Heart of Stone

Stone was immediately captivated by the blue-eyed blonde.

“Your sister is the bride?” he asked.

“Yes.” She stopped, adjusted her hair. “I’m Tara Parnell.”

Stone was very glad the woman couldn’t see his eyes through his sunglasses. If she had, she would have seen the shock and recognition he was sure he couldn’t hide. He knew all about Tara Parnell. At least, he knew all about her on paper.

“I’m Stone Dempsey.”

“You’re the one who was apparently late getting here. Your family gave up on you even coming.”

“My family gave up on me a long time ago,” he said.

She studied him then, giving him a direct blue-eyed look that became disconcerting in its intensity. Stone almost wanted to look away from her. And yet, he couldn’t.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. But I don’t listen to everything I hear,” she said. She smiled then, which made Stone’s stomach do a little dance.

He took off his shades. “You should listen. And you should get away from me as fast as you can.”

LENORA WORTH

grew up in a small Georgia town and decided in the fourth grade that she wanted to be a writer. But first, she married her high school sweetheart, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Taking care of their baby daughter at home while her husband worked at night, Lenora discovered the world of romance novels and knew that’s what she wanted to write. And so she began.

A few years later, the family settled in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Lenora continued to write while working as a marketing assistant. After the birth of her second child, a boy, she decided to pursue her dream full-time. In 1993, Lenora’s hard work and determination finally paid off with that first sale.

“I never gave up, and I believe my faith in God helped get me through the rough times when I doubted myself,” Lenora says. “Each time I start a new book, I say a prayer, asking God to give me the strength and direction to put the words to paper. That’s why I’m so thrilled to be a part of Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired line, where I can combine my faith in God with my love of romance. It’s the best combination.”

Heart of Stone

Lenora Worth

www.millsandboon.co.uk

A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will

put within you; and I will remove from your body

the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

—Ezekiel 36:26

To the Surf Sisters—Cindy, Elaine, Sue, Kim,

Jackie, Barbara, Julie, Tina, Charlotte, Carla, Pam

and Mary Ann—friends for life, sisters forever.

Dear Reader,

I truly enjoyed writing this story of a man who showed the world his heart of stone, while he longed for a heart of flesh. Sometimes, it takes meeting one special person to change us and make us see that we need to turn back to God for our salvation.

In the moment when Stone met Tara, he saw the man he had become. But after getting to know Tara and her girls, he also saw the man he wanted to be. This is what love and marriage and faith are all about. Love and marriage mean we’re willing to make a lifelong commitment to another human being, so that the two parts can become a whole in the eyes of God. And having faith means that we’re willing to put God first in all of our relationships.

At times we’re all like Stone. We harden our hearts to God’s love and redemption. We harden our hearts to the people who love us, our families and friends. I hope this story will touch your heart and open it to the possibility of God’s immense love and grace. And I hope you’ll join me for the next story in the Sunset Island series, when Rock and Stone’s younger brother, Clay Dempsey, returns to Sunset Island, to find some rest and redemption of his own, in A Tender Touch, available in September 2004. And in May 2004, look for my Steeple Hill single title After the Storm, a love story about new beginnings, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia.

Until next time, may the angels watch over you—always.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Sunset Island Sentinel Society News Reported by Greta Epperson

Chapter One

H e refused to feel anything.

Stone Dempsey watched as his older brother, Rock, kissed his new bride. They had just married on the beach right in front of the Sunset Island Chapel where Rock preached each and every Sunday, with practically the whole island population and a few tourists witnessing the nuptials. Rock looked happy and so at peace it made Stone’s stomach turn. He didn’t know why his brother’s marriage to Ana Hanson should have him in such a foul mood.

But then, most things kept Stone in a foul mood.

He studied the happy newlyweds behind the cover of his expensive sunglasses. They protected his eyes from the glare of the late-afternoon sun, but mostly they protected his soul from any interlopers. Stone liked watching people, but he didn’t like people watching him.

He’d deliberately arrived late, so he stayed back, away from the crowd, away from his mother who stood dressed in lavender and blue, away from his other brother Clay who had served as best man for Rock’s wedding.

