You can’t live a lie forever

One magical summer—that was all it took for Alexis Foster to fall deeply in love with Daniel Chandler. And then she gave him up to keep Daniel from sacrificing his own dreams. But the passionate bond they shared is rekindled when Alex returns to her family’s farm...with a powerful secret.

Daniel is Ohio’s youngest state senator, and his star is on the rise. He’s also discovering a kindred spirit in Alex’s seventeen-year-old daughter. Alex has to tell him the truth even though it risks his political future...and may cost her the two people she loves most.

Was he suggesting they take up where they left off eighteen years ago?

“Are you asking me on a date, Daniel?”

He grinned. “And if I were, what would you say?”

I would say that my racing heart couldn’t take an entire evening with you. She cleared her throat. “Considering the recent events in my life—” and a few significant ones from the past “—I’d have to say no.”

He leaned his forearm on the roof of her car. “Okay, then. I’m not asking you on a date. We’d just be two friends going out for the evening to catch up on lost time. What would you say to that? See if some of the magic still exists?”

Dear Reader,

Sisters. What a mountain of complexities in that one word. I suppose a sister can be a best friend one moment and a worst enemy the next. I lost my sister to disease many years ago when we were both still children. Perhaps that’s why I’ve always longed for that special family member and gal pal to see me through the tough spots.

And maybe that explains why this miniseries for Harlequin Heartwarming, The Daughters of Dancing Falls, is so dear to my heart. The settings for the love stories of these three sisters is northeast Ohio, where I grew up. Each story is as unique as the heroine, but all share one vital commonality. Alexis, Jude and Carrie wouldn’t have found their true loves without the love and support of the other two.

I hope you will enjoy this first story, A Boy to Remember, about Alexis, the oldest. Maybe you’ll finish reading the book and call your own sister just to say I love you.

I love to hear from readers. You can contact me at cynthoma@aol.com.

Sincerely,

Cynthia

A Boy to Remember

Cynthia Thomason

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CYNTHIA THOMASON inherited her love of writing from her ancestors. Her father and grandmother both loved to write, and she aspired to continue the legacy. Cynthia studied English and journalism in college, and after a career as a high school English teacher, she began writing novels. She discovered ideas for stories while searching through antiques stores and flea markets and as an auctioneer and estate buyer. Cynthia says every cast-off item from someone’s life can ignite the idea for a plot. She writes about small towns, big hearts and happy endings that are earned and not taken for granted. And as far as the legacy is concerned, just ask her son, the magazine journalist, if he believes.

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To Amanda Sue Brackett, my sister,

and to all the sisters out there who mean so much to each of us.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

PROLOGUE

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

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

EPILOGUE

Copyright

PROLOGUE

THE LUCKIEST GIRL in Ohio. How many times had Alexis Pope heard people refer to her this way? And today, driving through the lush, green pastureland that carpeted the mini ranches of Fox Creek, she could almost agree with them. Who wouldn’t feel lucky to be returning to this magical, beautiful place of grace and charm?

And yet, in truth, Alex had never really believed in luck. Yes, she was lucky enough to be raised by loving parents in this town, with its top schools and clubs. But for the most part, she had made her own destiny.

The high grades she’d achieved throughout her schooling were not handed out to a lucky student. She’d worked hard for every A. Luck hadn’t landed her in the National Honor Society. Luck hadn’t rewarded her with first chair in the high school orchestra. Years of violin study, cramped and callused fingers, had put her in that chair.

And luck hadn’t brought her back home today. No one would say “Oh, my, it’s Alexis Foster...what a lucky girl.” Especially not when they realized that she was only thirty-five years old and had recently buried her husband.

“It’s so pretty here, Mom,” her daughter said from the passenger seat. “I’m glad we came, but I hope we didn’t leave Chicago just for me. I hope you wanted to come, too.”

Those were the first words Lizzie had spoken in many miles. The silence had caused Alex to worry that her daughter, grieving over the loss of her father, would rather not have made this trip. She covered Lizzie’s hand with hers and smiled. “Of course I wanted to come, sweetheart. I think the change of scenery will do us both good. And you know how happy Grandpa will be to see you.”

“Auntie Jude will be here, won’t she?” Lizzie asked.

“You know your auntie Jude. She is as much a part of this acreage as the trees and the grass.”

“And Aunt Carrie?”

“The last I heard, Carrie was out west taking forestry classes. Unless she surprises us with a visit, I doubt we’ll see her.”

Dr. Martin Foster’s three daughters were as different as could be. But one thing they all had in common. Each of them knew she was loved by her generous and supportive father. Each one knew she could always come home.

Alex turned into the drive, which led to a tall iron gate with the words Dancing Falls stamped in gray steel across the rails. With a touch of whimsy, a metal medallion showing a frothy waterfall lent authenticity to the name her father had chosen for his patch of heaven.

“The gate is open,” she said. “Grandpa is expecting us.”

They drove a quarter mile under ancient oak and maple trees before the house came into view. As stately as ever, its white brick walls and ebony shutters gave a majestic feel to the Georgian structure. Alex pulled around the circular drive and turned off her engine. Martin Foster, looking young for his sixty-four years, was dressed in tan chinos, a light blue golf shirt and boat shoes, his thick gray hair catching an Ohio breeze. He came down the front steps before Alex had opened her car door.

“You made it,” he called, opening his arms to his daughter and granddaughter. He managed to fold them both into a hug at the same time. “I’m so glad you’ve come. I’m going to do my darndest to see that we make the most of this summer before Lizzie goes off to college.”

Alex kissed her father’s cheek. He meant that promise. But could a bottomless well of paternal caring erase the grieving of the past months? Alex stole a glance at Lizzie and found her bravely trying to smile, exactly what she had done during the funeral five months ago, exactly what she had been doing since. How Alex wished she could see a genuine smile on her daughter’s face again. But the girl had adored Teddy Pope, and she missed him with an unquenchable ache.

“I guess it’s all been said a million times, Lizzie.” Martin’s voice was gentle. “I know I said it at the funeral, but I’m so sorry about your father. I miss him, too. He was a good friend as well as a colleague.”

“I know, Grandpa. Thanks.” Grabbing her backpack from the car, Lizzie walked into the house.

Martin put his arm around Alex’s shoulders. “She’ll be all right, darling. She just needs time.”

Right. And she needs to keep living the lie, Alex thought. The lie that Teddy Pope was her father.

CHAPTER ONE

AT SEVEN O’CLOCK PRECISELY, Dr. Foster’s housekeeper announced that dinner was served. Alex, Lizzie and Martin headed for the family dining room but were interrupted when the back door slammed.

“That must be Jude,” Alex said.

“Of course it’s Jude,” Martin replied. “She may live in that apartment above the tack room, but at least she has the good sense to come here for her meals. Your sister has never been accomplished in domestic arts.”

Jude Foster O’Leary, wearing what was obviously a hastily put-together outfit consisting of a belted aqua T-shirt over a long madras skirt, bounded into the dining room just behind her adorable five-year-old son, Wesley. The child still wore what Dr. Foster called his “barn clothes”—jeans, a button-down shirt and scuffed cowboy boots—but his hands looked clean and his hair had been combed. Alex couldn’t say the same for her sister. Humidity-frizzed strands of blond hair refused to be tamed like the rest of her mane in the long braid down her back.

“Hey, you two,” Jude said, hugging her sister first. “It seems like an age since I was in Chicago for Teddy’s...” Realizing her niece might not be prepared to relive those memories, Jude glanced guiltily at Lizzie before kissing her cheek. “Yup, it’s been too long, and I’ve missed you both. How are you doing, honey?”

“I’m okay, Auntie Jude,” Lizzie said. She reached for her cousin and wrapped her arms around him. “You look like a real cowboy, Wes,” she said. “A really hunky one.”

The boy giggled. He had a little-boy crush on his cute big cousin.

“Glad you made it for dinner,” Dr. Foster said.

“Are you kidding? I knew my sister was due today, so I wouldn’t have missed it.” She smiled at Alex. “Besides, I could smell Rosie’s chicken enchiladas from the barn.”

Jude was the first to admit that she was much more comfortable in jeans and a work shirt than a dress. But to her credit, she managed to fluff her long skirt gracefully over the seat of one of Martin’s reproduction twentieth-century Chippendale chairs.

