It was every man’s fantasy

Soft red light gave the room a glow of sinful pleasure. Exotic perfume fragranced the air and a stereo played soft, yet subtly persuasive music with an underlying beat that mimicked the rhythm of lovemaking. Gilt-framed mirrors reflected the centerpiece of the room—a bed covered in virginal white satin.

Reclining on the bed was a woman Mac barely recognized. Although the scraps of white satin covering her breasts seemed inconsequential, they managed to emphasize her cleavage. His gaze traveled to the white lace garter belt and panties, which defined her femaleness in ways he’d never imagined. The garters were fastened to white silk stockings, and on her feet… Mac couldn’t quite believe that Tess, a woman who believed in no-nonsense running shoes, was wearing four-inch heels.

Tess gave him a slow smile. “What do you think?”

“I don’t—” Mac swallowed. “I don’t believe this is about thinking.”

“True.” Her gaze swept over him. “I have the reaction I wanted. Would you like to get out of those clothes? You seem a bit…overdressed.”

He groaned softly and shook his head to clear it. He’d need every ounce of his control to make this the slow seduction he’d planned.

“C’mon, Mac, undress for me,” Tess said with a saucy grin. “I’ll make it worth your while, cowboy.”

Dear Reader,

Not long ago, my sister gave me a gift certificate for an astrological reading. During my hour-long session, the woman informed me that the stars’ alignment on my birthday meant a) I enjoy kicking over the traces, and b) I have a very erotic personality! She might as well have told me point-blank to write a Blaze and fulfill my destiny. Which I have proceeded to do.

And did I have fun! When the story called for Tess Blakely to buy books on sexual technique to prepare her for losing her virginal status, what else could I do but throw a few how-to manuals into my own shopping cart? A conscientious writer must research her subject, after all. I had no idea that the sensuality section of my local bookstore was so huge.

My poor hero, Mac MacDougal, is a bit intimidated by Tess’s spicy library, but he soon gets into the spirit of discovery. Boy, does he ever. The result is a story that is hotter than an Arizona chili pepper. I claim no particular credit for that. Blame it all on the stars!

Warmly,

Vicki Lewis Thompson

Pure Temptation
Vicki Lewis Thompson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Alex Comfort, M.B., D.Sc.

for celebrating the beauty of love and play.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

1

Summer Project: Lose Virginity.

TESS BLAKELY rocked gently on her porch swing, a yellow legal pad balanced on her knee, a glass of iced tea on the wicker table beside her. She gazed at what she’d written and sighed. The beginning of a quest was the hardest part.

It was pitiful that a twenty-six-year-old, reasonably attractive woman found herself saddled with the handicap of virginity, but there it was, on paper. And her status had to change before she left for New York at the end of the summer, or she’d risk her credibility with the high school girls she’d been hired to counsel. Besides, she wanted to experience sex. She longed to experience sex.

She took a sip of iced tea and continued.

Goal One: Find knowledgeable candidate willing to deflower me.

Goal Two: Swear candidate to absolute secrecy.

Goal Three: Get it on.

Tess sighed again. Writing out her goals and objectives had been her cherished method for getting what she wanted, beginning at the age of eight when she’d yearned for her very own pony. But although she wanted to lose her innocence much more than she’d wanted that pony, her current project seemed about as likely of success as a personal rocket trip to the moon.

The little town of Copperville, Arizona, wasn’t exactly crawling with “knowledgeable candidates,” but even the few that she’d consider had been scared off long ago by her four very large, very overprotective older brothers. And not a one of those beefy brothers had moved away or relaxed his vigilance. They all expected their little sis to save herself for her wedding night. They were stuck in the Dark Ages, as far as she was concerned, but she loved them too much to openly defy them.

That was the reason for goal number two—for absolute secrecy. Now there was a definite sticking point. Even if she found a man her brothers hadn’t intimidated, how could she ever expect him to keep a secret in Copperville? This was a town where you could wake up with a sore throat in the morning and have three kinds of chicken soup at your doorstep by noon.

Which meant she might never arrive at the third step—Getting It On. And she was ready for number three. Extremely ready. She’d driven all the way to Phoenix to buy research books, knowing that she couldn’t be caught thumbing through One Hundred Ways to Drive Him Wild in the Copperville Book Barn, if the local bookstore even carried such a thing, which she sincerely doubted.

So much for her list. The goals were unreachable. She tossed the legal pad on top of the stack of books lying next to her on the swing. A list might have worked for the pony, but it was probably dumb to think it could cure a resistant case of chastity.

And to be honest, a list might have helped get her that pony all those years ago, but her best friend, Jeremiah “Mac” MacDougal, had been the real key. Her family lived in town and had no room for a horse, but Mac had talked his folks into keeping Chewbacca on their ranch. Tess’s older brothers had always thought they had first claim to Mac, being boys, but Tess knew better. Ever since Mac, who’d been only five at the time, had saved her from a rattlesnake, she’d known he was the best friend she’d ever have.

Mac. Mac could help her find the right guy! She mentally slapped her forehead and wondered why she hadn’t thought of him before. Unlike her brothers, Mac understood why she needed to take the job in New York and prove herself an independent, capable woman. Her brothers might have laughed at her when she asked for a light saber for Christmas, but Mac had saved his allowance and bought her one.

Surely Mac would also understand that she couldn’t go to New York a virgin. Coming from a small town was enough of a handicap. If the girls she’d be counseling figured out that she was sexually inexperienced, she’d be a real joke. Mac would see that right away. And he’d help her find the right man to solve her problem.

THE SUN HAD BARELY crested the mountains as Mac saddled two horses. He’d left his bed this morning with a sense of anticipation. He hadn’t had an early-morning ride with Tess in months. When she’d called to suggest it, he’d been happy at the prospect, although lately he’d been feeling a little jealous of her.

As kids they’d spent hours talking about the places they’d go when they were older. This September she was actually going to do it, while he was stuck on the ranch. His folks expected him to stay around and gradually take over what they’d worked so hard to build. As the only child, he couldn’t foist off that obligation on anybody else.

Tess had it easier, although she was forever complaining about how hard it was for a woman to “go on a quest,” as she put it. But she was doing it, and he wasn’t. Her mom and dad hated having her leave town, especially for some faraway place like New York City, but they still had four sons, their wives and seven grandchildren. With such a slew of Blakelys around, Tess didn’t have to feel guilty about grabbing her chance at independence. Mac envied her that freedom.

“Top ’o the mornin’ to ye, MacDougal.”

He buckled the cinch on Peppermint Patty and turned to smile at Tess. She used to greet him that way for months after she’d starred in Copperville High’s version of Brigadoon, and hearing it again brought back memories.

They’d rehearsed her lines in the tree house in her folks’ backyard. At one point he’d almost kissed her, but only because the script called for it, of course. Then they’d both decided the kiss wasn’t necessary for her to learn the part. He’d been relieved, of course, because kissing Tess would seem weird. But at the time he’d kind of wanted to try it, anyway.

“Aye, and it’s a fine mornin’, lass,” he said. She looked great, as always, but there was something different about her this morning. He studied her, trying to figure it out. “Did you cut your hair?”

“Not since the last time you saw me.” She used her fingers to comb it away from her face. “Why, does it look bad?”

“No. It looks fine.” In twenty-three years of watching Tess create new looks with her thick brown hair, he’d lived through braids, kinky perms, supershort cuts, even red streaks. Once he’d given her a haircut himself after she got bubble gum stuck in it. Neither set of parents had been impressed with his barbering skills. He liked the way she wore it now, chin-length and simple, allowing her natural wave to show.

“Is there a spot on my shirt or something?” She glanced down at the old Copperville Miners T-shirt she wore.

“Nope.” He nudged his hat to the back of his head with his thumb. “But I swear something’s different about you.” He stepped closer and took her chin in his hand. “Are you wearing some of that fancy department-store makeup?”

