“High school wasn’t all about me, was it? I mean, you were successful even back then. You were class president, homecoming queen and honor society. Everyone admired you. And of course you mattered to me. We had some great times together.”

  “And then you were gone,” she said, not hiding the sadness she still felt. “You know, all those things you call successes for me paled in comparison to how I saw myself when I was with you. For example, I was only homecoming queen because you were the quarterback and the king. I know I did those things, but most people just saw me as your girlfriend. We were always together. We didn’t date other people. You were the excitement and I was the common sense.”

  “You definitely had more common sense.”

  “Yes, but who got the better billing? You. The same with James, Tommy, Josh, even my little brother, Leo, and your other friends. We all looked to you as the leader. Every day was like, ‘What’s Wyatt going to do today?’ You were a roller-coaster ride, Wyatt. We were all along for the ride.”

  “I think you give me too much credit. Or power. But that still doesn’t explain why you got so upset today.”

  “I was getting to that. Okay, so you came back into my life, and I resisted being around you until I decided that was silly. I’m an adult and I could come to James’s family home, just like we all used to, and enjoy the afternoon—especially after you taunted me with the fact I need to find time to have fun. So I came out here and, yes, it reminded me of the past. And then, when you said I was an open book, I remembered what it felt like when you discarded me so easily at eighteen. I remembered that I wasn’t someone you wanted in your life at all. I was so boring, such an open book, that you had to go off and find new, more exciting people, places and things. I was the small-town past, and you were obviously destined for greater things.”

  “I didn’t leave you because you were boring or because I knew you so well that you weren’t exciting, or because I consciously thought about wanting new people or places.”

  “Oh? Well, it sure seemed that way to me. You barely said goodbye! You wouldn’t even talk to me about your decision to go to Stanford early. That was what you were doing, and you didn’t care if you hurt other people.”

  Wyatt sighed. “It’s true that I didn’t care enough about hurting other people. But to be totally honest, I did what I thought was best. For me, to be sure, but for you, too.”

  “How could running away from all we had have been the best thing?”

  Wyatt got up and stretched, but thankfully he didn’t try to walk over to where Toni still stood with her back to the wall. “Do you remember what happened the night of graduation?”

  “Um, not really.” She recalled a party after the official ceremony and the dinner with parents. She recalled feeling both mature and uncertain. She and Wyatt had probably gone off to “celebrate” as they usually did, in the bed of his truck, underneath the stars.

  “Jennifer Hopkins got engaged to Tommy Wright that night. Remember when they caught up with us at the lake? I’d never seen that look on your face before, babe. It was like you wanted to snatch that engagement ring right off her finger and put it on your own. Not that you weren’t happy for her, I know. But you wanted that same thing. Jennifer and Tommy had been dating about as long as we had. You turned and looked at me as if to say, ‘Where’s my ring?’ And I knew right then that I had to leave. Not just for me, but for you.”

  “How was that best for me? If you knew what I wanted, why didn’t we talk about it? Why didn’t you say that you didn’t want to get married then? I wasn’t expecting you to propose before you went away to college!”

  “You don’t understand,” he said, walking slowly toward her. “I knew right then that you wanted to get married, that you expected us to get married, and that was the last thing I could do.”

  “I know we were just kids, but—”

  “Not then, not now. Not ever,” he said, as if she hadn’t spoken. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to marry you, babe. It was that I didn’t want to marry anyone, ever. And that hasn’t changed.”

  SOMEHOW, TONI MADE IT THROUGH the burgers and chips that were waiting when she returned from the barn. She claimed a whopper of a headache, which wasn’t far from the truth, and left midway through the third quarter of the Cowboys game. Everyone was nice and solicitous.

  Everyone but Wyatt, who had done an excellent job of avoiding her since he had returned from the barn.

  Perhaps they’d said everything that needed to be said. She’d confessed why she’d run out of the house. He’d explained his reasons for leaving her so abruptly for college. Because he thought she wanted to get married. All because she’d been happy for Jennifer and Tommy. So happy. Such a perfect couple. They were still together, through sickness and health. Even their daughter Hailey’s cancer, now in remission, hadn’t separated them. If anything, they were closer now than they’d been at eighteen.

  So close that there was little room in Jennifer’s life for her former best friend. She had her own family. Toni accepted that, but she missed Jennifer and the girlish fun they’d had. At least she had her parents, and she saw Leo more often than ever since they were working together on the hotel project.

  Toni sighed as she drove by her office. She couldn’t face more paperwork. She had too much pent-up energy.

  The odd thing was that she wasn’t angry at Wyatt. Not at the moment, anyway. She’d found his confession sad and surprising. She needed some time to figure out why he’d decided never to marry.

  Were his own parents so unhappy that they’d made Wyatt believe marriage wasn’t worth the risk? She had no idea. The McCalls were very private people.

  Toni rounded the corner onto Commerce, heading to the hotel job site. She pushed Wyatt out of her mind and walked through her project, which usually made her feel better. This was her largest renovation to date and it would go a long way toward securing her financial future, provided they could get the units sold or rented quickly. And if the retail space was also a success. She was hoping for a small restaurant, even one that sold prepared food and convenience items, similar to the all-purpose stores she’d seen in New York City.

