“Mason, no.” Elisa lunged for him a split second before he could ruin an expensive piece of electronics. She settled him in his high chair and dropped the crackers on the tray. “Okay, you just stay right there,” she told him, and continued on her quest for the remote. The thing had to be here somewhere, unless Mason had found it and put it someplace really unorthodox, like the freezer.

She finally located the remote, tucked underneath the sofa. Just as Elisa retrieved it, Mason squealed and slapped his hands on the tray of his high chair, as though celebrating his babysitter’s small victory.

Every single cracker she’d given him was now on the floor, in a complete 360-degree radius around his chair. Honestly, how did Avery watch this kid every day and keep her sanity? Elisa hadn’t been here that long, and her head felt like it was locked in a vise grip.

After sweeping up the crackers, she pulled Mason out of his chair, kicking legs and all, and settled him on the living room floor. His little round face broke into a toothy grin when she found a suitable cartoon for him.

The bouncing characters on the TV screen wouldn’t hold his attention for very long. Elisa used the opportunity to slip down the hallway and check on Lacy. The mother-to-be was on her back, looking decidedly bored while flipping through the TV channels. She expelled a breath and glanced over when Elisa entered the room.

“I never realized how completely useless daytime television is until I got stuck in bed. And I can’t sleep because my heartburn is too bad.”

Elisa came to a stop next to the bed. “Can I get you some medicine?” The poor woman had to be so uncomfortable, not being able to get up at all.

Lacy grinned and set the remote down. “Thanks, but I’ve already taken the maximum dosage for the day. I just have to deal.” She placed her hands underneath her and scooted herself farther up the headboard. “I’m sorry if Mason’s a handful. Cartoons are the best way of getting him to stay still for more than ten minutes.”

Elisa offered a reassuring smile. “He’s just being a toddler. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“I’m shocked Avery hasn’t run screaming for the hills by now. The woman has iron-clad patience. And I am so ready to get these babies out of me. But I have no earthly clue how I’m going to handle three kids.”

“Brody mentioned you’re having twins.”

Lacy giggled and ran her hands in circles over her huge belly. “Yes, we’re having two more boys. I think I had a coronary when we found out. But my husband, Chase, couldn’t stop smiling. He’s pretty pleased with himself.”

“I think men consider it a personal achievement when they have sons, like it’s a sign of their masculinity.”

“Let me tell you, the McDermotts have no problems spitting out sons. It would be nice to have some more girls in this family.” She ran her green eyes over Elisa in assessment. “So you and Brody are friends?”

Were they friends? More important, was it normal to fantasize about friends?

“I’ve done some photography work for him, and I watch Tyler after school while his mother is gone.”

Lacy nodded and continued to gaze at Elisa. Was the woman fishing for information? How much had Brody told her?

“The reason why I ask is because Brody was kind of vague about your relationship. Not that it’s any of my business. I was just curious.”

That still left Elisa wondering what he’d told his sister-in-law.

Just because Brody had been vague didn’t mean Elisa had to be as well. It’s not like they were engaged in a hot, scandalous affair. So, they’d kissed once. So what? People kiss all the time. That didn’t mean the two parties involved needed to sneak around, undercover.

“Yeah, I’d say we’re friends. I like Brody.” Elisa almost said she loved spending time with Brody too. But would Lacy turn around and repeat all this to Brody?

“And you’d like to be with him more,” Lacy concluded.

Wait, had Elisa voiced her thoughts out loud? How had Lacy figured that out?

Brody was a man she could lose her heart to. Elisa was fully aware of how devastating he could be to her. For some reason her heart didn’t want to listen to her head. The naughty side of her wanted to indulge and see what one night with him would be like.

“I’m going to take your silence to mean that I’m right,” Lacy concluded again.

Elisa pulled in a breath. “I don’t know,” she answered. “It’s kind of complicated. If I jump into a relationship with him and it doesn’t work out, then that will only confuse Tyler—”

“Why wouldn’t it work out?” Lacy interjected.

“Well.” Elisa chewed her lower lip. “Have you ever been in a relationship where it didn’t work out?”

