“I don’t think this will work out, Haley.”

Haley stared at Matthew. “I’m really sorry for letting Lizzie—I mean Elizabeth—miss her nap.”

“It’s not just that,” Matthew countered. “It’s everything.”

She waited for him to list her infractions, but he didn’t, so she could only guess that there were many. “I know I’m a bit…unconventional…”

“To say the least.”

Haley swallowed. “I can do better. I’ll do things your way. I need this job.” She needed Elizabeth, too. It was probably pitiful to admit it, but she never felt more valued than she did by a child who needed her care.

“I’m sorry, Haley. I don’t think—”

“But I love her, Matthew.”

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Haley studied him, waiting. Had she said the one thing that would make a difference?

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

DANA CORBIT

started telling “people stories” at about the same time she started forming words. So it came as no surprise when the Indiana native chose a career in journalism. As an award-winning newspaper reporter and features editor, she had the opportunity to share wonderful true-life stories with her readers. She left the workforce to be a homemaker, but the stories came home with her as she discovered the joy of writing fiction. Winner of the 2007 Holt Medallion competition for novel writing, Dana feels blessed to share the stories of her heart with readers.

Dana lives in southeast Michigan, where she balances the make-believe realm of her characters with her equally exciting real-life world as a wife, carpool coordinator for three athletic daughters and food supplier for two disinterested felines.

An Unexpected Match
Dana Corbit

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

—Romans 15:13

To my nieces Alyssa, Christine, Jennifer, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Margaret and Catherine, and nephews Joel, Matthew, Ethan and Eyan, some of whom already have been bitten by the writing bug. Never be afraid to tell the story of your heart. And to Mike Waltersdorf and the whole gang at Biggby Coffee in Novi, Michigan, for cheering me on while I was writing on deadline and making sure the vanilla lattes were nice and hot.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Chapter One

“Is there a Haley Scott here?”

Haley glanced through the storm door at the package carrier before opening the latch, letting in some of the frigid March wind.

“That’s me, but not for long.”

The blank stare the man gave her as he stood on the porch of her mother’s new house only made Haley smile. In fifty-one hours and twenty-nine minutes, her name would be changing. Her life, as well, but she couldn’t allow herself to think about that now.

She wouldn’t attribute her sudden shiver to anything but the cold, either. Not with a bridal fitting to endure, embossed napkins to pick up and a caterer to call. Too many details, too little time—and certainly no time for her to entertain her silly cold feet.

“Then this is for you.”

Practiced at this procedure after two days back in her Markston, Indiana hometown, Haley reached out both arms to accept a bridal gift, but the carrier turned and deposited an overnight letter package in just one of her hands. Haley stared down at the Michigan return address of her fiancé, Tom Jeffries.

“Strange way to send a wedding present,” she murmured.

The man grunted and shoved an electronic signature device at her, waiting until she scrawled her name.

As soon as she closed the door, Haley returned to the living room and yanked the tab on the envelope. From it, she withdrew a single sheet of folded notebook paper.

Something inside her suggested that she should sit down to read it, so she lowered herself into a floral side chair. Hesitating before she unfolded the note, she glanced at the far wall where wedding gifts in pastel-colored paper were stacked. Her stomach tightened as she read each handwritten word.

“Best? He signed it best?” Her voice cracked as the paper fluttered to the floor. She was sure she should be sobbing or collapsing in a heap, but she only felt numb as she stared down at the offensive piece of paper.

The letter that had changed everything.

“Best what?” Trina Scott asked as she padded into the room with fuzzy striped socks on her feet. “Sweetie?”

Haley lifted her gaze to meet her mother’s and could see concern etched between her carefully tweezed brows.

“What’s the matter?” Trina shot a glance toward the foyer, her chin-length brown hair swinging past her ear as she did it. “Did I just hear someone at the door?”

Haley tilted her head to indicate the sheet of paper on the floor. “It’s from Tom. He called off the wedding.”

“What?” Trina began but then brushed her hand through the air twice as if to erase the question. “That’s not the most important thing right now, is it?”

Haley stared at her mother. A little pity wouldn’t have been out of place here. Instead of offering any, Trina snapped up the letter and began to read. When she finished, she sat on the cream-colored sofa opposite Haley’s chair.

“I don’t approve of his methods.” She shook the letter to emphasize her point. “And I always thought the boy didn’t have enough good sense to come out of the rain, but I have to agree with him on this one. You two aren’t right for each other.”

Haley couldn’t believe her ears. Okay, Tom wouldn’t have been the partner Trina Scott would have chosen for her youngest daughter if Trina’s grand matchmaking scheme hadn’t gone belly up. Still, Haley hadn’t realized how strongly her mother had disapproved of her choice.

“No sense being upset about my opinion now,” Trina told her. “I kept praying that you’d make the right decision, but I guess Tom made it for you. Now we have to get busy. There are a lot of calls to make.”

Suddenly, tears that had been slow in coming were pouring down Haley’s cheeks. Humiliation made her skin burn. How could she stand in front of the church and announce that her wedding had been canceled? But her problems went beyond embarrassment over a ceremony that wouldn’t happen and gifts that would need to be returned.

“Oh, Mom. What am I going to do? I quit my job. I gave up my apartment. I was supposed to move into Tom’s place right after the wedding.”

“You’ll stay here until you find another job and another place to live. You weren’t planning to always work in—what was it this time—that hospital records department, anyway, were you?”

Haley shrugged. She couldn’t focus on her distant future when all she could think about was that the day after tomorrow should have been her wedding day. “Wait. When were Jenna and Caroline coming in?”

As she asked, a key turned in the lock, ending all hope that she would be able to catch her sisters before they boarded their flights to Indianapolis. Jenna burst through the door, whistling the tune of “Chapel of Love.” She pulled the smallish suitcase she used in her job as an airline attendant behind her. A less-experienced traveler, Caroline followed her in, dragging a heavy, wheeled suitcase.

Still humming as she jogged into the living room, Jenna paused when she saw Haley. The song died on her lips.

“What’s wrong now?” Jenna visibly braced herself, just as she had a year before when Haley had met her flight to tell her their father had died of a heart attack.

Caroline gripped her hands together. “What is it?”

“Everything’s fine,” their mother told them. “Except there’s been a change of plans. There won’t be a wedding this weekend after all.”

“What happened?” Jenna asked.

“Tom sent a letter to call off the wedding,” their mother explained.

Caroline’s eyes widened. “A ‘Dear Jane’ letter?”

“Two days before the wedding?” Jenna chimed.

“Ladies.” Trina held up her hand. “Haley has received some difficult news, and she’s going to need our help.”

Haley shifted in her seat and waited. Even if their mother wasn’t the touchy-feely kind of mom who kissed scraped knees, her sisters would come through with the hugs she needed. As if on cue, they rushed to her and sandwiched her between them. But before Haley could sink into their embrace, Jenna pulled her head back.

“At least one of you came to your senses,” Jenna said with a grin.

Caroline was smiling as well when she released Haley. “If he’d waited much longer, we would have been forced to make the announcement at the church like a cheesy movie-of-the-week.”

Haley closed her eyes and opened them again, convinced she was in some alternate reality. Where was her real family that should have been furious on her behalf? If they were on camera for some video prank show, she wished the host would just jump out and let her in on the joke because right now, none of it was funny.

“If you all believed I shouldn’t get married, why didn’t you say something?”

“We did,” Caroline said. “Many times. You wouldn’t listen.”

