When Tracy arrived at Steve’s house the following afternoon, he was just coming in from work. He was covered in sweat and had a shadow of a beard forming. She went to kiss him, but he held up a hand. “I’ve got to shower first. I’m sure I don’t smell as fresh as I would like.”

She grinned. “I wasn’t going to say anything . . .”

He laughed. “You don’t have to tell me. I already know.” He opened the front door as Ringo ran across the room toward them. He went to his knees, petting the dog. “I know I’ve been gone forever, haven’t I?” He looked up at Tracy. “I’ve had Ringo since high school, but Dad never let him in the house. It was the first thing I did the night he died. I opened the door, and now Ringo is all over in here. He’s old and doesn’t need to be out in the heat anymore.” He led her into the kitchen, and she put the bags of groceries she was carrying onto the counter. “Go ahead and use whatever you need. I’ll be down in about twenty minutes. I’d be faster, but I want to shave. And don’t let Ringo sweet talk you into people food. The vet is concerned he’s getting too fat in his old age.”

“All right. I’ll get going.” She watched him leave, admiring his backside in his tight Wranglers. The man should be in a commercial for jeans! She smiled at the dog, who lay in the doorway, seeming to be unsure if he should be watching her or guarding Steve.

She’d decided to make a traditional Irish stew for supper, so she immediately got to work on it. She’d met with her realtor that morning and made the offer on the building. She was sure it wouldn’t be a problem because it had been vacant for twenty years. The bank had long-since owned the building, and she knew it was just a matter of them accepting her offer.

She’d already decided who she would use to renovate the building, and they’d slotted the months of June and July for the work. She was getting more excited by the minute.

She hummed as she cooked, remembering the sweet woman in Ireland who had taught her to make this particular dish. She’d gotten a job waitressing for a pub during the summer she was in Ireland, and the cook had become a friend of hers. On a mutual day off, she’d gone to Sinead’s house, and her friend had taught her to make three different Irish dishes. She’d tweaked the stew to make it taste just a bit better, and she knew it would be one of her bestsellers. She hoped that Steve liked it as much as she did.

By the time the stew was simmering on the stove, Steve had returned to the kitchen, sitting in one of the chairs there. The kitchen was old-fashioned. It obviously hadn’t been renovated since Steve’s mother had been alive. She wondered what it would look like without all of the sixties décor.

Tracy popped the soda bread she’d prepared into the oven, and then went over to sit at the table with Steve. “It might be time to renovate your kitchen. Put in some appliances from the eighties and not the sixties . . .”

He shrugged. “I’m not much of a cook. I throw a Hungry Man dinner into the oven, and I’m good to go.”

She shook her head. “Man cannot live by TV dinners alone . . .”

“This is true. And it’s why you’re here to cook for me.”

“I guess so . . . but I’m not here every day.”

“Yes, but I can have my Hungry Man on days you’re not here. Or go into town and eat at the diner . . . or there’s always Comida . . .”

“This is true . . . I need to see the kittens after we eat. The bread will be done in thirty minutes, and the stew will be ready about then. This is one of the recipes I plan to serve at the pub.”

“Are you going to have American food as well?” He reached down and ruffled Ringo’s fur as he talked to her, and she could tell they were both used to the affectionate gesture.

“I’ll probably have burgers and chicken fried steak. But it’ll be mainly Irish fare. Fish and chips, Irish nachos, Irish stew, shepherd’s pie . . .”

“Sounds delicious. As long as I can get a burger there on occasion . . . I’m working on getting my herd to be as lean as possible. Making the beef that comes from them healthier. I feel like I should be your meat supplier.”

She laughed. “I have no idea how I’m going to make that work. I haven’t really thought about my meat supplier, but I have a feeling, I’m not going to be working directly with a rancher . . .”

“Probably not. But you should keep me in mind . . .”

“I’ll do that! What movie did you choose?”

“I went with Twilight Zone, the Movie. I thought it would be fun.”

“Oh, I haven’t seen that yet, and I want to! You might have to follow me home and check for monsters under my bed when we’re done, though.”

He laughed. “If I need to, you know I will.”

“Heather’s going to get here Friday for the wedding. She’s staying with Mom and Dad, but I’m going to get her from the airport after work on Friday.”

