Two Little Matchmakers

Anna Leighton’s eight-year-old twin daughters think they’ve given their hardworking single mom the perfect birthday gift. But the family canoe trip with outdoorsman Liam Kane is far from relaxing. Their rocky shared past—and the secret Anna’s been keeping—means she’s given Liam a wide berth for ten years…until now. Liam may be bowled over by his former high school crush’s beauty, but these days he’s a die-hard bachelor who’s building a cabin for one. But the rugged Liam underestimates the power of an unstoppable force: two little girls who want a daddy.

He wasn’t what she expected.

For a bachelor who’d grown up with brothers, Liam had endless patience with her two little girls who chattered nonstop on the canoe ride. And now he was surprising her again.

“What’s that?” she asked him as he approached her with a white box.

“Happy birthday, Anna.” He opened it and took out a cake with one candle.

She couldn’t stop her smile. “I can’t remember the last time I had a birthday cake.”

She reached for the knife, but the girls stopped her. “You have to blow out your candle first, Mom!”

Liam lit the candle. “Make a wish,” he murmured.

Inexplicably, tears stung her eyes as she struggled to think of something. She closed them.

I wish…I wish I still believed wishes came true.

She blew out the candle and opened her eyes. Liam stood there huddled over the cake with her two little girls at his side, and she couldn’t help her next thought.

Maybe her wish had already come true.

Dear Reader,

It was so much fun to return to Castle Falls! When I introduced Cassie and Chloe Leighton in The Bachelor Next Door, I didn’t realize their mother would be the heroine of my next book. That’s the fun of the writing journey!

As a single mom with a secret, Anna placed a heavy burden on herself. I think we can be guilty of that, too, sometimes. We don’t want to ask for help because we’re afraid people will think we’re weak. But guess what? We are! God offers us His strength and He brings people into our lives who will share our burdens.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Castle Falls! And if you’re curious about Aiden’s quest for their missing sister, watch for the next book in the series! I love to hear from my readers, so visit my website at www.kathrynspringer.com, and while you’re there, be sure to sign up for my free newsletter. It will keep you posted on upcoming releases and special giveaways!

Walk in Joy,

USA TODAY bestselling author KATHRYN SPRINGER grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin, where her parents published a weekly newspaper. As a child, she spent many hours at her mother’s typewriter, plunking out stories that her older brother “published” (he had the stapler!) for a nominal fee. When Kathryn isn’t at the computer, she enjoys reading other people’s books and spending time with her family and friends.

The Bachelor’s Twins

Kathryn Springer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

—Galatians 6:2

To Stacey Orr, librarian extraordinaire,

who somehow knows the promise of coffee

and chocolate will get an introverted writer

to leave her office! But more than that, your

gracious hospitality makes public speaking

(something that ordinarily strikes fear in the heart

of said introverted writer!) feel more like

spending an afternoon with friends.

Thank you for bringing books and people together!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

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

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“Hold still, Liam! Remember, this is for a good cause.”

Liam Kane smothered a sigh while his mom fussed with the silk square sprouting from the pocket of his vest.

“I’m holding.”

Even though it was the third time she’d fussed with it.

Even though the needle on the outdoor thermometer was inching toward seventy-five degrees. A comfortable temperature for the middle of June in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—unless, of course, you happened to be wearing a tuxedo. Then, not so much.

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Liam’s face, only to be absorbed by the lime-green noose—okay, technically it was a bow tie—clipped to the front of his shirt. “Tell me again why Aiden isn’t the one wearing this getup?”

Everyone knew Liam’s fun-loving, extroverted kid brother never minded being the center of attention. Tourist or local, whenever someone booked a day trip with Castle Falls Outfitters, they invariably requested Aiden to be their guide. Not that Liam cared. He preferred to spend his days in the shop, designing and building canoes for the family business instead of paddling them down the river.

“He was supposed to.” Liam’s adoptive mom—“Sunni” to her friends and family because the nickname fit her warm, cheerful personality—plucked a loose thread dangling from one of the buttons on his shirt. “But the director of the Timber Shores Retreat Center called this morning in a bit of a panic, wondering if someone could give her new counselors some guiding tips. Aiden volunteered.”

“How—” convenient...clever? “—nice of him.”

“I thought so, too.” Sunni took a step back and studied the finished product, smiling her approval before she turned to the newest member of the Kane family. “What do you think, Lily?”

Liam’s sister-in-law, who’d been watching the transformation take place from her perch on the window seat, tried to hide her amusement. And the camera Liam had seen her aim in his direction. “I think Liam looks very, um...dashing.”

Both women giggled, and Liam shook his head. There was no use confiscating the camera, though. In less than an hour he would be on display for the whole town to see, doing his part to raise funds for the animal shelter’s new addition. Population-wise, Castle Falls didn’t so much as warrant a dot on the map. But winters were long and the rest of the seasons notoriously short, so people would probably turn out in droves for the first community-wide event of the summer.

Liam suspected the timing was part of Sunni’s plan.

“What’s so funny—” Brendan, Liam’s older brother, sauntered into the room, took one look at him and laughed. “Never mind.”

Relief shot through Liam. “I thought you had a meeting this morning.”

“Postponed until next week.” Brendan hooked one arm around Lily’s trim waist and tucked her against his side. “I’m free for the rest of the day.”

“Great.” Liam sent up a silent but heartfelt prayer of thanks. “You can take my place at the fund-raiser.”

“I’m sure Lily could use Brendan’s help overseeing the children’s area.” Sunni smiled at the newlyweds. “Besides that, I don’t think there’s time for you to change, sweetheart. And speaking of time...” She glanced at the clock above Brendan’s desk. “The Sunflowers volunteered to handle the bake sale, and I promised Anna I would unlock the shelter a few minutes early so she and Rene Shapiro can help the girls set up.”

Liam knew only one Anna who had children in the Wednesday night kids’ club at church.

The bow tie around his neck suddenly felt even tighter.

“Oh, don’t look so hangdog, bro.” Brendan clapped a hand on Liam’s shoulder.

“I’ve got two words for you,” Liam growled. “Dunk tank.”

Sunni cast a worried look in his direction even as Brendan struggled to keep a straight face.

“It’s okay, Mom. I’m sure Liam’s bark is worse than his bite.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Are you finished?”

Brendan pondered the question for a moment. Grinned. “Probably not.”

Fine. Liam could take it. He would do just about anything for Sunni Mason, the woman who, had opened her home to three aspiring juvenile delinquents and raised them as her own.

He’d shake people’s hands. Pass out brochures. And stay out of Anna Leighton’s way—something he’d gotten pretty good at since she’d returned to Castle Falls six years ago, a grieving young widow with two-year-old twins in tow.

Fortunately for him, the last one would be a little easier since he’d be dressed up as the animal shelter’s official goodwill ambassador, Dash the Dalmatian.

* * *

“I hope we have a turnout this good for our class reunion, Anna.”

“So do I.” Anna Leighton tucked a loaf of apple-rhubarb bread into a paper sack and smiled at Heather Cohen, a former classmate who’d finally worked her way to the front of the line at the bake-sale table. “Maybe we should have asked Sunni Mason to head up the planning committee for the reunion.”

The promise of a beautiful summer day had drawn a large crowd, but Anna suspected that Sunni, the animal shelter’s newly appointed president, was at least partially responsible for the excellent turnout.

Sunni had approached all the local business owners a few months prior to the fund-raiser and asked if they would be willing to donate an item or service for a silent auction. The winners wouldn’t be announced until the end of the event, a brilliant plan that encouraged families to take advantage of a wide variety of activities and purchase something to eat from one of the many food booths.

So far, Anna had been too busy to see if anyone had bid on the necklace and bracelet she’d spent hours creating in her studio above The Happy Cow. The ice-cream shop paid the bills, but Anna dreamed of the day she could focus exclusively on Anna’s Inspiration, the hand-crafted jewelry business that fed her soul.

Most of her sales were through word of mouth, but Anna had taken her friend Lily Kane’s suggestion and left a stack of business cards next to the bid sheet in case someone wanted to place an order after the auction closed. Lily, who’d worked for the prestigious marketing firm Pinnacle before moving to Castle Falls, had shared a lot of great ideas to increase Anna’s customer base.