Jenna held her hands wide. “Remember all of the tag-team phone calls where Caroline and I said that no one should get married until she’s thirty and where we cited all the newest divorce statistics?”

Come to think of it… Haley shook her head. “I thought you just didn’t want me to be the first one to marry.”

Her sisters turned pitying glances her way, and those humiliated her more than their jokes.

Their mother was already lacing up the white leather sneakers she called “errand shoes” when Haley turned back to her.

“Okay, there are a lot of details that need to be dealt with to un-plan a wedding,” Trina said.

Un-plan. Haley rolled the sour word on her tongue. She’d liked the idea of having the first Scott wedding. Third-born children never had the opportunity to do anything first. Having the chance to be the first sister dumped just short of the ceremony wasn’t what she’d had in mind.

Heat built behind her nose and eyes again, but she struggled to hold back tears. “You two don’t need to stay here to take care of the details.”

“Why not?” Jenna asked. “We already took vacation to spend some time here with Mom after the—I mean…after. And you know how hard it is to get Caroline to take any time off from the mega mall. She would be back at work thirty minutes after her plane touched down at O’Hare.”

“I would not.” Caroline frowned since her workaholic tendencies were as much a source of family humor as Haley’s frequent job changes. “Anyway, we’re staying.”

Jenna rubbed her hands together. “What’s first?”

“I’ll call Amy.” Trina dug the cell phone from her purse and hit one of the speed dial numbers.

Haley winced. In any situation, it shouldn’t have surprised her that her mother’s first reaction was to phone her best friend, but Trina had more than knee-jerk reasons to make this call. Not only had Amy Warren been asked to join them downtown this afternoon for Haley’s final bridal fitting, but she also was scheduled to make the wedding cake at her bakery, Amy’s Elite Treats.

Haley asked herself again why she’d agreed to have the wedding in her hometown. Now her humiliation would double as she shared it with family friends. One in particular.

“May I speak to Amy?” Trina began as someone answered the line. “Oh, Matthew, is that you?”

That’s the one. Haley squeezed her eyes shut. If there was one person Haley wished could miss the news flash about her suspended nuptials, it was Matthew Warren. He’d already witnessed one of her most embarrassing moments, and now he would have a front-row seat to another.

“Oh, the wedding,” Trina continued, oblivious to her daughter’s mortification. “That’s why I called. Here, let me speak to your mother first.”

First. Of course, Matthew Warren would need to hear the news of a canceled wedding second or at least third, behind the Reverend Leyton Boggs, who would have performed the ceremony. As part-time music minister at the Community Church of Markston, Matthew would be in the loop.

Haley stood and backed from the room, not wanting to hear the events rehashed. Jenna started to follow, but Haley shook her head to stop her.

“I just need to fix my makeup.”

In the bathroom, Haley wiped trails of mascara from her face with a dampened tissue. She was still patting dry her cheeks when someone rapped on the door.

“Sweetie, are you all right?” Trina pushed open the door and stuck her head inside. “Amy said she was sorry to hear the news. She canceled the cake order. Too bad the bridal shop won’t be able to do that for the dress.”

“Oh.” Haley closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I hadn’t even thought about that yet.” What she would do with a silk bridal gown with an empire waist, she had no idea. Maybe make white silk bathroom curtains?

“Matthew said he was sorry, too.”

Haley lowered her hand and opened her eyes, her cheeks growing warm. “That was nice of him.”

Her mother studied her face as if deciding whether to tell her more. Haley would have assured her that nothing could surprise her now, but then Trina spoke again.

“Matthew also told me to tell you if there’s anything he can do to help, you should just ask.”

Matthew Warren jumped at the sound of the doorbell, narrowly missing slicing his finger in the same julienne style as the carrots on his mother’s cutting board.

“I’ll get it.” Four-year-old Elizabeth climbed down from the stool where she’d been helping by playing in the sudsy dishwater. She raced across the room.

Matthew caught his daughter before she reached the swinging kitchen door and hoisted her into his arms. “I don’t think so, young lady. You know only grown-ups are supposed to answer the door. What if it’s a stranger?”

“Those aren’t strangers,” his mother supplied, patting her short silver hair. “They’re our guests.”

“Well, about that…” He glanced at the kitchen door, feeling the same nervous tension he experienced whenever he met new clients at his law practice. “Did I mention that this dinner is a bad idea?”

“About five times now.”

“Haley’s probably still reeling from the news. I doubt she’s in the mood for socializing.”

“Maybe not.”

“And Elizabeth and I shouldn’t be here, either. I have things I need to do. If I don’t find a new sitter by Monday…”

Amy Warren stopped, planting her hands on her hips. “Matthew, we still have to eat.”

The bell rang again. It was an unnecessary interruption to the dispute since Matthew had already lost.

“Daddy! The door.” Elizabeth wiggled out of his arms and then grabbed his hand, pulling him from the kitchen.

“Coming,” he called out as they hurried down the hall.

Tonight’s dinner was still a bad idea, in his opinion. The whole thing felt like an ambush. He shouldn’t have offered his help to Haley, either, when he was dealing with enough of his own problems. His mother’s stubbornness over her dinner party irritated him, but everything had bugged him today since he’d made the mistake of answering his mother’s cell phone while on his lunch hour.

In the foyer, he hesitated. He had no reason to be nervous. It had all happened a long time ago, and even then it hadn’t been a big deal. Anyway, Haley probably had bigger things on her mind today than her adolescent crush that had ended in an embarrassing rejection. Shaking his head, he opened the door.

Trina Scott stood on the stoop, her gloved hand poised to knock. “Oh, there you are. I thought you were going to let us freeze out here.”

Behind her, the older two Scott sisters stood in their heavy coats, their arms laden with food.

“Sorry about that,” he said.

Elizabeth squeezed in front of him as he pushed open the storm door to let them inside. “Hi, Grandma Trina. Daddy and Grammy were arguing in the kitchen.”

“Really?” Trina lifted an eyebrow as she leaned in to hug Matthew and then dropped a kiss on Elizabeth’s head. She turned to her daughters. “Elizabeth needed something to call me, so Amy thought ‘Grandma Trina’ would be nice.”

Matthew turned to the other women. “Hey, Jenna. Hey, Caroline. Where’s Haley?”

Just as he spoke her name, the fourth guest appeared behind them, her face peering out from the hood of her parka. She opened the door and stepped inside.

“Hi, Haley. It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it has.”

Haley flicked her gaze his way as she removed her coat and handed it to him. She looked different, but he should have expected that. People tended to change after nine years. Her hair was blonder than he had remembered, and though she used to wear it long like her sisters, she’d cut it in a sassy shag style that reached just to her chin. It suited her, he decided.

“Who’s she, Daddy?”

Matthew glanced down at the child tugging his arm and then looked back to Haley. “I guess you two haven’t met.” Of course, they hadn’t. Her sisters had helped their mother move back to Markston a year before and had visited a few times since, but until now, Haley hadn’t made the trip.

Instead of answering him, Haley crouched in front of his daughter and extended her hand. “Hello. I’m Haley.”

“Call her Miss Haley,” Matthew instructed.

Though the child could sometimes be shy with strangers, she bravely shot out her hand. “I’m Elizabeth.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Elizabeth.” Haley shook the child’s tiny hand.

Elizabeth tilted her head to the side and studied the woman still crouched before her. “You’re pretty.”

“Thanks. So are you.” Haley stood again and toyed with the belt of her sweater.

