Lilac Time

Chapter One

Chapter One

A ray of blinding sunshine cut through the heavy storm clouds, adding a layer of steam to the first day of spring. Ah, sunshine. She’d missed it so much during the long dark winter.

AnnaBeth Sanders turned her face up, ready to enjoy the warmth, to bask in the renewal of promise that was springtime.

Almost immediately, a rumble of thunder shook the ground beneath her feet, and heavy clouds rolled in to obscure the sun, causing her to huff.

Obviously, it was too much to ask for the unseasonably mild weather to last. In Ohio, spring usually came in rough, bounced around a bit with winter, and then landed hard in rainy season.

It had drizzled off and on all day, but she’d briefly hoped for a pretty sunset. No such luck. She looked out at her tiny Chiweenie dog, Ruby, who for the moment seemed undecided on where to do her business. “Hustle up, Buttercup.”

The dog, of course, ignored her to investigate yet another patch of soggy ground. Ruby stretched her leash as far as she possibly could, which meant AnnaBeth was going to have to haul herself up off the porch steps any minute now.

“Your paws are going to be mud-covered. For real.” Not that it was a huge issue with a four-pound dog. Cleanup was usually a breeze.

Ruby glanced back at her in a dismissive doggy way, then suddenly turned to stare up the street, her posture alert.

That got AnnaBeth on her feet. “Yup, right on schedule.” True, the sunshine was nice, but the main reason she and Ruby were outside had more to do with her neighbor’s hot nephew. He visited around this time every Tuesday and Thursday, and often on weekends, as well.

AnnaBeth had been playing it cool around him for a year, but Ruby, who’d fallen head-over-paws in love with the guy’s five-year-old daughter, never hesitated to show her devotion.

Seconds later, Devlin Connely’s familiar SUV came careening toward his elderly uncle’s driveway, which ran alongside her driveway.

AnnaBeth stared. “What in the world?” He wasn’t exactly speeding, but he was definitely going faster than usual.

She and Ruby watched as he shot diagonally into the driveway, jammed the vehicle into park, then launched himself out of the driver’s seat and scrambled around at a fast sprint to the opposite back-seat door.

He fumbled, cursed low, got it open, and fumbled some more, then lifted out his daughter . . . just in time for Mia to projectile vomit.

For real, it shot through the air . . . and landed mostly on AnnaBeth’s driveway.

“Whoa.” AnnaBeth wrinkled her nose. The dog strained against her leash, more than ready to visit her friend—and possibly investigate the mess. Gross.

Super-fine Devlin Connely didn’t even seem to see her standing there, gawking at him.

All his attention was on his daughter as he jerked off his open flannel shirt and used it to wipe the little girl’s mouth. He said in a low, crooning voice, “It’s okay, sweetheart. Take a breath.”

Ambling closer, AnnaBeth asked, “What’s up, other than her stomach?”

Kneeling, gently rubbing the little girl’s back, he said, “Too much ice cream, I suspect.”

“Dad,” Mia complained, and promptly gagged again.

“Yeah, Dad,” AnnaBeth echoed. “No mentioning f-o-o-d to a chick who’s puking.”

Brown eyes, sinfully dark and heavily lashed, glanced up at her. “You’re not helping.”

“Should I help?” She knew Devlin was often overwhelmed, poor guy. As a single father who was also responsible for his aging uncle while holding down a full-time job and running a household, he juggled a lot.

Pretty much everything AnnaBeth had ever wanted—namely, family who depended on him, who loved him. Devlin might go to bed frazzled, but he never went to bed feeling completely alone in the world.

“Ruby,” Mia whined, reaching out for the dog. The little girl and the littler dog were anxious to cuddle. Nothing new in that. The pooch that used to be AnnaBeth’s had quickly become Mia’s, at least whenever Mia was around. Apparently, a little throw-up wouldn’t change anything.

“Not just yet, honey,” AnnaBeth said. “Ruby seems a little too interested in what your stomach no longer wants. If she starts nibbling, we’ll all be chucking buckets.”

“AnnaBeth,” Devlin complained . . . until Mia giggled.

