Family Wanted (Willow's Haven Book 1) by Renee Andrews Page A

probably bring Savannah early, before she arrived, so that he wouldn’t have to see Isabella before he started working. That’s what Richard would’ve done. If Isabella ever said or did anything that disappointed him, he’d ignore her until
she
ended up apologizing, often when she couldn’t even remember what she’d done to earn his disappointment.
    So she was surprised when she neared the trailer to see that Titus
had
arrived early but hadn’t started working. And definitely wasn’t ignoring her. In fact, he lounged on the front steps, his elbows resting on the top step and his long legs, encased in well-worn jeans, stretched out in front of him as he watched her park her car.
    The sleeves on his navy work shirt were rolled up, exposing tan forearms while also emphasizing sturdy biceps hidden beneath the fabric. A breeze played with his hair, and the morning sunlight seemed to showcase his eyes, lifting the flecks of gold from the brown and green.
    Riveted by the image before her, Isabella forgot to put the car in Park and slammed her foot on the brake when it moved too close to the trailer. And, scarily, too close to the man sitting on the deck. She stopped mere inches away from Titus and knocked over a pile of firewood. Logs went rolling everywhere.
    But Isabella wasn’t concerned about the wood. Have mercy, she could have hit Titus.
    He’d jumped out of the way in the nick of time, and his wide eyes and tilted head said she’d probably caused a nice surge of adrenaline to kick in. Embarrassed, she shrugged and attempted to act as though she wasn’t sure how it happened. Truthfully, she knew exactly what happened. She was captivated, once again, by Nan’s husband.
    She’d worked very hard throughout yesterday and last night to remind herself to think of Titus that way. As Nan’s. Because he obviously still had a hard time thinking of himself in any other light. Why else would he find it so difficult to open the box of her things that the hospital would send? He didn’t want their marriage to be over, even though he hadn’t seen her in three years. Even now, with the news that she’d passed on, he still felt committed to Nan. And Isabella understood. She’d loved Nan, too, and she still missed the friendship they shared, even if Nan hadn’t been completely honest.
    But why was Titus apparently waiting for Isabella now, after he’d been so short with her when she’d suggested he pray for answers?
    Only one way to find out.
    Grabbing her purse, she climbed from the car and took a step toward him, but her heel caught on the hem of her skirt, and she ended up tripping forward almost as suddenly as her car had stopped. One hand still clutched the strap of her purse, and the other reached forward expecting to hit the ground. But everything came to a halt when she found herself in those strong arms she’d admired a moment ago.
    “Hey,” he said, his voice a deep rumble as his woodsy, masculine scent once again teased her senses. “Are you okay?”
    No
, her mind whispered,
I’m still falling, and I don’t want to fall for any man again, even you—especially you—you’re Nan’s ex
. But then she harnessed the truth and answered, “Yes, I’m okay. Just clumsy.” She reached forward to free her shoe from the skirt and noticed that he still held her, balancing her in case she did actually drop into a pile of mush at his feet. Feeling her cheeks grow warm, she straightened and took the slight step necessary to reluctantly ease her way out of his embrace. “Thanks. I’m not sure what happened.”
    “I’d guess you’ve got a rush of adrenaline causing a bit of shock,” he said smoothly, soothingly, as though
she
was the one who’d nearly been hit, and when Isabella raised her eyebrow at his quick assessment, he explained, “Happens to me every now and then, usually when I lose my footing on a roof, or when I drop a nail gun, or—” he grinned “—when I nearly get hit by a car.”
    “I am so