of fresh bread. To prepare two roast beef sandwiches and wrap them in foil took only a few minutes. After spotting the moist chocolate cake Mrs. Plummer had baked, she cut two generous slices and wrapped them, as well.
The bounty tucked into a canvas bag, Laura trotted down the hall to her study. “Mrs. Plummer, do you think you’ll be a while?”
The baby-sitter turned toward Laura. “Do you need to use your computer? I can finish this another time.”
“No, not at all. Actually, I’d like to run out for about an hour or so, but I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
“Take as long as you want, Laura. This computer’s a lot for me to manage and I’d like to get a good start on organizing my recipes. I can work for several hours if you don’t mind.”
Although the possible sacrifice pained her, Laura smiled. “I can stay and help you with the computer.”
“No. If I don’t do it myself, I’ll never learn.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I am,” Mrs. Plummer replied firmly.
Unwilling to risk another offer that might be accepted, Laura retreated quickly and grabbed her car keys and purse.
Houston’s streets were never empty, but now the cars were no longer crammed end to end on the unyielding concrete. The giant city sprawled over more than four hundred square miles, so it was lucky Tucker’s office was located close by. That hadn’t been a consideration in choosing him, but it had been an unexpected bonus. She remembered thinking that it was fate’s hand that he was practically in the neighborhood. Now she wondered if fate was mocking her, sending her out in the night. Still, she didn’t turn around.
When she pulled into Tucker’s parking lot, the light was still on his office—as she’d suspected it would be. But she hadn’t expected the door to be locked. Perhaps he’d simply forgotten to switch off the light when he left, she decided, preparing to leave.
Before she took more than a few steps, the door burst open.
Startled, she dropped the canvas bag.
“Laura? What are you doing here?” Mitch’s exasperated voice washed over her.
Suddenly, she felt incredibly foolish. And beneath the glare of the overhead lights the white of the canvas bag gleamed between them.
Mitch crossed the threshold. As he passed through the doorway, she scrambled to retrieve the dropped dinner, but he was faster.
He held the bag out toward her, his eyes questioning her presence.
She accepted the bag, then swung it lightly. “This is going to sound really stupid, but I was worried that you wouldn’t eat a decent dinner, so I brought you a roast beef sandwich.”
He glanced at the oversize bag. “That must be one big sandwich.”
Laura was grateful for the darkness that camouflaged the telling warmth in her cheeks. “Actually, I brought enough for two.”
“Concerned about Morgan?”
“Who?”
His lips eased into an offhand grin. “My bird. He’s not much on roast beef, though.”
She strove for lightness. “No, but I am.”
Surprise flickered over his features, then faded. “Saving me from a life of burgers and pizza?”
Laura shrugged. “Do you need saving?”
For a moment the silence pulsed between them, tension building in the quiet dark. Then a sudden screech broke the mood. “Hello,” Morgan squawked.
Laura laughed, grateful for the bird’s interruption. “I brought chocolate cake, too. Mrs. Plummer’s finest. And a thermos of coffee.”
“You’ve convinced me.” He held open the door.
Self-conscious, Laura slid by, feeling the brush of hardened muscles, the taut measure of long legs. For an instant she considered lingering, then rushed on. She’d only made him a sandwich, she reminded herself. Nothing to get so riled up about.
Still, her stomach churned as she wandered inside the office, and she felt uncertain now that she was here. Mitch, however, was as relaxed as she was uncomfortable.
He swept the papers from a scarred coffee table, which rested in front of an equally disreputable-looking sofa, and they both sat down.
She frowned. “I hope those weren’t important.”
“Not nearly as important as home-cooked roast beef.”
Laura’s expression brightened. “So, I’m not intruding?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Chagrined, Laura grabbed for her purse.
But Mitch’s hand stopped hers. “I’m still misreading you, I see. I thought you could take a little joke. So where’s this world-famous roast beef?”
Laura released her grip on her purse, realizing once again how badly she was out of practice in dealing with men. “I didn’t say it was world famous, simply home-cooked.”
“In my book, one and the same.”
“Don’t tell me you’re lacking in attention,” she scoffed.
His grin was again easy and mocking. “Depends on the kind of attention you’re talking about.”
Some of her humor faded. Yet she knew he was a charmer, a man who loved women as much as they loved him. It shouldn’t prevent her from sharing a simple supper with him. Keeping that in mind, she shored up her smile. “I don’t think you and Morgan lead a solitary existence. No doubt you have more attention than you need.”
“You might be surprised.”
The words startled her and for a moment she saw past the usual nonchalance in his expression. Within seconds, though, his easy smile was back in place, and she wondered if she had imagined the earlier change. Unwilling to explore the thought further, she opened the sack and pulled out the sandwiches, fussing over them more than necessary.
Mitch played along, digging into the impromptu dinner. “This beats the pizza I’d planned on ordering.”
Laura nodded. “I guessed as much.” Remembering the coffee, she took out the thermos from the bag. “Oh, I forgot to bring cups.”
“I’m not completely without creature comforts. There should be something to drink out of around here.” Mitch rose and searched for cups, tossing aside a box of petrified doughnuts. The mugs he retrieved looked a bit worse for wear, but Laura decided she needed the bracing warmth of some coffee. He sat down again and twisted off the lid of the thermos, and in an instant the tang of fresh coffee filled the small space between them.
Mitch poured coffee into the mugs, then sampled the brew. “I get so used to my own sludge, I forget
