His Surprise Son

A tall, dark-haired man with intense eyes opened the driver’s side door and stood up. At the sight of him, Jean was sure the Smoky Mountains behind her shifted a foot closer. The sight of this “Josh” pushed her so far off balance she nearly had to reach out and grab the car to stay steady.

Joshua Tyler stood in front of her. He still possessed the same powerful air of confidence she’d remembered, the same charisma that once drew her heart to his. Of all the people she never expected to set foot in Matrimony Valley, Josh topped the list.

Violet, oblivious to the shock wave going off in Jean’s chest, and likewise in Josh’s startled eyes, called him over. “Jean, this is my stepbrother, Josh. He isn’t only paying for a lot of this, but he’s giving me away at the ceremony. Right now, he’s a great stand-in for Lyle. We’ve only got Josh for forty-eight hours before business sweeps him away again, but we can cover a mile of ground in that time, can’t we?”

“A mile of ground,” Jean repeated, still scrambling to get a grip on how her past and future had just collided right in the middle of Aisle Avenue. Her first bride was Josh Tyler’s stepsister?

It can’t be. There had been a time when she was to be Mrs. Joshua Tyler, but life had steered her far away from those days. Of all the hurdles she’d jumped to turn this town around and launch Matrimony Valley’s destination wedding enterprise, a surprise like this certainly hadn’t entered the picture in her mind. Jean wasn’t even sure it entered the realm of possibility. Him? Here? Now?

Jean looked at Josh, searching for some hint as to how to handle what Violet clearly didn’t know. Josh only stared at her as wide-eyed as she stared at him. One thing was certain: right now was not the time to get into the long and complicated history Matrimony Valley’s mayor and chief wedding planner had with the man about to walk the town’s first bride down the aisle. Think, Jean. Be professional and keep this rolling. Deal with Josh later—keep your focus on Violet.

“Let’s start by checking in with Hailey,” she managed. “You’re staying at the Inn Love, aren’t you?”

“Of course we are. Oh, look at the street signs, Josh,” cooed Violet. “Aisle Avenue, Bouquet Lane—they’ve all got wedding names. Even the inn is called ‘Hailey’s Inn Love.’ Inn Love, get it? Wonderful.”

Josh was as handsome as the day she’d left him over five years ago. In fact, he’d aged phenomenally well, an assessment that sent up a poking finger of doubt into her not-so-phenomenally-aged stomach. She was fit, but she’d never fully regained the figure she had before Jonah was born. That never really bothered her until just this moment, when somehow Josh Tyler turned up looking even better than he had when they’d been together. The short span of years since they’d been engaged had fine-tuned his trademark confidence into the casual elegance of a sharp-dressed tycoon. Dashing, even. Seriously, was that fair?

Was any of this fair?

Lord, how could You do this? Today? To this wedding? To me?

Violet, bless her, still seemed oblivious as she pointed out the Aisle Avenue sign of the town’s primary road that used to be Main Street. “You’re already walking me down the aisle, Josh, get it?”

“On the Fourth of July, you can even parade down the Aisle,” Jean explained, salvaging her professional voice despite the box of fireworks going off underneath her ribs. “We’ll be doing that for the lieutenant governor’s daughter later this year. A whole patriotic red, white and blue wedding.”

Josh’s command faltered for a moment, and he rubbed the back of his neck. With the jolt of shared history, she remembered he always did that when unnerved. Unnerving? Yes, that certainly described the situation. “Why don’t I just grab some lunch while you two nail down the details?” he asked.

His voice. He’d always had a stunning voice—put to good use on the late-night shift of their college radio station. He’d stolen her heart with that voice, reading aloud to her under that huge pine tree on the west campus on warm summer nights. Back when the whole world spread before them. Back when she’d been a little lost and a lot reckless and...and now it had all come home to roost, as Dad would have said.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Violet’s objection pulled Jean from the shell shock of her thoughts. “You promised me you’d stick around and help. No laptop, no conference calls while you pretend to sneak off to lunch. For the next two days, you’re going to be my family, Josh Tyler, so get used to it.”

Despite his smooth demeanor, Josh shot her a split-second “now what do we do?” look. They both needed a way out of this until they could catch their breaths and figure out what to do. “Your stepbrother does look hungry, but Hailey’s dining room is closed right now.” She looked at Josh, willing her expression to convey “helpful professional.”

“Why don’t you stop over at Watson’s Diner for something if you like.” She pointed to the diner storefront a block away. “Wanda makes a great BLT.” She turned to Violet. “And there’s no Wi-Fi to tempt him.”

Violet laughed. “BLTs are his favorite. How’d you know?”

Not here, and not now. She shrugged. “I suppose you learn to be intuitive in this business.”

“I thought you said we were the first wedding in Matrimony Valley. I love that. Lyle and I are the first, aren’t we?”

