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be a nutcase by morning. All she had to do was keep the needy little girl bottled up for the space of one night, and first thing in the morning, she’d hightail it out of Gage’s house and his life.
    She turned to watch him.
    There was something soothing in the solid strength of his body and the sure touch of his hands. As he steered onto the main road, the car bounced across an uneven section, and the top of his head collided with the roof of the car. He muttered a curse, checked over his shoulder for oncoming traffic, and rubbed the top of his head.
    She forced a wary smile. “Sorry.”
    He turned on the signal light, shoulder-checked to the left, and switched lanes. “This car reminds me of the bumper cars Mike and I used to ride when we were kids. They were never big enough either.”
    Even back then, Gage had been tall. Gangly, too. She couldn’t prevent the smile from escaping any more than she could ignore the way he’d filled out in the shoulders. Very nicely indeed.
    The tightness in her chest contracted and she tried to let it go. “So what do you drive? Something big and powerful?”
    He glanced over at her, a self-conscious grin smoothing out the frown on his face. “A Harley motorcycle mostly.”
    Freedom on the open road. The wind blowing through his hair. Power between his legs. A Harley beneath him. She was suddenly very jealous of his bike.
    With determination, she pushed the image away and patted the dash. “This car is perfect for me.”
    “That’s because you’re a runt.” His deep voice rumbled through the semi-darkness between them. He slanted her a look that grazed her from the top of her head to where her legs disappeared into the shadows, before he flipped on the signal light, checked over his shoulder, and steered the vehicle onto a side road. The tone of his voice grew serious. “Size means everything, honey. Size means power.”
    She sat up straighter, startled by the ominous tone of his voice.
    What did she really know about Gage? He’d been gone from town a long time and since he’d returned, he’d kept his distance.
    People changed.
    She’d changed.
    He maneuvered the stick shift into a lower gear, distracting her from her thoughts, and turned onto a quiet residential street that appeared safe, innocent, like her neighborhood. Except Harley knew the truth.
    Behind a few of those well-maintained houses and neatly manicured lawns lived men like Henry who hid their meanness behind a smooth exterior.
    She glanced back at Gage. He wheeled the car up a driveway, parked in front of a closed garage door, and cut the engine. He used an economy of motion in the tiny space, and when he pushed the car door open and unfolded his frame through the narrow opening, the tightness returned to her chest.
    “Stay put. I’ll come around and help you out.”
    He was a great deal bigger than her. She grabbed the doorknob, pushed open the door with her shoulder, and swung her legs out. He was almost a foot taller and had to be nearly twice her weight.
    The image of Henry returned.
    Henry, who for the last five years had been her neighbor.
    He’d seemed like such a nice guy, patient with her questions about house maintenance, cutting her lawn when she was too busy to do it herself, seemingly in love with his wife and his life.
    And yet he’d snapped.
    As her rescuer came around to the passenger side door, her heart picked up speed, and the strange knot in her stomach caught her attention. “Just so you know, I’m not afraid of your size. I’ve taken a few self-defense courses and I bet I could take you.”
    A grin reshaped the serious contours of his mouth and the tightness in his shoulders eased. “Anytime you want to test your theory, honey, I’m game.”
    “Tonight?”
    Silent, he shook his head and held out his hand to help her up.
    As she awkwardly gained her feet, muscles that had stiffened up during the journey through town complained. The ground beneath her swayed. She grabbed onto