Now if only she could find a few more hours in the day to implement them.

“Everyone knows you’re going to do a fabulous job with our ten-year reunion.” Heather finished counting out the change for her purchase and handed the money to Anna. “You never let us down when you were class president!

Heather drifted toward the silent auction table, and Anna made a mental note to check her email when she got home. With the reunion less than three weeks away, the number of RSVPs had continued to rise as the deadline on the invitation got closer.

“That’s the last of the cinnamon rolls.” Rene Shapiro, the Sunflowers’ dedicated leader and a seasoned bake-sale veteran, pocketed a handful of change. “I’d send the girls on another kitchen run to restock our inventory, but I gave them all a five-minute break while Pastor Seth takes his turn in the dunk tank.”

“I’ll round them up,” Anna offered. When it came to the lively group of third-grade girls—and her twins, in particular—five minutes could easily turn into ten. Or twenty.

She wove her way through the maze of picnic blankets spread out on the grass. Knowing Cassie and Chloe, they’d probably lost interest in the dunk tank and made their way over to the meet-and-greet tent again, where visitors could interact with some of the animals up for adoption.

Halfway there, her gaze snagged on two little sprites whose copper hair glowed almost as bright as the neon T-shirts the Sunflowers had tie-dyed at their last meeting. Only this time, the twins weren’t cuddling puppies. They were talking to a six-foot-tall Dalmatian dressed in a tuxedo.

It had to feel like a sauna inside the furry suit and full-face mask, but “Dash,” the animal shelter’s mascot, had been circulating through the crowd all morning, greeting families and handing out pamphlets that included a miniature blueprint of the new addition.

A lively carnival tune began to blast through the speakers in a nearby booth. As Anna drew closer, she saw Cassie and Chloe each grab one of the Dalmatian’s giant paws. Dash responded by breaking into a comical dance that looked like a cross between a waltz and a polka.

“Mom!”

Before Anna could react—or resist—Cassie grabbed her hand and swept her into the small circle of dancers. Her protest was drowned out by a burst of applause from the people standing near the booth.

Anna tipped her head back, trying to catch a glimpse of the man behind the mask, but dark mesh screens strategically placed in the mascot’s oversize sunglasses concealed his identity.

Out of the corner of her eye, Anna saw Sunni Mason clapping with the beat of the music. The proud smile on her face was a good indication one of her sons had agreed to play the part.

By process of elimination, Anna concluded it had to be Aiden. Brendan was overseeing the children’s area with Lily and Liam, and...well, it was common knowledge the most introverted of the three brothers tended to avoid social gatherings.

Just like he avoided her...

“It’s your turn, Mom!”

In a synchronized choreography, Cassie and Chloe nudged her closer to Dash, their giggles a melody that lightened Anna’s heart even as the Dalmatian bowed and extended a furry paw.

For a moment, for her daughters, Anna set aside all the responsibilities crowding her mind—the stack of bills on the kitchen table and the daily pressures that came from trying to run two businesses and a busy household—and dropped a curtsy in response.

A split second later, she was in Dash’s arms, waltzing across the grass.

* * *

Liam had heard the term déjà vu, but he’d never experienced it. Until now.

Because the moment Anna had stepped into his arms, Liam had taken a step back in time.

They’d danced together at their senior prom, too, although she’d been Anna Foster at the time. Head cheerleader. Class president. Honor-roll student.

Ross Leighton’s steady girlfriend.

But that night, Liam hadn’t cared. When he saw Ross grab Anna’s arm in the parking lot, Liam had experienced an instant, gut-wrenching flashback from his own childhood. So while his classmates drank punch and flirted, Liam had waited for an opportunity to get alone so he could warn her about Ross.

And because Anna was Anna—beautiful and polite—she’d accepted Liam’s awkward invitation to dance. But as soon as the lights dimmed, he’d steered her through the open gymnasium doors into the courtyard instead.

Tiny lights had winked in the trees, mimicking the courtship of the fireflies, and swags of ivory netting woven around the posts of the rented gazebo had fluttered in the scented breeze.

Anna had looked up at him, surprise registering in her beautiful amber eyes, and Liam had almost lost his nerve.

If only he had.

Watching Anna’s initial surprise change to confusion and then anger was a memory permanently etched in Liam’s brain.

It must have become etched in Anna’s, too, because ten years later, she still wouldn’t look him in the eye.

But how could he blame her?

If Anna’s vehement denial that Ross had mistreated her wasn’t enough to convince Liam he’d been wrong, the grief shadowing Anna’s eyes when she’d returned to Castle Falls confirmed it.

Ross may have had a personal ax to grind against Liam for being an “outsider,” but he was also the town’s beloved star quarterback. The guy who sat on the back of the mayor’s vintage convertible and tossed Tootsie Rolls to the little kids at every parade. The guy with the perfect smile from the perfect family who’d swept Anna off her feet and carried her away into the perfect future.

The guy Liam had called abusive.

The crackle of a microphone drew everyone’s attention to the makeshift stage that shelter volunteers had set up on the lawn and Anna smiled up at Liam as he released her.

“I should get back to the bake sale, Aiden.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Oops. I mean Dash. You have to maintain your cover, don’t you?”

Liam sucked in a quiet breath behind his mask.

Apparently he did.

Because Anna assumed she’d been dancing with his brother.

Well, that explained a lot. Like Anna’s whimsical little curtsy. Her willingness to step into his arms.

Her smile.

For a split second, when Anna had taken his hand, Liam thought that maybe she’d decided to put the past behind them. That maybe...just maybe...she’d forgiven him for crossing a line and, in the process, ruining what should have been one of the most special nights of her life.

Something Ross had taken issue with when he’d tracked Liam down after the dance and delivered a warning of his own—a warning accompanied by a few well-placed punches—to stay away from Anna in the future.

But Liam had had to live with the knowledge that he’d made a much more costly mistake than interfering in Anna’s life that night.

By letting the shadow of the past cloud his perspective, he was the one who’d hurt her.

Chapter Two

“Please say you saved one of Mrs. Callahan’s peanut butter fudge brownies for me.”

Lily landed in front of the bake-sale table, a desperate look in her violet eyes.

“Sorry. I can’t.” Anna tried not to smile as she reached down and retrieved a foil-covered plate from the cooler near her feet. “Because I saved two for you.”

“See? This is why we’re friends.” Lily released a contented sigh. “You know all my deepest, darkest secrets. My weakness for chocolate in any form. My hostility toward day planners.”

If those were Lily’s deepest, darkest secrets, she truly was a woman blessed.

“And don’t forget your absolute devotion to your brilliant, good-looking husband.” Brendan Kane came up behind Lily and looped his arm around her shoulders.

“There is that.” Lily grinned up at her husband and the look that passed between them raised the temperature in the air a few more degrees.

Anna ignored a pinch of envy.

A few weeks ago she and the twins had watched the couple exchange vows in a beautiful ceremony on the riverbank near Sunni’s home with all their friends and family in attendance. A ceremony so different from Anna’s wedding day.

She and Ross had been married in front of a justice of the peace in a stuffy room devoid of decoration—unless a person counted the black-and-white portraits of dour-faced judges that lined the walls. Their only witnesses were a bailiff and the harried-looking secretary whose lunch they’d interrupted.

Anna shook away the memory.

It wasn’t like Ross had kidnapped her and forced her into eloping with him. Anna had been so eager to start their life together that nothing else seemed to matter at the time. Not flowers or a fancy wedding gown or even whose names had been added to theirs on the marriage certificate after the judge pronounced them husband and wife.

“It’s time to announce the winners of the silent auction!” Sunni had returned to the stage, waving a piece of paper in the air like a victory banner.

“Come on, Bren. Let’s see if we won that Month of Sundaes from The Happy Cow.” Lily winked at Anna as she grabbed her husband’s hand and led him away.

Anna shook the crumbs from the tablecloth and folded it up as the microphone picked up Sunni’s lilting voice and funneled it through the speakers.

“Our first item...a two-night stay at the bed-and-breakfast...goes to Pastor Seth Tamblin.”

Rebecca Tamblin’s shriek of delight was a clue she hadn’t seen her husband bid on the romantic getaway.

