.

about you.”

      “I wouldn’t hurt him.”

      “That’s not what I meant.” Not really. But his sudden change of mood before had taken her aback. “The crying can frazzle you even if you’re used to it.”

      “I’m pretty tough—”

      The phone rang and she was grateful for the interruption until the caller ID showed that it was her mother. Nonetheless, dealing with Candy Carpenter was easier than explaining to Joe why she didn’t want to leave him alone with his son.

      She picked up the phone and hit the talk button. “Hi, Mom.”

      “Hi. How’s J.T.?”

      “Really good.”

      “And you?”

      “I’m fine.” A lie, but she wasn’t saying anything about her baby’s father showing up while he was sitting there watching her. “How are things with you?”

      “Robert and I had a fight.”

      So this wasn’t a call to see how things were with her and J.T. It was all about her mother. She glanced at Joe who was watching her. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

      A big sigh came through loud and clear. “He said I wasn’t giving him enough space. That I was going too fast and he’s not ready.”

      “Were you?”

      “No.”

      Kate rolled her eyes. Her mother lived in Pahrump, about an hour’s drive northwest of Las Vegas. She worked as a waitress in a diner. An attractive brunette, she got a lot of male attention. All was well in the first stages of a new relationship—first-meet euphoria followed by a few weeks of adoration. And of course, Candy always swore this one was the love of her life and they’d be together forever. Then she started to push.

      Kate had told her over and over that she didn’t need a man to be happy, but somehow the words never stuck. She was tired of wasting her breath.

      “Did it ever occur to you that you might be better off?” she asked.

      “How can you say that?” Candy demanded. “He’s everything I ever wanted. Good-looking. He has a great job. We have fun together. The sex is—”

      “Too much info, Mom.” That wasn’t a visual she wanted in her head.

      “I’m still a young and vibrant woman.”

      “Yes, you are. And you’re okay on your own. There’s no point in hanging on to something that doesn’t make your life better.”

      “He does make it better,” Candy protested.

      “That’s not what I’m hearing.”

      “If he’d just give us time we could work it out.”

      “That’s the thing, Mom. You’re trying to speed things up instead of giving it time.”

      “You don’t understand.”

      No, she didn’t. “Look, Mom, J.T. is starting to fuss. I have to go,” she lied.

      “Give him a kiss from me.”

      “Will do. Bye.” She replaced the phone and looked at Joe.

      “Problem?” he asked.

      “Just the usual.”

      “Define usual.”

      Apparently she’d never told him about her mother. But then, they’d been so wrapped up in each other talking hadn’t been high on their list of activities.

      “The usual is the latest in an inappropriate string of men she’s gotten too possessive with. My father being one.”

      “Oh?”

      There was no reason she could come up with off the top of her head not to tell him. “My mother was pregnant when she married my father. What I don’t get is why he bothered when he didn’t plan to stick around. I never met the man.”

      Joe’s eyes turned dark, a sign he didn’t approve, except that this time it wasn’t about her. “Maybe you’re better off.”

      “That thought has crossed my mind.” In fact, she’d just said it to her mom about the current flavor of the month. “But over the years she’s had a string of men. My father was just the first mistake.”

      “Is that why you refused my marriage proposal?”

      “Partly.”

      Again she could see no reason not to admit the truth. Sometimes she’d liked a man her mother brought home, but found out caring was a mistake because they always left. There was one she’d disliked on sight, and she’d begged her mom to dump him, gave her an ultimatum—him or me. Candy had chosen him. So Kate had left home and made a rule: she would rely only on herself and not make a mistake that would ruin her life. Now J.T. was her life and not making a mistake was more important than ever.

      “What’s the other part?” he asked.

      She met his gaze. “My biggest fear is turning into my mother. Always looking for a man. Always hoping he’ll be the one to take care of me. I don’t need anyone.”

      “So no man gets in?”

      “That’s right.”

      That was a lie. He’d gotten in. Dashing, daring Marine Corps helicopter pilot Joe Morgan. His good looks and confident, compelling charm had taken her prisoner with no shots fired. The probing intensity of his eyes and his devil-may-care attitude had made her feel alive. She’d been sleepwalking through life until she’d met him and then she’d decided she would be a fool not to enjoy every moment he wanted to spend with her. She’d never lived a great story and that’s all he was ever supposed to be, until he became so much more.

      Then, without warning, he said they were over and she’d been blindsided and desperately hurt. As long as he was playing father and insisted on being in her face, she was vulnerable to all the emotional harm he could do her. But she was probably borrowing trouble. How long could Joe’s fatherly devotion last? Based on the collective experience of the Carpenter women, men didn’t stick around. Kate hoped that would be the case with Joe.

      He was the only man who’d ever made her break her rule and it had gone badly. He’d left her heart in pieces and she didn’t want to give him another shot at destroying what was left.