he heard an engine and headlights bounced through the front window. he stood up, holding his breath. for a moment he was sure walt had come for him; come to work him over for touching shelby. he heard a soft knock at the door. when he opened it, she stood there, a backpack slung over one shoulder and that alluring smile on her lips. he felt his chest expand in ways he didn't recognize and knew that his eyes had grown molten and dark.

"you're here," she said.

he opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace. "where did you think i'd be?"

"i don't know." she looked up at him. "out for the evening? prowling?"

"baby, you worked all the prowl out of me this afternoon." he pushed the door closed without letting go of her.

"i probably shouldn't have come back."

"why not?"

"well, i might've had a little too much of a good thing. i'm spotting and i'm sore," she said.

he ran a hand across her cheek, lifted her chin and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "i'll just hold you. we wouldn't want to do any damage. i'm sorry if i made you sore."

"it wasn't so much you as the newness, luke. you were careful. but i just wanted to feel your arms around me some more." she laughed and buried her face in his chest. "i wanted to smell your chest."

a deep sigh escaped him and he tightened his arms. he was just beginning to admit it to himself-he was in love with her. totally gone. "where does your family think you are?"

"with you. for the night, if you want me to stay."

he held her away from him and frowned. "you told them?"

"is that all right?"

"i don't care who knows-but what about you?"

"i didn't have to tell anyone," she said. "paul and vanni took one look at me and told me to be careful. they all think i'm so fragile and you're a rogue. i'm not." she smiled. "and you're not."

he pulled the backpack off her shoulder and put it on the breakfast bar. "i was hard on you earlier, shelby. trying to push you away, trying to scare you. i'm sorry."

she shook her head. "luke, i had made up my mind. couldn't you tell?"

it was just beginning to dawn on him. "when did you decide?" he asked her.

"not right away. i had to get to know you a little. and-" she laughed "-there was that tool belt."

"you had a job for me to do, didn't you, shelby?"

"i did." she smiled. "it had to be someone irresistible and experienced."

"sometimes i don't think. i can be insensitive. careless with feelings," he said. "weren't you afraid i might hurt you?"

"not for one second," she said, shaking her head. "i brought a bottle of wine..."

"i'll open it for you, pour you a glass and finish my beer." he took her jacket, hung it on the back of a chair and started to unbutton her shirt. "let's get into bed."

"i'm not kidding," she said. "i may have overdone it. see, i shouldn't have come..."

"i just want to feel you against me. i just want to touch you a little. i'm not going to do anything that will make you sore. i want to get you better." he kissed that delicious mouth. "you might need a few days, but i don't want to be away from you."

"but won't that just make it too tempting? naked in the bed?"

"nah. you're important to me. i'm going to take good care of you." he opened her shirt and lowered his lips to her breast.

"god," she said in a breath. "it might be too tempting for me."

he lifted his head and smiled into her eyes. "don't worry, honey. i know how to take care of that." he turned her toward the bedroom. "i'll bring you a glass of wine."

luke was locked in an incredible dream, with ecstasy overpowering him. his entire body was quivering wildly, madly, as the woman in his dream worked on him. he was close, ready to let himself go in a climax so huge it would rock the bed. the sound of his own groan woke him and he realized it was not a dream. he looked down at that honey-colored head of hair and gasped. "shelby!" he reached down, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up toward him. "shelby, come here." he pulled her face up to his. "honey, what are you doing?"

"did i hurt you?"

"hurt me? sweet jesus!"

"i've never done that before, so i wasn't sure..."

"why are you doing it now?"

"well, i've never slept with a man before and you were keeping me awake, poking me in the back." she smiled at him. "you don't hesitate to take care of me..."

"shelby, do you realize what almost happened?"

she smoothed her hands over his chest and gave his lips a little tug with hers. "i'm inexperienced, luke, not ignorant."

he caught her to him, holding her close. "aw, baby."

"was i awful? maybe you should tell me what to do."

"awful?" he laughed. "i almost lost it in my sleep!"

"that means it was okay?"

"you don't have to do that. this is all so new for you..."

she smiled at him. "turns out it feels almost as good to please you as it does to be pleased by you." she gave him a little kiss. "relax." and she slid down his body. her lips brushed against his belly and he shuddered involuntarily. his head dropped back and he groaned. in one day, his life had changed too much to comprehend. no way he could deserve this woman and her unselfish passions. in no time his world exploded and he saw stars. then he felt tears in his eyes and knew it wasn't from the orgasm.

she slid up and lay atop his body. she pecked at his lips. "i think you liked that."

"god," he said, unable to catch his breath. "i'm dead, that's what. and against all odds, i was sent to heaven."

"that good, huh?"

"not just that. everything. i've never had a day like this in my life."

