He tried not to remember how much that hurt, as well. “After Julia died, my vice presidents banded together, running things so efficiently that it became apparent I wasn’t needed for the day-to-day operations.”
“Won’t you miss it?” she asked softly. “It’s been a big part of your life.”
More than she could possibly know. “I’m not content to glide along on past accomplishments.” He forced enthusiasm into his voice, guessing otherwise the words would ring with empty truth. “I need something new, something challenging.”
“And you can find that in Rosewood?” Cindy asked skeptically.
Flynn managed a reasonable chuckle. “Aren’t you being a bit snobbish about your adopted home?”
“Not at all. Just realistic. We’re a long way from boardrooms and stock quotes.”
“Not as far as you think. With the Internet, you can be in Iceland and have as much access to Wall Street as anyone in New York. But I just want the right place to retreat, one where I can recoup, try to start again.”
Her expression softened. “I know it’s been difficult for you. I miss Julia terribly every day. I remember her laugh, her way of making the worst situation bearable.” Cindy met his eyes. “It must be far worse for you—especially trying to be mother and father to the girls. But the important thing is that the girls do have you. The rest will come in time.”
Uncharacteristic doubt assailed him as it had since Julia had died. “You’re so sure?”
Cindy took a deep breath, the green of her eyes deepening to near emerald. He wondered at the emotion that skittered across her face. “As sure as any one person can be. The Lord never gives us burdens that are heavier than we can bear.”
He shrugged impatiently, thinking her talk of faith must be her latest fad, one that would no doubt be forgotten soon. He knew from experience that she’d be better off without that treacherous fantasy. “Church seems like ancient history.”
She searched his eyes. “That’s too bad. You won’t find anything more relevant and timely.”
He glanced at his watch. “Speaking of time, would you like to go with me to meet the Realtor? After all, you recommended Linda Baker. Besides, you know the town. You can steer me away from any lemons.”
The edge of her mouth curled upward. “Kind of takes the adventure out of the process, doesn’t it?”
“You’ve forgotten, Cindy. I don’t care for adventure.”
Cindy hadn’t forgotten. She’d simply pushed that truth to the back of her consciousness. Along with the cache of emotions Flynn Mallory created. While he waited in her parlor, Cindy reached for a change of clothes, remembering the first time she’d met him.
She and Julia were at a party. Spotting Flynn Mallory, Cindy knew immediately that everything about him seemed larger than life. From his shock of unruly chestnut hair to the fire in his dark eyes, to the fierceness of his determination. She had never met anyone like him. Immediately she was attracted to his strength and purpose. Unlike the other young men in the group, he had a maturity and confidence that set him apart. Cindy hadn’t doubted from the moment she met him that he would succeed. Everything about him said he wouldn’t allow anything less.
She’d been equally determined to make him hers.
And that remained one of the foremost failures in her life.
After she and Flynn had shared one electrifying gaze that she still couldn’t forget, Cindy had fallen hard and fast. Unable to still what had momentarily flowed between them, in the ensuing weeks Cindy had employed every trick she knew to interest him. Not because she wanted a mild flirtation, but because she had truly fallen in love with him.
But the more bizarre and outlandish her efforts, the more he withdrew. She and Julia saw him often in their social circle. But Flynn began to concentrate on Julia. He clearly valued Julia’s stability and desire to have a family.
And despite his initial attraction to Cindy, he seemed determined to ignore the adventure she craved. And that was something she’d never understood. For it seemed the fire in his eyes matched hers. It was the first and only time she’d ever felt that way about a man.
Even though it broke her heart, she backed off when he and Julia became serious. And she steadfastly accepted the position of maid of honor for Julia, cheerfully organizing showers, parties and wedding breakfasts.
If there were tears beneath the smiles, no one knew. And Cindy told herself that her feelings for Flynn would fade. That in time, she would come to view him as a brother. But that hadn’t happened.
Instead, to extricate herself from the situation, a few months after the wedding she had moved to Rosewood where her best friend, Katherine Blake Carlson, was the pastor of the community church.
In the time that followed, Cindy had seen her sister far less frequently than she would have liked. She made sure she visited when Flynn was away on business, keeping the pain at bay. When she did occasionally run into him, it all rushed back, though. He was unfailingly polite when they met, but she could tell that despite the passage of time he still saw her as flighty, unfocused. And she didn’t try to change that opinion. It didn’t really matter anymore.
Yet his tie to Julia and subsequent place in their family remained an unhealed wound. So Rosewood became Cindy’s escape, her place of peace.
And now Flynn Mallory was shattering that to bits.
Cindy shook back her hair, added earrings, then picked up her purse, feeling strangely nervous about being in Flynn’s company.
For an instant she remembered his startling phone call a month earlier—the one that promised to change her life and threaten her secure existence. She’d wanted nothing more than to ask him to stay away—not to move to Rosewood. But she couldn’t deny her nieces a chance for happiness. If she truly could help them, she wouldn’t put her own concerns ahead of theirs.
And it was nothing short of a miracle that Flynn had asked for her help. It was a complete turnaround for him…and a point she couldn’t stop questioning. Why, why was he doing this?
Taking a breath, Cindy stepped through the expansive arched doorway that led into the parlor. Flynn turned just then. And despite her best intentions, she caught her breath.
He stepped forward and she exhaled, praying silently for strength.
“I’m ready,” she announced, forcing cheerfulness into her tone.
When he glanced at her, she wondered if it was disapproval she saw registering in his expression. Self-consciously, she smoothed the soft fabric of her long, flowing, deep purple skirt. Belatedly it occurred to her that the choice might be a bit wild for Flynn. Julia had always dressed and acted much more conservatively. Their parents’ death had stolen Julia’s sense of adventure. Cindy had reacted in just the opposite fashion—she needed excitement and new challenges to feel alive. But then everything about her had been too wild for Flynn.
She tried not to dwell on that as they walked outside and settled into his SUV. Once inside it, however, her nervousness increased. The spacious vehicle seemed oddly intimate.
“So, what do you think of Rosewood?” she asked, trying to chase away her nerves.
He shrugged as he handed her the directions Linda had given him. “Haven’t seen much of it yet.”
“There’s a lot of history here, but not anything too high-tech.”
“You have electricity and phone lines?”
She blinked. “Of course.” Then she realized he was teasing. “Except on candle day, of course.”
He took