Leave it to a four-year-old to state the obvious. Haley was an attractive woman, just like her sisters. Though “little Haley” had been a cute kid, the twenty-three-year-old had come into her own look as the rest of her face had finally caught up to those huge, bright blue eyes. The pretty, high cheekbones and generous lips were clearly Scott family traits.

Matthew stopped himself. What was he doing? He had no business noticing women. Particularly someone like Haley Scott. Someone like…

He looked away from her but not before she glanced back and caught him studying her. The color spreading on her cheeks suggested that she’d mistaken his curiosity for pity. Of course, she would think that on a day like today.

“So…” Caroline cast a frown his way. “Where’s everyone else?”

“It’s just us, I’m afraid,” Amy Warren said as she emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

“The guys aren’t here?” Jenna looked disappointed. She and Dylan had always been the closest among the Warren-Scott children, but even they had lost contact over the last few years.

Amy Warren shook her head. “Dylan’s at an optometry meeting in Chicago, and Logan has a date.”

She cast a glance Matthew’s way as if daring him to contradict his youngest brother’s story. Somehow Matthew managed to keep a straight face. There were few nights when Logan didn’t have a date, but none that couldn’t have been rescheduled. Matthew had a better excuse than either of his brothers for not coming tonight—a child-care crisis—but, as usual, he was present and accounted for. Just once, he wished he could share the freedom from obligation his brothers enjoyed.

Trina Scott crossed the room to hug her best friend. “Thank you for inviting us.” Like the elephant in the living room, she avoided mentioning the reason her daughters were in town in the first place.

“Here, let me take some of that food for you.” Matthew reached for the casserole dish in Jenna’s arms.

“Elizabeth will show us where the kitchen is,” Jenna told him, though they could have found it blindfolded.

Elizabeth led Jenna and Caroline down the hall. Caught in some hushed conversation, the two mothers headed in the same direction, leaving Matthew and Haley standing alone in the entry. Haley had moved away from the door and was staring at a photo collage on the wall.

“We had a lot of good times back then,” she said when he stood next to her.

“The best.”

As Matthew tried to come up with something comforting to say, the impulse to touch her shoulder surprised him. Even if she’d had a lousy day, Haley was a grown woman now. She could take care of herself. His knight-in-shining-armor gear fit uncomfortably, and he doubted she would appreciate his need to protect, anyway.

At the sound of someone clearing her throat, Matthew glanced back at his mother and Mrs. Scott.

“What are you two just standing there for?” Amy asked. “Now get in the kitchen and help, or it’ll be midnight before we eat.”

“Many hands make light work,” Trina added.

Her comment made him smile. How many times had Mrs. Scott or his mother said those same words while they were all staying at the beach condo in Hilton Head or in that mountain rental in Gatlinburg?

“After you, ladies.” Matthew gestured gallantly.

“Just make sure you’re right behind us,” Trina said.

When he and Haley were alone again, Matthew paused, searching for the right words. Something wise, he hoped. Something that would make her feel better. But when he peeked at her, Haley was watching him.

The side of her mouth lifted. “You heard them. Now get to work.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted, but he must have failed to hide his surprise that she’d played along with the old family game because Haley crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m not made of blown glass, you know.”

“Never said you were.”

“Then stop looking at me like I’m about to shatter.”

“I didn’t mean to—”

She waved away his apology before he could finish it. “Forget it. I’m getting used to it. Everyone I’ve talked to today…even mom’s new neighbors—they all feel sorry for me. It’s a real blast.”

“I can imagine.”

“I always wondered what it would be like to be a celebrity.” She moved her head back and forth, as if weighing her opinion. “It has a downside. Anyway, we’d better get in there before they send a search party.”

Haley started down the hall, Matthew falling into step behind her. Outside the swinging kitchen door, he gave in to the earlier temptation and rested a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened but didn’t shake away his hand.

“I’m sorry about…everything that happened,” he said.

“Yeah, me, too. But what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”

She had to be speaking of today and the loss of the person she’d cared about enough to consider making her husband. Matthew understood that. The hurt he’d played a part in had been a long time ago and nothing compared to what she’d experienced today.

Still, he’d been apologizing for both.

Chapter Two

As Haley scanned the length of the Warren family’s formal dining table, she felt warm for the first time all day. Yes, a few of the maple dining chairs were empty, and a pint-size newcomer sat cross-legged in another, but the place offered the same comfort she had remembered.

She’d always loved coming here, hearing her mother and Mrs. Warren tell the same stories that never lost their sparkle. There was stability in the sameness, comfort in the familiarity.

Even seeing Matthew again hadn’t felt as awkward as she’d expected, so her excuse for staying away from Scott-Warren gatherings seemed silly now. Matthew had always been a decent boy, the one who’d insisted that she and Logan be allowed to play board games with the older kids. She should have known he wouldn’t grow into the type of man who would embarrass her over the past. That sweet little girl across the table, the one with two sandy-brown braids and caramel-colored eyes that mirrored her father’s, reminded her that Matthew had more important things on his mind these days.

Though Matthew had changed some since the last time she’d seen him, she still would have recognized that baby face anywhere. At twenty-eight, he’d filled out his lanky frame, and the peach fuzz that used to dust his upper lip and chin had been replaced by a five o’clock shadow, two shades darker than his hair. He probably chose those mod-shaped glasses rather than contacts to make him look older.

“Remember the time that Haley fed soap shavings to Logan’s fish?” Mrs. Warren was saying when Haley returned to the conversation.

“Poor Crunch,” Caroline said and made a sad face.

“Am I ever going to live that down?” Haley frowned. “Who names a fish Crunch anyway?”

Seated next to her father, Elizabeth looked up from the pile of peas she was scattering on her plate. “Miss Haley killed Crunch?”

Everyone laughed at the horror in the child’s voice before her grandma explained that Crunch had survived his sudsy ordeal. “You and Logan always were like oil and water whenever you were together.”

“Didn’t bode well for your old matchmaking scheme,” Caroline chimed. She must have realized it was poor timing for one of her dry side comments because she met Haley’s gaze and winced.

Trina and Amy missed that exchange as they grinned at each other across the table.

“Wow, the plan,” Trina said, shaking her head. “We haven’t talked about that in years.”

“Matched sets!” The two mothers exclaimed the words in unison, and with equally precise timing, the three Scott sisters and the lone Warren brother groaned.

Haley rolled her eyes. She should have known that even on a day like today the two moms would reminisce about their silly idea to arrange marriages among their six children. Their plan had been a running family joke, but it was far less funny today.

“It was worth a try, anyway,” Amy said. “Since your mother and I were pregnant together for at least a few months three different times, and she had the girls while I had the boys, we figured we might have a shot for at least one proper matchup.”

“God made it easy by giving us even pairs,” Trina supplied. “Two oldest, two middle and two youngest.”

“I sure messed that up then, didn’t I?”

This wasn’t the first sardonic comment Matthew had made tonight, but this time he didn’t get a laugh. Jenna cleared her throat, while the others took renewed interest in their food. Even living in Michigan, Haley had heard all about Matthew’s brief marriage to his college girlfriend who deserted him and their infant daughter.

“Messed up what, Daddy?”

“Just a game,” he assured her. “Now eat your peas.”

Amy tugged one of her granddaughter’s braids. “Sure, it was just a game.” She looked farther down the table to her son. “But two moms could dream, couldn’t they?”

“Moms never stop dreaming,” Trina said. The meaningful look she gave first to Matthew and then Caroline left no doubt that she hadn’t given up on their matchmaking plan, especially where those two were concerned. Caroline’s cheeks were pink as she concentrated too intently on her roast beef.

