Thursday night seemed eons away, but eventually it arrived. Trevor packed up what he needed to spend the night with Olivia even though he might not get to stay the whole time.

His mom was in the ranch house office entering financial info on the computer when he walked in, a duffel over his shoulder.

She glanced up. “Slumber party?”

“Yeah.”

“Have fun.”

“Thanks.” He started out of the office.

“Hang on. Come back a minute.”

“Sure.” He turned and lowered himself to one of two chairs she kept in front of her desk. In years past he’d received lectures while sitting here, often with Bryce next to him, in trouble for the same stupid thing.

“I sense you’re getting more involved.”

“Tough not to. She’s great.”

“I agree. But do you think she’s ready for a new relationship?”

His mom always did cut to the chase. “I don’t know. Maybe not.”

She regarded him silently for a few seconds. “Telling you what to do would be presumptuous on my part. You’re an adult and free to make your own choices.”

“You been reading that Parenting 101 book again?”

She made a face. “No, smartass. Talking to your Aunt Jo. She gets credit for those words. I promised her I’d say that to you.”

“I’ll remember to thank her. It’s a good speech.”

“As far as it goes.”

He laughed. “Okay, say your piece.”

“The thing is, I have personal experience with this issue. I’ve tried to reconstruct where my head was three years after your father died. Clearly I couldn’t have conducted a romance. You boys ranged from Cody, who was four, to Ryker, who was eight.”

“Olivia isn’t in that situation.”

“No, and I’m aware that her attitudes are changing. She’s growing, opening to new possibilities. But her loyalty to Edward runs deep. Mine to Ian did at that stage, too. Still does.”

He nodded. Tough as it was to hear, he needed to keep that in mind.

“We didn’t finish our discussion the other night, but the truth is, I pity any man who makes a play for me.”

“Why?”

“Because even after twenty-six years, I’ll compare him to your dad. He had his share of faults and bad habits like all of us. But I can’t remember any of them. All I remember is the good stuff.”

“Then I’m in a losing battle?”

“I hope not. I think she’d be a fool to cling to an idealized version of Edward in favor of you, an amazing guy who also happens to be alive.”

He grinned. “You sound like Bryce. He said that was my strong point.”

“Yeah, I can hear him saying that. But here’s the catch. Edward is frozen in time, so he can do no wrong. His halo gets brighter every day that goes by. You’re living in the messy present and have a million ways to screw things up.”

“Gee, I feel so much better, now. Thanks for the pep talk, Mom.”

“You wouldn’t want me to shine you on.”

“No.”

“But like I said, you’re an incredible human being and you have a pulse.”

“But I have to discount the first part of that sentence because you’re my mom. All I truly have going for me is that I have a pulse. That doesn’t seem like a dynamic game changer. Any guy walking down the street can claim the same advantage.”

“Oh, wait. There’s something else. You’re very good looking.”

“Again, you’re my mom. Prejudiced.”

“I am, but I’ve had plenty of others tell me that my five boys are extremely handsome.”

“Were they trying to get you to donate to some cause or other?”

“One was, but the rest were saying it unsolicited, with no ulterior motive. I think we can believe them. Handsome and alive. Good advantages to bring to the table.” She paused. “But…”

“There’s a strong possibility I’m gonna crash and burn.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you’re thinking it.”

“Some of the time. Other times I tell myself to keep my big mouth shut and let whatever happens, happen. It’s your life.”

He left the chair and went around the desk to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for caring.”

“Always.”

He smiled down at her. “I have another thing going for me.”

“Yeah?”

“If I crash and burn, I have you and my brothers to help me pick up the pieces.”

Her eyes grew moist and she nodded. “That’s a biggie.”

“Sure is.” Giving her shoulder a squeeze, he walked out of the office.

The discussion stayed with him as he drove to Olivia’s. On Sunday when he’d said I love being with you, she’d responded with Same here. Seemed like a deliberate dodge away from the L word.

Had he imagined her flinch when he’d used the word? After talking with his mom, he didn’t think so.

He let out a breath. Maybe he was expecting too much, too soon. That would be typical, wouldn’t it? Impatience had plagued him all his life.

Funny thing was, he thought she might be falling for him. That special glow in her brown eyes when they made love, the tenderness when she’d touched his cheek the first time he’d been deep inside her, those were the building blocks of something meaningful.

But if she wouldn’t admit it to herself, let alone to him, what good was that? Part of the joy in loving someone was being able to say it. A lot.

Instead he’d better watch himself. If he jumped the gun and blurted it out, she might show him the door. Like his mom said, he had so many ways to screw this up.

