One in a Million

by Susan Mallery

  “Crazy dreams,” she whispered. “You know better.”

  The phone rang, offering a welcome interruption. She headed for the kitchen and grabbed the receiver.

  “Serenity House. This is Stephanie.”

  “Hi, Stephanie. It’s Rebecca Lucas. We met at that pizza dinner a couple of nights ago. I don’t know if you remember me. There were so many people there.”

  Stephanie pictured a tall, slender woman with long, dark curly hair. “Yes, of course I remember. How are you?”

  “Good. The reason I’m calling is Jill just called me. Craig—he’s the oldest Haynes brother—got the evening off. His kids are out of school today. They’re in a different school district. Anyway, we’re celebrating with an impromptu barbecue here tonight. I think all of Nash’s brothers will be coming and I wanted to invite him.” She laughed. “Actually I want to invite you and your boys, as well, if that’s all right.”

  Stephanie knew Nash didn’t have any plans and she was pretty sure he wouldn’t mind the invitation. She hesitated before accepting for all of them. Was that too presumptuous? Then she remembered his request that she help him out with his family.

  “I’m sure it is, but let me double-check with him. Hold on just a sec.”

  She put the phone on the counter and moved toward the stairs. She met Nash as he was coming down and explained about Rebecca’s phone call.

  “You want to go?” he asked.

  “Yes, but they’re your family. Do you want to go?”

  “As long as you’re coming, sure.”

  “Good. I know the boys will enjoy the evening.”

  She took a step back, but couldn’t seem to look away from Nash’s dark gaze. Just being close to him was enough to get her heart all fluttery and her toes curling. Attraction crackled between them and she swayed slightly.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Me, too. Now go back to your phone call. Going out will make the evening go faster. When we get home, it will be time for the boys to go to bed.”

  Her stomach clenched. “Then us, too,” she whispered.

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  Stephanie carried a plastic freezer bag full of chocolate chip cookies up to the back door of the huge house. She hesitated slightly before entering. While she remembered meeting Rebecca Lucas at the pizza dinner, she and the woman weren’t friends. Just walking into the house seemed rude, but knocking when there were kids running in and out seemed weird.

  Before she could decide what to do, Rebecca pushed open the door and smiled.

  “I saw you walking up from your minivan,” she said easily. “You lost the kids in the first five feet and Kyle came to claim Nash. Let me help you with those.” She took the bag of cookies from Stephanie. “We’ll appreciate these.”

  “You said I didn’t need to bring anything, but I wasn’t comfortable coming empty-handed. They’re still frozen if you want to pop them in the freezer. They’ll keep well for another few weeks.”

  “Not a chance.” Rebecca led the way to an oversize blue-and-white kitchen with gleaming stainless-steel appliances. “Between our kids and the Haynes kids and friends popping in, the cookies won’t last two days.”

  She set the bag on the counter and turned to Stephanie. “The men are out getting the coals ready and all the salads are in the refrigerator. So there’s not much for us to do right now but relax. May I get you something to drink?”

  “Sure. Iced tea if you have it.”

  “Have a seat.”

  Rebecca waved toward several bar stools at the end of the counter. Stephanie took a seat as her hostess poured her a glass of iced tea.

  “Jill’s upstairs with the little ones. I think she’s reading a story. Elizabeth, Holly and Sandy are outside supervising the play area. Kevin, Gage and their fiancées haven’t arrived yet.” Rebecca laughed. “Oh, dear. I should probably pull out the name tags. This is going to be a muddle.”

  Stephanie shook her head. “I’m pretty sure I have everyone figured out. What I don’t know I can fake.”

  “Always a good plan.”

  Rebecca leaned against the counter. Her long curly hair tumbled down her shoulders. She wore a calf-length pale blue dress patterned with tiny white and pink flowers. There didn’t seem to be any makeup on her flawless skin. She was tall, slender, lovely and looked as if she belonged in the pages of a Jane Austen novel.

  “We were all very curious about you,” Rebecca admitted. “Kevin swore his brother wasn’t seeing anyone.”

  Stephanie hadn’t expected that line of questioning. She’d picked up her glass, but now she put it down and folded her hands onto her lap. “We’re not exactly seeing each other.”

  They were, she supposed. After a fashion. Seeing each other naked. But that was different. Rebecca was talking about an actual relationship.

  “I’m not sure I believe you,” Rebecca said. “I saw the way he was looking at you the other night.” She held up her hands. “I’m not going to say any more about it. My goal isn’t to torment you. When I first heard about Nash I thought he might be someone I could introduce to my friend D.J. I don’t think that’s such a good idea now.”

  Stephanie felt as neatly trapped as a goldfish in a glass bowl. So how exactly was she supposed to respond to Rebecca’s statement? There was no way she wanted Nash involved with someone else—it would cut into their affair time. There was also a hint of discomfort at the thought of him with another woman, but there was no way she was about to explore that particular emotion.

  “Nash and I are friends,” she said at last. “He’s only in town for a couple of weeks, so your friend is unlikely to find him anything but temporary.”

  “How long does it take to fall in love?” Rebecca asked. “You might just be friends now, but that could change.”

