Time for Love

Dedicating all his time to the family business isn’t easy for Brendan Kane. But he owes his foster parents big-time for taking him and his brothers in. And if he has to give up the possibility of a relationship—so be it. So when Brendan’s mother hires Lily Michaels to redecorate the family home, it doesn’t matter to Brendan that Lily is beautiful. And funny. And smart. He has no time for distractions. Can Lily show him there’s more to life…and that it includes a future together?

Castle Falls:

Three rugged brothers meet their matches.

“What are you doing here?”

Lily had practically skipped down the hall to Sonia’s office and now had bumped into a wall she hadn’t encountered on her first tour of the house. One that was solid. Warm.

“That’s funny.” One dark eyebrow lifted. “I was about to ask you the same question.”

If it was funny, then why wasn’t he smiling?

“I’m going to do some prep work.”

Her explanation was met with silence. Lily tried again. “Scrub the walls. Tape around the windows and trim—”

“I know what prep work is,” Brendan interrupted. “But why are you in here?”

Lily took a deep breath. Prayed for patience. “Because this is the room I’ll be painting first.”

“No.”

Manager or not, she was getting a little tired of the man’s high-handed ways.

“My employer—” Lily couldn’t help but press down on the word “—gave me a list of the rooms she wanted me to paint, and this office happens to be one of them. Is there a problem?”

Yes. There was.

KATHRYN SPRINGER

is a lifelong Wisconsin resident. Growing up in a “newspaper” family, she spent long hours as a child plunking out stories on her mother’s typewriter and hasn’t stopped writing since. She loves to write inspirational romance because it allows her to combine her faith in God with her love of a happy ending.

The Bachelor Next Door

Kathryn Springer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in season

And whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

—Psalms 1:3

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

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Epilogue

Dear Reader,

Excerpt

Chapter One

He didn’t have time for this.

Brendan Kane followed the path of destruction down the hall to the living room, where tiny pieces of white foam scattered across the hardwood floor made it look as if an early snowfall had swept across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The trail wound between the coffee table and leather recliner and disappeared behind the sofa.

Brendan knelt down for a better look. Sure enough, peering at him over a barricade of stolen goods was the perpetrator of the latest crime spree. A slightly overweight basset hound happily stripping the remaining leaves from the branch of a silk ficus his mother had rescued from the curb just moments before it was devoured by the steel jaws of the garbage truck.

Because rescuing things was part of Sunni’s M.O., which was how Brendan had ended up with Missy, a troublesome canine who preferred leather shoes, artificial plants and, yes, even the occasional sofa pillow, over rawhide chews.

“There are laws against vandalism, you know.” He scowled at the dog but she ignored him. It reminded Brendan of Sunni’s response when he’d told her that he was too busy to care for a pet.

A few months ago, his mother had started volunteering at the local animal shelter, and it had become her personal mission to find homes for all the stray dogs and cats that came in on her watch. Sunni was gaining quite a reputation in Castle Falls for her ability to match an animal with just the right owner. But so far, when it came to her oldest son, she was 0 for 3.

Brendan had been waiting for her to realize that he was the common denominator in all the failed relationships.

“This is strike three, you know.” And he was out. “You’re going to have to chew someone else out of house and—” Brendan paused as his cell phone began to blast the theme song from Mission: Impossible, signaling an incoming call from his youngest brother.

Brendan stabbed at the green circle on the screen. “What?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” Aiden’s low chuckle rattled in his ear. “Are you busy?”

“I’m always busy.” Brendan narrowed his eyes at the basset hound. She’d dropped the ficus branch and was eyeing his shoelaces as if they were the next item on the buffet. “Don’t even think about it,” he muttered.

“Don’t think about what?”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Okay,” Aiden said mildly. “Then who are you talking to?”

Busted.

“No one.”

“Disturbing. And proof you need to get out more.”

“Fine. I was talking to…Missy.” Brendan was forced to be honest, although he hated giving his kid brother any ammunition that could potentially be used against him in the future.

“Are you kidding?” Aiden hooted. Obviously forgetting the fact that he was four years younger, two inches shorter and had yet to beat Brendan in hand-to-hand sibling combat. “Liam and I didn’t think she’d last a week.”

Brendan silently counted backward. “You were right.”

The statement was followed by a whistle that threatened to pierce his left eardrum. “Have you broken the news to Mom?”

“Not yet.”

“Can I watch?”

“Very funny.” Brendan swept up a handful of damp leaf debris. “I tried to tell her this was destined to fail.”

Missy cast a reproachful look in his direction, took a few waddling steps forward and leaped onto the couch. No easy feat for an animal roughly the size and shape of the pillow she’d recently shredded.

“You know Mom,” Aiden said. “She wants everyone to be happy.”

“Then why isn’t she leaving dogs on your doorstep?”

Brendan relocated an African violet from the windowsill to the stone ledge above the fireplace. Just in case.

“Maybe she thinks you need the practice,” his brother said cheerfully.

Brendan scowled. “What kind of practice?”

“Uh…the commitment kind?”

“I am committed.” To the business he’d poured his heart and soul into for the past fifteen years. At sixteen, Brendan had saved Castle Falls Outfitters from bankruptcy. Ten years later, he’d doubled its annual profit. And any day now, if everything went according to plan, he would be signing a contract with a large sporting-goods chain, making their custom-made canoes available throughout the Midwest.

No one seemed to realize that kind of responsibility didn’t leave a whole lot of time for anything else. Not that Brendan was complaining. It would take a lifetime to repay the debt he owed Sunni Mason, a woman who’d taken in three aspiring juvenile delinquents when they’d had nowhere else to go.

“Or…Mom knows you practically live in your office, and she doesn’t want you to be lonely.”

“Lonely.” When Brendan barely had a minute to himself? He worked out of an office at their mother’s house, and even though his two younger brothers had converted storage space above the garage into a spacious apartment, they spent more time hanging out at his place than they did their own.

“You’ve heard the word, right?” Aiden laughed. “It’s one of those pesky little things people sometimes refer to as emotions.”

Brendan rolled his eyes. He didn’t have time for those, either.

A car door slammed, and he glanced at the clock. Five o’clock on the dot. Sonia, affectionately known as Sunni to the people who loved her, was always punctual.

“I have to go.”

“Wait—”

Brendan hung up the phone. A split second later, he heard Sunni humming the chorus of a familiar praise song as she made her way up the sidewalk.

Missy tipped her nose toward the ceiling and let out a mournful howl.

The humming stopped.

Great.

“Tattletale,” he grumbled.

The dog ignored him—naturally—and launched herself off the sofa. All four paws shot out in different directions on the hardwood floor like the points on a compass, and yet she still managed to beat him to the front door.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

Looking, Brendan noted wryly, not at him but at the overweight basset hound nibbling on the laces of her pink hiking boots.

“How are you two getting along?”

Also directed at the dog.

Brendan decided to answer the question anyway. Since he was the one who had opposable thumbs—and actually could speak. “She shredded my favorite tie yesterday.”

“Good girl, Missy,” his mother whispered. “I never did care for that tie.”

“You’re the one who bought it for me,” Brendan pointed out.

“Only because I knew you’d like it.” Bending down to give Missy’s glossy head a pat, Sunni spotted the dog bed and basket of toys stacked neatly beside the door. Shook her head. “What seems to be the problem?”

She didn’t add the words this time. They were implied.

“Missy is a great dog.” A slight exaggeration, considering her penchant for turning everything into a chew toy. “But I just can’t give her the attention she deserves.” Brendan braced himself for the fallout. Again.

Sunni smiled. Smiled. “I understand.”

“Really?” Because he remembered saying the same thing the day she’d dropped off Raquel, the incontinent Yorkie, and Bette Davis, a Doberman pinscher who’d hidden under the bed whenever someone knocked on the door, totally undermining his mother’s claim that she’d be a great watchdog.

“I’ll take Missy with me to church tonight and introduce her to Ed Wilson. His wife passed away a few months ago, and I heard him tell Pastor Tamblin the house is too quiet.”

Brendan’s eyes narrowed.

That was it?

“She’ll be happier,” he said. “You know that, right?”

“But will you?” Sunni murmured.

Brendan took a moment to think about that.

Yes. Yes, he would.

“I’ll put this stuff in the car for you. I’m sure Missy and Mr. Wilson will get along really well.” He grabbed the box of toys before she could change her mind.

“Thank you, sweetheart. I have some last-minute packing to finish up before choir practice starts.” Sunni followed him outside to the gray Subaru parked in front of the house, Missy happily chugging along at her heels.

Brendan popped open the trunk and blinked. “What’s all this?”

“Paint.” His mom grinned. “The house is long overdue for a makeover. I figured the best time to tackle a project that size is while I’m away on my birthday cruise.”

Brendan couldn’t argue with the timing or her claim that the rooms would benefit from a fresh coat of paint. The walls were still the same color they’d been when he’d moved from Detroit to Castle Falls at the age of fifteen. Six months after he and his brothers unpacked their belongings, Sunni had been more worried about keeping the bank from foreclosing on the house than she had about decorating it.

“Mark which color goes in which room.” Brendan silently rearranged his schedule to accommodate a new project. “I can’t promise I’ll have it finished by the time you get home, but I’ll do my best.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do a thing, sweetheart. I made other arrangements.”

Brendan slowly pivoted to face her. “What kind of other arrangements?”

