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He crossed the footbridge to the popular Rose Garden.
A breeze blew. The sweet scent of roses wafted in the air.
Tristan preferred taking pictures of people, not scenery. Faces, and especially eyes, told a story in a way landscape couldn’t. A photographer took pictures of nouns—persons, places or things. A photojournalist captured verbs—action verbs—in a single image.
But the bursts of color coming from the circular tiered flowerbeds had him reaching for his camera anyway. His mother loved roses. He couldn’t pass up this opportunity to take pictures for her, especially with her birthday next month.
As he moved toward the fountain, Tristan zoomed in on a nearby blossom—a lush orange rose that reminded him of the sky at sunset.
Satisfied he’d captured the image, Tristan looked around. An arbor covered with white roses. A gray-haired couple holding hands next to a yellow rosebush. And…
Pink.
Tristan did a double-take.
A tall, graceful figure stood among the full round blossoms. Her shirt was the same pale pink as the petals. She should have faded into the background, but she didn’t. If anything, she seemed to be an extension of the flowers.
The play of light and shadow had him composing a long shot.
And what a shot.
Waist-length chestnut hair gleamed beneath the sun’s rays like oiled teak, a complete contrast to the soft, warm shapes and pastel colors surrounding her.
Captivated by the scene, he took picture after picture.
She seemed oblivious to him, so he moved to shoot her from different angles. He drew closer for a medium shot, but that wasn’t enough.
Tristan zoomed in on her face.
Large blue eyes framed by lush lashes focused on the delicate petals of a single rose. His pulse kicked up. He snapped a picture.
Full, pink-as-a-rosebud lips curved into a wide smile. His mouth wanted a taste of hers. He pressed the shutter button.
She bent to smell the rose. The scooped neckline of her shirt fell away, giving him a tantalizing view of ivory flesh and a white lace bra.
Nice—very nice.
And hot.
She straightened and smoothed her above the knee skirt.
Great long legs, too.
He widened the shot, squeezed off more photos and moved to intercept her. No way would he let this opportunity escape him.
Forget about asking for a model release. He wanted her.
“Hello,” Tristan said.
Not exactly the most memorable of lines, but she’d rendered him speechless and short-circuited his brain. Rare feats. Ones he hadn’t experienced in over a decade.
“Hi.” Her sparkling blue eyes nearly knocked him off his feet. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Great line. Tristan didn’t believe in love at first sight, but lust at first sight was another story. He curved his lips into a devastating grin—one that usually got him whatever he wanted. “I’m Tristan MacGregor.”
“It’s so nice to meet you.” She stepped toward him, extended her arm and clasped his hand with hers. A burst of heat shot through his veins. “I’m Jayne Cavendish. Rich’s fiancée.”
Chapter Two
Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up, please…
Sunday afternoon. Jayne tightened her grip on the phone receiver. She wanted to talk to someone about what had happened at the teahouse yesterday, but hadn’t been able to reach any of her friends yet.
She paced across the living room.
How could she have not seen Rich for who he was?
But Jayne knew the answer. She’d let her desire for a happily-ever-after cloud her judgment. Never again.
Still, the familiar feeling of being a crumpled aluminum can tossed in the recycle bin was back. She’d been discarded, replaced by something else—someone better. If only she hadn’t been so trusting, so naïve
The line clicked. Thank goodness.
“Hi. This is Molly. I can’t get to the phone right now…”
Jayne’s heart dropped to the tips of her bare feet.
No, no, no, no, no.
She didn’t want to hear Molly’s recorded voice. Jayne had already listened to Alex’s cellphone message two hours ago. And she knew Serena was busy today.
A beep blared.
“Hey, Molly, it’s me. Jayne,” she added, as if one of her best friends and former roommate could have forgotten her name.
She winced. What a loser.
“Um. Call me when you get this. If…you know…you have time.”
Jayne hit the “off” button and slammed the receiver in its charger.
Okay, that was totally pathetic. Nothing new, but pathetic just the same.
What was wrong with her?
Too bad Jayne knew the answer.
She needed to get out more. She needed to make new friends. She needed to get a life.
A twenty-eight-year-old woman needed more to fill her days than checking off items on her “To Do” list. Not that there was anything wrong with being home, but too much time alone wasn’t good for her. Today was a prime example. She’d already organized her sock drawer, clipped the Sunday coupons and played enough games of Spider Solitaire to make her eyes cross. If she weren’t careful, she’d wind up like her next-door neighbor, grandmotherly Mrs. Whitcomb, who loved to eavesdrop as she sat on her porch, and offered cookies to passersby in order to learn the latest gossip.
Jayne bit her lip.
Maybe she needed a hobby or a pet. She missed being welcomed home by Rocky, Molly’s dog. A puppy would be too much work with Jayne’s job, but a rescue dog—a housebroken one—might be a better choice. The yard was fenced. She’d have to talk with Molly, since this was her house, and see what she thought.
