"Would an apology help?"

"Not at all." He shook his head, even though she couldn't see him.

"I was afraid of that."

He confirmed her address and confirmed the fact he'd be picking her up around one o'clock before asking, "How are you doing?"

Maybe because of the night or because of the distance, her answer sounded as if she had been emboldened. "Restless. Wondering about tomorrow, a bit nervous about it, maybe a bit excited, as well. And I'm still a little aroused."

"If another o.r.g.a.s.m would help you sleep, go ahead. And about tomorrow? You're right to be a bit nervous and a bit excited."

It'd been a h.e.l.l of a night. Talking to Lara before bed last night, listening to her get off, had interfered with his rest.

As a result, he'd slept later than normal and he'd spent a good portion of his morning scheduling a telephone conference call with his family members to discuss her proposal.

Erin had been shocked into silence, maybe for the first time in her life. His grandfather had warned him to get a solid prenuptial. Cade had been noncommittal and Aunt Kathryn had cautioned him not to overextend his workload. Nathan had said he thought they would make a significant amount of money if they could secure the patents.

Connor phoned his mother separately. She'd never wanted to be involved in the business, but since he planned to take Lara to her home, he owed her the courtesy of a heads-up.

His mother had been the only one to urge caution, to be sure he wasn't making decisions he couldn't live with later.

Coming from her, the advice was solid. She spoke from the pain of feeling like an outsider in her own marriage. Even though she'd known how much his father had cared for Stormy, Angela had still married him. She'd been a model wife and wonderful mother. But he wondered if she thought the cost was worth it.

He'd still been focused more on the past than the future when he'd left the house to pick up Lara, and it had taken some determination to channel his thoughts in a more productive direction.

As he'd gotten closer, though, it had become easier.

The antic.i.p.ation of having the lovely Lara under his lash had a way of changing his focus.

Since he knew what he had in store for her and how much energy she'd need to get through it, he stopped at a local coffee shop and bought her a cup of the strongest brew they had.

He still managed to arrive a few minutes early.

Connor exited the car and heard barks, growls, yips and even a high-pitched mewl. It sounded as if one of the neighbors was running an animal rescue.

Lara was already outside on the porch, upper arm propped against one of the white columns that supported the porch's roof.

She wore an ankle-length navy dress. It had white horizontal stripes that wrapped around her. Rather than disguising her curves, the clingy material showed them off.

No matter what she wore, she appealed to him. She had a way of being both elegant and s.e.xy at the same time. As much as anything, her cla.s.sy demeanor turned him on. Well, her perfect a.s.s didn't hurt, either.

Her hair was soft and curling, a result of the Texas humidity, and it brushed her bare shoulders. She wore heels. Bright red heels. Sweet G.o.d, help him.

She lifted one hand in a wave.

The sounds of dogs grew increasingly louder.

"Watch out!" she warned, eyes wide. "Suzy-Q, no."

He looked to his left in time to see a lion racing full speed in his direction. Not quite sure what to do in the event of a wild animal attacking in suburbia, he stopped, turned toward it and raised his arms, lifting the coffee to safety. He was a bit more afraid of spilling the drink than the charging four-legged ferocity.

Lara hurried down the stairs. "Suzy-Q, no," she repeated more forcefully.

"Suzyyyyyyyyy!" a disembodied voice yelled.

The oversized animal skidded to halt.

"She's harmless," Lara promised, nearing him.

"What is it?" On second glance, it looked a bit like a yellow bear.

"Mastiff and Great Dane. Could be something else in her background, too."

Now that he was closer, he saw that the creature resembled a dog, of sorts. It was considerably larger than anything he'd ever seen before, and he'd bet the beast weighed somewhere close to his own weight. Its hackles were raised, teeth were bared, and drool hung from its mouth. "I think it's preparing to digest me."

"I promise. She's a love."

Just then, it jumped. Its paws landed on his shoulders, shoving him back a step. The canine's gigantic face loomed in front of him. "Nice doggie?"

"Suzy-Q!" Lara shouted.

A cacophony of barks and yips and animals broke loose, as if the hounds of h.e.l.l had been unleashed.

Dogs in every yard added their noise, and three other animals dashed over to encourage the ma.s.sive mutt on.

He fought to keep his balance and retain his grip on Lara's drink.

She kicked off her heels to run the last few steps, and she reached for the dog. Obviously sensing her approach, the beast swiped its oversized tongue across his face, leaving a trail of drool.

