian had been something of a party animal too. Then Nikki, their baby sister, put Brian’s picture and personal information on the Steppin’ Out’s Blind Date Central bulletin board and Dr. Gail Douglas chose him to accompany her to a dinner. Instead, they were carjacked, kidnapped, dumped in the middle of nowhere, caught in a rainstorm and, after spending the night in an abandoned house, almost arrested for trespassing.

Gail was an uptight, no-nonsense pediatrician and Brian was a laid-back, easygoing guy. Who knew they’d end up together along with a baby girl conceived on that memorable night?

Mark suddenly felt a tightening in his throat as he looked around at his family that seemed to be growing at a steady rate.

His oldest brother had the kind of family Norman Rockwell painted.

His other brother was well on his way to having Hallmark’s idea of a perfect family.

One sister was now married with two stepchildren who fit right in with the Walker clan.

His parents and grandparents were perfect examples for their children.

Then there was Mark and Nikki. He knew his younger sister was safe from family hopes of her getting married since she was premed and had long years in medical school ahead of her.

Mark was in his thirties and his family expected him to start adding to the Walker family tree.

He didn’t think that was possible. Not that he thought he couldn’t have children. Just that he wasn’t sure his adding to the Walker population was a good idea.

Mark was convinced that when the fatherhood gene was passed out to the Walker brothers, he was off somewhere else.

He made a great uncle and knew it was a job he could easily handle. He just couldn’t see himself as a dad 24-7.

“Mark!”

He jumped. “What?” He glared at his sister-in-law. He was positive Abby’s shout just took out an eardrum. “Are you trying to make me deaf?”

She rolled her eyes. “As if! You were already impervious to your surroundings.”

“Impervious. Wow, the kids teach you that ten-dollar word? Storybooks have come a long way since we were kids.” He pretended to cower under her look of outrage.

“You know, I really pity the woman who ends up with you,” Abby told him.

Mark looked to his brother for moral support, but Jeff’s broad grin told him he’d find no sympathy there. He leaned forward and pushed himself out of the chair.

“You are an evil woman,” he told Abby with as much dignity as a man wearing a wild fuchsia and green flowered shirt and baggy stone-colored cargo shorts could give. He walked away with her laughter ringing in his ears. He didn’t mind. He knew he would get even with her later on. Abby and Ginna giving him a bad time was nothing new to him.

Mark didn’t have to go far to find someone to talk to.

He hung out at his parents’ house on most of his free weekends, as did many of his friends. They brought their wives or girlfriends and treated the place like a second home the way Cathy and Lou Walker liked. Mark couldn’t remember the last time he had brought a date with him.

This was the first time he’d spent time looking for Nora. And the first time it really mattered that she wasn’t there.

Chapter Four

Nora couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so terrible. For all she knew, she had never felt this bad before. If she had the strength she’d beg someone to put her out of her misery.

She sat on her bathroom floor with her back against the wall and held a wet washcloth against her forehead.

A faint snuffling sound came from her left as a cold nose pushed against her leg.

“Oh, Brumby, I feel horrible,” she moaned, keeping her eyes closed. She was afraid if she opened them her stomach would resume its acrobatics. She wasn’t used to getting sick just by looking at her bathroom tile.

She’d woken up that morning feeling as if her stomach was turning itself inside out. She’d spent the next hour in the bathroom and vowed never to get takeout at that new Chinese restaurant again. By the time her stomach settled down she’d vowed never again to eat Chinese food, period. The following hour, she was starving. By then, she’d even felt well enough to fix herself a big breakfast and eat every bite. Afterward, she took Brumby for a long walk, which pleased the bulldog to no end since he loved nothing more than patrolling the neighborhood.

That afternoon she’d settled down on the couch with a book and had fallen asleep before reading three pages. The activity wasn’t a usual occurrence for her, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

When Nora woke up a couple of hours later, the open windows invited in the rich aroma of steaks cooking on a grill at a neighbor’s house. Her stomach rolled over as if she’d just stumbled off the fastest roller coaster in the world. She barely made it to the bathroom in time.