Grinning at him, she scooped up Ruby and asked, “What can I do?”

He looked undecided about involving her.

“Dude, I’m just standing here. As you said, I can help.”

“I didn’t exactly say that.” Devlin stroked back Mia’s pale blond hair. “Better?”

“I don’t know.” Mia held her stomach.

Taking over as she often did, AnnaBeth said, “How about I get dog and kiddo into your uncle’s house while you properly park? Once you’re inside, I’ll hose off this mess—that is, if rain doesn’t wash it away first.” A glance up showed bloated, angry clouds tumbling over one another.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Devlin asked, “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Are you kidding? Mia and I are gal pals, ain’t that right, Squirt?”

In answer, Mia stepped around the mess and leaned on her leg. “Can I hold Ruby?” she asked in a pitiful voice.

Already the dog squirmed, wanting what Mia wanted. Shame that Chiweenies tended to bond so strongly with one person.

That person was now Mia.

Oh, when Mia wasn’t around, Ruby tolerated AnnaBeth just fine. But the second she spotted Mia, the dog switched allegiance in a blink. “Once I get you settled, okay? You’ll need to change clothes and rinse your mouth and all that stuff we girls do so we aren’t too gross.”

“Am I gross?”

“Just a tiny bit.” AnnaBeth put her hand to the middle of Mia’s narrow shoulders and started her toward the front door, but then paused. “Hey, is the house unlocked?”

“Shit, no.” Digging out his keys, Devlin jogged past the two of them, bounded up the porch steps, and unlocked the door. He yelled in, “Uncle Sony, AnnaBeth is coming in with Mia.”

No answer, which wasn’t surprising, since Uncle Sony often forgot his hearing aids.

Mia said, “Well, shit,” which made AnnaBeth’s eyes open wide as she choked down a laugh.

Devlin was not amused. “Mia,” he chastised. “You know better.”

In reply, the little girl wrapped her arms around her stomach and groaned, “Oh, I’m sick.”

Of course, Devlin softened. Typical dad reaction.

With a snort, AnnaBeth said, “You little actress. It’s not nice to tease your dad. You can see he’s out of sorts.”

Devlin started to dispute that, but then Uncle Sony appeared in the hall wearing only baggy boxers, a long-sleeved T-shirt, white crew socks, and slippers. He looked startled to find them all standing there, then shot a ferocious look at Devlin. “You coulda warned me we had company.”

Aggrieved, Devlin started forward, but AnnaBeth put a hand on his chest. Such a nice chest . Okay, so she might have copped a little feel under the guise of reassuring him. A girl had to get her thrills where she could.

“I’ve got this,” she promised. “Seriously. Go park, and take a breath while you’re at it.” To dissuade him from arguing, she stepped forward, with Mia’s hand in her own. “Uncle Sony, if you’ll excuse us,” she shouted so he could hear. “Mia tossed her cookies. I’m going to use the upstairs bathroom to clean her up. We’ll be back in five, so grab some britches, okay?”

Sony saluted her, pivoted around on his slippers, and headed to his first-floor bedroom.

She heard Devlin say, “I’ll be right back,” and then the front door closed.

Good thing their houses had identical layouts. “Can you walk, Squirt? I don’t know if I can carry you and Ruby both.”

“I could carry Ruby.”

“No can do,” she said. “You have a few chunks on you, which means Ruby will get chunks on her. We already agreed that’s icky, right?”

Mia cracked another grin. “Grandma gives me everything I want ’cuz I’m special.”

“Special, indeed, but I’m still carrying Ruby—for now.”

Another grin. “I like you, AnnaBeth.”

Her heart did a somersault. “I like you too, Squirt.” More than you know .

“You don’t give me everything.” Holding the banister, she proceeded slowly up the stairs, left foot up, right foot up. Her short legs made it more time-consuming. “Dad won’t, either. He says he loves me too much to give me everything.”

“Your dad is a wise, wise man.”

“He says I get sick at Grandma’s because she gives me too much.”

“Oh?” AnnaBeth didn’t mean to pry, but what else could she say to that? She knew Devlin and Mia well—Uncle Sony, too—but she’d never met the grandma.

