The Parent Trap
The trap is set… Single mom and successful boutique owner Sarah Stewart didn't have room in her life for a pet, let alone a man. With a teenage girl to raise and a business to run, she couldn't do anything more than look at Jonathan Marshall, the single–and singularly good-looking–man who just moved in next door with a teenage daughter of his own. Still, since their girls would be classmates, it made sense to make friends. But that was as far as it could go. Despite the best efforts of some teenage matchmaking, Sarah wasn't giving in. Because she just isn't ready to put her heart on the line–again.
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The trap is setâ¦
Single mom and successful boutique owner Sarah Stewart didnât have room in her life for a pet, let alone a man. With a teenage girl to raise and a business to run, she couldnât do anything more than look at Jonathan Marshall, the singleâand singularly good-lookingâman who just moved in next door with a teenage daughter of his own. Still, since their girls would be classmates, it made sense to make friends. But that was as far as it could go. Despite the best efforts of some teenage matchmaking, Sarah wasnât giving in. Because she just isnât ready to put her heart on the lineâagain.
âIâd say theyâve turned into a pair of matchmakers.â
âI think youâre right,â Sarah replied.
âItâs not the worst idea.â It was definitely better than trolling for a fake wife online.
âItâs a terrible idea! We hardly know each other. You really donât know me at all if you believe I would go into court and lie to a judge.â
âI was thinking more along the lines of it being the truth,â Jonathan said.
âOh, please. We just met a few weeks ago. You canât honestly expect me to believe that you think youâreâ¦â
In love with her? He knew he was, and it was stab-a-knife-in-his-heart apparent that the feeling wasnât mutual.
âAnd what sort of example would this set for our daughters? Weâd be telling them that if they want something badly enough, itâs okay to do whatever it takes to get it.â
If she believed that about him, then she didnât know him very well, either. âWe should go back,â he said.
They made the brisk walk home in stony silence.
Ah, the teen years. Even if you havenât raised a teenager, Iâm sure you remember being one. While writing The Parent Trap, I loved having the opportunity to revisit both. And in case the title brings an old movie to mind, I want you to know that this is not that story!
This âparent trapâ involves a single mom and a single dad who happen to live next door to each other and who are each living with the pleasures and pitfalls of raising teenage girls. Throw in a cat, a dog and a collection of other critters, and thereâs never a dull moment.
Instead of a story about a family reuniting, this oneâs about two families uniting to overcome the challenges life brings and to share the laughter and the joy that comes with falling in love.
I love hearing from readers and am always happy to send out bookmarks and recipe cards, so please feel free to contact me through my website at www.leemckenzie.com.
Happy reading!
Lee
LEE McKENZIE
knew she wanted to be a writer from the time she was ten years old and read Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. A writer just like Anne and Jo. In the intervening years, she has written everything from advertising copy to an honors thesis in paleontology, but becoming a four-time Golden Heart finalist and a Harlequin author are among her proudest accomplishments. Lee and her artist/teacher husband live on an island along Canadaâs west coast, and she loves to spend time with two of her best friendsâher grown-up children.
For Michaela, with love
Contents
SPYING ON THE new neighbor was not a good use of her time, but Sarah Stewart had spent most of the morning peeking past the curtain in her office window anyway. At the sound of footsteps pounding up the front porch, she let the curtain fall and hastily took a seat at her desk, giving the mouse a jiggle and bringing a spreadsheet to life.
The screen door banged shut. âMom? You still home?â
âIâm upstairs, Casey.â Upstairs and appalled at the still-empty columns in her file.
Her daughter thundered up the stairs and burst into her office, eyes bright and blond ponytail swinging. Sarah accepted a hug, holding her sweet girlâs slender, too-tall-for-her-age frame until she squirmed out of the embrace. Her hair was scented with equal parts animal shelter and summer sunshine.
âThey gave me six dogs to walk today. Can you believe it? Six!â Caseyâs level of excitement would rival any lottery winner.
âThatâs wonderful, hon. Everyone at the animal shelter must be very impressed with you.â As they should be, Sarah thought with a motherâs pride. Casey was a great kid, and she was one incredibly lucky mom. âDid they give you any trouble?â
âThe people at the shelter?â
Sarah laughed. âNo, silly. The dogs.â
âNot a bit. Remember I told you about Petey? The little shih tzu-Maltese cross? Itâs so cute to see him walking with the bigger dogs.â Casey perched on the corner of Sarahâs desk, one foot swinging. âPeteyâs little legs are going like a mile a minute but he totally keeps up with them, then when we get back to the shelter he has a drink of water, curls up in his kennel and goes right to sleep.â