  Stephanie reached for her glass. “No way. I’m smarter than that.”

  Rebecca raised her eyebrows. “You’re not a fan of marriage?”

  “It’s great for a lot of people.”

  “Just not you.”

  “Something like that.”

  Rebecca’s expression turned dreamy. “I can’t imagine not being married to Austin. He and the children are my entire world. I suppose that sounds silly and old-fashioned. I have a job, although I’m only working part-time these days. I have friends. But all of that pales next to what I feel for my husband.”

  Stephanie was surprised by a stab of envy. “That sounds lovely,” she said. “My marriage wasn’t exactly like that.”

  “Haynes men make excellent husbands,” Rebecca told her. “Austin is an honorary Haynes. Nash is one, too. He’s—”

  But she never got to finish saying what Nash was. Several small children burst into the kitchen, followed by a petite redhead Stephanie recognized.

  “Hi, Jill,” she said as the other woman approached.

  “Stephanie. I heard you and Nash were joining us. That’s great.” She bent down when a little girl of three or four pulled on her jeans. “Sarah, I told you we’re not going to have a snack. We’ll be eating in about half an hour. But I will get you something to drink.”

  Two more children of about the same age also clamored for drinks. Rebecca agreed. After opening a cupboard, she pulled out stacks of small plastic glasses and put them on the counter.

  “We have juice and milk and chocolate milk,” she said.

  Everyone wanted something different. Rebecca poured while Jill passed out the half-full glasses.

  Stephanie found herself the odd man out and crossed to the large window overlooking the massive backyard. More children were playing on a built-in play set. Older kids sat in groups talking. She could see all the Haynes men talking together around the big barbecue pit, while their wives had pulled plastic chairs under a tree. Ever
yone seemed to be having a good time.

  What a great family, she thought. Growing up, she would have given anything to belong to a group like this. Being the only child of parents more interested in art than real life had given her plenty of time on her own to wish for friends and cousins and family.

  She returned her attention to the men. Elizabeth came up and stood next to Travis. He smiled at his wife and put his arm around her. Even from across the lawn, Stephanie could see the love in his eyes. Rebecca was right—Haynes men did seem to make good husbands. There didn’t seem to be one like Marty in the bunch.

  She studied each of them in turn, finally settling her gaze on Nash. He stood a little off to one side. In that instant, he appeared so alone that her heart squeezed tight. She wanted to go to him, hold him close and—

  And what? He was leaving, remember?

  For the first time, that information didn’t make her happy.

  She started to turn away from the window when she caught sight of Jason running toward Nash. Her eight-year-old flung out his arms and launched himself. Nash caught him easily. Man and boy laughed together. Stephanie felt her mouth curve up in response.

  She pressed her fingers against the glass, as if she could touch them both. Longing filled her. A longing that was foolish and dangerous. Caring wasn’t an option, she reminded herself. She and Nash had set down very clear rules and it was way too late to think about breaking them. It was also pointless. Even if she was crazy enough even to consider having a change of heart, Nash wasn’t. Something she was going to have to remember.

  Chapter 11

  After dinner the men collected the trash and cleaned up the picnic area while the women and kids disappeared inside the house to take care of dessert. Nash pulled a beer out of the cooler and passed it to Craig, then took one for himself.

  All the brothers were sprawled out on chairs around the cooling fire pit. Jordan leaned forward with his forearms on his knees.

  “You’re jealous because I wasn’t afraid to be a rebel,” he said.

  Travis grinned. “Yeah, right, because only a really smart guy runs into a burning building. Are you crazy?”

  “If he is, we probably all are,” Kyle joked, then turned to Nash. “You’ve heard about our black-sheep brother here, right? The only non–law enforcement officer in four generations of Haynes men. Hell, even Hannah works for the sheriff’s office. But did Jordan pay attention to all those years of tradition?”

  “Not for a second,” Jordan said cheerfully.

  Nash glanced at Kevin. “Four generations of Haynes men?” he asked. He and Kevin hadn’t considered other relatives beyond the half brothers and their families.

  “Not all living,” Craig clarified. “We have a few uncles still in the area, but we don’t see them very often.”

  Nash watched as the four Haynes brothers exchanged a look of silent communication. Before he could ask what they were talking about, Travis nodded, then began to explain.

  “Our uncles are a lot like our father. They never much believed in home and family. They think it’s all a waste of time. Now that we’re all happily married, they consider us sellouts.”

  “Why?” Nash asked. “Didn’t they want you to get married?”

  “No. They like women. A lot of women. Earl Haynes, our father, was the only one of his brothers to get married. I doubt he was faithful a day in his life. He used to brag that he was a good husband and father because he came home every night. In his mind sleeping in his own bed was good enough. Who he’d been with before that didn’t seem to matter.”

  “They used to fight,” Kyle said quietly. “I would hear them yelling at each other. She would beg him to stop seeing the other women and he would laugh at her. Then one day she left.”

  “What do you mean, left?” Kevin asked.

  “She disappeared,” Jordan said. “It turns out Earl asked her for a divorce. After all she’d already been through she considered that the final straw. She took off and no one has heard from her since.”

