“I’d like to keep seeing you,” Bryce said.

Lisa felt her heart hitch. Damn, why did Bryce have to be so direct, so honest? She preferred the word games to facing something right now. Trying her best to remain aloof, she asked, “To what end?”

The question seemed to amuse him. “Mutual enjoyment. From what I gather, you’re not exactly in the market for marriage, either. And I did enjoy that kiss in your kitchen. So what do you say?”

Moving back her chair, Lisa tossed her napkin onto her plate. “For now, I say that I have to get back to the shop.”

“And later?” he pressed.

“Will be later.” Her tone was noncommittal. The response didn’t feel right to her, and she added, “We’ll see.”

“Nothing I like better than a challenge,” Bryce responded.

Lisa bit her lip and remained silent. That was exactly what she was afraid of.

TALL, STRONG & COOL UNDER FIRE

Marie Ferrarella

To all the firefighters in my city, for taking such good care of all of us and making us safe every year.

Thank you.

Books by Marie Ferrarella

Silhouette Romance

The Gift #588

Five-Alarm Affair #613

Heart to Heart #632

Mother for Hire #686

Borrowed Baby #730

Her Special Angel #744

The Undoing of Justin Starbuck #766

Man Trouble #815

The Taming of the Teen #839

Father Goose #869

Babies on His Mind #920

The Right Man #932

In Her Own Backyard #947

Her Man Friday #959

Aunt Connie’s Wedding #984

[†]Caution: Baby Ahead #1007

[†]Mother on the Wing #1026

[†]Baby Times Two #1037

Father in the Making #1078

The Women in Joe Sullivan’s Life #1096

[‡]Do You Take This Child? #1145

The Man Who Would Be Daddy #1175

Your Baby or Mine? #1216

**The Baby Came C.O.D. #1264

Suddenly…Marriage! #1312

[‡‡]One Plus One Makes Marriage #1328

[‡‡]Never Too Late for Love #1351

The Baby Beneath the Mistletoe #1408

Tall, Strong & Cool Under Fire #1447

Silhouette Special Edition

It Happened One Night #597

A Girl’s Best Friend #652

Blessing in Disguise #675

Someone To Talk To #703

World’s Greatest Dad #767

Family Matters #832

She Got Her Man #843

Baby in the Middle #892

Husband: Some Assembly Required #931

Brooding Angel #963

[‡]Baby’s First Christmas #997

Christmas Bride #1069

Wanted: Husband, Will Train #1132

Wife in the Mail #1217

Stand-in Mom #1294

Found: His Perfect Wife #1310

Silhouette Desire

[‡]Husband: Optional #988

Silhouette Intimate Moments

*Holding Out for a Hero #496

*Heroes Great and Small #501

*Christmas Every Day #538

Callaghan’s Way #601

Caitlin’s Guardian Angel #661

[‡]Happy New Year—Baby! #686

The Amnesiac Bride #787

Serena McKee’s Back in Town #808

A Husband Waiting to Happen #842

Angus’s Lost Lady #853

This Heart for Hire #919

[††]A Hero for All Seasons #932

[††]A Forever Kind of Hero #943

[††]Hero in the Nick of Time #956

Silhouette Yours Truly

[‡]The 7lb., 2oz. Valentine

Let’s Get Mommy Married

Traci on the Spot

Mommy and the Policeman Next Door

**Desperately Seeking Twin…

The Offer She Couldn’t Refuse

∆Fiona and the Sexy Stranger

∆Cowboys are for Loving

∆Will and the Headstrong Female

∆The Law and Ginny Marlow

∆A Match for Morgan

Silhouette Books

Silhouette Christmas Stories 1992

“The Night Santa Claus Returned”

Fortune’s Children

Forgotten Honeymoon #11

World’s Most Eligible Bachelors

[‡]Detective Dad

[‡]In the Family Way

[‡]The Baby of the Month Club: Baby Talk

The Fortunes of Texas

Expecting…In Texas

Books by Marie Ferrarella writing as Marie Nicole

Silhouette Desire

Tried and True #112

Buyer Beware #142

Through Laughter and Tears #161

Grand Theft: Heart #182

A Woman of Integrity #197

Country Blue #224

Last Year’s Hunk #274

Foxy Lady #315

Chocolate Dreams #346

No Laughing Matter #382

Silhouette Romance

Man Undercover #373

Please Stand By #394

Mine by Write #411

Getting Physical #440

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter One

“Are you a fireman?”

The high, exuberant voice caught him by surprise, lifting him out of his realm of preoccupation. Turning away from the newly washed fire truck he was facing, Bryce Walker saw her. All three foot one of her. Completely adorable and most assuredly completely out of place.

The glib response on his lips, reserved for ladies far older than this little blond visitor obviously was, died away unspoken. Instead he smiled at her.

The little girl, decked out in soft pink coveralls with white daisies scattered throughout the body of the fabric, stood on the threshold of the fire station, obviously accepting the silent invitation the wide-open doorway extended to wayward travelers. She rocked slightly forward on the balls of her feet, her small hands shoved into her pockets like someone intent on doing nothing more with her morning than shooting the breeze. Her eyes watched him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

“Why yes, I am.”

Amused, Bryce crossed to her and then got down on one knee in an attempt to lessen the huge difference in their heights. He glanced to either side of the little girl, expecting to see a parent or at least an older sibling hanging back somewhere in the near vicinity.

But there was no one close by, not even any stragglers coming out of the library located directly to the right of the fire station, or eagerly flowing out of the summer school classes being given at the high school located in the center of the long block.

His visitor was apparently alone and very obviously fearless.

On occasion, Bryce gave talks on fire safety at the various local elementary schools located in Bedford, California. The little girl before him looked too young to be attending school. Bryce guessed her to be around four, or perhaps a very small five, though he doubted it. Intelligence shone in her cornflower-blue eyes, opened as wide as the daisies she had on her rompers.

The way she was regarding him told Bryce she thought of him as her equal in every way but height and opportunity. Her eyes darted past him to the truck that was just behind. “Do they let you drive the truck?”

He heard the hopeful note in her voice mingled with a touch of hero worship. The appeal of fire trucks had long since crossed the gender line. Bryce bit back a laugh, thinking of Alex. With three years seniority, the firefighter acted as if the truck was his own private property and would sooner walk over hot coals than allow someone else to touch the steering wheel.

“No, I’m afraid not.”

The little girl nodded her head in a commiserating manner that seemed far older than her obvious tender years. “Mommy won’t let me drive, either.”

It seemed to Bryce the perfect opportunity to initiate a reunion between the wayward child and her mother. “And where is Mommy?”

Leaving him in her wake, the little girl made her way to the fire truck in small, cautious steps, as if the truck wasn’t simply metal and gears, but a living, breathing thing that could be frightened into running off at any second if she wasn’t careful.

“At home.”

Bryce had a feeling that his unannounced visitor was going to be a fetching challenge when she got a little older. He wished any man who lost his heart to her luck. They were going to need it.

Getting up, he followed her slow progress around the vehicle. “And where’s home?”

Pausing, she looked over her shoulder, her expression momentarily sad, as if she was mourning something that had been lost. “Not Dallas anymore.”

He’d thought he’d detected a slight twang to her voice. But knowing her origins didn’t exactly help him at the moment. “And why’s that?”

The sigh she released was enormous. Slowly she made her way around the perimeter of the truck, studying every detail more closely than the fire chief during an impromptu inspection. “We moved.”

She was too young to be coy, though that would have been the word he would have used had she been a teenager. Bryce began to feel as if he was trapped in a children’s program. “To where?”

The little girl ran her hand along the front of the truck and he got the distinct impression she was petting it. “Here.”

Playing along, Bryce looked around, pretending to be mystified at the information. “You live here? In my fire station?”

He was rewarded with a giggle that was so infectious, he had a hard time not laughing along with her. She turned to look at him, her eyes crinkled with humor. “No, silly. In Bedford.”

He’d assumed as much, but it was nice to receive confirmation. At least she wasn’t visiting from out of town. It looked as if he just might finally be getting somewhere. “Do you know where in Bedford?”

She paused, considering his question. “Our house, of course,” she told him as if it were silly to think that there could be any other answer. “Mommy’s and G-mama’s and mine. Mommy said it belongs to all three of us. Equally.” She wrapped her tongue around the last word very slowly, as if careful to get it right.

Bryce noticed she didn’t mention a father and wondered if that meant that Missing Mommy was divorced, or possibly widowed. Or if she’d never been married in the first place. He doubted if the omission was an oversight. The little girl seemed to have an almost incredible grasp of her situation. He knew adults who were less aware of their surroundings than she appeared to be.

Following her as she made her way back to the side of the truck, he tried again. “Do you know your address?”

This time, the expression that met his question was a pint-size composition of frustration. The little girl shook her head. “No. It’s new.”

She seemed so upset that she couldn’t remember it, Bryce felt it best to gloss over the detail. No sense dwelling on it. If Mommy didn’t show up soon to claim her, he had friends on the police force who could help track her down.

“Sometimes,” he commented, “new things are hard to remember.” Holding her hand, he helped her up the steps of the fire truck so that she could get a closer look inside the cab. “Do you know your name?”

She looked at him with just a touch of impatience bringing her small, wheat-colored brows together in a puckered furrow. “Of course I do. My name’s not new. It’s as old as I am.”

“I see.” He pretended to nod his agreement. “My name is Bryce Walker. What is your name?”

She tossed her head, sending soft swirls of blond hair bouncing back and forth. “CeCe Billings. I was named after my G-mama. The first part.”

“The first part,” he repeated, not quite sure that he followed her.

“Yes. CeCe.” She held her arms out for him to help her down. “Except her name’s really Cecilia. Mine is, too, but Mommy calls me CeCe so she doesn’t mix G-mama and me up.”

Bryce set her down on the ground again. “I see.” Though it didn’t actually have anything to do with finding her mother or her home, he couldn’t resist gleaning just a little more information about this diminutive blonde chatterbox who had wandered into his station. “And what does your daddy call you?”

“Nothing,” she told him with a matter-of-fact air worthy of someone five or six times her age. “I don’t have a daddy. Mommy says we’re doing just fine without one.”

“Uh-huh.” Mommy was obviously rather adamant about the subject, he thought, given the verve he heard in CeCe’s voice. “Well, I don’t think she’s doing just fine right now,” he speculated, more to himself than to the tiny intruder. “She’s probably out looking for you right now.”

His visitor shook her head with feeling, sending her blond curls flying back and forth again. “I don’t think so. Mommy’s busy.”

“Doing what?” He had a very low opinion of a mother who was too busy to notice her child was missing. In his mind, he envisioned a woman neglecting her child for any one of a half-dozen reasons, none of which were acceptable.

Like someone on a deliberate, savored odyssey, CeCe’s inspection of the fire truck was taking her to the rear of the vehicle. “She’s gotta tell all those men what to do. They’re all confused.”

They weren’t the only ones, Bryce thought. “What men?”

“The men who are helping her.” She frowned. “You’re not listening. Mommy told G-mama men don’t listen.”

“Oh, she did, did she?” Mommy obviously didn’t have a very high opinion of men. Which made them equal, because he didn’t have a high opinion of women who misplaced their children.

But, in the absence of the appearance of a frantic woman searching for her wandering gypsy of a child, he had no recourse but to keep the little girl occupied. On a hunch, he tapped her on the shoulder and when she turned around to look at him, he extended his hand to her. “Would you like a tour of the fire station while we try to figure out how to find your mommy?”

CeCe took his hand readily, but she cocked her head and looked at him, as if that would help her understand his meaning better. “Why? Mommy’s not lost.”

He smiled at her. If he had chosen a different path for himself, a child like Cece might have been his by now. But that was all water under a bridge he had crossed over voluntarily a long time ago.

“No, but you are.”

“No, I’m not.” The smile that came to her lips was so bright, Bryce found himself instantly charmed and very firmly captivated. How could anyone not notice that a little doll like this was missing? “I’m right here. With you.”

He found he had a difficult time arguing with that, so he didn’t even try.

Lisa Billings felt as if she had taken exhaustion to a new high. Or low, depending on the point of view.

All she knew was that right at this moment, she felt more drained than a riverbed during a prolonged draught. For the last six months she had been flying between her former home in Dallas and the city she had decided to resettle her family in, trying to find the perfect locale for both her store and her new home. A new home where she intended to make a new life for herself and her daughter. The appeal of a fresh start was strong.

Her requirements weren’t many, but they were nonnegotiable. She wanted someplace that was bright and clean and safe, somewhere with a wonderful school system that would benefit a daughter as bright and eager to learn as CeCe was. The hundred and twenty some-odd details that went into making the transition had finally led her to Bedford, which was as near-perfect as she could hope for.

Looking back, she couldn’t remember a time in the last six months when she hadn’t been busy enough for two people. As busy as she was, she couldn’t spend too much time thinking and that was a blessing. She didn’t like to have too much time to think, or reflect.

But somehow, amid all that busy-ness that was taking place, she had just about “busied” herself out and lost sight of the most important thing of all. CeCe. CeCe, the reason she had undertaken owning and running a toy store that catered to a child’s fertile imagination and not to noise, chaos and the advertising toy craze of the moment. CeCe, who was, quite simply, the reason she drew breath every day.

Somehow, amid the rush of movers who were bent on testing the durability of every breakable item she owned and the confusion of getting everything reorganized again, she had misplaced her daughter.

One minute, CeCe was playing in the new front yard, doing her best not to get underfoot. The next, when Lisa looked back to check on her, CeCe was gone. A quick search of the area told Lisa that her daughter wasn’t in the front yard, or the back. Or anywhere else in the house, either. Tired of exploring it, CeCe had obviously gone on to conquer other areas.

Lisa tried very hard not to give in to the panic that was swiftly filling all the empty spaces left inside of her. Praying she had somehow missed seeing her, Lisa made another, faster pass through the two-story house, looking behind boxes and any place CeCe might have decided to turn into a temporary play area.

When this go-round proved to be as fruitless as the first, she hurried out to the front yard again. There she found her mother. Cecilia Dombrowski was directing the movers like one of the field marshals who had existed in her family tree.

One look at her daughter’s face had Cecilia halting in midcommand. “What is it?”

Years of taking on too much, of trying to be invincible, had brought Lisa to the brink of collapse and had her tottering there now. She felt herself very close to crumbling and hated herself for having the feeling. “I can’t find her anywhere, Mother. I can’t find CeCe.”

The older woman set her mouth grimly. Moving quickly, Cecilia did an about-face and placed herself in the center of the movers. Raising her hands, she immediately captured their attention.

“My granddaughter is missing. You all know what she looks like. Please stop what you are doing and look for her. Now.” The movers, four burly men of varying heights, looked at one another, somewhat bewildered and confused. “Now,” Cecilia repeated. She pointed first to the left of the house and then to the right. “There are houses on both sides of this one. Knock on doors. Ask. She was here a few minutes ago and her legs are short. She could not have gone far. Your legs are much longer, you can cover more distance. Please.”

The last word was issued as more of a command than a plea. Cecilia’s look was unwavering as her eyes swept over the four men’s faces.

The men quickly scattered, doing as she asked. The furniture could wait.

With a semisatisfied sigh, Cecilia turned to her daughter. She placed hands on Lisa’s shoulders and Lisa could feel warmth and encouragement in the very contact.

“You do the same. Go. Look. We will find her. You know that we will.”

There were times Lisa felt that even God wouldn’t argue with her mother and she certainly wasn’t about to. Just hearing Cecilia’s reassurances that this would all be resolved shortly and satisfactorily heartened her and gave her something to cling to. Never mind that it was intangible.

“Yes,” Lisa answered with more conviction than she felt. “We will.”

“Good, I will remain here, in case she returns home on her own. You know how CeCe is,” Cecilia said, smiling.

Lisa blew out a breath, telling herself she was just overreacting. CeCe knew better than to go far.

Then where was she? she demanded silently.

Nodding at her mother’s words, Lisa began to walk to the house on the left, the last one on the corner of the development. A car passed by on its way out, its windshield catching the sun and instantly flashing it all around like a sunburst intent on illuminating the immediate surrounding area.

The glare hurt her eyes. Shading them with her hand, Lisa squinted.

And that was when she saw it.

The fire station across the street on the corner. She’d only paid marginal attention to it when she’d driven past it before, taking notice of it the way she had the library and the high school beyond, as part of the scenery, nothing more.

Now it registered with glaring lights. A fire station.

It wasn’t as if it was immediately accessible. Between the house and the fire station was a wide street with three lanes of traffic going in either direction and a small island in between for pedestrians who weren’t quick enough to take advantage of the traffic signal.

CeCe loved fire trucks.

Oh, please, let her be there.

Her heart in her throat, not waiting to tell her mother her hunch, Lisa paused only to glance at the flow of immediate oncoming traffic and to take in the traffic light that was, for at least this moment, green. Taking advantage of it, Lisa sprinted across the street like the high school track and field team member she’d once been.

She made it across the entire street, eschewing the island, before the yellow light had a chance to slip into red.

He didn’t know exactly what made him turn just then. Maybe he’d been half waiting for the approach of a frantic parent, maybe it was nothing more than chance that had made him look through the window facing the street just then. Whatever the reason, he caught the motion out of the corner of his eye and then found himself mesmerized as he watched the woman sprint from one corner to the next.

The woman moved like a gazelle.

She moved, he realized, the way the wind would, if it had taken on the form of a young, shapely woman with hair the color of sunshine just after sunrise. Dressed in white, cuffed shorts that brushed against her upper thighs as she moved and in what could only be termed as a skimpy red tank top that clung to the swell of her breasts with each breath she took, she was definitely a sight to behold. He was surprised that some of the other firefighters on duty weren’t hanging out of the upper story window, cheering her on.

Bryce sobered as she made it to the opposite corner. This had to be CeCe’s mother. The concerned look was a dead giveaway.

“Honey,” he said to the little girl who was holding his hand as if they were old friends, “I think I just spotted your mommy.”

CeCe pressed her lips together in deep concentration, as if she was trying to remember something or reconcile a new fact with the ever-growing data base that was expanding in her mind. “Mommy doesn’t like spots on her. She’s very clean.”

He bit back a laugh. “Right now, I’d say she was very angry.” He drew CeCe over to the doorway just as the woman ran up the walk.

“Excuse me,” Lisa called out the instant she saw Bryce’s movement, “have you seen a little girl go—CeCe!”

CeCe looked mystified by both Bryce’s observation and by the strange look on her mother’s face. She thought she saw tears shining in her mother’s eyes. Tears made her feel sad.

Mommy didn’t cry very often, but when she did, CeCe always felt that there should be something she could do to make her mother feel happy again.

CeCe put on her brightest smile. Mommy always said she liked seeing her smile. “Hi, Mommy. Are you okay?”

“I am now.”

There had been very few times in Lisa’s life when she had felt like laughing and crying at the same time. This was one of them. Fears she had refused to allow loose were now throbbing in her head like so many explosive puffs of steam expanding within a pressure cooker.

Completely ignoring the man with her daughter, Lisa dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around CeCe. Pulling her close to her, Lisa hugged her daughter while fighting a losing battle with her overwrought emotions. It took everything she had not to burst into tears and sob her relief.

Only after she had assured herself that her daughter was real, safe and unharmed did Lisa lean back and, still holding on to her, look at the small face. “Oh God, CeCe, how could you do this to me? How could you run off like that?”

The answer seemed perfectly logical to the four-year-old. “He has a fire truck. A real one.” She pointed to the vehicle in question behind her.

But Lisa wasn’t looking at the fire truck.

She had suddenly become aware of the fact that she was on her knees in front of a very tall, very blond man wearing a navy blue fireman’s uniform. Moreover, she was kneeling before a man who was looking at her as if he’d just come off an enforced seven-week fast and she was a piece of fried chicken prepared just the way he always liked it.

Chapter Two

“Look, Mommy, it’s just like the fire truck you had in your store.” A hint of an impatient pout graced CeCe’s small mouth when her mother didn’t look at the object of her affections.

Lisa lowered her eyes to her daughter’s face, trying to ignore the fact that she felt as if she were being slowly appraised and measured by the man standing behind CeCe. Instead she focused on the reason her heart had all but stopped beating earlier. Things could have turned out a great deal worse and she knew it. In light of that, being surveyed by a good-looking man didn’t seem like such a terrible price to pay in exchange for finding CeCe safe and sound.

Holding her by both small shoulders, Lisa looked at the little girl who had been the joy of her life even before she’d been born. From the moment she’d learned that she was pregnant, Lisa had crafted her life carefully around the promise of a child and the kind of life that would follow once the child was born. She couldn’t afford to remain unfocused any longer. Children needed things.

Most of all, they needed mothers who were there for them, to hold them and love them the way hers had. It gave Lisa a purpose to her life she was grateful for and that she had never lost sight of.

Even if she had lost sight of CeCe for the last ten minutes.

Hiding her relief, Lisa attempted to look stern. She didn’t want this happening ever again.

“Now listen to me, young lady. I don’t care if you saw an entire fleet of fire trucks, or if there was a great big yellow dragon sitting in its place,” she said, referring to CeCe’s favorite cartoon program, “you know better than to run off without telling either G-mama or me where you were going. And you know something else, too, don’t you?” Deliberately narrowing her eyes, she pinned the little girl with a look.

CeCe sighed, squirming uncomfortably before she nodded her head. As her mother began reciting the one rule she was strict about enforcing, CeCe joined in, parroting words that had been drummed into her head ever since she had been able to string two words together.

“Don’t ever talk to strangers.”

Then, sucking in air as if she intended to launch into a rebuttal that left no room for her mother to voice her opinion, CeCe grabbed the firefighter’s hand and pulled him forward as she protested with feeling.

“But he’s not a stranger, Mommy. I know his name. It’s Bryce Walker and he’s my new best friend. And he’s a firefighter, Mommy. That’s like a policeman, right, except nobody shoots at him. You said if I was ever lost, to only talk to a policeman or a police lady. Remember? Well, I couldn’t find a policeman, but I found him.”

Lisa closed her eyes. There was no arguing with CeCe once she got started. She took after her grandmother that way—except worse. Lisa learned by experience to wait until the torrent of words subsided.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw her daughter’s new best friend looking at her. She supposed he did deserve an apology.

Rising Lisa brushed her hands against her shorts, a tingle of nerves unaccountably zigzagging through her. She wasn’t accustomed to thinking of herself as anything except CeCe’s mother. The firefighter wasn’t looking at her as if he thought of her as anyone’s mother.

Lisa cleared her throat, nodding toward CeCe. “I’m sorry if she was any trouble.”

She looked flustered, Bryce thought. He liked the slight tinge of pink that came into her cheeks. Looking down at his talkative new friend who had an iron grip on his hand, he grinned.

“CeCe? No, she wasn’t any trouble at all. I was just about to give your daughter a tour of the fire station.” His grin extended to include CeCe’s mother as well. “I’m sure the tour group could be expanded by one if you’re interested.”

“Thank you, but no.” Lisa saw CeCe’s face fall. Though she was completely right in turning down the invitation for more than one reason, Lisa still felt guilty. She always did whenever she denied CeCe anything. Wanting to give her daughter the world, the guilt that accompanied any refusal was something she continually had to wrestle with.

“But Mommy—” CeCe began to protest.

Lisa remained firm. She had to. “We’re in the middle of moving in and everything’s a big mess. I can’t spare the time right now, honey. Besides—” she suddenly remembered “—I have the movers all combing the neighborhood for you.”

Confusion puckered the small brow. “Why do they want to comb me, Mommy?”

Bryce bit back a laugh. “It’s just an expression, honey.” Very gently, he withdrew his hand from the small grasping fingers then raised his eyes to Lisa. “I can put the tour on hold, if you’d like. Consider it a raincheck.” He saw her open her mouth to protest. “Everyone should get to know their neighborhood firehouse. We’re not just for fires anymore.” He winked at CeCe, clearly winning her heart by becoming a coconspirator. “And on rare occasions, we even offer baby-sitting—um, big girl sitting services,” he amended seeing her small brows rise in indignation.

CeCe Billings was, he thought, what his grandfather had been wont to call “a pistol.” He wished the old man was still around to meet the little girl. On second thought, his grandfather would have probably attempted to make a play for CeCe’s mom. The man had retained a twinkle in his eye until the day he died at age ninety-three.

Bryce hoped the condition was hereditary and that he’d be half as spry when he got to that age.

Lisa wished she had on something other than a tank top and shorts, but she had a feeling the man would make her aware of his gaze even if she were wearing sack cloth and ashes. She raised her chin, determined to retreat as quickly as possible.

“That’s comforting to know, but I’m sure we won’t be bothering you again, Mr.—um—”

“Walker.” He put out his hand to her. “Bryce Walker.”

“I already told you, Mommy,” CeCe reminded her.

Lisa hesitated, not wanting to waste any more precious time. Across the street, her mother and the movers were undoubtedly still searching for CeCe. She had to get back before her mother decided to call the police. Her mother had never believed in taking the slow approach to anything and was a firm believer in getting the system to work for her any way it could.

But the firefighter was being awfully nice about having CeCe bend his ear and he had looked after the little girl for her. She didn’t want to think about what could have happened if CeCe had just continued to wander off on her own.

So, with one foot out the door, holding her daughter firmly by the hand, Lisa extended her free one and slipped it into his. His grip was firm, hard. Warm. And his eyes were definitely unsettling, reminding her just how long it had been since she’d looked at any man as something other than a customer.

“I’m Lisa Billings.” Her throat felt inordinately dry. She had to remember to stop and drink something once in a while, she told herself. All morning long, she’d worked like a whirling dervish, trying to get the new house organized. She had a limited amount of time before she had to get back to working on the store. The opening day was close. “Thank you for minding CeCe.”

“It was a pleasure.”