“He told Grandma only two cookies, but she gave me five.”

Five? One more step up. “I thought it was ice cream?”

“Yeah.” Another step. “After the cookies.”

Good grief. At this rate, they’d still be in the middle of the stairs when Devlin returned. “Did you eat lunch?”

“Grandma said I didn’t have to.”

Sounded like Grandma went overboard on indulging the little girl. “Which grandma is this?”

“Grandma Olsen. Grandma Connely lives in Flor’da, but we visit. I like it most when we go there, ’cuz then I can play on the beach.”

So it was the maternal grandma loading Mia up on sweets. Since Mia’s mama had passed away three years ago in a pile-up on the interstate, maybe Grandma Olsen was misplacing her grief by spoiling her only granddaughter.

That thought made AnnaBeth sad for all of them—and even more determined to lend Devlin a hand. With sudden inspiration, she said, “Okay, Slowpoke, I’ll race ya to the bathroom.”

And just like that, Mia took off, bounding up the steps while AnnaBeth pretended to labor beside her. Once they reached the top, though, Mia looked a little green again.

“Come on, sweetie. We’ll get you cleaned up, and then you can settle on the couch and maybe watch a cartoon.”

“With Ruby?”

“Sure. Ruby would love that.” In the bathroom, AnnaBeth closed the door, set the dog on her feet, and whisked off Mia’s jacket and shirt, dropping both into the bathtub, which Sony didn’t use anymore. Not only did the elderly man struggle with the stairs, but if he sat in a tub, he might not be able to get back out.

Devlin had helped to get his uncle set up downstairs over a year ago, not long after AnnaBeth had moved in next door. Now, on the days when Devlin couldn’t visit, she made a point of checking on Sony in case he needed anything. Her number was saved in his contacts, as well as held on his fridge with a magnet.

She wet a washcloth under the faucet with warm water, and when she turned to face Mia, the girl had skinned down to cute little flowered panties. Nonplussed, AnnaBeth asked, “Was it on your pants, too?”

“Yup.” Mia sat down on the floor so Ruby could get closer. “It was everywhere, even on my shoes. But now Ruby can cuddle with me, huh?”

“Yes, and look how happy it makes her.” The dog crawled onto Mia’s lap and stared at her adoringly. Seeing them both so happy made it almost worth losing the loyalty of her pet.

Kneeling down, AnnaBeth gently wiped the girl’s face and neck, and then cleaned a little sticky stuff out of her hair. “Do you have any other clothes here?”

“Yup. In the room I use.”

A knock sounded on the door, and Devlin asked, “Everything okay?”

“AnnaBeth’s giving me a bath.”

The door immediately cracked open, and Devlin peeked in, looking confused—until he saw them on the floor.

“No bath,” AnnaBeth explained. “Just some cleanup. I’ll rinse out the clothes and put them in Sony’s laundry.”

“I can do it.” He held out a plastic cup of water. “You want to rinse, Mia?”

“Yup.” Instead, she guzzled down the water and handed the cup to AnnaBeth.

“Good enough.” After setting it on the sink behind her, she wiped Mia’s mouth once more. “Better?”

“Yeah.” Mia put a loud kiss on Ruby’s head.

AnnaBeth looked up at Devlin—something she wouldn’t mind doing for a day, a month . . . the rest of her life. “The squirt says she has clothes here?”

He held out a sweatshirt and sweatpants. “Already got them.”

“Wow, way to be proactive.” After accepting the clothes, she again shooed him away. “Make sure your uncle found his pants, too.”

There was a beat of silence before he said, “I took care of it.” Folding his arms, he leaned in the doorway and surveyed her as she rinsed the rag, wrung it out, and returned to Mia. “I’m not incompetent, you know.”

“Ha! Definitely not.” AnnaBeth snorted for good measure. “I’ve known you an entire year, and it’s like you’re a superhero, dealing with anything and everything that comes your way.”

Mia looked back and forth between them.

Yeah, she felt it, too. There was an extra zing in their conversation, beyond their usual teasing. Or maybe that was wishful thinking on her part. “You should get a bag for her clothes. They’re pretty messy.”

