He was gorgeous.
Even standing in his kitchen whisking eggs, Marco couldnât have looked sexier.
âYouâre a nurturer.â
She didnât realize sheâd said that aloud until he looked up at her. âWhat are you talking about?â
âItâs in your nature to take care of people,â she explained. âYou anticipate their needs, try to fulfill them.â
âYou got that from watching me make French toast?â
She smiled. âIâve seen you with your nieces, heard you with your siblings.â
âSounds like youâve been keeping a pretty close eye on me.â He nudged her. âSounds like you might even like me a little.â
âI might. A little.â
âAnd why does that worry you?â
She didnât deny it. âBecause youâre looking for a committed, long-term relationship. And I donât know that I can give you anything more than this one day.â
âThatâs okayâbecause I do.â He gave her a confident look and went back to stirring.
She felt a stirring of her own. Sheâd been alone for a long time, and numb for most of that time. But now, with Marco, she was feeling things she didnât think sheâd ever feel again. And wanting things â¦
Dangerous things â¦
* * *
Those Engaging Garretts! The Carolina Cousins!
BRENDA HARLEN is a former attorney who once had the privilege of appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada. The practice of law taught her a lot about the world and reinforced her determination to become a writerâbecause in fiction, she could promise a happy ending! Now she is an award-winning, national bestselling author of more than thirty titles for Mills & Boon. You can keep up-to-date with Brenda on Facebook and Twitter or through her website, www.brendaharlen.com.
For me, writing is truly a labor of love.
Every day that I sit down at my computer, I feel fortunate to be doing a job that gives me so much pleasure and satisfactionâand I want to dedicate this book (my thirty-fifth project for Harlequin) to some of the people who have helped make that possible:
To Gail Chasan, who long ago decided that she wanted Once and Again for Special Editionâand who has since found a home for many more stories.
To Susan Litman, who discovered McIverâs Mission as a contest judge in 2002 and has been with me for every single book Iâve published since then. I realize I am incredibly lucky to work with an editor who supports me and my writing and always finds ways to make my stories better.
To Carly Silver, who may be the newest member of the Harlequin Special Edition editorial team but has already provided invaluable assistance as a title guruâthank you!
To everyone in the art and marketing departments for helping to ensure that the books have polish and appeal.
While all of these people have played a part in transforming my stories from manuscript to bookstore, even then, the journey is not complete. A book is only a collection of pages (or coded words in a file) until a reader opens it up. For that reason, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all of the readers who have taken my characters and stories into their homes and heartsâI am truly humbled and grateful.
The last dozen years have been an exciting adventure in my publishing career and I look forward to sharing many more with all of you!
Iâd also like to acknowledge and thank Maria Rosati and Mike Boccalon for their assistance with the Italian dialogue in this story. Any errors are my own.
Chapter One
As Marco Palermo squinted through the windshield of his small SUVâas if squinting might somehow improve visibilityâhe realized that he might as well have been blindfolded.
Though it was early May and not yet eight oâclock, the sky was black and the rain was pouring down so hard the windshield wipers couldnât clear it away fast enough for him to see more than three feet beyond his vehicleâs headlights. Why anyone would choose to be out in such weather was a mystery to him, and yet here he was, at the behest of his sisterâbecause he never could refuse her anything.
âI have an insatiable craving for tiramisu,â Renata had said, explaining the reason for her call. âIâd come to the restaurant myself, but Anna and Bella are in their pjâs and ready for bed.â
The restaurant was Valentinoâsâan establishment in Charismaâs downtown core that had been started by their grandparents nearly half a century earlier; Adrianna and Isabella were Renataâs daughters, ages five and three years respectively, and Marco loved them both to bits. A definite benefit of doing this favor for his sister was getting to spend some time with his adorable nieces.
âTiramisu, huh?â
âItâs not meâitâs the baby,â she said, referring to the third child she was carrying.