Lacy laughed. “Okay, you got me there. Judging by the way Brody clammed up, I’d say he likes you.”

“What do you mean by ‘clammed up’?” Maybe Brody didn’t do that with just her?

Lacy paused and ran her tongue along her lower lip. “Brody’s divorce left him pretty scarred. Since then he’s been really selective about the women he gets close to. And when he does find a woman worth spending time with, he becomes very… reserved. It’s like he erects this wall around himself and only shares certain parts of himself with her. I guess gun-shy would be a good way to describe him.”

All this time there had been something about the man Elisa couldn’t put her finger on, almost like a sense of wariness or fear he couldn’t allow himself to overcome. Now she understood his psyche a bit better, thanks to his sister-in-law.

But Elisa still had unanswered questions. Was the reason Brody held himself back because he wanted to explore a further relationship with her?

Duh, he already made that clear the other night when he kissed you.

How could she get him to trust her?

Or, perhaps the better question was, how would she handle this with an impending trip around the world? And what rotten timing too. Just when she’d found a guy, a real man who was a genuine threat to her heart, it just happened to coincide with an opportunity of a lifetime.

But isn’t a potential great love an opportunity of a lifetime also?

How was she supposed to choose between the two? And how could her heart differentiate between two things that she wanted with equal passion? Even more than that, was it possible to have both? Before she’d been so sure that leaving Trouble would be a piece of cake. That she could slap a for-sale sign on her lawn and jet out of town without a backward glance.

Now? A complication had presented itself. A complication named Brody McDermott who’d thrown a pair of steel tethers around her legs and wouldn’t let go.

Lacy placed a warm palm on Elisa’s arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. I think Brody genuinely likes you.” She offered Elisa a comforting smile. “I haven’t seen him this clammed up over a woman in a long time. Not even with Kelly.”

Lacy’s words did something funny to Elisa’s insides. Her stomach turned over in uncomfortable knots and her heart did little palpitations.

“Thanks. I should go check on Mason. Can I get you anything?”

Lacy gazed at Elisa, as if sensing there was more Elisa wanted to say. Luckily the other woman didn’t press the issue. Elisa was too confused herself.

“I’m fine, thanks. And I don’t hear any screaming or loud crashing, so I’m sure Mason’s fine too.”

Elisa left the bedroom with an odd sort of comfort, yet she wasn’t sure what to do with the information Lacy had given her. The comforting feeling was odd to say the least, given the flip-flopping her heart continued to do. Whether or not to take the job she’d been waiting years for or stick around and give her budding relationship with Brody a chance. Because hadn’t she been waiting just as long for that?

As a girl, she’d seen the love her parents had for each other and placed that on her list of lifelong goals. To have a life-changing love. What she felt for Brody could easily grow into that. Then again, she’d been living on her own for so long, taking care of herself after her parents had died, that she wouldn’t know the first thing about sharing her life with someone. As much as she wanted—no, craved—that kind of deep connection with Brody, Elisa had only known disappointment in the love department. The two people she’d adored more than anyone had been taken from her in the blink of an eye. Then, with the departure of Marcello, she’d lost the last bit of family she had left—her mother’s parents had both passed on before Elisa had been born. Since then, she’d been so careful to guard herself against potential disappointment. Potential loss. In the process, Elisa had grown accustomed to being alone. And the idea of losing her heart to someone who could just as easily snatch it from her was almost as terrifying as leaving Brody.

As messed up and twisted as that was.

In such a short amount of time, her life had taken a massive twist. Yet she’d never been so conflicted.


For the first time in several weeks, Elisa had some time to herself. Free time had become such a rare occurrence, she almost didn’t know what to do. The idea of completely vegging out with junk food in front of the television almost had her pulling on a pair of comfortable sweats. Plus, didn’t she deserve a little down time? Especially since she’d been contacted that morning by Taste of Home magazine offering her a small job. It wasn’t a huge deal, just some photos for a few featured recipes. An all-expense paid trip to their test kitchen in Iowa would earn her a nice chunk of change. The timing was a bit tight—two weekends before Mongolia—but she’d make it work.