On Tuesday, Shannon regrouped and readied herself to take another run at Nick Carlucci. This time she would wait until he got off work. Assuming he got off about the time school let out, she slept in—clear till nine—and felt like a woman of leisure. Or the lazy bum she’d never had a chance to be.After a lengthy shower, she set out on foot to explore the thriving metropolis of Tribute, Texas, population 2,793. Her first stop, about four blocks down Main from her motel, was a place called Dixie’s Diner. The smell of bacon drew her inside.As she entered and took a booth along the far wall, she wondered if the place took its name from a person, or from the fact that it was located in the South. Her answer came a moment later when her waitress brought her a tall tumbler of ice water and a menu. The waitress’s name, according to the red-and-white plastic tag pinned above her right breast, was Dixie. Mystery solved.After a breakfast guaranteed to test the strength of the button on her sla

Nick burst out laughing. Considering what he thought of reporters, and the way he had continually dodged this one for months, he couldn’t believe how good it felt to joke and laugh with her, and had no idea why he was doing it.“How many times,” she said, “did your mother try to fix you up with some girl who sewed her own clothes and had a great personality?”He rolled his eyes. “It was my dad and my brother, but it was more times than I care to count.”“Save us all from our well-meaning families,” she said with a chuckle. “You, too?” he asked.“Oh, yeah. My dad was a cop. A guy had to be pretty sure of himself to knock on my door to pick me up for a date.”“I can imagine. What’s he do now, your dad?” Nick asked.Her smile turned sad. “He died in the line of duty, on 9/11. Same as your dad and brother.”“Ah. Sorry. I didn’t know.”She shook her head. “No reason you should have. Is that why you left New York? Because your dad and brother were gone?”Whatever openness he felt around her

Shannon walked along the granite wall, reading of one heroic deed after another. The most recent event was a man who’d donated his organs and, upon his death, had saved the lives of several people and greatly improved the lives of more.Suddenly she recalled that this was the monument Wade Harrison had erected to honor the organ donor who’d saved his life, as well as other locals who’d made a difference.Shannon turned and found a wooden bench nearby and took a seat, suddenly wanting to talk to Deedra. At this time of day, her best friendwould be at home. Shannon pressed the speed dial button on her cell phone, and a moment later the connection was made.The two friends wasted no breath on small talk. As was their habit, they jumped right into whatever was on their minds.“I thought you’d be home by now,” Deedra complained.“I would be—should be—but this guy is being difficult,” Shannon admitted.“What? You can’t get a guy to talk to you?”“Don’t overdo the I’m so shocked tone,” Shan

“All right. I know I did. What I’m wondering is, how did you know I did? It’s a pretty casual question, did you move here to be near family.Something anyone would ask, if they were curious.” “Something your readers will want to know?”“For right now,” she told him honestly, “it’s what I want to know. What makes you think it’s for any other purpose?”“Your eyes changed.”She blinked. “My eyes changed?”“Your ears grew, all the better to hear me with.”Shannon huffed out a breath. “You’re making fun of me. Never mind. Let’s back up a minute. You said you’d planned to give me a yes or no.”“That’s right.”“So, why didn’t you?”He pulled another rib from the rack on his plate. “Why didn’t I what?”“Oh, man, it’s a good thing I like this brisket too much to throw it at you. You’d try the patience of a saint. Why didn’t you give me a yes or no when I asked if you had family here?”Nick licked a dab of barbecue sauce off the spot between his thumb and forefinger. Slowly. He watched her whil

She made herself look forward during that brief flash of brilliant light.She feared that if she looked at Nick and saw that sharp light on that strong, tense face, she might have a meltdown right there on the walkway.By the time they reached her door, her heart was about to pound its way out of her chest. Not from exertion, but from anticipation, and maybe a wild case of nerves.The Tribute Inn used actual metal keys for its guest rooms. Simpleenough, in theory, but she couldn’t seem to fit hers into the lock. That might have had something to do with the way her hands were trembling, as if she had the palsy.“Need help?”She laughed. “I’d say no, I’ve been putting keys in locks all my life, but tonight I don’t seem—”He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “It’s all right, Shannon. We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. It’s okay to change your mind.”Flash. Lightning traced highlights and shadows on his face, this time giving him a predatory look that