When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

“Yeah, right,” Annie snickered as she tossed the slip of paper from her fortune cookie aside. She may well require a teacher, but there were few to be found in Hunter’s Mills.

Annie was sick of being the town’s oldest virgin. Especially since most of the folks in town considered her the rotten apple that fell just beneath the proverbial tree.

She walked from the living room to the bathroom and discarded her clothes. A hot shower with lots of scented soap would help wash away the anguish of another bad day. Bad days that started soon after her mother returned to town.

It wasn’t that life in Hunter’s Mills was exciting. But mundane was a word that Annie grew to love after her mother’s departure when she was seventeen. She had finished her last year of high school on her own without her mother’s shoulder to cry on when no one asked her to the prom. Not that her mother would have offered her shoulder anyway.

Truth be told, even when her mother worked full-time at Mel’s diner, she had been anything but supportive. When she left, Annie should have been glad. Mel let her continue to rent the apartment above the diner in exchange for part-time work.

None of that mattered now. She’d been driven from her home to find refuge in a cottage in the hills above the town. Thank God for her best friend, Eddie Handler, who offered the use of her brother’s cottage.

Annie stretched and yawned as she adjusted the taps. A shower was definitely in order.

* * * *

Jack Van Camp wasn’t sure what he’d find when he walked into his cottage for the first time in years. For some reason, he wasn’t prepared to see that very little had changed since he and his family had last been there. The open concept cottage, which he had built to suit the whims of his then-wife, seemed empty in spite of the lavish furnishings. The leather love seat and couch still circled the primitive stone hearth.

Jack found himself thinking about the numerous times Joanne, his ex-wife, had chastised their three boys for playing on the expensive furniture. He would have gone with something inexpensive so the rough play his sons frequently indulged in wouldn’t have mattered.

In spite of the fact that the three boys had sprung from Joanne’s loins, she never seemed to understand them.

The last time he had been to the cottage had been with his wife. They had left their sons with a neighbor with the hope of sorting out their marital problems.

Looking back, Jack knew it was more about his sons than the fact he wanted to save a marriage that was doomed from the beginning. The birth of each of his sons was the only bright spot in his twenty-two year marriage.

Jack moved around the living room with a sense of foreboding. It was time to let this place go. Joanne was long gone and with two sons in college and the third in his last year of high school, there was no point in hanging on to it.

Jack frowned when he noticed empty Chinese food cartons on the coffee table. As he rounded the couch, his foot snagged on something. His frown deepened as he crouched to examine the open backpack. A lacy pink bra peeked out over the edge of the zipper.

Jack rose and walked slowly to the kitchen. It was then he heard the running water in the bathroom off to his left. His hand hovered for only a moment before he twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

Jack glanced at the steam emanating from the running shower. The sun through the west window offered a silhouette of the person in the shower. His eyes narrowed as he gazed at the figure, definitely the owner of the bits of lace he spied earlier. The form bent from the waist to rub her long shapely legs and then rose, with her chin tilted up to allow the spray of water to slide down her body. She turned, letting the water wash over her back and buttocks as her hands glided up from her waist to her sides and then grazed over her breasts.

Jack felt his body tighten in response. How long had it been since he’d watched a woman bathe? He felt himself grow hard as he saw her reach for the taps and turn them off.

It wasn’t until the long delicate fingers curled around the shower curtain and began to pull it back that Jack realized he’d be an unwanted visitor. He reached for the doorknob and began to back out of the room. Too late, she had pulled the shower curtain back and reached for a towel. Jack caught a glimpse of flesh before she noticed he was there.

He saw the towel rip from the holder and splay over her body as deep blue eyes peered at him in horror.

“Get out!” she cried as she grappled to hide behind the towel.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he began to back out of the bathroom.

“You jerk!” the woman cried.

The words vibrated against the bathroom’s steamy walls as Jack’s hand faltered on the doorknob.

Who the hell was she to call him a jerk? He was in his own cottage and she, this luscious woman, was the trespasser.

As she wrapped the towel around herself, Jack held his ground. He ordered his eyes not to notice just how little the towel covered. She held it over her breasts but she was too tall to hide everything. Jack couldn’t help but notice the dark V between her thighs just below the edge of the towel.

“This is my property. I have every right to be here.” He tried to sound as firm as he could, ignoring the fact there was something even more firm happening south of his brain.
Jack loathed how his body reacted to the sight of the woman.

Long lashes batted over brilliant blue eyes as she gazed back at him. Water dripped from her long blond hair over her high cheekbones. “Can we please have this discussion after I’m dressed?”

