and for Ethan. A town with its own Angel of Hope and a day set aside to help each other. She might talk about all the problems Hope’s Crossing had, but from the perspective of an outsider, what he saw now was a place where he and his son could settle in and shove down roots to build a new life.
“Sign me up. I’m willing to do anything.”
She laughed. “You better not let Claire hear you say that or you’ll be working from before sunrise until midnight, straight through the gala auction and dance.”
“You didn’t tell me dancing was involved. That is not one of my mad skills.”
“Don’t worry. Plenty of people sit out the dancing part. I’m usually in the kitchen, for instance.”
“What a shame.”
He only meant he was sorry she had to miss the fun but somehow his words came out low, almost sensual.
For several long moments she blinked at him, her eyes wide and those soft lips slightly parted. He remembered the taste of them, sweet and lush, better than any triple-chocolate brownie.
He wanted to kiss her again, so badly he ached with it, but he knew he couldn’t. His son’s laughter rang out only a few yards away. He and the dog could race back into the kitchen any moment now.
Beyond that, she had made it clear she didn’t want him—though right now the heat waves shimmering between them would tend to contradict that.
Apparently he wasn’t very good at maintaining a friendship with a woman when he wanted more. He would just have to try harder to put his attraction to her on a shelf somewhere, tucked way out of sight and out of mind. Neither of them needed this awkwardness.
She was the first to break the tension. She folded her hands together on the table and cleared her throat. “I prefer the kitchen, actually. I’m not very good at dancing, either. I only end up pissed off when a man won’t let me lead.”
“Maybe you just haven’t found a man you find worth following, once in a while.”
Her laugh seemed to surprise her. “You could be right about that, soldier.”
Before he could answer, Ethan chose that moment to return to the kitchen.
“Can I give Leo a treat?”
Her smile to his son was bright and open. “Sure thing. See that big jar on the counter by the microwave? That’s where his goodies are.”
Leo apparently knew the drill. He planted his haunches on the tile floor and waited while Ethan shoved a hand in the jar and emerged with a treat.
“These are different. I’ve never seen a dog treat like this.” He held it up.
“Looks homemade,” Sam observed mildly.
Alexandra gave him a rueful look. “Yes, I made them, okay. I made homemade treats for a dog who doesn’t belong to me. I bake them up all the time for my friends’ dogs. Don’t read anything into it. It doesn’t mean I’m keeping him. I don’t have time for a dog.”
“I didn’t say otherwise,” he protested, but he was charmed nonetheless. She already loved Leo. He didn’t need to see the evidence of a jar full of homemade dog treats to be certain the dog had somehow wormed his way into that well-protected heart.
“We’d better go. Ethan, can you tell Ms. McKnight thank you for letting you walk her dog and for sharing her delicious food?”
“Thank you very much,” his son said promptly. “May I walk Leo for you again next weekend when I come back to stay with my dad?”
She slanted a look at Sam as if asking whether he minded. He shrugged a little. How could he discourage his son from showing initiative?
“Sure,” she answered. “If I haven’t found his owners by then, anyway.”
Ethan rubbed the dog’s head. “Why can’t you just keep him? He’s a really good dog. They must not have taken very good care of him if they let him run around wild.”
“But think how sad they must feel if they’ve been looking for him all this time? They’re probably lonely without him.”
“If you do find his owners, won’t you be the lonely one?” Ethan pressed. “You don’t even have a kid of your own.”
Sam winced at his son’s bluntness, especially when he saw her inhale sharply. Something dark and pained flashed in her gaze before she forced a smile.
“No kids here,” she agreed pleasantly enough. “But I do have a really big family with tons of nieces and nephews, and one more on the way in a few months. I spend a