“You’re always saying how busy you are—” Sunni flashed a smile that rivaled the July sunshine for brightness “—so I hired someone.”

* * *

Lily Michaels tapped on the brake, and her car rolled to a stop on a crack in the asphalt where the road ended and a narrow wooden bridge began. Leaning forward, she squinted at a hand-painted sign framed between two pine trees on the other side of the river.

Castle Falls Outfitters.

She pulled in a breath and held it.

This was it. The beginning of a brand-new adventure.

Or the biggest mistake of your life.

Lily refused to listen to that negative inner voice—a gruff baritone that sounded suspiciously like her father’s.

But the contract in her purse, signed by Sonia Mason, proved that God was directing her steps. Even if Lily had never actually met the woman in person.

She glanced at the clock on the dashboard and sighed.

It didn’t look as if she’d have the opportunity to meet her very first client today, either. Lily’s plan to get an early start that morning had been sabotaged by a nail that had found its way into her tire as she’d backed out of the driveway of her apartment complex.

Please make yourself at home if I’m not there when you arrive, Sunni had written in her last email.

At home.

Another answer to prayer.

There were no hotels in Castle Falls, so Sunni had offered the use of her guest room until she returned from her Caribbean cruise. Lily had agreed to the arrangement without hesitation. The town was too far from Traverse City to commute back and forth—and too far away for her father to drop by.

Something he’d been doing on a daily basis for the past few weeks. Nolan Michaels made no secret of the fact he wasn’t happy with Lily’s “impulsive decision” to change careers, even temporarily.

Her hands tightened around the steering wheel as the wooden bridge shuddered beneath the weight of her compact car. Once she was safely on the other side, it was easier to appreciate the unspoiled beauty of her surroundings. On the map, the river had been a tiny blue thread embroidered along an edge of national forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She caught a flash of sapphire through the trees and heard the water humming a cheerful melody as it spilled over the rocks.

Lily couldn’t wait to explore. If there was one thing she’d learned from Shelby, it was to view every day as a gift from God, meant to be unwrapped and enjoyed.

The thick hedge of trees began to thin out, and the late-afternoon sun winked off a metal roof. Rounding a curve, Lily drove past a large aluminum pole building and caught a glimpse of a rustic cabin tucked in a stand of trees behind it.

Sonia had mentioned she ran a home-based business, but Lily had been too busy concentrating on her own list of last-minute details to ask questions.

When the house came into view, she realized she probably should have.

The Craftsman-style Foursquare, dating back to the ’50s, wore a shaggy coat of iron-gray paint. Its patchwork roof dipped low over the front porch like an old tweed cap, shading the windows from the sun. It looked to Lily as if the pink petunias planted along the sidewalk were nodding a welcome as she hopped out of the car.

Underneath the sisal welcome mat, she found a key to the front door. The small piece of metal felt heavy in the palm of Lily’s hand.

Although she had requested photographs of the rooms she’d be renovating, Sunni had neglected to send any. Now, after seeing the outside of the house, Lily wondered if the oversight had been deliberate.

Well, there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?

She fit the key in the lock and pushed the door open. One step forward and Lily found herself standing in a tunnel of blue-and-white gingham check, the pattern broken only by a line of bright red, wallpaper roosters marching along the strip of baseboard.

Following the roosters into the kitchen, Lily clapped one hand over her mouth to muffle a burst of laughter.

Yellow plaid wallpaper and…sheep. Dozens of them, stenciled from floor to ceiling on all four walls and grazing between the cupboards.

By the time Lily walked into the living room and saw the tangerine walls, she decided this was going to be fun. The interior might be a bit outdated, but overall, the house had a personality as warm and inviting as a flannel shirt in January.

She opened the last door at the end of the hall and felt a jolt of surprise.

Sparse and utilitarian, the only furnishings were a navy blue wingback chair and a desk that, oddly enough, didn’t face the row of windows overlooking the river. Unlike the rest of the rooms, there were no houseplants or knickknacks on the shelves. No pictures on the walls. Even though Lily had never met Sonia, she couldn’t imagine the woman spending her days in an office that lacked the warmth of the rest of her home.

Lily smiled.

She’d start the transformation here.

* * *

Brendan was late.

True, he probably shouldn’t have scheduled an appointment on the day his mother had to be at the airport, but there should have been plenty of time for both…if Brendan hadn’t been forced to take a detour because of road construction. And if the detour hadn’t been a back road with more twists and turns than a corn maze. Which meant Domita Peterson had probably gotten tired of waiting for him and left.

He hadn’t been able to reach her by phone, not an uncommon occurrence given the unreliable cell-phone reception in the area. Ordinarily, Liam and Aiden would have been available to greet a potential customer, but they’d left that morning for a weekend-long camping trip to test one of Liam’s new designs.

Brendan could only hope Mrs. Peterson had more patience than he did.

The frustration he’d been battling distilled into relief at the sight of an unfamiliar vehicle parked in the driveway. As he pulled up next to it and got out of the car, a woman rounded the corner of the house.

A young woman.

When Domita Peterson had called to request a meeting, she’d mentioned that she wanted to give her husband a canoe as a gift for his retirement. Brendan hadn’t anticipated she would be in her mid-twenties, closer to his age than his mother’s. With a face and figure guaranteed to draw a second glance.

Although the combination of faded jeans, a bright pink T-shirt and golden-blond hair separated into two ponytails made her look more girl-next-door than trophy wife.

“I’m sorry I’m late.” Brendan kept his expression neutral.

Reminded himself that the woman’s personal business wasn’t any of his. “Why don’t we go inside, where it’s cooler?”

The woman’s eyes, an unusual shade of blue-violet that reminded Brendan of the wildflowers that carpeted the woods every spring, widened in response to the suggestion.

Maybe she’d been expecting that the Castle Falls Outfitters’ office would be housed in something other than a…house. It wouldn’t be the first time a potential customer had a difficult time reconciling the craftsmanship of their work with the place where they worked.

Brendan made it halfway down the sidewalk when he realized this potential customer wasn’t following him. He glanced over his shoulder.

“Is something wrong?”

“I…I think you have me confused with someone else.”

Brendan frowned. “Aren’t you Domita Peterson? My six o’clock appointment?”

The woman shook her head, and the movement sent the twin ponytails dancing.

“I’m Lily Michaels—the painter. And you are…”

Someone who plans to have a little chat with his mother as soon as possible, Brendan thought grimly.

Except that he couldn’t. Because at that very moment, Sunni was on a cruise ship bound for the Caribbean.

Chapter Two

Lily waited for the man to fill in the blank.

He didn’t look dangerous, but a girl couldn’t be too careful nowadays. Dark hair. Eyes the velvet-blue of an evening sky. The chiseled features would have been improved by a smile, but he was attractive in a brooding, Mr. Darcy kind of way.

“Brendan Kane,” he finally said.

Now it looked as if he was waiting for something. Lily stitched the pieces of their brief conversation together in her mind, trying to make sense of them. He’d apologized for being late. And the flash of disbelief in his eyes when she’d introduced herself meant that he’d been expecting someone else—a Domita Somebody or Another.

“Did you have an appointment with one of Sonia Mason’s employees?” she ventured. “Because I think everyone left for the day.”

“Not all of them.” A wry smile kicked up the corner of his lips, and Lily felt a corresponding kick in the general vicinity of her heart. Flustered, she lowered her gaze—and spotted the logo embroidered on the pocket of his polo shirt.

Castle Falls Outfitters.

Brendan Kane was one of the employees.

“I…” Feel like an idiot? “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you worked for Sonia Mason, too. She hired me a few weeks ago to do some painting while she’s on vacation, but I’m afraid I don’t know much about her business.” Lily forced a smile. “I should have asked more questions.”

“You aren’t the only one,” he muttered.

She wasn’t sure how to decipher the cryptic statement, but something in Brendan Kane’s tone told her that he wasn’t pleased by the situation. Was he afraid she was going to get in his way?

Or was he the type of person who thought her type of work was unnecessary? Frivolous?

Anyone can splash paint on a wall, Lily. You’re wasting your talents…and your time. If you take a leave of absence now, someone else is going to take your place. Everything you’ve worked to accomplish will be gone.

Her father’s parting words had left their mark. In Nolan Michaels’s world, the number of hours a person worked, combined with the number of digits that made up their annual salary, equaled success. The fact that Lily was being considered for a promotion had made it even more difficult for him to understand.

It didn’t even seem to matter that Lily’s change in careers, in order to help out a friend in need, was temporary.

If only her father had seen the expression on Shelby’s face when Lily had offered to take over her custom painting until she regained her strength after being diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Hope.

Lily folded the memory into a smile and tucked it away for safekeeping.

She’d made the right decision.

“If you’ll excuse me. I have a few things to unload before it gets dark.” Lily skirted the six-foot-two, blue-eyed obstacle on the sidewalk. She could only hope her and Brendan Kane’s paths wouldn’t cross very often in the next ten days….

“I’ll give you a hand.”

Lily dragged in a breath, ready to decline, but the masculine—and all-too-appealing—scent of fresh air and freshly laundered cotton filled her lungs. And did strange things to her vocal cords. All she could manage was a…squeak.

A squeak Brendan must have taken as consent, because he reached into the trunk of the car and pulled out a box filled with drop cloths.

