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way."

"A couple of hours. I need to start some people looking for Sarah, and
it would be a lot easier if I didn't have to take Emily with me. Just
think, the sooner I do that, the sooner this will be a child-free floor
once again."

She had a feeling that arguing would only delay the inevitable. "How
long? I have to go into the shop
by eleven."

"No problem. I'll be back before you know it."

"That's what you said last night," she reminded him as he handed her
the baby.

"And I came back, but.. ." He sent her a slow, lazy smile that
completely unsettled her. "Did anyone
ever tell you that you look
beautiful when you're asleep?"

"I already said I'd baby-sit; don't push it. You better be back by
eleven, Matt. No excuses."

He hesitated, a serious expression on his face. "I can trust you, can't
I? You won't call the cops on
Sarah? You won't start thinking that some
social worker would be better for the baby than me?"

Caitlyn could tell from the expression on Matt's face that having to
ask such a question pained him, and she wondered what had happened to
separate him from his sister.

"Can I count on you, Caitlyn?" he persisted.

She suspected that trust did not come easily to this man, and she found
herself wanting to reassure him. "You can count on me. I won't do
anything without talking to you first."

His eyes searched hers for a long minute, then apparently reassured by
what he'd seen, he said, "Thank you."

When he was gone, Caitlyn let out a breath, suddenly realizing how
tense her body had become under Matt's piercing gaze. It occurred to
her that no one had studied her with such
thoughtfulness in a very long time. She'd have to be careful around
this man. He was probably better at uncovering secrets than she was at
keeping them. And that could be disastrous.
    three
At half past eleven, Caitlyn realized that Matt Winters's time was
obviously different than Pacific Standard Time. In other words, he was
late again. Pacing hadn't accomplished anything, so she'd finally
packed Emily up, hopped into her car, and prayed she wouldn't get into
an accident on the three-mile
trip to the shop.

It was amazing how complicated things had become since Matt had knocked
on her door. To think she had actually been miffed that she hadn't
caught a glimpse of her new neighbor in the six weeks since
he'd moved
across the hall. Not that she was seeing much of him now, just his
baby, his darling, irresistible baby, who was reminding Caitlyn that
the future she'd once planned wouldn't happen.

Since she'd banished both her wedding dress and thoughts of happily
ever after to the bedroom closet eighteen months ago, Caitlyn had
managed to pretend that her life was fine, that she could live without
the things she'd always wanted most: a husband, a child. Women did it
all
the time. They found joy and peace in their work, in their friendships.
She could do the same. Only getting caught up in little Emily
was
putting that resolve into question. Instead of working on new sketches,
she had spent the morning watching Emily try to grab her toes with her
fingers. So much for staying focused.

She didn't want to get involved with Emily or Matt. She didn't want to
think about what her life would have been like if the bottom hadn't
fallen out of it. She'd put off thinking about that just about every
day of the last year and a half, no mean feat considering she worked in
the wedding business and was constantly faced with beaming brides and
anxious grooms, eager to begin their own happily ever after.
But she'd
managed—until now.

Caitlyn parked behind the store, glanced at Emily, sitting so happily
in her car seat, and sighed.

"You're going to be a big hit in the store. All those brides dreaming
of babies. They'll go crazy." She shook her head. "But it's not that
simple, you know. Sometimes life is complicated." She paused,
considering the circumstances. "Maybe you do know. After all, you're
here with me, probably wondering who the heck I am and where