She shook her head and managed a laugh. "Excellent answer, Officer."

He sat up straighter and grinned.

Cocky male, she thought, enjoying him far too much. She glanced down and realized her cone had begun to melt, the sticky ice cream now all over her hand. "I need to throw this out and go inside to wash up."

He nodded. "I'll wait here."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Liza headed inside and Dare used the time to get himself under control. No way could he stand until he'd talked himself down. Literally.

Ten minutes later, he'd escorted Liza to her car, a sporty convertible that suited her. He intended to go right on upstairs to his apartment until he realized Faith would be wondering what happened.

Better to see her now than to have her come looking for him later. He reached the table and discovered his brothers had joined their wives and the alcohol still flowed. He groaned, wondering if he'd get out of here at a decent hour.

"Dare!" Faith jumped up from her seat and came up beside him. She hooked her arm through his and led him a few steps away from the table.

Ethan shot him an I pity you look and Dare wondered how he could get retribution.

"So? How'd it go? Did you two connect?" she asked.

"Do you really think I'd tell you my personal business?" he asked his sister-in-law.

"Of course I do," she said, not the least bit offended. "And I'll tell you why. I have Liza's ear. We're not just working on the fund-raiser together, we go way back. Which means I know her. I have insight you're going to need. So instead of waiting until you have to come begging me for information, you share with me and I'll do the same." She batted her eyelashes at him in a very unpracticed move.

Faith, for all her teasing now, wasn't manipulative nor was she nosy. The woman cared about everyone in her life-those she let in anyway. Now that Dare was one of those people, no way would he get off telling her to mind her own business.

"We came to an understanding," he told Faith. They'd agreed they had chemistry and then kissed to prove it, Dare thought.

Faith raised her eyebrows. "What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means that's all the information you're getting tonight," Ethan said, coming up to his wife and rescuing his brother. "When and if Dare needs help with his love life, he knows where to find you." Ethan slipped a finger into a belt loop on the back of Faith's jeans. "Come here and bother me instead of Dare."

Faith opened her mouth, no doubt to object. Ethan pulled her closer and whispered in her ear. "Okay, then. Home it is," she said, a flush rising on her cheeks.

Dare shook his head and bit his tongue before he used Tess's line about getting a room because it sounded like that was what they had in mind anyway.

"I'm going upstairs," he said. "Night, all."

"Dare, wait. I just wanted to say one serious thing. Did you notice how Liza sat at the table with us but never really joined in?" Faith asked.

He shook his head. He'd been too busy trying to hold a conversation with his friends when all he wanted to do was get Liza alone.

"She holds herself back from people, something I know all about from personal experience."

"Your father betrayed you, Faith. You had good reason."

"Liza hasn't had it any easier. I haven't seen her in years and I can still tell she doesn't trust people easily."

Dare frowned. She'd said as much to him, but he figured she just didn't want to make it easy on him. He wanted to know the reasons Liza was so wary of people. Of him. But even if Faith knew the answers, Dare would rather Liza tell him herself. Because doing so would mean she trusted him.

When Dare realized he desired that trust even more than he wanted her, he knew that when it came to this woman, he was in deep trouble.

The rest of the week flew by and Saturday arrived, bright, sunny, and hot. A perfect day for an outdoor event. When Liza had decided to attend the youth center fund-raiser, she never thought she'd do so having kissed Dare Barron. She hadn't heard from or spoken to him since, not that she'd expected to. But she couldn't have imagined the potency of that kiss and wondered if he'd felt it too.

Was he interested? Or maybe he kissed every woman who gave him an opening. Or maybe he'd decided that she wasn't worth the effort, what with her ties to her troublesome brother. Liza didn't know what Dare thought or felt but she'd been torturing herself with the possibilities for the rest of the week.

She exhaled hard, feeling ridiculous. It wasn't like she'd never kissed a guy, then had to face him afterward. Seeing Dare again would be a piece of cake. She bit the inside of her cheek, picked up her bag, and headed out the door, calling herself a liar the entire drive to the youth center.

