Taryn’s moved to a new town—and found a new man!—in the latest Wickham Falls Weddings story!

Aiden Gibson is devoted to his daughters, he’s a former Navy SEAL and he’s gifted as a chef. But Taryn Robinson is living in his house and homeschooling his children, which makes Aiden completely off-limits. Taryn knows she and the strong, sexy SEAL can only be friends. Or could she, Aiden and the girls be a perfect family in the making?

Since 1988, national bestselling author ROCHELLE ALERS has written more than eighty books and short stories. She has earned numerous honors, including the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award, the Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing and a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Iota Theta Zeta Chapter. A full-time writer, she lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island. Rochelle can be contacted through her website, www.rochellealers.org.

Also by Rochelle Alers

Home to Wickham Falls

Claiming the Captain’s Baby

Sweet Silver Bells

Sweet Southern Nights

Sweet Destiny

Sweet Persuasions

Here I Am

Because of You

Secret Vows

Eternal Vows

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Her Wickham Falls SEAL

Rochelle Alers

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07767-5

HER WICKHAM FALLS SEAL

© 2018 Rochelle Alers

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Her Wickham Falls SEAL is dedicated to

David and Juliet Johnson

and their precious adopted daughter, Chloe.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Quote

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Extract

About the Publisher

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.

—The Song of Solomon 1:15

Chapter One

Taryn Robinson checked her reflection in the full-length mirror attached to the closet door. She’d selected a black wool gabardine pantsuit, white silk blouse and black suede booties to meet her prospective employer, who had informed her that she had passed his background check.

It had been ages since she’d had to interview for a job; the last time was years ago when she’d walked into a school building in downtown Brooklyn. At that time, she was a twenty-two-year-old with an undergraduate degree in early elementary education, a graduate degree in reading and a teacher certification. She had sought a position in a school where she could not only teach but also make a difference.

Her idealism had come from her social worker mother, who went above and beyond for her disadvantaged clients, and it was no different for Taryn, because she saw firsthand how some children had fallen through the cracks when she was a student-teacher in a less than desirable Washington, DC, neighborhood. However, she was realistic enough to know she couldn’t change the world but only begin with one child at a time. Fast-forward nearly ten years, and she’d just resigned her position at that same school to leave all that was familiar to put down roots in a new state.

This was her third trip to Wickham Falls, the town with a population boasting less than forty-eight hundred residents and two traffic lights. The first time she’d come was to visit her former Howard University roommate, earlier that summer, and the second was to stand in as Jessica Calhoun’s maid of honor when she married Sawyer Middleton.

Now she had returned to the house to dog-sit for the newlyweds honeymooning in the Caribbean, and interview for the position as a live-in teacher to homeschool single father Aiden Gibson’s preschool daughters. Her backup plan, if Aiden decided not to hire her, was to apply for a position as a reading specialist or a permanent substitute teacher with the Johnson County school district where Jessica taught fifth grade. Taryn still could not believe that she was willing to trade the nonstop energy of New York City for the slow and easygoing pace of a small town in West Virginia.

It had taken a while for her to weigh her options on whether or not to relocate because she was at a crossroads in her life. She was thirty-two years old, soon to be a thirty-three-year-old, elementary schoolteacher living with her parents and grandmother, and the ninety-minute commute each way between Long Island and downtown Brooklyn had become emotionally and physically exhausting. There had been a time when her total daily commute was less than twenty minutes, but that all changed after she sold her condo to move in with her then boyfriend, who’d subsequently slept with her coworker and best friend.

Her mother had been devastated when Taryn revealed her boyfriend’s betrayal, while her brother went ballistic, threatening to inflict bodily harm on the man who’d cheated on his sister. Taryn had to talk both off the proverbial ledge when she made arrangements for James not to be in the apartment when she went there to pack up her clothes and personal items.

She also wanted a clean break from the school in which she taught because every day she had to be around the colleague who’d deceived her. And instead of confronting the scheming woman, she ignored her as if nothing had occurred. There was no way she was going to lower her standards and fight with a woman over a man. Her mantra was “Men are like trains. There is always one leaving the station.” It had been almost eighteen months since her last relationship ended and she was in no hurry to begin another one.

Although she would miss her parents, grandmother, brother, his wife and their children, she would not miss the traffic jams that added to her commuting woes. Sitting in her car for an interminable length of time on the Long Island Expressway, dubbed the world’s longest parking lot, would become a thing of the past.

She’d spoken to Aiden the day before and he’d given her the directions to get to his house. Taryn wasn’t certain why he wanted to homeschool his four-and five-year-old daughters, but she would find out soon enough.

She checked her hair and makeup for the last time, and then turned on her heel. Jessica’s black-and-white bichon frise–poodle mix sniffed her shoes. “I can’t play with you now, Bootsy, but Auntie Taryn promises to take you on a long walk around the neighborhood when I come back.” Aiden had set up the interview for eight that morning because he was scheduled to be at his restaurant at nine.

Walking Bootsy had become therapeutic for Taryn because it gave her time to question whether she had made the right decision to give up all she had in New York to come to a place she never knew existed before Jessica moved there. Her initial reaction to Wickham Falls was that it was too quiet, too small and much too remote. There were no malls, fast-food restaurants, bigbox stores or drugstore chains, and railroad tracks ran through the center of town. Moving to what locals called “The Falls” was akin to culture shock for Taryn, but she was willing to risk it because she needed to start over.

Taryn gathered her tote with the large envelope filled with the documents she promised to give to Aiden, left the house, locked the door behind her and got into her recently purchased late-model black Nissan Pathfinder. She’d put so many miles on her old car driving between Suffolk County in Long Island and Brooklyn that she feared breaking down when she least expected. She started the engine, programmed Aiden’s address into the GPS and backed out of the driveway and onto Porterfield Lane. Lights, wreathes and Christmas decorations adorned many of the homes along the street. Most were tastefully decorated, unlike a few of the homes in her Long Island neighborhood where homeowners competed to outdo one another with lights, music and inflatables.

It took less than four minutes for her to arrive at the address Aiden had given her. She parked in front of a large three-story white farmhouse with a wraparound porch, black shutters and matching front door. American and US Navy flags were suspended from porch columns. Taryn smiled. Aiden and her brother had something in common. Lieutenant Langdon Robinson was currently active navy.

She alighted from the SUV at the same time that the front door opened and a tall blond man sporting a military haircut walked onto the porch and waved to her. Now she had a face to go with the deep drawling voice with a distinctive Southern cadence.

* * *

Aiden’s expression did not reveal his surprise when he approached the woman with whom he’d had several conversations about possibly homeschooling his daughters. His eyes met Taryn’s large, slightly slanting light-brown eyes flecked with gold as she gave him a direct stare. If her intent was to make a good first impression, then she had made her point. Everything about her demeanor radiated confidence. And she was beautiful. Aiden found himself mesmerized by her round face and delicate features in a toffee-brown complexion.

He extended his right hand. “Aiden Gibson.”

Taryn stared at his hand for several seconds before she took it. “Taryn Robinson.”

He had lost count of the number of people he had interviewed to work for his family-owned sports bar, but suddenly Aiden felt like a gauche teenage boy meeting the girl on whom he had a crush. But then he had to remind himself that Taryn wasn’t looking for a position as a server, busser, dishwasher or cook. She had come to interview for a position where she would share a house with him and his daughters.

