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CHAPTER ONE

“GRACIE? Gracie Landon, is that you?”

Trapped, standing in the middle of herof coffee in the other, Gracie Landon glanced longingly toward the escape that was the front door

In theory, she could bolt for freedohbor and octogenarian And Gracie had been raised better than that

She pushed her sleep-ser sister’s Tweetie Bird slippers over to the loood fence that separated the Landon property from Eunice Baxter’s

“Morning, Mrs Baxter,” she said, hoping she sounded cheerful instead of trapped “Yes, it’s me Gracie”

“My stars, so it is I haven’t seen you in forever, but I swear, I would have recognized you anywhere How long has it been?”

“Fourteen years” Half her life She’d been so hopeful that people would forget her

“Well, I’ll be You sure look pretty When you left, and I mean this in the kindest way possible, you were a dreadfully ugly child Even your poor row into your looks, but you did You’re as bright and shiny as a azine cover model”

Gracie didn’t exactly want to reminisce about her homely period—the one that had lasted for nearly six years “Thank you,” she said, inching toward the porch

Eunice poofed her shellacked helmet of curls, then tapped her chin “You knoas just talking about you tofolks today don’t kno to fall in love Not like they used to in the movies, or like you did with Riley Whitefield”

Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God Not Riley Anything but that After all this tied stalker be put to rest?

“I didn’t exactly love hireed to coht Her baby sister’s wedding

“You were a testament to true love,” Eunice told her “You should be proud You loved that boy with all your heart and you weren’t afraid to show it That takes a special kind of courage”

Or insanity, she thought as she s hell

“And that reporter fellorote about you in the tospaper so everyone knew your story,” Eunice added “You were famous”

“More like infa about her crush on Riley over breakfast

“Wilirlfriend’s doors and s shut so she couldn’t get out for their date That’s a good one, but ht in front of his car right there” Eunice pointed to the bit of road in front of her house

“I saw the whole thing You told hioing to go ahead with the engagement, he should just run you over and put you out of your misery”

Gracie held in a groan “Yeah, that was a good one”

Why was the rest of the world allowed to live down their childhood humiliations but everyone wanted to talk about hers?

“I guess I sort of owe Riley an apology”

“He’s back in town,” Eunice said brightly “Did you know?”

As pretty much everyone she’d run into in the past couple of days had made it a point to tell her, yes “Really?”

The old woain What about you, Gracie? Anyone special in your life?”

“No, but I’ht now and…”

Eunice nodded knowingly “It’s fate That’s what it is You two have been brought together to be given a second chance”

Gracie knew she would rather be staked out naked on a fire ant hill than ever have anything to do with Riley Whitefield again She didn’t need any more humiliation where he was concerned And who knehat tortures he would be willing to endure to avoid the likes of her?

“That’s really nice, but I don’t think I—”

“Could be he’s still sweet on you,” Eunice said

Gracie laughed “Mrs Baxter, he was terrified ofin the opposite direction” Honestly, who could blame him?

“Sometimes a man needs a little push”

“Sometimes a man needs to be left alone”

Which was exactly what she intended to do Noafter Riley In fact, she planned to avoid any functions where he ht be And if they did happen to bump into each other, she would be cool, polite and distant Maybe she wouldn’t even recognize hione Dead and buried She ay over him

Besides, she was a different woirl for her

“WHO WAS THAT?” Vivian asked when Gracie walked into the Landon fa to her?”

“Oh, yeah” Gracie put the paper on the counter and took a long drink of coffee “I swear, it’s as if I just left town last week instead of fourteen years ago”

“Time is different for old people,” Vivian said as she shook back her cascade of strawberry-blond curls and yawned “For one thing, they get up too early Mo”

“She said so about a special Saturday sale at the store” Gracie slid onto a stool in front of the counter and set down herwith”

“I know” Vivian stretched “It’sdress My choices were to either blow the budget on that and have nothing for the guests to eat, or chip in” She grinned “At least I’ cake for free”

“Lucky you”

As a sister of the bride, Gracie had volunteered one of her masterpieces for the reception She eyed the calendar tacked up on the wall The wedding was exactly five weeks from today A smarter woman would have hidden out until the last minute, then shown up with the cake, enjoyed the celebration and left But frantic phone calls from their mother, Vivian and Alexis, their other sister, had churned up enough guilt in Gracie’s acid-prone sto