Looking uncomfortable, Sarah shifted in her chair. "I guess it was only common knowledge in New York and L.A. I wouldn't have known about it, myself, had Jake not mentioned it back when it happened a year or so ago. And he only paid attention because I had commented that I grew up with Jane when he pointed her out in the show."

   Tyler had waited as long as he could. As much as he detested gossip, as much as he despised tabloid journalism, he was unable to resist asking, "What was this scandal about?"

   Sarah and Jake exchanges glanced, Sarah looking remorseful, Jake faintly chiding. "I shouldn't have said anything," she murmured. "I know better than to—"

   "Sarah," Tyler cut in firmly. "What, exactly, did you hear?"

   She sighed. "Apparently, Jane got in the middle of that nasty divorce between Delia Shelly and Maxwell Green last year."

   Tyler recognized the names, of course. The two screen-and-stage stars were regulars of the tabloids. Even without following celebrity news, Tyler was aware that they'd had a steamy, very public marriage and an even uglier and more public divorce. "What did Jane have to do with it?"

   "Delia claimed that her husband was having a torrid affair with a starlet he'd met while doing a play in New York. He was photographed several times with Jane, so the gossip columnists named her as one of the several suspects. Several concluded that she was one of the several girlfriends Maxwell had on the side. The truth is, of course, that no one really knows what happened, because Maxwell and Jane both declined comment."

   "Jane probably have parlayed the publicity into a career boost," Jake pointed out. "But she apparently chose not to."

   "It had to be a difficult time for Jane," Debbie said. "No wonder she was ready to get away from all that and come back to Honoria."

   "No gossip or scandal in Honoria," Colton muttered sarcastically.

   Tyler couldn't help remembering the previous evening, when he'd found Jane having a cozy cup of coffee with Mark Roster—another unfaithful husband in the middle of an unpleasant divorce. The mental connection made him scowl, hating himself for his instinctive distrust, resenting the old, painful memories of Stephanie that hovered in the back of his mind.

   "I think we've discussed this long enough," Colton concluded firmly. "It's nothing more than a bunch of tabloid gossip, and we know better than to pay any attention to that sort of garbage. Sarah, you shouldn't have repeated it, and Tyler, you should pay no mind to it. Jane seems like a fine young woman and she doesn't deserve to be discussed behind her back this way."

   Sarah flushed. "Sorry, Daddy. You're absolutely right, of course."

   "My fault, I'm afraid," Jake loyally defended his wife. "Rumors and gossip are a part of my business and I probably pay too much attention to them—which doesn't mean I generally believe them, by the way. Just the opposite, in fact."

   Sarah looked sheepishly at her brother. "I just really thought you knew..."

   "Don't worry about it."

   Tyler was relieved that Sally and Dave returned with the children a few minutes later. Sally carried Amy, while Dave followed with Blaire. Jay and Tom dashed in after them, their faces sporting evidence of chocolate ice cream. After that, the conversation veered onto a new path.

   Tyler only wished it was as easy to change the direction of his thoughts.