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  “Morning, Annie,” Claudia said as she entered the office one Tuesday morning.

  “Good morning,” the petite brunette replied. “Things are a little crazy around here this morning...”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s the Courts Building. We’re behind schedule and everyone’s feeling pressured about it.”

  Claudia was getting to know the intricate systems of Paxton Construction inside out, but she didn’t have a lot of day to day involvement with actual projects yet. She was, however, aware of the constant difficulties Chase was having with the multi-million dollar courthouse in Milltown.

  "I have heard a little about it. I guess things have been a little tense around here lately?" Claudia asked.

  "You got that right," Annie replied. "I mean, Mr. Paxton is a great boss, but it's been pretty nasty. It's getting better though. Once he fired Theresa things improved a whole lot."

  "Theresa?" Claudia asked, not familiar with the name.

  "Yeah, she worked upstairs in accounting. She was a sneaky little thing, and totally awful in her job. For a woman with a degree in accounting, she sure wasn't too bright. She did a lot of damage before Mr. Paxton cut her loose."

  Claudia remembered Chase commenting during her job interview about some human error contributing to the company's troubles. Since she'd been on board, things had been running very smoothly, and she'd nearly forgotten about it.

  “That’s why the picnic’s timing is so perfect,” Annie continued. “I think everyone is ready for some fun.”

  Claudia knew Annie referred to the end-of-summer picnic Chase was throwing for all his employees and sub-contractors the following weekend. From what Annie had told her, the annual bash was a huge highlight. Dozens of people gathered at Chase’s house, and he hired a live band and amusement rides for the kids. Claudia had half decided to be unavailable that day, but Melanie had already called and made her promise to come.

  “You will be coming to the picnic, won’t you, Claudia?”

  Startled, Claudia turned to find Chase approaching them from the back office. He was dressed in his usual office attire, tailored dress slacks that hugged his lean hips, and a pristine white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves. Her heart began beating faster as she watched him approach. In spite of Annie’s comments about the pressure of the courthouse project, Chase looked relaxed. No frown marred his strong brow as he gave her a slight, impersonal smile.

  “Yes, of course I will. Though, I imagine I could stay home and still hear the band.”

  Chase nodded. “Probably. This thing does tend to get a little loud. And this year, I imagine everyone will be ready to blow off some steam.”

  “Annie was just telling me a little about the problem. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Chase looked surprised at her offer. “Not unless you can make those computers of yours swing a hammer and pound some nails.”

  “Give me a week...I’ll see what I can do,” she replied flippantly.

  Not waiting for his reply, Claudia walked to her office with his slight chuckle ringing in her ears.

  On Saturday morning, Claudia gave Sarah a bath, then dressed her in an adorable sailor suit Dorien had given her the week before. It wasn’t the first time Chase’s grandmother had stopped by with "a little frilly" she’d found on sale somewhere, though Claudia had told her several times that she needn’t bring the baby a gift every time she wanted to visit. Claudia had put together a small scrapbook with photos of Sarah which she planned to give to the older woman as a thank you gesture. She knew Dorien would appreciate it more than anything else, considering how she already doted on the child.

  “Now, baby, you need to stay here while Mommy gets dressed, okay?” Claudia said as she put Sarah in her playpen.

  She dressed with care for the picnic. Though already September, the days were still fairly warm, and Claudia picked out a flowery yellow dress and flat sandals. About to pull her hair back, she paused before securing it with a clip. She glanced in the mirror, re-thinking that idea. It was a picnic, after all, and she was sick of sensible buns and twists. So, tossing her head rebelliously, she let her hair fall in a riot of waves around her shoulders

  Hearing the screen door open below, she called out, “Is that you, Mel?”

  “Sure is. You almost ready?”

  “I’ll be right down. Will you grab a bottle of juice from the fridge for me and put it in Sarah’s diaper bag?”

  Claudia quickly finished putting on a little lipstick and went downstairs to find Melanie cuddling the baby.

  “You look beautiful,” her friend said.

