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way they wanted it. Interfering for their sake would be worth risking another embarrassing session over his hard lap.
    “I’ll talk to him.”
    “It’s not your problem, really. I just needed to vent.” Dale looked uneasy, but relieved at the same time. “He’s pretty stubborn.”
    No kidding. “So am I.” Normally she didn’t like angry confrontations, but she was fighting for the underdog here. Sam Thompson would learn exactly how stubborn she could be. “I’ll convince him later today to take me with him on a drive to Hana tomorrow. I’ve read so much about how pretty the drive is and I’m dying to do that.”
    Dale’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know.”
    She gave him her most confident smile. “The matter is settled. I hear the drive to that side of the island is a nice long one. We’ll have plenty of time to discuss the ranch problem. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”
    Then she turned away to look across the water for signs of whales. Maybe she should slip one of the throw pillows into her tote bag tomorrow. She just might end up needing to sit on it on the way back from Hana.
     

Chapter Three
     
    He was kissing her toes, slowly moving up her leg, kissing every inch of the way. She moaned in pleasure and anticipation. His mouth stopped at…
    Bam! Bam! Bam!
    The dream fell away and Valentine’s eyes flew open. Her heart pounded. Disappointment swept through her. She would wring the neck of whoever was pounding on the door. Now that she was almost totally awake she couldn’t see her dream lover, not even when she squeezed her eyes closed and tried to concentrate on his face. Darn ! How could she relive the experience in daytime fantasy if she couldn’t recall who had starred in the dream? Double darn. Double, double darn !
    Bam! Bam! Bam!
    “Valentine? Are you ready to go?” Sam yelled, sounding impatient. “Valentine?”
    Sam! Oh jeez ! In a panic, she rolled over to look at the alarm clock. Rolled over and right on off the side of the bed. She landed with a hard thud on the carpet and bumped the side of her head on the nightstand. “Owwww!” she yelped, reaching for her head.
    “Are you all right? What the hell happened in there?” Sam questioned anxiously. “Valentine!”
    She scrambled to her feet and hurried to answer the door. “Sorry,” she said breathlessly, rubbing her head. “Guess I forgot to set my alarm. Give me five minutes.”
    He stood there, brown eyes widening, and then darkening as he stared at her sleep shirt. “ Hot, hot, hotter ? Makes me curious.” His voice had thickened, dropping into the seriously sexy area.
    His crooked grin and the intensity of his look made her shiver. Then she recognized that sexy smile, that intense look. Her dream lover !
    She backed quickly away, disgusted with her subconscious.
    Then she glanced down at her shirt, not recalling which one she’d even put on last night. The words Hot were printed over each breast and Hotter was printed in a much lower place. He appeared to be trying to see through the shirt at the particular place. She groaned. Was this man ever going to see her in something decent?
    “Sit. Think cold showers. Think icy rain. Think celibacy.” She motioned him toward the living room.
    As she sped back to the bedroom and slammed the door, she heard him call out, “I’m not interested in any of those things, darlin’. But I’ll be thinking about that shirt all day, wondering.”
    Five minutes later, true to her word, Valentine dashed out of the bathroom. In record time she’d taken care of personal things, gotten dressed, applied minimal makeup, and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. He looked stunned as she smiled smugly and grabbed the tote bag she’d prepared the night before.
    When he stood from the sofa, she again thought about her plan for the day and reconsidered shoving a throw pillow into her tote. But she didn’t want to explain why she wanted to take it. Besides, there was always the chance