One Perfect Moment

“Presley? Are you any relation to a Harper Presley?”

“Yes,” Craig replied. “Harper’s my cousin. Are you looking to have a house renovated or built? Presley Construction can definitely take care of that for you. We’re the best in town. Here, let me get you a card.”

He was digging into his back pocket now, pulling out his wallet as he hunted for a card.

Mr. Otis scratched the side of his head. “If you’re thinking about planting roots here in Temptation, you should talk to Fred Randall about purchasing some land or a house. Then you get in contact with Harper. She’s a wisp of a pretty gal, and she’s mighty talented, too,” Mr. Otis stated.

“I’m just visiting,” Ava said and then thought quickly of something else. “But I like what I’ve seen of this town so far.” She shrugged. “Would be nice to maybe have a vacation home here.”

Craig handed her a card. “Then Presley Construction is definitely here to work with you. Phone numbers, email and address are on the card. Harper does all the intake for new clients. I can introduce you to her. I just need to make a quick trip back to the warehouse and clean up a bit. Then I would love to take you to dinner to tell you more about Temptation.”

Ava looked down at the card and nodded. Harper may be the head of Presley Construction, but she was also the fiancée of Garrek Taylor, the navy pilot. How lucky was she to have made this connection to the Taylor family so quickly?

“Or she can just take a little walk down Sycamore Lane. Three blocks past the traffic light and to the left—you’ll probably bump right into Harper at Gray Taylor’s house. They’re having a barbecue tonight.”

And the luck just continued to flow, Ava thought with a smile.

“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to intrude on a family gathering. I can just call tomorrow to schedule an appointment.”

“Nonsense,” Mr. Otis said. “Nana Lou baked some cookies for Jack and Lily. I told her I’d run them over there, but you can deliver them in my place. Gives you the perfect opportunity to meet up with Harper.”

It certainly did. Almost too perfect, but Ava decided she would take it. This wasn’t LA or New York; people here were just friendly, she reminded herself. Nobody was going to be suspicious if a stranger just showed up with a plate of cookies. At least she hoped not.

“Tell Harper I sent you to her,” Craig added. “I’ll take a rain check for dinner.”

Ava found herself liking Craig Presley because she could definitely relate to his tenacity.

“I sure will,” she said. “Thanks, Craig, and you, too, Mr. Otis.”

Craig headed out, leaving Ava and Otis alone.

“Like Craig said before, no thanks necessary, ma’am,” Otis replied with a shake of his head. “I’ll just run out to the kitchen to get those cookies for you. Then I’ll take your bags up to your room.”

“That would be great,” Ava told him. “Oh, wait, don’t you need to swipe my credit card, get my ID or have me sign something?”

Otis chuckled. “I can get all that when you come back. If you’re thinking of getting a place here, we definitely don’t want to put that off.”

No, Ava did not want to put off the beginning of her second phase of research. She smiled and thanked Otis once more. She hadn’t been in Temptation for more than an hour, and already she was on her way to getting this story done.

* * *

Gage had been in Temptation for two days and he was already dressed down in basketball shorts, a T-shirt and tennis shoes. Garrek’s fiancée, Harper, hit the volleyball with a force Gage wasn’t expecting, and he ran backward in order to save the shot. He tripped over something and fell back instead.

And then she was there.

“Hello, Dr. Taylor,” she said with that smile that never failed to take his breath away.

She stared down at him, dark hair framing her pretty face, a light pink gloss on her soft lips. And Gage thought he must be dreaming.

“Ava?”

He moved quickly, coming to stand in front of her.

“I think you were trying to catch this,” she said and gave a light kick to the ball he’d been after.

Gage put his foot on the ball to stop it from rolling, but did not take his eyes off her. She looked amazing, her long legs clad in cream-colored pants, the formfitting peach blouse and all that thick hair hanging past her shoulders. He’d forgotten how sexy she was.

“Yeah, thanks,” he said and then asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Delivering cookies,” she replied and held up a plate covered in foil.

“All the way from New York or LA or wherever you live?” he asked.

