Laura thought for a split second she might be dreaming. That maybe, because she’d imagined Cade kissing her, pulling her into him like this so many times…her mind had finally snapped and tricked her into believing it was happening.

But the feel of his mouth, so soft, but strong at the same time couldn’t be denied. He was strong in a way Patrick had never been. It was a strength that would hold her and protect her, but she knew this man would never harm her.

Laura melted into Cade’s arms, and when he pulled back and let his mouth glide slowly back and forth on hers, shivers raced through her. Her lips tingled from the slight touch and her whole body felt as if it might burst. If this was a dream, it wasn’t one she ever wanted to wake up from. Laura felt her whole body respond to Cade, coming to life under the heated pressure of his now demanding kiss. A kiss that stole the breath from her body and made her believe in possibilities.

Meeeeaaaaaaaoooowww! came a somewhat twisted yowl from the mother cat, breaking the moment and bringing breathless laughter from both Cade and Laura.

“What was that?” Laura asked, turning to Hope. “Are you kicking us out, Hope?”

Meeeaaawww, came a shorter, more satisfied meow, as if Laura had guessed correctly.

Cade pulled Laura up beside him. “I should get you home. It’s late,” he said, taking her hand in his as they walked out of the tack room. Red followed on their heels and hopped into the truck and Cade drove them to the main house.

All Laura could think about on the drive was that she didn’t want the night to end. She didn’t want to lose this feeling ever again. She wanted to fly high on the utter happiness she was floating on right now. She didn’t want to wake up to uncertainty and doubt the next morning.

When Cade kissed her goodnight on the porch, she let herself sink into the thrill that rushed through her at his touch, at the feel of his hands on her arms.

But, it wasn’t enough.

It was over all too soon and she was alone, walking up the stairs to her room.

* * *

“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Paul said, kicking at a bottle in the parking lot by the tire of their rented sedan.

“We’ve only checked two of the towns. There’s still Evadale and Evers. Besides, Alec Hall is paying for this wild-goose chase, so what do you care?” Mark asked.

Paul glanced away, and Mark knew right off the bat his partner was hiding something. Paul had never really mastered the art of a poker face.

“What the hell, Paul? What didn’t you tell me?” Mark asked.

“When I talked to Hall, he said he wanted us to chase down every lead, but he also said he expected results from this or we’re done.”

“Damn, Paul. So you all but guaranteed we’d get results down here? Even if we find the doctor, we have no way of knowing if Laura’s with him. He could really be on vacation for all we know. What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I didn’t really have a choice. What was I supposed to tell him? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but people who tell Alec Hall ‘no’ don’t always walk away in one piece. At least this way, if we have to deliver bad news, we’re a few states away. We can run before he gets someone down here to deal with us,” Paul said, kicking the bottle again. This time it hit the concrete wall of the gas station and sent green glass flying.

Mark paced for a few minutes, trying to figure out which town to head to next, and how much time Alec would give them before he sent someone looking for them—or looking to replace them. And the kind of replacement Hall would have in mind wouldn’t simply be a pink slip. The man usually dealt in the kind of replacement that meant an unmarked grave off the side of a highway in some desolate part of the country. Why the hell had they gotten involved with a man like Hall?

“Call your contact at the police department back home. See if they’ve heard anything on Laura’s whereabouts. Maybe we’ll catch a break,” Mark said and then waited while Paul made the call.

Paul gestured for the map after talking for a few minutes. “Where was that?” he asked into the phone while Mark laid the map out on the hood of the car for him. Paul scanned the map and grinned pointing at Evers. “Thanks. I owe you one, man.”

He hung up and turned to Mark. “A sheriff reported speaking to Laura Kensington. Said he had no grounds to bring her in. She was unharmed, didn’t seem to be a danger to herself or anyone else and didn’t want to go home. He said she was on her way out of town. Thing is, his jurisdiction just happens to have Evers, Texas smack in the middle of it.”

“Let’s get over there and get this done. I’m ready to be finished with Alec Hall,” Mark said, jogging around to the driver’s side door.