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nonchalant pose that belied the wary expression on his face.
    “About time you came calling, sugar,” he said when she drew near. “I was beginning to think you didn’t care.”
    Immediately flustered, she almost tripped over the curb. “Oh, hush with that sweet talk,” she said, moving to stand in front of him, hands on hips. “Why won’t you tell people what you plan to do in here?”
    “Because I don’t want to,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact. “Don’t know of any law that says I have to announce my plans before I’m ready.”
    “You have to file papers with the town before you can open a business,” she reminded him. “Or is Tom letting you off the hook because you’re related?”
    “Tom would never let me off the hook. He’s a straitlaced guy. My paperwork will all be filed nice and neat when the time comes.”
    “Does he know what you’re up to?”
    “Of course.”
    Thoroughly frustrated by his refusal to set her mind at ease—and everyone else’s for that matter—she studied him for a minute, then said, “You’re enjoying all the speculation, aren’t you?”
    He nodded. “I’m especially fond of the sex-toy theory,” he admitted with a spark of pure devilment in his eyes. “What do you think of that one?”
    “I think it’s crazy,” Sarah confessed. “But since I know for a fact that you can be outrageous, I haven’t ruled it out. Just so you know, though, Grace wants to get up a petition against it. And follow up with a protest outside your front door. I really think you’re better off nipping that idea in the bud.”
    “Really?” he said innocently. “Just think of the publicity.”
    “Is that the kind you want?”
    “Couldn’t hurt,” he insisted.
    She edged closer to the door, trying to avoid getting too close to him as she did so. Something about all that heat and masculinity was way too hard to resist. She didn’t want to tempt fate.
    “How about giving me a tour?” she suggested. Maybe that would give her a few hints about what he had in mind. If it was something outlandish, he probably wouldn’t let her cross the threshold.
    Travis gave her a long, amused look, then stepped over and opened the door. “You can tell me what you think of the color scheme,” he said without a hint of reservation.
    Inside, to her surprise, she found the one long, narrow room had been carved up into four separate spaces, which certainly didn’t look suited to retail. The largest was on the left and had the only window, which faced out on the town green and would let in plenty of light once that awful brown paper was removed. It connected to a smaller room right behind it. The entry area, no bigger than a foyer in a small home, had room enough for a couple of chairs, though the only thing in it at the moment was the old red soda cooler she remembered from her childhood. She touched it with near reverence.
    “You kept this,” she said, not sure why that made her so happy. Maybe she didn’t think there could be anything bad about a man with a sentimental streak.
    Travis was watching her with that same hint of amusement sparkling in his eyes. “Best thing in here,” he said.
    “What’s through that door?” she said, gesturing to the only remaining doorway off the foyer.
    “See for yourself,” he said, opening the door.
    The back room was completely empty except for cleaning supplies and paint cans. Without a window back there, it could have been dismal, but it had beenpainted the same cheery yellow as the front rooms. All the trim was white enamel.
    “You planning to sell the porno stuff back here?” she inquired, not entirely in jest. At least it would be out of plain sight.
    “Actually I was thinking that ought to be out front,” he said with a perfectly straight face. “It’ll attract more customers if it can be seen from the street, don’t you think?”
    Sarah scowled at him. “You’re not taking this seriously. Grace will stir up trouble if you don’t