Sunni waited for the applause to subside before she continued down the list. As she called out the names of the winners and the prizes they’d won, Anna was impressed at how many businesses had contributed something to the cause.

“Now, for our final item on the auction block today.” If possible, Sunni’s smile grew even wider. “A half-day guided canoe trip that includes sunshine, calm water, and a gourmet meal cooked over an open fire. And it goes to—” her gaze swept over the crowd, searching for the lucky winner “Anna Leighton! Come up and claim your prize!”

Her prize.

But...how?

Anna hadn’t bid on anything.

The crowd had already started to disperse by the time she reached the stage.

“Sunni? Do you mind if I take a look at that bid sheet?”

“Of course not.” The woman hopped down from the platform with the ease of someone half her age and handed Anna the piece of paper.

Sure enough, there was her name. In someone else’s handwriting. Just as Anna had expected. A forgery.

“Is something wrong?” Sunni’s brow knit with concern.

“I didn’t bid on the canoe trip.” Anna looked around for her daughters. Her adorable, precocious, exasperating daughters.

“But I’m pretty sure I know who did.”

And they were skipping toward her, hand in hand, without an ounce of guilt weighing them down.

Anna held up the bid sheet. “Would you like to explain this, please?”

Two pairs of golden-brown eyes blinked up at her.

“We wanted it to be a surprise,” Chloe said earnestly. “For your birthday.”

“My birthday.” Anna had been so busy finalizing details for her class reunion and keeping up with the steady stream of tourists flowing through Castle Falls as they made their way to the Lake Superior shoreline, she’d totally forgotten she had one coming up.

“Grandi told us she’d left some money in her dresser drawer and we should buy something special for you,” Chloe explained. “And we’re going to add the change in our piggy banks, too.”

“We can earn our Sunflower Celebrate Creation pin and celebrate your birthday at the same time.” Cassie grinned.

“Multitasking, right, Mom?”

Multi—

Anna was the one who felt a stab of guilt.

How many times over the past few months had the girls heard her use that particular word?

Anna struggled for balance, but it was challenging to keep things running smoothly at home and at work. Birthday or not, a leisurely day canoeing down the river seemed like an indulgence for a single working mom whose time would be better spent coming up with creative ways to keep the business Anna’s mother had entrusted to her afloat.

“I appreciate the gesture, girls, but my birthday is this Wednesday. I doubt we’ll be able to schedule a canoe trip on such short notice.” Anna latched on to the first excuse she could think of. “Summer is Mrs. Mason’s busiest season.”

“That’s true, but birthdays are special occasions.” Sunni waved to someone behind Anna. “Can you come over here a minute? We have a question for you.”

Anna twisted around just in time to see Dash freeze midstep in front of one of the carnival booths a few yards away. He pivoted toward them slowly and made his way to Sunni’s side.

“Is it possible Anna and her girls can use their gift certificate this Wednesday?”

Dash didn’t respond. Anna wasn’t sure if it was because he was trying to stay in character or because Sunni had put him on the spot.

“If you can’t fit us in, I under—”

The word lodged in Anna’s throat when Dash tugged off his headpiece, revealing the man behind the mask.

The man who’d playfully taken her in his arms and waltzed her through the grass.

The man with tousled, ink-black hair and eyes the velvet blue of a summer evening sky.

The only person who’d seen the bully lurking beneath Ross’s charismatic smile.

Liam.

* * *

For the last six hours, Liam couldn’t wait to remove this silly headpiece so he could breathe fresh air again. Now the only thing he wanted to do was put it back on and pretend he was Aiden pretending to be Dash.

Fortunately, his mom didn’t pick up on the tension that thickened the air like an early-morning mist over the river.

“I’ve been so busy getting things ready for the fund-raiser I haven’t had a chance to look at the calendar. Do you know if Aiden is free that day?”

Liam tore his gaze from Anna and tried to dredge up an image of their schedule for the upcoming week.

“He blocked off the day for a private lesson, and Brendan will be out of town for a business meeting.”

Liam’s pint-size dancing partners, who’d pushed Anna into his arms earlier in the day, wilted like daisies in the midday heat, but Anna looked...relieved?

What was that about? Why had she bid on that particular item if she hadn’t wanted to win?

“The twins wanted to surprise Anna,” Sunni murmured, almost as if she’d read Liam’s mind.

“So we kind of forged her signature,” Cassie added proudly.

“’Cause it’s her birthday,” her sister, Chloe, chimed in.

Fortunately for Liam, the girls’ names were printed in the center of the giant sunflowers silk-screened on the front of their T-shirts or he would have had a difficult time telling them apart.

“Mom says birthdays don’t count when you’re her age, but I think they always count, don’t you?” Cassie directed the question at Liam.

“Always,” he agreed.

“She won’t have to do any of the work, either—”

Cassie bobbed her head in agreement. “Mom works a lot—”

“And sometimes she falls asleep on the couch at night—”

“Girls.” Anna squeezed the word in, her cheeks flooding with color, as her daughters paused to take a breath. “It’s all right. I can call Mrs. Mason and schedule another time.”

Instead of agreeing with Anna, his mom tipped her head to one side, something Liam had seen her do whenever she was trying to come up with a solution to a problem.

And then she smiled—at him—and Liam knew exactly what that solution was.

Don’t say it, Mom.

But she did. Out loud.

“What are you doing on Wednesday, Liam?”

Liam made the mistake of glancing at the twins, and the hope blazing in their eyes pulled him in and held him captive like a tractor beam.

“It looks—” Liam heard himself say “—like I’ll be going on a canoe trip.”

* * *

“Gourmet meal. Cooked over an open fire.” Liam secured the tie-down on Aiden’s canoe and gave it a hard yank. “Seriously?”

“Hey! Take it easy on the old guy.” Aiden ran a comforting hand over the scarlet flames that flowed underneath the curve of the gunwale. “I thought it was a nice touch. Lily claims it’s all about marketing, and do you know how much swanky restaurants charge for freshly caught trout?”

Liam didn’t. And Aiden had to be joking.

“Trout?” He stared at his brother. “I’m going to have my hands full with three inexperienced paddlers, and you expect me to pack a fly rod? And what if I don’t catch anything?”

“Huh.” Aiden looked a little mystified by this line of questioning. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about that. I always catch fish.”

His younger brother’s confidence, which Liam found humorous if not downright entertaining on most occasions, sawed against his nerves today. “What am I supposed to do? Call Chet and ask him to airdrop a gourmet dinner for four on Eagle Rock?”

Nothing against the manager of the grocery store deli, but Chet’s idea of fancy was spackling a layer of ketchup over the tops of the homemade meat loaves before they went into the oven.

“Lily happened to like the description I wrote up for the auction, by the way. She said it was very creative.”

That was one word for it.

“Calm water? Sunshine?” Liam stuffed a dry bag into the bed of the pickup. “You know you can’t promise those kinds of conditions.”

“It’s called setting the right mood.” Aiden’s eyes narrowed. “And since we’re on the subject, what’s up with yours? It’s not like this will be your first trip down the river.”

True. But it would be his first trip down the river with Anna.

“I’ve got two canoes to finish by the end of the week,” Liam muttered.

Also true—but a deadline wasn’t the reason Liam had been plagued by a series of clips straight from the archives of High School Past ever since he’d gotten home from the shelter’s fund-raiser earlier that afternoon.

Past, Liam reminded himself, being the key word here.

Even though Anna, who’d been wearing denim shorts and an apple-green T-shirt when he’d danced with her that afternoon, didn’t look much older than the girl who’d breezed up to Liam’s locker on his first day at Emerson Middle and High School. She’d had a bright smile on her face and a sheaf of colorful flyers advertising the pep rally on Friday night tucked in the crook of her arm.

Liam had been tempted to go, just so he could see her again, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Anna Foster belonged to an elite inner circle. Or that Mr. Swanson’s fifth-hour study hall would be the closest Liam would ever get to her—and that was only because the seats were arranged alphabetically.

He’d been right. Liam had seen Anna at school practically every day, but it was easy to remember the number of times they’d actually spoken. Once. And that conversation had pretty much destroyed any chance of there ever being a second.

Chapter Three

Anna’s hands tightened on the steering wheel when she turned the corner and spotted Liam and Aiden standing in the driveway.