Thirty minutes later, she was still in the bathroom because she was afraid of straying too far. She feared she was in for a repeat of that morning. Which meant it wasn’t last night’s Chinese food. Then she remembered several people at the salon had come down with a nasty flu virus.

“How could I catch the flu?” she mumbled. “I take just about every vitamin I can imagine.” She smiled at the dog’s muffled snore. Her smile took a downturn and her voice turned to a groan when she heard the doorbell chime. “The last thing I want right now is company!”

Nora remained seated on the floor. Whoever was at the door could assume she wasn’t home and leave. Even Brumby didn’t stir. Except the melodic summons didn’t stop, it turned downright annoying. She knew that only occurred if someone was keeping a finger on the button. She didn’t care. She wasn’t budging.

“Come on, Nora! I know you’re home. You better answer before I call 911!”

Nora muttered a curse that was very unladylike.

“What is he doing here? There’s no reason for him to be here,” she muttered, slowly rising to her feet. For a second, the world swayed around her. Nora held on to the sink until everything settled into place.

She paused to see if her stomach would give her the excuse she needed to ignore the doorbell. The traitorous part of her body decided to behave. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Skin white as paper. Eyes dark and sunken in her face. Her hair was sticking out every which way. She couldn’t look any worse if she tried.

“Talk about scary. This is good. One look at me and the man will run for the hills,” she observed.

“Nora?” Mark’s voice sounded panicked as it floated through the front window. He started pounding on the door. “I mean it. If you don’t come to the door I’m calling the cops.”

“Not if I call them first,” she said under her breath as she slowly walked down the hallway.

“If you don’t open this door in five seconds, I’m calling my mom!” he shouted the ultimate threat. “Do you really want her coming out here? You know she will.”

Nora groaned. The last thing she needed was Mark’s mother showing up at her door. Cathy Walker would do just that if Mark called her to say Nora wasn’t well. Nora loved the woman dearly, but she didn’t need anyone fussing over her. She took a deep breath and headed for the door.

“You are such a mama’s boy.” She threw open the door. “Go away.” Having given her command, she started to close the door, but Mark gripped it tightly and held fast. “Mark!” She tried pushing again, but he easily moved her to one side and stepped inside.

“What happened to you?” he demanded, walking past her. “You look like hell.”

“Thank you so much for that heartfelt compliment. Now that I’ve scared you into Halloween, would you please leave?” She swung the door open in hopes he would get the message. The last thing she wanted was company. While she had at first thought it was a good idea that Mark see her at her worst, she now realized she didn’t want him seeing her when she looked less than human.

Mark held up two plastic grocery bags in one hand. He used his foot to gently move Brumby away from his leg.

“Mom was sorry you didn’t come out for the barbecue. She asked me to drop some of the food off to you,” he explained. “There’s some of her potato salad, some of Abby’s chocolate cake, not that I’d recommend it, but Abby stuck it in. There’re also slices of tri-tip roast and some rolls if you want to make sandwiches.”

As the aromas wafted upward to her nose, Nora could feel her stomach start to roll over again. She swallowed convulsively. The last thing she wanted was to become sick in front of Mark. If that happened, he would not only refuse to leave, he’d probably call his mother, to boot! If she thought Mark was difficult to get rid of, Cathy would be downright impossible, because she would insist on staying until she was certain Nora was all right. Nora would feel much better if Mark would just leave her alone.

Except Nora knew she was lying to herself.

The idea of a man taking time to stop by as a favor for his mother and not put off by a woman who looked like something dragged out of one of the hiding places where Brumby kept his precious toys, was charming. She didn’t want Mark to be charming!

She looked at Mark. She wanted to reach out for him. To ask him to take her in his arms and tell her she was going to be all right. That he’d make it all better. She blinked rapidly for fear she’d completely disgrace herself and break down in tears.

“I’ll have to call Cathy and thank her for her thoughtfulness. It was very nice of you to drop the food off, so sorry you have to leave,” she said, her voice husky.