“You can set the bins in the hallway.” Lily found her voice as she wrestled a folding ladder from the backseat. “I’ll organize everything later.”

“What’s this?”

Peeking over the top of the door, she saw him holding her pink paisley Vera Bradley weekender, a birthday gift from Shelby, at arm’s length. The way a person might hold a plastic bag bound for the curb. Or a package that had suddenly started to tick.

Lily hesitated, wondering if this was a trick question. “My suitcase?”

“Suitcase.” He frowned, clearly suspicious.

They do come in more than colors than black and navy blue, Lily thought. Then promptly asked God’s forgiveness for the uncharitable thought.

“Don’t worry about that one.” Setting the ladder down, she held out her hand, ready to rescue the bag from his grip. “I’ll take it upstairs.”

“Upstairs?” The frown deepened.

And he was still attractive.

Life, Lily thought, just wasn’t fair.

“You’re not staying here.” It came out sounding more like a statement than a question.

“Sonia offered the use of her guest room while she’s on vacation,” Lily explained. “Paint the Town is based in Traverse City, so it would have been too far to drive back and forth.”

“I’m surprised you accepted a job way up here in the middle of nowhere.” A muscle working in that chiseled jaw tightened at the words.

Lily didn’t know why it mattered where she stayed. But if Brendan Kane was Sonia’s manager, as she suspected, he probably resented the fact that his employer hadn’t kept him in the loop.

“I didn’t have the luxury of turning down the job.” She pressed out a smile. “And Sonia assured me that I have all the qualifications she’s been looking for.”

The blue eyes closed briefly, and Lily could only guess what the man was thinking of. Tossing her offensive floral luggage in the river? Ordering her off the property?

She decided not to wait around to find out.

“I appreciate your help, but I can handle the rest of it.” Plucking the suitcase from his hand, Lily headed to the front door. This time—thank You, God—he didn’t follow.

She practically sprinted up the stairs to the second floor and took refuge in the spare room at the end of the hall. Number four on the makeover list. Sonia had requested something lighter than the existing hunter-green walls and burgundy trim, which gave the room a distinctly masculine feel.

Lily unpacked her suitcase and matched each item of clothing to a plastic hanger in the closet. She read through Sonia’s list and matched paint chips to the appropriate rooms.

In other words, she was stalling.

After an hour or so, when she figured the coast was clear, Lily padded downstairs.

Anticipation began to wash away the memory of her encounter with Brendan the Brusque. She sorted through the cans of paint until she came to the words chai tea scribbled on the lid. Rich vanilla, with a subtle vein of gold, would provide the perfect frame for the window overlooking the river.

Lily practically skipped down the hall to Sonia’s office. And bumped into a wall she hadn’t encountered on her first tour of the house. Solid. Warm.

She stumbled backward. “What are you doing here?”

“That’s funny.” One dark eyebrow lifted. “I was about to ask you the same question.”

If it was funny, then why wasn’t he smiling?

“I’m going to do some prep work.”

Her explanation was met with silence. Lily tried again. “Scrub the walls. Tape around the windows and trim—”

“I know what prep work is,” Brendan interrupted. “But why are you in here?”

Lily took a deep breath. Prayed for patience. “Because this is the room I’ll be painting first.”

“No.”

Manager or not, she was getting a little tired of the man’s high-handed ways.

“My employer—” Lily couldn’t help but press down on the word “—gave me a list of the rooms she wanted me to paint and this office happens to be one of them. Is there a problem?”

Yes. There was.

In fact, Brendan had started a list of his own.

Beginning with the fact that Sunni had neglected to mention the person she’d hired for Castle Falls Outfitters: Makeover Edition was a leggy blonde with violet eyes.

Or that she’d be living upstairs.

Maybe his mother hadn’t had an ulterior motive. Maybe a woman—a beautiful woman—in her mid-twenties who lived in a city over half a day’s drive from Castle Falls had been the only painter available.

Yeah. Right.

“This isn’t Sunni’s office.” Brendan speared a hand through his hair. “It’s mine.”

“Who is Sunni?”

“Sunni Mason…my mother.” The words had gotten easier to say over the years. Unlike his brothers, Brendan still remembered the woman who’d given birth to them. Even if those memories weren’t the kind a person was eager to share.

“But—” Lily’s forehead puckered “—I thought you were the manager.”

“I am. I’m also the son. My two younger brothers work here, too, but they’re gone for a few days.” Brendan could only imagine what his siblings’ reactions would be when they returned and discovered what Sunni had done. “We all take care of a different aspect of the business. Liam designs the boats, Aiden tests them and I find people to buy them. From this office,” he couldn’t help but add.

Some unidentifiable emotion flared in Lily’s eyes. “Do you live here—in this house—too?”

Brendan shook his head. “In a cabin behind the shop. I like my privacy.” It had to be said. “So you understand why this won’t work. It’s a small space, and there isn’t room for both of us.”

“Oh, I understand.” The corners of her watercolor-pink lips twitched.

Was she trying not to smile? Okay, maybe that had sounded like something the sheriff in a cheesy old black-and-white Western might say—this town isn’t big enough for the two of us—but it also happened to be the truth.

Lily took two steps forward and paused in the doorway. Tipped her head. “Do you like it?”

“Do I like what?”

“Your office.”

Did he like… What kind of question was that?

Brendan shrugged. “It’s an office.”

“The place where you spend the majority of your day?”

“Yes.” He wondered where she was going with this. “When I’m working, I’m focused on work.” Even if the walls were—Brendan took a quick inventory of the room—dark green with a brownish fleck.

Kind of like the algae that coated the rocks along the riverbank.

“I really don’t care about the color of the walls.” He closed the conversation with a polite smile.

Lily didn’t move. “What are your regular business hours?”

“There’s no such thing when you own your own business.”

Something Brendan had discovered the first time he’d driven through the night to personally deliver an order, and as the owner of a small business, she should have known that, as well. “Why?”

“If you don’t want me in here when you’re working,” Lily said sweetly. “I need to know when you won’t be.”

“I thought we already established that I don’t want you to paint my office.”

“I’m sorry, but it really isn’t a question of what you want, is it? You might be the manager, but Sonia is my boss.” Lily held up a square of flowered stationery that looked as if it had been cut from the same material as her suitcase. “And this office happens to be on the list of rooms she asked me to paint. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with her.”

Brendan would have—if Sunni had taken her cell phone. Or her laptop. But someone had insisted she leave all means of communication behind in order to truly “get away from it all.”

He mentally kicked himself.

“I start work at seven in the morning and stay as long as necessary.” He pushed the words out slowly, one by one, hoping she could take a hint.

“When is your day off? I’ll try and work around that.”

“It…varies.” Brendan tried to remember the last time he’d taken a day off. “A lot.”

“Are you always this difficult?”

“Are you?” he shot back.

Lily had the audacity to grin.

“I guess you’ll find out, won’t you?”

* * *

Things weren’t turning out quite the way Lily had planned.

She rolled onto her back in the twin bed and stared up at the ceiling, mentally sifting through the emails she and Sonia Mason had exchanged over the past few weeks.

The boys are in and out, Lily vaguely remembered the woman saying. What her client had failed to mention, however, was the fact they were her boys. Lily had assumed it was simply an affectionate term for her employees.

Whatever her reason for not sharing that little tidbit of information, Lily didn’t look forward to tip-toeing around Brendan Kane for the next two weeks.

The man had no sense of humor.

She’d tried to tease him. Tried to get him to lighten up a little and make the best out of an uncomfortable situation. But her attempt had been met with silence. Oh, and another frown.

At least they didn’t have to share the same living space, although Lily suspected that working in close proximity would prove to be difficult enough.

From the brief conversation they’d had in the office the day before, she could tell there were no boundaries between Brendan’s professional life and personal life. He was ambitious. Single-minded. Devoted to his career.

Lily recognized the signs. A few weeks ago, she’d been the same way. But watching your best friend battle fatigue and constant pain had a way of changing a person’s perspective. Made her see what was really important.

Thank You, God.

It was a prayer Lily had repeated at least a dozen times every day.

The cell phone on the nightstand chirped, starting a countdown to Brendan’s arrival. He’d claimed he was in the office by seven in the morning, so Lily had set her alarm for six.

She dashed down the hall to shower and then slipped into her uniform—paint-splattered overalls and a clean

T-shirt—before making her way downstairs to the kitchen. Even though Sonia had given her permission to raid the refrigerator, Lily didn’t want to take advantage of her host’s generosity. She planned to drive into Castle Falls later that afternoon and pick up a few things at the grocery store.

She did, however, locate the coffeemaker and brew a fresh pot.

During her brief tour of the house the day before, Lily had discovered a stone patio located off the back of the kitchen. She shouldered open the weathered screen door and stepped outside, a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and her Bible in the other.

Proof that her morning routine had changed, too. A few months ago, Lily’s definition of “time with God” had been a muttered prayer, asking God to bless her day, as she sprinted to her car. Never realizing that a continued conversation with God, the privilege of sharing her heart, was the blessing.

She lowered herself into a wicker rocking chair that faced the river and closed her eyes, letting the scents and sounds wash over her as she thanked God for the beauty of His creation.

When she opened them again, she was no longer alone.

A dog with long ears and an even longer body sat next to the chair, staring up at her with liquid brown eyes.

Lily smiled at her unexpected visitor. “Well, good morning. Where did you come from?”

