“Oh, darling. You can’t eat like that. I insist you come to my place for dinner tonight,” Maggie told her.

Natalie’s anxiety instantly reappeared. “I promise you I wasn’t fishing for a dinner invitation.”

“Of course not, dear. But I won’t take no for an answer. I’d be hurt if you refused.”

“But . . .” Natalie tried to think quickly. Yes! She had it! “I don’t have a car,” she nearly shouted.

“That’s no problem at all,” Maggie said as she took out her cell phone. “Hawk, darling. Where did you disappear to?” Maggie was silent for a moment as she listened to her son. “Perfect. I need you to stop by Natalie’s house in one hour and pick her up. She’s coming over for dinner and doesn’t have transportation.” Silence again and then, “Thank you, son. I’ll see you in a little while.”

Maggie hung up and gave Natalie a big grin. “It’s all settled, then. Hawk will pick you up. We’re having a nice big pot roast. See you tonight.”

Maggie headed away, leaving Natalie standing there with her mouth gaping. The one person she’d wanted to avoid for the next century was now going to be showing up on her front porch in an hour. Tears threatened, but Natalie wouldn’t cave in to them.

This was just another bump in the road. No big deal. After all, it was only a little kiss. From what she’d heard about Hawk from the other teachers, he was quite the playboy, and kissing was almost a pastime for him.

He’d probably forgotten all about it by now. That’s what kept her going as she trudged home and slipped inside. No lesson plan was made as she sat on her couch and watched the clock, the hands seeming to move so much quicker than normal.

When the doorbell rang exactly on time, her heart gave a little lurch, and she was still no closer to figuring out what she was going to say to Hawk. Keep it light. She could do this.

Of course, that all flew out the window the second she opened her door and found Hawk leaning against her rail, his cheeks slightly flushed from the cold, his dark eyes carrying a sparkle in them, and his lips instantly turning up when she caught his eye. Before she could utter a single word, he opened his mouth.

“I decided I liked that kiss a whole hell of a lot. I’ve also decided I’m not going to fight the attraction I feel for you. If I thought you didn’t feel the same way, I’d back off, but that small hitch in your breath and that look in your eyes tell me there’s something between us, something strong. And I want to explore it further.”

The way he spoke was casual, as if they were discussing nothing more significant than what was for dinner. But the look he shot her was anything but casual. Hunger burned inside her, and Natalie knew she was in serious trouble.

“I think this is a very bad idea, Hawk,” she whispered.

He took a step closer, and for the life of her, she couldn’t back away like she needed to.

“You know, all the best things in life happen because of bad ideas,” he said, his words a promise that sent a shudder right through her.

“We don’t know each other.”

“No one knows each other at first. Finding out all of the things that make you tick—that’s where the fun comes in.” He reached out a hand and cupped her cheek.

“The teachers here love to gossip, Hawk. Really love to gossip.”

“Aw, heck, Natalie. Don’t you want to know me for yourself?” he countered.

“It’s just that you’re a popular topic around the school. Every eligible woman in Sterling would love to be the one to wear your wedding ring.” Then a slight smile tilted her lips. “Well, to be fair, you’re neck and neck with the Whitman men.”

“Oh, honey, I’m much better than any of the Whitman boys,” he said with a laugh.

“You and the Whitmans were described to me as royalty in this small town. There’s been a lot said about none of you settling down, but even more said about your character and how you love your family and neighbors. I think this could be too complicated. I’m not interested in settling down.”

“Good. Because I’m not ready to settle down, either. But there’s nothing wrong with taking a beautiful woman out. There don’t have to be any expectations.”

“Well, I also heard you don’t date women in your hometown.” She was trying desperately to stand firm, but failing epically.

“You’re not from here, so we’re okay.”

“I think we’re far from okay, Hawk.

But he wrapped an arm around her and tugged her close.

“I have the remedy for that,” he told her, as he bent forward and kissed her for the second time. Natalie didn’t even try to pretend she didn’t want it. Maybe it would be for the best if she just held on and enjoyed the ride.

chapter

9

Natalie had ended up playing Othello with Hawk until about midnight. Then he’d taken her home, given her a scorching kiss on her front porch, and gone away with only a wave. She hadn’t heard from him for the next two days. Was this his idea of keeping it casual?

She hated that she felt unsure about herself, hated that she was even thinking about Hawk as much as she was, and hated that her plans seemed to be coming unraveled. It was too soon. Entering into a serious relationship was way down on her checklist, and she couldn’t stray from that list. Not that Hawk wanted to get serious. He’d even said that. So she was worrying for nothing, right? Right!

Peeking around a corner, Natalie watched the gym buzz with activity. The pageant was coming together, and decorations covered the walls in brilliant blues and silvers. Everyone, adult and child, sported a major smile.

The next moment, she noticed something strange. Concealed by a wall, she watched as Hawk peeked through a doorway—not unlike what she was doing!—with a large box in his hand. When he saw that nobody was paying any attention to him, he set the box down and casually walked over to his mother and her two friends, who were painting a giant board to look like a snow-covered mountain.

After a few moments, he strolled over to a small group of children and sat on the floor with them, and soon their voices rang out as they practiced one of the musical numbers.

With her curiosity overriding her need to hide from the man, Natalie walked swiftly into the gym. Almost as if Hawk had built-in GPS on where she was, he turned his head and their eyes collided.

“Ignore it,” she told herself, but it was so difficult. She felt quite accomplished when she managed to move forward and break the connection.

As she found herself coming closer to the box that Hawk had brought in, and when she saw a giant pink tag on it with the name Mary Pascal, she gulped. Mary was a sweet child who had just moved to the area with her parents. They were living with the child’s grandparents, and the family had hardly a dime to their name. Had he brought the little girl gifts?

“Oh, please, no,” she murmured.

She was already falling for this man, though she’d continue to fight it for as long as she had the strength to do so. It was just that even though he tried so hard to act tough, he was actually very kind and amazing with the children. She understood why everyone valued his volunteer work at the pageant so highly. Not once had she seen him lose his temper or even get the slightest bit irritated as child after child clung to him or jumped on his back.

He seemed to have never-ending patience, and if he wasn’t the fire chief, she could easily see him as a schoolteacher. In fact, she could really see him as the gym teacher, preferably in a tight shirt and a nice pair of shorts. Nope. She was going to push that image right out of her mind this second.

Natalie got busy, and she was very happy that she was able, for once, to avoid Hawk for the whole evening. He didn’t make it easy, but she was discovering that if she kept a tracking beacon on the man, she could anticipate his moves and counter them.