Dylan walked around the grounds of the old Wallace place, still stunned at the momentous decision he was considering. Ever since Jasper called him this morning to say that the current owner wasn’t interested in selling off pieces of the property but would consider selling it all if the price were right, Dylan had been mulling over his options and coming to one conclusion.

He wanted the Wallace property. He wanted the land, the house, all the promise and potential that settling right here in Blossom Falls brought. Which was insanity considering that, for his entire life, the last thing he thought he wanted was to plant roots down anywhere. Hitting the road, finding places to travel, new crowds to play to had been the only things he wanted. Or thought he wanted.

Yet he’d done all that and he hadn’t found any more peace or happiness than before he left Blossom Falls. If anything, quite the opposite.

But this? Buying this property, making it his? This felt right. Just like a lot of things that had been happening since he arrived.

Like that kiss. When he’d set out to find Tessa, he hadn’t any intention of doing what he’d done. But kissing her had been the most natural thing he’d done in a long time, and he didn’t regret it.

He looked over to his aunt, who had just finished circling the front of the house. “The bones of the old place seem solid. You could do a lot worse. And I’m not just saying that because I would love nothing more than to have you five minutes away from me again.”

“Of course you’re not,” he teased. He studied the front of the two-story structure that had once been painted white but had dulled to gray over the decades, the wide, inviting porch that—if his foot going through the wood was any indication—had started to rot, and the windows that had been broken and the hinges loose. But he didn’t really see problems, only potential.

“What are you going to do?” she prodded him.

“I’ll take a day or two just to be sure I haven’t lost my mind. If I’m still wanting it, I’ll have Jasper reach out with an offer.” He checked his watch. “I should get going. Did you want to head over to the farmhouse with me? Say hello?”

She looked away. “Nah. I have a roasted chicken in the oven at home. But tell everyone I said hello.”

He wanted to ask her if her sudden avoidance of the farm had anything to do with the news that Joe Montenegro had been seen having ice cream with Jan Huckleberry yesterday, but it wasn’t his business, and he doubted she’d say anything even if he asked.

“All right. I’ll see you later,” he said and hugged her before getting into the truck and driving to the farmhouse, the thought of seeing Tessa again bringing a smile to his face.

A half-dozen cars were parked in the drive, none of which he recognized. Curious, he headed inside, where the kitchen was empty but the sound of voices and laughter, high and definitely feminine, coming from the other room, told him where the party was located.

“Good evening,” he said uncertainly as he stepped in the room and found nearly every seat taken by bright, eagerly smiling women of various ages, whose attention was now decidedly on him. He gulped, looking for a familiar face.

Tessa sat in the middle of the couch, a sly, satisfied expression on her face, likely at the look of bewilderment on his own. “Why, Dylan. We’re so glad you could join us,” she said. “You remember Claudia?”

He looked to her right, recognizing the older woman. “Course I do. Hi, Claudia.”

“Dylan, I hope you don’t mind the intrusion,” Claudia said. “But we had a last-minute cancellation at the bookstore where we were supposed to have our book club meeting, and Tessa was kind enough to offer up the farm.”

What a happy coincidence. Here he was looking forward to a little alone time with Tessa, maybe even getting a repeat of the kiss from the night before, and she was hosting half the town in the front room.

“You should stay, Dylan,” a blond woman said from the rocking chair in the corner. “We’d love a man’s perspective on things.”

Stay? In a room full of women all looking at him like he was the last piece of chocolate cake? “I’m afraid I wouldn’t be of much help on that—”

“Please, Dylan. We insist,” Tessa said with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Dad’s joining us, too, if you’re worried you’ll be outnumbered.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” the older Montenegro said from down the hall at that moment. After entering the room, he eased onto the La-Z-Boy recliner that had been left open for him. A couple of women offered to help him down, fluffing pillows around him as they did, which, instead of fussing he was capable of seating himself as Dylan expected him to say, Joe only smiled and thanked them.

From Tessa’s expression, she wasn’t any less surprised than him.

“All right. I guess I can stay for a moment.” Even if only for the entertainment factor.

It was nearly midnight when Dylan heard the bedroom door three rooms away slowly creak open and the faint but unmistakable sound of footsteps creaking down the hall and to the stairs. His plan to appear to have gone to bed seemed to have done the trick.

He just had to give Tessa a few more minutes to get into her secret treat stash before he sprung his appearance on her, since the entire night, she’d done her best to avoid any alone time with him.

Quietly he pulled on a shirt and jeans, careful as he crept down the hall and down the stairs. As he’d suspected, she was sitting at the bar with a mug of tea in her hands and pile of cookies in front of her. She had one such cookie midair when he stepped inside the room.