Luckily, Jeff was waiting for her when she paid her entry fee and walked onto the grassy lawn behind the center, the buffer she'd been so eager to have.

She waved and met up with him. "You're prompt."

"I aim to please," he said with a grin. "Can I get you a soda or anything to eat?"

She shook her head. Her stomach was already churning with a combination of excitement and nerves. Not that she'd let him get her anything anyway. "No, thank you, but if you're hungry, we can stop by any of the food stands."

"I'm good, thanks." He tipped his head to the side, indicating they should start milling around.

Liza walked beside him, uncomfortable when he placed a hand on the small of her back like they were together together. Not ready to say something in case she was overreacting, Liza strode along the grass, passing carnival-like booths run by many police officers she knew too well, firefighters she knew by sight or name, and kids obviously recruited to help. As they walked, Liza was surprised at how many people she saw that she knew and was even more pleased at how many friendly hellos she received.

They met up with Bianca Raye, Liza's assistant. "Hey there!" the perky red head said, greeting them with a smile.

"Hi, Bianca!"

Jeff smiled at her.

"Fancy meeting you two here," Bianca said. Jeff's hand lingered on Liza's back and the confusion on Bianca's face echoed the feelings inside Liza. She took the opportunity to step closer to the other woman and away from Jeff's too-familiar touch.

"I offered to meet up with Jeff and introduce him to people, since he's new in town," Liza explained as much to Bianca as to reinforce her reasons to Jeff.

Before Bianca responded, a teenager with a big sign reading ZEPPOLI 50 CENTS hanging from his neck walked by.

"Oooh, fried dough!" Bianca exclaimed, obviously distracted. "I'm meeting friends, but I got here early. I'd love to hang with you guys until they get here. Can you wait until I grab something to eat first?"

Liza nodded, grateful to have another woman with her.

"Thanks!" Bianca darted off to the zeppoli stand behind them.

Jeff didn't say anything but his silence and lack of a smile spoke for him.

"Umm, Jeff, is everything okay?" Liza asked.

He tipped his head to the side, looking a combination of confused and embarrassed. "This isn't a date, is it?"

Liza opened her mouth, then closed it again, searching for the right words. "Date?" was the best she could do.

"When you asked me to meet you here...never mind," he said, shaking his head.

Liza was mortified, both for herself and for him. "No, it's not a date," she said softly. "I only meant it as an offer to introduce you around, ease your transition to town. I'm so sorry if you thought otherwise."

His face flushed red. "It's the hick in me, I guess," he said sheepishly.

"No!" she said, meaning it.

"Okay, I'm back!" Bianca returned, interrupting the embarrassing moment. "Bought extra." She waved the zeppoli in front of Liza and Jeff.

He accepted the offer, taking one. Liza decided she'd just earned the treat.

"Guess who I ran into over by the fried-dough stand?" Bianca asked. "Peter from accounting," she said before they could offer a guess. "And he was alone. Even at a social event like this one, he's such a loner. Sad." She shook her head and bit into her doughy treat.

"Did you ask him to join us?" Liza asked.

Bianca nodded. "He said he's more of an observer than a joiner, but thank you anyway. Whatever that means," she said with an eye roll. "He's an odd duck."

"But good with numbers and that's what matters to me."

Bianca nodded. "I can't believe how hot it is today," she said, changing the subject.

"But it's not raining, so that's a good day off in my book," Jeff said, finally speaking and obviously eager to move on from their misunderstanding.

Liza took his cue and tried to forget about it too. It wasn't easy. She'd never meant to lead him on. As nice as he was, Liza wouldn't date someone from the office. She wasn't interested in dating period.

Oddly, that didn't stop her interest in a certain police officer she hadn't run into yet today. On the heels of that thought came a surge of disappointment and she couldn't help wondering if Dare had thought about her at all, if he'd looked for her today the way she was looking for him.

"Liza? Are you coming?" Bianca asked.

She shook her head hard. "Sorry. Am I coming where?" She'd been too lost in her own thoughts and had stopped paying attention to Bianca and Jeff.

