New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery delivers her acclaimed story about how life—and love—can change in an instant.

Beth Davis's fairy-tale days are over...or so the single mother of two thinks. She suddenly finds herself on a date with her very own Prince Charming, millionaire bachelor Todd Graham. He’s smart, sexy and very eligible—everything a woman could want in a man. But Beth’s a suburban mom, and approaching forty… She’s not sure if she’s Cinderella material.

Todd was supposed to be raising money for charity, not auctioning off his heart, but he never expected to be so taken with his date. Something in Beth’s smile captures the Texas tycoon’s attention, and suddenly life as a bachelor seems less exciting than it used to. But they’re worlds apart, and building a life with Beth isn’t as simple as all that. Can these unlikely lovers find their courage—and the fairy-tale ending they deserve?

Beth and the Bachelor

Susan Mallery

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Title Page

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 Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

‘‘You bought me what?’’ Beth Davis asked as she stared at the couple sitting across from her in her living room. A thunderstorm filled the late-afternoon sky.

Maybe she’d been hit by lightning and hadn’t noticed. That would explain why she thought Mike had said what he had. She shook her head, trying to clear her obviously confused hearing. He couldn’t have said that. Something was very wrong.

‘‘It’s not so awful,’’ her friend Cindy told her. ‘‘Really. I didn’t know he’d done it, but now that I think about it, it’s kinda sweet.’’

Beth tried to laugh, but the sound that came out was more of a moan. ‘‘Sweet. Of course. I’m sure that’s what he meant.’’ She turned her attention to Mike, Cindy’s husband. ‘‘What did you mean?’’

Mike grinned. The handsome bodyguard turned security agent wasn’t the least bit upset by her reaction. If Beth had to put money on something, she would bet that he was actually amused.

‘‘I thought I was doing you a favor. You’ve been talking about it for a long time. Cindy’s mentioned it several times. So I figured I would help things along.’’

Beth rose to her feet and crossed to the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the wall of her family room. Outside, a storm raged, but its wildness couldn’t compare to the panic growing inside of her. ‘‘You’ve always hated me. I see that now. Was it something I did?’’

‘‘Beth, don’t,’’ Cindy said. ‘‘If it’s really going to be this horrible for you, you don’t have to do it.’’

‘‘Actually, she does,’’ Mike told her. ‘‘Hey, it’s for charity.’’

Beth spun around and faced her two friends. She read the concern, along with a healthy dose of amusement in their expressions. She told herself they were trying to be helpful. They cared about her. She wouldn’t have made it through the past eighteen months if it hadn’t been for them. ‘‘But why did you have to buy me a man?’’ she asked.

‘‘I didn’t buy you a whole man. Just one night with him. A date. You’ll have fun,’’ Mike promised.

Beth made that moaning noise again. She sank into the nearest wing chair. ‘‘This is impossible.’’

‘‘No, it’s not.’’ Mike’s voice was firm. ‘‘It’s dinner at a fancy restaurant. He picks you up, you talk for a while, eat some nice food, come home. No big deal. I’ve met Todd Graham a couple of times and he seems like an okay kind of guy. Not as flashy as the newspapers say.’’

The slender thread of composure that had been holding her together snapped. Beth stared at Cindy, who was suddenly shifting uncomfortably on the sofa. ‘‘Todd Graham?’’ she asked.

Cindy nodded. ‘‘I’ve heard that he’s—’’

‘‘Todd Graham?’’ Beth repeated, cutting her off. ‘‘The Todd Graham. Local millionaire, charter member of the bimbo-of-the-month club?’’ She turned to Mike and glared at him. ‘‘You bought me a date with Todd Graham?’’

Mike looked confused. ‘‘Is that bad?’’

‘‘Not when compared with dating a serial killer.’’

‘‘I don’t understand,’’ he said. ‘‘Why does this make it worse?’’

‘‘I’m thirty-eight years old,’’ Beth said.

Mike leaned toward his wife. ‘‘Is that significant? Is this a female thing and am I missing the point?’’

Beth sprang to her feet. ‘‘I’m a thirty-eight-year-old mother of two. I have breasts and hips.’’

Mike flinched. ‘‘At the risk of being yelled at, most of the time guys actually appreciate women having those things.’’

‘‘Not when they’re this old. Todd Graham doesn’t want a woman, he wants a twenty-year-old fashion model, with a skinny body and no stretch marks. I can’t believe you did this, Mike.’’ She pointed at Cindy. ‘‘I can’t believe you let him. What am I supposed to do now? Go out with him?’’

‘‘That was the point,’’ Cindy said gently. ‘‘Beth, you’re overreacting. It’s just one night. A date for charity.’’

Beth slumped back in her chair. How could she explain this without coming off sounding like she was crazy? She drew in a deep breath—maybe it was too late to prevent that from happening. ‘‘It’s not that I don’t appreciate the thought,’’ she said. ‘‘I know you’re both worried about me and you think it’s time for me to start dating. Maybe it is. Maybe I need a jump-start. But not like this. I don’t need the public humiliation.’’

‘‘There isn’t going to be any humiliation,’’ Cindy said earnestly. ‘‘You’re a very attractive woman, Beth. He’s going to adore you.’’

‘‘I’m middle-aged, I’ve gained twenty pounds since Darren died, Todd Graham and I have nothing in common. I don’t want to meet the man. I don’t want to be compared with postadolescents who look younger than my daughter. Besides, he’s rich. I hate that in a man.’’

Mike rose to his feet. ‘‘That’s it. I’m outta here.’’ He crossed to Beth, bent down and kissed her cheek. ‘‘This is about to turn into female talk and you’re going to say things I know I don’t want to hear. Beth, I bought you this date because I thought it would be fun for you. If you don’t want to go because you feel it’s morally wrong, I’ll respect that. If you’re just scared to get out there, then you’re going. If you don’t, I’ll never come over and fix a leaky faucet again.’’

She glared at him. ‘‘I’ve learned to fix my own faucets.’’ He didn’t answer, he just raised his eyebrows.

‘‘Fine,’’ she said. ‘‘I think it’s very rude of you to point out the fact that I messed up the last time. I take this moment to remind you it was a small flood.’’

‘‘I mean it,’’ he said. He smiled at his wife. ‘‘See you soon,’’ he told her, and left.

‘‘He really meant well,’’ Cindy said when Mike had left. ‘‘He worries about you. We both do.’’

Beth wanted to bury her head in her hands, but she felt she’d already humiliated herself enough for one day. ‘‘I know. It’s just I can’t do this. I’d feel ridiculous. Like I had to buy a man.’’

‘‘It’s worse for him. He was the one for sale. Think of him as slave labor.’’

Beth knew Cindy was trying to help. Unfortunately no words were going to undo the knot in her stomach. ‘‘I’m not ready.’’

‘‘Yes, you are. You’re just afraid. You pushed me to start dating for months after my divorce. You were doing it because you cared about me. I’m returning the favor.’’

‘‘I should have kept my mouth shut,’’ Beth mumbled. She looked at her friend. Cindy’s expression was one of concern. ‘‘I know you worry about me, but you don’t have to. I’m fine.’’

‘‘You said you wanted to start dating.’’

‘‘I lied.’’

‘‘You can’t stay in mourning forever.’’

‘‘Yes, I can. I like it here. It’s safe. I have a very full life. My children, my work, the community, my friends.’’ Cindy tucked her short, light brown hair behind her ears. ‘‘You’re lonely.’’ She held up her hand. ‘‘Wait. Let me finish. I know how you feel because I remember what it was like after my divorce from Nelson. If you were a different person, I wouldn’t be pushing. But you’re the kind of woman who wants to be part of a couple. You need that.’’

Beth pulled one knee up to her chest. ‘‘I don’t,’’ she said fiercely. ‘‘I don’t need any more than I have. I’m very content.’’ She paused, half expecting some of the lightning from outside to leap indoors and strike her for lying.

Cindy didn’t say anything—she didn’t have to. The women had been friends long enough for each to be able to read the truth.

‘‘Not him,’’ Beth said quietly. ‘‘You’re right. It’s time for me to get out there and do whatever it is when people date these days.’’

‘‘I don’t think it’s changed all that much.’’

Beth didn’t even want to think about that. ‘‘Not this way,’’ she continued. ‘‘Todd Graham is way out of my league. I would feel horrible the entire evening. He would be bored, I would probably forget where I was and start cutting his meat for him.’’

Cindy grinned. ‘‘Nice try, but it’s not going to work. Both your kids are teenagers. They haven’t needed you to cut their meat for years.’’ Her smile faded. ‘‘I’ll admit that Todd Graham isn’t anyone’s idea of a simple first date, but that’s part of what’s so great about this.’’

Beth blinked. ‘‘I’m sorry but you’re going to have to explain that to me a little more.’’

‘‘It’s practice,’’ Cindy told her. ‘‘He’s not your type and you’re not his. So nothing’s going to happen. You already know that. Think of it as a trial run for a real date—one that matters with someone you might like to be involved with. If you were to meet the perfect guy, you would want to have a little experience under your belt, right?’’

Beth mulled the idea over in her mind. She didn’t think there was going to be a perfect guy for her. She’d already had a wonderful eighteen-year marriage. She’d done the ‘‘in love’’ thing. If she were to get involved with a man, it would just be for companionship.

‘‘I am out of practice,’’ she admitted. ‘‘I started dating Darren when I was in high school, and we got married just after I turned nineteen.’’

‘‘That’s my point. Todd will be your transition guy.’’

Beth smiled. ‘‘One date does not a transition guy make.’’

‘‘Fine. He’ll be your first practice session. No expectations.’’

‘‘I’d like not to throw up during the meal.’’