Smug, he pulled a plastic grocery bag from his back pocket. “You’re awfully comfortable giving me orders.”

“Yeah, well, I do that sometimes.” It was one of her biggest flaws, and God knew she had many. She cleaned Mia’s small hands, saying, “You have such cute fingers, kiddo.”

Devlin gave her a funny frown, not one of disapproval but more like puzzled awareness or something. “She does, doesn’t she? Cute toes, too.”

“Very cute toes.” Without thinking about it, AnnaBeth lifted one tiny foot and sniffed it. Ruby tried to lick her face when she did, which was the dog’s protective reaction. Ruby considered Mia her own, but since she wasn’t a biter, she licked. “Oh, good, no puke smell.” Wrinkling her nose, AnnaBeth said, “A little sweaty, though.”

Mia snickered while cuddling Ruby against her chest.

Trying to ignore the fact that six feet, two inches of sexy male stood behind her, AnnaBeth sighed. “You know, Ruby used to be my dog. She was totally into me, and she’s so small I could take her everywhere. We were like this.” She held up two crossed fingers. “Then you and your cute fingers and toes showed up, and Ruby jumped ship.”

“Did I steal her?” Mia asked, not sounding the least bit sorry.

“You stole her heart, that’s for sure. She loves you. Watch this.” AnnaBeth leaned in, as if to kiss Mia’s head, and Ruby snuffled kisses all over her face again. “That’s how she proclaims you as her own. No one else is allowed to smooch on you.”

Laughing, Mia said, “Dad, you try!”

“All right.” Lowering himself to his haunches, he said to AnnaBeth, “I’m not going to get my nose bitten, am I?”

“Ruby would never,” she replied in mock affront. “She’s a licker, not a biter.”

“Hmm.” He gave her a quick, heated look that completely took her off guard.

“I mean, that is . . .”

With a half-smile, he turned to kiss his daughter.

Ruby attacked his face with licks until he pulled back with a comical grimace. Mia cracked up, falling back against the side of the tub, while Ruby scampered around in excitement.

Quickly standing, Devlin lifted the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe his face—and left AnnaBeth agog. “Holy hotness, Batman.”

He paused, raised a brow, and had the audacity to ask, “What?”

I saw your happy trail, up close and personal, that’s what. She didn’t say it, luckily, but as heat rushed through her, she did quip, “A man shouldn’t go about flashing a woman like that. What if I’d swallowed my tongue?”

“You’ve seen me without my shirt before, when I cut my uncle’s grass.”

“From across the yard, not . . .” She flapped her hand between them. “Two feet away.”

He looked right at her and replied, “You could get even. I wouldn’t mind.”

Her jaw loosened. Did he want her to flash him? Nope, not happening. AnnaBeth took advantage of Mia’s distraction with the dog, and quickly pulled the girl’s clean sweatshirt down over her head.

“I love Ruby.” Mia punctuated the words with a cuddle, which got the dog’s skinny tail swinging wildly.

“Arms through, kiddo. I’ll hold Ruby only until you’re done getting dressed, okay?”

With that promise, the deed was completed with alacrity. Fingers grasping air, Mia sweetly demanded the dog back. Ruby practically leaped into her arms, forcing AnnaBeth to juggle her until Mia had a good hold.

I used to have a dog , she thought again. Ruby had been her only real family . . . for a few months, anyway. As soon as girl and dog met, it was love at first sight.

“You need socks,” she decided, and in an effort to distract herself, she started to push to her feet.

Devlin caught her arm, helping to haul her up. Unfortunately, their combined efforts caused her to stumble in the small space of the room. The back of her landed against the front of him and . . . yeah, she froze. In shock. In pleasure.

May as well savor the moment , she decided.

Near her ear, he whispered, “This is nice . . . except my daughter is watching.”

He liked the contact, too? Then the rest of what he’d said sank in. Oh, Lord. AnnaBeth jerked away from him with an absurd laugh. “Clumsy me. Sorry. I didn’t bruise your . . . chest, did I? I mean, I’m sure I didn’t, you being so hard . . .” Her eyes flared. “So solid , I mean.”