“I knew you were holding out on me. Where have you been keeping those treasures?” he asked, enjoying the horror that filled her face as she realized she was busted.

Okay, maybe not so much enjoying it since there were better reactions he’d hoped to invoke in the woman.

Tessa bit into the cookie, glancing nervously around the room as if looking for an excuse to make an unexpected exit. “What makes you think I was hiding these?”

“Because I know that growing up with five brothers in the house taught you a thing or two about stashing the good stuff.”

She didn’t deny it, instead taking another bite that she chased with a mouthful of tea.

“You going to share?” he asked, nodding toward the cookies.

Reluctantly she took two from her pile and slid them his way. Dylan considered taking the seat next to her but then opted to remain standing opposite her so as to be able to study her better.

“It was an interesting night, wouldn’t you say?” he asked.

“It was fine. Dad seemed to really enjoy himself,” she added begrudgingly.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all,” she said in a tone that told him it definitely was. “But after all these years of having no interest in the women who pushed themselves at him, it’s a bit shocking to see this about-face. Did you know he’s actually going on a date tomorrow night? With Tansy Mortensen, no less.”

“Tansy? Which one was she?”

“The redhead who kept cooing every time he said something.”

He managed not to laugh, knowing exactly who she meant. “I take it you’re not particularly happy about this? You know, it’s been ten years since your mom died,” he said in a softer tone. “It was bound to happen.”

“You don’t think I know that?” she asked. “Of course he was bound to date. I just want to be sure he’s doing it for the right reasons. Why now, when, for the past ten years, he’s been fine with how things were? I mean, what if the accident caused some sort of brain hemorrhage?”

He smiled. “I’m sure he’s fine. If anything, I think this accident made him face a lot of realities. Made him take stock of things, maybe realize that his life has been kind of lonely these past few years. With you guys all growing up and moving on with your own lives, it’s only bound to get lonelier.”

She took another sip of tea, as if mulling his words. Her hair was pulled up with a headband of some kind, and her face, even absent makeup, was glowing and radiant. He was getting other ideas, ideas about what she might do if he tried to kiss her again.

She glanced up from her cup, almost as if sensing his thoughts. Her green eyes widened as if she confirmed her suspicions. She cleared her throat and set her cup down, faking a yawn. “Well, it’s pretty late. I think I’m going to turn in.”

He shook his head, letting her know his disappointment. “Chicken.”

She froze. “Chicken? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He leaned forward, resting on his elbows. “You’re chicken because you spent the entire evening doing your best to avoid me. And thereby avoided talking about what happened last night.”

“Avoiding you?” She forced a laugh. “You’re a bit full of yourself.”

“Isn’t that why you decided to invite half the female population here tonight for a book club meeting when you haven’t even read the book?”

“How would you know if I’ve read it or not?”

He raised a brow. “Have you?”

“That’s beside the point. I doubt that half the people here tonight read it, either. Most of them only come to these things for the wine and the company.”

“You didn’t invite them here to avoid me?”

“I said that already. I invited them here because they wouldn’t have had anywhere else to meet otherwise.”

“Very generous. I was thinking you were worried that maybe you would find yourself unable to resist my charms again.”

She scowled. “Oh, I can resist them, all right. Sorry to tell you but you’re not as irresistible as you think.”

“Is that right? Maybe you should give me another chance to find out. Just to be sure.”

She jumped up, moving another foot back. “Nice try, but not going to happen.”

“Are you telling me you didn’t enjoy that kiss, because I sure as hell did and haven’t thought about much else since.”

“Is that why you disappeared like you did the entire day?”

Was that what she thought? Avoiding her was the last thing he’d been doing today. “My absence had nothing to do with avoiding you. I promise.” He grinned as another thought occurred to him. “Are you saying that you missed me?”

“Like a dog misses fleas.”

“Are you the dog in this analogy or am I?” he teased, coming round the counter, enjoying the flush on her cheeks that seemed to heighten the closer he got.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” she said. “Don’t go getting any more ideas about kissing me, Dylan Jamison. That kiss was a mistake and it’s not one I plan on repeating.”

“You didn’t like it?” He took another step forward. “Because I got the distinct impression that you were enjoying it as much as I was.”

“That’s beside the point. I’m leaving in a few days, and eventually you’ll be leaving, too. There’s no need to complicate things any more than they already are.”

“I like complications.”

“I bet you do. But I don’t. My life is perfectly complication-free right now, and that’s precisely how it’s going to stay. Now, before you do something you’re going to regret—”

“Oh, I definitely wouldn’t regret it.”

But she continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “—I’m heading to bed, and when I see you tomorrow, we’re both going to pretend that nothing happened. Got it?”