Haley had a strange impulse to raise her hand and announce, “Hey, this is supposed to be about me.” If their mothers were going to start matchmaking again, at least they could have waited for another day. Not the day of her broken engagement.

Anyway, if they only knew. She’d never told them then, and she certainly didn’t plan to now, but at one time, one of the Scott sisters had longed for a matchup with a certain Warren brother. At the memory of her crush from long ago, Haley coughed into her napkin. Her cheeks burned. She felt fourteen again, the embarrassing images repeating in her mind like a love story performed in a Three Stooges episode.

“You okay?” Matthew asked when her gaze darted his way again. His eyebrows were drawn together above the frames of his glasses.

She nodded. The others studied her with the same concern they’d focused on her most of the night. If they’d known what she’d been thinking about just then, they really would have been worried. She had no business ruminating on an adolescent crush when the real love of her life had deserted her only hours before. It just went to show how muddled her thoughts had become tonight.

“Is anyone ready for dessert?” Matthew asked, breaking the silence.

Elizabeth shot a hand into the air. “I am. I am.” She leaned in and announced in a stage whisper, “Do you want some, Miss Haley? Grammy said it’s chocolate cake.”

Of course, it would be cake. Even before opening her own bakery, Amy Warren had made all the scrumptious desserts for their gatherings. The only difference now was she brought them home in a box. Amy hurried into the kitchen, with Elizabeth trailing behind her to help and probably sample the frosting.

Haley’s mother stood and started stacking dishes. “If all this had happened one day later, we would have had an even bigger dessert. Amy’s staff would have already started on the cake, so we could have split a three-tier wedding cake seven ways.”

“I would have taken that challenge,” Matthew said. “Imagine that, a baker’s son who still loves wedding cake.”

Haley cleared her throat to get their attention. “Sure glad my sad story is a punch line for everyone.” She frowned first at her mother and then at Matthew. “Why didn’t you just keep tiptoeing around the subject? You were doing a good job of it.”

“Because you need to talk about the wedding,” Trina insisted. “It’ll be easier to heal if you do.”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Mom.” Not here. Not in front of these people.

Matthew spread his hands wide. “Then you don’t have to talk about it, at least not until you’re ready.”

Trina blew out a frustrated breath, but she nodded. “Fine. When you’re ready.”

Amy picked that moment to return with the cake, her assistant following closely behind. “Now everyone had better take a piece, or I’ll be offended.”

Despite the warning, Jenna attempted to decline but ended up with a big piece in front of her anyway. Soon appreciative murmurs filled the room.

Haley studied the people around her as they ate. How many times had they gathered around a table just like this one, sharing food and their lives? These people were like her extended family. They’d been there for her during the trials of her childhood, and they were there for her now, waiting to talk about her life-changing day until she was ready. Maybe she could talk about it after all.

“Boy, it’s a good thing there’s not going to be a wedding.” Haley waited until all those surprised faces turned her way before she continued. “After this dinner, I never would have fit in my wedding gown.”

“You’re not getting married?” Elizabeth asked.

Matthew sent a wary look his daughter’s way. Of course, no one had thought to tell Elizabeth.

“No, sweetie,” Haley said. “We canceled the wedding.”

“But why?”

Haley shrugged, uncertain how to explain to a child what she didn’t know for sure herself. “My fiancé decided he didn’t want to marry me.”

Elizabeth sat straighter in her seat and crossed her arms. “He was mean not to marry someone nice like you.”

They all laughed at the child’s summation of the situation, except Haley, who managed a smile. She wasn’t ready to join in the laughter, but she didn’t feel the need to sob on the floor, either. It was a start.

With the taboo subject of the canceled ceremony now on the table, the women began dividing up their assignments for the next day. Jenna would meet with the florist who had to cancel a whole order of white roses, while Haley took on the bridal storeowner and Caroline faced off with the caterer, dealing with cancellation policies. Haley’s mother had volunteered for the task of phoning all the guests.

Caroline looked up from the notebook she’d pulled from her purse, with the first two pages already detailing the next day’s chores. “Too bad Mom doesn’t have a best friend who is owner of one of these other businesses.”

“We did get special treatment there.” Trina turned to Amy. “I don’t know how to thank you for returning the deposit.”

Amy waved off her friend’s thanks. “What are friends for? You might recoup some of your money on the dresses, too, if the bridal shop owner agrees to sell them on consignment. It’s good when couples can reclaim some of their costs, so they’ll be able to focus their attention on what to do next.”

Haley could feel Mrs. Warren’s gaze on her, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at her. Beyond tomorrow’s chores, she didn’t know what she would do next. She realized that she needed to carve out a new life for herself now, a focused life, but how could she find it when she didn’t know what she wanted?

“Okay, what’s my job?” Matthew asked as he leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the table.

“Hang around and nod your head a lot,” Jenna supplied.

Caroline looked up from her list. “You could check off chores on the list while the rest of us do the jobs.”

“Or,” Amy paused for effect before adding, “you could tag along while Caroline talks with the caterer.”

Matthew shot a frown his mother’s way, but then he turned back to the others.

“What is this? I thought you were all evolved, twenty-first-century women, and here you are applying a double standard by saying a man wouldn’t know his way around wedding plans. I’ll have you know that I plan the music for all the weddings at our church, and no one ever complains.”

“Then what do you want to do?” Jenna asked.

“I don’t know.” He hesitated, as if he’d just realized what he’d gotten himself into. “I can handle anything as long as it doesn’t involve frilly dresses or makeup.”

Caroline glanced down at her list and then at Matthew again. “You could help repackage the gifts for return.”

He turned to Haley. “You have to return the gifts?”

“That’s how it works,” Haley said.

“She doesn’t have to return mine.” Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. “Single women can use blenders, too.”

Matthew was grinning over Caroline’s feminist perspective when he turned back to her youngest sister. “You don’t need to open Caroline’s gift since she gave away the surprise. It’s a blender.”

“It is not,” Caroline insisted, but everyone laughed again, anyway.

Haley even chuckled this time, the light feeling in her chest offering another surprise in a day chock-full of them. She’d planned to be at her rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. Surprise. She’d expected that the details in her life would be neatly in order by Saturday afternoon. Surprise. And now she’d discovered that with the support of family and these friends, she might someday have more reasons to laugh again.

The two families were working together to clear away dishes as they’d done so many times over the years when Amy Warren cornered her son in the kitchen.

“I have a better idea for something you can do to help Haley,” she told him.

He lowered an armload of half-empty platters on the counter. “What’s that? And don’t tell me it’s by going out with a certain sister of hers, either.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mother,” he said in a warning tone.

“We’ll worry about that later.” Glancing at the door separating the kitchen from the dining room, she gestured for him to come closer to the sink. She spoke in hushed tones. “You can kill two birds with one stone. You need a child-care provider, at least a temporary one, and Haley needs a job.”

Matthew was shaking his head before the plan was out of her mouth. He felt badly for only thinking of his own problems when Haley was having a crisis, and he’d wanted to help her in some way, but this wasn’t it. “You’re not serious.”

“Of course, I am.”

“But this is Haley Scott we’re talking about.” Haley, whose résumé was too long to fit on one page, and not in a good way. Haley, who switched college majors and jobs as often as other people changed clothes. But he said only, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. And besides, I still have a few candidates left to interview.”

Amy shrugged as she rinsed dishes and loaded them in the dishwasher. “Up to you.”

“Yes, it is.”

