Arriving home late that evening, Brooke greeted Buster, who meowed loudly as he followed her to the kitchen. She yawned while she fed him and then put a mug of water in the microwave to heat for tea. When it was done, she put a chamomile and lavender tea bag in it and headed upstairs for a bath.

Between her night with Robert and the long day at the hospital, she needed something to soothe her muscles and her mind. The doorbell rang just as she started the bath water. Robert had dropped her off since her car was here at home. Maybe he’d forgotten something.

She went back downstairs and looked through the peephole. She yanked the door open. “What are you doing here, Jamal?”

A sexy smile curved her ex’s lips. Once upon a time, that smile had robbed her of her good sense. Now, it just annoyed her. “I was just passing through town and thought I’d stop to say hey.”

“Get off my porch, get back in your car, and leave me alone. Forever this time.” Just the sight of Jamal touched off Brooke’s fury. Over six feet with a shaved head, brown skin, and a powerful body, Jamal could have his pick of women.

Brooke started to close the door, but Jamal stopped it with his hand.

Brooke’s nostrils flared. “It’s been a very long, stressful day and I don’t have time for your shit, Jamal.”

Jamal raised his hands, palm-up. “I just wanted to see you.”

“Well, I don’t want to see you.” Brooke crossed her arms.

Jamal sighed. “Brooke, I know I screwed up with you and I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, you said that about a million times. I don’t believe you any more now than I did then.” Brooke backed into the foyer. “I’m closing the door. Get off my porch.”

Brooke didn’t wait for a reply, just shut the door in his face and locked it. In a few moments, she heard him leave the porch and a car door slammed. She’d been so rattled that she hadn’t taken the time to notice what Jamal drove now. Looking through the peephole, she got a distorted view of a red four-door of some sort. The car started and backed out of her driveway.

“Son of a bitch,” she muttered and got her cellphone out of her purse. Needing something stronger than tea, she grabbed a small bottle of wine from her fridge and headed back upstairs for her bath. As the tub filled with suds, she drank her now-cool tea and rinsed out her mug, which she refilled with wine.

Then she got undressed and sank down into the tub. Picking up her cellphone, she tapped Emily’s icon on her home screen as the hot water started to seep into her tense muscles.

“Hey, you,” Emily said.

“Hey. This is a day for surprises,” Brooke said. “Anna and Chase have triplets, and Jamal shows up at my front door.”

“What? When?”

“Like two minutes ago,” Brooke said. “Said he screwed up with me and he’s sorry. Thinks I’m crazy enough to take him back.”

Emily’s laugh conveyed her disbelief. “Why now? You guys broke up last June.”

Brooke took a sip of wine and played with the bubbles. “I don’t know. Why did I ever go out with him?”

“Because Jamal is sexy, funny, rich—”

“Oh, God. You could be talking about GQ,” Brooke teased.

Emily giggled. “You didn’t let me finish. Except for the cheating and lying, he treated you like a princess. He took you to new places.”

She’d watched her mother put up with her father’s cheating for years, and Brooke was determined that history would not repeat itself. A man with money did not equate to happiness. She would put a man who loved only her well ahead of a man who thought buying presents made up for many indiscretions.

Brooke chuckled. “Yeah, well, last night Robert took me somewhere and we didn’t even have to leave the bed.”

Emily let out a loud laugh. “That good, huh? You didn’t mention anything today about last night.”

“Well, I was sort of playing Chase’s private nurse.” Brooke laughed. “I’m just kidding. I’m so happy for him and Anna. I was so honored they asked me to be there for the delivery. I just hope all those sweet angels pull through. I’m worried about Twinkle.”

“I can’t believe that baby has a nickname before her real name,” Emily said.

“Can’t blame me,” Brooke said with a laugh. “That one’s on Chase. And God help that girl when she grows up. She’ll be twenty-five before he lets her go on a date.”

Emily chuckled, then sobered. “I’m so glad Anna didn’t have to have a hysterectomy.”

“Me, too.” Brooke said. “Of course, I don’t think they’re going to want more after having an instant family.”

Emily just snorted.

Brooke rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re right. They both want like ten kids. Not me. Two, three at the most.”

“I’ll make sure to tell Robert that,” Emily said.

“Robert? What’s he got to do with this?” Brooke asked. “Robert and I aren’t anywhere near close enough to be talking marriage, let alone babies.”

“I predict that will come to pass. You and Robert did catch the bouquet at Kate and Ric’s wedding, remember?”

Brooke smirked. “That doesn’t mean that we’re going to get married.”

Emily said, “But that’s when you started crushing on him a little bit.”

“Maybe, but he was more of a little distraction that day. I mean, Jamal and I hadn’t been broken up all that long.” She took a sip of wine. “No. I take that back. I think I would’ve noticed Robert even if I hadn’t broken up with Jamal.”

“Really? Why?”