She could pretend all she wanted but he’d seen the flash of passion in her eyes a moment ago, the same flash that she’d had when he kissed her the night before—and she kissed him back. And he was determined that he’d see that again, and soon.

But instead, he simply said, “Whatever you say, Tessa.”

She looked like she had been ready to argue, but thrown off by his compliance, she opened her mouth and shut it again. “All right. Good night.”

“Sweet dreams.”

Without another word, she whirled around and scurried out, leaving him smiling as she did.

Because if he were any other man and she were another person, he might have conceded defeat. But they weren’t. He’d known Tessa Montenegro since she was nine years old, and he knew when she was lying, and she had been lying, all right.

She knew this wasn’t over. So did he.

And although he didn’t yet know how Tessa fit in the grand scheme of what he saw for his life, he was willing to find out.

Tessa rounded the corner of the road Friday evening, her ire and frustration no less now than it had been when she first set out on this walk an hour ago in an effort to gain clarity.

For a guy who had been turning on the charm as thick and heavy as he had the other night—telling her how much he wanted to kiss her and that he hadn’t been avoiding her—Dylan had done a remarkable job making himself scarce over the next twenty-four hours.

Okay. So maybe she was as much mad and disappointed in him as she was in herself because, try as she might, she still hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss and how much she wanted more. Not just of kisses, but of Dylan’s time, his energy, his conversation.

How was it that even after all this time, spending any kind of time with the guy made her feel more alive and happier than she’d been in a long time? Which was probably why, when she woke up yesterday, her thoughts had immediately gone to Dylan and she’d had a rush of strange excitement at seeing him again, despite all her assertions to the contrary.

Coming downstairs and discovering that he and Finn had left earlier to drive to Petaluma to talk with some suppliers and wouldn’t be back until the next day had left her more disappointed than she had any right to feel. Mostly because she would have to sit on all these conflicting emotions without anyone to vent her frustration on, which only made her more furious.

Ahead of her, she caught sight of Finn’s Jeep parked in his usual spot and her stomach fluttered. They were back.

She swallowed a moment of trepidation as she stood outside the door of the kitchen. He couldn’t see how much his absence had impacted her.

The sound of laughter inside puzzled her as she tried to recognize it. Giving up, she opened the door and stepped inside, almost not quite believing the scene before her.

Elle was standing on a stool over at the island, Tessa’s old apron wrapped around her as she mixed something in a large bowl in front of her. More bewildering was the figure next to her, wearing her mom’s old apron as he attempted to crack an egg into another bowl. They both looked up to see her and smiled. The same smile.

Something fluttered again low in her belly as she took in their faces, not to mention the mess between the two of them.

“Hi, Tessa!” Elle chirped happily.

“Hey, Elle,” Tessa said and came to the other side of the counter to see them better. “What are you guys up to?”

“Dylan and I are making chocolate chip cookies together. But I don’t think Dylan’s very good.”

“I can see that,” she said, smiling as she spotted more egg on the outside of the bowl than inside, along with a lot of white shells.

“A little appreciation, please, ladies,” Dylan said, seeming to take their criticism in stride. Using a fork, he worked on digging the eggshell fragments from the bowl, but after a minute of getting nowhere, he put the fork down. Picking up the bowl, he slid the contents in with the rest of the ingredients. “It adds protein,” he added and winked at them both.

“Sure. Protein,” Tessa said, unable to stop returning his smile.

Holy Josephine.

With his blond hair swooping down over his brow despite his attempt to push it away with the back of his hand, his brown eyes flecked with gold that were studying her now with interest, and that sly grin on his face, it was hard not to appreciate how good he looked.

Apron or not, he exuded sexy masculinity.

“Do you want to help?” Elle asked.

“Oh. I don’t know,” Tessa said, pulling her gaze from Dylan’s. “I should check my work email and make sure my dad doesn’t need anything.”

“I’m sure your mail can wait, considering it is Friday evening,” Dylan said. “And last I checked, your dad was just fine. Getting ready for his date.”

Right. How could she forget? “I’m guessing your mom knows you’re here this time, right?” she asked Elle.

“Yep. Not only that, but because she has to work a double tonight, she’s letting me sleep over.”

“A sleepover? Really?” she asked, glancing over to Dylan.

“I’m afraid so. She’s stuck with me. Your dad said she could take Aidan’s room, which means she’ll be as far away from my snoring as possible.”

Elle giggled. “I guess we’re going to be next door to each other,” she said and glanced shyly at Tessa. “But I don’t snore. You don’t have to worry.”

