His Unexpected Family

Kendra resolved to keep out of his way for the rest of the day, but their altercation had left her strangely restless and she itched to busy herself with something.

In the end, she decided to work in the garden—the front garden, out of sight and sound of the kitchen.

She was on her hands and knees, weeding a rose bed, when a mail van came up the drive. She leaned back on her heels as the driver jumped out—a man in his mid-twenties.

He seemed vaguely familiar.

“Hi!” He walked over to her and slipped a couple of fliers from his bag. “Long time no see, Kendra!”

Blue Jamieson. She’d known him in high school—and she remembered what a struggle he’d had in school because he’d had a learning disability. She also remembered how immensely likable he’d been.

She’d known his father, too. Ben Jamieson had been the Westmore family doctor.

Kendra swallowed hard as she recalled the last time she’d sat in Dr. Jamieson’s office. Christmas Eve. Eight years past. It had been the worst day of her life.

Bar none.

“Well, hi yourself, Blue!” She scrambled to her feet and took the fliers. “Long time no see indeed!”

“Doing your own gardening now, huh? The Kendra I knew wouldn’t have dirtied her pretty little hands!” His ingenuous smile took any sting out of his words. “What’s up? You on a budget?”

She laughed. “No, no budget. I just haven’t hired a gardener yet, though my ad should be in the Lakeview Gazette today. Apparently my grandfather used a gardening company the past six years but I don’t want to go that route.”

“Yeah, Mr. Westmore started using the gardening company after Danny Spencer died. What a tragedy that was—you’ve heard about it, of course.”

“No. What happened?”

“Danny’s son Jack and Jack’s wife Maureen drove the old guy down to Vancouver on his sixty-fifth birthday—for some special hockey game he wanted to see—”

“I didn’t know Brodie had a brother.”

“Oh, yeah. Jack was fifteen years older than Brodie, a real nice guy. Worked in the Royal Bank. Anyway, on the way back from Vancouver, they ran into a snowstorm and were involved in a big smash on the Coquihalla—some truck lost its brakes and rammed into Jack’s Pinto. They were all killed. Well, Danny hung on for a week or so, but...”

Kendra felt goose bumps rise on her arms. “How awful.”

“Folks say only one good thing came out of that accident It sure brought out the best in Brodie Spencer—”

“Hey, Blue, you taking my name in vain?”

They both turned and saw Brodie walking across the lawn, a mug in one hand. He was still yards away, and couldn’t have heard much more than just his name.

Blue smoothed over what could have been an awkward moment by saying, “Just reminding Kendra of the old days, Brodie...when you were hell on wheels! You were the envy of all us guys when you bought your Harley-Davidson motorcycle.”

“Kendra’s grandfather gave me the money for that bike!”

Before Kendra could protest, he went on, dryly, “Of course, I had to work my butt off in his gardens for three summers to make it!”

Blue laughed. “Yeah, you did that, Brodie. While the rest of us guys were goofing off at the lake and having fun. Well—” he turned “—I gotta go! Great seeing you, Kendra!”

After he’d left, Brodie lingered.

“Yes?” She rolled up the fliers Blue had given her, and curled a tight hand around them. “What do you want?”

“Just taking my break, decided to get some air.” He raised his eyebrows. “Any objections to the hired hand coming around the front to drink his coffee?”

“Why do you take such a perverse delight in needling me?”

His laugh was without humor. “Delight? I take no delight in it!”

“Then why do you do it, Brodie? What do you hope to achieve?”

“I don’t really hope to achieve anything! But what I’d like to achieve is ... to find out what makes you tick!”

“Why on earth would that interest you? Besides, I’m a very simple person. Easy to read, easy to understand. There’s no mystery about me, Brodie. I have no secrets.”

Now there was a lie if ever there was one! And if Brodie Spencer were ever to discover her secret—

Her heart shuddered.

But he never would.

She didn’t know it all herself! And that was a bitter irony. It was like a puzzle with all the pieces in place...except one. The biggest piece.

The piece that was integral to solving the puzzle. But it had gotten torn in two.

She had one half.

And she didn’t know who had the other.

It was a nightmare from which there was no awakening.

A nightmare she’d lived with for more than eight years, and was probably doomed to live with forever—

“Did Megan’s father understand you?”

“What?”

Brodie’s gaze had narrowed. “You say you’re easy to read. Did your husband understand you?”

She suppressed a bark of hysterical laughter. Brodie’s expression would be a picture if she confessed the truth.

The scandalous truth.

“Yes,” she said. “He understood me perfectly.”

Brodie was looking at her hands and she suddenly realized she was plucking at the fliers; ripping off scraps, letting them fall like confetti to the grass. How long had she been doing it? Jerking in a quick breath, she stilled her fingers. And hoped Brodie hadn’t guessed he’d hit a raw nerve.

But perhaps he had, and perhaps he regretted it because when he spoke again it was in a neutral tone.