Gavin froze at Regan’s words. His eyes darted to the mirror above the fireplace in the other room just in time to see a form step back from the window and fade into the shadows. “Stay here,” he told Regan as he made his way to the door.

He hadn’t heard anyone knocking, but with the wind blowing the way it was, knocking a couple of branches into the side of the house in a steady rhythm, and the fact that he had been completely wrapped up in the fact that Regan was sitting across from him, he could have missed it. Hell, a marching band could have walked through the house and he might not have noticed.

With Regan still clouding his thoughts, Gavin pulled open the door and jerked back, almost getting a fist to the face.

“Sorry about that.” Jason lowered his hand from where he’d been about to pound on the door. “Did you know there’s a tree in the middle of the road?”

“Kinda hard to miss.” Gavin waved his partner inside and closed the door. “What are you doing here?”

Jason paused while shrugging out of his jacket. “It’s poker night. How could you forget? It must have something to do with the blonde.”

Before Gavin could reply, the door opened again and Connor, his younger brother and newly appointed chief of police of Sapphire Creek, walked in. “Damn, the wind is something. Whose car is under the tree?”

“Is that why the blonde’s here? Was that her car?” Jason asked.

“What blonde?” Connor wanted to know, not letting Gavin answer before he continued. “Why didn’t you call it in? Does she need medics?”

Gavin looked back and forth between the two feeling like he was in the middle of a comedy show but no one had bothered to give him a script.

“The blonde in Gav’s kitchen,” Jason said over his shoulder as he headed that way, leaving both Gavin and Connor standing in the entry. “She looked healthy when I caught a glimpse of her through the window.”

Connor hung his coat on the hook before raising his brow in question.

“It’s Regan Sinclair,” Gavin said before Connor could ask. “She’s back in town and showed up here to watch the kids when Becca got sick.”

“How long has she been back?” Connor moved to the hall closet and typed in the combination to pop open the gun safe, placing his police-issue side arm inside. “It can’t have been long or I’d have heard about it.”

“Not long. I don’t have all the details yet,” Gavin admitted, leading Connor into the kitchen and finding Jason stuffing his face with a kabob, “but I plan to find out.”

“Connor!” Regan leapt up from the table, flinching only a bit when she grabbed Connor for a big hug. Before he could warn his brother about her bumps and bruises, Connor wrapped his arms around her and squeezed, drawing a high-pitched squeak from Regan.

Gavin jumped forward just as Connor released her. Regan stumbled back and Gavin quickly steadied her. “You okay?”

“What happened?” Connor demanded. Even Jason stood up, a kabob still in his outstretched hand.

Gavin ignored everyone but Regan, gently turning her around and cradling her face so he could look into her eyes. “You okay?” he repeated.

Her ponytail fell over her shoulder as she nodded, but he could see the pain in her eyes.

“Regan was outside, about to get into that toy car when the tree fell on it,” Gavin said, his voice low. “She’s a little banged up.”

“Shit. Regan, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she said. Her voice was hoarse, but she offered them all a smile. “Really, I’m okay.” She stepped away from Gavin and went to the cupboard to pull out another plate. “I guess it’s a good thing the kids and I made so much, huh?”

Jason grinned as he slid another piece of meat into his mouth. “It’s good,” he said between bites. “You made this?”

Regan nodded while she piled some kabobs onto a plate and slid it in front of Connor. “Gavin’s kids and I made it this afternoon while I was watching them.”

“When did you get back?” Gavin’s younger brother asked, nodding his thanks for the food. “I’m sure if it had been more than a day Bethany would have told me,” he said, referring to his wife. She and Regan had been friends in high school. Hell, Regan had been friends with practically everyone back then. Being four years older, Gavin had been on the very fringes of the circle, so he didn’t count himself as part of the group. Didn’t want to be, really. But watching her easy camaraderie with his brother, he couldn’t help but feel a little left out.

Gavin listened while Regan told everyone about her crazy drive from Chicago, getting lost in the middle of the Dakotas with no cell service and no landmarks on a road that seemed to go on forever. She’d been terrified of running out of gas before she hit the next town.

As she talked, some of the tension left his muscles. A tension that he hadn’t even realized he’d been carrying around just oozed out of him. She was at ease with his friends, asking them questions and telling them bits about herself and her recent stint in Central America. It wasn’t until then that he realized that Kathy never had been comfortable with them.

