His Best Friend

John couldn’t believe his eyes.

Philip’s date was the blonde! The one John had met in Austin.

She’d recognized him, too. He could see the surprise in her eyes.

Philip proudly drew the blonde forward. “John, this is Claudia Hathaway, the new prof I was telling you about. Claudia, my cousin John Renzo.”

She tilted her head, studying John. “Actually, I believe we’ve met.”

“You’ve met?” Philip looked from one to the other.

John shrugged. “But I didn’t know her name.” He couldn’t stop staring at her. God, she was even more gorgeous than he’d remembered. Tonight, in that black clingy outfit, she looked fantastic. Although she was lean, her body was sexy, with curves in the right places. And she was the wonderful Claudia that Philip had been talking about for weeks?

How was that possible?

Dear Reader,

Well, we hope your New Year’s resolutions included reading some fabulous new books—because we can provide the reading material! We begin with Stranded with the Groom by Christine Rimmer, part of our new MONTANA MAVERICKS: GOLD RUSH GROOMS miniseries. When a staged wedding reenactment turns into the real thing, can the actual honeymoon be far behind? Tune in next month for the next installment in this exciting new continuity.

Victoria Pade concludes her NORTHBRIDGE NUPTIALS miniseries with Having the Bachelor’s Baby, in which a woman trying to push aside memories of her one night of passion with the town’s former bad boy finds herself left with one little reminder of that encounter—she’s pregnant with his child. Judy Duarte begins her new miniseries, BAYSIDE BACHELORS, with Hailey’s Hero, featuring a cautious woman who finds herself losing her heart to a rugged rebel who might break it…. THE HATHAWAYS OF MORGAN CREEK by Patricia Kay continues with His Best Friend, in which a woman is torn between two men—the one she really wants, and the one to whom he owes his life. Mary J. Forbes’s sophomore Special Edition is A Father, Again, featuring a grown-up reunion between a single mother and her teenaged crush. And a disabled child, an exhausted mother and a down-but-not-out rodeo hero all come together in a big way, in Christine Wenger’s debut novel, The Cowboy Way.

So enjoy, and come back next month for six compelling new novels, from Silhouette Special Edition.

Happy New Year!

Gail Chasan

Senior Editor

Silhouette Special Edition

His Best Friend

Patricia Kay

www.millsandboon.co.uk

This book is dedicated, with thanks, to the

supportive staff at my local CURVES.

You’ve made a big difference in my life!

PATRICIA KAY,

formerly writing as Trisha Alexander, is the USA TODAY bestselling author of more that thirty contemporary romances. She lives in Houston, Texas. To learn more about her, visit her Web site at www.patriciakay.com.

CAST OF CHARACTERS —

The Hathaways of Morgan Creek

Stella Morgan Hathaway (91 years old)—Matriarch of the Hathaway family. Morgan Creek is named after her great-grandfather Jeremiah Morgan. A strong, domineering woman, she is used to controlling her family and their lives.

Jonathan Morgan Hathaway (68 years old)—Her only son.

Kathleen Bryce Hathaway (64 years old)—Jonathan’s wife.

Bryce Hathaway (41 years old)—Jonathan and Kathleen’s only son, he heads the family business and recently married Amy Jordan.

Amy Hathaway (33 years old)—Bryce’s wife, she has brought happiness back into his life.

Calista Hathaway (4 years old)—Amy’s daughter from her first marriage, recently adopted by Bryce.

Chloe Hathaway Standish (37 years old)—The oldest Hathaway daughter.

Lorna Morgan Hathaway (33 years old)—The middle Hathaway daughter.

Claudia Elizabeth Hathaway (29 years old)—The youngest Hathaway daughter.

Greg Standish (39 years old)—Chloe’s husband.

Cameron Kathleen Standish (15 years old)—Chloe and Greg’s daughter.

Stella Ann Hathaway (9 years old)—Bryce’s oldest daughter.

