Hawk let her think, while he used a french fry and ketchup to draw a stick figure on his almost empty plate, then pushed it over so Aric could add arms and hair.

After a couple of minutes, Kit sat back. Assessment was complete. Now she could enjoy the view. “I love places that use color coordination. Did you notice how they planted purple petunias to match the colors on the welcome sign?”

Hawk followed her gaze. “You studied horticulture?”

Frankie must have told him. “Mmmhmm. After I got my degree, I worked in a garden nursery, doing landscaping consultations. Trying to teach Texans to work with nature instead of against it. The idea of natural landscaping is catching on.”

“Yeah?” He motioned to the grounds they could see. “What would you change?”

“Hmm.” She studied the grounds now, although, in her head, she’d totally criticized everything on their walk here.

She pointed downslope. “The trees they planted there require massive amounts of care—and some of Alaska’s native plants would work just as nicely. I love your red-twig dogwoods and mountain ash. Over there to the right, a patch of crab apples would be gorgeous in the spring and the apples would draw in animals for the tourists.”

He started smiling as she continued her imaginary changes to the grounds.

“Okay, I know I get carried away.” She laughed and wasn’t able to resist adding, “You said the resort wants to stay open all four seasons and summer tourists tend to bring their children. So really, they need a small playground so munchkins can work off their energy. When traveling, it’s nice to be able to finish a meal while the kids play within eyesight.”

She nodded at her son. Aric had smeared ketchup all over the plate and partly down his front.

Hawk’s snort was slightly exasperated and mostly amused.

Smiling, Kit poured some water from her bottle onto a napkin and wiped down her boy. “There you go, nice and clean.”

When he gave her a worried look, she laughed, kissed the tip of his nose, then poked him in the tummy. “And all full, too.”

He giggled—and wasn’t that amazing?

Hawk ruffled Aric’s hair. “Time to get back.”

As they rose, Kit realized the two men seated nearby had been listening—and were watching her. Probably not PZs, though. The pissers weren’t the kind to wear suits.

One of them nodded at Hawk. “Calhoun.”

Hawk gave him a chin lift and hoisted Aric back up onto his shoulders. “Hang on, kid.”

With a huge grin, Aric gripped Hawk’s thick hair and gave a bounce.

Envy rose inside Kit. From Aric’s expression, he’d discovered being with Hawk was the safest place in the world.

She knew just how he felt.

Chapter Seven

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito. ~ Dalai Lama