LITMIR.BIZ

      Chapter 2

      Stuart took the girls to the Oregon Zoo, knowing how much they loved seeing and hearing the animals, as he had as a kid. While part of him wished they had a mother figure to accompany them, he was just happy to be there for them himself.

      After they had seen polar bears, elephants and cougars, with the girls even taking digital pictures of their favorite animals, Carrie blurted out, “Can we go on the train ride now, Daddy?”

      “Yeah, let’s,” Dottie said.

      “Two against one,” Stuart said, chuckling. “You win. Let’s go for a ride on the Washington Park and Zoo Railway. It’ll be fun.”

      Ten minutes later, they were on the recreational railroad aboard a diesel-powered train that took a one-mile loop around the zoo. Stuart took delight as the girls giggled at the various sights and sounds they passed.

      Before long, the ride was over, and they all got off the train. “Next time, we’ll come in the summer and take the train that runs from the zoo through Washington Park,” he promised, knowing they would enjoy the ride through the park forests to another station where they could disembark and visit the Rose Garden, Portland Japanese Garden and children’s park.

      “Promise?” Dottie asked.

      “I promise,” Stuart said. “Now let’s head over to the Cascade Grill and get something to eat.”

      The girls smiled in agreement.

      They enjoyed chili dogs and chips before going to see monkeys, zebras and black rhinos.

      At one point, Stuart thought he spotted Madison Wagner. Was it his imagination? He thought he saw her by one of the exhibits, but she left before he could be sure it was her.

      Maybe that was a good thing. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Or try to explain to the girls that she was once their Aunt Holly’s friend till things changed.

      * * *

      On a Saturday afternoon in early February, Madison sat at the coffee shop reading a book she would review. She was halfway through it and found the book was only so-so.

      She hadn’t seen Stuart on his bike of late and imagined he had been busy between writing and raising two young children.

      She flipped another page of her book and then heard a deep and resonate voice say, “Must be a pretty good book you’ve got there.”

      Looking up, Madison saw Stuart standing there, holding a paper coffee cup. “Not really,” she told him. “I’m reading it for work.”

      He peered at her. “Aah, yes, I think Holly mentioned something about your being a book reviewer.”

      Madison wondered just how much Holly had told her brother about her. She was sure he knew all the ins and outs of her disaster with her former beau, which made this conversation all the more uncomfortable. “I’m working for Rose Petals.”

      Stuart nodded. “Good magazine.” They had been fairly kind to him with some great reviews, including a five-star review for his latest book.

      “It pays the bills,” she said succinctly, hoping he would leave it at that.

      Stuart was never much at small talk, especially with someone who didn’t seem all that interested in speaking with him. But he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to reach out to the attractive woman. Seeing her in this casual setting, without the bike helmet that had covered a good part of that gorgeous hair, made her even more appealing to him. He wondered how her ex could have let her get away.

      Stuart also wondered how the same man had been smart enough to woo his sister. By all accounts, they were madly in love and planning a Valentine’s Day wedding. He doubted Madison was on the invitation list.

      “So how have you been doing now that you’ve settled in?” Stuart tossed out, sipping his coffee.

      Madison had zeroed in on Stuart before he asked the question. She couldn’t help but be attracted to him. He seemed to be all muscle and about six-three. His features were classically masculine and she liked his closely cropped, curly black hair.

      But...she still felt it was better to steer clear of him right now, all things considered. “Look...” she began deliberately. “I’m sure you’re just trying to be friendly, but I’m actually rushing to make a deadline right now.”

      Stuart’s brow furrowed. Suddenly it had gotten frostier in the coffee shop than it was outside. “Got it. Then I’ll leave you to it.”

      Madison offered him a strained smile and turned back to the book. But she noticed that Stuart was still standing there, prompting her to look up. “Is there something else?”

      “Actually, there is,” he said. “I know all about the situation with your ex and Holly. But that’s between you and them, not me.”

      “I never said it was about you,” she responded, blinking in surprise but attempting to downplay it. “That’s over and done with.”

      “I’m not so sure about that,” Stuart said honestly. “Seems to me you still have a chip on your shoulder, and you’re somehow taking it out on me by association.”

      “That’s crazy!” Madison refused to admit he was right. At least not while he had her on the defensive.

      “Is it? I’m pretty good at reading people, especially when they seem to have a one-track mind.”

      She shot him a dismissive look. “You don’t know anything about my mind. Just because you’re a writer doesn’t give you the right to psychoanalyze me.”

      Stuart’s head snapped back as though he had been hit in the face. “You have a good point there. Maybe I’m misjudging you. Just seems like I keep getting the brush-off when I’m trying to be friendly.”

      “Well, maybe you should stop trying so hard,” she tossed back at him. “I’m sure there are other women in town you can strike up a conversation with. But right now I happen to be busy doing my job. If that somehow offends you, I can’t do anything about it.”

      “No, I suppose you can’t,” Stuart said, deciding to cut this short before saying something he couldn’t take back. “I’ll let you get back to it and try not to bother you anymore.”

      He waited for a second or two, as if to see if she would try to get the last word. But there was no comeback. Apparently she was satisfied that she could declare victory over him.

      Stuart knew this was a losing battle. And since he didn’t like to lose, he saw no reason to torture either of them further. He turned and headed for the door.

      Madison watched as he was leaving. She had a mind to call him back, air out some of their differences, but thought better. What was there to say, really? He seemed like a nice guy and was certainly very good-looking. But that didn’t mean they had to be friends.

      Especially since it wasn’t what she wanted. Not when his presence made her feel unexpectedly giddy and nervous. She was still trying to put past regrets behind her.

      She sipped more coffee and turned back to the book. Suddenly it became more laborious to read than ever.

      She wondered how much Stuart Kendall had to do with that.

      * * *

      That night, after tucking the girls into bed, Stuart stretched out on the living room sectional and video-chatted with Holly on his iPad.

      “Hey, sis.”

      She flashed him a big smile on a beautiful face that reminded him of their mother’s. “Back at you, big brother. Or maybe I should say lean and mean brother of mine.”

      He chuckled. “Whatever works. How’s the wedding planning going?”

      “Great, although it’s much

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