"What?"

"Can we dance?" He grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet. She squealed and dropped her coffee, which spilled on the ground and disappeared into the new grass. Her surprised yelp turned into peals of wonderful, uninhibited laughter. Chase's chest swelled with satisfaction. Whenever he got her to abandon her habitual seriousness, he felt like he'd just received the keys to the city. Hell, the keys to the world.

Man, he wanted to kiss her. On the lips. And on every other inch of her body. But instead, he dragged her against him and began to sway.

Abby's laughter faded as her chest encountered the hardness of his. He laced the fingers of one hand through hers, while his other hand found the small of her back. She moved her free hand to rest on his broad shoulder.

Concentrate on the music, she mentally ordered herself. The music. The crowd. The sound of the breeze in the trees. Anything but the heat of Chase's body searing her skin through her clothing. Or his lean muscles flexing under her palm. Or even the warm flutter of his breath stirring the hair at her temple.

Especially the last one, because it tempted her to look at his mouth, and she knew if she looked at that yummy full bottom lip she would be tempted to kiss him.

"Relax," he said, his velvety voice tickling her ear.

"I can't."

He suddenly spun her away from him until she was an arm's length away with their hands still laced together. Then, just as quickly, he curled her back into his chest. The movement was so unexpected and executed so easily, it took Abby a second to react. When she did, it was to dissolve into laughter again.

"You shouldn't do that to a novice drinker."

Chase looked horrified. "You're not going to be sick, are you?"

"No. But I am a bit lightheaded."

"It's not lightheadedness," he informed her. "It's because my fancy footwork is like dancing on air."

Abby grinned at him skeptically. "Is that so?"

"Uh-huh." He spun her away from him again, and again, she burst into laughter.

"Having fun?"

Abby settled back into his arms, breathless. Her heart was racing and her head whirling. "I can't remember a better time."

Chase's smile faded and there seemed to be an almost possessive look in his eyes. "Good." Then they revolved together over the cushiony lawn, their gazes locked.

The song ended, and Abby squeaked as he dipped her.

When he pulled her back to him, the look was gone and his easy smile was back in place.

"You dance like Ginger Rogers."

Abby laughed. "I feel like a giant with two left feet." Chase shook his head and waltzed her into the next song.

If Abby thought she felt like a giant the night before, it had nothing on how she felt the next morning. Her head seemed like it was at least twice its normal size and weighed about fifteen pounds against her pillow. She moaned as she flopped over onto her back, flinging her arm over her face to block out the cruel, cruel sunlight.

What had she done?What had she drunk ? She groaned again, tossed her legs over the side of the bed, and struggled to sit up. Whatever it was, she would never, never drink it again. She wasn't even sure she'd be able to look at gummy candy in the same light again. She shuffled down the hall to the bathroom, when a knock on the front door stopped her. She waited to see if Ellie was going to answer it. After the third rap, she decided Ellie wasn't, so she headed downstairs, using the banister to support most of her weight. Why was she even bothering to answer it? Nobody but salespeople came to the front door. The person knocked for the fourth time, and Abby decided she was going to have to deal with the most persistent salesperson on the face of the planet. Instead, it turned out to be the most persistent little boy on the planet. "Willy? How are you? What are you doing here?" Willy toed a crack on the porch floorboard with his canvas sneaker and peeked up at her shyly. "I just wanted to come say hi." Abby stuck her head out the door and looked around. "Are you staying with Chase?" He nodded. "Does he know where you are?" Willy shook his head. "He told me I couldn't come over 'cause you need to rest. But it's a real nice day, and we're getting ready to go fly kites. And I really wanted to ask you to come too." Abby's melting heart far overshadowed the pounding in her head. "Oh, honey, I'd love to fly a kite with you." Willy's head shot up. "You would? You don't need to rest?"

"No. But I do think you'd better make sure it's all right with your d-"

"Willy!"

"He's over here, Chase." Abby waved to him.

Chase strolled across the street. The fit of his jeans emphasized the length of his legs and the muscles of

his thighs. And his plain white T-shirt showed the perfect masculine vee of his torso. He looked delicious.

And Abby looked... She glanced down at herself. The worn flannel pajamas did nothing to display her figure. She looked like a frump. A frump with an enormous throbbing head.

"How are you feeling?" Chase asked in a quiet voice as he came up onto the porch. He'd obviously

experienced this post-drinking, large pounding head phenomenon.

Abby made a face. "I think if I see a Crab Special any time in the next decade, it will be too soon."

Chase smiled. "I have coffee and Alka Seltzer at my house. "

"I think I need a shower first. "

"Then she's going to fly kites with us," Willy said with a huge grin that revealed he'd lost a bottom tooth

since she last saw him.

"Only if I'm invited," Abby quickly added.

"Of course you're invited. Why don't you come over after you get showered and dressed. By the way, I

like the jammies."

Abby crossed her arms around herself and made an uncomfortable noise at his compliment, then said, "Give me ten minutes."