Connor had been in the military for most of the years Gavin and Kathy had been together. He was rough around the edges and didn’t have time for the social niceties that Kathy held so dear. The times he was home he wanted to spend time with his own wife and kid, not getting to know his brother’s new wife.

And when Gavin and Jason had decided to start up the security firm, Kathy had had a fit. She’d tolerated him being a cop so he could put himself through law school, but she hadn’t liked being a cop’s wife. Gavin hadn’t thought much about it at the time because no one in their right mind would want to be married to a police officer. His dad had been the chief of police for most of his time growing up, so he’d seen firsthand how difficult it could be. And even though Sapphire Creek was small, there was still plenty of danger in the valley. It wasn’t until she revealed that she’d fallen in love with one of the partners in a law firm from Missoula that Gavin realized it wasn’t being married to a cop she objected to—it was being married to him.

He wasn’t the man she’d wanted him to be. And watching Regan laugh with Connor and Jason, he admitted that she hadn’t been the woman he’d needed her to be either. They got along a lot better now that they weren’t together, and his kids were happy and healthy. In the end, that was what mattered. But it had been lonely.

Regan’s yawn pulled Gavin from his thoughts. “I’ll give you a ride home, whenever you’re ready,” he told her.

The smile she sent him sent his heart thumping. Damn, she was pretty.

“Thanks. I am tired. Those kids never stopped moving the whole time I was here. I have a whole new appreciation for parents.

“Do you think we could maybe get a few things out of the car? I don’t know if it’d be possible, but I have some papers I need in there.”

“We can try.” Gavin rummaged around in the hall closet and pulled out a black duffle bag to tuck her torn clothes into and so she could carry whatever they could salvage from the car, assuming they could even get into the thing, before moving back to the dining room where she was saying her good-byes.

“It was really great to see you again, Connor, and to meet you, Jason.”

“Sorry I freaked you out. I swear I knocked before I peeked in the window.”

Regan laughed at that and turned back to Gavin. “Maybe you should grab our candle for our search.”

He smiled. “Yep,” he answered, holding out the duffle for her to take. “No point in searching without candlelight. While I take Regan home, you guys can set up the table. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t hurry back on our account,” Connor told him, following them into the kitchen to take care of his plate.

Gavin held the door for Regan and idly flipped his brother the bird behind his back.

Regan woke to a pounding on her door. At least she thought it was the door. Her head ached, the dull throb more annoying than painful. It was like a hangover without the fun of a party the night before. Closing her eyes, she held her breath, taking stock of all her various aches and pains. Starting with her toes, she gave them a wiggle. All good there. She worked her way up to shaking her knees—ouch. Yeah, she’d banged those pretty good when she hit the ground. Her hip was stiff too. The banging started again and Regan sighed before she slid out of bed, tugged on a robe, and padded to the living room.

Sun was starting to creep through the gauzy window coverings, casting everything in an orange glow and making her realize she’d overslept. Not that she’d needed to be up for anything, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept past dawn.

Reaching the door of the little house, Regan yanked it open and was immediately blinded by a bright smile of the petite strawberry blonde on the other side. “I missed you so much!” Bethany cried, thrusting a go-cup of coffee into Regan’s hands. “I can’t believe you came back to town and didn’t call me right away.”

The aroma of rich coffee tickled her nose and Regan let out a blissful moan. “Bless you. I might just forgive you for waking me up.”

Bethany’s smile brightened even more, if such a thing were possible. “You have secrets,” she accused. “And I’m not talking about slinking into town like a thief under the cover of night.”

“It wasn’t night,” Regan objected. “I arrived in the middle of the day, a few days ago. I think. I’ve lost track.”

The growl of an engine cut through the frigid morning, drawing Regan’s eyes to the curb, where Connor was leaning against a small city-issue police sedan. He lifted his own coffee cup in a silent greeting before turning to the truck that had paused in front of Regan’s little house. She couldn’t drag her eyes away from Gavin as he casually strode from the truck, ignoring his brother completely and starting up the walk to where Regan and Bethany stood.

It should be flat-out illegal to look that good this early in the morning. His jeans rode low on his hips and looked soft and worn. His black parka was unzipped, showing the striped rugby shirt he was wearing underneath. The cold didn’t seem to faze him at all, she thought with a shiver.

Regan let out a breath and watched the puff of air dissipate in front of her face. Damn it. So much for being cool.