She should have known that Mark would ignore her. He walked past her and disappeared into the kitchen. She could hear the rustle of the bags as he set them on the counter and her refrigerator door open, then close as he put the perishable food away. She was ready to march in there and demand to know what was taking him so long, when he returned with Brumby following fast on his heels.

“I hope you don’t mind that I tossed Brumb a small piece of the tri tip. Hey, are you sick?” he asked. He reached forward to press the back of his hand against her forehead. She reared back. He stepped forward again and this time succeeded in touching her.

“It’s a toss up between the Chinese food I had last night or the beginning of the flu, which I’m certain you wouldn’t want to catch.” She suddenly felt weak in the knees. She wasn’t sure if it was because she’d been sick a good part of the day or because of Mark’s proximity. She wanted him to go before she broke down and begged him to stay. When had she turned so indecisive? She used to know her own mind and stick to it. Now all she seemed to do was argue with herself as to what she should do.

Mark was bad for her. He was the kind of man she didn’t need in her life. Which was why, deep down, she’d actually been pleased to see him at the door. Not that she’d ever admit it.

“I’m a trained paramedic, Nora,” he gently reminded her. “You do feel a little warm. You have a thermometer around so we could double-check?”

Nora blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. She told herself he was only concerned about her because he needed to do the right thing.

“I don’t need anyone to check up on me. I don’t need my temperature taken, Mark. I just need to get some sleep. But I can’t do that until you go.” She feared she sounded as desperate as she felt.

Mark looked surprised by her curt tone.

“Nora, if it is the flu, you need to be checked out. Let me call someone.” His voice softened. “I can call Gail. I’m sure she’d come over to examine you.”

Nora laughed softly. “I think you’ve forgotten something. Gail’s a pediatrician and I’m not five years old.”

“That doesn’t matter. She’s still a doctor,” he persisted. “She can still tell you if it’s the flu or something more serious.”

“It’s not the flu. Something I ate disagreed with me. That’s all. All I need is something to settle my stomach and some quiet time. Both of which I’ll have once you’re gone,” she said pointedly.

He didn’t move. “If you start feeling worse, will you call me?”

Nora edged him toward the door. “Yes, I will call you,” she lied.

He looked at her searchingly. “No, you won’t,” he said finally. “I wish you’d let me into your thoughts, Nora. I don’t know why you won’t believe it, but I do care what happens to you.” He leaned forward, kissed her on the forehead and walked out the door. “And I mean it, Nora. If you need something, call me no matter what time it is. I’m off for the next few days.”

“All right,” she lied, knowing it was the only way he’d leave.

Mark looked skeptical. His expression let her know that the small smile on her lips and her impassive gaze was an assurance that didn’t ring quite true.

“Try to eat something,” he said.

“I will,” she replied, mentally urging him out the door.

Thankfully, this time he heard her silent plea and headed the rest of the way to the door. The minute he was on the other side of the threshold, she flashed him one last smile of dismissal.

Nora had barely closed the door after Mark when she felt the familiar upheaval in her stomach. She clapped her hands over her mouth and ran to the bathroom with faithful Brumby toddling after her. She didn’t think about Mark any further.

A couple of hours later, after a bowl of chicken noodle soup, which she always considered one of her comfort foods, she curled up in bed. A favorite movie on TV provided background noise that mingled with Brumby’s rumbling snores.

When the telephone rang, she reached over to pick up the handset.

“Hello?”

“Nora, it’s Mark. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

You should have known he would call to check on you. Mark may have been a wild boy at times, but he was also a caring one shot through her mind. She was rocked by a familiar voice echoing inside her head.

“I’m much better, thank you. Proof it had to have been something I ate,” she replied.

“You looked pretty pale earlier,” he pointed out. “Even if you feel better now, it doesn’t mean you might not have the flu.”

“Most redheads are pale. That’s why we have the hair to make up for it.” She pushed her pillow behind her as she sat up.

“That’s what your grandmother used to say.”

“You remembered that? You only saw her, what, two or three times?” she said, surprised.

“Hey, don’t sound so surprised,” he chuckled. “Your Grammy Fran reminded me a lot of my grandma. She always spoke her mind, let you know where you stood with her and she was a lady who fully enjoyed her life. Who wouldn’t remember someone that special?”

