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  Gabe nodded. “Sounds like a real gem,” he said.

  In fact, he sounded like a lot of the men who’d passed through his mom’s life over the years. Gabe felt a sudden surge of empathy for Adelia. And he liked the fact that his waitress was firmly in her corner. He suspected the rest of the town was, too, just the way they’d always stood up for the wronged wives when his mom had been the other woman in way too many relationships.

  Funny what a few years could do to give a man a new perspective. Back then all he’d cared about was the gossip, the taunts he’d suffered at school and his mom’s tears each time the relationships inevitably ended. He’d witnessed her hope whenever a new man came into her life and then the slow realization that this time would be no different. His heart had broken almost as many times as hers.

  Still, he couldn’t help thinking about all the complications that came with a woman in Adelia’s situation. He had enough on his own plate without getting mixed up in her drama. Much as he might enjoy sitting right here and staring, it would be far better to slip away right now and avoid the powerful temptation to reach out to her. Heaven knew, he had nothing to offer a woman, not yet, anyway.

  “Darlin’, could you make that pizza of mine to go?” he asked his waitress.

  “Sure thing,” Debbie said readily.

  She brought it out within minutes. As Gabe paid the check, she grinned. “I imagine I’ll see you again tomorrow. Maybe you’ll try something different.”

  “Maybe so,” he agreed, then winked. “But don’t count on it. I’m comfortable in this rut I’m in.”

  She shook her head, then glanced pointedly in Adelia’s direction. “Seems to me that’s just when you need to shake things up.”

  Gabe followed the direction of her gaze and found the very woman in question glancing his way. His heart, which hadn’t been engaged in much more than keeping him alive these past few years, did a fascinating little stutter step.

  No way, he told himself determinedly as he headed for the door and the safety of his comfortable, if uninviting, room at the Serenity Inn. He’d never been much good at multitasking. Right now his only goal was to prove himself to Mitch and to himself. Complications were out of the question. And the beautiful Adelia Hernandez and her four kids had complication written all over them.

  * * *

  “Looks as if somebody has an admirer,” Elliott commented to Adelia. Though his tone was light, there was a frown on his face as he watched the stranger leaving Rosalina’s.

  “Hush!” Adelia said, though she was blushing. She leaned closer to her brother. “That is not the sort of thing you should be saying in front of the kids. The ink’s barely dry on my divorce papers.”

  Elliott laughed. “The kids are clear across the restaurant playing video games. You’re only flustered because you know I’m right. That guy was attracted to you, Adelia. I recognize that thunderstruck expression on a man’s face. I wore it a lot when I first met Karen. I saw it in the mirror when I shaved. It happened every time she crossed my mind.”

  Adelia smiled at the memory of her little brother falling hard for a woman no one in the family had approved of at first simply because she’d divorced a deadbeat husband. Elliott had fought hard to ensure that they all came to accept Karen and her kids and love them as much as he did. After her own marital troubles, Adelia had come to admire her sister-in-law’s strength.

  “You were a goner from the moment you laid eyes on her, weren’t you?” she said.

  “No question about it,” he said. “I still am, and I don’t see that ever changing. I want that happily-ever-after kind of love for you.”

  “Maybe someday,” she said, not really able to imagine a time when she’d be willing to risk her heart again.

  Elliott nodded in the direction of the door. “So, any idea who your admirer is?”

  “Stop calling him that,” she ordered, blushing again.

  “Just calling it like I see it,” he teased. “And it’s nice to see some color in your cheeks.”

  She gave him a mock frown. “Don’t make me sorry I called you tonight,” she scolded. “There are some aggravations I can’t avoid, but you’re not one of them.”

  He grinned. “You needed me here to help you corral those kids. And don’t even try to pretend that you didn’t enjoy the way that man was looking at you. You’re not just a mom. You’re a woman. You’ve seen far too little of that sort of appreciation in recent years.”

  “That may be so, but I’m not even remotely interested in dating anytime soon,” she repeated emphatically, though she knew she was wasting her breath. Her brother loved getting under her skin and he’d just found a new way to do exactly that.

  “You didn’t recognize him?” he persisted, proving her point that he didn’t intend to let this drop. “You work right downtown. You’re involved in every activity in the school system. You see people all day long.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve never seen him before. He must be new in town.”

  “And Grace Wharton hasn’t sent out a news bulletin?” he asked, only partially in jest. Grace, who ran the soda fountain at the local drugstore, prided herself on knowing all the comings and goings in town and being the first to spread the word. “Or are you just pretending that you missed the latest edition?”

  Adelia tried a stern look that on rare occasions worked with her kids. “Drop this, please. There’s been enough turmoil in my life these past months to last a lifetime. These days I’m a mom first and foremost. I need to get the kids settled in our new house and on an emotional even keel. That’s my only focus for now.”

  “You’re still a vibrant, attractive woman,” Elliott reminded her, clearly undeterred by her expression or her words. “You deserve to find a man, the right man, who’ll appreciate and respect you in a way that Ernesto never did.” His expression darkened. “I still wish you’d let me teach him a lesson about mistreating my big sister.”

