Moonlight in the Morning by Jude Deveraux

the photo on his bedside table and rolled off the bed. It was late and he was hungry, and he was facing the onerous task of trying to get undressed and dressed with just one arm. He thought, If Jecca were here, she’d help me, then he groaned at the idea.
    His refrigerator was well stocked, thanks to his housekeeper. She cooked things for him at her house and brought them to him. Four years ago, when he’d hired her, she’d looked at him with starry eyes, but now she was engaged to be married and was more likely to ask him to look at her sore throat.
    He filled a plate with cold roast beef and cold salads, opened a bottle of wine, and sat down on a stool at the counter.
    Jecca had made it clear that she wasn’t interested in a life in Edilean, that she was leaving to go back to New York at the end of the summer.
    He knew that by all rights he should respect her wishes. What he should do was look around for a woman he could spend his life with. He was already thirty-four. Before he knew it, he’d be forty and that was old to start a family.
    But maybe if he did what his sister suggested and made a little effort he could persuade Jecca to stay a while longer in Edilean. On the other hand, maybe once they got to know each other better they would find out they were destined only for friendship.
    Maybe the blazing hot lust he’d felt tonight would just go away all by itself.
    Laughing at that absurdity, Tristan got his laptop and logged on. “Wonder what books there are on Cupid and Psyche?” he said. “And where can I get one?”
    He might fail, but this time he was going to try his best to win the fair maiden.

Four

    Jecca awoke smiling—but then, that seemed to be her normal state whenever she was in Edilean. She had a feeling that her life was going to start today—which was, of course, absurd. A person’s life didn’t begin at twenty-six years old.
    Maybe her life wasn’t actually to begin , but she had a sense that something was about to happen.
    She put her hands behind her head and rested on the stack of down pillows. It was indeed a beautiful room. The bed had one of those pillow-top mattresses that was so extremely comfortable. It was a bed to wallow in, to snuggle down and dream in. Or to make love in.
    That thought made her smile broader as she remembered last night. Laughing in the darkness with a man she couldn’t see. Hearing his voice, feeling his breath on her cheek. She didn’t think she’d ever experienced anything so romantic. Too bad moonlight couldn’t arrive in the morning so she could keep the mood, she thought, then laughed at the idea. Daylight brought reality. And work.
    Today Kim was to pick her up to take her into Edilean. What would happen if she saw Dr. Tristan Aldredge? Would they shake hands at the introduction? Be polite?
    The worst thing, she thought, would be if he apologized for things he’d said last night. She hoped he’d not regret telling her that he’d almost fallen in love with some woman who was now married to another man.
    Of course she couldn’t meet with him tonight. Since he’d point-blank told her that he was out wife hunting, seeing him again was out of the question. Jecca was fresh blood in town, so it made sense that he’d try with her. But ultimately the result of their flirtations would hurt him. When she left to go back to New York, he would be crushed. No, she couldn’t meet with him.
    She got out of bed and dressed to go downstairs. Kim would be here in an hour, and she needed to be ready. As soon as Jecca opened the door to her apartment, she smelled bacon and some kind of bakery goods. Banana muffins?
    She was a little nervous about meeting Mrs. Wingate and wondered if the elusive Lucy would run and hide when Jecca appeared. But the first thing she heard when she got to the kitchen door was laughter.
    Two women were in the big, white room, both of them trim, and both quite good-looking. The shorter one was at the stove, the taller one setting the