him? He was going to interfere in her work in Royal, interfere in her life, stir up trouble and make her want him. The last part scared her. She didn’t want Aaron involved too soon because he was a man who was accustomed to taking charge and to having things his way.
Watching him, she gave herself to dancing around the floor with him, to looking into brown eyes that held desire and a promise of kisses, to doing what he said—having fun and forgetting the problems for just a few minutes. The problems wouldn’t go away, but she could close her mind to them long enough to dance with Aaron and have a relaxing evening.
As they danced the beat quickened. Smiling, she shut her mind to everything except dancing and music and a drumming beat that seemed to match her heartbeat. The problems would be waiting, but for a few minutes, she pushed them aside.
Her gaze lowered to Aaron’s mouth and her own lips parted. Having him close at hand stirred up memories she had been trying to forget. If only she could go back and undo that night with him, to stop short at kissing him.
The dance ended and when a ballad began he held her hand to draw her closer.
“Aaron, I thought we were going to have one dance and then go order dinner,” she said, catching her breath.
“I can’t resist this. I’ve been wanting to dance with you and hold you close.”
The words thrilled her, scared her and tormented her. They danced together and she was aware of pressing lightly against him and moving in step with him. Memories of being in his arms became more vivid. His aftershave was faint but she recalled it from before. Too many things about him were etched clearly in her memory, which hadn’t faded any in spite of her efforts to try to avoid thinking about him.
The minute the song ended, she stepped away and smiled. “Now, we’ve danced. Let’s go order so we get dinner tonight.”
“There, that’s good to see you relax a little and laugh and smile. That’s more the way I remember you.”
“I think you just wanted to get your way.”
“No. If I just wanted to get my way, we wouldn’t be here right now. We’d be upstairs in my room.”
She laughed and shook her head, trying to make light of his flirting and pay no attention to it.
At their table she looked over the menu. She selected grilled salmon this time and sipped her cold water while Aaron drank a beer.
“See, it’s good to let go of the problems for at least a brief time. You’ll be more help to others if you can view things with a fresh perspective.”
“I haven’t done much of this. The calls for help have been steady although it’s not like it was at first. We’ve had some really good moments when families found each other. That’s a triumph and joy everyone can celebrate. And it’s touching when pets and owners are reunited. Those are the good moments. Frankly, I’ll be ready to have my peace and quiet back.”
Her phone dinged and she took it out. “Excuse me,” she said as she read the text message and answered it.
Their dinner came and they talked about the houses that were being rebuilt by his company and the families who would eventually occupy them. With Aaron she had a bubbling excitement that took away her appetite. She didn’t want him to notice, so she kept eating small bites slowly. Before she was half-through, she got a call on her phone.
“Aaron—” She shrugged.
“Take the call. I don’t mind.”
She talked briefly and then ended the call. “That’s Mildred Payne. She’s elderly and lives alone. Her family lives in Waco. Her best friend was one of the casualties of the storm. She just called me because her little dog got out and is lost. Mildred’s crying and phoned me because I’ve helped her before. I’m sorry, Aaron, but I have to go help her find her dog.”
He smiled. “Come on. I’ll get the waiter and then I’ll take you and we’ll find the dog.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to be with you and maybe I can help.”
“I need to run to my suite and get my coat.”
“I’ll meet you in the lobby near the front door in five minutes.”
“Thanks.”
“Wouldn’t miss a dog hunt with you for anything,” he said as they parted.
She laughed and rushed to get her coat. When she came back to the lobby, Aaron was standing by the door. He had on a black leather bomber jacket and once again just the sight of him made her breathless.
His car was waiting outside and a doorman held the door for her as Aaron went around to slide behind the wheel. She told him the address and gave him directions. “You’re turning out to be a reliable guy,” she said. “I appreciate this.”
“You don’t know the half about me,” he said in an exaggerated drawl, and she smiled.
“To be truthful, I’m glad I don’t have to hunt for the dog by myself. I do know the dog. It’s a Jack Russell terrier named Dobbin. If you’ll stop at a grocery I’ll run in and get a bag of treats because he’ll come for a doggie treat.”
“I’ll stop, but if we were home and I was in my own car, we wouldn’t have to. My brother has a dog and I keep a bag of treats in the trunk of my car. That dog loves me.”
“Well, so do I,” she said playfully. “You’re willing to hunt for Dobbin.”
“When we find Dobbin, we’ll go back to the Cozy Inn and I’ll show you treats for someone with big blue eyes and long brown hair—”
“Whoa. You just find Dobbin and we’ll all be happy,” she said, laughing. “Seriously, Aaron, I appreciate you volunteering to help. It’s cold and it’s dark out. I don’t relish hunting for a dog, and Dobbin is playful.”
“So am I if you’ll give me half a chance,” he said. She shook her head.
“I’m not giving you a chance at all. Just concentrate on Dobbin.”
“I’ll only be a minute,” he said, pulling into the brightly lit parking lot of a convenience store. He left the engine running with the heater on while he hurried inside. She watched him come out with a bag of treats.
“Thanks again,” she said.
“Hopefully, Dobbin will be back home before we get there. You must get calls for all kinds of problems.”
“I’m glad to help when I can. I’m lucky that my house didn’t have a lot of damage and I wasn’t hurt. Mildred had damage to her house. She’s already had a new roof put on and windows replaced. She has a back room that has to be rebuilt, but she was one of the fortunate ones who got help from her insurance company and had a construction company she’d worked with on other jobs, so she called them right after the storm.”
“That’s the best way. Make the insurance call as soon as possible.”
“It
