Nick pulled her out of her head. “Mama, I want to see the barn cats.”

She set aside her reservations about seeing Luke again and slipped out of the car and unbuckled Nick from his booster seat. “Let’s see if Luke is ready for us.” She turned, let Nick jump onto her back, and closed the car door. On her way to the porch, she changed direction and followed the thwacking sound coming from the side of the house.

She rounded the corner and found Luke standing tall, his arms over his head, hands gripped around the ax he brought down, splitting a log in two. The pieces fell off the stump.

Nick wriggled on her back. “Awesome!”

Luke spotted them and pulled the earbuds from his ears. “You made it.” The bright, open smile made her stomach flutter. But the rest of him held her attention. Suddenly, she felt too warm in her tank top, jeans, and hiking boots.

Bare-chested, he smelled like freshly chopped wood, and his hair was tousled from running his hands through it, like he’d done in frustration a number of times when with her. Usually, because he was angry with her. His snug jeans rode low on his hips. Who could miss his chiseled six-pack? Not an ounce of fat on him. With each movement he made she watched the play of muscles as they rippled under his bronzed skin. Ranch work did a body good.

She hadn’t been this close to a half-naked man in a long time. For some reason, she found herself drawn to Luke and the strength he radiated despite their tumultuous start.

And she thought again about that kiss he’d laid on her.

His gaze dropped to her lips, then met her eyes again. His filled with desire, stark and urgent. “It’s good to see you.” His warm words felt welcoming and settled the butterflies in her belly. “Where’s Jack?”

“He woke up this morning with a cold. I gave him some medicine after lunch, and he fell asleep. Margaret said she’d bring him if he woke up and we weren’t back yet.”

“I killed him.” Nick bounced with excitement on her back.

Sarah smiled and explained. “Video games. Nick is an excellent driver and killed it at the stock car race.”

Luke grinned. “Oh yeah. I’ve got a whole mess of video games. Maybe we’ll go head-to-head sometime, little man.”

“Do you mean it?” Nick didn’t usually take to strangers, but he liked Luke. “You’ll play with me? Mama plays, but she wins cuz she makes games.”

Sarah didn’t want Luke asking about her business, so she quickly changed the subject. “Nick can’t wait to see the barn cats.”

Luke pulled the ax up again and thwacked it into the log, making it stick. “Let’s head down to the barn.”

He picked up the red flannel and pulled it on, then started buttoning it. Sexy as hell half naked, he even looked good putting his clothes back on.