“To go riding? Now that would be stupid, wouldn’t it?”

He gazed at her smooth skin and noticed that her freckles were in full view and her mouth was its normal pink color. Her eyelashes were soft and fluttery, not spiky the way they had been in high school when she’d caked on the mascara. Nope, no makeup.

But as he looked into her gray eyes, he figured out what was bothering him. They were best friends and didn’t keep things from each other, or at least they hadn’t until now. This morning, for whatever reason, Tess had a secret. It changed her whole expression, making her seem mysterious, almost sexy. Not that he ever thought of Tess as sexy. No way.

Despite himself, he was intrigued. Even a little excited. He didn’t associate Tess with mystery, and it was a novel concept. He decided to wait and let the secret simmer in those big gray eyes of hers. It was fun to watch.

He tweaked her nose and stepped back. “I guess I’m seeing things. You’re the same old Tess. Ready to mount up?” To his amazement, she blushed. Tess never blushed around him. They knew each other too well.

“Um, sure,” she mumbled, heading straight for Peppermint Patty without looking at him, her cheeks still very pink. “We’re burning daylight.”

While he stood there trying to figure out what he’d said to make her blush, she climbed quickly into the saddle and started out. As he mounted he continued to watch her, and he could swear she shivered. With the temperature hovering around eighty-five on this June morning, he didn’t think she was cold. This might be the most interesting morning ride he’d ever had with Tess.

MAYBE ASKING FOR Mac’s help wouldn’t be so simple, after all, Tess thought as she headed for the trail leading to the river. Here she was blushing over some offhand remark he’d made about mounting up. Or maybe she’d spent too much time reading those books, and every conversation had sexual overtones now. She certainly couldn’t go to New York keyed up like this. It would be good to get this whole business over with.

Ducking an occasional overhanging mesquite branch, she rode at a trot ahead of him on the dusty trail. He knew something was up. She never could keep anything from him, so she might as well lay out her plan as soon as they got to their favorite spot by the river. As kids they’d used the sandy bank for fierce battles between their Star Wars action figures, and when they were older, they’d come out here to drink colas and talk about whatever was going on in their lives. Tess had never shared the hideaway with anyone else, and neither had Mac, as far as she knew.

The riverbank was where they’d gone after Chewbacca died. They’d talked about heaven, and had decided horses had to be there or they weren’t interested in going. They’d headed out here after Mac broke his arm and couldn’t try out for Little League, and the day Tess had won a teddy bear at the school carnival. Before either of them knew anything about sex, they’d spent time by the river talking about whether men and women made babies the same way horses and dogs and goats did.

Later on, Mac had put a stop to their discussions on that topic. Now Tess wanted to reopen the discussion, but she wasn’t sure if she had the courage.

“So what’s your summer project this year?” Mac called up to her. “I know you always have one.”

A perfect opening, but she didn’t want to blurt it out while they were riding. “I’m still thinking about it.” She drew confidence from the familiar rhythm of the little mare, the friendly squeak of saddle leather and the comfort of breathing in the dry, sweet air of early morning.

“Really? Hell, you usually have something planned by April. I’ll never forget that summer you got hooked on Australia—you playing that god-awful didgeridoo while you made me cook shrimp on the barbie.”

“How did I know it would spook the horses?”

Mac laughed. “The sound of that thing would spook a corpse. Do you ever play it anymore, or are you taking pity on your neighbors?”

“Watch yourself, or I’ll be forced to remind you of the time you mooned my brothers.”

“That was totally not my fault. You could have told me the bridge club was coming out to admire your mom’s roses.”

Tess started to giggle. “So help me, I tried.”

“Sure you did.”

“The boys stopped me! I felt terrible that it happened.”

“Uh-huh. That’s why you busted a gut laughing and why you bring it up on a regular basis.”

“Only in self-defense.” She barely had to guide Peppermint Patty down the trail after all the times the horse had taken her to the river. The horses flushed a covey of quail as they trotted past.

She could smell the river ahead of them, and obviously so could Peppermint Patty. The mare picked up the pace. As always, Tess looked forward to her first glimpse of the miniature beach surrounded almost entirely by tall reeds. The perfect hideout.

As the mare reached the embankment and started down toward the sand, her hooves skidded a little on the loose dirt, but she maintained her balance, having years of experience on this particular slope. In front of them the river gurgled along, about fifty feet wide at this point. Other than a few ducks diving for breakfast and a mockingbird trilling away on a cottonwood branch across the river, the area was deserted.

There was no danger that anyone would overhear their discussion, and she trusted Mac to listen seriously without laughing as she laid out her problem and asked for his help. She couldn’t have a better person in whom to place her confidence. Yet no matter how many times she told herself those things, her stomach clenched with nervousness.

MAC LET his gelding, Charlie Brown, pick his way down the embankment as Tess dismounted and led Peppermint Patty over to the river for a drink. This morning was exactly like so many other mornings he and Tess had ridden down here, and yet he couldn’t shake off the feeling that this morning was like no other they’d ever spent together.

He watered his horse, then took him over to the sycamore growing beside the river. He looped the reins around the same branch Tess had used to tie Peppermint Patty and went to sit beside Tess on a shady part of the riverbank.

He picked up a pebble and chucked it into the water. “Did you hear from that teacher at your new school?”

“Yep.” Tess plucked a stem of dry grass and began shredding it between her fingers. “I got an e-mail from her and she’ll be glad to let me stay with her until I can find an apartment.”

Mac glanced at Tess. He’d wondered when she’d suggested the ride if she had something specific on her mind. Maybe this move had her spooked. She’d been renting a little house ever since she got the counselor’s job at Copperville High, but living on her own in a small Arizona mining town with her parents three miles away was a lot different than living alone in New York City, two thousand miles from everyone she knew.

“Would this teacher rent you a room in her apartment?” he asked.

Tess shook her head. “She doesn’t have the space. I’ll be on the couch until I can find an apartment of my own. Besides, I want my own place. After growing up in a houseful of brothers, I’ve discovered I love the privacy of living alone.”

“You just think you’re living alone. Your family drops in on you all the time.”

“I know.” She sighed. “I love them, but I’m looking forward to being less convenient for a change.”

Mac could understand that. It was one of the reasons he’d decided to get a private pilot’s license. He looked for excuses to fly the Cessna because it was one of the few times he could be alone. “You might get lonesome,” he said.

“I probably will.” Tess began shredding another blade of wild grass. “But after living in a fishbowl for twenty-six years, lonesome doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Yeah.” Mac tossed another pebble in the water. “I hear you.” He breathed in the familiar mixture of scents—the dankness of the river, the sweetness of the grass, the light, flowery cologne Tess had worn for years, and the wash-line smell of sun on denim. Dammit all, he was going to miss her. He’d avoided facing that unpleasant fact ever since he found out that she’d gotten the job, but now it hit him all of a sudden, and he didn’t like it.

Tess had been part of his world for as long as he could remember. So had the rest of her family, giving him the brothers and sister he’d always longed for. But Tess had always been the one he’d felt closest to. Maybe it was all those Halloweens together when she’d insisted he be Raggedy Andy to her Raggedy Ann, Han Solo to her Princess Leia, Superman to her Lois Lane. Or maybe it was the Easter-egg hunts, or the Monopoly games that lasted for days, or tag football—Tess had been there for everything. Every Christmas she dragged him out to go caroling even though he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.

He’d die before admitting to her how much he’d miss her. In the first place, they’d never been mushy and sentimental with each other, and in the second place, he didn’t want to be a spoilsport right when she had this exciting chapter opening in her life. He was happy for her. He was jealous as hell and he’d have a hard time adjusting to her being gone, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t glad she had this chance.

“I’m glad you got the job,” he said.

“Me, too. But I asked you to come here with me because I have this one problem, and I think you can help me.”

“Sure. Anything.”

