Tendrils of brown hair were stuck to Rose's neck as she drove down First Avenue. Summers in Dogwood were hot and lazy, and the Bronco didn't have air conditioning. As she passed the hardware store, the owner, old Herman Huang, waved from the open doorway. Rose slowed to a stop, pulling the truck over to the curb. A Buick weaved around her, its inhabitants waving as they passed.

She leaned across the passenger seat and waved the hardware store owner over. "How's business, Mr. Huang?"

He pulled up his already-high slacks and ambled over to Rose's truck, poking his greying head through the window. "Good morning, Mayor. Business is good. Can you tell the building inspector to hurry up? I've got trades lined up around the block."

"I will. It's just Rose, though, Mr. Huang. I'm still just Rose."

His wry grin emphasized the laugh lines that bracketed his mouth. "You're Mayor Whitfield now. You'd better get used to the respect."

"Respect?" Rose snorted. "If only everyone felt the same way."

Mr. Huang chuckled. "Alex Decker will get over his defeat when he's done licking his wounds. Give it time."

She shook her head and took a deep breath. "I hope you're right. In a town of five thousand people, one disgruntled citizen can make a lot of waves."

He nodded and pulled back, hitching up his pants again. "Don't worry about him, Mayor. Get some air. It's hot today."

She nodded to him. "I'll see you at the council meeting at the end of the month."

"You bet."

He waved her off as she pulled away.

Rose rolled down the street, breathing deeply of the scent of hot pavement mixed with the flowering dogwood trees that lined the grassy median, their four-petalled, white flowers scattered over the street like snow.

The people of Dogwood had voted her in handily last month, though not everyone was happy about it. Alex Decker, the incumbent, had been loudly bemoaning his defeat at the local watering hole for weeks, complaining that Rose was too young, too inexperienced. Rose sighed. She needed to find a way to smooth things over. He was a sore loser, but he was her constituent now. She had a duty to uphold.

She turned right onto the highway at the lights, then sighed in delight at the rush of air that came in through the windows. The speed limit was only fifty kilometres through town, but it was enough to stir up a breeze.

She relished the view. The craggy mountains in the near distance. The dense, green firs and feathery cedars that lined the road. The narrow river that wound alongside the highway. Dogwood never failed to inspire awe in her.

It was a short drive to the airport. She found parking, then watched as a small plane descended toward the lone runway. Rose smiled in anticipation.

Inside the airport, a few townsfolk had gathered as they waited for passengers to arrive. Rose nodded to them, then strode to the information booth and leafed through a few pamphlets while she waited for Lily to disembark. The pamphlets were sparse. There wasn't much to do around Dogwood, though the hiking was good.

The door whooshed open, and Rose looked up. Two men entered the airport. Rose's hand stilled on the information rack, and her brows rose in surprise.

They were tall and handsome, broad-shouldered and black-haired, sporting grey suits so tailored it was immediately obvious they weren't from around here. They were twins—nearly identical, except one was wearing square, black-framed glasses. As they entered the airport, they veered toward the baggage carousel. A third man appeared behind them. Rose inhaled sharply and edged behind the rack of pamphlets, her heart pounding in her chest.

He was a hand shorter than the twins, with shoulders that strained the cotton of his unadorned white T-shirt. His thick, well-muscled arms flexed as he adjusted the bag slung across his broad chest. His wavy hair, curling around his ears, glimmered copper in the light coming through the airport windows. He looked as though he belonged in a tabor toss at the highland games—powerful and strong. She swallowed hard. She hadn't seen him in over a decade.

He sauntered over to the twins. Rose took a tremulous breath as a flash of heat warmed her insides. The McBride boys had sure filled out over the last fourteen years.

For a moment, she was in two places at once: in the airport, hiding behind the information booth, while also ankle-deep in a creek as she laughed alongside a boy in the summer sun. A boy with hair like a copper penny.

She blinked rapidly to clear the memory.

"Rose!"

She startled at the sound of her name and dragged her gaze away from Jackson McBride's exquisite form. Lily was running across the small airport toward her, arms outstretched.

"There you are!" Lily squealed.

Rose's eyes flickered to Jackson. He'd turned at the sound of her name. Her breath caught in her throat as their eyes met. Was that recognition in his bright, blue eyes? Did he remember her? Heat rose in her cheeks. Not likely. She heard he'd become a hard-partying womanizer since she'd seen him last. He probably hadn't thought about her in years.

Lily crashed into her and squeezed her in a bear hug.

"Lil," Rose said breathlessly. "You're going to crack a rib."

Lily pulled back and grinned widely. Rose forced herself to mirror her sister's smile. Lily was fair, with long, blond hair while Rose's tresses were a deep shade of chestnut, but they shared the same warm, brown eyes and small stature. Lily's height had never bothered her—her personality was big enough to fill a room—but Rose hated being short. It was hard to lead a Council meeting with authority when her feet barely touched the floor while she was seated.

She risked a glance at Jackson and found him still staring at her intently. She swallowed hard and looked away, greeting Lily distractedly.

