Only His. Susan Mallery

She was wonderful to me. Do you remember her at all?”

      “Sure. When we spent the night with her, we got to stay up as late as we wanted and we could watch anything. Every single time, I picked some horror movie you wouldn’t have let me see, and I scared myself so much I couldn’t sleep. Then I crawled in bed with her and Grandpa and she would sing to me until I wasn’t afraid.”

      Denise smiled. “That sounds like her.” “But she’s not why you’re here.”

      “No. I’m not sure what to do about Tucker Janack. I need your advice.” Neither statement was true. She knew exactly what to do about Tucker, but she didn’t say that to Ethan. Better to let him come to his own conclusions.

      Ethan frowned. “About what? Nevada’s going to work for him. She told me she was accepting the job.”

      “I know and I’m glad. It’s just …” She drew in a breath. “They have a past. Remember when Nevada was in college and you asked her to look up Tucker?”

      “Sure. I thought he would be a good person for her to know. In case something happened, or she needed advice about school. Engineering’s a tough major, and he’d already been through it.”

      “She did go see him. They were friends. Then …” She waved her hand. “Never mind. I shouldn’t discuss this with you.”

      Ethan’s frown turned into a scowl. “Too late now. What happened?”

      “He got drunk and they slept together. He was involved with someone else, but they had briefly broken up. He took advantage of Nevada and then went back to his girlfriend. Nevada was crushed, of course. I get sick when I think about it. That man and my little girl.”

      In truth Denise wasn’t happy about what had happened, and she did want Tucker punished. She also believed that sometimes children had to learn by making mistakes and living through the consequences. But Tucker had gone too far.

      Ethan nodded once. “I’ll take care of it, Mom. Don’t worry.”

      “I knew I could count on you. You’ve always been there for me and for everyone else in the family.”

      She rose. Ethan stood as well and walked her to the door.

      “Don’t worry,” he repeated and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

      Relieved and not the least bit guilty, Denise walked out of the office. There were those who wouldn’t agree with what she’d done, but she didn’t care. No one messed with her family.

      JO TRELLIS LOOKED at the boxes piled in the back of her SUV and wondered if maybe she’d gotten a little carried away. She supposed part of the problem was that she was excited about the thought of her friends having babies, and that she would get to watch those kids grow up. She didn’t have any children of her own, nor was she likely to. So she would live vicariously through her friends—Aunt Jo to the new generation in Fool’s Gold.

      Within a few months, Charity’s daughter would be crawling and some months after that, Pia’s twins would join her. Dakota’s daughter was nearly nine months old already, and Dakota was pregnant with her second child. That explained the various toys Jo had bought.

      She’d already figured out that the back corner of the main room would make the perfect play area. Ethan had sent over one of his guys to install removable posts. She’d bought child-safe fencing, to keep the kids in and her customers out. With a little rearranging, she could have tables right by the play area, so moms could visit, their kids could play and everyone would be happy.

      She picked up the smallest of the boxes and carried it inside easily. But the carton with the toddler-size kitchen was going to be a problem. “Need some help?”

      She glanced over her shoulder and saw a tall man moving toward her. He had a slight limp, but powerful shoulders and arms. His sandy hair was just long enough and his dark blue eyes brightened with amusement.

      “That box is nearly as big as you.”

      Her instinct was to tell him she was fine. It was her policy to avoid conversations with strange men. She would say with all men, but that wasn’t an option in her line of work. So she’d learned to be friendly without ever letting anyone cross the line. However, she’d been in Fool’s Gold long enough to know that life was all about community. Over the past few years she’d learned to trust other people and, most importantly, herself.

      The man paused by her SUV. “Will Falk,” he said.

      “Jo Trellis.” She studied his worn jeans and chambray shirt. “You’re with Janack Construction.”

      “That’s me.” He reached for the box and drew it out easily.

      Remembering how she’d struggled to get it into her SUV, she tried not to be bitter. Men naturally had more upper body strength than women.

      “Where do you want this?” he asked.

      She led the way in through the back, passing from the storage room to the main part of the bar. She pointed to the corner she’d cleared.

      “Over there.”

      Will set down the box, then straightened. “Kid toys in a bar?”

      “A lot of my customers are having babies.”

      “They bring them to a bar?” He sounded shocked.

      She allowed herself to smile. “I get a big lunch and afternoon crowd. They’re here to socialize rather than get drunk. I’ll put the toys away before the evening customers arrive. Don’t worry. No one in Fool’s Gold is corrupting infants.”

      But Will wasn’t listening. Instead he was turning in a slow circle, taking in the mauve walls, the big TVs tuned to a marathon of America’s Next Top Model, and the comfortable chairs with backs and hooks for purses up by the bar.

      “What is this place?” he asked.

      “It’s a bar.”

      “I’ve been in plenty of bars.” “You men have a room in back. It’s very traditional. Dark colors, a pool table and plenty of sports.” He still looked lost.

      “Fool’s Gold has a large female population,” she explained. “Most of the businesses cater to women, including mine.”

      “I see,” he said slowly.

      She laughed. “If you’re going to be here awhile, you’ll need to get used to it.”

      She walked back to her car. He followed.

      “Don’t get me wrong,” he told her. “I like women. I’ve never known a bar that catered to them, but I’m good with that.”

      She thought about warning him that just because there were a lot of women around didn’t mean he would find it easy to interest one of them. Most of her customers came to hang out with their friends and talk about their problems. They weren’t all that worried about meeting guys. But he could figure that out on his own.

      Will helped her carry in the rest of the boxes. Just when she was about to thank him and suggest he leave, he started opening cartons with a pocketknife.

      “You’re in management, aren’t you?” she asked.

      He laughed. “Kicking and screaming I was dragged there. Why?”

      “You’re taking charge.” “Want to tell me no?”

      “I appreciate the help,” she admitted, aware she wouldn’t have had time to unpack everything before her lunch crowd arrived.

      “Happy to give it.” He pulled out a brightly colored plastic refrigerator. “Cute.”

      “I thought it would be fun.”

      The tiny stove came next.

      “How long have you lived here?” he asked.

      “A