  And a coffee shop. Wouldn’t it be great to have a place to go with friends for good coffee or tea? If no one else came up with the money or wanted to run it, she might have to take action herself. Find someone to manage it.

  Since Wyatt was leaving tomorrow, she would soon have plenty of time to pursue her interests. No more “babysitting” his Christmas decorating project. No more worrying about what he would do next.

  She’d gotten over him—sort of—once before and she’d get over him again. After all, nothing had really happened between them. A few kisses, some mild groping and a dash of heavy breathing. She’d done that much on some dates.

  “Not in a long time,” she reminded herself. Those would-be hot dates had been in college. Since then, she’d been too busy building her company and her political career. She couldn’t date anyone locally because she couldn’t take the risk of alienating voters. Everyone was either a voter or could influence people who were voters.

  Which was how, at the ripe age of thirty-two, she’d had exactly one lover. Wyatt.

  What would it be like to make love with a man? A full-grown mature male who could take his time, especially when she wasn’t worried about getting caught. Sometimes, especially when she read a romance novel or went with her mother to a romantic comedy movie, she wondered. A lot.

  Unless she made a weekend trip to Dallas or Fort Worth and trolled the singles bars, she wasn’t going to find out. She absolutely couldn’t risk getting involved with a man who might talk about her, especially if she wanted to split up and he didn’t. Her reputation could be ruined so easily.

  So, she might be permanently single. Perpetually celibate. Terminally frustrated.

  Unless she did something bold.

  Chapter Nine

  Wyatt stretched out his legs on the king-size bed. He’d taken off his boots and changed into an old Stanford sweatshirt after coming back to the motel from the Brodys’ ranch. Toni had left during the third quarter, but he’d put on a cheerful face and stuck around for the whole game. He’d even managed to laugh a little with the Brodys and tell Cassie and Louisa some stories about himself and James.

  Now, though, he was alone. The two women had retired to Louisa’s room to watch some estrogen-rich show, leaving him on his own. The television had basic cable channels, but he couldn’t settle on anything. Sunday Night Football hadn’t started yet and the news shows were either too depressing or too touchy-feely.

  Especially after his conversation with Toni.

  He supposed their talk had been a long time coming and was inevitable if they were going to be around each other for any period of time. He’d just ignored that possibility and focused on the fun aspects of being with Toni. Hell, he’d practically made it his mission to make her have fun.

  Well, he should have left well enough alone. He should have told himself that he was only in town temporarily, to accomplish a goal, and then he’d be back to his life in California.

  Except his life had changed since he’d sold his company. He no longer had daily responsibilities for product development and marketing decisions. He didn’t hire or fire people. As a member of the board of directors and creative consultant, he was still expected to target trends and see possibilities in future software applications, but that was more about thinking than doing.

  He had all the time in the world to pursue whatever he wanted, yet he had no idea what to do. Keeping busy wasn’t a problem; getting bored was. Always had been with him.

  He was just about to flip through the channels again when he heard something hit his west-facing window. Was the wind that high? The day had been remarkably pleasant, perfect for horseback riding and grilling. Perfect for long talks with your ex-girlfriend about what a jerk you’d been way back when. And probably still were, from her perspective.

  He heard the sound again. Maybe he should find The Weather Channel. See if a norther was coming through. That could mess up the plans he had to make sooner or later about getting back to California.

  A decidedly louder “thump” hit the window, sounding less like wind and more as if someone was throwing something at his room. That seemed like a prank he might have pulled as a kid.

  He swung his legs off the bed and walked to the door, opening it quietly. The walkway and parking lot faced south, with a tall single light near the road. His Hummer was fine, as well as the other cars in the lot. He stepped out onto the concrete, past the brightly painted vintage metal chairs provided for sitting outside, and headed for the corner of the building.

  “Psst,” he heard as he reached the corner.

  He looked down the slight hill to the side of the motel and saw Toni squatting in the bushes. She wore dark clothing and her hair was pulled back under a cap. Her white sneakers made her look like part jogger, part cat burglar.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Are you alone?” she said in a loud whisper.

  “Of course I’m alone. Why are you out there? In the dark.”

  “I didn’t want anyone to see me. I couldn’t just park in the lot and walk up to your door. I was sure Louisa or Cassie or any number of people might just pop their heads out of their rooms and see the mayor approaching the room of her ex-boy-friend. How would that look?”

  “We have these great inventions now called phones.”

  “I wasn’t about to call the motel and ask for your room. I, er, deleted your number from my cell phone when I was angry with you.”

  “Today or one of the many other times?”

  She glared at him, which was rather comical given her position between two boxwoods. “I wanted to see you, okay? But maybe I’m changing my mind.” She started to get up.

  “No! Do you want to come in?”

  “I’m fairly certain that if I do, I’ll get caught. It’s happened every single time. Louisa or Cassie or the night watchman. Maybe there will be a fire alarm. A meteor will strike the motel. Something horrible will happen, I just know it.”

