And she was gazing at him as if a skunk had just wandered out of the woods.

“What do you want?”

What had happened to Kiss me, you fool? Riiiight … He pulled off his sunglasses and tried a little of the old playboy smile. “So how’s it going?”

Had he really said that? Had he really said “how’s it going?” He deserved everything she was going to throw at him.

“Couldn’t be better. Nice T-shirt. Now get off my property.”

So much for the woman who’d wished him all the best the last time they’d been together. “I, uh … heard you might be selling the place.”

“When I get around to it.”

“Maybe I’ll buy it back.”

“Maybe you won’t.” She stood up, and a few blades of grass stuck to the side of one of those legs he loved to touch. “Why aren’t you at training camp?”

“Training camp?” He slipped his sunglasses into his shirt pocket.

“Veterans are supposed to report this morning.”

“Damn. I guess I’m in trouble then.”

“Did Phoebe send you here?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then what’s going on?”

“I wanted to talk to you, that’s all. Tell you some things.”

“You’re supposed to be at training camp.”

“I think you already mentioned that.”

“One phone call and I can find out why you’re not there.”

He hadn’t wanted to do this yet, and his hands found their way into his pockets. “First, maybe you’d better hear what I have to say.”

“Give me your cell phone.”

“It’s in the car.”

She grabbed a sweatshirt he seemed to remember belonged to him and marched toward the fence at the bottom of the meadow. “I’ll call from the house.”

“I’m AWOL, okay? I’m being traded!”

She spun around. “Traded? They can’t do that.”

“They’re crazy, and they can do just about anything they want.”

“Not without throwing away the season.” She twisted the arms of his sweatshirt into a knot at her waist and charged toward him. “Tell me exactly what happened. Every word.”

“I don’t want to.” His throat felt tight and his tongue clumsy. “I want to tell you how pretty you are.”

She regarded him suspiciously. “I look just like I did the last time you saw me, except my nose is sunburned.”

“You’re beautiful.” He moved closer. “And I want to marry you. For real. Forever.”

She blinked. “Why?”

This wasn’t going the way he’d planned it. He wanted to touch her, but the frown marks between her eyebrows made him think twice. “Because I love you. I really do. More than I ever could have imagined.”

Perfect silence.