Picket Fence Surprise Read online

  They weren’t expecting this...

  Heather Jacobs has a lot in common with Xander Sorenson: they’ve each got a great kid they adore, and neither of their paths to parenthood started out easy. So he’s the perfect guy to help her with her plan to seek joint custody of her daughter. But the perfect guy for her? Not so much, especially when she’s not convinced his reckless ways are behind him. Plus, he brings out a side of her that she’d rather keep in check. And then the impossible happens...

  When was the last time that had happened?

  Not just the laughter, but the ease, the banter, the feeling that it was okay to be himself? Xander couldn’t remember. The only certainty was that he had missed it. He liked it.

  And even though he knew it was a bad idea, he wanted to know what else might go so well between Heather and him.

  And from the way she suddenly wouldn’t meet his gaze as she walked him to the door, he had a feeling that she might be doing some wanting and wondering of her own.

  “Thanks again,” she said, her tone oddly formal after their earlier laughter. “You’ve been a lifesaver with this.”

  “My pleasure. And thanks for dinner. Cajun-blackened stir-fry has never tasted so good.”

  Her laugh this time was a little higher, a little more strained. Like she was...nervous. Maybe a little shy.

  Maybe a little uncertain as to what should happen when they reached the door.

  Dear Reader:

  I have a confession: I never intended for Xander to have his own book.

  When I introduced him in A Family Come True, he was simply someone who had to be there, the catalyst that put the story in gear. (True story: his name is Xander because all through the first draft of that book, he was simply X.) He was supposed to show up when I needed him, do his part and disappear.

  Except he never got the memo. And he kept horning his way into scenes. And then Piya Campana (aka Editor Extraordinaire) dropped a not-so-subtle hint that she would love to see his story.

  Once that decision was made, the next question was to find the right partner for him. I auditioned a number of characters for the part but none felt right. Who would have the insight and experience to get involved with someone with Xander’s background? At last I realized that the only woman who could truly understand Xander was one who had something even more challenging in her history. With that, it became abundantly clear that there was only one possible match for him in all of Comeback Cove.

  I hope you enjoy Xander’s story! Please visit me at www.krisfletcher.com to sign up for my newsletter, learn about upcoming books and stay caught up with everything happening in Comeback Cove.

  Yours,

  Kris

  KRIS

  FLETCHER

  Picket Fence Surprise

  Kris Fletcher would like you to believe that her children’s science-fair volcanoes were all perfectly sculpted from papier-mâché, but the truth is that the mashed-potato episode of this book just might have a basis in fact. Ahem.

  Kris grew up in Southern Ontario, went to school in Nova Scotia, married a man from Maine and now lives in central New York. She shares her very messy home with her husband, some of their many kids, two Facebook-fodder cats and a growing population of dust bunnies.

  Books by Kris Fletcher

  HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE

  Comeback Cove, Canada

  A Better Father

  Now You See Me

  Dating a Single Dad

  A Family Come True

  Other titles by this author available in ebook format.

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  This book is dedicated to two very special individuals who taught me lessons that changed my heart.

  To Kelli-Lee Howie, who helped me remember that there is so much more to this writing gig than daily pages and deadlines. It was my honor and privilege to learn from you.

  And to my nephew Shawn-Man, who started our relationship down a whole new road with a simple Facebook question about writing. Our talks made me remember the joy and excitement of being a new writer and reminded me that words can open worlds. You showed me that courage, imagination and Fruity Pebbles can take us anywhere. Walking may indeed be overrated, but oh, sweetie, how I hope you’re dancing now.

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  EXCERPT FROM WISHES AT FIRST LIGHT BY JOANNE ROCK

  CHAPTER ONE

  “MOMMY, I’VE DECIDED what I want for my birthday.”

  Heather Jacobs paused in her conversation to focus on her daughter. Not that she had much choice: Millie had wrapped herself around Heather’s waist much like an octopus would wrap itself around lunch.

  “Millie, I’m talking. You’re supposed to say ‘Excuse me,’ and wait.”

  “I’m sorry. But it’s so perfect, and I’ve been thinking about it forever and I just have to tell you about it now!”

  Heather glanced across the top of Millie’s head and shared a look of empathy with her friend Xander Sorenson, a fellow single parent and her main link to sanity at these extended family gatherings.

  “Who else needs an apology from you?”

  Millie wriggled with impatience, but offered a sincere, “Sorry, Mr. Sorenson.”

  “Accepted.” He tugged on the end of Millie’s ponytail, narrowly missing the bright blue ribbon that Heather had woven into the curls to mark the festive occasion—the birthday party of Xander’s daughter, Cady. “So what’s such a perfect present that you figured it out already? Isn’t your birthday in the fall?”

  “October 29. Almost Halloween. And, Mommy, what I want is...” Millie clasped her hands in front of her, twisting them together. “What I really want more than anything is for you and Daddy to share me more. Like Mr. Sorenson and Aunt Darcy share Cady.”

