Viv glanced at her baby and then at Chase.
âHeâs getting fussy. Would you mind picking him up and holding him for a minute?â
âMe?â Chaseâs eyes widened. He went very still.
âHold him close to you, up against your chest,â Viv prompted. âHeâll feel more secure that way.â
But would Chase feel secure?
He pulled Theo to him. Immediately, the baby dropped his head to Chaseâs shoulder and heaved a sigh.
Chase felt something stir inside him.
How in the world would he ever make Viv understand that he couldnât be the man she wanted him to be?
The Heart of Main Street: Theyâre rebuilding
the town one stepâand heartâat a time.
Iâd like to thank my fellow authors
of the Heart of Main Street continuity series. With such a complicated story with recurring characters and overarching story lines, it takes exceptional communication and cooperation among the authors. Arlene James, Carolyne Aarsen, Brenda Minton, Lissa Manley and Valerie Hansen, you made my work easy. And thanks to Emily Rodmell, our editor, who kept us all going in the right direction.
Thanks to Gina H. and Laura W.
from the Harlequin Forums for the lovely Thanksgiving table decorations.
Special thanks to Charlie; you know why.
Chapter One
Vivian Duncan stepped out of Happy Endings Bookstore onto the sidewalk in the small Kansas town of Bygones. Watching leaves and bits of paper racing down the street blown by a brisk breeze, she inhaled the crisp November air. Only a few weeks until Thanksgiving, one of her favorite times of the year.
Her mother made the best turkey and stuffing, and her older siblings who had moved away from home always made it a point to come back for the holiday.
A gaggle of laughing and shouting schoolchildren barreled past her en route to Fluff & Stuff, the pet store that had opened on Main Street in July. Vivian was on her way there as well, just two doors down the street. The colorful awnings above each of the new stores fluttered in the breeze.
She hoped the owner of Fluff & Stuff, Chase Rollins, would help her put together a special event at the bookstore to promote books about dogs.
Who better to ask for help on the topic than Chase?
As she opened the door, she faced the big green-cheeked parrot near the cash register who squawked his greeting, âWhatâs up? Whatâs up?â He proudly bobbed his head and did a little dance on his perch.
âHello, Pepper.â Vivian smiled at Chaseâs recently acquired bird that was looking for a new home.
âGood birdie! Good birdie!â he vocalized.
âIâm sure you are.â She looked around for Chase. Hearing the high-pitched voices of the youngsters sheâd seen running into the shop, she headed toward the back where puppies were kept in a pen.
She eased past two boys who were running Chaseâs dog, Boyo, through his trick repertoire: rollover, shake, play dead. The ridiculous-looking bassetoodleâa combination of a basset hound and poodleâperformed brilliantly for the boys, and they all vied for a chance to show off their skills with the dog.
âItâs my turn! Itâs my turn!â one boy insisted.
âYou donât even know what to do,â an older youngster complained.
âI do so!â
From a shelf high above the action, Fluff, a long-haired cat with enough hair for two, looked down on the action with disdain. Vivian gave Fluff a scratch between her ears.
âYouâre too smart to do their bidding, arenât you?â she whispered to the cat.
Fluff responded with a faint purr.
Chase really did love his animals. For that matter, so did Vivian.
She walked past displays of dog and cat beds, stacks of canned and dried animal food, and toys for all manner of pets and finally found him supervising the youngsters around the puppy pen. He made sure they didnât manhandle the puppies too badly but did socialize them to make for better pets.