“Now, don’t get me wrong, Superman is one tasty man, but it’s his personality that really caught my attention the first time we met,” Brooke said. “He was so polite and respectful. He’s more laid back than the other guys and he has a dryer sense of humor.”

Emily said, “He does have a different vibe about him. A good vibe.”

Brooke smiled. “You don’t have to sell him to me.”

TJ cried in the background and Emily said, “Time for me to put the little man down. Ty’s reading Hayley a bedtime story. I want more details about all this. Call me tomorrow.”

“Okay. Kiss both the kids for me,” Brooke said.

Emily promised she would and they hung up. Sipping on her wine, Brooke thought about Jamal. She hoped that he’d gotten the message. Before her blood pressure climbed any higher, she decided to put him out of her mind. There was no better way to do that than to call the new man in her life.

* * *

“Son of a bitch,” Robert said pleasantly through between clenched teeth.

Cletus planted his feet and refused to move. Robert had arrived home to find the mule eating the shrubs by the front door. He’d kicked down the top railing of a section of fence and had jumped over. Robert had been relieved that Precious hadn’t followed him out of the pasture.

He’d had to repair the railing and reinforce it because if Cletus sensed weakness in the same spot, he’d keep getting out at that location. Now, he was trying to get Cletus into his stall, but the mule had stopped at the barn door and wouldn’t budge.

Yelling at mules never accomplished anything except to make them even more temperamental. That’s why Robert kept his voice mild and tried to coax Cletus with pats and kissing noises. He also knew better than to tempt Cletus with food because it would only make Cletus think that bad behavior would be rewarded. He’d become a repeat offender in no time.

Robert had been trying to cajole Cletus into returning to his stall for over ten minutes. Finally, he decided to teach Cletus a lesson. He dropped Cletus’ lead rope and went to the tack room for a ground stake. He hammered it into the dirt barn floor and tested it. The mule wasn’t going anywhere. Then he put half a scoop of sweet feed in Cletus’ food box.

Cletus headed for his stall, but the ground stake brought him up short. He brayed and looked at Robert for help, but Robert ignored him and walked out of the barn. Cletus blew through his nostrils and carried on, but Robert just stood out of sight.

His cellphone rang and he almost ignored the call until he saw Brooke’s name on the screen. “Hi. Can I interest you in a misbehaved mule?” he asked.

Brooke’s pretty laugh made him smile. “Only if I can interest you in a pain in the ass ex-fiancé.”

A jolt of surprise ran through Robert. “You mean Jamal?”

“Yeah. Maybe we could send them both off into the sunset together,” Brooke suggested.

“That could be arranged,” Robert said. “Did Jamal call you?”

Brooke replied, “Pfft! I wish he’d only called, but he doesn’t have my new number. I changed it when I told him to leave. He had the nerve to show up at my door tonight.”

Robert shoved a hand in his jeans pocket and leaned against the corner of the barn he stood by. “What did he want?”

“I’m guessing to give things another try. That’s a complete nonstarter,” Brooke said. “He just doesn’t want to admit defeat.”

Self-doubt crowded Robert’s mind, but he acted nonchalant. “Sounds like it. Well, he had his shot with you and he blew it. His loss and my gain.”

“That’s right.” Brooke’s voice took on a sexy tone. “Definitely my gain, too.”

He tried to keep the huge grin on his face out of his voice. “I’m glad you think so.”

“After last night, I hope that you believe me. Robert…I’ve never had a man make me feel like that,” she said.

Robert’s ego gave itself a high-five. “Really?”

“Really. But it’s not just that you’re red-hot in bed,” Brooke said.

Manly pride threatened to bust Robert’s chest wide open. “Oh? There’s more?”

“Don’t be so smug.”

“Who, me? Never. I’m not known for smugness.”

Cletus had quieted down, so Robert started walking back to the barn door.

Brooke said, “You may be humble, but I hear the caveman in your voice.”

Robert chuckled as he entered the barn. Cletus stood staring at his stall. Robert unhooked the lead rope from his halter and the mule trotted over to the stall door. “Continue to sing my praises,” he said.

He grinned at Brooke’s exaggerated sigh. “I’ve created a monster. You’re a unique combination of manly, sexy, and gentlemanly. It’s rare to find a guy like that.”

Robert opened Cletus’ stall and he hurried inside. “It’s how I was raised. Dad’s a minister and taught us to be humble, kind, and how to treat a lady.”

“I didn’t know your dad’s a minister. Oh, no. Were you one of those rebellious minister’s kids that raised hell?” Brooke asked.

Robert closed Cletus’ stall door and started for the house. “No, that was the rest of my siblings. Well, they rebelled first, and then I rebelled later.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m the baby of us five kids, and I was the most well-behaved. I did everything that was ever asked of me, but it still wasn’t good enough,” Robert said. “My two brothers and two sisters pulled every stunt in the book; drinking, sex, taking the car for a joyride. You name it, they did it.”

