Sunny touched her lips with her fingertips. “He kisses great.”

“Oh, Sunny! You let him kiss you?”

Sunny jumped up so fast she sloshed a little coffee on her pajamas. “I have plenty of confidence, I always have,” she said. “I started my own business when I was twenty and it’s going great. I know I get help from my dad, but I was never unsure. And I can’t even think about being alone another ten years! Or sleeping with guys I don’t care about just to scratch an itch—bleck!”

Annie shrugged and smiled, looking up at her. “All part of protecting yourself from possible hurt. I mean, what if you’re wrong? Scary, huh?”

“Oh, crap, one hour with Drew and I knew what was wrong with Glen! I just couldn’t…” She stopped herself. She couldn’t stop that wedding!

“You said it yourself—you shouldn’t get mixed up with another guy,” Annie reminded her softly. “You wouldn’t want to risk getting hurt.” Annie stood and looked Sunny in the eyes. “Give it eight or ten years. I’m sure the right guy will be hanging around just when you’re ready.”

Sunny stiffened so suddenly she almost grew an inch. She grabbed Annie’s upper arm. “Can I borrow your truck? I have something important to do.”

“In your pajamas?” Annie asked.

“I’ll throw on some jeans and boots while you find your keys,” she said.

Sunny dashed to the kitchen, put her coffee mug on the breakfast bar and as she was sailing through the great room Annie said, “Sunny?” Sunny stopped and turned. Annie took a set of keys out of the pocket of her quilted robe and tossed them.

Sunny caught them in surprise, then a smile slowly spread across her face. Who carries their car keys in their robe? “You sly dog,” she said to Annie.

Annie just shrugged. “There are only two things you have to remember. Trust your gut and take it one day at a time.” Annie raised a finger. “One day at a time, sweetheart. Nice and easy.”

“Will you tell Uncle Nate I had an errand to run?”

“You leave Uncle Nate to me,” Annie said.

BY THE TIME SUNNY WAS standing in front of the cabin door, it still was not light out. It was only six-thirty, but there were lights on inside and the faintest glow from the east that suggested sunrise. Drew opened the door.

“We never open the door that fast in L.A.,” she said.

“There weren’t very many possibilities for this part of town,” he said. And he smiled at her. “I’m pretty surprised to see you. Coming in?”

“In a minute, if you still want me. I have to tell you a couple of things.”

He lifted a light brown brow. “About my nose? My hips?”

“About me. First of all, I never lie. To anyone else or to myself. But my whole relationship with Glen? I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but it was one lie after another. I knew it wasn’t going well, I knew we should have put on the brakes and taken a good, honest, deep look at our relationship. But I couldn’t.” She glanced down, then up into his warm brown eyes. “I couldn’t stop the wedding. It had taken on a life of its own.”

“I understand,” he said.

“No, you don’t. It was the wedding that had become a monster—a year in the making. Oh, Glen should take some responsibility for going along with it in the beginning, but it was entirely my fault for turning off my eyes, ears and brain when it got closer! I’d invested in it—passion and energy and money! My parents had made deposits on everything from invitations and gowns to parties! And there was an emotional investment, too. My friends and family were involved, praising me for the great job I was doing, getting all excited about the big event! Not only did I feel like I was letting everyone down, I couldn’t give it up.”

“I understand,” he said again.

“No, you don’t! The wedding had become more important than the marriage! I knew I should snoop into his text messages and voice mails because lots of things were fishy, but I didn’t because it would ruin the wedding! I should have confronted our issues in counseling, but I couldn’t because I knew the only logical thing to do was to postpone the wedding! The wedding of the century!” A tear ran down her cheek and he caught it with a finger. “I knew it was all a mistake, but I really didn’t see him not showing up at the last minute as a threat, so that made it easy for me to lie when everyone asked me if there were any clues that it would happen.” She shook her head. “That he would leave me at the altar? I didn’t see that coming. That we weren’t right for each other? I managed to close my eyes to that because I was very busy, and very committed. That’s the truth about me. There. I traded my integrity for the best wedding anyone had ever attended in their life! And I’ve never admitted that to anyone, ever!”

“I see,” he said. “Now do you want to come in?”

“Why are you awake so early?” she asked with a sniff.

“I don’t seem to need that much sleep. I’d guess that was a real problem when I was a kid. Sunny, I’m sorry everything went to hell with your perfect wedding, but I’m not threatened by that. I’m not Glen and I have my own mistakes to learn from—that wouldn’t happen with me. And guess what? You’re not going to let something like that happen again. So the way I see it, we have only one thing to worry about.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Breakfast. I was going to have to eat canned beans till you showed up. I don’t have a car. Now you can take me to breakfast.” He grinned. “I’m starving.”

“I brought breakfast. I grazed through Uncle Nate’s kitchen for groceries,” she explained. “I wasn’t going to find anything open on the way over here.”

“You are brilliant as well as beautiful. Now we only have one other thing to worry about.”

“What?”

“Whether we’re going to make out like teenagers on the couch, the floor or the bed after we have breakfast.”

She threw her arms around him. “You should send me away! I’m full of contradictions and flaws! I’m as much to blame for that nightmare of a wedding day as Glen is!”

He grinned only briefly before covering her mouth in a fabulous, hot, wet, long kiss. And after that he said, “Look. The sun’s coming up on a new day. A new year. A new life. Let’s eat something and get started on the making out.”

“You’re not afraid to take a chance on me?” Sunny asked him.

“You know what I’m looking forward to the most? I can’t wait to see if we fall in love. And I like our chances. Scared?”

She shook her head. “Not at all.”

“Then come in here and let’s see if we can’t turn the worst day of your life into the best one.”