  She almost smiled at his zealous desire to stand up for her but didn’t because she didn’t want to encourage him. “I dealt with Ernesto. Thanks to Helen Decatur-Whitney, he’ll be paying for his misdeeds with those generous support payments for the kids for years to come. Every penny is going in the bank. They’ll have enough money tucked away to attend any college they choose when the time comes.”

  “I still don’t get why you refused any alimony,” Elliott told her, his frustration plain. “The man owed you, Adelia. You have a business degree, but you never used it so you could concentrate on being the perfect wife and mother. Who knows what you might have achieved by now if you’d started a career after college?”

  “Being a wife and mother was the career I chose,” she told him. “I don’t regret that for a second. Now that I’m a single mom, I’ll put just as much energy into working and being a good parent. Being independent is important to me, Elliott. I need to know I’m in control of my life.”

  “I’m just saying that Ernesto’s money might have made it easier,” he argued.

  “Don’t forget that Helen got enough money in a lump sum to pay for the new house and to keep our heads above water for a year, longer if I’m careful. I’m making decent money at the boutique, especially since Raylene made me the manager. I want to show my girls they can grow up to take care of themselves.”

  “I guess that’s an admirable goal,” he said, though his tone was doubtful.

  She smiled at him. “Isn’t that what your wife did after her husband left her with a mountain of debt? Karen made a life for herself and her kids. It was a struggle, but she persevered. That’s one of the reasons you fell for her, because she was strong in the face of adversity.”

  “I suppose.” He grinned. “But then she found me and now it’s my mission to take care of her and our family.”

  “Funny,” she said. “Karen seems to think you have a partn
ership.”

  Her brother winced at the reminder. “Sorry. Apparently the Cruz macho tendencies die hard.”

  “As long as they die,” she told him. “But I’ll leave it to Karen to teach you that lesson.”

  Elliott frowned. “How did we get off track and start talking about my marriage? We were talking about you and that man who just walked out of here after giving you a thorough once-over.”

  “While the idea of any man staring at me appreciatively is a welcome change,” she conceded, “I’m not looking for a relationship now. Maybe never. How many times do I need to say that before you believe me?”

  Elliott looked dismayed rather than convinced by her response. “Don’t let what Ernesto did shape the rest of your life, Adelia,” he said fiercely. “Not all men are like that.”

  “You’re certainly not,” she agreed. “And for that I am eternally grateful.” She touched his cheek. “I imagine Karen feels the same way. She must count her blessings every night.”

  “Most nights,” her brother corrected with a grin. “At least when she’s not exasperated with me for one thing or another, like forgetting about that whole partnership thing, for instance.”

  “Yes, I can see how you might test a woman’s patience,” she told him. “As a boy you were certainly a pest.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  She patted his cheek again. “Don’t fret, mi hermano. We all wind up loving you just the same. Even though this conversation is making me a little crazy, I know you mean well and I love you for caring.”

  Elliott’s expression suddenly sobered. “Adelia, promise me something, okay?”

  “Anything.”

  “If a man comes along, you’ll leave yourself open to the possibilities. I’m not talking about the man who just left here, but any man.”

  “Any man?” she echoed, amused.

  “After I’ve checked him out thoroughly,” he amended.

  “Now that sounds much more like the overly protective brother I know and love,” Adelia said.

  “Promise,” he repeated.

  Though she couldn’t imagine it would be a promise she’d have to keep, at least not anytime soon, Adelia nodded. “Promise.”

  Just then the pizza and the kids arrived at the table simultaneously and, thankfully, further conversation was impossible.

  Time and time again, though, she found herself glancing toward the door and thinking about the man who’d cast a lingering look in her direction. Whether it was the openly appreciative way he’d studied her or her brother’s teasing, she felt the oddest sensation stirring deep inside. It was a sensation she hadn’t anticipated and didn’t especially want, but it felt a whole lot as if she might be coming alive again.

  CHAPTER TWO

  If Rosalina’s had become his restaurant of choice in the evening, the bakery was the place where Gabe satisfied his sweet tooth every single morning. Not only was Sweet Things owned by his cousin’s new wife, Lynn, but he’d quickly discovered that the woman made the best cookies, pies, pastries and cupcakes he’d ever put in his mouth. If Mitch hadn’t beaten him to it, he’d have courted Lynn himself, not that he’d mentioned that to his cousin. He needed Mitch as an ally, not an enemy.

  Thank goodness, though, ever since Gabe had arrived in town, Mitch had insisted on starting their mornings here over coffee and pastry warm from the oven as they planned how Gabe was going to fit into the company. His cousin filled him in on the work needed on the neighboring properties. Lynn joined them from time to time, but she was usually far too busy baking to take a break just past the crack of dawn.

  At full daylight and after getting his fill of coffee and pastries, Gabe walked the length of Main Street with Mitch, trying to get a feel not only for downtown Serenity as it currently existed, but for his cousin’s vision.

  The historic brick town hall at one end of the large, tree-lined green housed the city’s offices. Wharton’s, which had been in business as far back as Gabe could remember as a combination pharmacy and soda fountain, anchored one side of Main Street. A hardware store revitalized by Ronnie Sullivan anchored the other side.

