It Had to Be Him(2)

He glanced toward the car where Haley snoozed in her car seat and shrugged. “Yeah, okay. Night.”

“Night.” She let out the breath she’d been holding and watched him walk away. Ryan and her oldest brother, Ben, were perpetually annoying, but the only truly decent guys she knew. All the others had lied to her, cheated on her, or broken her heart.

Friends told her she had trust issues. But they were wrong. She could trust. She absolutely trusted that any guy she dated was going to hurt her in the end.

Men.

Who needed them?

Anything they could give her, she could take care of herself with the right machinery and a fresh set of batteries.

After cranking the car door open, she lifted her adorable blonde Tasmanian devil onto her shoulder, then kicked the front door to the guesthouse open wider. Moonlight filtering through the windows guided her to the bedroom.

Warmth filled her as she tucked her beautiful baby under the sheets. Technically, Haley wasn’t a baby anymore. She was a precocious two-and-a-half-year-old who proudly declared that extra half year to anyone who asked. And she looked just like her father.

As Meg unloaded the few things they would need right away, thoughts of Josh still sent waves of hurt to her heart. He’d wormed his way into her life when she’d been giving a talk about management software at a resort trade show. When his mesmerizing, tiger-like amber eyes had locked onto hers, she’d totally forgotten her next bullet point. During the two drinks they’d shared after her presentation, she had connected with him like she’d never done with any other man.

But it was his shoes that should have been the giveaway.

Josh stood well over six feet, with thick blond hair worn just a tad too long, working-man broad shoulders, and a naughty you-know-you-want-me grin, all in stark contrast to his slick Armani suits and Italian loafers. Any straight man who paid that much attention to his shoes wasn’t going to have time for love.

She’d been an idiot, thinking she’d finally found the one. An upstanding guy who, when he made time for her, made her laugh like no one else. After dating a few months, she had moved into his upscale downtown condo that she then shared with him for about four more months. But when she’d accidentally gotten pregnant, the door hadn’t had time to hit him on the butt on his way out of their relationship.

Probably because he couldn’t stand the thought of baby puke on his shiny Ferragamos.

She’d have to remember to add the shoe thing to her “do not date these kinds of guys ever again” list.

Unfortunately her heart rarely paid attention to her list.

After getting ready for bed, she crawled in beside Haley, pulling her close for a comforting snuggle. Why, after three years without a word, had Josh sent her a text asking where they were and could they please talk? He wouldn’t be looking for her; he’d made it clear they were through. Maybe he’d grown a conscience and wanted to be a father to Haley? Too late for that. He’d abandoned them, and Haley belonged with Meg.

When she hadn’t responded to Josh’s text, he’d called the receptionist from her last job and asked about them there too. It was all the incentive Meg needed. She’d been considering coming home anyway. If the residents of Anderson Butte could keep their yaps shut about all the celebrities who returned to the hotel year after year because of the absolute privacy the town provided, then hopefully they’d make sure Josh wouldn’t find her and Haley either. No way was she going to let the man who’d charmed her, made her fall in love with him, and then shattered her heart do the same to her daughter.



The next morning, Meg snuggled into her pillow and sighed as the pleasant aroma of coffee filled the air. She cracked an eye open and winced at the bright morning sun streaming through the window, then grabbed the mug her sister, Casey, held out.

Meg whispered so as not to wake Haley beside her. “Ryan has a big mouth. It’s probably not even six yet and everyone knows we’re here?”

“Hi to you too,” Casey said softly as she sank to the edge of the bed. “It’s six thirty and yes, everyone knows you’re here. Want to talk about it?”

“Can’t a girl come home for a visit without getting the third degree?” Taking a deep drink, Meg admired the beautiful sight known as Casey Anderson Bovier. Her sister was tall, willowy, and elegant. The exact opposite of Meg. “Thanks. This is really good.”

“You’re welcome.” Casey’s face scrunched into that mom look. The one that told Meg her sister/surrogate mother knew something was up. “What’s going on, Meg?”

“Maybe I just wanted to come home for a while?”