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always better to be safe than sorry.
 Of course it is, Gracie replied.  Thanks. She smiled at him.
He smiled back.  Okay, guys, let s wrap it up and get back to the station.
Bobby Hawkins let out a whistle.  Good thing, I wasn t anxious to dive into that cold water, he said
sheepishly,  although I d have done it. We can go now, Miss Gracie, I ll drop you at the college.
 I ll drop her off, Jason said firmly.  We can call Turkey Sanders on the way and have him tow the
car.
Bobby stood, indecisive.
 Thanks, Bobby, but I ll let Jason drive me, she said.  I ve been enough trouble.
 No trouble at all, Bobby replied.  Honest.
Jason took Gracie s arm, opened the door of the Jaguar and put her in beside him.
 Nice wheels, Bobby said with a whistle.
Jason chuckled.  It belongs to me and the bank, Bobby, he told the other man.  I don t know anybody
who can lay down a cash payment for one of these.
 Still, it must be nice. Bobby sighed. He grinned on the way to his truck.
 Yes, it must. Gracie sighed, also, glancing at the sad old car she owned, sitting there in a heap on the
bridge.
 You can come home and have a new Jaguar any time you want one, Jason said gruffly.
She glanced at him.  Jason, I m not playing at being independent. It s important to me to see if I can
make it by myself.
 Of course you can, he said as he pulled back onto the road and waved as he went around the rescue
people.  You re no dummy.
She flushed with pleasure.  You said I was.
 I never.
 You said I was good at giving teas, she muttered.
 You re good at anything you do, he said simply.  Especially in emergencies.
She smiled reluctantly.  Okay.
He glanced at her as he drove.  I don t want Kittie. I never did.
She flushed. She glanced at the fields where plows had turned under the dead summer crops.  I was
jealous, she said through her teeth.
He chuckled softly.
She turned her attention back to him, amazed at the change her statement had provoked.
His eyes met hers for an instant.
She shrugged.  I m frustrated, too, she confessed.
 You aren t the only one.
 It was your idea, all this abstinence.
 First times are rough on women, or so I ve heard, he said evenly.  If I lose it, you aren t going to
enjoy the result. I m trying to cool things off, just a little.
 With what end in mind? she asked finally.
He frowned.  What do you mean?
She shifted.  I mean, what do you see for us in the future? Am I going to be a notch on the bedpost& 
 For God s sake! He pulled onto the side of the road and gaped at her.  Is that what you really think I
want from you? No, don t prevaricate, he added when she tried to find a reply.  I want to know. You
think I m so shallow that my ultimate aim is to get you into bed?
She shrugged. She had, just briefly. But that expression was unmistakable. She tried to backpedal.  I
didn t know. This is all new to me. You stayed engaged to Kittie for a long time& 
 I didn t think I had anything else left, he said flatly.  I burned up inside every time I looked at you,
and all you did was back away. I d given up. I didn t care whether I was engaged or not. I was dead
inside.
Her eyes grew softer as she looked at him, saw through the frustration to the need in him. She drew in
a slow breath.  I want children.
His black eyes kindled.  So do I.
She began to relax.
 We get along well, he said.  Most of the time, anyway. We know the worst and the best of each
other. Physically, we re dynamite together. Children would fall naturally into that.
 We d live together& 
 We d get married, Gracie, he said flatly.
The change in her was remarkable.  You never said& 
 You never asked!
She began to realize just how much damage she d done to their fragile relationship out of misplaced
jealousy. She turned her purse in her hands.
 We ve still got a long way to go, haven t we? he asked absently. He pulled back onto the road.
 What are you teaching at the community college?
 History, she said.  The regular adjunct teacher was in a wreck. I m filling in for him. I start
teaching full-time when spring semester starts.
He frowned as he drove.  Full-time?
 This class meets three nights a week, she said.
 You don t have a teaching certificate, do you?
 If you re teaching adults, you don t have to have one. You don t have to have a master s degree,
either.
He sighed.  Oh. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]