Nora couldn’t keep the tears back. She felt a strange tug down deep in her stomach along with a soft ache in her heart. The need for Mark to hold her in his arms was strong.

“She once said your shirts were so loud she’d never need a hearing aid around you.” She pressed her fingertips against her lips, unsurprised to find them trembling. She took a deep breath. “Mark, I have to go. Good night and thank you for calling.” She pushed the disconnect button and set the handset down. She picked it back up and shut off the ringer. She curled up under the covers and closed her eyes. A moment later, she took further precautions by pulling her second pillow over her head.

Nora couldn’t remember experiencing a more miserable night. By the time she fell into a decent sleep, Brumby was uttering throaty growls and pawing at the doggie door that Nora kept locked at night because the neighbor’s cat liked to make late-night visits.

The next morning, after spending most of the day before in bed, she felt more human and even hungry.

As she cooked breakfast, thoughts raced through her head. Too many questions and not enough answers. If she and Mark had made love when they were seeing each other, would she have been so quick to break it off with him?

“There’s no guarantee we would have stayed together,” she told herself as she slid behind the wheel of her lime-green Volkswagen Beetle. “Mark liked to party too much. I didn’t. And then, I convinced myself that I was the damper on the relationship and I dated way too many guys to prove I could be a wild woman. All I got out of it was a case of dating overload.” She looked both ways before zipping onto the busy highway that paralleled the beach.

It may have been mid-September, but the weather was more like June. She wished she’d lowered the convertible top before she left the house so she could have enjoyed the morning sun the way so many Californians did that day.

Nora parked in the grocery’s parking lot and walked swiftly toward the store. Her steps faltered momentarily when she saw a tall figure wearing a colorful shirt. Then the man turned and she realized it wasn’t Mark.

“What’s wrong with me?” she muttered, picking up her pace. “The sex wasn’t that good.”

Liar.

“Shut up,” she ordered the voice inside her head.

Come on, Nora, the man did things to you that had you tied in knots. Admit it. You never had anything as good as what you had those nights. The man was fantastic.

“There’s nothing worse than a mouthy conscience.” Nora blithely ignored a woman’s startled glance in her direction as she snagged a shopping cart and headed for the produce department.

Ordinarily, she would have treated her trip to the grocery store with the same enthusiasm she greeted a trip to the dentist. She’d been known to pick up a week’s worth of groceries in ten minutes flat. Today was different. She first picked up a latte at the coffee bar. Then she took her time strolling up and down each aisle as if she were a world explorer on a quest. By the time she finished her shopping, she not only had everything that was on her list but a great deal more than she’d normally eat in a month. A stop at the dry cleaners, the drugstore, and she finished up her errands with shopping for new toys for Brumby at a popular pet superstore.

“Pig ears for my baby,” she announced, carrying bags into the house. Brumby made his way toward his mistress, drool dripping from his jowls. He accepted his favorite treat with a canine grunt of thanks and waddled off to his favorite spot where he could enjoy it in peace.

As Nora put away her groceries, she had an unsettling thought. She’d bought enough food to feed two or more. Anyone coming in would think she was expecting company.

Company such as Mark, who’s always been known for his large appetite; in more ways than one.

She grimly stifled the crowing voice in her head.

“It’s to make up for those days I felt as if I couldn’t even drink water,” she told herself.

That night, Nora cooked herself a huge meal and savored every bite. The following morning, she woke up convinced she was going to die.

“Please tell me you have an opening this morning,” she begged her doctor’s receptionist when she called to see if she could get a last-minute appointment. She promised to be there promptly at ten when she was told they would squeeze her in.

Nora showed up ahead of time, and when ushered into an examination room, she answered questions, gave the requisite samples and impatiently waited for the doctor to come in and tell her what was wrong with her.

“So you’ve had an upset tummy that won’t go away, have you?” her doctor said, smiling at her when he stepped into the room.

“Which is really nothing more than the flu, right? Or are you going to tell me it’s something worse? Okay, give it to me in twenty-five words or less,” Nora said, bracing herself to hear the worst.

