Suddenly, he jerked his face away, breathing hard. He looked out across the parking lot at the fire station. "h.e.l.l," he said in a low, rough voice, "we're acting like a couple of teenagers. Anybody could see us. We don't want to put on a show for the entire town to hear about."

She inhaled sharply as she tried to catch her breath and regain her composure, but it wasn't easy.

"Sorry. I started that and I'm out of line. But-"

"You had some help." She placed a soft kiss on his cheek, knowing he was right to consider their location. She eased off his lap and scooted close to the pa.s.senger door. She folded her arms over her stomach, feeling defensive at all the emotions that were cascading through her. Hot. Cold. And oh so very achy.

"I apologize."

"There's no need."

"Yes, there is. I didn't mean to come on so strong. It's just that-"

"It's been a long time."

"h.e.l.l yeah."

"Let's not rush into anything." She tried to sound cool and reasonable, even thought she was burning up inside and wanting so much more of him. "I just got back into town today."

"My lucky day." He leaned forward and put the booster into drive, then glanced over at her with eyes still dark with desire. "You always did know how to get under my skin. Guess you still do."

"I'm not immune to your charms either."

"Good thing." He focused on the station again. "We'd better get back to business-"

"Before the barbeque gets cold and Aunt Hedy comes looking for us."

"Right."

Still, he hesitated, and then glanced at her. "Can I have a rain check on Lovers Leap?"

She smiled despite herself. "Only if there are old, soft quilts and the Chuckwagon Cafe food, too."

"You mean I'm not enough?"

"You're more than enough." She knew she was getting in deeper by the moment, but she didn't have the will to stop. "That's just the trouble."

He grinned, flashing white teeth and deep dimples. "Maybe a little trouble is what we've both been needing in our lives."

She couldn't help but smile as he sent the booster forward with a sudden burst of speed. He was definitely Trouble with a capital T.

Kent pulled up in front of a station bay and picked up the remote control from the dashboard.

She glanced down the line of empty parking s.p.a.ces. She recognized Hedy's van next to a blue pickup that looked like it needed help. Her own white SUV that had a light coating of dust from the trip was where she'd left it several spots down from the other two vehicles.

"Do you think Aunt Hedy called a tow for that truck?"

"Tow? Why would you say that?"

"Look at it. Not only is it covered in mud and dirt, it's got several big dints that I can see from here. It's probably got bald tires and has a flat."

"It looks like a perfectly reasonable work vehicle to me. Stuff happens out on ranches."

"Stuff?"

He gave a big sigh as he used the remote control to open a bay door of the station. "Why don't you grab the barbeque and I'll meet you at Ruby's."

"Wait!" She turned to look at him. He appeared a little hot, or uncomfortable, under the collar. "Oh no!" She quickly swiveled her head to gaze at the vehicle then back at him. "That's not your pickup, is it?"

He rolled his eyes in exaggerated annoyance, but the hint of a smile lurked about his lips. "That big dent came from a hardheaded bull bent on revenge. And the tires aren't bald. I've never been known to drive an unsafe vehicle."

She felt a sudden attack of giggles coming on because she'd just insulted his ride. And guys were notoriously sensitive about their vehicles. It shouldn't have struck her as funny, but it did. She put a hand over her mouth to try to stop the laugh that threatened to erupt, but pretty soon she choked, then chortled as her shoulder shook with mirth and a giggle rolled out.

"Go ahead and laugh," he grumbled as he pointed to her vehicle. "I suppose that pristine little prissy SUV belongs to you."

"I'm sorry," she managed before she laughed harder, feeling her eyes burn with moisture. She tried to stop, honestly, but she felt as if something had broken inside of her or had been let loose after so many years of pent-up tension and worry. She hadn't laughed this hard since the last time she'd been with Kent all those years ago. And the laughter felt wonderful.

"For your information, everything about my truck is in fine working order."

"Except the outside?"

"Not important." He looked at her, turning serious. "If I wash my truck, it'll just get dirty again. If I get that dint fixed, some other critter will take into his head to b.u.t.t it again. Why bother?"

"You make a good point." She took a deep breath, tamping down the humor of the situation, because she could see he was serious about his vehicle. She might even be hurting his feelings, but he'd always played fast and loose with stuff. It just didn't matter to him.

"If it offends you, I can wash the truck."

"Oh no, it's fine. I remember now that you never did much care what was on the outside of anything."

"It's what's on the inside that counts." He reached over and took her hand. As he rubbed a rough thumb over her soft palm, he gazed into her eyes. "Lauren, you've always been beautiful. Everybody knows that. But it's your inner beauty that's always shone through that's nigh on irresistible."