  Sweet Things was in that block, along with Chic, the stylish women’s boutique next door. The remaining storefronts were empty and mostly boarded up, victims of the economic downturn and of the tendency in too many small communities for business to flee to the outskirts of town and more modern strip malls. The one exception in the next block was the relatively new and apparently wildly successful country radio station with its studio window facing the green so the on-air hosts could report on Serenity’s many holiday festivals and everyday happenings.

  Gabe had been able to view the recent progress with appreciation, but he was still mindful that a lot more was needed before downtown Serenity could be described as thriving.

  This morning—his first official day on the job—he studied Mitch over his mug of coffee. “You really think turning this town around is possible?”

  “I’m counting on it,” Mitch said. “Our town manager, Tom McDonald, believes it’s possible and is doing everything he can to lure new business to town. I want to be sure there are up-to-date properties available to rent when the prospective business owners come to look things over. I want downtown to be irresistible. I want them to see it immediately as a better bet than one of those strip malls that have started popping up along the highway outside of town.”

  Gabe smiled. “Were you always this idealistic and ambitious?”

  “I don’t see it as ambition. I see it as a chance to do something for a town I love, the town where I’ve built my life. I don’t want to see downtown die the way it has in so many towns.” Mitch shrugged. “Maybe that is idealistic.”

  “I hate to tell you, pal, but that ship has sailed. Right now, this downtown is on life support at best.”

  “I know a few people, my wife among them, who’d tell you otherwise,” Mitch retorted. “And Dana Sue Sullivan, whose restaurant lures people from all over the state, would pick a major fight with you if she heard you say that. Sullivan’s may not be right on Main Street, but her success speaks for itself.”

  Gabe laughed. “Well, I’m not about to take on Dana Sue. I’ve heard too many stories about her temper. But Lynn is what they call a pie-eyed optimist. She married you, didn’t she? What does that say about her judgment?”

  Mitch didn’t take offense at his teasing. He laughed with him.

  “She took a chance on me, all right,” Mitch said. “I thank my lucky stars for it. After Amy died and the boys were away at college, I was a lost soul for a while.” His expression sobered. “I wish you’d come over for dinner one night, instead of existing on pizza. You know you’re welcome anytime.”

  “I know that,” Gabe said. “But you’re still a newlywed. I don’t want to intrude.”

  “We’re past the honeymoon stage,” Mitch said, though the appreciative glance he cast in his wife’s direction as she came out of the back to wait on a customer said otherwise. So did the touches he couldn’t resist making every time she was in close proximity. “We’ve been together almost a year now. And with Lynn’s two kids underfoot, it’s not as if we have a lot of privacy, anyway.”

  “In my book a year still makes you a newlywed.”

  Mitch gave him a knowing look. “And in my book, you’re just making excuses. You’re family, Gabe. You’re not an outsider. I know you didn’t feel that way as a kid and I’m as sorry as I can be about the way the rest of the family treated your mother.”

  Gabe waved off the apology. “You were just a kid yourself. You had no control over what the adults did and thought. Besides, I get where they were coming from. My mom had her share of problems. Drinking was the least of it.”

  Mitch winced. “I came way too close to relying on alcohol myself after I lost Amy,” he revealed quietly, startli
ng Gabe. “I’d like to think I wouldn’t have judged your mother for that weakness.”

  Gabe wondered if there was some hereditary inclination that seemed to steer Franklins toward booze. “I took a brush with it myself after Mom died,” he said. “Even though I knew firsthand where that path could lead. Now that I’ve got my feet back under me and can see what dangerous decisions I was making, I feel a lot more sympathy for her myself than I did when I was living with it. I can also see a lot more clearly that she sure as heck had an addiction to the wrong sort of men. It was a bad combination.”

  “But those shouldn’t have become your problems, too,” Mitch said. “You took them on when the family should have been there to support both of you, instead of passing judgment. It wasn’t right that you got labeled a troublemaker for trying to protect your mom.”

  “Water under the bridge,” Gabe insisted. “Can we stop talking about this, please? You’ve more than made up for the past by giving me this job.”

  Mitch dismissed the sentiment. “I have to admit that I’m still a little surprised that you wanted to come back to Serenity. You were awfully eager to put the town and your family behind you when you took off after your mom died.”

  Gabe shrugged. “Seemed to me like the best place to get a second chance would be in the same place where you blew the first one. I guess I was finally ready to face the past, instead of running from it. Maybe I can shake those ghosts that seem to go with me wherever I am.”

  “A very mature outlook.”

  Gabe laughed. “Yeah, well, I imagine that’s a surprise for you, too. It sure is to me. Maybe hitting forty somehow turned me into a grown-up.” He set out determinedly to change the subject once and for all. “Now, what’s on the agenda for today? You’ve given me enough time to get settled in. I’m anxious to get started and prove you didn’t make the wrong decision by taking me on. I filled you in on my experience, but you haven’t seen my work firsthand. I meant what I told you—if it doesn’t measure up, you can tell me that straight-out, okay?”