Jodie unbuckled her daughter’s seat belt. Penny looked up, a sunny smile on her little face. “New daddy, Mama?”
The tight ache in Jodie’s chest eased. Penny embraced life with a joyful exuberance. She didn’t worry or fuss or think about what might have been. And unlike her brother, she was thrilled about the prospect of getting a new father.
“Maybe, sweetheart.”
“Bye, Penny,” said an elderly couple as they edged past them in the airplane aisle. They weren’t the first to say goodbye—half their fellow passengers had stopped to say something before disembarking.
Jodie looked at her daughter and shook her head, laughing. Penny collected new friends the way some people collected baseball cards.
“Come on, munchkin. Let’s get out of here. Go with your brother.”
Tadd took his sister’s hand, leading the two-year-old down the aisle and out of the plane. As they stepped into the terminal, Jodie looked around, searching for the man whose picture she’d studied a hundred times.
There he is.
At least she thought it was him. The man standing a few yards away seemed different—more defined than his photograph, more mature and sensual than she’d imagined he would be. Her heart beat faster.
Just nerves, she rationalized. She’d never been a mail-order bride before. Even now she could hardly believe she was doing anything so unconventional. Anyway, she should feel attracted to her future husband, even if she wasn’t in love with him. There was nothing wrong with warmth and a pleasant tingle, as long as they were mixed with mutual respect.
Right?
Gritting her teeth, Jodie put a brake on her thoughts. She was mentally babbling, something that happened when she got nervous.
The man straightened and locked gazes with her for a long minute. He seemed to be waiting for something and Jodie wondered if he was feeling the same quick rush of awareness.
“That’s him,” Tadd muttered. “The accountant.”
Penny dropped her brother’s hand. “Daddy,” she shrieked happily. She ran full tilt at the stranger and threw her arms around his leg.
A startled expression crossed his face. “Well…hello, there.” He disengaged Penny’s grip on his thigh and lifted her in his arms. She patted his cheek and gave him a noisy kiss.
Jodie smiled. Maybe her daughter had the right idea. Rather than standing around waiting for an awkward introduction, she should just give him a kiss and see what happened.
Putting the suitcases on the ground, Jodie stepped closer. A long time ago she’d been just as impulsive as Penny, just as enthusiastic about life. She drew on those memories now, to give her courage.
“Hi,” she murmured. Warm, golden brown eyes looked at her, equal amounts of surprise and question in their depths. “I’m glad to finally meet you.”
Before she could think better of it, Jodie slid her hand behind the back of his head and tugged. After a split second of hesitation, his firm lips moved over hers. There was a faint flavor of mint and coffee in the kiss and she instinctively drew a breath.
It was good, almost too good. The shiver that went to her tummy had nothing to do with fear. She’d dated a few times in the past year, but none of those men had made her feel a tenth this much response. Maybe it was a good omen.
Or maybe she should be scared out of her socks.
A second later he lifted his head and stared into her face. “I—uh.” He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I’m not who you think.”
She’d kissed a perfect stranger?
Heat burned Jodie’s cheeks and she stepped back quickly. “I’m terribly sorry. You look just like…that is, I was expecting…Never mind. Come here, munchkin,” she said, holding her arms out to Penny. Unfortunately her daughter was clinging to the man’s neck like a limpet.
“Don’t apologize. I always enjoy kissing a beautiful woman, and I got lucky today with two of them,” he murmured, turning his head to give Penny a light kiss on her cheek.
“Oh.” The compliment flustered Jodie. “That’s nice, but we’re supposed to be meeting someone. Let go of him, Penny.”
“Daddy,” Penny insisted.
“No, this isn’t Daddy…er, Cole. Remember, we—we’re just here to visit,” she stuttered, non-plussed with both embarrassment and confusion. This whole thing had to sound insane to a stranger, and she wasn’t too sure it didn’t sound insane to her as well.
“No, my daddy.” Ninety-nine percent of the time Penny was sweetly good-natured, but in the remaining one percent she was pure stubbornness.
“It’s complicated,” she said to the man, feeling she should explain why her daughter thought a stranger was her daddy.
“It usually is.” Donovan looked at his brother’s bride-to-be and swore silently. How could Cole put him in a position like this? Okay, so Cole had gotten a last-minute chance to join a climb on Mount McKinley. Surely the arrival of his prospective wife was a little more important.
As for the youngsters? As usual, Cole had left out a few details—like the fact Jodie Richards would be arriving with a couple of kids.
Donovan surveyed Jodie again, fighting an edgy, masculine awareness. She was slim and not too tall, with the lithe, supple grace of a cat. A green silk blouse and skirt outlined her feminine curves to perfection. For all her cool elegance, he could sense the fire burning beneath her polished surface—a fire he shouldn’t have any interest in exploring. If only she hadn’t kissed him. Then he wouldn’t feel so…uncomfortable.
Shocked at the direction of his thoughts, Donovan cleared his throat. “Actually, I’m Cole’s brother, Donovan Masters,” he explained belatedly. “Pleased to meet you.”
Her eyes blinked. “I thought Cole would be here.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a long story. I’ll explain on the way.”
“On the way? Where are we going?”
Doubt had replaced the embarrassed flush in her face, and Donovan sighed. Cole owed him big-time for this favor. Of course, only Cole would write to a woman he’d never met, then propose marriage after a few letters.
“Uh…let’s get a cup of coffee,” Donovan murmured. “I’ll explain everything.” He glanced at the child in his arms and the solemn boy at Jodie’s elbow. “You guys feel like a milk shake?”
The little girl nodded emphatically. She was a mirror image of her mother, from the cat-green eyes to the gold silk of her hair.
“Obviously you’ve already met Penny,” Jodie said quickly. She urged the dark-haired boy forward. “And this is my son, Tadd.”
“Hello, Tadd.” Donovan set Penny on the floor so he could shake hands with the reluctant boy. They were nice-looking kids, though undoubtedly Tadd took after his father. There was nothing in his brown eyes and olive skin that resembled the feminine side of the family.
“Are you an accountant, too, Mr. Masters?”
Donovan’s eyebrows shot upward at the boy’s hostile tone.
“That’s enough,” Jodie ordered quickly. Donovan Masters would think her son was a rude little monster, and it wasn’t true. As a rule, Tadd was very well behaved; his grandfather made certain of that. She unconsciously winced at the thought of her father. General Thaddeus McBride was a career air force officer who treated his family with the same rigid discipline he drilled into his flight crews.
“Actually, I’m a pilot,” Donovan murmured.