Chapter 1

"Here's to getting that plum assignment." The two women lifted their glasses in a toast and Ellie followed suit, albeit a little reluctantly.

"Honey, you don't look like you are over the moon." Jackie made the observation as she sipped the frothy champagne.

"I should be grateful…"

"You should be." Marcia murmured curiously. "But I think I have an idea why your response is less than enthusiastic."

Ignoring the noise eddying around them from the other clientele, she leaned forward and placed her elbows on the scarred table as if making a particularly important and life changing edict. "River Glades is barely on the map."

"I have seen photos of the place and frankly if I wasn't married and settled down, I would go for it."

Jackie was the most romantic of the trio and even though she was well and truly married, she still had not given up hope that some knight would come and sweep her off her feet. She had told her friends that was what kept her from going quietly insane.

"The town has a population of five thousand people and derived its name from the rivers running through every hill and valleys.

There are quaint store front shops that looks like gingerbread cottages and even the Walmart and Target adopted similar designs so that they could blend in with the entire theme of the town."

The other two looked at her in surprise.

"It seems as if you should be the one going in my place." Ellie remarked dryly. "You know how I feel about small towns."

"We do., Marcia acknowledged with a grin. She was also married, but unlike Jackie, was happy with her life. She was a remarkably successful attorney, and her husband owned and operated his own computer software business.

Jackie on the other hand was an administrator for a well-known company and her husband was a stay-at-home dad to their two-year-old twins. They were able to get by on the salary she earned as well as financial aid given to them by her husband's wealthy family.

"You like to be in close contact with shopping malls, restaurants, and museums. I understand that Axel Lakeside is taking the town into the twentieth century."

"No matter what happens, it will still remain a small town."

"Bright lights are not all that they are cut out to be," Jackie retorted, picking up her drink and taking another sip of the expensive champagne. "Naturally, you prefer the dazzle of a big town because you were a model…" She could not help but cast a slightly envious look at her friend, who was the looker of all three of them.

She could not help envying the other girl's freedom, something she was longing for, but would never have, not anymore. She was trapped in a job and in a marriage that was slowly eroding.

Shaking her head, she forced a bright smile. Her friends knew her well and would recognize the discontent on her face. They were here to cheer Ellie on and that is what she was going to do, even if it killed her. Time enough to get bogged down in her misery when she was in the bathroom at home.

"I am sure you are going to love it., she ended with a lift of her glass.

"I will no doubt try and adjust." Ellie gave her a curious look, wondering if the bitterness she had heard had just been her imagination. She was about to say something but decided to let it go.

"And that hunk you will be interviewing…," Marcia sighed languidly. "Honey, I am head over heels in love with my husband, but I certainly can appreciate good looks and a buffed body. The man is gorgeous in that roughly hewn way. It is said he made his own fortune through sheer determination and grit. That's admirable as hell."

Ellie nodded in agreement. "I have done some research on him, and it's rumored that his father took off when he and his sister were little, leaving their mother to take care of them on her own."

"Something you can relate to," Jackie murmured.

"My situation is vastly different. Mama was not married to my dad, and she was the one who drove him away. Besides that, we never had to suffer. I was never lacking."

"Your dad saw to it that you were provided for, and your mother had money of her own."

Picking up her glass, Ellie pointed it at Jackie who had made the comment. She did not like talking about her parents. Eleanor Bailey had been married three times already and was now looking for a fourth husband.

The sad part of it was that Ellie's dad was still in love with a woman who was as selfish as they come and had remained single in the hopes that the woman would grow up, but that had not happened, and Ellie was certain it never would.

It was heartbreaking seeing her dad suffer and nothing she said to him made a difference. He was in love with Eleanor and that would never change.

"When you fall in love you will realize that it is not a switch you can just turn on and off at will," he had told her sadly. But Ellie had no intention of allowing that to happen to her. She was happy being the way she was.

Her two friends were married and were often hinting that it was time for her to settle down, but she was more than content with being unattached. Besides, she was not even sure she wanted children, much less a husband.

She glanced at her watch now, grimacing as she noticed the time. "I have to pop in to see dad. His diabetes has been acting up lately and I promised to pick some things up from the store for him."

"He is such a sweet man." Marcia murmured. "And should not be alone."

"He is not alone," Ellie said dryly. "That retirement community where he lives offers the very best of amenities and he has made a lot of friends." Pushing back her chair, she waited for her friends to rise as well. "We must have dinner before I leave."

"You leave in a week."

Ellie nodded in response to Jackie. "And there is so much to do before then." All three walked towards the entrance of the trendy restaurant with frankly admiring looks following their progress and lingering on Ellie who seemed not to notice the interest she was garnering.

She was accustomed to men ogling her. In her past career as a lingerie model, it had been worse. It was something she accepted. It was made even worse because her mother had been an actress and a very successful one at that. Being recognized was a given.

