Don’t be an idiot, she lectured herself. Of course, he would stay here. The man was a gentleman...when it suited his purposes.

As if he’d read the temptation in her eyes, he said, “Use the bathroom in Luke’s suite. It’s the first one upstairs on the right. I think Jessie probably left some of that fancy, perfumed bubble bath she likes, if you’d prefer to relax in a tub for a while.”

The suggestion conjured up images so steamy her brain should have been x-rated. “A shower will be fine,” she said, bolting to presumed safety.

Inside Luke’s suite, with the door locked, and inside the bathroom with that door locked, she leaned back against it and released a pent-up breath. Safe at last, she thought. What was yet to be determined, however, was whether she was hiding from Harlan’s pursuit or her own increasingly dangerous longings.

Damn, but she was a stubborn one, Harlan thought to himself the following morning as he surveyed the disaster Jenny had made of his toolshed. Almost as stubborn as her mama.

Janet’s abrupt retreat to hide out in Luke’s suite until Jenny’s return the night before had left him chuckling on the front porch. Frustrated as hell, but amused just the same. There’d been no mistaking how grateful Janet had been to be given a reason to escape his provocative company for a bit.

Jenny had shown up finally, looking for her mama. When Harlan had told her she was inside taking a bath, Jenny’s shocked expression suggested she was making far more of that than she should have. Thank goodness Cody wasn’t with her or he’d have had a few choice words to add to the conversation for sure.

Harlan had instantly regretted any inferences Jenny might have made, but he hadn’t been able to think of any way to correct her mistaken impression without adding to the problem.

“Tell her I’m waiting in the car,” she’d said stiffly, and stalked away, her back as straight and proud as any Comanche chief he’d ever seen pictured in the art museums around the Southwest.

“Sure you don’t want a glass of tea or maybe some of the oatmeal-and-raisin cookies Maritza baked earlier?” he’d called after her. He’d seen his plans for an evening with the two of them vanishing in a puff of smoke. Janet was scared spitless of being around him and Jenny clearly resented whatever was happening between him and her mother.

The offer of cookies went unanswered, just one indication of how upset she’d been. When he’d relayed her whereabouts to her much cooler-looking, if no less rattled mother, Janet had grabbed her purse and taken off without so much as a goodbye.

“Well, that certainly went well,” he’d muttered as he’d watched the trail of dust settle in their wake.