A Family Kind of Gal Read online

“We still could lose the house. Dad might not approve.”

  “Then we’ll move, won’t we?” She felt light-headed, freed of the blackness that had shrouded her for so long. “But what about your job?”

  “Already quit.” He regarded her with twinkling eyes. “You know, I think there’re some ambulances down here just dying to be chased.”

  “No doubt.”

  “Besides which, I’m not destitute, you know.”

  “No?”

  “No. But we do have one more obstacle to overcome.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want to adopt the kids.”

  “But you’re already their uncle.”

  “I know.” A dimple showed in his cheek. “But when they’re ready, I want them to think of me as their father.”

  “Do you think that’ll happen?” she asked skeptically.

  He twirled her off her feet. “Haven’t I been telling you all along that anything’s possible?”

  “That you have, J.D.,” she admitted.

  “Then, for once, Tiff, trust me.”

  “I do,” she promised, and he kissed her as if he would never stop.

  EPILOGUE

  Two weeks later Tiffany twirled in front of the mirror. The blue silk dress swirled around her like a cloud. “It’s beautiful,” she said, turning to face her half sisters.

  “Yep. Looks great.” Katie, dressed in an identical gown, agreed.

  “Good.” Bliss flopped into a chair at the dressmaker’s shop where she had ordered not only her wedding dress but the two bridesmaids’ gowns, as well.

  Tiffany felt a sense of family. She and J.D. were going to marry, her half sisters and she were discovering each other, and her kids, finally, had settled down. Under J.D.’s influence, Stephen seemed to be trying to walk the straight and narrow, and Christina was on cloud nine.

  “Okay,” Bliss said, “let’s get out of here. I’ll buy you both a soda.”

  “I think we deserve gin and tonics after this ordeal,” Katie teased as she peeled off her dress and handed it, along with the marked hem to Betty, the shop owner.

  “Well, how about a glass of Chablis instead?”

  “You’re on!”

  They changed and walked outside where the afternoon sun was glistening overhead. The streets of Bittersweet were shaded on this edge of town, the traffic slow.

  “I can’t believe that both of you are getting married,” Katie said with a sigh as they walked to Bliss’s Mustang convertible which was parked in the shade of a giant oak tree. The top was down, and Bliss’s dog, Oscar, a golden mutt of about twenty pounds, gave out an excited yip and, at Bliss’s command, hopped into the back seat.

  “You’ll be next,” Bliss predicted as she slid behind the wheel. Katie climbed into the back and petted the dog while Tiffany took her place in the passenger seat.

  “No way. I’ve got too much to do before I get married.”

  “Such as?” With a flick of her wrist Bliss turned on the ignition. The sporty car roared to life.

  “Such as finding out the story behind Ray Dean and Isaac Wells.”

  “Can’t you leave it to the police?” Tiffany asked as Bliss pulled out of the parking lot.

  “And miss the scoop of a lifetime? No way.”

  Wind breezed through their hair as they drove. Tiffany leaned back and smiled. Life was definitely improving.

  “So, what’ve you learned about your newest tenant?” Katie asked.

  “Luke? Not much. He keeps to himself.”

  “I wonder why?”

  “Why don’t you ask him?” Tiffany asked.

  “I just might.” Katie laughed, the sound tinkling and light over the growl of the engine, and Tiffany smiled as her house came into view. In a grand gesture, as an early wedding gift, her father-in-law had given her the title to the house. He had refused payment from J.D. and was desperately trying to wheedle his son back into the Santini Brothers fold. But J.D. was determined to hang his shingle in Bittersweet.

  “Mommy!” Christina flew out the front door as Bliss pulled into the drive. J.D. was on her heels. His limp had all but disappeared, and his eyes glittered mischievously. Oscar hopped out of the car and washed the little girl’s face with his long tongue. Christina giggled with delight.

  As Tiffany climbed from her seat, J.D. held the door open for her. “Glad you’re home.”

  “Are you? Gee, and I thought you loved babysitting,” she teased.

  “I do.”

  At that moment Luke Gates’s dilapidated pickup pulled into the drive. He parked and slowly stretched his way out of the cab. “Here’s your chance,” Bliss said to Katie in a stage whisper, and the younger woman grinned widely.

  “You’re right.” She climbed out of the car. “You know me,” Katie said, straightening. “I’m not one to pass up an opportunity.”

  “What’s this all about?” J.D. asked.

  “It’s a long story.” Tiffany smiled as J.D. wrapped his arms around her, and Katie crossed the lawn toward the tall Texan. “But don’t be surprised if you read about it in the Review.”

  “Uh-oh. Katie’s on to a hot story,” J.D. guessed.

  “She only hopes,” Bliss said, and Tiffany sighed contentedly, glad to be a part of this scattered, but loving, family.

  Someday she might even forgive her father.

  Someday.

  For now, her focus was on loving J.D.

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss Katie’s story in

  A FAMILY KIND OF WEDDING,

  book three of Lisa Jackson’s

  FOREVER FAMILY series.