“I wasn’t talking about when you arrived,” Bethany said. “I want to know how you wound up with Gavin last night. Connor said he interrupted a cozy scene.”

Regan snorted. “Yeah. Cozy. Right up until Jason showed up and scared the crap out of me. I thought he was a peeping tom.”

“Well, we can’t all have the fairy tale,” Bethany said. Regan laughed at that, wrapping her arm—the one not holding the coffee cup—around herself to ward off the chill of the air. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that her stomach was doing somersaults at the sight of him again. A grin started to pull at her lips. She couldn’t even lie to herself with a straight face.

“Hey.” Gavin’s voice was low and rough, like he hadn’t used it yet that morning.

“Hey yourself.” Regan cut her gaze to Bethany, who was happily standing there, sipping her own coffee, not even pretending she wasn’t avidly watching. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay after everything that happened.” His eyes went to his sister-in-law, who still hadn’t moved. “I’m going to leave the truck with you while you figure everything out with your insurance. That way, you won’t be housebound.”

Regan’s heart lurched when she thought about her precious Mini. “You don’t think my car can be fixed?”

The very corner of Gavin’s mouth quirked up at her question. “I’m not sure why you’d want to fix that toy car. You need something a bit more solid than that if you’re staying.”

“But I’m not.” Her words seemed louder than she’d meant them to be in the quiet morning, but she didn’t back away from them. “I’m not staying in Sapphire Creek. Not for long, anyway.” She wasn’t sure why saying it out loud made her want to squirm. It wasn’t like staying here had ever been her long-term plan. Sapphire Creek was a pit stop while she figured out what to do next. Where to go and start over.

Gavin’s eyes were hidden behind his dark glasses, but the part of his face she could see didn’t give anything away as he nodded. “I guess we never got to that part during our date, did we?”

“I guess not.”

“So we’ll hit it tonight.”

Regan’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“Our second official date. I’ll pick you up at seven.” Before Regan could think what to say, Gavin gave her a quick kiss, dropping his keys in her hand. She stared after him as he shot her a smile, sent a wave in Bethany’s direction and walked back to where his brother awaited.

“See,” Bethany said, a mischievous grin on her face once Gavin and Connor had driven away. “Secrets. You’ve been back in Sapphire Creek for all of three minutes and you’ve already been on a date with Gavin. And worse, I had to hear about it from Connor. Did you forget about the code? Sisters before misters. Now spill. And don’t leave out any details.”

Laughing, Regan pushed her friend into the house and firmly closed the door behind them. Her head was spinning again, but for a completely different reason this time. She firmly shoved her conflicted emotions aside and followed Bethany toward the kitchen, which was bathed in a warm morning glow. “It’s not a secret, or it wasn’t meant to be, anyway. Becca was babysitting and got sick, so I stepped in.”

“Because Chloe couldn’t do it.” Bethany nodded, sipping her coffee while she shoved one of the boxes out of the way so she could sit on the old bench that was currently being used instead of chairs. “You should have seen the fireworks after they caught her having sex with her boyfriend on the sofa. I thought Kathy was going to have kittens, she was so upset. Don’t get me wrong, Gavin was plenty ticked off too, but she was carrying on like they’d filmed a porno right there in her living room.”

Bethany finally paused and took a sip of her coffee, making Regan smile. She’d missed her friends more than she’d realized. The events of the past few days—hell, the past few months—had overwhelmed her. When she got back to Chicago, Todd had bombarded her with a plethora of apologies and excuses. He’d begged her to hear him out, but she’d once again refused. He’d argued the time she’d spent working in the remote villages in Central America had given him the perspective he’d needed to realize how much she meant to him. Regan had laughed in his face.

The divorce had been finalized relatively quickly and there was no going backward. She’d purchased the Mini the next day, given her resignation at the clinic she’d been on sabbatical from and focused on driving to Montana. To Sapphire Creek.

Home.

It was funny how she hadn’t thought of it that way for so long, but now it was the only place she wanted to be.

At least for a while. Until she figured out what to do next.

She eyed the stack of applications she’d managed to rescue from the Mini last night, sitting in the middle of the table. There was plenty time to go through them and make some decisions.

“Are you going to tell me how stepping in as a babysitter led to a dinner date? And a crushed car? Come on,” Bethany pleaded in a cajoling tone, flopping herself dramatically against the back of the bench, “you need to spill. I need some excitement.”

