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out?” she asked with idle curiosity.
    “Yes.”
    She looked up, intending to ask another question about the Gardners, but Ryder was already turning the conversation toward lunch.
    And somehow lunch turned into an afternoon walk along the lakeshore in front of the cabins as she and Ryder explored a few of the picturesque coves and beaches that dotted the shoreline. The mellow warmth of the day hung on until the sun finally began to set behind the soaring peaks to the west. Then, regardless of her firm intention to the contrary, Brenna found herself sharing a whiskey sour with her neighbor as he broiled steaks over the barbecue on his back patio.
    When she went back to her own cabin after dinner, there was an element of peace in the atmosphere between herself and Ryder. He dropped the smallest of brushing kisses against her mouth before seeing her safely inside, but it was a calm, good-night salute. It reminded her a little of the impersonal touch he had used when he’d searched her that first evening.
    It was, she reflected uneasily, a little confusing. She had half expected to find herself fighting him off at the door. Given his aggressive nature and his apparent interest in pursuing a summer flirtation, it seemed logical.
    So why did she feel a little let down? she demanded briskly of herself as she went about climbing the stairs to her loft bedroom. She should be grateful that he wasn’t going to be the pushy type!
    The next day she pulled out some of her notes and thought about outlining her fall classes. But that only brought back memories of the decision she had to make that summer. It was difficult, Brenna discovered, planning course work for her students when there was a possibility that she would not even be returning to the college!
    Conscious of the stylish casualness of Lake Tahoe in the summer, she selected one of her few dresses with care that evening. After all, she told herself, she wanted the Gardners to have a good impression of their tenant! It was a perfect, summery white eyelet with full sleeves and a skirt that stopped at the knee. The dress was held low at the waist with a narrow sash of bright red, and she paired it with her red sandals, relying on the darkness of her sleekly knotted hair to provide the final touch of contrast.
    It wasn’t until Ryder knocked at her door that she admitted she might have dressed as much for him as for impressing the Gardners. She found the notion disturbing.
    “Good evening,” she began with the sort of cheery enthusiasm she imagined appropriate to a friendly date. As she caught sight of him after flinging open the door, her amber eyes widened first in surprise and then in appreciation of the picture he made on her doorstep.
    “Don’t tell me,” she drawled, taking in his attire with a complete head-to-toe glance. “Your heroes not only get to drink the best brandy, they also buy their clothes from Italian designers!”
    Not everyone could have worn the crisply tailored linen jacket in the palest of gray-blues, the narrow-legged white linen trousers, or the royal-blue silk shirt with such nonchalance. Ryder carried it off beautifully.
    “You only live once,” he responded easily. “And it does go with the Ferrari, don’t you think?”
    “Oh, yes, definitely,” she agreed, laughing up at him as they started toward his car, which had been parked at the back of the cabin on the night she’d arrived. The Ferrari was a vivid red that, Brenna realized in amusement, was going to nicely complement her sash and sandals!
    “You look very good tonight, lady,” Ryder whispered as he assisted her into the cockpit of the beautifully designed automobile. She glanced up as she swung her bare legs inside, and the silver mesh of his eyes seemed to snag her gaze for a moment. She knew what the next question was going to be even before he asked it. “All for me?” He half smiled, taking in the whole of her with a leashed hunger.
    “I wanted to impress my landlords,”