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nearly ran down the stairs as if the hounds of Satan’s were nippin’ at her heels.
    A truck load of thoughts charged through her—Jason, Heritage House, her gallery, the town’s folk of Serenity utmost in her mind. To be uprooted from a place she loved, leave her business in the hands of others, and stay in a town she didn’t hold in warm regard, wasn’t high on her priorities. But the children—a constant in the back of her mind—made her aware she had no other choice than to live in Serenity, at least for a year.
    She dealt with abject kids each week in her after school program in Galveston. However, it wasn’t the same as being responsible for running a home for needy, unwanted children twenty-four hours a day. Yet running an orphanage wasn’t quite the same. A stop by the home before leaving town was a must.
    Outside, the warm, late spring air blew her hair about and into her face as she descended the four concrete steps from the sidewalk down to the street. She lifted her hand to brush back the errant strands and came to an abrupt stop.
    “Oh, for Pete’s sakes.” Her free hand pounced on her hip as her face turned skyward. “What more?”
    The Jeep listed to the driver’s side. Both the front and rear tires were flatter than a fritter. She could change one flat, but two? No way . Only one spare.
    She rummaged around in her handbag as her cell phone played hide-and-seek evading her fingers. With an aggravated huff, she unlocked her car door and a burst of hot air rushed out from the inside of the car. She shoved the keys in her pocket and unceremoniously dumped the contents out onto the front seat. The last item to drop out onto the pile of miscellaneous junk … her Blackberry.
    “Looks like you’ve got a little problem here.”
    The familiar deep, husky voice tinged with laughter caused her to nearly jump out of her skin while goose bumps proceeded to fill every inch of skin. A delicious chill went straight through her bones. Her quick turn caused the phone to pop out of her hands. She began a juggling act trying to catch the thing before it hit the pavement and smashed to smithereens. Just when she thought her cell was a goner, a large, tan hand caught the little rascal.
    Jason stood there, a silly grin on his lips, twinkling eyes mocking her, his cowboy hat perched attractively on his head. “I do believe this little pink thingy is yours?”
    He held up her BlackBerry between his index finger and thumb as though it might be contaminated or the pink might permanently dye his skin.  
    “I’m afraid so.” Her cheeks did a slow burn. She hoped he’d think it was the warm air.
    He passed the phone to her, his fingers grazing the inside of her palm. His touch caused a quake that could have rocked the needle right off the Richter scale. She gripped the phone tightly in her palm for fear she would drop it again and cause more embarrassment to her already injured pride.
    “Thanks. You’ve saved my bacon. All my contacts are in this little pink thingy. ”
    Jason’s rumble of laughter made her brain turn to mush and her insides; well there was no describing what was happening there.
    “Where’s your jack, in the back?”
    “What?” She blinked several times before she realized what he asked.
    “Honestly, you ought’a have your hearing checked? I’ve had to repeat myself a lot this afternoon.” He shook his head, a crooked smile in place.
    “Sorry.” Lame . “I’ve had a horrendous day, and by the looks of things—” She gestured at the tires. “—it just got worse.”
    For a man who didn’t seem to like her much, she was definitely drawn to him. Must be a flaw in her DNA. One thing for sure, he could do unmentionable things to her mind and body. Things she was too mortified to even think about. And to make matters worse, he was capable of turning her into a simpleton.
    She cringed. In danger of falling under his spell wasn’t good. She lowered her lashes to conceal her