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  Whatever it was that gave Melanie such endless patience, he was grateful. Too bad she wasn’t sticking around. Summer was just around the corner, and he was in desperate need of day care. He’d hire Melanie in a heartbeat, if she were willing. Jessie had pretty much worn out her welcome at every child-care center in the region, and taking her with him on jobs had proved to be frustrating for both of them.

  The temptation to broach the subject anyway was almost too great to resist. What stopped him was the realization that it wasn’t all about Jessie. He’d been more at peace today than he had been in a long time. There was something soothing about Melanie’s company that worked its magic on him as well as his daughter.

  And sharing the responsibility of caring for Jessie, even for a few hours, had shown him what life might have been like if things had turned out differently with Linda. He’d gotten a taste of being a real family, and the pitiful truth was, he’d liked it.

  Was it possible that he’d been waiting all these years for someone like Melanie to come along? Someone who’d take them both on?

  No, he said staunchly. Absolutely not!

  But even as he mentally uttered the disclaimers, he could hear that they weren’t ringing the least bit true. On some level, something had shifted today. Seeing Melanie had stopped being all about fixing up the Rose Cottage garden and had somehow gotten to be about healing his and Jessie’s wounded hearts.

  Jessie was a complicated and troubled little girl. Melanie had picked up on that even before Mike had hinted at it. The tantrum at the end of a long day wasn’t that unusual, but there’d been plenty of other signs, including the way Mike tiptoed around his daughter as if he’d do just about anything to avoid an outburst. Naturally Jessie, being a smart kid, had caught on to that, and she knew just how to play him and his single-dad guilt.

  Despite all the problems, Melanie couldn’t help being charmed by the six-year-old. She hadn’t been around many children, but she’d discovered today that she loved the way Jessie’s mind worked, the way her imagination knew no bounds. It was also a boon to her wounded pride to have the little girl regard her with undisguised adoration.

  Of course, Melanie warned herself, it wasn’t healthy to get too attached or to allow Jessie to become too attached to her. This was a one-time outing, not the start of something.

  Still, she couldn’t help liking the way Jessie snuggled against her as they sat on the floor in the children’s section of the bookstore and pored over the selections.

  “I like this one best,” Jessie said, after they’d looked at a dozen or more choices. “Are you sure I can have it?”

  “Absolutely. It’s a present,” Melanie said.

  Jessie studied her worriedly. “You and my daddy are friends, right?”

  “Yes,” Melanie said, not sure why that was relevant.

  “Then it’s okay,” Jessie concluded happily. “I couldn’t take it if you were a stranger.”

  Ah! “No, you couldn’t,” Melanie agreed. “But we can check with your dad, if that would make you feel better.”

  Jessie eyed the book with longing. “He might say no,” she said hesitantly.

  “Leave your father to me,” Melanie told her with a confidence she had no right to feel. She’d taken a lot for granted today. The mere fact that she’d insisted on bringing Jessie to the bookstore to avert a tantrum was probably more interference than some would have tolerated. But after an initial show of reluctance, Mike had actually looked relieved. She had a hunch he’d been at his wit’s end with Jessie for some time now.

  Suddenly Jessie jumped up and bolted, clutching the book. “Daddy, look at the present Melanie’s getting me!”

  Melanie gazed up into Mike’s turbulent eyes and guessed that she’d overstepped. “It’s just a book. And she read me the first page all by herself, so I thought she deserved it.”

  His gaze faltered at that. He hunkered down in front of Jessie. “You read the whole first page?”

  “Uh-huh. Want to hear?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She plopped right down on the floor in the middle of the aisle and opened the book on her lap. “Chadwick,” she began, then looked at her father. “Remember him, Daddy? He’s the crab.”

  Mike grinned, pride shining in his eyes. “I remember.”

  Jessie went on to read an entire sentence, slowly but without a single mistake. She gazed up at Mike. “Is that right?”