He was still holding her hand. And her attention. Fighting self-consciousness, she withdrew her hand from his. Uncoupled, she saw that he was nonetheless following her, step for step as she began to edge away.

“CeCe says you’re new to the city.”

She gave CeCe a reproving look. She was going to have to see about getting her daughter to be a little less forthcoming.

“We are.”

He wondered if it was his imagination that made him think she looked a little uneasy, talking to him. “And the state.”

“That, too.” She glanced at her daughter again, making it across the threshold this time. Just how much did CeCe tell this man about them?

He was still on duty until this evening, so he couldn’t very well take off with her, although there was something about her that tempted him to do just that.

So instead, Bryce lingered in the doorway. “Well, since I seem to be one of the first citizens of Bedford you’ve encountered—and you’ll probably be too tired to cook after the movers leave—maybe you’d like to have some dinner?”

“I’m sure I’ll have some dinner.” Lisa tossed her answer over her shoulder, turning away with CeCe.

“I mean, with me,” he added.

She never broke her stride as she looked at him. “I wouldn’t dream of putting you out.”

“You wouldn’t be,” he called after her.

But she was already hurrying across the street, her hand firmly wrapped around CeCe’s, leaving him to stand in the doorway of the station, feeling a little confused, rather like an adolescent who had just been rejected by the prom queen. It wasn’t anything he knew from firsthand experience.

“First time for everything, eh, Walker?”

He thought he was alone on the floor, having left the others in a hot poker game in the main room upstairs. Surprised, he turned around and saw Jack Riley standing next to the truck, laughter in his eyes. He and Riley went way back to a time when both their voices were higher and their permanent teeth hadn’t come in yet.

He might have known this would amuse Riley.

“Though I’d never thought I’d see the day when a woman would turn you down.” Jack laughed to himself, coming forward. “Hell, my mother would go out with you if you just showed a little interest.”

Closer than brothers, they had trained together and signed on for the same station when the time came. Bryce hooked his thumbs in his belt loops, still watching Lisa and CeCe.

“No offense, but I’m really not interested in having my neck separated from shoulders by your father.” There was no disguising the affection he bore for both of Riley’s parents. Riley’s father had been his own father’s best friend, and had willingly taken on the role of surrogate father to Bryce and his younger brother when they’d needed one.

Joining him in the doorway, Riley studied the departing form that had caught his friend’s attention. “Doesn’t look like your usual type.”

Bryce raised a brow. “Meaning?”

“Well, for one thing, she’s got a kid.” Riley knew better than anyone how Bryce felt about family. He paused, taking a different route than the obvious. “How do you know she’s not married?”

CeCe turned at the island and waved at Bryce. He waved back. “Her daughter didn’t mention a father.”

Riley shrugged carelessly. “Doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist, Walker. Maybe she’s just mad at him.”

Bryce merely shook his head. He watched as, reaching the opposite street, Lisa and CeCe make their way to the second house from the end of the block. Funny how he’d missed the moving truck earlier. Now that he was aware of it, it was as obvious as an elephant standing in a front yard.

“You had to be there,” he told his friend.

“Sorry I wasn’t.” Riley leaned over a little farther as the woman waved over four burly men in beige coveralls. The latter came trotting over obediently. He would, too, Riley thought. “Nice rear view.”

Bryce knew Riley meant nothing by the comment. Riley was all talk and as honorable as the day was long when it came to women’s feelings. Still, he couldn’t help the rejoinder that came to his lips. “You kiss your mother with that mouth?”

Riley grinned. “Only when she insists on it. Do I detect a chivalrous note coming through?”

Bryce saw another woman hurrying to Lisa, her arms outstretched. CeCe leaped into them. That had to be G-Mama, he decided. “No more than usual.”

“Oh, but this one’s a little different than usual,” Riley observed. “Like I said, she doesn’t seem to be your type.”

The reunion over, the three women went into the house. Bryce turned away. “And my type being?”

“Stringless. Absolutely stringless.” Riley nodded toward the house. “In case you didn’t notice, this one looks like she’s full of strings.”

Maybe he had been paying a little too much attention just now. Bryce laughed it off. “Hey, don’t get carried away, Riley. As you so delicately pointed out, the lady doesn’t even want to have dinner with me.”

Riley knew Bryce better than that. There wasn’t a time he could remember Bryce being easily put off. “Do I detect the call of a challenge?”

It was time to change the subject. Bryce indicated the rooms upstairs. “No, but I can see the dinner bell going off and ten hungry firefighters deciding to string you up because you didn’t make dinner when it was your turn to cook.” He flicked his thumb and forefinger at the date on the calendar that graced the side wall. Riley’s name was written in in the appropriate space.

Riley dragged his hand through his wayward chestnut-colored hair. “Hell, I forgot about that.” He caught his lower lip between his teeth as he looked up at his friend. “The refrigerator still empty?”

Bryce looked at him innocently, as if he didn’t know what was coming. As if they hadn’t danced this dance before a number of times. “Last I looked.”

Riley raised his eyes hopefully to Bryce’s face. The latter’s expression was deadpan. “You wouldn’t want to take my turn, would you?”

“I took your turn,” Bryce reminded him. “Last time, remember? And the time before that,” he added before Riley could protest. “The men are beginning to think you can’t cook.”

Riley sighed. He knew his limitations. “The men are right.”

Riley’s mother ran a restaurant and her cooking attracted people in droves. How this talent hadn’t been passed on was beyond Bryce. Even he had picked up a considerable number of pointers during the years he and his brother had lived with the Rileys. Riley, however, was just slightly beyond the boiling-water-without-burning-it-stage with no progress in sight. “No time like the present to learn,” Bryce commented.

Riley gave him a dark look. “That’s not what you’ll say when you’re at the hospital, having your stomach pumped.”

Bryce glanced over his shoulder toward the doorway, impulse pushing forward an idea. “Tell you what, I’ve got a few things to pick up at the grocery store myself. I’ll do the shopping for tonight. But then you’ve got to do the rest.”

It was only fair, he knew, the men each taking turns. But Riley really wished they’d give the assignment to someone who was better at it than he was. “Get something simple.”

“You read my mind.”

Riley watched his friend leave and thought of the expression he’d seen on Bryce’s face when the woman had turned down his offer.

“Only part of it, Walker,” he murmured to himself. “Only part of it.”

Bryce tucked the coloring book that was beginning to slip back more securely under his arm.

It wasn’t like him to go where he wasn’t wanted so he wasn’t altogether certain just exactly what he was doing here, standing on Lisa Billings’s doorstep, ringing her doorbell, flowers in one hand, a bag with a loaf of bread in the other and a coloring book tucked under his arm. There was also a broom leaning against the wall where he’d rested it.

He had a number of excuses ready to offer her when she asked, but explaining it to himself was a whole different matter. He wasn’t sure if he could.

It wasn’t as if he lacked female companionship. Now or ever. As Riley enjoyed ribbing him, he had more than his fair share of women ready to make themselves available to him.

There was no conceit involved. Bryce figured that women were attracted to the uniform and to resistance, both of which he possessed. He’d been a firefighter for eight years and as for the other, that had been an ongoing thing from the very first time he ever kissed a woman. He wasn’t interested in commitments and forever. He was already committed to his work and because of that, it precluded any other long-term relationships that might be headed to the altar. Any woman he ever went out with knew he was not the marrying kind. Not from any desire to remain free or to sample as many women as he could, but from a very humane standpoint. He’d been thirteen years old when his father died in the line of duty, sacrificing his life while trying to save two children from being burned to death. And then Bryce had watched, day in, day out, what that sacrifice had done to his mother. It took away the laughter from her eyes and for a while, had sent her into a depression so deep, nothing and no one could reach her.

Even when she recovered, she was never the same after his father died.

To him, marriage was a pledge in which two people promised to live the rest of their lives together. It was only natural to assume that life would be for as long a time as could possibly be managed. That didn’t mean taking on burning buildings on a regular basis, which was what he did for a living. A firefighter risked his life every day, risked the happiness of those he loved every day, pitting his life against a force of nature. And sometimes, he lost. The way his father had.

The tears Bryce saw in his mother’s eyes for a full year following his father’s death at the age of thirty-four made him silently vow never to put anyone through what his mother had suffered.

Since his heart had been set on being a firefighter from the very first time his father had brought him down to the station, Bryce thought it only right to make a choice. A home and family, or a career, but not both. So he followed one dream and gave up the other. Most of the time, it seemed like a fair tradeoff.

But every so often, he caught himself wondering what it would have been like if he had followed the other path. If he’d gone into engineering homes instead of saving them, or harnessing nature instead of battling it.

Talking to CeCe had made him wonder again. But he told himself that it was only a passing thing and that coming here this evening, after he’d gone off duty, was merely motivated out of a sense of neighborliness.

He rang the doorbell and waited. There was no response on the other side of the door, no music coming through an open window, no sound of shuffling. Maybe they’d gone out to get something to eat, he speculated. The moving van and its four men was gone.

Deciding to give it one last try, Bryce reached for the bell again when the door abruptly opened. Instead of Lisa, he found himself looking down at a woman who could have been mistaken for a slightly older version of the woman. Rather than shorts, she had on a sundress and her short, stylishly cut dark blond hair had a ribbon of gray running through it.

But she looked up at him with Lisa and CeCe’s blue eyes. “Yes?”

“I’m not sure if I have the right house, but do Lisa Billings and her daughter, CeCe, live here?” Even if he hadn’t been certain that he had the right house, one look at the woman would have assured him that he did. Still, it seemed a good enough way to begin.

Cecilia took swift measure of the handsome young man at the front door. She made decisions quickly. In her life, there hadn’t always been much time for debating.

She liked his mouth. The lines around it indicated that he was given to smiling frequently. It was a good trait. And his eyes were kind. You could tell a great deal about a man by his eyes. Her husband had had kind eyes. CeCe’s father hadn’t, but she’d found it a difficult thing to convey to Lisa at the time. You had to let your children make their own mistakes, no matter how much it pained you to watch.

“Yes.” Cecilia saw the broom leaning against the wall. The young man seemed to come with an odd assortment of things. He was holding flowers in his hand and there was some sort of thin book held flat against his side by his arm. She couldn’t begin to guess what he had in the bag. “You are selling brooms, perhaps?”

Bryce shifted his weight. It wasn’t often he felt self-conscious. “No, I—”

Curious who her mother was talking to, Lisa hurried over to the open door. “Who is it, Mother?” Peering around the door, she stopped short. “Oh God, it’s you.”

Intrigued, Cecilia stepped back from the doorway, allowing the visitor better access. “You know him?”

She hadn’t expected him to actually come over, Lisa thought. He must have watched her leave with CeCe. “It’s the fireman I told you about, the one who I found with CeCe.”

Interest transformed into something akin to pleasure. A smile bloomed on Cecilia’s face as she took hold of his wrist, drawing him into the house. “Ah, please come in, yes?”

Lisa’s immediate response was, “No,” but it was already too late. Her mother was shutting the door, after pulling the firefighter inside.

Chapter Three

There’d only been just enough time for him to grab the broom before Bryce had found himself being pulled into the house by the diminutive woman who had clamped her hands around his wrist. She was surprisingly strong, given her size.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said obediently, trying not to laugh. Obviously her mother and her daughter were a lot freer spirits than Lisa Billings was.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bryce saw CeCe come running into the room. The moment she saw him, she clapped her hands together in pure delight. Her grin was wide and welcoming.

Unlike, he noted, her mother’s expression. Nobody had to tell him that Lisa wasn’t happy about this turn of events, or the lack of immediate support she had.

CeCe fairly bounced in front of him, her eyes shining. “Hi, Bryce.”

Lisa didn’t want CeCe getting too friendly with the intrusive firefighter, even if this was just a onetime visit.

“Mr. Walker,” she corrected.

A little of the sunlight in CeCe’s eyes abated. Bryce was quick to wave Lisa’s admonishment aside. Too many children called him by his first name for CeCe to be singled out this way.

“That’s too much of a mouthful for someone her size, Lisa. Bryce is fine.”

Lisa didn’t like him calling her by her first name. It made this conversation entirely too personal. Besides, she had the feeling that he was conveying more to her than just a name preference when he said that Bryce was fine, but there was no way she was about to allow herself to be drawn into any sort of wordplay over that.

In the larger scheme of things, it was all a moot point. It wasn’t as if the man was going to be someone they interacted with on a regular basis. As soon as she managed to usher him on his way, she didn’t expect to ever see Bryce Walker again, barring a fire somewhere in the immediate area.

But before she could say anything, her mother was taking charge of the situation.

“Well, then, Bryce,” Cecilia said, smiling at him, “we were just about to sit down to dinner. Perhaps you will join us?”

For a second, the air left her lungs. Lisa felt completely outflanked. She knew from experience that sending her mother a glaring look would be utterly wasted on the woman, so she didn’t even bother—as much as she wanted to.

Instead she drew herself up and sent the withering look in Bryce’s direction. The last thing she needed at the tail end of a trying day was an invasion by an unwanted guest, no matter how handsome he was.

“I’m sure Mr. Walker has to be somewhere else, Mother.”

He returned the withering look with a long, slow appraisal that started at the top of her head and wound its way down to her bare toes. Lisa felt as if she suddenly had nothing on and felt all the hotter for it.

“No,” he assured her quietly, “as a matter of fact, I don’t.”

Triumphant, Cecilia hooked her arm through Bryce’s. She looked back at her daughter. “See?”

A thread of satisfaction wound through her words that she didn’t bother to hide. As far as Cecilia was concerned, Lisa had been hiding behind her work and her family in an effort to barricade herself away from the rest of the world and deny the fact that she had a heart that could still be hurt. If nothing was risked, nothing was gained.

Cecilia glanced at the broom Bryce was still holding. “By the way, what is all this you bring with you?”

“Yes,” Lisa seconded the question, her eyes sweeping over the bag he held in his other hand. “Just why are you dragging a broom around? Are you moonlighting as a broom salesman?” Maybe if she insulted him, he’d go away.

But instead of being insulted, he flashed a grin at her. “You and your mother think alike.”

Not hardly, Lisa thought, swallowing a groan. To her surprise, he presented the broom to her.

“It’s for you. A housewarming gift,” he explained when she only stared at it.

She raised her eyes to his face, wondering what he was up to. “I already have a broom. And a vacuum cleaner,” she added, in case he had one waiting in his car.

“Lisa, if the man wants to give you a broom, you must be polite and take it,” Cecilia told her kindly, taking the broom from Bryce as if he had just presented her with the crown jewels of England.

Bryce couldn’t read Lisa’s expression, but he figured he could take a calculated guess what was going on in her mind. Being a firefighter made him sensitive to highly volatile situations.

Time to defuse the moment, he thought. “Actually it’s an old tradition.” Lisa looked at him blankly. “The broom’s symbolic,” he told her. “You give someone moving into a new home a broom to sweep away any evil spirits that might still be lurking around, left over from the old tenants. And the loaf of bread—” he handed the bag he’d brought to Lisa “—is so that you never go hungry.”

She vaguely remembered hearing or reading about the tradition. But Bryce didn’t strike her as the kind of person who went in for old-fashioned customs. Looking at him uncertainly, she glanced inside the bag. It was a loaf of bread all right. Closing it, she looked at the bouquet he was still holding.

“And the flowers? What are they for?”

This part was a last-minute inspiration. As her mother watched approvingly, he offered the flowers to Lisa with a flourish. “To make you smile.”

“Oh.” It was a simple bouquet of daisies, but it left her flustered and at a loss for words. Her mouth curved slightly without her even realizing it as she accepted the bouquet and looked down at the clustered, bouncy petals. Daisies, to pick apart one by one, murmuring “he loves me, he loves me not.” “I see.”

“It works!” CeCe announced with enthusiasm, grinning broadly. Then the grin began to fade away as she looked skeptically at the broom her grandmother was holding. She lowered her voice in a hushed whisper, inclining her head toward Bryce. “Does that mean we have evil spirits to sweep away?”

He saw the beginning of fear in her eyes. He’d meant to charm the mother, not frighten the daughter.

“They’re all gone already,” he told her solemnly. “It’s the fire department’s job to send any evil spirits packing a whole month before anyone new moves in. This—” he tapped the handle with his finger “—is just to remind them to stay away. Forever.”

“Oh.” Relieved, CeCe released a sigh that seemed twice as large as she was.

“Hey, I almost forgot. This is for you.” With a gesture every bit as grand as the flourish he’d used to present the flowers to Lisa, he awarded the coloring book he had tucked under his arm to CeCe. “It’s all about different fire trucks.” He winked at her. “Something the department keeps around for Bedford’s future taxpayers.”

She hugged the thin booklet to her, pleased to be remembered. “Mommy, where are my crayons?”

“We’ll find them after dinner.” Otherwise, Lisa knew that there would be no prying CeCe away from the coloring book until she was finished.

It suddenly occurred to Bryce that he hadn’t brought anything to give Lisa’s mother. Admittedly, the woman had not been on his mind when he was planning his strategy. He turned to her now a tad sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t bring anything for you.”

“Oh, but you did, Bryce,” Cecilia replied with a soft smile he could only wish would grace her daughter’s lips. The smile filtered into her eyes, putting him completely at ease. “You brought me your company. Now, how do you feel about pierogi?”

Unfamiliar with the word, he could only shake his head. “I’m afraid I don’t have any feelings about it one way or another.”

“You will,” Cecilia promised, patting his arm. “In time.” She gestured toward what looked to be the dining area. “Now, you and Lisa go sit and wait. CeCe and I will bring the food. You are in for a treat.” Cecilia winked, then taking the bag with the loaf of bread from her daughter, she commandeered her granddaughter’s attention. With a nod of her head, she led the way into the kitchen. Leaving Bryce and Lisa alone.

Awkwardness descended immediately, draping itself heavily on her shoulders. Lisa wished her mother had let her be the one to bring in the meal, but she knew better. This whole scene couldn’t have been playing itself out any better than if her mother had written it all out with specific stage directions.

Taking a deep breath, Lisa told herself she’d get through this. Abruptly she turned toward Bryce. “My mother worked at an embassy overseas when she was younger, she never completely got over ordering people around.”

“I think she’s great,” Bryce said. Cecilia reminded him a little of Riley’s mother, a woman who had been closer to him in his adolescent years than his own mother had been.

Lisa nodded, acknowledging the compliment. “Most people do,” she remarked. “You really don’t have to stay, you know.”

He studied her face, trying to sort out her signals and his own wishful thinking. “Is that your polite way of saying get lost?”

She caught her tongue between her teeth, fighting the urge to tell him just that. She didn’t need a bone-meltingly good-looking man putting ideas into her mother’s head just by his very presence. Her mother was incorrigible enough as it was, ceaselessly promoting the idea that she should get back out there amid the sharks and swim until she found someone special to swim through life with.

As if that was ever going to happen.

To find someone she had to be looking. And she wasn’t. Having her heart kicked in once was more than enough to teach her the pitfalls of wearing her heart on her sleeve. Of loving one man to distraction and placing all her faith, all her hopes and dreams into his careless hands.

She had loved Kyle, but he had loved his freedom even more. Watching him walk away, walk away from her and the promise of the family that was to be, was something she knew would remain with her for the rest of her life. She wasn’t about to put herself into the position of experiencing that again even in the remotest sense.

Still, since Bryce had been exceptionally kind to her daughter and mother, it wouldn’t kill her to be nice, she reasoned. Besides, if she sent him away now, before dinner, she knew her mother would never let her hear the end of it.

So Lisa resigned herself to suffering through the next hour or so. “If I wanted you to get lost,” she informed him tersely, “I would say so.”

“Glad to hear it.” He waited until she walked into the dining room, then followed behind her. “So, what’s this pier—pier—” Fumbling for the word he hadn’t quite grasped, he looked at her for help. Amusement curved her mouth. He had a feeling she liked him at a disadvantage. “Help me out, here.”

“Pierogi. It’s the Polish answer to ravioli,” she elaborated.

He pulled out a chair for her. “You’re Polish?”

“Yes, anything wrong with that?” She sat down and allowed him to push the chair in for her. The next moment, she felt her pulse scrambling as he lowered his face next to hers. She could have sworn she felt his breath along her cheek.

“Not a thing.” He saw the pulse in her throat jump as her jaw tightened. Bryce smiled to himself as he straightened again. Nice to know a graceful body like hers wasn’t entirely sculpted out of ice. “It’s just that Billings doesn’t sound very Polish.”

Her eyes were cold as he rounded the table to sit down.

“Billings was my married name.” She’d toyed with changing it back to her maiden name, but there was CeCe to think of. The little girl was incredibly bright, but she was still a four-year-old with a four-year-old’s emotions. Having a different name than her mother might be too confusing for her at this point.

“Was,” he echoed. So his guess had been right. But he pushed the envelope a tiny bit further. “As in—I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes by being here?”

His eyes were just a little too green, a little too warm for her. “Would you care?” Lisa asked.

He had his principles and that included never cutting in on another man’s territory once it was staked out. “Very much so.”

Honor was not the first word she thought of when Lisa thought of men in general. She’d learned the hard way that men like her father didn’t exist anymore. They were far too practical. “Why? Because it would get you into a confrontational situation?”

She was the one who was looking for a confrontational situation, he thought. “Because I socialize with married women in a different way than I socialize with unmarried women,” he told her amiably. And then he leaned forward and asked, “Do you find it gives you a backache?”

Her brows narrowed. She had no idea what he was talking about. “What does?”

Bryce nodded toward her shoulders. “That huge chip you’re carrying around on your shoulder. I’d imagine it might make you stoop a lot less if you weren’t lugging it around into every conversation.”

He’d never seen blue lightning flash before. He did now, in her eyes as she drew herself up, a pugnacious tilt to her head. “I don’t have a chip on my shoulder. I’m just careful. And suspicious.”

Something stirred within him and Bryce knew that Riley had been right. He did love a challenge. Any challenge, but particularly one that came dressed in white cuffed shorts and a tank top made for stirring up erotic fantasies in his mind. He leaned in closer to her. “Of people in general, men specifically, or just me?”

Her gaze never wavered as she met his head-on. Only her stomach did a minor flip-flop, but that was for her to know and him not to find out, she thought. “No, maybe and yes.”

He was game. “Why me?”

She would have thought that easy enough to see. “Why are you here?”

He repeated the offer he’d made earlier, in the fire station. “I thought that since you were new in the neighborhood, I’d offer my services.”

Lisa had to concentrate to keep her skin from feeling as if it were tingling, responding to the way his eyes seemed to caress her—while an all-too-knowing smile graced his lips. “What kind of services?”

“Any kind you’d like.” Sitting here in her dining room, it occurred to Bryce that he would very much like to discover what kissing her would be like. He had more than a hunch that the lady wasn’t nearly as cool as she was trying to pretend. “I’m handy with my hands.”

She tossed her head, needing to do something to keep from sinking, knee deep, into the look in his eyes. “I just bet you are.”

“Bet he is what?”

Lisa’s head snapped up, whirling in the direction her mother’s voice was coming from. She hadn’t even heard either her mother or her daughter enter the room. CeCe was right behind Cecilia carrying another place setting for the table. Her mother had her hands full, bringing in a huge platter of pierogi. It was still steaming, with whiffs of heat rising up from the melting pats of butter.

It occurred to Bryce that both mother and grandmother were placing a great deal of faith in the child’s equilibrium. Rising, he quickly crossed to the little girl, reaching for the place setting. “Thanks, CeCe. I’ll take it from here.”

CeCe surrendered the plate and silverware without a word. But the look in her eyes said it all. It was obvious to Lisa that her daughter was completely smitten with Bryce.

Lisa didn’t like what she was seeing here. Her mother was taking all this in and, from the look in her eyes, giving Bryce points. And it was clear that CeCe was already crazy about him. That made it two against one if he decided to make another appearance on her doorstep anytime soon.

Blowing out a long breath, all Lisa could do was hope that she could put him off from trying.

“Bet he is what?” CeCe repeated, looking from her mother to Bryce.

The kid was a sponge, Bryce thought. And probably part bull terrier. He’d be willing to bet that once she latched on to something, she didn’t give up until she got what she was after.

“Handy with my hands,” he told her.

“Like how?” CeCe asked eagerly. She was quick to take the place right beside him at the table. “Can you do tricks?”

“I don’t know about tricks,” he confided even as he produced a coin from behind her ear and then presented it to her. “But I can pretty much repair anything that needs fixing.”

Her eyes as big as saucers, CeCe took the coin from him, staring at it as if he’d just handed her magic in a solid form.

“Wow.” Clutching the coin to her, afraid it might disappear, she looked at her mother. “Did you see that, Mommy?”

Lisa cocked her head, studying their guest. Wondering just how much more there was to Bryce Walker than met the eye. She still had no idea why he’d planted himself on her doorstep. It wasn’t as if she’d encouraged him in any way. The girl within her who had flirted and taken life at face value had long since died. Reality had done that. Reality and Kyle.

She felt CeCe’s eager eyes on her, waiting for an answer. She didn’t want her daughter falling for this man’s tricks, but it seemed almost a foregone conclusion.

“I certainly did.” Reaching for the bowl her mother had placed in the center of the table, she offered it to Bryce. “That’d be a handy trick to have if I’m ever overdrawn at the bank.”

Taking the bowl from her, he helped himself to two fairly large serving spoons, depositing things that looked like triangular ravioli, sans sauce, onto his place. “I’m at your beck and call.”

She passed the bowl to her mother. “I wasn’t aware that I had becked or called,” Lisa said.

Cecilia ladled out three large pierogi onto CeCe’s plate, her eyes on Bryce. “You must forgive my daughter, Bryce. She is tired after a long day of ordering the movers around.”

