To Sam’s frustration, so did his single brother, Kyle. At thirty-four, Kyle was closest in age to Sam. He’d been engaged to his college sweetheart for a few years, but that had ended a while ago. He lived in Raleigh, which was only about an hour from Magnolia, although he and Sam didn’t hang out other than at family gatherings.

Kyle had always been a bit of a stick-in-the-mud as far as Sam was concerned. His brother had made partner at the financial advising firm where he worked a year ago, faster than anyone in the company’s history, thanks to his drive and determination. Kyle and Sam were opposites in almost every way, most of which reflected badly on Sam. He’d liked partying and living life to the fullest, while his brother acted more like a geriatric in the body of a young man.

He was the kind of steady, hardworking, stable man who would be perfect for Bella.

It just about killed Sam, even though he had no right to be jealous. Oh, he was well aware that his neighbor had a bit of a crush on him when they’d first met. But he knew she’d cast aside all thought of him as real boyfriend material once she got to know him. He didn’t blame her.

“Uncle Sam, will you put me on your shoulders?”

He glanced down at his eight-year-old nephew, Lucas, a welcome distraction from watching Bella and Kyle together. The whole family had driven down to the nearby town of Ridgeway for the annual Christmas Eve caroling event. From the moment he’d gotten out of his vehicle, women from his past had seemed to materialize one after the other. It was like his own romantic ghost-of-girlfriends-past nightmare, especially because it was happening in front of Bella.

Kyle had been more than willing to step in and lead her away. Sam had needed to physically resist grabbing her and hustling her off to somewhere private without so many reminders of what a womanizing jerkwad he’d been back in the day.

A reputation he couldn’t seem to shake, no matter that he hadn’t been with a woman in over six months. No dates. No kisses. No nights of mindlessly losing himself in a bottle and a stranger’s bed.

His coworkers at the station had caught on to the change in him, although no one made a big deal about it. They were a great group, closer to him than his family in a lot of ways. And it was easy enough to lie low in Magnolia and avoid the bar or phone calls from women looking for a good time. Sam’s preferred idea of a good time these days was reading a book and turning off the lights by ten. Ideally after spending a bit of time visiting with his neighbor.

He ground his teeth as Kyle said something to Bella that made her smile. Sam didn’t do possessive, but the jealousy that spiked through him shocked him with its intensity.