Jude had been Alex’s rock during Teddy’s funeral. Sadly, her sister understood all too well what the family was going through. She’d lost her own husband five years before when he was serving in Afghanistan. Now she managed the Paul O’Leary Foundation she’d established in his honor. Paul had possessed a heart as generous as his willingness to serve his country, and the money that came into the foundation was used for several philanthropic endeavors.

“Still not giving up your rooms over the barn to come back to the house, I see,” Alex said.

Dr. Foster chuckled as he passed the platter of enchiladas and Spanish rice. “I’ve tried everything I can think of to get her to move in with her mother and me, but she insists on staying out there with the animals.”

“I’m here when you need me,” Jude said. “Besides, the barn is barely two-tenths of a mile from the house, Daddy. It’s not like I’m living in a foreign country.”

“But I still worry. You’re remote out there...”

“When don’t you worry, Daddy?” Jude said with a hint of impatience. “Wes and I are perfectly safe. If anyone comes near the barn, Mutt barks like the world is coming to an end.”

Alex smiled to herself. Mutt was hardly a mongrel as his name suggested. He was a purebred Bernese mountain dog that Jude had come across in her work with animal rescue. She’d bonded with the friendly black-and-white dog immediately and brought him into her living quarters as the family mutt. The name just stuck.

“How about you, Wesley?” Alex said. “Do you like living above the barn?”

The child shrugged. “Sure. It’s okay.”

Conversation strayed to matters of gossip and local news until Jude asked the customary question. “How’s Mama doing tonight, Daddy?”

“She’s resting comfortably,” he said. “The nurse told me she didn’t have one of her anxiety attacks today.”

“I went up earlier,” Alex said. “I think she might have recognized me. At least I hope so.”

“I’ll go up and see her later,” Jude said. Her offer was met with pretended enthusiasm. Everyone knew that Maggie Foster, suffering from late-stage Alzheimer’s disease, wouldn’t know if her daughter came into the room or not. A good day was when Maggie’s eyes focused long enough to bring hope to one of her family. Unfortunately, any hint of recognition had been rare the past year.

Once dinner was finished and the dishes had been cleared, Lizzie took Wesley into the family room for a game of War with Grandpa’s worn deck of cards.

“So how is my niece really doing?” Jude asked after a moment.

Alex tried to convince her that things were not so bad. “She’s improving all the time. In the last weeks she’s even gone out with her friends, but I think she’s been looking forward to the end of her senior year and the opportunity to come here. An apartment, no matter how spacious, doesn’t offer the same healing benefits as this farm.”

“She looks thin,” Jude said. “And I agree with you. After a few months here, she’ll get some color back in her cheeks and be more like her old self.”

“We’ll have to keep her busy,” Martin said. “Maybe she can volunteer at the hospital a couple of days a week. We can always use more teens.”

“I’m not sure a hospital environment is what she needs right now,” Alex said.

Martin agreed. “Who’s got another idea?”

“She can help out at the barn,” Jude offered. “I can definitely use a hand with feeding and grooming.”

Alex remained silent for a few moments as she considered these suggestions. “Maybe,” she finally said. “But I’m hoping to find an activity that is more in line with Lizzie’s interests. Remember, she joined the drama club at school and scored the lead in the senior class play. I thought perhaps I could contact Glen Spenser.” She focused on her father. “Does he still head up the summer stock theater?”

“He sure does. That’s a great idea. Spenser’s group is supposed to be getting ready for several performances of The Music Man. If Lizzie could get a role, rehearsing, learning lines—all of that will take up a lot of her time.”

“If Lizzie gets a part, I’ll have to make sure Glen understands her situation,” Alex said.

“You don’t really want her treated differently because she lost her father, do you?” Martin asked.

“No. But I need to be assured that she’ll be in a healing, supportive environment.”

When both Martin and Jude stared at her, she added, “I guess I’ve become an overprotective mother.”

She felt her eyes well with tears, and her father got up, came around the table and sat beside her. “What about you, Alexis? How are you doing? Losing Teddy, worrying about Lizzie. I can see this is all taking its toll on you.”

Alex leaned her head against her father’s shoulder. Along with Teddy, her mother and father were the only people in the world who knew the truth about Lizzie’s birth, everything but the biological father’s name. As far as everyone else was aware—her sisters, and Lizzie herself—Teddy Pope was her dad. Through the years Jude had asked leading questions. But Alex had dodged all of them and believed that no one, not even Lizzie’s biological father, whom Alex hadn’t seen in almost eighteen years, could have been a better parent than Teddy.

“Tomorrow will be a better day, baby,” Martin said. “Rest up the remainder of the weekend and see Glen on Monday. I have a hunch that the bright lights of Fox Creek’s summer theater will be exactly what the doctor ordered for our Lizzie.”

Alex sighed. If only she could count on that.

* * *

MONDAY, USING THE pretense of going to the rural farmers’ market, Alex drove with her daughter past the Red Barn Theater. “Oh, look, it’s still in business,” she said, glancing at Lizzie to gauge her interest.

Lizzie leaned forward in her seat. “I wonder what production they’ll put on this summer.” She pointed to a sign near the road. “It’s The Music Man. And they’re announcing auditions. I love that musical.”

Alex slowed the car. “Me, too. Why don’t we turn around and go inside to check out what parts haven’t been filled.”

Lizzie shrugged, showing less enthusiasm than Alex had hoped for. “Mom, I didn’t know you were interested in theater,” she said.

Alex raised her eyebrows in an incredulous stare. “I was thinking about you, honey. You’re the actress in this family.”

The use of the word family seemed to leave a pall hanging over the car. As Alex pulled next to the renovated barn, Lizzie just said, “Oh.”

Once they were inside the theater, Lizzie’s demeanor changed. Her gaze darted around the interior, seeming to take in everything at once—the red velvet chairs, the rough-hewn rafters, the elevated stage with lights above and below. The stage lights weren’t illuminated now, but one could just imagine... And Lizzie obviously was.

A man a couple of decades older than Alex called from the stage. “Can I help you?”

Glen Spenser was eighteen years older than the last time Alex had seen him at the Birch Shore Resort on Lake Erie. He had been their guru back then, both for the actors, like talented Daniel Chandler, and for the set builders and extras, like Alexis Foster.

Glen shielded his eyes from the glare of the overhead lights and came slowly down the steps at the side of the platform. “We’re having tryouts today,” he said. “If you’d like to audition...”

He stopped midway down the aisle. “Oh, my gosh, Alexis Foster!” He quickened his pace and took Alex’s hand. “You haven’t changed a bit. Still that gorgeous strawberry blond hair and a dazzling height of... What are you, five foot nine?” He chuckled. “I can still remember needing a prop from the top shelf and calling for you to come get it for me.”

Alex smiled. “Hi, Glen. You haven’t changed, either.”

“Oh, honey,” Glen said. “It’s been almost twenty years, hasn’t it?” He smoothed his hand over the sparse hair at his crown and smiled. “I think I’m even shorter now. Old age does that to a guy.”

“How have you been?” Alex asked.

“Busy. Doing some graphic art work for local businesses and still puttering around theaters. Can’t seem to get it out of my blood.”

“Nor should you,” Alex said. She took Lizzie’s arm. “This is my daughter, Lizzie. We’re going to be here for the summer.”

“Wonderful. Staying out at the farm, are you?”

Alex nodded. Everyone in the area knew about Dancing Falls. Most everyone had been to barbecues there or knew the medical skills of Martin Foster.

Glen cupped his hand under his chin and appraised Lizzie. “You’re as pretty as your mother,” he said. “But your dark hair suits your olive complexion. You didn’t get that from the Foster girls.”

Lizzie smiled. “I guess not, but my dad was fair, too. So who knows? Genetics is a mystery to me.”

Alex quickly jumped into the conversation. “I thought Lizzie might want to audition. Do you have any parts left?”

“You bet. One very important part. Zaneeta Shinn, the mayor’s daughter. It’s not a big role, but it’s vital to the production.” Glen took Lizzie’s hand and began walking her to the stage. “Read for me now, honey. I know it’s a cold reading, but you can take a script home and practice and come back tomorrow for a retry if you want.”