Lily leaned in. "Did you see who was on the flight?"

Rose shushed her. "Keep your voice down."

Lily grinned. "I just wasn't sure you'd noticed, what with you giving me your full attention and all."

Rose grimaced. "I'm sorry. Welcome home."

She worried her lip as Lily launched into a story about her flight. Rose listened with half an ear. Trepidation had settled in her belly. There had to be a reason the McBride boys were back in town. She'd have to investigate. Make sure they didn't cause any trouble. Her mayoral integrity depended on knowing the whos and whats of Dogwood.

"Rose?"

She blinked. "Hmm?"

Lily linked arms with her. "Never mind. Come on. Let's go see Mom. She must be knee-deep in soggy tissues by now. Can you take this bag?"

Rose hoisted Lily's carry-on bag and nodded. "Yeah. Mom. I'll drive."

"Oh no, you don't." Lily snapped her fingers in front of Rose's face. "You'll drive us into a ditch like this. You're drunk on Jackson McBride. Give me your keys."

Rose blushed and shot her sister a look. "Would you keep your voice down?" She took a deep breath and tugged Lily toward the far end of the baggage carousel, away from the McBride brothers. "Let's just get your suitcase and get out of here. Please."

As they found a spot by the empty carousel, Rose squeezed her eyes shut and pleaded for Lily's luggage to arrive. Fast. Being in the same room as Jackson was making her feel faint. She could sense his presence even with her eyes closed, could have whirled in a circle and walked right to him, like iron filings marching toward a magnet.

She shivered as memories glimmered beneath the surface, like flashes of sunlight on water, just out of sight. The last time she'd seen him, it had been a hot summer much like this one.

She pushed the thoughts away. The first bag thudded down the ramp onto the carousel.

"Tell me that's yours," Rose pleaded.

Lily frowned. "No. Are you—"

"I'm fine." Rose took a deep breath. "Where is your stuff?"

"Here it is." Lily pointed. "The big, blue one. Help me grab it?"

Lily started toward the gargantuan suitcase as it slid down the ramp, and Rose rushed past her, studiously avoiding looking anywhere but at Lily's luggage. With single-minded determination, she reached for the suitcase, desperate to grab it before it went around the carousel. The quicker she could be out of here, the quicker she could be away from Jackson McBride—and the quicker she could breathe.

A low murmur in her ear made her stop short.

"Allow me." He appeared in her periphery as though he'd beamed himself there. "I'll grab it for you."

"No," she almost shouted, but it was too late.

Jackson hauled Lily's suitcase off the carousel, then turned, luggage in hand, and regarded Rose squarely. In the bright morning light streaming in through the windows, his eyes were as blue as a cloudless summer sky.

"Hello, Rosie," he said softly.

His voice had the delicate knap of velvet. It was silky and male and chock full of memories, and it lit a fire in her insides. She knew what he was thinking about without him even having to define it. She inhaled sharply and snatched the suitcase from his hand.

"Don't call me Rosie," she said bitterly. "Come on, Lily. We're leaving."

With spiteful strength, she dragged Lily's suitcase across the tiny airport. She didn't stop until she got to the truck, and she didn't look back. When she reached the Bronco, she pressed her hand to her chest, her breathing laboured.

Jackson McBride. Here. In Dogwood.

"Rose." Lily's voice was full of concern as she weaved through the vehicles to stop beside her. "Hey. You all right?"

Rose shook her head, lips taut. Lily put her hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Rose was grateful that her sister didn't say anything; she couldn't have borne platitudes. She straightened and wiped at her eyes.

"Help me get this into the truck," she said stiffly.

Together, they wrestled the suitcase into the back of the Bronco. Once inside the cab, Rose started the engine and paused with her hands on the steering wheel.

"I don't want to talk about it, all right?" she said. She hated the petulance in her voice, the edge. "You're here to help me with Mom, and that's it. Okay?"

Lily narrowed her eyes, then snorted and looked out the window. "Whatever you say. Anyway, you'd think Mom would be old hat at this by now. It's divorce number three."

Rose rolled her eyes, but she was relieved when Lily didn't press her. "Yeah, well. Repetition is the key to success, right?"

Lily grinned. "Does that make Mom an expert in marriage or divorce?"

Rose backed the Bronco out of its spot. "Hell if I know anything about marriage, Lily."

"You don't want to be a blushing bride?"

Rose shuddered. "And end up like our mother?" She guided the Bronco down the road toward the highway. "No, thank you. I'd rather die old and alone than suffer through that."

Lily swatted her arm. "Hey, now. Old and alone? It's you and me till the end." She spread her hands through the air. "I can see it now. We'll be roommates in the nursing home. Toddling down the hall together to bingo. Sharing teeth."

Rose laughed half-heartedly as she pulled out onto the highway. As they accelerated toward town, she glanced at the rear-view mirror. For a moment, she thought she saw sunlight glint off something copper-red back in the parking lot. She looked away, back at the road.

"It's a deal, Lily," she said. "You and me forever. I can tell you right now, I am never getting married."