The man had the audacity to find her amusing. “I’m fine, AnnaBeth. A little warmer, maybe, but no, not bruised.”

A little warmer . What did he mean by that? And seriously, Mia was still watching them both, her attention rapt. “Socks!” AnnaBeth declared. “Where will I find them for the pipsqueak?”

“You call me the funnest things,” Mia said.

“’Cuz you’re the funnest gal—that’s why.”

“Funniest,” Devlin corrected, and AnnaBeth wasn’t sure if he was speaking to Mia or herself.

“ Funnest sounds better to us cool chicks.” She ruffled Mia’s hair, then lingered a moment, appreciating the silkiness of the long, pale locks. One day, Mia’s hair might darken like her daddy’s. It seemed possible, since they shared the same beautiful brown eyes.

When she turned back to Devlin, she found those warm brown eyes scrutinizing her. She cleared her throat. “Socks?”

“In my uncle’s old bedroom, down the hall on the right. Bottom drawer of the dresser, mixed in with a few of my things. Grab her something warm. The storm brought in cooler temps.”

“Sounds like a plan.” She wanted out of the too-small bathroom, where she seemed to be surrounded by him and his appeal, his oh-too-attentive daughter, and her faithless dog.

With a provoking smile, he stepped slightly to the side, which allowed her to inch her way out around him, but not without breathing in his “hot guy” scent and feeling the warmth of that tall, solid body, and yeah, wanting him, which, okay, she’d been doing since the day she’d first set eyes on him a year ago.

“Excuse me.” She double-timed it down the hall.

He called after her quickly retreating back, “I’ll take Ruby and Mia downstairs.”

“Yup, you do that. I might be a minute.” She ducked into the bedroom and, now out of sight, put her hands over her face. Oh, how humiliating.

Sex-starved, that’s what she was. It was the only explanation for her bizarre behavior. Even as she thought it, her spine tingled in remembered excitement at making contact with him. Her spine— hello, new erogenous zone.

Being “up against a man” shouldn’t be such a thrill, but for real, when that man was Devlin Connely, thrills abounded.

’Course, her arm was still tingly, too, from where he’d caught her to help her up, and her ear—that ear he’d whispered into—well, that ear would clearly never be the same.

As she listened to Devlin’s fading footsteps and the muted conversation he was having with his daughter, she fanned her face. She had to get it together. Help him, that’s all he wanted her to do, so that’s all she could do.

In the time she’d known him, he’d been friendly, polite, kind, even attentive, but he’d never, not once, made a real move.

In her head, she’d made many. But only in her head.

So now, she’d be the helpful friend he needed, and nothing more. She sealed that vow with a bracing breath and marched to the dresser. Bottom drawer, she recalled. The dresser was an ancient burl-wood piece of furniture that was part of a handsome bedroom set. Sony had probably had it for several decades. Maybe he and his wife had bought this set together.

Family .

What would that be like? To start a home together, have each other for sixty-plus years of marriage, so many good memories—and some that were bad, but still shared—and all that love . . .

But then to be the one left behind? Thank God, Sony had Devlin and Mia. She knew how they brightened his life. They were wonderful people, close and caring.

It would be amazing to be a part of it all. But she wasn’t.

She was just a neighbor with no family of her own, so the least she could do was be the best neighbor possible.

She opened the drawer and found the socks.

* * *

In the year since Devlin had met AnnaBeth, she’d been friendly, fun, thoughtful, always ready to lend a hand, but she’d never, not once, made a move.

It confounded him, because more and more every day, he wanted her, but there’d never been a single sign that she was interested. Most of the time, she treated Uncle Sony with the same open, teasing friendliness that he received.

Didn’t matter how many times he’d imagined more; she was his uncle’s neighbor, so he was respectful of her implied boundaries.

Yet it didn’t escape his notice that the tension he so often felt in his neck and shoulders had started to ease the moment he saw AnnaBeth tending to his daughter.

It wasn’t only that AnnaBeth was helpful, because that wasn’t unusual. It wasn’t only that she made Mia happy, though she always did. And it wasn’t merely her casual way of taking over, which so often amused him.