Robert stifled the old hurt as he mounted the back-porch steps. “They got the lion’s share of the attention while I was barely a blip on Mom’s radar. Of course, it probably didn’t help that I was a fat geek who was awkward and shy.”

“Oh, Robert. I’m sorry. How could a minister act like that to his son?” Brooke said.

“Easy. I wasn’t Mom’s. Dad gave in to the temptations of one of his parishioners, and I’m the result. She was young and scared. About a week after I was born, she left me on their doorstep with a note explaining who I was.

“Mom went through the roof, but Dad begged her forgiveness and convinced her that raising me was the right thing to do. She never really loved me, though,” Robert said. “Dad gave me as much love as he could, but he always felt so guilty that it was hard for him.”

“So, you were treated like an outcast for something that wasn’t your fault.” A hard edge tinged her words. “All too common I’m afraid.”

Robert shrugged and sat down on a porch chair. “I’ve let go of most of the bitterness. My siblings all straightened up and went into the ministry. Mom and Dad expected me to do the same, but I couldn’t since I don’t really believe in God.”

Brooke was quiet for a moment. “You don’t?”

“Not in the traditional sense of the word. I believe that there’s a higher power, but I don’t think that any one religion can really define exactly what or who it is,” Robert said. “Religions all over the world have similar creation stories and gods who are also similar. Who’s to say who’s right or wrong?”

“Hmm. I never thought of that way,” Brooke said.

Corky scratched on the screen door to be let out and Robert complied with his request. Sketch ambled out behind his buddy. “Neither did my parents. They weren’t happy when I expressed my views when I was sixteen and refused to become a minister. My brothers and sisters took their side, so I really was an outcast in my own house.

“I worked hard in school, got a scholarship to Colorado U, and left the day after graduation. I earned my business degree and worked at some firms in Denver, but then I met Kate and later on, her fiancé Phil. We became the best of friends and moved here when Kate opened her practice a few years ago.”

“I don’t know what to make of you.”

Robert let out a short laugh. “What’s that mean?”

“You’re a fascinating man. Sort of like a good cozy mystery novel.”

“Okay. Not liking that comparison. They’re pretty bland reading,” Robert commented.

Brooke chuckled. “Not the really great ones. You’re like a compelling plotline. Just when you think you know who the killer is, it turns out to be someone you never suspected. That’s what you’re like. There’s more to you than meets the eye. Just like a good superhero.”

“We’re back to that, huh?” Her explanation reassured Robert that she didn’t find him boring. He hated the lingering insecurity.

“That’s right. You’re just like Clark Kent. You show the world one thing, but there’s another side to you. One that only a few people see,” Brooke said. “I hope I get to see more of your secret side.”

Secret. Robert blocked out the words that reverberated inside his mind. “We’ll see,” he teased. “So, how about you go climbing with me tomorrow morning?”

“What? Oh, no. I’m terrified of heights.”

“There’s a really small wall that’s perfect to learn on,” Robert said. “I’d never let anything happen to you, Brooke. You can be Wonder-Woman to my Superman.”

“I don’t know. I don’t have a rock climbing outfit.”

“Just a pair of jogging tights or some sort of shorts is fine,” Robert said. “We’ll do just one quick climb and then go out to breakfast.”

“Are you trying to tempt me with food?”

“Is it working?”

“Yes.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up at eight,” Robert said.

“Okay. Night.”

He loved how easy their banter was. “Night, honey.”

Hanging up, Robert tried to quell his disquiet about Jamal, but it was hard. It was never a good thing when an ex started sniffing around again.

Robert sighed as he got up from his chair and went inside. Too keyed up to go to bed, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and settled on the couch with his laptop. He spent the next couple of hours catching up on world events, which always relaxed him.

His thoughts turned to the night of passion with Brooke and desire pulled at him. Although it wasn’t their fault, the arrival of the McIntyre triplets had upset his plans for the weekend. All their dates had gotten interrupted. If Anna hadn’t gone into labor, he and Brooke would be enjoying each other right then.

Was the universe conspiring against them? Could that be why Jamal had suddenly reappeared in Brooke’s life? Robert channeled the anger that burned in his heart into resolve. He loved Brooke and he wasn’t going to let some asshole who’d hurt her drive a wedge between them.

Robert knew that he’d lost his heart to Brooke too soon, which was why he’d be patient. He’d reveal his feelings for her at some point, but only when and if he sensed that she was falling for him. He might have made her feel incredible in bed, but that wasn’t any basis for a lasting relationship.

As he drank his third beer, Robert decided that since what he was doing with Brooke was working just fine, he’d stay the course. That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t be ready to chart a new course, but why panic until there was a problem? He smiled as something Chase always said popped into his mind. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Feeling confident again, Robert finished his beer, put his laptop away, and went to bed.