As irritated and suspicious as he was, he wanted her with a hunger that stunned him. He’d been comfortable in his marriage with Mary. He’d enjoyed the physical side of their relationship. There’d still been plenty of passion to it. More than a lot of people shared after being together more than thirty-five years, from what he’d heard.

But these feelings he was experiencing now were a far cry from that. His pulse quickened just at the prospect of seeing Janet. His body responded like some randy adolescent’s at the most innocent touch. A kiss was enough to trigger a desire so thorough and overwhelming, it was a wonder he hadn’t busted the zipper of every pair of jeans he owned.

None of those reactions had eased just because he now suspected her of trying to cheat him out of his ranch. Was that because on some level he couldn’t believe that’s what she meant to do? Was he thinking with his testosterone and not his head? He wouldn’t be the first man to fall prey to that sort of foolishness.

He met her gaze and tried to read her intentions in her dark brown eyes, but in the restaurant’s shadows they were more inscrutable than ever.

“Harlan, what’s really bothering you?” she asked, sounding more worried about him than frightened for herself. She didn’t sound like a woman with secrets she feared might have been uncovered.

“I told you, I’m trying to get a grasp on what the future holds,” he said, making the response enigmatic enough to cover anything from their relationship to the future of White Pines.

“Is that something you need to figure out today?” she asked, amusement lurking in her eyes. “Couldn’t you just take it day by day as it comes, the way most of us mortals do?”

“I’ve never much liked surprises,” he admitted.

“So it’s true, then,” she teased. “You do like to control everyone and everything around you. Your sons and daughters-in-law were right about that.”

The truth chafed, especially when it was being used to suit the purposes of someone who didn’t want to reveal her own intentions. “What’s wrong with wanting to shape your life, with wanting to take charge and make it the best it can be?”

“You miss out on the serendipities,” she observed.

“Like Jenny stealing my pickup, I suppose.”

She grinned. “It’s true. If you didn’t make it a habit to leave your keys in plain view, that wouldn’t have happened. Maybe you’re more open to risks than you know.”

“I don’t mind a few risks, when I’ve had time to weigh the odds,” he countered pointedly. “For forty years those keys had never been a temptation to anyone in Los Piños. Now those are odds worth taking a risk on.”