His mother clearly disagreed with him, but as Elizabeth’s father, it was up to him to decide who should provide care for her. What kind of father would he be to trust his child to someone as flighty as Haley? He couldn’t even understand why his mother had suggested it, except that Haley was her best friend’s daughter.

His obligation was to his own daughter, whose needs he would always put ahead of his own or anyone else’s. Elizabeth deserved better than a child-care provider who might desert her without looking back. Might do exactly what his ex-wife had done.

“She isn’t Stacey, you know,” his mother said.

Matthew blinked. His mother was bringing out the big guns if she was mentioning his ex. He’d declared that name off-limits, and usually his family abided by that rule. Before he could call out his mother for breaking the rule, though, Jenna pushed through the door, carrying an armful of dishes. Haley followed right behind her, but she only had dishes in one hand because his daughter was holding the other.

Matthew glanced surreptitiously at his mother, who caught his attention and grinned. He started shoving dishes into the dishwasher, hoping the others hadn’t overheard their earlier conversation.

“I was just telling Haley that when I get back from the florist tomorrow, we can go shopping for some new outfits,” Jenna said. “There are so many cute styles for spring.”

“Jenna, I don’t think—”

“Aw, come on. It’ll be fun.”

Their mother and Caroline entered the kitchen, stopping just inside the door.

“You know…shopping therapy,” Jenna continued. “Haley will want to look her best when she gets back out there.”

“Back out there?”

The dread in Haley’s voice couldn’t be missed. She didn’t sound anywhere near ready to be out there again. Matthew knew what that was like, and he could also relate to times when relatives’ well-meaning help felt too much like pressure.

“Shopping therapy might work for some, but are you sure that’s what your sister wants to do?” Matthew turned to Haley. “Haley, what do you want to do?”

“That is the question of the day.” Haley shook her head, appearing overwhelmed with the thought. “Haley Scott, what do you plan to do with the rest of your life?” For the last, she took on a game show announcer’s voice.

“I’m not talking about the rest of your life. Just tomorrow.” Matthew had been searching for a way to help, and now it seemed obvious: He could give her something to do to take her mind off her problems. She probably needed a temporary distraction even if he doubted she would accept that distraction from him. They hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms the last time they’d seen each other.

“Oh, tomorrow. I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“Well, I have an idea if you need one. Something fun.”

“Like what?”

Her answer surprised him since he expected an automatic “no.” He cleared his throat before giving his pitch. “I’m chaperoning a youth group road rally at church, and I thought you might like to tag along.”

“Sounds to me as if they’re short on volunteers.”

“No. That’s not it,” he began, but he stopped when the side of her mouth lifted. “I just thought—Anyway, it’s a photo scavenger hunt, and I’m one of the drivers.”

Matthew placed a few more glasses in the top rack of the dishwasher, giving her a chance to answer. When she didn’t, he hurried on. “The youth group kids are great. I’ve chaperoned several of their trips, and they’ve been a lot of fun.”

He didn’t know why he was selling the plan so hard. Chaperoning a youth group trip wasn’t one of his favorite things, but the youth director was always begging for volunteers, and Matthew helped whenever he was available.

“I don’t know,” she said, finally.

“It’ll be an adventure.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t you think the whole dumped-at-the-altar thing is enough of an adventure for one weekend?”

“She’s right, Matthew,” her mother said as she scooped leftovers into plastic containers. “She has too much on her plate right now to be chasing off in a car with teenagers. Caroline might like to go though.”

“Me working with teenagers?” Caroline shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”

Matthew turned back to Haley. “I just thought you would like to forget about the wedding business for a few hours.”

Haley had already opened her mouth, probably to decline, but she closed it again, appearing to reconsider. “You know, maybe I will go with you. I could use a break from my life.”

Trina Scott turned and rested her hip against the counter. “Now Haley, are you sure you want to do that?”

“It will be better than sitting at home feeling sorry for myself. Besides, it will give Elizabeth and me the chance to get to know each other better.” She patted the child’s head, and Elizabeth grinned up at her.

“She won’t be there.” Matthew had spoken too quickly, and from the women’s expressions, he could tell he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. Just because he didn’t want his daughter to spend too much time with Haley didn’t mean he needed to be unkind. “I mean…younger kids aren’t included in this event. Elizabeth will be spending the night here.”

“Oh. It’ll be fun anyway, I guess.”

Haley appeared disappointed, and Matthew didn’t know what to think about that.

“Daddy, I want to go, too,” Elizabeth whined. “Why can’t I go with Miss Haley? It’s not fair.”

Matthew sighed inside, preparing himself for his daughter’s meltdown. This was a new stage for her, one he was determined to put to an end quickly. But just as he started toward Elizabeth, Haley lifted her up on her hip.

“You get to spend the whole night here with Grammy? You’re going to have so much fun.”

“That’s right. You’ll have a blast,” he agreed.

Matthew didn’t have to look to know his mother was watching him again, sending him another one of those knowing looks. Just because Haley had averted one tantrum didn’t mean she was qualified to care for his child. She was still Haley Scott—and all that implied—and he was still Elizabeth’s father.

Those truths didn’t stop him from feeling badly for Haley though. She’d been through a lot today, and the coming weeks were sure to be difficult. Maybe it was a bad idea for him to invite her to join him in chaperoning, but he would never be so cruel as to withdraw the invitation.

That didn’t keep him from wanting the whole event to just be over with. Then he would have completed his good deed for the day by helping out a woman he’d known since childhood get through a couple of rough days. After that, he could wish her well, and he and Elizabeth could get on with their lives.

Chapter Three

Haley stepped back from the front door, gesturing for Matthew to come inside. She felt strange inviting him in like a guest when he’d visited her mother’s new house more times than she had. In fact, everything felt peculiar about her going on this outing with Matthew now, though it had sounded like a good idea last night.

Already she’d spent the morning hanging her incredible wedding gown on the consignment rack at the bridal store and arranging storage for her possessions back in Michigan. Next, she’d “enjoyed” an afternoon of writing thank-you notes for gifts she had to return. Now the idea of accepting an invitation—probably given out of pity—felt like one dose of mortification too many.

Oblivious to her humiliation and appearing fidgety himself, Matthew scanned the room, now stacked with wrapped gifts on one wall and about a dozen packages addressed for return on the opposite wall.

He cleared his throat and turned back to her. “Wow, look at this place. You’ve been busy.”

“Probably too busy. Maybe Mom was right. I am tired. Maybe I should just—”

“Not so fast, Haley Scott.”

Haley had been staring at the gifts again, feeling the weight of the work ahead, but she turned to look at him. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t know how hard it is to get volunteers for youth group events. Now that you’re on the hook, there’s no way I’m letting you off.”

She snapped her fingers, grimacing. “I knew it. I knew you were only asking me because I was vulnerable and you were short of volunteers.”

“Smart gal. Now get your coat. A rowdy bunch of teens are waiting for us.”

Forgetting her flimsy argument, Haley did as she was told. Matthew seemed too determined to treat her as his charity case for her to change his mind anyway. For a few seconds last night, she’d wondered if her mother had discouraged her from accepting Matthew’s invitation just to trick her into going, but one look at that disapproving frown had ruled out any suspicion of matchmaking motives.

Even the two matchmakers probably recognized the unfortunate timing, and besides, they’d always intended Caroline for Matthew in their silly plan. Not her.

After she retrieved her purse from the bedroom, Haley found Matthew bent in front of the pile of small appliances and stoneware place settings stacked along the wall.

“You’ve got quite a stash here,” he said.

“Two toasters, three waffle irons, a blender and a smoothie maker, and that’s without unwrapping any of the ones I hadn’t already opened.”