Susan Adele Hathaway (8 years old)—Bryce’s youngest daughter.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Prologue

Claudia Hathaway decided to drive to Austin and spend the day with Sally Bennett, her best friend from college days at U.T. They would shop till they dropped, hitting all the trendiest places, have a fab lunch, then catch a chick flick.

“Oh, Claudia, I hate that you’re moving to Houston,” Sally wailed as she hugged Claudia hello. “We’re never gonna see each other anymore.”

Claudia rolled her eyes. “It’s not the end of the world, Sally. Houston’s only three hours away, less if I live near Highway 290.” She squeezed her friend’s shoulder. “It’s not like I live next door now. I mean, it takes me almost an hour to get here.”

“I know, but it just seems so far.”

“We’ll just have to fix firm dates to see each other. One month I’ll come up here and the next you’ll visit me there.” Claudia couldn’t help it. She was so excited about her new job and the move to Houston, it was hard for her to sympathize with Sally. Besides, what she’d said was true. Houston wasn’t that far away. “Now c’mon, cheer up. Let’s hit those sales.”

End-of-summer sales at Austin stores were always terrific, and that day was no exception. Claudia bought several pairs of nice slacks, a couple of summer sweaters and two jackets—one in a nubby black linen, the other a silk weave in a gorgeous shade the salesclerk called claret. Claudia justified her extravagance by telling herself she could wear all the new clothes on the job, and college professors needed to look good, didn’t they?

She and Sally decided on lunch at a trendy new restaurant overlooking the water on Town Lake. The place had been recently written up in Texas Monthly magazine, and supposedly the crab cakes were to die for.

After they’d placed their order and Sally had flirted shamelessly with their handsome waiter, she turned her attention back to Claudia and what was now becoming her favorite point of contention.

“I just don’t see why you didn’t look for a job in Austin. We could have had so much fun together if you lived here.” This was followed by a put-upon sigh.

Claudia smothered her own sigh. She loved Sally like a sister, but sometimes Sally strained her patience. However, Sally was her best friend and had supported her when she needed support, so she didn’t allow her impatience to show in her voice. “I agree it would be fun to live near you. Unfortunately, you live too near Morgan Creek. If I lived in Austin, I’d never have any peace. It’d be just like it was when I was in college. I’d still be expected home for Sunday dinner. My mother would constantly grill me on who I was dating. And my grandmother would never stop bugging me about not working for the company.” The company was Hathaway Baking, one of the largest and most successful baking companies in the Texas/Oklahoma area.

“I know.” But Sally still sounded glum.

“And no matter how many times I told them, especially Gran, that I hate the business world and that my decision had nothing to do with our company and everything to do with the fact I’m just not cut out to work in business, she just will never accept it. So the best thing for me to do is what I’m doing—putting some distance between me and my well-meaning but extremely irritating family.” She grinned to soften her words, because no matter how irritating some of her family members could be, she genuinely loved them and knew she would miss them.

“I would think by now you’d be used to your grandmother. I mean, she always wants her own way, you know that.”

“Yes, but it still gets old listening to her. Not only old, but dangerous. ’Cause, eventually, if you’re subjected to her gloves of steel long enough, you start weakening, and before you know it, you’re doing exactly what she wants you to do. No, I’ve made the right decision. I love Gran, but she’s too stubborn and she knows exactly how to layer on the guilt until a person has no willpower left.” Out of the corner of her eye, Claudia saw their waiter approaching with their drinks. “Now c’mon, let’s change the subject and talk about something fun.”

For the rest of their meal, Claudia’s approaching move wasn’t discussed. Instead, they talked about mutual friends, Sally’s dating life, which—according to her—was practically nonexistent right now, and where they might go on vacation together next summer.

“I ate too much,” Claudia moaned when they’d finished. “But it was soooo good.”

“Like you have to worry,” Sally said, giving Claudia’s figure an envious glance.

Claudia knew she was lucky. She seemed to have the kind of metabolism that allowed her to eat whatever she wanted without gaining weight, whereas poor Sally had to watch every bite religiously.

As she’d put it once, “Even the smell of carbohydrates causes my weight to shoot up two pounds!”

