The three-year-olds smiled shyly, Dahlia reaching out a hand to touch one of Tyler's crutches. "What's that for?"

"My legs are messed up. I need these to help me walk."

"Do they hurt?" Cal asked.

"Not much. And I'm gonna get better, anyway, pretty soon."

Vi nodded to Kara. "Introduce our guests to everyone, daughter, while I get these kids set up with a predinner cookie."

"Mom..." Maya began.

"Oh, don't start with me now. One cookie won't spoil their dinner. Good land, I raised five of you without losing one to malnutrition."

Maya bit her lip, closed her eyes, shook her head.

Kara saw Jim send her a sympathetic look. Then he offered a hand. "Hi, Maya."

"Good to see you again, Jim. This is my husband, Caleb."

"Jim." Caleb shook his hand.

Kara kicked in then to complete the introductions. "Wade Armstrong," she said, nodding toward Wade. Jim shook his hand. "And I know you remember Edie."

Jim smiled at Edie, nodded, but spoke to Kara. "And how do you know that?"

"You thought I was Edie when you first saw me today."

"That's because I'd heard Edie Brand had become a super-model."

"Model, yes. Super, never," Edie said. "So you took one look at my gorgeous little sister and thought she must be the one making a living as a model."

"Edie, don't-" Kara began.

Jim held up a hand. "No, she's right. That's exactly what I thought. I hardly recognized you, Kara."

She shrugged. "Thank Edie for that. Giving me makeovers is her favorite hobby."

"Thank your mother, Kara. I think it's got more to do with genetics than cosmetics." Jim's eyes were on her as he said it and they were warm enough to raise her body temperature.

Selene popped into the room then. She'd been upstairs in her room, and Kara had noticed interesting aromas coming out of there for the past hour, while she'd been in her own room trying on everything she owned. She came in slowly, a tiny red draw-string pouch in her hand. "Sorry I'm late," she said.

"That's okay," Jim replied. "You have to be Selene. I think you were twelve or thirteen when I last saw you, but that blond hair is a dead giveaway."

"Hi, Jim. Long time no see. I have something for you." She held out the little pouch.

He took it, frowning. "And this is...?"

"It's for protection."

Kara saw Jimmy's face change instantly. His brows drew together and his eyes narrowed in what might have been suspicion. "What makes you think I need protection?"

"Am I wrong?"

He watched her for a long moment, saying nothing. Selene just shrugged. "Keep it close to you. Better yet, close to your boy."

"You think Ty needs protection?"

Kara put a hand on his arm, drawing his gaze. "Selene...sometimes gets feelings about things."

"And she's usually right," Edie put in.

Jim shot a look at Caleb, then at Wade. They only nodded in agreement. "If she says you need protection, you probably better buy a guard dog."

"Speaking of dogs," Edie said, "anyone seen Sally?"

At the sound of her name Sally gave a loud woof, and the entire bunch of them trooped through the house into the living room, where the three children surrounded the dog, stroking her, feeding her bites of their cookies. The Great Dane, her tail wagging so hard that getting too close seemed risky, actually seemed to be smiling.

Tyler turned toward his father, his eyes wide. "Kara was right, Dad. This dog is as big as a pony!"

Dinner was too delicious and too plentiful to make moderation even possible. Jim only stopped on his third helping because his stomach would have exploded had he eaten any more.

It had been a pleasant evening. Tyler wore himself out playing with the other two kids and the Godzilla-size dog and then he ate more than Jim thought he'd ever seen him eat. He'd taken to calling Vidalia "Gramma Vi," so Jim figured those cookies of hers had passed muster. And if he didn't know for sure, he supposed he would find out, because she'd packed a dozen into a plastic bag to go with him back to the boarding house.

After dinner he offered to help clear up, but Vi shooed him away. She and Selene handled cleanup. Maya and Caleb took the twins home, and Edie and Wade walked them to their house, on the hill behind this one so that Wade could listen to the noise Maya's car had been making. They said they'd stop on the way out and pick up their monster-size pet.