Why had she agreed to this?

Over the past few days, she’d tried to come up with a reason to bow out of their upcoming canoe trip gracefully, but the twins had been talking about it nonstop since the fund-raiser on Saturday afternoon. And in those rare moments of silence when they weren’t talking about the outing, they’d been preparing for it. Studying the map that highlighted their projected route and memorizing the list of safety tips Sunni had emailed to Anna on Monday morning. Filling out the detailed questionnaire used to determine their level of experience.

On the last page of the information packet, Sunni had added a personal note: “Happy Birthday, Anna! Enjoy the peace and tranquility of a day on the river!”

Peace and tranquility?

Not when Anna’s stomach tilted sideways at the thought of spending those hours with Liam.

Regret coursed through her, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Words Anna had spoken in anger the night of their senior prom had formed a wall between her and Liam that remained intact even after she’d returned to Castle Falls. Strengthened by time and distance and a silence neither one of them had attempted to break.

But Anna could still see the flash of hurt in Liam’s eyes, a sign her words had hit their mark.

What makes you think that my relationship with Ross is any of your business? You don’t know the first thing about him...or me. And from what I’ve heard about your family, you don’t know anything about love, either.

How ironic, that she was the one who’d proved to be blind when it came to that particular emotion.

A mistake she wasn’t going to make again...

“Morning, ladies!” Aiden called out cheerfully. He could have passed for a modern-day river pirate in faded jeans and a black T-shirt with the sleeves cut off at the shoulders. A red do-rag matched the flames painted on the side of the canoe jutting from the back of his pickup truck.

Still, the knot in Anna’s stomach loosened a little. She wasn’t sure if it was because Aiden was the youngest in the family or because a perpetual gleam of mischief danced in his cobalt-blue eyes, but Anna had always found him to be the most approachable of the three brothers.

Cassie and Chloe obviously didn’t share her opinion. They bailed out of the backseat and sprinted across the lawn toward Liam, their copper braids streaming behind them like the tails on a pair of kites.

Anna dragged in a breath, afraid the girls were going to bowl the man right over. But at the last possible second, they skidded to a stop directly in front of him, chattering a mile a minute about their upcoming adventure.

As Anna made her way toward them, she managed to catch every third word or so. Photographs. Sunflowers. Pins and journals.

The average person would have been hard-pressed to make sense of the lilting duet, but instead of clapping his hands over his ears or running for cover, Liam bent closer and gave the twins his undivided attention. A swatch of silky dark hair slipped over his eye and for a moment, Anna saw a lanky adolescent boy slumped in his desk in the back of the classroom.

Rumors had started to run rampant even before Liam and his brothers moved in with the Masons. Some of the kids said they’d been living on the street. Others claimed that Liam’s parents had been sent to prison and the boys would have disappeared into the foster-care system if Rich and Sunni hadn’t stepped in and offered them a home.

Anna figured the real story lay somewhere in between, but it was difficult to separate fact from fiction when the people in question refused to speak up on their own behalf.

Brendan, who’d been a sophomore when they arrived in Castle Falls, regarded everyone with barely veiled hostility. He’d stalked the narrow hallway between the middle and high schools with a grungy backpack hooked over one shoulder and a pretty good-sized chip on the other.

Aiden, at ten, didn’t sport an attitude, but Anna had overheard Mrs. Harris, the fourth-grade Sunday-school teacher, refer to him as “an active body.” A tactful way of saying that Aiden was everywhere at once. Anna had witnessed him crawling under tables and climbing over chairs in the church fellowship room like he was competing in an obstacle course.

And always in the center, like a blue-eyed fulcrum meant to balance the chaos, was Liam. Coaxing a smile out of his older brother. Making sure Aiden’s energy was channeled in a positive direction so he wouldn’t bump, break or burn something down.

It suddenly occurred to Anna that she’d noticed a lot of things about Liam Kane...

Her heart stuttered like the engine in her cantankerous minivan when her gaze unexpectedly locked with the very grown-up version of the boy she’d been remembering.

“You kids have fun now.” Aiden’s rumble of laughter broke the silence and he thumped Liam on the arm. “And make sure you do everything I taught you, bro.”

Liam rolled his eyes and gave his brother an affectionate shove toward the driver’s-side door. “Be safe.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Aiden winked at Anna before he vaulted into the cab of the pickup.

Cassie and Chloe obviously saw Aiden’s departure as the beginning of their own adventure, because they linked hands and began to hop up and down.

“Can we get our stuff out of the car now, Mr. Kane?”

“Sure, that would be—” Liam stopped.

Because the girls were already gone.

“They can teleport,” Liam said.

He sounded so amazed that Anna couldn’t help but smile as her daughters began unloading their backpacks from the back of the van.

“Among other things.” Life with twins wasn’t for the faint of heart. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

* * *

Was he ready for this?

Ha. Not even close. Not when Anna’s smile sent his pulse skipping like a rock over the surface of the water.

Liam reminded himself it had been meant for her daughters, not for him, as he forced himself to meet her gaze.

“Did you have any questions about our itinerary for the day?”

“No.” The smile faded. “I think the information Sunni emailed on Monday covered everything.”

“Good.” So far, so good. “I’ll be right back. There’s a waiver you’ll need to sign—”

“It’s in the kitchen.” His mom jogged up to them, her pink hiking boots leaving heart-shaped stencils in grass still misted with morning dew. Lily and Brendan’s overweight basset hound, Missy, chugged along at her heels. “Right next to the fresh pot of coffee I put on for you and Anna.”

Liam reached down to pat the dog, pretending not to see the questioning frown Sunni tossed in his direction.

Given the fact that Brendan ran Castle Falls Outfitters from an office in their mom’s house, it wasn’t unusual to do business at the kitchen table, but Liam was anxious to start the four-hour countdown.

He wasn’t worried that lingering over a cup of java with Anna in the tiny kitchen would feel awkward. Just the opposite.

He was worried it would feel too good.

One more reason to keep his distance.

“Happy birthday, Anna!” Sunni reeled Anna in for a quick hug. “Are you looking forward to spending the day on the river?”

Since Liam already knew what the answer to that question would be, there was no point in hanging around.

“If you have Anna sign the liability waiver, Mom, I’ll make sure everything else is ready.” He pivoted toward the riverbank, familiar territory where everything made sense.

Where he could breathe air that wasn’t laced with the scent of Anna’s perfume, a delicate but tantalizing fragrance that reminded Liam of the wild roses that bloomed outside the window of his workshop every summer.

He rounded the corner of the garage, where he and Aiden shared an upstairs apartment, and almost collided with his older brother and Lily.

“Whoa!” Brendan reared back and pretended to scan the yard. “Where’s the fire?”

“I’m on the clock this morning, remember?” Liam reminded him.

Three hours, fifty-two minutes and counting.

“Oh. Right.” Brendan linked his arm through Lily’s. “Anna Leighton’s birthday present. How did you end up playing guide today instead of Aiden? I thought he was the one who came up with the package for the silent auction.”

“Aiden had already booked a private lesson.”

It was a testimony to Lily’s influence that Brendan didn’t know the details. BL—before Lily—his brother had micromanaged every aspect of Castle Falls Outfitters, including the things he’d asked Aiden and Liam to oversee. But over the past year, Brendan had loosened his grip and started to focus his attention on marketing and sales, the area of the business he truly enjoyed. Liam was still getting used to this new-and-improved version of his big brother.

“I’m sure Anna will have a wonderful time.” Lily smiled.

“She gets to soak up the sunshine and eat food she doesn’t have to prepare. What more could a girl want?”

Liam could think of a lot of things.

In high school, it was no secret that Anna couldn’t wait to leave Castle Falls. Everyone had expected great things from Emerson’s beautiful valedictorian and Ross, the team’s talented quarterback. Ross’s football scholarship would take the couple through college and then on to places a girl from a small town in the UP could only dream about.

College hadn’t been in Liam’s future, not when all hands were needed on deck to keep Castle Falls Outfitters out of the red when Rich Mason passed away six months after he and Sunni had opened their home to Liam and his brothers.

As always, memories of his foster dad stirred up a blend of grief and gratitude. Liam still didn’t know why God had called Rich home so soon, but the impact he’d had on Liam in those few short months had changed his life.

