LITMIR.BIZ

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      For all the people who generously volunteer their time

       to coach kids—especially those who have made such a difference in my children’s lives. Thank you!

      Special thanks to Josh Cameron, Brian Verrinder, Ian

       Burgess, Bernice Conrad and Terri Reed.

      CHAPTER ONE

      EVERY day for the past four weeks, Connor’s school bus had arrived at the corner across the street no later than three-thirty Every day, except today. Lucy Martin glanced at the clock hanging on the living-room wall.

      3:47 p.m.

      Anxiety knotted her stomach making her feel jittery. Her nephew should be home by now.

      Was it time to call the school to find out where the bus might be or was she overreacting? This parenting—okay, surrogate parenting—thing was too new to know for certain.

      She stared out the window, hoping the bus would appear. The street corner remained empty. That wasn’t surprising. Only residents drove through this neighborhood on the outskirts of town.

      What to do? She tapped her foot.

      Most contingencies and emergencies had been listed in the three-ring binder Lucy called the survival guide. Her sister-in-law, Dana, had put it together before she left. But a late school bus hadn’t been one of the scenarios. Lucy had checked. Twice.

      No need to panic. Wicksburg was surrounded by farmland, a small town with a low crime rate and zero excitement except for harvests in the summer, Friday-night football games in the fall and basketball games in the winter. A number of things could have delayed the bus. A traffic jam due to slow-moving farm equipment, road construction, a car accident …

      A chill shivered down Lucy’s spine.

      Don’t freak out. Okay, she wasn’t used to taking care of anyone but herself. This overwhelming need to see her nephew right this moment was brand-new to her. But she’d better get used to it. For the next year she wasn’t only Connor’s aunt, she was also his guardian while his parents, both army reservists, were deployed overseas. Her older brother, Aaron, was counting on Lucy to take care of his only child. If something happened to Connor on her watch …

      Her muscles tensed.

      “Meow.”

      The family’s cat, an overweight Maine Coon with a tail that looked more like a raccoon’s than a feline’s, rubbed against the front door. His green-eyed gaze met Lucy’s.

      “I know, Manny.” The cat’s concern matched her own. “I want Connor home, too.”

      Something caught the corner of her eye. Something yellow. She stared out the window once again.

      The school bus idled at the corner. Red lights flashed.

      Relief flowed through her. “Thank goodness.”

      Lucy took a step toward the front door then stopped. Connor had asked her not to meet him at the bus stop. She understood the need to be independent and wanted to make him happy. But not even following his request these past two and a half weeks had erased the sadness from his eyes. She knew better than to take it personally. Smiles had become rare commodities around here since his parents deployed.

      Peering through the slit in the curtains gave her a clear view of the bus and the short walk to the house. Connor could assert his independence while she made sure he was safe.

      Lucy hated seeing him moping around like a lost puppy, but she understood. He missed his parents. She’d tried to make him feel better. Nothing, not even his favorite desserts, fast-food restaurants or video games, had made a difference. Now that his spring soccer team was without a coach, things had gone from bad to worse.

      The door of the bus opened. The Bowman twins exited. The seven-year-old girls wore matching pink polka-dot dresses,

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