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He would, tonight And if Ballard didn’t phone by this evening… Why wait for evening? He zipped his fly, slid his feet into a pair of ot Jack’s answering machine

“Jack, it’s Gray I need that data about Dawn Kitteridge’s kid ASAP I’ on you, man Get the info to me fast, okay?”

Gray snapped the phone shut Ten to one, she had the boy living so that road where he’d chased her and her car ran out of gas She’d probably been visiting the kid that day Thomas, his name was Jack had learned that much Tommy Nice nae like? Baseball? Football? He’d never thought much about kids one way or another except for his ever-expanding batch of cousins, but he could…

“Whoa”

He blinked He was going fro a husband and father, and he hadn’t even consulted with the lady he wanted to marry Intended to ht over the bathroom sink

His friends back east would never believe it Graham Baron, a study in doh they’d all taken turns teasing hi that one day he’d fall and when he did, he’d fall hard Wishful thinking, he’d figured—but they were right He’d gone down like the proverbial ton of bricks and the craziest thing was, he was happy about it

Whistling softly, he lathered his face and drew the razor along his jaw One more hour until he san Until he went for broke and told her everything What if he said the hell aiting that hour? If he went straight downstairs, to where she worked, swung her into his arms and kissed her and neverelse Would she kiss hiht do both First the kiss, because he wouldn’t let her go until he felt her mouth soften under his and, yes, it would soften She couldn’t resist his kisses any more than he could resist hers Then the slap, because no nation He loved that about her, all that fire and strength—

Gray cocked his head Was that somebody at the door? He turned off the water, swabbed at his face with a towel, looped it around his neck and went to find out Maybe it was the guy who restocked the minibar When he fished out that can of soda, he’d noticed…

It wasn’t the ht about her, wanted her…and she was here, yet another small miracle in a week of them He felt a foolish smile curl over his mouth

“Sweetheart Honey, I was just thinking of—”

The words died on his tongue So Dawn’s eyes ild; her face was drained of all color She was tre, and when he reached out to draw her into his arh hiht to the h his head, every last one of thee

“Daeetheart, what’s happened?”

She slipped past hiht of her body brushing his He caught her by the shoulders She tried to pull away but he held on tight

“Talk to ”

Dawn stared at hio crazy Lunch with Cassie had triggered it but the truth was that horrible questions and doubts had been tor around inside her head like tiny insects She’d done her best to ignore the back no matter how hard she swatted them away