One Perfect Moment. A.C. Arthur

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      Gage had been in Temptation for two days and he was already dressed down in basketball shorts, a T-shirt and tennis shoes. Garrek’s fiancée, Harper, hit the volleyball with a force Gage wasn’t expecting, and he ran backward in order to save the shot. He tripped over something and fell back instead.

      And then she was there.

      “Hello, Dr. Taylor,” she said with that smile that never failed to take his breath away.

      She stared down at him, dark hair framing her pretty face, a light pink gloss on her soft lips. And Gage thought he must be dreaming.

      “Ava?”

      He moved quickly, coming to stand in front of her.

      “I think you were trying to catch this,” she said and gave a light kick to the ball he’d been after.

      Gage put his foot on the ball to stop it from rolling, but did not take his eyes off her. She looked amazing, her long legs clad in cream-colored pants, the formfitting peach blouse and all that thick hair hanging past her shoulders. He’d forgotten how sexy she was.

      “Yeah, thanks,” he said and then asked, “What are you doing here?”

      “Delivering cookies,” she replied and held up a plate covered in foil.

      “All the way from New York or LA or wherever you live?” he asked.

      It may have seemed like an odd statement since this was the last woman he’d had sex with. In a perfect world, he would have known more about her besides her last name and professional occupation. But in Gage’s world, it was the norm. He didn’t need to know much about the women he slept with, because he never intended there to be anything beyond the physical. It was easier that way.

      “I’m ah...on a kind of retreat,” she replied. “A writing retreat.”

      He nodded, noting the plausibility of her response, but still wondering how, of all the places in the world, Ava Cannon would turn up in Temptation.

      “And a cookie delivery service?”

      She looked down at the plate and then up to him again.

      “They’re from someone named Nana Lou. Mr. Otis at the B and B said she promised to make them for Jack and Lily.”

      Gage frowned. “Who?”

      He’d come to Temptation to be with his family and so hadn’t met many people living in the town.

      “Nana Lou is like our grandmother, but not really. She bakes the best double chocolate chip cookies ever,” Lily said.

      The precocious seven-year-old girl appeared, leaning against Gage’s leg.

      “You’re hogging the ball, Uncle Gage,” she continued before bending down to take the ball he still had under his foot.

      “You must be Lily,” Ava said, her attention shifting to the little girl Gage had been thoroughly enchanted by in the last couple of days.

      He’d come back to Temptation to meet Gray’s new family and had been amazed at how much he adored the children. Sure, he delivered babies for a living, and he studied ways to help every woman wishing to have a baby fulfill her dream. But Gage didn’t think of becoming a father himself. Still, not even the smiling faces of youth, or the pure sweetness of babies, had been able to erase the thoughts of his one night with Ava. In fact, it had been all those things combined that kept Gage from thinking about his career situation.

      “I am Lily, and this is my Uncle Gage. I have another uncle—his name’s Garrek—but he’s away flying planes right now.”

      “Oh, that sounds cool. These cookies smell amazing, Lily. Do you think I could try one?” Ava asked.

      “Sure. Mommy won’t let me and Jack have more than one for dessert. But Jack doesn’t like to share, so you should take yours now.”

      “Hey, guys, Morgan is calling us in for dinner,” Harper said as she joined them. “Oh. Hi,” she added to Ava.

      “Hello,” Ava replied. “I’m Ava Cannon. I’m in town for a writing retreat and was told to deliver these cookies.”

      “And she’s Uncle Gage’s friend,” Lily added.

      Gage didn’t know what to say. Hence the reason he’d been standing there watching the exchange between his niece and his ex-boss-slash-one-night-stand.

      “Hi, Ava. I’m Harper Presley.”

      “Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Harper. I met your cousin Craig when I was checking in to the B and B. He gave me your card.”

      “Really?” Harper asked. “Do you have a house that needs to be renovated?”

      “No,” Gage replied quickly. “She’s just here to write.”

      Harper, with her sandy-brown hair pulled back from her face, arched a brow as she looked at him.

      “You two know each other?” she asked.

      Before Gage could answer, his legs almost buckled once more as a laughing seven-year-old ran into him.

      “Come on, Uncle Gage, you’re gonna make us lose,” Jack said.

      “You already lost. He fell, and the lady got the ball. That means the girls win. Right, Aunt Harper?” Lily asked.

      “I’m calling interference,” Gage told Jack. “We’ll need a rematch.”

      Lily pouted, and to Gage’s chagrin, Ava knelt down until she was face-to-face with his niece.

      “Boys always try to cheat. I think he fell on purpose so he could ask for a rematch,” she said.

      A mutinous Lily nodded her agreement. “I think so, too.”

      Harper chuckled. “Okay, we’ll have a rematch, but Morgan has dinner ready. You two run along and wash your face and СКАЧАТЬ