Love Inspired June 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Single Dad Cowboy\The Bachelor Meets His Match\Unexpected Reunion (19 page)

“I noticed. I asked if there were many people on the beach.”

“No. I had it almost to myself.” She claimed one of the wicker rocking chairs on the porch.

“I thought you might. I've been sitting here for a while and I only saw one other person cross the access bridge over the dunes. He was leaving.”

Rachel set the chair in motion. “Yes. I noticed him.” No need to recount the whole incident with the Frisbee—or to mention her brief, charged interchange with the man.

“I couldn't get a clear look at him from this distance, but he seemed fairly young...from my perspective, at any rate.” Her aunt swirled the ice in her glass of lemonade. “I don't see many solitary young men around here. I wonder if he's married.”

“No.” At her immediate response, Rachel frowned. For some strange reason, the image of his bare left hand was clear in her mind. “I mean, he wasn't wearing a ring. But a lot of guys don't. His wife might have gone shopping.”

“That's not a big draw here.”

“True. There isn't a mall in sight.”

“But we do have a century-old hotel that serves high tea and hosts croquet tournaments on the lawn, plus a wonderful restored historic district. I'll take charm over shopping any day.”

“I'm with you.” At least her aunt was off the subject of the muscular swimmer.

“Speaking of charm...from the glimpse I had, that young man appeared to be quite handsome. You must have gotten a close-up look, if you could check for a ring.”

So much for any hope of changing the subject.

As warmth rose on her cheeks, Rachel leaned down to brush a few grains of sand off one of her flip-flops. “I didn't check for a ring. I just happened to notice his bare hand when we exchanged a few words.” Maybe Aunt El wouldn't spot the telltale flush.

No such luck.

“I do believe you might have gotten a bit too much sun.” Eleanor appraised her. “Your face is pink. Remember to take it easy for the first few days, until you get acclimated. And don't forget the sunscreen.”

“Duly noted. With my fair complexion, I make liberal use of it at home in Richmond, too.”

Her aunt dismissed that comment with a wave. “Sun in the city and sun on the beach are two very different things. That young man certainly had a nice tan.”

Oh, brother.

Rising, Rachel reached for her tote bag. “I think I'll go ahead and change. I have to be at the hotel in an hour.”

“When's your first program?”

“Next week.”

“You've only been here two days—I wish you'd take some time to unwind before you dive into work again. That's why I didn't schedule you at the gallery right away.”

Rachel slung her tote bag over her shoulder and bent down to pet Bandit as she passed. “I'll have a week off. Any more downtime, and I'd go crazy. Besides, I love being around children, so it's hardly work. And I'm used to being busy.”

“Too busy, if you ask me.”

“Busy is good.”

“Not when it's an excuse.” Her aunt gave her a shrewd look over the rim of her lemonade glass as she took a sip.

Straightening up, Rachel planted one hand on her hip. “For what?”

“Getting on with your life.”

She exhaled slowly. This was not a discussion she wanted to have during this vacation—but her aunt's serious expression told her that while she might be able to escape it today, the topic was going to come up again.

“I have gotten on with my life. I have a great job helping kids discover their inner artist. I'm active at church. I have a lovely circle of friends. I prefer to think of my life as full rather than busy.”

Her aunt watched her for a moment. “When's the last time you went on a date?”

Ah. So that's what this was about. She should have guessed. Aunt El had dropped a few subtle hints last summer about the importance of romance, which she'd ignored. But there was a disconcerting determination in her manner this year.

Perhaps it wasn't going to be such a relaxing summer after all.

“It's only been three years, Aunt El.” She tightened her grip on the strap of the tote bag, her voice subdued. “Someday I might go down that road again. But I've only just begun to entertain that idea. I'm nowhere near ready to act on it.”

Eleanor took another sip of her lemonade. “Well, you know best, of course. I just don't want to see you end up alone. The way you love children, you should have a houseful of your own.”

A twinge of pain echoed in her heart. That had been the plan, once upon a time. But she and Mark had barely gotten past the launch stage.

She didn't want to talk about that, either.

“Maybe it's not in the cards.”

“The only way to find out is to play the game.”

Time to go on the offensive.

“But you never married, and you've always been perfectly happy.”

For one tiny second, a shadow darkened Eleanor's eyes, come and gone so fast Rachel would have thought she'd imagined it—except for her aunt's next words.

“I've been happy because I chose to be. Sometimes you have to accept what life hands you and make the best of it. But if I'd had the chance to marry and create a family, I'd have done it in a heartbeat.”

Rachel stared at her, speechless. Everyone in the family had always assumed Aunt El had been a confirmed bachelorette from the get-go. Spunky, independent, smart, witty—she'd always been viewed by the female side of the family as proof a woman alone could march to the beat of her own drummer and lead a joy-filled, productive life.

“I didn't know that. I'm sorry you never met the right man.”

A whisper of sadness echoed in the depths of Eleanor's eyes. “I didn't say that.”

Rachel cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

The sadness evaporated, and Eleanor was once again her upbeat, no-nonsense self. “That's a story for another day, my dear. You best get ready for your meeting at the hotel.”