Lizzie shot her mother a perplexed look as she was more or less propelled toward the stage. But she was smiling. Just like Alex was almost always smiling during that summer eighteen years ago.

Just like she was smiling now—until she heard the door open behind her and turned to see who’d come into the theater.

Later, when she had time to think about it, she would have to admit that recognizing Daniel after eighteen years from thirty yards away down a long aisle was as natural as breathing. Only she wasn’t breathing now. She felt light-headed and dizzy, fighting an urge to flee and a struggle to draw air into her lungs.

Alex was aware of noise around her though she felt as if she were in a vacuum. Someone on stage, working on the set, pounded a hammer. Overhead a fluorescent light buzzed and pulsed. And Glen hollered, “Hey, Danny. You’re just in time, buddy. We’ve got a new audition for Zaneeta, and Larry needs a hand building the bridge.”

“I came as soon as I could,” Daniel responded, walking down the aisle toward Alex. His voice was as familiar as the sound of the waves on shore that summer, or the soft beat of rock and roll coming from a window in the summer staff’s dormitory. Alex trembled, almost as if his words had been whispered into her ear.

Of course he was nowhere near enough to whisper anything into her ear. But she could see he hadn’t changed. The years had been good to Greenfield’s native son, the young man who’d risen from humble roots to succeed in college and become the youngest state senator ever sent to Columbus from their district.

He slowed his pace when he got to Alex, gave her a brief smile as he walked past, and said, “Morning.”

Then he refocused his attention on the stage. A hint of silver threaded the dark, wavy hair at his temples. Hair the same color as Lizzie’s. He moved with the purposeful gait of a politician, each step determined and powerful. There had been nothing subtle about Daniel back then. There wasn’t now.

And all the self-esteem and confidence Alex had acquired during her marriage to Teddy vanished in that one awful moment. Daniel Chandler didn’t have the faintest idea who she was.

Eighteen years earlier

“SO WHAT DO you think, Alexis? Does Birch Shore Resort look any different now that you’re going to be working here? You used to love coming here when you were a kid.”

Martin followed the signs leading to the employees’ dormitory, keeping his large SUV within the twenty-mile speed limit.

Alex’s anxiety had reached new heights in the last five miles. Granted, she was only seventy-five miles from Dancing Falls, but this home away from home seemed remote and alien, while at the same time exciting.

Martin pulled up in front of Pelican House, a two-story wooden structure built for Birch Shore employees. “Remember, Alexis, the first floor is for girls only. The second is for the boys. No wandering around in the middle of the night.”

Martin’s smile took the sting from his words. “Stop teasing, Daddy,” Alex said. “I’m here to earn money for college.”

“And don’t I appreciate it!”

Martin and Alex got out of the car, and he opened the back cargo door. She’d managed to cram her most necessary possessions and three months of clothes into two suitcases and three large boxes, but getting them to her room wouldn’t be such an easy task.

“I don’t want you carrying this stuff,” she said. “We need a cart or something.”

As if by divine miracle, one appeared, an old grocery basket steered by a tall, incredibly good-looking boy. Alex swallowed, blinked her eyes. Actually, he wasn’t a boy at all. She’d left all the boys behind in Fox Creek. This guy had to be two or three years beyond boy. Mature, handsome, smiling. Oh, my.

“Hi,” he said. “Need some help?”

“Thank you, son,” Martin said, giving the young man a thorough scrutiny. “You look familiar.”

“I’m Daniel Chandler,” he said, shaking Martin’s hand. “I’m from Greenfield. I’ll be working here this summer.”

“Aren’t you Gus Chandler’s kid? I’ve seen you at the hardware store.”

“I am.”

“Small world. My daughter Alexis will be working here, too. This is her first extended stay away from home.” Alex wished she had worn something much more fashionable than cutoffs and a T-shirt. She was mortified because her father made her sound like such a kid. Martin had told her this would be her chance for adventure, freedom, independence, and already he’d pegged her as an inexperienced child. And to this mature man!

Daniel’s grin spread, showing remarkably cute dimples. “Sounds good,” he said. “Follow me.”

The trio and their wobbly cart headed up the sidewalk to Pelican House. Daniel asked Alex for her room number and steered her belongings to a cramped bedroom for two at the end of the hall. The only furnishings were twin beds, two small dressers and one drying rack for towels and such. But to Alex it represented a whole new life, one where this wonderful boy would be living just upstairs.

Once the boxes were unloaded onto Alex’s bed, Daniel wished her good luck and said he’d see her later.

Alex wanted to say something clever to ensure that he would, but nothing cute or flirty or even intelligible came to mind. She didn’t know how to flirt, a skill she wished she’d perfected before this.

She walked outside with her father, hugged him and assured him she would be fine. When she went back inside Pelican House, Daniel was in the small lobby. Was he waiting for her? She could barely breathe.

“We’ve got a busy day tomorrow with orientation,” he said. “How about if I pick you up at your room this evening at five thirty and show you where the employee cafeteria is?”

“Thanks. That would be nice.”

She raced into her room and set her clock.

CHAPTER TWO

HAD THERE BEEN a place to hide, Alex would have run for it, but all the nonpublic places were backstage, and to get to them, she would have had to approach the three people on the stage. So, until the flare-up in her cheeks returned to normal—darn the curse of women with fair complexions—she sank into the audience seat and waited until Lizzie had auditioned.

How ironic that Daniel, the guy who had suggested she join the musical revue at the Birch Shore Resort, the man who’d dazzled her and changed her life, was now about to offer an opinion on Lizzie’s immediate future. She couldn’t trap a sigh as more memories of that magical summer flooded her mind. Her father had been right. Working at Birch Shore had given her opportunities. She’d met new people and shown off her talents. But Martin hadn’t known that three days into her summer she fell in love with a charismatic Greenfield boy.

Alex sat forward in the theater seat, trying to hear her daughter’s read for the part of Zaneeta. When Lizzie squealed her character’s famous line, Alex couldn’t help smiling. When Lizzie argued with Glen, who was playing her father, Alex felt proud. Lizzie had never argued with Teddy. Within reason, he’d given her everything she’d ever wanted, as if he was compensating for the family secret, the fact that he wasn’t her real father.

She heard Daniel’s booming baritone. “I can’t see any reason to audition another girl. This one is perfect.” He grinned at Lizzie. “Great read.”

“So what do you think?” Glen said. “Do you want the part? You realize we have three weeks of rehearsal before the run of the musical begins. Then it’s a full week of performances, a total of eight shows. Are you up to the challenge?”

Lizzie glanced into the theater. “I’ll have to talk to my mother, but yes, I can do it.”

Daniel moved to the edge of the stage. “Is that your mother out there?”

Lizzie nodded and Alex involuntarily sank farther into the chair.

“Hi, Mom,” Daniel called. “We need to talk.” He strode to the steps at the side of the stage and came down the aisle.

This was it. If he didn’t recognize her now, she could maybe pull off anonymity until the summer was over. The only other choice was to deny Lizzie the opportunity to be part of the play, and Alex wasn’t about to do that. This was the first time in months Lizzie had shown such enthusiasm.

Standing next to her, Daniel offered his hand. “Daniel Chandler. Among other things, I am an amateur actor—sort of.”

Daniel had never been an amateur anything.

“May I join you?”

Alex took the hand that had felt as natural as a glove during that summer. “Hello, Mr. Chandler.” She moved over a seat so he could sit next to her. What else could she do?

He did, giving her the same friendly smile that had won her over years before, a smile that was as genuine as it was memorable. “Daniel, please. I don’t even get called Mr. Chandler at the statehouse.”

Alex didn’t comment, not wanting him to realize that she knew anything about him. As far as he was concerned, this was a first—and hopefully a last—meeting. After all, Glen was in charge of directing and producing. With any luck, Alex wouldn’t even see Daniel again.

Daniel stared at the stage. “Your daughter gave a good read,” he said before turning his attention to Alex. “We want her in the production.”

Alex’s gaze was caught in the warm beam of deep olive green eyes she’d never forgotten. She wanted to look away, look down, anything to keep him from scrutinizing her so closely. But his stare only became more intense.