Cindy laughed. ‘‘Great goal. I’m sure Todd would appreciate it, as well. So there you are. You’re going to find out how much dating has changed by going out with a man you’ll never see again. Your assignment is to carry on normal conversation for the two or three hours you’re with him and to not throw up. You can do this.’’

Beth wasn’t so sure. ‘‘If it was anyone else but him, I would agree. Todd Graham. What kind of name is that? It sounds like something made up by an escort service.’’

‘‘And you would know this how?’’

For the first time since hearing the news about Mike’s little gift, Beth laughed. ‘‘I’m generalizing.’’

‘‘Say you’ll go,’’ Cindy urged. ‘‘If nothing else, next time a well-meaning friend bugs you, you can tell him or her that you’re dating.’’

‘‘That has appeal,’’ Beth admitted.

What she wanted to do was run screaming from the room. Unfortunately that wasn’t an option. Cindy would hunt her down and talk and talk and talk until Beth acquiesced, just to be left in peace. She’d dealt with Cindy’s tenacity before. And if Cindy didn’t convince her, Mike would be back.

She thought about Darren, her wonderful husband. Why’d you have to go and die? She’d asked the question dozens of times in the past eighteen months and not once had there been an answer.

‘‘I’ll go,’’ she said.

‘‘You won’t regret it,’’ Cindy promised.

Beth nodded even though she had a bad feeling that her friend was very, very wrong.

* * *

‘‘I’m a cow,’’ Beth said the following Saturday as she stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror in her bathroom.

Jodi, her beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter, met her gaze in the reflective glass. ‘‘You’re lovely, Mom. And you know you shouldn’t think like that. You’re always telling Matt and me to have positive thoughts.’’

‘‘Good point.’’ Beth tried to turn the litany of negative images around. ‘‘I’m not an ugly hag,’’ she said.

Jodi groaned. ‘‘No, that’s not good, either. How about—

I’m an attractive, vital woman and any man would be lucky to have me.’’

‘‘Easy for you to say,’’ Beth told her daughter as she kissed her cheek. ‘‘Because it’s completely true. Any man would be lucky to have you.’’

‘‘Mo-om.’’

‘‘Okay, okay.’’ She squared her shoulders and returned her attention to the mirror. ‘‘I’ll try to think more positively.’’

In honor of her first date in over twenty years, she’d had her short, red hair trimmed a whole week early. Despite the April humidity, it had fluffed nicely after her shower and her fringed, slightly spiky bangs were even. She’d used a tad more makeup than usual—a smoky shadow that accentuated her blue eyes—and she’de even dug out some old lip liner to help her lipstick last longer.

After eight changes of clothing, including trying on her red dress twice, she’d settled on an old favorite, a cream-and-navy dress with a matching cropped jacket. The round neck flattered her face, and it was cut high enough to not even hint at cleavage. Cindy had been after her all week, advising ‘‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’’ but Beth had decided her nearly forty-year-old breasts would be more comfortable behind a couple of layers of clothing.

She’d vacillated between pearl earrings and gold hoops, finally settling on the pearls. A simple gold watch, sheer stockings and navy pumps completed her outfit. Cindy had loaned her a small navy clutch.

Her gaze turned critical. There were tiny lines around her eyes, but her skin was still pretty tight, and as clear and pale as it had been at twenty. She would never see a size eight again, but at five feet eight inches, the twenty pounds she’d gained since Darren’s death were fairly easy to hide. If she started her walking again and cut back on the choc olate, she could drop it in a couple of months…or six. Or she might just stay a size twelve.

‘‘You’re beautiful,’’ her daughter said, giving her a hug.

Beth took in Jodi’s copper hair and bright, young smile. ‘‘Thanks, kid. My entire goal is not to make a fool of myself, so I’ll think cool, elegant, sophisticated thoughts.’’

‘‘Hey, Mom, you clean up pretty good.’’

Beth turned and saw her youngest, fourteen-year-old Matt, lounging in the bathroom doorway. While Jodi had inherited her rich hair color and blue eyes from her mother’s side of the family, Matt was his father’s son. Medium brown hair, brown eyes and glasses made him look like a much younger Darren. Beth’s heart still ached when she looked at her son. At first, seeing him had made her miss her husband more, but now being able to see Darren’s reflection in his son’s expression gave her comfort.

‘‘Thank you,’’ she said, then grinned at Jodi. ‘‘That will be my affirmation for the evening. ‘I clean up good.’’’

‘‘I’m ignoring you,’’ Jodi said as she leaned toward the mirror and began experimenting with eye shadow.

‘‘So what time are you going to be home?’’ Matt asked. ‘‘Because we’re having this really big boy-girl party. I’ve ordered three kegs and Jodi promised one of her friends would be the stripper.’’

‘‘Ma-att.’’ Jodi spun toward her brother. ‘‘Don’t joke about that. Mom’s nervous enough.’’ She gave her mother a comforting smile. ‘‘There isn’t going to be a party. Sara is coming over and we’re going to study for our trigonometry test next week. I don’t know what Matt is going to do but he’ll be doing it alone.’’

Matt raised his eye brows. ‘‘I plan to annoy my sister and her friend because Sara always wears really tight clothes and I want to look at her body.’’

‘‘You’re disgusting,’’ Jodi announced, and turned her back on him.

‘‘I’m fourteen and I’m honest. According to my health teacher, boys my age are awash in hormones. I’m just being normal. You’re just jealous because you don’t get to your sexual peak until you’re almost forty.’’

Matt’s gaze turned speculative. Beth knew how his adolescent mind worked and she did not want to have a conversation with her children about the fact that she was just two years shy of forty and therefore close to her supposed sexual peak.

‘‘Did you write your paper for English?’’ Beth asked.

Matt groaned. ‘‘Yeah. I just finished it and left it on the kitchen table. You can look it over, then yell at me in the morning about all the grammar mistakes.’’

She smiled. Her kids were the best part of her life. ‘‘Sure thing.’’ She headed out of her bathroom and started for the kitchen. ‘‘The tuna casserole is going to be ready in about twenty minutes. There’s ice cream and some cake.’’

She paused by the counter. Matt and Jodi had trailed after her. ‘‘Jodi, I rented a couple of movies for Matt. He can use the television and VCR in my bedroom so you and Sara can study in the family room.’’

‘‘Great,’’ Jodi said. ‘‘We’ll be fine. I’m sixteen, and even though Matt’s still a baby, he’s sorta mature.’’

Matt assumed a boxing stance. ‘‘Say that again, sister, and I’ll show you mature.’’

Jodi dimpled. ‘‘You can’t hit me. I’m a girl.’’

Matt groaned. ‘‘Come on, Mom. Just once let me hit her. Just once. Please?’’

Beth ruffled his hair. ‘‘Sorry. No. You can’t hit women.’’

‘‘But she deserves it.’’

‘‘So do you sometimes, but I don’t hit you.’’

He straightened. ‘‘That’s because I’m the same height as you and I’m a tough guy.’’

Beth stared at her baby, who actually was almost her height. Jodi had reached five eight and stopped, but Matt was going to easily pass six feet.

Matt took a step back. ‘‘She’s got that look, Jo. The one where she starts talking about how cute we were when we were little. You’d better run for it.’’

The sound of a car engine distracted them all. Beth felt her stomach dive-bomb her toes. Dear Lord, she was going to throw up.

‘‘He’s here,’’ Matt called as he raced to the front of the house. ‘‘It’s a limo, Mom,’’ he yelled back. ‘‘Black and really cool looking. So how rich is this guy anyway? You think he wants to buy me a car?’’

Jodi touched her arm. ‘‘You’ll be fine. You look great. Just smile. If there’s a lull in conversation, ask about him. Guys love to talk about themselves.’’

‘‘How do you know all this?’’ Beth asked.

Jodi grinned. ‘‘I’m repeating the advice you always give me. It works.’’

Beth could feel her chest tightening. She was going to pass out or something equally embarrassing. ‘‘At least I raised my kids right,’’ she said as she kissed her daughter’s cheek.

She walked slowly toward the front door. Matt knelt on the sofa facing the window and motioned for her to come look out with him. ‘‘The driver is turning the car around at the end of the cul de sac. You can’t see in the windows or anything. This is so great. Maybe you could really date this guy, Mom. I’d pretend not to like him and he’d give me money to change my mind. What do you think?’’

She bent over and kissed the top of his head. ‘‘I think you have a great imagination, which is why I push you so hard when you write those English papers. I know what you’re capable of.’’

‘‘I wonder if the driver is in a uniform and everything,’’ Matt said, ignoring her comment. ‘‘How much do you think Mike paid for this date?’’

Beth didn’t want to wonder about that. She didn’t want to think about the fact that she wasn’t ready for this at all. She didn’t want to think about the fact that Todd Graham was going to take one look at her and run in the opposite direction, or at least wish that he could. He went through postadolescent models the way other people went through tissues, tossing them into the trash when they got a little used.

She reminded herself this was for charity. That if Todd hadn’t wanted to go on a date, he shouldn’t have been in the bachelor auction to begin with. Then she repeated Cindy’s words that this was just practice…nothing more. Better to get the first-night jitters over with someone who didn’t matter. And if it got really, really horrible, she would just walk out of the restaurant, get a cab and come home. She’d made sure she had enough cash in her purse.

She drew in one deep breath for courage, walked to the front door, flipped on the porch light…and waited.

Chapter Two

Todd Graham glanced out of the tinted limousine window and realized that, until this particular moment in time, he’d never been in the suburbs before. Looks like he hadn’t missed much.

Two-story brick houses lined the residential street. The architecture was all similar, with the painted trims ranging from white to ivory. The trees lined up perfectly, there were minivans and sedans parked in the driveways. So this was Middle America. Who would have thought it was only twenty-five minutes away from his high-rise penthouse?

