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Tyler couldn’t remember a time when he’d been so pleased with himself. Walking across the parking lot to his truck, he grinned. Annie looked great. From the second he’d come back into town, he’d wondered about her. For years he’d felt like a heel because of the way their engagement had ended. He knew what everyone had said about him, and he’d grown up enough in the last few years to realize what a jerk he’d been to let his father push him away from Annie.
Dewitt was right. He’d acted like a muck-eating varmint.
But at the time, his old man had been Tyler’s world, and pleasing him had meant everything. Shortly after he’d entered college, Tyler had realized his father didn’t know everything. Those days had been tough, and the two of them had fought constantly. He’d ending up going into law rather than business just to spite his father.
Then, right after graduation, he’d realized that nowhere was it written that his father had to be the only perfect person on the planet. He’d also convinced his father to stop with his constant expectations. After those revelations, they’d finally settled into a relationship where they supported each other’s good points and ignored the bad ones as much as possible.
Sadly, though, Henry Nelson had died six months ago, and Tyler still missed him. He knew his father would be proud that he’d come home to run the ranch. The property had been in the family for decades, and Tyler knew that very little in life meant as much to Henry as that land.
Tyler climbed into his truck and started the engine, but he didn’t put it into drive. Instead, he looked across the parking lot at the door to the grocery store. Annie came out carrying Courtney on her hip. A teenaged boy pushed her cart, and it looked as if Courtney was chatting up a storm. He found it weird thinking of Annie as a mom. Heck, he found it weird thinking of Annie as married. Until tonight, Annie had been frozen in his mind at eighteen, pretty and happy.
Tyler sighed and put his truck in drive. His mother would be thrilled to know he’d bumped into Annie. Years ago, Judith had also mistakenly thought Annie wasn’t good enough for her son, but as time passed, and he showed less and less inclination toward marriage and giving her grandchildren, his mother had become receptive to all candidates.
Unfortunately, his mother was bound to be disappointed again. Now was the least likely time for him to think about marriage. He had to focus on the ranch. He hadn’t a clue what he intended to do with the rest of his life, let alone with whom he expected to spend it. His mother’s illness had made him rethink a lot of things, not the least of which was whether he really wanted to move back to Falling Star.
He liked the town. Falling Star was especially attractive to him now that Annie’s brother, Brett, had called him with an idea. Staying for a prolonged period of time in Falling Star was a possibility, but still, that would mean walking away from the law firm. He wasn’t sure he could do that. He’d spent years building up the business with his partner. Now was the worst possible time to leave.
Tyler pulled his truck onto the drive that ran in front of his mother’s house and headed toward the garage in back. Even though only his mother lived here now, the house and the landscaping around it were maintained flawlessly. The house was huge, much too big for one family, but his father had insisted. He’d felt it was vital that they look important, which was one of the many reasons why they’d fought.
Tyler parked his truck in the garage and walked into the house through the kitchen, where he found his mother sitting at the breakfast table, talking to the housekeeper. Dolores had worked for the family for over twenty years, and Tyler suspected she was less of an employee to his mother now and more of a friend. Whenever he walked into the house, he usually found the two of them talking.
“Hey, gorgeous.” He brushed a kiss on his mother’s forehead and dropped into the chair next to her.
“Did you get the apples?” Dolores asked.
He knew he’d forgotten something. He’d been so excited to see Annie that he’d completely forgotten why he’d gone to the grocery store in the first place.
“Sorry. I got distracted.”
Judith raised one eyebrow. “Distracted by whom?”
He grinned. “Annie Lee. She was there with her daughter.”
His mother’s expression brightened. “Her last name is Palmer now. How is she?”
“She’s good,” was all he said. He wasn’t really sure how to handle this situation. He knew his mother felt guilty about what had happened with Annie years ago. She’d been too quick to judge the young woman, and it wasn’t easy for someone raised the way Judith had been to admit she was wrong. But time and life had mellowed his mother and taught her that many of the arbitrary standards she’d held were flat-out wrong. Certain people weren’t better than others simply because their bank accounts contained more zeros.