At least I was invited, Stone thought, his mind churning like the whitecapped breakers just beyond the shore. The evening tide was coming in. Soon, the wedding party would move to a small reception on the church grounds, underneath the moss-draped live oaks and centuries-old magnolia trees. The party would continue, with just family, later at Ana’s Tea Room and Art Gallery.

Maybe he’d skip that part, Stone thought. After all, he had business to take care of—that was the only reason he’d even made an appearance today anyway. His business was in nearby Savannah, and since he had to be in the neighborhood…

As if on cue, Stone’s cell phone rang and he turned to hurriedly answer it before anyone else got distracted by the shrill ringing. Not that anyone noticed. Everyone was clapping and cheering his brother and the bride as they headed up the path toward the church.

Stone stepped out of the crowd to duck behind a whitewashed gazebo that had been decorated with trailing flowers and bright netting in celebration of the wedding.

“Hello,” he said into the state-of-the-art cell phone, the latest model on the market. “Yes? Great. I’ll be there tomorrow morning bright and early. Sounds as if our mysterious seller is finally running out of time.”

Stone hung up the phone then turned as he heard a similar ringing nearby. Someone else had received a phone call, too. Someone else had slipped into the gazebo.

And that someone took Stone’s breath away.

Watching as she dropped the single white calla lily she’d been carrying onto the gazebo bench, he realized she had been in the wedding party. One of the bridesmaids, maybe? She wore pale baby blue, something slinky with a gathered skirt flowing to just at her knees, and obviously with hidden pockets just right for a cell phone. Her light-blond hair was swept up in an elegant chignon that begged to be shaken and rearranged. And she wore a dainty pearl choker around her slender neck.

Stone hadn’t paid much attention to any of the attendants before. But he was paying attention to this one now.

“Hello,” she said into the silver-etched phone, her voice as silky soft and sultry as the magnolia blossoms blooming all around them. She was backing up as she talked, but Stone didn’t bother to move out of her way. “Yes, I understand. Tomorrow morning. I’ll be there. Finally, a face-to-face meeting. Thanks.” Her long sigh of relief filled the flower-scented air.

Glancing up the path, she hung up the phone, placed it carefully back in the tiny pocket of her skirts, then turned and ran right smack into Stone.

“Hi there,” he said, his gaze hidden behind the safety of his shades.

“Oh, hello. I—I didn’t see you there.”

“Obviously not.”

Surprised, and looking guilty, she grabbed up her flower and stumbled on the wooden gazebo step, but Stone reached out a hand to steady her. “Careful now.”

Putting a hand to her hair, she glanced around. “I suppose you think it strange—carrying a cell phone during a wedding.”

Stone held up his own phone. “A necessary evil.”

She nodded. “Very necessary. I was expecting an important phone call and well…I discovered this dress had pockets, so…”

“So you tucked your phone close because you can’t stop working, even for a wedding.”

“Even my sister’s wedding,” she said, a trace of what might have been anger at herself causing her to emphasize the words. “I told my assistant not to call during the wedding, at least. And I did just turn it back on.” That same anger made her look him square in the face, as if daring him to dispute her right to carry her phone. And that’s when he saw her eyes, up close for the very first time. They were almost the same blue as her dress. And wide and round. And defiant.

A defiant, blue-eyed, workaholic blonde. A blonde who felt fragile to his touch. Stone was immediately captivated. And cautious. Realizing he was still holding her bare arm, he helped her down the step, then registered what she’d just said. “Your sister is the bride?”

“Yes. Ana Hanson—well, now she’s Ana Dempsey—is my sister.” She stopped, adjusted her hair again. “I’m Tara Parnell.”

Tara Parnell.

Stone was very glad the woman couldn’t see his eyes. If she had, she would have seen the shock and recognition he was sure he couldn’t hide. He knew all about Tara Parnell. At least, he knew all about her on paper. He hadn’t had an inkling, however, about how beautiful and young she was. Stone had pictured a middle-aged, hard-to-deal-with widow.