His driver drew the vehicle to a stop in front of a house that looked much like all the others on the street. Todd decided that despite the sameness to the construction, the neighborhood wasn’t unappealing…in its own way. If only he could say the same about his date. Middle-aged women were not his style, but he’d been coerced into the charity bachelor auction and he couldn’t think of a good excuse to back out of his date.

He already resigned himself to a long and boring evening. At least he had a seven-thirty golf game the following morning, which gave him the perfect excuse to cut things short. They were going straight to the restaurant, then straight back here. He ignored the flicker of guilt that reminded him the price paid for an evening with him should at least include going somewhere nice for drinks, either before or after, but Todd didn’t think he could stand that much insipid conversation.

R.J., his driver, opened the rear door and Todd stepped out into the humid Texas evening. Even though the sun had set nearly an hour before, several people were still outside. The sound of laughter drew his attention. He glanced to his left and saw a father wrestling with his son on the front lawn of their house. The boy looked maybe five or six. They were both having a great time.

Todd paused in midstride to stare. The stab of loneliness was so familiar, he barely registered the pain. There had been a time when he’d longed for a relationship with his own father. But the old man had never had time for anything but the newest Mrs. Graham, whomever she might be that month. Certainly he’d never bothered to notice he had a son growing up in his house.

Todd dismissed the emotion, looked away from the family and headed toward the front door of the brick house. The sooner he got this date started, the sooner it would be over.

‘‘Mr. Graham?’’ R.J. said from behind him, then handed Todd a box of long-stemmed red roses.

‘‘Thanks.’’ Todd had nearly forgotten. He didn’t see the point in bringing flowers, but his secretary had insisted and he didn’t often argue with her.

He rang the bell and waited. Less than ten seconds later the door opened. He was face-to-face with his date for the evening.

He gave her a quick once-over, returned his attention to her face and offered her a smile. ‘‘Good evening, Beth. I’m Todd Graham.’’

She was much as he’d expected. Maybe a little younger looking, but not by much. Her dress was navy and cream. It hinted at a full figure, not fat, but more curvy than he was used to or liked. The red hair was interesting, although he preferred blondes. She had great eyes, a nice deep blue. She looked like what she was—an attractive suburban middle-aged woman. It was, he reminded himself, only one date.

‘‘Nice to meet you.’’ Her voice was low and a little tense. ‘‘I, um—’’ She hesitated. ‘‘Would you in?’’

He absolutely didn’t want to, but he was determined to be polite. ‘‘Sure. Just for a minute. We have reservations in town.’’

‘‘How nice.’’ She stepped back and motioned him inside.

He moved into a small foyer. He had a brief impression of uninteresting furniture, smallish spaces, not much in the way of decorating. Again, about what he’d expected. ‘‘These are for you,’’ he said, and handed her the florist’s box.

She opened it and stared at the long-stemmed red roses. ‘‘How lovely. Thank you.’’ Her smile was as tight as it was insincere. ‘‘I’ll just go put them in water.’’

Her heels clicked on the hardwood floor as she headed for what he assumed was the kitchen. He glanced around again, taking in a bag with in-line skates by a hall closet door. Beth didn’t strike him as the in-line skating type. Then he stiffened. The woman had children. Of course. Most women her age did.

He wasn’t sure what to think. Children. He hadn’t been around them since he’d been one himself. Some of his friends joked that his string of female friends were young enough to be classified as children, but he knew their comments all sprang from jealousy.

Beth returned. ‘‘I’ve put them in water. Thank you again. They’re lovely.’’ She picked up a small handbag from a table by the door. ‘‘Shall we go?’’

‘‘Certainly.’’

He waited while she locked the front door, then escorted her to the car. R.J. held the rear door open for them. Beth slid onto the seat, and kept moving until she was practically pressed into the far corner.

Todd settled into the soft leather, then motioned to the champagne chilling in an ice bucket. ‘‘May I offer you a glass?’’

Beth shook her head. ‘‘I’m sure it’s nicer than anything I’ve ever had but…’’ The car started moving. She clutched at the door handle to her left. ‘‘I just don’t think I should.’’

Todd frowned. Was she afraid he was trying to get her drunk? ‘‘Beth, you are perfectly safe in my company.’’

Her blue eyes widened. She gave a little laugh that turned into a strangled moan. ‘‘Like I don’t know that,’’ she said.

‘‘Then I don’t understand.’’

She angled toward him, although he noticed she was careful to keep herself anchored in the corner. ‘‘I mean this in the nicest possible way, Mr. Graham, but I really don’t want to be out with you tonight.’’

He was so stunned he could barely speak. ‘‘You don’t want to be on our date?’’ He couldn’t believe it. While it was fine for him not to want to be there, he couldn’t believe that she wasn’t thrilled.

‘‘I think I would rather have a root canal…without the painkiller.’’

That was telling him, he thought, and longed for the respectful, often shy, young women he dated. ‘‘Then why did you bid for me at the auction?’’

‘‘I didn’t.’’ She drew in a deep breath. ‘‘Some very well-meaning friends bought this evening for me. They thought it was time for me to start getting out into the world, and this seemed like an easy way to make that happen.’’ She shook her head. ‘‘Easy for them. They aren’t the ones who are going to throw up in the car.’’

Throw up? He inched back slightly. ‘‘Would you like me to roll down the window?’’

‘‘No. I’m fine. I meant that more in an emotional way than physically, although it’s why I don’t want to risk the champagne.’’ She looked at him ‘‘To be honest, I haven’t been on a date in twenty years. I don’t remember what to talk about, or how I’m supposed to act. I don’t imagine I’m your idea of the perfect partner anyway, what with me being well over twenty-five.’’ The last comment was delivered with a slight smile. ‘‘From what I’ve read, younger would be your preference.’’

He didn’t like the direction this conversation was going. ‘‘So you know who I am.’’

‘‘It’s hard to live in Houston and not have heard about you, Mr. Graham.’’

‘‘Then we’ll agree that I’m the expert in this dating situation?’’

Her gaze narrowed. ‘‘Maybe.’’

She didn’t trust easily and she wasn’t a fool. Despite her obvious nerves and the fact that she was so ill at ease, she was saying awful things about him, Todd had to respect her honesty. ‘‘I’m going to give you some dating advice.

Use my first name. Mr. Graham makes me feel like I’m the high school principal.’’

She stared at him, opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. A flush of color crept up her cheeks. ‘‘I have been calling you that, haven’t I?’’ She shook her head. ‘‘I don’t think I should do this. I wasn’t good at dating when I was young and I know I haven’t improved since then.’’

He liked her vulnerability. Maybe this evening wasn’t going to be so horrible after all. ‘‘It’s like riding a bike— everything will come back to you.’’

‘‘You say that like it’s a good thing. I’m not so sure. I distinctly remember being tongue-tied and incredibly nervous in high school. I don’t want to go back to that.’’

‘‘How about if I handle the difficult parts? I’ll introduce topics of conversation and keep things running smoothly. All you have to do is remember to breathe and respond where appropriate.’’

Some of the stiffness left her body. ‘‘Should I take notes?’’ she teased, as she flashed a smile that momentarily made her quite attractive.

‘‘I think you’re smart enough to remember the highlights.’’

‘‘Keep the instructions in single-syllable words and I’ll be fine.’’ She leaned forward a little. ‘‘Actually, I do have a few dating questions, if you wouldn’t mind answering them.’’

‘‘Not at all.’’

‘‘Do you like all the dating you do? Don’t you get tired of all those different women? And how on earth do you keep their names straight? I’ve always wondered about that. Do you use a common endearment? Are they all honey, or in this case because they’re so young, baby?’’

Todd’s first instinct was to be insulted. If one of his male friends had asked him the last question, he would have decked the guy in about two seconds. But Beth wasn’t one of his male friends, and as he gazed at her, he realized she wasn’t trying to be rude.

‘‘I’m only asking because your life is so different from mine or from anyone’s I know.’’ Her mouth turned up at the corners. ‘‘I was married, all my friends are married. The most romantic excitement at my house is when there’s a good love story on television.’’

‘‘Flash cards,’’ he said, pretending seriousness. ‘‘I have my secretary write out flash cards on each of the women I date, then I memorize the information. If I start to get confused, I just pull it out for a quick review. Of course it gets more difficult in the bedroom, what with me not having access to my pants pocket. In that case, I either tuck it between the mattress and the box spring, or under the pillow.’’

Beth stared at him for a long time, then she smiled again. The smile broadened and soon she was laughing. He joined in. His gaze drifted over her face. She was prettier than he’d first realized. Her blue eyes seemed to signal her emotions in the most charming way.

‘‘Flash cards,’’ she said. ‘‘What a great idea. Should I ever find myself in your situation, I’ll remember that. Although the odds of it being a problem are quite slim.’’

‘‘I think you’ll do fine. You’re all right now, aren’t you?’’

Her hands rested in her lap. He stared at her long, bare fingers and could easily imagine a slender gold wedding band on the ring finger of her left hand. Beth was one of those women born to be married.

‘‘If I’m not fighting nausea, it’s because of you,’’ she said.

‘‘A compliment to warm my heart.’’

She returned his smile. ‘‘I’m being serious.’’

‘‘I can tell.’’

‘‘No, really,’’ she insisted. ‘‘I never thought it would be like this.’’ She motioned to the limo interior, then to him. ‘‘I didn’t think everything would be so nice or that I would be able to talk to you.’’

‘‘What were you expecting?’’

‘‘I thought you would be kind of a snob, and that you would be angry that I wasn’t some young girl…you know, a bimbo.’’

Todd couldn’t remember the last time someone had insulted him so completely, all the while apparently unaware of what she was saying.

‘‘Oh, no,’’ Beth said quickly. ‘‘You have this tight look on your face. I said something horrible, didn’t I? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.’’