"i thought you had lots of days like this," she said.

"never. baby, never. i'm afraid i'm going to wake up." he brought her mouth onto his and kissed her deeply, holding her tightly against him. he hadn't expected the most mind-blowing sex of his life and the sweetest woman on earth dishing it out.

"and i think now i might be able to get a little sleep," she said with a soft laugh. then, with her lips against his ear she whispered, "luke, thank you. you've made it all so wonderful, so good. hold me," she said. "let me fall asleep against you, in your arms."

he held her there, like that, stretched over his body, her head resting against his shoulder. she might weigh a hundred and ten pounds to his one-eighty, and she fit against his chest perfectly. he ran his hand down her back and over her soft bottom, stroking her, listening as her breathing evened out, as she sighed in her sleep.

this is the best thing that's ever happened to me, he thought. i hope i don't screw it up.

twelve

walt went to the stable in the early morning and found shelby there, mucking out a stall. he jumped in surprise when he saw her. "morning," she said brightly.

"when did you get here?" he asked her.

"not that long ago. maybe a half hour. it was such a beautiful morning, i decided to come right down here, see what i could get done. then i'll shower off the stable and have some breakfast."

he stepped toward her, frowning. "shelby, you weren't home last night."

"you mean this morning, don't you? because you weren't home last night, either."

"shelby-"

"i was with luke. but just in case you wondered or were worried, i told vanni where i was going."

"all night?" he asked.

"all night," she said firmly, giving her chin a lift. he was quiet for a long time, looking at her from under those fierce, hooded brows. finally she leaned on her shovel and met his eyes fearlessly, stare for stare. "you have something you want to say to me?" she asked.

"let's go for a short ride...talk about some things..."

"i'm going to pass on the ride, uncle walt. i have some things i'd like to do this morning. but we can take a few minutes for you to get this off your chest."

"i don't know where to start." his expression softened. "shelby, honey-"

"walt," she said, purposely omitting the uncle. "let me help you, because we're going to get this over with quickly. i like him. he's very nice to me. i haven't been impetuous-i gave luke a lot of thought. there's no question in my mind-he's a good man. i know he comes off looking like a reckless tough guy, just like a lot of the men in this town at first glance, but he's not that way with me. he's very thoughtful and considerate. he's real worried about you, however."

"i don't dislike the man. it's just that i don't know him real well. and i know a lot about men like luke, i've commanded hundreds of them."

"you mean men like you and luke-soldiers. men who fight battles, go to war, get a little roughed up, seem to manage on very little conscience..." he hung his head briefly. "you can thank vanni for already having this conversation with me-about soldiers, how they're trained, how they live, that edgy, son-of-a-bitch personality they learn in the army. you have a little of that in you, too, don't you, uncle walt? covering up your softer feelings? being hard and resilient and not letting yourself feel guilty about the damage you have to inflict? i suppose it goes with the territory." she stepped closer to him. "i spent a lot of years around you when i was growing up. i saw young g.i.s shake in their boots when you walked past them, but you always treated aunt peg and vanni like precious jewels. and just like you, luke has a sweet side."

"i promised your mother i'd look out for you, watch over you..."

"and so you are," she said. "i'm sure you'd be more comfortable with me right now if i'd stayed home and waited for some nice young man from church to come by the house and ask your permission to take me out for a buggy ride-but it's not going to be like that, thank god. i was attracted to luke riordan almost right away. the attraction is mutual. i'm having a romance, uncle walt. at last, i'm having a romance. i'm way overdue-and you're not going to make me feel guilty or make him nervous. i appreciate your concern, but it's up to me."

whew, walt thought, resisting the urge to take a step backward. "if i'm concerned, it's only because... aw, honey-i just want you to be happy... i don't want you to be hurt. you might be getting in over your head...."

she took another step toward him, looking up at him. there was absolute conviction in her eyes. "you thought i'd save myself for marriage?" she asked, lifting one eyebrow.

"i'm a lot of things, but i don't think anyone could accuse me of being foolish or old-fashioned." she just tilted her head, questioning him. "or impractical," he added grudgingly.

she laughed at him, though softly. "i'm not so sure luke's going to hurt me," she said. "regardless, there isn't much anyone can do about that. i don't know if you can understand this, but i'm glad that i can finally take my romantic lumps just like all the other girls have." she looked up at him earnestly. "why does everyone think i'm such a wuss? you think the last five years have been easy? you think it doesn't take a brave girl to spend the night with a man when my overprotective uncle might be at home, pacing, loading his shotgun? believe me, even if luke riordan breaks my heart, it's going to be a lot easier in the end than some of the stuff i've been through the last few years. this is a new adventure for me-and you're not going to bully me out of it. man, if anyone's earned the right, it's me!"