And then his eyes widened. His brow furrowed. Another grin, slight, but just as charming as she remembered, tilted his full mouth. “Wait a minute,” he said. “I know you.”

She shook her head. “Well...perhaps...”

“Alex? Alex Foster?”

“No longer Foster now,” she stammered. “Alexis Pope.”

The grin spread. “So some lucky guy caught you. I’m not surprised. Do you remember me? If you don’t, it’s okay. There were lots of guys after you that summer.”

And she’d agreed to go out with a couple of them. But that was before Daniel became the best part of her stay at Birch Shore. The rest of her summer had been just Daniel.

“We were at the Birch Shore Resort together. I was going into my junior year of college at OSU and you were going to Wittenberg, I think, as a freshman.”

She never made it to Wittenberg. Instead, she enrolled in art history classes as Alexis Pope at the University of Chicago, where Teddy took her to live.

“I seem to recall having to talk you into joining the revue that summer,” Daniel continued. “It was the best way I could think of to get to know you better.”

And it worked. Daniel was unlike any of the boys she’d gone out with in high school. He was experienced in ways they weren’t. And he was nice. From the first day she’d met him, he’d treated her as if she was truly someone special.

Alex drew a long breath. She could hardly confess to not remembering the boy who’d... But then again, she couldn’t admit what they’d meant to each other that summer. Daniel might have forgotten her once he was back at school, once she told him she’d moved on.

“Oh, right,” she said. “I do remember you, though I don’t recall too much about that summer...” If lying was a sin, she was doomed.

His eyes narrowed with a flash of doubt. “You don’t remember spending time together, just you and me?”

“Well, yes, some,” she said. “But there were other kids around most of the time.”

He seemed to accept her answer. “It was a great summer, living in dorms, eating in the cafeteria, wearing those goofy uniforms.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Funny I’ve never run into you before now,” he said. “You still live in Fox Creek?”

At least she didn’t have to lie about that. “No. After I married, I went to live in Chicago. I’m just here visiting my father.”

“I hope you’ll be around long enough for Lizzie to have her chance on stage.”

“Yes, we plan to stay awhile.”

“Great. She’s a minor, right? So Glen will have to get your signature on some papers, but we’ll treat her with kid gloves.”

“How involved are you, Daniel? Will you have an acting part in the play?”

“Nothing as glamorous as that. While I’m on hiatus from my real job, I’m helping with the sets. And since I’ve had some acting experience, I may try my hand at coaching some of the newer players. It’s just a diversion for me really, and I’ve known Glen for a long time.”

He was being modest. He had been the star of the resort revue. Audiences had loved his singing and dancing. All the girls had confessed to having crushes on him. The resort guests asked for him personally when they needed a favor during the day. That summer he had cleaned up on tips, stashing away every cent to pay for college.

“So this has your stamp of approval for Lizzie, Alex?” he asked. “I hope so. She’s a natural.”

“Sure. Whatever she wants.”

He stood and called toward the stage. “Come on down, Lizzie. Your mom is on board.”

Lizzie bounded down to the main floor. She scurried up to her mother and Daniel. “It’s okay with you, Mom? I can drive myself whenever you don’t want to bring me. You won’t have to operate a taxi the whole summer.”

“Yes, honey, I think it’s a great idea.”

Lizzie gave her a hug.

“It’s settled, then,” Daniel said. “Take a copy of the script home and start learning the lines. We’ll have to get your dress size and shoe size so we can alert the costume designer that we have our Zaneeta. This was the last major role we had to fill.”

Having heard the exchange, Glen joined the others. “I’d say this calls for a celebration, not just because we have our Zaneeta, but because old friends have met in this theater today. We need to catch up with each other. What do you say, Alex? All of us, dinner on me at the Jug and Boar?”

Alex ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair. “I don’t know, Glen. I have obligations...”

“You can bring your husband,” Daniel said. “And Lizzie can bring a friend...”

“I don’t have friends here,” Lizzie said. “And my father died...”

Alex felt the cold rush of guilt creep into her cheeks. There had been no reason for her to tell Daniel she was a widow, and yet she somehow felt as if she’d withheld that information from him.

Daniel stepped back. “I’m so sorry. How long ago?”

“It was January,” Alex said. “We’re still adjusting.”

“Of course you are. Wow, that’s tough. If there’s anything I can do...”

“There isn’t. I’m with my family.”

“Okay, but if you think of something...”

Glen covered the awkward silence. “I think that dinner is even more important now,” he said. “What do you say, Alex? Is tomorrow night good for you?”

Alex stood and maneuvered her way to the aisle. “I couldn’t. You understand. Lizzie and I have to go now.”

“Sure,” Glen said. “We start rehearsals on Wednesday, kid. We’ll see you at nine o’clock.”

“I’ll be here.”

Alex and Lizzie walked to the exit, and only when she’d opened the door did Alex take a normal breath. She’d felt Daniel’s gaze on her the entire way up the aisle and now had to convince her knees to quit trembling.

“Why didn’t you want to go to dinner, Mom?” Lizzie asked. “Those guys are so nice. I wanted to go.”

“Maybe some other time, honey. We’ve just arrived here. Grandpa wants time with you.”

“Okay, but if they ask again, say yes.”

Alex nodded. You got away with this, she told herself. No harm done. Surely she could manage a short summer season without Daniel Chandler knowing the truth about his daughter.

* * *

“HEY, WE’VE STILL got a bridge to build. Can we get some work done today?”

Daniel hadn’t realized he’d been staring at a closed door until Richie Parker’s voice echoed off the theater walls. Beside him, Glen chuckled. “Guess Richie doesn’t realize we got something important done today that didn’t include the bridge.”

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed. “Hiring Lizzie was a stroke of luck.”

Both men turned and headed toward the stage, where construction of the romantic bridge had halted. “I don’t know about luck,” Glen said. “I remember Alex having a good bit of talent that summer at the resort. Maybe it runs in the family. At any rate, you and Alex made my job as choreographer run smoothly.”

Daniel had thought of Alex Foster many times in the past few years. Because of her, that summer was the best he’d ever spent at Birch Shore. He had noticed her right away. In fact, he clearly recalled rushing up to the SUV her father drove and offering to transport Alex’s bags into the dormitory. And it hadn’t been ten minutes after her dad left that Daniel had invited her to go with him to the cafeteria for supper. And so began a relationship that seemed to have been built on days of grinding rehearsals, subpar meals and, what made it all worthwhile, moonlit walks on the beach that led to his eventually making love to Alex.

Oh, yeah, he’d had it bad for Alex that summer. Unfortunately, she seemed to have developed something equally as bad for another guy as soon as the season ended. The resort closed, the kids left, and except for a few phone calls, Daniel never made contact with her again. He’d searched his brain for reasons to explain her sudden surprising behavior. When logical explanations didn’t come to him, he tried to forget her, to move on with other girls. But he’d ended the best summer of his life with a broken heart.

Eighteen years earlier

DANIEL RETURNED TO Ohio State believing that he’d met the girl of his dreams, the one who would make all his hard work and sacrifice worth it. Someday I’m going to marry Alex Foster, he’d told his friends at Ohio State.

The first phone calls had been exciting, fun, sprinkled with sweet words, and them sharing their dreams. They planned when they would get together again. And then, the last time she spoke to him, everything changed.

“You shouldn’t call me anymore, Daniel,” she said.

“Why? What’s wrong? Are you ill?” If there was something wrong with Alex, Daniel made up his mind to leave campus and go to her immediately.

“No, I’m fine. But I’m moving on.”

“Moving on? What does that mean?”

“I never meant to hurt you,” she said. “But I’ve met someone else. Actually, he’s a man I’ve known for quite some time, and we’ve just discovered we’re in love.”

“I don’t believe you, Alex. Something’s wrong. We don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving. I’ll come to Wittenberg to see you. I can leave tonight.”

“No, I don’t want you to do that.” She paused for torturously long moments. “I won’t be at Wittenberg. I’m getting married.”

“So it’s over, just like that? We’re through?” He hated the petulant tone of his voice, but it was so difficult to get the words out.

“I’m sorry. Really, I am.” Her voice hitched. He wanted to reach out and grab her, shake her, find out what was wrong. “I have to go now.”