The shuffling of steps outside the kitchen drew Tessa’s gaze to the doorway as her dad appeared freshly shaven, his hair still damp and slicked back, and his best pressed blue shirt tucked into jeans. Her stomach sank. He definitely was going all out for tonight’s date.

Dylan let out a low whistle. “Looking good, Joe. Who did you say you were going out with?”

“Tansy Mortensen,” Tessa muttered.

Dylan nodded. “Solid choice there. So you’re saying we shouldn’t wait up for you?”

What exactly was Dylan implying? That her dad would spend the night with some woman on his first date? She glared at him, but he wasn’t looking at her.

The front doorbell rang. “Looks like she’s here,” her dad said, suddenly looking a little paler than he had all day.

“Dad, are you sure you’re okay? You know, if you’re not feeling up to it, I could go tell her that you’ll have to postpone it for another night.” Or never. “You just had hip surgery. I’m sure she would understand.”

“No, no. I’ll be fine. Nothing to worry about.” He patted Tessa on the arm, smiling reassuringly. “You all have a good night now and don’t worry about me.”

She watched him walk out and listened as he opened the door for his guest.

“Did you tell Tessa what was on tonight’s agenda?” Dylan asked Elle, even though they both knew she hadn’t.

“After we make cookies, we’re ordering pizza from Mama Leoni’s, which Dylan said is the best pizza in the entire state. Then we’re going to play some games, and after, we’re having a movie night. And then tomorrow we’re going to the festival.”

“Wow. That’s quite the itinerary you’ve got there,” Tessa said, trying to focus on Elle and not her dad, who, from the sound of it, had just closed the car door.

“I know. Ever since my mom said I could come yesterday, I’ve been working on all the things I wanted to do this weekend with you and Dylan.”

Tessa paused. “Me and Dylan?”

“Yup. You did tell me last time that you’d show me how to play Speed, right? Wasn’t that what it’s called?”

“Yeah, that’s what it’s called.” Tessa glanced over to Dylan, who was grinning from ear to ear, not even trying to hide his satisfaction. It was as if he’d planned this. Known that bringing Elle over would mean she’d have to interact with him despite her request to the contrary.

She didn’t really see much choice now, did she?

“I would love nothing more than to hang out with you. So, what’s the movie on tonight’s agenda?” she asked, popping a chocolate chip into her mouth.

“Dirty Dancing. Don’t worry, my mom already said we could watch it as long as Dylan forwards through all the gross stuff.”

Dirty Dancing?

She glanced over at him again. He winked.

Oh. He was good.

It was just after ten and Tessa was in the kitchen drizzling a gallon of butter on their second bowl of popcorn when she saw the headlights of a car turn into their drive and stop.

Dad was back. And earlier than she expected. She squinted as she tried to make out the occupants sitting inside.

She shouldn’t be spying like this. She would only see something she couldn’t unsee. Turning around, she returned to the island and grabbed the salt shaker and doused the popcorn liberally before grabbing the vanilla ice cream from the freezer.

She was pouring the sweet soda over three tall glasses filled with ice cream when she heard the back door jiggle, and a moment later, her dad came inside.

She tried to act surprised to see him. “Hey, Dad. You’re back early. How did it go?”

“Fine, pumpkin.” He came over and watched as she continued pouring, the foam rising precariously close to the top of the last glass. “Tansy sure likes to talk, though. I’m afraid I’m not used to so much conversation, what with living with the boys for so long. Frankly, it wore me out.”

She smiled, pleased for admittedly selfish reasons that her dad wasn’t as taken with Tansy as she evidently had been with him. “Well, we’re all about to watch Dirty Dancing in the other room if you want to join us. I can make you a root beer float. I think we have some cream soda if you prefer that over the root beer.”

He patted her shoulder. “I think I’m just going to turn in. You go enjoy yourself and I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Dad,” she said, kissing him on his cheek before watching him lumber away.

Guilt hit her as she watched him go, suddenly seeming older and more alone than he had before. Sure, it was tough seeing him flirt and talk about dating women when she’d only ever seen him act like that with her mom. But if that’s what he wanted, what he needed, she had to let go of this sadness. Had to be happy for him.

“You okay?” Dylan asked from the doorway.

“Just saying good night to Dad. He went to his room.”

Dylan nodded. “I heard.”

She met his gaze, noticing the sympathy in the depths of those brown eyes, eyes that didn’t miss a thing.

“He’s going to be okay, you know.”

She nodded. “I know. It’s just going to take me a little time to get used to it.”

From the other room, the opening song to the movie began playing and Elle called out, “It’s starting. Are you guys coming?”

Dylan moved forward and scooped up two of the glasses. “Guess we should probably get in there.”

She smiled, suddenly glad that Dylan was here with her, as he seemed to be for any momentous events in her life.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”