He grinned as he moved around the room to put out the candles and lanterns. "I hate to say this but we had more fun when we left her at home. Dad was too laid back to worry about us turning over in the canoe or eating berries off the bushes without washing them first. And the only reason we have hot and cold running water is because she refused to let us bathe in the lake. Good old Mom always came with a strict set of rules."

Kylie chuckled. "Haven't you figured out yet that's one of the things we're best known for? Your mother sounds like my kind of woman. I would love meeting her one day."

And I intend for you to do just that, Chance thought as he glanced over at her. Mom would be happy to know that her oldest son has found love again.

All the candles were out but one, and the luminescent glow from that one candle seemed to focus on Kylie, making her skin shine with an ethereal radiance. Her hair had been up in a ponytail earlier but now she'd taken it down, and the ma.s.s of braids fell in soft waves around her shoulders.

"Well, I guess I'll call it a night and-"

"Will you sit on the porch with me for a while?" he asked.

Kylie looked at him then shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

The corner of his mouth tipped upward into a smile. "Has anyone ever told you that you think too much?"

"Possibly," she said slowly. "But I won't absolutely admit to anything."

Chance chuckled. "I didn't think you would."

"Now who's thinking too much?"

"Oh, that's real rich," Chance said, laughing. "Come on. I think you'll get a kick out of watching the stars." He reached out and offered her his hand and, only after hesitating briefly, she took it.

Chance was right. She was getting a kick out of watching the stars. Sitting here on the porch and rocking in the chair made Kylie realize all the little things she'd hadn't taken time to do before.

"Sure you don't want to come over here and share this swing with me?" Chance asked.

She chuckled as she glanced over at him. "I'm positive."

"But you aren't sitting close to me."

"I'm close enough, Chance."

"I beg to differ."

She shook her head grinning. "Tell me something. Are your brothers like you?"

"No, I'm one of a kind."

"Thank G.o.d."

"Hey," he said with affront. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Let's just say I'm glad after you were born that they broke the mold. I can't imagine another one like you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You would." After a brief moment of silence she said, "Tell me some more about your brothers."

"All right. Like I told you that day at the Racetrack Cafe, Bas is eighteen months younger than me and he's the troubleshooter for the company."

"He's also the one engaged to be married, right?"

"So we hear."

She stopped rocking and looked over at him, studied his features from the glow of the moon. "Why do I have a feeling that it's one of those 'I'll believe it when I see it' deals?"

"Because it is. Ca.s.sandra Tisdale and Bas are as different as day and night."

Kylie raised a brow. "Tisdale? As in Tisdale who owns a number of car dealerships around town? As well as those two restaurants?"

"Yes, the dealerships belong to her father and the restaurants to her uncle. Same family."

"Why do you think Ms. Tisdale and your brother aren't compatible?"

"Because they aren't."

"He evidently thinks they are."

"Remember you're the one who thinks too much. In this case, I don't believe Bas is thinking at all. But I have all the faith in the world that he'll come to his senses before doing something stupid."

Kylie frowned. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Quite." After a brief moment he said, "But only because I know my brothers, and Bas in particular. All through his life he's been known as the 'not so stainless Steele.'"

"Meaning?"

Chance frowned at the memories. "He was considered the black sheep of the family because he used to get into so much trouble. I guess you can say he went through quite a rebellious stage while growing up. You name it, he probably did it. It was a good thing my father was good friends with Sheriff Bland-ford since Bas had a penchant for straying to the wrong side of the law. Most of the time it wasn't him but the crowd he hung out with. But you know what they say about guilt by a.s.sociation."

Yes, she knew. "So when did his future change for the better?"

"When he was about twenty. He dropped out of college after deciding he wanted to see the world. He was gone for a year without us knowing where he was most of the time. All we know is that when he returned he had a new outlook on life. He went back to college, graduated with honors and then came to work at the Steele Corporation, starting from the bottom. He was determined to learn everything he could. Now he's a vital a.s.set to the company. I depend on him to keep me in the know and to put out small fires."

"What about the other two?"

"Morgan is Morgan. He has this thing about finding the perfect woman and until he does he won't settle for less. Then there's Donovan, who thinks he was born to have fun. He's serious enough while at work but otherwise there's really never a serious moment with him. My mother predicts he'll probably be the one who lives the longest because he enjoys life too much to get stressed about anything."

"Does that also mean he's having too much fun to settle down and get married?"

"So he claims. He just hasn't met the one woman to tame his game."

"Quite an interesting bunch."