“You most certainly are.” The whole town would pull out every stop to make Violet Tyler the happiest bride in Matrimony Valley history. Jean was going to make this work, whether or not Josh Tyler had just catapulted himself back into her life.

Into their life.

Jonah. It really has all come home to roost.

Violet pulled on Josh’s arm. “Look, Josh, that’s the path to where the waterfall is. I told you the minute I saw it on the video, I couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else.”

There had been nights back in school when Jean would spend hours describing her tiny hometown in the Smoky Mountains to Josh, including the stunning waterfall where she always wanted to get married. Sure, it had been Matrim’s Valley back then, but how did Josh not figure out where he was going? Jean was glad Violet didn’t suggest they go look at the waterfall right now—she didn’t think she could stand in front of that waterfall anywhere near Josh Tyler right now.

“Let’s save that for tomorrow,” Jean quickly diverted. “Hailey’s ready with your catering details and I’ve only got an hour before I...” She stumbled for a split second, not ready to bring up Jonah, or even say his name in front of Josh. “...have a family commitment, but Yvonne at the bakery will talk to you after we’re done with Hailey.”

She watched Josh’s gaze flick to her left hand, and fought the urge to tuck the ringless hand into her pocket. His left hand bore no ring, either. So, a man she guessed to be one of Silicon Valley’s most eligible bachelors also hadn’t been snatched up yet. The fact lodged in her gut.

“I’ll go grab that sandwich and meet you at the inn,” Josh suggested, looking grateful for the out. “You want anything, Vi?”

“Wanda does an equally good tuna salad or grilled cheese,” Jean offered.

“Tuna,” Violet replied. “And then you get right back over here, Josh. If you’re helping pay for things, then I want you helping me decide things.”

Josh had never been destined for anything but success. Even during their time together in school and then out in California, he’d clearly been a rising star. But bright stars tended to obscure everything around them, and that shiny California life had grown complicated—and then soured—fast. How stunningly ironic that his business success now had a hand in funding hers, that her first big client came with her biggest regret in tow.

She watched Josh cross the street, feeling stunned and rattled. What on earth to do now? Dad had always called her The Queen of Solutions. But today, even Mayor Matrim, The Queen of Solutions, came up short. She hadn’t the slightest idea how to solve her newest, biggest dilemma: how to introduce Joshua Tyler to the son he didn’t know he had.

* * *

Jean Matrim.

Mayor Jean Matrim, and Violet’s wedding planner to boot.

Sometimes life took a swing at you that you never saw coming.

The woman behind the lunch counter at Watson’s Diner stared at Josh as if he were a science experiment, an oddity to be analyzed rather than a customer to be welcomed. As if asking for a BLT on wheat toast marked him as someone foreign and suspicious.

“We don’t do turkey bacon, you know,” she declared, even though he hadn’t asked for it. “We only do real food.”

“Big fan of real food myself,” he said, offering a smile she did not return. The woman grunted what he hoped was approval, after which they stood in awkward silence as the cook started to make his sandwich. There was no one else in the quiet place, and Josh wondered if Wanda could hear the fierce growl of his stomach as the sound of bacon frying filled the air.

“How long has Jean Matrim been mayor of Matrimony Valley?” he asked. Jean would be turning thirty next year, same as he—how’d she get to be mayor at such a young age?

“Well, now, that depends if you count the year Miss Jean was mayor of Matrim’s Valley. Before—” Wanda waved a dismissive hand “—all this business.” Wanda clearly saw no point in hiding her lack of enthusiasm for the town’s new identity, even to a customer. That might explain why Watson’s Diner seemed to be the only local business without a wedding-themed name.

“Well, all totaled, then.”

“Hasn’t even been two years.” Wanda drew herself up a bit. “My Wayne stepped in as mayor when her daddy first passed. Then she up and ran against him in the last election. Not too long after that she got the scheme in her head that turned us into...this other thing.”

“You’re not a fan of the whole Matrimony Valley campaign?”

“I’m a fan of staying in business, I give you that, but I can’t help thinking there could be a dozen other ways to do it than turning ourselves into the Las Vegas of the Smoky Mountains.”

Josh stifled a laugh at that. He’d been to half a dozen tech conventions in Vegas, and this valley was in no danger of giving that city a run for its money. “It’s a pretty place,” he offered, the urge to defend Jean rising up from some surprising long-ago part of him. “My stepsister Violet’s thrilled to be your first bride.”

Rather than offer a response, Wanda gave him a look that roughly translated to “I can just imagine” and hit the cash register key with a declarative finger. “Fries or chips?”

“Chips. And coffee. And everything to go, if you can.”

“Of course.” Wanda shouted, “To go, Wayne!” back to the cook, who barked “Okay” in return.