Father In Training. Сьюзен Мэллери

own the first moment she’d seen the grown-up and improved version of Kyle Haynes. But she was a mature woman, able to control her instinctive reaction. Lindsay was caught between girlhood and a world she didn’t understand. Her daughter flushed and clasped her hands in front of her. The awkward beauty of a coltish preteen became simply clumsy as she shuffled her feet and stared at the ground.

      Sandy had known Lindsay was growing up fast, but she hadn’t expected to get a demonstration of the fact. Yet here it was. Lindsay’s first awareness of someone of the opposite sex.

      “Lindsay, this is Mr. Haynes,” Sandy said. “He’s our neighbor.”

      “I live in the gatehouse,” Kyle said as he approached her daughter. He held out his hand. Lindsay glanced at her, then the man. She stuck out her hand and giggled when he took it in his. “Nice to meet you, Lindsay. I knew your mom when she was just a couple of years older than you are right now.”

      “Really?” Lindsay stared at her as if she couldn’t ever imagine her mother being young. “What was she like?”

      “Pretty much the way she is now. We used to call her Sensible Sandy.”

      Lindsay rolled her eyes. “Figures. She still wants to organize the world. I guess she hasn’t changed at all.”

      “You’re right. She still looks—”

      “There’s Blake,” Sandy interrupted, not wanting to let Kyle continue. She had no idea what he planned to say. Probably some unrealistic compliment about how great she’d looked in high school. “Blake, come and meet our new neighbor.”

      Her son came around the side of the house. As always, when she saw him, she bit back a sigh. Blake was physically the most like his father. He had dark red hair, freckles and wore glasses. But while Thomas’s light brown eyes had gleamed with humor and a zest for life and adventure, Blake’s expression was serious, as if the weight of the world rested on his slim shoulders. He preferred to read rather than play outside, and he didn’t make friends easily. Sandy wondered if all parents worried about their children as much as she worried about hers. She was doing the best she could to make them feel safe and secure after losing their father, but she wasn’t sure her efforts were enough.

      “This is Mr. Haynes, Blake,” she said, smiling at her son and nodding for him to shake hands with their neighbor.

      “Call me Kyle.”

      Blake mumbled something that could have been a greeting, then dropped his arm to his side and stared at his shoes. Before Sandy could think of something to say that would include him in the conversation, Nichole came running toward her.

      “Mommy, Mommy, there are flowers and birds in the backyard.” Wide green eyes tilted up at the corners as the eight-year-old grinned. “I saw a bluebird.”

      Lindsay planted her hands on her hips. “That wasn’t a bluebird.”

      “Was too.” Nichole spotted the stranger. She ducked behind her mother, then stuck her head out shyly and smiled. Dimples appeared on both cheeks.

      Kyle crouched down next to her. “Hi there. You must be Nichole.”

      “Uh-huh.” Her youngest nodded.

      “I’m Kyle. I live right there.” He pointed to the gatehouse, then rose. “This one’s going to be a heartbreaker when she gets older.”

      “I know. Killer dimples,” Sandy said.

      Kyle winked at the little girl. “I’ve always had a thing for green eyes.”

      Sandy fought the instinctive urge to point out her eyes were green, too. What was it about this man that got to her? Maybe it was spending the last two years living alone. Since Thomas had died, she hadn’t been on a date. She wasn’t interested in getting involved. So why was she so completely aware of Kyle?

      Lindsay leaned against the station wagon and tossed her long brown hair over her shoulder. She gave them what Sandy called her “I’m so sophisticated” look.

      “Is there anything fun to do in this hick town?” Lindsay asked.

      Kyle glanced at her. “You don’t like Glenwood?”

      “I’m from L.A. It’s like this is a different planet.”

      Kyle grinned. Lindsay swallowed. Sandy ruffled Nichole’s red curls and knew exactly how her daughter felt.

      “You’ll like it here,” he promised. “Life’s going to seem a little slower, but there’s lots of fun stuff for kids to do. There’s softball and soccer.” He glanced at Nichole. “There’s a team for girls just your age. And my brother Travis has a daughter who’s eight.”

      “That’s fine for the children,” Lindsay said, her tone pointing out how much more mature she was than the other two. “But what about me?”

      “We’ll find something,” Kyle promised.

      “It’s really not your problem,” Sandy said. “I appreciate the welcome and all that, but we’ve got work to do. Children, say goodbye to Mr. Haynes.”

      Blake muttered something under his breath, while Nichole just smiled winningly. Lindsay gave her mother the hate stare, then said, “Goodbye, Kyle. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again.”

      “I’m sure.”

      He turned and started toward his motorcycle. Lindsay noticed the bike for the first time.

      “Way cool,” she said and started after him.

      Sandy grabbed the girl’s arm. “Another time.”

      “But Mom—”

      “We’ve got to get the house ready.”

      Kyle picked up his jacket, then turned toward her. “Have you been in the place yet?”

      She glanced at the house. “No. We’ve just arrived.”

      He hesitated. “Maybe I should take a look around first.”

      “Why?”

      “The house has been closed up for a while. You don’t know what could be inside.”

      If she hadn’t been afraid he would think she was as immature as Lindsay, she would have rolled her eyes. Couldn’t he come up with a better line than that? “The roof and plumbing have just been replaced. We’re not afraid of a little dirt or a few spiderwebs.”

      “I hate spiders,” Nichole said.

      “I know, honey. I’ll take care of any we find.” She returned her attention to Kyle. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”

      Sandy grabbed Nichole and Blake by the hand, then started toward the house. “Come on, Lindsay,” she called as her daughter stood there staring foolishly at Kyle. Lindsay’s attraction to the older man was understandable. He was incredibly good-looking. Handsome, tall, strong, with a smile that could— She forced herself away from the specifics. He had everything a girl could want in her first adolescent crush. But the idea that Lindsay had just discovered the opposite sex made Sandy feel old. Lindsay had just taken her first steps into womanhood. Sandy felt as if that part of her life was over. She was only thirty-two. According to women’s magazines, she was entering her sexual peak. Unfortunately, she had no plans to find a man and take advantage of her condition.

      “See you around,” Kyle called.

      “Bye.”

      As she reached into the pocket of her white shorts for the house key, she realized that Kyle hadn’t been scared off by her children. If anything, he’d seemed genuinely interested in them. That was unusual. Most men couldn’t run fast enough in the other direction.

      So what, she thought as she fitted the key into the lock. Maybe he was pretending. Of course, it didn’t matter if he wasn’t. He wasn’t going to be interested in a woman like her, and she sure didn’t