by Unknown
***
Jordan stood in the doorway of his living room watching Mia and Cody as they peered over the deck railing, surveying the resort and the beautiful white-sanded beach. Megan, looking young and carefree in a halter neck sundress, gave him a breathtaking smile. They’d spent a bit of time deciding on a plan of action that would be best suited to the four of them and he actually felt a little nervous. If the girls hated the idea of them living together, what then? Megan kept saying it would be fine, and he really wanted to be as sure as she was in her new-found serenity, but still…
“You’re so lucky, Jordan. You can swim in a pool or at the beach any time you like, and you get to use the playground and everything,” Cody told him enviously.
“What about my house? Do you like it?”
“I love it. You do too, don’t you, Mia?” She nudged her sister, who nodded shyly, her long-lashed eyes replicas of her mother’s and her sister’s.
“But I think it’s silly to have so many bedrooms. You need someone to live with you. Mommy and us could come stay if you like.”
“Okay.”
Cody tipped her head to the side. In a classic ‘Are you tricking me?’ look, and then she grinned and called his bluff. “How about we stay tonight?”
“If you like. But I was thinking you could stay for longer than one night.”
Megan came to stand beside him, putting her hand in his and addressing the girls. “Cody, Mia, Jordan would like us to move in and live with him.”
“Why?” Mia looked worried.
“Because he wants to marry me and help look after you. He wants us to be a family. Do you think we could do that?”
Cody began to bounce up and down. “I do. And, you do, too, Mia, don’t you? You said you really like Jordan, even after he kissed Mom, and you got cross.”
Mia blushed at her sister’s accusation. “What about our house and all our things?”
Jordan saw that Mia was the only one left to convince, and he bent down to her. “Stephanie thinks she’d like to live there, and she’d look after it just fine. We would bring all your things here and you can have a room all to yourself. Wouldn’t that be cool?”
Cody stopped bouncing and looked at him seriously. “I don’t think we’d like a bedroom each. Mia doesn’t like to sleep by herself. We have to share so that I can look after her.”
Mia looked very surprised by this outburst but didn’t comment, so he didn’t push it, since Megan had already informed him that Cody often ended up in her sister’s bed.
“Then by all means you two can share. How about we go choose which room?”
The girls ran ahead with Jordan and Megan following behind. She was looking tearful again, but he could see that they were happy tears, and he didn’t feel awkward like he had with other women.
Megan wasn’t capable of emotional blackmail. She was tough, and honest. She was the one woman who fit him – his life and his heart. Watching the girls bouncing on the beds of the room they’d chosen, he thought he might burst with happiness. A life he had never imagined had hit him squarely between his eyes, and his blurred vision – as far as settling down with kids was concerned – had gone. He was left with a clarity that made him want to laugh at anything and everything.
Life didn’t get any better than this. Prossers Bay had been the catalyst that would make them into a family, and he would be forever grateful to the little town with the big heart, and for whatever whimsy of fate had brought him here.
THE END
Thank you!
Thanks so much for reading Seducing Megan the second novella in my Prossers Bay series. I have added a few pages of the next book called Healing Stephanie. I hope you enjoy it.
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Links for my other books:
Contemporary
Educating Georgia
The Millionaire Next Door
Romantic Suspense
Bend But Never Break
Prossers Bay Series
Finding Liam
Saving Stephanie
Chapter One
Stephanie had just finished vacuuming the floors and she looked around to make sure she’d got everything. The bedroom was very masculine with heavy furniture and thick drapes intended to block out any light. Pushing the heavy brocade back further so that she could see the spectacular view of Prossers Bay while she worked, she then began to strip the bed.
“Sorry, I meant to do that.”
A deep voice from behind her made her jump. Hand on her heart she turned to find a tall dark hired man standing in the doorway, looking sweaty and yet very appealing. A piercing bolt of recognition hit her hard. About the same time as it hit him by the looks of it.
“Stephanie? I can’t believe it’s you after all this time.”
He came towards her as if he was going to hug her, but changed his mind. Perhaps due to the look of horror she was unable to mask.
“Jamie.” Her mouth was dry, her palms damp as she clasped them together. This could not be happening.
The look of pleasure had passed and now he was calmly looking her up and down.
“You look fantastic.”
