Suddenly, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her clothing, a white V-neck T-shirt and faded low-slung jeans, clung to her like a second skin, and it was clear that sweet creature splashing in the rain was no child. She was a voluptuous and curvy…woman.

  His smile slowly disappeared as a jolt of awareness spread through his body like a shot of an old single malt whiskey, warm, strong, heady. He wanted to feel those curves. That skin. Those wet lips. He wanted to hold a woman in his arms again, but not just any woman. He wanted this one. He wanted—

  I want.

  The realization that his body was firing to life again after all these years stunned him motionless. He’d completely forgotten what it had felt like to be a man, to feel raw desire course through his veins. He was alive. He was still alive.

  Marin caught him watching her through the patio door, and the look on her face said she understood exactly what was on his mind. Even more astounding, though, was her reaction to him. Instead of being embarrassed or indignant, she was right there with him every step of the way. Instantaneously aware of him, wanting back. She licked her wet lips, and her mouth went slack. Her gaze homed in on him, his face, his body. Then, as if snapping out of it, she steadied herself by reaching for the trunk of the nearest tree.

  No. He couldn’t do this. He had no right to feel this way. Mentally shaking himself, he grabbed several clean towels from the bathroom and opened the patio door. “Julia! Wyatt!”

  “Daddy!” Julia stopped and waved to him. “Come out. It’s fun.”

  “Daddy, Daddy!” Wyatt yelled. “Get wet with us.”

  “Oh, no. You two had better come inside now before you catch cold.”

  “Ahh,” they both groaned.

  “Come on, guys.” Marin came to the door, but the kids kept playing in the rain. “I’m sorry,” she said, slightly out of breath as she ran a hand through her wet hair. “The rain is warm, but I hope you don’t mind the kids getting wet. They were over at our house doing a craft project with my mom and we… It was just kind of spur-of-the-moment.”

  “No apologies necessary. I’m glad they had a good day with your mom. And you.”

  Water dripped off her nose and eyelashes, and his gaze was drawn to the rivulets of rain trailing down her cleavage and the lacy outline of her bra under the wet, translucent cotton. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to strip those wet clothes right off her.

  They stood there for a moment, neither saying anything, only the soft sound of her breathing filling the silence. Suddenly, he wanted so badly to kiss her, to feel her, to hold her. As if she could read his mind, she let go a low sigh and moved toward him, her mouth slightly parted.

  “Marin, don’t,” he said. “You don’t know—”

  “Shh.” She spread her hands on his chest, suffusing his core with warmth. Then she moved slowly toward him and kissed him. Softly. Her touch so light, so sweet.

  It was at once both the strangest and the most wonderful feeling to have her warm, wet lips touch his. So different from Beth. Her taste. Her smell. The feel of her. He closed his eyes and drank in the sensations. “I’ve never kissed any woman other than Beth,” he whispered against her mouth. “In my entire life.”

  “Never?” She drew away slightly. “But that—”

  “Shh,” he whispered, kissing her again. “I like it.” The wetness of her shirt under his hands registered, and he realized he’d gripped her shoulders and pulled her tight against him. She wasn’t nearly close enough for what he wanted—

  “Daddy, that was so fun!”

  Adam jolted away from Marin only a second before the kids came running inside.

  “You should’ve come out with us!”

  “We got so wet!”

  Confused, he glanced at Marin. She looked as dazed as he felt. “Here.” He handed her a towel. Then he turned away and focused on the kids. On and on, they chatted and animatedly described the rain, their day, and all the while Adam barely heard a word they said.

  All he could think about was Marin still standing too close beside him. That the front of his shirt felt wet where her breasts had pressed against his chest. Of the drop of rainwater falling from the end of a strand of her bangs and landing on her cheek. Her skin was so clear, so soft-looking, it was all he could do not to use the water droplet as an excuse to reach up and touch her again.

