Free Lone Tree by Bobbie O'Keefe Page A

positions were reversed.
    Uh-oh.
    Warily, with her back now against the wall, she
stared back into amused eyes that were as blue as the sky and as confident as
those of a hunter with cornered quarry. Where was Miles? Where was Rosalie? It
was a right small community until she wished for a crowd, and then no one was
around.
    Reed placed a hand on the wall on either side of her,
effectively pinning her in without touching her. “Sure, I’ll back off,” he
said. His eyes held more warm promise than threat, and had Lainie’s skin
tingling even though he wasn’t touching her.
    “For now,” he went on in that lazy drawl. “But one
day I’ll be getting my lasso around you, and I guarantee I won’t be backing off
then.” His gaze holding hers, he touched his forefinger to his mouth, then
pressed it against her lips. “Be warned.” It wasn’t even a real kiss, yet it
was the sexiest touch to her lips she’d ever known.
    And then he walked away.
    Lainie stared straight ahead, her peripheral vision
taking in the fact he’d left the room, and then she drew in a long breath and
blew it out. Big trouble? He was as hot as a forest fire, and all she had to
fight him with was a melted ice cube.
    *
    Two days later, Lainie experienced her first tornado
watch and was introduced to the tornado closet. The room they used for office
supplies was situated off the hallway in the center of the house and was
specially constructed and reinforced. If a watch ever became a warning, she was
told to head for that closet.
    The week brought thunderstorms, wild wind and rain,
but nothing worse than a California storm. Nevertheless, she’d been edgy and
nervous. Fortunately, it was late spring and they were nearing the end of
tornado season. She was warned not to relax for that reason alone, however. A
tornado could form at any time of the year.
    *
    In order to introduce Lainie to his lawyer and
accountant, Miles set up a working midday meal (that was one way to put it
without getting confused) in nearby Farber because both men worked out of
there.
    Lainie’s ice-blue sheath was comfortably cool and as
casually dressy as Miles’s brown slacks and gold-checked western shirt. They
traveled in his custom gold and black SUV, the most luxurious vehicle Lainie
had ever seen. Inside and out.
    “Gorgeous,” she said, taking a long look around
before settling in her seat. Plush ebony upholstery, top of the line sound
system, TV mounted back there, mini fridge.
    “You want to drive?” he asked.
    “Huh?” She snapped her head his way. “You can’t be
serious.”
    He shrugged. “Why not?”
    He meant it, she saw. He’d actually hand over the
keys to this beautiful piece of machinery.
    “You surely do have a beautiful smile, little girl.
You want to come around here and take the wheel?”
    With a grin, she shook her head. “No thanks. I’ll
watch you, see how it handles, and maybe take you up on that offer another
time.”
    When he switched the key on, she barely heard the
engine catch. “You’re a walking, talking contradiction, Lainie Sue. Impulsive
one minute, then wanting to take your time the next.”
    “Yeah, I can be impulsive,” she admitted,
uncomfortably realizing he was right on target. “Yet at other times I want to
know the temperature of the water before I dip my toes in.”
    Like now, she thought. I want to know who you are
before I tell you who I am.
    “I’ll keep that in mind.” He looked thoughtful as he
watched the road. “I’m wondering if impulsive is the best word for you. Seems
to me you’ve got a nervy streak that leads you into taking chances. Maybe even
trouble.”
    Lainie studied his words, trying to figure out if
she’d just been complimented, criticized, or warned, then she decided to take
the observation at face value. She sometimes got the impression she and her
grandfather were like a cat and mouse circling each other—and the most
troubling aspect of that image was that they seemed to keep changing