Her doctor smiled. “I can do better than that, Nora. I can give it to you in two words. You’re pregnant.”

Chapter Five

Nora’s sense of the world tilted dangerously. If she hadn’t been sitting down, she would have fallen to the floor.

“Ah, no, that’s not possible,” she protested, even as the logical part of her brain kicked into high gear. Dates circled on her calendar that had gone by without incident was the loudest reminder. “I’m on the Pill,” she stated as if that said it all.

Dr. Averick smiled warmly. “It’s not only possible, Nora, but very true. It can happen even when you’re on the Pill. All the symptoms you’ve been experiencing should have been your first warning. I’m sure you probably thought they were side effects to all you’ve gone through lately, but that’s not the case here. Besides, tests don’t lie,” he said gently. “I’d say you’re about six weeks along.”

Six weeks. The night Mark came over to her house and she cried on his shoulder. The second time she invited him into her bed. And she had forgotten to take her pills when she was in Seattle and for about a week or so after she got back.

She pressed her fingertips against her temples. It did nothing to cease the voice in her head. She closed her eyes as the softest of whimpers escaped her lips.

Nora opened her eyes when a warm touch landed on her wrist. Dr. Averick’s fingers lay lightly against her skin.

“Am I to gather you and the father are no longer together?”

She smiled at his less-than-subtle probing. The man had been her doctor since she’d arrived in the Newport Beach area more than ten years ago. Here, she’d been afraid she might have something more serious than the flu. In a way, it was more serious. She just found out her flu would last another eight months.

“Not exactly. He’s my best friend’s brother and, ah, he’s part of a large family,” she said lamely, afraid she wasn’t making much sense. “He has lots of nieces and nephews.” She swallowed then whimpered. “Excuse me, but I think I’m going to be sick.”

Ten minutes later, Nora felt better after the doctor prescribed medication he assured her was safe for the baby and would calm her nausea. Armed with samples of prenatal vitamins and a prescription for the nausea, she left the office. Her head was still spinning and the sensation had nothing to do with nausea.

Nora was grateful she’d cleared her schedule that day. She knew there was no way she could return to the salon and Ginna’s sharp eyes. The woman would have the truth out of her within minutes. Nora didn’t want to think what Ginna’s reaction would be. She wanted to wait on that conversation until she was more comfortable with it herself.

She recalled it wasn’t so long ago that Ginna thought she was pregnant by Zach. A total surprise since Ginna was convinced she couldn’t have children. It took Gail interpreting an old medical report to explain that it wasn’t Ginna’s fault there were no children during her first marriage, but an allergy to her husband’s semen that caused her to reject every wiggly sperm that tried to do its job. It had turned out Ginna wasn’t pregnant, but it had given her the courage to go to Zach and make things right. Now Ginna was married to a man who loved her with all his heart and had two adorable stepchildren who loved her just as much.

And now Nora was going to have her best friend’s brother’s baby.

“Stay tuned for our next emotionally packed episode of ‘There’s Something About Nora’,” she muttered as she drove out of the parking lot. “She let her hormones take control and oh boy, they went wild.” She suddenly wondered if she’d be able to fit inside her car eight months from now. “Oh my God! I’m going to be a mother!”

Nora had no idea how she made it home in one piece. Since the afternoon had turned chilly, she changed into forest-green leggings and a baggy black-and-green-striped sweater that hung down past her thighs.

“It will probably be a snug fit before I know it,” she said wryly as she slipped on her tennis shoes.

Brumby uttered growling barks when she picked up his leash.

“Yes, we’re going to your very favorite place,” she told him, fastening his leash to his collar. She tucked her house key and wallet in her waist pack along with two small bottles of water, one for her and one for Brumby. She headed for the door with an eager Brumby pulling on his leash.

Nora liked that her house was only a few blocks away from the dog park. What Brumby couldn’t do in speed, he could make up in enthusiasm at the sight of other dogs. Some days, she took him to the little park next to her house. His next favorite activity was sprawling on the grass and watching the kids play on the swings and the other equipment. Not to mention he graciously accepted all the attention the kids lavished on him.