“Caroline was right. You should get to keep the loot.”

“I don’t think so.” She shook her head to reinforce her words. “I do wish I could use a form letter for my thank-you notes though. My hand is killing me.”

As she flexed and unflexed her left hand, her gaze stopped on her third finger. Her hand looked so bare now without her engagement ring. That piece of jewelry was safe in a drawer upstairs for when she would return it to Tom. The sound of Matthew clearing his throat brought her attention up from her hand.

“Then you need a break…for the sake of those sore fingers. So shall we?” With a tilt of his head, he indicated the front door.

Haley couldn’t help smiling as they went outside and descended the steps toward Matthew’s hybrid SUV parked at the curb. He was so kind to distract her from her problems. He opened her door before jogging around to the driver’s side.

Once inside, he gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Each day will get a little easier, you know.”

“How do you—” Haley began, and then she remembered that he did know from experience what it was like to be the one left behind. Though she’d worried briefly about her mother’s motives, she found relief in knowing she didn’t have to worry about Matthew’s. He was reaching out to her in friendship, just as he’d done all those years ago.

Back then his offer had felt like a nightmare, a pat on the head when she’d hoped to be held in his arms. The same offer now seemed perfect. She didn’t want or need anything else from a man right now, but she could really use a friend.

The glare from the fluorescent lights caught Haley’s attention, and a newborn’s distinctive cry filtered down the aisle, as Haley raced through a discount department store, searching for the backdrop for their final photo. Matthew jogged after her, the two girls and two boys they’d shared a ride with in Matthew’s SUV earlier taking up the rear.

“Slow down, will you?” the boy named Preston called after her as he stopped and tried to catch his breath.

“You don’t want ours to be the last team to get back to the church, do you?” Haley slowed long enough to ask over her shoulder.

“No, but he doesn’t want to collapse and croak next to the health and beauty department, either,” an athletic girl named Katie answered for him.

“Good thing for him Haley’s headed for the toy department,” Matthew said.

Haley grinned as she hurried to the rear of the store. How Matthew knew where she was going, she wasn’t sure, but they must have been thinking on the same frequency because they both stopped right in front of a cage-like container of large plastic balls. Great minds did think alike.

“Here. This is perfect.” She indicated the cage with an expansive wave.

“You want us to get in there? It’s almost smaller than Matt’s car.” That came from Jimmy, the group’s resident comedian.

Haley shook her head. “I just thought we could balance some balls while we build the pyramid.”

“Are we going to balance on the balls?” Jimmy tried again.

“I don’t think so,” Matthew said. “We’ll really come in last if we have to make a side trip to the E.R. at Markston General.”

His deadpan had Haley chuckling. He’d been serious most of the night, through their assignment of squeezing themselves on the store’s minicarousel and her mid-pushup collapse as they did calisthenics on the courthouse steps.

He’d been as serious tonight as he’d been when Haley had seen him with Elizabeth. For someone so blessed with a great career in law and with the opportunity to parent a sweet little girl, Matthew didn’t seem to have much fun in his life.

“I wish we could have brought Elizabeth tonight,” Haley told him as they waited for Preston to catch up with the group. “She would have loved this.”

“It was just for the older kids. Besides, I wouldn’t want her to stay up past her bedtime.”

Haley nodded, wondering about the strict schedule Matthew and his daughter must keep. Did the house collapse around them if the child went to bed at 8:05 p.m. instead of the top of the hour?

“What are we doing?” Preston asked when he reached them.

“We’re deciding how we’re going to build the pyramid,” Jimmy told him. “We’re making you the flier.”

Preston shook his head. “Not going to happen.”

Matthew raised both hands to garner their attention. “Are we going to build this thing or just talk about it?” When no one answered, he started barking orders. “Three across the bottom. The guys and me. Haley goes with Katie next. Then one on top. Chelsea, that’s you.”

Each of them grabbed a ball from the bin and settled it between his hands, a chore that became more difficult at each level. After the pyramid was complete, and a little shaky, they looked up to pose for the camera, finding the Polaroid resting forgotten on the floor.

“Wait. Who’s going to take the picture?” Jimmy asked.

“Yes. Who’s going to take it?”

Haley swallowed as she turned her head in the direction of that unfamiliar voice. A middle-aged woman with a badge that read “Toy Department Manager” stood before them, and she looked anything but pleased.

It took some fast-talking and a promise to leave the store immediately, but they had the picture in their collection when they returned to the vehicle.

As Matthew drove them back to the church, Haley listened to the teens’ happy chatter from the second and third rows of seats in the SUV. She might not have been able to agree with their opinions that their photos competed with the work of Ansel Adams, but she had to admit that the outing had been fun.

Maybe Matthew was right. Maybe each day would get a little easier. She just needed to take control of her life and figure out what she would do next. Tonight had only been a night of distraction, but it was a beginning. She would find a way to get on with her life. All she had to do was get through tomorrow—the day she had planned to walk down the aisle.

Matthew held Elizabeth’s hand as he walked her from her Sunday school class to the sanctuary where she would sit with his mother while he led the morning music. They’d barely made it into the vestibule, though, before she broke free from him, her black-patent Mary Janes clicking across the tile as she then disappeared into the jungle of adults.

“Elizabeth Ann Warren. Come back here this instant.”

He used a louder-than-normal voice, but he shouldn’t have bothered. He would never be heard above the din of the Sunday chatter. Checking his watch to make sure he still had a few minutes before the organist would begin the processional, he hurried in the direction she’d taken.

Emerging on the other side of the crowd, he found the group his daughter must have seen first from her waist-high point of view. His mother was talking to Trina Scott, who must have said something clever because all three Scott sisters were laughing. He didn’t see a lot to laugh about because his disobedient child was giggling along with them to a punch line she probably didn’t understand, and she was doing it from her perch on Haley Scott’s hip.

Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache threatening. Of all those people standing there together, his daughter had to choose Haley to cling to, as if it had been years since she’d seen her instead of days.

“Looking for something?” Haley asked when he strode toward them. She gave the miniature misbehaver in her arms a squeeze, causing the crinolines in the child’s dress to crunch. Elizabeth pressed her cheek against Haley’s.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Matthew addressed only his daughter. “Young lady, you know better than to run in church. And it’s dangerous to run off like that.”

“I’m sorry.” Elizabeth bent her head and looked up at him from under her eyelashes. “But Miss Haley was here.”

As if that explained everything. “Well, I don’t want you to do that again, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy.”

“Elizabeth was just telling me about her Sunday school lesson.” Haley lowered Elizabeth to the floor before straightening the pink-striped blouse she wore with a black skirt. “I love the Noah’s ark story, too.”

“Animals go two by two,” Elizabeth said in a sing-songy voice.

His mother touched his shoulder. “Shouldn’t you be getting inside?”

Matthew glanced toward the open doors of the sanctuary and then at his watch. The first strains of the organ processional music filtered out the door. He was late. He hated having to go in after the music had already started.

Peeking at his watch once more, he turned back to Elizabeth. “Now I want you to behave for Grammy in church.”

The little girl frowned. “I want to sit with Miss Haley.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but his mother waved a hand to stop him. “We’re all planning to sit together.”

“Oh. Good.”

Matthew hesitated only a second before waving and making his way to the front of the church. Why was he acting like a protective papa bear this morning, anyway? Everything was under control, just the way he liked it. He’d even hired a perfect, new caregiver for Elizabeth. A pre-med student, who planned to specialize in pediatrics, Renee even came with references.