Sonia hadn’t mentioned owning a pet, but Lily couldn’t quite picture Brendan choosing this particular breed to be his canine companion. Although it would explain the mournful expression on the basset hound’s face. And its sausage-like shape? Evidence of a master who practically lived in his office.

Lily took pity on the poor thing.

“You can hang out with me for a while. How about that?”

The dog’s tail thumped the ground, which Lily interpreted as a yes. She tucked the Bible under her arm and the basset hound trotted alongside Lily as she made her way back to the house.

With limited access to Brendan’s office, she’d decided to concentrate on the living room. By the end of the day, the glowing tangerine walls would be replaced with a soft shade of aqua. Pale. Serene. A respite from a stressful day.

Lily had a feeling she would be spending a lot of time there.

“First things first.” Lily looped a bandanna around her hair and knotted the ends together at the nape of her neck. “In this line of work, it’s function over fashion.”

The basset hound made a strange sound.

Lily glanced down and saw a colorful piece of cloth clamped in her jaws.

She laughed.

“I guess this means you want to help.”

Chapter Three

Laughter.

It was the first thing Brendan heard when he opened the front door the next morning.

That’s all he needed. Someone in the house holding a paintbrush in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

Brendan bypassed the kitchen, ignoring the lure of freshly brewed coffee as he strode down the hall to the living room. If he and Lily Michaels were going to be sharing space for the next two weeks, it wouldn’t hurt to establish a few ground rules. Let her know what he expected…

He pulled up short in the doorway.

Lily was kneeling in front of the fireplace. The paint-splattered overalls she wore somehow managed to enhance her slender curves rather than detract from them. Two bright golden tassels peeked out from underneath the green bandanna tied around her head.

No paintbrush. No cell phone. Instead, she was holding on to the corner of another bandanna…the other end was attached to an overweight basset hound.

It couldn’t be.

“Missy?”

Brendan realized he’d said the word out loud when Lily’s head jerked up.

“Is that your dog’s name?” Smiling at him, she surrendered the colorful strip of fabric.

“She’s not my dog.”

Missy clattered over to him and deposited the damp cloth at his feet.

“Really?” Lily rose to her feet and parked her hands on her hips, a pointed look at Missy conveying her skepticism.

“My mother volunteers at the shelter and she tries to find people willing to adopt the animals that end up there.” Although Brendan had no idea how the dog had covered the mile-long trek from town on those stubby little legs.

“She’s a stray?”

“Not anymore,” Brendan said quickly. “Mom found a home for her before she left. Missy must have gotten loose somehow and wandered away.”

There was also the distinct possibility she’d been dropped off on his front porch in the middle of the night.

“Maybe she thinks this is home.” Lily looked down at the basset hound, and her expression softened.

The furry martyr collapsed at his feet with a heavy sigh.

Brendan inwardly rolled his eyes. “I’ll give Mr. Wilson a call and let him know Missy’s here.”

“She’s probably thirsty.” Lily moved past him and the scent of her shampoo, something light and citrusy, teased his senses. “I’ll get her some water.”

“There’s a dish under the sink.” Brendan pivoted in the opposite direction and retreated to his office to find a phone book. He was expecting a call from a customer within the next few minutes and a shipment of materials for their next order was on its way, something Brendan needed to sign for when it arrived.

He punched in Ed Wilson’s number, foot tapping the floor in time with every ring. Just before he was about to hang up, Brendan heard a click.

“Wilson residence.”

“Mr. Wilson? This is Brendan Kane. I’m calling because you must have—” give the man the benefit of the doubt now “—misplaced something. Missy showed up here a little while ago.”

“So that’s where she ran off to.” Brendan heard a rusty chuckle. “All I can say is the good Lord must have put a homing device in those critters when He created them.”

“Her home is with you,” Brendan reminded him.

“Can’t keep her,” Ed said bluntly. “My son called last night and invited me to spend the summer in Chicago, but he lives in one of them fancy condos. No pets allowed.”

“I understand.” Brendan squeezed the base of his skull, a futile attempt to ward off the tension headache snaking its way up the back of his neck, one vertebra at a time. “Thanks for your time, Mr. Wilson.”

“Sorry I can’t help you out.”

Not as sorry as Brendan.

The second call he made was to the animal shelter. It rang ten…twelve times…before Yvonne Delfield answered with a breathless hello. The woman was a close friend of Sunni’s, one of the few who’d actually supported her decision to take in three rowdy boys who’d slipped between the cracks of the child welfare system.

“Missy is with me,” he said without preamble.

“Brendan?” And then, “Oh, that’s a relief! I was hoping you’d decided to keep her.”

“What? No, I didn’t…. July is one of the busiest months of the year.” Brendan put Yvonne on speakerphone and fired up his computer to confirm the time of an afternoon appointment. “She managed to escape from Ed Wilson and ended up back here. I was just calling to make sure someone would be around when I bring her back to the shelter.”

“Oh.” The word rolled out with Yvonne’s sigh. “One of the county deputies found a litter of puppies living in a shed and brought them in, so we’re a little short on space at the moment. Would you be willing to keep Missy until Sunni gets back and finds another home for her?”

“No problem.”

Brendan heard the words, but he hadn’t said them.

He pivoted toward the doorway, and his gaze locked on Lily. Her wide smile didn’t hold the least bit of repentance for eavesdropping on a private conversation. Missy sat at her feet, and it looked as if she was smiling, too.

If Brendan hadn’t known for a fact that, at that very moment, his mother was sunbathing on the promenade deck, he would have accused her of orchestrating the whole thing.

* * *

Lily finished rinsing out her paintbrush and turned off the faucet in the laundry room sink. A few yards away, Missy dozed in a patch of afternoon sunlight streaming through the blinds, paws pedaling the air as she chased a phantom squirrel in her dreams.

She couldn’t help but smile as she remembered Brendan’s reaction to her impulsive announcement to provide a temporary home for the dog. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but a deliveryman had shown up at the front door with an invoice that needed Brendan’s signature. She’d arrived just in time to hear a woman asking him to keep the dog until Sunni returned.

Guessing what the answer would be, Lily had squeezed in a yes before Brendan could say no.

Honestly, how could the man even consider returning Missy to the shelter when he had plenty of space for a dog to roam?

A question she’d asked after he’d hung up the phone.

Brendan had taken the clipboard from her outstretched hand, walked out the door and tossed one word over his shoulder.

Trouble.

Lily begged to differ. From what she’d witnessed so far, the dog was proving to be far more agreeable than its master.

Brendan hadn’t been exaggerating about the amount of time he spent in his office. Their paths had intersected once in front of the coffeepot, but other than that, the door to his office had remained firmly closed the rest of the morning.

Lily plucked a towel from a hook on the wall next to the sink and dried off her hands.

“I don’t know about you, Missy, but I’m getting hungry. What do you think about lunch?”

Judging from the speed with which the dog rolled to her feet, she must have thought it was a pretty good idea. Missy followed her to the kitchen and watched Lily raid the refrigerator.

A quick inventory of the contents yielded the ingredients for a fairly presentable Cobb salad. While the eggs boiled, Lily diced up a thick slice of smoked ham and shredded a pungent wedge of Wisconsin cheddar to sprinkle on the top of the fresh greens. After laying everything in a pretty glass bowl, she stepped back to admire her work.

Plenty for two.

Lily yanked out that thought before it could take root.

No. Way.

Brendan had made it clear he didn’t want any interruptions.

Until God had gotten her attention, Lily been the same way. She’d turned down so many invitations from her coworkers to join them in the employee lounge for lunch, they’d finally stopped asking.

Lily felt an internal nudge and groaned.

Really, Lord? Because I’m pretty sure the man keeps a box of thumbtacks stashed in his desk drawer in case he gets hungry.

Another nudge.

And because Lily had made a promise she would never ignore those divine promptings again, she took a deep breath and rapped on the door of Brendan’s office.

“It’s me. Lily,” she added unnecessarily.

She waited. And waited some more. Just when she was about to give up, the door swung open and Lily found herself face-to-face with a…wall of blue denim. Lily was by no means petite, but she was forced to tip her head back to meet Brendan’s gaze.

“Five minutes,” he growled.

“Five minutes,” Lily mused, refusing to be intimidated by The Frown. “Five minutes to pack my bags and get out of Dodge? Five minutes for the police to arrive and arrest me for trespassing? I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.”

“Four minutes and fifty-eight seconds.” He wasn’t closing the door when he said it, though, which gave Lily the courage to follow through with her mission.

“I wasn’t sure what your plans were for lunch—”

“I usually eat in my office.”

Alone.

Even though he didn’t say the word out loud, it flashed like a blue neon sign in his eyes.

Oh, well. She was halfway up the hill. Lily decided there was no point in retreating now.

“It’s a beautiful day to soak up some sunshine and the beautiful view.” The view you can’t appreciate because your desk faces the wall. “You could eat outside at the picnic table.”

From the expression on Brendan’s face, Lily would have thought she’d asked him to participate in some unfamiliar—and slightly disturbing—ritual.

“Sunni put you up to this, didn’t she?”

“Up to what?”

“Lunch. Sunshine.”

Lily grinned. “You make them sound like health hazards.”

Brendan took a step back, as if she were the health hazard. “I can’t today, but…thanks. I’ll grab something later.”