He couldn’t blame it on her looks, either. Sure, she was sexy. Really sexy, if he was honest about it, with her teasing blue eyes and long, light brown hair. Of course, he’d noticed her body, with those curves in all the right places. And the way she moved, so fluid and graceful but without artifice. There was no extra sway in her hips, no sideways glances or other flirting gestures that he sometimes noticed from other women.

But with AnnaBeth? She moved with a purpose, and he always noticed. Sweet personality, check. Good looks and gorgeous body, check. Great camaraderie with his family, check.

It was more than all that, though.

There was the sincerity of the small smile she wore whenever she spoke with Sony. The gentle touches to his daughter’s hair, and the generous way she shared her dog with Mia. How adept she was at handling the worst sort of cleanup—teasing, as if she actually enjoyed the duty.

And the way she watched him so intently? Hot. He had a feeling they’d burn up the sheets. Was she ready for that? Was he?

His body was, for sure.

She presented a powerful and appealing combo of attributes, both physical and emotional, and he was far from immune.

“What was it this time?” Uncle Sony shouted.

Knowing his uncle referred to Mia’s upset stomach, he explained, “Cookies and ice cream.”

“If you don’t get a handle on your mother-in-law, our girl’s gonna turn into sugar.”

Very true. Cindy Olsen often tried his patience with her refusal to follow any parental guidelines at all, regardless of how her behavior affected Mia. She loved her granddaughter; there was never any question about that, but she indulged her to excess. Since losing Dana, her only daughter, she’d poured every ounce of affection and attention she had into Mia. It was why he made sure Mia visited twice weekly, even on days like today, when it wasn’t convenient.

In his mind, a child couldn’t have too much love, even when that love often ended in a bellyache, or like today, with her—how had AnnaBeth put it?—tossing up her cookies.

Already stretched out on the couch with a throw blanket over her, Mia sleepily watched cartoons while Ruby curled up under her chin, her little nose tucked into Mia’s neck.

AnnaBeth was right. His daughter had more or less stolen the dog. Not deliberately, but girl and Chiweenie had quickly bonded, and now, whenever he was at his uncle’s, which was often, AnnaBeth was nice enough to let Mia visit with Ruby.

Which, of course, meant he interacted with AnnaBeth, too. He’d come to anticipate seeing her. Around AnnaBeth, things were never boring.

She was fun, laid-back, and easy to talk to. She never flirted, so there was no awkwardness around his eagle-eyed daughter. That had been refreshing . . . at first.

For the longest time after losing Dana, Devlin had barely noticed women or thought of himself as a man. All the responsibilities tied to parenting, extended family, the household, and work, had landed on him. In the middle of his grief, he’d learned that Dana had juggled even more than he’d ever realized.

Shared responsibilities were so much easier. Doing it all alone? That took a lot more coordination, but he was determined to keep his daughter’s life as full as possible.

Sony shouted, “She’s a good girl.”

Devlin glanced at Mia, who was used to Sony’s loud voice and only yawned.

He saw that his uncle was trying to get his hearing aids in right, so he didn’t bother reminding him to lower his voice. “She’s about to take a nap.”

“I meant the other one. The pretty girl.”

Mia said, “I’m pretty,” in a sleepy voice.

Of course, Uncle Sony didn’t hear her. “You’re beautiful,” Devlin confirmed, watching as Mia smiled and closed her eyes.

With a short laugh, Sony said, “She’s a looker.”

“I’m aware. I do still have eyes, you know.” By the time he’d met AnnaBeth, he’d been a widower for two years. Besides, AnnaBeth wasn’t the type of woman anyone could ignore. If her physical presence didn’t grab you, her big personality would.

Finger in his ear, his uncle made adjustments. “You need someone smart and sexy to snuggle up with at night.”

“Uncle Sony,” he said with a sigh, “you’re still shouting.” He again looked at Mia, but he could tell by her deep, even breaths that she was asleep.

“You should make a move.”

Devlin rolled his eyes heavenward. “She’s been clear that she doesn’t want that.”

“I bet she does.”

