“We should be,” Janet concurred. “It’s my fault. I should have insisted on bringing Jenny all the way to the house on Monday, but she was still so upset I gave in and dropped her at the end of the lane. After that, it became a pattern, I suppose. I couldn’t seem to break it.”

“Don’t go taking all the blame. I’m the one who put you in an awkward position in the first place.” He looked her over, admiring the creamy silk blouse she wore with a pair of tan linen slacks and a few pieces of expensive gold jewelry. She was all class, there was no mistake about that. “You haven’t dated much since the divorce, have you?”

“Not at all.”

“So Jenny’s still very protective. Is she hoping you’ll get back together with her father?”

“No, she knows better than that. He doesn’t have time for either one of us anymore. I think that’s really the problem. She needs all of my attention right now.”

Her expression turned speculative. “It may be that she needs all of yours, too. You’re providing a father figure for her. Maybe she’s not ready to share you.”

“But what do you need?” he inquired softly. “Do you need a man in your life?”

She shook her head. “It’s not in my plans right now.”

He thought of his sons and how hard they’d fought falling in love. In the end, when the right woman came along they hadn’t had a choice, any more than he had when he and Mary had met.

“I wasn’t aware you could plan for a thing like that,” he said.

“You can certainly avoid putting yourself at risk,” she countered.

“Is that what you’ve been doing since you got to Texas, avoiding risks?”

She nodded.

“Must have been a lousy plan, since we met anyway,” he observed, grinning. “Or do you suppose fate just had something else in mind?”

“I don’t know what to think,” she admitted, then gazed at him imploringly. “Harlan, this can’t go any further than it already has.”

The wistfulness in her voice contradicted the statement and gave him hope. “I think we both know that’s not so,” he said. “But I’m willing to slow down and take things nice and easy, if that’ll give you some peace of mind.”

“Why is it that peace of mind is the last thing I feel around you?” she asked plaintively.

He winked at her. “Darlin’, I think that’s exactly what we’re going to find out. Now, why don’t you and Jenny stick around for dinner? Let’s see if we can’t get things on an even keel again.”