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed reading about Tiffany and J.D. Santini and their special family. The next book of the Forever Family series, A Family Kind of Wedding, is the story of Katie Kinkaid, Tiffany and Bliss’s half sister, and Luke Gates, the mysterious cowboy who has come to Bittersweet, Oregon, with an agenda of his own, an agenda that involves Katie and her son, Josh.

  What Luke doesn’t expect is to face a dynamo of a woman whose curiosity and natural love of life leave him questioning his own values and motives. He’s not the type to fall in love with restless, redheaded Katie, but then Katie has convinced herself she will never find the right man for her—especially not a cowboy with a clouded past. She has too much to do what with her newfound half sisters and Bittersweet’s mystery of the century begging to be unraveled.

  But fate has a way of intervening and along with trying to put her newfound family together, Katie has to deal with Luke and look herself in the mirror. How can this drifter, this man whose own dreams are so detrimental to her own, be the love of her life? Find out in A Family Kind of Wedding.

  Happy Reading!

  Lisa Jackson

  NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author

  SUSAN MALLERY

  brings you these great titles from her charming Fool’s Gold series!

  Marry Me at Christmas

  Thrill Me

  Kiss Me

  Hold Me

  Yours for Christmas (novella)

  Until We Touch

  Before We Kiss

  When We Met

  Christmas on 4th Street

  Three Little Words

  Two of a Kind

  Just One Kiss

  Halfway There (novella)

  A Fool’s Gold Christmas

  All Summer Long

  Summer Nights

  Summer Days

  Almost Summer (novella)

  A Christmas Bride

  Only Us (novella)

  Only His

  Only Yours

  Only Mine

  Finding Perfect

  Almost Perfect

  Chasing Perfect

  Love. Laughter. Happily Ever After.

  Available wherever ebooks are sold.

  “[A] classic blend of lighthearted humor, intense emotional conflict, and a setting so real and appealing readers will want to start scoping out real estat
e.”

  —Library Journal on Until We Touch

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  Read on for an exciting excerpt of Susan Mallery’s #1 New York Times bestseller, THRILL ME!

  Maya Farlow learned the hard way to depend only on herself, so when she fell too deeply for the bad-boy charms of Del Mitchell, she did the only thing she could—she ran. Stunned, Del left Fool’s Gold to make his name and fortune in extreme sports. Now, ten years later, Maya’s been hired to promote her hometown’s new slogan, The Destination for Romance, but the campaign’s celebrity spokesman is none other than Del, the man she left but never forgot…

  MAYA HAD HOPED that hanging out with her friend would be enough to chase all the Del from her mind. But she’d been wrong. The night had been an uncomfortable experience of being awake more than asleep. And when she finally did doze, it was only to dream of Del. Not current, sexy, stubbly Del, but the twenty-year-old who had stolen her heart.

  She woke exhausted and with memory hangover. Funny how, until she’d seen him, she’d been able to forget him. But now that he was back, she was trapped in a past-present rip in the space-time continuum.

  Or she was simply dealing with some unfinished business, she thought as she stepped into the shower. Because as much as she might like to think the universe revolved around her, truth was, it didn’t.

  Thirty minutes later she was reasonably presentable. She knew the only thing that would make her day livable was lots and lots of coffee. So she left her tiny rental house, pausing to give her newly planted flowers a quick watering before heading to Brew-haha.

  Fool’s Gold had grown in the ten years she’d been away. Giving walking tours of the city as a part-time job in high school meant she was familiar with the history and layout. She had a feeling the schedule of festivals she’d once memorized still existed in her brain. Probably stored next to all the words to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.”

  The thought made her smile and, humming the song, she walked into Brew-haha.

  The coffee place had been decorated simply, with bright colors and lots of places to sit. There was a long counter up front, a display of tempting, high-calorie pastries and a tall, broad-shouldered man at the front of a six-person line.

  Maya froze, half in, half out of the store. Now what? She was going to have to face Del at some point. Thanks to Mayor Marsha, they would be working together. But she hadn’t thought she would have to deal with him precoffee.

  The downside to an otherwise perfectly lovely town, she thought, sucking up her doubts and joining the line.

  As Del finished placing his order, whatever he’d said had the cashier laughing. He moved over to wait for his order and immediately started talking to the barista.

  Had he always been so friendly, Maya wondered, watching him, while trying to appear as if she wasn’t paying attention at all. A trick that had her still-slightly sleepy self struggling to keep up.

  The line moved forward. Several other customers stopped to talk to Del, greeting him and then pausing to chat. No doubt catching up, she thought. Del had grown up here. He would know a lot of people.

  A few words of the conversations drifted to her. She caught bits about his skysurfing and the business he’d sold. Because when Del had left town, he’d not only gotten involved in a new and highly risky sport, he’d designed a board, founded a company, and then sold it for a lot of money. Which was impressive. And the tiniest bit annoying.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want him to have done great. But maybe he didn’t have to be so good-looking at the same time as being so successful. Was a disfiguring scar too much to ask for? Something to level the playing field?