He was prudent enough to hide the smile that came to his lips. So instead, he turned his attention to his surroundings. There were still boxes nestled here and there, but for the most part, it appeared as if the two women had gotten a good start in turning the house into a real home.

“Apparently she did a great job of it.” His expression the picture of geniality, he looked at Lisa. “When I moved into my place, it seemed like months before I got the last of the boxes cleared out. And I didn’t have all that much to begin with.” The van, he’d noticed from his vantage point in the fire station, had unloaded a great many crates and boxes onto the lawn.

“Perhaps if you were organized…” Lisa let her voice drift off as she began eating. She heard her mother clear her throat. Sorry, Mother, this is one match that isn’t going to take.

“Do you live near here?” CeCe asked.

“Yes, I do,” Bryce managed to say between bites, “when I’m not at the station.”

CeCe cocked her head, far more interested in what Bryce had to say than in what was on her plate. “You live at the fire station?”

He nodded, reaching for the glass of water Cecilia had brought in. “Every two days.”

Her small face puckered as she tried to make sense of this eccentric lifestyle. “Why?”

She looked so cute trying to puzzle out his words, Bryce thought. “Because that’s when I’m on duty. It’s a lot easier to answer an alarm if I’m right there than if they have to call me at my apartment.”

CeCe was clearly in awe. “Do you slide down the pole and everything?”

“Sometimes.” He preferred taking the flight of stairs down, but he had a feeling that CeCe appreciated the more glamorous image. It was anyone’s guess what her mother preferred, he thought, glancing at Lisa to see if she was taking this in.

But CeCe wasn’t about to relinquish his attention just yet. “Can I?”

He’d probably have to clear it with the chief first. He had a feeling that CeCe wasn’t the type to be satisfied with just one quick spin down the pole. “We’ll see.”

“CeCe, let the man eat.” Realizing that her voice had been a little sharp, Lisa offered her daughter a smile, then raised her eyes to his. Damning Bryce for creating that unsettling feeling within her. “She has a tendency to ask a lot of questions.”

But Bryce merely waved away the reproval. “How else can she learn?” He looked at the little girl. “Right, CeCe?” He was rewarded with a firm nod of her head and a wide smile that did more than hint at the way she felt about him. He couldn’t resist satisfying his curiosity. “How old are you, CeCe?”

To his surprise, she lifted her chin just the way he’d seen her mother do. “It’s not nice to ask a lady her age.”

Bryce nearly choked, laughing.

Lisa was on her feet instantly, ready to help him. “Are you all right?”

He held up his hand, trying to catch his breath. “Sorry, that went down the wrong way.” Cecilia was urging a glass of water at him. He took it, drinking half before saying anything more. Setting the glass down, he grinned at CeCe. “You have yourself a gem here.”

“We try not to say that around her so she doesn’t get a swelled head,” Lisa told him. She couldn’t quite manage to keep the pride out of her voice. “And to answer your question, she’s four, going on fifty.”

It looked as if the way to the lady’s good side was her daughter. No hardship there, Bryce thought. He’d always had a weakness for kids.

“That I can readily believe. She’s extremely well spoken for four.”

Never one to be left out of the conversation for long, CeCe put in her own two cents. “G-mama says I take after Mommy. Mommy talked when she was six months old.”

“I can believe that, too,” he confided to CeCe, slanting a glance toward Lisa.

Chapter Four

He was overstaying his welcome.

Not that, Lisa thought, she could be accused of exactly welcoming his presence in the first place. But even if she had, he’d gone way beyond the boundaries. Dinner had come and gone, as had the dishes that went with it. They had all been collected, washed and put away and still he was here. Here charming the shoes and socks right off her family, making her feel antsy and isolated.

And completely unarmed.

It was, she felt, like standing on the sidelines, watching an accident happen in slow motion and being unable to do anything about it.

Any attempts she’d made to usher Bryce out had gone unnoticed, certainly unheeded. Her mother and CeCe were far too busy enjoying his company. Anyone coming in would have thought that they and Bryce had been friends for ages, instead of knowing each other for just a few hours.

Lisa peered out of the kitchen into the living room where the others were sitting. She was really surprised at her mother. Granted, Cecilia Dombrowski was one of the warmest, most outgoing human beings on the face of the earth and there wasn’t a person alive who didn’t like her, but she’d never seen her mother take to someone this quickly.

Okay, her mother was friendly, but she wasn’t a pushover for heaven’s sake. She could usually spot a phony at thirty paces. Her mother had tried to warn her about Kyle in the beginning, but Lisa had been too blindly in love with him to listen.

But if Cecilia was so insightful, why was her mother sitting on the sofa watching home videos with Bryce and CeCe and taking turns narrating them with her granddaughter? To make matters worse, Bryce was acting as if he was really enjoying himself.

As if his prime reason in coming here in the first place hadn’t been to get somewhere with her.

She frowned, withdrawing.

Listen to yourself, Lisa. If you don’t sound like the most conceited thing to walk the earth, I don’t know what does.

She sighed, dragging her hand through her hair. Maybe she was being too hard on him. Maybe he was exactly what he seemed. A nice guy. Someone who’d taken a shine to her daughter. Someone who just wanted, as he said, to welcome her into the neighborhood.

Yeah, right, Lisa laughed shortly to herself. And if she bought into that, then there was a bridge located in the middle of the Big Apple someone was just dying to sell her. Well, she wasn’t in the market for bridges. Or for men, either.

“How is that popcorn coming, Lisa?” Cecilia called out from the living room. “Do you need some help?”

Yes, she needed help, Lisa thought, opening the microwave oven door, but it wasn’t with the popcorn. It was with the Pied Piper sitting in her living room, regaling her mother and her daughter.

Placing the rectangular bag seal side down in the oven, she closed the door again and set the timer.

“No, that’s okay. It’ll be just a few more minutes.” She pushed the Start button. “It’s already in the micro—”

She tensed, sensing that he’d come in behind her. Whirling around, she saw him. Something instinctive made her back up against the counter.

He grinned easily at her, wondering why she was so skittish. He hadn’t given her any reason to act as if he was about to pounce on her. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to steal your popcorn.”

The best defense was a good offense, she knew that, doing her best to look disdainful. “Who says you were?”

“You did. By the look you just gave me. I figured that kind of look was reserved for hulking Neanderthals coming out at you in dark alleys at the stroke of midnight.”

She hated the way he was just presuming things about her. The way he was making himself at home. In her home. “I don’t hang around dark alleys at the stroke of midnight.”

“Smart lady.” The grin slid into a softer, warmer smile that was that much more deadly for its seeming compassion. “You don’t have anything to be afraid of, you know.”

Just what gave him the right to make that kind of assumption about her, that she was afraid of him? “I know,” she snapped, making the assertion much too quickly.

“Do you?” Studying her expression, he wasn’t so sure. No matter what she said, she seemed afraid of him. Or maybe leery was a better word. He didn’t want her to be either. “You’re a beautiful woman and I just want to spend a little time with you.”

Nothing was as simple as that. “And my mother and daughter?”

His eyes smiled at her even before he did. “And your mother and daughter.”

Did he actually think that she believed him? That she didn’t know he was just playing up to her mother and daughter to get on her good side?

“Let me get this straight. You’re one of those rare human beings who actually likes watching someone else’s home videos.”

Did she know that when she became flippant, her eyes threw off little sparks of blue that were utterly fascinating? Bryce found himself being drawn closer. “If the subject is right, sure.”

They were playing words games, she knew that, but she heard herself asking, “And it is?”

There was a wayward wisp of hair, just at her temple, and he gently tucked it behind her ear. His fingertips trailed along her cheek, his eyes on hers. “You’re in every scene.”

The breath stopped in her lungs. She anticipated his next move. She could almost feel his lips on hers.

The microwave bell went off.

Lisa silently blessed it as she quickly turned away from Bryce and the kiss she saw coming straight toward her. She only hoped he wouldn’t hear her heart pounding madly.

The picture on the screen faded out, signaling the end of the video tape. Sitting on the chair adjacent to the sofa, Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. Her trial by fire was almost over.

Her relief was not shared by the other females in her family. Cecilia rose to her feet. “Well, it has been a very nice evening, Bryce, but now I must go and put my namesake to bed.”

CeCe had been nodding off for the last part of the home video, but now her eyes flew wide-open in protest. “Ah, G-Mama…”

Cecilia smiled at her warmly. “This is when she is most like a four-year-old,” the woman confided to Bryce.

“Why don’t you see your friend to the door, Mother?” Lisa suggested sweetly, circumventing Bryce as she got on the other side of her mother and took her daughter’s hand. “I’ll put CeCe to bed.”

But CeCe had her own ideas on who she wanted accompanying her to her room. “Can’t Bryce do it?” she asked eagerly, wedging her little fingers into his hand. “He can read me a story.”

She was going to have to have a long, stern talk with her daughter tomorrow. For now, Lisa merely admonished, “CeCe, you don’t ask a guest to read you a story at bedtime.”

It was apparent that CeCe saw no reason for the rule. “Why not, Mommy?” Instead of waiting for an answer from her mother, she looked up at Bryce for help.

She was going to be a heartbreaker, he decided, no doubt about it. Just like her mother, he assumed. The innocent look he gave CeCe was accompanied by a baffled shrug. “Beats me.”

That was all CeCe was waiting to hear. “Then you will?”

He slanted a glance toward Lisa. “If your mom gives her permission.”

Oh, no, she wasn’t about to be cast as the heavy in this drama no matter how much she was anticipating his departure. Besides, Lisa thought, a smile beginning to curve her mouth, it would serve him right if she agreed.

Lisa raised her eyes to his. “You don’t know what you’re letting yourself in for.”

Bryce didn’t see the need for a warning. He’d read stories to kids before. “Why? Are her books all written in Old English?”

“No, but—” She wasn’t going to say anymore, she decided. Let him find out on his own just what bedtime with CeCe was like. Lisa inclined her head, seemingly surrendering. “Okay, you asked for this.” That wasn’t strictly true. He hadn’t “asked” for this, CeCe had. He had just seen nothing wrong in agreeing to read the little girl a bedtime story before she fell asleep. What he hadn’t counted on was reading to a night owl. He’d been pressed into reading bedtime stories before, most notably to his niece and nephew. But Lanie and Ethan only required a few pages before they’d each drift off to sleep. Rarely had he ever even finished whatever story he was reading. It had certainly never turned into a marathon experience before.

It was one now.

Bryce found himself reading one tale after another, albeit short ones, in a book of bedtime stories that seemed to go on forever. Just like CeCe’s attention span.

It was as if she hung on every word in the story. He’d never come across anyone quite like CeCe before. Which, he supposed, glancing up at her mother’s smug expression as he began yet another story, was only natural since he’d never run into anyone exactly like Lisa before, either.

For a while, it seemed as if CeCe became more and more wide-awake with each page he turned. But finally, as yet another story came to an end, he looked over toward the little girl and saw that her eyes had finally closed.

The kid looked like an angel, he caught himself thinking, even if she was a taxing one. With relief, he closed the book and slowly eased himself to his feet, careful not to make any noise.

Lisa had to admit she was surprised. She would have bet anything that the pushy firefighter would have thrown in the towel after one story. Surely after two. That he hadn’t, that he’d gone on to placate CeCe, reading each and every one of the stories the child eagerly selected, undermined the things she’d first thought about him. She was impressed by his tenacity, his patience. And his kindness. Though she’d probably listened just as intently as CeCe had, but for different reasons, she’d never once detected the slightest annoyance in his voice, even when he began the last story.

Maybe there was more to the man than she’d originally given him credit for.

Silently following him into the hallway, she quietly eased the door closed behind them. The small light she left on in CeCe’s room, to scare away the monsters that occasionally popped out of the little girl’s fertile imagination, crept softly out, squeezing itself through from beneath the doorsill.

A tiny sliver of guilt found its way through Lisa as she looked at Bryce. Even she had to grant that his effort was far over and above the call of duty. “How’s your throat?”

He would have laughed at the question if he could, but right now that wasn’t possible. His whole mouth felt like a used sandbox. “Dry.”

He noticed the smile that came to her lips. But rather than looking smug, he thought it seemed almost empathetic. And grateful. Maybe he’d scored a few points after all.

“I tried to warn you,” she reminded him. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded toward the kitchen. “Come with me.”

Her mother had been in the kitchen when they’d taken CeCe to bed. When she’d been growing up, it seemed to Lisa that her mother spent most of her free time there. The memory of heavenly scents wafting from the oven and permeating the room still lingered in the recess of her mind.

But Cecilia Dombrowski was nowhere to be found when she walked into the kitchen now. It figured. Lisa had had a hunch that her mother would pull a disappearing act the first chance she got.

Her mother was an incurable romantic, but then, she’d married the man she’d fallen in love with at first sight and lived happily with him for almost thirty years. Things like that didn’t happen anymore.

Going straight to the sink, Lisa ran the water until it was sufficiently cold enough, then filled a glass and offered it to her guest.

Bryce figured his best bet was to drain the whole glass before attempting to say anything. If he didn’t, he had a sneaking feeling his voice would emerge high-pitched and squeaking, not unlike a popular daytime cartoon character his niece was fond of.

Setting the empty glass on the drain board, he turned to look at Lisa. There was new admiration in his eyes. “You do this every night? Read to her until she drops off?” If she did, he took his hat off to her.

She held back a laugh, but wasn’t entirely successful. “I know how to say no to her,” she answered. “You could have, too, you know. After three stories, you were more than within your rights.”

They had a difference of opinion here, he thought, shaking his head in response.

“Rights are one thing, but those big blue eyes of hers pleading with me are another. I would have felt awful telling her I wasn’t going to read any more.” He shrugged philosophically. “Besides, there are worse ways to spend an hour.”

She didn’t have to look at her watch to know he was wrong. Dusk was beginning to sweep long strokes through the terrain outside the window. “More like an hour and a half,” she corrected.

“Time flies by when I’m surrounded by beautiful women.”

Nerves began to play hopscotch through Lisa again. She would have thought she could keep the lid securely down on them by now, she told herself, annoyed. She tried to sound brazen. “Does that happen often to you? Being surrounded by beautiful women?”

“Not often.” When she turned away from him, he decided that it might be interesting to get in her way again. So he did. “Just this evening, actually.”

She sidestepped him to get to the refrigerator. She suddenly needed something cold to drink. Shifting a few things aside, she reached for a can of cola. “Do you rehearse all this?”

Reaching over, he took hold of the hand with the can in it, held it steady and popped the top for her. “Comes naturally when I have the right inspiration.”

She had no idea why the quick, soft spray of carbonated fizz wetting her fingers as it emerged from the can felt so erotic. Or why the look in his eyes made her feel as if she were melting. But they did.

She struggled not to sound breathless. “You sure you’re a firefighter and not a salesman?”

His eyes never left her face. “What would I be selling?”

She took a quick swig from the can before answering. “You.”

“Hmm.” She wasn’t sure if she heard the sound coming from him, or just imagined it. But she felt the heat of his smile as it slowly slipped over her. “And how’m I doing?”

With effort, she pulled back, reminding herself that the first time she had seen Kyle, her knees had threatened to buckle. The look in his eyes had seemed endless, too. But it had all been shallow.

The memory helped. Lisa straightened slightly. “I never impulse-buy,” she told him. “When I want to buy something, I put it back, walk around the store, maybe even leave the store and think about it some more before I ever make the decision to bring something home with me.”

The more she resisted, the more he found himself tempted to discover just what it was she was holding back. Just what her lips tasted like. Just how soft her skin felt.

“People like you could bring the economy down to its knees.” He drew closer. “Or maybe only the salesmen,” he corrected.

There was nowhere for her to retreat. The refrigerator was at her back, with the counter on one side and somehow, Bryce had managed to have the rest of the territory covered. The bravado she clung to was beginning to falter. “Don’t firefighters have to be in bed by a certain time?”

His smile went right through her bones. “Why? Are you offering to tuck me in?”

If she screamed, her mother would be down in two minutes no matter where she was in the house. Hopefully to come to her aid, not Bryce’s.

She licked her lips without being completely conscious of it. “No, I’m offering you the door.”

The light glistened on her moistened lips. She couldn’t have done anything more enticing if she tried. “I’ve seen it,” he told her softly. “Not interested.”

It wasn’t easy sounding indignant when her voice was fading. “I don’t care what you’re interested in, Mr. Walker.”

He inclined his head, as if he were taking every word to heart. “Aren’t you?”

He was standing awfully close to her, she thought, panic refreshing itself. So close that she could feel her breath mingling with his. So close that she thought he could hear her heart pounding in her chest, giving her away.

Last time he’d been this close, on the verge of kissing her, the microwave bell had gone off, coming to her rescue.

But there was no bell to mercifully intervene this time.

The prickly feeling of panic grew, washing over her at the same time that anticipation heightened the ante, making her breath short and her skin tingle even before their lips met.

And then he framed her face with his hands, bringing his mouth down to hers. Lisa knew she should run. Run, laugh, talk, something. Anything. Anything but play into his hands and kiss him.

She couldn’t move.

It was as if every bone in her body had completely frozen, become utterly paralyzed. The only thing that worked was her heart and it was swiftly inching its way out of double-time, into triple-time.

And then it happened.

The meeting of his lips with hers was soft, luxurious, not unlike slipping into a bubble bath she’d been looking forward to for a long time. Longer than she’d possibly been aware of anticipating. Even as warm pleasure wrapped itself around her, it stole her breath away. And made her pulse accelerate to speeds that were completely unclockable by mere mortal inventions created in an attempt to track such things.

She had absolutely no recollection of leaning into Bryce, or of falling headlong into the kiss that was growing hotter by the microsecond. All she knew was that somehow, the paralysis that had held her captive only a moment ago was gone, and with it, the rigidity of her body. She was almost completely liquid now. In danger of pouring out onto the floor without a vessel to hold her.

She could have sworn she heard a moan, too deep to be her, too high to be him, but it vibrated all through her, resonating in her throat, echoing in her body where it subsequently and immediately burned to a crisp.

She tasted of honey and something forbidding that he couldn’t place. All he knew was that he wanted more. And that she was, even though he’d thought he was prepared, a complete surprise. A complete revelation. And someone he knew, even as his lips were sealed to hers, that he wanted to kiss again. And again.

She was someone who he wanted. Pure and simple.

The thought sent alarms through him, but he disregarded them. He’d always been able to handle alarms before and there was no reason to believe that he wouldn’t be able to now.

Drawing back he smiled at her. “Maybe I’d better go home.”

“Maybe,” she echoed in agreement. Because something within her whispered to him “stay,” and she knew that was a very dangerous sign.

Chapter Five

“So? How was it?”

Lisa jumped, swinging around from her window to see her mother standing in her doorway, an amused expression on her face.

Was it that obvious? she wondered.

She hardly remembered closing the front door after Bryce had left, barely two heartbeats after he’d kissed her almost completely senseless. Well, maybe not senseless, but certainly draining her of the ability to string abrupt thoughts together to make any sort of a coherent whole. She knew she didn’t remember how she got to her own room, to stand behind her curtain and look out across the street to where the fire station stood like some vigilant guard, keeping them all safe and allowing them to sleep soundly in their beds, secure in the knowledge that they were being looked after.

Not hardly, she thought. At least, not tonight. If she got ten minutes of uninterrupted sleep tonight, she’d be the first one to be surprised.

Leaving the window, she gave her mother what she hoped was a properly mystified look. “How was what?”

Cecilia’s smile only deepened. As if her daughter could ever fool her. There were hardly any thoughts that came to Lisa that Cecilia didn’t share in some way on some level. Which was why she completely understood the heartache her daughter had suffered because of Kyle and she wanted her to work her way beyond it.

“The kiss,” Cecilia replied.

There were times Lisa could swear her mother could read her mind. But because she wanted to forestall any idea her mother had to promote any sort of a relationship between her and the firefighter, Lisa tossed her head and tried to sound nonchalant. “What makes you think he kissed me?”

Cecilia came to her then, pretending to study the face she knew better than her own. “Well, either he kissed you, my love, or someone has been leaning on your lips.” Her eyes shone. “Was it wonderful?”

Lisa half committed to a shrug that died away at inception. “Unexpected.”

“But wonderful,” Cecilia pressed, moving so that she could better see her daughter’s face.

“Mother—”

Cecilia cut through the note of protest in her daughter’s voice. “Why won’t you admit that he stirred something inside you?”

Cecilia had never been one of those mothers too busy in her own life to take an interest in hers. She used to think that was a good thing, but right now, Lisa wanted to be left alone so that she could rebuild the foundations that Bryce and his hot lips had shaken and put into jeopardy.

Frustrated, Lisa perched her hands on her hips in a time-worn pose. “Why do you insist that he did?”

Cecilia knew that stance. It was the one Lisa took when she was trying to make her back off so that she could convince herself of something she didn’t believe. Not this time, my darling.

“Because that man would stir the insides of a statue. And because I want you to learn to open up again.” Taking her daughter’s face in her hand, she forced Lisa to look at her. “You used to laugh all the time, Lisa. You do not laugh anymore.”

Lisa pulled her head back. “Yes, I do. Sometimes.” The protest felt flat on her lips. She could never lie to her mother, no matter how hard she tried or how much she wanted to. “Life’s just gotten complicated in the last four years, that’s all.”

Cecilia shook her head, unwilling to be put off. “People with complicated lives laugh.” Her eyes held her daughter’s. “People who hurt, do not.”

Frustrated, Lisa drew away and began to pace restlessly through the room. She had no idea why she felt so restless and had, since the moment she had seen the way Bryce Walker had looked at her. Like a woman. A woman with desires and needs. She’d done her best to ignore that woman, to bury her. But one evening with him threatened to undo all her hard work.

“Don’t you understand?” she pleaded. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid, Mother, being hurt.”

“I do understand.” Aching to take her daughter into her arms to make everything all right, Cecilia held herself in check. She couldn’t make things all right, she knew that. All she could do was pray that her judgment was correct. “I understand that by being so on your guard, you are avoiding so many wonderful feelings. Like being kissed again. Like having your heart take wing.” Cecilia sat down on the bed, patting the place next to her. After a moment, Lisa sighed and sank down beside her mother. “Your father was not my first love.”

This was something she’d never heard before. Lisa had just assumed, from everything she’d witnessed growing up, and from what she’d been privy to, that each of her parents had been the other’s first as well as one and only loves. To learn differently now, after all these years, completely stunned her.

She stared at her mother in utter amazement. “He wasn’t?”

Cecilia shook her head, her eyes softening. “No, my first love was Vincent.” She closed her eyes, remembering. “Vincent gave me my first kiss. He was tall and blond and, oh so very sweet.” She looked at Lisa, wanting to share this with her after all this time. “I loved him more than I could possibly put into words. My family did not approve. Vincent was even poorer than we were, a poor student studying at the university. Only lint in his pockets. None of that mattered.” She sighed, thinking of the naiveté of youth. “We were going to run away together and live on love.”

Lisa could picture that, picture her mother trusting to God and fate and giving her heart freely. It was the kind of person her mother was. “What happened?”

A long, heartfelt sigh escaped Cecilia’s lips. “Vincent was killed in a student protest.” She smiled sadly, covering Lisa’s hand with her own. “Freedom was not a word tolerated kindly by the authorities in my country when I was a young girl. I cried for weeks.” Rousing herself, she cupped her palm on Lisa’s cheek. “The point is, I went on with my life and found your father. He was a truly wonderful man and we had a wonderful life together. And we had you.”

Lisa knew where she was going with this. Knew, too, that the lesson didn’t apply. She rose. “The difference being that your first love was wonderful, Mother. Mine didn’t exactly turn out that way.”

Getting to her feet, Cecilia followed Lisa to the closet. “All the more reason for you to look again. Your perfect love is out there but it will not come knocking on your door, looking for you. Well,” she amended, thinking of Bryce and his unexpected visit, “perhaps it did, but it won’t always be so accommodating. Not without encouragement,” she said pointedly.

Lisa took her nightgown out of the bureau drawer. This could go on for hours. There was no way she could convince her mother to see her side of it and she wasn’t about to capitulate. “You are a romantic, Mother, and I am very tired.”

With a sigh, Cecilia relented. “No, I am a realist and you are very stubborn, but for tonight, I will let you rest.” Beginning to cross the doorway, she suddenly stopped and looked at her daughter. And then smiled.

Closing the drawer again, Lisa saw her expression and paused. “What?”

There’d been something in her daughter’s eyes just then, something unguarded and fleeting that she had witnessed. “It was good, wasn’t it?”

There was no point in lying or attempting to hide the truth. Only to water it down. Lisa shrugged, pretending indifference. “It was all right.”

But Cecilia knew better. “You have your father’s gift for understatement. But you have my eyes.” She leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead. “Pleasant dreams, my love.”

With that she walked out, leaving Lisa to spend the rest of her night with her thoughts and specters of things she both wanted and didn’t want to come.

The tiny bell she’d mounted in lieu of the electronic surveillance system she had yet to hook up sounded, signaling that someone had entered the shop.

Exhausted, she wondered irritably why people didn’t stop to read signs. The one in her window announced that the grand opening of Dreams and Toyland was still a week away. She should have locked the door after the delivery men left, but she’d been too busy looking over what they’d brought.

Fixing a smile she could only pray didn’t look phony, she turned around from the counter littered with different toys she was only now beginning to sort out. “I’m afraid that we’re not opened yet.”

The smile on her lips faded as surprise, disbelief, wariness and more than just a touch of nerves came in its place, freezing her expression.

Bryce slowly ambled in, his hands shoved into the back pockets of a worn pair of jeans that had long since decided to lovingly showcase the contours they adhered to. He was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt that she vaguely remembered hearing referred to as a muscle shirt and it was displaying just that. Muscle. Lots of it.

He was looking around as he approached. She couldn’t begin to guess what he was thinking but something protective rose up in her, ready to field any criticism.