“Keep yelling, and she’ll hear every word.”

“Already did,” AnnaBeth said as she stepped into the room, “and you’re right, Sony.”

His uncle grinned, and finally in a lower voice, said, “You see, Devlin. A man could do a lot worse than the sweet girl next door.”

“Right you are.” She sat on the couch near Mia’s feet and expertly slipped the socks on her feet without disturbing her sleep. “What if a man got involved with a spy, or a serial killer, or someone just after his money.”

“I don’t have that much money,” Devlin told her, ready to play along. “I’m comfortable, but it’s not like I’m loaded or anything.”

“Hypothetical,” she replied, seemingly unbothered by his uncle’s matchmaking shenanigans. Carefully, tenderly, she tucked the blanket around Mia, stroked two fingers over Ruby’s neck, and smiled.

It was astounding to Devlin, how at ease she was with his daughter. Eye-opening, enlightening, and extremely pleasing. It was as if his body reacted to her sexiness, while his heart reacted to her nurturing nature.

And now all the teasing? “Exactly how much did you hear, AnnaBeth?”

“Enough to know you two were joking.”

Devlin started to correct her, but Uncle Sony spoke up. “Spring weddings are the best. I married Evelyn in the spring. It rained like hell, but we didn’t care.”

AnnaBeth smiled at him. “Were there flowers blooming?”

“Nah. My parents had a pig farm down south. Pigs woulda eaten any flowers. Once we moved up here, though, Evelyn planted flowers everywhere.” He eyed Devlin critically, then switched his gaze back to AnnaBeth. “Like you do.”

“I love flowers, and I love spring.” She glanced toward the window. “Even when it rains.”

So they were just going to act as if all the wedding talk hadn’t happened? Seemed so. AnnaBeth had done an admirable job of turning Sony’s attention while giving him an opportunity to reminisce. That, too, was one of her skills.

“I like this cartoon,” Sony said around a yawn. Using the lever on the side of his lounge chair, he tilted it back so his feet were elevated. “Mia has me hooked. Would you mind making some tea while I relax and watch it?”

Before Devlin could reply, AnnaBeth said, “Of course I wouldn’t mind.” She stood, and then tucked a second throw over his uncle. “You want some, too, Devlin?”

He stared at her. Damn, she was good at taking over, at attending to Mia, and even at pampering his uncle. “I can make it.”

Her smile never slipped. “I don’t mind. You had a rough day.”

“No, I didn’t.” Did she really see him as weak, or frazzled, or incapable of dealing with . . . well, everything? That bugged him, so he gestured for her to lead the way. “We can get the tea together.”

“Now you’re talking,” Uncle Sony said.

When Devlin turned to tell him to cease and desist, his uncle’s eyes were closed, and he looked ready to doze off, as well. “Faker,” he muttered, which only made AnnaBeth nudge him.

They left the dim, cozy living room together, went down the short hall side by side, past the first-floor bedroom on the right that his uncle now used, and the recently remodeled bathroom on the left that better suited his uncle’s needs than the one upstairs. With every step, Devlin was acutely aware of her lengthy stride, of her light, fresh scent, of her nearness . It’d be so easy to touch her—shoulder to shoulder, or to take her hand.

He didn’t. With AnnaBeth, he’d never been able to tell if the growing, nearly overwhelming attraction was one-sided, or if she had other reasons for staring straight ahead, now without a smile. Admittedly, he was far out of practice, but even so . . . he knew there was something between them. He was still a man, never mind that he’d been on ice for three years. Around this one particular woman, his instincts were alive and kicking.

As they entered the kitchen, the biggest and brightest room in the house, AnnaBeth said, “Grab a seat,” and began opening cabinets with practiced ease.

Bemused, Devlin leaned on the counter. “I take it you’ve done this before.” He knew she and his uncle were close, but he’d never before had a good reason to spend time alone with her during his visits. Never would he exclude his daughter, and his uncle was always far too observant for him to simply slip away with her.

“Sony does love his tea. And he’s such a sweetheart; I enjoy visiting with him.”

She was the sweetheart, but yeah, Uncle Sony was a charmer, too. “He told me you’ve cleaned his house a few times.”