"Yes, they didn't refer to us as 'Forged of Steele' for nothing."

Kylie lifted a brow. "'Forged of Steele'?"

"Yes. We were known for our endurance. We thought we could outlast anything."

She decided not to ask their endurance in what. "The possibility that Marcus might be a chip off the old block now has me worried. Should I be?"

Chance chuckled. "No, he's a good kid."

"Yes, I noticed and I'm appreciative of that. I was prepared not to like him, you know."

"Yeah, I know, and it was likewise with me and Tiffany. But I like her. You did a good job raising her, Kylie."

"So did you with Marcus."

"Thanks."

Kylie stretched and then stood. "Well, I think I'm going to call it a night."

"Already?"

"It's probably close to two in the morning, Chance, and I still have to take a shower. That checker game you played with the kids lasted quite awhile."

"Only because your daughter didn't know how to play. I've never heard of such a thing. That's un-American."

"Well, I hate to tell you but her mother doesn't know how to play checkers, either."

"Then I guess I'll add that to my list of all the other things I intend to teach you."

"Don't do me any favors."

"Trust me. It will be for my benefit as well as for yours. The more you know and understand, the better off we'll both be."

Kylie knew they weren't talking about checkers but about the intricacies involving a male and female.

But was she willing to learn?

Chance lay in bed and could only stare up at the ceiling as he heard the shower going, imagining Kylie, naked and standing beneath a full spray of water that flowed down her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, flat stomach, thighs...

He tried tuning out the sound and turning his attention to his snoring son, who was sleeping on the opposite bunk. d.a.m.n, he sounded just like Donovan. Chance chuckled as he remembered that while growing up no one wanted to share a bedroom with Donovan because he snored.

After a few moments he released a groan and decided listening to Kylie in the shower was a lot better than putting up with Marcus. He smiled, thinking he had really enjoyed their conversation on the porch tonight. She seemed interested in his family, which was just as well, since if he had his way the Steeles would be her family one day.

G.o.d, he loved her.

Heat sizzled along his nerve endings at the thought of just how much. A slow, sinful grin touched his lips when he thought about what he'd told her last night. There was a lot she didn't understand about man-woman relationships and he intended to teach her. Things had definitely changed since her last date, especially in the bedroom. If he remembered correctly, that was the year the Hubble Telescope was launched into s.p.a.ce, Nelson Mandela was finally freed from prison and George Bush Senior was president.

h.e.l.l, she probably wasn't aware that these days men and women who were in a serious relationship openly discussed such things as foreplay and o.r.g.a.s.ms, or that trying different positions in the bedroom was now the norm and not the exception. And she'd probably be startled to know that oral s.e.x was pretty popular these days.

A slow smile rolled around his lips. Yes, he would enjoy teaching her all the finer things in life with one goal in mind: to make her fall as deeply in love with him as he was with her.

Chapter 9.

"Well, Lena, how do I look?"

Lena stood with her hands on her hips and gave Kylie an a.s.sessing stare. The two of them had been shopping for gowns to wear to this weekend's ball and it seemed as if Kylie had hit the jackpot.

"Girl, that dress is gorgeous and it looks fabulous on you," Lena said. "But of course you have the figure for it. You have more curves than the Daytona Speedway. You'd be nuts not to buy it."

With her courage bolstered, Kylie looked down at herself. Lena was right. The dress was a s.e.xy black form-fitting georgette mini with a halter crisscross bodice and a low-cut back. She had to admit it did look rather flattering on her, though it showed more skin than she would like.

"You don't think it's too daring?" she asked Lena.

"Heck, no, like I said you have the body for it. Everyone can't say that. I most certainly can't."

Kylie frowned at her friend. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with your figure."

"That losing fifteen more pounds won't hurt?"

"Don't complain. A lot of men like full-figured women. You have a small waist, nice size hips, a gorgeous pair of legs-"

"Strong bones and a good set of teeth," Lena tagged on. They laughed, remembering other times they had gone shopping together when they were much younger and faced with the same dilemma. Kylie always thought she was too thin and Lena had made up in her mind years ago that at size sixteen she was too thick.

"So, are you going to buy it?" Lena asked as she walked around Kylie, admiring how the dress fit.

"Probably not," Kylie said, still looking down at herself. She felt half-naked wearing it. "But it's gorgeous, though."

"And it has your name on it."

Kylie glanced up at Lena. "You think so?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't. Besides, since you've decided to be my date for the ball what I say counts, right?"

"Right."

"So what are you going to do?"

Kylie grinned. "I'm going to take it."