‘‘I’m not upset,’’ he told her.

‘‘Then what?’’

He looked at her. ‘‘You don’t have a very high opinion of me. So far you’ve implied that I date younger women, that I call them all baby because I can’t remember their names and that they must be bimbos.’’

Beth covered her face with her hands and made a sound low in her throat. ‘‘I should never be allowed out on my own,’’ she moaned. ‘‘Especially not in a situation like this.’’

She raised her head and stared at him. Remorse darkened her eyes. ‘‘I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to be insulting. That’s not even what I was thinking. I guess it’s because I don’t think of you as a real person. I mean I’ve read about you in the newspaper and everything. You’re like a movie star or a celebrity—very much larger than life. I don’t think of you as being like everyone else.’’

He wasn’t sure how to take that. In a way, her opinion was flattering. He liked the fact that she saw him as larger than life, but he didn’t want her to be intimidated. But before he could figure out how to respond to her, the limo pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant.

Beth glanced out the window, and read the discrete lettering on the awning. ‘‘I’ve heard about this place,’’ she murmured. ‘‘It’s very expensive.’’

Todd leaned close. ‘‘I can afford it,’’ he whispered.

She looked at him. Their faces weren’t that far apart and he had the sudden urge to kiss her. Startled by the impulse, he pulled back.

A uniformed doorman reached for the rear handle and opened the door. Todd stepped out, then paused to assist Beth. He took her hand in his as she stepped out, then released her.

‘‘I’m sure you meant to reassure me when you told me you could afford a place like this,’’ she said as she walked next to him toward the double doors. ‘‘But it didn’t work.’’

‘‘So you think this would be easier if I was a truck driver or maybe a schoolteacher?’’

She tilted her head slightly as she thought. ‘‘Maybe. Although I can’t imagine dating ever being fun. But yes, I would like it if you weren’t so…’’

‘‘Successful? Rich? Incredibly good-looking?’’ he offered helpfully.

She came to a stop on the walkway and stared at him. ‘‘Not to mention modest.’’

But there was a smile tugging at her lips and she wasn’t as tense as she’d been before. Todd bent his arm, then drew her hand up to the crook of his elbow. ‘‘You’ll be fine,’’ he promised. ‘‘I won’t let anything bad happen to you.’’

‘‘You don’t know how much I want to believe you.’’

They headed toward the wide double door. A young woman held it open for them. Once inside, they were greeted by Lucien, the owner of the restaurant, who knew Todd on sight and quickly showed them to their table. Todd nodded at the several patrons with whom he was familiar. For a moment he didn’t know what to do. Should he introduce Beth? If she’d been someone he was dating, he would have paused to talk with his friends. But she wasn’t a real date. She was… He frowned as he realized he didn’t know what she was. A fulfillment of an obligation?

But as he took the seat across from her and stared into her wide and wary blue eyes, he realized she was much more than an obligation. Despite the fact that he’d dreaded the evening and had wanted to think up an excuse to cancel, now that he was with her, he found himself having fun.

‘‘Well, that confirmed everything,’’ she said, when the waiter had placed the napkin on her lap before retreating to give them a few minutes to discuss their drink order. ‘‘What do you mean?’’ Todd asked.

‘‘Just that if I hadn’t been completely sure I wasn’t your type, all those interested stares and raised eyebrows just confirmed the truth.’’

Annoyance threaded through him. Not at her—every-thing about this situation was designed to make her feel uncomfortable—but at his supposed friends who had looked down at her.

‘‘Now it’s my turn to apologize,’’ he said. ‘‘I should have picked a different kind of restaurant.’’

‘‘Fast food?’’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘‘I assure you, I know which fork to use.’’

‘‘Not at all. Just a place where we could get a quiet booth in the back and talk.’’ He motioned to their seats in the center of the room. His usual table put them on display. Normally he enjoyed that, but not tonight.

He found himself in the unusual position of actually liking Beth. He thought she was bright and funny. She had dreaded their date as much as he had, yet she was being a good sport about everything. He liked that he could hold a conversation with her, which he realized didn’t say much about the other women he dated. He didn’t really think of them as younger, although he was starting to realize that while he’d gotten older over the past fifteen or twenty years, the age of the women he’d dated hadn’t changed at all. Maybe he was going to have to do something about that.

‘‘What would you like to drink?’’ he asked Beth.

She’d opened her menu and was staring at the selection. She leaned toward him. ‘‘There aren’t any prices.’’

‘‘I didn’t ask you what anything cost, I asked if you would like a drink.’’

Her hair was short and layered, with wisps of bangs across her forehead. Perhaps as a child she’d had freckles— most redheads did—but hers had long since faded until her skin was pale and creamy.

‘‘But I’ve never ordered from a menu that didn’t have prices,’’ she persisted. ‘‘I have to know how much I’m spending.’’

‘‘Why?’’

She opened her mouth, but no sound emerged.

‘‘Are madame and monsieur ready to order a cocktail?’’ the tuxedo-clad waiter asked as he silently reappeared by their table.

‘‘Beth?’’

She stared at him. ‘‘I don’t know. Maybe a glass of wine?’’

‘‘I thought I’d order a bottle with dinner. Would you like something else before?’’

She shrugged helplessly. ‘‘I guess.’’ She lowered her voice. ‘‘I suppose a margarita would be tacky, but that’s the only cocktail I drink.’’

‘‘How about a Cosmopolitan,’’ Todd offered. ‘‘I think you’ll like it.’’

‘‘Fine.’’

He ordered that for Beth and a Tanqueray on the rocks for himself.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until the drinks were delivered. Beth stared at the reddish-pink liquid in the martini glass. ‘‘I was worried about not being sophisticated, but I guess my drink is sophisticated enough for the both of us.’’ She took a sip, then pressed her lips together. ‘‘Actually it’s very nice. Thank you for suggesting it.’’

‘‘You’re welcome.’’

The waiter hovered. ‘‘Would madame and monsieur like to hear about the specials?’’

What Todd wanted was a few minutes of conversation with Beth…alone. But that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. ‘‘Sure,’’ he said.

The well-trained server spoke about the appetizer of the day, then the soup. Todd watched as Beth visibly blanched at the mention of bone marrow flan as an accompaniment with the boeuf du jour.

When the waiter had left them to discuss their choices, she swallowed hard. ‘‘Did he really say bone marrow flan?’’

‘‘It’s just a side dish with the roast beef.’’

‘‘Just a side dish. Great. Maybe I could get my entrée delivered on a plate that has never been contaminated by bone marrow anything.’’ She shuddered. ‘‘I was going to tease you by saying I just wanted a hamburger, but I wouldn’t trust this place with something like that. Who knows what they would put in it.’’

He grinned. ‘‘The salmon seems safe enough.’’

‘‘Right. It’s probably decorated with little fish teeth.’’

‘‘I don’t think fish have teeth.’’

‘‘Sharks do.’’

‘‘Then don’t order the shark.’’

Her gaze held his. Despite her complaints, he could see the humor lurking in her eyes. ‘‘I don’t get out much,’’ she said. ‘‘But you get out way too much.’’

‘‘Maybe.’’

‘‘There’s enough jewelry in this room to send my daughter’s entire grade to college for four years.’’

He glanced around the room. He hadn’t noticed before, but Beth was right. Many of the women wore large, glittering stones set in earrings, bracelets and necklaces. In contrast Beth was simply dressed. Her only jewelry was a pair of pearl earrings.

‘‘It’s okay to state the obvious,’’ she told him. ‘‘I don’t fit in here.’’

‘‘Of course you belong here,’’ he said automatically, and knew it was a lie. Even though he didn’t want her to be, he knew she was right. ‘‘I should have planned something different,’’ he said, then realized he hadn’t planned this at all. He’d asked his secretary to make reservations somewhere nice. He hadn’t cared enough to participate in the planning more than that. But now he was sorry. He wanted Beth to be having a better time.

‘‘We could start a food fight,’’ he offered. ‘‘That would change the atmosphere.’’

‘‘I don’t let my kids do that at home, so I’m not going to let you do that here.’’ She pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. ‘‘Excuse me, Todd. I’ll be right back.’’

He watched her cross the carpeted floor as she headed for the ladies’ room. If someone had told him just three hours ago that he would actually care about the outcome of his blind date with a middle-aged housewife, he would have laughed in his face. But now he found himself in the uncomfortable position of wanting to make Beth happy for the evening and not having a clue as to how to make that happen.

* * *

Beth told herself to keep breathing but the instruction wasn’t helping. She could feel herself panicking. She didn’t belong in this restaurant. ‘‘Or with that man,’’ she murmured, trying to ignore the fact that the lounge of the ladies’ room was not only better decorated than her house, it was also about the same size as her living room.

The walls were papered in an expensive print and the furniture looked custom-made. She didn’t want to think about how nice the actual bathroom area might be. It was all too depressing.

She faced the mirror and pretended to fix her makeup. Several women came and went as she wasted time and tried to gather the courage to face Todd Graham again. What on earth must he think of her? Not only was she completely unprepared to be anyone’s date, let alone that of a notorious bachelor like himself, but she’d put her foot in her mouth at least a half dozen times. She still couldn’t believe that she’d confessed she might throw up in the car, or the fuss she’d made about the menu not having prices, or her horror at the mention of bone marrow flan. Of course the latter explained why so many rich women were thin. If that’s all they had to eat, starvation was a far more pleasant state of being.

He probably thought she’d never been outside of the Sugar Land city limits, let alone out of the state. Her only saving grace was that she didn’t actually have hay in her hair.