“Your husband is the chief of police. That’s not exciting enough for you?”

Bethany smiled, a dreamy little smile. The same one she’d had ever since she’d met Connor when they were fifteen, Regan remembered. “He’s awesome, isn’t he? I’m so glad he’s home.”

“I bet you are.” Regan’s heart gave a little lurch. Her friend hadn’t had an easy journey, but she’d stayed the path, no matter how hard things got. More than anything, that was what Regan wanted.

“You’re not going to sidetrack me,” Bethany told her, pulling her back to the present. “And it’s either talk to me, or I’m going to call Gwen and have her come help with the interrogation.”

Regan shook her head. “Fine,” she said, clearing off a chair and settling in across from Bethany. She tried not to leave anything out during the retelling. She was interrupted often with Bethany’s laughter and questions. By the end, the strawberry blonde was on the edge of her seat, her eyes wide.

“So you didn’t get a chance to ask any questions at all before Jason showed up? What a letdown.”

“Sorry I wasn’t more entertaining,” Regan responded wryly. “I didn’t exactly plan anything that happened yesterday. I’m just glad it wasn’t worse than it was.”

“You can bet the Mom Squad is going to be buzzing about your car being crushed in front of Gavin’s house,” Bethany told her, propping her feet up on one of the boxes. “He’s been one of the prime targets of the single-mom set since he and Kathy broke up.”

Regan frowned at the idea of Gavin being hunted by a pack of single women. “I can imagine.”

“I’m so glad you’re back,” Bethany exclaimed. “Things have been so boring around here.”

“I’ll be gone before long, so things can go back to being as boring as ever.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Bethany objected. “You’re stuck with us for a while. You said you’re going to fix up your grandparents’ house which, no offense to your handyman skills, isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Besides, Erin will be back in the next couple of days to start rehearsing for her tour and Gwen will never forgive you if she doesn’t hear this story directly from you. I’m surprised she hasn’t shown up already. She must not have checked her messages this morning.”

Their old friend Erin Chase had left Sapphire Creek when they were in middle school for the wilds of Los Angeles. She’d gone from star of their school musicals to climbing the charts and starring in a popular television show practically overnight. Having her come to Sapphire Creek while Regan was here too was a fun surprise.

Regan held back a grin. “I’m not planning on running away again. I’m here while I figure out my next step.” Uncertainty filled her at the thought of telling Gwen. Her night with Gavin was the only secret she’d ever kept from her best friend. Now that she was here and there was this thing between them, she would be sure to find out. How would she react? Would it matter?

Bethany’s next question pulled her from her thoughts.

“What happened with the World Care nursing thing? You were down in Central America, right?”

“I completed my contract.”

Bethany was shaking her head before Regan had even finished speaking. “Helping people is in your soul, Regan. World Care was a symptom of something else. An easy answer for whatever you were going through. You never were the adventurer, never said anything about wanting to see the world. What sent you down there?”

Memories flooded Regan. Rumors of infidelity. The whispers in the breakroom, conversations that came to an abrupt end as soon as she’d walk into a room. The pain of realizing her husband wasn’t even pretending to be faithful, nor was he being discreet about it. She’d applied for World Care to sort through her thoughts. Her emotions.

The bizarre sense of freedom she felt when she’d accepted that her marriage was over had been a surprise. Not yet ready to admit that she’d been played for a fool, Regan simply shrugged and changed the subject. “How’s Andy?”

Bethany and Connor had beaten the odds. When sixteen-year-old Bethany had turned up pregnant, they’d stuck together. It hadn’t even been a discussion as far as Regan knew. They’d just dealt with the unexpected pregnancy and altered their plans. Instead of accepting the football scholarship to the University of Montana, Connor had enlisted in the Army. Bethany finished high school in a special program that aided teen parents and taught them the necessary skills to be an adult, despite their age. Their families had rallied around them as well, welcoming baby Andy as a blessing. Regan had secretly been envious of the warm family that little boy had landed in. She hoped he realized how lucky he was.

“Have you heard anything I’ve said?” Bethany sounded amused.

“Sorry, no.”

“Dreaming of a certain brother-in-law of mine, I’m sure. Listen, don’t make any decisions about anything until you’ve been here for a while. Whatever’s going on with you doesn’t need to be figured out right away, right? Let us help you.”

Warmed by her friend’s concern, Regan nodded. It would be nice to have a bit of down time.