Edward had loved that garden. Olivia shoved her face into the pillow so no one would hear her cry. Losing the garden hurt. It hurt more than losing the barn.

After she’d sobbed out the worst of her sadness and anger, she flopped to her back while tears dribbled across her cheeks and into her ears. After all Edward’s struggles, the little plot was gone. How unfair.

In the beginning, he’d naively tried to grow veggies the way his grandmother had in Southern Illinois. He used to rhapsodize about picking huge tomatoes and squash from her garden when he was a kid.

They’d bought acreage here so he could recreate it. Except he hadn’t had a gift for horticulture. Lack of talent combined with critter invasions and a short growing season produced poor yields. But he’d been persistent and by the third year he’d almost figured it out.

After he died, she’d kept the garden going and this summer had been the best yet. She’d shared some of the harvest with her clients, including Kendra. Sure, she could replant in the spring. Trevor had been kind to offer his help.

But if the firefighters had torn it out to save the house, then she’d have to start over. It wouldn’t be Edward’s garden anymore. Why bother?

She’d focus on the good news. The grassland hadn’t been burned, which meant the cave and the bats might not have been affected. That was more important than Edward’s garden. He would have said so, for sure.

The tears finally stopped. She’d never been a fan of crying. It made her throat hurt, her eyes swell and her nose run.

She grabbed a box of tissues from the bedside table and blew her nose. Better. She was physically and emotionally wiped out, but calmer. Nothing could be done now. Taking off her robe, she laid it across the end of the bed, crawled under the covers and went to sleep.

She woke to the sound of chickens clucking. Climbing out of bed, she put on her glasses and went to the partially open window. Kendra was out back feeding her flock.

She clearly loved those plump, fluffy birds. She talked to them as if they were close friends as she scattered feed in a slow circle around her.

The henhouse was gorgeous, too. Kendra had mentioned that Trevor had built it for her and like a proud mama she’d bragged about his carpentry skills. For good reason, too. The henhouse looked like a mini Victorian complete with a blue exterior and white gingerbread trim. It even had a front porch on either side of the ramp leading into it.

Watching the chicken-feeding ritual soothed Olivia’s frayed nerves and she stayed where she was until Kendra collected the eggs and left the pen. Then she pushed up the window and called to her.

Kendra turned in her direction. “Did I wake you with the chickens?”

"You did, but I need to get up.” She glanced at the sky. “It’s late, huh?”

“Past five.”

"What's the story about going back to my house? Do you know?"

"Trevor said you won't be able to tonight. The firefighters are still checking the surrounding area for hotspots. You're stuck here until tomorrow, at least.”

“Oh.” She’d expected it but that didn’t make hearing it any easier.

“Since you’ll be staying, I’ll bet you could use a few things to make you feel more human, right?"

"That's putting it mildly."

"Let me bring in the eggs and then I’ll gather up some clothes and toiletries for you. I think we wear roughly the same size. How about jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt?”

“That would be great.”

“Underwear will be trickier but I have a stretchy sports bra that should work and my panties should fit you.”

“Thanks. I’m sure you never expected to be loaning your underwear to your accountant.”

She smiled. “I’m not loaning it to my accountant. I’m loaning it to my friend.”

“Aw.” Her throat tightened.

“I have a nightgown you can borrow, too. I’ll bet you’re sick of wearing that one, pretty as it is.”

“I used to like it, but now it might have to go.”

Kendra laughed. “I understand. See you in a few minutes.”

Putting on her robe, Olivia quickly made up the bed and opened her door. Beef stew. The aroma hit her full force and her stomach growled. Kendra had fed everyone snacks in the wee hours of the morning, but that food was a distant memory. Once Kendra brought her a change of clothes, she’d take the fastest shower in history if a bowl of stew awaited her at the end of it.

Leaning in the doorway, she peered down the empty hallway. All the bedrooms were in this section of the house. The master was at the far end with an attached bath. Three smaller bedrooms shared the hall bath.

During last night’s ordeal, Trevor’s brothers had regaled her with stories of epic battles over possession of that bathroom. The bedrooms had been another source of combat. In the beginning, Ryker and Zane each had a room. When Bryce and Trevor had arrived, they’d shared a room because they were twins, after all. Then Cody had come along.

Ryker and Zane had been crammed together and baby Cody had been given his own room. Nobody had thought that was fair except Cody, the spoiled one. The teasing and laughter had helped carry Olivia through the long hours. Because she was an only child, she envied them a little, too.

Presently, that hall bathroom was occupied. Then the door opened and Trevor came out shirtless and clean-shaven. He blinked. “You’re awake.”

Oh, yes, she was. After getting a good look at his muscled chest lightly furred with dark hair, she was so awake. She was amazed that her glasses hadn’t fogged. “I…um…your mother was feeding the chickens.”

“It’s their dinnertime.”

She took a quick breath. “Right. She’s also getting me some clothes to change into after I take a shower.” Why did she feel the need to blurt that out?

“Good idea.”

“Am I that stinky?”