“It’s a different world there in New York, and I don’t feel exactly…ready for it.”

Her voice sounded funny as if she was having trouble getting the words out.

“You’re ready.” He broke off a blade of grass and chewed on the end of it. “You’ve been working up to this all your life. I’ve always known you’d go out there and do something special.” He turned to her. “It’s your ultimate quest, Tess. You might have butterflies, but you’ll be great.”

“Thanks.” She smiled, but she looked preoccupied and very nervous.

He hoped she wasn’t about to break their code and get sentimental. Sure, they wouldn’t be able to see each other much, but they’d survive it.

She cleared her throat and turned to stare straight ahead at the river, concentrating on the water as if she’d never seen it flow before. God, he hoped she wouldn’t start crying. She wasn’t a crier, for which he’d always been grateful. He’d only see her cry a couple of times—when Chewbacca died and when that sleaze Bobby Hitchcock dumped her right before the senior prom. Good thing he hadn’t had a date that night and had been able to fill in.

They’d had a terrific time, and he’d even considered asking her out again, for real. She’d looked so beautiful in her daffodil-yellow dress that it had made his throat tight, and to his surprise he’d been a little turned on by her when they’d danced. He’d almost kissed her on the dance floor, until he’d come to his senses and realized how that would be received by the Blakely brothers. Then, too, he might gross himself out, kissing a girl who was practically his sister.

She continued to gaze at the river. “Mac, I—”

“Hey, me, too,” he said, desperate to stave off whatever sappy thing she might be about to say. If she got started down that road, no telling what sort of blubbering he’d do himself. He chewed more vigorously on the blade of grass.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” she said in a strained voice. “The thing is, Mac…I’m still a virgin.”

In his surprise he spit the blade of grass clear into the river. Then he was taken with a fit of coughing that brought tears to his eyes.

She pounded him on the back, but the feel of her hand on him only made him cough harder. Ever since he’d discovered the wonders of sex, he’d made sure that he and Tess didn’t talk about the subject. Life was a lot safer that way, and he wished to hell she hadn’t decided to confess her situation to him this morning.

As he sat there wondering if he’d choke to death, she stood up and walked toward the river. Taking off her hat, she scooped water into it and brought it back to him. She held it in front of his nose. “Drink this.”

He drank and then he took off his hat and poured the rest of the cool water over his head. As he shook the moisture from his eyes and drew in a deep breath, he felt marginally better.

She remained crouched in front of him, and he finally found the courage to look at her. “So what?” he said hoarsely.

“I’m twenty-six years old.”

“So?” His response lacked imagination, but she’d short-circuited his brain. If he’d ever thought about this, which he’d been careful not to, he’d have figured out that she was probably still a virgin. The Blakely boys had fenced her in from the day she’d entered puberty.

“I can’t go to the big city like this. I can’t counsel girls who’ve been sexually active since they were twelve if I’ve never, ever—”

“I get the picture.” Much too graphically for his tastes. His mind had leaped ahead to a horrible possibility—that she would ask him to take care of her problem. And the horrible part was that he felt an urge stirring in him to grant her request. He pushed away the traitorous thought. “I think you could certainly go to New York without…experience. Chastity’s catching on these days. You could be a role model.”

“Oh, Mac! I don’t want to be a role model for chastity! I didn’t choose to be a virgin because of some deeply held belief. You know as well as I do that my brothers are the whole reason I’m in this fix.”

Her brothers. God, they would skin him alive if he so much as laid a finger on her. “Well, your brothers aren’t going to New York!” He knew the minute he said it that he’d stepped from the frying pan into the fire.

“No, they’re not. And that’s another point. I’ll be clueless about sex and unchaperoned in a city full of sophisticated men. Is that what you want for me, to be swept off my feet by some fast-talking city slicker who’ll play me for a fool because I don’t know the score?”

This was a trap made in hell. And damned if he wasn’t tempted. “Of course not, but—”

“I need a nice man, Mac. Somebody who can take care of this problem for me before I leave.”

Oh, God. She was going to ask him. His heart hammered as he wondered if he’d have the strength to refuse her. “Listen, Tess. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I know exactly what I’m saying. And you’re the only person I trust to help me find that man.”

2

“ARE YOU CRAZY?” Mac leaped to his feet so fast he knocked Tess over. The only thing worse than imagining him involved in this dirty deed was imagining some other guy involved. “Sorry.” He reached down and gave her a hand up. Once she was steady on her feet, he released her hand quickly.

She dusted off the seat of her jeans. “Mac, please. I can’t stay a virgin forever.”

“Why not?” So he was being unreasonable. He couldn’t help it. And dammit, now he’d caught himself watching her dust off her fanny and thinking that it was a very nice fanny. Dammit.

She sighed and lowered her head. “I was so counting on your help.”

“Aw, jeez.” Not only was he having inappropriate thoughts about her, he also felt as if he’d abandoned her. But he couldn’t imagine how in hell he could diffuse either situation. “Tess, you know I’d do anything in the world for you, but I can’t see how this would work.”

Her head came up, and hope gleamed in her gray eyes.

He backed a step away from her. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Here’s how it will work. We’ll brainstorm the possibilities and come up with a shortlist. Then you can find out if any of the guys are seeing anyone, because I don’t want to break up any—”

“Whoa.” Panic gripped him. “I never said I’d do this.”

“You said you’d do anything for me.”

“Anything but find you a lover!” Just saying it gave him the shivers. He’d worked so hard to keep from thinking of Tess in a sexual way, and now the barriers were coming down. For the first time he acknowledged the sweet stretch of her T-shirt across her breasts and the inviting curve of her hips. “I think that’s a little more than a reasonable person should expect, don’t you?”

“This is perfectly reasonable! Why should I search around on my own and end up with some clumsy nerdling who makes my first experience a nightmare, when I can rely on your advice and have a really nice time instead?”

There had to be a good answer to that one. He just needed a moment to think of it. And he couldn’t think while he was picturing Tess having a “really nice time.”

“See?” She gave him the superior little smile that she reserved for the times she’d won either an argument or a game of Monopoly. “You have to admit it makes sense.”

“I don’t have to admit anything. And why me? Why not one of your girlfriends? I thought women exchanged notes on guys all the time.”

“They do, but you’re a better source of info.” She stuck her hands in her hip pockets. “You’ve dated more people around here than anyone I know. You’d know what women say about a guy, and you’ve had a chance to get to know the guys themselves and what they’re really like. You’d know if they brag in the locker room, for example. Besides all that, there’s not a single person, man or woman, I trust to keep my secret as much as I trust you.”

He gulped. When she put it that way, he didn’t know how he could refuse. And he wished she wouldn’t stand like that, with her hands in her hip pockets and her chest thrust forward. He didn’t like it. Okay, he liked it too much.

“Mac.” She reached out and put her hand on his arm.

He tried not to flinch. Tess had put her hand on his arm a million times. She’d grabbed him for various reasons, usually to inflict injury, and he’d grabbed her back. He’d held her hand when she was a little kid and they’d gone trick-or-treating, and they’d clutched each other and screamed when they rode the Twister at the state fair. Touching had never been a big deal. Until now.

“Listen, Mac,” she said. “You pulled out my first tooth, remember?”

“Different case.”

“And you taught me to drive.” She grinned. “You also gave me my first drink of whisky.”

“You begged me for it, and then you threw up.”

“And you held my head. You see, at all those important moments in my life, you were there to guide me.”

“This is way different.”

“Not if you stop being a prude.”

“I’m not a—”

“What about Donny?”

“Donny Beauford?” He snorted. “You can’t be serious.”

“Why? What’s wrong with Donny?”

Mac couldn’t say exactly, except that when he thought of Donny in an intimate embrace with Tess, his skin began to crawl. He passed a hand over his face and gazed up through the leaves of the sycamore. Finally he glanced at her. “He wouldn’t…take care of you.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks grew pink, but she faced him bravely. “You mean sexually?”