  Once again the brothers shared a look of silent communication, then Travis spoke.

  “About three years ago our wives got together and organized a family meeting. They insisted we find out what happened to her. We hired a private investigator to track her down.”

  “She’s fine,” Travis said. “Living in Phoenix. She didn’t remarry, but she’s involved with someone who makes her happy.”

  “What did she say when you got in touch with her?” Kevin asked.

  “We didn’t,” Craig told him. “We know she’s all right. If she wanted to talk to any of us, she would know where to find us.”

  Kyle took a long drink of his beer. “It’s not her fault,” he said. “After years of dealing with Earl, she’s paid her dues. She doesn’t want anything to do with Haynes men and who can blame her?”

  Nash understood the logic, but he wasn’t sure he agreed with it. The sons were very different from the father. But if she’d left without a word…he could see why they wouldn’t want to be the ones to make the first move.

  “What is biology and what isn’t?” Austin asked, speaking for the first time. “None of us have figured that out.”

  “True enough,” Travis said. “How much of our father makes us who we are? Why, after three generations of womanizers, did my brothers and I finally figure out how to have successful relationships?”

  “It wasn’t easy,” Craig said. “I made a mistake my first time out and I have the divorce to prove it.”

  “Me, too,” Travis said. “But once I met Elizabeth, everything fell into place.”

  Jordan looked toward the house. “Finding the right woman makes all the difference in the world.”

  “I know that,” Kevin said with a conviction Nash envied. After years of playing the field, of never wanting to settle down, he’d finally fallen in love.

  Nash suddenly wanted to ask them how they knew for sure. How could any one woman be the right one? When he and Tina had been dating he’d never thought of her as right or wrong. She was someone he was seeing. When she’d pushed to take things to the next level, he’d agreed. When she’d demanded marriage, he’d considered his options and had finally proposed. But had she been the right one? He doubted it.

  “Now we’re old boring married men,” Craig said. “Kids, mortgages, steady jobs and great wives.”

  Travis held up his beer. “Here’s to not changing a thing.”

  The men clinked cans. Nash joined in, but he knew he didn’t have anything to toast. Did he want his life to stay exactly the same? Two weeks ago he would have said yes, that he had all he wanted. Now, after spending time with Stephanie, he wasn’t so sure. She’d reminded him that there was more to living than simply showing up every day. Participation was required, and he’d been going out of his way to avoid that.

  The back door of the house opened and dozens of kids spilled out on to the lawn. The women followed, several holding cakes, others with plates of cookies or cartons of ice cream. Stephanie had plates, forks and spoons in her hands.

  He watched her move, watched the easy way she walked and how she smiled when Adam and Jason came running up. She bent down and said something to them. They laughed, responded, then turned toward him.

  Adam spotted him first. He pointed and the twins raced toward him. He had just enough time to set his can of beer on the grass, out of harm’s way, before both boys plowed into him. Jason hung on to one leg while Adam wrapped his arms around his neck.

  “Mom said we can have ice cream with our cake,” Jason announced with glee.

  Adam ducked his head. “She said I could have a corner piece. Are you having cake, Nash?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Then come on.”

  Each twin grabbed a han
d and tried to pull him to his feet. He shifted his weight and stood. As he glanced over their heads he saw Kevin watching him. His brother’s expression was knowing.

  Nash wanted to stop and say something. That whatever Kevin was thinking, he was wrong. Nash didn’t have it bad—he didn’t have it at all. This time with Stephanie was a pleasant distraction, but little else. It couldn’t be more…not when he considered the price he would pay for taking another chance on getting involved.

  The boys didn’t settle down immediately. It took three tries and several threats to finally get them into bed and the lights off. Stephanie closed Brett’s door and headed for her living room where Nash was waiting for her. She sank down next to him on the sofa.

  “We’re going to have to give it a little time,” she said. “I’m pretty sure they’re down for the night, but they may take a while to fall asleep.”

  “So we’ll talk until they do.”

  She angled toward him so she could stare at his handsome face. “Halfway decent in bed and he likes to talk,” she teased. “How did I get so lucky?”

  “It’s a question you must ask yourself every morning.”

  She laughed. “Surprisingly I have other things on my mind when I get up.”

  “I am surprised. You shouldn’t be thinking about anything but how good I make you feel.”

  Actually that was the first thing on her mind, but she wasn’t about to admit that to him. Not when he was already so confident about his abilities in the bedroom. Not that he had reason to be anything but impressed with himself. Lord knows he made her entire being tingle.

  “I had a good time tonight,” she said. “You have a great family.”

  “I agree. I still have trouble believing they’ve been out there all this time, and I never knew about them.”

  “I used to dream about finding out I had a big family,” she admitted. “I wanted aunts and uncles and lots and lots of cousins. Especially at the holidays. It was always really quiet at our house. My parents surfaced from their work enough to remember it was Christmas or my birthday, but they never really participated. I remember they used to give me board games as presents, but then never take the time to play with me. I used to try playing both sides myself, but it wasn’t very much fun.”