Aiden released her hand. “Please come inside where it’s warm.” He led her up to the porch and into the house. “Have you had breakfast?” He knew he’d surprised Taryn when she gave him a questioning look.

“No. Why?”

“I thought we’d talk over breakfast. I know I asked you to meet me at eight because I was scheduled to be at the restaurant at nine, but my brother just called and offered to take the lunch shift at the Wolf Den. That’s the name of our family’s restaurant.”

“Who watches your daughters when you’re working?”

“It’s been a merry-go-round with my mother, my sister, Esther, and occasionally my sister-in-law. My mother came up from Florida to stay with me for almost six months but went back because my stepfather was complaining that he missed her. Right now my sister babysits them whenever I work the night shift.”

Taryn followed Aiden through the parlor, living and dining rooms with furnishings she thought of as classic farmhouse with oak-topped bleached pine tables. Area rugs with geometric designs covered polished plank floors. Off-white sofas and plush love seats and chairs covered in prints and plaids in varying hues of pink and red flowers immediately caught her practiced eye. She had minored in art in college, and Taryn was always conscious of colors and symmetry.

“How often do you work nights?”

“I’m two weeks on and two weeks off.” Aiden wanted to tell Taryn it wasn’t easy being a single father, yet he was willing to make sacrifices to afford his girls a stable environment. He pointed to the trio of stools at the breakfast bar. “Please sit down and relax.”

Taryn sat and placed the tote on the floor. The kitchen was a chef’s dream with stainless-steel appliances, white bleached pine cabinets, a built-in refrigerator/freezer, eye-level oven, microwave, twin dishwashers, a breakfast bar and nook with bench seats, and an industrial stovetop and grill.

“Are your daughters here now?”

Aiden shook his head. “No. They’re in Orlando with their grandparents.” He washed his hands in the smaller of two stainless-steel sinks and then slipped on a pair of disposable gloves. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“Oh, I get to choose?”

“Of course,” he countered, smiling.

Lately, there hadn’t been much for Aiden to smile about because it was as if his life was in limbo. The restaurant was down one cook and he’d had to put in more hours, which took time away from Allison and Livia. He also felt guilty that his mother, who should’ve been enjoying her retirement, was looking after his children. However, he never regretted divorcing his wife and being awarded full custody of their daughters.

Taryn rested an elbow on the granite countertop and cupped her chin on her fist. “Do you have a menu?”

His smile grew wider. So, he thought, the pretty teacher definitely has jokes. “Not available, but I’m certain I can whip up whatever you want.”

A pair of light brown eyes met and fused with his bluish-green pair. “If that’s the case, then I’d like a bagel with lox.”

“Sorry, but I happen to be out of bagels.”

Taryn scrunched up her pert nose. “Then I’d like a Southern breakfast: grits, fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, buttered toast and coffee.”

I like her! Aiden mused, as he turned on the eye-level oven. It appeared she had a sense of humor, something that had been lacking with his ex-wife. Denise had claimed she had nothing to laugh or smile about because the townsfolks hated her and her family.

“That’s one order I can fill. Do you want cheese in your grits?”

“Yes, please.”

Aiden walked over to the built-in refrigerator/freezer to select the items he needed to prepare breakfast. Of all of the rooms in the house, he felt most comfortable in the kitchen. He’d grown up watching his father cook for his family, and once he entered adolescence he had been invited to join his father and uncles in the Wolf Den’s kitchen.

“Do you cook?” he asked Taryn as he returned to the cooking island with eggs, bacon, a loaf of bread and a plastic bag of shredded cheddar cheese. Aiden placed strips of slab bacon on a baking sheet and sprinkled them with a shaker filled with brown sugar before setting the pan on a shelf in the oven.

“I do. But I prefer baking.”

“That’s where we differ. I love to cook, but I don’t bake.”

Taryn slipped off the stool, took off her suit jacket and draped it over the back of her stool. “Do you work weekends?”

“Right now I do, because we’re down one cook. I’d like for you to clear up one thing for me.”

“What’s that?” Taryn asked.

“Why do you want to homeschool my daughters?”

* * *

Taryn leaned forward. “Why do you need someone to homeschool your daughters?”

Aiden went completely still and gave her a direct stare. “I asked you first.”

“I can’t answer your question until you answer mine. After all, Aiden, you’re the one who put out the word that you were looking for someone to provide instruction to your children.” They engaged in what Taryn thought of as a stare-down until Aiden nodded.

“You’re right. I don’t know if Sawyer told you about how folks in The Falls view my ex-wife’s family.”

“He’s never said anything to me,” Taryn admitted truthfully. She knew Jessica’s husband had grown up in Wickham Falls.

“The Wilkinsons are considered the town’s black sheep, and because my daughters share that bloodline they are looked down upon. Many of the parents in this neighborhood won’t allow their children to play with Livia and Allison because they claim they’re bad seeds. Rather than confront some of these narrow-minded adults, I prefer to have my daughters homeschooled until they’re ready for middle school. By that time, they’ll need to socialize with other kids their age and hopefully will be confident enough to hold their own against some of the bullies.”

Taryn stared at Aiden as if he’d taken leave of his senses. She did not want to believe feuds like the Hatfields and McCoys were still happening. “Have the parents openly bullied your daughters?”

“Not to my knowledge. It’s their kids who repeat what they hear their parents say.”

“So they don’t have any friends at all?”

“They play with their cousins.”

Taryn was still attempting to wrap her head around the fact that Aiden’s daughters were pariahs because of their mother. “I believe you made the right decision to keep them home at this age. However, I’m going to socialize your daughters and teach them what they should know.”

Aiden’s features softened in a smile. “Now that we’re on the same page, I’d like to know why you prefer homeschooling to teaching in a traditional classroom.”

Taryn tucked her shoulder-length, chemically straightened hair behind her ears. “Although I like teaching in a traditional classroom setting, it was the commute that wore me down. I drove, on average, three and a half hours each day, five days a week and most times when I got home, all I wanted to do was grab something to eat and go straight to bed. The next day, I was on the road at dawn to make it to work before eight. I hardly ever hung out after work with coworkers or friends because I had a fifty-five mile drive back to Long Island.”

“What about the weekends?”

Taryn wanted to tell Aiden that she’d had a very active social life when she lived in Brooklyn, even before she moved in with her ex. There was always somewhere to go, new restaurants to explore and Manhattan was only a subway stop away. “If I went anywhere, it was usually on Long Island, because I didn’t want to drive or take the train into the city.”

Aiden filled a pot with water and set it on the cooktop. “Are you saying you’re through with the big city?”

“You can say that.” Reaching down into the tote, she removed the envelope. “I’m giving you copies of my teacher certification, certification in CPR and first aid, and several letters of recommendations that I’d sent to you. I’ve already resigned from my former school, so if you choose not to hire me, then I plan to apply for several vacant positions at Jessica’s school.”

“Did I say I wouldn’t hire you?” Aiden questioned.

“You haven’t said you would,” she countered.

Aiden flashed a sheepish grin. “I must admit, I would’ve hired you sight unseen after the background check, plus Jessica told me you’re a dynamic teacher. And being one of Johnson County’s more popular teachers, I have to believe her.”

“You don’t think she said that because we’re homegirls?”

“No. I don’t know Jessica like that. I met her for the first time this past summer when she came into the Wolf Den with Sawyer. That’s when I asked if he knew anyone looking for a job as a live-in nanny.”