The line went dead, and he held on to the phone even after her voice had faded. It took a long time for him to accept what had happened. That the girl he’d fallen so hard for had joined the insular world of the married, while he became part of the blur of a summer soon forgotten. But Daniel didn’t forget. His grades suffered. His friendships became almost meaningless. No, Daniel hadn’t forgotten.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Glen said.

His friend’s voice brought Daniel back from a heartache he’d carried for a long time.

“Something wrong?”

Daniel shook his head. “No. I was just thinking...it’s a shame that Alex is a widow at such a young age. Must have been hard.”

“I’m sure it was, but maybe not all that surprising.”

“Why? What do you mean?”

“I heard that she married someone her father’s age, another doctor. That would make him even older than I am.” Glen smoothed a few strands of thinning blond hair from his forehead. “If you can imagine that.”

Daniel halted, stared at Glen. “Wow, I almost can’t.” Truly, he couldn’t put the young, sweet Alex Foster with a man her father’s age. “Why would she do that?” he asked.

“Love works in mysterious ways, my friend,” Glen said. “I’m just sayin’...the guy could have died from old age.”

Daniel didn’t believe that, but still, it was strange. “Incredible,” he said under his breath.

“Maybe she’ll get another chance with someone her own age,” Glen said, echoing Daniel’s thoughts. “In the meantime, our pal Richie up there is getting grumpier by the minute. Hope you’ve got some time left in your busy day, Senator.”

“I do. I told my dad I’d be at the hardware store by 3:00. That gives me five hours, minus a few minutes to eat the lunch you’re going to treat me to.”

Glen laughed, slapped a hand on Daniel’s back. “You got it. Isn’t it nice to have a hiatus from the state capital, Danny? You have all this time to sit around and contemplate the meaning of life.”

“Right. Between working for you and my father, I haven’t had time to contemplate the headlines in the Greenfield Gazette.”

Only now he found himself contemplating relationships, especially one from his past.

CHAPTER THREE

WEDNESDAY MORNING JUDE breezed in the back door of the house, followed by an energetic Mutt. She grabbed a piece of toast from the platter left from breakfast, poured a cup of coffee and sat in the nearest chair. “Hi, sis. I talked to Dad before he left for the office, and he says you’re going into Greenfield today.”

Jude moved so fast and with such an economy of effort that Alex’s head was about to spin. “I am, just as soon as I take Lizzie to the Red Barn Theater. Rehearsals start today.”

Jude munched on the dry toast, alternating taking a bite for herself and offering bits to Mutt. “She excited?”

“She is. I think this activity is going to be great for her.” Minus the fact that she might be working with her biological father. “And just exactly why are you interested in my trip to Greenfield? I need a few things at the drugstore, so I shouldn’t be long.”

Dusting crumbs from her hands onto the table, Jude reached into her back jeans pocket. “I thought maybe you could pick up some stuff for me at the hardware store.”

No way. The only hardware store close by was Chandler’s, owned for years by Daniel’s father, Gus. Alex intended to steer clear of that location. Not that the junior state senator would be there, but why take the chance?

“I don’t know anything about hardware, Jude,” Alex said. “I live in a maintained condo in the middle of Chicago. I’ve never fixed so much as a loose lightbulb.”

“You don’t have to know in order to buy,” Jude said. “Just show the list to Gus, and he’ll gather everything. Anyway, it’s just a slide bolt for the hay bin, some pegs for the board in the tack room, a galvanized bucket...”

“Whoa. This sounds confusing.”

“No, it doesn’t. Why are you acting like stopping at Chandler’s is such a big deal?”

Jude’s ability to see through any ploy had often been irritating, but never more so than this morning. Jude had a sixth sense for sniffing out the truth, and she was right. Going to a hardware store shouldn’t be a big deal. Unless a woman’s old boyfriend, one who barely remembered her and was the key to a life-altering secret, might happen to be there.

Alex couldn’t think of a reason to avoid Jude’s errand. Besides, rehearsals started this morning. Daniel had said he wanted to coach, so if he was anywhere close, he’d be at the theater. And even if he wasn’t, what were the chances he’d be at the store? Didn’t he have civic duties to perform?

“Fine. Give me your list,” she said.

“You’ll be back by 2:30, won’t you?”

“Sure, but why?”

“I have to pick Wesley up at the bus stop, and I want to be at the barn when you come by. Thought you might like to see some of the improvements I’ve made to the property.”

“I would. Lizzie enjoyed her tour yesterday, and she’s even less of a horse person than I am.”

Jude stood suddenly. “Gotta go. Got a dozen goats waiting for breakfast.” She left by the back door, trailed by a tail-wagging Mutt, and hollered over her shoulder. “Thanks, Allie-belle!”

Alex smiled. Despite the tension of knowing Daniel was nearby, coming home had its advantages. Like being with her mother and father, and hearing the nickname she’d almost forgotten in the past few years. The Foster sisters were a tight group, each different from the other, yet loving in her own way. Alex missed Carrie. They talked two or three times a week, but even so, her absence felt as if a piece of the puzzle was missing.

“Mom, I’m ready!” Lizzie came into the kitchen, her backpack over her shoulder, the script she’d been studying in her hand, and her dark hair fastened into two braids. “It’s 8:30. I don’t want to be late.”

“Let’s go, then.”

The drive on the rural road to the Red Barn was peaceful. A few farm trucks gave a pastoral feel to the mix of BMWs and other classy cars of Fox Creek neighbors. On the way, Lizzie went over her lines. “I don’t have that big a part, but I want to do a good job. This is my first real acting gig.”

“And your last before you head off to Bryn Mawr,” Alex said. The two women had carefully considered all the top schools in the east where Lizzie could study literature, and they’d decided on the all-female Pennsylvania college. At first Lizzie had protested the absence of men, but when she discovered she could take classes at the University of Pennsylvania, which was coed, she readily accepted Bryn Mawr’s offer.

“I wonder if Daniel Chandler will be here today,” Lizzie said as they approached the theater. “I hope he is.”

Alex took a deep breath. “I don’t know, honey. He didn’t sound as if he’d be terribly involved when I talked to him.”

“He’s really good-looking, isn’t he?”

“Ah...” What would be the point of denying what was so obviously true. “I suppose.”

“Did you notice his arms and hands? He has lots of muscles for a guy who normally wears a suit.”

Alex didn’t answer, but she definitely remembered those strong, athletic arms.

“I mentioned him to Grandpa, and he told me that Daniel was elected to the state senate two years ago. He’s really popular with everyone in this district. Grandpa voted for him.”

“I would imagine that he’s kept busy with his duties. I wouldn’t count on seeing too much of him at the theater.”

Lizzie sighed with a typical teenage dreaminess. “He’d make a hunky Henry Hill, don’t you think?”

Determined not to focus on the fact that Lizzie was talking so openly about her father, Alex made light of the question. “I’m sure a state senator doesn’t have time to be the lead in a small-town summer production.”

“You’re probably right.”

They pulled into the lot and got out of the car. Lizzie entered the theater first and went right to the stage, where Glen and several other people were milling about. Thank goodness Daniel wasn’t one of them.

“Hey there, Zaneeta!” Glen called. “Now we’re all here for the first day’s rehearsal.” He smiled at Alex. “You want to stay, Alex? I’m sure we can put you to work.”

She laughed. “I’ve already been given an assignment from my sister. I’m on my way into Greenfield.”

“Okay. We’ll probably wrap up around three. But I’ll have Lizzie call you.”

Glen was introducing Lizzie to the other cast members as Alex left the theater. Okay, so their first meeting was just a temporary snag. Chances were, Lizzie wouldn’t see much of Daniel for the rest of the summer. And Alex wouldn’t, either. Crisis averted.

Once she’d finished paying for her purchases at the drugstore, Alex drove down Main Street to Chandler’s Hardware. She’d run in, hand the list to Gus and be out in five minutes, tops. She angle-parked in front of the century-old brick building and went inside. Familiar smells made her remember trips to this store with her dad when she was a very little girl, before her studies kept her busy. The scent of freshly cut lumber, the rusty tang of old nails, the smell of tanned leather. All good memories, until she met the owner’s son and hadn’t returned since.