  So much for Heather’s lifelong certainty that it was impossible for a jaw to actually drop.

  It wasn’t that the question was unwelcome. On the contrary, it probably ranked right up there with Millie’s just-birthed howl, or the first time she’d said Mama. Heather had been yearning to hear those words, or a variation thereof, for almost nine long and lonely years.

  But why had Millie chosen to make her request in the middle of a birthday party that was almost entirely populated by members of her ex’s very large, very nosy family?

  Parenting Truth Number 614: Kids will always find the worst possible time to ask you anything.

  And Heather had thought it was rough explaining tampon dispensers in public bathrooms.

  “Mommy? Did you hear me?”

  Thankfully, most of the adults in attendance were busy blowing bubbles for the pint-size guests. The back lawn of the North family home, usually an expanse of green reaching from the house to the bank of the St. Lawrence River, was today dotted with clumps of toddlers, their parents and enough ba
lloons to decimate the world’s helium supply. No one was within hearing distance.

  No one, that was, except Xander, her fellow North family outlier. Who, being no dummy, immediately shoved his hands in his pockets and began backing away.

  “You know, I’m pretty sure I should be flipping burgers or something.”

  Heather did a mental eye roll. Not five minutes ago, he had joined her beneath a towering maple, brushing glitter from his hair and shoulders—he’d been under the piñata when it had surrendered—and making jokes about getting out of the sun before he turned into a disco ball.

  The truth, Heather suspected, was that he—like she—had needed a moment away from the crowd. The Norths were a large and loving family, one that didn’t hesitate to fold newcomers and outliers—and even exes such as herself—into their midst. It was one of their better characteristics. But for those not accustomed to the family, the effect could be most charitably described as overwhelming.

  She waved him away, expecting him to escape as fast as his long legs could take him. But after two steps, he stopped and turned back.

  “You know,” he said, “I heard there’s a turtle that’s been making an appearance near the dock these days. You guys might have time to catch it before lunch.”

  “A turtle? Cool! Come on, Mom!”

  Millie grabbed Heather’s hand and half dragged her across the lawn. The parts of Heather’s brain not occupied with making sure she didn’t trip over a clump of weeds sent a mental message of thanks toward Xander. He’d bought her both time and distance, and did it in a way that was guaranteed to ensure that Millie the junior scientist would be too excited to see how she’d been played.

  Thankfully, the wild flight halted as they approached the shore, where Millie cautioned Heather to move slowly and quietly. They crept to the spot Millie decreed was the perfect place for a turtle to approach. Moments later, Heather found herself sprawled on the dock, her belly warmed by the sun-kissed boards and the back of her neck already tingling in a way that made her wish she’d applied more sun block. But early June was too soon for her summer instincts to have kicked in.

  “We can’t stay too long,” she cautioned. “We’ll get burned.”

  “I know.” Millie spoke absently, inching forward to peer into the water. “I don’t see anything. I wonder if it’s here?”

  “Mills...” Heather hesitated, unsure how to begin.

  Parenting Truth Number 471: Let the kid set the pace.

  “Mills, when you said you want me and Daddy to share you—what do you mean?”

  “Well, you know, Jason in my class, he spends a week with his mom and then a week with his dad. He’s always forgetting his homework at the wrong house, but he still has to do it.”

  “Of course.”

  “So I wondered how come he got to do it that way, but I only get to be with you a little. And then at Easter, we were hunting for eggs and Cady was here and I remembered that she gets to do something like that with her mom and dad, so I—Whoa! Did you see that?”

  Millie pointed toward a series of circles rippling through the water from a spot a couple of arm’s lengths off the deck. She pushed herself forward enough that Heather grabbed her shirt.

  “Back, kiddo.”

  “But Mom—”

  “Scooch back. Now.”

  “Fine.” Millie complied with a sigh. “Jeez, Mom. I’m ten and a half. I know how to be safe.”

  The part of Heather that would never be comfortable seeing Millie around water urged her to grab the child and march her off the dock. The part that had spent years learning to listen to her head instead of her gut reminded her to take a chill pill.

  “Humor me.” With a deep breath, she did a fast mental recap of the conversation before the interruption. Jason... Cady...sharing.

  Easter had been over two months ago. Which meant that this wasn’t a spur of the moment request.

  “Honey, about me and Daddy sharing you. I—You know, sometimes things seem like they should be simple, but they’re actually complicated.”

  Millie shielded her eyes, but Heather suspected it wasn’t against the sun, especially when her shoulders sagged. “Daddy said something like that, too.”

  Wait. “Mills. Do you mean—did you already talk to Daddy about this?”

  Millie’s shrug had nothing to do with indifference.

  “Kind of.”