Taryn recalled her conversation with Jessica during her first visit to West Virginia. “When Jessica first told me you wanted someone to homeschool your girls, I wasn’t ready to move down here because, initially, I thought Wickham Falls was too quiet.”

Opening the oven door to check on the bacon, Aiden asked, “What made you change your mind?”

“I was still on the fence until my second trip. I spent most of the time relaxing on Jessica’s patio, clearing my head and weighing my options. That’s when Jessica reminded me that if I was tired of commuting, then I could always get a teaching position here because there were a number of vacancies at her school district. Then I thought about how much I enjoyed working for a couple with young kids when I was a student at Howard University. I babysat and tutored, and seeing them excel was very rewarding. That’s when I asked her for the phone number to your restaurant.”

“So it was commuting that made you give up the bright lights of the big city for a life in rural West Virginia.”

Taryn wasn’t about to tell Aiden about having to work alongside the woman who made her question true friendship. She was also embarrassed that as a thirty-two-year-old professional woman she still lived with her parents. After she’d sold her condo, she had invested the proceeds with the intent of using it as a down payment on a house if or when she and James decided to marry. And she was certain she and her boyfriend would’ve eventually exchanged vows if not for interference from a third party.

“It definitely tops the list as to why I want to relocate,” she half lied after a pregnant pause. It didn’t top the list but rated higher than some of the other reasons.

Aiden walked over to the opposite end of the countertop and opened a drawer. “And because I don’t want you to apply for a position with the local school district, I’m officially hiring you to homeschool my daughters.” He removed a large envelope and a pen, and he handed them to Taryn. “You’d mentioned you wanted a contract, so I had my attorney draw up one for you. We didn’t discuss salary, but this is what I’m prepared to offer you. If you agree to the terms, I’d like you to sign all three copies. I’ll countersign them and give them to the attorney for execution.”

Taryn removed the contract from the envelope and perused it. When she glanced up, she noticed a hint of a smile tilting the corners of Aiden’s mouth. He wasn’t what she thought of as handsome, but rather ruggedly attractive. His face claimed too many sharp angles, and the bump on the bridge of his nose indicated it may have been broken at one time. However, it was the color of his eyes, a rich blue-green that reminded her of the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea that she found hypnotic. It was as if fire burned behind the brilliant orbs.

“How did you know?” she asked, once she recovered her breath. Aiden was offering her the same salary she’d earned from the New York City Department of Education.

“The investigator who conducted your background check told me,” Aiden admitted. “I was afraid if I offered you less, you wouldn’t take the position.”

When Aiden had informed her he was going to have someone conduct a background check on her, Taryn had given him the information he needed to complete the investigation. She wasn’t concerned that anything negative would surface when it came to her profession, but she was less than confident as to her personal life. She still could not believe she’d been so trusting, so naive when there had been obvious signs that her love life was in trouble.

Once she discovered her boyfriend had cheated on her, Taryn had not explained to her colleagues why she moved back to her parents’ home. Nonetheless, the truth was revealed when her best friend, Aisha, invited James to accompany her to their faculty Christmas party. There had been whispers and shocked looks all around once everyone realized Taryn and James were no longer a couple. Gossip reverberated throughout the school building for weeks, while those who were bold enough to approach her and ask what had happened were disappointed when Taryn rebuffed their queries.

“It appears as if your investigator was quite thorough.” Her voice did not reveal the inner turmoil she always felt whenever she recalled the shame and embarrassment of coming face-to-face with her ex-boyfriend and her best friend and colleague in the private dining room at a restaurant overlooking the East River. It had taken Herculean strength not to retrieve her coat and leave. She managed to stay until the end and then got into her car and drove home. Within minutes of walking into her bedroom, she went online and searched for vacation websites. It hadn’t mattered that it was two weeks before Christmas and many of the airline deals were blacked out. Throwing caution to the wind when it came to price, Taryn decided to rent a villa in Fiji where she spent six glorious days detoxing from bad karma. She returned to the States tanned, rested and ready to start over.

“That’s because I have to be able to trust you to be around my children. The contract is for a year, beginning January 1 with an option to renew or opt out thirty days before December 31. You’ll notice I’ve included a clause where I’m willing to pay for your medical insurance. Once you give me your tax information, I’ll have my accountant add you to our payroll. All employees get paid on the fifteenth and the last day of each month.”

Taryn glanced at the contract again. The language wasn’t filled with the legalese she would usually have to ask her attorney father to interpret. She picked up the pen and scrawled her name where indicated on all three copies, dated it and then gave them to Aiden to countersign. “It appears very straightforward.”

“That’s because down here most of us are plainspoken. After breakfast, I’ll give you a tour of the house and show you where you’ll have your private quarters.”

“Will I have space to set up a classroom?”

“Yes. The enclosed back porch and sunroom should give you more than enough space for what you’ll need. A cleaning service comes in every Friday morning, so I don’t want you to do any housework. And you don’t have to concern yourself with cooking, because I’ll prepare meals in advance for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

“When are your daughters coming home?”

“January 25. Why?”

“I’m going to need to order furniture and school supplies before I begin instruction. Once I return to New York, I’ll order what I need from a teacher store warehouse and have everything shipped down here.”

“There’s a warehouse in Beckley where you can get most of what you’ll need.”

“Do they have desks?” she asked.

“Yes,” Aiden said, as he added grits to the pot of boiling water and stirred the grains with a wooden spoon. “I looked them up online when I first decided to homeschool my girls.”

“What if I buy the supplies I need in New York and have them shipped to Jessica’s house, and then when I come back, you can take me to Beckley for the furniture.”

Aiden smiled and a network of lines fanned out around his large luminous eyes. “That’ll work. I’m off tomorrow and if you don’t have anything planned, I can drive you up to Beckley so you can select the furniture.”

Now that she’d signed the contract, Taryn was committed to Aiden’s children for the next year. “Okay. We’re on for tomorrow.”

Aiden lowered the flame under the pot of grits. “When do you plan to go back to New York?”

“December 30. I have to pack up my clothes and personal items and go to the teachers store and get the supplies I need for the classroom. If I get everything done in a couple of weeks, then I’ll call and let you know when to expect me.” Once she tied up all of her loose ends in New York, she planned to meet with a few of her former colleagues for a farewell dinner at one of her favorite Brooklyn restaurants before returning to West Virginia.

“You don’t want to use a store down here?”

Taryn shook her head. “I’d rather go to the one I know will have the supplies I want.”

“I’ll give you a check to cover whatever you need to buy.”

Taryn shook her head again. “That’s not necessary. It’s the middle of the school year and some items may be on sale, and coupled with my teacher discount, I may not have to spend too much.”

“Make certain you give me the receipts so I can reimburse you.”

She wanted to tell Aiden she wasn’t concerned about him reimbursing her. The fact that she would earn the same salary and live rent-free, while not having to gas up her SUV at least twice a week was like winning top prize in a contest. And having a classroom of two rather than twenty-two made her feel as if she had been redeemed. “Tell me about your daughters.”

Chapter Two

Aiden picked up an egg and cracked it in a glass bowl. “What do you want to know about them?”

Taryn admired Aiden’s skill when it came to cracking eggs with one hand. “You told me they’re four and five, which makes them very close in age.”

“They were born eleven months apart. Allie just turned five and Livia was four in February.”

