“Good night, ladies,” he said, but the horses didn’t pay any attention. “See y’all tomorrow.”

Shoving his rawhide gloves into the back pocket of his jeans, he strode to his pickup and climbed into the cab. Though the windows had been left down, the interior was sweltering. A confused horsefly buzzed angrily between the dash and windshield before finally stumbling upon the open window.

“Good riddance.” Luke ground the ignition, jammed the rig into gear and headed for town. Dust and exhaust billowed in his wake and he thought of Katie. Damn, but he’d love to get her into his bed again. He envisioned her dark red hair, spread around a face that was flushed with desire, imagined kissing the freckles on the bridge of her nose, saw vividly in his mind’s eye her swift intake of breath and seductively parted lips as he thrust deep inside her and began making slow, sensuous love.

“Cut it out,” he growled. At the end of the lane he noticed that his crotch was suddenly uncomfortable, his arousal stiff, and he wondered if he’d spend the rest of his life fantasizing about that sharp-tongued-but-beautiful woman. He looked into the rearview mirror, saw his own eyes and then barked out a humorless laugh. If he didn’t know better, he’d think he was in love.

Yeah, and you sold her and her boy out for money. Some lover you turned out to be!

Maybe it was time to tell her the truth. His fingers tightened over the steering wheel. She might hate him for the rest of her natural life, but, be that as it may, it was a risk he had to take.

Yep, he’d face her, tell her the truth and the devil take the consequences.

* * *

“I should be back in about an hour,” Katie told Josh, who was grumbling about having to do the dishes. “Maybe sooner. I’m going to the old house to try and rent it.” He didn’t respond and she touched him lightly on the shoulder. “You can come with me if you want.”

“Naw.” He shook his head.

“Okay. Ellie-Mrs. Ellingsworth downstairs, is home and she said she’d look in on you if you’d like.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“’Course you will.” Katie rumpled his hair, which was still wet from the shower he’d taken before they’d sat down to dinner. For the first time in a week he’d actually talked to her, told her about soccer practice and a new kid he’d met at school, then even brought up Dave, asking a few questions about him. Eventually she’d offered Josh the opportunity of meeting his paternal grandparents. Josh was interested, but wary. They were strangers to him, but he’d agreed to meet them. Soon. One step at a time, she reminded herself, since Josh had been forced to face a truckload of issues this past couple of weeks.