“All right.” She shouldn’t have been surprised. “I’ll put half the salad in a container for you. I used up the rest of Sunni’s salad dressing, but I can pick up a bottle when I go to the grocery store later this afternoon.”

Lily knew she was chattering. Brendan didn’t care about salad or salad dressing. What she didn’t know—and what she was afraid to analyze too closely—was the pinch of disappointment she’d felt when he’d turned down her invitation.

Brendan glanced down at Missy, who’d bravely camped at her feet during their brief exchange. “I have an appointment with a client, so I won’t be able to keep an eye on the dog.”

“That’s all right, I’ll bring her along.” Lily reached down and fondled one of Missy’s silky ears. “She’s been a perfect companion all morning. I don’t know why you called her trouble.”

Suddenly, there it was again. The shooting star of a smile that had had Lily’s stomach performing backflips the day before.

“Who said I was talking about Missy?”

The door snapped shut.

* * *

Brendan stepped onto the patio and felt a stab of unease.

The evening breeze stirred shadows into the river, turning the water from sapphire to a deep indigo.

After Lily had returned from the grocery store, he’d watched her disappear into the woods, a colorful backpack slung over one slim shoulder and Missy trotting along at her heels.

They should have been back by now.

Had Lily decided to hike up to the falls? Alone?

The path along the river wasn’t well marked, although Brendan could have found it in the dark. He and his brothers had explored every inch of these woods when they were kids.

If you’d had lunch with Lily, maybe she would have told you her plans.

Brendan tried to shake the thought away but it stuck to his conscience like a burr on a wool sock.

It had been self-preservation, pure and simple. There was no doubt in his mind that Sunni had had an ulterior motive when she’d hired Lily.

Mom thinks you’re lonely.

Once again, Aiden’s words cycled through his mind.

It wasn’t that Brendan was anti-relationships. He just knew the successful ones took time and attention—and right now, the business required all of his. He’d been talking to the CEO of Extreme Adventures for several months and, finally, it looked as though his persistence was paying off. Filling orders for the sporting-goods chain guaranteed stability in a competitive market and uncertain economy.

Brendan should have realized that Sunni hadn’t given up her matchmaking, she’d simply changed tactics. His mother knew the long hours he spent in the office weren’t exactly conducive to getting to know the single women living in Castle Falls, so she’d imported one.

Although why Sunni thought he’d be attracted to someone like Lily Michaels was a mystery. The woman was too stubborn. Too…perky.

Too distracting.

The fact that he was in front of the window instead of his computer screen proved it.

Unfortunately, Lily was also running out of daylight.

Which meant it was up to him to make sure her and her furry sidekick made it safely back to the house.

Brendan grabbed a flashlight from a shelf in the hall closet on his way out the door. The moon was already rising over the trees, and adrenaline spiked Brendan’s blood as he picked his way along the narrow foot path that ran parallel to the river. If Lily was on her way back, he should have met up with her by now.

He hiked another quarter mile, judging the distance by the subtle change in the river’s current. Castle Falls was just up ahead, an appropriate name for the steep sandstone wall that towered above the water.

“Lily?” Brendan pitched his voice a notch above the rushing water. In the fading light, he spotted the trunk of a dead aspen near the base of the falls. The jagged stub of a branch had caught on one of the rocks, holding the tree in place as it bobbed gently in the foam.

Like a suspension bridge.

Brendan’s breath snagged in his lungs even as he tried to rein in his overactive imagination. The challenge of crossing the river on a stick might prove irresistible to his two younger brothers, but a grown woman would be too level-headed to attempt it….

“Hi!”

He twisted toward the lilting voice and saw Lily waving to him from the opposite side of the riverbank.

Apparently not.

Stubborn. Perky. Now Brendan could add reckless to the list he’d started.

“It’s so beautiful here!” Lily skipped across the fallen tree with the nimbleness of a professional tightrope walker.

Halfway across, the log shifted, and Brendan heard her gasp.

Without thinking, he splashed into the shallow water, shoes and all, and reached for her.

“Thanks.” Lily latched on to his hand, and the warmth of her touch shot up his arm like a current of electricity.

Brendan sucked in a breath and let her go the moment their feet touched dry land. “What—” he tossed the word down like a gauntlet “—did you think you were doing?”

Lily smiled up at him, eyes shining in spite of the fact she’d almost fallen into the river. “Exploring, of course.”

Of course.

Brendan shook his head. “Look, the sun is setting—”

“I know! I watched it from up there.” She pointed to one of the granite turrets that bracketed the water spilling over the top of the falls. “The best seat in the house.”

The best seat… Brendan tried to shut down the image what could have happened if Lily had lost her footing and slipped. Or somehow stumbled upon the cave located behind the falls.

Brendan battled the temptation to share the discovery he’d made years ago. To watch her face light up with wonder.

Now who’s the reckless one?

“You probably spend a lot of time here.” Lily clapped her hands and Missy trundled out of the brush, sporting a brand-new collar that could have only been purchased in the pet food aisle of the grocery store.

“No.” Spotty cell phone reception and no internet equaled no customers. “Not really.”

“You should.” Lily cast one more longing look at the falls before she fell into step beside him.

Brendan didn’t answer.

There were a lot of things he knew he should do.

Spending time with Lily Michaels definitely wasn’t one of them.

Chapter Four

Lily’s gaze bounced from the gleaming, freshly primed wall to her laptop, where a perky woman wearing a pristine white smock was demonstrating a cutting-edge technique in the world of faux finishes. She made it look so easy. But then again, that painter didn’t have to contend with a neighbor who didn’t want her to listen to the radio. Or sing along with it. At one point, when Lily had started a pleasant, albeit one-sided conversation with Missy, the heels of Brendan’s chair scraping against the floor on the other side of the living room wall let her know that he didn’t want to hear anything at all.

Absolute silence might have been Brendan Kane’s idea of a perfect work environment, but it was driving Lily bonkers. Listening to music while she worked helped her stay on task. And she could use a little focus—especially when the only thing she could hear was the husky—and rather appealing—rumble of a masculine voice on the opposite side of the wall every time the telephone rang.

And it rang a lot.

“You’ll want to work quickly before the base coat dries,” Perky Painter was saying. “Then, wait thirty minutes! Plenty of time to grab a fresh cup of coffee or take a little walk and stretch your legs.”

Missy, who’d been napping in the corner, lifted her head at the word walk.

“Later,” Lily promised. Because, while she’d been tuned into Brendan’s rich-as-dark-chocolate tenor on the other side of the wall, the base coat had started to dry.

She tapped the rewind button on the DVD player and followed the directions, ignoring the pull and protest of unused muscles while she worked. Who would have guessed that painting could take the place of a daily workout? No wonder Shelby didn’t bother with a gym membership.

A red-winged blackbird landed on a low branch just outside the open window and trilled a greeting. Lily responded with a series of whistles that sounded, in her opinion, like a fairly decent imitation of the bird’s cheerful dialogue.

A floorboard creaked. The door at the end of the hall snapped shut. Was Brendan taking an unscheduled coffee break? Or had he added whistling to his own personal neighborhood-watch list?

The steady tread of footsteps drew closer.

Watch list.

“I’ll distract him while you make a break for it,” Lily told the bird. She felt a pinch of envy when it took wing and disappeared into a hedge of golden spirea. The only cover available for her was the drop cloth that now doubled as a dog bed.

While Lily contemplated how long it would take to displace the basset hound and dive underneath it, Brendan appeared in the doorway.

He looked frazzled. And grim. Two things that should have canceled out the “and handsome” part of the equation. But—Lily tried not to sigh—they didn’t.

When Brendan had shown up at the falls the evening before, she’d been ridiculously glad to see him. Not because the sun had retreated, allowing shadows to fill the spaces between the trees while she’d been exploring, but because the man had finally ventured out of his office.

Apparently the only thing that separated Brendan from his routine was something that disrupted it.

And that something would be you, Lily.

As someone who’d had to rewind the video tutorial—twice—since she’d started working, she decided they were even.

“The delivery truck has a flat tire a few miles from town so I’m going to round up a spare and drive it over,” Brendan said. “I’m expecting an important call, so I’ll be back in half an hour or so.”

“All right.”

Lily tried to sound casual, but the sudden glint in Brendan’s eyes meant he’d seen the hopeful glance she’d sneaked at Sonia’s radio, a charming relic from the 1970s that resembled a toaster and boasted real dials instead of a touch pad.

“You’ll have plenty of time to bang a few pots and pans together.” Brendan’s dry statement could only be a reference to Lily’s brief foray into the kitchen, when she’d whipped up a veggie omelet for breakfast. “Sing. Tap dance. Make all the noise you want.”

Cheering, Lily thought. That would be the noise she’d be making.

Brendan’s lips twitched. That he’d read her mind was as unnerving as the possibility a real live heart beat underneath the pocket of his black polo.

Lily was relieved when Missy rolled to her feet, spotted her reluctant host and released a joyful howl.

He winced. “You’re still here.”

Lily imagined Brendan had thought the same thing a few hours ago, only he wouldn’t have been referring to the basset hound.

“Where else would she be?”

“In the kitchen, chewing on a table leg? Hunting for shoes to bury underneath the hostas?”

At least now Lily knew where to look for her missing flip-flop.

Not deterred by Brendan’s less than flattering assumptions, Missy shuffled toward him, tail wagging.