So, Daddy was really busy making babies, Taryn thought, as she bit back a smile. “I’m going to test them before I decide whether to offer them the same instruction.”

“I’m no teacher, but I’m going to go on the record to say that four-year-old Livia is as bright as her older sister. She’s also what I think of as a free spirit. Right now she’s into fairies. Last year, it was frogs.”

“I like her already,” Taryn said. “I must admit I was partial to fairies and unicorns when growing up. What can I expect from Allison?” she asked, watching as Aiden removed the bacon from the oven and placed the crisp strips on a plate lined with paper towels.

“Allie is a true Gibson because she loves to cook. She’s too young to touch the stove, so I allow her to sit on the stool and watch me.”

Taryn found her mind working overtime as Aiden talked about his daughters while he brewed a pot of coffee, whisked eggs and dropped slices of bread into the toaster. He informed her he had activated parental controls on the television, their tablets and on his desktop. There were strict rules for bedtime, but he still couldn’t get them to pick up after themselves.

“I plan to give them what students in a traditional school will experience. There will be instruction, recess and designated field trips. And given their ages, I will also assign a brief nap time.”

“That’s good to hear, because my mother complains constantly that Allie and Livia refuse to take naps. Most times, they’ll just lie in bed singing or talking to each other.”

Taryn made a mental note to devise a plan to get the girls to settle down enough to sleep for at least an hour. She wanted to ask Aiden about his daughters’ relationship with their mother. Although he had been granted full custody, did they get to visit with her? She’d had students who’d lost one or both parents to divorce, substance abuse, imprisonment, terminal illnesses or domestic violence. Aiden had alluded that his in-laws were not viewed in a good light in Wickham Falls, and she wondered what his ex-wife had done to set the townsfolks against his children.

The aroma of brewing coffee mingled with the distinctive smell of bacon wafted to her nostrils. “Can I help you with anything?” she asked Aiden after a comfortable silence.

“No, thanks. I have everything under control.”

Taryn waited for the weekends so she could choose between eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, sausage or ham, grits and several cups of coffee with gourmet breads. Once a month she treated her family to Sunday brunch, which included mimosas, Bellinis and steak-and-eggs benedict, chicken-and-waffles or Belgian waffles with fresh fruit.

Aiden set two plates with napkins, coffee mugs and place settings on the breakfast bar. Minutes later, he ladled fluffy scrambled eggs onto the serving platter with strips of bacon, triangles of golden buttered toast and then filled the mugs with steaming black coffee. The bowl of grits and serving pieces were placed next to the platter.

“Do you want cream and sugar for your coffee?” he asked Taryn.

“Yes, please.” Taryn stared at the dishes Aiden had prepared quickly and with a minimum of effort. “It looks too good to eat.”

Aiden set a container of cream and the sugar bowl on the countertop and then sat next to Taryn, their shoulders mere inches apart. “You can sit and admire the food, but don’t blame me when I eat up everything before you.”

Taryn picked up a serving spoon and scooped up a serving of grits. “I did not sit here just to watch you eat.”

Aiden speared several strips of bacon with a pair of tongs. “I love breakfast.”

She gave him a sidelong glance. “Then we have something in common, because it’s my favorite meal of the day. Unfortunately, I don’t get to have a full breakfast until the weekends.”

“That will change once you move in. Most times, I use egg substitutes for omelets and frittatas because I don’t give the girls whole eggs more than twice a week.”

Taryn resisted the urge to moan when she swallowed a forkful of grits and eggs. “I’m looking forward to having you cook for me. The grits are delicious.”

Aiden leaned closer, their shoulders touching. “Do you like shrimp and grits?”

“Does a cat flick its tail?”

Throwing back his head, Aiden laughed loudly. “Should I take that as an affirmative?”

“It is,” she confirmed. “Whenever I go to Charleston, South Carolina, to visit a cousin, I order it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If I had to request a last meal, then it would be shrimp and grits.”

“I had it for the first time a few years back, and I’ve tried recipe after recipe until I finally decided to use tasso instead of cured ham to give the dish a smoky taste.”

“What’s tasso?” Taryn asked.

“It’s heavily cured ham that’s smoked with a tremendous amount of seasoning. The result is dry, very salty, peppery and smoky. I only use a little bit because it can easily overwhelm a dish.”

“Do you smoke your own meats for the restaurant?”

Aiden nodded as he took a sip of coffee. “Yes. Tomorrow, after we come back from Beckley, I’ll take you to the Wolf Den and introduce you to my uncle and brother.”

Taryn concentrated on finishing the food on her plate and she thought about how her life was going to change within a matter of weeks. She would leave New York and go from teaching in a classroom filled with twenty-two third-graders to homeschooling a four-and five-year-old. Instead of getting into her car and driving fifty-five miles to a school building, she would get up and walk to her classroom.

And living under Aiden’s roof was definitely going to be an adjustment for her. The last and only man she’d lived with was James Robinson. When first introduced to each other, they had felt their meeting was predestined, the reason being that they shared the same surname. When she moved in with James, it was as a girlfriend. And once she moved in with Aiden, it would be as his daughters’ teacher.

“Leave everything,” Aiden said, as he clapped a hand on Taryn’s shoulder when she reached for the platter. “I’ll clean up later. I want to show you where you’ll set up your classroom.” His hand went from her shoulder to her arm and assisted her off the stool. “Right now the girls use the space as their playhouse. If you want, I can store their toys, dolls, bikes and dollhouse in the shed.”

Taryn didn’t know what to expect but the area down the hallway off the kitchen was much larger than she had anticipated and comparable to the average Manhattan studio apartment. It was at least five-hundred square feet. She walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows with built-in pale-gray woven blinds. They were raised, allowing her a glimpse of an expansive backyard beyond the patio and outdoor kitchen. It was the perfect place for recess, where the girls could run around.

“What do you think?”

She shivered slightly when Aiden’s breath feathered over her ear. He hadn’t made a sound when he came to stand next to her. Taryn had a mental picture where she would place desks, bookcases, worktables and set up art, science and music corners.

Taryn turned to face Aiden. “It’s perfect. Do you know the exact dimensions for this room?”

He nodded. “It’s four-hundred and seventy-five square feet. Why?”

“I don’t know if you have a set budget for furnishing the classroom, but I want to order a rug that’s no larger than eight by twelve for my reading and library corner. My students always enjoy sitting on the floor whenever we have read-aloud.”

* * *

Aiden stared at the terra-cotta floor. He had debated whether to cover the floor with indoor/outdoor carpeting once the sunroom was installed, but then he’d dismissed the idea when the floor installer suggested the stone because it was maintenance-free.

“You can buy whatever you need. Come with me and I’ll show you your bedroom.”

The salary he’d earned when employed as a private military contractor allowed him to pay off his mortgage, upgrade and enlarge the house, and put money away for his daughters’ college education. He didn’t think of himself as wealthy, but financially comfortable.

“How many bedrooms are in this house?” Taryn asked.

“Five. And that’s not counting the one in the attic that doubles as my home office. When I first bought this place, it was only twelve-hundred square feet. Before Livia was born, I had a construction crew expand it on both sides, add the sunroom, mother-in-law suite, raise the attic ceiling, finish the basement and install central air and heat. Allie and Livia play in the sunroom whenever it’s too hot or cold to play outside.”

“Did you live here during the renovations?”