Judith’s friendship with Dolores was an example. For years, his mother had maintained a firm distance from her housekeeper. But after Tyler had moved out, Dolores had been kind to his mother. That kindness had grown into a friendship based on mutual respect, rather than on who paid whom.
He was pretty fond of Delores, too. More so when she placed a piece of apple pie in front of him. “Thank you. You’re a mind reader.”
“What about the little girl?” his mother asked.
Her question surprised him, but he answered it nonetheless. “Courtney is a real sweetheart.”
Judith smiled broadly. “She’s so cute. Fran babysits her granddaughter sometimes. I’ve run into them when I’ve been out shopping.”
So his mother was at least speaking to Fran Lee. Well, that was progress of some sort. If Annie’s mom didn’t hold a grudge, then maybe Annie wouldn’t get upset when she found out what he and Brett had planned.
“Did either of you ever meet Annie’s husband?” Tyler asked.
Both his mother and Dolores shook their heads. “Annie moved back to town after he died,” Dolores said.
“Have you talked to Annie lately?” he asked his mother, but she again shook her head.
“I haven’t spoken to Annie since . . .”
Her voice trailed off and an embarrassed silence fell over the kitchen. Tyler slowly ate the pie, feeling more and more uncomfortable. He figured his mother hadn’t spoken to Annie since he’d dumped her. There wasn’t much in his life that he was truly ashamed of. He’d made mistakes, but they’d been honest errors.
Not so with Annie. Dropping her was his low moment. He’d truly believed he was in love with her, but still he’d let his father convince him that marriage would ruin both of their lives. Now, in retrospect, he suspected what everyone said was true—his parents had thought Annie wasn’t good enough for him.
But in truth, she’d been too good for him. Annie wouldn’t have let anyone put him down. She wouldn’t have let appearances stop her from seeing him. He’d run with a fast crowd that got away with too much because of who their parents were. With his wild reputation around town, no doubt her parents hadn’t been thrilled when she’d started dating him. Annie’s father had glared at him every time Tyler had shown up to take her out.
But still Annie had gone out with him. She hadn’t let others tell her what to do.
Maybe it was too late to do anything about this. Maybe he was being silly for even trying. Eight years was a long time, and neither of them were kids anymore. There was no way to go back and make up for the past.
He glanced at his mother. She looked tired, and he knew this conversation was upsetting her. He leaned across the table and kissed her cheek. “Don’t fret. It isn’t good for you.”
Judith patted his hand. “Did Annie seem happy to see you? Or was she angry? Fran’s always nice to me, but I’m not sure if Annie’s father and brother are still mad. You know how they feel about you.”
Well, he’d thought he did, until Brett Lee had called him last week. Tyler had never expected to hear from Brett again. Annie’s brother had threatened him with a wrench the day after he’d broken up with Annie. He’d figured that pretty much made the state of their friendship clear.
“People change over time,” Tyler said, as much to himself as to his mother. He didn’t want to talk about Brett and the plans they had. He’d promised Brett he wouldn’t tell anyone, and he wouldn’t break that promise.
Judith looked doubtful. “Some people don’t change over time.”
He shrugged. Brett had changed. And Tyler knew he had too. Years ago, he would never have agreed to help Brett expand his family’s horse farm. But now the idea held infinite appeal to him.
“Where did you leave things?” his mother asked.
Realizing the two women weren’t going to stop staring at him until he answered all their questions, he said, “Mom, just so you know, I’m not interested in Annie. But before I left the store, I teased her about taking both her and Courtney to dinner sometime. She said no. Quite loudly.”
Both Dolores and his mother laughed. Then Judith said, “I’ll call Annie’s mother and see what she thinks.”
Tyler hurried to chew the bite of pie he’d just put in his mouth. When he finally could talk, he said, “Don’t do that. It was a joke. I was teasing Annie.”
His mother shook her head, her dangling silver earrings rattling. “I think it’s a wonderful idea. I bet Fran will love it.”
Things were rapidly getting out of control. “No, Mom. Annie will get mad.”
“Not if her mother says we should do it. And not if we bring dinner.” After making this pronouncement, her mother smiled like a cat who’d just discovered a canary. “I’ll arrange everything.”