Then, apparently unsatisfied, it licked his ear.

He closed his eyes against the enthusiastic a.s.sault. He'd had a dog as a child. Something smaller. Well, h.e.l.l, anything was smaller than this thing. But he'd never experienced anything this surreal.

Lara grabbed the dog's collar and admonished, "Down, girl."

The thing didn't budge.

He had to put his hand on the collar to help guide the dog back to the earth. It was a long trip, he mused.

"I think she likes you," Lara said, not even attempting to hide a smile.

The dog tried to jump again. "That's quite enough," he said evenly. "Sit, Suzy-Q."

Immediately, she did, tail thumping. "Good girl," he approved, scratching behind one of her floppy ears.

"Oh my goodness! Goodness' sakes! Goodness. Oh my goodness' sakes." The woman running toward them completed her dash.

Her arrival seemed to have happened in slow motion, but that couldn't have been possible. Although, with her baby blue slippers flopping around, maybe it was.

"Oh, Suzy-Q! Thank you! Thank you for protecting the neighborhood like that." She crossed her hands in front of her chest, as if in prayer. "I'm so glad to know we're safe from intruders. What a good doggie."

He looked at her. She was thanking the dog?

Lara tried to hide her snicker.

"I'll deal with you later," he warned.

"Yes, Sir." But her eyes danced, and she pressed her lips together, presumably to keep the laughter from spilling out.

The neighbor scolded the other dogs, telling them to settle down. A couple across the street came out to see what was going on, another man had halted his lawn mowing while he watched.

Finally, another dog joined the fracas, part limping, part running, all wagging. It wasn't just his missing leg that slowed him down, it was his detour through the flower garden.

"Here comes Happy," Lara said.

He, too, jumped up and smeared a muddy paw on Connor's slacks. "Not a word," he told Lara. But even he had to be impressed by the yellow pansy that Happy dropped on his shoe.

The short, wobbly thing set its tail in motion again. Its entire body followed. "How does it not fall over?"

"Mystery of nature," Lara agreed. "Welcome to my home. I'd like you to meet Mrs. Fuhrman."

The lady with the so-blue-it-was-almost-purple hair was still not apologetic. In fact, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Who are you?"

"He's my friend."

"Fiance," he corrected.

Lara flushed and the other woman's mouth fell open.

She looked at them over her horn-rimmed, rhinestone-studded gla.s.ses. "Your what?"

"Connor Donovan," he said, extending his hand.

She ignored it.

"From Donovan Worldwide," Lara supplied.

"The moving company?"

Lara shook her head.

"I'm the guy who's hoping to marry Lara."

"It's a secret for now," Lara stressed.

"Well, the dog thinks you're all right. She's usually a good judge. But I'm reserving comment."

"Fair enough," he agreed. "We'll let Suzy-Q make the decision."

At the sound of her name, Suzy-Q tipped her head to one side, looked up at him and whimpered. "Stay," he told her.

She broke their grips on her collar to lie on the floor at his feet. After extending her dessert-plate sized paws, she dropped her head on top of them with a soft whimper.

"Don't get used to it," Lara whispered.

"Obedience is heady," he responded.

"What did you say?" Mrs. Fuhrman asked, putting her hand to her ear.

"Everyone likes a well-behaved dog," he lied.

Lara smothered a laugh.

"They do, indeed."

"Can I help you get them all back home?" Lara offered.

None of the five had leashes, he noted.

"They're fine," Mrs. Fuhrman said.

"Everything okay?" the man with the lawnmower shouted out.

"Lara's talking to the moving company," Mrs. Fuhrman replied.

"You putting the house for sale?" he asked.

"I'm not going anywhere," she replied.

Connor felt as if he'd stepped onto a movie set. And, he had to admit, Lara made a h.e.l.l of a leading lady. He couldn't remember when he'd been more charmed.

"Come along," Mrs. Fuhrman said to her pack as she started to walk away. Three followed immediately. Happy wagged its whole body a few times before trailing behind.

Suzy-Q remained in place.

"Go home," he said, pointing toward the house next door.

Instead, she inched closer to him. How she managed that with her ma.s.sive bulk, he had no idea.

"Suzyyyyyyyyy!"

"Go," he repeated.

Lara crouched to stroke the dog behind the ears. With obvious reluctance, Suzy-Q stood and started to walk home. She stopped midway to look back.

"Go."