While their waiter calculated their bill, Claudia excused herself and headed for the ladies’ room. As she rounded the corner leading to the restrooms, she was nearly knocked off her feet by a man walking fast in the opposite direction.

“Whoa, steady there,” he said, grabbing her shoulders to keep her upright. “Sorry about that. I should have been looking where I was going.”

Flustered, Claudia said, “You’re right, you should have.” Instantly sorry—after all, she was as much at fault as he was—she quickly amended, “Now I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching, either.” It was only then she really looked at him.

He was major cute. Major. Not handsome. Just cute, with a friendly, open face and dark eyes and thick, dark hair that was tousled and falling down on his forehead, and the nicest smile. Wow, Claudia thought. Now she really was flustered.

“Well,” he said.

“Well,” she said.

Then they both laughed.

“I—I was going to the ladies’.” Claudia inwardly winced. I was going to the ladies’. What kind of stupid remark was that?

He grinned. “I just came from the mens’.”

For the life of her, she couldn’t think of another thing to say. So she stood there and wished she was clever and smart and had a snappy comeback the way cooler, cleverer, smarter women would have had. Finally, she realized she was staring at him and she could feel her face heating in embarrassment. She thanked all the gods in heaven that it was dimly lit back there because if he’d seen how she was blushing, she would have died. Just melted down into a puddle.

“Well, I’m sorry I wasn’t looking,” she said again. Oh, please. Could she act any dumber?

Clutching her handbag to her chest, she scurried off to the restroom without looking back.

Holy cow.

John Renzo felt as if he’d been slammed in his chest with a sledgehammer. Whoa, she was gorgeous. So gorgeous, he’d babbled like a thirteen-year-old confronted with his first big crush.

On a scale of one to ten, John would put her at about twenty. She was definitely the total package. Short blond spiky hair, huge blue eyes and a tall, slender body with curves in all the right places.

And that mouth!

Her lips were plump and pouty, just the kind he liked to kiss. John considered himself a connoisseur of lips. Hell, he’d practically majored in lips in college.

She looked like Meg Ryan.

Maybe she was Meg Ryan!

He laughed at his own idiocy. She was too young to be Meg Ryan. He guessed her age at about twenty-eight. Thirty tops. Just right for his thirty-four.

He was still thinking about the perfect girl he’d nearly run down when he rejoined his buddies at their table.

“Hey, man, we thought you fell in!”

The joker was Matt Zelinsky, a videographer at the film production company where John worked.

“Ha ha,” John said, pulling out his chair and joining the group. “You order yet?”

“Not yet.” Jason Webb, a friend of Matt’s who had recently become a regular part of their group, licked the salt from his margarita.

Just then, their waitress, a pretty young thing with wildly curly red hair, bounced over to their table. “Y’all ready to order?”

While the other three flirted with the waitress and placed their orders, John looked around the room to see if he could spy the Meg Ryan look-alike. Nope. He couldn’t see her anywhere.

“Are you ready, sir?” the waitress said.

John grinned. “Sir? You think I’m a sir?”

She laughed. “I have to call everyone sir.”

“Even girls?” John teased. Then, taking pity on her, he said, “I’ll have the chicken quesadillas.”

As he handed her the menu, he suddenly saw the blonde. She must have just returned from the rest room because she was in the process of sitting down at a table where a pretty brunette was already seated.

Listening to his buddies with half an ear, he covertly watched the blonde, all the while trying to figure out if he had nerve enough to approach her again. He had just about decided to get up and walk over when she and her friend stood, gathered their belongings and walked off.

Damn!

They were leaving!

“John. Hey, John. You deaf or something? I asked you a question.”

John looked blankly at his friends, mumbled an apology, pushed back his chair and, ignoring their startled questions, took off after the blonde.

By the time he got to the front door, they’d already exited. John dashed out, looked left, then right. There they were, walking toward the parking lot. He reached them just as they climbed into a Jeep Wrangler—the blonde on the driver’s side. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

“Don’t be alarmed. I’m not a stalker.” He grinned. “I did follow you out, though.”