“No. We stayed with my aunt and uncle. It was a little cramped but we pretended it was an extended sleepover.”

“How many bathrooms do you have?”

Aiden paused, counting. “Five. A half-bath off the kitchen, one in the basement with a vanity and commode, a full-bath in your suite, a bathroom in the attic with a commode, vanity and shower stall, and the original full-bath on the second story.”

Taryn gave him a sidelong glance. “Should I assume you spend most of your free time in the basement?”

He smiled. “How did you know?”

“If you finished your basement, then it’s obvious it would double as a man cave.”

“Dudes need a place to drink beer, watch sports and trash talk without being censored.”

“You can do that at a sporting event.”

“That’s true in big cities like New York and Philadelphia. Remember, West Virginia doesn’t have any professional teams.”

“Don’t you go to high school and college football games?”

“Not really,” Aiden admitted. “I enlisted in the navy right out of high school.”

“How long did you serve?”

“Fourteen years.” He had taken an oath at eighteen to protect his country and he’d fulfilled that commitment as a navy SEAL. Being away for extended periods of time had placed a strain on his marriage and whenever he returned home it was to a house in crisis. Nothing he’d done for Denise was ever enough and after a while he stopped trying to please her. She had complained bitterly that the house was too small for four people, so to appease her he used the money he’d earned as a private military contractor to expand it.

After the entire house was renovated Denise wanted to leave Wickham Falls and that’s when he put his foot down. There was no way he was going to pick up and move after giving her what she’d called her dream house. Once their arguments had escalated to screaming matches, Aiden knew their marriage was in serious trouble. He’d suggested counseling, but Denise refused to go with him.

Aiden stopped at the end of the hallway. “Here’s your room, also known as the in-law suite.”

* * *

Taryn entered the sun-filled bedroom suite and felt as if she had stepped back in time when she saw the honey-toned, queen-size, hand-painted sleigh bed with a white goose-down comforter, lacy, sheer dust ruffles and mounds of matching pillows. She opened the door to a massive armoire to find a large flat-screen television and audio components. Stacks of linens, comforters and quilts were stored in the drawers of a smaller ornately carved armoire. A double mahogany dresser with a gilt mirror contrasted to the other pale furnishings. Taryn thought of the space as a lady’s bedchamber and sitting room, with a sofa set on a straw rug and covered with yellow polished cotton and two flanking armchairs with hunter-green suede seat cushions. The suite was a quiet retreat where she could relax, sleep or just escape from the world around her.

Framed photos of Audubon prints were set on the mahogany desk and bedside tables. She walked over to French doors, which led out to the porch. It was the perfect place for her to begin the day with a cup of coffee or end it while watching the sunset. Pale yellow silk drapes could be closed to provide privacy or left open to take in the view of the distant mountains.

“I hope it’s to your liking.”

Taryn turned to find Aiden in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. “It’s more than I could’ve imagined.”

His pale eyebrows lifted slightly. “You like it?”

“I love it.” Taryn didn’t say she would love it even more once she added her personal touch. She walked across the room and opened a door to a closet with overhead shelves. It wasn’t as large as the walk-in closet in her Long Island bedroom but it would be adequate if she donated clothes she hadn’t worn in years instead of packing them up and bringing them to Wickham Falls.

She opened another door to find a bathroom reminiscent of those in spas. Taryn could imagine herself whiling away time in the black marble garden tub with a Jacuzzi. A dressing table and chair were tucked under an alcove, while a vanity, freestanding shower with a large showerhead, commode, bidet and mirrored walls made the bathroom appear larger than it actually was.

“The suite gets an A-plus,” she told Aiden once she returned to the bedroom.

He inclined his head. “I’m glad you’re pleased with it. Now, are you ready to see the rest of the house?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll take the back staircase.”

There was something about Aiden’s body language that also prompted her to recall Langdon’s, who’d bragged that all special ops had a particular swagger identifying them as military elite. She did not want to ask Aiden about his past because she didn’t want to open the door for him to ask about hers. Taryn wanted their relationship to remain strictly professional.

Her single focus was educating his daughters and nothing beyond that. She had no intention of becoming his friend or replacing his wife as a mother for his children. She’d given up her condo to move in with a man who’d deceived her, and now she was giving up her home on Long Island to move in with a man who would become her employer. And she had a hard-and-fast rule never to engage in an affair with a supervisor or coworker. She had witnessed firsthand the fallout and embarrassment when a first-grade teacher had been dating the school psychologist, who hadn’t disclosed he was married, and was confronted by the man’s pregnant wife after she showed up unexpectedly at the school building to threaten her husband’s lover.

She climbed another flight of stairs with Aiden until they came to the third-story landing and his home/office/bedroom. A king-size platform bed, bedside table and a brown leather love seat were positioned under an eave, while a workstation with a desktop and printer was placed in front of a window overlooking the front of the house. An entertainment stand held a television and stacks of DVDs. Taryn walked over to the credenza to study several framed black-and-white photographs. The image of an elderly couple sitting on a bench holding hands captured her attention. There were other photos of the same couple with the tall thin man dressed in his Sunday finery, while the short dark-skinned woman by his side wore a Native American beaded dress and moccasins.

“The woman is my maternal grandmother,” Aiden said as he moved closer to Taryn. “Grandma Esther belonged to North Carolina’s Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. My sister is named after her.”

Taryn’s eyes went from the photographs to Aiden’s features, noticing he’d inherited his grandmother’s high cheekbones. “Is she still alive?”

“No. She died eight years ago, exactly one month to the day my grandfather passed away. My mother claimed she died of a broken heart.”

“How did your grandparents meet?”

“That’s a long story. I’ll tell you about Grandma Esther’s people another time.”

Taryn wondered if Aiden had told his daughters that their great-grandmother’s tribe had occupied what is now Western North Carolina for countless centuries. “How much time do you spend up here?”

“A lot, but only when the girls are away. Whenever they’re here I sleep in the bedroom across from theirs as a safety precaution.”

She did not want to imagine the consequences of someone attempting to break into Aiden’s house. Given his size and military training, there was no doubt he would prove a more than worthy opponent. “Do you have a lot of crime in The Falls?”

“We have burglaries and vandalism, but it’s been years since there’s been a murder. Most of the break-ins are from kids hooked on drugs and looking for something they can easily sell so they can get their next fix. Back in my great-granddaddy’s day it was the revenuers chasing moonshiners, and now it’s the sheriff and his deputies going after those dealing drugs.”

“How large is the police force?”

“We have a sheriff and three deputies now that they’ve hired Seth Collier. Seth grew up here and enlisted in the Marine Corps. The sheriff got the town council’s approval to hire him.”

“How many folks from here join the military?”

“It has to be at least forty to fifty percent. Now that most of the mines are closed, boys who graduate high school have to find employment elsewhere. The recruiters from all the branches come during career week and have a windfall when they’re able to sign up kids who can’t wait to get out of The Falls. Some join and become lifers, while others use the military as a path to complete their college education.”

“Like Sawyer?”

Aiden nodded. “I was a few years ahead of Sawyer but he was one of the smartest kids to ever graduate from Johnson High. He made straight As and had a near perfect score on the SAT. Everyone was shocked when he enlisted in the army instead of going directly to college.”

Taryn smiled. “It looks as if he didn’t do too badly.” Jessica’s software engineer husband had become a multimillionaire before turning thirty.