  “Thanks, so do you. Where’s Ryan?”

  “Already next door. It’s not even noon and he’s already sniffing around the barbecue pit," Melanie replied, feigning disgust.

  Grabbing Sarah’s diaper bag, Claudia glanced at Melanie and said, “I’ll get her stroller. She’s getting heavy, isn’t she?”

  “Not at all. I could hold her all day.”

  “I somehow suspect you do,” Claudia said, her tone wry.

  “You caught me,” Melanie replied with a grin. “We have a great time while Mommy’s at work, don’t we, baby? But she misses you, Claude. No question about it.”

  Claudia brushed her fingers against Sarah’s soft cheek, marveling over how much she’d changed in the month that they’d been in Shelbyville. It seemed she grew a little every day. Even though Claudia loved what she did, and really enjoyed working, she missed Sarah terribly. If there came a day when Melanie told her she took her first step, or said "mommy" and Claudia wasn’t there to see it, she knew part of her would just shrivel up and die. Every weekend, she coaxed Sarah with her favorite toys, wanting to be there for those first steps, but so far her child was proving uncooperative.

  “Let’s go, ladies,” Claudia said as she retrieved the stroller from the hall closet and carried it outside.

  “You bet,” Melanie said. “Lots of eligible bachelors are waiting to meet you and your Mama, Sarah.”

  Rolling her eyes, Claudia bent over to buckle the baby in the stroller and said, “Boys. Yucky, huh, baby?”

  Chase wasn't having a great time.

  Everyone around him continued laughing, eating, drinking, playing games and letting their hair down. But Chase just couldn't relax.

  Part of the problem, he knew, was that he continued watching out the corner of his eye to see if Claudia had arrived. He wondered if she'd have the nerve to show up, after what had happened between them the last time she'd been to his home. From what he'd seen of Claudia Warren, however, he figured having enough nerve wouldn't be a difficulty. Even when she was nervous, frightened, or in terrible pain, she pushed ahead and did whatever it was she had to do.

  "Hey there, Paxton."

  Walking toward him was the other reason he couldn't relax. Chase gritted his teeth and tensed as he immediately recognized the voice of Andrew Worthington. Turning slowly on his heel, he watched as the other man approached, his huge white smile dominating his tanned face. Chase forced himself to unclench his fists which just itched with the desire to knock the grin right off the other man's lips.

  "Worthington," Chase replied with a curt nod.

  "Looks like you've outdone yourself this year, buddy. Clowns, face-painters, hey, you must be doing something right to go all out again."

  The friendly camaraderie implied by the question didn't fool Chase for one second. "Employees appreciate knowing they're valued," he replied evenly.

  "Hey, so do competitors, buddy."

  Chase detested Andrew Worthington. From the man's shining blonde hair, which always managed to look perfectly styled, to the grin most people would describe as irrepressible, Chase simply couldn't stand him. It wasn't just that Worthington was the son and heir to his father's multi-million dollar construction firm, and therefore, Chase's chief competition in western Pennsylvania. It wasn't even the silver spoon planted so firmly between the other man's teeth that it would take a crowb
ar to get rid of it. It was that stupid, "I'm everybody's buddy" grin. Because behind it the man was as vicious as a rattlesnake.

  "So, how's business?" Andrew asked.

  "Couldn't be better," Chase replied evenly, holding the other man's gaze.

  "That so? Seems I've been hearing you've had a few problems lately."

  "Really?" Chase said shaking his head slowly. "Funny thing those small-town rumor mills. Mostly inspired by jealousy, I guess."

  Worthington's grin never faded, though Chase knew he'd been hoping for a tale of woe about Paxton Construction's biggest project.

  "Say, I drove by the Milltown courthouse site the other day, and was surprised to see you're still doing foundation work," Andrew said. "I thought for sure you'd be working on the masonry by now. At least, that's what we figured our timetable to be when we bid the job."