A few minutes ago, Rachel had been anxious to break away from her aunt. Now she hesitated, her curiosity piqued.

Eleanor's eyes began to twinkle. “You know, we all have our secrets, good and bad. Close as the two of us have always been, I daresay you haven't told me all of yours, either...old
or
new.”

Her encounter with the man on the beach replayed through her mind, and once again her neck warmed.

“I thought so.” Eleanor sent her a smug look.

She was out of there.

“I'll be back in time for dinner.” Rachel called the comment over her shoulder as she flip-flopped into the house. How in the world had they gotten on the subject of secrets?

And what secrets did her aunt harbor?

Yet as she dropped her tote on the bed and selected an outfit to wear to the hotel, thoughts of Aunt El's secrets gave way to the solitary man on the beach. A tanned, fit swimmer with an artificial leg and no wedding ring who wouldn't have given her a second look if Bandit hadn't intervened.

We all have our secrets, good and bad.

What secrets did he have? Were they mostly good...or bad?

She pulled the puckered seersucker sundress from its hanger, running her fingers over the alternating rows of textured stripes. Smooth, bumpy, smooth, bumpy. Kind of like life—smooth patches followed by lots of bumps and wrinkles.

Based on his artificial leg, the guy at the beach had had his share of rough patches. Maybe more than his share. What had happened to him? Why was he alone? What had brought him to Jekyll Island?

Shaking her head, Rachel tossed the dress on the bed and detoured to the bathroom to touch up her French braid. She needed to switch gears and psyche herself up for her meeting with the new activities director at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. She hadn't come here to think about strangers on a beach or dates or whether her busy...
full
...schedule at home was healthy.

She'd come here to relax.

And neither her aunt's prodding nor an unsettling encounter on the beach were going to interfere with that plan.

Copyright © 2014 by Irene Hannon

ISBN-13: 9781460333754

SINGLE DAD COWBOY

Copyright © 2014 by Brenda Minton

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

www.Harlequin.com

A Lesson In Love

Tweed-clad professor Morgan Chatam has been the subject of countless student crushes at Buffalo Creek Bible College. But grad student Simone Guilland knows that a relationship with Morgan is out of the question. Even if he weren't her advisor, the secrets from her past prevent them from having a future. In all his years at BCBC, Morgan has never once felt drawn to one of his students—until Simone. He knows he should keep his distance. Simone deserves someone younger, someone who can give her things he cannot. And yet, he can't shake the feeling that his chance at happily-ever-after may just lie in her hands.

Chatam House: Where three matchmaking aunts bring faith and love to life

“You really are the dumbest smart man alive, aren't you?”

Morgan glowered as the full meaning of what she'd said settled in.

“When I'm shamelessly throwing myself at you, the least you can do is make a halfhearted attempt to catch me.”

Stunned, he asked,
“What?”

“You heard me,” she retorted petulantly.

He wondered how long it had been since he'd really wanted anything, anyone, and he wasn't sure now that he ever really had before this, and that was a startling discovery at his age.

“I can't keep doing this!” he told himself as much as her.

She huffed out a sigh of pure disgust. “I would like to know why not.”

“Simone, I am not the man for you,” he stated flatly.

“I think you are.”

“I'm too old.”

“Ha! I think not.”

Shooting up to his feet, he began to pace. “Then put it another way. You're too young.”

She tucked her chin and rolled those big, beautiful eyes up at him. “Surely you can do better than that.”

Books by Arlene James

Love Inspired

*
The Perfect
Wedding
*
An Old-Fashioned Love
*
A Wife Worth Waiting For
*
With Baby in Mind
The Heart's Voice
To Heal a
Heart
Deck the Halls
A Family to Share
Butterfly Summer
A
Love So Strong
When Love Comes Home
A Mommy in Mind
**
His Small-Town Girl
**
Her Small-Town Hero
**
Their
Small-Town Love
†
Anna Meets Her Match
†
A Match Made in Texas
A Mother's Gift
“Dreaming of a Family”
†
Baby Makes a
Match
†
An Unlikely Match
The Sheriff's
Runaway Bride
†
Second Chance Match
†
Building a Perfect Match
Carbon Copy
Cowboy
Love in Bloom
†
His Ideal
Match
†
The Bachelor Meets His Match

*Everyday Miracles
**Eden,
OK
†Chatam House

ARLENE JAMES

says, “Camp meetings, mission work and church attendance
permeate my Oklahoma childhood memories. It was a golden time, which sustains me
yet. However, only as a young widowed mother did I truly begin growing in my
personal relationship with the Lord. Through adversity He has blessed me in
countless ways, one of which is a second marriage so loving and romantic it
still feels like courtship!”

After thirty-three years in Texas, Arlene James now resides
in Bella Vista, Arkansas, with her beloved husband. Even after seventy-five
novels, her need to write is greater than ever, a fact that frankly amazes her,
as she's been at it since the eighth grade. She loves to hear from readers, and
can be reached via her website,
www.arlenejames.com
.