Gus Chandler was behind the cash register. His gray hair was thinner than she remembered, and his skin had the pallor of an Ohio winter. But in his flannel shirt, loose-fitting denim pants and carpenter’s apron, he looked as if he was dressed for a business he loved. There was something comforting about the perseverance of small-town icons. They stuck it out, didn’t cut and run, like she had.

Gus gave her a welcoming grin. “Well, well...look who’s here. I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays.”

“It has been a while. You’re looking good, Mr. Chandler.”

“You, too. Pretty as I remember. My son told me he ran into you the other day. Said you lost your husband.”

Alex nodded. Daniel had mentioned her to his father?

“Sad thing, that,” Gus said. “You’re too young to be a widow.”

Alex handed him Jude’s list. “My sister needs some things at the barn. Since I don’t know what any of this is, I’m trusting you to get them for me.”

“No problem.” He moved a few steps from the register and that was when Alex saw the cane leaning against the counter. And the noticeable limp in Gus’s right leg. “I don’t get around like I used to,” he said. “But I’ve got good help here today.”

He cupped his hands around his mouth and called, “Danny, can you come in here a minute?”

Alex’s mouth went dry. She’d thought she might see Daniel at the theater, but she hadn’t expected to find him at the store. She quickly glanced around, nervously seeking an exit. But leaving was ridiculous and would call more attention to herself than staying.

Dusting off his hands on a rag, Daniel came from the back storeroom. His eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face when he saw her. An honest reaction or a politician’s gimmick?

“Hey, Alex! Imagine seeing you twice in—what? Four days. Must be my lucky week.”

“Hello, Daniel. Lizzie was hoping you’d be at the theater today.”

“Nope. Not today. I’m helping Pop with inventory. I expect Glen will have me working a few hours tonight, though. The sets are pretty complicated for this musical.”

He removed a Cleveland Indians ball cap long enough to smooth a lock of dark hair from his forehead before replacing the hat and tugging the brim low. “How is Lizzie this morning?”

“Excited. I dropped her off at the theater.”

“She’ll love working with Glen. He makes it fun.” Tucking the rag into the back pocket of his jeans, Daniel crossed his arms over an Ohio State T-shirt. His gaze, however, never left Alex’s face. She suddenly felt small and vulnerable. “What can I do for you?” he asked.

“She’s got a list of things,” Gus said from behind the counter. “If you don’t mind...”

“Happy to.” Daniel took the list, grabbed an empty box from the floor and said, “Follow me.”

With the expertise of someone familiar with every nook and cranny of a hardware store warehouse, Daniel went about selecting the items from Jude’s list. When he filled the box and had seemingly exhausted every bit of small talk about Greenfield town life, he turned to Alex and said, “So how’s your stay in Ohio going?”

“It’s all good. This is home, so you know.”

“You bet I do. I spend most of my time in Columbus these days, but it’s always nice to come back to Greenfield.”

Unable to pretend any longer that she knew nothing about Daniel’s career, Alex said, “I heard you were elected to the state senate. That’s quite an accomplishment.”

“I don’t know about that. I like to think I connected with voters on a basic level of honesty and caring.”

“I guess you did. Sorry I wasn’t here to vote for you.” As if he needed her one measly vote.

He smiled. “I would have gotten your vote, Alex? That means a lot to me.”

Her face grew warm. “I must admit I didn’t know your opponent, but yes, I’m pretty sure I would have voted for you.”

He made a quick check through the box and set the list inside with the items.

When the silence became uncomfortable, Alex said, “So, do you have aspirations beyond the state senate?”

“We all have aspirations, don’t we? But for now I’m content. I’m working on a few projects that I believe will benefit both the citizens of Fox Creek and the Greenfielders. Just need to acquire more funding.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll succeed.” Alex nodded at the box. “I have to be on my way now. Can I carry this?”

“Probably, but why should you? I’m the jack-of-all-trades around here. Is your car out front?”

“Yes, but I think I’d better stop and pay.”

“Oh, sure. Pop would appreciate that.”

Alex reached out a hand almost as if she would touch Daniel’s arm, but immediately pulled back. “He’s okay, isn’t he? Your dad, I mean. He seems a bit frail.”

Daniel’s face clouded with an emotion that could only be pain. “I don’t suppose there’s any reason not to tell you, at least not now that certain decisions have been made. Pop’s ill, Alex. He has bone cancer. Even a bone marrow transplant won’t help him now.”

Her heart clutched in her chest. “I’m sorry, Daniel. This must be so hard.”

“It is. He’s got some time left. A few months, so the doctors tell him. That’s why I’m here and why I took hiatus from my senate job this month. I’m helping him clear out inventory so the building can be put up for sale. Once that’s done I figure he might take a short trip, see some of America he never had a chance to visit before.”

“Will you go with him?”

“I can’t. I wish Mom were still alive, but his sister has agreed to go. They get along well. And I’ll stay in touch with them every day.”

“Why doesn’t he try to sell the business?” Realizing she might be crossing a line between concern and poking her nose into someone else’s family matters, Alex amended, “What I’m trying to say is, this store has been here for decades. It’s a shame to see it close and the building be turned over to some other establishment. This town would miss Chandler’s Hardware.”

“You just said it, Alex. This store is Chandler’s. That’s why people keep coming back. If it changed hands, I think the big-box stores around Cleveland would get our local customers.” Daniel sighed. “I think Pop’s right. It’s been a good run, but it’s time to close it up.” He picked up the box. “You stop at the register and I’ll meet you outside.”

Alex paid her bill. She tried to keep her voice cheerful, but she could no longer ignore the lines etched in Gus’s face, the signs of the pain he must be enduring every day. And that cane, propped against the counter like some bleak reminder that everyone’s future had an ending.

“You have a great day now, sweetheart,” Gus said when she was ready to leave. “It was great seeing you again.”

“Same here, Gus. I’m sure I’ll be back a time or two before I return to Chicago.”

Marveling at the way Gus kept his spirits up around other people, she went outside, motioned to her Honda CR-V and beeped the hatch open in back.

Daniel slid the box into the cargo area. “Nice seeing you,” he said when he’d closed the door.

“Again, Daniel, I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks.” He paused while she went to the driver’s side and got in. “Oh, Alex, before you go...”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to get together while you’re in town? Maybe take in a movie?”

Was she reading his question correctly? Was he suggesting they take up where they left off eighteen years ago? Didn’t he remember she was a widow? “Are you asking me on a date, Daniel?”

He grinned. “And if I were, what would you say?”

I would say that my racing heart couldn’t take an entire evening with you. She cleared her throat. “Considering the recent events in my life...” and a few significant ones from the past “...I’d have to say no.”

He leaned his forearm on the top of her car. “Okay, then. I’m not asking you on a date. We’d just be two friends going out for the evening to catch up on time lost. What would you say to that?”

She smiled. “Still no, but thanks anyway.”

“You know where I am if you change your mind. Either here, at Pop’s house or at the theater. People can always use friends, Alex, and you and I were tight once, as I recall.”

That was the way he remembered that night under the dock, the last night of the summer? They’d been two hormone-driven teenagers who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. He’d had a few beers. She’d had one powerful one. And to inexperienced Alexis Foster, Daniel had been much more than a friend. He’d been the brightest star in her summer, maybe in her entire life, and he’d just reduced the most important emotions she’d ever experienced to the word tight. He might have been talking about teammates on a sports roster.

She put her car in gear before she said something much too meaningful for this moment. “Maybe I’ll see you around, Daniel.”

“That would suit me fine. I’ll be looking for you.”

* * *

“WOW, COULD YOU have made it sound any worse?”

Daniel didn’t even realize he was speaking out loud until his father said, “What’s that, son? Couldn’t quite get that.”

He tried to put his asinine comment about being tight with Alex from his mind as he walked to the counter. He hadn’t been talking to his best friend from high school, for heaven’s sake. He’d been crazy about Alex.

“Nothing important, Pop,” he said. “I was just giving myself a personal evaluation.”

Gus chuckled. “How’d you do?”

“I failed.”

“I doubt that.” Gus continued flipping through the day’s invoices. “She’s a pretty one, that Alexis Foster,” he said.

“It’s Alexis Pope,” Daniel said.

