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There wasn’t room for personal feelings between them. He lowered his finger and took a step back. “Thank you for an enjoyable evening, Autumn.”
    Bewildered and lonely, she stood in the doorway and watched as Thane retraced his steps to his car and drove away.

     
     
     
     

Chapter Three
     
    Autumn let out a high-pitched squeal, did a feisty bump and grind, and belted out the second verse of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” Keeping time with the music coming from her iPod, she valiantly tried to rake brightly colored leaves into a neat pile, but it was scattered in every direction by the crisp afternoon breeze. She frowned, then grimaced at the blister forming on her thumb. It looked as if her hands were having a harder time adjusting to Dogwood, Virginia, than she was.
    With renewed determination and rhythmic sways of her hips, she gathered the leaves once more and quickly began to dump them into an empty basket. But the wind blew away half of every armful she’d dropped and then showered her with the foliage. This was turning into a never-ending battle.
    She glanced around her neighbors’ yards and sighed. They were all raked and looked immaculate. A smile touched her lips when a gentle breeze sent a dozen leaves floating down onto the Gardners’ yard. Good. now hers didn’t look so bad. She was turning back to her pile when a blast of chilly air gusted her way, along with the leaves from the Gardners’ yard. Sometimes life wasn’t fair.
    Thane parked his car and silently watched Autumn dance around her front yard raking leaves. Whoever named her had chosen well. She looked like autumn. Her mane of wild red curls flew around her shoulders. The thick gold sweater she wore blended perfectly with the array of colors surrounding her. Old jeans and sneakers gave her a tomboyish appearance, until she bent over to scoop up an armful of leaves. There was nothing boyish about the curves he saw then.
    When he received the message that Autumn had been trying to contact him about the Halloween party, he decided to stop by instead of calling. For some perverted reason he wanted to see if she still had the same effect on him she did two nights before. The kiss he hadn’t experienced had been haunting his dreams. He needed to put the issue to rest once and for all. He got out of the car and slowly walked to where Autumn was trying to fill a basket. “Anyone can tell you’re a city girl.”
    Autumn continued to swing her denim-clad bottom and sing along with the tape.
    Thane swallowed hard and memorized the faded gold stitching across her right rear pocket. He moved around the basket, away from temptation, and positioned himself in front of her.
    Autumn jumped in surprise and yanked her earphones down around her neck when she saw him. “Thane!”
    “Anyone can tell you’re a city girl,” he repeated. He picked up the rake and used it to hold down the remaining leaves in the basket. “You should never rake when it’s windy. It defeats the purpose.”
    Autumn lifted another armful, waited for him to move the rake, and dumped her load into the basket. “So far I haven’t been able to figure out the purpose. Every time I fill the basket, the wind blows and bombards the yard with a few hundred more leaves.”
    Thane chuckled as he placed one foot in the basket and flattened its crisp, colorful contents. “I believe the main benefit is exercise and fresh air.” He noticed the healthy glow of her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes and quickly glanced away. If possible, she looked more kissable in the sunshine than on a dimly lit porch.
    Autumn concentrated on raking and tried not to stare at Thane. She hadn’t expected him to show up in person. She reached up to capture her windblown hair and frowned as she plucked a dead leaf from it. Thane looked as if he could be hosting a garden party with his light-blue sweater and creased black pants. Even his shoes had the distinct glow of a recent polishing. His only