Tyler sighed. He hadn’t seen this coming. He needed to kill any matchmaking ideas his mother had. He’d just gotten home, and he had a lot of things to sort out. Sure, he would like to smooth things over with Annie and her family, but that was it. He’d never get involved with Annie again because one thing hadn’t changed over the years—Annie had been a forever-type girl, and now she was a forever-type woman.
And he’d never be a forever-type man.
**
She’d thought he’d been kidding. How could he not have been kidding? Even Tyler Nelson, with his giant-sized ego, had to know a brush-off when one hit him smack between the eyes. At least, she’d hoped so.
So when her doorbell rang on Wednesday night, she’d expected to see her mother on the doorstep. After all, they’d made plans for a nice family dinner.
Instead, Tyler stood on her front porch with a bottle of wine in one hand and a bottle of apple juice in the other. Even more surprising was that his mother stood next to him. Judith Nelson smiled at Annie as if they’d been friends for years.
“Hi, Annie,” Tyler said.
Annie narrowed her eyes. “Why are you here?”
With a chuckle, Tyler motioned toward the woman with him. “Hello to you, too. Annie, you remember Mom, right?”
Good manners forced her to greet the older woman. Then she turned her attention back to Tyler. “Why are you here?”
“Let me start by saying I’m sorry. This was not my idea. Your mother invited us,” he said. “She heard about my joke in the grocery store and suggested we make it actually happen. I thought she’d talk it over with you first.”
As much as Annie would like to tell him that her mother would never do such a thing, she realized that was a lie. Fran Lee definitely would do something like this.
“Where’s Courtney?” Tyler asked before Annie could say anything.
Annie returned Judith’s smile and then turned to Tyler. “I told you not to come.”
“Which is exactly what I said to your mother,” he pointed out. “Do you want to call her and tell her I did what she wanted but you kicked me out?”
Annie narrowed her eyes. “I can’t kick you out if I never let you in.”
He hooted a laugh. “So true.”
Inside, Courtney must have heard his voice because she started yelling, “Man Man” at the top of her voice.
Good grief.
“Fine. Come in.” She pushed the door open.
Tyler flashed her a quick grin, then nudged past her into the living room. “Your mother really did insist. If it makes you feel any better, you can say I’m here to have dinner with Courtney. I’ll even sit next to Courtney’s high chair and feed her. You can eat dinner with my mom and your parents.”
Annie wanted to be mad at him, but how could she? She knew her mother well enough to know this was her idea. Tyler and his mother had simply gone along with Fran Palmer’s plan. Like everyone always did.
Tyler glanced around the room. “I see your mom and dad haven’t arrived yet.”
“They should be here soon.” She followed Tyler and Judith into the living room. The older woman looked so out of place in Annie’s small house. With her expensive dress and purse, she looked like someone who’d wandered into Annie’s house by mistake.
But she was smiling and seemed delighted to be here, so manners compelled Annie to say, “Judith, why don’t you have a seat?”
Judith sat on the blue sofa facing the playpen where Courtney was excitedly bouncing. “She’s so cute.”
Annie glanced at her daughter. Courtney definitely was cute, and she was obviously thrilled her beloved Man Man was here. “Thank you.”
Tyler grinned, obviously knowing he’d won this war. “While we wait, why don’t we catch up on old times.”
Annie would rather be covered in honey and plopped on an ant hill. “Let’s not.”
The tension in the room must have made Judith uncomfortable. She glanced at her son. “Is there a problem with us being here?”
At the moment, Judith looked so sad that Annie couldn’t stop herself from saying, “No, there’s no problem. Of course you’re welcome.”
At the hesitation in the other woman’s voice, Annie turned and looked at her. She saw a woman who’d changed over the years. Gone was the regal attitude Judith used to have. In its place was a milder, more considerate demeanor. Twice in recent months, Judith had stopped to talk to Annie in the grocery store. Each time, she’d been nice. Not just to Annie, but to everyone. Maybe people really could change, or maybe time had just mellowed Judith Nelson.