Now she smiled, too. “You did?”

Was it his imagination, or did she seem pleased?

“Yeah, I, uh…” Oh, hell. Might as well go for broke. “Look, I know you don’t know me, but I’m a really nice guy. If you doubt it, my friends inside will all vouch for me.”

Now the friend was smiling, too.

“Anyway, I wondered if I could call you sometime. Maybe we could catch a movie or even just meet for coffee.”

Her smile turned regretful. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think so.”

John was surprised by how disappointed he felt.

“Thing is,” she continued, “I don’t live in Austin.”

“Oh.”

“I’m just visiting for the day.”

He nodded. “Just my luck, I guess.”

“But thanks. I…I’m flattered.”

Still smiling, she turned the key in the ignition.

“Hey, wait,” he said. Digging into his shirt pocket, he pulled out one of his business cards. He handed it to her. “If you come back and feel like it, that’s my number.”

She didn’t say anything, but she did tuck the card into her purse. Then, with a wave, she drove off.

John stood and watched until the Jeep was out of sight, then, regretfully, he headed back inside the restaurant.

Chapter One

One month later…

“You’re breaking up with me?” Allison Carruthers, who had been John’s girlfriend for the past year, stared at him in disbelief. “But I—I thought we were—” Her voice broke.

John knew what she’d thought. That one day they would probably get married. How could he explain without making the situation even worse than it was?

He wished he could explain how her anger and negativity had finally worn him down. But the one time he’d tried to talk to her about her tendency to expect the worst, she hadn’t understood what he was talking about. She’d told him he was the one with the problem and that at least one person in a partnership had to be cautious and sensible.

Maybe if he loved her, he could have coped with that aspect of her personality. But the bottom line was, he had finally realized he wasn’t in love with her.

“I’m sorry, Allison. I don’t blame you for being upset. You deserve better.” Why not try to leave her with her pride?

“I should have known this would happen. It’s so typical. Men are so self-centered. I guess I didn’t stroke your ego enough, right?”

John knew it was best to just ignore her gibe. “Look, I’ll move my stuff out tomorrow.”

She shook her head. Her face had become stony. “No. You’ll move your stuff out today.”

John nodded. He’d wanted to make a clean break, but he’d been afraid it would have been adding insult to injury to dump the news that he wanted to sever their relationship, then immediately move his things out of her apartment.

He headed for the bedroom they’d shared for the past nine months. Opening the closet, he pulled down the suitcase he’d stored on the top shelf, then placed it on the unmade bed. Not wanting to take the time to fold his things properly, he pulled clothes off hangers and haphazardly tossed them into the open suitcase. Next came the contents of the two drawers that held his underwear, socks and T-shirts. Soon it was obvious to him that the suitcase wasn’t going to hold everything. Damn. He looked around. He needed some kind of big bag.

Remembering the garbage bags in the kitchen pantry, he headed in that direction. He stopped dead when he saw Allison. She was standing at the living room window with her back to him. Her shoulders shook. She was crying.

He swore to himself. He felt like a complete and total jerk. “Allison,” he said softly, walking toward her. When he touched her shoulder, she twisted away.

“Don’t touch me.” Her voice was thick with tears.

Knowing the best thing he could do now was clear out of there fast, he left Allison and went into the kitchen for the garbage bags. Doubling two of them, he headed back to the bedroom and threw in the rest of his belongings. Once he was sure he had everything, he closed the suitcase. Removing the key to the apartment from his key chain, he placed it on the dresser. With the suitcase in one hand and the garbage bags in the other, he walked back out to the living area.

Allison still stood at the window. She turned around when she heard him. The tears were gone, but her face was blotchy. She was trying for an I-don’t-give-a-damn look, but her eyes gave her away. It made John feel even worse to see the sadness in them. Despite everything, they’d shared a lot of good times together, and he hated that she was hurting.

“I’ll call you, let you know where I’m staying, okay?” he said.

“Don’t bother.”

“Al…”

“Just go, John.”