"Oh, Kent, you big silly." She felt his words go straight to her heart, and now she felt like crying with the sheer tenderness and sincerity of his words.

"It's the truth."

"You've got a big heart that sees the best in everybody. Kent, I-"

A loud knock on the pa.s.senger door made Lauren jump, so she quickly looked out the window.

Hedy grinned at her. "Hey, let's get this show on the road!"

Lauren smiled back as she lowered her window. "I take it you're hungry."

"And I'm anxious to meet that little tyke of yours."

"She's going to love you." Lauren glanced back at Kent. "Guess Aunt Hedy's right. We need to get a move on."

"Go ahead and take the barbeque. I'll park the booster and close up here."

"We can wait for you," Hedy said.

"No need. I'll be at Ruby's pretty quick."

"Thanks." Lauren realized he was still holding her hand, so she squeezed his fingers and let go. "I'm sorry about being unappreciative of your truck."

"Don't worry." He chuckled, boyish dimples flashing with the mischief in his eyes. "I'll get you back for it."

"No doubt." She chuckled at his warm look that promised plenty of delicious trouble-just like the old days. "I'd better run inside and change clothes first."

"Go ahead like you are. I'll bring your dress."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Thanks. I'll wash the jeans and bring them back to the station. But I'm keeping the T-shirt."

"You sure you don't want to give it back to me?" He grinned even bigger. "I'd take it home."

She rolled her eyes at him, imagining taking his fire-rescue shirt away from him and snuggling against the softness and the smell of him in her lonesome bed. But she pushed those thoughts aside and turned her attention to Hedy, who was grinning up at them. "You hear all that?"

"Sure did. I'm not touching any of it with a ten-foot pole." She appeared delighted with them. "Let Kent lock up and we can be on our way."

"Okay." Lauren picked up the two heavy sacks of barbeque, then hesitated as she glanced at Kent. "It's good to be home."

He nodded, but his eyes were still alight with mischief. "Sure, that's what you say now. Wait till everybody's got you working on some project or other."

"I think I can handle whatever Wildcat Bluff throws at me."

He grinned even bigger. "Sure?"

"You two can bicker later," Hedy interrupted, chuckling. "We're burning daylight here."

"I'll see you at Twin Oaks." She gave him a quick smile, opened the door, stepped down, and watched him drive into the fire station.

Kent was certainly turning her world upside down, and she was starting to like it. She turned back to Hedy, tried to look serious, but couldn't keep the grin from her face.

"You look like the cat that ate the cream," Hedy said with a knowing glint in her brown eyes. "And I haven't seen that boy look so happy in a month of Sundays."

Lauren nodded as she pulled a key ring out of her purse. "I'm feeling pretty happy myself."

Chapter 10.

As Lauren followed Hedy's van down Cougar Lane, she glanced at the houses on either side of the road. She liked the idea that so far she hadn't seen many changes in Wildcat Bluff, so the town was still familiar and full of wonderful memories. Most of the homes along here were large and set back from the street on an acre or two. She admired a Spanish hacienda with a red-tile roof, a white antebellum with columns soaring from the portico up to the second story, a pink-brick single-story ranch with a silver metal roof, and a multicolored pastel Victorian. Each house was beautiful in its own way.

She was ready to get to Ruby's and make sure Hannah was still enjoying Twin Oaks. Most folks considered the estate special because former Seabee Jake Jobson had spent his retirement years building the amazing place for his wife Gladys. Now their daughter ran Twin Oaks as a bed-and-breakfast that catered to weddings, reunions, and getaways.

When Lauren reached the top of Cougar Knoll, she caught her first sight of the estate. Jake had created a spectacular fence out of all the rocks he'd dug up, washed, and sized from the ten-acre property. She slowly drove past the amazing fence scalloped from rock post to rock post.

She noticed that the two thousand trees, mostly pine, which Jake had planted in perfect rows, had now grown tall enough to cast shadows over the neatly mowed and manicured acreage. She couldn't see it from the road, but she knew he'd also built a brick-and-wood bench beside the small pond so he could sit, watch frogs leap from lily pad to lily pad, and listen to the wind whisper through the pine trees. He'd been a special man and she'd always miss him, along with Gladys.

As she drove up to the B&B's entrance, she saw an arched black metal sign overhead that read "Twin Oaks" entwined with the silhouettes of two oak trees. She eased on her brakes as she watched Hedy continue down the road so she could park in front of the house and use the ramp for her wheelchair. Lauren would park in the visitor's area to leave room in front of the house.

She turned in past twin rock b.u.t.tresses that curved outward from the fence on either side of the estate's entry. She drove across dry gra.s.s to a white four-board fence that enclosed a horse pasture behind a traditional red barn. She stopped her SUV and opened the door. For a moment she simply sat still as she listened to the wind in the pines, just as Jake had once done. She glanced around the area, remembering how there was always plenty to do for fun in season at Twin Oaks such as basketball, tennis, swimming, and golf.

