He liked everything about this woman a little too much. She and her baby were the type who could sneak into a man’s heart—even his—before he knew what hit him. Just thinking that was enough to have him heading for the exit from the nursery.

“You’re leaving?” Trish called after him, clearly surprised by the abrupt departure.

“Work to do,” he said tersely, not turning around. “I meant to go a while back.”

“Maybe I’ll see you again.”

“Since you’re not from around these parts, I doubt it.”

He hesitated, then turned and took one last look at the two of them, sitting in that rocker with the sunlight streaming in and spilling over them. He had a feeling that image would linger with him long after he wanted to banish it.

“I’m glad everything turned out okay,” he said. “You all have a good life wherever you go.”

Not until he was out in the hallway with the door firmly closed behind him did he begin to feel safe again.

Trish had no idea what to make of Hardy Jones. He wasn’t like any other man she’d ever known. He was brusque and tough one second, a little shy the next. As gorgeous and enigmatic as he was, she could imagine women falling at his feet, wanting to unravel the mystery of him. She had no intention of being one of them.

He’d done her a huge favor. She’d thanked him. There was no reason for their paths to cross again. In fact, he’d made it plain that he’d prefer that they didn’t. Given some of the gossip she’d heard in the hallways about his active social life, she’d concluded he was a little too much like Jack. She certainly didn’t need another man like that in her life.

After Hardy had gone, her doctor magically appeared in the nursery as if she’d been waiting just outside the door.

“So, what did you think of Hardy?” she asked.

It seemed to Trish that she posed the question a little too casually. Her watchful gaze suggested she was very interested in the answer. Alarm bells went off. Between her father and her big brothers, Trish had spent her entire life with overactive meddlers. She knew one when she saw one. She phrased her reply very carefully.

“He’s very sweet, but he seemed nervous. He must be awfully shy around women, or is it just me?” she said, testing what she’d overheard about Hardy’s womanizing.

The doctor’s mouth gaped predictably. “Hardy, shy? That has to be a first. If you asked a hundred women around this part of Texas to describe him, I doubt there’s one who would come up with that.”

The doctor’s description confirmed her worst fears. “You said you’ve known him for a while, Doctor. How would you describe him?” Trish asked curiously.

“Forget the ‘Doctor,’ okay? Call me Lizzy. I think we’re going to be friends. As for Hardy, well, I’d have to say he’s a hunk. The general consensus rates him as sexy, handsome and charming,” she replied without missing a beat. “A real ladies’ man. The word around here is that he can accelerate a pulse rate faster than a treadmill.”

All the traits Trish had vowed to avoid in a man, she thought. It was strange, though. Obviously she had noticed that the man was gorgeous, that he exuded masculinity, but she’d been more struck by his gentleness, by his uneasiness around her. Not once had he tried to charm her. Of course, she doubted any man on earth would be inclined to flirt while delivering a baby, but what about today? Was she that much of a wreck that he hadn’t even been inclined to try? And why did she find that so annoying? It was probably just some weird hormonal shift.

“I hadn’t noticed,” she said, aware that she sounded ever so slightly testy about it.

The doctor pulled up another rocker and sat down, clearly ready for a friendly chat. “I’m amazed,” she said. “Flirting’s as ingrained in Hardy as breathing. Are you telling me he never so much as winked at you?”

“Nope.”

“Hmm. Isn’t that fascinating?” Lizzy said. “No little innuendoes, no flattery, no sweet talk?”

“Afraid not.” She grinned. “Of course, I have just had a baby. Not many men would flirt with a brand-new mother. What’s he going to say? You look pretty good for someone who’s just had a baby in my truck?”

“You don’t know Hardy. The guys say…” She hesitated. “Well, never mind what the guys say. Let’s just leave it that Hardy likes women. Correct that. Hardy loves women. Big, small, old, young.”

Trish studied her intently. “Why are you telling me all this?”

“Just sharing information,” Lizzy insisted. “In case you’re interested.”

“I just had a baby,” Trish reminded her. “I’m passing through town. Why would I be interested?”

Lizzy shrugged, unperturbed by her response. “I just thought you might be.”

Trish recalled what Lizzy had said about her father’s matchmaking on Hardy’s behalf. Obviously she shared the trait. It just seemed a trifle misplaced under the circumstances. “It hasn’t occurred to you that I could have a husband somewhere?”

“No mention of one on your hospital forms,” Lizzy said. “I checked.”

Trish stared. “You didn’t.”

“Of course I did,” Lizzy replied unrepentantly. “You have to admit that having a baby together—”

“He delivered the baby,” Trish corrected impatiently. “We didn’t have one together.”

“Still, it had to be an incredibly intense moment. That’s the kind of moment that creates an enduring bond, don’t you think?”

Friendly chitchat was rapidly turning into advice for the lovelorn. Trish figured it was time to put a very firm stop to it. “Oh, no, you don’t,” she warned. “Stop it right there. Obviously you have your father’s matchmaking tendencies. I am not in the market for a man. Hardy clearly wasn’t the slightest bit interested in me. Even you have to realize that, since he didn’t even bother to try to charm my socks off.”

“But that’s what makes it so interesting,” Lizzy insisted. “For a man like Hardy not to flirt, for him to actually act all shy and tongue-tied around you, I think that’s very telling.”

“And I think you’ve been at the hospital too long without sleep,” Trish said. “You’re hallucinating.”

“We’ll see,” Lizzy said, undeterred.

“Afraid not. As soon as I’m back on my feet, the baby and I will be moving on. I’ll probably never see Hardy Jones again.”

Famous last words.

Not an hour after she’d made her very firm declaration to Lizzy, Jordan and Kelly Adams appeared. Trish wasn’t dumb enough not to realize that there was a connection, especially when they suggested she come and stay with them.

“We have lots of room, and you need to get some rest. Having a brand-new baby is exhausting. You’ll need help, at least for a while,” Kelly said. “Don’t even bother making excuses. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“It’s the least we can do for Bryce’s daughter,” Jordan added. “Your father…”

Before he could get the rest of the words out, Trish cut him off. “My father is not to know I’m here,” she said firmly. “I can’t come with you, unless you agree to that. If you feel you have to tell him, then I’ll just take the baby and move on.”

Kelly squeezed her hand and shot a warning look at her husband. “I’m sure you have your reasons, though I hope you’ll reconsider. I’m sure he must be worried sick about you. In the meantime, we want you here with us. Isn’t that right, Jordan?”

He looked uncomfortable with the promise, but he finally nodded. “It’s your decision.”

“By the way, how did you even know I was here?”

“Word travels fast in a small town,” Kelly Adams said. “It’s hard to get used to, if you’ve lived in the city most of your life.”

“And in this family, word spreads like wildfire,” Jordan added. “Never known a worse bunch of gossips. My father’s the worst.”

“Then you and Lizzy are related?” she asked, trying to reconcile the age difference.

“She’s my half sister,” he said. “We share the same impossibly nosy father. No doubt you’ll meet him. He’s chomping at the bit to get over here and get a look at you and the baby. With luck we’ll be able to keep him away until you move into the house, but don’t count on it. He’s not a patient man.”