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her and she wondered if her mother had died with the same regret.
    She leaned against a tree and glanced at her watch before taking a quick peek over at Fluffy, and then wished she hadn’t. It seemed the dog was just getting started. It was getting rather late and anyone in Hattersville with a lick of sense was in their bed getting a good night’s sleep. She could have awakened Melba and had her take Fluffy out, but she knew that Nana and Melba had stayed up late playing cards and had just gotten into bed. They had gotten so involved in their game that neither remembered to walk the dog. Anyway, she herself was used to crazy hours and changes in time zones with her irregular work schedule as a model.
    She shook her head, smiling while thinking that her grandmother had turned into a regular cardsharp. When April was a child the older woman wouldn’t even let her play a game of old maid. Connie North had been convinced playing cards were tools from the devil’s arsenal. Evidently over the years Melba had somehow changed Nana’s mind about that.
    “Out rather late tonight, aren’t you?”
    April swung around at the same time she threw her hand over her chest to calm her startled heart. She drew in a deep breath and glanced over at the man who stood almost towering over her. Hell, where had he come from? It was a good thing she recognized her late-night intruder.
    “I could say the same about you, Griffin.”
    She had gotten her shocked heart to slow down, so now she could work on the desire fluttering around in her belly. Griffin had always managed to elicit that sort of a reaction from her even though she’d fought it.
    “Yes, you could say the same,” he said, smiling warmly. “But my folks are out of town and I promised to go over twice a day to let Pebbles out.” He chuckled. “I went this morning but almost forgot to do so this evening. Luckily I remembered before I went in for the night.”
    April nodded and glanced down at the Saint Bernard on the leash. Fluffy had returned to her side and was staring over at Pebbles as if the dog was definitely an object of interest. Didn’t big and little dogs usually get into barking matches? Surprisingly, the two seemed to like each other.
    April returned her gaze to Griffin and then wished she hadn’t. He was dressed casually, as if he’d been out on a date. She didn’t want to think of him with another woman; in fact over the years she’d done a pretty good job of not thinking of him at all. A busy career and three husbands followed by three divorces had helped to keep her from pining over a lost love.
    But seeing him now was reminding her of just how handsome he was and why she’d fallen head over heels for him back in high school. He’d been the guy all the girls had wanted, except for Erica.
    In addition to loving him, April also liked him. Although he’d been born with a silver spoon planted firmly in his mouth, he hadn’t acted obnoxious like some of the others guys around town. He’d always treated her with respect, and not with the mere tolerance some of the upper echelons had be stowed upon her as Erica’s best friend.
    “I guess remembering your duties to Pebbles before going home was a good thing,” April decided to say. “I would hate to imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t.”
    He chuckled. “Hey, come on now. Do you for one minute believe my parents didn’t have a backup plan? It probably wouldn’t surprise me if Pebbles knew how to get to the phone, use her paw and punch in nine-one-one.”
    April couldn’t help but laugh. Another thing she’d always liked about Griffin was his sense of humor. Seldom was he a serious kind of guy. But she figured that was the norm when you were born to a life without a care in the world.
    She would give him the benefit of the doubt since she knew he’d left town and attended college before returning home to take over running his family’s rubber company. As long as there were tires on the