sooner than later, Dana decided. Although she knew better than to voice that opinion out loud, in March, in Alberta. If history was anything to go by, they could have snow all the way up until June, especially if anybody complained that it had been a long, hard winter.
She cracked open the door and offered a cheery hello, not really expecting a response. “Becky? It’s Auntie Dana. We’ve got the stuff you asked for from the Costco run.”
When nothing but silence echoed back, Dana slipped off her boots and got ready to transfer the bags from the front door into the kitchen.
“Dana?”
She jerked to attention so hard, one sock-covered foot slid to the side, sending her off-balance.
A moment later, strong arms caught her before she could lose her dignity and land on the floor in a heap. Strong, masculine arms—not ones that belonged to her nephew.
She glanced up into blue eyes, and the world stuttered to a stop.
An older man cradled her carefully, her age or thereabouts, his features declaring he was Coleman plain as day. Each of the brothers had the unique twist of them. Kate had always teased it was their personalities coming out—
Mike was serious yet kind. The type of man you willingly told your troubles to, and if he couldn’t solve them immediately, he’d sympathize and do his damnedest to make things right.
Randy was the Coleman peacemaker, with laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and scars on his knuckles, because if he couldn’t jokingly convince others he was right, he’d pick a fight and convince them that way.
Ben—the Coleman brother who’d been hers—had been grumpy around everyone else, but in the early days, he’d had a sharp wit and a clever eye and a wry way of saying things that always made her laugh.
The man standing in front of her now, the brother she hadn’t seen in too many years to count, was the one with mystery in his expression. Even when they’d been friends at school, he’d always seemed to have something he wasn’t quite saying.
“Mark?”
He was tall—taller than she remembered to be honest. The years that had passed had written themselves onto his face the same as changes had come to her. Lines at the corners of his eyes, but still a strong jaw, firm lips.
Strong muscles flexed under his shirt as he helped her find her balance then stepped away.
Good grief, she’d been draped there in his arms like some damsel in distress the entire time she’d been ogling him. Still, her brain hadn’t quite come online yet.
“What’re you doing here?” If the words came out a little harsh, he didn’t seem to notice.
“I’ve come home.”
His gaze was eating her up, and a wicked flutter kicked into gear in her gut that made her feel far too light-headed to be safe.
“This isn’t your home.” Dana slapped a hand over her mouth before meeting his eyes and adjusting her tone. “I’m sorry. That was terribly rude, but you surprised me.”
“No. You’re right. I might own the house, but this isn’t my home.”
The door swung open behind her, cold air rushing into the front hall. Laurel jerked to a stop, shopping bags dangling from her fingers. “Oh. Hello.”
Dana pulled herself together rapidly. “I’ll take them from here. You go and get the rest,” she ordered without giving Laurel time to do so much as blink as she scooped the bags from her hands.
Her daughter-in-law glanced at her before slowly heading back outside.
Dana turned, intending to ignore Mark and get on with the job. “I need to put a few things away. You can tell Becky that I was here.”
“She and Trevor are at the hospital,” Mark informed her.
Delight bubbled up, and Dana paused, forgetting herself and grinning at Mark. “The baby?”
“Haven’t heard anything yet, but I imagine the Coleman gossip chain will deliver news as there’s any to share.”
The fact he knew that—
Mark was such a part of the family, and yet he hadn’t been here.
Anger rushed in hard on the heels of the other rioting emotions and unanswered questions she had. Just because he hadn’t been there didn’t mean he hadn’t been the topic of conversation more times than she could remember. Which had been wonderful and terrible and downright confusing. “So, you’ve come to say hello to the baby? When are you leaving?”
“Trying to get rid of me?”
Dana made room in the fridge for a block of cheese, which allowed her to keep her back toward Mark. “None of my business