No One But You

been in love with him.
    How trusting she’d been before marriage changed her. She sighed, remembering. She’d never known true sadness or loneliness before those dark days as Jasper Duncan’s wife. If Wyatt knew about her past, would he pity her? Or had he simply been a Jasper in the making? And what was he talking about? “Where exactly have you seen my name? I don’t understand.”
    “You and I have been sort of corresponding. How’s that for irony?” He signed the check with a flourish and handed it over.
    “Corresponding? You and me? No way.” She would have recognized his name. She could never forget the man who’d given her her first kiss and first heartbreak. “You and I haven’t—“
    “We have.” Amusement drew dimples beside his mouth and mellowed the chiseled angles of his face, and her heart caught again. Just like old times. All her experience and hard learned lessons vanished like fog in the sun as he splayed his hands on the booth’s counter. “I’m Flagstone Properties.”
    “What?” No . She couldn’t believe it. That was a hugely successful company worth billions. Flagstone Properties owned several impressive buildings in downtown Buffalo, as well as a chunk of Manhattan real estate. The organization was so wealthy it could afford to give property away. “I deal with Ella Jean there. She’s handling the final paperwork on the land the company is donating for our new shelter site.”
    “Ella Jean works for me. I’m the ‘W.R.’ in the cc line of every letter and email she’s sent you. You wrote her about your fund-raiser today and that’s why I dropped by.” He shook his head, scattering that thick dark hair, so good-looking that her volunteers and employees were starting to notice. Who wouldn’t? He was a striking man.
    “Take over for me, Sunni. Please.” Mariah handed Wyatt’s five-figure check—her knees buckled when she noticed the amount—to her coworker.
    “Gladly.” The Asian woman flashed a knowing smile. “So nice to meet you, Mr. Royce.”
    “Good to meet you.” Wyatt nodded politely. When he stepped back, he didn’t seem aware of the half-dozen women who watched him. He cut a fine figure in his perfectly fitted suit. Personally, Mariah didn’t notice the bunch and ripple of his muscles beneath the cloth as she slipped out of the booth and into the spring sunshine.
    “You’re sure this is really a coincidence?” She narrowed her eyes. Honestly, she didn’t know what to think. “You must have researched our organization before Ella Jean chose us.”
    “It was her project, not mine. She’s in charge. I just approved her decision.” His brow furrowed. “Why? You aren’t going to change your mind about accepting the property, are you? Let’s face it, things didn’t end well between us.”
    “That was a long time ago, and besides, the shelter has outgrown our building. With this new property, Mary’s Place can finally be what the board and I have imagined it. I’m very grateful for your donation, Wyatt.”
    “I’m glad we can make a difference.” Wyatt shrugged, caught between wanting to know more about her and wanting to walk away. She’d been his first failed relationship. “You run an impressive organization. After seeing your shelter through this expansion, you could have your pick of executive positions.”
    “I would never leave. Mary’s Place is my heart and soul. I’m not looking for advancement and stock options.” Her expression grew shuttered. “You’re still the same Wyatt, trying to plan my life, aren’t you?”
    “Not planning, just suggesting. I’m trying to make conversation and obviously failing badly.” He was terrible at relationships. Always had been. “I’m rattled. I never thought I’d see you again.”
    “I know exactly how you feel.” Her eyes, as verdant as a spring meadow, glimmered as she glanced at him. There was guarded, as if she’d known great sadness, but in them the compassion shining in them was undeniable. What he’d always loved about Mariah was her big heart.
    At least he wasn’t alone in his nervousness now. He cleared his throat, relaxing a little. “I should have apologized back then. I didn’t mean to make you unhappy when we were together.”
    “Perhaps we were young and just too much alike.”
    “No, there were differences. I wasn’t pretty, for one thing. I didn’t wear my hair in curls.” He chose humor because it was safer. Feelings weren’t his forte. Intimacy