She wasn’t middle-aged, but he knew she was a widow, and he had a distinct feeling she was going to be hard to deal with even more once she found out why he was here. But then, she didn’t have a clue as to who she was dealing with either, obviously.

“I’m Stone. Stone Dempsey.” He could tell her his name, since he knew beyond any doubt that she didn’t know who he really was. He’d been very careful up until now.

“You’re Rock’s brother.” It was a statement, given with a look that hovered between shock and suppressed interest.

Okay, so she now knew that much at least. “One of them. The one who wasn’t asked to be a member of the wedding party.”

“And the one who was apparently late getting here. Your family gave up on you even coming.”

“My family gave up on me a long time ago,” he said.

She frowned, then went blank. “Oh, I doubt that. But you were just running late, right? Business?”

“Guilty,” he said, without giving any apologies or explanations. “I slipped in the back way.”

She studied him then, giving him a direct blue-eyed look that become disconcerting in its intensity. Stone stared down business opponents every day, but he almost wanted to look away from this woman’s all-encompassing blue eyes. And yet, he didn’t. He couldn’t.

“It’s all true,” he said by way of defense.

She tilted her head up. “What?”

“Everything you’ve heard about me, and everything you’re wondering about me right now. All the bad stuff about the black sheep of the family. True. Every bit of it.”

She smiled then, a soft parting of her wide full lips that made Stone’s stomach do a little dance. “Oh, I’ve heard a lot, that’s for sure. But I don’t listen to everything I hear.”

He touched a hand to her arm, then took off his shades.

“You should listen. And you should get away from me as fast as you can.”

Summing him up with a sweeping look that told him there was no doubt she wanted to be away from him, she nodded. “Probably a good suggestion, since I’m sure my sister is wondering what happened to me.” Then she pushed past him and hurried up the path, her high-heeled strappy sandals crunching against shell and rock.

Stone was glad he’d scared her away, glad she’d had the good sense to heed his warning. Because come tomorrow morning, she would hate him.

Tara Parnell was the business that had brought Stone Dempsey back to Sunset Island.

“He’s very…intense.”

Tara turned from the long table where the almond-flavored wedding cake and tropical fruit punch had been set up in the front parlor of Ana’s Tea Room, her gaze scanning the intimate group of family and friends that had congregated here after the wedding. Eloise Dempsey reclined on a swing out on the porch, chatting with Tara and Ana’s parents, Peggy and Martin Hanson. Clay Dempsey, handsome in a boy-faced way, was sitting on the steps regaling Ana’s assistants Tina and Jackie with tales about being a K-9 cop. And that society newspaper columnist, Greta Epperson, was busy taking it all down for next week’s Sunset Island Sentinel.

Then she saw the man she’d just described as intense, standing apart from the crowd. And she remembered how he’d told her to stay away from him. Or rather, how he’d warned her away from him.

Stone Dempsey stood off to one side of the long front porch, his hands tucked into the pockets of his expertly tailored cream linen pants, as he looked out past the oak trees and sand dunes at the sunset-tinged ocean. He’d taken off his navy sports coat and rolled up the sleeves of his cream-and-blue striped oxford shirt. Even in the middle of the crowd, he seemed alone, aloof, but very much aware that Greta was dying to get some exclusive comments from him. He continued to ignore everyone around him, however, including the inquisitive local social reporter.

Ana whirled in her lovely flower-sprinkled wedding dress, a gift from her new husband that had been handmade by eighty-year-old Milly McPherson. Her gaze followed the direction of Tara’s stare. “You mean Stone, of course?”

“Of course,” Tara replied, reliving how her heart had fluttered when he’d taken off his sunglasses and she’d seen his eyes for the first time. She’d never seen such eyes on a man. They were gray-blue, at once both harsh and gentle, like cut crystal, or perhaps more like shattered crystal. And dangerous. But it wasn’t just his eyes.

Stone Dempsey exemplified the kind of controlled power that automatically attracted women. It was a power that spoke of wealth and civility and manners, but it was also a power that held a tempered kind of unleashed energy, a wildness that no amount of designer duds could hide.

