Her Wickham Falls Seal. Rochelle Alers

to give you a kiss.” The dog looked up at her as if he understood what she was saying. “I’m going to hold you for a little while longer, then I have to put up several loads of laundry and begin packing, because I have to go back to New York. But I will be back, and this time to stay.” Any prior apprehension she’d had about relocating had vanished, and she now looked forward to starting over with a new position in a new state.

      * * *

      Aiden felt as if the first time he’d stood on the porch waiting for Taryn to arrive was on rerun. It had been almost three weeks since she sat in the kitchen sharing breakfast with him. She had updated him as to what she had purchased for the classroom: the desks, chairs, bookcases, worktables, a supply closet, beanbag chairs, cots, white boards and bulletin boards; all of the items were scheduled to be delivered to his home the next day. The black Pathfinder came into view at the same time he came down off the porch.

      He signaled for her to pull into the driveway next to his SUV. She cut off the engine and Aiden opened the driver’s-side door. He held out his arms and wasn’t disappointed when she rested her hands on his shoulders as he assisted her down.

      “Welcome home.”

      Aiden couldn’t pull his eyes away from her face as he drank in her natural beauty. He had welcomed her back because she would now share his home. He had told his daughters about Taryn, and once they returned to Wickham Falls, they should be prepared to begin school. Spending their days playing with each other and visiting their cousins would become a thing of the past. They had to begin their formal education before they fell too far behind their contemporaries.

      Taryn lowered her eyes, smiling. “Thank you.”

      He peered inside the Pathfinder. Boxes filled every inch of the cargo area. “What on earth did you buy?”

      She tapped a button on the remote and the hatch opened. “Not all of the boxes are filled with school supplies. Only the ones marked CLASSROOM.”

      Taryn had had her clothes, sewing machine and school supplies shipped to Jessica’s house ahead of her return. Her leaving New York hadn’t been without melodrama—especially from her mother. Mildred Robinson had questioned whether Taryn knew what she was doing, while suggesting her running away had to do with her being constantly reminded of James’s duplicity whenever she encountered his current lover. Taryn had given up trying to convince her mother that she had gotten over James and let her go on and on as to how she allowed one man to turn her off of the opposite sex. And the night before her departure, her mom came into her bedroom and confessed that she hadn’t wanted her to leave because since moving back home, she had gotten used to having her daughter around.

      She had reminded her they would still live in the same time zone and if she decided to fly to Wickham Falls, it would take approximately three hours. Her explanation seemed to pacify her mother, even though it hadn’t stopped the older woman from shedding tears when it came time for Taryn to leave; her mother hadn’t been that emotional when she and her dad drove Taryn to college as an incoming freshman.

      Taryn waited for Aiden to stack boxes and carry them inside the house before lifting a wheeled Pullman and carryon with her clothes and personal items and following him. Aiden had welcomed her home and she felt as if she was home. Her first order of business was putting her personal style on the bedroom suite before she unpacked the school supplies.

      She had five days to organize the classroom before Allison and Livia arrived, and she’d decided to give them time to reconnect with their father before beginning instruction. Taryn returned to the vehicle to remove two quilted totes at the same time Aiden cradled a trio of boxes against his chest. “Show-off,” she said, winking at him.

      “If you’d eaten your spinach this morning, you’d be able lift more than five pounds.”

      She scrunched up her nose and pushed out her lips. “For your information, I had a spinach-and-feta omelet this morning.” Once the jet reached cruising speed, the in-flight chef had prepared breakfast for the eight passengers. A car service awaited her when the plane touched down in Charleston at ten, and when she arrived in Wickham Falls, she found the Pathfinder loaded with everything she’d had shipped to the Middleton residence. The night before, Sawyer sent her a text indicating he’d loaded her vehicle, but wouldn’t be there to meet her because he and Jessica would’ve left for school.

      Aiden shifted the boxes. “Don’t worry about coming out again. I’ll bring in the rest.”

      Taryn wasn’t going to argue with him; she was anxious to settle in and begin decorating the would-be classroom before the furniture arrived. When she’d left The Falls, the snow had begun melting when temperatures rose above freezing, which had now returned to an unseasonable sixty degrees. She had dressed in layers and she couldn’t wait to shower and change into something cooler. Stripping off the sweatshirt and long-sleeve T-shirt, Taryn made quick work of emptying the luggage and hanging up jackets, coats, suits and dresses. Her summer clothes were in under-the-bed storage containers. She had also downsized her closet and donated clothes she hadn’t worn in more than a year.

      “Where do you want these?”

      Taryn turned to find Aiden holding the storage containers. He looked at her as if she was an intruder and when she saw the direction of his eyes, she realized he was staring at her chest. The sheer plum-colored camisole with a built-in bra revealed a lot of flesh, but the strategically placed embroidered black lace flowers over her nipples provided a modicum of modesty. “Please leave them by the door.”

      * * *

      Aiden swallowed to relieve the dryness in his throat. When he’d walked into Taryn’s bedroom, he had not expected to see her wearing the revealing top. His body betrayed him, while reminding him of how long it had been since he’d slept with a woman. Placing the containers on the floor, he backed out of the suite, walked stiffly back to the kitchen, slumped down onto the bench seat at the breakfast nook and waited for his erection to go down.