“I was hoping you might make an exception, seeing our connection and all.”

She’d thought that, surely here, she’d have some respite. Annoyed, she rounded the counter and crossed to him, meeting him by a stack of unopened boxes containing large trains originating from Germany.

He’d asked her what she did for a living, but she hadn’t expected him to come searching for her to check the premises out for himself. Especially when she’d been so deliberately vague about where the store was.

“What are you doing here?”

He glanced around, wondering if she was attempting to do this all by herself or if there was an assistant lurking somewhere. “Your mother told me where the store was located.”

Cecilia had told him when he’d dropped by their house this morning that Lisa had only just begun to put the store in order. The woman had obviously been working like a demon, he decided. There were open boxes everywhere and she’d begun making headway on one of the shelves on the back wall. He made a mental note to clean up his place if he ever decided to have her over.

Trust her mother to be on the misguided side of cupid. Though she didn’t relish confrontation, there was no other way to handle this except bluntly. “Why are you following me?”

“I’m not,” he told her quickly, then decided that wasn’t entirely true. “Not exactly.” Funny, he’d never had trouble speaking his mind before, but his tongue felt a little thick in his mouth right now. Had to be the way she looked at him, he decided. Making him lose his train of thought. “Actually—” he glanced around the shop “—I’ve come looking for a toy.”

Yes, she just bet he did. A five-foot-plus toy. Well, it wasn’t going to be her. Or any reasonable facsimile thereof. “Sorry, we don’t carry any life-size dolls to play with.”

He grinned at her rejoinder. He supposed he couldn’t fault her for the image she had of him. Though she didn’t know him, he had to admit that wasn’t entirely without foundation. “It’s not for me, it’s for Lanie.”

She stopped sorting through the clutter on the counter. “Girlfriend?”

He grinned. When she was a very little girl, no older than CeCe, Lanie had informed him in no uncertain terms that she was going to marry him—until she’d gotten a crush on a boy in her kindergarten class. “Not exactly, although she did win my heart the very first time I held her in my arms.” He saw Lisa’s eyes narrow as she looked at him. “She looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers and I just melted.”

Was he going to preen and parade his conquests before her, thinking she was going to be impressed how in demand he was? Irritated, she turned away. “Spare me the details.”

“Why?” He came around to the counter. Leaning on it with his elbow, he bent over and peered into her face. “I thought you liked kids.”

“I do—” Since he wasn’t moving, she stopped trying to work. And then, like an instant replay at a sporting event, his words hit her. “What does this have to do with kids?”

“Everything, although Lanie doesn’t think of herself as one. At ten, she thinks she is a young woman. But, young woman or not, she still loves stuffed animals.” He liked the way surprise, mingled with what he took to be embarrassment, filtered into Lisa’s eyes. It gave her a very desirable look. “She has about a couple hundred, a lot of them from me. Unfortunately, Lanie keeps most of them on her bed, something her mother holds me accountable for.

“But it’s Lanie’s birthday next week and I’m trying to find an exotic stuffed animal she doesn’t have yet.” He straightened. “As you’ve probably guessed, this gets to be more and more of a challenge.”

Lisa was trying to sort out all the fragments of information coming at her. “Is Lanie your daughter?”

He shook his head. “My niece. I don’t have any kids, but I’ve got squatter’s rights to my niece and nephew.” He raised one teasing brow. “Does that make me a semigood person in your eyes?”

She moved back, determined not to repeat last night’s mistake. If he couldn’t get close to her, he couldn’t kiss her. Couldn’t send her into another night of sleeplessness.

And for that matter, she wasn’t about to get drawn into any kind of an intimate conversation, either. “All my eyes see is a man.”

He laughed softly to himself. “Well, that’s a healthy start at any rate. So—” he looked slowly around, wondering just where to start in this sea of unopened shipping cartons “—do you have any exotic stuffed animals in your inventory?” Seeing what looked like a cluster of stuffed animals peering out of one box, he made his way over to the side of the store where she had begun stocking the shelves earlier.

It was against her better judgment, but she followed him. A sale was a sale. “You’re serious then?”

He picked up a gorilla with particularly soulful eyes. Lanie already had a gorilla, but not one with eyes like this. In a pinch, if he didn’t find anything else, this would do.

Holding the gorilla before him, he turned around. “I never joke about stuffed animals.” He saw her lower lip curve slightly and considered it a breakthrough. “Hey, you can smile before noon.”

Lisa figured it was safer not to comment. Instead she began taking out animals she had packed earlier in the week and placing them on the bottom shelf. She was a sucker for stuffed animals herself, but there was no reason to tell him that. “Just how exotic were you thinking?”

The question evoked a smile as, looking at her, he put an entirely different spin on the word. He saw a blush creeping up her cheek that he found strangely endearing. In general, his taste ran to far more worldly, experienced women. They were the kind who didn’t ask for commitments and expected none. But there was just something about Lisa…

He figured maybe it was just the novelty. “Why don’t you run some things by me and I’ll let you know?”

Wetting her lips, she turned away and dug through the box, inadvertently giving him a stirring view to occupy his mind while he waited. Finding what she was looking for, she held up a rather realistic, yet cuddly looking grizzly bear. “How’s this?”

He shook his head. He’d given Lanie the exact same one for an outstanding report card. “She already has it.”

Lanie, it quickly became apparent, also had the elephant, the ostrich, the six-foot brown snake and the emu she produced. Impressed at the extent of his niece’s collection, Lisa placed the stuffed cheetah she was holding on display and contemplated the contents of the box. She had other unusual stuffed animals, but they were somewhere in the back, in the boxes she had yet to open.

“You weren’t kidding when you said your niece had unusual stuffed animals.”

“It’s what she loves,” he told her. “I always try to accommodate a lovely lady.”

Before she could make a cryptic comment, Bryce surveyed the store’s interior with a discerning eye. The sign outside said that she was opening in a week. That probably meant she was going to work herself into a frenzy to be ready on time. Most of the displays were empty and there were shelves lying on the floor that had to go up. His schedule was such that he worked two days and then was off two days—which gave him the time to help her out if she was interested.

He knew he was.

Bryce turned back to her, tucking his hands back into his pockets. “Say, you need a hand with all this?”

That’s all she needed, to have him talk his way into staying.

Ignoring him, she turned away and went back to work. The story about trying to find an unusual stuffed animal was probably just a ruse, anyway. “I can manage, thank you.”

At first glance, he thought, she didn’t particularly look like a stubborn woman. Just went to show how deceptive appearances could be. “Yes, but two can manage faster than one.”

She spared him a quick glance. “Not if one of the two keeps getting in the way.”

Presenting himself before her, he spread his hands wide. “Then order me around. I’m obedient. Housebroken, too.”

She paused, wondering what she had done to merit this onslaught of attention. Maybe he liked being discouraged. “Why are you so determined to help?”

The shrug was innocent—and unconvincing from where she stood. “I’m a frustrated Good Samaritan.”

The line about cutting her nose to spite her face occurred to her. She couldn’t afford to hire anyone when she wasn’t bringing in any income. And there were a lot of boxes to lug out.

With a heartfelt sigh, she surrendered. “As long as you’re not a frustrated anything else, I guess I could use some muscle.”

“Muscle at your service.” To underscore his statement, he struck a typical body builder pose and made a muscle with his right arm.

She was going to say something flippant, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what. The words flew completely out of her head the second she looked at him.

The man was built like a rock, a gorgeous rock. When he flexed his arm like that, his entire upper torso transformed into a body that heretofore she’d only seen in a museum of art in New York.

It took her a minute to find her tongue and another minute to remember how to use it. The fact that it had gone dry didn’t help matters any. “There’re some boxes with trains in the storeroom. Bring them out.”

“And?” he prodded when she didn’t continue. “I can actually remember two-step instructions on occasions. Try me.”

Try me. Why did that sound like such a tempting invitation instead of just a line said in jest? She waved him on his way, wishing that the air-conditioning system was hooked up. She was suddenly incredibly warm. “Just bring them out.”

He saluted, winked and went to do her bidding. Leaving her stomach suddenly constricting and transforming itself into a pretzel.

In Bryce’s estimation, the view from where he found himself standing at the moment more than made up for the discomfort of hauling around inventory in a store where the air-conditioning system had yet to be turned on and the temperature was hovering somewhere between dreadful and fully roasted.

The woman had legs worth killing for.

Turning around to ask a question about where the next box of electric trains was to be displayed, he saw Lisa perched at the third from the top rung of the mobile ladder. The ladder was leaning against the back wall shelves and she was stubbornly intent on stacking extra boxes of Molly Twinkle and her entire entourage. The tan shorts she was wearing were hiking up on her thigh to a dangerous, mouthwatering level and had him remembering fragments of an old poem some English teacher whose name he’d long since forgotten had tried to drum into his head. The woman he was looking at was a thing of beauty.

Especially when she reached up like that, making her cotton candy pink tank top strain against her small, firm breasts.

He had to remind himself to breathe.

The firefighter in him, the part that dealt with people who took spills or found themselves trapped in awkward places, stopped admiring the view and snapped to attention.

“Careful,” he called out as he crossed to her.

But it was already too late. The instant he issued the warning, Lisa turned in his direction and lost her balance.

He didn’t remember how he managed to cross the rest of the way in less than a second, but he did. He was able to catch her just as she tumbled from the ladder before it crashed to the ground. The resulting jolt went right through his entire body. He knew what he experienced couldn’t all be attributed to catching her free-falling body. Some of it came from feeling that body slam against his.

She clung to him a second too long, startled by the fall and by the heat ignited in its wake the second she found herself pressed against him.

Flushed, her heart pounding, Lisa loosened her arms from around his neck. Had he not caught her in time, that could have been one nasty fall, putting her out of commission for who knew how long. And putting a temporary hold on any income the store could provide. He’d saved her.

But he’d been the one to cause her to fall in the first place.

Lisa glared at him. “You’ve got to stop sneaking up on me like that.”

“Calling out a warning from across the length of the store is hardly sneaking,” he pointed out. She looked winded. And scared. “You okay?”

Her annoyance abated. After all, he did catch her. “All except for my dignity.”

She certainly felt okay from where he was standing. He raised a shoulder, letting it fall. “Dignity is highly overrated, anyway,” Bryce said.

Some very unsettling things were going on inside her and she didn’t like them. She had neither the desire nor the time to cover ground she’d crossed before, no matter what her mother’s philosophy was. “Don’t you have a fire to put out or something?”

His eyes touched her face, lingering. Making her want things she didn’t want to want. “I’m working on it.”

The way he said it definitely scrambled all circuits she was trying so desperately to keep untangled. She took a deep breath, but it didn’t help. “You can put me down now.”

He laughed, gamely setting her down. “Spoil-sport.” Running his hand through his damp hair, he looked at her. “I’m ready for a break, how about you?”

She paused, looking around the store. He’d been right. With his help, she was making tremendous progress. So much so that she could safely make the date marked on the placard hung in the window with perhaps even time to spare. At the very least, it would give her more time to be with CeCe.

“Okay,” she allowed. “What did you have in mind?”

This time, his laugh was deeper. Sexier. She had to struggle not to blush though she couldn’t have explained why she felt the inclination.

“Never give a man a leading line like that.” Leaning into her, Bryce lowered his voice. “He just might tell you.”

Embarrassed, she frowned. “I meant as in food.”

He let her off the hook. “I saw a pizza place at the other end of the mall.” It was one of a popular chain. “We could go there or have them deliver.”

“Deliver.” When he passed his hand over her hair, she nearly jumped. Pulling back, she stared at him. “What are you doing?”

She couldn’t have jumped more than if he’d threatened her with a hot poker. What was she afraid of? It couldn’t be him. He was being as easygoing as he knew how.

“You have a cobweb in your hair,” he told her. Showing her the residue on his fingers, he added, “Just getting it out.”

He had to think she was an idiot, she upbraided herself. Not that it mattered what he thought, of course. Annoyed, she took another step back from him. “I wish you wouldn’t keep touching me.”

To make her feel a little more at ease, he slipped his hands back into his pockets. But he wasn’t about to lie. His eyes continued to linger on her.

“Well, there we seem to have a problem, because I’m a touching kind of guy—and I like touching you, Lisa,” he told her honestly. “Besides, I haven’t figured out how to catch a falling body without using my hands.”

“I guess I’m just a little wired, that’s all.” And he was the reason why, she added silently. Still, it wasn’t something she wanted him to know. “Sorry.”

He inclined his head. “Apology accepted. You’ve had a lot to deal with lately, what with moving, CeCe disappearing on you and trying to get your store in shape. You’ve got the right to get a little crazy.”

When something seemed too good to be true, it usually was. It was an old rule of thumb she’d learned the hard way. She applied it to him now. “Are you going out of your way to seem incredibly nice?”

“Not out of my way exactly, but…” His voice trailed off, his eyes amused. “How’m I doing?”

That she wasn’t about to tell him, either. She gestured at the phone. That, at least, was working. “Why don’t you see about ordering that pizza?”

“I’ve got a better idea.” He took her hand in his.

For a second, she was too surprised to pull it away. “What are you doing?”

“It’s called holding your hand. It’s acceptable behavior in most cultures, hardly ever punishable by death these days.” But when she pulled her hand away, he made no move to take it again. “I think you just need to get away from the dust and the work for a little while. I’ll even treat.”

The protest on her tongue just didn’t seem to find its way past her lips and when he led the way out of the store, she followed.

Chapter Six

She insisted on paying for lunch, telling him to put his money away when the pizza arrived. The adamant way she said it left no room for argument. After a beat, Bryce surrendered amiably, returning his wallet to his back pocket and they took slices from opposite ends of the large pie.

“I don’t believe in wrestling with a lady—in public,” he added with what she could have sworn was a twinkle in his eye, but was probably just a result of the rather sporadically arranged lighting fixtures in the small restaurant. “But I really would have felt better if you’d let me take care of the bill.”

“You’re helping me in the store, the least I can do is pay for lunch.” The gleam in his eye seemed to get brighter. She wasn’t so sure about it being a trick of lighting anymore. To be on the safe side, she amended her statement. “Let me rephrase that, the only thing I can and will do is pay for lunch.”

She wasn’t afraid of him, exactly, he thought, but he had a definite feeling she was afraid of something. Bryce reached for a napkin before washing the pizza slice down with some of his beer. “Not a very trusting soul, are you?”

She drew herself up, wondering if he was going to analyze her. “Not when it comes to men, no.”

Bryce paused a moment before selecting a second slice. “Did he hurt you badly?”

For some reason, the question didn’t rankle her. Maybe because she’d been trying so hard to put distance between herself and what had happened. Or maybe because some of it had become somewhat muted over the last five years.

“Not that it’s any business of yours, but, yes, he did.” She nibbled thoughtfully on the edge of her slice, remembering. “He promised me forever. The only way it could have been forever was if he’d been a fruit fly. He left the minute he knew I was going to go through with my pregnancy.”

Bryce stopped eating. The taste in his mouth had suddenly turned bad. The beer didn’t help. “He wanted you to have an abortion?”

Even now, Lisa couldn’t get herself to wrap her tongue around the word. The idea of sweeping away a life that she had shared in creating in the first place was completely alien to her. And reprehensible. Knowing that Kyle held the opposite view had been the beginning of her awakening. And the end of her love.

“He wanted us to remain ‘unencumbered.’” She used Kyle’s word for it. Lisa picked up her slice again. “What he wanted was to remain free to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.” The smile that rose to her lips was self-mocking. How could she have been so blind? “I thought I was marrying Mr. Wonderful and what I got was Peter Pan, which would have been fine if I had been Tinker Bell, but I wasn’t. I was Wendy and I had to grow up. I wanted to grow up. He didn’t and wouldn’t.”

Surprised at the unexpected revelation, Bryce decided to press her a little more. “How long have you been divorced?”

There was a time she’d known exactly down to the day, but just in the past year, she had begun to let go. “Since before CeCe was born.”

He wondered if this ex-husband had been the reason for her move out here. “Did he come around often?”

Lisa pretended to think before answering. “Let me see… There has to be a ‘once’ in an ‘often,’ doesn’t there?”

Bryce wasn’t sure just where she was going with this. “Yes,” he allowed, cautious.

The laugh was short, dismissive and entirely without humor. “Then no, he didn’t.”

She made it sound so final. He thought of the little girl with the heartbreaker eyes. How could anyone willingly ignore a daughter? Or any child for that matter? He didn’t begin to understand it, even though in his line of work he’d been given evidence of just that more than once or twice. “He’s never even come by to see her?”

Lisa shook her head, aching not for herself, but for CeCe. With all her heart, she wished she could have given the little girl a better father than the one she had. “I sent him an announcement, and then a photograph. He never responded.”

It was hard for Bryce to fathom. “Maybe he never got it.”

“We lived in Mesa, just outside of Dallas. It was a town small enough for people to know everyone’s business. Besides, I had a friend who worked in the post office. Kyle got the announcement. And the photograph. He just wasn’t interested. There was someone new in his life, someone he could call baby without having the term really apply.” That was when Lisa knew she’d have to leave town. She didn’t want to take a chance on running into her ex-husband and his girlfriend.

A shrug punctuated her words as she turned away so that Bryce wouldn’t see that there were tears gathering in her eyes. Not tears because she missed Kyle, but tears because she’d been so stupid as to give her heart away to someone who didn’t really deserve it.

Bryce knew she wouldn’t appreciate his commenting on what she’d told him, so he kept most of the feelings to himself. But he couldn’t help saying, “He shouldn’t have married you if he didn’t want kids.”

She toyed with her second piece, noticing that Bryce was on his way to having his fourth. “Yeah well, according to what he said to me the night it all blew up, he kind of thought that part was understood.” Bryce cocked his head, silently urging her to continue when she paused. “That we had something good going that he didn’t want to change.”

He reached for his glass again. “And did you?”

She didn’t follow him. “Did I what?”

Bryce looked at her eyes. “Have something good going?”

“I thought we did.” She wondered if admitting that made her a fool. Perhaps in a way, it did. She told him anyway. Talking about it, after having kept it inside for so long, felt oddly therapeutic. “Trouble was, I thought I had it going with a person I only thought was there. Kyle didn’t turn out to be the person I thought I was marrying. He wasn’t boyishly charming, he was selfish and irresponsible. He liked being taken care of.” Her smile was rueful. “I thought it was because he needed me, not because he was lazy.” She blew out a breath. She’d said far more than she’d intended to. “You live, you learn, right?”

He reached over and, just for a second, placed his hand over his. She looked at him in surprise, but didn’t pull back. “Some things a person shouldn’t have to learn.”

Lisa feigned interest in the slice that still remained on her plate. “Speaking of learning, you seemed to have pulled a great deal more out of me than I wanted to volunteer.” She raised her eyes to his. “What’s your story?”

The shrug Bryce gave her was dismissive rather than calculating or coy. “Not much of a story. Son of a firefighter who becomes a firefighter.”

She frowned. “That’s it?”

His eyes met hers to show that he wasn’t attempting to hold anything back. The way he saw it, there wasn’t anything of interest to hold back. “That’s it.”

Lisa didn’t believe him. “No ex-wives, no fiancées, no girlfriends calling your house and the fire station at all hours?”

He grinned. “No ex-wives, no fiancées, but I’m not a monk.”

“But you don’t believe in marriage,” Lisa commented.

“Not for me.”

Another one. Was that all there was in life? She closed her eyes and sighed. “Lord, deliver me from Peter Pans.”

He didn’t particularly like being lumped into the same class as her ex-husband. Although Bryce didn’t know the man, he didn’t like him. “I’m not Peter Pan. At times,” he told her honestly, “there’s nothing I want more than a wife and kids.”

Yeah, right, Lisa thought. “Not believing in marriage makes that kind of tough.”

“The reason I don’t ask anyone to marry me is because—”

Lisa held up her hand, stopping him. “No, let me field this one.” Passing her hand over her forehead, she pretended to divine his explanation. “Let’s see, you don’t want to do anything to spoil a perfect friendship. Or, you just haven’t found that special someone, but she might be just around the corner, so you’re going to keep looking and sampling.” He began to interrupt, but she just plowed ahead. “Or, you just don’t know if you could handle the pressure of being a good husband so you don’t want to put anyone through the torture of putting up with you.” Finished, she scrutinized his face. “Any of that work for you?”

Her ex must have really done a number on her, Bryce thought. The urge to hold her came out of nowhere. He let it go.

“What I couldn’t handle,” he told her slowly, deliberately, “is knowing that if something happened to me, someone I loved would be in pain.”

He could see she wasn’t following him. He supposed it did no harm to tell her. It wasn’t something he was accustomed to talking about, but as she’d pointed out, she’d bared some of her soul to him. Turn about was only fair.

“My father died in the line of duty when I was thirteen. I spent the next year not only grieving for him, but watching my mother fall apart bit by bit, withdrawing into a world I couldn’t enter.”

Instant empathy rose within Lisa for his mother. And for him. Feeling guilty as well, she bit her lip. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so flippant. What happened to your mother?”

It had happened so long ago now, but with very little effort, it felt like just yesterday. “My mother couldn’t bear the pain, couldn’t stand the thought of what had happened to my father. Or of her going on without him. She was in an institution for a while, until she got better.”

Without realizing it, Lisa lowered her voice. “What about you?”

He tried to pass that part off lightly. “My brother and I went to live with my father’s best friend. A great guy named Sugar Riley.”

“Sugar?” That didn’t sound like the kind of name any man would tolerate.

“Yeah.” He laughed. “It was a nickname pinned to him by some unthinking aunt when he was a kid. It stuck. Sugar became my uncle, his wife, my aunt. At least for two and a half years, until my mother came home from the hospital.”

Were there scars, she wondered, left in places he didn’t visit emotionally anymore? To look at him, she would’ve said no, but then, to look at him she wouldn’t have guessed that he’d suffered any sort of emotional trauma to begin with. The look in Bryce’s eyes now told her differently.

“What happened after that?”

He contemplated the liquid at the bottom of his glass for a moment, then finished it. “I’d like to say she made a full recovery, but she didn’t. She was never quite the same, though she tried.” Too painful to dwell on, he banished the memory. “The upshot of the whole thing is that I don’t think it’s fair to put someone you love through that kind of pain. The way I see it, you have to make responsible choices in life.” There was one slice of pizza left and he silently offered it to her. When she shook her head, he slid it onto his own plate. “And I made mine. I became a firefighter, something I always wanted to be.” Even if he tried, he couldn’t imagine himself being anything else.

That sounded a little drastic to her. Was it an excuse he used to hide behind? “So, in your opinion, firefighters should be like priests.”

Given his lifestyle, the comparison amused him. “In a way.”

The expression on his face pretty much said it all, but she pursued the topic a little further. “Celibate.”

Bryce laughed then, wiping his mouth. “No, not that far.”

She figured as much. Leaning back, she slowly wiped her fingertips. “Just romance without ties.”

Bryce watched her movements. Funny, when she did that, he could almost feel her fingers brushing against his skin. The thought made him warm. And curious. “You make it sound cold.”

There was something in his gaze that was definitely getting to her. “Isn’t it?”

“Doesn’t have to be.” Leaning over the table, he got to the heart of what was really on his mind. “I’d like to keep seeing you.”

She felt her heart hitch. Damn, why did he have to be so direct, so honest? She preferred the word games to facing something right now. Trying her best to remain aloof, she asked, “To what end?”

The question amused him. She sounded as if she was reviewing a job application. “Mutual enjoyment.”

There was a wisp of hair falling into her face. He gently moved it behind her ear. The startled look that came into her eyes reminded him of a puppy he’d once found, a puppy that had been mistreated and was suspicious of kindness. He dropped his hand.

“From what I gather, you’re not exactly in the market for marriage, either. And I did enjoy that kiss in your kitchen.”

She blew out a breath and hoped it didn’t sound as shaky to him as it did to her. “I’ve misjudged you.”

“Good misjudged or bad misjudged?” Bryce inquired gamely.

That, she thought, depended entirely on your perspective. She wasn’t altogether certain of hers. “I didn’t think you were an honest man.”

He laughed softly under his breath. “I’ve got to remember to leave my black cloak at home more often.” He moved his plate toward the empty pizza tray. “So, what do you say?”

Moving her chair back, Lisa tossed her napkin onto her plate. “For now, I say that I have to get back to the shop.”

He rose and she noticed that he left a five-dollar bill on the table as a tip for the boy who bused the tables. Kyle, she recalled, liked to hoard every dime, saving it to spend on himself.

She had to stop comparing the two men, she upbraided herself. There was no reason to compare Bryce to anyone who had passed through her life, especially not Kyle.

“And later?” he pressed when she said nothing.

“Will be later.” Her tone was flippant and noncommittal. The response didn’t feel right to her and she added, “We’ll see.”

Yes, he thought, we will.

With his hand at the small of her back, he guided her to the door as if this was a routine they’d been comfortably following for a long time. “Nothing I like better than a challenge.”

Lisa bit her lip and remained silent. That was exactly what she was afraid of.

“What’s this?” Bryce found himself looking into the animated face of the stuffed animal that Lisa held up in front of him. They’d put in three more hours since they’d returned from the pizzeria, working diligently to transform the store into something that would charm both parents and children. He’d never seen a woman work as hard as Lisa. He was surprised when she’d abruptly announced a couple of minutes ago that they were through for the day and that he was welcome to leave.

“It’s a porcupine.” She looked into the face of the toy she’d just spent the last twenty minutes searching for, trying to remember which box it had been packed in. Its soulful expression made her smile. She figured it would warm the heart of any stuffed animal aficionado. “At least, a cute, cuddly version of one.” She offered it to him. “I thought that maybe Lanie didn’t have one in her collection.”