They had nothing in common. She’d suspected they wouldn’t. But suspecting and knowing were two very different states of mind. She’d never felt so out of place in her life. These people were different. Even the waiter in timidated her. The worst part was Todd was being so nice. If he’d stayed true to character—a jerk only interested sleeping with young women—she might have survived the experience. But he was kind and funny and that made her want to make a good impression on him. Something that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

If only he weren’t so rich…or so good-looking. If only she hadn’t felt heat clear down to her ankles when he’d pulled her hand into the crook of his arm. The old-fashioned gallant gesture had made her feel special and important; then his nearness had nearly taken her breath away. For a moment she’d felt sixteen again, and about as polished.

She gazed at her reflection. Men like him weren’t interested in women like her. Plus, she was a widow. She didn’t have any right to be attracted to another man. It was wrong, not to mention indecent and incredibly disloyal. How would she survive drinks, let alone the meal? With her luck, she would choke on the entrée and end up dying right there on the plushly carpeted floor.

‘‘I can’t do this,’’ Beth murmured to herself.

She reached into her small evening bag and pulled out a tissue. Then she wrote quickly. She was rude and insensitive and fifteen different kinds of coward. She was also leaving.

* * *

Todd impatiently tapped his fingers against the table. Beth had been gone nearly fifteen minutes. Had something happened? Should he have the waiter send a female member of the staff into the rest room to check on Beth?

Just as he was about to flag the man over, the waiter appeared and pressed a limp tissue into his hand. ‘‘Madame asked me to give you this,’’ he intoned in a voice that dripped with disapproval.

Instantly Todd knew what it was going to say. He opened the note and read it just to confirm his gut’s intuition.

Sorry, Todd, but I’m just not ready for this whole dating ritual. You’ve been kindness itself and I really appreciate that. As far as I’m concerned, you have fulfilled your bachelor auction responsibilities completely. I hope my leaving doesn’t cause you any embarrassment. Some of us aren’t meant to leave the suburbs and I guess I’m one of those people. Please accept my apology.

Beth

* * *

‘‘Is there a problem?’’ the waiter asked.

Yeah, there was a problem, Todd thought to himself. For the first time in his life, he’d been stood up.

Chapter Three

Beth paid the cabdriver then stared up at her two-story house. It was barely eight o’clock. Both her children were going to know that something was up. She would never have returned this early unless there was a problem. However, the idea of lurking in the shrubbery for two or three hours was even less appealing than confessing all, or at least part, of what had happened, so she headed for the back door.

As per her instructions, it was locked. That made her relax a little. While her lone foray into dating had ended in disaster, at least her kids seemed to be growing up into wonderful, responsible teenagers. Given the choice, she would pick her kids’ success and happiness over her own, any day.

She inserted her key and turned it, then opened the door and made her way to the family room. ‘‘Just me,’’ she called.

Her daughter, Jodi, and her friend Sara both looked up at her in surprise as she stepped into the room.

‘‘I know I’m a little early,’’ she said, careful to keep her voice bright and breezy. ‘‘Everything is fine. I told Todd I would prefer it if we ended our date quickly.’’

Jodi frowned at the VCR clock, then returned her attention to her mother. ‘‘A little early? Did you two even have time to eat?’’

While Beth was willing to stretch the truth slightly, she wasn’t going to out-and-out lie. ‘‘We had drinks.’’

‘‘I thought he was supposed to be buying you dinner.’’ Beth crossed the hardwood floor and kissed her daughter’s forehead. ‘‘He offered and I declined. I’d rather be home.’’ She grabbed a cookie from the plate between the studying girls. ‘‘I’m going upstairs to get changed. Don’t worry about me.’’

With that she was gone. One down and one to go, she thought, pleased Jodi had accepted her explanation so easily. Of course if she knew her daughter, they were going to be talking about this in more detail in the morning. Between now and then, Beth would think of a way to make things sound better than they were.

At the top of the stairs, she slipped out of her pumps and carried them. As she pushed open the half-closed door to her bedroom, she remembered that she’d given Matt permission to watch movies on her television so as not to disturb Jodi and Sara while they studied.

The sounds of an action movie assaulted her as she stepped into the dark bedroom. Matt lay on the bed, his head propped on top of all her pillows and a bowl of popcorn on his stomach.

‘‘Hey, kiddo,’’ she said as she walked toward her closet.

‘‘Mom?’’ Matt set the bowl on the nightstand and sprang to his feet. ‘‘You’re home early. Are you okay?’’

She put her purse on her dresser and turned to look at him. ‘‘I’m fine. Yes, it was a short date, but Todd and I settled for drinks instead of dinner.’’

The twinge of guilt at her semi-lie surprised her. Why should she feel guilty about what had happened? Maybe because she’d left a perfectly nice man in a potentially embarrassing situation, a little voice in her head whispered.

Matt stood in front of her. He was a gangly teen with serious eyes behind his wire-rimmed glasses. Right now, worry pressed his mouth into a straight line.

His too-big hands curled into fists. ‘‘Did something happen? Did he—”His voice cracked and he flushed. ‘‘Did he try something?’’

It took Beth a moment to figure out that her youngest, the boy she still thought of as her baby, was concerned about her safety and planning to protect her. Pain and pride battled for a place in her heart. Pain that he was already so grown-up and it wouldn’t be long before he was gone, and pride for the man he would be when he left home for good.

She cupped Matt’s face in her hands. He wasn’t shaving regularly yet and he still had the blotchy skin of an adolescent, but since the death of his father, he’d done his best to be the man of the house.

‘‘Thank you,’’ she said quietly, and kissed his cheek. ‘‘Thank you for worrying about me. Yes, I’m home before I planned, but that’s because I didn’t stay to have dinner with Todd. Nothing happened.’’

At least nothing in the way Matt thought, Beth reminded herself. If anyone was guilty of behaving badly, she was the one in trouble, not Todd.

‘‘You sure?’’ Matt asked.

‘‘I swear.’’ Beth dropped her hands and made an X over her heart. ‘‘Now let me get changed and I’ll watch the rest of the movie with you.’’

Matt grinned. ‘‘You’ll hate it.’’

‘‘Probably,’’ Beth said as she moved into the bathroom and the closet beyond. ‘‘But I’ll get to make fun of it and annoy you with my sarcastic comments, so that will be entertaining.’’

Fifteen minutes later, she curled up on the opposite side of the bed. The large bowl of popcorn sat between them. While Matt lost himself in the movie, she tried to do the same. Unfortunately not even the sight of bare-chested navy SEALs was enough to keep her from thinking of Todd. Had he stayed in the restaurant for dinner? she wondered as she crunched popcorn. Or had he left? Did her abrupt departure make him feel embarrassed? She hoped not. She doubted that he would have felt anything but relief, but she wasn’t sure, and that bothered her.

Beth knew she had her faults like everyone else, but she wasn’t a deliberately cruel person. Guilt nibbled away at her until she thought it might have been easier to just endure the entire evening.

But that was part of the problem, she admitted to herself. Being with Todd hadn’t been that difficult, and spending a few more hours in his company wouldn’t have been all that tough to get through. Her uneasiness and discomfort had been about the strangeness of the situation, not to mention the snobby restaurant, not the man himself.

Later, when both her children were in bed and asleep, Beth paced the downstairs. It didn’t matter that she’d told herself to put the evening behind her, nor did telling herself that what she’d done hadn’t been so bad make her feel any better. When she finally crawled between her cool sheets, her mind still whirled. Questions of what she should have done versus what she actually had done followed her into her dreams.

* * *

Beth awoke to the smell of cinnamon and baking bread. Jodi must have put the ingredients for cinnamon rolls into the bread maker before going to bed the previous night. ‘‘You always were my favorite daughter,’’ she said aloud as she headed for the shower.

Twenty minutes later she stood in her kitchen brewing coffee. The day looked clear. Except for a storm a few days ago, there had been nearly three weeks without rain, which meant she was going to have to continue watering by hand. The neighborhood prided itself on green lawns and lush plants. While Matt had taken charge of the mowing, trimming and raking, he wasn’t much for watering.

‘‘Morning.’’

Beth turned around and saw her daughter leaning against the doorway to the kitchen.

‘‘Morning, yourself. It’s early for you.’’ She glanced at the clock on the wall and raised her eyebrows. ‘‘Barely nine and on a Saturday, too. Whatever is the world coming to?’’

‘‘Yeah, yeah.’’ Jodi had pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, but hadn’t showered yet. Her long red hair lay tangled on her shoulders. ‘‘I wanted to talk to you.’’

‘‘About what?’’ Beth asked with studied casualness, although she suspected the topic. She poured a cup of coffee for herself and juice for her daughter, then sat at the round kitchen table and set the juice in front of the chair across from hers.

‘‘Last night,’’ Jodi said as she stumbled into the seat.

‘‘What about last night?’’

Beth was stalling and she knew it, but she did not want to have this conversation with her sixteen-year-old daughter…or with anyone else.

Jodi tucked her hair behind her ears and took a drink of juice. ‘‘You said you and Todd just had drinks last night. That he offered you dinner and you declined.’’

‘‘Yes, that’s what I said.’’ It was a lie, Beth thought guiltily, but a small one. On the lie scale, it should barely register.

‘‘But you came home in a cab.’’

Beth silently cursed the beveled glass front door that allowed someone in the family room to see down the length of the house to the street. In the dark Jodi wouldn’t have been able to identify a specific car but she had obviously seen enough to know the yellow cab Beth had taken home was nothing like the dark limo she’d driven in earlier.

She drew in a deep breath. ‘‘Nothing bad happened,’’ she began slowly. ‘‘The date wasn’t working, so I left early. It’s not a big deal.’’

‘‘Did he try something?’’

‘‘No. Matt asked me the same thing. What is it with you two?’’

‘‘We’re worried about you, Mom. You haven’t been out with a man before. Well, you dated Daddy, but that’s different.’’ Jodi shifted in her seat. ‘‘You know what I mean. You’re not prepared for what really goes on when men and women date.’’

