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  “I’ve been thinking...” She paused, studying him closely. “I can’t leave. I’ve got to stick around Cooper’s Corner.” She hesitated, then visibly swallowed. “Otherwise who’s going to set you straight when you get off base?”

  Her words tumbled in his head as he struggled to understand what she was telling him. She couldn’t leave? No. She didn’t want to leave. His insides went berserk. He wanted to jump up and grab her. Hold on and never let her go. “I do need advice from time to time.”

  She nodded sagely, but he could see the flush on her cheeks, the rapid rise and fall of her chest. “You’re a great doctor. Smart. Very knowledgeable. But I have to tell you, Doc, your bedside manner needs work.”

  He let hope flood him. “And you can help with that?”

  She nodded, her gaze carefully locked with his. “If you let me.”

  Alex was too choked up to say anything. He stood and pulled her against him, kissing her hair, her cheek, her lips. “I love you, Jen. I want you to stay with me forever.”

  She tipped her head to look at him. “Forever is a long time.”

  “Not long enough, honey.”

  She pressed her lips together, and he heard her force back a sob. “I love you.”

  He tightened his arms around her and kissed her. “So, when are we going to start work on that bedside manner?”

  EPILOGUE

  JENNY EYED THE pink-frosted, heart-shaped cake in the magazine and studied her creation with dismay. Darn it. She’d followed the directions to a T. Why didn’t her cake look like that?

  She sighed. Well, at least you could tell it was a heart. Sort of. The fact that it was Valentine’s Day would be a major hint. She shook her head, dropped the magazine in the recycling bin, then hid the cake in the oven.

  Alex would be home at any moment. She smiled. He tended to come home earlier on days she didn’t work at the clinic. Two years ago when she’d returned to Cooper’s Corner she had never dreamed she could be happy living here again, much less being a part-time stay-at-home mom to Plato and Bagel. But there wasn’t a place on earth she’d rather be right now.

  She heard Alex at the back door and took a deep breath. She’d waited three hours to tell him the news, and she was ready to burst.

  “Hi.” He smiled, clearly surprised to see her waiting just a few feet away.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

  His smile broadened. “Come here.”

  She ducked away from him. She knew what would happen next, and it excluded any talking. “Wait. I have a surprise for you.”

  He caught one of her hands and pulled her toward him. “Let’s see.” He frowned as if he were thinking hard. “You baked a cake.”

  She gasped. “Plato told you.”

  Alex chuckled and touched the tip of her nose. “Pink frosting.” He showed her his fingertip. “Dead giveaway.”

  “Darn it.” She rubbed her nose. “Anyway, that’s not the surprise.”

  “What is it?”

  “Guess.”

  “Jen, you know I hate that....”

  She laughed. “I went to the doctor today.”

  His expression tensed. “And?”

  “You know how Phyllis and Maureen have been telling me I should do some part-time business consulting?” The fear on his face prompted her to cut the teasing. “Well, I won’t have time. The doctor gave his okay for us to start a family.”

  Alex’s expression lightened by degrees as the news registered. “Ah, Jen.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up off the floor. “I love you.”

  She choked back a sob. He was the most loving, patient, incredible man she’d ever met, and now she could give him something precious. “Tell me again after you try the cake.”

  * * * * *

  Welcome to Twin Oaks—

  the new B and B in Cooper’s Corner, Massachusetts. Bed and breakfast will never be the same!

  COOPER’S CORNER

  a Harlequin continuity series

  Continues with

  HER STOLEN PAST

  by Amanda Stevens

  Librarian Beth Young was so quiet, she simply blended into the town of Cooper’s Corner. But Clint Cooper, co-owner of the Twin Oaks, couldn’t help but notice her as she played piano each evening at the B and B. Her music was haunting...and to Clint, so was her beauty. But Beth didn’t dare act on the attraction she felt for Clint.

  Here’s a preview!

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  CHAPTER ONE

  “ANY OF THIS JOG your memory?” MacMillan queried.

  Beth shook her head.

  “Didn’t think so.” He closed the briefcase and stood. “Well, I guess that’s all we can do for now. We’ll be in touch. And in the meantime, if you get your memory back, you call us.”

  He moved away from the bed, but before he got to the door, he turned as if an idea had suddenly dawned on him. He took a step toward her. “Oh, and one other thing you should know. The man who pulled you from the river that night said he saw two sets of headlights on the mountain. One set was lower to the ground, presumably on your car. The other lights looked as if they were on a truck or SUV. He said for a few seconds the two sets of lights were traveling side by side down the mountain. Then your car went into a spin and slid over the side. He had the impression that you may have been forced over.”

  She gasped. “You mean someone...tried to kill me?”

  “We don’t know for sure what happened. All we can do is speculate. It’s been my experience, though, that women don’t usually go out alone in the dead of night—much less in a driving rainstorm—just for the hell of it. Something happened on that mountain. You were running from something. Or someone. I’d stake my life on it.”

  A .38 special, serial number completely filed away. Two rounds missing from the clip.

  Ten thousand dollars. Small denominations.

  You were running from something. Or someone.

  “Do I need a lawyer?” she asked hoarsely.

  MacMillan seemed surprised by the question. “We don’t even have evidence that a crime has been committed, unless you know something we don’t. But then, even if you did, you wouldn’t remember it, would you?” Something she could only name as suspicion gleamed in his eyes, making her tremble even more.

  I didn’t do anything, she wanted to tell him, but how could she know that for sure? How could she defend herself when she didn’t know who she was or what kind of person she’d been? Was she capable of violence? Deception? Betrayal? She had no idea.

  As if reading the terror and confusion in her eyes, the detective nodded. “Quite a predicament, isn’t it? If someone did try to kill you on that mountain and he finds out you’re still alive, he could come looking for you. And if Marsden and I find out you stole that money or used that gun, we’ll come looking for you.” His gaze hardened. “Either way, I’d say you’re in one hell of a mess.”

  ISBN-13: 9781460323595

  FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

  Debbi Rawlins is acknowledged as the author of this work.

  Copyright © 2002 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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