It may have seemed like an odd statement since this was the last woman he’d had sex with. In a perfect world, he would have known more about her besides her last name and professional occupation. But in Gage’s world, it was the norm. He didn’t need to know much about the women he slept with, because he never intended there to be anything beyond the physical. It was easier that way.

“I’m ah...on a kind of retreat,” she replied. “A writing retreat.”

He nodded, noting the plausibility of her response, but still wondering how, of all the places in the world, Ava Cannon would turn up in Temptation.

“And a cookie delivery service?”

She looked down at the plate and then up to him again.

“They’re from someone named Nana Lou. Mr. Otis at the B and B said she promised to make them for Jack and Lily.”

Gage frowned. “Who?”

He’d come to Temptation to be with his family and so hadn’t met many people living in the town.

“Nana Lou is like our grandmother, but not really. She bakes the best double chocolate chip cookies ever,” Lily said.

The precocious seven-year-old girl appeared, leaning against Gage’s leg.

“You’re hogging the ball, Uncle Gage,” she continued before bending down to take the ball he still had under his foot.

“You must be Lily,” Ava said, her attention shifting to the little girl Gage had been thoroughly enchanted by in the last couple of days.

He’d come back to Temptation to meet Gray’s new family and had been amazed at how much he adored the children. Sure, he delivered babies for a living, and he studied ways to help every woman wishing to have a baby fulfill her dream. But Gage didn’t think of becoming a father himself. Still, not even the smiling faces of youth, or the pure sweetness of babies, had been able to erase the thoughts of his one night with Ava. In fact, it had been all those things combined that kept Gage from thinking about his career situation.

“I am Lily, and this is my Uncle Gage. I have another uncle—his name’s Garrek—but he’s away flying planes right now.”

“Oh, that sounds cool. These cookies smell amazing, Lily. Do you think I could try one?” Ava asked.

“Sure. Mommy won’t let me and Jack have more than one for dessert. But Jack doesn’t like to share, so you should take yours now.”

“Hey, guys, Morgan is calling us in for dinner,” Harper said as she joined them. “Oh. Hi,” she added to Ava.

“Hello,” Ava replied. “I’m Ava Cannon. I’m in town for a writing retreat and was told to deliver these cookies.”

“And she’s Uncle Gage’s friend,” Lily added.

Gage didn’t know what to say. Hence the reason he’d been standing there watching the exchange between his niece and his ex-boss-slash-one-night-stand.

“Hi, Ava. I’m Harper Presley.”

“Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Harper. I met your cousin Craig when I was checking in to the B and B. He gave me your card.”

“Really?” Harper asked. “Do you have a house that needs to be renovated?”

“No,” Gage replied quickly. “She’s just here to write.”

Harper, with her sandy-brown hair pulled back from her face, arched a brow as she looked at him.

“You two know each other?” she asked.

Before Gage could answer, his legs almost buckled once more as a laughing seven-year-old ran into him.

“Come on, Uncle Gage, you’re gonna make us lose,” Jack said.

“You already lost. He fell, and the lady got the ball. That means the girls win. Right, Aunt Harper?” Lily asked.

“I’m calling interference,” Gage told Jack. “We’ll need a rematch.”

Lily pouted, and to Gage’s chagrin, Ava knelt down until she was face-to-face with his niece.

“Boys always try to cheat. I think he fell on purpose so he could ask for a rematch,” she said.

A mutinous Lily nodded her agreement. “I think so, too.”

Harper chuckled. “Okay, we’ll have a rematch, but Morgan has dinner ready. You two run along and wash your face and hands so we can eat.”

Thankful to Harper for getting rid of the children, Gage turned his attention back to Ava. It was close to six o’clock in the evening, and the sun was beginning to set; still, the last fading rays cast Ava’s creamed-coffee-toned skin in a golden hue that looked surreal. Or maybe it was because this was the first time he’d seen her outside of the sultry dreams that plagued him each night in the last few weeks.

“Why don’t you join us for dinner, Ava? Gray and Morgan always cook a ton, and since you’re a friend of Gage’s, you should definitely be here to help us celebrate his homecoming,” Harper said.

The gratitude Gage had just felt toward his soon-to-be sister-in-law dissipated as he turned from Ava to look at Harper with a frown.

