Jess switched the van off and lunged across the seat for the rental agreement. Surely she couldn't have missed his name on the document. There in bold black print, A.M. Warner.

Huh. She had missed it. Unless ... Frantic fingers ripped through packet of papers, to the very end. She hadn't overlooked a thing. On the agreement she signed, the landlord's name simply listed the real estate agent who'd handled the transaction.

Her relief, however minor, allowed her heart to resume beating. Jess took a deep breath in an attempt to steady her nerves. This couldn't be happening. These kinds of coincidences only happened in the movies.

But wait.

With reality shows so popular these days, who knew how long it would be before there'd be a show called Breaking Up Is Hard To Do? Complete with a theme song provided by Neil Sedaka.

"You know, the van would go farther if you'd turn on the ignition."

So caught up in her brain blizzard, Jess didn't notice the Mercedes had been moved, or that Aidan had approached again. Instead of starting the engine, she opened the door and climbed out of the cab.

He moved with the grace of a trained dancer. Her heart performed a delighted jig while her tongue glued itself to the roof of her mouth. She sighed to herself as she fought the desire to launch herself into his arms. Get a grip, girl. He's off-limits.

"What does one say in this sort of situation?" Jess asked.

"Hello might be a good place to start," Aidan suggested.

Her mouth felt stuffed with cotton. When they'd last parted, they'd been anything but civilized. Confused and hurt as she'd been over Aidan's inexplicable change of heart, she'd buried the pain deep.

That familiar confusion and hurt rushed through her again. She waded through a flood of memories, both good and bad, as she stared at him. Jess didn't really know how to proceed, so she jumped in without a backward glance.

She lifted her chin. "Hello, Aidan. You're looking well." There. She knew how to behave herself. Ma Bambi might have commented instead on the gray that liberally salted his dark brown hair. How that much gray indicated his life hung out of balance.

Jess intended to remain indifferent to his charms. In order to do that, she couldn't notice things like how appealing she found his graying hair or the fine lines that webbed out from those fathomless eyes of his. Noticing he looked more muscular was off the list of things to admire, too.

His gaze never wavered, although she could swear she saw his cheeks redden as she projected Icicle Princess thoughts in his direction. "You have a key for the guesthouse?"

Safe enough topic, she supposed. Jess dug into the front pocket of her ragged blue jeans and pulled out a house key, complete with a large paperclip instead of a key ring. "Yes, I do."

"Good. Need any help?"

She gave him a frosty smile. "Not from you, I don't, thank you very much."

Disappointment turned his mouth down into a frown and dimmed the sparkle in his eyes. Too bad. What did he expect, given their past?

A backfiring car pulled in behind the moving van. Fumes filled the air, followed by the driver cutting the engine. A car door slammed.

"Jess! I made it, in spite of the car," Jess's younger sister, Dione, burbled as she stumbled across the driveway to where they were engaged in their showdown.

Jess caught Dione when she lurched into a sudden stop by her side. "Where's your cane?" Jess demanded, even though she knew the answer.

Dione's left leg had been mangled by a dog when they were children. She'd lost a lot of muscle and flesh, and as a result, her left leg was shorter than her right. Add to that her mild cerebral palsy, and that explained her sailor-without-land-legs gait.

"In the trunk. No room for it up front with all your plants." Her bright brown eyes turned to Aidan. "I'm Dione Bevins, Jess's younger, cuter sister."

"Aidan Warner." He smiled that sensuous smile of his at Dione and offered his hand.

Never had such a photo opportunity ever existed. Dione's smile froze. She actually clasped her hands together behind her back to avoid the handshake.

Aidan lowered his hand, a glint of something Jess didn't recognize sparked in his eyes. "Ah, so you've heard about me, then?"

"More than I expect you to be comfortable with, Aidan. In fact, I'd suggest if you have another place to be, you go there. My husband will be arriving any minute. Ole Ollie's land yacht needed fueled. After Jess came home a wreck last year, let's just say that Axel takes your name in vain."

Dione bristled like their pet porcupine used to-all show, no intent. She couldn't actually dislike anyone, it wasn't in her nature. This animosity she harbored for Jess's ex came the closest Jess ever seen her sister to true dislike.

"Is that so? I suppose I deserve that," Aidan agreed.

Jessamine's eyebrows hiked up her forehead. A mea culpa from Aidan? Would wonders never cease?

"You deserve to be boiled alive in a vat of hot oil," Dione replied. She might have been discussing something unctuous, like the weather, with all the pleasantness she infused into her voice. "As does that nasty-mouthed sister of yours."

"Cordelia? What for?" Aidan crossed his arms over his chest. Good thing too, for that chest of his had been a delicious distraction for Jess.

Dione met his big-brotherly challenge with the aplomb of a seasoned little sister. "Because she had no right to accuse Jess of--"

"Dee-Dee," Jess interrupted. No good would come out of this. "Leave the past in the past."

Her sister snorted. "Whatever, Jess. You should exchange that marshmallow center of yours for some steel guts."

Dione limped towards Jess's new abode. Jess turned to follow her, but Aidan caught her by the arm, and brought her around to face him again.

There they stood, toe-to-toe, chest to abdomen. His free hand came to cup her chin, forcing her to look up at him whether she wanted to or not. Jess would've preferred to avoid the entire confrontation, but he was bigger. Stronger, too. Still, a thrill of recognition superheated her blood when she inhaled the faint scent of his Aramis cologne. Jess's toes curled. Not at all a good sign.

"We'll need to have a talk, you and I, Jess-a-mine. Soon."

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass." Jess climbed back into the cab of the moving van long enough to grab her rag doll. With the doll tucked under one arm, she looped her free arm through her sister's. Jess dragged her sister to the guesthouse.