  But no. With his three days’ worth of beard and easy smile, he was still movie-star handsome. She would know. She’d seen plenty of him on video and he was impressive. The camera loved him and that meant the audience did, too.

  She reached the front of the line and placed her order for the largest latte they had. She thought about ordering an extra shot of espresso, then acknowledged she would be most likely returning later. Better to spread out the caffeine.

  She stepped to the side to wait for her drink. Del was still talking with a couple of people. She expected him to finish his conversation and leave. Instead he headed for her.

  “Morning,” she said as he approached. Her lingering sleepiness faded as odd tingles began in her toes and raced up to the top of her head. Horror replaced trepidation.

  No, no, no! There couldn’t be tingles or awareness or any of that. Uh-uh. No way. Not her. She refused to be attracted to Delany Mitchell. Not after ten years and thousands of miles. The miles being metaphorical for her and literal for him. They were done. They’d moved on. Okay, technically she’d dumped him in a cruel and immature way, but regardless of her failings, it was so over as to be a relationship fossil.

  Exhaustion, she told herself desperately. The tingles were the result of exhaustion. And maybe hunger. She would probably faint next and then everything would be fine.

  “Morning,” he said as he stopped in front of her. “You ratted me out to my mother.”

  The words were so at odds with what she’d been thinking that she had trouble understanding their meaning. When the mental smoke cleared, she was able to breathe again.

  “You mean I told her you were in town?”

  “Yeah. You could have given me fifteen minutes to get in touch with her.”

  She smiled. “You never said it was a secret. I stopped by to see a friend and told her you were back. She was surprised.”

  “That’s one way to put it. She gave me an earful.”

  The barista handed Maya her latte. Maya took it and started for the door. “If you’re expecting me to feel guilty about that, it’s so not happening. How could you not bother telling your mother you were coming home? I’m not the bad guy here.”

  Del fell into step with her. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “Is that what we’re calling it these days?”

  He held open the door for Brew-haha. When they got to the sidewalk, he pointed to the left and she walked along with him. Because, well—why not?

  “You’re saying I should have let her know I was home for the rest of the summer?”

  “Speaking as your mom’s friend, yes, you should have told her you were coming. Or that you’d arrived. And if you didn’t want me to tell her, you should have said something. If she scolded you, it’s your own fault. I accept absolutely no guilt or blame on the topic.”

  He surprised her by laughing. “You always did have attitude.”

  Back then it had been bravado. She liked to think she now had a little experience or even substance to back it up.

  They reached the lake. Del turned toward the path that led to the rental cabins on the far side. Maya went with him. The day was sunny and promised to be plenty warm. August was often the hottest part of summer in Fool’s Gold. Up in the mountains fall came early, but not in the town itself.

  Along the shores of Lake Ciara, just south of the Golden Bear Inn, was a cluster of summer cabins. They ranged from small studios to large three-bedroom structures. Each cabin had a big porch with plenty of room for sitting out and watching the lake. There was a play area for the kids, a communal fire pit and easy walking access to Fool’s Gold.

  Del led the way to one of the smaller cabins. There was plenty of seating on a surprisingly large porch.

  “Not a suite at Ronan’s Lodge?” she asked, taking the chair he offered.

  He settled next to her. “I spend enough time in hotels when I travel. This is better.”

  “But there’s no room service.”

  He glanced at her, one brow raised. “Yo
u think I can’t cook?”

  It had been ten years, she thought. “I guess I don’t know that much about you.” Anymore. She didn’t say the last word, but she thought it. Because there had been a time when she’d known everything about Del. Not just his hopes and dreams, but how he laughed and kissed and tasted.

  First love was usually intense. For her it had been that and more. With Del, for the first time in her life she’d allowed herself to hope she might not have to go it alone. That maybe, just maybe she could believe that someone else would be there for her. To look out for her. To give a damn.

  “To start with, I can cook,” he said, drawing her back to the present. “There was a last-minute cancelation so I got the cabin.”

  A couple of little boys played down by the water. Their mother watched from a blanket on the grass. Their shrieks and laughter carried over to them.

  “It’s going to be noisy,” she said.

  “That’s okay. I like being around kids. They don’t know who I am, and if they do, they don’t care.”

  Some people would care, she thought, wondering how difficult his version of fame had become.

  He’d made a name for himself on the extreme sports circuit. Crazy downhill snowboarding stunts had morphed into skysurfing. He’d become the face of a growing sport with the press clamoring to know why anyone would jump out of a plane with a board attached to their feet and deliberately spin and turn the whole way down.

  After a few years of being a media darling, he’d made yet another change, designing a better board, and then starting the company that built them. That move had made him more mainstream—at least for the business crowd—and he’d become a popular guest on business shows. When he’d sold the company—walking away with cash and no announcing what he would do—he’d become the stuff of legends. A daredevil willing to take life on his own terms.

  She’d wanted that once. Not the danger, but the being famous part. It would have been one of the perks of being in front of the camera instead of behind it. For her it hadn’t been about money or getting a reservation at a popular restaurant. It had been about belonging. That if others cared about her, she must have value. Be worthy, in some small way.