“In any way.”

“Oh. Now, see, that’s exactly what I need to know. How about Stu?”

“Oh, God, he’s worse.”

“Buck?”

“Nope.”

“I know who. Jerry.”

“Definitely not! Jerry’s a dweeb. He’d probably—” Mac thought of some raunchy revelations he’d been privy to and decided to censor them. “Never mind. Not Jerry.”

“Okay, then you make a suggestion.”

He gazed at her as the silence filled with the sound of the river and the shuffling hooves of Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown. The horses were becoming restless in the growing heat. Moisture trickled down his back, but he didn’t think it was only the weather making him sweat. “I can’t think of anybody.” The truth was, he didn’t want to think of anybody.

“Maybe you just need some time. I caught you by surprise.”

“You certainly did that.”

“Tell you what. Let’s postpone the discussion. Maybe we could meet for dinner tonight.”

“It’s poker night.”

“You’re right. I can’t, either. I’m playing pinochle at Joan’s. Okay, then tomorrow night.”

He decided a delay was the best he could hope for. He couldn’t imagine what would occur to him to get him out of this mess in thirty-six hours, but maybe he’d stumble onto a miracle. “I’ll meet you at the Nugget Café.” He smiled. “It’s meat-loaf night.” Meat-loaf night at the Nugget was one of their shared treats.

“So it is. About six?”

“Yeah. Sounds good.” He glanced up at the sun. “It’s late. We’d better get back. I’ve got tons to do today.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

“Like what?”

“Research. I bought some books in Phoenix.”

Mac had a feeling he shouldn’t ask the question, but he did, anyway. “What sort of books?”

“On sexual techniques. When the time comes, I want to make sure I know as much as possible.”

He felt as if somebody had kicked him in the stomach. “This is your summer project?”

“As a matter of fact, it is.”

Mac groaned. It was even worse than he’d thought. When Tess settled on a summer project, a truckload of dynamite wouldn’t dislodge her from her chosen path. If he knew Tess, and he thought he did, she would not be a virgin by the end of the summer. He could help her or not, but she would persevere until she’d checked off everything on her list.

TESS REALIZED how lucky she was that she liked each of the women her brothers had chosen to marry, and they liked her. When the guys got together for poker every Wednesday night, the wives hired baby-sitters and met at one of the other brothers’ houses for pinochle. Tess was always invited. She’d miss the friendly, raucous evenings when she went to New York, but some sacrifices had to be made if she planned to live up to her own expectations.

Tonight the women were meeting at Rhino and Joan’s. Rhino, originally named Ryan but indelibly stamped with a macho nickname in high school, was Tess’s oldest brother and the acknowledged leader of the five siblings. He’d been the first to get married, buy a house and have kids.

From the moment Tess’s niece Sarah had arrived in the world, Tess had decided being an aunt was the coolest thing in the world, although she was a little tired of being a maiden aunt. She arrived at Joan’s early so she could see Sarah, who was now eight, and six-year-old Joe before Joan tucked them into bed.

After giving each of the kids the game she’d bought for them in Phoenix and joining in as Joan sang them silly good-night songs, she followed her dark-haired sister-in-law downstairs to the kitchen to help her get out chips and drinks for the party.

“Thanks for bringing them the game,” Joan said as she took glasses out of the cupboard. “They’re really going to miss you when you go to New York.”

“I’m going to miss them.” Tess emptied tortilla chips into a bowl and opened the refrigerator to search for the homemade salsa Joan always kept on hand.

“Oh, I don’t know. You’ll be living such an exciting life, I don’t know if you’ll miss anything from back here.”

“Sure I will. I love this place, and my family and friends.”

“Me, too.” Joan turned to look at her. “But I’d give anything to be in your shoes.”

“Really?” Tess gazed at her sister-in-law. With Joan’s Hispanic, family-oriented background and her obvious dedication to her home and children, she seemed to have found her dream. “I thought you were the original Earth Mother.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m very happy. But the challenge has gone. When we first got married, everything was new. Sex was new, and then having kids was new, and then buying this house and fixing it up was new. But now it’s all just a comfortable routine. And I want—” she paused to laugh “—more worlds to conquer, I guess.”

“I so understand. That’s the whole reason I’m going to New York. It’s my Mount Everest.” She hesitated, then decided to risk a suggestion. “Have you thought of going back to school?”

“I’ve already got the catalogs. I’m thinking—now don’t laugh—of becoming a marriage counselor.”

“No kidding! Joan, that would be wonderful. Obviously you know what goes into making a good marriage.”

Joan gave her a rueful glance. “I wouldn’t call me an expert. But I understand what happens when a couple gets to this point and sort of loses interest in each other.”

Tess’s jaw dropped. “You mean…”

“I mean things are getting really dull in the bedroom. I’ve been thinking of driving to Phoenix and getting some how-to books. I wouldn’t dare buy anything like that in Copperville or the whole town would think I’d become a nymphomaniac.”

“Amen to that. You know, I—” Tess stopped herself before she offered Joan a couple of her research books. She loved and trusted Joan, but she wasn’t quite ready to tell her sister-in-law about her summer project. “I think that’s a good idea,” she said.

“I figured you would. Listen, I’m not saying anything against your brother. He’s a great guy. It’s just that we could probably both use some pointers.”

“Sure. Most people can.”

“I mean, you know how it is. You get used to a certain way of doing things, and then it all becomes mechanical.”

“Absolutely.” Tess felt like an impostor, having this discussion with Joan, who assumed Tess had some experience. If she needed any further proof she was doing the right thing, here it was.

Joan came over and gave her a hug. “Thanks for listening and encouraging me. Even though you’re younger than I am, I always think of you as being more sophisticated, for some reason. Maybe it’s your college degree.”

Tess returned the hug. “Book learning isn’t everything.”

“No.” Joan stepped back and smiled at her. “The ideal thing would be to have both.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” And if Mac would help her, she would have both, at last.

THE POKER GAME was held at Tiny Tim’s, the youngest and the largest of the Blakely clan. Tim was a newlywed, proud to show off the new digs he shared with Suzie in an apartment complex near the edge of town.

Mac had spent the entire day worrying the subject of Tess’s virginity, and the hell of it was, he could see her point. Her small-town background might make her seem unsophisticated to native New Yorkers. And if the kids she was counseling found out she had no sexual experience, either, that might become a credibility issue. Then there was the other problem—the very good possibility that some city dude, some fast-talking greenhorn, would take her virginity. Mac really didn’t like thinking about that.

“Hey, Big Mac, are you in or not?” called Rhino from across the poker table.

Mac’s head came up with a snap. Then he realized the question had to do with the cards in his hand, not whether he would help Tess find a lover for the summer. She’d sure ruined him for poker night. One of the things he loved about these weekly games was the simplicity of them. But nothing was simple tonight. No question was innocent. Even the name of the game, five card stud, had overtones he’d never noticed before.

He tossed his hand facedown on the table. “I’m out.”

“Let’s see what you got, Rhino,” said Dozer, whose given name was Doug. Nobody called any of the brothers by their real names anymore. Doug and Hamilton, the two middle boys, had become Dozer and Hammer when they’d formed the heart of the offensive line for the Copperville High Miners.

The brothers were Mac’s closest buddies, not counting Tess. Their mother and his were best friends, so the kids had naturally grown up spending a lot of time together. In high school the Blakely boys had literally covered his ass when he quarterbacked the Miners. But he saw them with new eyes tonight as he evaluated how each of them might react if they learned about the conversation he’d had with Tess this morning, and the fact that he hadn’t turned her down flat.

“Read ’em and weep, Dozer,” Rhino said, laying out two queens and three sevens. At the tender age of thirty he was starting to lose his hair, and so he wore baseball caps a lot, even inside. Tonight’s was a black one from the Nugget Café.

