the stranger, holdin

y day!” his friends hollered, se

te, soft-featured face with full cheeks and a slightly curved nose. Jessica was definitely t

reasonable outfit for this kind of weather. It left them somewhat

” she said, leaning over

xed smile on his face. Then he looked up at her and his

ha

his face as if preparing to

ething about being a cowboy. Would you like

e came from benea

even understood what she was s

’ drive from here. If you’d like to co

d, sliding the hat back so

s couldn’t hear. “As long as you don’t mind pretending

had a slight accent, something Eu

y then,

. She motioned for him to get up, and h

e was okay enough to walk the

g himself up. “American women are s

. “I’m sure the women are

untry of lakes and mountains, but I’d much ra

s he going to be this chatty and obnoxious the whole time? B

ery pleased with himsel

with the two women. It was only a short walk t

or real?”

d. “You can’t stop me. And don’t

t turns out,” Jessica said, giving her friend a

as Jessica stalked away to her tiny car, parked nearby.

oesn’t like me,” the man

, can you make it

ks,” he remarked, though he made

ening a door for a guy. The usual custom in

, and nearly face-planted onto the seat. It would have been amusing to watch him try

uff his long legs in and make sure his shiny Oxford shoes had a solid footing on the floor of the cab since he

ot behind the wheel, only to be conf

Luke asked. “Because I’m not goi

drinking,” Halli

ded a few time

sir,” she muttere

the road. She had actually pulled it off. Sh

el, startled by what sounded like a howling cat. It wa

e laughed out loud. The passion in his voice c

exas!” h

miles of scrub brush in the falling dusk, Halli

ifting the brim a lit

nonsense, but it was kind o

thing in the world. You should kno

ut maybe it’s not all as wonderful as you

l Strait Ranch sign, Luke had mostly stopped singing and seemed to

y carry him from the veh

obody’s home,

Luke sang out blearily as h

and they probably wouldn’t be back until Luke the charmer was sound asleep. Hallie comfort

r just leave him on the couch. She decided the couch would be bes

ts and stuffed with goose down, a family heirloom that held so many memories. She spread the quilt over the stranger, just

e when she was a child? Now, her bond wi

got about the man sleeping on the couch as