Cassie Duncan placed her four-month-old son in his bed
and gently rubbed his belly through the pale blue cotton
onesie. Oliver's breathing slowed and she watched his
tiny chest rise and fall, marveling at the perfect little
person who'd come into her life.
If only your daddy was here…
But Doug was gone. Killed eight months earlier while on
tour in the Middle East, he never got to see his son
born. Now it was just the two of them, getting through
each day. Cassie adored being a mother and loved Oliver
more than she'd imagined she could love anyone. But she
was sad that Doug would miss seeing his son grow up. He'd
had very little family, just a younger brother in South
Dakota he rarely saw. And Crystal Point was a long way
from there. With a population of eight hundred, the small
Australian beachside town sat at the southernmost point
of the Great Barrier Reef. It was the perfect place to
raise her child—quiet and safe—a place where she fit in,
where she led a valuable life.
She grabbed the baby monitor, flicked on the colored
shaded night-light and left the nursery. Mouse hunkered
down the hall when he saw her. The one-hundred-and-sixty-
pound black-and-white Great Dane always stood point at
the end of the hall when she was in the nursery with
Oliver. The dog pushed his big head against her leg and
Cassie rubbed his neck.
"Feel like a snack?" she asked and kept walking.
Mouse followed her through to the kitchen. She gave him a
couple of doggy treats and filled up the kettle. Oliver
would stay asleep for a few hours, so she had time to
make dinner and watch a movie. She rummaged through the
pantry and settled on tinned soup and sourdough toast.
The dog climbed into his bed by the door and Cassie set
about making her meal.
Friday nights always seemed the quietest somehow. In the
old days she would have called her best friends, Lauren
and Mary-Jayne, to come around and they would have opened
a bottle of wine and eaten cheese and crackers and shared
stories about their week. But Lauren was recently engaged
and making wedding plans with her fiancé. And Mary-Jayne
was locked away in her workshop and wouldn't be around
for a week.
And I have Oliver.
Having a baby had changed her priorities. Not that Cassie
had ever been much of a party girl. She'd dated Doug for
three years before his death and although they hadn't
seen much of one another in the last eighteen months, she
had stood by her commitment to their relationship. Being
involved with a career soldier had been difficult.
However, the long absences and constant worry for his
safety hadn't altered her feelings. She'd loved him, and
now she loved their son.
She cranked the lid off the soup tin, poured it into a
saucepan and sliced some bread while she waited for the
soup to heat up. The baby monitor was quiet and Cassie
relaxed when she sat down at the big scrubbed table and
ate her dinner. The house was silent, except for its
usual creaks and moans. But she loved the house and had
lived in it for most of her life.
When her grandfather had fallen ill four years ago and
needed full-time care, the house had been sold to an
investment buyer to pay for his care and she had become a
tenant in her own home. Of course she was grateful to
have been able to stay on and lease the property from the
new owner.
The new owner had turned out to be Doug and when he
briefly returned from his tour and came around to check
on the house, they'd quickly fallen for one another.
There weren't fireworks or a rush of crazy heat, but
they'd shared something more…something lasting. It was
grounded in friendship and Cassie would have happily
spent her life with him had fate not intervened. But only
months after she'd told him she was pregnant Doug was
dead, killed by a sniper in a secret operation along with
two other soldiers.
She'd been living in the house ever since, paying the
rent and utilities, and had begrudgingly started looking
for another place to live while waiting for the home she
loved to be pulled out from under her and Oliver.
Because the house now belonged to Doug's brother, Tanner
McCord. She'd met him twice and on both occasions he'd
proven to be the disinterested, brooding loner Doug had
described. She knew the tension between the two men went
back a long way and whenever she'd asked Doug about it
he'd quickly dismissed her questions. Now all she could
do was wait until she learned what Tanner planned to do
with the house. Eight days earlier she'd received an
email. He was coming back to Crystal Point. He wanted to
see her. He wanted to talk.
He wants to kick me out of my home…
Cassie shuddered. Damn. She should be better prepared.
She should have found somewhere else to live. She should
have contacted a lawyer again and ascertained whether
Oliver had any rights to Doug's estate. Instead, she'd
buried her head in the sand, plastered on her regular
happy smile and hoped things would work out. Like a naive
fool. As always.
She shook off the unease in her blood and finished her
meal. Once she'd eaten and washed up, she left the
kitchen, checked the baby, gathered her things and headed
for the bathroom. Twenty minutes later she was showered,
dried and wearing her comfiest gray sweats. By seven she
was in front of the television watching a DVD.