Jack considered her request. Why should he? She was the trespasser. And he quite enjoyed looking at her.

Yet, as she struggled to hide her sweet flesh from his gaze, he couldn’t help but make a few concessions.

If he used this kind of logic in his practice as a lawyer in Toronto, he would surely be a lost man. He just couldn’t seem to resist.

Jack cleared his throat, hoping he’d sound firm as he spoke. “You have five minutes. One second longer, and I’m calling the cops.”

* * * *

Annie blinked in disbelief as the bathroom door closed with a heavy thud. No doubt, she had just come face-to-face with Jack Van Camp, her best friend’s older brother.

Judging by his cold stance and brisk tone when he found her in his shower, he was none too pleased to find her here.

Annie quickly toweled off as she considered the dark eyes that had just recently roved over her body.

Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. The towel she had clutched over her breasts probably didn’t cover everything. He may well have seen what little she had to offer. It couldn’t hide all of her too-tall, too-thin frame at once. She subconsciously made a choice to cover her meager breasts with the towel while the rest of her body was probably exposed for the entire world to see.

As Annie quickly pulled on her panties and reached for her jeans, she realized she’d left her bra in the bag. And, of course, it was in the living room. Damn!

No matter. The red t-shirt was big enough and would hide her breasts well. After all, her mother always told her she was as flat as a pancake.

Annie peered into the mirror and ran a brush through her long blond locks. Without the time to carefully blow-dry her hair, it would dry into a mass of frizzy curls. She pulled it back into a ponytail and quickly secured it with an elastic band.

“You’ve got about thirty seconds left.”

Annie shivered with fear as she heard the man’s muffled voice through the door. She glanced at her makeup bag and then at the mirror. There was no time to cover the ugly red cheeks or line her lips to make them appear less fat. She had to get out there and she had to go now.

Annie’s hand settled on the doorknob. She took a deep breath, plastered a smile on her face and pulled the door open.

Deep brown eyes collided with hers as she stepped out of the bathroom. They raked over her body, from the top of her head to her bare feet. Then slowly traveled upwards again, resting on her breasts for a fraction of a second before they once again met her eyes.

He knew.

He knew she wasn’t wearing a bra. The assessment had taken only a millisecond, but he had noticed.

Annie felt a shiver of awareness as he folded his arms over his chest and let out a long breath.

“So who are you?” His rich, deep voice slid over her, causing her entire body to tremble with…what? She wasn’t sure what she was feeling.

“My name is Annie Wilson. A friend of mine said I could use the cottage for a little while.”

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “Who’s your friend?”

“Eddie Handler,” Annie replied. “Are you her brother, Jack?”

He nodded slowly. “I own this place.”

“But you haven’t been here in years. Eddie has been looking after it. She told me I could stay here in exchange for looking after it. She’s going to have her baby any day now and—”

“I’m well aware that my sister and brother-in-law are expecting,” Jack cut in.

Annie felt anger well inside her. Who the hell was he to act so pious? If he had told his sister he was coming, he would have known of her presence. Not to mention the fact that Eddie could have warned her about the impending doom.

“Well,” Annie said, trying to keep her anger at bay, “I have to go to work this afternoon anyway, so the place is yours until I return this evening.”

Jack’s brows rose slightly. “Well, that’s very generous of you.” The sarcasm dripping from his voice grated on Annie’s nerves. “However, my plans do not include an uninvited guest. You’ll have to find another place to squat.”

Squat?

Squat!

Annie felt her already too-red cheeks flush with anger. “I’ll have you know that I am not squatting! Your sister offered this place as refuge for me and—”

“Refuge?” Jack was quick on the uptake. Annie cursed herself for the letting the need to hide slip out. If Jack was the genius lawyer his sister often bragged about, then her little slip wouldn’t go unnoticed. She cringed.

“Why are you using my cottage to hide?”

Annie trembled; her body ached. Please God, let me stay here for just a little while. “I just need to stay away from my apartment for a few days,” she said grudgingly.

“Why?” Jack’s rich brown eyes connected with hers in a way that not only pierced her sensual soul, but also found her feeling like she was on the witness stand, her life about to be unfolded for the world to examine.

Annie squelched the urge to run and hide. Jack’s eyes examined her closely as he waited for an answer. There was no doubt that he expected an answer. Why did she require a place to hide?

Why indeed?