At the dog park, Brumby greeted a few dogs he knew then happily followed his mistress toward one corner of the park. Nora sat cross-legged on the grass while the bulldog plopped down beside her. He panted heavily as he surveyed the park in search of friends, old and new.

“I have news for you, Brumby,” Nora began. His ears pricked up at the sound of his name. “We’re going to have a new addition to the family. Not a puppy,” she swiftly assured him. “A baby. There’s going to be a little boy or girl for you to play with although not like Theodore Train Engine or Sam the School Bus.” She mentioned two of his favorite toys that made appropriate noises when he bit down on them.

Brumby looked up at her and made sounds that she hoped meant “Congratulations” and not “No way am I sharing my toys!”

“Now I just have to figure out how to tell Mark. Not right away, of course. I have to get used to the idea myself first.” She suddenly groaned. “Oh no! Everyone is going to jump all over this piece of news. Another Walker brother turns into a surprise daddy. First Jeff, then Brian and now Mark.” She buried her face in her hands. “He’ll never live this down.” Tears that threatened to fall were halted when Brumby scrambled up onto her knees in his attempt to offer her doggie kisses. She hugged him tightly as he continued to lick her face. “We’ll do fine, sweetie. Once I figure out how I’m going to handle all this.”

An hour in the park of playing Keep Away with Brumby cleared Nora’s mind and raised her spirits. She was still smiling during their walk back to the house. Her smile wobbled a bit when she saw a familiar truck parked in her driveway and an equally familiar figure seated on her front steps. He stood up as she and Brumby approached him. The dog woofed a couple of times and strained at the leash. Nora dropped it as he waddled toward Mark.

“You must be feeling better,” Mark greeted her.

“Just something I ate.” She almost choked on her lie.

He frowned. “Ginna said you haven’t been feeling good lately. That has to be more than just something you ate.”

“I’ve learned what foods to avoid. Why are you here, Mark?”

He looked away and mumbled something.

Nora felt tired and not in the mood to act nice. Not to mention, she was afraid he would just look at her and guess her secret. Mark might not be a doctor, but he was a paramedic. He had told stories of his delivering babies that weren’t going to wait to reach the hospital. She hoped it didn’t mean he could diagnose pregnancy by just looking at a person.

“What did you say?”

He turned back and kept his eyes trained on her face as he said, “I said I wanted to make sure you were all right.” There was no doubt of his sincerity. She didn’t want him caring about her. She wanted him to go on with his life the way she planned to go on with hers. She knew after their breakup he’d gone on with his life with the help of a public relations assistant named Daisy who worked at a local advertising firm. After Daisy came Kate, then Joanna. Nora wouldn’t be surprised if he worked his way through the alphabet. She was proud of herself for not once asking Ginna about Mark. That didn’t stop Ginna from occasionally dropping comments about her brother’s social life. Nora had always been grateful Ginna had never asked Nora her reason for breaking up with Mark. Nora had never admitted just how much it hurt to realize Mark was just like her father. The last thing she wanted was to be with a man whose eyes wandered too much.

She refused to re-create her mother’s life. Nora thought she was safe because marriage had never been brought up when they dated.

She walked over to the steps and sat down beside him. He shifted his body so that he was facing her. Brumby ambled up to plop down between them. He groaned happily when Mark scratched him behind the ears.

“Mark, you don’t need to be the good guy here,” she said softly. “I told you that first morning that I wouldn’t be the clinging vine or expect anything from you. No strings. You’re safe.” She was surprised by the slight frown creasing his forehead.

“And you told me the same thing the second time around. You’re not a one-night stand, Nora.”

“No, I’m a two-night stand,” she said slowly and deliberately, not missing his wince at her blunt choice of words. “You happened to be there when I was feeling vulnerable. I didn’t wake up hoping for bouquets of roses and impassioned declarations.”

“Some would say you’re protesting too much.” He stood up and held out his hand. She placed hers in it and he pulled her up. He didn’t let go of her hand as he started down the driveway toward his truck. A sharp-edged whistle had Brumby on their heels.