When he pulled in, she ran out to meet him, her hair loose and flying behind her. She looked like a woman in love. Was she?

Jumping down, he swept her up in his arms and knocked his hat off in his desperation to kiss her. Her mouth was so sweet, so soft and supple. Their separation seemed like weeks, not days. He couldn’t get enough.

When he shifted the angle, he nudged her glasses. He started to pull away so she could take them off, but she clutched the back of his head and held him right there, her mouth warm and eager.

Splaying his hands over her cute little ass, he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He started toward the house.

She broke the kiss and took a gulp of air. “Wait.”

“Don’t want to.” His cock strained against his fly.

“Let me show you the plants before it gets dark.”

“We’ll grab a flashlight later.”

“You won’t get the full effect.”

“I know, but I need—”

“Just take a minute. They did a terrific job.”

Not to mention his mom would expect him to comment on the planting effort next time he saw her. He pressed Olivia’s hot body closer. “And then we can do this?”

“I promise.”

He reluctantly lowered her to the ground and stood back while he sucked in air and tamed his bad boy. “We fogged up your glasses.”

“Yep, sure did.” She sounded out of breath, too. She pulled off her glasses and polished the lenses with the hem of her knit shirt.

Now that he wasn’t kissing her, he paid more attention to the shirt. Swirls of deep pink reminded him of her painting. “Is that a new top?” He hadn’t felt a bra under it either. Excellent.

“I bought it today after my kickboxing class. I thought you’d like it since you like the painting.”

“You got it so you could wear it for me?”

“I did.”

“It looks great.” Happiness flooded through him. She must care if she’d do something like that. “I like the pants, too. Soft material.”

“It was a set. I decided to deviate from jeans for a change.” She put on her glasses. “Where’s your hat?”

“I guess it’s on the ground next to the truck.” He glanced over there. “Right below the door hanging open.” That was a first. “Maybe I should fetch my hat and close the door.” He headed back.

“Good idea.” She sounded amused. “Did you bring a change of clothes?”

“Yes. Yes, I did. Thanks for reminding me.” He’d been ready to charge into her house and dive into her bed without his duffel, which contained the all-important package of condoms.

But she’d run out to meet him, which had altered his brain chemistry, temporarily making him stupid. That was his excuse and he was sticking to it.

He dusted off his hat and crammed it on his head. If he didn’t get a grip she was liable to figure out he was addle-pated over her. He’d heard an old cowhand say that about a younger guy mooning over his sweetheart. He’d vowed that would never happen to him. He would keep his wits about him.

Yeah, right.

Grabbing his duffel from the passenger seat, he walked back to Olivia. “The plants look good.”

“Don’t they?” She slipped her hand into his. “I’ll give you a tour.”

Walking hand-in-hand was something they’d never done before. He liked it.

“So everything’s some sort of evergreen shrub except the iris and tulip bulbs. You’ll have to wait for spring to see those.”

Which indicated she expected him to be around come spring. Another good sign.

“As you can see, we planted four in front of the porch. They’re called Little Devil Ninebark.”

“Cute.”

“We laid down a lot of mulch, too. The empty places are where we put the bulbs, alternating iris and tulips.”

“What color?”

“Purple and white for the iris. Yellow and red for the tulips. It’ll be pretty. I especially love tulips.”

“You know, so do I. I’ve never thought much about flowers, but tulips are nice.”

“Now come around to the side yard. That’s where we alternated between some little pines and something called Superstar Spirea.”

“You really did plant a lot.”

“It helped that there were six of us. Those women are a riot.”

He grinned. “Yeah, they are. Whenever the Whine and Cheese ladies show up it’s always a good time.”

“They worked so hard. You’re the first person to see what they accomplished and I wanted to show it off.”

“I’m glad you did.” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll be sure to mention it next time I see Mom.”

“Great.” She squeezed back. Then she gave him that look, the one that his mom had talked about. Like he was the last piece of fudge on the plate.

“Are we done with the tour, yet?”

“Sure.” She drew in a quick breath and her cheeks turned pink. “The other side’s just like this and we didn’t plant anything in the back. You’ve seen enough.”

“Thank God. Let’s go.”

“It’s quicker if we go in the back door and through the laundry room.”

“I’m all for quick.” He hustled her around the house, up the back steps and through the back door. Typical laundry room, except for the heavy coil of rope and the miner’s hat sitting on the dryer.

He’d ask her about those later. All he cared about now was stripping down, gathering her close and reconnecting with the magic he’d craved since the last time he’d held her.