“No! I meant the clothes are a good idea. Not that there’s anything wrong with what you have on.”

“I’m not in the habit of wearing a nightgown and bathrobe all the time.” But she wouldn’t mind if he’d ditch his shirt more often. Dear God, he was beautiful.

“At least they look nice.” Then he turned red. “I mean, you could have been stuck with an ugly granny gown and that would have been worse.” He cleared his throat. “You know what? I’m going to drop this conversational thread before I get any more tangled up in it.”

“Okay.” Gorgeous and flustered. What a dynamite combo.

“Did Mom mention that your property is still off-limits at least until tomorrow?”

“She told me.” The scent of his shaving cream created a tingling sensation in her belly. She longed to stroke his freshly shaven cheek.

“I’m sure you’re eager to get back.”

“Yes and no.” What woman in her right mind would be eager to leave when confronted with a bare-chested Trevor McGavin?

“I probably scared you a little with my description of the place.”

“Some.”

“I figured I should tell you, though.”

“Oh, absolutely! I’m glad you warned me. I’ve never seen the aftermath of a fire except on the news.” And she’d never seen a half-naked, muscular guy up close except in the movies. Edward had been on the lean side. She was mesmerized just watching Trevor breathe.

“The chief suggested I take you over there instead of just letting you go by yourself. But that’s totally up to you.”

“Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”

“Normally, but Greg decided to give us Columbus Day off. What about you? Do you have client appointments?”

“I have one, but I should be able to move it to Tuesday. If you’re available tomorrow, I’d appreciate having you along.”

“Good.” He motioned toward the bathroom. “It’s all yours.”

“Thanks, I—”

“Are you two negotiating bathroom privileges?” Kendra arrived with a bundle of clothes and a small canvas bag. She pretended to glare at them. “Because I won’t tolerate any bickering.”

Trevor let out a sigh. “Mom.”

“Couldn’t resist teasing you, especially after all the reminiscing last night about the bathroom wars.”

“Nice.” He rolled his eyes.

“It helped pass the time,” Olivia said. “I especially loved the story of you installing a new doorknob and keeping the only key.”

“It would have worked if Ryker hadn’t passed his driver’s test that day. My plan took weeks to set up, but he just drove into town, got a new doorknob and kept the key. He stole my strategy.”

Olivia smiled. “He admitted it.”

“He did?”

“He said you were one step ahead of him. He acted proud of the fact.”

“Huh.” Trevor seemed pleased by that.

“It was fun hearing those old stories.” Kendra gazed at her son. “I love having adult children, but sometimes I miss those days. You boys were always up to something.”

“And now we’re boring?”

“No, just…mature.”

“Which is code for boring. Guess it’s time to break out the whoopee cushion and the plastic spiders.”

“Please don’t.” Kendra patted his arm. “It was just an idle comment.” She handed Olivia the clothes and bag of toiletries. “If anything doesn’t fit, let me know. Mandy might have something better.”

“I’m sure this will be fine. Thank you so much.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Good. Everyone will be here around six. But if you can’t wait that long, I’ll—”

“I can wait that long. Who’s coming?”

Kendra ticked them off on her fingers. “Ryker and April. Zane, Mandy and her mom, Jo. Cody and Faith. Nicole’s playing tonight so she and Bryce can’t make it, but otherwise it’s the whole fam-damn-ly.”

Olivia hugged the bundle of clothing to her chest. “If they’re coming at six, I’d better grab a shower and make myself presentable.”

“You’re always presentable.” Evidently that just popped out, because immediately Trevor got red and cast a quick glance at his mom. “She is, right? Every time she comes over she looks so professional.”

“She certainly does.” Kendra’s eyes sparkled and she pressed her lips together.

“Thanks, but I don’t feel particularly professional in this getup, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to hit the showers.” She started toward the bathroom.

Kendra and Trevor stepped aside, but the hall wasn’t very wide. Trevor’s masculine scent teased her as she passed by.

His breath hitched, as if he was equally aware of her. “Do you need me to show you how the shower works?”

“I can probably figure it out.” She ducked into the bathroom, closed the door and leaned against it, heart thumping. Wowza.

She had no experience with wild sexual urges. Edward had been a friend for a long time before he became her lover. The transition had been gradual, almost inevitable. No uncertainty or awkwardness. No rush. Definitely no wildness.

Even her most passionate moments with Edward hadn’t made her breathless and dizzy. She was both of those things as she pressed her back against the door and closed her eyes. The image of Trevor shirtless wouldn’t go away.

She’d never separated love and sex before, never had to. She’d loved the only man she’d ever had sex with. Honesty forced her to admit that she wanted to have sex with Trevor even though she didn’t love him.

She liked him. She liked him quite a bit. He was kind, thoughtful and brave enough to face a raging fire. He’d helped save her horses and her house. And he’d inspired a massive case of lust.

Could she have sex without love? The idea didn’t sit right with her, so probably not. She’d have to resist temptation, even though it came packaged in the form of Trevor McGavin.

And speaking of packages….

Stop it! With a sigh, she stripped down and turned on the shower.