“She doesn’t.” Taking the stuffed animal from her, he looked it over. His niece was going to fall in love with it. Bryce took out his wallet. “How much?”

She pushed the wallet back at him. “Call it payment in full.”

“Long name.” He pretended to consider it, then grinned. “Maybe ‘pay’ for short.” Bryce flipped open his wallet with one hand, taking out several larger bills. “Seriously, you can’t make a go of the store if you give things away.”

She ignored the money. Instead she took out one of the bags she’d had made for the store and, taking the porcupine from him, tucked it inside. She held the bag out to him. “I like to pay my debts.”

He’d never found stubborn an appealing trait before. Maybe, he thought, it was the way she raised her chin that did it. The word adorable filtered through his mind. He knew she wouldn’t have been happy at the description.

“You paid for lunch,” he pointed out.

Why did he have to give her an argument about this? She was trying to do something nice, she thought in suppressed frustration. “If I’d had someone helping me, they would have charged a lot more than eight dollars for the day.”

He thought about that for a second. “The pizza and beer came to sixteen.”

“I had half,” she reminded him.

Taking the forest-green bag from her, he peeked inside. The porcupine was looking up at him with the same soulful eyes. “So this is to make up for the rest.”

“Yes.” The word reeked of frustration.

“Okay.” He inclined his head, surrendering. And then he placed the bag on the counter, his eyes remaining on her face. “Any chance of a tip?”

She wasn’t sure she followed him. “Tip?” Lisa looked around the store. Had he seen another toy that caught his fancy? “You want something more?”

He liked the choice of words. “Yes.”

The way he said it had her turning around to look at him again, knowing what he wanted.

The same thing she did.

But she’d been wrong before. Maybe she was wrong now. Maybe she misunderstood everything. Her breath suddenly coming to a halt within her lungs, she raised her eyes to his. “What?”

The smile that bloomed on his lips teased her. Pulled her in. Just as his arms did. A flush of warmth followed swiftly in their wake.

“Guess.”

Because her lips were suddenly unbearably dry, she moistened them. And saw desire flare in his eyes. “The emu?”

Slowly he shook his head, his eyes never leaving hers. “Not even warm.”

But she was warm. Warm, bordering on hot. Hot arrived the instant his mouth touched hers.

She would have liked to have said it was the beer she had at lunch that made her head spin, but it had only been a single mug and besides, lunch had been hours ago. It might have been a tad more accurate to blame her condition on the fact that the store, though not airless, was still pretty stifling.

But it had nothing to do with beer, or stagnant air and everything to do with the deep, tangy flavor of Bryce’s mouth. Everything to do with the stirring excitement of his breath as it caressed her face. And everything to do with the hardness of his body as it gently pressed against hers.

Giving herself up to the sensation, to the desire that sprang forth, full and fresh, she leaned into his body, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The kiss deepened, as did her reaction. She felt herself tumbling into a whirlpool and sliding there willingly.

It had been a long time since she’d wanted a man.

The abruptness of the thought had her pulling back, pulling away so quickly, that, caught by surprise, Bryce almost stumbled into her, falling forward before regaining his balance.

The smile was rueful, the recovery quick. One look in his eyes told her that she hadn’t been the only one to have felt the jolt or experienced the exhilaration. Knowing didn’t help one bit.

Clearly shaken, Bryce laughed, picking up the bag again from the counter. “I guess maybe I was over-charging you.”

Lisa cleared her throat. Everything within her felt as if it was about to go up in flames at any second. She tried to tell herself that it was the novelty of a man, not the man himself, that was creating this reaction, but she wasn’t very convincing.

“Maybe,” she agreed hoarsely. Clearing her throat again, she turned away, fumbling for the purse she had tossed in a corner. “I’ve got to get home. I promised CeCe I’d be back in time to play a game with her before she went to bed.”

He wanted to explore what had just happened a little further. “I’m good at games.”

Turning around again, she slid her purse onto her shoulder. “I bet you are.” It was so tempting to ask him to come along. She knew that CeCe and her mother would be happy to see him.

But that was just it. She didn’t want to give in to temptation. The man had been utterly up-front with her, and she was grateful to him for that, for telling her that there wouldn’t be any ties between them. And he was right, she didn’t want a husband or marriage. Ever.

She stopped. If she felt that way, what was the harm in having him come over? What was the harm in spending a little time with a man who made her blood heat if they both knew this wouldn’t go further?

The trouble was, she knew, that heated things had a tendency to catch fire when you weren’t paying attention.

The tug-of-war she felt going on inside confused her. And irritated her. She took her irritation out on the source.

“You told me at lunch you didn’t want a family. You can’t have mine.”

He was about to tell her that the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind, but then he realized that maybe it had. Maybe the way he sated his sublimated desire to have a family of his own was to borrow others’ for a little while.

He wasn’t the type to press. “Fair enough,” he allowed.

Damn him, why did he have to be so reasonable? She’d just acted like a fishwife, after he’d spent the day toiling in a stifling store, helping her. Guilt had her calling out to him.

“I didn’t mean to sound like a shrew.”

He turned around at the door. “You didn’t.” An enigmatic smile tugged on his lips. “I just wouldn’t try out for the town welcoming committee anytime soon if I were you.”

She opened her mouth to say something, then decided that maybe it was for the best, for both of them, if she didn’t. If she just let him walk out the door.

So she did.

Chapter Seven

To her relief—and disappointment—Bryce didn’t stop by the store to offer his services the next day. Or the day after that, either.

Feeling a little let down, Lisa told herself she was being ridiculous. This was just what she wanted. To be left alone, to get her store ready in peace and to keep her life moving along the track she’d taken. A track that exclusively involved her daughter, her mother and her business. If there was any time left over, well, a woman could do with a little of her own space now and again, too. Nothing wrong with a little alone time. There was absolutely no need for a man with wavy, dark blond hair and eyes the color of wild shamrocks in her life. None at all.

Still, every so often over the course of those next two days, she found herself looking over toward the front door. Just in case Bryce decided to launch another invasion. After all, it never hurt to be prepared.

With each passing hour of each day, it became increasingly apparent that there was nothing to be prepared for.

The only people who arrived at her shop-in-progress had deliveries to make, except for the manager of the mall and he only stopped by late the second afternoon to see how things were coming along.

Struggling to maneuver yet another large shipment of toys to the rear of the shop, Lisa realized she missed Bryce. Or at least his muscle. She decided, slashing through the cellophane tape at the top of the box, that maybe she’d actually finally succeeded in getting her message across to him. The one that said she wasn’t interested. Nope, not a whit. With a yank, she opened the box. Stuffed animals came pouring out.

If she were being honest with herself, there was a small part of her that was irritated that Bryce had given up so easily.

With a sigh, she ran her hand through her hair. “Damn it, Lisa, make up your mind. Either you want him interested, or you don’t. If you do, you’d better get your act together and if you don’t, well, congratulations, you’ve won.”

The odd thing of it was, she didn’t feel like much of a winner.

She forced herself to focus on her work and not the man who’d inadvertently—or possibly on purpose—messed with her mind. She worked steadily, finding places to house the latest shipment of toy citizens to her store. By the time the last stuffed animal had found housing, it was half past seven.

Tired, looking at her watch, Lisa decided to call it a day. The store, thanks to her own industry and the one whirlwind day that she’d spent working side by side with Bryce, was really getting in shape. She was ahead of even her own far from conservative estimates.

Locking the door, she looked at the sign in the window proclaiming the grand opening date. If things kept going the way they were, she’d be ready before then. Maybe she should see about moving ahead the opening date, she mused.

The ringing sound coming from her purse had her putting her thoughts on hold as she rummaged around through things she meant to throw out, looking for the elusive object. Finally getting her hands on it, she pulled the cell phone out and flipped open the cover.

No one had her number here except her mother and her mother never called it just to “chat.” She felt nervous as she put her ear to the phone.

“Hi, Mom, what’s up?”

“CeCe’s temperature,” came the terse response. “It has been high all afternoon. I think you had better come home, Lisa.”

Her mother was not an alarmist by nature. Lisa could feel her stomach tightening into an unmanagable knot. She was already striding through the mall’s west end, intent on getting to her car. “How high is it?”

There was a slight pause, as if Cecilia was worried about telling her. “A hundred and four. I just took it.”

The knot in her stomach turned to pure lead. Lisa lengthened her stride. “I’m on my way.”

With fear impeding her, it took Lisa a few minutes to locate her car in the large parking lot. When she did, she strove to make up for lost time. She drove the speed limit all the way home. Several times, when there were no other cars around to get in the way, she knew she went over the limit. It didn’t matter, her little girl needed her. Weaving in and out of traffic, she covered the distance from the mall to her house in record time.

Until they reached the age of seven, Lisa knew that children’s temperatures fluctuated wildly, knew that children could seem deathly ill one minute and almost completely recovered the next, with theme and variations occurring in between.

But it was one thing to know about these things academically and another to experience them firsthand. Quite another to have it happening to her daughter. She couldn’t calm down. Half formed fears rose up to torture her.

Any way she looked at it, Lisa didn’t like CeCe’s temperature climbing that high. The little girl had seemed a little listless this morning when she left but Lisa had just chalked that up to a reaction to the heat. While the weather in Southern California was far drier than what they’d left behind in Dallas, after a certain point hot was still hot and today had been a particularly brutal day. Thank God the air conditioner was finally working in the store.

But her mind wasn’t on the air conditioning in the store just then. It was on her daughter. Pulling up askew in the driveway, she threw up the hand brake, raced out of the car and burst through the front door.

Her mother was just coming out of CeCe’s room. One look at her face had Lisa’s heart freezing. Cecilia’s face was ash-gray. The last time Lisa remembered seeing it that color, her father had just died.

Lisa was halfway up the stairs before her mother could come down. “How is she?”

Cecilia shook her head. Her voice quavered when she spoke. “Not good. Still a hundred and four. I have been bathing her in cool water, but it does not help. We need to get her to a doctor, or a hospital emergency room as soon as possible.”

If this had been Mesa, Lisa would have already been on the phone to CeCe’s pediatrician. Or bundling her into the car to drive over to the hospital in Dallas. But the comfort of the familiar was absent here, adding another layer to her dilemma. She had no doctor to turn to in Bedford, knew of no reliable hospital.

Finding a doctor or hospital was an easy enough thing. She could just look through the yellow pages of the phone book. But the phone book couldn’t tell her who the best doctor was, which hospital had a better reputation than another, all the important things that mattered in moments like this. Only experience or word-of-mouth could and she didn’t know of anyone to ask.

Except, she realized, someone with a niece who collected stuffed animals.

“What are you doing?” Cecilia asked when Lisa headed for the living room instead of up the stairs.

“Getting help. Go back to CeCe, Mom. I’ll be up as soon as I can.”

Cecilia nodded, leaving. Lisa pulled out the residential phone book from inside the cabinet beneath the wet bar and turned to the front of it.

On the stairs, Cecilia turned to see what she was doing. “Who are you calling? You know a doctor?”

Lisa tried to remember where the listings of city facilities were kept. “No, but I might know someone who does.”

Paging quickly through the government pages, she found what she was looking for. Cradling the receiver between her head and shoulder, she dialed.

The deep voice that answered the telephone on the second ring informed her that she had reached “Orange County Fire Station 6.”

“Hello, is Bryce there? Bryce Walker.” She realized belatedly that she didn’t even know if today was one of his “on” days to work, or how to reach him if it wasn’t. Mentally she crossed her fingers, waiting.

The person on the other end paused, as if debating giving out that kind of information. “Who’s calling, please?”

“Lisa Billings. If he’s there, please tell him it’s an emergency.” Several agonizing minutes passed before she heard someone picking up the receiver again.

“Lisa?”

It was Bryce. She didn’t have time to make excuses or apologies for calling him at work like this, didn’t have time to deal with the audible bewilderment she heard in his voice or the sense of tentative relief that washed over her.

“Yes, it’s me. Bryce, is there any way that you would know the name of your niece’s pediatrician?”

“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. His brother works with my brother.” Concern edged out bewilderment in his voice. “Why?”

“It’s CeCe. She’s running a hundred and four temperature.” Lisa struggled to keep the hysteria out of her voice. She wasn’t going to do CeCe any good falling apart. “My mother says she’s been like this the better part of the day and I don’t know anyone here besides you. What’s the doctor’s name?”

“Rafe Saldana. Hold on, I’ll be right over.”

A sense of gratitude, immense and nearly overwhelming swept over her, surprising her by its appearance. She didn’t try to analyze it. All that mattered was CeCe. “Aren’t you on duty?”

“Just getting off. If you’d called ten minutes later, I would have been on my way home.”

Rummaging through the cabinet, she searched for a pen and something to write on. She settled for a pencil and the margin of the phone book. “How do you spell Saldana?”

He gave her the spelling, adding that the doctor was located in the Newport Beach medical complex. “Tell the nurse it’s an emergency, they’ll fit you in,” he promised before he hung up.

He was at her doorstep just as she was ending her call. She opened the door, the cell phone in her hand. Her eyes didn’t seem to focus on him as she stepped back, allowing him in. “Yes, doctor. And thank you.”

One look at her face and he knew that Lisa hadn’t used the word emergency carelessly when she’d call the station.

Disconnecting the call, she looked at Bryce for the first time. “That was the doctor on the phone. He said to bring CeCe right over.” Lisa tossed the phone in her purse, relieved to see him and flustered by the feeling. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you out like this.”

He paused a moment to pass his hand comfortingly along her cheek. “Hey, emergencies are my line of work, remember? It’s not all fires. I’ve got paramedic training, too. Where is she?”

“Upstairs, in her room. My mother’s with her.”

Not waiting for her, he strode up the stairs. Walking into CeCe’s room, he nodded at Cecilia, but his attention was on the little girl.

“Hi, short stuff,” Bryce said softly, coming to stand over her bed. “I hear you’re not feeling too cool right now.”

The small, flushed face brightened only marginally when she saw her visitor. “No,” she moaned. “Bryce, I feel hot.”

“I know you do.” Cecilia rose and moved out of his way. As gently as possible, Bryce scooped CeCe up in his arms, blanket and all. “But we’re going to have you feeling better in no time.”

The small, delicate form nestled against him, giving him all her trust. “Really?” she asked. He felt his heart twist inside his chest.

“Really. It’s my job,” he told her solemnly. Moving swiftly, careful not to jolt her, he carried CeCe down the stairs. Lisa and her mother followed directly behind him. “I’ll drive. I’ve got the car right out front,” he told Lisa.

Instincts of self-preservation, honed so sharply in the past five years, rose automatically within her, prompting Lisa’s protest. “So do I.”

His eyes narrowed as he glanced at her. “You’re in no condition to drive. It’d be better for CeCe if you stayed in the back with her.” He knew that right now, CeCe needed as little turmoil around her as possible. Turning toward Cecilia, he tried to be reassuring as he silently instructed her to remain behind. “We’ll call you as soon as we know anything.”

Cecilia nodded, understanding, as she accompanied them to the front door. She held it open for them. “Thank you. And God bless you.”

Following him, Lisa saw that Bryce had driven the red paramedic car over rather than his own vehicle. She looked at him questioningly.

“We’ll make better time,” he told her. He waited as she buckled CeCe into the back seat. She moaned, protesting the change in position. “You’ll be better soon, CeCe,” he promised her softly, masking his own concern.

His arms felt hot from carrying her. The little girl was burning up.

Lisa climbed in quickly as he got in behind the wheel. Common sense told him it was going to be all right. But emotionally, he felt there wasn’t time to waste. Driving to the medical complex, he used the siren. Evening traffic was thick with people trying to get home after a long day.

Cars moved out of their way, pulling over to the right. Bryce got them there faster than Lisa had driven from the mall. The tires screeched in mingled protest and relief as he pulled up in the near empty parking lot before the center building within the medical complex.

Dr. Rafe Saldana had seen his last patient and was about to go home to his own wife and daughters when he heard the telephone in the front office ringing. His office manager and nurses had already left for the day. Ordinarily, he would have let his service pick it up since it was almost an hour after his regular hours. However, he was glad he picked up the receiver because there was nothing Rafe hated more than knowing a child was suffering.

His examination concluded now, he removed the stethoscope from his ears and offered Lisa an encouraging smile.

“I know it’s scary from your end, but it’s not nearly as bad as it looks.” Pulling his prescription pad over, he wrote out a prescription for a common children’s antibiotic then handed it to Lisa. “Have this filled as soon as possible and make sure she takes it until it’s gone. The fever should go down soon. I’m going to give her a double dose to start her on her way.”

Preparing a syringe, he slanted a glance at Lisa. “This is the part I hate. Roll her over on her tummy, it’ll hurt less going in her bottom than her arm.”

Bryce saw the look on Lisa’s face. “Want me to do it?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m her mother, I should be the one to do it,” Lisa said. But there was gratitude in her eyes at his offer.

Lisa held her breath as she watched the needle go in, feeling it every bit as much as CeCe did. Rather than scream, the little girl whimpered, rolling up into a ball as if trying to elude the pain.

Disposing of the syringe, Dr. Saldana stripped off his rubber gloves, tossing them into the wastebasket after it. “Good thing you brought her in when you did. Fevers that high are nothing to fool around with, even if they are fairly common. My office manager is going to have my head for not getting you to fill out the new patient forms. If you wouldn’t mind stopping by tomorrow and doing them for her—”

“Absolutely,” Lisa promised enthusiastically. Gathering CeCe into her arms, she stroked her daughter’s small head lovingly. “Anything you want, you’ve got it. And thank you again for seeing her.”

He smiled, stroking the little girl’s head. “Don’t mention it. And don’t forget to have the prescription filled.” He nodded toward the paper she had clutched in her hand. “Amoxicillin. One teaspoon, three times a day until it’s gone.” He lowered his head to CeCe’s level. “You’ll like it,” he assured her. “It tastes just like bubble gum.”

CeCe murmured something in response just before she fell asleep in her mother’s arms.

“I like him,” Lisa told Bryce as she stepped out of the elevator. Walking ahead of her, Bryce reached the door first and held it open.

She’d get no argument from him. “Yeah, my sister-in-law swears by him. Lanie says she’s going to keep going to him forever.” He grinned, remembering how vehement his niece had sounded, making her announcement at the dinner table when his brother, knowing of her crush on the doctor, had teasingly suggested that it was time she began going to a regular general practitioner. “He’s got a way with kids.” He glanced at Lisa. “Parents, too. Makes them feel confident that things’ll be all right. And they will be,” he added, unlocking the passenger door of his vehicle. He opened the door for her, then stepped back. “I’ll take you home and then get that prescription filled.”

He was putting himself out. Guilt nibbled at Lisa for the way she’d treated him the last time they’d been together. If CeCe hadn’t gotten sick, she’d had every intention of never seeing him again. “I don’t know what to say, Bryce. You’ve done so much already.”

Getting inside, he started the car, then glanced over his shoulder at her. The smile he gave her was warm. “Just say thanks and we’ll call it even.”

She stroked CeCe’s head. The little girl was still sleeping. “Doesn’t seem like enough.”

“It is if you say it right.” He pulled out of the parking lot, heading toward MacArthur Boulevard. He ventured a glance into the rearview mirror. “She asleep?”

“Yes.”

“Now might be a good time to call your mother. She’s probably sitting by the telephone, worrying.”

Lisa flushed. She’d almost forgotten. Leaning over, she began to dig through her purse for her cell phone. “Good call.”

He turned his attention back toward the road. Twilight was just beginning to set in, brushing the countryside beyond with darkness. He felt oddly content and satisfied. “Thanks.”

As soon as he saw them safely home, Bryce, armed with the necessary information about CeCe, went to the local pharmacy and got CeCe’s prescription filled. By the time he returned, Lisa had gotten CeCe settled in. The little girl’s forehead felt cooler to her already.

Lisa’s relief was immeasurable. “I don’t know how to begin to thank you for what you did tonight,” she told Bryce as she accompanied him to the door. Upstairs, her mother had remained by CeCe’s bedside to make sure the little girl was resting comfortably.

Bryce paused at the door. “I might have a suggestion.”

She was far too exhausted and far too relieved to be leery. Besides, the man had ridden to her rescue like a white knight. No matter what, there would always be a soft spot in her heart for him. Leaning against the doorjamb, she looked at him, curious.

“Such as?”

Did she realize that, with her eyes half closed like that, she looked incredibly sexy? “I’m having a barbecue this weekend.”

Right now, it was hard for her to think. Too much had happened in too short time. “You need a cook?”

“I need a guest.” He took her hand. Despite the exhaustion she was battling, it felt right somehow, having her hand in his like this. “Actually, three guests. You can bring your mother and CeCe.”

Uncertain, Lisa glanced up toward the ceiling. “You really think she’ll be well enough to come?”

“Kids notoriously bounce back a hell of a lot faster than adults do.” He’d seen it happen with Lanie and Ethan more than once. “She might be well enough by morning to make you think you were only imagining things tonight. My advice is to keep her in bed for the day just to make sure.”

She made no effort to hide the amusement that rose at his words. “What makes you such an expert on kids?”

He pretended to consider her question. “Well there’s Lanie and Ethan. And the Rileys had seven kids of their own. I put in a lot of baby-sitting while I was with them. Besides, you tend to pick up things along the way if you’re paying attention.”

And there was no doubt in her mind that he paid attention. She couldn’t help wondering if there had been a particular woman in his life he’d applied that attention to.

But for now, she just smiled at him. “And I bet you did.”

He grinned, feigning being affronted. “I’ll thank you not to think those kinds of thoughts about me.” And then he sobered, drawing closer to her. Close enough to feel her breath on his skin. “You’ll be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” But she liked the fact that he asked. “I’ll probably drop right off to sleep by the time I close the door.”

He lingered, unwilling to leave just yet. Knowing he should. “I could volunteer to stay over and catch you before you hit the ground. As you might recall, I do a pretty good fielding job.”

She laughed. “I recall. But I really think you should go now.” Before I do something stupid, she thought, and ask you to stay.

Cupping her face with his hand, he lightly brushed his lips over hers. And felt the intoxicating kick of excitement. He savored it a moment before drawing away. “I’ll call you tomorrow to see how you’re both doing.”

“Okay.”

Lisa was too tired not to allow his words to remain with her, comforting her, long after she’d closed the door behind him.

Chapter Eight

Lisa woke up the next morning expecting to be drenched with regrets. They didn’t come. She wasn’t sorry for agreeing to attend the barbecue. Oh, there was a butterfly or two hovering around, but nothing like what she expected.

Maybe attending the barbecue would be a good thing, she thought, hurrying through breakfast and then driving to her shop before eight. Bryce had given her the impression that there would be a lot of people there and if nothing else, it would give CeCe and her mother a chance to meet people. As for her, well, it wouldn’t really hurt for her to get out, either.

She didn’t let herself examine the fact that Bryce had somehow managed, by his kindness to her daughter, to quickly, effectively erase her desire to say no. No to the barbecue, no to him.

She wanted to see him again.

Maybe it was knowing ahead of time that whatever happened between them was only going to be a pleasant interlude in her life. That she was to enjoy it—not nurture it—took away any pressures that could be associated with a would-be relationship, draining it of problems and leaving behind only pleasure. Only the good parts.

Good parts that Lisa found herself looking forward to.

Or maybe it was knowing that her heart was safe that freed her of her own bounds. But whatever it was, she heard herself humming through her work, going over the last of the inventory and making notes as to what she still needed to stock.

And while she hummed, every so often, she glanced toward the door. Each time, she expected to see Bryce tapping on the glass door, waiting to come in.

But he wasn’t there.

And she had to admit she was nothing short of disappointed.

Lisa had just assumed he would come because she knew that, adhering to the two days on, two days off policy, Bryce was off today and tomorrow. And because, since she’d made it rather obvious that she was in his debt, he’d take that as a signal to want to hang around her a little. Maybe help her with the last phase of getting the store into shape.

As she worked, she tried to tell herself that this just went part and parcel with the idea that there wasn’t going to be a relationship between them. What there would be was time spent together, nothing more. After all, that was what she wanted. She was the one who had made it abundantly clear she didn’t want any sort of a relationship, wasn’t about to start one or be drawn into one.

It should have helped ease her restlessness at not finding him at her door. It didn’t.

To get her mind off something she shouldn’t have been dwelling on in the first place, when noon finally rolled around, Lisa locked the store and took off for home again. She wanted to see for herself how CeCe was doing. The call she’d made to her mother at ten had reassured her that CeCe was definitely on the mend. Her mother said she was having trouble keeping the little girl in bed.

It looked as if Bryce was right. CeCe would be able to make the barbecue.

This time, the thought of the barbecue caused her stomach to tighten.

God, what had she agreed to in a moment of weakness? Other than occasionally mingling with her friends and their spouses back in Texas, she hadn’t really socialized in a very long time. Certainly not as a single woman, wandering through a crowd of people she didn’t know.

Nerves pressed themselves against the knots in her stomach.

This was silly. Lisa didn’t like being held prisoner by her own emotions. She had said yes to Bryce and couldn’t go back on her word. She was going to attend. And she wouldn’t be wandering through a crowd of people she didn’t know, she’d be going with her mother and her daughter. Going with her daughter and her mother and having a good time with them.

If there was anyone else there to have a good time with, that would only be a bonus, but not a primary ingredient. The only primary, necessary ingredients in her life were CeCe and her mother.

She felt better for her pep talk by the time she reached home.

There was a car in her driveway. A shiny, black, open Jeep. It made her think of sitting parked at the beach on starlight nights, gazing into forever and making silent promises.

She blinked, rousing herself. The thought had come out of nowhere. What was going on with her? Anyone peeking into her mind would think she was in the market for a relationship instead of being an independent woman who just wanted to continue the way she was—self-sufficient and content.

Pulling up next to the vehicle, she hurried out of her car to the front door. It wasn’t locked.