Where you look is where you go.

One of Rich’s favorite sayings chased through Liam’s mind. At the time, he’d assumed his foster dad had been talking about paddling a canoe. Any guide worth his salt knew you’d run aground if you kept looking back, but now Liam understood Rich’s words of wisdom could apply to a lot of situations.

Like this one.

Which was why he would treat Anna the way he would treat anyone who’d booked a canoe trip with Castle Falls Outfitters. He would be polite. Professional.

Because the here and now was a much safer place to be than camping on the ledge of the past. Or, even worse, allowing himself to dream about the future.

Chapter Four

“Come on, Mom!”

Anna had barely finished signing the waiver on Sunni’s kitchen table when the girls burst through the door.

Sunni chuckled at their enthusiasm. “Have a wonderful time. And don’t worry about a thing, Anna. You’re in good hands.”

Liam’s hands.

Anna didn’t have time to dwell on that. She was taken captive by two impatient little girls who still believed a birthday was a cause for celebration. Not a day to look back on your life and wonder why it hadn’t turned out the way you’d expected it would.

The day promised to be exactly the way Aiden had described it on the bid sheet. A whisper of a breeze stirred the tops of the trees, and the sun beamed down at them from a cloudless sapphire sky, turning the surface of the river to glass.

Cassie and Chloe towed her toward the riverbank. Two canoes, fashioned from intricate strips of polished natural wood instead of fiberglass, looked as though they’d come straight from an era when fur traders and lumberjacks roamed the forest.

Anna knew nothing about canoes other than the fact they were supposed to float, of course, but even she could see the craftsmanship that elevated the ones Liam made from the cookie-cutter styles sold in most sporting-goods stores.

Cassie and Chloe could barely contain their excitement while Liam went through the safety procures and demonstrated basic paddling techniques.

“If you don’t have any questions,” he said after helping the twins put their life jackets on, “I think we’re good to go.”

“Which canoe is mine?” Cassie wanted to know.

“You and I will share that one.” Liam nodded at the canoe on the left.

“It doesn’t have flames.” Cassie couldn’t quite hide her disappointment.

“You saw Aiden’s canoe.” A hint of a smile came out to play. “A long time ago, my brother found out his name means “fiery,” so he painted flames on the sides.”

Before the girls could suggest they find a can of paint and decorate their canoes, Anna helped Chloe get settled and took her place at the stern.

Liam took the lead and the girls fell silent, their frowns of concentration gradually giving way to awestruck wonder.

The river flowed behind Riverside Avenue, Castle Falls’s main street, just steps from the back door of The Happy Cow, but Anna stayed so busy during the day she barely had time to give the picturesque scene more than a passing glance.

Here it cut a sparkling corridor through a hedge of towering white pine, birch and fragrant cedar. The leaves of the hardwoods had slowly unfurled over the past few weeks, opening to a soothing, soul-feeding shade of green. Anna breathed in the scent of sunshine and water and felt something unfurl inside her, too.

The two canoes ended up side by side as they rounded a natural bend in the river.

“Look! Someone is building a playhouse!” Chloe pointed at the skeletal frame of a cabin tucked in a stand of birch trees. Simple lines and the river-rock fireplace rising through the center of the gabled roof gave the structure a rustic charm.

“It’s a house.” Liam chuckled. “I’m hoping to move in by the end of the summer. I work on it in my spare time and Aiden chips in to help whenever he can. He has a vested interest in this place because it means he’ll have the garage apartment all to himself.”

Cassie’s brow furrowed as they drew even with Liam’s cabin.

“It’s kind of little.”

“Cassie!” Anna had taught her daughters to always tell the truth, but while they seemed to understand the importance of honesty, they didn’t always grasp the meaning of the word tact.

“Well, it is.” Cassie stuck to her opinion. “Don’t you think it’s little, Chloe?”

Ordinarily Anna found it humorous when Cassie attempted to draft her twin sister as an ally, but this time she was too embarrassed by her daughter’s candor. Anna discovered it was difficult for a mother to make eye contact and telegraph a silent message while drifting down the river in a canoe.

“It’s a little little,” Chloe agreed.

Liam didn’t appear offended or uncomfortable by Anna’s daughters’ innocent observations. “Just right for one person.”

“But aren’t you going to get married someday?” Cassie asked, not bothering to hide her shock.

Eight-year-olds—Anna knew this from past experience—didn’t hide anything.

“And have kids?” Chloe looked shocked, too.

Okay. Family meeting. Tonight. Topic: Personal Questions.

“Girls,” Anna finally managed to choke out. “I’m sure Liam knows how big his house should be.”

* * *

Not according to Sunni.

Liam’s mom had questioned the size of the cabin the first time he’d shown her the blueprint, too.

But really, how much space did a guy need anyway? A kitchen. A bedroom. A living room where he could kick back and put up his feet after work.

At least a dozen times a day, Liam pictured how the cabin would look when it was finished. But, suddenly, Anna was there. And not as a visitor. Liam saw her reading in the oversize chair next to the fireplace, her chestnut hair falling loose around her shoulders. Laughing with Cassie and Chloe in the kitchen. Snuggled up with him on the couch while snow swirled outside the window...

Maybe he should have asked Aiden to switch places with him today.

Because there was no way Liam would let himself go there.

He thanked God on a daily basis for the blessing of a close family, but that didn’t mean he planned to have one of his own.

Maybe if Rich had lived longer, Liam would have had a chance to figure out how to do it right.

He’d heard the rumors about him and his brothers when they’d moved to Castle Falls. Even one of Sunni’s closest friends had expressed concern about her ability to handle the household alone after Rich passed away.

Those boys aren’t just from a broken home, they’re probably broken on the inside, too, Sunni. And you aren’t going to be able to fix them with a hug and a smile. Who knows what kind of problems are going to crop up as they get older? They could turn out just like their father.

Darren Kane—a man whose temper had erupted without warning or provocation and inflicted lasting damage on their family—was the last person Liam wanted to be like.

Still, he might have dismissed the comment if he hadn’t seen the same concern reflected in other people’s eyes.

It made Liam wonder if there wasn’t a fault line, embedded deep inside of him, a crack formed by the constant upheaval he had experienced as a child. All it would take was a shift of some kind, some unexpected, external pressure, and he’d turn into his dad.

Liam had decided a long time ago it wasn’t worth the risk.

For the next half hour, he took a page from Aiden’s playbook and pointed out things he hoped Anna’s daughters would find interesting. Liam figured he made a poor substitute for his brother, but he kept the twins entertained.

And it kept his eyes focused on his surroundings instead of the beautiful woman sitting in the canoe next to his.

“There’s something in the water!” Cassie almost dropped her paddle as she pointed to a sleek brown head moving parallel with the shoreline.

Liam smiled. He no longer needed T-shirts to tell Anna’s twins apart. If not for a slight variation in the spray of freckles across their noses, the difference in their personalities gave it away.

Both girls were curious and talkative, but Cassie practically vibrated with restless energy. It was a good thing Liam didn’t get motion sickness, because their canoe didn’t simply glide down the river—it practically created its own white-water rapids.

“That’s Ben.” Liam had been hoping the otters would make a guest appearance this morning. He scanned the shoreline. “Keep an eye out for Jerry. They’re usually together.”

“Ben and Jerry?” It was the first time Anna had spoken directly to him since the start of their journey.

“Aiden named them.” Liam smiled. “You of all people know about my brother’s addiction to ice cream.” Every Tuesday afternoon in the summer, Aiden dragged Liam into The Happy Cow to feed his habit. A triple scoop of Rocky Road.

And every Tuesday, he and Anna pretended there wasn’t a barrier ten times higher than the counter between them.

“I see Jerry, too!” Chloe shouted.

“Let’s see if we can get them to put on a little show for us.” Liam whistled a trio of notes, trying to mimic the greeting Aiden had started using to get the otters’ attention when they were newborn pups.

On cue, Ben began to perform barrel rolls in the shallow water, but Jerry, the more courageous of the two, dived underwater and then popped up right between the two canoes, sunlight sparkling on the droplets of water clinging to his whiskers.

The girls squealed in delight as the otter rolled over and exposed his snow-white belly to the sun like a tourist working on his tan.

