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“Tempting, but tossing thirteen year old kids in jail isn’t a good idea, not even in Seawolf Beach.”

“Did you talk to their parents?” she asked.

Mac shook his head. “No, but don’t worry. I’ll come up with some way to make them sorry they made such a bad decision.”

When they’d finished eating he stood, offered her his hand, and said, “Time to meet the mutt.”

Loran hesitated, but then she placed her hand in his and stood. He liked the feel of her hand in his, liked it far too much. He didn’t release her as quickly as he should’ve, and she didn’t pull back. For a long moment they stood there, hand in hand, her eyes boring into his as if she was trying to get inside his head. She didn’t look away and neither did he.

Listening to an instinct he’d ignored for a very long time, he leaned down and kissed her. It wasn’t a passionate kiss; he didn’t try to devour her. This kiss was a test. An initial meeting. They were drawn to one another and it was so easy, too natural. He was surprised by the power of her lips on his, by the way the kiss swept him away, made him forget… everything.

There could be more. He knew it, felt it to his bones.

On the end of the kiss Loran slipped her hand from his and stepped back. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes questioning. Curious. Surprised. All too soon she turned away and headed to the porch, where the dog was settled comfortably on his new doggie bed.

His food bowl was empty, but there was water. One favorite old toy sat by his side. The new ones remained untouched.

Bubbles didn’t react to Loran’s presence, other than to raise his head and study her with lazy eyes. That made her feel comfortable enough to move around Mac and bend over to scratch the dog behind his ears. The mutt liked it.

Mac suffered the fleeting optimistic thought that maybe one day she’d touch him like that. That simple kiss had his mind spinning.

“Why don’t we take him for a walk?” Loran asked as she straightened up.

“Bubbles isn’t great on a leash. Either he was never taken for regular walks or it’s been so long he doesn’t remember how.”

“He needs to learn, doesn’t he?” she said.

Did she want to get out of the house? Had the kiss made her question being alone with him?

Mac hesitated. “People will see us together.”

She took a step back. “If that’s a problem for you we can forget it.”

If she thought he was worried about people seeing them together, she was wrong. Some people might be surprised, but did he care? He did not. “Not a problem at all. But you didn’t want Tuck to see us, so I thought…”

Her fingers twitched a little. “I can be too cautious. Maybe on occasion I should take a chance, or two.” She looked at him in a way no woman should look at a man she didn’t intend to bed. There was so much there. Promise. Questions. Indecision. “Besides, I need to work off that burger, and those fries.”

“You ate three fries.”

“Five,” she said. “I grabbed two while you weren’t looking.”

“If you’re around, trust me, I’m looking.”

For a long moment, neither of them said anything.

“Let’s fetch Bubbles,” Loran said. “I’m anxious to see what happens walking a dog who’s forgotten how to behave when he’s on a leash.”

Mac hadn’t pursued a woman in so long, he wasn’t sure he knew how to behave…

* * *

This was… different.

Loran strolled with no purpose, no destination, Mac at her side. He held Bubbles’ leash. He hadn’t been wrong about the dog not knowing how to take a proper walk. Bubbles veered off, turned around, and once got tangled in the leash. She still wasn’t sure how he’d managed that. Fortunately the dog seemed to be getting the hang of it.

The air was still warm. Hot, even. This was Mississippi in July, after all, but the sidewalk was shaded and there was a nice breeze that made the temps tolerable. More than tolerable. There were a few others out and about, walking their own dogs or enjoying a little after-dinner exercise. They all said hello to their Police Chief, nodded, then stared at Loran. Because they didn’t know her? Because she was new in town? Or simply because she was with Mac?

For years her days had been structured and solitary. She could trust no one with her secret. No one. Romance? Why bother? It wouldn’t, couldn’t, last. Henry had taught her that.