“He’s done very, very well for himself. We’re just glad he decided to come back and give back when he donated the money to create a technology department for the school district.”

“Do you like working at the Wolf Den?” she asked.

Aiden gave her a lengthy stare, then said, “Yes, because I like cooking.”

“Did you go to culinary school?”

A hint of a smile parted his lips. “Why would I go to culinary school to learn to prepare fancy dishes for patrons who can’t pronounce or know what foie gras is? A cook by another name is a chef in his own realm. The Wolf Den has been run by Gibsons since the 1920s, and we continue to stay in business because we’ve established a reputation for grilling the best steaks and smoked ribs in the county.”

Taryn laughed. “Okay, Chef Gibson, let’s continue with the house tour.” Jessica told her that she and Sawyer visited the Wolf Den at least twice a month because the food was exceptional and that Wickham Falls had only two eating establishments—the Wolf Den and Ruthie’s, a family-style buffet restaurant. Jessica had disclosed that the townsfolks repeatedly voted down the town council’s proposal for a fast-food chain, fearful it would impact Ruthie’s viability. The Wolf Den would remain unaffected because they served beer and alcohol.

They descended the staircase to the second floor where Allison and Livia had adjoining bedrooms. Aiden’s bedroom was opposite theirs, and a guest bedroom was at the end of the hallway along with a full bathroom. The girls’ bedrooms were quintessentially girlish with white canopy beds, matching dressers and chests. Window seats were covered with brightly colored cushions stamped with animated Disney characters. Photos and figurines of fairies were in evidence in Livia’s bedroom. Her older sister’s bedroom was less whimsical with framed photographs of birds and flowers. Viewing the rooms gave Taryn a glimpse into the personalities of the two girls who were close in age yet differed when it came to their interests.

“Now, the basement,” Aiden said as they again took the back staircase.

“I noticed the girls don’t have a television in their rooms,” Taryn remarked.

“There was a time when they did, but I had to take it out because they would turn it on late at night when they should’ve been sleeping. They aren’t allowed in the attic, which means they can’t watch television there. Your suite is off-limits, so again they’re denied. I have a television in the basement with parental controls, and they’re only allowed two hours of television a day because I don’t want them addicted like some kids.”

“Did you get rid of their TV?”

“No. It’s in the basement storeroom. Why?”

“I’m going to need it for the classroom. Even though I didn’t do it with my kids in New York because I taught third-graders, I’d like to designate Friday afternoon for free time and show age-appropriate movies, along with popcorn. If Daddy isn’t working, then he’s welcome to join us.”

A flash of humor crossed Aiden’s features. “I’d like that as long as I don’t have to sit on a little chair.”

“What if I order a beanbag chair for you?”

“I’d prefer a recliner.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Recliners are not allowed in the classroom.”

“What if I string up a hammock?”

“Keep pushing it, Aiden. If your old joints pop and crack when you sit down, then I won’t invite you to join us.”

“I’m not that old.”

“You’ve got to be at least forty.”

“So the pretty lady has age jokes,” he countered. “I thought it was women who were touchy about revealing their age.”

“Not me. I celebrate every birthday all month long, and sometimes even longer.”

“That’s because you were born in the shortest month of the year.”

“Don’t hate on February because it’s a month we celebrate. Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day, National Gumdrop Day, Cherry Pie Day, National Margarita Day and, of course, Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays, and so many others too numerous to name.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“I put up calendars on my bulletin board with all of the bizarre and unique holidays for each month and I’ll talk about it for five minutes.”

“You talk to children about margaritas?”

“Not the cocktail but the plant. I show them pictures of the blue agave plant, tell them where it’s cultivated, how tall it can grow and that the high production of sugars, mostly fructose, is in the core of the plant.”

“So it becomes a mini science lesson.”

“Everything that goes on in my classroom is tied to learning, Aiden. Academics are important but I believe in educating the whole child, and that means making them aware of their environment. When a child goes shopping with his or her mother or father and sees a bottle of agave on the shelf, he or she will know that it’s a sweetener and not a cocktail.”

“I’m sorry for prejudging you.”

“There’s no need to apologize. You have every right to question me about what I intend to teach Allison and Livia. I may not have any children but I, too, would be concerned if my child’s teacher talked about alcoholic beverages, and I would never expose your children to something I wouldn’t want for my own.”

“I know I’m a little overprotective when it comes to my girls—”

“You don’t have to say it, Aiden,” Taryn interrupted. She wanted to tell him that she’d had students whose parents were dealing with their own personal issues and were unable to protect their children. She forced a smile. “Now, are you going to let me see your man cave?”

Aiden returned her smile with a bright one of his own. “Of course.”

“This is ni-ice,” Taryn drawled, drawing the word out in two syllables when she stepped off the last stair, her shoes sinking into the plush pale-gray carpeting that matched the fabric walls. Aiden flipped a wall switch and high-hats bathed the space in soft light. The basement had been transformed into a media/game room with black leather reclining chairs, sofas and love seats. A flat screen measuring at least seventy inches was mounted on a wall for viewing throughout the expansive space. There was a wet bar fronted with a quartet of stools, a glass-fronted credenza with highball and cocktail glasses and fully stocked with spirits, along with a portable refrigerator and wine cellar. The game area contained pool and air hockey tables and additional side tables with checkers and chess pieces stood ready for willing players.

“How often do you entertain down here?”

“It varies. I usually host Super Bowl Sunday and alternate with my sister for Thanksgiving. My brother and his wife always have Easter and Christmas at their home. What about your family, Taryn? How do you celebrate the holidays?”

Taryn rested a hip against the mahogany bar. “My father is a rabid football fan and his guilty pleasure is attending the Super Bowl.”

Aiden lifted questioning eyebrows. “He goes every year?” She nodded. “What does he do?”

“He’s a family court judge.”

Aiden grimaced. “Been there, done that,” he mumbled under his breath. “What about your mother?”

Taryn knew if he’d gained sole custody of his children, then he would’ve had to have gone through the family court system. “She’s a social worker.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I have a brother who’s active navy.”

Aiden’s expression brightened as if someone had suddenly turned on a light. “Where is he stationed?”

“Base Little Creek.”

Recognition stole its way over Aiden’s rugged features as he stared at Taryn as if she had spoken a language he did not understand. “Your brother is a SEAL?”

“Yes.”

“He’s SEAL Team 8?”

A soft gasp escaped Taryn’s parted lips. “You know?”

“Yes, because I was a member of SEAL Team 5 stationed in Coronado, California.”

She pressed her fingertips to her mouth. “I knew it,” she said between her fingers.”

“Knew what, Taryn?”

“I knew you were special ops because your body language is the same as my brother’s. Do folks around here know you were a SEAL?”

Aiden shook his head. “Only my family knew. It was something my ex complained about because whenever I was assigned a mission I couldn’t tell her where I was going.”

Taryn thought about her sister-in-law who didn’t complain when Langdon received his orders; she knew when she married him that she wouldn’t hear from him for weeks at a time. “Didn’t she know this when you married her?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand—”

“There’s nothing for you to understand,” Aiden said, cutting her off. “The only thing I’m going to say, and after that the topic is moot, is the best thing to come from my marriage is my children.”

