Free Once and Always (Women of Character) by Grace Brannigan Page A

been out of touch for the last two years. It was one thing training
horses for pleasure, but she wasn't certain she still had the skill to mold a
horse into a topnotch barrel racer. What if she messed up?
    Anna buttoned her cotton shirt,
then pulled a lightweight sweatshirt over her head, stepped into an old pair of
jeans and walked into the small living room. As she stretched, she looked
toward the kitchen and groaned, unsure which boxes held the coffee, tea and
condiments.
    She stifled a yawn as she walked
across the small area rug to the dining room window that gave a view of the
house. The kitchen lights were lit, as she'd expected. Tyler had always gotten
up early in the mornings, like he couldn't wait to get started on the day.
Apparently that hadn't changed. She wouldn't be surprised if he'd already left
for the barn. As Anna pulled on her boots, a tightness grew in her chest. For
the next year at least, she would be seeing Tyler probably every day.
    Anna hurried across the dew wet
grass, hugging her herself against the cool morning air. She opened the back
door to the house and stepped inside the small alcove, the heavenly smell of
brewed coffee greeting her.
    The kitchen door opened as she
hesitated by the back door.
    "Good morning, Annie,"
Tyler said with a welcoming smile.
    A sense of anticipation filled
her, catching her off guard. Awkwardly, she said, "Can I get some coffee?
I haven't unpacked everything yet."
    "Sure, come on in." He
stepped aside.
    With his white T-shirt and worn
jeans, he could have been any other man off the street, yet he had a presence
about him, an air of power. Anna took a quick gulp and stared at his clean
shaven face, the neatly brushed back hair. She recalled its fine texture, the
way he looked with it tumbled on his forehead after they'd made love. The scent
of him seemed in her nostrils, memory tugged sharply, and for a moment, she
felt again, the brush of fingertips against her breast.
    She almost choked, then began
breathing deeply. Anna berated herself for going there. What quality was there
about him that exuded strength? What did she find so attractive about him, even
after all this time? Suddenly, the kitchen seemed crowded as she stepped
inside. The round kitchen table had papers scattered across it, and a paper
plate with the remnants of toast also sat there. She caught a hint of cinnamon
in the air.
    "Still wolfing down
cinnamon-sugared toast?"
    He smiled slightly. "Some
things you never get over."
    He'd obviously been working, even
this early in the morning. She turned to him and they almost bumped into each
other so she retreated to the counter. "I don't want to interrupt your
paperwork, I just need a little coffee to get me by."
    He shrugged, opening the cabinet
overhead and lifting out two cups. "The work will keep. Take a seat."
    "Who'd have thought life would
come back in a circle like this?" she muttered, feeling edgy as Tyler
fixed her coffee. Six years ago he'd left, and her life had felt like it ended
when she'd lost both him and Martin, but now he was here again in this kitchen,
and for a moment it was like he'd never left.
    Tyler seemed to go still, then he
turned and placed a cup of steaming coffee before her. "No, not a circle,
more a linear path we just keep moving along."
    She gripped her mug. "So
you're saying we never come back to the place where we were previously?"
    His look was level. "There
may be a resemblance on the surface, but nothing is ever the same."
    "Right. We're not two
hot-headed kids thinking we're in love. It isn't the same." Nervously,
Anna took a sip of her coffee, one teaspoon of sugar, black. He'd remembered.
Jerkily, she came to her feet. "I'm expecting a friend. If you don't mind,
I'll take a small container back with me to the house and leave you in
peace." She raised her cup. "Thanks for the coffee." She poured
a small amount of coffee crystals into a plastic container, covered it and then
turned to find Tyler blocking her way. Her