‘‘Something you’re expert at?’’

‘‘Of course not. It’s just I have friends with divorced parents. The kids tell me what it’s like for their moms. Men expect certain things. You’re not that kind of woman. I just want to be sure that you’re okay.’’

Beth didn’t know whether to laugh hysterically, hug Jodi close and never let her go, or burst into tears. She settled on a sip of coffee.

‘‘I appreciate the concern. Really. And I swear that Todd Graham was a perfect gentleman. He took me to a very exclusive restaurant.’’ Briefly Beth filled Jodi in on the details, including the lack of prices on the menu and offer of bone marrow flan as a side dish for her boeuf du jour.

‘‘That’s gross,’’ Jodi said, and shuddered.

‘‘Tell me about it. All I could think of was that whatever I ordered would be served on plate that had once held bone marrow flan. It made my stomach queasy.’’

‘‘But Todd was nice.’’

‘‘Very nice.’’

‘‘And you guys talked?’’

Beth thought for a second. ‘‘Actually we did, and that surprises me.’’

‘‘Was he having a good time?’’

‘‘I have no idea,’’ Beth said. ‘‘If I had to guess, I’d say yes. We got along.’’

‘‘So why did he let you leave early?’’

Beth sprang to her feet. ‘‘Gee, I wonder if the bread is ready yet?’’

‘‘Mom?’’

Beth hurried to the bread machine. Darn. There were nearly twenty minutes left on the timer. Maybe if she—

‘‘Mom? Why do you have that funny look on your face? What are you hiding?’’

Exposed by her own child. Beth wondered how she was going to talk her way out of this one. Then she reminded herself that she was the adult in the relationship.

‘‘I’m not hiding anything. Todd didn’t say anything about me leaving because I didn’t give him the chance. I excused myself and sent a note to the table.’’

Silence.

Beth cursed herself for raising children who had opinions and were allowed to voice them as long as they were polite and respectful.

‘‘You left him alone at the table and took off?’’

She turned to face her daughter, took one look at Jodi’s outraged face and wished she hadn’t. ‘‘You make it sound awful. It wasn’t like that.’’

‘‘How was it different from what I’m saying?’’

‘‘I’m sure Todd was relieved to have me gone. I’m not his type. He dates women closer to your age than mine.’’

‘‘But you were on a date, Mom. If Matt or I tried to do something like that, you would ground us for a month.’’

Beth tried to ignore the fact that her daughter was right, just like she’d tried to ignore her own guilt from the night before. ‘‘I had my reasons. I…’’ Her voice trailed off. She returned to the table, sank into her chair and buried her face in her hands. ‘‘Oh, Jodi, you’re right. It was a slimy thing to do and I know better.’’ She raised her head. ‘‘I just couldn’t stand it. The restaurant was so upscale. I felt like some hick from who-knows-where. The women Todd dates appear in the society pages. I didn’t fit in.’’

Jodi still looked shocked, which made Beth feel worse. She hated disappointing her children, not to mention setting a really crummy example for decent behavior.

‘‘I was in the wrong and I’ll apologize,’’ she said quickly. ‘‘I already did in the note, but on Monday morning I’ll arrange to have flowers sent to his office.’’

Jodi’s gaze turned speculative. ‘‘What was he like?’’

‘‘Different than I’d imagined. Nice and charming. I thought he would make me feel that he was hating every minute of the date, but he didn’t.’’ She remembered his teasing comments that he was the expert at dating and that she should let him give her advice. ‘‘He went out of his way to make me feel comfortable with what was obviously an awkward situation for both of us.’’

‘‘So you liked him.’’

Beth smiled at her daughter. ‘‘Don’t even go there. I thought he was a pleasant man, and that was unexpected.

I liked him the way I would like an acquaintance, not the way you would like a boy at school.’’

Jodi grinned. ‘‘Sure, Mom.’’ She stood up. ‘‘I’m going to shower. Can you finish the cinnamon rolls?’’

‘‘Not a problem.’’

When her daughter had left the room, Beth stared out the window at her backyard. But instead of seeing the hedges, plants and grass, she saw Todd’s face. He was a good-looking man with nearly perfect features. His dark blond hair had been conservatively cut, barely brushing the back of his collar. Cool blue-gray eyes added to his air of mystery. He’d had a straight nose, firm mouth and a body that filled out his clothes in a very nice way. Either he had the best set of genes this side of the Mississippi or he worked out regularly.

Jodi’s comment still echoed in the quiet of the morning. So you liked him.

Was that the problem? Had she left her date early because she’d found herself interested in the man? Beth didn’t want to think that was possible. Surely she wasn’t such a coward. But she had an uncomfortable feeling that was exactly what had gone wrong. If she found him charming and attractive, what was not to like? She wasn’t in a position to get involved with anyone—not that Todd would want to get involved with her. She also wasn’t interested in getting hurt. She was thirty-eight years old and she had a bad feeling that like everything else in her body, her heart would take a lot longer to heal than it had at sixteen.

‘‘I did the right thing,’’ Beth said aloud. Leaving him like that had been tacky, but getting out of the situation had been exactly right.

She walked to the front door and opened it. Her newspaper lay on the step. She glanced at the house across the street and for once was grateful that Cindy and Mike were gone for the weekend. At least she had a couple of days reprieve until she had to tell her best friend about her evening. She didn’t want to think about Cindy’s response or how Mike would laugh when his wife confessed Beth’s transgressions.

As Beth brought the newspaper inside, the bread machine chimed to let her know it had finished. Upstairs she heard Matt stirring and the running water of Jodi’s shower. Her morning was already underway.

She wouldn’t think about Todd any more today, she told herself. First thing Monday, after the traffic died down, she would drive into the city and find a florist close to his office. She would have them deliver a personal note of apology along with a bouquet of flowers and then she would put the whole thing behind her.

* * *

The scent of roses filled his office. Todd stood staring at the large spray of flowers sitting on his credenza. He’d sent hundreds of flowers over the years but this was the first time he could remember a woman sending them to him.

There was a greeting-card-sized envelope tucked in the greens instead of the usual small florist’s card. He recognized the handwriting—after all, he’d spent much of the weekend reading and rereading the note Beth Davis had left him when she’d walked out on their date. So she’d delivered the note herself to—he checked the address on the delivery notice—a florist just down the street.That was a lot of work for a woman who had stood him up less than seventy-two hours before.

He opened the card and scanned the contents. It was all a repeat of what she’d written on Friday night. That she was sorry to have left without saying goodbye. She appreciated his kindness and hoped he would understand why the situation had been so difficult for her.

‘‘Actually, I don’t understand,’’ he said aloud as he walked to his desk and settled into his leather chair.

She’d walked out on him. Todd still couldn’t believe that had actually happened. He liked to think that while he had a healthy self-esteem, his ego wasn’t overly inflated. But facts were facts. She was some middle-aged woman from the suburbs and he was a rich, single man. Women threw themselves at him, fawned over him and generally made it clear that he could have them whenever and wherever it was convenient. How could she have left their date early?

He told himself to let it go. She and the circumstances didn’t matter. Except he couldn’t think about anything else. Although he’d expected to be bored out of his mind, he’d actually enjoyed talking with her. She’d been nervous, obviously freshly divorced and completely out of her league, but she’d charmed him. He liked that she wasn’t impressed by him. Her being unsure of the situation had been because of her inexperience, not his reputation. Her honesty had startled him, but he’d enjoyed knowing she would say what she thought, not what he wanted to hear.

His phone buzzed. ‘‘Mr. Graham, the marketing team is ready for you.’’

He pushed a button and spoke. ‘‘I’ll be right there.’’

He rose from his seat and crossed to the door. Beth Davis had occupied more than her share of his time. His marketing meeting was scheduled to last all afternoon. When it was over, he would give the flowers to his secretary, toss both notes and never think about Beth again. Maybe he needed to get away for a few days. New York? It was April, the weather could be beautiful there. Or even Paris. He could call up one of his on-again off-again companions and make a mini-vacation of it. He would make up his mind when he left the meeting.

That resolved, he headed down the hall, leaving the flowers, and thoughts of Beth, behind.

Two hours later he cursed himself and the confusion of street names that was Sugar Land. He was lost. He hadn’t bothered paying attention when R.J. had driven the limo down here and he’d only briefly glanced at his Key Map before leaving work.

What the hell was he doing? he asked himself again. He’d walked out of a meeting with only the barest of explanations, he’d driven for nearly forty minutes in the middle of the afternoon, and for what? He told himself it was because he wanted to hear Beth’s apology in person. He told himself that it was about being right, and not anything more significant than that. He almost believed it, too.

‘‘She’s not my type,’’ he grumbled as he pulled to the side of the road and pulled out his Key Map. He located the right page, then found the street. Up ahead was a sprawling mall. He should have turned left on Austin Parkway instead of right.

‘‘She’s not my type and we have nothing in common.’’

She was too old, too intelligent and too sincere. The woman had children. He didn’t like children. At least he didn’t think he did—after all, he didn’t spend any time around them.

Todd turned right at the corner and found himself on Beth’s street. Once again he was struck by the similarity of the houses. He studied the address, then pulled up across from the right one.

A young woman stood in front, watering some plants. She was tall and curvy, wearing a T-shirt and shorts. Todd was startled to realize Beth’s daughter was so old. Beth must have gotten pregnant at sixteen.

He got out of his car and walked up the driveway. ‘‘Excuse me,’’ he called over the sound of running water. ‘‘Is your mother home?’’

The girl spun toward him. Todd found himself staring into Beth’s startled blue eyes. Her hair was mussed, her face free of makeup. While she couldn’t pass for someone in her twenties, she looked surprisingly attractive in her casual clothes.