Rhino didn’t miss much, which made him a damn good poker player. He’d likely be the first one to figure out if Mac had lined up some guy to initiate Tess, and he’d probably organize the retaliation against Mac and the poor unfortunate guy Mac had brought into the picture.

“Aw, hell,” muttered Dozer, a redhead with a temper to match. He acted first, thought about it later. He’d been known to deck a guy who so much as looked at Tess wrong. “You must be living right.”

“Nah,” said Tiny Tim, pushing back his chair. “He’s ornery as ever. Just lucky. Who needs a beer?” Tim didn’t have a mean bone in his huge body, and couldn’t even go hunting because of his tender heart. He’d do anything for anybody and never took offense—except when it came to somebody bothering his sister. Then all his tenderness evaporated. Mac had seen it happen.

“Hit me,” said Rhino with a tug on his cap. “And don’t be bringing out any of that light crap, either.”

“Yeah, he wants something to put hair on his head,” said Dozer.

“Funny,” said Rhino. “Real funny.”

“Don’t blame me for the light beer,” said Tim as he headed for the kitchen. “Suzie bought it. Said I needed to watch my waistline.”

“Yeah, Deena’s been giving me that old song and dance, too,” said Hammer, the third and smallest of the brothers, although at six-three he was no midget. He was Mac’s age and they’d been in many of the same classes in school. Logically he should have been Mac’s best friend in the family, but Hammer wasn’t a thinker, and Mac had always found more to talk about with Tess. Mac had often suspected Hammer was a little jealous of Mac’s special relationship with his sister. This new development could really set him off.

Hammer glanced at Mac. “You don’t know how good you’ve got it, with no woman to nag you to death about your diet.”

“That’s the truth,” added Dozer. “It’s getting so bad that if I haul out a bag of chips for Monday Night Football, Cindy tries to grab them away.”

“And you let her?” Rhino asked. “You wouldn’t catch that happening in my house. I lay down the law with Joan.”

Mac led the chorus of hooting laughter. “Are you kidding?” he said. “Joan’s got you wrapped around her little finger!”

Rhino grinned sheepishly.

“In fact,” Mac continued, “I’ve never seen guys crazier about marriage than you four. You could hardly wait to march down that aisle. Don’t give me this bull about nagging wives. You love every minute of it.” And he envied them, he realized. They’d all found happiness.

Rhino took the beer Tim handed him and popped the tab. “So when are you gonna round out this ugly bunch and make it five for five?” He watched Mac over the rim of the can as he took a drink.

Mac gave his standard answer. “When I find the right woman.”

“Hell, you’ve had a passel of right women.” Dozer brushed back a lock of red hair from his forehead. “Jenny was great. I dated Jenny, and there was nothing wrong with her.”

“So why did you end up with Cindy?” Mac asked.

“Cindy knows how to handle my temper. But you don’t have much of a temper, Mac. Jenny would’ve been fine for you.”

“Yeah, she would,” said Hammer. “Cute figure.”

“Obviously I should have taken a poll before I broke up with her.” Mac picked up his beer.

“And Babs,” Rhino said. “I liked Babs, too.”

Mac swallowed his beer. “Me, too. Just not enough to last forever.”

“Aw, you’re too picky, Mac,” said Tiny Tim. “That’s your problem. Nobody’s gonna be perfect.” He grinned. “Although Suzie’s close.” He ducked a shower of peanut shells.

“The newlywed nerd might have a point, though,” Rhino said. “Maybe you are too damn picky. What kind of standards are you using, if you eliminated two nice girls like Jenny and Babs?”

Mac shelled a peanut and tossed it in his mouth. Then he glanced around the table. “You know, I’m truly touched that you all are so worried about my marriage prospects. Maybe we should hold hands and pray about it. Maybe, if we concentrate real hard, I’ll see the light, and grab the next available female I run across.”

Rhino’s bushy eyebrows lifted and he glanced at Tiny Tim. “Seems to me this apartment complex has a pool.”

“Sure does.” Tim pushed back his chair, as did the other Blakely brothers.

Mac saw the look in their eyes and pushed back his chair, too. “Now don’t get hasty, guys. I was just making a joke.”

“So are we,” said Hammer. “Right, Dozer?”

“Yeah.” Dozer grinned, revealing the tooth he’d chipped in the state championship football game eleven years earlier. “I love jokes.”

As he was carried unceremoniously out to the pool and thrown in, Mac thought he probably deserved a dunking, but not for the reason the guys were doing it.

3

TESS HADN’T SPENT much of her life in dresses, but tonight’s dinner with Mac seemed to require one. She didn’t want to wear anything too fussy, not when the late-afternoon temperature had topped out at a hundred and five. She ended up choosing a sundress with daisies on it because she knew Mac liked daisies.

As she stood in front of the mirror wondering if she needed jewelry, she remembered the single teardrop pearl on a gold chain that Mac had given her as a high school graduation present. She’d been touched that he’d bought something so delicate and feminine, considering the rough-and-tumble nature of their friendship. Because she saved the necklace for special occasions, she seldom took it out of the black velvet box it had come in. Tonight seemed like the perfect time to wear it.

Once she was ready, apprehension hit her again. If Mac had willingly fallen in with her plan, she would have been calmer at this point. Her project was nerve-racking enough even if Mac agreed to help. If he continued to drag his heels, she’d need to gather her self-confidence to stay on track.

Her rented bungalow wasn’t far from the center of town, so she decided to walk the two blocks to the Nugget and work off some of her anxiety. She slipped on her sunglasses, hooked the strap of her purse over her shoulder and started out. A block into the walk, she knew she’d made a mistake. She’d arrive at the restaurant more cooked than the meat loaf.

Mac pulled into a parking spot in front of the Nugget as she passed the drugstore two doors down from the café. As she walked, she watched him climb out of his white pickup. Although the truck was dusty from a day spent on ranch work, Mac wasn’t. He’d obviously changed into a clean shirt and jeans, and he was wearing a dove-gray Stetson she’d never seen on him before.

He looked damn good, with his cowboy-slim legs encased in crisp denim and his broad shoulders emphasized by the cut of his gray plaid western shirt. Every so often in the years they’d known each other, she’d paused to notice that her best friend was a hunk, but she hadn’t done that lately. She was noticing it now.

Maybe all her reading was affecting her. She suddenly wondered what sort of lover Mac would be. Then she quickly put the thought out of her mind. Mac was like a fifth brother to her. She shouldn’t be having such thoughts about him. He’d be horrified if he knew.

As if sensing her eyes on him, he glanced in her direction before going into the Nugget. He paused. “Did your car break down?”

“I decided to walk.”

He scratched the back of his head as he stared at her. “But it’s June.”

“So I discovered. I have to admit I’m a little warm.” Up close she could smell his aftershave and noticed there was no stubble on his square jaw. For some reason the fact that he’d showered and shaved for this dinner made her stomach fluttery.

He looked her up and down from behind his sunglasses and then shook his head. “I thought I taught you better than this. Now after that hot walk you’ll hit that cold air-conditioning. It’s not good for your system.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. You sound like my mother. Could you at least mention that my dress looks nice? I wore it because you like daisies.”

“Your dress looks nice. And you’re going to catch your death of cold in that restaurant.”

It wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. As her irritation grew, she realized she’d secretly hoped he’d be dazed and delighted by her appearance, the way guys in movies reacted when a tomboy type like her showed up in a dress. “Let me worry about that.”

“Fine. Just don’t come crying to me when you catch a summer cold.”

“I promise it won’t be your responsibility.”

“I’m glad to know at least something’s not my responsibility.” He held the door open for her and the brass bells hanging from the handle jangled.

She stayed where she was. “Look, if that’s going to be your attitude, maybe we should just forget the whole thing.”

“And then what?”

“In or out, you two!” called Janice, a waitress who’d been working at the Nugget ever since Tess could remember. “We don’t aim to air-condition the entire town of Copperville!”

