get home, it will be time for the boys to go to bed.' Her stomach clenched. 'Then us, too,' she whispered.
“My thoughts exactly.'* * * Stephanie carried a plastic freezer bag full of chocolate chip cookies up to the back door of the huge house. She hesitated slightly before entering. While she remembered meeting Rebecca Lucas at the pizza dinner, she and the woman weren't friends. Just walking into the house seemed rude, but knocking when there were kids running in and out seemed weird.
Before she could decide what to do, Rebecca pushed open the door and smiled.
“I saw you walking up from your minivan,' she said easily. 'You lost the kids in the first five feet and Kyle came to claim Nash. Let me help you with those.' She took the bag of cookies from Stephanie. 'We'll appreciate these.'
“You said I didn't need to bring anything, but I wasn't comfortable coming empty-handed. They're still frozen if you want to pop them in the freezer. They'll keep well for another few weeks.'
“Not a chance.' Rebecca led the way to an oversize blue-and-white kitchen with gleaming stainless-steel appliances. 'Between our kids and the Haynes kids and friends popping in, the cookies won't last two days.' She set the bag on the counter and turned to Stephanie. 'The men are out getting the coals ready and all the salads are in the refrigerator. So there's not much for us to do right now but relax. May I get you something to drink?'
“Sure. Iced tea if you have it.'
“Have a seat.' Rebecca waved toward several bar stools at the end of the counter. Stephanie took a seat as her hostess poured her a glass of iced tea.
“Jill's upstairs with the little ones. I think she's reading a story. Elizabeth, Holly and Sandy are outside supervising the play area. Kevin, Gage and their fiancees haven't arrived yet.' Rebecca laughed. 'Oh, dear. I should probably pull out the name tags. This is going to be a muddle.' Stephanie shook her head. 'I'm pretty sure I have everyone figured out. What I don't know I can fake.'
“Always a good plan.' Rebecca leaned against the counter. Her long curly hair tumbled down her shoulders. She wore a calf-length pale blue dress patterned with tiny white and pink flowers. There didn't seem to be any makeup on her flawless skin. She was tall, slender, lovely and looked as if she belonged in the pages of a Jane Austen novel.
“We were all very curious about you,' Rebecca admitted. 'Kevin swore his brother wasn't seeing anyone.' Stephanie hadn't expected that line of questioning. She'd picked up her glass, but now she put it down and folded her hands onto her lap. 'We're not exactly seeing each other.' They were, she supposed. After a fashion. Seeing each other naked. But that was different. Rebecca was talking about an actual relationship.
“I'm not sure I believe you,' Rebecca said. 'I saw the way he was looking at you the other night.' She held up her hands. 'I'm not going to say any more about it. My goal isn't to torment you. When I first heard about Nash I thought he might be someone I could introduce to my friend, D.J. I don't think that's such a good idea now.' Stephanie felt as neatly trapped as a goldfish in a glass bowl. So how exactly was she supposed to respond to Rebecca's statement? There was no way she wanted Nash involved with someone else-it would cut into their affair time. There was also a hint of discomfort at the thought of him with another woman, but there was no way she was about to explore that particular emotion.
“Nash and I are friends,' she said at last. 'He's only in town for a couple of weeks, so
“How long does it take to fall in love?' Rebecca asked. 'You might just be friends now, but that could change.' Stephanie reached for her glass. 'No way. I'm smarter than that.' Rebecca raised her eyebrows. 'You not a fan of marriage?'
“It's great for a lot of people.'
“Just not you.'
“Something like that.' Rebecca's expression turned dreamy. 'I can't imagine not being married to Austin. He and the children are my entire world. I suppose that sounds silly and old-fashioned. I have a job, although I'm only working part-time these days. I have friends. But all of that pales next to what I feel for my husband.' Stephanie was surprised by a stab of envy. 'That sounds lovely,' she said. 'My marriage wasn't exactly like that.'
“Haynes men make excellent husbands,' Rebecca told her. 'Austin is an honorary Haynes. Nash is one, too. He's-' But she never got to finish saying what Nash was. Several small children burst into the kitchen, followed by a petite redhead Stephanie recognized.
“Hi, Jill,' she said as the other woman approached.
“Stephanie. I heard you and Nash were joining us. That's great.' She bent down when a little girl of three or four pulled on her jeans. 'Sarah, I told you we're not going to have a snack. We'll be eating in about half an hour. But I will get you something to drink.' Two more children of about the same age also clamored for drinks. Rebecca agreed. After opening a cupboard, she pulled out stacks of small plastic glasses and put them on the counter.
“We have juice and milk and chocolate milk,' she said.
Everyone wanted something different. Rebecca poured while Jill passed out the half-full glasses.
Stephanie found herself the odd man out and crossed to the large window overlooking the massive backyard. More children were playing on a built-in play set. Older kids sat in groups talking. She could see all the Haynes men talking together around the big barbecue pit, while their wives had pulled plastic chairs under a tree. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.
What a great family, she thought. Growing up, she would have given anything to belong to a group like this. Being the only child of parents more interested in art than real life had given her plenty of time on her own to wish for friends and cousins and family.
She returned her attention to the men. Elizabethcame up and stood next to Travis. He smiled at his wife and put his arm around her. Even from across the lawn, Stephanie could see the love in his eyes. Rebecca was right- Haynes men did seem to make good husbands. There didn't seem to be one like Marty in the bunch.
She studied each of them in turn, finally settling her gaze on Nash. He stood a little off to one side. In that instant, he appeared so alone that her heart squeezed tight. She wanted to go to him, hold him close and And what? He was leaving, remember? For the first time, that information didn't make her happy.
She started to turn away from the window when she caught sight of Jason running toward Nash. Her eight- year-old flung out his arms and launched himself. Nash caught him easily. Man and boy laughed together. Stephanie felt her mouth curve up in response.
She pressed her fingers against the glass, as if she could touch them both. Longing filled her. A longing that was foolish and dangerous. Caring wasn't an option, she reminded herself. She and Nash had set down very clear rules and it was way too late to think about breaking them. It was also pointless. Even if she was crazy enough even to consider having a change of heart, Nash wasn't. Something she was going to have to remember.
Chapter Eleven
After dinner the men collected the trash and cleaned up the picnic area while the women and kids disappeared inside the house to take care of dessert. Nash pulled a beer out of the cooler and passed it to Craig, then took one for himself.
All the brothers were sprawled out on chairs around the cooling fire pit. Jordan leaned forward with his forearms on his knees.
“You're jealous because I wasn't afraid to be a rebel,' he said.
Travis grinned. 'Yeah, right, because only a really smart guy runs into a burning building. Are you crazy?'
“If he is, we probably all are,' Kyle joked, then turned to Nash. 'You've heard about our black-sheep brother here, right? The only non-law enforcement officer in four generations of Haynes men.
Hell, even Hannah works for the sheriff's office. But did Jordan pay attention to all those years of tradition?'
“Not for a second,' Jordan said cheerfully. Nash glanced at Kevin. 'Four generations of Haynes men?' he asked. He and Kevin hadn't considered other relatives beyond the half brothers and their families.
“Not all living,' Craig clarified. 'We have a few uncles still in the area, but we don't see them very often.' Nash watched as the four Haynes brothers exchanged a look of silent communication. Before he could ask what they were talking about, Travis nodded, then began to explain.