MIDNIGHT SURRENDER

Jean Brashear

For Ercel, whose midnight kisses still thrill me

CHAPTER ONE

Austin, Texas

“SPILL, GIRL. Who was last night’s victim?” Fiona Sinclair asked.

“What makes you think there was one?” Jordan Parrish responded to her best friend.

Fiona rolled her eyes. “Because you date like a guy, trolling the waters, snagging the juicy ones and playing with them till you’re bored, then throwing them back in. And when’s the last time you didn’t go out on a Friday night?”

“Fee…” Marly Preston, the third member of Girls’ Night, eased between them, a fresh wine bottle in hand. “Don’t badger Jordan. You’ll hurt her feelings. More wine?”

“Shark lawyers don’t have feelings, sweetie.” Fiona grinned at Jordan. Jordan stuck out her tongue in response. She and Fiona always played rough, and kindhearted Marly always worried.

“Anyway, how are we old married ladies supposed to live vicariously through her if she plays her cards close to the vest?” Fiona asked. “We depend on you, Jordan.”

“It’s her business,” Marly protested, “and she doesn’t have to share the details of her sex life…unless she wants to?” Her eyebrows rose at the end of the sentence, along with her voice.

Jordan couldn’t help laughing. Even after five kids, Earth Mother Marly still possessed an innocent air that life couldn’t seem to erase. The room around them reflected her nurturing tendencies: bright splashes of color, soft cushions she’d upholstered, candles made by hand, needlework and thriving plants everywhere.

“Nobody worth mentioning,” Jordan sighed. “I’m thinking of taking a break.”

Fiona snorted.

“You don’t think I will?”

“Seriously?” Fiona finished the last of her wine and held out the glass for Marly to refill. “No.”

“I know someone you need to meet,” Marly piped up. “There’s this amazing carpenter who works for David, Will Masterson. He’s—”

Jordan flashed her palm. “Stop right there. No matchmaking. You promised.” She rested her head on one fist. “If only real men were like the ones you write in your romance novels, Fee.”

“You’d never let them be the alpha male, shark girl.”

“Stop teasing her, Fee.” Marly turned to Jordan. “There are plenty of good men.”

“Yeah, right. When’s the last time you dated, Mrs. I-Married-My-High-School-Sweetheart?”

Marly refused to rise to the bait. “Yes, well, this guy Will’s special. You’ll meet him at Thanksgiving.”

“Oh, brother…” Jordan groaned. “If he’s so great, what’s he doing at your annual gathering of lost souls?”

“You’ll be there,” Fiona pointed out.

Jordan made a face at her, then returned her attention to Marly. “Look, I know you mean well. You and David are still so gooey in love, even after five kids, it’s sickening. You think everyone should be like you, but not everyone can pull off your miracle. You’re the one who’s special.”

“I’m only a housewife.”

“Are you kidding me? You run rings around both of us. I mean, look at you—you cook like a dream, raise five amazing children, you tend a huge garden, you sew, upholster furniture—look around you. This place is gorgeous, and you did all of it.”

“But my kids are growing up and won’t need me as much soon. You’re a successful lawyer who meets all kinds of fascinating people and parties every night. Fee has a family and a career.”

Fiona sat up straight, worry on her features. “Want to talk about it?”

Marly shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I’m just saying—”

The back door to the kitchen opened, spilling noise inside. Jordan glanced at her watch. David had taken the kids out for the evening, but it was now Sam’s bedtime. Time for them to go.

Sam streaked into the room and threw himself into his mother’s arms. Marly hugged him tightly, while over her little boy’s shoulder she glanced at her husband. David’s smile seemed a little forced.

Jordan traded glances with Fiona. Usually you could feel the energy and love in the air between those two, but tonight Marly had sounded almost…dissatisfied.

A shiver ran through Jordan. Her faith in the institution of marriage was minimal at best. Her parents had delighted in making her the rope in their constant tug of war, and the best day of her life had been when they’d parted just before she turned eight. Not that they didn’t still use her as a weapon, but they’d moved to opposite coasts and now that she was grown, she could dodge them fairly easily most of the time.

If Marly and David were having trouble…what hope was there for anyone else? Which was why Jordan would never, ever try married life herself. She was a realist.

Some people were meant for the vine-covered cottage, the puppies and kittens and babies.

She was not one of them.

Other people got married because they couldn’t stand being alone.

She was fine on her own. She liked living on the edge, keeping her options open. Staying light on her feet.

No shackles for her.

And definitely no illusions.

WILL MASTERSON AROSE with the chickens, as usual.

Literally. His rooster was a walking alarm clock.

The far east Austin neighborhood where he lived was an old one with large lots and a country feel to it. Plenty of room for his big garden, his chicken coop and the woodworking shop he’d made from a detached garage that had—like the house—been close to falling down when he’d bought the place for a song.

And one day, it would be perfect for a whole pack of children.

His family still hoped he’d return to Ireland, settle down with a nice country girl and raise a large family, as most of his siblings were doing. He’d had the same intention once, that after a few months of traveling across the United States, a place with which he’d been fascinated while growing up, he’d return home.

That had been seven years ago. He’d recently applied for citizenship in this big, rowdy country that suited him like a second skin. He missed his family, yes, but he’d found home. Not the woman yet, no, but that would come in time. Will continued to work on the house in which he and she would raise babies—and he could picture her, perfectly. She’d have curves, real ones, that gave a man a handful of woman to love. She’d bake bread, sew, garden with him, appreciate the simple life and be a good partner to him. No, he wasn’t a throwback as some of his friends accused—he would appreciate and support her career if she had one, could teach her to bake bread if she didn’t know how or make it himself as he currently did. They would share values, however, and that would make all the difference—any rough edges could be smoothed out.