They spent all of dinner talking about mutual friends. Gage brought her up to date on various weddings, divorces and births.
“I can’t believe Sally has twins,” Kari said, as they moved to the porch and sat on the wooden swing.
“Two girls. I told Bob he has his work cut out for him once they become teenagers.”
“Fortunately that’s a long way off.”
Kari set her glass of wine on the dusty, peeling table beside the swing and leaned back to look up at the sky. It might be after dark, but it was still plenty hot and humid. She could feel her dress sticking to her skin. Her head felt funny—fuzzy, heavy and more than a little out of sync. No doubt it was due to the combination of the fear she’d experienced earlier in the day and a little too much wine with dinner. She didn’t normally allow herself more than half a glass on special occasions, but tonight she and Gage had nearly split the bottle.
Gage stretched out his long legs. He didn’t seem bothered by the wine. No doubt his additional body mass helped, not to mention the fact that he wouldn’t have spent the past several years trying to maintain an unnaturally thin body.
“Tell me about life in New York,” he said.
“There isn’t much to tell,” she admitted, wondering if she should be pleased or worried that he’d finally asked her a vaguely personal question. “When I arrived, I found out that small-town girls who had been told they were pretty enough to be a model were spilling out of every modeling agency within a thirty-mile radius. The competition was tough and the odds of making it into the big time were close to zero.”
“You did okay.”
She glanced at him, not sure if he was assuming or if he actually knew. “After the first year or so, I got work. Eventually I made enough to support myself and pay for college. As of last month, I have teaching credentials, which is what I always wanted.”
Gage glanced at her. “You’re still too skinny to be a PE teacher.”
She laughed. “I know. I sure won’t miss all those years of dieting. I’m proud to tell you that I’ve worked my way up from a size two to a six. My goal is to be a size ten and even eat chocolate now and then.”
He swept his gaze over her. She half expected a comment on her body, but instead he only asked, “So what kind of teacher are you?”
“Math at the middle-school level,” she said.
“A lot of those boys are going to have a crush on you.”
“They’ll get over it.”
“I don’t know. I still get a hankering for Ms. Rosens. She taught eighth grade social studies. I don’t think I’d bothered to notice girls before. Then she walked into the room and I was a goner. She married the high school football coach. It took me a year to get over it.”
She laughed.
They rocked in silence for a few minutes. Life was so normal here, Kari thought, enjoying the quiet of the evening. Instead of sirens and tire screeches, there were only the calls of the night critters. All around Possum Landing people would be out on their porches, enjoying the stars and visiting with neighbors. No one would worry about half a glass of wine causing facial puffiness, or being too bloated for a lingerie shoot. No one would lose a job for gaining three pounds.
This was normal, she reminded herself. She’d nearly been gone long enough to forget what that was like.
“Why teaching?” Gage asked unexpectedly.
“It’s what I always wanted.”
“After the modeling.”
“Right.”
She didn’t want to go there—not now. Maybe later they would rehash their past and hurl accusations at each other, but not tonight.
“Where are you applying?”
“To schools around Texas. There are a couple of openings in the Dallas area and in Abilene. I have some interviews scheduled. That’s why this seemed like the perfect time to come back and fix up the house. Then I can move on.”
She paused, expecting him to respond. But he didn’t.
Which was just as well, because she suddenly found that sitting next to him on the old swing where he’d kissed her for the first time was more difficult than she would have thought. Her chest felt tight and her skin tingled all over.
It was just the wine, she told herself. Or it was the old memories, swimming around them like so many ghosts. The past was a powerful influence. No doubt she would need a little time to get used to being back in Possum Landing.
“Did you apply locally?” Gage asked.
“No.”
She waited, but he didn’t ask why.
“Enough about me,” she said, shifting in her seat and angling toward him. “What about your life? Last I heard, you were still a deputy. When did you run for sheriff?”
“Last year. I wasn’t sure I’d make it my first time out, but I did.”
She wasn’t surprised. Gage had always been good at his job and well liked by the community. “So you got what you always wanted.”
“Uh-huh.” He glanced at her. “I was always real clear about my goals. I grew up here. I’m a fifth-generation resident of Possum Landing. I knew I wanted to see the world, then come back home and make my life here. So I did.”
She admired his ability to know what he wanted and go after it. She had never been quite that focused. There had been the occasional powerful distraction. One of them was sitting right next to her.
“I’m glad you’re where you want to be,” she said. Then, because she wasn’t always as bright as she looked, she said, “But you never married.”
Gage smiled. “There have been a few close calls.”
“You always were a favorite with the ladies.”
His smile faded. “I never gave you cause to worry when we were together. I didn’t fool around on you, Kari.”
“I never thought you did.” She shrugged. “But there were plenty of women eager to see if they could capture your attention. The fact that you and I were going out didn’t seem to impress them.”
“It impressed me.”
His voice seemed to scrape along her skin like a rough caress. She shivered slightly.
“Yes, well, I…” Her voice trailed off. So much for being sophisticated, she thought wryly. Yup, her time in the big city had sure polished her.
“It’s getting late,” Gage said.
He rose, and she wasn’t sure if she was sad or relieved that he was going. Part of her didn’t want the evening to end, but another part of her was grateful that she wouldn’t have another chance to say something stupid. As much as she’d grown and matured, she’d never quite been able to kick that particular habit.
She stood as well, noticing again how tall he was. Especially in his worn cowboy boots. Barefoot, he only had four inches on her. Now she had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze.
The look in his eyes nearly took her breath away. There was a combination of confidence and fire that made her insides sort of melt and her breathing turn ragged.
What on earth was wrong with her? She couldn’t possibly be feeling anything like anticipation. That would be crazy. That would be—
“You’re still the prettiest girl in Possum Landing,” he said as he took a step toward her.
She suddenly felt overwhelmed by the Texas heat. “I, um, I’m not really a girl anymore.”
He