  Chase didn't respond immediately. Holding the other man's eye for a long moment, he finally said, "Quality takes time, Andrew. The County wanted a building to last for generations, not a flashy shell that wouldn't stand for more than twenty years."

  The grin finally faltered. Chase watched as the other man's eyes narrowed and he took a slight step backward. Not unhappy that he’d finally pierced Andrew's jovial exterior, Chase nodded and gave him a broad smile. "Have a great time today. I think I'd better go check on the caterer."

  Feeling more buoyant than he had all day, Chase turned his back and walked to the food tent. Inside, a considerable crowd stood around long tables covered with all kinds of cold salads, condiments, breads and desserts.

  "Excuse me, sir," someone said. Chase turned to see a worker carrying a huge tray of steaming meats from the pit grill. Chase helped him position the tray in the center of the largest table, then glanced outside. Emerging from the nearby woods were Claudia and Melanie, who struggled to push the baby stroller over pine needles and knobby roots.

  “Hey, let me give you a hand with that,” he said as he jogged over to join them.

  “Thanks. I think Sarah figures she’s already been on one bouncy kiddie ride,” Melanie said as Chase lifted the stroller, grinning baby and all, and carried it to the edge of the lawn.

  “Yes, thank you,” Claudia murmured. “We didn’t mean to pull you away from your own party.”

  “There’s Ryan. I’m going to go tell him to lay off the potato salad. See you later," Melanie said as she hurried to greet her husband.

  Left alone with Chase and the baby, Claudia glanced around. A laughing crowd played volleyball, horseshoes and croquet. A huge child’s bouncer, shaped like a big pink dinosaur, was set up on the side of the house, and a line of at least twenty children waited outside for their turn to jump in it.

  “Goodness, you really do go all out for this thing,” Claudia said.

  Chase shrugged. “It seems to get bigger every year. It started out with just employees and their families, but now sub-contractors, customers, even competitors are invited. I thought about canceling, since things have been a little rough lately, but I figured everybody could use the morale boost."

  Claudia didn’t say a word when Chase absently stood behind the stroller and began pushing it across the lawn toward the house. Somehow, with his dark, muscular looks, she would have expected him to appear ill at ease pushing a baby stroller, but he seemed completely comfortable in the domestic chore.

  “So, are you settling in okay...in the house? And, of course, at work?” Chase asked.

  Amazed that he could be so nonchalant, considering they’d both avoided speaking about non work-related topics for several days, she followed his lead. Nodding, she replied, “Everything’s wonderful. Better than I could have imagined. The house is perfect for us, and work is challenging and exciting.”

  “I’m glad things have worked out so well. I know Dorien is very happy to have you living in the cottage.”

  “I think I understand her a little more, now,” Claudia said quietly. “She told me once, about why she and your grandfather built the cottage. From what you told me, about your mother...”

  “My mother would never have lived in that house. She shook the dust of this town off her boots when she was a teenager and would never have been able to come home again.”

  “Did you...never mind.”

  “Did I what?” he asked.

  “It’s none of my business,” Claudia stammered, uncomfortable with the question she’d been about to ask.

  “Look, I’m the one who brought it up,” Chase said, stopping and turning slightly toward her. “I’ve never gone around telling people my life story. As a matter of fact, you and Dorien are about the only two people in this town who know everything.”

  Startled, Claudia started at him and saw he was completely serious. For some reason, he’d chosen her to confide in, and she felt a strong sense of warmth at his obvious trust.

  “So, ask whatever you want,” he continued.

  “I was just wondering, did you hate her?”

  Claudia heard Chase draw in a sharp breath, and saw the taut muscles in his forearms tense as he gripped the stroller handle. He didn’t answer for the longest moment, and she mentally kicked herself for her nosiness. It wasn’t just nosiness, however; she was trying very hard to understand this man. And his life, his childhood, had made him the man he was today.

  “I suppose I did. For quite a while. But I loved her, too. I was confused for a lot of years.”

  “And now?”