  His smile spread. “Absolutely perfect. I guess the book is yours, but I’m buying it.” He pulled some money from his pocket and gave it to her. “You take it up front where I can see you and pay for it.”

  “Okay,” Jessie said happily and ran off.

  “I would have bought it,” Melanie told him. “I’m the one who made the deal with her.”

  “I know, but it’s better this way.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want her to start to count on you.”

  “It’s a book, Mike, not a commitment.”

  He regarded her with troubled eyes. “Not to Jessie. Don’t make promises to her, Melanie. Not when you’re leaving.”

  Suddenly she understood. “You’re comparing me to her mother.”

  His expression turned dark. “You’re nothing like Linda,” he said bitterly. “But you will leave. You’ve told me that yourself. I have to protect her from that kind of disappointment. Kids tend to think abandonment is all about them, no matter how often you tell them otherwise.”

  He walked away before she could think of anything to say. Besides, it wasn’t the time or the place to pursue the subject, so Melanie simply followed him as he went after Jessie.

  They drove back to her house in silence. Jessie had fallen asleep in the backseat, so Mike left her there and unloaded the plants quickly.

  “Keep ’em watered till we can get them into the ground,” he said when everything was out of the back of the truck. “I’ll be by to help when I have some time.”

  “Sure,” she said. “Thanks for taking me along to day.”

  He gave her a curt nod, then strode back to the car and drove off, leaving Melanie to stare after him and wonder about the woman who’d hurt him so badly he didn’t trust Melanie not to do the same. Worse, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t. The only way to be sure was to avoid getting involved with him and Jessie in the first place.

  Melanie wasn’t all that surprised when Mike showed up on her doorstep on Monday morning, most likely right after dropping Jessie off at school.

  “Do you have a minute?” he asked, looking vaguely uneasy.

  “Sure. Come on in. I just made coffee. Want some?”

  “Coffee sounds great.”

  He took a seat at the kitchen table, but when Melanie had handed him his mug of coffee and seated herself across from him, he avoided her gaze. She could have let the silence go on, but it was beginning to get on her nerves.

  “I suppose you came by to warn me again about getting too close to Jessie,” she said. “I’ve thought about it, and I can see your point.”

  “Actually I came to apologize,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I made it seem as if you’d done something wrong, when you’d been nothing but kind to her all day long. Most people wouldn’t have jumped in to take charge when she was about to throw a tantrum. They’d have run for the hills.”

  “It wasn’t a big deal. She’s a great kid.”

  “She’s a troubled kid,” he corrected. “I’m sure you figured that out.”

  “Because you and her mom are divorced,” Melanie said.

  “That and…” He seemed to be struggling to find the right words. “Well, because her mom was addicted to drugs when Jessie was born. It’s affected Jessie. She was born addicted, too.”

  “Oh, Mike, I’m so sorry.”

  “She’s okay for the most part, but there are lingering effects, like the tantrums over nothing. One minute she’s fine, the next she’s out of control. It’s like living with a time bomb, only I don’t have any idea when
it’s set to go off.”

  Melanie’s heart ached for both of them. “That must be incredibly frustrating for both of you.”

  He frowned. “I didn’t come here so you could pity me. I just thought you should know why I’m so protective of her. Keeping Jessie on an even emotional keel is hard enough without people coming and going in her life.”

  Melanie wanted to argue that children needed to learn that people would always come and go, but how could she? Not only was it not her place, but it was probably entirely different for a child who’d lost her mother. Having that relationship severed at such an early age had to be traumatic. Additional losses would only bolster Jessie’s fear that it was unsafe to give her love to anyone. It could have a lasting effect on her emotional well-being.

  Before Melanie could think of what she could say, Mike stood up. “Well, that’s all I wanted you to know. I’d better get going. I have a delivery at one of my jobs this morning, and I need to be there to supervise getting all the plants into the ground. I should be able to get by here to help you by midweek.”

  “Whenever it’s convenient,” she told him. “I just appreciate your willingness to take this on.”

