Free Beyond Temptation by Brenda Jackson Page A

time she looked into his eyes.
    He smiled. “Is that a cute way of telling me that you prefer rooting for the Buffalo Bills?”
    “Not necessarily. Lucky for you I quickly converted when the Panthers came to town.”
    “We native Carolinians do appreciate that,” he said in a voice that was warm and engaging.He straightened his stance. “Are you ready for our walk?”
    “Yes.” Ready but not looking forward to it, she thought further.
     
    Instead of jogging or fast walking, they eased into a nice leisurely walk. Neither said anything for a long while, but Morgan was prepared for Lena to have a lot to say. He knew she hadn’t liked the way her mother, with his help, had orchestrated this stroll.
    Although it was windy, the sun was peeking through the clouds, making it a beautiful day the week before the first day of spring. Not that it mattered in Charlotte. Spring came when spring came. Last year it snowed on the first day of spring. Occasionally, they were visited by the snowstorm the locals called the Beast from the East. Last one had hit a couple of years ago, snowing everyone in the mountains, and surrounding areas, in for a few days.
    Deciding they had walked long enough without conversation he decided to start one. “Nice day, isn’t it?”
    He watched Lena snatch her head around as if she’d forgotten he was there. It was his opinion thatshe looked downright cute, dressed in a green jogging suit and well-worn sneakers and wearing his cap. “Yes.” She then resumed looking straight ahead, up the road, with her mouth shut.
    His lips crinkled at the corners. If she thought he was going to let her get away with one-word responses, she had another thought coming. “Tell me in twenty-five words, but not less than ten, just what do you think is nice about it?”
    She turned her head slightly, and he knew it was taking a lot of her willpower to keep her features expressionless. He could just imagine what she was thinking. When she didn’t say anything he decided to coax her on. “Come on, Lena, you can do it. You’re a Realtor so you have to be full of nice, descriptive words. Try it. I double-dare you.”
    Lena couldn’t help the smile that spread across her features. For some strange reason she found Morgan’s antics endearing. “Okay, let me tell you what’s so nice about it…from a Realtor’s viewpoint.”
    Smiling, he tilted his head downward to hers. “I’m listening.”
    “Well, there’s the scent of spring in the air,” she said, dimpling, then breathing in deeply. “That’salways nice. Not to mention the brisk breeze that’s not too cold. One of the reasons I bought a home in this area was for that lake over there,” she said, pointing to the huge body of water that ran through the subdivision.
    “I love walking around it, smelling all the dogwoods and seeing them bloom. But then, I need to be honest about something. Spring is nice but I like winter better mainly because I love snow.”
    He arched a brow, and a smile touched the corners of his lips. “You like snow?”
    She returned his smile. “Yes. I love watching the snowflakes fall to the ground and cover everything. I like drinking a mug full of hot chocolate while standing at the window looking at the snow fall and wishing I could just go out there and play in it. At least that wasn’t one of the things I had to give up moving from New York. Although I got to see snow more often while living in Buffalo, at least I still get to see it.”
    She glanced up in the sky and blinked against the sun’s brightness and then back at him. “So, how did I do?”
    “You went over your word count.”
    She stopped, tipped her head back and laughed; really laughed. Moments later she stuck her handsin her pockets and continued walking, shaking her head. “I would hate working for you.”
    He chuckled. “You already do.”
    Her head shot up and she stared at him with all amusement gone, wondering if he was trying to remind her of their