Although Aiden hadn’t raised his voice, Taryn felt as if he had. She clenched her teeth to keep from reminding him that he had been the one to mention his wife. And she resented that he’d spoken to her as if chastising his children. “I’m ready to leave now.” And she was. She’d spent almost two hours with Aiden, longer than any normal interview, and suddenly she felt as if she’d worn out her welcome.

“Don’t you want to see the rest of the basement?”

“I’ll see it at another time. I need to get back to the house and walk Bootsy.” Taryn hadn’t lied because she’d promised the puppy that she would walk him. Turing on her heel, she headed for the staircase, Aiden following. It only took minutes for her to return to the kitchen and retrieve her jacket and tote. “What time are we meeting tomorrow to go to Beckley?”

“Does ten o’clock work for you?”

She looped the handles of the tote over her shoulder. “Yes, and thank you for breakfast.”

Aiden inclined his head. “You’re welcome. I’ll walk you to your vehicle.”

Taryn wanted to tell him she could find her car without his assistance but decided to be gracious. “Thank you.” Aiden walked her to where she had parked the SUV.

“Drive safely,” he said when she opened the driver’s-side door.

“I will.”

She shut the door, started up the SUV and maneuvered away from the curb. Taryn acknowledged that she’d closed the door on one phase of her life, and when she signed the contract, agreeing to homeschool two preschoolers, she had opened another. Interacting with Aiden had been comfortable and easygoing until he’d mentioned his wife. And it wasn’t for the first time she wondered, what had the woman done to result in her losing her children? Were the townspeople right when they claimed her family was bad news? And why, Taryn mused, did Aiden marry her when he knew her family’s history, whatever that was?

The questions tumbled over themselves in Taryn’s head, until she was forced to mentally dismiss them when she reminded herself that although she would share a house with her students’ father, their relationship would be strictly professional. He was her employer and she his employee. It was something she could not afford to forget.

Chapter Three

Taryn stood at the French doors in Jessica’s kitchen enjoying her second cup of coffee while watching the snow covering the backyard. Last night’s lightly falling frozen precipitation had intensified into a full-blown blizzard. Her cell phone rang and she walked over and picked it up off the countertop. Aiden’s name and number appeared on the screen. She answered the call after the second ring.

“Good morning.”

“Is it really?” Aiden asked, chuckling softly.

She smiled. “It is for polar bears. It looks as if we’re going to have to cancel our trip to Beckley.”

“That’s why I’m calling. The mayor has declared a snow emergency, which means all non-essential vehicles aren’t allowed on the road. This is my only day off until after the New Year, so we won’t be able to order the furniture until you return.”

“Don’t sweat it, Aiden. I’ll order whatever I need once I get to New York and have it shipped to you. Do you want me to ship it to your home or the Wolf Den?”

“Can you arrange for it to be delivered to the house after you come back? Because I don’t want to become a target for porch pirates.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” There had been an escalation of porch thefts all over the country, despite homeowners installing security cameras. “Have you thought of installing cameras around your property?” Sawyer had wired the house with a system where he could view the house and greenhouses from remote locations.

“Yes and no.”

Taryn walked over to the eating nook and sat down. “Either it’s yes or no.”

“Yes because it would make the house more secure, and no because we have a neighborhood watch. Many of my neighbors are retired and they are always on the lookout for any suspicious activity.”

There came a pregnant pause before Aiden spoken again.

“What’s on your agenda for today?”

“I’m going to put up several loads of laundry, dust, and vacuum and watch mindless television.” She and Jessica had gotten along well when they shared an off-campus apartment because both were neat freaks. “What are you going to do on your day off?”

“Wait for the snow to stop and then get out the snowblower and clear the driveway and sidewalks for my elderly neighbor.”

“That’s very nice of you.”

“Who’s going to shovel for you?” Aiden asked.

“Jessica and Sawyer have an agreement with a few of the teenage boys on Porterfield Lane to rake leaves and shovel snow.”

“I remember when I used to shovel snow for money before I started working in the restaurant.”

“Can you answer one question for me?”

“What’s that?”

“Why is the restaurant called the Wolf Den?” Taryn asked, not wanting their conversation to end. She liked listening to the sound of his drawling voice that was a constant reminder that he’d grown up in the South.

Aiden’s deep chuckle caressed her ear when he said, “A family named Wolfe, spelled with the E, owned most of the mines in The Falls and several towns to the south. My family worked in the mines for more generations than I can count. My great-grandfather decided he’d had enough after he was buried for hours during a caved in and asked his brothers to go in with him making moonshine. They pooled their savings, bought a patch of land and built the restaurant under the guise they were offering hearty inexpensive meals.”

“Were they?” Taryn asked, totally intrigued by the story.

“Yes, but they were also selling hooch. They’d buy several hogs from a farmer, butcher them and cook every part of them from the rooter to the tooter, and serve them along with rice, greens and corn bread. They charged fifty cents a plate and a dollar for a half-gallon jug filled with moonshine. Of course, they had to stay one step ahead of the revenuers or end up in jail.”

“How did they do that?”

“They had paid lookouts and occasionally bribed the revenuers. When you come to the restaurant, you’ll see that it’s located off the road and down in a valley. The still was concealed up in the mountains and hidden among a copse of trees. Most times, you’d walk by it and not know it was there.”

“Shame on you, Aiden. Your folks were criminals.”

“I’d like to think of my folks as entrepreneurs. It was all about supply and demand. Once Prohibition was repealed, they exhausted their stock of hooch and went totally legit to concentrate on offering some of the best restaurant food in Johnson County.”

“When I come back, I’m definitely going to sample some of your celebrated dishes.”

“I know you’re leaving in a couple of days, so if I don’t talk to you, I’d like to wish you a healthy and happy New Year.”

“I wish you the same.”

Taryn ended the call and drained the coffee cup. Sawyer and Jessica were scheduled to return to the States on the twenty-eighth after their seven-day Caribbean honeymoon, and Sawyer’s gift to Taryn was to pay for a round-trip flight on a private jet for housesitting and for when she planned to come back to Wickham Falls. He’d left the return date open because she still hadn’t determined when she would leave New York. She had selected the thirtieth to return to New York because she wanted to ring in the New Year with her parents and grandmother. She wasn’t certain whether her brother would be stateside, but his wife and children had come up from Virginia to celebrate Christmas with the elder Robinsons.

“Hey, baby,” she crooned when Bootsy ambled into the kitchen and stood on his hind legs for her to pick him up. Taryn scooped him into her arms. “Did you have a good nap?” After she’d let him out earlier that morning to do his business, he had raced back into the house and curled up on his bed in a corner of the kitchen. While most dogs loved romping in the snow, Bootsy was the exception.

Bootsy turned around on her lap and then flopped down to rest his muzzle on her denim-covered thigh. She ran her fingertips over his black-and-white curly hair, wondering if the dog still missed his pet parents. He’d moped around for two days until Taryn picked him up and held him for several hours. She knew Jessica was going to have a hissy fit because she was spoiling her puppy, but Taryn was ready to explain that Bootsy had been experiencing separation anxiety and she had to comfort him.

Her cell rang again, and this time Jessica’s name appeared on the screen. “What’s up, Mrs. Middleton?”

“That’s what I should be asking you, Miss Robinson. I just got an alert on my phone about the winter storm dumping close to a foot of snow on the Appalachians. Are you safe?”

“Safe as a bug in a rug,” she quipped. “I’m here with Mr. Bootsy and we’re going to stay indoors until the roads are cleared.”

