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In loving memory of Buddy,
my beloved wheaten and my best boy,
who taught me about unconditional love
and was there for me in good times and bad.
You are missed, Buddy boy.
More than youll ever know.
Change is never easy but its the people you surround yourself with that make it bearable. To the Plotmonkeys, Julie Leto, Leslie Kelly, and Janelle Denison (especially Janelle, who read and reread every word in this story more than a gazillion times), your friendship and support mean the world to me. And to Shannon Short, whose wisdom and insight I rely on daily... make that hourly. Thank you all for believing in me always. It goes both ways, it really truly does.
To Kim Witherspoon and David Forrerthe people who say agents put their own interests before those of their authors dont know you. Luckily for me, I do. Thank you for looking to the future when it would have been much easier to remain complacent. Its been an interesting journey. I hope it goes on and on! And to Leslie Gelbman and Cindy Hwang, thank you for having faith in Serendipity and in me!
One
Ethan Barron sped down Main Street in his hometown of Serendipity, New York, with one thought only. You cant outrun your past. He ought to know. Hed tried hard enough.
He was still trying, if buying the old Harrington estate under a corporate name counted. But he had his reasons. It was one thing to let his brothers know hed returned. He didnt mind allowing the rest of the town time to squirm, wondering whod purchased the town landmark from the SEC auction block. Ethan hoped the fate of the previous owner wasnt a bad omen for him. Hed like the next phase of his life in Serendipity to be better than the last.
Ten years after taking off, he was back to face his past and make amends, if such a thing was possible. So far, his younger brothers werent interested in any family reunion he had to offer. His recklessness had destroyed their lives, and hed compounded his mistakes by leaving townand leaving them to social services. They werent ready to forgive.
Understandable.
He was still working on forgiving himself.
Nash and Dare were adults now, but Ethan owed them and he intended to prove they could count on him for the duration. Hopefully then theyd come around. And hed be waiting, no matter how tough the road or how long it took. Buying the most prominent house in town was his first step. Evidence that hed made something of himself and proof he was putting down roots, no longer the selfish ass whod caused more trouble than he cared to remember.
As he approached the turn to the house hed only been living in for three weeks, he noticed a woman standing on the grass beside the long driveway. He turned and slowed to a stop, then climbed out of his Jaguar, another concession to his success.
He walked toward his visitor, taking her in at a glance. The woman had shoulder-length blond hair and, even in the heat of summer, wore a dark pair of denim jeans and a collarless but clearly expensive jacket. Hearing his approach, she turned toward him, her eyes shaded by large black sunglasses masking her face. He didnt recognize her and yet a flicker of something he couldnt name passed through him.
Anything I can do for you? he asked.
She shook her head. No. I was just taking a walk. Her soft voice touched a memory deep inside him, but it was gone just as quickly.
Well, this is private property. He cocked his head toward the main road, hoping shed take the hint.
He wasnt in the mood for small talk with strangers. Although this well-put-together female definitely sparked his interest, he wasnt here for anything but family and setting the past right. No distractions. Not even sexy overdressed ones. In his experience, those kinds of women were the most dangerous.
She lifted her glasses and her golden eyes seared him straight through to his soul as she held his gaze for a long, deliberate moment. Like she was judging him.
Yep. Still an arrogant ass, she muttered, her previously mellow voice now pissed off and angry.
Familiar.
She slipped the sunglasses back in place, squared her shoulders, and headed down the road, turning her back on him just as hed intended.
Wait, he called after her, the word coming out like a direct order.
Im not your damned yo-yo, she tossed back over her shoulder and kept walking.
But he couldnt let her go. I said wait. He took a quick jog to catch up with her and grabbed her arm.
What? she snapped at him, and jerked her arm back, annoyed.
He inclined his head, unsure what had come over him. Do I know you? he asked, the answer niggling somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind.
You tell me. She lifted her glasses, this time perching them on top of her head, giving him a full view of her face and features for the first time.
Soft creamy skin with a hint of freckles, golden-brown eyes, and a perfect nose. Her pulse beat hard at the base of her throat, giving life to the memory that had been hovering just out of reach. Another hot steamy day, him on his motorcycle, her in her cheerleading outfit, walking from school to the house he now called home.
Well, Ill be damned, he muttered as more memories slammed into him.
Hed offered her a ride home that day. No one had been more shocked than him when shed taken it. Instead of driving up the hill, hed taken her behind an abandoned building in town and kissed her senseless. Hed wanted more. Shed rejected him.
He was right. He couldnt outrun his past.
So you do remember, she said, her tone clearly challenging him.
He inclined his head. The princess from the mansion on the hill, he mused out loud.
She placed one hand on her hip. What does that make you as the new owner? Prince Charming?
So word had gotten out after all. He should probably thank his housekeeper, Rosalita, for that. Shed come with the house, needed the job, and didnt like him at all. She provided him with all the gossip he didnt want to know about the town of Serendipity and its inhabitants. She talked nonstop while she worked. Of course shed tell the prior owners daughter who had bought their home.
Well? his trespasser asked, drawing him back to the present.
Ethan grinned. He liked her spunk and couldnt help but laugh. I dont remember you being a wiseass.
She raised a delicate eyebrow. Maybe thats because you didnt know me all that well, she said in the haughty tone he remembered.
And whose fault was that? He deliberately baited her, the memory of her rejection surprisingly strong after all these years.
Awareness and definite remembrance flickered in her gaze. He was struck by how those amber eyes still provided an open window to her soul. When he was younger, hed been captivated, mesmerized by how pure and untouched she appeared compared to the girls he normally hung around with. Girls with a harder edge, willing to give it up to anyone but especially to him because he had a reputation for being bad and had no problem living up to it.
Shed been different. Special. Another reason her rejection had stung so badly.