“Do you want me to drive with you? I’m assuming she’s flying into San Antonio?”

“She is. Would you mind? It would be nice not to have to make the drive alone.”

“I would love to have more time with you. You know that.” Steve frowned at her for a moment. “You know that you’re an addiction, right?”

“How am I an addiction?”

“It’s been years since we were close, and suddenly, you’re filling my every thought. I’m not quite sure how this happened so quickly.”

“I think it’s just the natural flow of things. We were such good friends as teenagers, and now as we’re getting to know each other again, it seems like we belong. I don’t know if that makes sense . . .”

“Sure it does!” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “Why didn’t I ask you out as soon as you got back from Europe?”

“Because I was going to college and working at the car dealership, and I had no time for anyone or anything. It’s only been the last couple of years that I’ve slowed down a little, but I’ve been picking up as many hours as I could so I could save up for the pub. No, it’s really the right time for us now. Fate has had a hand in our relationship.”

“Fate? You believe in fate?”

She shrugged. “Maybe not in the traditional sense, but I think God has a hand in when things happen to and for us. I think He knew it was time for us to be together, so He sent you my way.”

“Maybe.” The oven beeped then, so he sat back in his chair and waited for her to get the bread from the oven. “That smells so good!”

“The bread or the stew?” she asked. Tracy couldn’t believe how excited she was for him to try her stew.

“Yes!”

She laughed, digging in his cabinets for bowls and filling them with the stew. Then she cut the bread and buttered two pieces, putting them on small plates and taking them to the table. “What do you want to drink?”

“There are Cokes in the fridge. Just grab a couple.”

She nodded and went to his refrigerator, getting out two bottles of Coke and opening them with the opener he had as a magnet on his fridge. “Your fridge only has one magnet! That’s so sad!”

“Should refrigerators have more than one magnet?” he asked, not sure where she was going.

“You haven’t been in my kitchen, obviously. I have at least fifty magnets covering the front and one side of my fridge. It has all my travels and everything that amuses me covering it.”

“That sounds fun. I’m going to have to see your fridge sometime soon.” He picked up the spoon that was beside his bowl. “This stew looks amazing.”

“I hope you like it as much as I do.”

He took a bite and nodded, smiling. “It’s fabulous!”

After their meal, they did the dishes together, and she told him again he needed to remodel the kitchen. “There’s not even a dishwasher!”

“Do I need a dishwasher? I usually just eat from the foil package.”

She sighed. “You need a dishwasher. You need a modern kitchen.”

“Maybe someday.” He dried the pot she had made the stew in and put it away. “Okay, let’s go see the kittens.”

She grinned. That was the reason she’d come, after all. To see his kittens. She followed him out to the barn, determined not to fall in love with one of them. She loved animals, but she really wasn’t home enough to take care of one.

Ringo ran alongside them, obviously at home all over the ranch. Tracy loved to watch Steve with Ringo. They had a special bond.

He led her to the back of the barn, to a small mound of hay, and there was the mother cat, lying on her side while the kittens nursed. He reached down and picked one up, handing it to her.

Tracy cuddled the kitten under her chin, loving the feel of the fur on her neck. “He’s so soft!” She dropped to her knees in the hay, still snuggling the kitten, reaching out to stroke another. “Are you trying to find them homes?”

He shook his head. “Nah. It won’t hurt for them to wander around here forever. Barn cats are good for a ranch. They keep the mice and rats at bay.”

She shuddered. “I don’t want to think about mice and rats. I hope I don’t have a problem with them in the pub. I didn’t see signs of them, but with as long as the building has been vacant, there’s a good chance.”

“Just get an exterminator in there right away. Not a big deal while it’s still vacant. When do the contractors start their work?”

“Well, I have to have my offer accepted first, but I’m planning on June and July. Realtor says we can close pretty fast with as long as the building has been on the market.” She grinned at him. “I can’t believe I’m finally doing it. All of the blocks are in place.”

“I’m really excited for you!” He held his hand down to help her up as she set the kitten down. “Wanna go watch our movie?”

She nodded. “Yeah, let’s go. I wanted to see that while it was in theaters, but I was always too busy. I need to get my priorities straight. Twilight Zone should always be at the top of my list.”

“Yes, it should. I’ve seen all of the old ones. I think I’m going to buy the whole collection.”