Mac let the door swoosh closed again and turned back to Tess, his expression impassive. “What’ll it be?”

She didn’t really want to call the whole thing off. She needed Mac to help her, and besides, he’d shown up for dinner all shaved and showered. It would be a shame to waste that effort. “Let’s have some meat loaf,” she said.

MAC HELD THE DOOR for Tess a second time and tried not to drool as she walked past him trailing her cologne like a billowing scarf. When he’d seen her coming down the street in that flirty, daisy-covered dress he’d almost swallowed his tongue. Then she’d gotten close enough that he could see the moisture gathering in her cleavage, right where the pearl nestled.

He fought the crazy urge to lean down and lick the drop of moisture away before it disappeared into the valley between her breasts. He must be out of his mind. Fantasies like that didn’t apply to Tess, the girl who could ride her bike no-hands down Suicide Hill, a girl who could throw a baseball so hard that it stung when it hit his glove. But the girl is a woman now. He couldn’t ignore the truth any longer. He’d had glimpses of the fact over the years, like the first time he’d seen her in a bikini and she actually filled the thing out. And the prom had been another revelation, but he’d come to his senses before he’d done something stupid like kissing her. Sure they’d kissed when they were little kids, just to see what all the fuss was about, but it hadn’t meant anything.

Funny, though, he still had a vivid memory of the spring day down by the river when they’d decided to try kissing. If he concentrated, he could still feel her soft little-girl’s mouth that had tasted like pink bubble gum. When he’d pulled back to get her reaction, she’d looked sort of dreamy and sweet. Then she’d grinned at him and blown a big bubble that popped all over her face, destroying the moment.

He followed her through the restaurant to the back booth, the one they always took at the Nugget. Along the way he managed to return greetings from the others in the café, people he’d known all his life. But his attention was claimed by the sway of Tess’s hips under the flared skirt covered with daisies. The dress zipped in the back, and he figured she had nothing but panties on under it. The combination added up to what he and his buddies used to call a good makeout dress.

Damn. He had to stop thinking like this. Late this afternoon he’d finally decided maybe he should try to fix her up with someone. He’d come up with a couple of possibilities and had told himself he’d rather have Mitch or Randy be the lucky guy than some sleaze in New York.

Now he didn’t want Mitch or Randy anywhere near her.

But if he didn’t help her, no telling what harebrained thing she’d do. He’d seen her get a bee in her bonnet enough times to know she wouldn’t give up her summer project easily. The year she’d decided to learn how to use in-line skates, she’d sprained her ankle and bloodied both knees, but she hadn’t given up. And she had learned.

He slid into the booth across from her and tried to pretend this was like all the other times they’d shared a meal or a milk shake at the Nugget.

“Hungry?” she asked.

“You bet,” he lied. He wondered if he’d be able to force anything down. He’d never look at her the same way again, he realized in despair. No matter what happened, the friendship had been changed forever. He’d made the mental leap and begun to think of her as a desirable woman—more desirable than he ever would have imagined. He could hardly believe that all these years he’d managed to screen out her sexuality.

“Have you been thinking about…what we discussed?”

“Some.” He blew out a breath. “A lot.”

“Any ideas?”

Yeah, and all of them X-rated.

Janice sauntered over to their table, notepad in hand. “Hey, you two.”

Tess smiled at her. “Hey, Janice. How’s that grandkid?”

Janice reached in the pocket of her skirt. “Take a look.” She tossed a snapshot of a baby down on the table.

“Oh, Janice, she’s gorgeous.”

“Isn’t she?”

“Cute kid,” Mac said, although he was more interested in the look on Tess’s face than the picture of Janice’s grandchild. As Tess gazed at the photo, her expression grew soft and yearning. Only a fool would misinterpret that expression, and Mac wondered if Tess knew how much she wanted a baby of her own. Hell, that was another thing he’d never connected with Tess, but she’d make a great mother. Which meant she had to find somebody who’d be a great father. The whole idea depressed him.

Janice scooped the picture up and slipped it back in her pocket. “So, are you guys having meat loaf or something else?”

“Meat loaf for me,” Tess said.

“Same here.” Mac hoped he’d feel more like eating when their order arrived.

“The usual on the salad dressing?”

“Yep,” they both said at once.

“Iced tea?”

“Yep,” they said again.

Mac thought about Tess going to New York, where the waiters wouldn’t automatically know she liked honey-mustard salad dressing, coffee in the winter and iced tea in the summer. He thought about her eating alone at a restaurant, or worse, eating with some guy. Some guy who would be having the same thoughts Mac was having right now.

“I’ll be back with your tea and salads in a jiff.” Janice headed back toward the kitchen.

Mac stared at Tess, not sure what to say for the first time in all the years he’d known her. They’d always been able to talk to each other. They’d been able to hang out without talking, too. She was the sort of girl you could take fishing, because she’d sit, her line in the water, and let the peacefulness of the day wash over her. But there was nothing peaceful in the silence between them tonight.

“It was pretty hot today,” he said. Then he rolled his eyes. They’d been reduced to talking about the weather. “Forget I said that.”

She smiled. “Okay.” She leaned forward, which made the pearl shift and dip beneath the neckline of her dress. “Remember the time we put pennies on the train tracks?”

He gazed at the spot where the pearl had disappeared. Then he glanced up again, aware that he shouldn’t be looking there. They were in a public place. Anyone could walk in and catch him at it. One of the Blakely boys, for example. “Yeah, I remember.”

“I never told anybody.”

“Me, neither.”

“That was twenty years ago, Mac. You and I have kept that silly secret for twenty years, because we both have the same sense of honor. That’s why I’m asking you for help. I know you won’t tell.”

“I swear, you two look like you’re hatching a plot,” Janice said as she set down two iced teas, then plopped a salad plate in front of each of them and a basket of rolls in the center of the table. “Aren’t you a little old to be painting water towers and such?”

“My folks’ anniversary is coming up,” Tess said. “Thirty-five years.”

“Aha! And you’re going to give them a surprise party.”

Tess looked secretive. “Could be.”

“My lips are zipped,” Janice said. “But be sure and invite me.”

“I will.”

After she left, Mac leaned closer to Tess. The scent of her cologne worked on him, giving him ideas he shouldn’t be having, but he didn’t want anyone to overhear him. “You see how complicated this can get? Now you’re going to have to give your parents a party to cover your tracks!”

She shrugged, and the straps of her dress moved. “No problem. It’s a good idea, anyway.”

His fingers tingled as he imagined slipping those straps down. Slipping the sundress down. With a soft oath he leaned back against the booth. “I’ll bet you’re freezing in here, right?” He wasn’t freezing, that was for sure.

“Not really.” She reached up with both hands and combed her damp hair back from her face with her fingers. The motion lifted her breasts under the cotton of the dress, and there was no doubt that she was braless.

Mac told himself he wasn’t getting turned on. Definitely not. “Let me get that old flannel shirt I keep in the truck.”

“I don’t need your old flannel shirt. I’m fine.”

But he needed her to cover up. “I could get it anyway, just in case.” He started to leave the booth.

“Mac, I don’t want the blasted shirt, okay? I want to get this project going. So sit down and tell me what you’ve got.”

He stared at her, his mind in turmoil. He should tell her about Mitch and Randy. He really should.

“Meat loaf’s here!” Janice announced. “Goodness, you haven’t touched your salads. Must be some party you two are cooking up.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Tess said. She moved her salad plate to one side. “Just set it down there, and I’ll eat everything together.”

“Me, too,” Mac said, following suit.

“Better clean your plates,” Janice said. “Or no dessert for you. And Sally made fresh peach pie today.”

Mac patted his stomach, which was in no mood for a meal, let alone dessert. “Sounds great. You know I love peach.”

Once Janice had disappeared, Tess leaned forward again. “That reminds me,” she said in an undertone. “I’ve been learning the most amazing things from my reading. For example, the use of flavored oils. Did you know they make peach?”