“Mother, what did I tell you about locking the front door?” she called out, walking inside.

Two steps into the house, Lisa stopped short. Bryce was sitting on the edge of the sofa where her daughter was supposedly resting.

Except that she wasn’t. With the blanket that should have been covering her small body dribbling down onto the floor, CeCe was sitting bolt upright. There was a lunch tray tented over her little legs. On the tray was a checkerboard complete with sliding checkers. A few had pooled onto the floor, using the blanket as a long, baby-blue slide.

Turning at the sound of her voice, Bryce grinned at Lisa as if it was the most natural thing in the world to find him there like this. “That’s exactly what I told her. Bedford isn’t exactly the big city yet, but it doesn’t hurt to be just a little cautious.”

It was only because Lisa made the concentrated effort that her jaw didn’t drop open like some gaping fool. “What are you doing here?”

“Checking in on the patient.” Very carefully, he moved one checker forward. “It’s something we like to do from time to time. Gives that small town feeling to the department that the chief likes.” He watched as CeCe jumped the checker he’d just moved, then jumped another for good measure before she stopped.

Moving closer to the duo, Lisa looked at the board between them. She’d been meaning to show CeCe how to play, but she just hadn’t gotten around to it. Obviously now she didn’t have to. “Is teaching a patient checkers included in the package?”

“It is when the patient seems to be bored and about to launch herself like a rocket at the first available target that comes into range.” Leaning over, he tousled the little girl’s hair. She retaliated by taking another checker he’d just moved. “Although I have to admit I’ve never been greeted with so much enthusiasm before. It’s kind of nice.” This time, Bryce managed to jump one of CeCe’s checkers and retire it. Watching, Lisa couldn’t help wondering if he’d done that just to make the little girl think he wasn’t purposely losing to her.

He startled Lisa by asking, “What are you doing here? I thought you’d be busy working at the shop.”

So he hadn’t come by the house, assuming she’d be here instead of working. He’d actually come to see her daughter. Maybe there was a lot more to the man than just a keen smile and a hard, sculpted body.

“I was.” She perched on the arm of the sofa directly behind CeCe, resting her purse on the floor. “I thought I’d come home and give Mom a break for a little while. I see you beat me to it.”

“He is not beating anyone,” Cecilia informed her, walking in the room. Coming from the kitchen, she was carrying a tray loaded down with a platter of cookies and some of her homemade twisted bow-tie crisps snowed under by powdered sugar. “Cece is beating him. He taught her how to play,” she said, setting down the tray on the coffee table by the sofa, “and now she has won three games. You should be very proud of your daughter, Lisa.”

Lisa stroked CeCe’s silken head. “I am.” The little girl flashed her a quick smile before blissfully announcing, “King me,” to Bryce.

He placed another checker on top of the one that had reached the opposite side of the board. “You might have yourself a prodigy on your hands, Lisa. Your daughter’s the smartest little girl I ever ran into. Smarter than some adults I know, too.”

Warning bells went off in Lisa’s head. She stole a glance at her daughter before saying to Bryce, “Um, could I see you for a minute?”

It was obvious that CeCe was anxious to move in for the kill. “Mommy, wait until I finish winning,” she pleaded.

“This’ll only take a second,” Bryce promised her. Coming to the far end of the room, he waited until he and Lisa were sufficiently far away from CeCe so that their lowered voices wouldn’t carry. “Did I inadvertently bump up against some rule?”

It wasn’t so much a rule as a gut feeling. Without meaning to, Lisa leaned into Bryce, inclining her head. “I’d rather you didn’t praise her so much. I don’t want her to get an overblown sense of what she can do.”

He could smell Lisa’s shampoo on her hair. Something herbal and musky. It made him want to run his fingers through it. And his hands along her skin. Slipping his hands into his pockets instead, he looked over at CeCe. She was explaining the rules of the game to her grandmother. He grinned.

“From where I stand, that little girl will be able to do anything she sets her mind to.” His eyes shifted to Lisa. “And it isn’t praise that’s harmful to a child, it’s the lack of it. It’s feeling that you’re never good enough to measure up, or to count that’s destructive.”

She paused a moment, taking in what he was saying. “I take it you’re not speaking from firsthand experience.”

He’d been lucky that way. Both his own father and Riley’s had always had a good word for him. And an encouraging one when he needed it. He leaned against the fireplace, studying her. Wondering about her. Wondering if asking things would make her put her guard up again. “I wasn’t, but what makes you say that?”

That was a rhetorical question from where she stood. “Because I don’t think I’ve ever run into anyone as confident as you before.”

The inflection in her voice told him that she didn’t mean that as a criticism. Still, he figured he needed to define the difference for her.

“Oh, but I’m not. At least, not about things I have no firsthand control over. The only thing I’m confident in is my own ability to deal with things as they come. The good and the bad,” he added pointedly for her benefit, thinking of the husband who had walked out on her. “The rest is very much out of my hands.”

“Mommy, are you through talking to Bryce yet?” CeCe called out to her impatiently. “My legs are getting twitchy.”

“Twitchy are they?” Crossing back, Lisa leaned over the sofa and nuzzled the little girl’s neck. CeCe giggled. “Well, we certainly can’t have that, can we?” She kissed CeCe’s forehead, unconsciously checking it for a fever, grateful to find it cool. “Go ahead, get back to your game. I have a shop waiting for me.” Picking up her purse, Lisa paused a moment longer to drink in her daughter’s contentment. And her own. “Be sure to listen to G-mama while I’m gone.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

One look at her daughter told Lisa she was already forgotten as the little girl settled in to trounce Bryce for another round of checkers. Lisa exchanged looks with her mother and smiled.

“I’ll see you all later.”

Bryce caught her eye just as she turned to leave. “Count on it.”

A warm shiver went through her. It sounded like a prophesy. She tried not to think about how she felt about that. Instead she concentrated on what he was doing for her daughter.

She thought it very sweet of Bryce to allow CeCe to win. Some men had trouble with that, with not being the zenith to which others strove and looked up to. But Bryce didn’t appear to be like that. He seemed too relaxed and comfortable with who he was to worry about having his identity sapped away by a pint-size checkers champion in the making.

That said a lot about the man, she allowed, walking outside.

“You really didn’t have to bring anything with you except for these two.”

Coming up to the backyard entrance, Bryce took the large bowl of potato salad from Lisa’s hands. Cecilia and CeCe were standing behind her and CeCe was peering around her mother’s legs, trying to see everyone.

There were an awful lot of people here, Lisa thought, feeling her nerves beginning to pinch. “I didn’t want to come empty-handed.”

His eyes met hers for just a second. “Not possible.” He looked over her shoulder, smiling a greeting at her mother. “Hello, Cecilia.” His eyes lowered to CeCe’s face. “Hi, short stuff.”

“Hi!” To say that CeCe was fairly bouncing up and down was an understatement. She was extremely pleased to be brought into a social situation. CeCe thrived on meeting people, especially, but not exclusively kids. Her eyes wide, she panned the area. “Is Lanie here yet?”

Setting down the bowl on the nearest available table, Bryce lightly placed a hand on the little girl’s shoulder and directed her toward the back.

“She sure is. And she can’t wait to meet you. Lanie, CeCe’s here,” he called.

A little girl who looked for all the world as if she could have been Bryce’s daughter rather than his niece, flashed a bright smile at his summons and came hurrying over. In her wake, but not so closely as to be teased about it, came her younger brother, Ethan. Also another miniature copy of Bryce. Lisa wondered just how much Bryce and his brother looked alike.

The two children surrounded their uncle’s newest guest. Lanie had the same easygoing smile as her uncle. She took charge immediately. “Hi, you want to come play on the swings?” she asked CeCe.

“Sure.” Excitedly, CeCe took the hand that was offered to her.

“I’m Ethan,” the boy told her, not to be left out.

“I know,” CeCe responded. “You’re Lanie’s brother.”

Ethan looked pleased to be recognized. Seconds later, the children burrowed their way through a sea of bodies and disappeared, presumably on their way to the swings.

Turning away from them, Bryce read Lisa’s expression. “She’ll be okay,” he whispered against her ear. He missed the shiver she tried to stifle but couldn’t. Bryce turned toward Cecilia and slipped his arm through hers. “There’s someone here I’d like you to meet.” He began drawing the older woman away, leaving Lisa to follow behind them. “He’s the father of one of the guys I work with. Immigrated to this country from Poland when he was thirty.” He knew how much Stash hungered to talk to someone from his native country. He had a hunch it might be the same for Cecilia. “I thought the two of you might enjoy having a conversation.”

Cecilia’s face lit up. She stopped walking and drew Bryce aside for a moment. “You are a delightful, thoughtful young man and on behalf of my granddaughter, my sometimes stubborn daughter and myself, I thank you.” She brushed her lips against his cheek. “Be patient with her,” Cecilia whispered in his ear. “It will be worth it for both of you.” Straightening, she smiled innocently as if she hadn’t said anything. “Now, show me this gentleman you have found to make me fondly remember my homeland.”

There was no two ways about, Bryce definitely got a kick out of the women, pint-size or regular, in Lisa Billings’s family. With blatant pleasure, Bryce introduced Cecilia to Stash Waslowski, a gray-bearded, distinguished-looking widower. When introductions were made, Stash gave a small bow and kissed Cecilia’s hand. If possible, the light in Cecilia’s eyes grew brighter.

A barrage of foreign words flowed in the background as Bryce left them by the pool and turned his attention to Lisa.

Bemused, she could only shake her head at what she’d just been party to in the past few minutes. “Well, you’ve effectively paired off my daughter and my mother, did you have someone in mind for me?”

His smile was warm and all encompassing. It effectively cut them off from the crowd of people who were attending, muting them into the background. “What’s wrong with me?”

For once, she cut through the wariness, decimating it. She concentrated on the man in front of her and what he had just done for her mother and daughter: made them feel a part of things, made them feel at home. More than that, he’d made this place feel more like their new home.

She smiled at him, slipping her arm through his. Surprising him, she noticed. That made her feel even more satisfied. “Absolutely nothing from where I’m standing.” Playfully she cocked her head. “Which makes me a little suspicious.”

His expression was exaggerated innocence as he fought off the sudden urge to kiss her mouth. Instead he drew her over to a side table sporting a punch bowl. “Oh? Of what?”

He was good, she thought. “Of my own perception, for one.”

“Don’t.”

For a second, he sounded so serious, it made her wonder if there was something else at play here. Something else other than her own heightened awareness of how close he was standing. Of how much she remembered every detail of the way he’d kissed her. “Don’t what?”

“Overthink things.” And then the easy expression was back, along with the smile that could so easily turn her bones into liquid. “I didn’t think you were going to come.”

She’d fought that battle in her head over and over again. Each time she lost—and won. “I couldn’t exactly go back on my word after you came to my rescue like that with CeCe. And then went out of your way to entertain her the following day. You’re all Cece talks about.” Lisa glanced toward where her mother was. Cecilia looked positively radiant, laughing over something Stash had just told her. Lisa was grateful to Bryce for finding someone who could allow her mother to remember she was a woman and not just someone’s mother or grandmother. “You made a pretty good impression on my mother, too.”

He moved so that he blocked her view of the pool. Of everyone but him. When she raised her eyes to his face, he felt as if his stomach flipped over. “How about you? Did I make a good impression on you?”

“Yes.” Why should the admission make her throat feel so dry? “You did.”

“Good.” He took her hand, slipping his fingers through hers, banking down urges that couldn’t be met. Urges that rose so strong, they surprised him. He didn’t surprise easily. “Why don’t you come and enjoy the party? I’ve got some people for you to meet.” Looking at her over his shoulder as he led her to a group, he winked. “They all have children. They’ll need toys, what with Christmas just around the corner.”

She laughed, looking around at the colorful array of summer clothes his guests were wearing. “It’s barely August.”

He liked the easy feel of her hand in his, liked the sound of her light laugh as it followed him. “December’ll be here before you know it.” He scanned the crowd, wondering where his brother and sister-in-law were. “You know how fast time goes when you’re busy.” Passing the barbecue, another thought occurred to him. He stopped, turning to face her. He continued to hold her hand. “By the way, how do you like your steak?”

There was no hesitation. “Rare.”

He grinned. “Hey, we’ve got something in common besides being crazy about CeCe.” Because the din around them was growing, he leaned into her and said against her ear, “This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship.”

Another wave of warmth bathed over Lisa at the feel of his breath, at the promise, careless or not, of his words. She didn’t want to go there, didn’t want her thoughts, or worse, her heart, to go there.

For her own survival, it was best to keep things light and superficial. A smile quirked her mouth as she looked around at his guests. There had to be at least thirty people here.

“You’re feeding this crowd steaks? Just how much do firefighters make, anyway?”

“Enough to get by,” he told her honestly. “And I’m getting the steaks at cost. Besides, what’s money for if you can’t use it to bring your friends pleasure once in a while?”

This had the earmarks of far more than just an impromptu party. He even had streamers strung and paper lanterns hung. “Are you celebrating something?”

He followed her gaze. “Yes. Summer.” And then he began to lead her off as he finally located his brother. “And the opening of your store.”

She stopped suddenly, forcing him to look at her. She looked at him uncertainly. “You’re kidding, right? About the second part?”

But he wasn’t.

It took her very little time to discover that almost everyone at the party knew about Dreams and Toyland and were looking forward to coming by with their children. He had very effectively acted as her public relations man.

As he drew her away from the latest group, she could only laugh. “You ever think of leaving the fire department and starting your own advertising firm?”

“Just trying to help a friend.” Passing the punch bowl, he snagged two glasses. “Here.” He offered her one, a tall, frosty-looking glass filled with a light yellow liquid.

Her eyes on his, she sampled it gamely and liked what she tasted. “What is this? It’s tart, but sweet and it’s got a kick to it.”

“I couldn’t have described it better myself.” He grinned. “It’s my own take on lemonade. Tart, but sweet, with a kick. Kind of like you,” he observed.

He was making her warm again. She pretended to study the glass. The sides were less frosty where she had touched it. “What’s the kick?”

Lisa could feel his eyes on her. “That’s what I’m exploring right now.”

She cleared her throat, knowing her voice would crack if she didn’t. “In the drink.”

“Rum.”

She tasted it on his lips when he kissed her.

Chapter Nine

“Hey, break it up, you two. This is a G-rated barbecue.”

Startled, less than seconds away from sinking softly into what had all the earmarks of being a mind-numbing kiss, Lisa drew her head back. It took her a moment to catch her breath and another moment to be grateful for the interruption.

Riley, with a hand firmly clamped on each of their shoulders, stood grinning like a Cheshire cat. His comment was directed at Bryce. “You want to behave like that, take it inside.” The grin had spread to his eyes as he looked at Lisa. “In fact, I insist on it. You’re making me jealous. By the way, I’m Riley.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lisa said.

Leave it to Riley to read his mind, Bryce thought. There was nothing he would have liked more than to take what was going on between Lisa and him inside.

Inside to the bedroom. Just being near her had him fantasizing what it would be like to make love with her, to be with her in every sense of the word.

But there was a yardful of people here, people he’d invited, and whatever he was feeling was going to have to be put on hold. Bryce glanced at Lisa. He could see she was already distancing herself from what had happened. He only hoped that the moment wouldn’t be irrevocably lost when he tried to take it up again.

Lisa ran her hand through her hair. The strap on her sundress dipped, falling from her shoulder. She readjusted it, feeling just this side of flustered.

“Um, I’d better go see how CeCe is doing,” she murmured, backing away before she turned and worked her way through the crowd. She’d lost her head there for a second, and allowed her feelings and the moment to get the better of her.

Even with no relationship on the horizon, she was going to have watch that, she told herself.

Bryce turned straight into Riley’s wide, smug grin. He was more than passingly acquainted with that look. “She had something in her eye.”

“And you were what, trying to suck it out through her mouth?” Riley hooted, helping himself to a glass of lemonade. “If you’d been any closer into her space, we would have gone right past PG to R without breaking a sweat—or maybe, in this case, you would.”

Bryce wasn’t about to stand here and let Riley get carried away. “Anybody ever tell you you have a big imagination?”

“Yeah.” Craning his neck, Riley tried to catch a glimpse of Lisa in the crowd. “And right now I’m imagining that little lady with nothing more than a bow in her hair—” Failing to see her, he turned around and saw the look in Bryce’s eyes. Riley held up his hand to his eyes, pretending to get a vision. “Wait, wait, there’s more than a ribbon. She’s wrapped up like a Christmas present, heavy-duty foil paper and all.” He grinned at Bryce. “Just for you.”

“Better,” Bryce told him. “The operative word here, my friend, is lady,” he reminded him. “And don’t you forget it.”

Riley looked at him thoughtfully, a trace of surprise in his eyes. “No, I don’t think so. I think it’s more like ‘private property.’”

The observation was so absurd, Bryce wasn’t sure just where to begin. Sure, Lisa was pretty and he was attracted to her. Who wouldn’t be attracted to a woman with light blond hair and honey-colored limbs? He was, after all, only human. Damn, Riley had just admitted being attracted to her himself.

“You’re talking through your fire hat, you know that, don’t you?” It was time, he decided, to get busy with the barbecue—before he was tempted to skewer Riley. Bryce strode toward where the barbecue was set up. “We haven’t even been on a date yet, unless you call rushing her daughter to the pediatrician a date.”

Riley picked up the bag of coals and handed it to Bryce. “I call it a lot more than that. I call it instant closeness. And as for that so-called ‘first date’ thing—”

Emptying the coals beneath the grill, Bryce set the bag down on the ground. “Yes?”

“There’s a surefire remedy for that sort of problem,” Riley told him glibly. “Ask her.”

Bryce waited until after everyone had gotten their steaks. He used the time to figure out just what he was going to say to Lisa. By the time he was finished, he was really no closer to the answer than he had been at the start. He decided that the best approach was an honest one.

Finding her in the center of a group of his friends, he waited a few more minutes, then stole her out of the crowd.

Curious, she let him lead her to a corner of his yard that wasn’t crowded before asking, “What’s up?”

Why was he having trouble getting this out? He’d never had any trouble asking anyone out before. “Riley thinks I should ask you out.”

Bemusement highlighted her face. “Oh, he does, does he?”

“Yeah.” Leaning his hand just above her head on the fence, he created a small alcove for them as he talked. “And here’s the thing. He’s my best friend even though he can be pretty much of a pain in the neck sometimes. I’d really hate to disappoint him by saying you turned me down.”

She had to admit his approach was unique. “And Riley’s happiness is somehow tied up in our going out on a date?”

Bryce nodded his head solemnly in response. “Pretty much.”

Humor curved her mouth. “Don’t you find that just a little odd?”

The scent of her perfume was beginning to weave its way into his senses, making him just a wee bit dizzy and unsettled.

“Hey, I never said Riley was all there, although I have to say he has his moments of insight.” Bryce smiled down into Lisa’s eyes. “Like now.” Very lightly, he ran his hand along her cheek. “How about it? I’ve lugged your boxes, introduced your daughter to a pediatrician and found someone for your mother to talk to in her native tongue. Doesn’t that qualify me as a good candidate for a date?”

Was that what he was auditioning for? “Date,” she repeated. The word felt strange on her tongue. “Why does that sound as if I’m suddenly back in high school?” And why did it bring a flurry of fresh butterflies to her stomach?

He paused, thinking. “We could call it a clandestine meeting if you like.”

She nearly laughed at the absurd proposal. “That would make me feel like a spy.”

“Oh good, I’ve always had a weakness for sexy women with long lashes, long legs and secrets.” His eyes teasing hers, Bryce smiled. “So, can you do a good foreign accent?”

Lisa began to laugh. He looked at her quizzically. “Oh boy, have you ever come to the right place for that.” Glancing first to see where her mother and her mother’s new friend were, she proceeded to recite Mary Had A Little Lamb in a Polish accent so thick it could only be cut with a well-sharpened ax. Finished, she told him, “I used to tease my mother like that when I was a kid.”

He bit back a laugh. “And how’d she react?”

“She’d retaliate by doing me one better. My mother’s sense of humor is alive and well and she knows I don’t mean anything by it.” Looking over toward one of the tables, she smiled fondly at her mother. From all appearances, Cecilia was still deeply engrossed in conversation with the man Bryce had introduced her to. “It’s because I love her that I can do it.”

He was curious. “So why did you just look to see if she was around anywhere before you went into your little act?”

“Don’t miss much, do you?”

“I try not to.” Especially not, he realized, when it came to her.

“To be honest, I didn’t know how her friend would take it and I didn’t want to offend him.”

He liked that she was thoughtful of others, but then, given her nature, he wouldn’t have guessed that she would be any other way. “Trust me, Stash is the first one to join in on a joke.”

She spared the couple another glance. Her mother was being fairly animated. So was the man she was talking to. “Well, then, I suspect my mother is having a fabulous time.”

“How about you? Are you having a fabulous time? Or should we downgrade that to something a little less overwhelming?”

Overwhelming, yes, she thought, that just about summed it up as well as anything. Careful, Lisa, you know what happens when you let yourself get carried away.

Trying to seem nonchalant, she said, “My daughter’s laughing, my mother’s smiling and if I’m the trusting sort, I’d say that I’ve just made enough connections at your party to assure my first and second month’s rent payment at the mall. So, yes, I’d say that I’m having a pretty fabulous time all right.”

It wasn’t what he was trying to find out. “I noticed that you didn’t mention your personal feelings in that little litany.”

Remembering what he’d told her the other day, she raised her eyes to his. “I thought we weren’t going to get personal.”

Oh damn, but he wanted to get personal with her. Very personal. “Even fruit flies get personal.”

Her heart suddenly began to hammer, but she managed to appear unaffected. There were things she couldn’t bring herself to admit to yet, not directly. “Were you there for that kiss earlier, or was that a stand-in?”

The corners of his mouth lifted. “That was most definitely me.”

“Then I think you know where my personal feelings are in the scheme of things.”

The footwork was fancy. Mentally he took his hat off to her. “Getting back to the original question—”

She looked at him innocently. “Oh, was there an original question?”

He grinned, enjoying the wordplay. Enjoying her. “There was. And it was—Will you go out with me?”

She slipped into the accent again, narrowing her eyes and seductively hooding them. Somehow, it felt safer that way, as if it wasn’t really her saying yes, wasn’t really her admitting that she wanted to go out with him. Very much.

“Yes, my friend, I will go out with you on this date you are talking about.” She tossed her hair, sending it over her shoulder. “You will tell me when, I will tell you if.”

“If?” He raised an inquiring brow.

She waved her hand vaguely. “Perhaps it will not fit with my schedule. One does not know, these things, they happen sometimes.”

Laughter echoed and died in his throat. He couldn’t resist kissing her again. He cupped the back of her head and, tilting it up, he lightly brushed his lips along hers, taking care not to linger there the way he very much wanted to.

It couldn’t have been more casual. So then why was her heart pounding as if she’d just run this long, wild marathon?

She tried very hard to focus. It wasn’t easy. All she saw was him. “What about Riley?” she breathed.

“I don’t want to kiss Riley, I want to kiss you.” But he let out a breath and backed up. Backed up before he let himself kiss her again.

And again.

Taking her hand, he led her back to a more populated area. “Maybe we had better join the others. Before I do something I’d infinitely enjoy but would make me a hell of a poor host.”

She couldn’t keep the smile from her lips. “And that being?”

“Run off somewhere with you.”

Cocking her head she looked at him, playing along. “And if I didn’t want to go?”

He winked at her. “You forget, I know how to carry people fireman style.”

No, she hadn’t forgotten that. The problem was, she was beginning to have trouble remembering why she was resisting so hard.

Biting her lower lip, she surveyed herself in the mirror, turning very slowly. Indecision hovered over her like a dark specter.

The dress she had on, formfitting and red, dipped low in the front, lower in the back and while the hem was several inches above her knee, the side was slit up high on one thigh.

She glanced toward her mother. “What do you think?” She presented herself squarely in front of Cecilia. “Too much?”

Cecilia laughed shortly. “I would say that the words ‘not enough’ come to mind. It must have been a hard year for the dressmakers,” she commented, “working with so little.” And then she smiled her approval. “But on you, it is beautiful.”

Lisa was accustomed to making split-second decisions with no hesitation. Why was deciding what she was going to wear to a place that probably had dim lighting to begin with so damn difficult for her? “Then you think I should wear it?”

Cecilia ran her hand over her daughter’s hair in an old, familiar gesture. “It has my vote.”

“Me, too,” CeCe piped up, scrambling off the bed where she had been sitting patiently for at least two minutes. Standing next to her, she looked up at her mother. “You look pretty, Mommy. Just like Bryce’s fire engine.”

“Like his fire engine,” Lisa echoed. She stared at herself. Too red. Oh God, why hadn’t she realized that? “The man’ll think he’s still at work.” She looked over toward her closet. An array of dresses were flung onto her chair, disqualified candidates from her search for the perfect outfit. “Maybe I should—”

Like a reading on the Richter scale, her indecision multiplied tenfold.

Reading her look, Cecilia commandeered her daughter’s arm. “Too late for ‘should,’ Lisa. The young man is already here. He is waiting for you downstairs.”

“It’ll just take me a minute to—”

“No, it would not. It would take you a long time. It has already taken you a long time.” Cecilia frowned. “I do not want him to think you are being, how do you say it, a stereo?”

Lisa laughed, the tension breaking, at least for a moment. “Stereotypical’s the word you’re reaching for, Mom, not stereo.” Pulling herself together, she blew out a breath. “Okay, I won’t be a stereo, or any other part of an entertainment unit.” She smoothed down her hair, wishing she could do the same to her case of jitters. “I’ll just be a really nervous woman.”

“Why?” Cecilia looked at her, puzzled. “Nervous is for people who have no confidence.”