"The dunking booth. It's a chance to nail the cops!" Bianca waggled her eyebrows, laughing.

Taking in the other woman's miniskirt and cropped tank top, so different from her office attire, Liza figured there was a good chance the cops would be eager to let Bianca have a shot at them. As long as it wasn't her cop, Liza thought, and immediately stifled the thought.

"I wouldn't miss this." Liza followed them to the far end of the area where the dunking booth had been set up.

Jeff kept his distance from Liza, focusing more on Bianca, allowing her to chat away like they were old friends. And though Liza was relieved, she was still uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted was any awkward office moments.

The walk to the dunking booth took a while since Bianca was stopped often. They passed Peter Dalton, and though Liza waved, he merely watched them, nodding as they passed. Bianca was right. The man was an odd duck.

The rest of the people they stopped to talk to were Bianca's friends, most of them younger than Liza's twenty-nine. Bianca herself was only twenty-three, coming to work for Liza straight out of college. She'd been with Liza for a little over a year and despite her chatty demeanor, she handled her phone calls professionally and kept Liza's work and appointments well organized.

Bianca introduced both Liza and Jeff to her friends. They all seemed to like him, especially the women, who were obviously thrilled to meet a new guy in town. His discomfort from earlier seemingly forgotten, Liza was again struck by how easygoing the man was. The Midwest must breed their males to be friendly because Jeff had no trouble fitting in. Liza watched from the sidelines. Once again she felt on the fringe of a group instead of a part of it and she was grateful when they started walking again.

At the dunking booth, a large crowd had gathered, making it impossible to see the tank.

"I wonder who's in the booth." Bianca craned her head to try and see over and around the people.

"It's Sam Marsden," a woman standing in front of them offered.

Brian's most recent arresting officer. Despite what she spouted in defense of her brother, Liza didn't fault the police for taking Brian in when he deserved it. But she still wouldn't mind watching Officer Marsden receive a good soaking, she thought with a grin.

"Throw, throw, throw, throw!" The chant came from the crowd, obviously eager to watch the confrontation.

"Let's get closer." Bianca plowed forward, barreling through the crush of people.

Jeff followed.

Normally Liza wouldn't push her way through, but she didn't want to be left behind, and besides, she was curious to see who had it in for Officer Marsden.

As soon as Liza reached the front and had an unobstructed view, she wished she hadn't asked herself the question. She wished she'd remained on the fringe of the crowd and she definitely wished even harder that she'd followed her yearly impulse to avoid this event altogether.

Because her brother, Brian, stood in front of the dunking booth, a ball in his hand, his best friend, Rob, by his side. Like Mutt and Jeff, the two were rarely separated. If one got in trouble, the other usually followed. Brian's eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, his shirt wrinkled as if he'd slept in it last night.

"Oh, no," Liza muttered. Nothing about this scene could end well.

Jeff turned to her, understanding and sympathy in his eyes. Bianca didn't say anything. And really, what more could she add?

"Throw, throw, throw, throw!" The crowd's chants grew more boisterous, egging him on.

Liza debated dragging Brian away or letting the whole incident play out. Based on the balls littering the ground around the booth, Brian had thrown and missed before, but he wasn't doing anything more than glaring at the cop in the tank.

With a little luck, Brian would finish his turn and walk away without causing trouble, and if that were the case, all Liza's interference would do was create a scene.

One she didn't want to be a part of.

She turned, just about to walk away when Brian called out, "You're going down, cop."

Liza shook her head, her gut and past dealings with her brother screaming a warning.

She had to do something now.

Five.

Dare hated the dunking booth and avoided getting that assignment like the plague. Sam, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind, as he'd been in and out of the tank for the better part of the day. Dare had finished the morning shift for the DARE program and another officer had the afternoon. He was free for the day.

"Isn't that your girl?" Cara asked as she walked up to him.

Dare knew who she meant without bothering to look over. He'd been aware of Liza's presence for the last thirty minutes, but he'd been tied up talking to kids and their parents. Now he could finally give her the attention she deserved, but he didn't need Cara as his audience.

So he ignored her.