Storybook Romance. Lissa Manley

to be direct. Do you have any interest in dating Allison?”

      He wasn’t surprised by the question. He was an eligible single man. “Coraline, while I know you have my best interests at heart, I’m not interested in dating Allison, or anyone else, for that matter.” Coraline had good intentions, so he’d be polite.

      She frowned and her eyes went soft. “Your divorce wounded you, didn’t it?”

      Put mildly. “Yes, it did.” He wasn’t a liar, and even if he were, an untruth wouldn’t slip by a sharp gal like Coraline. “Especially because of the way the whole thing played out.” It was common knowledge that Teresa had left him for Spense O’Laughlin, an up-and-coming lawyer who’d moved to Bygones a few years ago to take over a law practice in nearby Manhattan, Kansas, from his uncle.

      “Ah, yes, I’m sure that made the whole thing worse,” Coraline said, her voice tinged with sympathy.

      “That would be an understatement.” Their marriage had been on the rocks for a while—Teresa, a city girl, hated living in Bygones, and blamed Sam for keeping them there—but Sam had been willing to tough it out and stay together for the kids’ sakes.

      Until the horrible night Teresa told him she’d fallen in love with Spense and was leaving Sam. Sam’s heart had shriveled up on the spot, and he’d known then that there was no saving the marriage, especially when he’d found out that Spense had told Teresa they could move to Kansas City as soon as he could sell his practice. The proverbial final nail in the coffin had been hammered home.

      There had been no happy ending for Sam, just as there’d been no happy ending for his dad, who’d never been the same since Sam’s mom had left him to go “find herself” in a commune in Colorado when Sam was eleven.

      Given that, Sam was sure such a thing as a happy ending didn’t even exist, except in the books sold by the store in which he stood.

      “Divorce is never easy.” Coraline thought for a moment. “Your guard is up now, isn’t it?”

      “Pretty much,” he replied. “The last thing I want is another heartbreak.” He’d had enough of that, considering his and Teresa’s history, coupled with his mom’s desertion. In hindsight, he shouldn’t have gotten married in the first place, because he and Teresa were such different people. But love and attraction had skewed his judgment—lesson learned. And while there was undeniably bitterness in his heart due to Teresa’s betrayal, his marriage had produced his precious children, and he would always be thankful for that immense blessing.

      “Another love might be different,” Coraline said with a knowing look. “And you’re still a young man—too young to be alone for the rest of your life.”

      “Perhaps,” he said, though his response wasn’t accurate; the past didn’t lie. But he respected Coraline too much to go with the truth and denounce her statement outright.

      “I’ll pray for you about this, all right?” Coraline was a pillar of Bygones Community Church and had an abiding faith Sam marveled at and envied.

      “That would be wonderful,” he replied, not wanting to offend Coraline, appreciating her sentiment, though he had heavy doubts prayer would work. Hadn’t his been left unanswered?

      Her eyes slipped past him. “Oh, looks like Story Time is over. Here comes your darling son.”

      “Daddy!” Nicky cried, grabbing Sam by the knees. “I just heard a story about Mike and Mary Anne!”

      Sam turned and scooped Nicky up into his arms. “I know you did, bud.”

      Coraline held out her hand for a high five. “And what a good listener you were.”

      Nicky tapped her palm with his chubby one. “I got to turn pages!”

      “Excellent,” Coraline replied with a gentle smile. “You did a great job.”

      Sam looked down at Nicky. “What do you say?”

      “Thank you!” Nicky exclaimed.

      “You’re very welcome.” Coraline moved her purse to her other arm again, her direct gaze zeroing in on Sam. “You’ll think about what I said?”

      He inclined his head left, nodding. “Of course.” Another platitude for a worthy cause and a good-hearted woman. He’d hardened his heart quite a while ago and intended to keep it that way.

      “Good. Now I’m off to pick out a book on organic gardening.” With a wave, she turned and headed farther into the store, moving with a spring in her step Sam could only hope he would have at her age.

      Nicky chattered on and on about the story as Sam went back to the Kids’ Korner in search of Rosie.

      He found her on the floor in the middle of the story rug, “reading” a book. Allison knelt next to her, her finger pointing out something on the current page. Rosie turned and smiled at Allison, and Allison ever so gently smoothed one of Rosie’s dark curls back off her face. Rosie giggled, and then mimicked Allison and smoothed a stray lock of burnished hair back from Allison’s face, then patted her cheek. The look of adoration on his daughter’s face was plain to see.

      Sam stared, unable to look away from the touching picture the two of them made sitting there, two brunettes, a girl and a woman with no connection except for the one formed today.

      And for just a moment he wished that the past hadn’t shadowed the present with such profound lessons and that he didn’t have to keep such a tight rein on his heart.

      * * *

      Allison looked up from her spot on the floor with Rosie and saw Sam standing there with Nicky in his arms. Sam looked very much the athlete-coach in his high-end black athletic sweats and black-and-white basketball shoes. His short dark hair was attractively mussed and he was slightly tanned, as if he spent time outside on the weekends.

      The sight of him had always made her knees shaky, but seeing him now, as a loving, devoted dad, made every cell in her body quake. Add that to how mushy her heart felt from Rosie’s gentle face pats and Nicky’s wide-eyed fascination with Mike and Mary Anne, and Allison felt downright giddy. She loved kids.

      But Sam? She’d heard he was in town and had avoided him. She just hadn’t been ready to face him.

      But...now she had faced him, and she’d survived just fine. And in the here and now she could be giddy over his adorable kids. No harm there. In fact, that could only lead to good things all around.

      That thought put a genuine smile on her face as she rose and held out her hand for Rosie. “Would you like to sit at the table and look at that book?”

      Rosie took Allison’s hand and clambered up from the floor, somehow bringing the book with her. “Okay.” She looked at Nicky as she headed to the kids’ table and chairs Allison had set up. “Nicky, bring a car book over here and sit with me. We can read!”

      “Daddy, put me down,” Nicky commanded. “I’m gonna read with Rosie.” He paused. “Please?”

      As Sam obeyed Nicky’s request, Allison grabbed another car book from the shelf. “How about this one, Nicky? It looks like it has some pretty good pictures of cars in it.”

      Nicky ran over. “Yeah! Lots of cars,” he said, taking the book from her.

      Sam followed him to stand beside Allison. “Kids, we can stay for a few more minutes, but I have to get to practice very soon.”

      The twins settled themselves at the table. “Okay,” they said in unison.

      Allison smiled. “They’re being very cooperative.”

      “For now,” Sam said. “Guess I better enjoy it.”

      “Sounds as if they’re quite a handful.”

      “What three-year-old isn’t?”

      “True.” Allison looked at the twins, who were