“He seems as if he’s about to…pounce.”

Ana gave her a quizzical look. “I suppose he has to be intense, being such a shrewd businessman. From what Rock tells me, Stone has accumulated a vast amount of money in a short amount of time, mostly through commercial real estate development.” Taking a sip of punch, she said, “I’m surprised you haven’t heard of him, since you work in the same field. Stone Enterprises is one of the fastest growing companies in the South. He buys up property, resells it to corporations to build subdivisions and resorts, then starts all over again. Rock says he’s driven. He works hard, and he plays hard, by all accounts. And has women begging at his feet. Or at least according to the island gossips.”

Tara gasped, her mouth dropping open. “I have heard of Stone Enterprises, but that company is way out of my league. I mean, the firm I work for is small potatoes compared to that.” Pointing a finger, she said, “So you’re telling me that the man standing out there is Stone Enterprises?”

“The very one,” Ana said. “Stanton Dempsey himself, in the flesh, better known around here by his nickname, Stone. But he likes to keep a low profile.” She grinned, then whispered, “Rock and I actually joked about introducing you two, since you both work in real estate, and given how you both seem to love what you do to the point of distraction.” Ana indicated her head toward Stone. “So welcome to lifestyles of the rich and famous.”

Immediately recognizing the matchmaking grin on her sister’s face, Tara glared at Ana. “I think I’ll pass. Been there, done that, don’t recommend it.”

Ana didn’t seem convinced. “C’mon, you know you love the life to which you’ve become accustomed—the travel, the clothes, the perks of being such a driven, successful person. It just reminded me of you, when Rock was talking about Stone’s need to accumulate more money, more material possessions.”

“Do I seem that greedy to you?” Tara asked, acutely aware that she had indeed been that greedy and obsessed with work and money at one time. But not anymore.

“No, honey,” Ana said. “I know you’ve changed over the months since Chad’s death. And I’m very proud of you. Turning back to God, spending more time with the girls—that’s so important. They need that kind of structure and stability in their lives.”

“But I was that way once, wasn’t I?” Tara asked, humiliation coloring her words. “I neglected my daughters, just to make that next big deal.” And look where that had gotten her, she thought to herself.

“You have never neglected your children,” Ana countered. “You just got caught up in work, Tara. It happens to all of us.” Then she smiled, tugged Tara close. “Thankfully, I have Rock now to keep me grounded. And you have your girls. They’ve enjoyed having you around these last few weeks before the wedding. And so have I.”

“I’m glad,” Tara said. “And I really am trying to slow things down, to let go of that need to work so much.”

Her guilt grating like sand in a sandal, she remembered her cell phone, still nestled in the deep pocket of her dress. And remembered how Stone Dempsey had caught her doing business on that very phone.

She wanted to tell Ana the truth, that she had to work, had to make the next sale, for the very sake of her daughters. But she wasn’t ready for that much honesty. Instead, she turned her thoughts back to the intriguing subject still standing outside like a sculptured statue.

Stone Dempsey was obviously a very rich and powerful man, but more infamous than famous, Tara thought. Since he didn’t run in the same business circles as her, she couldn’t really say how she knew this about him. She just knew, somehow. Besides, she could see it in the cut of his designer suit, in the shape of his sleek golden-brown, too long hair, in the way he walked and talked. The man exuded wealth and power. She knew the type, after all. She’d been married to one.

“He seems to stand around and brood a lot,” she told Ana as they both glanced out the big bay window. “He’s barely been civil to anyone, including his mother and brothers.”

She saw Rock approach Stone now, saw the blank, bored look Stone gave his brother even as he shook his hand and congratulated him. Saw the way Rock turned away, a confused anger in his eyes. It had been much the same when Eloise had spotted Stone earlier and rushed to hug him close. He’d barely allowed his mother to touch him before he’d held her back, his hands on her arms, his expression devoid of any emotion.

“He is different from Rock, and Clay, too, for that matter, that’s for sure,” Ana said, smiling the dreamy smile of a new bride. “Like night and day. Think you’re up to the challenge?”

