However, kidnapping Toni in the middle of the annual parade probably wasn’t a good idea. For one thing, everyone would see him. He’d ruin Toni’s reputation and her chances for reelection, and he might even tarnish his image as a reformed juvenile delinquent.

  Still, getting her alone in that dress might be worth any price.

  “The parade was especially nice this year,” his mother said from her folding chair on Main Street. “All the new businesses make the holidays so much more festive, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And the stores are decorated so nice.”

  “Wait until you see the community center.”

  “I hope that’s not too late. I don’t like to be out after dark, you know.”

  “We’re taking the fence down at four o’clock, about an hour after the parade.”

  “I’m sure you’ve done a wonderful job,” his mother said, patting his hand. “You always were more talented than the rest of the young people.”

  “I got lucky with the decorations. I didn’t design or make them myself, Mom.”

  “You were the one who thought of them, though.”

  Wyatt forced a smile and tried not to argue with his mother. She’d always thought he could do no wrong, even when he was as guilty as hell. Invariably, she wanted to think that someone else had gotten him into trouble, or had accused him because they were jealous or some other nonsense.

  Sometimes he suspected that he did some of these things just to see if she would finally admit that he was at fault.

  “I think I’d like to rest between the parade and seeing your decorations at the community center.”

  “You can rest at the motel. My room is real comfortable.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Are you sure the place is…decent?”

  “Yes, Mom, I’m sure.”

  “It didn’t used to be,” she said with a sniff as she turned up her nose at the idea of the Sweet Dreams Motel pre-Christie Simmons Crawford’s restoration.

  “There’s talk of the motel getting landmark status.”

  “Really? Well, wouldn’t that be special for the town?”

  “I think so.” Brody’s Crossing didn’t have any historical markers or landmark buildings…yet. If Toni could get this approved by the state commission, it would be a feather in her cap as mayor.

  “She’s a good mayor. I always liked Antonia.”

  That wasn’t exactly the way Wyatt remembered his mother’s view on his girlfriend. “Don’t get that girl pregnant” had been her strongest admonishment. “She’ll bleed us dry and you’ll be stuck here forever” had been the follow-up prediction.

  Now, she seemed to be pushing him toward “Antonia” and she had even commented that he could move back to Texas since he didn’t have to be in an office every day. His mother, the matchmaker? He wouldn’t have believed it a week ago.

  Wyatt didn’t have much interest in the parade once the mayor’s car passed by. After telling his mother that he’d find her when the parade ended, he wandered down Commerce Street toward the railroad tracks. The trains had quit coming through Brody’s Crossing a long time ago, and the majority of the buildings that were still vacant faced the old tracks.

  Most people were watching the parade on Main Street, but he saw a few stragglers. He didn’t know all their names, but they smiled and said hello to him. Told him that they were glad he’d come back, and were looking forward to seeing the community center. These were people who didn’t know him well and therefore didn’t feel the need to tell him to behave.

  He stopped in front of the hotel where he’d seen Toni working with her crew and partners on Wednesday. They’d made good progress, if the full container of debris was any indication. He walked up the wooden ramp that covered the concrete steps and peered through the dirty windows. The interior gutted, the old place looked ready for a face-lift. This was a big project. He was glad Toni was doing well in her business. The fact that she was a woman hadn’t seemed to hurt her in the construction industry. He’d heard nothing but good things about her.

  Old friends, neighbors and classmates all wanted to tell him their views of his former girlfriend, once they realized he wasn’t upset or offended by their remarks. He always smiled and took it all in, then said something like “that’s great” and changed the subject. He didn’t want them to start asking personal questions. Like how he felt about seeing her again. Whether there was any chance that he and Toni might get back together. Whether he was surprised she had never gotten married.

  Why hadn’t she gotten married? Was it really because she’d been too busy or was something else holding her back?

  Like him.

  Had he really messed with her mind when he left for college? They’d never talked about the future except in vague terms. He’d always steered the conversation away from talk of weddings or houses or even what they’d be doing in ten years. He hadn’t promised her anything, and she’d never asked. Which was just the way he’d wanted it.

  Wasn’t it?

  He shook his head and turned away from the hotel windows. All this nostalgia was making him think crazy thoughts. Coming back home for the week had been easy in some ways, but difficult in others. The easy part was remembering the traditions and the people he knew casually. The hard part was realizing he missed his friends, the places he’d known growing up and, most of all, Toni.

  He’d get through the next few days. He’d promised his mother and father that he’d stay through tomorrow and go to church with them. Although he didn’t have any pressing need to get back to California, he should probably fly back on Monday. Brian was handling things well and the foundation had a good director and staff. Wyatt realized he was more of a figurehead than an administrator, but he should still be involved.

  Besides, he might get a sudden urge to go surfing in Australia or skydiving in Montana. He’d been thinking of hiking in Peru to see the newly opened ruins. If it wasn’t the rainy season there, he might try that.

  The problem was, wherever he went, he was going to miss the verbal sparring with Toni. He liked her spunk and the way she tried to resist him before melting in his arms like ice cream in August. She didn’t want to want him, but she did, and damn it, he wanted her, too.