  The kids wound down and dried themselves off and an awkward silence filled the kitchen. “By the way, Marin.” He cleared his throat. “Could you tell your mom that I’m interviewing nannies? Should have someone here in three to four weeks.”

  “Sure,” she said, backing away. “Well, I should go.”

  Yes, she should leave. Now as a matter of fact.

  “Thanks for the towel.” She handed it back to him.

  “Bye, Marin,” both kids called.

  Adam couldn’t seem to find his voice and she ran out into the rain. All these years, he’d been able to go about his business, day in and day out, not thinking about sex. He’d fooled himself into believing desire was all a matter of control and that he was a disciplined man. Now he realized his mistake. All these years, he simply hadn’t been tested. No amount of control was going to keep him from wanting Marin.

  Well, he might not be able to stop himself from wanting her, but he could—he would—stop himself from doing anything about it. After all, it was his fault—his fault—Beth had died. He should’ve taken better care of his wife. He should’ve done…something, anything to save her. But he didn’t. He’d failed.

  So go ahead. Want away, you fool. Torture yourself to death if it makes you happy. That’s not going to change anything. You still can never let yourself have her. Never.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  IT WAS HERE. THE FIRST DAY of school.

  “Come on, Wyatt, finish your cereal,” Adam said. “We have to leave in a few minutes, and I want you to brush your teeth.”

  “I don’t feel so good,” Wyatt said, looking into the bowl.

  Adam’s cell phone rang and his laptop dinged with incoming mail, but he ignored the intrusion and knelt down in front of Wyatt. “Are you sick?” he asked Wyatt. “Or are you just nervous?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Adam felt Wyatt’s forehead. No fever. “Well, don’t worry about finishing.” He took what little remained of the bowl of cereal and dumped it down the garbage disposal. “Go on up and brush.”

  As Wyatt raced up the stairs, Julia came into the kitchen. She unzipped her backpack and looked through everything for the millionth time. “Are you sure you got everything, Daddy?”

  “Positive, but let’s check one more time.” He didn’t blame her for a minute. There had been too many times in the course of the past several years that she’d been the only one in class unprepared for this, that or the other thing simply because he’d forgotten or didn’t know about something happening at school.

  He produced the supply list. “I’ll read everything off and you can check your backpack.” A few minutes later, every item was accounted for, and Adam smiled at his daughter. “Satisfied?”

  “I guess.”

  “You sure look nice.”

  A few of the things Julia had ordered online had been delivered, so she’d laid out what she was going to wear the night before, a lime-green knit skirt with a matching hooded sweatshirt. Wyatt on the other hand, in a pair of new sweats and a long-sleeved rugby shirt, had chosen comfort as opposed to style.

  “Daddy, are you going to walk us to school?” Julia asked.

  “Of course. Haven’t I always taken you on the first day?”

  Holding one child’s hand in each of his big mitts, they took off outside. As they passed Marin and Angelica’s house, he glanced up. It’d been several days since that kiss in his kitchen, and while he’d seen plenty of Angelica in the interim, he’d seen neither hide nor hair of Marin.

  More than once he’d wondered if he hadn’t just imagined what had happened between them. Three years was a long time for a man to go without touching a woman, but then the very real feel of her warm, wet lips and the scent of rain on her skin came back to him, reminding him that moment they’d shared had been all too real.

  You’ve got more important things to worry about this morning.

  Putting aside the unsettling thoughts, he refocused on his kids and they walked the several blocks down to the small elementary school. No school buses on Mirabelle. Everyone walked or rode bikes.

  As they approached the building, it became apparent that he was, as usual, the only father amidst a sea of mothers. The women were lining kids up outside and taking pictures. Adam had forgotten a camera again, but he had his phone. “Do you kids want pictures?”

  “Naw,” Wyatt said.

  “I do.” Julia grinned. “Come on, Wyatt.”

  “Yeah, Wyatt,” he said. “It’s your first day of kindergarten.”