Her mouth dropped open. ‘‘What are you doing here?’’

‘‘I came to see you.’’

She took one step back, then another. Todd glanced down and saw the potential for disaster. ‘‘Watch out for the sprinkler head,’’ he warned.

But he was too late. Beth’s bare heel came down on the edge of the metal. She shifted immediately, stumbling as she did so. The hose bounced wildly and a stream of cool water danced across the front of his pants, dousing his thighs and his crotch.

Chapter Four

Beth looked horrified. Todd hoped her expression came from her spraying him with water and not because he’d shown up unexpectedly, but he had a feeling she wrestled with both facts.

She dropped the hose to the ground and hurried to the tap. When the water was off, she brushed her hands against her shorts and turned back to face him. ‘‘You’re here.’’

‘‘I know.’’ He sighed and pretended distress. ‘‘I thought things would be different in the suburbs, but I’m not sure I approve of your welcome ceremony. Given a choice though, I guess it beats a baptism of fire.’’

Her gaze drifted from his face, down his body to his soaking trousers. She swallowed. ‘‘I’d offer to toss them in the dryer, but I’m guessing they’re not made out of a wash-and-wear fabric.’’ She shook her head. ‘‘I really didn’t mean to do that. I’m so sorry, Todd.’’

‘‘No problem.’’ Now that he was here, he was more interested in seeing her again than angry by the accident. ‘‘Although I wouldn’t mind being able to towel off some. I’m dripping.’’

‘‘Oh. Yes, of course you’ll need a towel.’’ She glanced at the house, then down the street. Two women stood about a half block down the street. They were talking to each other and obviously interested in the goings-on in Beth’s front yard. ‘‘We’d better go inside.’’

He could feel the cold water running down his legs and pooling in his shoes. No doubt his trousers were ruined. But he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Beth led the way to the rear of the house. As she held open the back door, she sighed. ‘‘Payback,’’ she murmured. ‘‘I’m not the least bit surprised.’’

He was about to ask her what she meant when he stepped into the house but she disappeared, leaving him standing in the kitchen. On Friday he’d spent about thirty seconds in the foyer. He’d formed an impression of smallish spaces and average decorating. But everything looked different from his new vantage point.

The back door led into a bright kitchen, and he could see a family room beyond that. A baseball cap sat in the center of the round kitchen table. Books lay scattered across a wet bar. He could see a bike helmet, a letter jacket from a local high school and textbooks. All proof that Beth had children.

The information wasn’t news, and if it was, it should have sent him running for cover. Instead, he found himself wondering about her kids. How old were they? How many? What were they like? He’d never much thought about having children of his own, nor had he been interested in other people’s. But the thought of her children made him curious.

Beth reappeared carrying several towels. ‘‘I guess you can blot yourself dry, then take a couple of these with you to protect your car seat.’’

‘‘Thanks.’’ He took the towels from her and began patting himself down. He thought about offering her the job, but figured she would probably faint at the idea.

She shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. ‘‘Um, you don’t want coffee or something, do you?’’

‘‘What a gracious invitation. I would love some coffee.’’

She flushed. ‘‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just…’’ She waved helplessly. ‘‘You’re here. I soaked you with a hose. It’s not my finest hour. I’ve been praying for the earth to open up and swallow me whole, but we don’t get many earthquakes here in Texas, so I guess I’m going to have to see this through.’’

‘‘Is that so horrible?’’

Her blue eyes darkened. ‘‘That depends on why you’re here.’’

‘‘How about that coffee?’’

‘‘Would you settle on iced tea? I just brewed some.’’

‘‘Sounds great.’’

While she poured him a glass, he settled into one of the wooden chairs at the table. Beth offered him sugar, which he declined, then reluctantly took the seat opposite his.

She tried faking a smile and failed miserably. Todd almost found it in himself to feel sorry for her. Almost. ‘‘What did you mean when you said this was payback?’’ he asked.

She cupped her hands around her glass. ‘‘It just is. For years I was so smug and happy with my life. I wanted exactly what I had—no more, no less. I felt sorry for women in unhappy marriages, I teased my suddenly single friends and never once thought that my turn would come. Here it is, whether I want it or not. Now people are talking about me. I’m one of the single friends.’’

His parents had each married and divorced so many times he’d forgotten that musical partners wasn’t a normal state of being. He wondered about her ex-husband. Was the man still in her life? Did he see his children? The thought was oddly unsettling.

‘‘How long have you been divorced?’’ he asked.

Beth stared at him. ‘‘I’m not. I’m a widow. My husband died eighteen months ago.’’ Her smile was sad. ‘‘Until then, we were one of the lucky ones. Our marriage was very happy.’’

Todd didn’t know what to say. ‘‘I didn’t realize. I’m sorry.’’

A widow? Beth? He looked at her, at her pretty face and bright red hair. In his mind, widows were elderly women all dressed in black. She still had school-age children. She wasn’t supposed to have a husband die on her. He couldn’t say why finding out about her being a widow was so startling, but it was. He didn’t like the information.

Divorce he could handle, but death was very different. Her marriage hadn’t ended because she’d fallen out of love with her husband, or he with her, but because he’d been taken from her.

She released her glass and pressed her fingertips against her cheeks. ‘‘I still miss him. Isn’t that silly? But I do. It was unexpected. A car accident.’’

She gave him more information than he wanted. ‘‘You loved him.’’ It wasn’t a question.

She straightened. ‘‘Of course. I’d married him. We had two children together.’’

Love. He heard about the emotion. Every time one of his parents married someone new, they swore it was true love which would last a lifetime. Instead, the relationships generally lasted about two years. Then there were the loud fights, the accusations. Months later, he got a phone call saying the divorce was final. A year later, an invitation to another wedding.

‘‘How long were you married?’’ he asked.

‘‘Nearly eighteen years.’’

That was practically a lifetime. He wasn’t sure he knew anyone who had been married that long. His parents’ marriage had lasted nearly five years and the entire family thought that was a great accomplishment. What did people talk about year after year? How did they coexist without making each other crazy?

‘‘I don’t think you drove all the way out to my house to talk about my widowhood,’’ Beth said. ‘‘So why are you here?’’

He was still reeling from finding out she was a widow. It took him a moment to remember what had motivated him to walk out on his meeting and drive down to see a woman who by all rights he should have forgotten the moment their date ended.

‘‘While the flowers were very nice, I wanted to hear your apology in person.’’

Beth blushed the color of the tomatoes ripening on the windowsill above the sink. She closed her eyes tightly and ducked her head. ‘‘I swear I’ve never done anything like that before in my life, and I’m never going to do it again.’’ She looked at him. ‘‘Really. I’m a nice person. I have good manners, I tip great, I have taught my children to write thank-you notes for presents. I can’t believe I just walked out on you like that.’’

‘‘Me, either.’’

‘‘It was just—’’She waved her hands in the air, then slapped them on the tabletop. ‘‘I couldn’t stay. Everything was wrong. The people at the restaurant were so rich and sophisticated. I felt like they were laughing and pointing. I thought you were bored and hoping to end the evening early. And no, I’m not pushing responsibility on everyone but myself. I didn’t like the idea of a date from the beginning. I let myself be talked into it. I should have listened to my instincts and told you the truth. I don’t usually mess up this badly. I apologize for my behavior and I’m very sorry if you were embarrassed or in any way inconvenienced by what I did. I mean that.’’

Sincerity softened her mouth and darkened her eyes. Despite her age, her lengthy marriage and having had two kids, she obviously hadn’t learned how to hide what she was thinking. He found he liked that quality.

‘‘I accept your apology. The flowers were a nice touch. No one has ever sent them to me before.’’

Beth smiled. ‘‘I thought about baking you cookies, but that seemed so motherish.’’

He tried to remember if his mother, or any of his stepmothers, had ever bothered baking cookies. He thought not. Several of the housekeepers had baked, but that wasn’t the same thing.

She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. The front of her T-shirt gaped a little, but the neck was too high to show off any cleavage. Todd found himself hoping for a hint of exposed curve.

‘‘So was it too horrible when I didn’t come back?’’ she asked.

He shook his head. ‘‘I told the waiter there had been a sudden illness in the family.’’

‘‘I’m sure he believed you. After all, you’re not the kind of guy who gets stood up much.’’

Rather than agreeing, he took a drink of his iced tea. ‘‘Can I reimburse you for the drinks?’’

Her unexpected question nearly made him spit. Irritation sharpened his voice. ‘‘I understand that you weren’t willing to spend an evening in my company, but please don’t insult me further.’’

Beth hunched forward as if he’d threatened her physically. ‘‘I’m doing this all wrong. Please, Todd, I wasn’t trying to be insulting. I really do feel badly about everything. I’m trying to make it better, but I see I’m just making it worse. Obviously I shouldn’t be allowed out of the house with a member of the opposite sex until I take a remedial course on how to deal with men.’’

Her discomfort eased his annoyance. He found himself leaning forward, as well, getting closer to her…wanting to touch her. ‘‘The class isn’t a bad idea. You’re really out of practice. I shudder to think how you would have trampled on my ego if this had been a real date.’’

‘‘Maybe you could write a book on the subject. After all, you have the experience.’’

He grinned. ‘‘Too many women would want to be mentioned in the dedication. There wouldn’t be room for actual text.’’

‘‘I see.’’ Beth smiled at him. ‘‘You’re much nicer than I thought you would be. I like that in a man. So, have you ever been married?’’

Her question, on the heels of her compliment, left him fumbling for words. Normally he knew exactly what a woman was going to say at any given moment, yet Beth caught him off guard on a regular basis.

‘‘Not even once,’’ he told her. ‘‘My parents have made marrying, divorcing and then marrying again something of a second business. I’ve lost track of their combined number of marriages, but as of three or four years ago I’d had about thirty-six step- or half siblings. I keep in touch with a few of them, but not many. There are some I can’t even remember.’’