“Can we take some pictures of Ben and Jerry for my journal, Mom?” Cassie begged. “We’ll earn our Celebrate Creation pins, for sure. Josie Wyman got a picture of a hummingbird, and this would be even better!”

“Celebrate Creation pins?” Liam automatically looked to Anna for a translation.

When the girls had first arrived, they’d said something about Sunflowers and pins and journals, but Liam had had a hard time converting eight-year-old-girl into a language a twenty-eight-year-old guy could understand.

“For the Sunflowers kids’ club at church,” Anna explained. “The girls earn pins when they memorize Bible verses or complete a special assignment this summer. Except—” She paused to give Cassie a meaningful look. A look Liam recognized because he’d seen the same one on Sunni’s face over the years when she was taking advantage of a “teachable” moment. “Except that Ms. Shapiro didn’t intend for it to become a competition with Josie Wyman, did she?”

“Nope.” Cassie swung her head from side to side, the very picture of innocence. “But I still think it would be sweet to get a picture of the otters for my journal...and a pin.”

“Mom made them,” Chloe added proudly. “She stays up and makes jewelry after we go to bed at night.”

Anna’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, but all Liam felt was a stab of guilt. The previous autumn, Lily had rallied the family and a group of volunteers to renovate the second floor of Anna’s building into a combination studio and jewelry store. Liam was the only one who hadn’t helped with the project.

Given their history, Liam had told himself he was saving Anna from a potentially awkward situation. Now he wondered if keeping his distance had had more to do with self-preservation.

Because every time Liam looked at Anna, he remembered the line he’d crossed on prom night. He should have backed off when Anna had gotten defensive, but all he could see was his dad using his fists to get his way.

You need to break up with Ross, Anna. He’s dangerous.

Dangerous.

Said the guy everyone assumed had had multiple run-ins with the police before he’d moved to Castle Falls.

You don’t know anything, Anna had retorted.

The implication behind the words had struck deep.

Liam didn’t know anything because he was an outsider. In Anna’s mind, he would always be an outsider. And the knowledge that Liam could have ruined her future happiness if she’d taken his advice was always there, simmering in the air between them.

Which was why it would be better if his relationship with Anna—or lack thereof—stayed the same.

Polite and professional, Liam reminded himself.

“The camera is packed away, sweetheart,” Anna said. “I’m not sure we should take the time.”

Right. Based on Anna’s comment, the four-hour countdown was obviously still on her mind. Proof that she wanted to spend as little time in his company as possible.

Cassie spun toward him, their official river guide and therefore the only person who outranked her mother when it came to making decisions. “Do we have time, Mr. Kane?”

“It’s Liam...and you make time for what’s important,” he told her.

Chloe and Cassie exchanged a disappointed look, so Liam decided he’d better clarify the statement.

“Which means an otter photo shoot just became one of the stops.”

Chapter Five

“Yay!”

Chloe and Cassie leaned toward each other and slapped their hands together in a high five that set both canoes rocking.

Before Anna could warn them to sit back down, Liam beat her to it. And he didn’t respond with a scold or a scowl, either.

“Rule four,” was all he said.

For a bachelor who’d grown up with brothers, the man’s patience and easygoing humor with two little girls who chattered more than they paddled was something Anna hadn’t expected.

But then again, Liam wasn’t quite what she’d expected.

Even apart from all the rumors swirling around the three brothers, Anna had always found Liam a little unsettling. There’d been times, during study hall or in the school cafeteria, she’d caught Liam looking at her. No, not just at her. Through her. Like he knew what she thinking. Or feeling.

That’s what had unsettled her.

But he’d never gone out of his way to talk to her—until the senior prom.

Memories came rushing back. Anna’s astonishment when Liam had led her into the center of the gymnasium and then guided her out to the courtyard. Her defensive reaction when Anna discovered the real reason he’d asked her to dance.

I saw what Ross did in the parking lot, Anna. My dad...he wasn’t a very nice guy. He would bully my mom like that, too.

Ross wasn’t bullying me.

He grabbed your arm.

Anna had denied it even though her arm had still burned where Ross’s fingers had bitten through the lacy sleeve of her dress.

Look...just be careful, okay? Liam had persisted. You don’t have to let him treat you like that.

She’d made excuses for Ross. Told Liam in no uncertain terms to mind his own business.

But she hadn’t believed him.

Anna rubbed her arm. The bruises had faded years ago but the wound Ross had inflicted on her heart still hurt.

The theme, A Night to Remember, had fit as perfectly as the tiara placed on Anna’s head when she was crowned queen. But, like so many other moments in her past, that night had become one more thing she wanted to forget.

At least in high school, her wishes and dreams had centered around the plans she and Ross had made for Friday night or on the dress she’d picked out for an upcoming dance. Anna had poured out her heart in a journal similar to the ones Rene Shapiro had handed out to the Sunflowers. Protected her secrets with the turn of a key that fit into a tiny gold lock.

She wasn’t willing to take the chance that Liam—or anyone else for that matter—would see the one she kept locked inside her heart.

“Oh, look at that bird over there! Isn’t it cute?”

The bottom of Anna’s canoe scraped against a rock, warning her that the canoe had drifted into the shallow water. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice she’d broken rule number six—Pay Attention to Your Surroundings—because their attention was focused on the shoreline.

“It’s a kingfisher,” Liam said. “You can tell by the crested head and the color of his feathers.”

“He’s making a funny noise.” Cassie stopped paddling and Anna could read her mind.

Time for another photo session.

“He’s talking to his friends farther down the river.” Liam was already reaching for the camera.

“What’s he saying?”

“He’s saying...” Liam tipped his head to one side and pretended to listen. “Look at those people over there! Aren’t they cute?”

Cassie and Chloe giggled, but it was the grin on Liam’s face that sent Anna’s heart rocking back and forth like a raft caught in a swell.

“It just went under the water!” Chloe exclaimed.

“He’s looking for his lunch,” Liam said as the bird disappeared underneath the water.

“Lunch.” Cassie sounded a little envious.

Her comment reminded Anna they’d been on the river for well over an hour and her daughters hadn’t complained a bit about boredom, achy muscles or empty stomachs.

Liam must have realized it had been a while since breakfast, too.

“Is anyone getting hungry?”

“I am!”

“Me, too!”

Liam looked at Anna, and whatever he saw in her eyes seemed to cast the deciding vote.

“Okay, then.” He dipped his paddle in the water. “Next stop—Eagle Rock.”

Anna had noticed the spot marked on Sunni’s map, but until they paddled around a small, tree-lined peninsula jutting out from the shoreline, she hadn’t realized Eagle Rock was a...rock.

More like a small cliff, from what Anna could see. It jutted over the river, shading a wide stretch of beach like a sandstone canopy.

As they neared the shoreline, Anna spotted a ring of stones and the blackened remains of a campfire, evidence that Eagle Rock was a frequent stop for paddlers.

Liam, a few lengths ahead of her and Chloe, reached the shoreline first. He hopped out of the canoe, reached for Cassie and deposited her on dry land.

“Are we going to have a campfire on the beach?” Cassie asked hopefully.

“We could...” A smile kindled in Liam’s eyes. “But the view is better at the top of the rock.”

He didn’t mean...

Anna squinted up at Eagle Rock. She couldn’t even see a way to get to the top.

Before she could suggest they stay on the beach, Cassie and Chloe bumped their fists together and broke into an exuberant little dance right there on the sand.

“Can you take our picture, Mom? When Ms. Shapiro sees how high we climbed, maybe we’ll get our Be Strong and Courageous pin, too!” Cassie said.

“We don’t know that verse yet,” Chloe reminded her sister.

“I do! It’s in Joshua. ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be...’” Cassie paused, her brow furrowing as she searched her memory for the rest of the words.

“‘Do not be afraid,’” Liam quoted softly. “‘Do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’”

“You have to memorize verses, too?”

Cassie’s open astonishment brought a smile to Liam’s face again.

“I don’t have to,” he said. “But if you know what the Bible says, the verses are... They’re kind of like the signposts on the map we gave you. They keep you going in the right direction. And if you do get lost...well, they can help you find your way back, too.”

Now it was Anna’s turn to stare.

