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and held her against him.
    “Are you always nervous like this?” she whispered.
    “Shh!” He’d thought the shop owner was the only person working in the place. She’d hung up a Closed sign in the window. He and Holly had seemed to be alone on miles of deserted country road. “I’m going to go make certain everything was locked up.”
    “Okay.” She began walking and he pulled her back.
    “No,” he said, “I’m going to check, and you’re going to stay here.”
    “Bandera! I just canceled a wedding! I think I can check to make certain a door was closed properly.”
    “I can’t allow you to get in trouble out here.”
    She sighed. “Come on, cowboy. I never dreamed you’d be so needy, or I wouldn’t have kissed you.”
    “More on that later,” he said. “Stay behind me.”
    “What ever. ”
    He walked to the door, which had an old screen covering. It looked as if the brunette lived in the front part of the house and ran her business from the garage. He took hold of the handle, giving it a good shake, and the door swung open.
    He and Holly exchanged glances.
    “Not a good sign,” he whispered. “I really did think this door slammed.”
    “I did, too. Go on in.”
    “No!” Bandera said. “It’s her house!”
    “And she’d appreciate you making certain nobody walked inside!”
    Holly had a point. “Will you stay out here?” he asked.
    Her eyes got big. “What do you think?”
    “I think hell no.”
    She pushed him inside. Then she followed, glancing around. “Oh, it’s so pretty,” she murmured. “I love yellow-and-green gingham.”
    It looked like rays of sunshine had been splashed throughout the den. Plants were everywhere, blooming lush and green. The sofa was overstuffed and the chairs were fat leather recliners. “She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who decorated comfortably.”
    “She seemed fine. I don’t know why she’s bugging you so much.”
    “Because she drove off hanging on to my brother’s backside. I’m telling you, that wasn’t in the plan.”
    “Today is not the day for plans. I’m going to call my mother,” Holly said, crossing into the kitchen. “Look! She baked chocolate chip cookies.”
    “You yak, I’ll eat.” He perched on a flower-painted bar stool and made himself at home with theyellow-gingham plate. “Mmm. Maybe better than wedding cake. You should have one.”
    Holly rolled her eyes, but took one from him, being very careful to avoid his fingers, he noticed. Dialing the phone, she stood on the opposite side of the bar, instructing the operator to make a collect call.
    He went to the cupboard and got himself a red coffee mug, which he proceeded to fill with milk, listening to Holly with only half an ear. A gray cat wound itself around his boot, startling him. “I think I found the door slammer.”
    “Cats don’t slam,” she said.
    “This one does, when it wants past the screen. You little devil. I don’t think you’re supposed to be in the house, are you?”
    It jumped onto the counter, looking at Bandera’s cookies with interest. “No sweets for you,” he said, putting her on the floor. But he poured milk from his coffee mug into her saucer to take the sting out of his comment.
    “Softie,” Holly said.
    “An illusion,” Bandera said. The cat settled down to lapping milk contentedly, and Bandera got back on his flower-covered perch, watching Holly as he helped himself to cookies.
    She had a really fine figure. He wasn’t certain he’d fully observed how nicely her waist curved into her butt, but now that she was leaning against thecounter, he could get the whole picture. He ate another cookie, happily enjoying the view.
    “Hi, Mom,” Holly said. “Yes, I’m fine. I really am. I just wanted to apologize for leaving you to clean up the mess.”
    She listened for a few minutes. “I’m glad, too, actually. It wasn’t the right time. It’s a shame everything went to waste, though. All the beautiful flowers you—