that his hand was trembling. He wasn’t surprised. A bizarre coincidence like this was more than a little unsettling. Only yesterday he’d been thinking of Maggie, and his dreams last night had been filled with her. Then he’d awakened to a reality that didn’t include her, reminding himself that she was part of his past Until now.
For twelve years, Jake had felt as if the two of them had unfinished business. Now, after all these years, it seemed he was being given a second chance to make amends. And he intended to take it. He didn’t expect her to welcome him back with open arms. But he hoped they could at least find some sense of resolution and inner peace.
Peace wasn’t exactly the word Maggie was thinking as she burst through the kitchen door, breathless and pale. Her emotions were anything but peaceful. Her heart was banging against the wall of her chest as furiously as if she’d just finished a hundred-yard dash. She felt strangely light-headed. And more than a little annoyed. What was wrong with her? Why should a man whom she hadn’t seen in twelve years, who had walked out when she’d needed him most, still have such a powerful effect on her? It didn’t make any sense. And Maggie didn’t like things that didn’t make sense.
“Aunt Maggie?” Allison’s concerned voice penetrated her thoughts, and she glanced up.
“What’s wrong?” Abby asked, her face alarmed at her aunt’s pallor.
Maggie forced herself to take a deep breath. “I’m fine. I just… well…that man you two have been talking about, I—I used to know him.”
“You know him?” Allison repeated incredulously. “How? When?”
“A long time ago. I haven’t seen him in years. It was just a…shock, that’s all. I’ll be okay in a minute.”
Abby sent Allison a worried frown. Maggie never got rattled. “So who is he?” Abby persisted.
Maggie walked over to the center island and put two new muffins in the basket, then filled a glass with orange juice, aware that her hand was shaking. She knew the twins would notice. She also knew they weren’t going to let her get away without explaining this uncharacteristic behavior. With a sigh, she turned to find them staring at her, their expressions intent—and concerned.
“He’s a man I used to date…a long time ago.”
Suddenly the light dawned on Allison’s face. Though Maggie teased them about her past beaux, as far as they knew she’d only been really serious about one man in her entire life. Certainly none since they could remember. And it would take someone who had once been important to her to make their aunt…well, come unglued.
“Aunt Maggie, this is him, isn’t it?” Allison’s voice was slightly awed.
“Him who?” Abby demanded.
Allison turned to her twin, suddenly excited. “Him. You know, the guy Aunt Maggie was engaged to once.”
Now it was Abby’s turn to look incredulous. “Aunt Maggie, is that true?”
Maggie had always been glad that the twins had grown into insightful, perceptive young women. Until now. She might as well admit the truth, she thought with a sigh. They’d get it out of her sooner or later.
“Yes, it is.”
“Wow!” Allison breathed.
“Yeah, wow!” Abby echoed. “It’s so romantic!”
Maggie could think of other words to describe it. Disruptive, for one. Upsetting, for another. Scary, for a third, although why that word popped into her mind she had no idea. She turned to the twins and gave them a stern look.
“Now look, you two, the man is leaving shortly. It’s just sheer coincidence that he turned up on our doorstep last night. I’ll admit I was surprised. Shocked, even. But don’t make a big deal out of this.”
“But Aunt Maggie, don’t you think it’s…well, like a movie or something, that he appeared out of the mist at your B&B after all these years? You know, where long-lost lovers are reunited and rekindle an old romance?” Abby asked dreamily.
“First of all, we are not long-lost lovers. We didn’t get lost. We broke up. On purpose. And second, neither one of us has any interest in rekindling an old romance. I’m perfectly content with my life just as it is. And even though he’s not wearing a ring, Jake could very well have a wife and five kids somewhere.”
“I’ll bet he doesn’t,” Allison predicted smugly.
“Now why on earth would you say that?” Maggie demanded impatiently, turning to find the other twin peeking through the crack in the door.
“Because he keeps looking this way, like he’s waiting for you.”
“He probably just wants his orange juice,” Maggie pointed out, trying desperately to keep her voice from reflecting the turbulence of her emotions.
As she picked up the glass and added it to the tray with the basket of muffins she could feel the twins’ gazes on her back, knew they were silently communicating with each other about this exciting development in their aunt’s lackluster love life. But in truth, she didn’t want to go back out there. Talking to Jake would only stir up old, painful memories best left at rest. Yet, refusing to see him would be childish. Their relationship was history, after all. Whatever they once felt for each other had long since evaporated. They would simply carry on a calm, mature conversation, and then she’d bid him farewell. She could handle that, she thought as she lifted the tray and walked toward the door.
Couldn’t she?
Jake was on his feet the moment Maggie stepped through the door, but when she was detained by guests at another table, he slowly sat back down. In a way he was grateful for their intervention, because as they engaged her with questions about local sights, he had a chance to look at her unobserved.
She’s changed, he reflected, as his discerning gaze swept over her. She was still slender, her trim figure shown to good advantage in a pair of well-fitting khaki slacks and a green, long-sleeved cotton blouse that was neatly tucked in and secured with a hemp belt. But the girlish figure he remembered had changed subtly—and attractively—as she’d matured.
His appreciative eyes moved to her hair. The vibrant red color had mellowed slightly, but was no less striking, he noted with pleasure. He’d always been partial to red hair, and Maggie’s was especially beautiful, shot through with gold highlights. Apparently she’d never quite tamed its waves. Despite her efforts to pull it sedately back, loose tendrils had escaped around her face, giving the no-nonsense style a winsome, feminine appeal. She still had her freckles, too, he observed with a smile, but they appeared to have faded slightly. He assumed she was grateful for that change, recalling how she’d always complained about them.
But there was something else…different…about her, he realized. The Maggie he remembered had been dependent, always waiting for him to take the initiative. The woman he now observed seemed anything but dependent She was gracious, poised and self-confident A woman who not only took charge of things but was quite capable of taking