But not even her favorite romantic comedy could hold her
attention. She'd had a headache all afternoon, amplified
by the increasing funk she'd been in since Tanner's email
had arrived. She was nervous. On edge and restless at the
idea of facing him without Doug by her side. And she
felt…alone. Something she hadn't truly experienced since
her parents had died. Or since her grandfather had gone
into the nursing home. Even when she didn't see Doug for
months at a time she hadn't labored over being alone.
This was something else. Something more. Cassie couldn't
figure why the feeling was so intense. Since Oliver's
birth she hadn't any time to linger over what she had
lost, or the life she'd never have with Doug. But tonight
the feelings were acute. Tonight she was lonely.
When her parents had died in a boating accident Cassie
had gone to live with her grandfather Neville Duncan.
She'd been eight years old and had grieved the loss of
her family for a long time. Lauren's folks had helped,
and her granddad had done his best. But it wasn't like
having a family, a mother and father, of her own. With
Doug she'd hoped that together they would make a family.
But that wasn't to be. Still, she was determined to tell
her son everything she knew about his father. Doug
wouldn't be forgotten.
As for Tanner…she'd deal with whatever happened. I can
make this work. I have to.
It was dark out and Tanner McCord had been sitting in the
car for over half an hour. Waiting.
And knowing he should have let the lawyers handle it
instead of traveling halfway around the world to see her.
They were only connected by her child. Doug's son. The
son his brother would never see.
Tanner drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. It had
been over two years since he'd seen her. And that was
only the second time since she'd become involved with
Doug. But now Doug was gone. And Tanner was home to
fulfill the unspoken promise he'd made to his brother.
He looked toward the house. A silhouette passed by a
window. Tanner's stomach lurched and he sucked in a deep
breath. His leg ached and he pressed his palm hard into
his left thigh. After months of rehab he could finally
walk without that damn stick. The pain was worse when he
drove for a length of time, and the five-hour haul from
Brisbane to Crystal Point after twenty-plus hours in the
air crossing the Pacific had taken its toll. He mostly
avoided pain meds in favor of massage and physical
therapy, but right now needed something to take his mind
off the soreness and maintain his focus. Tanner popped a
couple of aspirin and waited for the pain to ease as it
usually did when he put pressure on the main fracture
line.
There was more movement by the window, followed by a
light being switched on in the front room. The big, low-
set brick-and-tile home was positioned well back from the
road and in the fading dusk he'd noticed how overgrown
and unkempt the garden was. Tanner could see the
flickering light from the television bouncing shadows off
the curtains and he wondered if he should wait until
morning before disturbing her.
Instead, he got out, pushing past the pain in his leg,
and closed the door. Tanner walked across the curb and
stalled in the middle of the driveway. Driving for hours
had exaggerated his limp and he pulled his leg forward to
force a straight stride. When he reached the door he
knocked twice and waited. Seconds later he heard the soft
sound of feet padding over floorboards before the door
opened back on its hinges.
Cassandra.
His stomach rolled again. She was beautiful, as he
remembered. Hair the color of treacle, pale blue eyes,
porcelain skin and soft, even features. The first time
Doug had introduced her to him, Tanner's breath had been
sucked from his chest. The second time he was better
prepared—he managed a quick visit while Doug was home on
leave and had kept his distance from her. And this time…
this time he had his head screwed on right. He wasn't in
Crystal Point to lust over his dead brother's girlfriend.
History would not repeat itself. Not ever again.
"Tanner?"
She said his name in that soft, breathless way and a
familiar jolt of awareness rushed through his blood. He
finally drew in some air and spoke. "Hello, Cassandra."
Her gaze narrowed as a huge dog moved around her legs and
sniffed the air. The animal eyed him suspiciously and
lifted his ears in alert mode. She certainly looked as
though she had all the protection she needed. "You're
here…"
"You got my email?"
"Ah…yes…but I wasn't expecting you until next week."
"I got an earlier flight," he explained and pressed down
the jolt of pain contracting his thigh. "I'm sorry if I
startled you. I probably should have called first."
She looked f lustered and a little put out, and guilt
twitched Tanner behind his shoulder blades. He should
have waited until morning. Or he should have let the
lawyers handle it.
"No, it's fine," she said and nodded. "You can come
inside."
When she opened the screen and stepped back Tanner moved
through the doorway. She closed both doors behind him and
suggested they go into the living room. The dog trailed
her and Tanner hung back for a moment. He finally
followed her down the hall and remained by the doorway
when she entered the front room.
Tanner watched her. She looked cautious. On edge. Out of
sorts.