  Julia bent down slightly, put her arm around Wyatt, and Adam snapped off a couple pictures. “There. You two look good.” He turned his phone around and showed them the shots he’d taken. The school bell rang and Adam realized that they were the only ones still outside.

  “Daddy, we have to go!” Julia grabbed his hand and tugged.

  Adam reached for Wyatt and they walked down the main hall to the classrooms. They dropped Julia off first. She was a bit hesitant, but she went into the room without incident. “Bye, Daddy. See you later, Wyatt.”

  Adam and Wyatt turned toward the kindergarten room.

  Suddenly, Wyatt looked up at Adam. “I don’t feel good.” His face was as white as a sheet and his eyes seemed unfocused. He looked as though he was going to—

  Oh, no.

  Wyatt bent over and threw up all over the hallway outside of his classroom. The moment Wyatt straightened and realized that the kids in the surrounding area had either stopped and stared or screamed and ran away, tears pooled in his eyes. Then he turned toward Adam and buried his face in Adam’s gut.

  Wyatt’s teacher came out of her classroom. “No worries. Maintenance will be here in a jiff. Are we sick or nervous?”

  “Nervous, I think,” Adam said softly.

  The janitor came to clean the area.

  “Why don’t you head to the nurse’s office and let her decide, okay?” the teacher said.

  As Wyatt turned down the hall, Adam said to the maintenance man, “Sorry about that.”

  The guy smiled. “Happens every year on the first day. Usually more than once.”

  Adam took Wyatt into the nurse’s office, saw the worry had returned to his son’s face and bent to talk to him. “You okay?”

  “Daddy?” Wyatt looked up at Adam, worry creasing his little brow. “What if my teacher’s mean?”

  Adam swallowed. Maybe he should hire a nanny who was capable of homeschooling and call it a day. Although that was a good thought, it was too late for this school year.

  “You know, son, I just don’t think that could happen in a place as nice as Mirabelle. Everyone knows everyone else, and all I’ve heard are good things about the teachers. Remember, you’re going to be in the same classroom as Julia at least part of the day. You’ll be all right.”

  Trooper that he was, Wyatt nodded, turned and went into the nurse’s office. Now it was Adam’s turn to feel as if he might throw up.

  THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.

  Marin had to admit that, despite her every effort to the contrary, she’d thought of Julia and Wyatt—not to mention Adam—several times that morning. To keep herself occupied, she’d gone to Missy’s first thing after breakfast to help wash windows. The construction down on Main tended to kick up a lot of dust that, of course, ended up on every glass surface.

  “Mom said she’s staying on Mirabelle for at least another month,” Missy said, spraying down the window in the family room.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “What about you? You going to hang around a little while longer?”

  Marin had been debating that for the past few days. There was nothing holding her to Manhattan other than her apartment and a few close friends. She paid her bills online, and the company that managed her apartment building was handling her mail for a small fee. She had no plans, no pets, no job.

  “I don’t have anything to go home for, yet,” Marin said on a sigh. “I might as well stay.”

  “Good.” Missy smiled. “It gives us more time together.”

  It also gave Marin more time to sort out what was happening between her and Adam. A kiss didn’t have to mean anything, but, oh, what a kiss it had been. She touched her lips, remembering. That was the way a kiss between a man and woman was supposed to feel. Colin had been so right. She had been settling for mediocrity all these years.

  If that was how Adam kissed, what would sex with him be like? Her knees almost weakened at the thought. Just sex. That’s exactly what she needed. Especially with a man who came with a complicated package including kids.

  The thought of Julia and Wyatt had her glancing at the clock for the third time in the past half hour. It was only a little past noon.

  “You keep looking at the clock,” Missy said. “Marin, if you have something else to do, you should go. I’ll manage.”

  Might as well fess up. “It’s the first day of school.” Marin wiped down the front storm door. “And I’m wondering how Julia and Wyatt are doing.”

  “Well, that explains it. You always hated the first day of school.”

  “Actually, I hated every Monday.”