Stephanie’s hand went automatically to her messy ponytail as she looked down at her ‘Pink’ - as in the singer - t-shirt and her cargo pants. Perfect for cleaning empty houses for a living – not so good when the man of your dreams steps back into your life. Correction – was the man of her dreams.
“You too.” He really did look good. Too damn good. “Are you staying here?”
“I rented the place from the Murray’s but we only decided on things yesterday, so I guess they didn’t have time to let you know.’
“I don’t usually expect to see anyone here.”
“So, you clean even when nobody’s here?”
“That’s the best time, actually. People don’t like to see the hired help any more than I like to have people watch me while I work.
“Fair enough. Let me grab some clean clothes and I’ll get out of your way.”
“Have you been out running? You never used to run.” Why the hell was she having a conversation with him, and why wasn’t she the one running? Again.
“Yes, I began after you left. It clears my head and I especially need a bit of that at the moment. In case Graham doesn’t get back to you soon I’m going to be here for a while.”
“A while?”
“That’s probably a bit vague, but I really don’t have a time frame right now.”
“Hey, it none of my business.”
She couldn’t help the impatience in her voice.
“I thought everything going on in this town was everyone’s business. At least that’s how it always seemed. Maybe things changed in the last decade.” he said sceptically.
Jamie walked passed her to get to a suitcase propped up on the desk. Rummaging through the clothes he took out clean sweats and walked to the en suite.
Stephanie waited until he had shut the door before she carried on with the housework, her thoughts making her shake. Dusting in earnest, she hoped to finish before he came out.
The door opened suddenly, and there he stood in a towel, and nothing else. Looking sheepish he went back to his suitcase.
“Forgot my underwear.”
Stephanie couldn’t have spoken, even if she knew what to say. Clothed he was a hunk, naked he was sexy as hell, and every moment over the years they had been together came crashing into her.
Jamie went back into the bathroom and Stephanie immediately grabbed all her cleaning products and left. There was every chance
she’d forgotten something but to hell with it. She had no intention of exposing herself and her heart to James Morris aka Jamie without a bit of time to get used to the idea of having him back in town, and a sure fire way of dealing with it.
***
Jamie hurried through his shower and dressed with his mind in turmoil. Banal pleasantries had been the only way to deal with the shock of seeing her. He hadn’t been prepared to find her in his bedroom, albeit a borrowed one. Sure he knew Stephanie had moved back to Prossers Bay just as he knew she cleaned houses, but the thought never crossed his mind that she cleaned this house. Why hadn’t his father said anything? As the town doctor he knew every damn thing that happened around here.
He had a light bulb moment. The crafty old bugger. He’d deliberately not said anything because he loved Stephanie like a daughter, and in that crusty old heart of his he was probably doing a bit of matchmaking. Surely he understood that their ship had sailed. Stephanie had left him when he needed her most. There could be no going back and he’d gotten used to that fact. It didn’t hurt so much after all this time.
Yep, tell yourself that as much as you like buddy.
Seeing her had opened the wound that had taken him years to close, just like it was yesterday. Well, if he was going to be in town for a few days he may as well get it all out in the open; rip the band aid off and pray that the blood would refuse to flow.
A quick comb through his short hair and a deep breath he was ready to face the most beautiful woman in the world, and the woman who had nearly brought him to his knees. Who was he kidding? He’d never be ready.
He yanked open the door. The questions he should have asked earlier, already on his lips would have to wait. She wasn’t there, and a search of the house confirmed that she had gone. Once again she’d crept away, and what had made him thing today would be any different? He was a fool all over again.
He locked up the house and drove over to his father’s surgery. The old cottage, which also served as Doctor Clifford Morris’s home, sat on the edge of the green and, as soon as Jamie pulled up he could see his dad sitting on the wooden bench out the front. He was feeding the birds and it could have been any day from his childhood.
Or maybe not. Even from here he could see the grey in his hair and the way his shoulders stooped a little more. A wave of pity for his father washed over him. He was alone now, since mum passed away, and James, an only child, had not been a very good son. Still, he was here now, and he’d do whatever he could to make sure his dad was okay before he left again to take up his new post in an amazing hospital in Seattle.
Thanks again and I hoped that you enjoyed the excerpt.
Cheryl