  Could he honestly leave Brody’s Crossing without going for that wild adventure?

  Probably not, he told himself as he walked back to where his mother sat on the parade route. He wondered if he would be Toni’s downfall, or if she would be his.

  AS SOON AS THE PARADE concluded, Toni rushed to her office to take care of a crisis with one of her best employees, Oscar, who supervised hanging drywall. He’d called during the parade. His son had fallen out of their hayloft this morning and broken his arm. To make matters worse, Oscar’s wife was away in Arizona until Tuesday with her sick mother. He was going to need an advance on his paycheck and Monday off to take the boy to the orthopedic doctor in Fort Worth.

  She sat at her desk and wrote out a check, noting his account number on the back, then put it in an envelope. She’d volunteered to take it to the bank for him, since he was home with his son.

  Maybe having children wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. How would she manage to run her business, much less her job as mayor, if she had children she was responsible for? She had such tight deadlines on her jobs that she couldn’t just take off if someone else needed her.

  Fortunately, her mother and father were healthy and Leo lived in town again, so as a family they could depend on each other. She couldn’t imagine what she’d feel like if she alone was responsible for a child or ailing parents. Maybe she was just selfish, thinking of her business and career while other women raised families and took time for parents and friends. Her high-school best friend, Jennifer, had a daughter who’d already gone through chemo and thankfully had survived. Of course, since Jennifer was married with a family, she and Toni didn’t have much in common anymore, so they weren’t close friends.

  Friends. Now, that was another sore spot. Sometimes she wished she could be like those women on television, who had lots of girlfriends they could talk to about anything.

  What would it feel like to say to Christie Crawford, “Do you think I was crazy when I was making out with Wyatt on the ground at the Christmas display the other night and we almost got caught by the night watchman?” The man could have been an off-duty cop from Brody’s Crossing, for heaven’s sake!

  She was pretty sure Christie would agree that Toni was, indeed, crazy. On the off chance she said something like, “No, of course you’re not crazy. Go for it!” then Toni wasn’t sure what she’d do or say.

  Talking to friends about men—about Wyatt—would be so complicated. Maybe she was better off keeping her “dear diary” thoughts to herself.

  She shook herself out of her doldrums and put her checkbook away. She wrote a quick note to the bank teller explaining the deposit. After grabbing her purse and keys, she locked her office and made her way to the night depository. The crowds had dispersed after the parade, the barriers were off the streets and things were returning to normal. Some of the shops had reopened for business, but most remained closed so everyone could enjoy the afternoon.

  The day was sunny, the air crisp as she walked briskly toward the bank next door. The night deposit was right next to the ATM machine, around the corner. After she took care of this errand, she was going straight home to change her clothes. Jeans and a sweater would be more appropriate for the chili supper at the community center. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone thinking naughty thoughts about her dress.

  As if on cue, a loud wolf whistle split the blessed silence.

  She turned in the direction of the offending noise and found her nemesis leaning against his parked Hummer on Main Street. Drawing a deep breath, she allowed herself a moment to take him in. Long legs in faded jeans, a leather jacket and an off-white waffle-weave sweater that showed off his tan. As he removed his sunglasses, his blue eyes sparkled and the sun streaks in his hair glistened.

  They were the only people around for the moment.

  “Are you whistling at yourself or at me?” she asked.

  He grinned. “You, of course. That’s some dress.”

  She held out the skirt and turned up her chin. “I think it’s quite elegant.”

  “It’s sexy as hell. That’s what it is.”

  She dropped the velvet fabric and frowned. “I don’t have time for this. We have to get ready for the unveiling.”

  “So? You have a little time. Come for a ride with me.”

  “Absolutely not! I need to change clothes.”

  “Why would you want to change out of that dress?” he asked, pushing away from the Hummer. “You look like the best Christmas treat ever.” He walked toward her and she resisted the urge to step back. “A little whipped cream and some chocolate sauce would make you the perfect afternoon snack.”

  She gasped. Wyatt had never talked to her like that. She wanted to turn around and start running as fast as she could.

  Not fast enough to outrun him, especially while she was wearing these high-heeled boots.

  She waved the envelope at him. “I’m making this deposit and then I’m leaving. Alone. To change clothes.”

  “I’ll give you a ride home.”

  “Oh, no. I don’t trust you.” How many times had he promised to drive her “straight home” and then detoured to make out—or more—before taking her back to her parents just in time for curfew? She’d lived in constant fear that they’d get caught, that they’d be late getting home, that something would happen and she’d disappoint everyone around her. The emotional highs and lows had been so intense…

  She was older now, and wiser. She couldn’t go back to those roller-coaster feelings.

  “Come on, Toni. Don’t make me chase you,” he said with a grin.

  “Don’t you dare.”

  “Mr. McCall!” Cassie’s voice once again cut through the tension, but this time Toni was grateful. Very grateful. She watched Wyatt’s assistant almost jog toward them from the direction of the community center.

  “The designer needs you at the display,” Cassie said breathlessly. “A section of the lights won’t come on, and the installers have already left.”

