give in to it. By Monday, possibly Tuesday at the latest, he would be out of here. All he had to do was retain his hold on reality till then. Once he returned to California and started research on another celebrity’s child, he would forget her…if he could.
He listened to Deke's heavy, even breathing. He'd been a fool to let Deke get under his skin last night. He just hadn't wanted to see Deke get involved, that was all. At least he, Ty, had showed some sense. He'd stayed away. That was the only thing to do, stay away. He’d tell her he was no longer interested in interviewing her and he'd get the car fixed and he'd get the hell out. He was a sensible, logical man, and he'd never yet lost his head over a woman. He wasn't about to start now.
If only those bells would stop ringing, maybe he could quit thinking about her, about how he wanted her like hell, more every time he saw her, how he wanted to possess that cool mouth again and make it pulse with warmth, how he wanted to run his hands over her slim body and discover its secret, sensitive places, and make love to her again and again.
He threw back the covers, glancing over at the still-sleeping Deke. He had to do something to divert his mind: write, work. Then later, he'd go see her, tell her he was no longer interested in interviewing her. She would be relieved, and he would be, too.
Then why wasn't he? Why did he feel irritated and restless? It must be because he was anxious to get out of Springwater.
When Leigh Carlow stepped out of the church door, the breeze caught at her yellow hat. She reached up and clutched at the brim, holding it with slender fingers as she walked down the sidewalk, her high-heeled pumps making her body sway with a willowy grace in the yellow linen suit she wore. The sun had risen bright and warm, and she wore no coat.
"Leigh, darling."
She turned. From the group of people who were clustered in the autumn sunshine in the front of the church, Hunt, looking much slimmer in his dark navy suit than he had in his costume Friday night, stepped out and grasped her elbow. "How are you?"
"Fine. I didn't see you in church," she said, more for something to say than anything else.
"I sat where I always do. Strange you didn't see me." He frowned for a moment and then his face cleared. "All right if I stop by this afternoon and pick up your costume?"
"Yes, of course."
"Good. See you later, darling. Got to run." He leaned forward to kiss her cheek, and she caught the scent of his cologne, a cloying, spicy scent. He walked away and left her standing there, making her realize how overpowering his cologne was. The scent of another man drifted through her mind, a clean, masculine smell mingled with the smoky aroma of a fall night crisp with stars.
"Going out with Hunt tonight?" Eve stood beside her, tall and slender in a silky green dress, her black hair blowing around her head.
"No. Were you coming over?"
"No," Eve echoed, her face wry. “I’m not coming over."
"You sound positively unfriendly this morning," Leigh murmured.
"You're lucky I'm even speaking to you." There was a feverish brightness around Eve's eyes, as if she had hardly slept last night.
"I needed moral support," Leigh said blandly.
"Well, get your morals supported somewhere else after this, okay? Good old reliable Eve is no longer available as a port in a storm."
The waspishness in her words rolled harmlessly off Leigh. She had known Eve too long and they had shared too much for Leigh to be offended. She knew that, for the first time in her life, Eve was running scared.
"Remember what I said," Eve cautioned, patting her arm, her gesture at complete variance with her words, "A friend leaves a friend alone.”
Leigh kept her face expressionless. "I can take a hint."
"Just until Buck Rogers leaves town, okay?"
Leigh laughed and tilted her head up under her hat, still holding the brim. "Roy Rogers was the cowboy. Buck Rogers was a space hero."
"Ranch,
He listened to Deke's heavy, even breathing. He'd been a fool to let Deke get under his skin last night. He just hadn't wanted to see Deke get involved, that was all. At least he, Ty, had showed some sense. He'd stayed away. That was the only thing to do, stay away. He’d tell her he was no longer interested in interviewing her and he'd get the car fixed and he'd get the hell out. He was a sensible, logical man, and he'd never yet lost his head over a woman. He wasn't about to start now.
If only those bells would stop ringing, maybe he could quit thinking about her, about how he wanted her like hell, more every time he saw her, how he wanted to possess that cool mouth again and make it pulse with warmth, how he wanted to run his hands over her slim body and discover its secret, sensitive places, and make love to her again and again.
He threw back the covers, glancing over at the still-sleeping Deke. He had to do something to divert his mind: write, work. Then later, he'd go see her, tell her he was no longer interested in interviewing her. She would be relieved, and he would be, too.
Then why wasn't he? Why did he feel irritated and restless? It must be because he was anxious to get out of Springwater.
When Leigh Carlow stepped out of the church door, the breeze caught at her yellow hat. She reached up and clutched at the brim, holding it with slender fingers as she walked down the sidewalk, her high-heeled pumps making her body sway with a willowy grace in the yellow linen suit she wore. The sun had risen bright and warm, and she wore no coat.
"Leigh, darling."
She turned. From the group of people who were clustered in the autumn sunshine in the front of the church, Hunt, looking much slimmer in his dark navy suit than he had in his costume Friday night, stepped out and grasped her elbow. "How are you?"
"Fine. I didn't see you in church," she said, more for something to say than anything else.
"I sat where I always do. Strange you didn't see me." He frowned for a moment and then his face cleared. "All right if I stop by this afternoon and pick up your costume?"
"Yes, of course."
"Good. See you later, darling. Got to run." He leaned forward to kiss her cheek, and she caught the scent of his cologne, a cloying, spicy scent. He walked away and left her standing there, making her realize how overpowering his cologne was. The scent of another man drifted through her mind, a clean, masculine smell mingled with the smoky aroma of a fall night crisp with stars.
"Going out with Hunt tonight?" Eve stood beside her, tall and slender in a silky green dress, her black hair blowing around her head.
"No. Were you coming over?"
"No," Eve echoed, her face wry. “I’m not coming over."
"You sound positively unfriendly this morning," Leigh murmured.
"You're lucky I'm even speaking to you." There was a feverish brightness around Eve's eyes, as if she had hardly slept last night.
"I needed moral support," Leigh said blandly.
"Well, get your morals supported somewhere else after this, okay? Good old reliable Eve is no longer available as a port in a storm."
The waspishness in her words rolled harmlessly off Leigh. She had known Eve too long and they had shared too much for Leigh to be offended. She knew that, for the first time in her life, Eve was running scared.
"Remember what I said," Eve cautioned, patting her arm, her gesture at complete variance with her words, "A friend leaves a friend alone.”
Leigh kept her face expressionless. "I can take a hint."
"Just until Buck Rogers leaves town, okay?"
Leigh laughed and tilted her head up under her hat, still holding the brim. "Roy Rogers was the cowboy. Buck Rogers was a space hero."
"Ranch,
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