Annie’s gaze slid over the man in front of her. He was a good five inches taller than her lanky five foot ten inch frame. His dark brown hair was carefully combed back from his face. His eyes bore into her as he waited for a response. His lips, perhaps on the thin side, were set in an unyielding, no-nonsense line. His rigid jaw and chin showed signs of the need to shave, casting a dark, sexy shadow over his chiseled features. His tall, firm body was clothed in what Annie guessed was a designer suit, complete with a navy jacket. The buttons lay open, exposing the crisp, white dress shirt pulled tight over his massive chest.

Annie suddenly had visions of his strong arms around her and his lips on hers as she begged him to take her virginity. He would do so willingly, lustily and, deep in her fantasy, gladly.

Annie was pulled back to earth when Jack spoke, impatience threading his voice, making it deeper and richer. “You haven’t answered my question. Why can’t you stay in your own apartment in town?”

“Because my mother is there,” she blurted out. Dang, she hadn’t meant to say that.
“And you don’t want to share space with your mother.” It wasn’t a question. Suddenly, Jack’s eyes softened and understanding etched across his incredibly handsome face. “I think I understand.”

“You do?” Annie croaked. “Then you don’t mind my staying here?”

Jack shook his head. “You can’t stay here.”

* * * *

As much as Jack would have loved to keep Annie Wilson close, his bed came to mind, the last thing he needed right now was another guest when all hell was about to break loose within his family.

He sincerely felt bad for what he was about to bring onto his youngest sister. Not only was her mother about to descend on her, but their eighty-seven year old Dutch grandmother was about to put in an appearance as well.

Jack had to admit, he felt for Eddie. Having her mother and grandmother present days before her child was born wouldn’t be easy. Still, what could he do when his mother announced that their elderly grandmother wanted to come from Holland for the birth of her latest great-grandchild? And that it was to be kept secret so they could surprise Eddie?

Jack knew his sister well enough to know she didn’t like surprises of any sort. He quickly offered his cottage to his grandmother and mother so Eddie wouldn’t suddenly find herself entertaining relatives when she was in the middle of labor.

At forty-two years old, Jack hated the fact that his widowed mother had so much power over him. He was a successful lawyer. People feared him in court. Yet, when it came to his mother, he found himself reduced to a child each and every time she made a demand. For the first time in years, he was grateful he hadn’t sold the cottage. Surely Eddie would applaud his efforts to keep their mother and grandmother out of her house.

Now he found himself staring into the lovely blue eyes of a woman seeking shelter from a storm. No matter how much he was attracted to Annie Wilson; her presence at the cottage was a problem. He didn’t want to oust her, but he had little choice. His mother and grandmother would be arriving any minute.

Jack watched as Annie’s eyes filled with what seemed like unshed tears. She nodded slowly. “I understand. I’ll find someplace else to stay.”

Annie walked past him to her backpack. His nostrils caught her scent lingering in the air. As she bent to zip her bag closed, Jack gulped when the V of her t-shirt fell open to his view. He glimpsed the small, shapely breasts and squeezed his eyes closed. It was not an image he needed to have. Did she have any idea how very delectable she was?

It didn’t seem that she did. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and made for the door.

“Do you need a ride into town?” Jack wasn’t sure where the words had come from. He had a sudden urge to keep her around, a hunger he couldn’t explain.

As Annie shook her head, a few stray curls escaped the ponytail and framed her face. Jack fought the urge to push them away and caress her sweet rosy cheeks with his palm.

“I have a bike here. I can get into town on my own.”

As Annie pulled the door open and started out, Jack saw the flash of a silver car pulling into the yard. His mother had already arrived!

Damn! He was not ready.

He raced out the door behind Annie and forced a smile as the car drove in. It pulled up too close to the wall where Annie had left her bike. Jack heard the screech of metal as the car pressed against the bike.

“Hey,” Annie said from behind Jack, “Can you ask her to back up a bit? She parked right against my bike.”

Jack ignored her as he watched his mother and elderly grandmother emerge from the car.

“Yackie!” the elderly woman cried in a rich, accented voice as she made her way to him. She held out her arms to embrace him. “It’s so long since I saw you, ya?” she said. “You did not forget your oma, did you?”

Jack held the elderly woman to his chest and leaned down to kiss her pale, wrinkled cheek. “Oma, how could I ever forget you?”

She pulled away from him and glanced at Annie. “And this is your lovely wife.” Jack watched in shock as she walked toward Annie and wrapped her frail arms around her. “Yoanne, you are as lovely as your wedding pictures. I cannot believe that you are married twenty-two years to my grandson and we meet for the first time now.”

Jack was grateful Annie allowed the embrace. Her smile was forced as she gazed down at the woman. Her eyes slid to Jack in confusion.