  Wyatt looked at Toni and smiled. “Looks like we won’t be going for a ride, babe.”

  “We were not going for a ride!”

  He grinned and turned away, his long strides eating up the distance to the Hummer. “I’ll see you at the community center.”

  “And don’t call me babe,” she yelled after him.

  Chapter Seven

  A loose connection that just happened to be in the area where Wyatt and Toni had nearly made love had caused the lights to go out in one section. Disregarding the confusion of the designer over how the wires had become disconnected, Wyatt helped reconnect the strands. When he finished, one of Martha’s employees flipped the switch and the lights came on.

  He straightened as he heard the oohs and ahhs of the small group of people gathered on the sidewalk. They clapped their hands and Wyatt took a bow. He raised the hand of the designer, then encouraged the other man to take a bow also. When they finished their impromptu curtain calls, Wyatt grinned, dusted the fake snow off his jeans and walked into the community center.

  He knew the basic expectations of the city officials, Martha and her employees. He would be introduced by Miss Mayor on the lawn of the center. She’d say nice things about him, then he would make some suitable remarks, and finally the people of Brody’s Crossing would be invited to walk around the display. Martha would then invite them inside for chili.

  This was just the kind of event that he would have been tempted to disrupt when he was a teenager. But tonight he would be on his best behavior. After all, the big unveiling was his last obligation to Brody’s Crossing.

  He’d wiped the slate clean, so to speak. So why didn’t he feel relieved? Where was his sense of accomplishment? After all, he’d achieved his goal of providing a fantastic Christmas display. He’d done something nice for his hometown. He’d shown everyone that he could behave himself.

  Well, almost everyone. He’d slipped a little on the good-behavior standard with Toni.

  While he pondered when Toni might arrive from her house across the street and whether she’d still be wearing that killer dress, his mother and father arrived after having their rest at the motel. He greeted them, and they sat down with George Russell and several of their friends on some of the few chairs placed outside for “dignitaries.” Standing nearby was the reporter from Graham, plus a few photographers.

  Wyatt overheard his mother exclaim what a wonderful job he had done, as if he’d created the decorations personally. He wandered off to chat with some people he knew.

  At five o’clock, as the sun began to set, he walked over to Martha Chase and a few others. Where was Toni? Then he saw her, striding up the walkway, smiling and greeting the folks gathered for the festivities. She was a born politician, always available and diplomatic.

  “Miss Mayor,” he said with a grin as she stopped before him. Regretfully—not that she didn’t look good in anything—she’d changed into a red sweater and black jeans. He’d give about a year of his life to see her in that red dress again. And even more than that to take it off her.

  “Are you ready for me to tell everyone how lucky we are that you’re one of Brody’s Crossing’s favorite sons?” she asked as she stopped directly in front of him.

  “There’s that sarcasm again.” He leaned forward and said softly, “I told you it turns me on.”

  “You claim that almost everything turns you on,” she whispered fiercely. “I’m beginning to think you have serious issues. Maybe you should get a new girlfriend. I think you must be deprived.”

  “Oh, I’m deprived all right. Are you volunteering to ease my frustration level?” he countered softly, leaning toward her until they were almost nose to nose.

  “You know darn well I’m not. Stop making those comments!”

  “You brought it up.”

  “Um, excuse me,” Martha Chase said, interrupting their private moment, held right out in the open. “Are we ready to begin?”

  Toni blinked, straightened and seemed to shake herself free of their verbal sparring. “Of course, Martha. Is the microphone hooked up?”

  “Yes. Just come this way, both of you.”

  “After you,” Wyatt said. Walking behind Toni gave him an excellent view of those bottom-hugging jeans and black boots. The high heels made her tall enough to kiss without bending over—if he could just get close enough to convince her to kiss him again.

  Only when they were standing before the podium did Wyatt realize that Christmas music was playing over the outdoor speakers. Nice touch. The music swelled, then went silent, as Toni called for everyone’s attention.

  “Thank you for coming today to the parade and also to the presentation of the new holiday decorations, generously donated by one of Brody’s Crossing’s most famous former residents, Wyatt McCall.”

  A round of applause interrupted Toni’s speech, and Wyatt felt unexpectedly touched to hear the citizens of his hometown cheer for him. Or what he’d done for them.

  “As you probably know, Mr. McCall now lives in California. He recently took his software company public and is now devoting time to a foundation for at-risk teens.” Toni turned and gave him a look. Sort of a schoolteacher look. “Teens who get into trouble or have behavior issues, something that Mr. McCall has some familiarity with.”

  People chuckled, then applauded. Wyatt even felt his cheeks heat a little. He hadn’t expected Toni to call him out. She must be really miffed with him.

  “So, it is now my great pleasure to present Mr. McCall with this key to the city, which I’m sure he will cherish as he continues his good works back in California.”

  Wyatt stepped to the podium and accepted the giant silver key in its flat black velvet case. He tilted the case toward the audience, held it high and smiled. Flashes temporarily blinded him. Both the press and the townspeople took photos. He was now officially absolved of being a juvenile delinquent—or at least a former juvie with an unfinished civil sentence.