“I’d love to,” Ava happily replied.

“Great, Gage will bring you up to the house,” Harper said. “I’ll just go and tell Gray and Morgan to set another place at the table.”

When Harper was about to walk away, Ava spoke again. “I really appreciate the offer. I’ve been traveling all day, and I don’t even know if my room at the bed-and-breakfast is ready yet. I just dropped my bags off and came straight here.”

Gage touched her elbow to stop her from following behind Harper.

“Why would you come here? How did you know where here was?” he asked, because no matter how his body was reacting to seeing her again, his mind was still suspicious.

Old habits were hard to break.

A breeze swept by, and Ava eased her arm from his grasp. She pushed her blowing hair behind her ears. And Gage thought he’d never seen anyone as pretty as she was at this moment.

“Small towns are great for writing retreats. Meeting Craig at the B and B and Mr. Otis having cookies that needed to be delivered were coincidences,” she said.

Gage watched her lips moving as she spoke and listened to the slightly husky timbre of her voice. Not only did he listen, but he felt as if that voice, her words, somehow touched a part of him. It was ridiculous, he knew, yet...he decided to believe her. It wasn’t that big of a deal. She could go wherever she wanted without needing his permission. Just because she ended up here, at the same time he was, didn’t mean anything. He needed to stop being so suspicious all the time.

“I would have never expected you to be here,” he replied.

“It’s work,” she said. “Everything I do is about my work.”

Gage could definitely relate to that. In contrast to her writing retreat, however, he had been taking the last couple of days to think about things other than his career. She was one of those things, even though he’d called himself a thousand fools for thinking about a one-time fling weeks later.

“But I can go if it’s weird for you,” she continued.

Was it weird for him?

Considering he hadn’t expected to see her again until it was time to start shooting the second season of the show, maybe. Realizing that his body had already begun reacting to seeing her—via the beginning of an erection as his gaze dipped from her big brown eyes to the unmistakable curve of her full breasts in that tight blouse—hell no, this wasn’t weird at all.

“It’s cool,” he replied. “But we’d better get going. From what I understand, my sister-in-law, Morgan, does everything based on a schedule these days. Something about having a set of twins in elementary school in addition to a set of newborn twins and coveting any sleep she can get.”

“Two sets of twins?” Ava asked with an incredulous look on her face.

Gage nodded and smiled. He ignored the burst of pride that spread throughout his chest as he looked toward the house and the back porch, where his family had begun to assemble at the table to eat the celebratory meal. Gage never talked about his family to anyone because he liked to believe they belonged to only him. Not a part of the world, the way his father had tried to make the sextuplets.

“Yes,” he continued and began walking toward the house. “My older brother Gray is married to Morgan, an elementary school teacher. They have a boy and a girl, Jack and Lily, who you just met. Ryan and Emma are the new babies. Do you like babies, Ava?”

She shrugged as she walked beside him.

“I never thought about it,” she said and then looked at him with a sinfully delicious smile. “I like how babies are made, though.”

The semi-erection that Gage had been trying to ignore grew instantly as he recalled her smiling up at him that night he’d moved between her legs and thrust his length deep inside of her. She’d told him how much she liked it that night, and Gage would swear that the smile she was giving him now was meant as a reminder.

“Yeah,” he said grinning back at her. “So do I.”

Chapter 3

“Gage was working on a television show,” Gray said for the second time as they all sat around the light oak dining table on the covered back porch.

His incredulous tone was not lost on Gage, or anyone else at the table, for that matter. Gage sat back in his chair trying not to address the unspoken questions that loomed over them.

“He was a great help to the show,” Ava answered. “I’m certain we wouldn’t have been renewed for a second season without his expertise. Comments about the show’s authenticity were constantly in the reviews.”

Gage hadn’t read any of the reviews for the show. He enjoyed looking over the scripts and meeting with the writers—that part made him feel useful.

“I’ve seen the show,” Morgan said as she returned to the table.