A knock at the door sounded.
Jayne’s heart leaped.
She had no idea who it could be, but even a kid selling magazines to go to band camp would be a respite from the lonely quiet. She hurried across the gleaming hardwood floor, unlocked the deadbolt and whipped open the door. A tall, attractive man, dressed in a black T-shirt and faded blue jeans, stood on the “Welcome” mat.
Her mouth dropped open.
He was hot. Really hot. And vaguely familiar.
She pressed her lips together. In fact, he looked a little like…Just like…“Tristan?”
“Hello, Jayne.”
His easy smile caught her like a softball under her ribs. She’d never expected to see Rich’s best friend—his best man—again. In fact, she’d pretty much forgotten about Tristan MacGregor during the aftermath of the breakup. But now…
He seemed taller, his shoulders wider. Had he always had such intense green eyes?
Unwelcome awareness trickled through her. Oh, my.
His sun-streaked hair had grown longer. Whisker stubble covered his face. He should have looked scruffy, but Tristan didn’t. With his long lashes, full, kissable lips and high cheekbones, he looked ruggedly handsome and dangerously sexy.
Jayne swallowed.
Not sexy. Bad-boy types didn’t appeal to her. She preferred clean-cut, fresh-shaven, all-American types. Men like…
Rich.
He’d seemed so perfect—a handsome, stable firefighter, with a big family who all lived here in San Diego. But he hadn’t been perfect. Far from it.
He’d let her down in every way possible, making her feel so stupid for rushing into the relationship and marriage. She hadn’t spoken to her ex-fiancé since that night at his apartment. His last words to her had been, “Guess the wedding’s off.” He hadn’t even given her the chance to break up with him. She’d received no explanation, no apology, nothing.
Now Rich’s best friend was standing here. Alarms sounded in her head. “Why are you…?”
Tristan pulled something from a back pocket. Serena’s postcard, Jayne saw with surprise. He handed it to her. “Grace asked me to return this to you.”
“I must have forgotten it at the teahouse,” Jayne said, thinking aloud. She rubbed her thumb along the edge of the postcard, remembering how quickly she had fled yesterday. “But why didn’t Grace…?”
An image of Rich’s oldest sister making her way across the tearoom flashed in Jayne’s mind. Others, including his new fiancée, would have noticed.
“Grace couldn’t come herself,” Jayne said.
“She didn’t want to upset Deidre.”
Deidre. So that was her name.
Jayne couldn’t believe Rich was already getting married when she hadn’t even started dating again. Granted, he’d had a head start. Still, it seemed…wrong.
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I understand Grace has to put her family first. I wouldn’t expect any less of her. She’s always done the right thing for as long as I’ve known her.”
Which hadn’t been all that long, Jayne realized.
“Doing the right thing isn’t always easy,” Tristan said, as nosy, white-haired Mrs. Whitcomb exited the house next door and sat on her porch rocking chair. Her little dog Duke, a black and white Papillion, hopped on her lap.
Jayne waved at her elderly neighbor, who raised her cup of coffee in acknowledgement.
“Would you mind if we talked inside?” Tristan asked.
She took a quick, sharp breath. “You want to come in?”
He nodded.
“Um, sure.”
But she wasn’t sure about anything except for Mrs. Whitcomb’s pastime of spying on neighbors. Jayne could only imagine what her neighbor would think of her inviting a strange, attractive man into the house, but she’d rather do that than talk within range of eager ears.
Tristan showing up out of blue left Jayne feeling off-balance. The guy had never been friendly or sought conversation with her. She didn’t know why he wanted to start now. “If you really want to come in, okay, but please don’t feel obligated. I mean, you returned the postcard. Mission accomplished.”
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you,” he said.
Apprehension coursed through her. She knew better than to trust a friend of Rich’s. “Why?”
“Grace is worried about you.”
Grace, huh? The tension knotting Jayne’s shoulders eased slightly.
“Come in.” She opened the door wider. “But you should know there’s no reason for Grace to worry about me. I’m fine.”
“Glad to hear it.” His voice was low and smooth. “Then I won’t have to waste a lot of your time.”
“How is Grace doing?” Jayne asked. “It must almost be time for the baby to be born.”
“Past time, but she’s enjoying being with her other two kids, so she’s happy.”
“That sounds like Grace.”
As Tristan walked past Jayne, the scents of earthy male and salt filled her nostrils. Quite a difference from the hyacinth potpourri she was used to smelling in the bungalow. She preferred the floral scent. “I appreciate you going out of your way to do this, but I’m sure you have somewhere else to be.”
He stood in her living room, making the area feel cramped. “No, I’m free the rest of the day.”
As she closed the door, Jayne hoped he didn’t plan on staying long. Sure, she might have the company she’d been longing for, but Tristan wasn’t who she had in mind. All she wanted was to get this visit over with. “Sorry you got roped into this by Grace.”
“I’m not.”