She went still for a second, then lifted one shoulder. “I’ve tidied up for him here and there. No biggie.”

“AnnaBeth—” he started, trying to find the words to tell her that she didn’t need to do so much, but she cut him off.

“You know people call me AB Positive, right? Or just AB. You don’t have to work through that mouthful.”

He heard a note of defensiveness, and it bothered him. Was the nickname given out of kindness, or something else? “I like your name. It’s pretty.”

Her quick smirk proved she didn’t believe him. “AnnaBeth Posey Sanders. Who gives a kid the middle name of Posey, especially following AnnaBeth?”

“I’d never heard your middle name, but all together, it’s melodic.” When she didn’t reply, he said, “I’m sure your mother had a reason.” He watched her get out three mugs instead of cups, open a canister of tea bags, check the sugar bowl, and then refill it. All without speaking, so he tried another tack. “Is Posey the name of a relative?”

“No idea.” She flashed him a forced smile. “I never knew any of my relatives.”

Never knew.... His heart seemed to freeze up in his chest, and sympathy overshadowed every other emotion. “How is that possible?”

For only a second, her shoulders slumped. Then she brushed back her light brown hair, pivoted to him with a smile, and said, “I lost my parents when I was real young, too young to remember anything about them. I lived with a distant aunt for a while, but when she got divorced, she turned me over to the state. Foster homes here and there, you know how it is.”

No, he didn’t have a single clue, thank God. The urge to reach out to her, to draw her close, was hard to resist, but she had an emotional wall around her now. “I’m sorry; I didn’t realize.”

“Eh, why sweat the small stuff, right?” The kettle started to whistle, and she quickly removed it from the heat. “Grab a seat, Pete.”

“Pete?”

“It rhymes.”

That made him smile. He’d often heard her use goofy rhymes. To better put her at ease, he pulled out a chair as she requested, then replied, “Done, hon.” See, he could play that game.

“Not bad, but not great. Keep practicing.” She glanced at him with a questioning smile. “Sony likes two sugars in his tea. How about you?”

“One sugar, please.”

“Don’t tell Mia, but I load up. Tea is nasty. I don’t know how any of you drink it.”

One surprise after another today. “If you don’t like it, then why do you drink it?”

“Sony likes it, and he likes company while he drinks it, so I practically turn mine into syrup and visit with him while we share— ick, yuck —hot tea.”

Because she was just that nice, and maybe a little lonely, too. Over the past twelve months—basically, since the day he’d met her—he’d paid attention to her comings and goings. . . and hadn’t noticed any visitors.

With almost territorial interest, he’d waited to see who—and how often—she dated, but he’d seen no one at all, either of the romantic or friendly variety.

It struck him as odd. Not that she was odd, never that, but an incredibly attractive woman in her early twenties should have had an active social life. God knew, in his twenties, he’d enjoyed dating, hanging with friends, balancing work and school with plenty of fun.

Yet anytime he visited his uncle—days, evenings, or weekends—AnnaBeth was around. And alone. Maybe lonely?

As carnal curiosity about her consumed him, he pushed out of his seat. “I’ll take my uncle’s tea to him. He’ll fake sleeping, because he’s decided to throw us together.”

“He means well,” she said, defending Sony as if he were her very own uncle. “Don’t worry that I’ll take what you said seriously. In fact, since you’re here and they’re both asleep, I could just head home, I guess.”

He wanted her to take it seriously. And he wanted her to stay. “If you keep me company here in the kitchen, I promise you don’t have to drink your tea. Uncle Sony will never know.”

She hesitated, but when he held her gaze, doing his best to convince her, she drew a breath and nodded. “Solid plan. I like it.” She waved him off. “Go. Leave his tea on the table beside him, but make sure it’s far enough from his elbow that he won’t accidently bump it—”

“AnnaBeth,” he murmured, gently chiding. “I know how to take care of my uncle, I promise.” Then he added, “You don’t mind staying to visit?”

Pretty blue eyes, always so direct, stared into his as she softly replied, “I’ll enjoy it. Thanks for asking me.”