“I’ll be back.” Brendan ducked out of the room before the basset hound could shed on his khakis.

Lily smiled down at her. “You just earned that walk.”

The phone rang while Lily was in the kitchen, mixing up a fresh pitcher of iced tea. Brendan still hadn’t returned, although it had been well over an hour since he’d driven away to assist the truck driver. The ringing stopped, only to start up again less than a minute later.

Brendan had said the call was important….

She dashed down the hall to his office and reached for the phone. “Good morning! Castle Falls Outfitters.”

“Who is this?” The question wielded a suspicious edge, as if the caller knew someone else should have answered the phone.

“Lily Michaels. I’m—”

“The painter Sunni hired to give her house a makeover! She told us all about it the book club meeting last week.” The caller’s tone warmed several degrees. “She didn’t mention you’d be helping Brendan out in the office, too.”

“I’m not.” Lily wondered what the woman would say if she confessed the man had banished her from that particular room. “Brendan had to step out for a few minutes, but I’d be happy to take a message.”

“I’d appreciate that! This is Jill Robinson, and I’m calling to remind Brendan about the picnic the soccer team is hosting on Tuesday.”

Lily reached for a pen to jot down the details. “Soccer picnic. Tuesday.”

“This is the first year the kids at New Life Fellowship formed a team,” Jill chatted on. “The booster club parents host a picnic at the beginning of the season to thank the businesses that provide funding for our equipment and uniforms. Brendan agreed to sponsor the Conquerors.”

“That’s great.” So great that Lily might be forced to reevaluate her first impression of the man. “What time?”

“Four o’clock in the field right behind the church.” Jill paused. “By the way, our Sunday morning worship service starts at ten if you’re interested in attending tomorrow.”

“I’d love to.” Lily meant it. Church attendance was one of the things she’d added during the recent but major restructure of her life.

“My husband and I will be manning the coffee station in the foyer, so be sure to stop by and say hello.”

“I will. And I’ll pass this information onto Brendan as soon as he gets back,” Lily promised. “He was looking forward to your call.”

“He…” Jill had a sudden coughing fit. “Really?”

“Of course.” Lily drew a smiley face next to the information, ridiculously pleased to discover that Brendan did occasionally venture out of his office.

“I can’t wait to meet you, Lily.” Jill chuckled. “You certainly seem up for a challenge.”

“It’s not so bad.” Lily eyed the algae-green walls. “All the place needs is a little updating.”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about the house, honey.”

Lily was still pondering what Jill could have meant when she hung up the phone.

* * *

Brendan strode up the sidewalk, one hour and thirty-eight minutes later than he’d planned.

The trucking company had no business hiring people who didn’t have a clue how to change a flat tire. But then again, the guy he’d found sprawled on the hood, tethered to his iPod by a bright orange cord dangling from one ear, didn’t even look old enough to hold a valid driver’s license. Brendan had ended up changing the tire and unloading the cargo into his own vehicle.

Just to make sure it didn’t end up somewhere in Canada.

The house was eerily quiet when he opened the front door.

No humming. No whistling. Lily must have taken his polite request for peace and quiet to heart.

It was bad enough the lower half of the house now resembled the paint aisle of a home-improvement store, but on his way to check something in the shop earlier that morning, Brendan happened to glance into the living room. Lily had been stretched out on the rug in front of the fireplace, reading the label on a plastic tub with the intensity of a law student studying to pass the bar exam. Missy was sprawled across her legs, her whiskered chin resting on Lily’s knee.

Two thoughts had collided in Brendan’s mind. Lily looked as if she belonged there. And, for the first time, he’d wished he could trade places with a dog.

Halfway to his office, the tantalizing aroma of cinnamon beckoned to him from the kitchen. Brendan took a deep breath, determined to forge ahead…

“Hi.” Lily landed in front of him, looking like a sunbeam in the yellow apron he’d bought for Sunni one Christmas.

Bare toes, each one painted a bright shade of coral, peeked out from the rolled up hems of Lily’s faded jeans. “I was starting to get a little worried.”

Brendan was getting a little worried, too. Worried that it didn’t matter if Lily sang along with the oldies on his mother’s ancient am/fm radio. Or kept up a lively dialogue with Missy.

Her very presence in the house had somehow changed things.

“The driver didn’t know how to change a flat.” Brendan noticed a smudge of grease on the back of his hand and took a quick detour over to the sink. “You didn’t happen to hear the phone ring, did you?”

“Yes…and I also happened to answer it.” Lily fished a piece of paper from the pocket of Sunni’s apron, embroidered with the words Hug the Cook. Somehow, the words took on a whole new meaning.

Don’t. Go. There.

Brendan plucked the paper from Lily’s hand and glanced at the name scrawled at the top. “Jill?”

“Robinson.” Lily grabbed a potholder and opened the oven door a crack. A burst of steam rolled out, carrying the scent of apples. “One of the parents in the booster club.”

“What booster club?”

“For your soccer team.”

“I don’t have a soccer team.”

“New Life Fellowship. The Conquerors.” Lily’s sigh stirred a wisp of hair on her forehead. “Does that ring a bell?”

“No—” Okay. Maybe a very faint one.

Lily tipped her head. “You hear it, don’t you?”

In spite of his rising frustration, Brendan battled a sudden urge to smile.

“Jill said that Castle Fall Outfitters—your business—is sponsoring the team.”

The pieces were beginning to come together. “I signed a check.”

“Hence the word sponsor.” Lily fisted her hands on her slender hips. “You said you were expecting her call.”

“I said I was expecting an important call,” Brendan shot back. From Garrett Bridges, the CEO of Extreme Adventures.

“It sounded important to Jill.”

“Was that the only time you heard the phone ring?” Brendan had been in contact with Bridges often enough over the past few months to know that he and the CEO were a lot alike. Every minute of the day attached to a certain task. If something disrupted the flow or severed the connection, they didn’t have time to wait around. They simply moved on to the next thing on their agenda.

“It might have. I took Missy for a walk right after Jill called.” The flash of guilt on Lily’s face made him feel guilty. It wasn’t her responsibility to answer his phone. She’d done it as a favor, even though he’d enforced a code of silence all morning. Never mind that Lily had kept breaking it.

Or that he’d looked forward to her breaking it.

“Don’t—” Worry about it, Brendan had been about to say. But a series of short, staccato barks peppered the air, shooting holes in his apology.

Lily’s gaze locked on something outside the window. “Hold that thought.”

The screen door slapped shut behind her as she charged outside.

Brendan didn’t want to know what kind of trouble Missy had gotten into. Again. As he contemplated who might benefit from the responsibility of taking care of a pet—Aiden instantly came to mind—he heard another door slam.

“Something smells good!”

Brendan froze when his brothers sauntered into the kitchen.

“What are you doing here?”

Aiden shoulder-bumped Liam. “Told you he missed us.”

“We decided to come back a day early.” Liam’s nose lifted like a timber wolf’s on the hunt. “Do I smell apple pie?”

“I have no idea,” Brendan said irritably. “Did something go wrong? Did you run into bad weather? Was there a problem with the new design?”

Liam ignored him. “You don’t know what’s in the oven?”

“I don’t know because I didn’t make it,” Brendan muttered. “Lily Michaels did.”

“Who is Lily Michaels?” Aiden wanted to know.

“The painter Mom hired, remember?” Liam hunkered down and peered through the oven door for a better look.

Aiden turned to stare at him. “You’re letting her use the kitchen?”

“Not exactly.” Brendan wasn’t letting Lily do anything. She’d invaded his home…his territory…at his mother’s invitation and there was nothing he could do about it. Just like there was no sense hiding the fact the arrangement included room and board. Liam and Aiden would figure it out soon enough. “Mom let her move into the guest room. Temporarily,” he added, more for himself than his brothers.

That pulled Liam’s attention away from the oven. “She’s staying here?”

“Yes.” Brendan bit down on the word. “Her business is based in Traverse City, and it’s too far to commute every day.”

“Why didn’t Mom hire someone local?”

“I have no idea.” Even though he was afraid that he did.

Sonia assured me that I have all the qualifications she’s been looking for.

Brendan wasn’t about to confess that he was afraid Sunni’s commitment to finding a companion for him had risen to a whole new level.

“Oh, oh. I know that look.” Amusement danced in

Aiden’s eyes. “Lily Michaels is getting in your way, isn’t she?”

Getting in his way. Under his skin.

“She’s only been here a day,” Brendan snapped.

His brothers exchanged a knowing look.

“She’s one of those drill sergeant types who wants to take over,” Liam guessed.

“Kind of sounds like someone else we know.” Aiden grinned. “No wonder you look like you drank a glass of river water— Whoa!” He jumped back as Missy streaked past him, tail slashing the air like a windshield wiper set on high. Scattering drops of water on everything—and everyone—in her path.

“Sorry!” Lily was right behind the dog, pink-cheeked and breathless. “Missy spotted a trout in the shallow water and decided to do a little fishing….” The violet eyes widened when she realized he wasn’t alone. “Hello.”

Brendan suppressed a groan.

Because Liam and Aiden were looking at Lily the way Adam must have looked when God introduced him to Eve in the garden.

* * *

Handsome in triplicate.

It was the only way Lily could describe the wall of ruggedly handsome, dark-haired men standing in the kitchen. Three pairs of eyes, in shades of watercolor hues ranging from the translucent blue of an April sky to cobalt, were locked on her.

