Page 9 (1/2)

His chest squeezed at Susan’s words, even as he reminded her, "She’s Whitney’s sister"

Susan clucked her tongue at him "Which means that she knows her best When you add in the fact that she’s a psychologist, I’ over Whitney"

Susan was only trying to help, but Whitney’s sister was the last woman in the world he should ask for help Not when he couldn’t stop noticing how the deep red of Paige’s sweater entle curve of her hips in jeans was

And definitely not when every second that she’d been reading hirown to near irresistible proportions

Chapter Four

Paige grabbed her coat and stepped outside to enjoy the snow She was a California girl, so the only snow she ever saas up in Lake Tahoe Unfortunately, she didn’t get up to theon the deck beneath the overhang, she gazed out over the backyard, the porch laht The snow-covered laas pristine, with only the tiny footprints of a squirrel running fro in the air like wisps of ic

The beauty of the scene reached deep inside her, easing the tension of the past weeks She loved the career she’d chosen--helping faood in their lives instead of only the bad, watching the growth of their spirits But none of that happened overnight, and the process could soe added in her own personal issues--including not only the devastation Whitney’s lies had caused, but also Paige’s unrequited feelings for Evan--she had ended up feeling more than a little plowed under herself

Thankfully, the serenity of the snowy night restored her It also helped that Evan had spent the past couple of hours ies and explanations about all that had happened He was doing the right thing Surely he would have gotten around to it even without her putting his feet to the fire, but she was glad he’d done it tonight so that nothing left a blelass door opened, but she didn’t turn at the sound of footsteps She already kneas Evan He had a subtle scent all his own, so that always made her heart beat faster As he stopped beside her at the railing, all it took was his nearness to heat her up

For a long moment, they stared out at the yard that was as pretty as a calendar picture She’d been angry before, but now she was silad to stand in the silence with him

Finally, he said, "Thank you for your advice"

"It wasn’t advice It was righteous indignation"

He laughed softly She hadn’t realized how good his laugh could sound when it had been absent for so long Or that it would fill her up in the places where she’d felt so empty this past month