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Chinese restaurant, lots of vegetables. Sound good?”
    Tessa nodded her answer and pulled her hair back in a quick pony tail. The bun was halfway down anyway, and the wind coming in from the open window cooled her cheeks.
    Lucas swung the Jeep into a turn, maneuvered onto the highway and headed out of town. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and whistled softly. “Know what’s wrong with the safety belt law?”
    “No, what?”
    He glanced at her and grinned. “A guy can’t put his arm around his girl and pull her close, like we used to do when we were young.”
    She stiffened, heat diffused her face. I’m so not ready for this. “I’m not your girl.”
    He chuckled, obviously undaunted. “Oh no? What are you?”
    Sadness because it was past time when it could’ve been more swept over her and tears of regret threatened. “A friend.”
    “Ah, we need to work on that.” He pushed the button on the dashboard and Toby Keith wailed his latest hit.
    Tessa watched him from the corner of her eye He continued to drum his fingers on the steering wheel as the wind lifted the edges of his hair and he lip-synced to the music. He had such a restless energy. That certainly hadn’t changed over the years. He’d been a forceful influence on her brother. The two of them had gotten into enough mischief in their teen years that the entire police department breathed a sigh of relief when they left for college at OSU in Stillwater. Now her brother was Chief of Police and Lucas had just finished an illustrious career with OSBI. You never knew.
    ****
    Tessa pointed her fork at Lucas' plate. “Eat some of that broccoli!” All the meat from the beef and broccoli was gone, as was the rice, but the soggy green vegetable sat lonely on the plate, swimming in brown gravy.
    His guilty smile reminded her of a little boy. “I did!”
    No little boy, this one. She lifted her eyebrows, but was unable to control her smile. “With your eating habits, I’m amazed you’re not a candidate for a heart transplant.”
    “Not me. Blood pressure, one ten over eighty; cholesterol under one seventy-five.”
    “No way.” She sat back, drawing her brows in. Even his internal body was as good as his external. Visions of all her salads, sugarless tea, tofu, and yogurt flickered through her mind. Not fair.
    He took a sip of the fragrant tea. “Good genes.”
    Good genes indeed. “I thought all law enforcement types were stressed to the max.”
    Lucas leaned forward on the table, deftly moving the plate of broccoli away from him with one finger. “That’s where my boat comes in. Whenever I had the opportunity, the boys and I would hit the lake. There’s no feeling in the world like racing along the water, wind whipping across your face and through your hair. It’s a whole new feeling of relaxation you’ll never understand until you experience it firsthand.”
    He looked so happy when he spoke of the boat. “How old are the boys now?”
    “Just turned twenty-five. It’s been years, really, since we took the boat out, all of us together. They’re both married—too young, I thought. To sisters, can you believe that? They had a double wedding. It was crazy.”
    “Two daughters wedded for the price of one? The parents must have been thrilled.”
    “I kinda had the impression it was more the parents’ idea, but it all came together okay. Brian and his wife Carole have two little girls—not twins, much to her relief. Although they are only a year apart,” he added with a smirk. “Jason and Janet have a son.”
    “So you’re a grandpa?”
    “That’s one thing I miss about Oklahoma City, seeing the kids. But the boys are busy, and don’t have a whole lot of time for the old man.”
    “I doubt that. I’m sure they miss you very much.” Would the grief ever go away? She’d lost her baby in the second trimester, after being tossed down the stairs during one of Dean’s rages. His only response had been good riddance, bitch. She