‘‘Wow. The rich really are different.’’ Beth tilted her head. ‘‘I can’t relate to that, except maybe from watching Dynasty on television. Do you remember that show?’’

He shook his head. He loved how the afternoon light filtered in through the window and caught her hair. The dark red brightened like fire coming to life. He noticed she had tiny lines by her eyes. They crinkled when she smiled and he wanted to trace them.

‘‘The Carringtons were this really rich family. Several of them and their friends got married a lot. It was interesting but nothing like my life.’’ She took another sip of tea. ‘‘I met Darren—my husband—in high school. Both of our families were completely boring. No second or third marriages. Darren was a couple of years older than me and we got married when I was nineteen. I worked to help put him through his last year of college and then through graduate school.’’

She continued talking about Darren’s job as a geochemical engineer for a Houston-based oil company. Todd realized that her life sounded as strange to him as his had been to her. He’d never known a woman who worked to put her husband through college. He thought that only happened in the movies. What would have made her do that? Love? Did it really exist? He had his doubts.

‘‘Tell me about your children,’’ he said when she paused. She straightened and her whole face took on a glow. ‘‘They’re wonderful. They’ve been terrific since they lost their dad. Jodi is sixteen, and a junior in high school. She’s brilliant and beautiful.’’ Beth fingered her bangs. ‘‘She has my red hair. Matt is fourteen and he takes after his dad. Brown hair, brown eyes and glasses. He’s my little man.’’ Her mouth turned up in a smile. ‘‘When I got home early on Friday, Matt wanted to know if something bad had happened. There he was, all long legs and too-big feet, ready to defend my honor. I love them both. They’ve been a blessing to me. I don’t think I would have survived Darren’s death without them. They gave me a reason to keep on living.’’

Todd didn’t know what to do with the information she’d given him. He was used to being the object of adoration in any relationship. Women wanted and he gave. From the looks of things, Beth didn’t need anything he had to offer. Not that he was interested in having a relationship with her. The contrasts were intriguing, but not significant.

She glanced at her watch. ‘‘It’s nearly four o’clock. I’m sure I’m keeping you from important work.’’

‘‘Just a meeting. I walked out without saying where I was going. I’m sure everyone is in a panic right about now.’’

‘‘You sound happy.’’

‘‘It keeps them on their toes. Sometimes I’m too predictable.’’

She shook her head. ‘‘I can think of several words with which to describe you, but ‘predictable’ isn’t one of them.’’ That pleased him. He finished his iced tea.

‘‘Would you like some more?’’ she asked. ‘‘I also have some cookies. Peanut butter, and chocolate chip.’’

‘‘Homemade?’’

She filled his glass with ice, then poured in more tea. ‘‘Of course. They taste better and they’re cheaper.’’

That got his attention. She was a widow with two children. Was money a problem? He remembered her concern about prices at the restaurant on Saturday, then he glanced around the room and wished he knew enough about residential real estate to be able to estimate the value of the house. He could price commercial buildings in the loop to within a penny per square foot, but this market was beyond him.

Had Darren left her a decent insurance policy? He wanted to ask, but it wasn’t his business.

Beth set a plate of cookies in front of him. He took one of each and ate them. ‘‘Perfect,’’ he announced.

‘‘Jodi made the peanut butter ones, and I did the chocolate chip. I’m not expecting you to claim a favorite.’’

‘‘Definitely the chocolate chip.’’

‘‘Liar.’’ But she was smiling as she made her charge. Smiling in a way that made him want to sit at her table for a long time, just listening to her talk about her life. There was something to be said for simple pleasures shared with a woman close to his age. Why hadn’t he ever dated someone like her?

‘‘We should finish our date,’’ he said impulsively. ‘‘You barely tasted your drink and we didn’t have dinner. Let’s go out some night. I promise to do a better job of picking a restaurant. There won’t be any bone marrow flan in sight.’’

She was still standing and took a step back as he made his request. She folded her arms over her chest in a protective gesture. ‘‘It’s really nice of you to ask, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’m not ready to get involved. I mean, to go out. I don’t think you’d want to get involved with me. Why would you? Actually, we don’t have anything in common. I know that. You’re being kind and I appreciate it. But the two different worlds thing…my kids, your busy schedule. It just isn’t a good idea.’’

She was babbling. Todd told himself she didn’t know what she was saying and that he shouldn’t take any of it personally, even though it was damn hard not to.

They stared at each other for a full minute while Todd tried to think of some way to respond to her assorted statements. Beth jumped in to fill the silence.

‘‘It’s me,’’ she said. ‘‘I’m not your type. I’m too old, almost forty and not attractive enough. I mean, I think I’m fine compared with, well, you know, regular women. But you date model types. They’re so skinny and young and I’ve had children. Two.’’

She took another step back, bumped into the wet bar and came to a stop. ‘‘To be honest, I’m busy that night.’’

This time there was no way to tell himself not to take it personally. She’d been doing fine…right up to her fatal mistake. ‘‘I didn’t suggest a specific night.’’

Beth could feel the heat flaring on her face. Her skin felt like it was on fire. She could only imagine what incredibly bright color of red stained her cheeks. Talk about putting her foot in her mouth. The worst part was she hadn’t meant to be insulting or rude or whatever else Todd was thinking of her. She just couldn’t figure out why he was being so nice. He wasn’t really interested in her, so she was simply trying to give him a polite out. What was that old saying? No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.

None of this made sense. She didn’t know why he’d shown up at her house or why he was asking her out again. Everything she’d told him was the truth. Especially the part about them having nothing in common. Although, if she was honest with herself, she sort of wished they did. Todd looked really great sitting in her kitchen. Just being close to him made her heart act as if she was in the high-intensity portion of a step aerobics class at the gym.

It wasn’t just that he was good-looking, although that was certainly true. It was that she liked being with him. He was a nice guy. She hadn’t spent much time in the company of men in the past eighteen months and she’d missed that. Since Darren had died, Todd was the first single man to actually have a conversation with her.

Speaking of which, she owned him another apology. ‘‘I didn’t mean anything bad by what I said. I don’t understand why you’re asking me out. I wish I did. You’re a great guy and it’s not that I don’t like being with you—I do.’’

‘‘So what’s the problem?’’ he asked.

A reasonable question, to which she had no reasonable answer. If only she didn’t feel so quivery around him. ‘‘While you make me incredibly nervous, I also feel really comfortable around you. I think I can say anything and you’ll understand. Do you know how much trouble that means? As you’ve already noticed, I have a great talent for saying the wrong thing. I would spend all my time apologizing. That would get old.’’

‘‘Not for me,’’ Todd said. ‘‘You are the least boring woman I’ve ever met.’’

She beamed. ‘‘Thank you.’’ While she would have preferred he said she was stunningly beautiful and incredibly sexy, she would settle for least boring, even if the compliment sounded a little too close to ‘‘best of breed’’ at a dog show.

He rose to his feet. He was a couple of inches taller than Darren, maybe six feet or six one. As he moved toward her, the kitchen started shrinking. Her throat tightened. Unfamiliar heat rose in her body and she didn’t know whether to bolt or strip.

‘‘You owe me, Beth,’’ he said when he was a scant foot away from her. ‘‘You ran out on me and now you owe me a date. I’m the kind of man who collects what’s due him, so don’t think you’re going to get out of this one.’’

He was so…demanding and manly. She was embarrassed to find herself shivering, and not in horror. And to think she’d never liked the he-man type. Still, there was something to be said for masterful.

‘‘But I—”

He held up his hand to stop her in midsentence. ‘‘This Saturday night you and I are going out. I won’t take no for an answer.’’

‘‘I can’t,’’ she said. ‘‘I have too much to do.’’

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. ‘‘Try a different line. That one’s not working.’’

‘‘It’s not a line. I have to plant flowers in the morning, help with concessions at Matt’s baseball game in the middle of the day. At four o’clock is a pool party for several of his friends. By seven in the evening, I’ll be little more than a tired, sweaty puddle. I don’t think you’d be very interested in taking me out then.’’

His gaze narrowed.

‘‘I’m not lying,’’ she insisted, mostly because she wasn’t. Some Saturdays were brutal.

‘‘I’m out of town on Friday,’’ he said, ‘‘So we can’t do it then. It has to be Saturday.’’

It didn’t have to be anything at all, Beth thought, but she found she sort of liked the idea of Todd insisting on taking her out. It was very romantic. ‘‘Tell you what. You come with me for the day. If you can get through all of that and still want to go out to dinner, I’ll put on my best dress, even though you’ve already seen it, and we’ll head out to the restaurant of your choice. But I’m willing to bet money you’ll be too exhausted to think about dates or dinners.’’

‘‘You’re on,’’ he said and held out his hand.

She slipped her palm next to his. His skin was warm and tempting and she found herself sort of leaning toward him. Todd Graham was a very tempting man. It was like being by the tiger exhibit at the zoo. The cats were so beautiful you wanted to be in the cage with them, even though you knew that they would simply see you as lunch. Todd was dangerous. She had no business letting him into her life. Still, it was too late to back out now. And it was only for one day.

He glanced at his watch. ‘‘I need to get back to my office,’’ he said.

She led him to the front door.

‘‘Saturday,’’ he told her. ‘‘What time should I be here?’’

‘‘Eight in the morning.’’

‘‘Fine.’’

He stared at her. His gaze dipped to her mouth and she had the sudden thought he was going to kiss her. She held in the squeak that formed at the back of her throat, thought about praying but didn’t know what to pray for, so she settled on waiting. When he opened the front door and stalked out without saying a word, she didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. The only thing she knew for sure was that Saturday was going to be one interesting day.

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