"We'll be waiting."

Chapter 12.

Chase had never met a woman who was actually ready in ten minutes.

But Abby, it turned out, was the exception to the rule. Not only was she at his back door in ten minutes, but she also managed the feat with a hangover, and she looked fabulous.

She entered his kitchen wearing a white T-shirt with a big red cotton shirt unbuttoned over the top, black capris and white canvas sneakers. The ensemble wasn't put together to look even remotely sexy, but Chase found the outfit incredibly hot. The style was relaxed and carefree, both of which looked very, very good on Abby, He held out a mug of coffee, which she accepted. She took a deep drink. After she swallowed, a content moan escaped her. Chase promptly thought of several other things he'd like to do to her to produce that same sound, but he squelched the images. He needed to keep platonic thoughts.

Abby sat at the kitchen table, crossing her legs and taking another sip of her coffee. Chase watched her, his eyes drawn to her ankles, and the delicate bones and milky skin revealed by the cut of her capris.

When had a woman's ankles ever turned him on? Platonic? Yeah, he was doomed.

When he stopped leering at her ankles, he realized that Abby must have spoken to him. She sat, watching him, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Did you say something?"

"Yes. I said you make a mean cup of joe."

"It's one of my many talents. "

Abby had no doubt about that. Just the look on his face as he watched her drink her coffee made her feel warm all over. But she had to assume his stare wasn't really directed at her, but rather some personal musing. Heaven knew that nothing about her would inspire such a heated look Unless he was driven to distraction by Keds.

"Can I get you the Alka Seltzer?"

Abby held up the coffee. "This is helping a lot. So where do you fly kites?"

Chase straightened up from where he leaned on the kitchen counter and brought the coffeepot over to

refill her mug.

"We're going to Hobb's Field. That's where you get the best breeze off the water," he informed her

with authority and a quick grin.

"So you have kite-flying to a science, do you?"

"Not me. This is Willy's judgment, not mine. And yes, he takes his kite-flying very, very seriously."

"I'll make sure to follow his lead then."

Chase grinned. "He won't have it any other way."

"That's the way," Chase shouted to Abby, when, after a half dozen attempts, she got her kite airborne.

"Yeah, that's the way," Willy cheered too, hopping up and down while still keeping his own kite aloft.

Abby reeled out more twine and returned the two males' happy grins. She looked up at her kite, a bright

blue triangle with a yellow creature on it that Willy informed her was called a Pikachu. He also advised her that it was his old, "little kid" kite, but it would probably be good for her. Given the many attempts it took to launch the small plastic thing, she decided he was right. There was no way she would have ever gotten the large nylon stunt kites that both Willy and Chase flew off the ground. But her modest little kite still looked pretty flying high against the bright blue sky. She laughed as Willy successfully made his kite do a large spiral. He whooped and grinned proudly at Chase. "That's too cool, Willy," Chase shouted and gave him a wink. Abby stopped watching the kites and studied her two companions. Chase constantly encouraged Willy, cheering for him, teasing him, laughing with him. Abby tried to imagine Nelson here, playing with a little boy.

Try as she might, she couldn't. Nelson was too serious. He wouldn't see the importance of child's play.

He would find it frivolous and a waste of time.

She focused on Chase. He was laughing, his eyes sparkling like the waves behind him. The sea breeze

tousled his hair.

Abby liked his hair. It wasn't as long as he wore it in high school, but it reached the collar of his chambray shirt and always looked like he'd just run his hands through the dark locks.

"Watch out!"

The warning took a moment to register. When she looked up it was too late-her little kite had dive-bombed Chase's large, multi-colored, multi-stringed one. And both kites were crashing to earth, or rather, crashing toward her.

She squealed, dropped the spool of twine, and ducked for cover. A second later, the kites hit the ground several inches from her feet. "Crash and burn!" Willy hollered with unrestrained glee. Chase jogged over. "Did you see your life flash before your eyes or what?" Abby feigned a look of horror. "I definitely thought I was a goner." They turned to look at the fallen kites. There was nothing but a mass of string and nylon with only the left ear of her Pikachu visible among the wreckage. "I think I'll get our lunch," Chase said. "Good idea," Abby agreed. "We're going to need sustenance to get this mess untangled. " "We?" Chase cocked a dark brow. "Who hit who here?" "Well, if you weren't so darned distracting." Abby nearly groaned after the words were out of her mouth. Her big ole mouth. Chase's eyebrow raised again, but this time with surprise.

She was thankful that he didn't comment, instead going to the truck to get the basket containing their lunch. Abby sat down on the grass and dragged the kites toward her. Better to keep busy than fixate on what she'd just said. And maybe if she concentrated on the kites, she wouldn't say anything else so stupid.

By the time Chase returned, she had managed to make matters worse. Now the strings were not only twisted with each other, but also around her.

"You didn't really have to do that."

"I don't mind." Abby tugged at one of the strings, which had somehow gotten tangled with the lace of her right sneaker.