Tyler curled up on the floor with his head pillowed by the big dog. Jim took a seat on the sofa, and Kara brought in coffee, a cup for each of them, then took a seat in a nearby chair.

"He had fun," she said.

"More fun than he's had in ages." He watched as his little boy's eyes fell closed. "And he didn't complain once."

Kara's heart twisted a little. "Is he in pain, Jimmy?"

"No, not usually. The braces chafe sometimes, and physical therapy is hell. One more surgery, though, and he'll be...well, if it goes the way it should."

She studied the little angel who slept on the floor. Sally turned her head to watch over him, seemed almost protective of the child. "If it's rude of me to ask, say so. But..."

He sighed. "It was an accident. He fell down two flights of stairs when he was barely a month old."

"Dear God."

He understood the reaction. It twisted him into knots to think about it even after all this time.

"Kara, have you been by my dad's house lately?" he asked.

She looked suddenly guilty, as if she had something to hide. Which was odd, because he couldn't think of a reason for it. "Yes, lots of times. Why?"

"Well, the stairs at the boarding house just aren't cutting it. We might be out here as long as three weeks, maybe longer. If that real-estate company I sold it to hasn't resold it yet and it's still habitable, I was thinking..."

"You and Ty and Colby could stay out there while you're here."

"Yeah."

She licked her lips. "You know, it's actually a great idea. There's a ground-floor bedroom and bath. He wouldn't have all those stairs to deal with. And it's a lot roomier there. I mean the boarding house is fine, but a whole month.... And it's in pretty good shape, too. Betty Lou-your real-estate lady-has been renting it out to defray upkeep and taxes while waiting for a buyer. Though it's vacant at the moment. The furnace has just been cleaned and checked over. Power's turned on. It has a great well and a brand-new pump."

He stared at her for a long moment. "You know an awful lot about it."

"Yeah. Well. That's because I'm buying it."

His brows arched.

She kept lowering her eyes, as if she felt guilty. "I mean, if it's all right with you, I am. The bank called tonight and the loan was approved. I should have told you that was the place I had in mind for my day-care center this morning, but I was just so surprised to see you back in town."

Again only a quick peek upward. He wanted to ease her mind. "I love the idea of a day-care center in that old house. I think Dad would have, too."

"There are lots of other places I could-"

"No. No way."

She lifted her head. "I don't need to start work right away. I think...I think it would be good for Tyler to spend some time in the house where you grew up. And maybe...good for you, too. You know, before any drastic changes are made."

He shrugged. "I refuse to cause you to delay your plans."

"And I refuse to have Tyler dealing with the stairs in the boarding house when there's a perfectly good place sitting empty." She shuddered and rubbed her arms. "God, the very thought of him on stairs at all, given what happened..."

He wasn't sure, but he thought that her eyes got damp. "Maybe we could make some kind of compromise then?" he suggested.

She met his gaze, blinked that dampness away. "Such as?"

"I've got nothing to do for the next few weeks. Let me repay you by getting started on the work you need done on the place."

Tipping her head sideways, she blinked those big green eyes at him. Damn, she was something. "You're on vacation."

"Not by choice," he said.

"What does that mean?"

He waved a hand. "Doesn't matter. You'd be doing me a favor, Kara. I'll go stir-crazy before long."

She nodded slowly. "Okay, it's a deal. I'm supposed to meet Betty Lou out there at ten tomorrow morning. Why don't you guys be there, too? We'll check it out together."

He nodded. "We'll be there. Thanks, Kara."

She hadn't changed a bit, he decided. She'd give the shirt off her back to the first person she met who needed it.

"Bring your gear," she told him. "You may as well move right in."

He wondered if Kara Brand ever did anything for herself. Was she as kind and giving as she seemed? As she had always been in the past? Time, he decided, would tell.