“That would be awesome! I’d watch them all with you.”

“It’s a date.” They held hands as they walked out of the barn. He led her to the stable. “I have a new foal as well. He’s six weeks old. Want to see?”

“Are you trying to romance me with baby animals?” Tracy asked, looking at him skeptically.

“I don’t know. Is it working?”

“Absolutely!” Tracy walked to the foal and stroked its head. “He’s beautiful!” Ringo stayed back, as he had with the kittens. He obviously knew it wasn’t his place to mess with the baby animals.

Steve grinned at her. He remembered her love for animals from high school, and he’d use anything at his disposal to get her to fall for him. He needed her in his life. He knew she was right, and neither of them had been ready for a relationship before. He’d been busy dealing with his father’s cancer, and she’d been working toward her pub. This seemed like just the right time of life for them.

After she’d spent a few minutes with the foal, they went back into the house, and he put the tape into the VCR. “I wish I could get the remote to work, but it’s been finicky.”

“Let me see.” Tracy took the remote from him and closed her eyes. “The connector that touches the battery is dirty. Just needs to be cleaned off.” She opened the back of the remote and removed the battery. Sure enough, there was a green mark on the connector, and she scraped it off with her thumbnail. “There. It’ll work now.”

He stared at her for a minute. “How did you know that without looking?”

She bit her lip. “What do you mean? You saw me take the back off.”

“But you told me what was wrong before you took the back off.”

“Did I?” She couldn’t believe she’d messed up that way. She needed to be more careful. People were going to think she was insane.

He sat down, caught her hand, and tugged her down with him. “Tracy? What aren’t you telling me?”

She sighed. “So you have heard rumors about my family, I’m sure. How we’re all weird?”

“Yeah . . .”

“It seems like the youngest son of the seven always has some sort of strange power. Peter has the ability to see the future . . .”

“But you’re not the youngest of seven sons.”

“No, I’m not. But apparently everyone in the family has some sort of latent power. And last year, all of my sisters were together, and something happened. There was a loud zapping sound and a power outage . . . and we all suddenly had strange powers. Mine is the ability to diagnose what’s wrong with any object by touching it.”

“Really?” Steve wasn’t sure if she was pulling his leg, despite what he’d just seen her do.

She nodded. “And I usually know immediately how to fix it. I knew what was wrong with your truck when you brought it in, and I told the mechanic, and it was an easy fix, so we were able to get you top dollar on your trade-in. I know it’s weird, but it’s true.”

“And your sisters all have strange powers now, too?”

“Yup. It’s fun sometimes. We just told our mom about it on Sunday. Gaylynn and I were in the kitchen together, and it just slipped out.”

He sat back against the couch, staring straight ahead for a moment. “That’s really weird.”

“Does it freak you out? Do you want me to leave?”

“Of course not. It just may take me a little while to process it. I will say, you having the ability to do that will be really handy around the ranch . . . I might keep you.”

She laughed. “Well, as long as you’re not running away screaming into the wind, I guess we’re all good.”

“Then we’re good. I can’t see myself ever running away.” He pressed the button on the remote, and they settled back, watching the movie.

As they watched, she realized that she felt completely relaxed with him. Whether it was because he now knew her secret or because he’d always been a big part of her life, she wasn’t sure. What she was sure of was that she was glad it was him she’d told and not someone else. There was something almost magical about how she felt about Steve, and she wasn’t going to take it for granted. Ever.

After the movie, which she’d barely watched, he walked her to her car and kissed her goodnight. The kiss was soft and lingering. “How am I supposed to be able to drive home now that I’m weak in the knees?” she asked.

He laughed. “Keep your eyes on the road.” As she got into the car, he leaned down and looked in. “When do I get to see you again?”

She sighed. “I’m working ten-hour days all week. Friday for the airport will be the first time. And you can be my date for Marti’s graduation party on Saturday night.”

He frowned. “That’s a really long time away.”

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder?”

“I’m not so sure about that . . . I’ll miss you this week. Can I call?”

“Absolutely. I should be home by eight thirty every night.”

“I’ll call around nine. Will that work?”

She nodded. “I’ll look forward to it.” As she drove away, she realized that she couldn’t imagine a day without him any longer. What had she done to herself?