Waving goodbye to her friends, she accepted her key fob from the eagerly smiling valet and jumped into her vehicle. She would head to the store and then take the hour-long drive to see her dad. It was entirely out of her way, and she had a lot to do, but she always looked forward to seeing him.

*****

"Darling. I was hoping you would have gotten here in time to play a round of golf with your old man," Leonard Logan embraced her in a fierce hug, his hands running up and down her back before holding her at arm's length, dark brown eyes studying her face curiously. "You grow more beautiful each time I see you…"

"You are certainly good for my ego." Leaning in, she pecked his cheek. "Where do you want these?" She held up the shopping bags.

"Over there by the counter. Here, let me…" Taking them from her, he carried them into the well-appointed kitchen that was spotless and tidy. "I gave Deena the day off and did the tidying up myself."

"You have been busy, and you look well." She had seen him last week and had voiced her concern to the nurse about his demeanor, but she had been assured that it would pass. Ellie was happy to see that it had.

"How about I make us a couple of corned beef hash sandwiches?"

"Sounds lovely." Sliding on a stool around the counter, she propped her chin on her hand and watched as he got the ingredients to make the sandwich. She had gotten her height from him, but that's about it.

Leonard Logan was an attractive sixty-year-old who had served more than forty years in the navy and retired as a senior chief more than two years ago. He still had the military bearing and if given the chance would reminisce about his times at sea for anyone who would listen.

He had confessed to Ellie that he had wanted more children, but her mother would not hear of it. "And there was never a woman I loved the way I love your mother. I have been all over the world and no one ever comes close."

Watching him now, Ellie felt the familiar ache inside her for the way he still clung to the hope that her mother would ‘wake up and come to her senses' as he often put it.

"What have you been up to?"

Looking up from the tomato he was slicing, he gave her a fond glance. "Woke up late this morning."

"Rough night?" She asked teasingly.

"Playing cards with some of the guys and time got away from us." He chopped lettuce expertly.

"Who won?"

"Me, of course." He grinned at her, eyes twinkling. "I took a hundred dollars off poor Martin. He is determined to win it back. Poor sod. Grab two beers from the cooler, will you?"

"I just had two glasses of champagne with the girls, and I am the one driving. Besides, you are taking medication, so…," pulling the fridge open, she took out a container of iced tea, "this will do."

"Spoilsport…," he grumbled good-naturedly. "Toasted?" He held up the slices of bread and she nodded.

He handed her the large and loaded sandwich on a plate before taking his seat across from her. "Now, tell me what's going on in your life since I last saw you."

Her tapered brows lifted as she bit into the sandwich. "Which was seven days ago."

He shrugged. "I keep hoping that you are here to tell me you met the perfect guy, one who is worthy of you."

"According to you, none will ever be."

"True…," he acknowledged that with a shrug, "but I am getting jealous. All the guys keep boasting about grandchildren and I have to keep my mouth shut. I am starting to feel conspicuous."

"I am not going to conceive a child to make you feel inconspicuous."

He studied her for a minute, taking in the artlessly tousled thick dark brown hair cut closely at the sides and fuller on the top. It emphasized her sharp cheekbones and stubborn chin. Her eyes dominated her small face and had graced several well-known magazines over the years.

Now she was a contributor to a widely successful magazine featuring several different heartfelt topics. He was proud of her but would love to have a grandchild bouncing on his knees before he was too old to make that effort. "Love is a grand thing."

Lifting her head, she met his direct gaze with one of her own. "Not so grand where you are concerned."

He shrugged thin shoulders, a faraway expression on his craggy attractive face. She hated when he brought up the topic of her mother, but inevitably, the conversation would always turn to her.

"I was flattered when she paid attention to me," a smile touched his lips, "me, a lowly sailor, thin and gauche and lost. I loved the sea and being in the military was a way for me to escape the impossible situation at home." He had told her about his father who had been an abusive drunk who had taken out his frustrations on him and his mother.

"There I was, with several of the fellows, walking right where they were shooting a low budget film and there she was, petite and utterly stunning. I had eyes for no one else and never dared expect that she would notice me."

He had told the story so many times, she was familiar with it.

"She did." Picking up his iced tea, he took a long swallow, a sad expression on his face. "It was love at first sight for me and I hoped it was for her too." He shrugged. "It probably was at first."

Reaching across, she placed a hand over his, causing him to start slightly as if just aware of her presence. "We had you," his smile widened, and he shook off the maudlin mood just like that.

"And you are the greatest gift a man could ever hope for." Turning his hand over, he lifted hers and kissed the back of it. "Now," he continued briskly. "Tell me about this assignment that's going to take my baby girl to some obscure town."

*****

Dragging off the sodden headband, Ellie dropped wearily into the porch swing and kicked off her tennis shoes. Stretching her legs out, she stared at the moisture that had gathered on her skin.

Her body suit was soaking wet - because of the humidity of the September afternoon and the fact that she had gone more than her usual six miles as if running from her demons.

