Susan Mallery - One in a Million

Oh, she had it bad. And as soon as her long-legged, hunky guest drove off in his rental car, she was going to give herself a stern talking-to. Falling for one pretty face once had turned her life into a disaster. Did she really want to risk that a second time? She was a sensible woman with children and bills. The odds of her finding love with a decent responsible guy had to be substantially less than one in a million. She would do well to remember that.

Nash circled around Glenwood and started out on the interstate. He checked his watch and when he'd traveled twenty minutes, he drove off at the next exit, turned around and headed back to town.

With his car battery charged, he meandered through the picturesque residential neighborhoods. Ancient trees lined many blocks, the heavy branches touching over the streets and providing tunnels of shade. Big lawns stretched out in front of well-kept houses. Bikes and sports equipment littered the edges of driveways while bright blooming flowers provided color.

The quiet small-town neighborhood wasn't anything like the lakefront in Chicago where he currently lived. No big city lurked in the background. Despite the geographical differences, he was reminded of life back where he'd grown up. Possum Landing, Texas, might not have been as upscale as Glenwood, but it had the same friendly feel.

He made a couple of turns without any thought of direction. He just wanted to keep moving. Eventually he would have to get in touch with his brother and deal with the pending family reunion, but not just yet.

After his next right turn, he drove onto a wider street lined with huge Victorian houses. They were similar to Stephanie's. All restored, all elegant and framed by massive trees. A discreet sign in front of one indicated it was also a bed and breakfast, with a restaurant. He briefly wondered why Stephanie hadn't opened her business here rather than on the other side of town before dismissing the query and returning his attention to getting lost.

He continued to drive through the neighborhood, turning left, then right. After ten minutes he found himself facing a large shopping mall, which he had driven past the previous evening on his way in from the airport. He was about to turn around when his cell phone rang.

Nash checked the caller ID, then pulled over and hit the Talk button.

“What's up?" he asked, even though he had a good idea of the answer.

“I'm checking on you," Kevin, his twin brother said. "Did you flake out on me at the last minute or are you really here?"

“I'm in town."

“You're kidding." Kevin sounded surprised. Nash shared the feeling. The last place he'd expected to be was here. Given the choice he would be at work-getting lost in an assignment, or training or even paperwork.

“What changed your mind?" his brother asked.

“I wasn't given a choice. You told me to get my butt here or you'd drag me yourself."

“Right. Like me telling you what to do has made you do anything." Kevin laughed. "I'm glad you made it, though. I've met with a couple of the guys. Travis and Kyle Haynes." Their half brothers. Family they'd never known about. Nash still couldn't get his mind around the concept. "And?"

“It went great. There's a physical resemblance I didn't expect. Our mutual father has some pretty powerful genes. We're about the same height and build. Dark hair, dark eyes." Someone said something in the background Nash didn't catch.

Kevin chuckled. "Haley says to tell you they're all good-looking. I wouldn't know about that. It's a chick thing." Haley? Before Nash could ask, Kevin continued.

“We've set up a dinner for tomorrow night. All the brothers will be there along with their wives and kids. Gage is here." Gage and Quinn Reynolds had been Nash and Kevin's best friends for as long as they could remember. They'd grown up together. Three weeks ago Nash had found out Gage and Quinn shared their biological father with Nash and Kevin.

“I haven't seen Gage in a couple of years," Nash said. "How's he doing?"

“He's engaged."

“No way.”

“Remember Kari Asbury?" Nash frowned. "The name's familiar."

“He dated her when he left the service and came back to Possum Landing. She took off to New York to be a model or something."

“Oh, yeah. Tall. Pretty. They're getting married?" It had to have been years since they'd seen each other.

“Yup. She moved back and the rest is history. Apparently it all happened pretty fast."

“Even though Gage kept saying he wanted a family, I figured he was going to stay single forever. I hope it works out." Nash meant it. He wanted his friend to have a happy marriage. To be sure about the woman he married. Not to always wonder what wasn't exactly right between them.

“Gage will be at the dinner tomorrow night," Kevin said. "You're coming, too, right?"

“That's why I'm here." To meet his new family. To try to get involved in something other than work. Maybe to find a way to feel something again.

Was that possible or was he like a kid wishing for the moon? He didn't want to think about it so he changed the subject. "How's the leg?"

“Good. Healing." His brother had been shot in the line of duty. Kevin was a U.S. Marshal who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time during a prison riot.

“Do you have a limp?" Nash asked.

“Some, but it's supposed to go away."

“You'll have the scar. Women love scars from bullet wounds. Knowing you, you'll use it to your advantage."

“Funny you should say that." Kevin cleared his throat. "I would have told you before, but you were away on assignment. The thing is, I've met somebody." Nash thought of the woman's voice he'd heard earlier. "Haley?"

“Yeah. She's…amazing. We're getting married." Gage's engagement had been a surprise. Kevin's left Nash speechless. He stared out at the tree-lined streets and couldn't think of a single thing to say.

“You want to meet her?" Kevin asked.

“Sure." Why not? His brother had been born wild. Nash figured any woman strong enough to tie Kevin down had to be an amazing combination of sin and steel.

“We're staying at a bed and breakfast in town." Kevin named the street and Nash realized it was the one he'd been on a few minutes ago.

“I'm about two miles away," he said. "I'll be right over."

“A minister's daughter?" Nash said as he stared at Kevin.

His fraternal twin grinned. "Not what you expected?"

“Not even close. What happened to all bad girls all the time?" His brother shrugged. "I met Haley."

“That had to have been some meeting." Kevin grinned. "It was." He motioned to the parlor just to the left of the foyer, then led the way into the formally furnishedroom. Nash glanced around, noting that this B &B seemed larger and more elegant than Stephanie's. There were crystal chandeliers and some kind of tapestries on the wall. Her place was more homey.

Kevin limped to a long, high-backed sofa in a rich floral print. As he settled onto the cushions, he rubbed his thigh.

Nash took a chair on the opposite side of the coffee table. "You've seen a doctor for that, right?”

“When it happened and again back home. I'm healing. In another few weeks I'll be back to normal, but until then it aches from time to time. I know I'm lucky. The bullet missed the bone." What he didn't say was if it had hit eighteen inches higher and a little to the left, he wouldn't have made it at all. Nash didn't like to think of anything bad happening to his brother.

“I thought you promised we weren't going to have to worry about you anymore," he said.

Kevin shrugged. "If I hadn't drawn the short straw, I would have been in Florida on a drug bust instead of delivering a prisoner. It wasn't my fault." He grinned. "Not that I'm complaining. If I hadn't been in Kansas, I wouldn't have met Haley."