Free Sleepless Nights (The Donovans of the Delta) by Peggy Webb

now only a memory, and she was hungry.
    She’d just about settled on the cheese and pickles when the doorbell rang.
    “Good evening, madame. I’ve come to rescue you from starvation.”
    The minute she saw him, she forgot about putting Tanner Donovan out of her system.
    “Tanner! You look good enough to eat.”
    “So do you.” He held up the picnic basket. “Will this do instead?”
    “Do I smell Anna’s chicken and dumplings?”
    “Yes, you do. May I come in, or do you plan to attack them on the front porch?”
    “Come in, and don’t you dare drop that basket. That woman’s an angel. She must be telepathic. My stomach’s been sending out hunger signals all evening.”
    Tanner stepped into the entry hall. “The food is Anna’s, the idea is mine. I plan to be handsomely rewarded.”
    “Good Southern girls always say proper thank yous.”
    “I was thinking of improper.”
    “If I weren’t starving, I’d probably show you the door.”
    Tanner took her arm. “You never could tell a lie. Your beautiful eyes give you away.” Leaning down, he kissed her lightly on the lips. “You want me as much as I want you.”
    She stepped back, put her hands on her hips, and looked him straight in the eye. “That’s true. If I weren’t so hungry, I’d probably have my way with you right here in the hall. As it is, your virtue is safe with me—at least until after the chicken and dumplings.”
    “I’d advise you to eat plenty. You’re going to need all your strength for what I have in mind.”
    “Promises, promises.” She took his arm and led him into her kitchen. He looked so perfect leaning casually against her Aunt Emma’s oak butcher-block table, just the way he used to. She’d have to remember that he wasn’t perfect, that love always came second with him.
    Turning her back to him, she opened a cabinet and took down a plate. “Have you eaten?”
    “No. I brought enough for two.”
    “Since you’re supplying the food, I suppose it would be rude of me not to invite you to stay. Why don’t you get the silver? It’s in the same place Aunt Emma used to keep it.”
    She watched as he walked to the correct drawer without hesitation. Amazing that after eleven years he remembered such a small detail. She wondered what other small details he remembered.
    “How is your Aunt Emma? Mom said that she’s in a nursing home now.”
    “Yes. When my parents moved to Nashville, they took her with them.” She placed the plates on a small table underneath a stained-glass window. “Her memory comes and goes. Most days she thinks she’s Betsy Ross. So far she’s stitched about eighty-five stars on a flag she’s making.” Amanda chuckled. “Poor old soul. It’s sad to see a good mind go, but she seems happy.”
    Tanner brought the silver to the table. “I’m glad you bought her house. I’ve always liked this house.”
    “So have I.”
    “Is that four-poster bed still upstairs?”
    He was standing so close, she could see the throbbing of his pulse in his throat. Memories and desire washed over her. She clutched the side of the table, hoping it would keep her from grabbing him and never letting go.
    “Yes,” she whispered.
    When he reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, she thought she’d melt. Instead she stood perfectly motionless, hoping that starvation would keep her from doing something foolish.
    “You were wearing green, just as you are now.” His wonderful fingers massaged her through the silk of her blouse. “Remember, Mandy?”
    “I don’t want to remember.”
    “I think you do.” He caught her other shoulder and turned her slowly toward him. With his forefingers he began tracing a slow line toward her breasts. The heat of his touch coursed through her. She saw the languid look of desire in his eyes as his fingertips found their mark.
    “It was in January.”
    “February.” She considered it a miracle that she could talk. His hands were working magic, and she was completely under