  “Then what? Why are you here, if you’re so certain something terrible will happen?” Why was she risking her reputation when they’d already had their “talk.”

  She sighed. “Because I had to.”

  “Okay, I have to hear this one. Do you want to go someplace else? Your house, maybe?”

  “No! I can’t have anyone see you come inside my house this late at night.”

  “It’s not even eight o’clock yet.”

  “Shh! The sidewalks roll up early on Sunday night. You remember that, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I suppose so.” He leaned against the corner of the building. “So, what did you have in mind?”

  “Call Cassie and Louisa and tell them you’re turning in early. Tell them you have a headache or something.”

  “That is such a girly excuse.”

  “Well, think of something!” Toni hissed.

  “Okay, then what?”

  “Follow me around the side of the motel. I parked my truck in back of the old rock house on that vacant property next door.”

  “Then what?”

  “I thought we might…go for a drive,” she said, her voice suddenly tense. “You know, like old times.”

  “Old times. Er, Toni—”

  “Okay. If you don’t want to go, just say so.” He heard the bushes rustle as she duckwalked backward. “God, this is so humiliating.” That statement was followed by an “umph” as she apparently stumbled or hit something. Probably went down on her butt.

  “Wait, I want to go. For a drive. Whatever. Let me get my phone so I can call Cassie and Louisa. And a jacket. It’s getting cooler.”

  “You’re darn right it is. Hurry up, please.”

  “I’m hurrying. Do you want to come inside?”

  “No,” she snapped. “Listen carefully. I do not want to get caught!”

  “Okay, got it. I’ll be right there.”

  He couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say. See where she wanted to go for a drive.

  He quickly called Louisa’s room and discovered both women were still watching their show. He said he was turning in early because he had a slight stomach ache from eating too many burgers and didn’t want to be disturbed. That wasn’t true; he hadn’t eaten much since his appetite had deserted him after confessing to Toni. But his employees seemed to believe him.

  So far, so good. He shoved his feet into some running shoes, then grabbed his phone and leather jacket. Tonight reminded him of old times. He and Toni, slipping around, out for a drive. Up to no good, usually because of something he had planned. This time, she’d taken the initiative. What did that mean?

  Reevaluating his needs for the night, he went into the bathroom and fished around for more supplies. Better safe than sorry.

  He grinned as he pulled the door shut. He was no longer bored.

  TONI DROVE AWAY FROM the vacant lot with her lights off, just in case anyone saw her lurking about. She almost told Wyatt to bend down, but that would have been overkill. There was nothing wrong with her driving around with a passenger.

  Of course, there was no one on the street after eight o’clock on Sunday night, she reminded herself as she switched on the lights and pulled out onto the road. The church people had already gone home from six-thirty services. All the businesses were closed here in town. The evening was quiet.

  So quiet, she could almost hear her heart pounding. She glanced to the left, where the Christmas display was still on at the community center. The multicolored ornaments glowed on the bed of fake snow. She could still feel the softness of that snow, the hardness of Wyatt as he pressed against her. Thankfully, the inside of the truck was dark and he couldn’t see her flushed face.

  “So, where are we going?” Wyatt asked as she drove past her house on Elm Street.

  “Um, well, since you’re leaving tomorrow, I thought we might drive out to the scene of your original crime. Of course, if you’d rather not…”

  “No, that’s fine with me,” he answered, stretching out his arm along the back of the seat. “It’s kind of dark.”

  “There’s at least a quarter moon, and the night is clear.

  Now, since the tower is white, as it should be, it can be seen okay.” Besides, she didn’t really want to look at the stupid water tower. She wanted to look at Wyatt.

  “I kind of liked it purple and gold.”

  “Don’t even think about it.” She stopped at the intersection of Commerce and Elm before continuing west.

  He laughed and she relaxed just a little. “How many times do you think we drove out here?”

  She tensed up again. So, he was thinking about…that. “I don’t know.” As the houses thinned out, the road curved and went up a rocky hill. The water tower was on the other side, high on the mesa off a dirt road.

  “Nice pickup,” Wyatt commented.

  “What?” He knew she was picking him up? Like a desperate woman in a singles bar?

  “Yeah, I like the extended-cab models. I imagine it’s convenient for your work crews.”

  “Oh, yes,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. He was talking about her truck. “My work crews. Yes, it’s absolutely essential.” She drove slowly up the curving road, which cut around big red rocks and scruffy mesquite trees. She hadn’t been up here in the dark in many years. The one time she’d come without Wyatt had been in broad daylight with the city manager and public works supervisor, when they were talking about repairs to the tower.

  She pulled to a stop up high, between the water tower legs and the small concrete-block maintenance building. Her truck should be hidden from anyone driving around below, although she couldn’t imagine why anyone would be out here at night.

  Unless, of course, they were also up to no good.

  “Do you want to let the tailgate down and look at the stars?” she asked Wyatt.

  “Sure. I haven’t seen the stars in the Texas sky in a long time.”