“Oh, of course. I always remember her coming in here with her daddy. I don’t usually keep up with the social news around here, but her marriage was something of a surprise. She married a colleague of her father’s, much older man. And I remember your mother commented that they didn’t have a big hullabaloo of a wedding like you’d think for a Foster girl.”

“Strange you or Mom never mentioned that marriage to me. I even asked about Alex a couple of times.”

“I guess it slipped our minds,” Gus said. “Or we didn’t think you’d be interested. Besides, the wedding seemed downplayed to me.”

That was odd, Daniel thought. Most girls wanted big weddings, didn’t they? Why did Alex make up her mind and tie the knot within weeks?

“What else did you hear, Pop?”

“Not much, but a few months back, a customer mentioned that the doctor had died. A shame. That pretty lady won’t wither long on the vine, though. Some lucky man will snap her up.”

Daniel thought of one man who had tried and failed. Back then he’d been a struggling college kid who earned tip money by catering to the people who had it. Maybe Alex had appreciated his charm, but she sure tossed him aside when something better came along. All the charm in the world couldn’t compete with a successful doctor on his way up the ladder.

Going back to his inventory of the warehouse, Daniel continued on this train of thought. Besides having his heart ripped out and stomped on, he had been disappointed in Alex. He hadn’t pegged her as the kind of girl who would marry for money or prestige. Meeting her again after so long, she still didn’t seem that way. Sure, she was classy and cultured and could hold her own in any crowd, but there was still some of that shy, eager small-town girl who had shown up at Birch Shore that day. So why had she married the much older doctor?

Maybe Daniel had pegged Alex wrong. Maybe he’d pegged himself wrong, too. Maybe he hadn’t been as charming as he’d thought back then. Maybe she’d seen something in him that summer that made her rethink her interest after they parted.

He shrugged his shoulders, trying to shake off his memories of Alex. Did it really matter why she broke up with him? His father was probably right. Soon enough, some lucky man would snap her up. Maybe another doctor.

CHAPTER FOUR

ON THURSDAY MORNING Alex quietly entered her mother’s cheerful, serene room and padded across the plum-colored carpet, past the single bed where her father had slept every night for over four years. Pulling up a delicate, petit point French armchair, she settled next to the large double bed where Maggie Foster lay peacefully.

“Good morning, Mama,” Alex said. “Daddy’s gone to the office, Rosie’s out doing the marketing and your nurse won’t be here for another hour, so it looks like you’re stuck with me.”

The heavy lids over Maggie’s dull blue eyes lowered for a moment, and Alex could almost convince herself that her mother was trying to clear her vision to see her better. “That’s right, Mama. It’s me, Alexis.”

She cradled her mother’s palm in hers and imagined a smile curving the rosy lips that had kissed her forehead so many times in the past. Alex stared at her mother’s hand. Heavily veined now, the skin was still subtle and smooth, the fingers delicately bent at slender knuckles. If only those fingers could contract and grab hold of Alex’s hand like they used to.

If Maggie’s mind hadn’t started to fail her, slowly and deliberately beginning six years ago, she would probably still be the vibrant, energetic and caring woman who had stood by her husband’s side and raised three daughters. Today her heart was strong, her vital signs healthy. But her mind, once merely confused, was now mostly dormant, like a pond that once rippled in a breeze but now remained still as a mirror.

“I’m kind of in a pickle, Mama,” Alex said. “It’s about what happened eighteen years ago, the thing I told you and Daddy about.” Alex sighed, gathered her thoughts as if the words she was about to say really mattered to the person hearing them. “You and Daddy were both so caring when I came to you with my problem. You didn’t pressure me to tell you the name of my baby’s father. You let me keep my secret. And you didn’t argue when I said I wanted the baby.

“I loved you for your understanding then, and I still love you for it today.” Drawing a deep breath, Alex continued. “But I saw him, Mama. I saw Lizzie’s father. I never expected to, and now I don’t know what to do. He’s a decent man. He’s accomplished and well liked and—” Alex let a small smile precede her next words “—I have to say he’s quite good-looking in that tall, dark and handsome way we Foster women have always been drawn to.”

Alex leaned closer to the bed and lowered her voice. “The thing is, Mama, Lizzie has met him, too, and she likes him. So you can see what a muddle this all is. Lizzie misses Teddy so much, which is why this is so hard. If only things were different. This man could never take Teddy’s place. No one can fill the void left by Teddy in Lizzie’s life. And even if it were possible, I can never tell her. Not now. Not ever. Lizzie would never forgive me.”

Alex scrubbed away a tear she realized had spilled onto her cheek. “I thought I was doing the right thing all those years ago. This man...and I still won’t tell you his name...” Alex chuckled at the absurdity of her words.

“He wasn’t a Fox Creek boy, not that it would have mattered to you and Daddy. He came from a good middle-class family. His parents both worked and he had a job at his father’s place from the age of thirteen on. He was his family’s pride, their hope for the future. Circumstances weren’t as easy for him as you and Daddy made them for me. He scrimped and saved for college and now has made a name for himself. He couldn’t have done that if I’d saddled him with a baby, and I have a pretty strong hunch that he wouldn’t have allowed Daddy to support him.”

She gently squeezed her mother’s hand. “He wouldn’t be where he is today if I’d made him marry me, Mama. In fact...and this is what hurt the most at the time... I don’t believe he even loved me, at least not the way you and Daddy taught us about love. Oh, he liked me well enough. He even called a few times. But the bottom line is, I screwed up, Mama. One time, but I’ll never be sorry. Not as long as I have Lizzie. I would do anything to keep my daughter’s love and respect.”

She bent over the mattress and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Thanks for listening, Mama. You always do, and even if you don’t know it, it always helps. I know I can never make this right, not with Lizzie, not with Dan...” She stopped herself. “I would lose too much, more than I already have, and I can’t risk it.”

As if hearing her words for the first time, Alex paused before saying, “Does this seem selfish to you, Mama? Maybe it is, but Lizzie is all I have left.” She thought of Daniel and realized that he would probably never be more to her than a faded memory from her past. “And all I’ll ever have,” she added.

Alex stood and went to the window. “Jude is riding this morning,” she said. “She is beautiful on that horse, Mama, just like you were. I think of the three of us, Jude is most like you, and I’m thankful every day that your light still shines through her.”

She sat again in the chair, picked up a book and began to read aloud until the nurse arrived.

* * *

AT FOUR O’CLOCK Alex drove to the Red Barn Theater to pick up Lizzie. She no longer thought about avoiding Daniel. In the past week she’d realized that he could be anywhere, doing who-knew-what good deeds for the community and his father. He was on a monthlong hiatus from the senate, and she would have to adjust to seeing him around the area.

Like she did when she entered the theater.

Her breath caught. In faded jeans and a T-shirt, he looked so like the boy she once knew. Only today he wasn’t wearing the ball cap, and his hair, slightly long for a politician with aspirations, reached to his crew neck and fell over his brow. Maybe this was his idea of “hiatus hair.” Whatever, it worked, and Alex reminded herself to remain aloof.

“Hi, Mom!” Lizzie called from the stage, where she was stapling material to a backdrop. Alex never knew her daughter was adept with a staple gun, but then, Lizzie probably never knew that herself until now.

Alex stayed at the back of the theater and waved. Daniel looked up from a project he was working on, smiled and continued with his job. He didn’t call out to her. Maybe he’d gotten the message yesterday. That was good, wasn’t it? So why was Alex disappointed?

Lizzie put down the stapler and came off the stage. “I tried to call you,” she said when she reached Alex. “I wanted to ask you if I could stay later today. We’re all sort of in a groove here with the set. I’d like to help out.”

Alex took her phone from her pocket and checked the screen. Yes, Lizzie had tried to call and somehow Alex had missed it. “How much longer do you want to stay?” she asked.

“Probably nine or so.”

“So long? But dinner...”

“It’s no problem. Glen is going to order pizza.” She leaned close. “And besides, Daniel just got here a few minutes ago, and he’s promised to give me some acting lessons later.”

Alex couldn’t keep her attention from darting to the stage again. Daniel was deep into his work and didn’t look up. She might not even have been there.

“Isn’t he just the coolest guy?” Lizzie said. “So handsome.”