From his observation point stage left of the pulpit, he watched the two families file in the sanctuary, filling most of the fourth pew. Sure enough, Elizabeth managed to sit next to Haley, but his mother sat on her other side. No big deal. What harm was it for Elizabeth to befriend Haley anyway? Haley needed friends, apparently better ones than he was being.

He glanced over to his daughter in time to see her pull out a hymnal and hand it to Haley. In the Bible, God had instructed fathers to teach their children in the ways of faith and yet at only four years old, Elizabeth was a better example than Matthew was of how to reach out to others.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the organist motioning for him to take his place behind the lectern to lead the opening hymn. Obviously, he needed to listen better to the lessons in church instead of just leading the music.

He did his best to pay close attention to all the morning’s hymns and then through Reverend Boggs’s sermon on the “Parable of the Lost Sheep.” Church sometimes felt like just another obligation, but this time he vowed to search for deeper meanings that he could apply to his life.

Only a few times did he give in to the temptation to glance down at his family, but that was just to make sure his daughter behaved during services. Once he caught Haley holding her index finger to her lips to hush her, but other than that, Elizabeth was a model citizen.

Matthew was proud of Elizabeth’s behavior. When Elizabeth and his mother reached him in the receiving line after services, he tried not to notice that she stood there calmly holding Haley’s hand when she’d run away from him earlier.

“Well, sweetie, you sure were a well-behaved young lady during church services. Miss Renee will be very happy if you’re this good for her tomorrow.”

“Daddy, why can’t Miss Haley be my new babysitter?”

Matthew stiffened, trying not to look at Haley. “You know why, honey. We hired Miss Renee, and she starts tomorrow.”

“I don’t want Miss Renee. I want Miss Haley.”

“You know Miss Haley will be too busy taking care of the details from the…er…wedding to…” He let the words trail away, not sure what else to say.

“Your daddy’s right about that,” Haley said.

This time Matthew couldn’t help stealing a look at Haley. She was still smiling as she had been when they’d approached, but the look didn’t quite reach her eyes.

She bent to get on Elizabeth’s level. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll be nice.”

When Haley stood again, her gaze connected with Matthew’s. Her sad expression made it clear that she understood his real reason for never even approaching her about the job. She seemed to recognize what he really thought about her, and his opinion hurt.

Something tightened inside his chest. He’d always known that parenting was a tough job. He’d found that out the hard way when Stacey had left. But he’d never realized that doing what he’d considered to be the right thing for his child—what he still thought was the right thing—would make him feel like such a heel.

Chapter Four

Matthew flipped through the stack of papers on his desk for the third time, hoping he’d simply overlooked something, but the legal brief still wasn’t there. Not just any legal brief but the one he was supposed to file in court in about, he paused to look at his watch, forty-five minutes. Shoving back his executive chair from his desk, he crossed to the row of filing cabinets on the south wall and yanked open a drawer.

“It has to be here somewhere,” he hissed. At least it had better be if he didn’t plan to get the chewing out of a lifetime from Judge Andrews for wasting the court’s time.

A tap at his office door brought his head around. “Sybil, I told you no visitors,” he began. His words fell away, though, when not his office assistant but his daughter and her brand-new child-care provider stepped inside.

“Hi, Daddy.” Elizabeth ran inside, scrambling into his office chair.

He didn’t have time for this. He didn’t even have time for a restroom break, let alone visitors. “Hey, you two,” he said, trying to sound calm. “I didn’t expect you to come by. Feel free to look around, Renee, but unfortunately, I can’t give you the full tour. I’m due in court in a little more than a half hour and I’m missing—”

“That’s a bummer,” the nineteen-year-old said to interrupt him. “I know you’re busy, so I won’t keep you long. I wanted to let you know I’ve found another job, so I won’t be able to keep Elizabeth after all.”

“So you’ve come to give notice?” So much for the future pediatrician being the perfect sitter.

“I would. Really. Sorry.” She at least had the decency to look guilty. “But they needed someone right away. Today even. I’ll be working as a receptionist at a posh health club. I can study any time I’m not answering a call, and it pays better money than—” She stopped herself but not before she’d made her point.

Matthew shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from fisting them. “You can’t be serious.”

“I said I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Elizabeth’s been bawling all morning, anyway, and asking for someone named Haley. I would never get any studying done with all of that racket.”

As if that made what she’d just done to him okay. Before he could argue further, Renee waved and backed out of the door, leaving him alone with his child, who climbed down and crawled under his desk. He’d never been able to tempt Elizabeth with the box of toys he kept in one of his office cabinets when his big office desk served as the best clubhouse for a four-year-old.

Matthew started ticking off a list of possible sitters on his fingers. His mother? No, she and Mrs. Scott were meeting with his mom’s accountant this morning. Dylan? Matthew shook his head. His brother had already complained about his heavy patient load today.

Not that he liked to rely on Logan…but Logan? Grabbing his phone, he dialed his brother’s number at the park ranger’s office, but when the machine answered, he slammed the phone back into its cradle. He ground his teeth, probably ruining years of good dental care. What was he supposed to do now?

An idea slid, unwelcome, into his thoughts, and he would have dismissed it out of hand, but he had neither the time nor the luxury. He knew one person who’d already proven she was great with kids, and his own child just happened to love her. For right now, that had to be enough. Resigned, he lifted the handset and dialed again.

“Hey, Haley,” he said when she answered on the second ring.

“Matthew, is that you? Is something wrong?”

Guilt twisted inside him. Even Haley recognized that he wouldn’t call her unless he needed something. “As a matter of fact, I am in a bind.”

“What is it?”

Matthew took a deep breath and then filled her in on the details. He spoke quickly because it was going to take some convincing to get past the fact that he’d offended her yesterday.

He finished with “I know you’re probably busy, but if you could possibly help me out…” Letting his words trail away, he braced himself for a chewing out more acidic than even Judge Andrews would be giving him in—another glance at the watch—twenty-nine minutes.

On the other end of the line, Haley cleared her throat. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

She didn’t say more, only clicked off the phone. Matthew let out the breath he’d been holding. He didn’t have to ask himself who’d been the bigger person today. That answer was clear in the grinning face of the little girl who crawled out from beneath his desk.

“Is Miss Haley going to be my babysitter?”

As frustrated as he was with his daughter’s behavior, he could only put out one fire at a time, and his eyebrows were already singed enough from the one he’d just extinguished. Anyway, if he didn’t find that brief in the next twenty-four minutes, he would have humiliated himself by asking for Haley’s help for nothing.

“Just for today. Play there for a few minutes while we wait for her.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. She disappeared beneath the desk again.

Hurrying back to the filing cabinet, Matthew threw open a drawer. Since he’d already searched the Lively file on his desk, he didn’t know where to begin looking for the misfiled document.

“Daddy.”

“Just a minute, honey. I’m busy.”

“But Daddy—”

His jaw flexing, he shot an annoyed glance toward his desk. Elizabeth stood just in front of the chair holding a messy stack of papers. His documents that had somehow fallen under the desk.

“It’s dirty under there.”

“It certainly is. Thank you for picking it up.”

Now he had two people to thank for cleaning up his mess and one of them was too young to understand the importance of what she’d found. He’d put the documents in order and was tucking them in his briefcase when Haley rushed through the door, her winter coat flapping open.

She brushed her hand back through her hair that was messier than normal and then glanced down at her sport pants and sweatshirt and the athletic shoes she wore without socks. “I wasn’t expecting to go out today.”