“No.” His jeans started growing tight. Mind over matter wasn’t working.

“Have you read any books on the subject?”

“No.” He stabbed his salad, determined to get through some of this food if it killed him.

“There are some wonderful ideas in there. You might want to take a look.”

He lost control of his fork and it clattered to the plate. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Men and their egos. I’ll bet even you could learn something.”

He picked up his fork and returned to his meal with a vengeance. “Thanks, but I think I’ll just blunder along on my own.”

“Okay, but this is a perfect opportunity to check the books out without anybody knowing you’re doing it. When I leave, I’ll be taking those books with me and you’ll be SOL.”

“I won’t be likely to forget you’re leaving.”

The light of amusement faded in her eyes. “Oh, Mac. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that. I know you’d love to do the same.”

He clamped down on his emotions. There was no point in wanting what you couldn’t have. “I wouldn’t say that. And somebody has to take over the ranch. I noticed this past winter that my dad’s already slowing down.”

“Have you ever given them the slightest hint that you don’t want to take over?”

“I do want to take over. They’ve struggled so hard to build that place and keep it going. It would kill them to have to sell it to strangers when they can’t work it anymore.” He looked into her eyes. “If you were an only child, would you be heading for New York?”

She seemed about to say yes, when she hesitated. Then she sighed. “Probably not. It really helps that my brothers look like they’re going to stay in Copperville forever.” She sent Mac a look of deep sympathy. “You can come and visit me anytime you want. I’ll show you New York in style.”

“Thanks. Maybe I’ll take you up on that.”

“We could have a great time. The top of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Times Square. Promise me that you’ll come to visit me, Mac. It would be so wonderful to have that to look forward to.”

“Okay, I promise.” His heart wrenched at the thought of how much they probably would enjoy themselves. And then he’d have to come home again and leave her there. Well, he’d just have to get over it. His life was here, and hers would be there, and that’s the way it was meant to be.

“I feel so much better, knowing that you’ll come to visit me.” Her eyes glowed. “I guess I always pictured seeing some of those things with you. Maybe I’ll wait until you get there before I do some of that tourist stuff, so we can both experience it at the same time. I’ve heard Ellis Island is very moving. And the Metropolitan Museum of Art will be beautiful, and we could save our money and eat at one of those pricey restaurants, at least once, and—”

“I’m not taking you to a pricey restaurant unless you can do better on the food than you’re doing here.”

She glanced at her plate and picked up her fork. “I guess I’m distracted. I can’t seem to think of anything except this move, and getting ready for it.” She pushed her food around and glanced up at him. “Mac, I know you think I’m crazy for wanting this one thing before I go.”

“Not crazy.” He laid down his fork and gave up all pretense of eating. God, she was beautiful. Not cute, not attractive, not passable. Beautiful. He’d never admitted that to himself before, but he’d probably always known it on some unconscious level. He’d been entranced watching her talk about their future adventures in New York.

“Then you understand?”

“Yes.”

She sagged against the table, and her sigh was heavy with relief. “Thank goodness. I wondered if I’d ever convince you.”

“I’m convinced.”

“Then you’ll help me? You’ll find someone and introduce us?”

Maybe he’d known all along what he had to do. Maybe he’d just needed time for the inescapable truth to settle upon him. But now he could see no other way. It was dangerous, extremely dangerous. A great deal was at stake. Still, it was the only answer, and he was man enough to accept that, along with the consequences.

He took a deep breath. “I don’t have to look for someone. I already know who will do it.”

“You do?” Her eyes grew bright, her cheeks pink. “Who?”

“Me.”

4

TESS GASPED and put her hand over her mouth. She felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of warm water over her. Oh, God. Mac. Could she do it? Her imagination quivered and danced around the idea, unable to focus on the possibility. Her heart beat so loudly she thought he might be able to hear it. Mac. Oh, dear. How delicious. How impossible. How frightening. How lovely.

“Unless you don’t want me to.”

She was having trouble breathing, let alone talking. “I—I—”

“It’s okay if you don’t. I might not be…what you want.”

“I…have to think.”

“Sure.”

Although she was caught up in her own turmoil, she sensed his vulnerability. “I’m honored,” she choked out.

“Honored?”

“That you’d even consider…that you’d even be willing…”

“Better me than anybody else I can think of.”

“Is it…” She paused and squeezed her eyes shut. “Such a sacrifice, then?” At his astonished laughter, she opened her eyes.

“Are you kidding?” He stared at her in wonder. “If word got out that you were in the market, the line outside your door would stretch all the way to the Nugget.”

“You think?” He’d never, ever given her such an extravagant compliment about her sex appeal. His compliments on that score had been nonexistent, come to think of it.

“You could have your pick,” he said. “You don’t have to settle for me. I just thought—”

“That I’d feel more comfortable with you. Thank you, Mac. And I probably would. Once I get over the shock.”

“Take your time.”

“You won’t change your mind?”

He shook his head.

“But what about my brothers?”

He let out his breath in a great gust. “I won’t pretend that won’t be tough. But I’ve kept our secrets from them before.” He gazed at her. “I guess I can do it again.”

She’d never been so impressed with another human being in her life. “I don’t deserve such a good friend.”

He gave her a crooked smile. “Don’t go giving me too much credit. This wouldn’t be the worst assignment I’d ever drawn in my life.”

“So you think you could have…fun?”

“I think I could manage that.”

Tess leaned back in the booth and fanned herself with her hand. “Wow. This blows me away.” She glanced at him with his fresh shower, shave and clothes. “Did you decide this before you showed up tonight?”

“No. I honestly didn’t know what I was going to say to you when I got here. Then, while we were talking, I finally decided this was the only solution I could live with.”

She hesitated, feeling unbelievably shy. “The reason I asked is that I wondered, considering that you’re all cleaned up, if you thought that we’d just…take care of it.”

He coughed and cleared his throat. “Is that what you want?”

She couldn’t seem to control her racing pulse, and every breath was a struggle. “I don’t know. I realize this is my project, but I’m not feeling very much in charge right now.”

He gazed at her. “I have a suggestion.”

She swallowed. He was the sexiest man she’d ever seen in her life. How had she missed that in all these years? “Okay.”

He leaned forward and beckoned her to do the same. He lowered his voice and his eyes grew smoky blue. “Maybe we need to work up to this. We could take a drive, park somewhere, do some old-fashioned making out and see how it goes. And to take the pressure off, we’d agree not to go all the way this first time.”

He was so close that his breath caressed her face. His hands—hands that had positioned her grip on a baseball bat, picked her up when she fell off her bike and pinched her when she’d dropped the frog down his back—had taken on a whole new significance. And they lay less than an inch from hers on the Formica tabletop. As she looked into his eyes, her heart beat so fast she thought she might have a heart attack. This was a Mac she’d never met before. “I g-guess we could do that, but…”

“But? And how were you envisioning the process?”

Her cheeks grew hot. “Honestly?”

“Honestly.”

She kept her voice to a low murmur, which increased the sense of intimacy in the booth. “If you’d set me up with someone, I envisioned a one-night stand, to get it over with.”

He winced. “That’s a terrible idea.”

“It is?”

He held her gaze with those electric eyes. “I thought you wanted to have a nice time.”

“I do.” She drew a shaky breath. “But couldn’t I have a nice one-night stand?”

“Not you. Some women, maybe. Not you. You need to ease into it.”

“That’s why I’ve been reading all those books. And I’m a quick study.”

His eyes twinkled and his mouth twitched as if he wanted to smile, but he didn’t.

“What?”

“It’s just so you, to thoroughly study a subject before you get into it.”

He had her totally off balance, and she wasn’t used to feeling that way with Mac. She tried to equalize the situation. “I could probably teach you a few things, Mr. Know-It-All!” she whispered a little louder than she’d meant to. Then she glanced around quickly to see if anyone was listening. Nobody seemed to be paying them any attention, which wasn’t surprising. Seeing the two of them huddled over the table in the back booth of the Nugget was commonplace.