Jack’s attention flew to his mother, who still stood near the car. Hadn’t she told his grandmother that he was divorced?

His mother’s pleading eyes confirmed that she had not.

Oh hell!

Jack’s gaze flew back to his grandmother and the embrace in which she held Annie. Judging by the look on her face, Annie wasn’t enjoying the moment nearly as much as Oma was.

When his grandmother finally released Annie, she quickly stepped away. She peered down at her bicycle, still wedged between his mother’s car and the cottage wall.

“I really need to get to work,” she said as she attempted to pull her bike free from the front fender.

Both his mother and grandmother seemed oblivious to Annie’s plight as they walked toward the front door of the cottage.

Jack quickly opened the door and allowed them to walk inside. He pulled the door closed and gazed down at Annie, who was still trying to pull her bike free.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“I don’t care how sorry you are,” Annie growled as she continued to pry on her bike. “Just move this damn car off my bike so I can get to work!”

Jack leapt into the car and found the keys in the ignition. He started it and backed it away from the wall.

He didn’t have to see Annie’s bike to know damage had been done. The healthy pink glow of her cheeks darkened. Blue eyes peered at him through the windshield of his mother’s car.

Lost. They looked lost in despair.

The look in her eyes bored deep into his soul. He wanted to draw her into his arms, tell her it would be okay, that he’d take care of everything.

As Jack got out of the car and walked toward Annie, it dawned on him that he had no idea what ‘everything’ was. He wanted to tell her nothing would happen to her, but the dejected look in her deep blue eyes spoke of things he knew she wouldn’t voice.

Annie regarded the bent front wheel of her bike. “How the hell can I get to work now?” she lamented.

“I’ll drive you into town,” Jack said.

As Annie opened her mouth to reply, she was silenced by his mother’s voice. “Jackie?”

Jack grimaced inwardly as he peered over his shoulder and saw his mother standing in the door.

“Yes, Mom?”

She scurried around the corner of the cottage and waved to Jack. “Can we talk privately for a moment?”

Jack turned to Annie. “Give me one minute and I’ll take you into town.”

Annie glanced around her. “Maybe if I run, I’ll get to work on time.”

“No, this is my fault,” Jack said. “Stay here and I’ll make it right.”

Before she could reply, Jack left and found his mother around the corner of the cottage.

He looked down at her excited face and knew his mother was cooking something up.

“That woman could be a dead ringer for Joanne,” his mother said excitedly. “How did you find her?” Without waiting for his answer, she went on, “Ask her if she’ll go along with it while your grandmother is here.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Jack said as he leaned against the wall of the cottage. “I barely know her. She’s a friend of Eddie’s. I only just met her minutes ago. How can I ask her to pretend to be my wife while Oma is here? Besides, she doesn’t look like Joanne at all.”

“I admit that she’s a lot taller and perhaps a little less, er, filled out, but other than that, she bares a striking resemblance to Joanne,” Mary Van Camp said.

Jack didn’t agree with his mother’s assessment of Annie. Joanne had been a bottle blond; Annie’s hair was definitely natural. That he knew for a fact after the brief glimpse he’d had earlier. Annie’s eyes were deep blue; a man could get lost looking into those eyes. Joanne’s were light blue and cold as ice. Jack shook his head, there was no comparison.

“You never told Oma about the divorce, did you?”

Mary’s face flushed slightly as she bowed her head and looked at the grass. “No, I didn’t.”

Jack groaned and folded his arms over his chest. “Mom, why not? Joanne and I have been divorced for years. I can’t believe it wouldn’t have come up between you and your mother.”

Mary’s eyes met his. “Your grandmother is a very traditional woman. She wouldn’t understand. It would have broken her heart. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her.”

“Mom,” Jack said, “You can’t expect me to ask Annie to play Joanne while Oma is here.”

Mary took a step closer and looked up at him. “Why not? We’ll only be here until Eddie has her baby. Then Oma wants to go to your Uncle Bart’s in Niagara Falls. Besides,” Mary pointed out, “The couple times Oma was here to visit while you were married to Joanne, they never met.”

True. Oma had come to Canada twice during Jack’s marriage to Joanne. His wife had no interest in entertaining his Dutch grandmother and made excuses not to be in town at the time.

“Still,” Jack said, “To ask Annie to play the part…”

Mary cut in, her voice pleading. “Just ask her. She seems like a nice girl. Appeal to her sense of family.”

When Jack hesitated, Mary added, “Eddie is due any day now. Once the baby is born, we’ll take the obligatory pictures and leave. Please, Jack.”