Mandy lay in his arms silently, clinging to him as if she was afraid he’d disappear. Cole struggled with what he knew had to be done. It was time for Mandy to come home with him. He wasn’t willing to be separated from her any longer. And Mandy needed him to be close by, to reassure her, to let her know he wasn’t going to leave her. But by letting Mandy and Darci get to know each other, he would complicate an already tangled mess of a marriage.

Mandy had barely gotten over the loss of her mother, and she was desperately looking for another woman in her life, a woman she could call mother and give all the love little girls held in store for their parents. Cole loved his daughter more than life itself, but he sensed that wasn’t enough, knew deep down that perhaps Mandy’s battered body needed more love than he had to give.

Darci was another shattered soul looking for that elusive thing called love. She’d told him of her need for children, he’d seen her caring ways when she was a young girl. Mandy would bring out all Darci’s mothering instincts. If he wasn’t careful, he knew he’d end up hurting the two most important people in his life. And yet, all he really wanted to do was help everyone, do what was best and not hurt any of them.

Hell.

He’d managed to make a royal mess of his life.

The lights were on when she unlocked her door, and she halted, savoring the sense of someone besides Scruffy being there to greet her. Her dog darted into the room, his tail wagging his entire body.

Someday, she hoped to have a child running to greet her. Someday when she had a real marriage. She tried to imagine another man in her life, a different face moving close to hers for a welcoming kiss, but failed. It was Cole’s kiss she wanted, Cole being there to greet her. Forcing away the disturbing thought, she bent to pet the squirming bundle at her feet. Until the right man came along, Scruffy, the poor little mop, would get all her attention, all of her love.

When Cole stepped out of the kitchen, she stopped scratching Scruffy’s stomach and stood, letting her senses absorb the tall, dark man standing in her living room. He looked tired, the lines around his eyes reflecting a fatigue as bone deep as hers. But he still managed a smile of greeting and held out a glass of wine for her.

Her fingers closed around the stem, his hand brushing over hers as he pulled away. She couldn’t resist smiling into his gray eyes as he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss of greeting on her lips. Warmth wound its way through her stomach, reminding her of all she was missing.