She had come straight from the retirement community, stopping long enough to change out of her work clothes into a workout outfit and hit the trail.

Her house, a charming two bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom redwood structure was set well back from the road and had a trail leading to a park. It was a popular area and people like herself used it as a workout area.

She liked to exercise alone as it was when she got to think and plan, especially when she was up for a big story. And this was going to be a biggie. She had complained to her friend about going to a small town, but it would do her good.

Aside from the fact that she would be some distance away from her mother and her constant complaints, she would also have the time to think about her life and where it was going.

Each time she left her dad, it was with a feeling of utter sadness and desolation. She knew he was far from being lonely, not with all the activities they had going on, but she could tell that it was a tug in his heart as well to see her leave.

She loved him. A smile touched her lips as she recalled the times when she had resented the hell out of him. Her mother had packed her head with lies, blaming him for leaving them behind. She had finally found out the truth when she reluctantly agreed to meet with him while she was a senior in high school.

That he could still love her mother was beyond Ellie's comprehension. But he did and he kept hoping that she was going to come back to him. Shaking her head, she eased out of the swing, she left the shoes on the porch and went inside in search of something cold to drink. A glass of wine and perhaps a couple of slices of pizza.

She had just tugged the top over her head when her phone rang. Snatching it from the side pocket of her jogging shorts, she uttered a sigh of relief to discover that it was her dad.

*****

Axel dragged his fingers through the thick moisture of his coffee brown hair as he stopped underneath the huge oak tree with the overhanging branches.

The night had cooled off somewhat, with dark clouds scudding across the sky and blotting out the blue. He had finished tackling paperwork, facetiming his assistant and was due to go over to the main house to have dinner with his mother and sister.

He loved them to death and would do anything in his power to make them content, but tonight he would have preferred solitude.

His assistant had reminded him of the upcoming interview and that the woman from the magazine was scheduled to be here a week from today. He was not looking forward to it and wondered why the hell he had agreed to being interviewed in the first place.

He was here in River Glades to conduct several business efforts and provide the town with some well needed sprucing up. The mayor had handed him the key to the city in an elaborate ceremony that had taken place last Saturday. On top of that, he was being treated like royalty when he would rather have kept a low profile.

His mother and sister had their hands full receiving visitors, most of them women from the area, ones he had gone to school with and who had not given him the time of day and were now falling over themselves to be with him.

He had not taken them up on their obvious invitations of course. He was not looking for romance. After the fiasco with Serena, he stayed clear of any sort of involvement that involved the heart. From now on, it was just physical interaction and nothing more. He had his fill of women who were after him for what he could give them.

His eyes shifted to the sun going down on the horizon, a feeling of well-being moving over him as he watched the fiery orb of changing colors slowly disappearing.

He could have stayed with his family, but as he had convinced them, he was in and out at odd hours and had grown so accustomed to living on his own, that it would feel weird being around other people.

The house he was having built was only half finished and he had no idea what he was going to do once it was completed. He owned houses - several of them all over the world - a pied a' terre in New York, a flat in Knightsbridge, a villa in Tuscany and houses in Boston and Chicago.

He had built one here in River Glades for his mother and sister, a sprawling ranch type home where they had several acres of land to plant their herb and vegetable gardens.

Turning away from the stunning view, he gazed at the weathered brick with the sloping walkway and the shrubs that had been planted along the perimeter in lieu of a fence and were springing up nicely. His mother had insisted on popping over several hours a day to tend to the garden.

"Daffodils, pansies, and oleanders. It would look perfect." She said with her beaming smile. Pottering around in the dirt made her happy and he was not the one who was going to take that away from her.

He was here in his hometown, and they were delighted that he would be for an extended period. He needed the break as well. He had been going at a breakneck pace for more than ten years. It was time to take a break and slow down.

But this damn upcoming interview was pissing him off. He had no idea why he should have someone shadowing him so that they could write about his accomplishments when it had already been published.

"This one is going to be a personal piece. You are back in your hometown – that perfectly quaint place where it all started. People are eager to learn about the real Axel Lakeside, what motivated him to reach for the stars and the secret to his success. Ms. Logan will interview your mother and sister as well."

His head of PR had hastened to try and convince him of the benefit of agreeing to the interview. "You are fabulously wealthy, very attractive and single and you managed to carve out a name for yourself, through sheer determination and smarts. There is no downside to this."

He had glowered at her, but Felicia had not backed down. She was damn good at her job and knew she was not in danger of being fired.

"I don't want her in my damn space," he growled.

"She will be staying in a cottage a few blocks from your place, and she is a professional. It will be over before you know it."

"She will be here for a week. Why does it take that long for her to gather information?"

"She is very thorough. You have probably heard of her."

"I doubt it."

"She was a lingerie model before she became a writer."

"Wonderful."

"She is very good."

"So, you keep saying. I just want it over and done with."

And he did. Taking off towards the path that led to his place, he stopped to take in the new bulbs his mother had planted, an indulgent smile touching his lips.