Brendan had mentioned his brothers in passing the day before, but even if Lily had formed a picture in her mind, her imagination still wouldn’t have done them justice. Like Brendan, the two newcomers topped six feet and boasted the lean but muscular build of a quarterback. Skin stained a deep golden-brown by the sun testified to the number of hours they spent outdoors.

One of them flashed an engaging smile as he stepped forward. “Liam Kane.”

“Lily Michaels. It’s nice to meet you.” Lily wondered if she sounded as bemused as she felt.

Brother number two stepped forward and extended his hand. “Aiden. And if that apple pie tastes as good as it smells, I might have to find a few more things to paint around here so you’ll stay longer.”

Lily took the blatant hint as a compliment and laughed.

“You’re certainly welcome to try it. There’s plenty.” She reached for a potholder on the counter but Aiden beat her to it.

“I’ve got it.”

Brendan’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you two have a trailer to unload?”

“The canoes aren’t going anywhere. But this…” Aiden winked at Lily as he removed the steaming pie from the oven and set it on the counter. “Well, I wouldn’t want it to disappear while I’m gone.”

Brendan snorted. Because some men clearly didn’t appreciate good food when it was delivered right to their office door.

Liam bent down to pet Missy, who sat patiently at his feet, a puddle of river water expanding around her as she waited to be noticed. “I thought Mom found a new home for her.”

“Ed Wilson couldn’t keep her, and the shelter didn’t have room,” Brendan said.

“You’re going soft on us, big brother,” Aiden teased.

“Don’t look at me.” Brendan crossed his arms and looked at her.

“I…intervened,” Lily admitted.

“Interfered,” Brendan said under his breath.

Whatever the term, it was obvious someone hadn’t gotten over it yet.

Lily grabbed a roll of paper towel from the counter as tiny tributaries began to fan out from the puddle underneath Missy and channel into the grout between the ceramic tiles.

“How did you get Bren to agree to let her stay?” Liam asked, eyes lit with curiosity. “He told us Missy was chewing him out of house and home.”

Lily hesitated. Was this a trick question? “Um…I just told him I would take care of Missy until Sonia came home.”

“Just told him, huh?”

Brendan’s brothers exchanged a smile. And a look that Lily couldn’t quite interpret.

“Mom has been on a mission lately.” Liam propped a hip against the table and glanced at Brendan. “What’s that verse she likes to quote?”

Lily, who’d never been blessed with siblings, sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere. The kind of weighted stillness that usually precedes a thunderstorm.

“I can’t remember,” Brendan said tightly.

“I do.” Aiden’s smile flashed. “It’s not good for man to be alone.”

Liam burst out laughing, and Aiden joined in.

Brendan didn’t.

As much as the Kane men looked alike, Lily had just discovered one characteristic that distinguished Brendan from his brothers.

His disposition.

Chapter Five

Brendan didn’t know which brother to muzzle first.

He’d been hoping Liam and Aiden wouldn’t figure out why Sunni had hired a self-described “custom” painter. A painter who lacked so much confidence in her ability she had to watch a tutorial before starting a project.

Brendan had caught a glimpse of a woman wielding a paintbrush on an open laptop, but it was the guilty look on Lily’s face right before she’d snapped it shut that caught his attention. He suspected his mother hadn’t even bothered to check Lily’s references before she’d signed the contract.

Because she had all the qualifications Sunni was looking for…

“I’ll help you unpack.” Brendan took a step toward the door.

No one followed.

“So what do you think of Castle Falls, Lily?” Aiden yanked a clean plate from the dish drainer. “Have you had a chance to get acquainted with the area yet?”

Brendan could see where this was going, and it made the decision easier.

His youngest brother first.

“Mom hired Lily to paint, not go sightseeing,” Brendan reminded him.

“I plan to do both, actually.” Lily smiled. At his brother. “The area is beautiful.”

“You should hike up the river when you get a chance.” Liam nudged Aiden aside and began to rummage through the utensil drawer for a fork. “The falls are kind of a well-kept secret around here because they’re located on private property and not in a state park.”

“Who owns the land?” Lily opened the freezer and pulled out a container of vanilla ice cream Brendan hadn’t known was there.

The situation was quickly getting out of hand. Not only had Lily staked a claim on the living room, she’d invaded Sunni’s kitchen and stocked it with contraband. His brothers would be circling the table all day if she kept this up.

“We do,” Aiden said. “And—”

“She’s already been there.” Once again, Brendan relived the moment he’d seen Lily blithely skipping across a fallen log while the current did its best to shake her loose. And once again, the cartilage in his knees turned to mush at the thought of her getting pulled beneath the surface of the churning water.

Aiden, of course, ignored him. “What did you think of the cave?”

Lily tipped her head in a gesture that was becoming as familiar to Brendan as her bright smile. “Cave?”

“You didn’t tell her about the cave?” His brothers turned and launched a verbal strike at the same time.

“I didn’t think about it.” The truth was, Brendan didn’t want to think about it. A memory shivered through him, as cold as the water that trickled down the amber walls of the cave they were discussing.

“He didn’t say anything about a cave. And I didn’t see it when I was exploring,” Lily said.

“It’s not near the falls…it’s behind them.” Without missing a beat, Aiden broke a pact the three of them had made years ago. For the second time. “Brendan discovered it when we were kids.”

“You have to go through a passageway to get to it, though,” Liam added.

“It’s kind of dark and creepy, too,” Aiden put in cheerfully.

Most women would have been deterred by that information. If possible, Lily appeared even more intrigued. Brendan was beginning to realize that Lily Michaels couldn’t be lumped in the category of “most women.”

For the first time since his brothers had wandered into the kitchen unannounced, Lily made eye contact with him. “That must have been a great place to play.”

Or hide.

A memory began to work its way to the surface and Brendan thrust it back down again. Some things were better left in the past.

“Yeah.” Liam slanted a look at him. “Ready to unload that trailer now, big brother?”

“Sure.” Brendan wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or annoyed that he hadn’t masked his reaction to Lily’s innocent comment as well as he’d thought he had. But then again, Liam had always been the most intuitive one in the family.

Aiden reluctantly set the plate down.

“It has to cool a little before I can cut it anyway.” Lily must have seen the look of disappointment that crossed his youngest brother’s face. “But you’re welcome to come back and try a piece when you’re finished with your work.”

“Count me in.” Liam clapped Brendan on the shoulder. “I’ll eat Brendan’s piece, too. He doesn’t take a break until ten o’clock at night.”

Why bother to deny it? “I still have a few phone calls to make.” Even if the thought of leaving Lily alone with his brothers made Brendan feel as if he was wearing a wool shirt inside out.

Half an hour later, after dodging portage packs and barrel bags and the smug looks tossed his way, Brendan retreated to his office to tackle the next thing on his agenda.

Thirty seconds later, there was a soft tap on the door.

“Come in.”

Given the fact that Liam thumped the door with his fist like he was trying to put a dent in it and Aiden didn’t bother to knock at all, by process of elimination, Brendan wasn’t surprised when the door swung open and Lily poked her head inside the office.

What was a surprise was the way Brendan’s heart kicked against his rib cage when she smiled at him.

“I brought you a piece of pie.”

“Thanks.” Brendan flicked a glance at the plate in her hands. “You can just set it aside in the kitchen, though. I don’t have time to eat it right now.”

“Are you sure about that?” Lily rocked forward on her toes and nodded at the calendar on his desk.

“What…” Brendan glanced down. In a narrow space between his two and three o’clock phone calls, someone—and there was no question who that someone was—had written the words apple pie.

In permanent marker.

“Enjoy.” She set the plate down and was gone before he could summon a protest.

Clearly, Lily Michaels had no respect for boundaries.

Brendan sighed as he reached for the fork.

* * *

“There’s three of them?”

“Uh-huh.” Lily kept the phone pressed to her ear as she jogged to keep up with Missy, who’d veered off the gravel driveway and begun to blaze a new trail through the woods.

The dog had risen with the sun and in her eagerness to start the day, she’d made sure Lily was up and ready to start hers, too.

“I’ve been in the custom-painting business for three years, and most of my clients are older women who are diehard fans of HGTV,” Shelby complained. “How did you manage to get bachelors number one, two and three?”

“Sonia hired me,” Lily reminded her. “Her sons just kind of…came with the place.”

“OASHA would approve,” Shelby teased. “What a great work environment.”

Except for the “silence is golden” rule that Brendan had been so quick to enforce. But it was so good to hear her friend laugh again, Lily decided not to argue that particular point.

“Aiden and Liam live in an apartment above the garage and spend most of the day in the shop. I doubt I’ll see much of them.”

“What about the other one? Brendan? What does he do?”

“He—” Bosses people around? Drives her crazy? “—manages the business side of things.”

“Does he know you’re in marketing?”

Lily almost dropped the phone. “No.”

“Why not?” Shelby demanded. “You’re amazing!”

Under different circumstances, Shelby’s staunch loyalty would have made Lily smile.

“I’m not in Castle Falls to drum up new business,” Lily reminded her. “I’m here to help with yours. Besides that, Brendan Kane isn’t crazy about someone invading his turf. I’m pretty sure if he found out I’m an amateur, it wouldn’t matter that Sonia was the one who’d signed the contract. He would fire me first and ask questions later.”