Betty Lou Jennings was smiling when Kara walked up the sidewalk toward where she waited near the front door. The house was a large double-decker square with a roof. Nothing fancy. Not built in any particular style. It was white, with a door smack center of its face and another one on the far right side of the rear. The front door was ordinary-two panels, a pane of glass and peeling white paint. The place was backed by aspen trees, their leaves golden in the winter sun. No snow on the ground, but there had been a frost last night, and Kara could see her breath making little puffs in the air. At least the wind wasn't blowing this morning.

The round little woman held up a key ring with two keys as Kara drew closer, shook it to make it jingle. "I'm so pleased the bank approved your loan, Kara. All we have to do is sign the papers and this place is yours."

Betty Lou must adore the Brands, Kara thought. She'd sold the most expensive house in town little more than a year ago to Edie. And now she was unloading what was probably its polar opposite on Edie's little sister. Betty Lou had bought the place from Jim Corona, through lawyers, after his father left it to him five years ago, and had been holding it and likely losing money on it ever since.

Kara turned at the sound of another vehicle. Jimmy Corona's white pickup truck pulled in. It was a Durango, tough-looking and big. Reminded her of a feisty white horse in some odd, obscure way. Something about the shape of its hood. Or maybe it only did because it had come galloping into town bearing a handsome hero.

He got out, smooth and easy, walked around to the passenger side and opened the door to lift Tyler down to the ground, then he handed the boy his crutches. A second later a red SUV pulled in behind him, and Colby Benton got out.

Tyler made his way over the smooth path to the door, his jacket making the crutches even more awkward than usual, Kara thought. His dad and Colby came along behind him. When Jim met Kara's eyes, his were warm, and he was smiling, and she had to remind herself he exuded that natural charm with everyone he met, not just with her.

"Mr. Corona!" Betty Lou shot worried looks from Jimmy to Kara and back again. "Oh, my, I hope this isn't going to be a problem."

"It's not," Jimmy told her. "Relax, Betty Lou. Kara and I have it all worked out. Depending on what kind of shape the place is in, of course."

"This is it?" Tyler asked, looking at the place doubtfully.

"Yep," Jim said. "Hey, it doesn't look like much now, but-"

"Heck, it looks like heaven to me after being cooped up in the boarding house," Colby put in. "And with a fresh coat of paint..."

"The inside's not bad at all," Kara told them. "Betty Lou's kept it in great shape."

"That's right," Betty Lou said. "The last couple who rented it only moved out a month ago. And everything from the sofa to the carpeting has been cleaned. Heat and power are still on. You know letting a place get damp can cost you."

As she spoke, she led the way up the two concrete steps to the front door.

"I think it needs a porch," Kara said. "A nice big front porch. Don't you think so, Tyler?"

Tyler looked up at her, frowning as if deep in thought. "If it had a porch, you could put a swing on it. And the dog could lay there sometimes. That would be good."

"But I don't have a dog, Tyler."

He tipped his head to one side. "But now that you have your own house, you'll prob'ly get one, won't you?"

She couldn't help but smile and she forgot to worry about tripping as she walked up the two steps with Tyler at her side. "You know, I might just do that." She kept one hand close to him but not touching. She didn't want to make him feel as if she were hovering, but she did want to be ready to help him should he stumble.

Jim stood behind them. "Ty, before we go in, come with me, huh? I want to show you the backyard."

Tyler turned. Kara glanced at the uneven ground the boy would have to walk over and frowned a little, wondering if it would be too much for him. "I'll come, too. Betty Lou, go ahead and unlock the place. You can leave the keys and the paperwork in the kitchen. Okay?"

"Well, sure, hon." Betty Lou tipped her head to one side. "I have two sets of keys. I take it you'll be needing them both?"

Kara pursed her lips. Betty Lou was fishing for information, wondering what was going on between her and the former high school hunk. "Leave them both," she said. "And unlock the back door for us."

Colby said, "I'll get our gear inside."

Kara nodded her thanks, then joined Tyler and Jim, and the three of them started around the house.