Ryan had been fussing while they ate dinner, so Morgan excused herself the minute Jack and Lily were finished. She took the older twins into the house with her while she tended to the new baby. In the days since he’d been here, Gage had concluded that Morgan was a good mother who adored her children. She also loved his brother, almost as much as Gage suspected Gray loved her. That realization had been a shock to Gage. His brother had found love and happiness, two things Gage knew would never surface in his own life.

“I love to watch procedurals,” Morgan continued once she was seated. “And I thought the idea of one being set in an OB-GYN clinic on Staten Island was a fresh take compared to most of the drama series on television these days.”

“I don’t watch a lot of current television shows, but Corbin Yancy also has a show on the home improvement network. He and his wife are redecorating their house in Palm Beach,” Harper added.

Ava nodded. She’d just finished taking a sip from her glass of lemonade. Gage watched her small hand with the neatly trimmed nails as it slipped from the glass and rested on the table.

“Corbin is great and his wife’s a sweetheart,” Ava told them. “He loves the show and worked really well with Gage to make the character he played come to life on screen.”

“Wow,” Morgan said. “So Corbin Yancy as Dr. Steven Renfield is actually Gage Taylor, my brother-in-law. I feel like I’m related to a celebrity now.”

“I’m not a celebrity,” Gage quickly replied.

The comment came in a sharper tone than he’d anticipated. The questioning and concerned looks coming from Harper and Morgan irritated him. For the two days that he’d been here, Gage had been successful in simply enjoying these new members of his family, and not thinking too much about the other family members who had let him down.

“I know some things that can help make the show work, but that’s all I do,” he said, trying for a lighter tone this time.

“Never thought my brother would be in show business,” Gray said blandly.

Gage knew what Gray was thinking. From the moment he’d walked up onto the porch and introduced Ava, he’d been sure what Gray’s reaction to who she was, and how Gage knew her, was going to be. Which was precisely why, when he’d first arrived in Temptation and Gray had asked what he’d been doing with himself, Gage had left out the part where he was working on a successful television show.

“Why is that? If you don’t mind my asking,” Ava said.

In addition to being a very good-looking woman, Ava Cannon was candid and real. Traits Gage hadn’t thought Hollywood types could have. He’d watched her on the set with the crew and the cast, and each time he’d noted how sincere she was in whatever she was saying or doing. Whether correcting something in the script, or expressing her concerns to the director, or simply accepting a meal from one of the vendors, she always made eye contact and made everyone feel as if they were on the same level. Gage had admired that about her.

“Our family doesn’t have a good history in the television business,” Gray answered.

“But we don’t need to talk about that right now,” Morgan hurried to say. “It’s just so nice to have Gage here visiting, and then for you to show up, too, Ava, is wonderful. I feel like we’re celebrating so much these days.”

“Almost too much,” Gage said quietly.

When he looked up to see that Ava was now staring at him, Gage thought it was time to shift gears.

“So, Harper, when does Garrek think he’ll be back for a visit?” he asked. “It would be great to see him while I’m here.”

“Not until Christmas,” Harper replied.

She was a nice woman—intelligent and talented, as he’d seen by the work she’d done on the old Victorian. She was not at all the type he’d thought Garrek would settle down with, but after talking to her and meeting her family, Gage could see the appeal. In fact, he was surprised at how it made him feel that his brothers had found really nice women. The Taylors didn’t believe in happy-ever-after, because that wasn’t how it had worked out for their family. All the happiness they’d once known had come crumbling down, and in the aftermath, each of the sextuplets had been left to figure out not only their place in the world, but what type of life they would have as a result.

Gage opted for work and family. Seeking emotional ties with anyone else was futile and doomed to end disastrously. It was that simple.

“That’s too bad,” Morgan replied with a frown.

“Still, it’s enough time for you to visit the hospital with me to check on the progress of the new wing,” Gray reminded Gage.

Gray was working on the Taylor Generational Wing at All Saints Hospital in Temptation. He wanted Gage’s input on the obstetrics and gynecology department and research program that was set up in their mother’s name. Even though he’d vowed not to think about work while he was here, there was no way Gage was going to refuse to help his brother.

“Absolutely,” Gage replied to Gray. He needed to meet with both his brothers, but for now, Gray would have to do.