“I’m glad you did. Hey, thanks—”

“No problem,” she said to interrupt him. “Now where’s that Elizabeth hiding?” Though she asked the question, she walked right toward the desk where the child was hiding again.

Elizabeth popped out, pushing back the office chair. “I’m here.” She scrambled over to Haley and hugged her around the waist.

“Hey, you. We’re going to have tons of fun today, aren’t we?” Hefting Elizabeth on her hip, she turned back to Matthew. “Shouldn’t you be going?”

He glanced at the door and then at his watch. Fifteen minutes. “Judge Andrews doesn’t look favorably on tardiness.”

“Then go ahead.” She snuggled Elizabeth to her shoulder. “We’ll be fine.”

Matthew gave Haley his address, handed her the house key and then grabbed his coat and briefcase. They would be fine; he knew that. And he would do what he had to do. He had to push aside any misgivings and get on with it. Still, like so many times in a parent’s life, he could only hope he’d made the right decision.

“Daddy’s home!”

The sound of the garage-door opener confirmed Elizabeth’s announcement as she dropped her doll in the middle of her miniature fashion show. She raced from the living room, through the kitchen, to the door that separated the house from the garage.

Haley set her doll aside to place all the dresses and tiny pumps of every color in Elizabeth’s toy suitcase.

From the other room, she could hear the sweet exchange that was probably the daily ritual in the Warren house.

“Hi, Daddy.”

“Hey, munchkin. Did you have a good day?”

At the sound of the door closing and footsteps coming from the kitchen, Haley stiffened. It didn’t seem right for her to be so nervous now, not after she and Elizabeth had just spent such a wonderful afternoon together, but she couldn’t help hoping Matthew would be impressed by her efforts. The events of the last few days must have really done a number on her if she was this desperate for an attaboy.

Matthew and his daughter came through the doorway hand in hand. Haley waved at them from the floor.

“Hello.” He glanced her way but then started scanning the room.

Haley followed the path of his gaze, at first wondering what he was looking for and then annoyed by her guess. Did he expect to find structural damage in his home or something? Wasn’t it enough that he’d asked her to care for Elizabeth only after he’d probably exhausted other possibilities? He seemed determined to offend her today.

“It was so fun.” Elizabeth moved to stay in front of her father’s sliding gaze. “We played toys and read books and ate peanut butter and watched cartoons and—”

“That’s nice, honey,” he said to interrupt her since she wasn’t likely to stop listing every detail.

He must have found no bullet holes or burn marks on the wall because Matthew finally turned back to Haley. “Thank you for doing this.”

“A whole day and not a single emergency room visit. A real feat,” she couldn’t resist commenting.

When he looked back at her, he wore a guilty expression. Well, he deserved to feel guilty. If he thought she would be such a bad influence on his child, then he shouldn’t have asked her at all.

“Elizabeth seemed to have a good day.”

“Does that surprise you?”

Matthew blinked, her question startling him more than any observation. With her innocent question, Haley asked about far more than his thoughts on how his daughter spent her day. She had every right to ask him what his problem was, too, but he didn’t have an answer for her. At least not a good one.

Unlike Renee, who’d dumped his child with him as soon as a better offer came along, Haley had dropped everything to help him. She’d given up her whole day to care for Elizabeth and even left the house passably neat. She’d done all that, and all he could manage was a banal thank-you. The least he could do was to be more grateful. A little humility couldn’t hurt, either.

He cleared his throat. “No, that doesn’t surprise me. Elizabeth thinks you’re great.”

Haley was putting away the last of the dolls, but she stopped and looked at him, lifting a brow. Her assumption that Elizabeth’s father didn’t think she was all that great couldn’t have been clearer.

“I want you to know how much I appreciate you stepping in for us today. We were really in a pinch.”

“I did it for Elizabeth.”

Until then, Elizabeth hadn’t appeared to be paying attention to the conversation, but she looked up and announced, “Miss Haley did it for me.”

The words Haley had spoken and Elizabeth reinforced rang as true in his ears as any statement a credible witness made during cross-examination. Haley had stepped forward for the child’s sake even though she understood she wasn’t the candidate he would have chosen. Wasn’t that similar to what he tried to do with Elizabeth, always putting her needs ahead of anything else?

“Well, thanks.” His throat felt tight as he looked from Haley to Elizabeth. He reached down and tugged one of his daughter’s braids. “How about we put in a video for you while Miss Haley and I talk?”

“Okay.”

He led Elizabeth into the family room and inserted an old video that he’d only recently come to hate because she watched it so often. When he returned to the living room, he gestured for Haley to follow him into the kitchen. He took a seat at the table.

“Here, come sit with me.”

Haley chewed her bottom lip, but she took the seat opposite his. She fidgeted with a ring on her left pinkie, slipping it on and off several times. Finally, she looked up at him.

“What did you want to talk about?” She brushed at a piece of fuzz on her sweatshirt.

“A job,” he blurted before he could think better of it. “I know you gave up yours when you left Michigan.”

“I know.” She stared at her hands twisting her ring around. “There’s nothing left for me in Muskegon. Even Jenna lives on the other side of Michigan. I need to start looking for a new job, but I haven’t even decided where I’m going to live. Mom said I could stay with her until I figure things out, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“You don’t have to decide right away.”

Her head came up then. “This coming from Matthew Warren, the king of advanced-planning-for-the-future? The expert of dotted Is and crossed Ts.”

He shook his index finger at her. “Could we wait until later to denigrate my character? I’m trying to make you an offer here.”

“I probably could wait until seven thirty,” she began, but stopped in the middle of her joke. She tilted her head and studied him. “Offer? You mean a job offer?”

His hands went up in a reflexive move. “Just a temporary one. I would like you to watch Elizabeth until I find a suitable child-care provider.”

Smiling, Matthew waited for her reaction. And waited. Her bland expression offered no hints about what she was thinking.

“How could I resist an offer like that?” she said finally.

It wasn’t the enthusiastic reaction he’d expected, given how taken Haley seemed to be with Elizabeth, but he pressed on anyway, so his own misgivings wouldn’t get the best of him. “So you’ll do it?”

She nodded.

“Oh, good. So do you think you could commit to the job for, oh, let’s say, one month?” Something seemed to cloud the blue sky of her eyes, but Matthew tried not to read anything into it. “I can even draft a contract to that effect. Then we’ll both know we’re on the same page.”

Haley pushed back from the table, stood and crossed to the sink without looking at him. Turning on the faucet, she took out a glass, then filled it and took a sip. He’d offended her just as he had at church the day before. At first the contract had seemed like a good idea, even necessary given Haley’s work history, but now it felt mean.

He was already out of his chair and approaching from behind her to apologize when Haley turned to face him.

“I need you to know,” she paused as if weighing her words, “that what I said to you earlier was the truth but maybe not the whole truth. I did step in today for Elizabeth’s sake, but I also did it for you.”

“I know that.” And because he did know it, he also recognized that one of them had grown up to be a nicer person than the other. “I’m sorry for suggesting the contract.”

“It’s fine. I’ll even sign one if it will make you more comfortable.”

He shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Okay, then.” She poured out the water and put the glass in the dishwasher.

“So we’re agreed on one month?” Maybe he was willing to forego the contract, but he was a lawyer after all, and he needed to come to some sort of official agreement.

When Haley glanced over her shoulder at him, her smile suggested that she understood his need to have all the details at least signed on the imaginary line.

“There’s one more thing you should know. I’m here for Elizabeth and you, and I’ll be here for as long as you need me.”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.