Suspicious.
The room had altered a little since the last time he'd
been in it. There was some new furniture, new rug,
different paintings on the walls. There was a fireplace
with one of those fake heaters and a photo on the mantel
caught his attention. Doug. In uniform. The face seemed
as recognizable as it did unfamiliar. When he was young
he'd worshipped Doug.
But things had a way of changing.
"That's quite an animal you have there," he said.
"Mouse," she replied and ushered the dog to sit on a rug
near the fireplace. The animal gave Tanner a wary
onceover before curling on the mat.
"Mouse?"
She smiled a little. "The idea was to make him seem less
intimidating."
When the dog was settled, Tanner crossed the threshold.
"How are you?"
She nodded. "Fine."
"And the—your son?"
"Oliver," she said, as though he didn't know the child's
name. "He's asleep."
He took a few steps and noticed how her gaze fell to his
uneven gait. She knew about the accident that had laid
him up in hospital for over a month. It was the reason he
hadn't made it to Doug's funeral.
"And are you well?" he asked and moved behind the heavy
sofa.
"I said I was." She looked him over. "More the point, how
are you?"
Tanner tapped his thigh. "Better. Good as new."
Her brows came up. "Really?"
He shrugged. "Maybe not exactly like new. But I'm getting
there."
"I should have called," she said quietly. "But after
Doug…you know…and the baby came…and by then I didn't have
time to think about anything but Oliver."
He understood. And he hadn't expected her to call. They
weren't friends. They weren't anything. She was Doug's
woman. The mother of his brother's child. It didn't
matter that her blue eyes and soft smile invaded his
dreams. Wanting her was pointless. He'd never act on it,
never give in to it. Never put himself through the
inevitable humiliation of her rejection. Staying in South
Dakota and living his life far away from her and Doug had
been the sensible option.
"It's okay, Cassandra. You don't have to—"
"Cassie," she said, correcting him. "No one calls me
Cassandra."
Tanner lingered over the thought. He'd always called her
that. Funny how he'd never picked up that she didn't like
it. "All right.Cassie."
She smiled a little and sat on the sofa. "Would you like
coffee? Tea?"
"No, thank you."
"You can sit down if you want."
He nodded and moved farther into the room. She watched
him intently as he eased into the opposite chair and
stretched out his left leg. She couldn't have missed the
way he favored the one side when he walked.
"Are you in pain?" she asked.
Tanner shrugged. "It was a long trip."
The suspicion in her gaze didn't abate. "You said in your
email that you wanted to talk. So, what did you want to
talk about?"
In normal circumstances it might not have sounded like a
fraught, loaded question. But nothing about the situation
was normal. And they both knew it.
"Don't look so wary, Cassie. I would have been here eight
months ago if it hadn't been for the accident. I finally
got the all clear to travel and came as soon as I could."
"For what?" she asked quietly, but she was clearly on
edge. "Doug's dead. Anything that needs to be sorted
could be done through lawyers."
Silence stretched between them like frayed elastic. She
doesn't want me here. He ignored her mention of lawyers.
There was time to get to all of that. "You're right," he
said, consciously keeping his voice light. "Doug is gone.
But his son is very much alive."
Her pale eyes widened. "You came to see Oliver?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
Tanner sucked in a heavy breath. "Because he's the only
family that I have."
Family.
Cassie almost choked out a sob the way he said the word.
She longed for Oliver to have a family. But this man was
a stranger. Unknown. Someone she'd met a couple of times
and who had always managed to unnerve her even though
they'd barely spoken. She wasn't sure why, but knew it
wasn't simply a reaction to his handsome face. There was
something about Tanner…something that almost felt
familiar…as if they were connected somehow. It was
stupid, of course. There was no connection…no common link
other than Doug.
Still…he was extraordinarily handsome—dark brown hair,
eyes the color of warm toffee and he possessed a strong,
muscular frame. Features that made him impossible to
ignore. He was taller than Doug had been, and leaner in
the waist and hips and broader through the shoulders. He
was the kind of man who'd look good in jeans, chambray
shirt and cowboy boots, or a suit and tie.
Tanner McCord was gorgeous, no doubt about it. But she
wasn't about to get caught up in his good looks. She took
a deep breath and spoke. "I didn't realize family was so
important to you."
It was a direct dig and he obviously knew it. "Doug and I
had different lives," he said and stretched back against
the chair. "Which doesn't mean we didn't care about each
other."
"I know how Doug felt about you," she replied carefully.
"He told me how he looked after you when your parents
died."