Annie shot Tyler a meaningful look and said, “It would be nice to know who else is coming.”
Tyler shrugged. “Beats me. I’m just one chess piece in your mother’s game.”
Before Annie could answer, Courtney let out another holler and put her arms up in the air.
“Up, Man Man.”
Tyler picked her up and gave her a hug. “Hey there, gorgeous.” Courtney rewarded him with a sloppy kiss on his cheek. He turned to his mother. “Have you met Courtney yet?”
Judith leaned forward and patted Courtney’s arm, a wide smile on her face. She glanced at Annie. “You’re so lucky to have her.”
Annie nodded, wondering at what point she’d lost control of her life. But she knew. It had happened in the grocery store. Up until that point, she’d been fine. But the second she’d stepped through those automatic doors, she must have crossed into crazy town.
Tyler put Courtney on his hip and grinned at Annie. “I promised your mother I would bring the food for this dinner.”
What the . . . why would Tyler have to bring the food?
“Why? I thought Mom was bringing the food,” she said.
He shook his head. “Nope. I volunteered. She’d told me that Mom and I had to come to dinner. Let me clarify. She’d insisted we come. I offered to check with you first, but I was told absolutely not. So, sensing a possible devious plot afoot, I said I would bring the food.”
He set Courtney back in the playpen. She fussed a little, but he told her, “Stay calm. I’ll be right back.”
Almost as if she’d understood him, Courtney smiled and sat in the playpen.
Would wonders never cease?
Before Annie could say anything to Tyler, he walked out the front door. After he’d disappeared, Judith smiled at her. “I hope you don’t mind. Tyler didn’t want you to go to any trouble, so he made the sauce at home, and he’s brought pasta to cook here. Let him do everything. He’s a very good cook, and he said you told him spaghetti was your daughter’s favorite food.”
“It is,” she said absently. This spontaneous party planned by her mother was a crazy idea, not to mention annoying. She didn’t want to spend time with Tyler, and her mother should have known that. She wasn’t mad at him, but it was a little awkward. They didn’t know each other anymore, and their past history made things more than a little uncomfortable.
Yet here he was, courtesy of her mom. She didn’t believe for a second that her mother didn’t have a doozy of a scheme. What she couldn’t understand, though, was why Tyler had gone along with it. It didn’t make sense. He didn’t want a date. He’d brought along his own mother. What on earth was he up to?
When Tyler returned from getting a huge bag of food from his car, Annie was ready to ask him a few well-chosen questions, but her family arrived at that moment. Her mother, father, and brother, Brett, laughed and joked with Tyler as if he were some prodigal son who’d finally returned home.
During the next few minutes, Annie decided they were all up to something. It wasn’t just Tyler; her family didn’t act like this. Sure they laughed and joked, but they didn’t smile such inane smiles.
And everyone was constantly smiling at one another. It drove Annie nuts. For starters, her father and brother had vowed years ago to have nothing further to do with the Nelson family. Yet here they both were, visiting with Tyler while he stirred spaghetti in her kitchen. Meanwhile, at her tiny kitchen table, her mother and Judith chatted like two teenagers who’d been best friends for years. Annie wanted to demand that they tell her where they’d hidden her real family.
In the middle of it all was Courtney. One person after another scooped her up and gave her hugs and kisses. Little Courtney was in her element—being adored by a room full of grown-ups who intended to feed her spaghetti. For a two-year-old, life couldn’t get any better.
When the laughter in the kitchen got too loud, Annie went out to the living room and flopped down in her favorite chair. It wasn’t like anyone would miss her in her own house. They had invaded, and she was no longer needed.
“Want to talk about it?”
She tipped her head back and glanced at Tyler. “Why are you doing this to me?”
He came to the side of her chair and crouched so that he was eye level with her. Gently, he brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek. “I’m not doing anything to you, Annie.”
His soft voice ran over her like warm water. “Yes, you are. You’re up to something.”
He hesitated for a second, then shook his head slowly, the expression in his eyes one of sadness. And there was something else, some indefinable emotion she didn’t recognize. “Your mother arranged this. Since I haven’t seen your folks in years, it seemed like a nice idea.”
