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Harri.
“I was born and raised in Ohio.”
    “Why did you move to Tennessee?” Harri
demanded.
    “I love the mountains. When I was a kid, our
family vacationed in the Gatlinburg area. I've always wanted to
live here. When the opportunity arose, I couldn't resist.”
    “What opportunity?” Harri prodded.
    Brad's silverware clattered against his
plate. “Harri, don't be so nosy. If Tyler wants—”
    “It's all right, Brad. I don't mind. I was in
partnership with...another vet. Things didn't work out, and here I
am.”
    Harri's earrings swayed hypnotically as she
buttered her roll with a vengeance. “Young man, you went from page
one to the end and skipped the entire middle of that story.”
    Tyler chewed, studying his plate as if
searching for a proper response.
    Harri slapped her knife onto the table. “You
must let me read your palm sometime.”
    “Yes, Tyler,” Grace piped in, her voice laced
with saccharin. “You should let Harri read your palm.”
    Harri flicked a glance at Grace's bare
finger.
    “Hmmph. You should have listened to me,
girl.”
    It was Grace's turn to cough.
    “You should see Tyler's clinic,” Brad
interjected. “He's got a scale big enough to weigh a bear.”
    For a moment a heavy silence rent the air in
the wake of Brad's obvious attempt to change the subject.
    “Not quite,” Tyler said. “Let's hope none of
my clients has a bear for a pet.”
    “He's opening next week,” Brad said. “Ran an
ad in the local paper.”
    Harri's eyes dilated, fixing on Grace for a
few heart-stopping seconds, and then focused on Tyler. Her gaze
wavered, settling somewhere between the two of them.
    Tyler nodded and reached for another roll.
“It'll be slow to start, but I'm hoping to expand through word of
mouth. Once I get an established client base, I'll hire someone to
run the office. Appointments, billing, that sort of thing.”
    Brad lifted his fork and pointed at Grace.
“Our Grace is looking for a job. Why not hire her?”
    Grace felt her face flush. She wrapped her
fingers around her glass to keep from throttling Brad. What in the
world was he doing? First inviting this stranger to dinner in a
not-too-subtle matchmaking ploy, then letting him know she was
unemployed. Surrogate grandfather or not, he'd stepped over the
line.
    Brad cleared his throat and shoved away from
the table. “I forgot about Tiffany.” He placed a bowl in front of
the dog and then washed his hands noisily. The running water and
Tiffany's snapping jaws were the only sounds to be heard.
    Tyler turned his glance to Grace. “You have
any experience with computers?”
    “Yes, but I'm not...that is, I just quit my
job. I haven't thought a lot about what I'm going to do next.”
    Brad began to clear the table. “What's the
mystery dessert, Harri?”
    “Zodiac surprise,” she responded quickly.
    Anxiety and mirth brought a burst of laughter
from Grace. Brad's deep booming guffaw joined in, followed by
Tyler's more reserved chuckle.
    Harri's face lit as if a candle glowed
within. Dimples marked her chipmunk cheeks. “It's vanilla cake made
with coconut rum. You'll love it, I swear.”
    Brad pressed a kiss on the top of Harri's
head. “Darlin', I'm sure we will.”
    And they did, polishing off nearly the entire
cake with much approbation for the cook. Grace insisted on washing
dishes, shooing everyone else to the living room. She wanted time
to herself away from Tyler's virile presence. Her mind wandered to
how easily she responded to him and how she didn't miss Connor at
all. How could she move so easily from one ruined relationship into
feeling attracted to another man? Especially one she didn't know.
He could be a pervert or maybe even the serial killer the cops were
trying to find. What did she really know about him?
    She placed the last dish in the drainer and
reached for the dishtowel. Though she didn't hear a sound, she knew
the moment Tyler entered the room.
    He took the towel from her hands. “Allow me,”
he