  He appeared to think before answering, and it was quite a while before he said, “Now, I have a few fond memories of my life with her, I appreciate the lessons she taught me about making it in a tough world, and I wish she’d been able to use those lessons to help herself. I thank her for being sure Dorien and Hal, my grandfather, knew where to find me.”

  “Your grandparents must have loved her very dearly," Claudia replied softly.

  “I guess they did. My grandmother still goes to her grave every weekend and bullies me into going as often as possible, too.”

  “Is that...”

  “Yeah. That’s where I was headed the night I met you. Whenever Dorien goes to Pittsburgh to visit my grandfather’s grave at the military cemetery, she makes me promise to bring flowers to my mother’s. So, I guess me being there when you needed help so badly...maybe that’s something we can thank my mother for.”

  Chase smiled at her, a genuine, sweet smile, and Claudia felt the world shift. Something moved. Somewhere, her reality, her perception of herself and her life, altered with this one smile, and the echoes of his words in her ears. Whatever she’d felt about this man before, the indescribable attraction, the deep sensuous fantasies she’d had, were now overshadowed by a wave of tenderness that washed over her and touched her deep in her heart.

  “Thank you for confiding in me.”

  Chase’s smile faded slowly, but his gaze remained warm and gentle. “You’re very easy to talk to.”

  Claudia watched his face, watched his wide, sensuous mouth form the words he spoke, but she barely heard him. All she could think about were the way those lips would feel against her skin, how the husky whisper would flow so lightly above her flesh, tickling her, heightening her senses. She couldn’t tear her stare away from his face, and watched as his eyes narrowed slightly, and his lips parted to take a few panting breaths.

  He knew. He knew what she was thinking. Again.

  Claudia realized there were probably a hundred people just twenty feet away. She was aware Chase was her boss, and her neighbor, and the last person in the world she should get involved with. But what she wanted more than anything was for him to lean forward the few inches separating them and kiss her until her bones melted.

  “Here you two are. Melanie sent me over to help.”

  Claudia smothered a sigh as Ryan joined them. He obviously didn’t realize he’d intruded on them. Claudia didn’t know whether to curse his interruption or bless it. The moment had been altogether too provocative, so maybe it was best interrupted.

 
“So, seems everyone’s talking about the Milltown court project. Any new thoughts on the matter, boss?” Ryan said as they ambled toward the other picnickers.

  “I’m working a few angles,” Chase admitted.

  “I wish I could find some way to help you with your troubles,” Claudia interjected. “I have been playing around with a little program to calculate some incentives...”

  “Forget it, Red,” Chase said brusquely. “Just stay out of it.”

  “I was only trying to help,” she retorted.

  “Just do your job and let other people do theirs, all right?”

  Nodding her head once, she replied, with as much cold dignity as she could muster, “Of course, Mr. Paxton. I would never want to over-step the boundaries of my position. Excuse me, won’t you? I think I see Melanie waving to me.”

  Not waiting for his answer, she grabbed the handle of the stroller and pushed it away from Chase and Ryan. Melanie stood with a group near the volleyball net, and Claudia made her way toward her, determined not to look back over her shoulder to see if Chase watched her grand exit.

  Claudia managed to avoid Chase for most of the day. Though at first she’d intended to stay only long enough to appear a real team player, sometime in the mid-afternoon she realized she was actually enjoying herself. Melanie and Ryan were wonderful, as usual, and she spent a good bit of time with Annie and her boyfriend. The younger woman fussed over Sarah, casting sidelong glances at her date. Claudia suppressed her amusement at Annie’s obvious hinting.

  Another surprise of the day came when she felt a pair of masculine hands clap over her eyes from behind. Claudia was so startled that she nearly dropped the glass of lemonade she was holding.

  “Knock it off, Ryan," she said with a laugh.

  The person leaned close, whispering in her ear, “Guess again.”

  Claudia didn’t recognize the voice.

  “I don’t particularly care for guessing games,” she said coolly, concerned some worker had had a few too many beers and was looking to make a strong first impression.

  “It’s me, Claude,” the man said.