No wonder this man was a terror in the courtroom. He had such a convincing voice, it was easy to believe everything he said. But Annie knew it didn’t take much to make that sincere tone of his change.
“I’m trying to decide whether I believe you,” Annie admitted.
Tyler frowned. “I understand. Things didn’t end well between us, and I know it was my fault. I can’t tell you how sorry I am about the past.”
Annie sat up straight in her chair. Talking about the past bothered her. She wasn’t still mad or hurt. Their wedding fiasco happened a long time ago. But things felt awkward and strange between them now.
Plus, she was finding it almost impossible to have Tyler this close to her, looking so handsome and being so kind.
“Will you accept my apology?” he asked.
He was making an effort, so she would too. “Yes. Apology accepted.”
“So are you mad?” he asked.
She tipped her head slightly and studied his handsome face. “About the past or about tonight?”
Instead of being insulted, Tyler chuckled. “Either.”
She started to say yes, she was mad. But she wasn’t. Not really. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling.
“No. I’m not mad about the past,” she admitted. “I am aggravated about this evening, but not at you. My mother shouldn’t have done this without talking to me. Still, I realize this dinner might be a good idea. If both of us are going to live in Falling Star, we should put the past behind us.”
He nodded. “Absolutely. See even Man Man can be nice if given a chance.”
Despite herself, Annie laughed. “You should try to teach her your name.”
He nodded. “Absolutely. I will try during dinner. I tried teaching her to say spaghetti, but she pretty much just sputtered at me.”
“Spaghetti is a tough word,” Annie pointed out.
“For all of us,” he noted.
Again, Annie laughed. She’d forgotten how much she’d liked being around Tyler. He was funny and kind, and she knew he meant well.
“We can work on that, too,” she said.
Tyler ran one hand through his hair, then studied her as if she were a piece of unexpected evidence brought into the courtroom. “Feel up to facing the kitchen crowd again?”
She nodded and stood. “But let’s agree—we need to stop my mother and your mother from any more sneakiness.”
“You bet.”
He gave her that trademark crooked grin again. He truly was insane. “What did you do for fun while I was gone?”
“I made do,” she told him.
Tyler gazed at her, his brown eyes twinkling with humor. For a moment, she felt the same awareness pass between them, like an electric current holding them together. The feeling startled her since she hadn’t felt it in years. But even now, after all this time, she still was attracted to the man.
A loud noise from the kitchen caused Tyler to turn his head for a moment. At this close range, it was difficult for Annie to ignore how good-looking he was. That was the unfair part—that even after all these years he still possessed so much appeal. It just wasn’t right.
When Tyler turned his head back toward her, he winked. “I think we’d better hurry before we’re interrupted.”
Annie frowned, not liking that statement one bit. “What do you mean?”
Tyler’s expression reminded her of the look that crossed Courtney’s face whenever the toddler had something bad planned. Annie tried to take a step back to gain some distance from him, but her move didn’t help because Tyler moved forward.
“Tyler, what are you doing?” she asked.
She’d barely gotten the words out when Tyler asked, “May I hug you?”
She frowned, surprised by his question. “What?”
“I’d like to hug you because we’re old friends who have agreed to forget the past,” he said. “We need to move on, for both our sakes.”
His sincerity got to her, and she agreed with him. They needed to move on. So without giving herself time to think, she moved forward, and he hugged her. The hug was friendly, a nice hug, not the kind he’d given her when they’d been dating.
But feelings still overwhelmed her, and the hug caught her unawares. For a moment, she hesitated. Then she hugged him back.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve this craziness,” she muttered.
Tyler loosened his arms so he could look at her face. “Lived a good life?”
As much as she hated to admit it, he still had a way of making her feel like she was the only woman in the world that mattered.
But she knew better than to get sucked in, so she started to move out of the circle of his arms. She turned her head at the same moment he turned his, and for a heartbeat, their faces were close. Too close. The air seemed to escape her lungs in a whoosh, and before rational thought could enter her mind, Annie did something even she couldn’t believe.
She kissed him.