  Melanie walked him back to the door. Impulsively, she reached up and touched his cheek. “You’re a terrific dad, especially given the trying circumstances. I hope you know that.”

  Surprise flickered in his eyes. “What makes you say that?”

  “You remind me of my own dad and, believe me, there’s not a better one on earth. You’re protective and attentive and you listen to Jessie. Most of all, it’s obvious you adore her. She may miss having a mom in her life, but she’s very lucky to have you.”

  For an instant this hulking, strong man looked flustered. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Melanie grinned at him. “It’s a compliment. All you need to say is thank you.”

  Instead, to her astonishment, he leaned down and kissed her—just the slightest grazing of warm lips against hers, but it was enough to send heat spiraling through her.

  Then he was out the door. He was halfway to the street when he finally glanced back and caught her with her fingers against her lips. He winked.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  Now she was the one who was flustered. “Anytime,” she whispered, but only when he was too far away to hear her.

  This visit to Rose Cottage was supposed to provide her with a whole new level of serenity, but suddenly Melanie was feeling anything but serene. She’d felt more clear-to-her-toes shock waves from that innocent little kiss than she’d ever felt in Jeremy’s arms. Now wasn’t that interesting?

  And dangerous.

  Mike had worked like a demon all day, pushing himself in the vain hope that sweat and hard work would make him forget all about that kiss. It had happened on impulse, just a quick little brush of his mouth over hers, mostly to see if it would rattle her half as much as her kind words and solemn expression had rattled him.

  The joke had turned out to be on him. His blood had been humming all day long, and the scent of her had lingered with him. Apparently there wasn’t enough perspiration on the planet to overpower it.

  “Hey, Mike, we’re supposed to provide the labor,” Jeff Clayborne shouted.

  “I’m just helping out a little,” Mike responded, pausing long enough to wipe his brow with the already-soaked bandanna he’d stuck in his back pocket.

  “You help out any more and we’ll be out of jobs,” Jeff retorted. “Take a break, man. I’ve got a Thermos of iced tea here that I’ll share with you.”

  Mike knew all about Jeff’s tea. It was so sweet it was enough to send most people into a diabetic coma. Jeff said the key to getting it that way was to boil the sugar right into it. Mike shuddered at the thought.

  “I’ll pass on the tea, thanks, but I will take a break. I’ve got bottled water in my truck.” He grabbed a bottle from the cooler in back, then joined the other man in the shade of an oak tree.

  Jeff glanced over at him. “Something on your mind?”

  “No. Why?”

  “You usually work this hard when there’s a problem with Jessie. Otherwise, you loaf around and supervise the rest of us.”

  “Very funny,” Mike commented. “And you’re totally off the mark. Jessie’s great, actually.”

  “I imagine that has something to do with her new friend,” Jeff said, his expression innocent.

  Mike saw where this was going and wondered how word had gotten around so quickly. Then again, this was a small town.

  “What new friend would that be?” he asked, keeping his own expression neutral.

  “I heard blond hair and big blue eyes and legs that wouldn’t quit.” Jeff grinned wickedly. “Oh, wait, she would be your new friend, right?”

  “Go to hell,” Mike muttered.

  “Heard she’s new in town, that she’s Cornelia Lindsey’s granddaughter and that the three of you were over at the nursery on Saturday, then at the ice cream shop and then the bookstore.”

  “It’s a damn good thing we weren’t trying to sneak around,” Mike muttered irritably.

  Jeff laughed. “Yeah, well, you definitely picked the wrong place to live if you ever hope to keep your personal life a secret. Besides, an awful lot of people have been trying to set you up ever since you moved here, including my wife. You’ve turned ’em all down. Naturally they’re curious when you managed to find someone all on your own. The staff at the nursery couldn’t wait to report to Pam and me.”

  “Melanie doesn’t have anything to do with my personal life,” Mike insisted, figuring he would eventually burn in hell for the lie. “She’s a client. Sort of.”

