time, Gunny.” Aunt May glanced back and winked, making Katy feel like she’d not only passed the test but also gained a really powerful ally.
“Well, I know better than to argue with either of you, so I guess this discussion has come to an end,” Gunnar said and pulled the truck into his new driveway. “I won’t be long, Aunt May. Just want to see that this one actually goes home and rests after today’s heroics.”
“Gunny, I am so tired after this little adventure, all I want is a hot bath and long nap. And there’s a good chance that nap will stretch right through to morning. Don’t you dare hurry on my behalf.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then opened the door and stepped out of the truck. “I’m guessing you’ll want to ride up here, my dear, so why don’t you come on out and get a hug before you go.”
Katy jumped out and dashed around the truck, a little sorry to say good-bye to this wonderful woman, especially now that she was more than a stranger on the sidewalk. She held her arms wide and gave a hug as good as the one she got. “I’m so happy to know you, Aunt May. You are clearly, and deservedly, the most special person in Gunnar’s life.”
The woman pulled back and looked at her, that familiar twinkle in her eye. “Not anymore, my dear. I feel certain we get to share that title.” With a quick kiss to Katy’s cheek, she headed for the door. “You two go . . . decompress,” she said and gave them a bawdy wink. “We’ll catch up tomorrow.”
“Well, that’s Aunt May,” Gunnar said when Katy got back in the truck.
“I don’t think I could love her more,” she told him, pursing her lips around the secret she and Mayme shared. It would come out soon enough, she decided, and in the meantime, he had a secret of his own to answer for. “What did she mean about searching for me?”
Gunnar’s eyes widened, and he gripped the steering wheel hard before peeking her way. “Yeah . . . about that . . . I, um . . .”
Katy smiled, his reaction giving shape to what had been a string of random comments. Any firefighters catch her fancy? He never should have looked for her in the first place. A wild-goose chase. She stopped his sputtering with a raised palm. “Just answer me this: does it have anything to do with my friend Jane?”
His mouth quirked and he hung his head. “It seems wise to neither confirm nor deny her involvement.”
She barked out a laugh. “Oh, you two know each other all right.”
“I was going to tell you, I swear.”
Katy crossed her arms and arched her brow. “Were ye now? Just when did you plan to do that?”
He dropped his head again. “I hadn’t quite figured that out yet.”
She shook her head and studied him. Had a kinder, sexier, more adorable man ever existed? “I forgive you,” she said. “Knowing Jane the way I do, I’m pretty sure you never had a choice.”
Gunnar’s face brightened, and he looked her in the eye. “If it makes it any better, it was the best damned order I’ve ever been given.”
“Well played, Mr. Wolfe,” Katy said with a chuckle. “Now, let’s go decompress.”
* * *
* * *
They reached the campground in record time, the two of them grinning the whole way. Gunnar had held her hand as he drove, lifting the back of it to his lips at each stoplight, which, in addition to filling her with the most amazing combination of longing and tenderness, had her on sexual pins and needles by the time they finally arrived.
“So, your cabin then?” Gunnar’s eyes had never looked so blue, and Katy literally couldn’t find the words to answer him.
His flirty expression crumbled. “I . . . um . . . so . . . you know, we don’t have to rush anything. I’m never going to be the guy who presses the issue or gets upset. You tell me when, and—”
“Go to your cabin,” Katy blurted.
His eyes widened and he almost grinned. “Really?”
“Of course, really. Do you have any idea how much delicious time you’re wasting with this ‘er . . . um . . . so’ business?”
Without another word, he flipped the truck into reverse, turned them around, and flew down the gravel road. They skidded to a stop in front of a cabin identical to