  Oh God. Millie’s father was a good man, truly, fair and forgiving, but he didn’t do well when caught by surprise. If Millie had broached the topic with him the same way she had with Heather, it probably had not gone the way Millie had wished.

  Which would also explain the long gap between a conversation with one parent at Easter and another conversation now.

  “You don’t need to tell me things that are between you and Daddy,” she said, hoping she could find the right approach. “That’s private. But I have a feeling he maybe wasn’t as excited about the idea as you were.”

  Millie shook her head and shifted her gaze to the water.

  “Mills... I would love to have more time with you, more than anything, but it’s not something you can just wish for and make it happen, like getting your ears pierced. This as a two-parent decision. Daddy and I have to talk about this together and make sure we’re doing what’s best for you.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be good for me? It’s good for Jason. It’s good for Cady.”

  Heather had no idea what had happened between Jason’s parents, but she was almost positive that there was a lot less history—and hurt—between Xander and Darcy than there was between her and Hank. Negotiating joint custody was probably a lot easier when one party hadn’t inflicted the kind of wounds that Heather had. She had been amazed when Hank had been able to remarry. Amazed, and truly glad for him. He was a good guy. He deserved the happiness he had found with Brynn and their new son.

  Heather would never have the guts to try marriage again.

  “I know that it looks like it would be good, Mills, but there are things that adults have to discuss. Like schedules, and is this a good time to make this change, and how would we make it happen. And let’s face it. You and Daddy have something pretty special. He might need time to get used to the idea.”

  Time, and maybe a large dose of a really strong sedative.

  Because Heather knew what had gone through Hank’s head when Millie brought her request. He would have focused on their past. He would have relived—justifiably—the night when Heather had walked out on him and Millie. Walked out and hopped on a plane and put three-quarters of a continent between them.

  How was Heather supposed to encourage Millie when every objection Hank could raise was true?

  Millie turned away from the water, hands shoved in her pockets, and shuffled down the dock. “I don’t think the turtle is coming back today,” she said in a tiny voice.

  Oh hell.

  “Millie... Listen. I can’t make any promises, but we...well, we can try. But we have to take it slow. Give Daddy time. You do some more thinking about what you would like. I’ll figure out grown-up details and prepare my pitch, just like I would at work. And then when the time is right—” God give me strength “—I’ll talk to Daddy.”

  “Okay.”

  “And maybe for now, we can keep an eye open for extra days. You know, like, we could have an extra outing on a weekend when there’s some special girl thing happening.”

  “Like when I need to do stuff for a badge?”

  Heather was already a big fan of the Girl Guides of Canada for the experiences they provided Millie. But as she thought of the many opportunities for mother-daughter bonding that came with the group’s activities, she was triply glad that Millie had joined.

  “Absolutely for a badge. Or to get your hair cut, or do some shopping for school or whatever.
Daddy and Brynn are still getting used to life with baby Noah, so it will be good for you and me, and it will help them at the same time.” Inspiration hit like a flash of sunlight on the water. “And you know what else? We talked about painting your room at my place, but the time kind of slipped away. How about we start on that, now that the weather is nice?”

  “That would be awesome, Mom! Can it be purple, maybe? Or do they make glow-in-the-dark paint for stars?”

  “I bet we can find some stickers for that.”

  “Okay. Is it time to eat yet? I’m hungry.”

  Ah, that was far more like the optimistic girlie that Heather knew. She pushed to her feet, grabbed Millie’s hands to pull her up and tugged the child close for a fast hug and a kiss on the top of her head.

  “Do you know how much I love you, kiddo?”

  “To the moon and back.”

  “You got it.”

  Hand in hand, they followed their noses back to the gathering. Millie chattered and jumped and raced ahead and back like the friskiest of puppies, and Heather reveled in every minute of it.

  Did she want more time with Millie? God yes. The problem—no, the challenge—would be in finding the way to make it happen without disturbing the peace.

  Heather knew what it was to grow up in a home where the only constants were disruption and fear. Millie would never know anything as messed up as Heather’s childhood, thankfully, but that didn’t mean that Heather could be cavalier about upsetting the status quo—especially when she knew that Hank had already rejected the idea. She had to find a way to turn this into a logical, reasonable next step instead of a point of disruption. She had played hell with Millie’s life once. She would not do it again.

  All she needed was a plan.

  * * *

  XANDER WAS A MAN who trusted his gut. And as he laughed his way through the party and helped Cady open more presents than any two-year-old could use, his gut kept whispering that he should check on Heather.

  Not that anything was obviously wrong. She sang “Happy Birthday” with everyone else, talked to everyone, laughed and goofed around with Millie. But he couldn’t dismiss the way she had tensed up over Millie’s question. The wonder in her eyes hadn’t exactly meshed with the way she closed in on herself, arms and legs and everything pulling in tight. Like she was afraid that if she let anything free, she would lose it.