  “I remember. Sunday nights were the worst.” Missy paused. “I have something that might take your mind off things.” Grinning, she raced into the kitchen and returned with a package. “I ordered a few things for you and they were delivered yesterday.”

  “What is it?”

  “Open and see.”

  Marin slit the tape and opened the package flaps. Inside the box were tubes of watercolor paints, several pads of paper in varying weights, colors and textures, a variety of sable brushes and natural sponges, a couple of palettes, and a variety of mediums to be added to the paints to create differing washes, textures and transparency.

  “You did your research,” she whispered, more than a little impressed with her sister’s thoughtfulness.

  “I found supply lists on the internet. Along with several courses you can take through reputable colleges online.”

  “Online, huh?”

  Missy nodded. “And now that you’ve decided to stay on the island a little while longer. Here.” She tossed a notebook down. “Illustrate those for me. Children’s books I’ve written.”

  “You’ve written children’s books?”

  “I wanted something different to read to the boys and decided to teach them a little about Lake Superior. One thing led to another, and I ended up with a separate book about each of the Great Lakes. I’ve tried drawing pictures, but all my attempts look silly and amateurish.”

  “You think mine would look any different?” Marin laughed. “The only formal training I’ve ever had was in high school.”

  “I remember your paintings were beautiful, and I was so jealous that I had no talent.”

  That was nice she remembered. “But I haven’t painted in years.”

  “I’ll bet it’s like riding a bike.”

  “I’ll bet it’s not. Besides, I’ve heard children’s publishers like to match the artist with the book. So why bother?”

  Missy smiled. “I think the better question to ask is why not?”

  MISSY’S WINDOWS NOW SPARKLING, Marin, Angelica and Missy sat at Missy’s kitchen table for an afternoon snack with the boys. While the boys were quietly occupied eating chunks of cheesy crackers and drinking fruit juice, Marin glanced at Angelica. “You ready to tell us what’s going on between you and Dad?”

  Missy raised her eyebrows. “Believe it or not, I was about to ask the same thing.”

  Her mother looked up from her cup of hot tea. “I think you hit the nail on the proverbial head. This situation is between your father and me. It wouldn’t be right to lean on either of you.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Marin said. “I’m fully aware of Dad’s failings as a man. But he’s my dad, and I love him. I don’t think there’s anything you can say that will change that.”

  “Divorce him and just be done with it,” Missy said, putting a few more crackers on each boy’s tray. “No one would blame you.”

  “You should know by now, Missy, that it takes two to make a marriage and two to break it up.”

  “You’re right.” Missy sighed.

  “Still,” Marin said. “It never hurts to talk things through.”

  “It seems so silly, really.”

  “Spill it, Mom.”

  Her mother stirred her tea. “In a nutshell…I’ve been thinking for years that I’d like to go back to work, and I finally got up enough courage to put out some feelers with friends. The week before I came to Mirabelle, I was offered a job as a children’s book editor at a major New York publishing house to start in the new year.”

  “That’s wonderful, Mom!”

  “Well, your dad doesn’t think it’s so great because I’d have to spend a lot of time in Manhattan. He said his senate career isn’t just his. It’s ours. I’ve been on board with him all these years and he still needs me.”

  “Well, that’s awfully selfish.”

  “Actually, he made several good points.”

  “Such as?”

  “Married couples shouldn’t make unilateral decisions in situations where that decision might impact the other person. So I shouldn’t have been out looking for a job without discussing it with him first.”

  “But he would’ve just shot you down.”

  “Exactly.” She munched on a couple of the boys’ crackers. “I’ve always felt uncomfortable with being a senator’s wife. The entertaining. The constant limelight. Life in the public eye.”

  Her mother had never talked about this before, but given she was relatively quiet and introverted it made perfect sense to Marin.

  “This has been creeping up on me for years,” Angelica continued. “And it comes down to this—I can’t be who he needs me to be any longer. The life of a senator’s wife is killing me.”

 

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