He sighed. The kindest thing he could do now was clear out fast. “Do you want me to write you a check now for what I think my share of this month’s expenses will be?”

She bit her lip.

He knew she was torn between telling him to drop dead and the necessity to be practical. Setting his things down, he dug out his checkbook. Best to make it as easy as possible for her. He filled in a generous amount and placed the check on the coffee table.

“I left my key on the dresser,” he said, picking up his bags again.

“Fine.”

He hesitated. He had to say something. Finally, he settled for, “Take care, Al.” Then, with a heavy heart, he quietly let himself out the door.

Claudia smiled as her Marketing 2255, Principles of Selling students noisily filed out of the classroom. When the last one had passed through the open doorway, she sat back in relief. Although she’d been teaching at Bayou City College for almost a month now, she still felt like a rank newbie. She wondered how long it would be before she felt like a real professor.

A real professor.

Professor Hathaway.

Every time one of her students called her Professor Hathaway, she wanted to laugh. It seemed so incredible that she was actually here. She was thrilled to have landed this job. Thrilled to be teaching in Houston and at such a fine college. Thrilled to be considered valuable on her own merits and not because she was a Hathaway.

Here at the college, no one even knew she was part of the Hathaway baking empire, and that was the way she wanted it to stay. Claudia needed to be judged for herself, not for her family’s wealth and influence.

People who didn’t have money thought those who did led a charmed life. Yes, it was nice not to have to worry about what things cost, to lead a comfortable, sheltered life, but there was a downside to that kind of wealth, too. You never knew if people liked you for yourself or because of what they imagined you could do for them.

Claudia knew firsthand what could happen. She had a couple of bad experiences behind her, and she didn’t want to add another if she could help it. So she intended to keep her family background a secret as long as possible.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

Claudia jumped. She’d been so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t heard anyone enter. “Philip. Hi.”

Philip Larkin, the CFO at the college, smiled down at her. “Got a few minutes?”

“Sure.” From the hopeful expression on his face, Claudia knew Philip was probably going to ask her out again. On Monday, she’d finally said yes, and on Wednesday—today was Friday—they’d gone to an early movie after her last class, then stopped for pizza afterward.

She’d had a good time. Philip was very nice—a considerate, thoughtful date. He was nice-looking, too, with thick brown hair and blue eyes. On top of that, he actually listened to her instead of constantly talking about himself, the way so many guys seemed to do.

Despite everything in his favor, Claudia didn’t know if she wanted to go out with Philip again. She’d been telling herself it was because she wasn’t certain it was a good idea to date a colleague, especially one in the administrative end of the school.

But the truth was, Claudia felt no spark of attraction to Philip. It was a shame, too, because in addition to his other attributes, he was intelligent and obviously a really decent guy.

What’s wrong with you? Do you think nice-looking, decent men with good jobs grow on trees?

She almost laughed at the thought, because it sounded so much like something her sisters would say. Her mother, of course, would want to know his pedigree.

“My cousin is turning thirty on Sunday,” Philip said now. “She’s invited some friends over to celebrate with her tomorrow night. I’d really like to take you to the party with me.”

Claudia picked up a paper clip.

Philip sat on the edge of her desk. As always, he was dressed impeccably in spotless slacks, dress shirt and tie. Claudia knew he’d probably also worn a sport coat this morning, but imagined it was hanging in his office. “There’ll be an interesting bunch of people there,” he continued. “I think you’d enjoy meeting them. Jennifer—that’s my cousin—works for one of the local TV stations here. She’s a program coordinator—” He grinned. “She says that means she’s in charge of all the grunt work.”

Claudia turned the paper clip round and round in her hand. “Look, Philip, I’m really not good with lots of people I don’t know—”

“I promise you. You’ll enjoy it. Jen’s brother is going to be there, too. John’s a documentary filmmaker. He’s been working in Austin the past six years, but he’s in the process of moving to Houston. He won’t know most of the people there, either, so you won’t be the only one.”

“Oh, I don’t know…”

“Come on. It’ll be fun. You’ll like these people, especially Jen. She’s a sweetheart.”