“What are you doing?” She tried to hang back, but he was having none of it.

“I’m taking you out to dinner. I bet you haven’t had a decent meal in days.”

“I have so.” She couldn’t believe he’d guessed her lunch was a container of orange-crème yogurt. It seemed to be the only thing her touchy stomach could handle. At least the doctor’s news had cleared up that mystery. She watched him pick up her dog and put him in the back seat. “Last I heard, dogs weren’t allowed in restaurants.”

“They are if you go to Syd’s Place where dogs are welcome on their patio,” he told her.

“Mark!” She tried digging in her heels but didn’t get very far. Plus, he already had her dog in the truck. He gave her an ungentlemanly push up into the passenger seat. As if he guessed she still might try to bolt, he reached over her and pulled the seat belt across her chest and fastened it.

“I have plenty of food in my refrigerator,” she argued.

“You’ve cooked for me twice. Since cooking isn’t one of my better skills, I’ll take you out.” He jumped into the driver’s seat and started up the engine. The Rolling Stones immediately filled the cab. He quickly turned down the volume.

“Brumby will drool all over your clean seats.” Nora tried another argument.

“As long as he’s not toxic, I’m not worried.” He stretched his arm along the back of the seat as he half turned while backing down the driveway. “I hope you’re hungry. Wednesday is chili night at Syd’s.”

“Just don’t give Brumby any,” Nora warned.

“You can pick something from the dog menu.”

She knew it was time to give up. For some reason, Mark was determined to take her out to dinner, so she may as well let him. A tiny smile touched her lips. She was hungry and she was eating for two.

Though the light was dim, Mark didn’t miss Nora’s smile. At least she had stopped arguing with him. Damn, the dog was drooling all over the back seat! He tightened his jaw and concentrated on the road.

“How do you know Syd’s Place? You don’t have a dog,” Nora pointed out.

“Brian mentioned that he and Gail go there a lot since they can take their dog,” he replied. “Seems the baby loves the beach. They like to stop there to eat before heading home.”

Nora saw the comparison between Mark and Brian much too clearly. She didn’t expect any impassioned declaration of love from Mark or an insistence on doing the right thing. It wasn’t his style. It was a well-known fact he didn’t like to be tied down.

She knew how he would react as well as she knew how his family would react. His parents, Cathy and Lou, would welcome a new grandchild and his grandmother and grandfather, Theo and Martha, would boast about the newest great-grandchild.

She knew her baby would have the joy of a large family. Something Nora hadn’t had as a child. She knew she wouldn’t keep the baby from them. The older Walker clan was never happier than when they spent the day together with family and friends.

She gave herself a mental shake. She was looking ahead to perhaps a year from now. She needed to concentrate on getting through dinner without divulging news she was still trying to get used to.

Look at this evening as a positive echoed inside her head in a voice that sounded way too much like Grammy Fran’s. The two of you made a baby. Be friends if you can’t be anything else.

Nora looked out the window at the colorful buildings that housed surf shops next door to art galleries and swimsuit boutiques.

A wooden sign weathered by the salt air with multicolored letters announced they had arrived at Syd’s Place. Mark found a spot near the eatery and helped Nora out of the truck. He picked up Brumby and kept hold of his leash as the dog eagerly explored the bowls of plants set outside a florist’s.

“No way, guy.” Mark reined him in. “You water those plants, they’ll make you buy them.”

“His allowance couldn’t cover buying a flower petal from there,” Nora said.

Mark studied the shop’s exterior, white with dark green accents. Green window boxes filled with colorful blooms highlighted a display window that showed off an elegant crystal vase holding a rose in a delicate shade of peach. Tiny fairies hung from the ceiling looking as if they were flying around the vase.

“Mom loves stuff like that,” he commented.

“Christmas will be here before you know it.” Nora smiled slyly.

He didn’t miss her smile. “What do you know about that vase that I don’t?”

“The cost. Twelve hundred dollars and that’s without the rose.”

Mark tried to say something but air was caught in his chest and he started choking. Nora reached over and helpfully slapped him on the back.

“You’re joking, right?” he wheezed.

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