“How long are you planning to stay, Gage?” Morgan asked. “With the holidays coming up, I was hoping to get all the Taylors to come for dinner. I know it’s been a long time since all of you were together, but that needs to change.”

Morgan was petite, friendly and just a little bit bossy, which Gage concluded was exactly what Gray needed in a woman.

“That’s a great idea,” Harper added.

“I should have a few more rooms at the house completed by Thanksgiving, so whoever doesn’t stay here can come out there with Garrek and me.”

“Oh, a big family Christmas sounds amazing,” Ava said.

She looked at Morgan and Harper with an expression that matched the women’s excitement.

Unsure what to make of that, Gage replied, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to get away again that soon. And I only have three weeks to stay this time.”

Silence fell around him, and Gage felt uncomfortable with the thought that he was spoiling their plans. He was even more uncomfortable about Ava being here, with his family, making plans for the holidays.

“Well, I think I should be going now,” Ava said and pushed her chair back from the table. “I apologize for interrupting your family celebration. But I do thank you so much for your hospitality, Morgan and Gray.”

“Don’t mention it,” Morgan said before leaning over to nudge her husband.

“Ah, she’s right. It was a pleasure having you, Ava,” Gray told her.

“We’re all set for our meeting tomorrow,” Harper added.

Ava nodded. “That’s right, we are. I’m really looking forward to hearing your ideas about tiny homes. I’ve been thinking about having one built for a while, just haven’t had the time.”

“Well, you’re in Temptation now,” Morgan continued. “We take life at a slower pace here than in Los Angeles. I hope you get lots of writing done while you’re here. And please feel free to stop by whenever you get tired of sitting at your computer. You’re welcome here anytime.”

Gage tried not to frown at that statement. He’d taken Harper’s offer to stay at the house she was renovating for her and Garrek.

“Thanks. I’m just going to head back now. I’ll be seeing you all soon, I suppose,” Ava said as she stood this time.

Gage stood, too. He didn’t know why, but he did.

“I’m going to head out, as well. I’ll see Ava back to the B and B,” he said.

“That’s an excellent idea,” Morgan added with a smile.

“I’ll meet you for breakfast at the hospital in the morning,” Gray said.

“I’ll be there,” he replied.

Gage moved around the table to hug and kiss Morgan and Harper good-night. He shook Gray’s hand and then went to stand beside Ava. She was looking at him with a smile, and Gage wondered what she was thinking. He wondered what she’d thought about that night after they’d been together in her trailer. And he wondered if she’d thought about him at all since that time.

That thought stuck with him as he followed her back to the B and B in his car. And when he stepped onto the sidewalk and walked with her up to the front door, he continued to tell himself that the one night of great sex had been just that—one night.

Until now.

“Come inside with me,” Ava said to him.

“Sure,” he replied without hesitation.

* * *

“This isn’t New York,” Gage said after closing and locking the door to her room.

Otis hadn’t been at the front desk when they’d walked into Sunnydale. A woman with long braids and a quick smile gave Ava the key and told her where her room was located. It had only taken Ava a couple seconds to realize the woman’s quick smile was directed at Gage. That, for some insane reason, turned her on.

Gage Taylor turned her on. He had since the first day she’d watched him walk onto the set. Dressed in a black suit, white shirt and purple tie, he’d stolen the breath of every other female on the set. And he wasn’t even a movie star. It was his swagger, Ava later surmised. The way his slightly bowed legs moved and the expertly cut suit hung on his broad shoulders. How his goatee was cut so precisely and his skin tone resembled the most decadent caramel. The husky and confident tone of his voice and the candid and intense way he had of looking a person straight in the eye when they talked. All of that combined with his quick wit and easy humor was nothing short of perfect. Perfectly, mouth-wateringly sexy. Period.

“No,” she replied and turned to face him. “This is Temptation.”

It was a place she’d arrived at only hours before. She’d come here to work on a project she wasn’t one hundred percent on board with. She had not come here to have sex with Gage again. But she wanted to. There was no point denying that.

He crossed his arms over his chest. The chest she’d known, from the way his dress shirts molded to him when they were on the set, would be deliciously muscled.