rolled her eyes. “This is my little brother, Kenny. He’s six.”
Kenny stared at her.
“I’m Shelby. I’m staying here with my grandmother, Mrs. Bower.”
“Oh.” He smiled, displaying two deep dimples at the sides of his mouth. “She makes us sugar cookies.”
“I know. She made them for me when I was little. In fact, she made some for me today. Would you like one?”
Cassidy took hold of Chester’s collar. “Thanks, but we can’t take food from strangers.”
Shelby was momentarily taken aback. Then common sense kicked in and she smiled at the children. “That’s a good rule. You’re right. Maybe after we get to know each other, we can share some cookies.”
Cassidy smiled. Her thickly lashed, dark blue eyes triggered something familiar in the back of Shelby’s mind, but she couldn’t place it.
“We have to take Chester home now.” Cassidy tugged the dog toward the steps. “Our aunt will be wondering where we are.”
“Okay. Nice to have met you. You and Chester are welcome here any time.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell my dad.” Cassidy waved goodbye.
Shelby stood and walked to the edge of the porch, watching the children tugging the little dog back home. She’d wondered who lived next door in the duplicate house. Gramma had told her Mrs. Marshall had passed away several years ago and the house had changed hands a couple of times. Obviously a family lived there now.
As the children neared the porch of their home, an old battered van pulled into the driveway. The sign painted on the side read “Handy Works.” Decals of various tools decorated the side panels, proclaiming some sort of handyman business.
Shelby watched as the children hurried toward the van. The door opened, and a man emerged. Tall and well-built with dark brown hair, the deep blue knit shirt he wore emphasized strong, broad shoulders and muscular arms. Faded, well-worn jeans hugged his long legs like an old friend. Dusty, work-scuffed Western boots completed the masculine picture.
He turned, arms open as the children ran to him. He lifted them off the ground in a tight hug, swinging them back and forth playfully. Shelby smiled. Not only was the man ridiculously attractive, he obviously adored his children. A lethal combination. Cassidy and Kenny began chatting away. She could hear their little voices across the wide, shared driveway. Kenny suddenly pointed toward her, and she smiled, raising her hand. The father turned and faced her. Her heart froze. Blood drained from her face.
No. It couldn’t be. Please, Lord, don’t do this to me. The man staring back at her was the last man on earth she wanted to see. Cassidy and Kenny’s father was Matthias Durrant, the fiancé she’d jilted for her career fifteen years ago.
Chapter Two
Matt Durrant turned his back and followed his children into the house, his jaw clenched, his gut in knots.
Shelby was back.
He never expected to see her in Dover again. Ever. She’d made her opinion of small-town life abundantly clear the day she gave back his ring. “I don’t want a small-town man with small-town dreams.”
Shelby Russell had broken his heart and abandoned him when he’d needed her most. He’d counted on her love and support to sustain him through a difficult time in his life. But instead she’d cut and run, giving back his ring, accusing him of breaking his promise. But what about her promise to him? Her own future had been more important than their future together. He’d finally come to terms with her rejection, though he’d never understood her sudden change of heart. Never understood how she could claim to love him one minute and walk away the next. It was only several years later, when he’d met Katie, that he’d been able to put Shelby’s rejection behind him and move forward.
So why, after all this time, did his heart still sting from Shelby’s rejection? And why had that brief glimpse of her hit him like a lightning bolt, filling his mind with things he thought he’d forgotten? He remembered her brown eyes had small specks of gold in them. He remembered the silken feel of her long brown hair, now worn shoulder-length and soft around her face. He remembered the impish, self-conscious smile that would make his heart skip a beat.
The girlish figure he remembered had given way to soft, womanly curves. Maturity looked good on her. He hated himself for noticing. He hated more that she could still cause a reaction in him after all this time. After what she’d done.
“Daddy, she was really nice.” Cassidy’s blue eyes were bright with excitement. “And she’s from New York.”
Matt frowned. He’d been bombarded with his children’s disjointed conversation from the moment he’d climbed from the van. Something about a lady and cookies. When he glanced over at the house it had all become clear. He rubbed his forehead in irritation. “How did you meet her?”
“I told you,” Cassidy explained, her tone tinged with irritation. “When Chester ran over to her house. She was sitting on the swing, and Chester was barking. I guess he thought she was a stranger so he was trying to warn us. Only she wasn’t a stranger. She’s Miss Ellen’s granddaughter and then—”
Matt placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Okay. I get the picture.”
Cassidy smiled. “She’s nice.”
Matt set his jaw. That’s not how he’d describe Shelby Russell. Self-centered. Insensitive. Career-driven, yes. But nice?
“She was going to give us sugar cookies, but Cassidy said no ’cause she was a stranger,” Kenny complained.
“Who’s a stranger?”
Matt glanced over at his younger sister, Laura Durrant, who had come to stand at the boy’s side. She’d been watching the children after school each day. He had a full schedule of classes this semester, which meant he wouldn’t get home until supper time. But she’d informed him two days ago that he’d have to find someone else. “That was the right thing to do, son.”
Kenny’s shoulders slacked. “Yes, sir, but Mrs. Bower made them. You always let us have her cookies. How come we couldn’t have any this time?”
“Because you didn’t know Shelby, that’s why.” Matt struggled to maintain his patience.
Laura frowned. “Shelby Russell?”
Matt jammed his hands into his pockets. “She’s back. She’s staying with Ellen Bower.”
“Oh. I’ll bet Miss Ellen is excited. Shelby hasn’t been home since you two broke up, has she?”
“I wouldn’t know.” He could see his little sister’s mind digesting the news.
“Hmm. Wonder what brought her back to Dover after all this time?” She glanced at him sideways, an ornery smirk on her face. “Maybe she came to look up old friends and acquaintances.”
Matt forced a smile over clenched teeth. “Why don’t you ask her?”
Laura