“What challenge?” Tara asked. “Look, Ana, I’m not interested in Rock’s brother.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Very sure.”

Ana looked doubtful. “I say go for it, but be careful.”

Tara gave her sister an infuriated look. “So are you telling me to go after Stone, or run in the other direction? Honestly, Ana, I’m not ready for a new relationship.”

“I’m not telling you anything,” Ana said, waving to her husband through the window. “But I do want you to be happy again. You and Stone…well, you might be good for each other.”

Tara didn’t see how two overachievers could be good for each other, and she was surprised Ana would even push her in Stone’s direction. But then, her sister was too blissful right now to think straight. Ana probably just wanted Tara to feel the way she did.

Tara watched as Rock entered the room and motioned for her sister. Ana walked toward her new husband, a brilliant smile on her face. Rock’s own angered expression changed instantly as he gazed at his new wife. They were obviously happy. And Tara was very happy for them. Ana deserved this kind of love, this kind of life.

I had this once, Tara remembered, her eyes still on Stone.

Correction. She’d thought she had true happiness. But it had been one big facade. She’d married Chad Parnell on a youthful whim, thinking she’d love him forever. That had been her first mistake. And throughout the marriage, there had been other mistakes. No more marital bliss for her.

“Mom, why are you staring so hard at that man out there?”

Tara turned to find her oldest daughter, Laurel, standing there with her hands on her hips, her starkly etched brows lifted in a question.

“I didn’t realize I was staring,” she said, her hand automatically fluttering to her hair. “Where are your sisters?”

“In the kitchen with Charlotte putting out more shrimp canapés,” Laurel said, rolling her eyes. “Can I please take this dress off now?”

“Not until all of the guests are gone,” Tara said, her gaze moving over the blue-and-white floral crepe dress Laurel was wearing. All three of her daughters had been in their Aunt Ana’s wedding, but Laurel had been the only one to moan and groan about wearing a frilly dress. “Besides, you look lovely. Did Cal notice?”

That brought a smile to Laurel’s sulking face. “He said I looked pretty, but I feel like such a kindergartner in this baby-doll dress.”

“Well, he’s right.” Reaching a hand up to cup Laurel’s face, Tara added, “And I agree with him. You do look pretty, baby.”

“I’m not a baby. I’m almost fifteen,” Laurel said, pushing her mother’s hand away. “Oh, never mind. I’m going to find Grandma.”

“Okay.” Tara hid the pain of her daughter’s rejection, but since her husband’s death a few months ago, she’d gotten used to Laurel’s shutting her out. Her daughter blamed her for Chad’s death.

And deep down inside, Tara knew Laurel was right to blame her.

“She one of yours?”

Tara whirled to find Stone leaning against one of the open pocket doors, his coat held in his thumb over one shoulder. He stared at her with that same intensity she’d just mentioned to Ana.

“My oldest,” she said, turning to busy herself with gathering napkins and punch cups. “And the reason I’m finding more and more gray hairs on my head.”

Dropping his coat on a chair, Stone reached out a hand to take the stack of dishes from her. “I don’t see any gray hairs.”

“Only my hairdresser knows for sure,” Tara quipped, very much aware of his touch. When he’d helped her down the gazebo step earlier, she’d felt a kind of lightning bolt moving up her arm. That same jolt was back now, like a current, humming right up to her heart.

Or maybe more like another warning.

“Does your hairdresser charge you a lot for that shampoo?”

Tara felt the magnetic pull of his eyes as they traveled over her hair then came to settle on her lips before his gaze met hers. Again, she got the feeling that he would pounce on her like a lion at any minute. “Drugstore special,” she managed to say. “I’m watching my budget these days.”

Why she’d said that, she didn’t have a clue. Or maybe she did. Tara had dealt with the whims and demands of her materialistic husband, and now that he was dead, she was dealing with the bills he’d left behind. Maybe she just wanted to set things straight with Stone Dempsey right away, so there would be no misunderstandings. So that he’d see she wasn’t like him, in any way, shape or form.