“And nobody likes a challenge more than you.”

“True. Unless it’s you. And I wouldn’t mind pursuing the whole thing at that level. But every time I see him with Jack, there’s this little…tug inside. You know?”

“Yeah.” Freddie had started experiencing those tugs where her own husband Nick was concerned at approximately the age of thirteen. “Are you falling for him?”

“Too soon to know. But I really like him on all the important levels, which balances out nicely with all this wild lust.”

She lifted her leg, pointed her toe at the ceiling. “I really want to get him alone somewhere and rip his clothes off. But I know I can also have a good conversation with him. Last night we watched the last part of that movie about the giant eye from space.”

“Yeah. I love that movie.”

“Me, too. That’s what I mean. It was really comfortable and easy.” And sweet, she thought with a long, lazy stretch. Absolutely sweet. “Even though he gives me that zing in the blood, it’s nice to just sit on the couch and watch an old movie. Most of the guys I dated, it was either dancing, partying, dancing, art shows, dancing. There was never any let’s just stay home for a night and relax. I’m really ready to do that.”

“Small town, ballet school, a romance with a carpenter. It suits you, Katie.”

“Yeah.” Delighted Freddie could think so, she rolled over again. “It really does.”

Yuri Stanislaski, a bull of a man with a fringe of stone-gray hair, stood in the center of the room destined to be a dance studio.

“So, this is good space. My granddaughter, she knows the value of space. Strong foundation.” He walked over, gave the wall a punch with the side of his fist. “Good bones.”

Mikhail, Yuri’s oldest son, stood at the front windows. “She’ll relive her childhood out here. It’s good for her. And—” he turned, flashed a smile “—people look in, see the dancers. Advertisement. My niece is a clever girl.”

There were pounding feet on the steps. Brody had no idea how many of the young people had come down with them. He thought most of them belonged to Mik, but it was impossible to keep track when there were so many of them, and all almost ridiculously good-looking.

He wasn’t used to large families, all the byplay and interaction. And he had a feeling the Stanislaskis were about as big as a family could get without just bursting at the seams.

“Papa! Come on up. You gotta see this place. It’s ancient. It’s great!”

“My son, Griff,” Mik said with a twinkle. “He likes old things.”

“So, we go up.” Yuri gave Brody a pat on the back that could have toppled an elephant. “We see what it is you do with this ancient great place to make my little girl safe and happy. She is a beauty, my Katie. Yes?”

“Yes,” Brody said, cautiously.

“And strong.”