Alex forced her gaze back to her daughter. Lizzie and Daniel together another five hours? So not a good idea. “I wouldn’t know about that. What I do know is that I’m not too keen on going home for five hours and then coming back out on these dark roads to pick you up.”

“Oh, please, Mom. Glen says Daniel is the best. He can really help me with my part. You have to let me stay.” Lizzie smiled in that little-girl way that always earned her mother’s sympathy. “Can’t Auntie Jude ride out here with you later so you won’t be alone?”

Now Alex felt like a simpering weakling. “I won’t need Jude. I’ll come back. But be outside at nine. I don’t want to have to come in after you.”

“I’ll be ready. And thanks. Can you imagine? A former actor and a state senator helping me? It’s way cooler than anything!”

It’s downright scary, Alex thought. Introducing Lizzie to Glen had seemed such a good idea. She didn’t know she’d also be introducing her little girl to her fa— Don’t go there, Alex.

Thankfully, Lizzie had always had a good head on her shoulders, but Alex felt she had to say something now. “Just don’t lose sight of your future, young lady,” she said. “When the summer is over, it’s over. No more acting gigs, no more hanging out in theaters. It’s college time.”

“I know that!” Lizzie darted away, heading back to the stage. “See you later, Mom.”

Alex returned to her car. A sinking feeling settled in her stomach as she started the engine. Her daughter had just called her biological father the coolest guy. Hadn’t Alex thought that herself about Daniel some years ago? This was going to be a long five hours and an even longer few weeks.

* * *

AT NINE O’CLOCK Alex pulled into the theater parking lot. Her daughter and Daniel were sitting on a flower box next to the front door. A single light illuminated their faces. The only other car in the lot was a Ford SUV, probably Daniel’s. Glen and the other volunteers had obviously gone home. Alex stared at the two of them a moment while trying to control the pounding of her heart.

The similarities astounded her. Both dark-haired and with almost olive complexions. Both with strong, wide shoulders as if they could build sets for the world. Both with those incredibly deep green eyes. Both of them good-natured, helpful, charismatic. And each of them could be deeply hurt if they knew the truth about each other. The sight of them on that flower box, their heads together, their hands animated in conversation, was enough to make a lying mother spin out of control.

Not now, Alex, she told herself, opening the car door. No spinning allowed.

She walked up to the flower box and was greeted by both her daughter and Daniel.

“We were just talking about ways to make the Wells Fargo Wagon scene more authentic,” Lizzie said. “Daniel has such wonderful ideas.”

“Don’t give me too much credit,” he said, chuckling. “I’m just enjoying using my hands again and not having to decide policy for a few weeks. Besides...” He smiled fondly at Lizzie before switching his attention to Alex. “Your kid here is the one with the hammer skills. If she doesn’t pursue a career in acting, she can join a set-building crew.”

Alex appreciated the genuineness of Daniel’s compliments, but she couldn’t allow the false impression to go on. “I’m afraid acting and building aren’t in Lizzie’s future,” she said. “She’s going to Bryn Mawr to study literature.” Alex almost cringed. Even to herself she sounded like a stodgy old mom.

“Wow, Bryn Mawr,” Daniel said. “Very nice.”

“I guess,” Lizzie said. “But this is so much fun.”

“Let’s go, Lizzie,” Alex said. “It’s getting late.” Turning to Daniel, she added, “Thanks for keeping an eye on her.”

Daniel stood. “No problem. I never get tired of talking shop. In fact, I was wondering if you ladies would like to grab some ice cream. Sounds like a perfect topper to a productive day.”

Alex tried to convince herself that this wasn’t a second date invitation. This was simply a small kindness from a charming man on a warm summer night. Still, there was no way this threesome could be pals, even over ice cream.

“Oh, please, Mom,” Lizzie said. “Let’s go for ice cream, just the three of us.”

She struggled to keep her tone light as if this suggestion was no big deal. “Not tonight, honey. Grandpa is waiting for you to play a game of chess with him.”

Before Lizzie could protest, Daniel said, “Another time, then. I have a hunch we’ll have a lot to celebrate by the end of the summer.” He walked to his car and opened the door. “Rain check, ladies, okay?”

“Sure,” Lizzie answered for both of them.

He waited until Alex had pulled out of the parking lot before he followed. Alex wondered where he lived in Greenfield. Probably with his father now. He had a lot farther to go than she and Lizzie did.

After a short distance, Lizzie said, “Daniel is so great, Mom. He’s smart and funny, and he’s helped me with my acting. I really like him.”

Alex’s brow furrowed in alarm. “You do realize that this production is just a diversion for you, right? Your sights are still set on Bryn Mawr and later on a teaching position.”

“Well, sure. But it’s not every day a girl gets to work with someone as talented as Daniel. And a state senator! You’ve got to admit, Mom, he’s a really great guy.”

Alex was not a bit comfortable about the direction this conversation was taking. Lizzie had so recently suffered a terrible loss. She was young and impressionable. And she was obviously vulnerable to the same Chandler charms that had influenced her mother. Alex could only envision a nightmare of problems ahead for all of them if Lizzie developed a crush on her mentor.

“Yes, he is all that, I suppose,” she said, “but Lizzie, don’t get any ideas about you and Daniel...”

“What do you mean ideas?”

Alex cleared her throat, glanced at Lizzie. All at once her daughter’s eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped. “Mom! Are you kidding me? You think I like Daniel that way?”

Alex swallowed. Yes, that was exactly what she’d thought. “I’m not jumping to conclusions, honey...”

“Yes, you are. How gross! I like him, yeah, but he’s old enough to be my father!”

A sharp pang sliced into Alex’s chest.

“You couldn’t be further from the truth, Mom,” Lizzie said. “I was considering Daniel as date material, sure, but not for me. I was thinking he’d be perfect for you!”

* * *

ALEX COULDN’T FIND any words to respond. She was grateful the road was nearly deserted or she might have wiped out, taking a farm truck with her. Her hands gripped the steering wheel and she focused her gaze on the ribbon of blacktop. Just drive, Alex, she said to herself. Don’t say anything that could get you in trouble.

After a mile or so, Lizzie said, “Mom, did you hear me? I said you and Daniel would be so good together. And I think he might be interested in you.”

Alex exhaled a deep breath. “Yes, I heard you.”

“Well, doesn’t it make you feel better that I’m not interested in him for myself? Good grief, Mom, he has gray hairs! And since you married Daddy, you obviously like gray-haired men.”

Alex felt her temper, the one she rarely showed, flare inside. Her cheeks felt hot. She could almost sense a rise in her blood pressure from the pounding in her head. “I didn’t choose your father for the color of his hair, Lizzie. That was very unkind of you.”

“I’m sorry. I’m only trying to be helpful.”

“Well, you’re not being helpful at all. I don’t need my daughter to arrange dates for me or to interfere in my social life.”

“No offense, Mom, but what social life?”

Alex gave her daughter a sharp look. “It’s only been five months. What did you think? That I’d start looking for dates the first chance I got?”

“No, of course not, but this wonderful man, Daniel, has just about fallen into your lap. Would it have hurt you to go out for some stupid ice cream?”

“I’m not going to discuss this with you any more, Lizzie. This whole conversation is inappropriate.” And uncomfortable. And frightening. “I’m your mother, for heaven’s sake!”

“And I love you, so I want you to know that I don’t expect you to live like a nun. You’re still young.”

Alex’s shoulders relaxed and she loosened her hands on the steering wheel. In a calm voice, she said, “How I choose to live my life is my business, Lizzie. Right about now, life in a convent doesn’t look so bad.”

Lizzie giggled, erasing the remaining tension from the car. “Have you looked at Daniel, Mom? I mean really looked? He’s your age. He’s single. He’s successful. And he’s gorgeous. Any woman would be happy to share a hot fudge sundae with him!”

“Enough, Lizzie!” Alex caught a quick glimpse of her daughter, who was smacking her lips. “You’re impossible.”

“I’m only having fun, Mom, and I want the same for you. Haven’t we been sad long enough? Loosen up, maybe give Daniel a try.”

Oh, my poor, sweet, blissfully ignorant daughter. If only Lizzie knew that her virtuous mother had already given Daniel a try, and that it was coming back to haunt her in the worst possible way.

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