She looked over at the imposing home that rose in planes, angles, and sharp rooflines. Red brick. Green trim. Slate-gray shingles. Three-car garage. Extra parking for guests by the tennis court. Jake's design of a multilevel Midcentury Modern house built in the 1980s was absolutely beautiful in its stark simplicity and welcoming ambiance.

Lauren was glad Twin Oaks remained pretty much untouched by time. That was due to Ruby's appreciation, respect, and love for her parents' wonderful home. They were gone now, but their legacy lived on. Lauren couldn't be happier that she had such a great friend in Ruby and a good place to stay for Hannah's first few days in Wildcat Bluff.

She smiled at thoughts of her daughter and quickly slung her purse over her shoulder, picked up the sacks of barbeque, and stepped out of her SUV. Fortunately, she'd already carried her luggage inside and unpacked in one of the guest suites on the top level of the house.

After she locked her vehicle, not strictly required in the area but a leftover habit from big-city living, she walked across the gra.s.s, which was beginning to turn green in the early spring weather. She stopped beside a two-story pergola that had a picnic table on each level. Jake had built the brick pergola as a viewing stand for the nearby tennis court enclosed by a high chain-link fence.

She crossed the tennis court and reached the front of the house where Hedy had parked her van outside the three-car garage. She noticed trimmed rose bushes in a redbrick planter at the front edge of a covered porch that shaded a bank of sliding gla.s.s doors leading into the sunroom.

She hesitated a moment, enjoying the peaceful quiet. Hedy must have already zipped up the ramp and entered the kitchen. Kent hadn't arrived yet, so she figured he was still finishing up at the station. She took a moment to walk over to the huge oak tree.

Lauren patted the trunk as she looked up. "Hey, Big John. How're you doing? I do believe you've put on a little weight around the middle. It looks good on you." She chuckled at her words, still enjoying the fact that Jake had named Twin Oaks after two huge trees that he'd also given names.

She glanced up over the roof and saw Big Bertha rising high into the sky on the other side of the house. Jake once explained that he'd built between the two ancient oaks so if lightning struck, it'd hit the trees and not the house. That'd turned out to be a good idea because Big John's center trunk was gray, lightning blasted, but new limbs had grown out around the damage.

She patted Big John's rough trunk again, then turned and walked to the front of the house. She slid open a door and stepped onto the terra-cotta tile of the enclosed breezeway, quickly shutting the door behind her. The garden room extended across the house to another wall of gla.s.s with sliding doors. She could see a redbrick gazebo with one side built around the trunk of Big Bertha.

Lauren felt air from a ceiling fan swirl across her face as she took a moment to study a colorful poster of a woman on horseback framed in gray barnwood that read "National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, Fort Worth, Texas." She knew a number of gals from Wildcat Bluff County were featured in the famous museum.

When she heard a meow, she glanced toward the sound. Temple lay nestled in one of three white cushions on the seat of a hanging wooden swing. He had bright, almost iridescent white fur, pale-blue eyes, and a black mark across his nose.

She smiled, acknowledging that Temple ruled the roost at Twin Oaks and everybody loved him. "Excuse me for not saying h.e.l.lo the moment I walked inside, but I didn't see you. White fur against white cushion. I'm sure you understand."

Temple yawned, revealing white dagger teeth and a long, pink tongue. He stood up, stretched, arching his back, and nudged one of her sacks of barbeque with the tip of his nose.

"Hungry?" She chuckled as she watched him leap down and walk with great dignity to the inside front door where he glanced impatiently back at her. "You're so spoiled. Everybody knows you love Chuckwagon Cafe's barbeque, and they bring you treats all the time."

He yowled, as if in agreement, and looked up at the doork.n.o.b.

"Can't wait, can you?"

She turned the k.n.o.b and he strolled inside. The delicious scent of cookies wafted outward and enveloped her in the aroma of rich chocolate. She smiled in delight. Now this was her kind of treat, if not on Temple's list of favorites.

After she shut the door, Temple led her across the oak wood floor of a large living area. She caught her breath at the beauty as she glanced around the room. The slatted-wood ceiling soared upward to the roofline in a dramatic A-line design. A long balcony on the second floor gave a wonderful view out an upstairs window and across the area below. She particularly admired the redbrick fireplace that dominated one corner of the room and extended to the ceiling in another dramatic effect. Ruby had chosen contemporary furniture with upholstery in geometric patterns of green, burgundy, and gold to complement the house's design. A red half-brick wall and short staircase separated the living room from the kitchen and dining area above.