“No, darlin’ I haven’t.”

“I’m going back to the table. See you in ten.”

“Go on then, I’ll just stand here and watch.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Is everything all right?” Maggie’s voice sounded sad.

“I’m not mad at you, Maggie. I was just surprised. It’s fine. I talked to Shane. He and I are fine. You and I are fine. It’s all fine.”

Maggie leaned back, sighing in relief. “Thank goodness.”

“That was some kiss. I don’t think I’ve seen him kiss a woman in public twice in one night and certainly not like that. Whew. I need to go home to Arthur. I’m sure Michael is in bed by now and I’m all hot and bothered.” Dee shoved her way out of the booth and stood.

“I’ll see you soon, Dee.” Dee and Cassie hugged and Dee hurried out the door toward home and her husband.

“And I’ll be going soon too. Shane and I are nipping out early.”

“To do what?” A single eyebrow rose and Liv struggled not to smile.

“To play Scrabble.” Cassie’s voice was deadpan.

“Naked Scrabble?” Liv asked, laughing.

“I’ve never thought of that. Dude, that’s a great idea. Strip Scrabble. I’m so getting the board out tonight to see if I can’t lose badly to Kyle.” Maggie winked.

“Just wow. Man oh man, Shane. I don’t think I’ve ever been jealous of you over a woman before but Cassie is sinfully beautiful. And incredibly sexy.” Marc leaned his butt against the table next to theirs.

“What was that all about?” Matt interjected before his little brother could goad Shane any further.

“Maggie mentioned she and I dated a few times. Cassie was caught off guard. It’s all fine now.”

“I saw that. That was some ‘all fine now’ liplock there, Shane.” Kyle took a shot and sank it. “You find out anything about this ex of hers? I’m looking forward to finding him and helping you kick the shit out of him.”

“Nothing. I’ve done some snooping with her name and social security number but I can’t find any records. Some domestic violence records shield the victim so that may be the case. All I have is that the husband’s first name is Terry. I couldn’t find anything on Terry Gambol but she may not have taken his name when they got married.”

“Does she know you’re doing this? Obviously not if you’re having to piece it all together this way.” Matt sighed uneasily. “I don’t think she’s going to be pleased if she finds out you’re investigating without her knowledge.”

“I know, I know. But I want to protect her. God help me, I am falling so fast for this woman I’m in a tail spin. The idea of anyone hurting her kills me. It’s just a little bit of snooping. Just to help.”

His brothers looked at him skeptically.

“I’m out of here. She and I are on our way to my house and if any of you losers calls me and interrupts me with a flat tire or any kind of police emergency, I’ll kick your ass.”

He heard their laughter as he turned and saw the woman he was well on his way to being in love with, waiting for him, wearing a smile.

Nervousness began to creep into her stomach as the drove. The sex, or foreplay she supposed, between them two nights past had been wonderful but Terry’s words were still in her head.

Shane held her hand as he drove them to his place in his big truck. She watched the light of the streetlamps and then the moon, on his face.

“Oh hey, this is Penny’s neighborhood. I didn’t know you lived so close.” Cassie didn’t know why but the thought of Penny’s nearness made her feel better.

“Yeah, she’s just three houses down. Ben and I were good friends, went to school together along with Penny.”

He pulled into his driveway. His house was built in the Craftsman style, not something she’d seen often around Petal. Two large oak trees dominated the front yard, providing shade to the front of the house. The entire front lawn was beautifully landscaped with wildflowers and roses.

“Wow, this is so not what I expected.” She joined him and they walked up to the porch.

“What? You expected some two room bachelor pad with potato chip bags strewn around?”

“No, not really. But this is truly beautiful. So well put together. I don’t think I’ve seen a Craftsman style home around these parts at all. And the landscaping is just gorgeous.”

“The landscaping is all Kyle. Wait until you see the back. One of my friends, the faithless ass**le who cheated with Sandra, my ex, was…is a builder. He helped me with the plans and then my brothers, father, uncle and cousins all came out here and did a lot of the work, from the framing to the paintwork. I love this place.” He opened the door and motioned her inside.

She watched as he turned off and re-set the alarm system. “Just for the front of the house. I’ll show you the back. I want you to know you’re always safe here. Come on through.”

He led her through a big, open living room with exposed wood beams, hardwood floors and large windows. Dark greens and brick reds accented the space. It was a very masculine space dominated by leather couches and deep club chairs. A large fireplace fronted with river rock took up most of one wall.

He opened up glass doors to a view that took her breath away. The large wooden deck overlooked a grassy lawn that sloped down to the lake’s edge. Pretty citronella candles hung on stands around the railing and furniture surrounded a sizeable, built-in outdoor grill.