Mac leaned back against the worn seat, amusement in his eyes. “No doubt you could.” As they continued to gaze at each other in silence, his expression became more guarded. He picked up his spoon and balanced it on his forefinger. “The question is, do you want to? Last time I checked, the ball was still in your court.”

“I don’t know, Mac. This is very…personal.”

“That’s a fact.” He concentrated on the perfectly balanced spoon.

“You know me so well.”

“About as well as anybody.”

“Things would never be the same between us.”

He laid the spoon down. “They’re already different.” He glanced at her. “Am I right?”

Oh, yes. The blue eyes she’d always taken for granted now had hidden secrets, and she was already wondering how those eyes would look filled with passion. Passion for her. The thought made her body tighten and throb in ways that had nothing to do with friendship. “You’re right,” she said.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Anticipation leaped in her, making her shiver. “What about your dinner?”

“I wasn’t hungry to begin with. But if you want, we could have Janice box it up.”

“Let’s not bother. It won’t last in this heat.”

“Probably not.” Mac reached in his back pocket for his wallet. “We don’t need a bill. As long as we’ve been eating this Thursday-night special, we should know what it costs.”

“Right.” Tess opened her purse.

“Put your money away, Tess.”

She glanced at him. “But we always split the bill. I don’t want you to think that just because—”

“New game, new rules. You’re my date tonight, and dinner’s on me.”

The gesture thrilled her more than she was willing to admit. “Aren’t you taking this a little too literally?”

“Nope.” He slid out of the booth. “I would expect any man in my position to have the courtesy to buy you a meal.”

Her feminist conscience pricked her. “What, as some sort of barter arrangement?”

He took his hat from the hook at the end of the booth and settled it on his head. “No, as an expression of gratitude.”

Her breath caught in her throat at his gallantry. No wonder he’d had women falling at his feet. She’d never quite understood it, but then, he’d never turned the full force of his charm on her.

Janice ambled over toward them. “Leaving so soon?” She glanced at their plates in surprise. “Was something wrong with the meat loaf?”

“No,” Tess said. “We—”

“Goodness, you’re flushed.” Janice put her hand against Tess’s cheek. “You’re feeling feverish, child. I’ll bet you’re coming down with the flu.”

“I think she might be, too,” Mac said. “That’s why we decided to leave.”

“My Steve came down with the flu last week. You wouldn’t think a bug could survive in this heat, but it seems to be going around. Best thing to do is stay in bed.”

Tess felt her face heat, and she didn’t dare meet Mac’s gaze. “Right.”

“Look at you!” Janice exclaimed. “You’re burning up! Better get on home.”

“What’s wrong with Tess?” called Sam Donovan from his stool at the counter.

“Flu!” Janice called back.

“Flu?” asked Mabel Bellweather, popping up from the booth where she’d been sitting with her sister Florence. She hurried to Tess’s side. “Should I call your mother, honey? She’d want to know if you’ve come down with the flu.”

“I’ll call her, Mrs. Bellweather,” Mac said.

Mabel patted his arm. “You’re a good boy, Jeremiah MacDougal. Anybody’d think you were kin to Tess, the way you’ve watched out for her over the years. I know she’ll be in good hands.”

Tess looked at the floor, at the walls covered with Frederic Remington prints, at the golden light of sunset outside the café windows. Anywhere but at Mac.

“Just get along now,” Janice said, guiding them toward the door.

Although she wanted to run out the door, Tess made herself walk like a sick person as she preceded Mac through the restaurant. They exited to a chorus of get-well wishes.

Mac helped her into the truck. “Well, at least we’re being inconspicuous about this.”

“We can’t go through with it,” Tess wailed. “Soon everybody in town will know that you took me home from the Nugget, and—”

“And what?” He started the truck and switched on the air-conditioning. “You’re letting a guilty conscience run away with you. They aren’t the least bit suspicious of us being together.” He backed out of the parking space and headed down the street toward her house.

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. You saw the way Mrs. Bellweather patted me and told me I was a good boy.”

Tess glanced over at him. “And is that what you intend to be?”

He pulled up at the town’s only stoplight and gave her a look that threatened to fry her circuits. “Depends on your definition.”

STAY COOL, Mac told himself. He was supposed to be the experienced stud, the one who knew the score. If he gripped the wheel tightly enough, Tess wouldn’t know that his hands were shaking. And if she noticed he was sweating, then he’d blame it on the hundred-degree temperature.

The reaction they’d gotten at the Nugget had convinced him of one thing—nobody would suspect that he and Tess had progressed to more than friends for the same reason he’d taken so long to come around to the idea. It was totally out of character for both of them. Even the Blakely brothers wouldn’t guess, if he and Tess could keep from tipping them off.

But oh, God, what had he done? His whole world was turning upside down. If Tess agreed, then they would become lovers this summer, assuming he didn’t turn out to be like his old dog George, who’d been taught to stay out of the living room when he was a puppy and now couldn’t be dragged in there. Mac wasn’t sure how deep his hands-off conditioning ran, but he might find out soon.

He’d already discovered he was more possessive about Tess than he’d ever dreamed. If he made love to her this summer, that possessiveness could get out of control. And he couldn’t allow that, because she was going to New York, and she’d meet other guys there. And that would lead to…he didn’t even want to think about where that would lead. He was setting himself up to go crazy, that’s what he was doing.

But he couldn’t see any other way around the problem.

“Are you really going to take me to my house?” she asked.

He glanced at her. She still hadn’t committed to anything. “Do you want me to?”

“Not really.” She was staring straight ahead, holding on to her little straw purse for dear life. Sunglasses hid her eyes, but her cheeks gave her away. They were the deep pink of the sunset lining the horizon. Her chest rose and fell quickly, making the pearl quiver in the valley where it lay against her golden skin.

The air in the cab grew sweet and thick with desire, until Mac felt as if he could lick it like a cone of soft-serve ice cream. “So you want to take that drive?” His voice was slightly hoarse.

“Yes, but I’ve figured out what we should do. Let’s go to my house and sit in the driveway for a little while, in case anybody notices. Then I’ll get down on the floor of the cab, and we can drive away to… wherever you had in mind.”

Instantly he became aroused. Apparently the old dog would be able to learn new tricks. “All right.”

She still didn’t look at him. “You know, we might not be able to do anything. We might start laughing or something.”

“Laughing’s okay. Laughing usually means you’re having a good time.”

“I mean because we feel ridiculous.”

That hadn’t occurred to him. “Do you think you will? Feel ridiculous?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I should pretend you’re someone else.”

“Don’t do that.” The idea incensed him more than it probably should have. “That would be insulting.”

“Okay.”

He pulled into her driveway and glanced at her. The pretending statement had him going. “Who would you pretend I was?”

“Nobody, because you don’t want me to.”

“Yeah, but if I didn’t care, who would you superimpose over my face? Brad Pitt?”

She turned to him and took off her sunglasses. “I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it. Forget I said anything.”

“Tom Cruise?”

“Mac, I won’t be doing it, so let’s drop the subject.”

He couldn’t drop it. He had to know who she thought was sexy. “Antonio Banderas? Mel Gibson?”

“All of them!” she said, clearly exasperated. “In a rotating sequence! With Leonardo DiCaprio thrown in for good measure! There, are you happy now?”

He stared at her. Good Lord, he was jealous that she’d imagine a movie star making love to her instead of him. He was in big trouble. “Sorry,” he said. “Feel free to imagine anybody you want.”

She looked at him as if he’d gone around the bend, which was pretty much true. “Okay.”

“Just don’t tell me about it.”

“If you say so. But if you’ve never tried it, you might want to reconsider. Some men get very turned on by hearing their partner’s fantasies about other men.”

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