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same age, but this was a new day, and it wouldn’t be a solemn-faced sergeant bringing bad news. Oh Lord, it must be Jack. She dropped the shirt and raced to the bedroom for her robe. She wasn’t prepared for a visitor. And she still didn’t know what she was going to tell him.

Chapter Two
     
     
    Jack shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans while he waited for Alice to open the door. The sun had set, giving way to evening’s bitter cold. He shivered inside his coat and prayed that nothing was wrong with the old gal. He’d spent most of the day wondering where she could have gone and who that strange woman was who’d answered her door.
    He was just about to knock again when that very same woman opened the door a crack, making no attempt to conceal her annoyance or her nervousness. “What?”
    His stomach soured. Something wasn’t right. He could feel it. “Where’s Alice?”
    “She’s still not here, and I don’t know when she’ll be back.”
    His gaze traveled down, and he caught a glimpse of a long slender leg peeking out from Alice’s favorite robe. “It’s freezing out here. I have some questions I need to ask you, so may I please come inside? I’m Jack Billings. I live upstairs.”
    “I know.”
    He raised his brows in surprise. “You do?”
    “You’re Alice’s tenant. She told me a good-looking man was renting her upstairs apartment.”
    The way she stared at him made him think she also found him attractive. Although flattered, he knew her type only too well—the type who piled on makeup and had every hair in place before she’d leave the house. A high-maintenance woman out to land any eligible man. He’d sworn off her type when he called off his engagement with Bethany. Three years was more than enough time with a woman who took longer putting on her makeup than he took to shower, shave, and dress.
    She flung the door open. “You can’t stay long.”
    “Why would I? I’d just like to know where Alice is and what you’re doing in her house.” He sidestepped her into the foyer, then strolled toward the parlor.
    When he reached the doorway, his jaw dropped. The room looked like a cyclone had gone through it. Clothes were strewn everywhere. The girl might be beautiful, but she was a slob. “No time to pick up?”
    A rosy flush glowed beneath her porcelain complexion. “I went shopping.” She pushed past him and began to gather up her clothes.
    “I prefer to hang my wardrobe,” he said.
    She shot him an icy look as she scooped up a sheer pink bra dangling from the Christmas tree. Her cheeks reddened again, and she tucked the garment under her arm. He wouldn’t have thought her to be modest. After all, she’d let him in while wearing a robe that did little to conceal her figure, and an unusually curvaceous one at that for a woman so slender.
    As if reading his mind, she adjusted the clothes in her arms so that they covered her ample cleavage. “Please excuse me while I put these things away.”
    “Of course.” He watched her leave the room. There was something familiar about her. Was it possible he’d met her somewhere before? Not likely. He’d never forget a woman that attractive. Yet, the way she held herself…the slight tilt to her head when she spoke… His brow furrowed in frustration. Who was she, and what was she doing here? He’d seen Alice only yesterday. She never mentioned going anywhere. Something odd was definitely going on.
    A few minutes later, the girl returned, wearing stone-washed jeans and a lavender sweater. A price tag hung from her sleeve. “You forgot one,” he said, pointing to her arm.
    She looked down and laughed. The sound was lovely…and familiar.
    “Who are you?” he asked.
    Her back stiffened. “I’m Ali—Ally. Alice’s niece.” Her gaze didn’t quite meet his.
    “Niece? That’s strange, she never mentioned a niece. As a matter of fact, she never mentioned any relatives at all.”
    She plopped down on the sofa, crossed her long