Finding the shoes she wanted, Lisa slipped them on. The matching high heels made her four inches taller than her mother. “Bingo.”

Cecilia raised her eyes to Lisa’s face, mildly confused at the word. “We are not playing Bingo here, we are playing Life and Life has been very nice by bringing a nice man to you.”

She didn’t want her mother having her hopes raised unnecessarily, or CeCe’s, either, for that matter, she thought, looking at the little girl’s face. “Mother, we’ve had this talk before. Bryce and I are just going to have a nice time, nothing more.”

Impatient, Cecilia tugged a little on her arm. “Well, you cannot have a ‘nice time’ standing here like this in your bedroom.” She thought her words over, then amended them. “At least, not with CeCe and me standing in it, too.” With both hands against Lisa’s bare back, she gave her a little push toward the door. “Go, say hello. Begin your evening together.”

Grabbing her purse, Lisa made her way to the door. “Yes, Mother.”

“Ah, obedience. Music to my ears.” Cecilia bent over to her granddaughter, saying, “Now, if she only listens to all my other advice, it would be a symphony to my ears.”

“I heard that,” Lisa tossed over her shoulder as she left the room.

“You were supposed to,” Cecilia called after her.

Bryce was at the bottom of the stairs, waiting, when she finally emerged. All doubts about her choice of dress dissolved when she saw his face. An appreciative glow came into his eyes as she came down.

He let out a long, low whistle. “Wow.” Bryce took her hand. “All I can say is that it’s a good thing I’m a firefighter.”

“Why?” she asked, puzzled.

“So I can put out any fires that spontaneously combust in your wake when you pass by.” He had to stop and just look at her before they went out into the evening. If there hadn’t been a smattering left in his lungs, he would have said she took his breath away. “Do you have any idea how good you look?”

She was afraid that the blush that crept up her cheek was the same color as her dress. “None whatsoever.”

“Terrific, we’ll have something to talk about on the way to the restaurant.” Opening the front door, he looked back to Cecilia standing in the living room. “Don’t worry, I’ll have her home early.”

Cecilia waved him out the door. “Keep her as long as you want.”

Bryce was going to think that her mother was trying to get her married off, Lisa thought. That it was true only made everything worse. Embarrassed, Lisa could only manage an impotent, “Mother.”

Cecilia merely offered an innocent shrug in her own defense. “What have I said wrong? Americans like honesty.” She splayed a hand across her breast. “I am being honest.”

Lisa rolled her eyes, knowing better than to get into a debate with her mother over semantics, especially in front of Bryce. Wanting to leave before her mother had a chance to say anything else embarrassing, she turned to Bryce. “Let’s just go.”

“My thoughts exactly.” But he still paused at the door to look back at CeCe. “See you, short stuff.”

The little girl beamed over being remembered. “See you,” she echoed. “Bye, Mommy. Have fun.”

“I’ll do my best,” she promised.

“Me, too,” Bryce chimed in. He was looking at Lisa when he said it.

The night air was balmy as they went to his car. “That was nice of you, saying goodbye to CeCe like that.”

“Not exactly a hardship.” He opened the passenger door, waiting for her to get in. Despite her independent streak, it never occurred to him to think the gesture might offend her. Some things a man just instinctively knew. “I like her,” he told her, rounding the hood to the driver’s side. “And your mother.” Getting in behind the wheel, he strapped in, then started the car. “Your family seems to raise a nice crop of ladies.”

“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say to that.”

He glanced in her direction before backing out of the driveway. “Thank you might work. Try it.”

“Thank you.”

He grinned. “You’re welcome.”

Lisa looked around inside the building Bryce had just brought her to. Overhead lights were flashing, creating an almost surreal quality, as if she had stepped onto the set of an old silent movie in progress. Except that silence was the last thing available in the packed building. Music and noise filled every crevice.

She turned toward him, raising her voice. “Dancing?” He’d just sprung the purpose behind this second pilgrimage less than a minute before they entered the building.

Holding her hand, he brought his lips close to her ear. In her heels, she was far easier to reach. “Yes, it’s when your feet move but you really don’t go anywhere.” He turned her to face him, taking her other hand as well and, covering it with his own, placed it on his shoulder. “You might have heard of it. It’s catching on in some regions.”

“I know what dancing is.” She was already doing it, swaying to a beat that invaded her body. Burrowing in next to another, far more primal beat that was beginning to take root inside of her. “I just didn’t think, that is, when you said dinner—”

“I said date,” he corrected. “Dinner was assumed, but it wasn’t implied exclusively.” Because of the lack of space, her body was pressed against his as they danced. Not a bad thing as far as he was concerned. Still, he didn’t want to force her to do anything she didn’t want to do. “Would you rather not?”

“No, that is, yes, I mean—” This was coming out really badly, she thought in frustration.

“I always liked multiple choice in school, it gave me a fighting chance of being right.” He searched her eyes for his answer. “How about now?”

Defeated, Lisa started over again. “Yes, I’d like to go dancing with you.” Which was a moot point, since they already were. “It’s just that I didn’t expect it.”

Someone bumped into them, pressing her farther against him. His arm closed protectively around her. He never lost step. “I figure it’s a good way to get you to let me hold you without spooking you too much.”

She raised her chin defensively. “I do not get spooked. Much,” she added when she saw the amused look on his face.

The din within the club rose, vying with the music, and the press of bodies brought the temperature up by a good ten degrees. Fifteen if she were going by her own heat. But that could have been a result of being held close in his arms. She could feel herself almost melting against him.

“Um, Bryce?”

“Yes?”

She drew his attention to the barely audible music. “They’re playing a fast song.”

He pretended to listen for a second, then nodded and continued dancing very slowly. “That’s okay. They’ll catch up.” He saw the quizzical look in her eyes. “They’re bound to play a slow one sooner or later. We’re just getting a jump on them, that’s all.”

“Oh.” She felt a smile form, taking hold of her from within. “Okay.”

Lisa hid her smile in his shoulder as she pressed her face there. The smile widened as she felt his heart rhythm match her own. Just for now, she wasn’t going to think, wasn’t going to take this beyond the moment. Because the moment was warm and comforting. And he was in it.

Chapter Ten

As the days of summer moved languidly along toward September and the fall, Bryce found himself thinking of Lisa more and more often.

He liked seeing her.

Liked looking forward to seeing her.

If there were danger signs hidden just beneath the surface, he didn’t stop to unearth them. He was having too good a time with Lisa, with her daughter, even with her mother who reminded him so much of the way his own late mother had been before his father’s death had taken away her smile and her grit.

Over the course of the past six weeks, ever since he’d held Lisa against him in that dance club and pretended to dance, they had gone to a slew of movies, amusement parks, museums and restaurants. They went as a duo, a trio or a quartet, depending on whether or not they were taking CeCe and Cecilia with them. There were even times when Bryce didn’t know if he was having more fun with all of them or alone with Lisa.

And then he’d go out with just her and have his answer in front of him, all done up with a bow.

There was just something about Lisa that got to him. That stirred him as it anesthetized his normal ability to back off whenever he thought himself getting the slightest bit involved.

He became involved without realizing it. It happened when he wasn’t looking.

Her store seemed to be on its way to becoming a success. Bryce liked to think he had a little something to do with that. He’d gone out of his way to spread the word among his friends and acquaintances he frequently exchanged only a few words with, telling them about the new toy store that catered to the imagination of a child rather than to the latest action figure on the market.

Parents showed up at her store in increasing numbers as word got around. She gleefully gave him a progress report every time they got together. She had someone working full-time for her now, as well as a high school student, Alessandra, coming in part-time.

It was nice knowing she was settling in, really making Bedford her home.

It was nice seeing her smile.

Everything about Lisa lingered on his mind. Whenever his attention wasn’t absorbed by an immediate emergency unfolding before him, Lisa was there, whispering along the outline of his day. At times, it was her smile, at others, her laughter, that seemed to consume his every thought. And then there was the way she kissed. As if each time was her first after a very long exodus.

He tried not to think about what that did to him. And how much he wanted her. But there was no getting away from the fact that he did. Badly.

“Hey, you in there, Walker?”

Startled, he looked up to see Riley standing over him in the fire station’s tiny kitchen. He hadn’t even heard Riley come in.

“I was just thinking,” he muttered, shrugging carelessly.

Riley looked at him knowingly. “You looked like you were a million miles away. I called your name twice, didn’t you hear me?”

“If I would have heard, I would have answered.” Annoyed with himself, Bryce steered the conversation away from any speculation Riley might feel called upon to make. “What’s on your mind?”

“Seeing as how we’re both getting off at the same time for a change, you want to go out and snag a couple of beers at Vitale’s?”

It had been a while since he and Riley had gone out one-on-one. He hadn’t really gotten together with him since the barbecue. But he shook his head. He had other plans.

“Maybe some other time.” Bryce finished putting the groceries away. It had been his turn to do the shopping. “I told Lisa I’d stop by when I went off duty.”

Riley watched him thoughtfully. “You know, if I didn’t know any better, partner, I’d say that you’ve got it bad.”

Bryce stopped bunching the empty bags together and looked at his friend. “Got what?”

The shrug was wide and exaggerated. “I dunno, what would you call it? Lisa-it is? The settling-down-with-one-woman look?”

Bryce set his jaw hard. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?” Riley hooted, feeling as if he’d just been challenged. “Hell, Bryce, I’ve got four brothers, remember? I can draw that look on a piece of paper with my eyes closed—and I can’t even draw.”

Bruce stopped walking away from him and looked at his friend seriously. “You know how I feel about commitment.”

“Yeah, I know how you feel about it. Up here.” He flicked his fingers at Bryce’s temple, then waved them at Bryce’s midriff. “But a better question would be how does your gut feel about it?”

Irritated, Bryce batted away Riley’s hand. He didn’t like the direction the conversation was going in. Didn’t like that Riley was giving voice to questions that had been hovering just out of reach in his own mind. Questions he didn’t want to deal with.

“My gut doesn’t have any feelings, it just gets hungry three times a day.” After he had finished unpacking and clearing away the bags, he crossed his arms and leaned against the pantry. “All this because I won’t go out for a beer with you?” And then, to prove to Riley and himself that he hadn’t fallen victim to any malady that rendered him incapable of walking away from the situation at anytime, Bryce changed his mind. “Okay, Riley, tell you what, you’re on.”

Surprised at the abrupt change, Riley looked dubious. “What about Lisa?”

“I’ll just phone her and postpone,” Bryce said casually, more for his own benefit than for Riley’s. Riley’s expression remained unchanged. “Hey, it’s not as if we’re seeing each other exclusively.”

“Oh? Who have you been seeing lately?” Riley asked.

Ambushed without a proper answer, Bryce scowled. “I’m seeing you, isn’t that enough?”

Riley laughed shortly, shaking his head. “Well, I gotta tell you, you’re going to have to brace yourself to be disappointed—I don’t look nearly as good in shorts and a tank top as Lisa does.”

Laughing, Bryce hit him on the back of his head with the flat of his hand. “Shut up and wait in my car, I’m just going to make a call.”

Riley stopped, looking serious. “Hey, I didn’t mean to break anything up.”

Bryce looked at him pointedly before he reached for the telephone. “You didn’t.”

Wiping her hands on the apron, Cecilia walked out of the kitchen into the living room. The telephone had rung and she’d refrained from answering it, knowing that it would be Bryce calling Lisa. Watching the romance between the two unfold made her heart swell. Having her own gentleman caller these days didn’t hurt things, either, she thought, smiling to herself.

“So.” She nodded at the telephone Lisa had just hung up. “When is he coming?”

Lisa let out a long breath before answering. “He’s not. Something came up.”

The edge of the apron slipped from her fingers. Instinctively she glanced toward the window, as if that would give her her answer. “A fire?”

Lisa shook her head, feeling unaccountably lost. “He’s going out with Riley.”

Lisa knew that nothing permanent could form between them. Hadn’t she been the first to say she didn’t want anything to take root?

So why did she feel so disappointed?

It wasn’t even as if they had been planning some big evening out on the town. They hadn’t. There were no hard and fast plans. Bryce had just mentioned coming over, perhaps watching a video with all of them. And then maybe, later on, they’d take a walk under a darkening sky, the way they had several other times in the last few weeks.

No big deal, really. Certainly no big loss that he’d canceled.

Lisa pressed her lips together. So why the hell did she feel as if someone had just propelled a cannon ball right through her and left this big, gaping hole in her middle?

If she wasn’t careful, she warned herself, she was going to start crying. Without a clue as to why. Trying to outdistance the feelings that were nipping at her heels, threatening to overtake her, she suddenly turned to her mother.

“Mom, you want to go out for a pizza? You, CeCe and me?”

The suddenness of the request took Cecilia by surprise. She’d just spent the last hour and a half preparing a special meal. Even now, the aroma was seductively drifting in from the kitchen.

“But dinner—” The protest died as she saw the expression on her daughter’s face. “Of course.” In a smooth movement, she untied the apron and tossed it over the back of the sofa. “My hips could spread out a little farther in the name of a family evening out. Just let me shut off the stove and get my purse.” Crossing to the banister, she leaned and called up the stairs. “CeCe, come down. We are going out.”

The words were no sooner out of Cecilia’s mouth than the little girl came flying out of her room and down the stairs. Coming to a halt in front of her mother, CeCe’s head swiveled as she looked around the room.

“Oh boy, with Bryce?” CeCe asked.

The question pushed a sharp pin into Lisa’s chest. “No, honey.” Lisa rested a hand on CeCe’s shoulder. “Just the three of us.”

A frown puckered CeCe’s lower lip. “Why not with Bryce?”

Lisa cupped the small face in her hand. She did her best to sound upbeat and cheerful. “Well, for one thing, he’s not here.”

CeCe still didn’t understand. “But he will be, right, Mommy?”

Lisa dropped her hand. “Not tonight.”

“Is there a fire?” Without waiting for an answer, CeCe ran to the window to see if the fire truck was still visible in the fire station driveway.

“No,” Lisa told her quietly.

Perplexed, CeCe looked at her mother over her shoulder. “Is he mad at us, Mommy?”

Anger scrambled through Lisa, rallying her. Dissolving her disappointment in its flash of heat. This was it, this was why she had resisted getting involved with a man, because it affected not only her, not only her mother’s mute and not-so-mute hopes, but her daughter’s heart as well. And there was no way Lisa was going to stand by and watch CeCe get hurt.

“No, baby,” she told her brusquely, “he’s not mad at us. He’s just busy.”

“Too busy for us?” CeCe asked her mother.

“Apparently so.” Purse in hand, Lisa saw that Cecilia was emerging from the kitchen. They were ready. Lisa took CeCe’s hand firmly in hers. “But we can have a good time without him. We did before we met him, remember, CeCe?”

“Yes.” But the answer was given without enthusiasm. Breaking Lisa’s heart.

Riley pulled out a five to cover the two beers the man behind the counter set down in front of him and Bryce and reached for his own mug. “Look, I was just kidding, Bryce. I didn’t mean to make you change your plans for the evening.”

Bryce stared at his beer. He was feeling bad about what he’d done already. Paradoxically, because he was, he knew it had to be done. “Hey, it was nothing written in stone. And maybe you’re right.” He lifted his mug, taking a deep swallow. “Maybe I was seeing too much of Lisa lately. Maybe it’s time to just step back and let things slide for a while.”

“Why?”

Bryce shrugged. “Before it gets too serious.”

“Gets,” Riley repeated thoughtfully. “Hell, man, you’re a few miles past ‘gets’ don’t you think?”

Bryce frowned, contemplating the bottom of his mug, trying not to think about the fact that he felt like a heel. “Shut up and drink your beer.”

Riley drained his mug, then signaled for a refill. “You know, Lisa’s a great woman.”

Bryce wished his friend would talk about something else. “Nobody’s arguing with that.”

The bartender took Riley’s mug and filled it with the beer on tap. Riley nodded his thanks, shelling out a few more bills. “And the parcel she comes with is pretty great, too. Kid’s cute and I heard Dean’s dad, Stash, talking about the grandmother. I think the two of them might be getting cozy pretty soon.” Riley raised his mug in a silent salute before sampling the second serving. “Nice to know there’s life after fifty. Gives me something to live for.” Setting the mug down slowly, his eyes shifted toward the front door as it opened. “Speaking of something to live for, head’s up.”

Caught up in his own thoughts, Bryce looked at him. “What?”

Riley inclined his head toward Bryce. “Subjects approaching, nine o’clock.”

Confused, Bryce turned to look in the direction Riley indicated.

Vitale’s was the closest pizzeria to her house that Lisa knew of. She’d also heard from some of her clients that they served the best pizza west of New York. She had her doubts, but anything was worth a try. Right now, she could do with a little mindless noise and loud chatter.

The place appeared to be doing a lively business when they arrived, so much so that the parking lot was packed. The first spot Lisa found was a fair distance away from the pizzeria, in front of a clothing outlet store in the outdoor strip mall that had closed for the night.

As they walked back across the lot to Vitale’s, just before she came to the entrance, she could have sworn they passed Bryce’s black Jeep.

But that was just her imagination, working overtime, she told herself. Besides, this was Southern California, land of the perpetual vacation site. At any given moment, there was more than just one black Jeep in close proximity on the road.

Looking at the license would have taken the guesswork out of the situation, but she refused to do that, even just to satisfy her curiosity. He’d told her he was going out with Riley. He hadn’t said anything about getting a pizza. Besides, she was doing this to get her mind off Bryce.

“Let’s go inside,” Lisa urged, opening the door for CeCe and her mother.

It was as if CeCe had radar.

If nothing else, she definitely had eyes like a bat. The moment they entered Vitale’s, she seemed to hone in on Bryce and where he was sitting at the modest bar.

Her small face was wreathed in smiles as she excitedly pointed into the crowd. “Mommy, look!”

“Look at what?” But by the time she looked, CeCe was already darting away from her, leaving her behind, stunned. “CeCe, what have I told you about running off?” she called after the little girl. “Stay here,” she instructed her mother, hurrying after CeCe before she lost sight of her in the crowded restaurant.

Finally managing to catch up to her at the bar, Lisa grabbed CeCe’s arm. “Don’t scare me like that. What’s come over you?”

And then Lisa saw him. The answer to her question. Her attention completely focused on CeCe, she thought she was just imagining seeing Bryce out of the corner of her eye.

But there he was.

Surprise pulled the words away from her. But only momentarily. “Oh…Bryce.” For lack of anything else to do, she blew out a breath, stalling for time. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that you were coming here.” Flustered, not for the world wanting him to think she had come here deliberately looking for him, she drew CeCe to her. “Come on, CeCe, let’s go.”

Torn, CeCe made her choice and dug in as best she could. “But we just got here, Mommy. Can’t we stay with Bryce?”

That was the last thing Lisa wanted to do. Stay with a man who didn’t want to be in her company. “No, honey,” she said tersely, “we can go someplace else.”

Even in the dim light, Bryce could see the flicker of hurt in Lisa’s eyes. No matter how much she was attempting to mask it.

Hating himself for having done this to her, Bryce was on his feet immediately. “No, don’t go. There’s no reason to leave.”

What was he doing to her? He’d called her not more than half an hour ago, canceling. Now he was rescinding that? What was his motivation? Pity? The thought galvanized her.

“Yes, there is.” She tried very hard not to sound as if this mattered to her one way or another. “You’re having an evening with your friend and we don’t want to intrude.”

Cecilia came up behind them. Bryce wondered if he’d just gained an ally. Seeing her here so suddenly, he knew he didn’t want Lisa leaving. He nodded at her mother. “Hello, Cecilia.”

Cecilia returned the greeting, inclining her head. “Hello, Bryce. I did not realize that we were meeting here.”

Still holding CeCe’s hand, Lisa turned toward her mother, and the door. “We’re not, Mother. We’re leaving. Now.”

CeCe’s lower lip began to protrude like a perch intended for sparrows. “But I don’t want to leave, Mommy. Can’t we stay? Please?”

Bryce put his hand on her arm, lightly restraining Lisa. “Please?” he chimed in, adding his voice to CeCe’s and gaining a sunny smile from her in return.

“Stay,” Riley coaxed, coming around to her other side. “He’s been miserable company so far. Can’t tell him apart from all those other guys they make up all those country and western songs about.”

“Oh?” Lisa looked at Bryce innocently. “Someone steal your Jeep?”

Riley leaned his head in close to hers. “I’m talking about the part about the girl walking out on him,” he clarified.

“Shut up, Riley. Stay,” Bryce entreated Lisa, trying to sound as sincere as he could. “Rescue me from him.”

“Yeah, stay,” Riley echoed. He turned toward her mother, an engaging smile on his face. “You’ll talk to me, won’t you, Cecilia?”

“If you wish.” To make good on her word, as Lisa watched, Cecilia made herself comfortable on the stool next to Riley’s. “What are we having?” Cecilia glanced at his mug. “Boiler Preparers?”

“Makers, Mom. Boiler Makers,” Lisa corrected automatically. “And no, we’re not having that. We’re having pizza.”

“Sounds good to me,” Bryce told her. He slipped his arm around her shoulders, silently coaxing her onto the stool he’d just occupied. Then, scooping up CeCe, he planted her on the stool next to her mother’s. He took his post behind her to keep her from falling off.

Lisa began to soften, though she knew she shouldn’t. “I thought you wanted to get a beer with Riley.”

Lifting his more than half filled mug, Bryce nodded at it, then at the man sitting beside her mother. “Beer. Riley. Requirements fulfilled. Besides, you’re a hel-heck of a lot—” he glanced at CeCe “—prettier than he is.” His look swept over the two women and the single woman-in-training. “You all are.”

Giggling, CeCe turned on her stool and looked up at Bryce as if he were made entirely of her favorite kind of chocolate. “Can’t we have pizza with him, Mommy? He can have my share.”

Why did such a simple offer from a pint-size human being twist his heart?

Mayday, something cried within him, setting off an alarm, you’re getting in too deep.

But just for now, he blocked out that warning. He’d much rather listen to the soft voice of the woman in front of him.

“That’s okay, CeCe,” Lisa said. She knew that she was going to regret this waffling, this retreat. But fighting the look in CeCe’s eyes as well as the one she saw in Bryce’s was more than she could successfully manage. “We’ll get an extra-large one.”

“Yeah, Mommy!” CeCe cheered, clapping her hands together enthusiastically, then hooking them around Bryce’s.

“Yeah, Mommy,” he echoed.

It was the wink that undid Lisa. And tipped the scales entirely in his favor.

What did one more evening matter, she told herself as she waved to a waitress. She knew where she stood with him. On temporary ground. Which, Lisa reminded herself, was just fine with her.

Chapter Eleven

Bryce watched the moonlight dance along her skin as they stood inside the white-framed gazebo that jutted out onto the waters of the man-made lake. The small structure, with its serene view, was quickly becoming his favorite place in Bedford. At least, when he was with Lisa.

She was so beautiful, she made his heart ache, Bryce thought. It wasn’t the kind of beauty that seized you, unannounced, but rather the kind that crept up on you slowly, quietly. Lastingly.

His mind wasn’t on the conversation and it had slowly died. Because he couldn’t resist, he silently turned her to him and trailed his fingers along her throat, bringing them softly to rest along her cheek. The look in her eyes delivered a one-two punch to his gut he hadn’t been prepared for.

Tilting her head, he pressed his lips against hers, thinking himself fairly safe. He only risked kissing her when they were out in public. When circumstances were such that things couldn’t escalate into something far more intimate than a kiss. He only kissed her then because he knew that if he did it when they were alone and he made love to her, this woman would linger on his mind far longer than any ever had before. She would leave an indelible mark on his soul, making him want more than he had ever wanted anyone before. And that was bad.

Bad for him. And most especially, bad for her.

Despite all his mental precautions and self-cautioning, the kiss was intimacy personified from the moment his lips brushed against hers. It sank deep into his soul, nudging it, arousing it.

For a second, he forgot himself, forgot vows and drew Lisa into his arms. His heart hammering, he deepened the kiss. Or perhaps, the kiss deepened itself. He wasn’t sure. Wasn’t sure of anything.

He caught himself absorbing everything about Lisa. The feel of her body against his, the scent of evening in her hair, the taste of her lips pressed so ardently to his. Everything.

He wanted more. Needed more.

Shaken, Bryce pulled back abruptly, his hands on her arms now as if to safeguard the distance between them. He really wasn’t sure if he could hold himself in check if he didn’t.

He wasn’t so sure he could even if he did.

Very slowly, he took a deep breath. His hammering heart downgraded to frantic. “Maybe I’d better get you home,” he said quietly.

Lisa felt her heart racing as longing sprang up, longing that ran so deep, it threatened to almost consume her. The degree with which she wanted him startled her.

She hadn’t been with anyone since CeCe had been conceived. Hadn’t wanted to be with anyone. Until now.

“Yours or mine?” she heard herself asking.

Despite her zest and her verve for life, it was the most brazen question she’d ever asked. He held her confidence, not to mention her future, in his hands. Without realizing it, she held her breath, waiting for his answer.

Bryce masked the wince as best he could. He smiled into her eyes, wishing for the first time in his life that he hadn’t chosen the path he had. But he had and veering from his promise wasn’t right. But doing what was right sure wasn’t easy.

“Yours,” he told her. “It’s getting late and I’m on duty tomorrow.”

It felt like a cold slap in the face. She told herself that he didn’t mean it that way. That it was just circumstance that had him drawing back. After all, it was late and he did have to get up early.

She tried not to think about the fact that she had just thrown herself at someone who had very neatly sidestepped the pitch.

“Sure.” Lisa was vaguely aware of nodding. “I understand.”

But she didn’t. Not really. Not any of it. Not in her heart, where all important things counted. All she knew was that she felt very, very hurt and not altogether sure why.