Because she hadn’t really expected Liam to know the verse? Or because the undercurrent of quiet confidence flowing through the words told Anna they were stored in his head and his heart?

“I’d be scared if I got lost,” Chloe confessed in a whisper. “’Cause the bears might find me.”

“I’m not a fan of bears, either.” Liam shot Anna a sideways glance. “Unlike your mom, who chased one off the high school football field once.”

“A real bear?” Chloe clutched Cassie’s arm for support.

Anna had forgotten all about that. And she wasn’t sure how she felt about Liam bringing it up now.

“It was a very small one,” she muttered. “Not much bigger than a cub.”

“But still...you chased it.” Cassie looked impressed.

“Chased it away.” Anna shot a look at Liam. “When I screamed.”

“She shook her pom-poms at it, too.” Liam obviously remembered more about the event than she did. “The other cheerleaders ran inside the school, but your mom stood her ground. Pretty ‘strong and courageous,’ if you ask me.”

Strong? Courageous?

For a moment, Anna wanted to cling to the words even though the girl Liam had just described was long gone.

And the admiration Anna was startled to see in Liam’s eyes would be gone, too, if he knew the truth.

When it really mattered, she hadn’t been either one of those things.

* * *

“Mom was a cheerleader?”

The twins appeared more shocked by that information than they were about the bear.

“Your mom made captain our freshman year.” Liam couldn’t believe Anna had never mentioned it to her daughters. “Her squad won an award for their halftime performance. It was pretty impressive.”

“How would you know that?” Anna’s eyes narrowed. “You never went to any of the football games.”

Liam realized he should have quit while he was behind.

“I...” How to admit this without sounding like a total stalker? “I saw you practice once in a while.”

Once in a while meaning every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, when Liam took a shortcut underneath the bleachers on his way home.

For weeks after he and his brothers moved to Castle Falls, Liam had lived in constant fear that Sunni and Rich would realize they’d made a huge mistake and ship all three of the Kane brothers back to Detroit. Liam would be separated from Brendan and Aiden forever and become a file in some social worker’s drawer.

Watching Anna preside over cheerleading practice had been the one bright spot in a day clouded with uncertainty. Outgoing and confident, Anna had had an unquenchable spark of life in her eyes and a smile bright enough to light up an entire room. The kind that declared I’m ready for whatever was to come.

Only she wasn’t smiling now.

When he’d told the humorous story about Anna’s encounter with the bear cub, Liam hadn’t considered it might resurrect painful memories, as well. The cheerleading award Liam had referred to was displayed in the trophy case, right beside the one Ross received when he’d taken the football team to the state championship.

Way to go, Liam.

Just when he had started to feel like the wall between them was beginning to break down, Liam had reminded Anna what had caused it in the first place.

He pushed out a smile and looked at the twins.

“Ready to climb Eagle Rock?”

A loud whoop answered the question.

Liam led the small procession up the winding, overgrown footpath. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d climbed Eagle Rock...which told him it had been too long.

It would have been a lot easier to use the fire pit on the beach, but if Rene Shapiro wanted the Sunflowers to celebrate God’s creation, Liam couldn’t think of a better place than at the top of Eagle Rock.

“How is everyone doing?” He glanced over his shoulder.

Chloe and Cassie gave him the thumbs-up sign, but Anna didn’t respond to the question at all. Liam couldn’t decide if the climb itself was the problem or if Anna was upset that he’d added at least another hour to the four she had signed up for.

Rocks skittered over Liam’s feet as he reached the top of the platform overlooking the river.

His breath caught in his throat, the past momentarily forgotten.

Eagle Rock was more enchanting than he remembered, like an illustration straight from the pages of a fairy tale. A thick carpet of emerald moss covered the ground, and wild grapevine draped the birch trees that circled the sun-drenched clearing.

Cassie scrambled up beside him. And for the first time since they’d launched the canoes, the little girl seemed to be at a loss for words.

It was Chloe who came up with one—a soft, breathless “Wow.”

Liam laughed as he set the cooler on the ground. “My brother Aiden discovered this place when we were kids. He stuck a canoe paddle in the ground and made us write our names on it with a rock.”

And then they’d rowed back home, minus one paddle, terrified Sunni would ground them—or worse—for leaving the other one behind. She had insisted on accompanying them on the return trip the next day. But, instead of retrieving the paddle, Sunni had picked up the rock and scratched her name next to theirs.

Things had been difficult for all of them after Rich died, but it wasn’t until that moment Liam finally began to accept he wasn’t alone.

When they got back, Liam had unlocked Rich’s workshop and spent the next few weeks paging through his foster dad’s notes, studying his designs and slowly figuring out what to do with the strange tools scattered around the room.

Liam had never felt like an outsider in the workshop. For the first time in his life, he’d felt like he was exactly where he belonged.

“Can we write our names on the paddle, too?” Cassie asked.

“I’m not sure I could find it anymore.” Liam scanned the thick hedge of trees. “Everything changes from year to year.”

Anna, who’d been a few seconds behind them, appeared at the top of the path. And, once again, she carefully avoided his eyes.

Okay.

Maybe not everything.

Chapter Six

“Isn’t it beautiful here, Mom?” Chloe threw her arms around Anna’s trim waist. “It looks like one of the pictures in the book you’re reading to us.”

“It is beautiful.” Anna’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes as she looked at Liam. “How long do you think it will take to get the fire ready?”

“I’m not sure.” But not nearly as long as it would take Liam to catch the trout he planned to cook on that fire. “Half an hour or so.”

“Oh...” Anna’s teeth sank into the plump curve of her lower lip. “I accidentally left my phone in the van. If something happens at work, the afternoon crew won’t be able to get in touch with me.”

“I have mine. If there’s a true emergency, your employees know where you are. They’ll call Sunni, and she’ll let us know.”

“I suppose.” Anna didn’t look reassured by Liam’s logic. “It’s just... I’m sure you didn’t plan to spend the whole day with us.”

No. He hadn’t. But that didn’t mean Liam wasn’t enjoying himself. Cassie and Chloe were more entertaining than the river otters, and their bright-eyed curiosity reminded Liam of Aiden at that age. And it was nice to see the change in Anna the farther they drifted from civilization. Her slender shoulders had softened into the relaxed pose of someone who’d started to work with the current instead of against it.

She needs a friend.

The thought was too radical to have sprung from Liam’s own mind. He’d been a believer long enough to recognize a divine nudge but still...a friend?

Anna had lived in Castle Falls all her life. She was a respected business owner who served on multiple committees at church and in the community.

Not to mention Liam had tried to be her friend once, and it hadn’t gone so well.

Mom makes jewelry after we go to bed at night.

Chloe’s voice infiltrated Liam’s thoughts.

What was that old saying? Out of the mouths of babes?

He studied Anna’s face and that’s when he saw it. The faint brushstroke of lavender shadows underneath her eyes.

After Rich died, Liam and his brothers had pitched in to help Sunni. They’d taken care of each other.

But who took care of Anna?

Anna’s mother, Nancy, spent the majority of the year in Florida with Anna’s grandmother. And for as long as Liam had lived in Castle Falls, Anna’s father hadn’t been in the picture. For a town with an efficient grapevine, Liam couldn’t even remember anyone mentioning him.

Anna worked long hours, and the muffler of her rust-pocked minivan had a plaintive, rasping cough you could hear a block away.

Another nudge.

This one Liam couldn’t ignore.

All this time he’d assumed Anna didn’t want to spend one minute longer than necessary in his company. But what if she was worried about how much those extra minutes were going to cost? And if she would be the one responsible for paying for them?

“It’s my fault we’re a little off schedule.” Liam strove to keep his tone casual. “If we go over the four hours, consider it a birthday gift from Castle Falls Outfitters.”

The flash of relief in Anna’s eyes told Liam he’d hit the proverbial nail on the head even as she started to protest.

“I can’t let you—”

“Guide,” Liam interrupted, tapping his chest. “Which means you’re stuck here until I decide it’s time to go back.”

The girls, who’d been blatantly eavesdropping on their conversation, exchanged a wide-eyed look.

Liam winked at them. “There’s another fire pit up here, but we’re going to need kindling to get a campfire going. That’s where you two come in.”

“Okay!”