“It isn’t like you don’t know what you’re doing,” Shelby huffed. “You helped out once in a while when we were on summer vacation.”

“I stirred the paint and put tape around the windows.”

“Well, you’re a fast learner and can do anything you set your mind to.”

“Tell that to my father,” Lily joked.

Shelby, the friend who was privy to her deepest secrets and knew her better than anyone else, didn’t laugh. “I’m sorry he gave you a rough time about taking a leave of absence from Pinnacle. I should have figured out another way to keep things running until I’m back on my feet.”

“Don’t worry.” The last thing Lily wanted to do was add to her friend’s burden. Shelby needed to concentrate on getting well. “My job will still be there when I get back.”

Along with a promotion and a corner office, if her boss kept his promise.

“That doesn’t sound like the Lily Michaels who refused to leave her lemonade stand unattended so she could spend her afternoons by the pool.” Shelby chuckled. “Although, come to think of it, you were the only kid in our neighborhood who could afford a new bicycle that summer.”

A bicycle Lily had taught herself to ride.

Absently, she traced the moon-shaped scar on her elbow, evidence of a run-in with Mrs. Gillespie’s mailbox. “Someone once told me that a person can’t see the big picture when their nose is pressed against the grindstone.”

“That sounds like a very wise woman…who happens to be envious of your view at the moment.”

Lily heard an undercurrent of wistfulness flowing below the words and sent up a silent but fervent prayer for her friend’s continued healing. It had been weeks since Shelby had felt well enough to venture more than a few feet beyond the living room sofa.

“When I get back, we’ll spend a whole day in your garden, pulling weeds and planting…stuff.” Lily wasn’t a gardener, unless, of course, the shriveled cactus in her kitchen window counted as a houseplant, but Shelby loved being up to elbows in fresh dirt.

“That sounds wonderful.” Her friend sighed. “And in the meantime, I’ll be praying for you. God has you in Castle Falls for a reason, you know.”

“Um…I’m pretty sure I’m here because of you.” Lily teased, knowing Shelby had always appreciated a sense of humor over a show of sympathy. “Or maybe the Lord knew Missy needed someone to take care of her.”

Shelby snickered. “Or her owner.”

“Trust me, Brendan Kane doesn’t want anyone taking care of him.” The leftover Cobb salad in the refrigerator proved it.

“What makes you think I was talking about Brendan?”

“I—” Lily’s heart stuttered. Because Mr. I-Don’t-Share-My-Office-with-Anyone should have been the last Kane brother who came to mind.

“I’ll give you some time to think about it.” Shelby was still laughing when she hung up the phone.

Lily didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t even want to think about why she didn’t want to think about him. It.

Slipping her cell into the pocket of her skirt, she scanned the woods for her four-legged friend.

In the past twenty-four hours, Lily had discovered the basset hound’s favorite pastime was finding things—to chew on or roll in.

“Missy!” As she ducked under branches and skipped over roots protruding from the ground, Lily ruefully acknowledged the trees were winning. She’d decided to take Jill Robinson up on her invitation to attend the service at New Life Fellowship that morning, but she would be late if she didn’t leave within the next few minutes.

When she came to the back of a familiar building, Lily realized she’d been led in a gigantic circle. Parked on a strip of gravel between the shop and a weathered cabin was a hunter-green pickup truck.

Missy sat in the driver’s seat.

“Oh, no. No. No.” Lily was beginning to think Missy’s name was a shortened form of Mischievous. “You can’t be in there!”

Missy obligingly hopped over the middle console and landed on passenger seat.

“Hey! I called shotgun.”

Lily started at the sound of a masculine voice and then released a sigh of relief when she realized it was Aiden who’d turned up at the scene of the crime.

“She jumped in through the window.” Lily silently measured the distance from the ground to the cab of the truck and frowned. “Just don’t ask me how.”

“Come on, Missy.” Aiden opened the passenger-side door and tried to coax her out.

“Looks like we’ve got a stowaway.”

Liam suddenly materialized at her side and Lily felt a stab of sympathy for the women in Castle Falls. Both of Brendan’s brothers had upgraded from yesterday’s faded jeans and lightweight flannel to khakis and button-down shirts that accentuated their broad shoulders. Lily also couldn’t help but notice these men were smiling at her, too. A comforting change, to say the least.

But that didn’t stop her from looking past them, trying to see…

The one you don’t want to see, remember?

“Lily?”

Guilt lit a fire in Lily’s cheeks when she realized she hadn’t responded to Liam’s comment. Hopefully he would assume her blush stemmed from losing Missy and not her sanity.

“Sorry.” Lily forced a smile. “I guess I should have bought Missy a leash to match her collar.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Liam said. “She didn’t hurt anything.”

“Speak for yourself.” Aiden laughed as he staggered away from the truck, weighed down by forty pounds of wriggling basset hound. He tried—unsuccessfully—to avoid the swipe of Missy’s tongue against his cheek as he set her down on the ground. “Take it easy now.”

“And people claim dogs are good judges of character,” Liam murmured.

“What can I say?” Aiden’s blue eyes danced with mischief. “The ladies can’t seem to resist my charm.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Your blarney, you mean.”

Listening to their banter, Lily found herself wishing that Brendan was as easygoing and uncomplicated as his brothers. Any fears she’d had about Liam and Aiden resenting her presence in the house had been put to rest the day before when they’d invited her to join them for a piece of pie and then peppered her with questions about her plans for the house.

Laughter had punctuated their lively conversation and Lily could tell that even the good-natured insults flying back and forth across the table welled from a deep affection rather than malice.

She couldn’t help but compare it to the rare times her father had actually been home for the evening meal. She’d told Shelby once that their interaction was more like dinner interrogation than conversation. Her father expected a list of things Lily had accomplished that day followed by the goals she’d set for the next.

Gaining his approval had become Lily’s ultimate goal. Until she’d realized it was an unreachable one. She swept the thought aside, along with the feelings of regret that inevitably accompanied it.

“Those short little legs sure don’t slow her down much.” Liam pointed to Missy, who’d set off after a monarch butterfly that drifted past.

“Or stop her from breaking into unattended vehicles.” Lily sighed. “I promise I’ll keep a closer eye on her.”

“No harm, no foul,” Liam said easily.

“Especially when the unattended vehicle belongs to Brendan, not us,” Aiden added with a grin.

Now Lily was really sorry.

“I’d better take Missy back to the house so I can make it to church on time.” And disappear before Brendan made an appearance.

Aiden’s gaze bounced from her to Liam and back again, a smile brewing in his eyes. “Which one?”

“New Life Fellowship.”

“So are we,” he said cheerfully. “You’re welcome to ride with us.”

“I don’t want you to go to any trouble.”

“It’s only two miles down the road, and we’re going to the same place,” Liam said. “I don’t call that trouble.”

Lily doubted Brendan would have the same perspective. But Liam hadn’t mentioned that his older brother would be attending the service with them….

“All right.” She gave in.

“We’ll swing by the house and pick you up in five minutes,” Aiden said.

Lily lured Missy to the door with a biscuit she’d stashed in her pocket and closed her in the three-season room once they were inside. The wicker furniture provided the least amount of temptation for a dog who viewed leather furniture as a gigantic rawhide chew.

A short time later, a sleek black convertible—not a pickup truck—pulled up in front of the house with Aiden at the wheel. Lily slung her purse over her shoulder and glanced at her reflection in the oval mirror hanging in the hallway. Cheeks flushed pink from chasing Missy through the woods. Hair loose around her shoulders instead of confined in a tidy French braid.

Oh, well. It was a good thing God looked at the heart!

Lily locked the door and skipped down the steps. Liam hopped out and opened the car door the moment before she reached it.

Smiling, Lily slid inside. “Thank—”

The rest of the sentence stuttered and died when her gaze locked on the man sitting in the backseat.

Hair gleaming like obsidian from a recent shower, Brendan wore dove-gray dress pants that accentuated his long legs and a white linen button-down shirt.

She almost didn’t recognize him.

Brendan was staring at her as if he didn’t recognize her, either. And then he frowned, which, Lily thought ruefully, proved that he had.

Chapter Six

“Good morning.”

Lily fanned her skirt over her knees and tossed a quick smile in Brendan’s direction, ridiculously pleased to discover he took time away from work to attend church on Sunday morning. Even though it was a little unsettling that he was going to be attending with her.

“Morning.” Brendan practically grunted the word.

Lily suspected he left out the “good” part of good morning on purpose. An awkward silence swelled between them as she fumbled with her seat belt.

I’m trying, Lord, I really am. But I could use a little help.

One of the verses in a Psalm Lily had read during her devotional time that morning came to mind and she latched on to it like a lifeline.

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Rejoice. Be glad.

Lily turned toward the window, pulled in a slow breath and let the words take root in her heart. There were plenty of things to rejoice about. Birds singing in the trees. Sunlight streaming through the canopy of trees that bowed over the road. The sky a deep velvet blue, the same shade of blue as Brendan’s eyes….

“Careful!”

Liam rasped out the warning a split second before Aiden swerved to avoid a rusty chunk of metal in the road. Lily gripped the leather seat in order to avoid ending up in her seatmate’s lap.

“That was close,” Aiden said cheerfully.

Lily couldn’t argue with the statement. Her silent promise to appreciate God’s blessings didn’t include Brendan Kane. Or the blue eyes she’d vowed not to think about.

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