“Don’t you dare attempt to shovel, because we pay the kids at the end of the block to clear away the snow along the driveway and sidewalk.”

“Girl, please. The only thing I do with snow is watch it melt.”

Jessica laughed. “I hear you. Sawyer’s travel agent is making arrangements for us to fly into Huntington Tri-State Airport in Kenova, because it’s closer to The Falls, and with the weather, Yeager Airport may have delays.”

“Do you want me to pick you up in Kenova?”

“No. The agent is also arranging ground transportation.”

“You’re lucky you married a rich man, otherwise, you’d be among the huddled masses waiting to take a commercial carrier.”

“Remember, I fell in love with Sawyer even before I knew how much he’s worth, and if it hadn’t been for you knocking some sense into my hard head, I’d still be single.”

Taryn smiled. “I had to talk tough because you deserve to be happy. And don’t forget, I’m a romantic at heart.”

“Does this mean you’re going to be open to dating a man if he shows the slightest bit of interest in you?”

“We’ll see,” Taryn said noncommittedly. She wanted to remind her friend that she had relocated to teach and not to find a lover or husband.

“How’s Bootsy?”

“Spoiled rotten.”

“Have you been holding him?”

“I had to, Jessica, he was experiencing separation anxiety. He wouldn’t eat and moped around as if he’d lost his best friend. Either I spoil him or you can take him to a pet psychiatrist for therapy.”

“Why do you always have to be a drama queen, Taryn?”

“You know I always have to be a little extra because my students love it.”

“You should go back to school and get a degree in theater. You’d be perfect for the stage.”

Taryn smiled. “I’m going to enjoy putting on plays with Aiden’s girls.”

“He hired you?”

“Yes.”

“I knew he would because I couldn’t stop singing your praises.”

Taryn wanted to ask Jessica if she thought she couldn’t get the position without her input but held her tongue. “I probably won’t get to meet his children until the end of January. By the way, where’s Sawyer?”

“He’s jogging on the beach. I’m going to let you go because it’s time for my cooking lesson. I signed up for a course to learn how to cook Caribbean-style roast pork.”

“Yum!”

“Give my baby a kiss and tell him his momma will be home soon.”

Taryn ended the call, set the phone on the table and bent over to press a kiss on Bootsy’s head. “Your momma said to give you a kiss.” The dog looked up at her as if he understood what she was saying. “I’m going to hold you for a little while longer, then I have to put up several loads of laundry and begin packing, because I have to go back to New York. But I will be back, and this time to stay.” Any prior apprehension she’d had about relocating had vanished, and she now looked forward to starting over with a new position in a new state.

* * *

Aiden felt as if the first time he’d stood on the porch waiting for Taryn to arrive was on rerun. It had been almost three weeks since she sat in the kitchen sharing breakfast with him. She had updated him as to what she had purchased for the classroom: the desks, chairs, bookcases, worktables, a supply closet, beanbag chairs, cots, white boards and bulletin boards; all of the items were scheduled to be delivered to his home the next day. The black Pathfinder came into view at the same time he came down off the porch.

He signaled for her to pull into the driveway next to his SUV. She cut off the engine and Aiden opened the driver’s-side door. He held out his arms and wasn’t disappointed when she rested her hands on his shoulders as he assisted her down.

“Welcome home.”

Aiden couldn’t pull his eyes away from her face as he drank in her natural beauty. He had welcomed her back because she would now share his home. He had told his daughters about Taryn, and once they returned to Wickham Falls, they should be prepared to begin school. Spending their days playing with each other and visiting their cousins would become a thing of the past. They had to begin their formal education before they fell too far behind their contemporaries.

Taryn lowered her eyes, smiling. “Thank you.”

He peered inside the Pathfinder. Boxes filled every inch of the cargo area. “What on earth did you buy?”

She tapped a button on the remote and the hatch opened. “Not all of the boxes are filled with school supplies. Only the ones marked CLASSROOM.”

Taryn had had her clothes, sewing machine and school supplies shipped to Jessica’s house ahead of her return. Her leaving New York hadn’t been without melodrama—especially from her mother. Mildred Robinson had questioned whether Taryn knew what she was doing, while suggesting her running away had to do with her being constantly reminded of James’s duplicity whenever she encountered his current lover. Taryn had given up trying to convince her mother that she had gotten over James and let her go on and on as to how she allowed one man to turn her off of the opposite sex. And the night before her departure, her mom came into her bedroom and confessed that she hadn’t wanted her to leave because since moving back home, she had gotten used to having her daughter around.

She had reminded her they would still live in the same time zone and if she decided to fly to Wickham Falls, it would take approximately three hours. Her explanation seemed to pacify her mother, even though it hadn’t stopped the older woman from shedding tears when it came time for Taryn to leave; her mother hadn’t been that emotional when she and her dad drove Taryn to college as an incoming freshman.

Taryn waited for Aiden to stack boxes and carry them inside the house before lifting a wheeled Pullman and carryon with her clothes and personal items and following him. Aiden had welcomed her home and she felt as if she was home. Her first order of business was putting her personal style on the bedroom suite before she unpacked the school supplies.

She had five days to organize the classroom before Allison and Livia arrived, and she’d decided to give them time to reconnect with their father before beginning instruction. Taryn returned to the vehicle to remove two quilted totes at the same time Aiden cradled a trio of boxes against his chest. “Show-off,” she said, winking at him.

“If you’d eaten your spinach this morning, you’d be able lift more than five pounds.”

She scrunched up her nose and pushed out her lips. “For your information, I had a spinach-and-feta omelet this morning.” Once the jet reached cruising speed, the in-flight chef had prepared breakfast for the eight passengers. A car service awaited her when the plane touched down in Charleston at ten, and when she arrived in Wickham Falls, she found the Pathfinder loaded with everything she’d had shipped to the Middleton residence. The night before, Sawyer sent her a text indicating he’d loaded her vehicle, but wouldn’t be there to meet her because he and Jessica would’ve left for school.

Aiden shifted the boxes. “Don’t worry about coming out again. I’ll bring in the rest.”

Taryn wasn’t going to argue with him; she was anxious to settle in and begin decorating the would-be classroom before the furniture arrived. When she’d left The Falls, the snow had begun melting when temperatures rose above freezing, which had now returned to an unseasonable sixty degrees. She had dressed in layers and she couldn’t wait to shower and change into something cooler. Stripping off the sweatshirt and long-sleeve T-shirt, Taryn made quick work of emptying the luggage and hanging up jackets, coats, suits and dresses. Her summer clothes were in under-the-bed storage containers. She had also downsized her closet and donated clothes she hadn’t worn in more than a year.

“Where do you want these?”

Taryn turned to find Aiden holding the storage containers. He looked at her as if she was an intruder and when she saw the direction of his eyes, she realized he was staring at her chest. The sheer plum-colored camisole with a built-in bra revealed a lot of flesh, but the strategically placed embroidered black lace flowers over her nipples provided a modicum of modesty. “Please leave them by the door.”

* * *

Aiden swallowed to relieve the dryness in his throat. When he’d walked into Taryn’s bedroom, he had not expected to see her wearing the revealing top. His body betrayed him, while reminding him of how long it had been since he’d slept with a woman. Placing the containers on the floor, he backed out of the suite, walked stiffly back to the kitchen, slumped down onto the bench seat at the breakfast nook and waited for his erection to go down.

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