In the days that followed, Bryce felt like he was unwillingly involved in a dance that was beyond his control to end, or even to modify the music being played. The closer he got to Lisa, the more he knew he should pull away.

So he did. But not very effectively. Something was always pulling him back at the last moment.

When he was with her, he was where he wanted to be. When he was away, he knew that was where he should be. Away. Away so that no more bonds could form between them, no more binds could creep out over his feelings.

He was already in far deeper than he had even intended on being. Far more involved with her and her family than he had ever been with any woman before.

Because he wanted her, he told himself he didn’t. And knew he was lying.

But ultimately, it wasn’t supposed to be about what he wanted. It was supposed to be about what was right. And it wasn’t right to tangle her life up in his when at any given moment, that bond could unravel because he wasn’t there anymore.

Just like it had with his father. And his mother. The look in his mother’s eyes the day she received the news about his father’s death had haunted him for a long time, outweighing the pain and loss that existed in his own heart. He didn’t want that look to ever be in Lisa’s eyes.

Because he cared about her too much.

Lisa stared at the dark cordless telephone on the kitchen wall. The silence was deafening.

Going through the motions just to have something to do, she poured herself a cup of coffee from the automatic coffeemaker. It was cold. She’d inadvertently turned the machine off earlier.

Making a face, she poured the contents out, shaking her head at her foolishness.

She wasn’t sure she could take much more of this. She was beginning to firmly believe that it was better being alone than living in this strange limbo she found herself in. When she’d started seeing Bryce, everything had been brought out in the open. He’d told her his position, she’d told him hers. Everything had been so nice and clear. Well, at least for him, it was still going along according to plan.

So how did it get so miserably tangled, so complicated for her?

The answer was simple. Because he’d stuck to the plan, and she hadn’t. Somehow along the way, she let her heart do the thinking for her.

And now look at her, she was sitting on a kitchen stool, drinking cold coffee and willing an inanimate object to do her bidding. What was worse, it wasn’t. The telephone just continued to silently mock her.

“Money for your thoughts,” Cecilia said brightly, coming around the counter.

“That’s a penny for your thoughts.” The correction was automatic.

“A penny?” Cecilia repeated, laughing. “What can you possibly get with a penny except annoyed that it is not more?”

“It’s a very old saying,” Lisa assured her, “when pennies counted.” She sighed deeply, hating the way she felt. “When feelings counted.”

Cecilia frowned. “Feelings still count.”

Yeah, they do. And they’re making me miserable, Lisa thought. “Well, they shouldn’t.”

Cecilia looked at her daughter thoughtfully. “He has not called, eh?”

Lisa opened her mouth to deny the thought behind the question, or at least feign innocence. But what was the use? Her mother had always seemed to know her deepest feelings.

“No, he hasn’t.” Getting off the stool, Lisa went to rinse out the cup.

Cecilia shadowed her every move. “So, why don’t you call him?”

Lisa hadn’t seen that one coming at all. She placed the cup onto the drain board, shutting off the water. “Mother.”

The look on Cecilia’s face was innocent. “The telephone is rather an amazing invention. It works both ways, you know. You can dial out as well as have calls come in.”

“Why aren’t you more old-fashioned?” Lisa asked her mother.

Cecilia slipped an arm around her shoulders. “The times change, you have to go with them or remain behind. Maybe Bryce just needs a small nudge. Maybe Bryce has what they call cool feet.”

“Cold feet, Mother.”

“Cool feet, cold feet. Same thing, a temperature irregularity.” Her eyes softened as she looked at her only child. “I know he cares for you, Lisa. I see it in his eyes.”

She’d thought she had, too, but they were both obviously mistaken. Restless, Lisa began to clear away the last of the dishes out of the dishwasher. “Apparently not enough to pick up the telephone. Except to cancel on me.”

Joining in, Cecilia took a large pot from the rack and began to wipe away the last few drops of water on it. “You think it is another woman?”

Frustrated, Lisa raised a shoulder, then let it sink again. “I don’t know what to think.”

Cecilia tucked the pot away in the cabinet. “Well, if it were me—”

Lisa’s head jerked up, a warning look in her eyes. She didn’t want to discuss this any further. And she didn’t want any unsolicited advice. “It’s not.”

Cecilia ignored the vehement bite she heard in Lisa’s voice, allowing her leeway because she was hurt. “Well, actually, it is, in a way. Everything you feel, my darling, I feel. Right here.” Cecilia splayed her hand over her heart. “And I cannot do anything to make it hurt any less, or be any better,” she admitted truthfully. “But if I were in your situation, I would go to him and ask what was going on.”

Lisa threw aside her towel. “I know what’s going on. He said he didn’t want to get involved.”

Cecilia looked at her, confounded by this latest news. “When? When did he say this to you?”

“When he asked me out the first time.”

Relieved, Cecilia nodded her head, pleased at the information. “Ah.”

Lisa’s eyes narrowed as she felt her back going up. “What ‘ah’?”

“Men say a great many things to—how shall I say this—‘protect’ themselves in the beginning,” Cecilia commented. “In case things do not work out.”

Lisa could feel her mood growing darker with each passing minute. “Well, they didn’t.”

But Cecilia was not as sure as her daughter. Her expression indicated as much. “There is only one way to know for sure.”

Why was her mother putting her through this? Why couldn’t she just accept what was right there in front of them? He’d changed his mind. However much time he had allotted to their relationship—just enough to make her care—it was up. Over. Finished. And he was out of here. Out of her life.

“I know for sure,” Lisa retorted angrily. She could feel tears beginning to form, beginning to demand release. “Look, I know you mean well, Mother, but can we just drop this discussion for now, okay?”

“Mommy?”

Startled by CeCe’s voice, Lisa wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and pulled herself together before she turned toward the doorway. She had no clue if CeCe was drawn by her raised voice or not.

It quavered slightly as Lisa said, “Yes, honey?”

“When is Bryce coming over?” CeCe held aloft the red fire truck he had presented to her at the annual firefighters picnic last Sunday. It was an exact miniature of the one sitting across the street at the station. “I want him to play fire truck with me again,” she said, despite the warning look in her mother’s eyes.

“Honey, Bryce might not be coming by anymore,” Lisa said.

Anymore sounded like a long time. Maybe like forever, CeCe thought. But Mommy couldn’t mean that. CeCe’s brow puckered as she tired to make sense out of the words. “Why?”

“Because, well, because—” Lost, Lisa looked toward her mother for help, but Cecilia left her free-falling in the wind. She looked back at her daughter. “Because he’s very busy right now and might be for a very long time to come.”

CeCe’s chin trembled slightly. She dug in stubbornly as tears shimmered in her wide eyes. “No, he’s not too busy to see me. You’ll see. He said so. He said he’d always have time for me,” she insisted.

Lisa hated this, hated having her child hurt. Now Bryce was making promises to CeCe he had no intention of keeping. “When did he say this?”

“The last time he read to me.”

The night after the picnic. The last time he’d been here, Lisa thought.

“And he wouldn’t lie, he wouldn’t!” CeCe insisted. Then, defiantly, she backed away from both her mother and her grandmother. “I’m going to my room now. When he comes, call me.”

“CeCe—”

But the little girl spun around on her heel and raced up the stairs to her room without a backward glance.

“Okay, that does it,” Lisa announced angrily to the room at large. Or perhaps it was to herself, to signal an end to her passive period.

Turning on her heel much the way CeCe had, Lisa marched out of the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” her mother called after her.

“To give someone who needs it a piece of my mind.” Barefoot, she looked around for the shoes she’d kicked off as soon as she’d walked into the house. “It’s one thing to pull a disappearing act on me, it’s another to do the same thing to CeCe.”

Finding her shoes on the opposite ends of the sofa, she put them on, shoving each foot in with a vengeance.

Cecilia began to follow her, then stopped. Initially she wanted to tell Lisa not to say anything to Bryce in the heat of anger she might regret. But even anger had its place at times. And who knew? A display of justified temper might just nudge things along.

Besides, Cecilia smiled to herself, remembering, it was so very nice, making up again after the shouting was all over.

Her thoughts colliding into one another, Lisa wasn’t thinking very clearly as she quickly made her way across the street. There were only a smattering of cars out. Rush hour traffic was over and dinner, for the most part, wasn’t yet. People were in their homes, sharing precious time. A hint of envy flickered through her soul.

She had to do this now, while she was still angry enough to carry it off. It wasn’t as if she wanted him back in her life, she told herself. After all, what did she want with a man who made promises to little girls he had no intention of keeping?

But she did want to tell Bryce Walker what she thought of him. That she regretted the day she ever laid eyes on him. Regretted every unbidden dream she’d ever had of him.

She just wanted to tell him that he had gotten his wish—he was out of her life and out of CeCe’s. But before she told him that, she wanted to tell him what a miserable rat he was for toying with CeCe’s hopes the way he had.

The firehouse seemed deserted when she entered it, although the truck was still there. She knew Bryce was on duty because she had seen his black Jeep parked in the lot to the right of the station house. All she had to do was keep her anger wrapped around her long enough to find him.

Lisa took the stairs on the far side and made her way up to the living quarters. Several men she recognized from the barbecue and the picnic were engrossed in a poker game.

Riley was the first to look up when she approached.

Lisa could feel her courage flagging. “Hi, is Bryce around?”

The rest of the men all turned and looked at her in unison.

Riley took the unlit cigar out of his mouth and set it on the empty ashtray as he rose to his feet. “Hi, Lisa. You don’t know?”

There was something in his voice that alerted her she wasn’t going to like what was coming. She suddenly remembered that this was fire season in Southern California. The population held its collective breath, waiting for the cooler weather to arrive. Until then, the possibility of devastating fires hovered over all of them.

Lisa looked at Riley warily. “Know what?”

“Bryce and most of the crew are down by Lake Elsinore,” one of the other firefighters, Joe Donnellson, told her.

“There’re three major fires going on down there and the area put out a call for any firefighters who could be spared. I thought he called you,” Riley said.

“No.” The wind had completely gone out of Lisa’s sails. “No,” she repeated. “He didn’t. When did he, when did they,” she amended, “leave?”

Riley could see why his friend was so affected by this woman. He felt something protective stirring within himself as well. Damn Bryce and his stupid edict. He should have said something to her.

“They went this morning. Early,” he added, as if that somehow excused Bryce’s sin of omission. “They’re still all down there,” he said hurriedly. “I really don’t know how long they’re going to be there.” Riley shook his head, mystified. “I thought for sure he told you.”

She shook her head. “No, maybe he just didn’t stop to think of it.”

Didn’t stop to think that when she found out, she’d be terrified for him. Didn’t stop to think that maybe she would have liked the chance to talk to him before he left. In case…

Lisa pulled her thoughts up sharply. She refused to let her mind go there. Bryce was a firefighter, had been one for over eight years. He’d survived fires before he ever met her, there was no reason to think he wouldn’t go on doing just that now that he had.

Plenty of firefighters lived to retire from their jobs.

So why did she suddenly feel as if her insides had all turned to gelatin?

She searched Riley’s face and saw kindness there. He understood what she was going through. Too bad his friend wasn’t as insightful. “Is there any way to contact him?”

Riley shook his head. “Not really. There’s a command post set up down there, but getting a call through to him that isn’t an emergency—” He stopped abruptly, his eyes washing over her and coming to rest on her abdomen. “It’s not an emergency, is it?”

Lisa knew what Riley was thinking. “No,” she replied quietly. “It’s not an emergency. If Bryce calls in by some chance…”

“Yes?” he coaxed encouragingly.

“Don’t tell him I was here,” she said, edging her way out of the communal room. Out of Bryce’s way of life.

“Whatever you want,” Riley replied.

That was just the trouble, she thought, hurrying from the station. It wasn’t what she wanted. But apparently, it was what Bryce wanted. Why else would he have answered the call for volunteer firefighters at Lake Elsinore without so much as calling her to say goodbye? Because she didn’t matter to him, that’s why.

Chapter Twelve

Lisa felt like throwing things, preferably breakable things that made loud noises when they crashed against hard surfaces.

The man was despicable, absolutely despicable. She hated Bryce for having toyed like this with her emotions. Hated him for making her care. For making her feel isolated from him, not because of the miles that separated them, but because of the feelings that kept him distant from her.

With all her might, Lisa tried to hang on to her anger. Anger was her glue, it was what kept her from falling apart. But it was slowly being dissolved in the wake of a very real, cold fear. She’d never had a personal stake in watching a disaster unfold before. She had one now.

The Lake Elsinore fires were in full swing, in their third day, with no containment in sight when Lisa found out Bryce was there. She immediately began watching the cable station dedicated to broadcasting the Orange County news twenty-four hours a day.

The set droned on in the background no matter what Lisa was doing at home. At work, she had a small set tuned to the station under the main counter. She needed to remain connected to what was going on. Just in case.

“You are making yourself crazy,” her mother said the second night of her vigil. But Cecilia sat with her and watched.

Only CeCe was kept in the dark as to why something so boring as news was on constantly.

And then, on the afternoon of the fifth day, it happened. The story Lisa had been praying not to hear. She’d just finished ringing up a huge, grinning teddy bear for a man whose wife was expecting their first child when the newscaster announced, “This just in. Two Bedford firefighters were rushed from the site of the largest of the Lake Elsinore fires and flown by medi-vac to Harris Memorial Hospital.”

Transfixed, unable to breathe, Lisa stared at the television screen. She barely remembered to hand her customer back his copy of the charge receipt.

She turned up the volume.

“…the second firefighter was injured when he went in trying to save his fellow fireman who had been pinned by falling debris in this terrible blaze. Names are being withheld pending notification of the families. On a brighter note, two of the fires appear to be under thirty percent containment, while the third is more than fifty percent contained…”

Lisa knew it was Bryce.

While she fervently prayed it wasn’t, in her heart, she knew. The second fireman was Bryce. It was the kind of thing Bryce would do without thinking. Put himself on the line for someone else, disregarding his own safety.

When the telephone rang as the scene on the screen turned to local sports, Lisa jumped. But it was only her mother on the other end of the line, not anyone official. As if they would call her if something happened to Bryce, she mocked herself. She’d made it clear to everyone that she wanted her space, not Bryce.

Her mother’s voice was filled with emotion. “Lisa—”

Lisa held the receiver against her ear with both hands. There was no need for her mother to elaborate. Lisa knew her mother was keeping vigil, same as she. “I know, I just heard.”

There was a pause, as if Cecilia was searching for the right words. “They gave no names. We do not know that it is him.”

“We don’t know that it’s not.”

Cecilia continued pragmatically. “I have just called the hospital. They will not tell me anything,” she said, frustrated.

Lisa knew her mother was as worried as she was. And not just because Lisa’s own heart was tangled up in this situation, but because her mother genuinely liked Bryce. He’d made a place for himself in all their lives—which was why his abrupt withdrawal this way didn’t make any sense.

Lisa made up her mind. “I’m going down there myself to get someone to talk to me.” There was no way she could remain here, waiting for word, or arguing with a disembodied voice over the telephone. She’d go out of her mind within ten minutes. “I’ll call you when I know something.” And then she paused as a thought struck her. “Mom, don’t let CeCe know.” The little girl would be devastated if she knew something had happened to Bryce. There was no point in telling her and getting her alarmed until all the facts were in.

“I am already leading the way there.” Lisa guessed that her mother meant she was way ahead of her there, but didn’t bother correcting her. “Do not worry. I have her playing with the girls next door. Just go. And if it is him, give him my love.”

And mine, Lisa thought. “Don’t worry, I will. Just before I read him the riot act.”

“There is a riot along with the fire?”

“Never mind, Mom. I’ll call you as soon as I have anything to tell you.” She hung up and pushed the telephone back on the counter.

Leaving the three customers in the store with her assistant, Lisa was in her car and driving toward the hospital within seven minutes of hanging up the telephone.

The trip from the mall to Harris Memorial was a blur of traffic lights she just managed to squeak through and lanes that she wove in and out of, trying to gain a few yards, a few precious seconds.

Her mind was focused only on one thing. She hoped that if it was Bryce in one of the two hospital beds, he would be all right.

And when he got well, she thought, brushing away with the heel of her hand the tears that insisted on falling, she’d strangle him. Strangle him for leaving to fight this huge disaster without telling her what he was doing. Without even saying goodbye.

Lisa parked her car and rushed inside the hospital entrance. Following the signs, Lisa found the emergency admissions desk just beyond the emergency room itself. The nurse was about to call over the next patient, but Lisa reached her desk first.

“Can you tell me if you’ve admitted a Bryce Walker here in the last hour or so? He was one of the two firefighters flown in from the fire out at Lake Elsinore.”

The pleasant-looking woman in the pink smock looked genuinely sorry. “I can’t tell you—”

Lisa cut her short. “Please,” she said, anguish in her eyes.

A wealth of feeling and information reverberated in the single word. The woman hesitated, then moved her chair to face the computer monitor on her desk. “What was that name again?”

“Thank you.” Lisa’s sigh of relief was audible. “Bryce Walker.”

Keying in the name, the receptionist pulled up a screen and then nodded. “Yes. He was admitted about ninety minutes ago.”

Admitted. It was serious. Lisa wanted to ask how he was, what they had done to him, but those were questions she could answer for herself once she saw him. “Where is he?”

“Third floor,” the woman read out loud. “Room 312.”

A second “Thank you” hung in the air in her wake as Lisa dashed down the hallway to the elevators in the rear of the building.

Once inside the elevator, she jabbed the button for the third floor. ICU was located on the first floor. That meant Bryce was stable, didn’t it? She wondered.

She wrapped her mind around the thought and hung on to it for dear life.

Not wanting to waste precious time by stopping at the nurse’s station, or risk being sent away from a room that allowed no visitors, Lisa hurried down the hall, reading off numbers to herself, looking for his room.

She found it soon enough. And Riley who had gotten there ahead of her. The latter shot to his feet as she rushed into the room.

“Lisa.”

Weak, with his right hand bandaged up to his elbow and sporting a large dressing just over his left eye, Bryce was just as startled to see her as Riley was.

“Did you send for her?” he accused Riley with something that would have passed for anger had it more verve.

Riley raised his hands in protest. “Not me. I wouldn’t have ‘sent’ for her. Not without specific instructions.”

Lisa wanted to fling herself into Bryce’s arms, bandaged or not, and cover his face with kisses. She wanted to scream at him for shutting her out.

Instead, as both emotions warred inside her, she forced herself to remain as cool as she could.

It lasted all of three seconds.

“No, he didn’t summon me,” she told Bryce tersely. “No one summoned me.” Her eyes, like twin blue flames, bored into him. “Just like no one thought to tell me what was going on in the first place.”

Bryce had wanted only to spare her, and he’d apparently managed to do just the opposite. “Lisa, I—”

Riley knew when to make a timely exit. “I’ll see you later, Walker. Lisa.” He nodded at her, backing out of the room.

With barely a nod, she hardly spared the man a glance. Her eyes were focused on Bryce. The instant the door closed, she approached his bed with small, sure steps, like a puma stalking its prey into a dead end. The flames in her eyes rose.

“How dare you?”

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. “You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”

Specifics? He wanted specifics? She’d give him specifics, all right. A ton of them.

“How dare you just go off like that? How dare you make a place for yourself in our lives and then just vanish as if you’d been some sort of dream we all mass hallucinated? And then to find out—” She stopped abruptly, her voice hitching. She wanted to pummel him for the scare he had given her. “Do you have the slightest idea what I’ve been through these past three days?”

He set his mouth grimly. “Yeah, I do. And that’s exactly why I tried to ‘vanish’ out of your lives the way I did.”

She didn’t want to hear it, the sterling sentiments that had nothing to do with the flesh and blood feelings that existed between them.

“Oh, please, spare me the I-don’t-want-to-hurt-you-so-I’m-out-of-here speech.” She struggled to keep her voice steady, to keep the tears she felt back. “Don’t you get it? It’s too late for that. Too late to try to run for cover or throw protective stone walls back up. I’m here, I’m invested. And damn it, you did this to me. To all of us.”

He saw the tears shining in her eyes and ached because he had caused them. Ached because despite it all, he still wanted her more than he wanted anything else. Ever. “Yeah. I know. I’m sorry.”

He still didn’t get it. Frustrated, she sighed and dragged a hand through her hair. “You’re being sorry for the wrong thing, don’t you understand that?”

Bryce understood. He understood a lot of things. He’d had a great deal of time to think, both while he was lying exhausted in his cot during the enforced breaks he’d taken while fighting the fire, and while he was lying here. He looked at her now, perhaps seeing her for the first time. Seeing her with his heart. He couldn’t keep the words back.

“Lisa, I love you.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. “What?”

“I love you,” he repeated. And he did, he realized. With all his heart.

She stared at him for a moment, flustered and at a loss as to what to say. What did he mean by springing something like that on her just when she’d worked up a full head of steam?

“Is that supposed to keep me from yelling at you?”

Smiling, he moved his head from side to side. But not too hard because it still hurt like hell. “No, I just wanted to let you know where I stood.”

Now he said it. But then, she admitted to herself, had he said it earlier, maybe she would have run for the hills. It took something like this to make her realize where she stood herself. “You mean, instead of wavering in the shadows?”

He grinned now. “Yeah, instead of that.”

She sighed. “You took all the wind out of my sails, you know that, don’t you?”

Bryce laughed shortly. “God, but I hope not. I really like that wind. You really are magnificent when you’re angry, you know. C’mere,” he coaxed, holding out his one unbandaged hand to her.

Lisa pulled a chair over to his bedside, and took the hand in both of hers, grateful to be able to be here with him like this. Grateful to be anywhere with him.

“My life literally did flash before my eyes when I was inside that inferno, trying to get Jim out—they say he’s going to be okay, by the way,” he interjected.

She hadn’t stopped to ask about the other firefighter. All she could think of was Bryce. But now she nodded, relieved. “I’m glad.” Her eyes encouraged him to continue.

“But I realized that I’m not going to be all right.” He saw her eyes widen in concern and he hurried to make her understand. “Not without you. You and CeCe and your mother.” This wasn’t exactly coming out right. Determined, he gave it another try. “I realized, in that split instant when I didn’t think Jim and I were going to make it out of there alive, that you were the best part of my life. And that going on without you wasn’t really going to be life at all. I always knew I wanted a family, but the idea of a family was something abstract. You know, the way you want something you don’t really have. I never realized just how much I wanted a family until I found myself enfolded in yours.” Despite the pain, he squeezed her hand lightly in his. “And now going on without it just wouldn’t be the same.”

Her eyes held his, love welling up within her. “Who says you have to?”

To shackle her with his love still wasn’t fair. He wanted her to think this through very carefully. “What you said you just went through—the fear, the terror, that’s not an isolated incident. In one form or another, it’ll happen over and over again. I’m a firefighter, Lisa. It’s who and what I am.”

If there was an argument, she wasn’t the one creating it. “I know that. Did I say I wanted you to be a plumber?”

“No.”

“Then what are we talking about?”

He looked at her earnestly. “We’re talking about you living with fear.”

It was still no contest, she thought. “Better with fear than without you.”

She’d hit the nail right on the head. There were no guarantees in his profession. They were as careful as they could be, taking all the necessary precautions. But death rode on every trip. “There’s that, too.”

She knew what he was saying to her. Knew, too, that it didn’t matter. Not the way he thought it did. She wasn’t going to let fear stop her from enjoying his love. Not anymore.

“Are you familiar with Milton? Paradise Lost?” she added in case he didn’t understand her reference. “He said something to the effect that it was better to rule one minute in hell than to serve all eternity in heaven.”

His grin was wide. “Are you by any chance equating me to the devil?”

The man could be difficult when he wanted to be. “No, I’m saying that there are choices in life, choices that, because of what they are, are far better risking than going with a peaceful, sure thing.”

He sat up, his hand curled around hers. “So I’m your one minute in hell?”

He was fighting her, she thought. “It loses something in the translation.”

He reached for her face, caressing it. “As long as you don’t.”

She thought if she loved him any more, her heart was going to explode. And to think, she’d almost lost this without ever finding out how much was at stake. “Not a chance.”

“So you’re determined? To stick by me?” he added in case he wasn’t making himself clear.

“Yeah.”

He wanted to give her every opportunity to back out. Because once the words were out, they were binding. “And I can’t talk you out of it?”

She moved her head from side to side, her eyes on his. “Not a chance.”

It was all he wanted to hear. “Then I guess I’d better make an honest woman out of you.”

She blinked, afraid she was taking too much for granted, afraid that she was somehow misunderstanding what he meant. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

“Yes.” Was she going to turn him down after all? Bryce wondered.

Dazed, she swallowed. “Unless I’m mistaken, the term making an honest woman of someone usually applies after the couple’s made love.”

“I have. In my mind. A hundred times.”

She grinned, feeling her body heat already. “Reality is much better.”

“I’m counting on it.” He linked his hand with hers again. “Then it’s yes?”

“What do you think?”

He drew her over to the bed and she sat down beside him. “I think that I have a hell of a lot to get well for now.”

Her eyes twinkled. “Yes, you do.” Getting comfortable beside him, she took her cell phone out and began to press a key.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling Mother and CeCe to tell them you’re all right. And that there’ll be one more to dinner.” She looked at him significantly. “Permanently.”

He put his hand over the keypad. “Call them in a few minutes.”

She flipped the cover shut, looking at him. “Why?”

He shifted so that he could slip his good arm around her. “Because right now, I’d like to kiss the woman I love.”

Lisa grinned, setting the cell phone aside on the table. “Best offer I’ve had all day.”

His eyes were already making love to her. “Best offer you’ll ever have.”

She knew that it would be. “You’ve got that right,” she whispered softly just before his lips met hers.

ISBN: 978-1-4268-6858-0

TALL, STRONG & COOL UNDER FIRE

Copyright © 2000 by Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella

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