  “How does someone get to be a ‘sort-of’ client?” Jeff taunted. “Especially since you told me last week you weren’t taking on any new jobs for a while.”

  “I’m helping her get the garden fixed up at her grandmother’s place.”

  Jeff regarded him with amusement. “And I imagine she’s ‘sort of’ paying you for your help. Am I right? What’s the going rate for that kind of help? Dinner? A roll in the hay?”

  Mike scowled at him. “It’s not like that, dammit.”

  Jeff held up his hands. “Hey, okay. Don’t get all worked up. I was just teasing.”

  “Yeah. That’s the kind of teasing that can ruin someone’s reputation. Knock it off.”

  Jeff’s gaze narrowed. “Do you really have a thing for this woman?”

  “No, absolutely not!” Mike responded fiercely.

  Jeff studied him intently, then burst out laughing. “Oh, pal, you are in one helluva state of denial.”

  Mike glared at him. It was probably true, but his friend didn’t need to be quite so gleeful about it. Mike stood up slowly, deliberately took his time over the last swallow of cool water from the bottle, then tossed it in a nearby trash bin. Only then did he meet Jeff’s gaze.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said quietly.

  Jeff laughed. “Sure, I do. I said exactly the same thing about Pam till about fifteen minutes before the wedding ceremony. Denial’s second nature to us, pal. Women know it, too. They just ignore our protests, and the next thing you know, bam, wedded bliss.”

  “Not gonna happen,” Mike insisted. He’d been there, done that and lived to rue the day. Except for Jessie, he reminded himself quickly. She was worth all the rest.

  She was also the reason why he’d never let things with Melanie go anywhere. Period.

  He didn’t waste his breath saying any of that to Jeff. Why spoil his gloating? Jeff clearly didn’t believe any of his denials, anyway. Hell, after the impact that sweet, innocent little kiss had had on his system, Mike wasn’t sure he believed them himself. Besides, perhaps the rumor of his interest in Melanie would finally get Pam off his case about going out with every available woman she ran across. Maybe that trip to the nursery hadn’t been as innocent as he’d believed it to be. Maybe he’d subconsciously known that it would stir up talk, the kind of talk
that could save him from all that unwanted matchmaking.

  Jeff gave him a knowing look. “You’re thinking this will get Pam to stop meddling, aren’t you?”

  “It crossed my mind,” Mike admitted.

  “Ha! This kind of rumor is all the motivation she needs to kick her campaign into high gear. You’re matrimonial toast, buddy. Accept it now and save yourself a lot of aggravation.”

  Mike bit back a groan. “Can’t you control your wife?”

  Jeff gave him a sympathetic look. “You really don’t know the first thing about women, do you?”

  “No question about that,” Mike agreed. “No question at all.”

  5

  On Monday night the skies opened up, and the April showers began in earnest. They continued straight through the day on Tuesday and again on Wednesday. Dull gray clouds dumped sheets and sheets of endless, cold rain, turning the yard into a mud bath.

  Melanie sat in the dreary kitchen, sipping a cup of tea, eating a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie that was burned on the edges, and regretting that she’d ever agreed to come to Rose Cottage. She was bored. She was lonely. Worst of all, she was daydreaming about yet another man she couldn’t have.

  There was little question in her mind that, despite his single status, Mike wasn’t available. He’d clearly dedicated himself to raising his daughter and maybe to nursing whatever resentments he still felt toward his former wife. The very last thing Melanie needed in her life was a man whose heart wasn’t free, whatever the reason.

  She ought to pack up and head back to Boston before the appeal of that one kiss made mincemeat of her common sense. She ought to go back, find her dream job, maybe move into a new apartment and definitely throw herself into enough hobbies that she’d forget all about her knack for finding the wrong men. The D’Angelo women had been taught to be independent. She didn’t need a man in her life.

  Of course, watching the way her parents still got a little gleam in their eyes when they saw each other and their freely given affection with each other had made all of them long to achieve what their parents had. Colleen and Max D’Angelo made marriage look easy.