Cassie and Chloe looked so excited Liam had a hunch they would find some way to connect another Sunflower pin to the mission.

“What would you like me to do?” Anna asked.

“Do you see that rock over there?” Liam pointed to a gigantic piece of sun-warmed sandstone embedded in the carpet of moss. “The one that looks like a recliner?”

A smile tugged at the corners of Anna’s lips. “Only Fred Flintstone would look at that and see a recliner.”

“That might be true,” he allowed. “But I want you to go over there, spread out one of those beach towels you brought along and sit down.”

Anna’s russet brows dove together. “Sit down?”

“And relax while the girls and I get a fire going.”

“Relax?”

Liam tamped down a smile. “I’m paraphrasing a little here, but basically the word means ‘take it easy and let someone else do the work for a change.’”

“But—”

“Guide, remember?”

* * *

Liam bent closer, so close his breath feathered against Anna’s ear and sent a shiver rocketing up her spine.

“I’ve got this, Anna.”

“Here, Mom!” Chloe bounded over with Anna’s beach towel, proving her girls didn’t miss a thing. “You can use mine.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

Feeling all kinds of self-conscious, Anna trudged over to the rock Liam had pointed out. Slightly bowl shaped with a high back and two slabs the perfect height to rest her arms, it did look a little like a recliner.

It took a minute to spread out the towel and another five to get comfortable. A task made more difficult because she was forced to remain idle while her daughters headed into the grove of trees to search for kindling.

“Cassie, Chloe...don’t go too far,” Anna called out. “Stay where I can see you!”

A shadow suddenly fell across the rock and momentarily blotted out the sun. Liam stood in front of her, holding what had to be the ugliest hat ever to grace the shelf of CJ’s Variety store. It was stained, misshapen and smelled a little like—Anna’s nose twitched—fish.

“It’s pretty bright up here. I thought you might want to cover your eyes.” Without waiting for a response, Liam plunked the hat on her head.

“I can’t see anything.” Anna peered at him through the cloud of mosquito netting that drifted over her face like a pea-green wedding veil.

“It won’t matter because your eyes will be closed.”

Liam sauntered away to start the fire, and Anna stifled a yawn. Fresh air and sunshine were a dangerous combination for a woman who logged only five or six hours of sleep a night.

She wadded up the towel underneath her head like a pillow and rolled over onto her side so she could keep an eye on the girls.

“I’m going back down and see if I can catch something to eat,” Liam announced a few minutes later. “Who wants to come with me?”

Cassie and Chloe squealed and dumped the kindling on the ground beside the fire pit, and were at his side in an instant, not the least bit afraid to take on the wall of rock they’d climbed up a few minutes ago.

Cassie and Chloe loved to play outdoors, but Anna’s childhood home, located on a quiet side street in town, boasted a yard the size of a postage stamp. Anna wasn’t ready to let the girls walk to the park alone, so most of their free time was spent in the play area Anna had fixed up in the back room of The Happy Cow or in her studio.

The twins rarely complained, but that didn’t stop the guilt from pressing hard against the scar tissue on Anna’s heart.

She’d taught the girls how to cook but never over an open flame. They visited the library on the weekends and were halfway through a book about a snowy owl named Winter, while two real-life furry acrobats named Ben and Jerry performed a few miles down the river.

Anna scooted closer to the ledge overlooking the river and stretched out on the grass so she could watch. She’d gone fishing once or twice with the church youth group as a teenager, but the boys had been more interested in catching the girls’ attention than catching trout.

The canvas vest studded with colorful lures that Liam shrugged on over his shirt told Anna he took the sport a little more seriously. He retrieved his fly rod from the canoe and walked to the edge of the water. The girls followed, squealing when the ice-cold water lapped against their bare toes.

Anna was used to their exuberant displays of enthusiasm, but Liam was probably wishing he’d taken advantage of the time alone.

Can’t you keep them quiet, Anna? How am I supposed to concentrate when they’re screeching like that?

Memories from the four years she’d been married to Ross continued to pop up like weeds, crowding Anna’s thoughts when she least expected it.

Ross had complained about the level of noise in the apartment, but every sound the twins made had been music to Anna’s ears. She’d been terrified Cassie and Chloe would suffer lasting effects from being born a month premature. The girls had been tiny in size and weight, but as the months went by they hit every milestone on the development chart and in some areas, even surpassed other infants their age.

Ross hadn’t cared about any of that. He’d been too focused on his personal stats, which had fallen far short of his college coach’s expectations for Castle Falls’s star quarterback.

Somehow that had been Anna’s fault, too.

Ross had been charming and attentive while they’d dated, buying her flowers and candy and saying all the things a girl wanted to hear. And then everything had changed after they’d eloped, making Anna wonder if she’d really known him at all.

She had been too ashamed to tell anyone that her marriage had been far from perfect...and too ashamed to tell Liam he’d been right.

For the twins’ sake, she had to protect Ross’s memory. And the only way to do that was to keep her secrets.

Liam seemed like the kind of man a woman could trust, but Anna didn’t trust her judgment anymore.

She closed her eyes and felt the breeze filter through the lacy holes of the netting as the sound of Liam’s husky laughter rolled over her.

The next thing she knew, the girls were screaming.

Chapter Seven

Anna jackknifed into a sitting position, but her view of the shoreline was obscured by a tangle of pea-green netting. She yanked off the hat and clutched it against her chest, but it didn’t quite muffle the rapid thump of her heart.

Had she actually dozed off for a few minutes?

Fortunately, no one on the sandy beach below seemed to have noticed. The speckled trout thrashing on the end of Liam’s line had captured their attention.

“Liam got another one!” Cassie and Chloe clasped hands and danced around the fishing creel as Liam removed the hook from the fish’s mouth. “Now there’s one for each of us!”

Anna pushed to her feet and waved the hat to acknowledge Cassie’s gleeful shout.

Four trout?

Either Liam was an expert fly fisherman, or she’d been asleep longer than a few minutes.

By the time the three fishermen had retraced their steps up the path and scrambled over the ledge with their catch, Anna had added a few more sticks of kindling to the fire.

“Liam has a secret fishing spot, Mom,” Chloe told her. “The trout like to hide there during the day.”

“But we can’t tell anyone where it is.” Cassie drew the tip of her finger across her lips, sealing them shut. For the moment.

“Technically, it’s Aiden’s secret spot.” Liam unleashed a slow smile that rivaled the sun for warmth and sent Anna’s heart scrambling for purchase. “But we’ll make sure he knows how many we caught.”

“Trout fishing is fun, Mom,” Chloe said. “You’re going to have to try next time.”

Next time.

For a split second, Anna let herself imagine another day like this one. Another day with...Liam.

The thought tugged at her heart like the current, but Anna resisted its gentle pull, afraid it would take her to places she wasn’t ready to go.

Places she might never be ready to go.

She swallowed hard and looked up at Liam.

“Is there anything the girls and I can do while you cook the fish?”

“You can unpack the cooler. Mom said she’d packed a few snacks for us, but when I was lugging this thing up the hill, it felt like she’d packed it with iron ore.” Liam flipped open the lid. “And now I know why.”

The girls crowded in next to him. “Why?”

“See for yourself.” Liam shook his head. “I’m just not sure whether I should be relieved or flattered.”

“What do you mean?” Anna’s curiosity got the better of her, too, and she moved in for a closer look.

“Mom knows my fishing skills are a little rusty, and she was probably afraid I’d serve you peanut butter and crackers.”

Anna’s lips parted as she scanned the contents of the cooler. Sunni had taken the description on the silent auction sheet very seriously.

Small glass storage containers were arranged inside the cooler like puzzle pieces, each one containing an entrée of the gourmet meal Anna had been promised. Pasta salad studded with tomatoes, zucchini and pearls of fresh mozzarella cheese. Crispy sourdough rolls swaddled in an embroidered tea towel and a mason jar filled with lemonade. If that weren’t enough of a feast, a small but decadent-looking chocolate cake wrapped in fondant and decorated with plump fresh raspberries peeked through the cellophane window of a white bakery box.

“The fish won’t take long to cook, so I think we should start with the first course,” Liam said.

No one argued.

The twins each claimed a corner of the tablecloth, and when Liam sat down, Cassie reached for his hand.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.