At the Rancher's Request. Sara Orwig

some rooms held several pictures of her, which Savannah could understand. She would have probably done the same if she had been the one to suffer the loss of a beloved spouse and the parent of a child.

      Mike picked up his cup of cocoa and followed, sitting facing her and taking a long drink. As he lowered the mug, his gaze went from the fire to her. “What are you trying to get away from, Savannah?” he asked quietly. “Can I help?”

      Surprised again, Savannah focused intently on him. “How did you know?”

      He shrugged. “I’ve seen a lot of people bluff their way through things. You shouldn’t even try,” he said softly, smiling at her to take the edge off his words.

      “You’re wondering why I’m going to California,” she said.

      “You don’t need to tell me. In a few days you’ll leave Texas and we’ll probably never see each other again. I asked simply to see if I could help in any way.”

      “It’s not private, just difficult to talk about. I was engaged,” she said, aware of Mike’s dark brown eyes focused steadily on her. He saw too much and the attraction that had flared briefly between them had unnerved her. She didn’t want to be attracted to anyone right now. “I was engaged and thought I was so deeply in love. We were going to get married in April and I was busy with wedding plans when it all came crashing around me. Although I’m the one who broke off the engagement, he didn’t want to get married after all. It hurt and it upset me that I had judged so poorly. Even though I’ve known him for years, I didn’t see this coming. So many mistakes...” Her voice trailed away as she watched the fire.

      “Don’t beat yourself up. Relationships are complicated. None of us see things coming sometimes that we should.”

      She smiled, turning to focus on him again. “You’re very sweet, Mike. Scotty is lucky to have you for a dad.”

      “I’m lucky to have him. He’s the best thing in my life.” They sat quietly for a few minutes. She watched logs burn, crackle and pop, before turning back to Mike.

      “This is going to be a lot longer trip than I expected. Perhaps I should have flown and bought a car in California.”

      “Ed will probably be able to fix your car to run just fine.”

      “Are you always so positive?” she asked, amused by his constant optimism and confidence.

      “Try to be. It doesn’t help to be negative. I want Scotty to have a good attitude about life.”

      “That’s a good goal for a dad,” she said.

      He smiled and took a sip of his cocoa. “So is California really about putting distance between you and your ex-fiancé?”

      She nodded. “Our families are friends and we move in the same circles. I just want to get away for a while. After a time it won’t be such a big deal and I’ll go back home.”

      “Sorry. It hurts to have your life blow up in your face and it hurts even more to lose someone you love.”

      Her heart went out to him. He definitely knew that first-hand from experience. “I thought I was in love. It’s been a shock that hurt badly.”

      “So this just happened?”

      “Yes, the first of the year and maybe I should have stayed home and waited to see how I feel six months from now before packing and moving, but I just wanted to get away from him and everyone else.”

      “I can see that.”

      She appreciated what an attentive listener Mike was. “I’m angry with him and I don’t want to marry him, but it hurts because I was very much in love with him. Or thought I was. It makes me question my own judgment.”

      “We all make mistakes. That’s part of life,” Mike said. “I hope it works out for you when you go to California. Your family will miss you, I’ll bet.”

      She nodded. “I sent a text to my mom to let her know where I am tonight. She would have been wild with worry if I’d had to text that I was stuck on the highway in a storm and the car had caught on fire.”

      He smiled. “That does sound bad. A neonatal nurse. You have to deal with some tough situations.”

      “Yes, but we have a lot of wonderful moments that make it all worthwhile. I love taking care of the babies and each one that pulls through is a miracle. That’s as good as it gets.”

      “I’m sure it is.” They sat in silence a few minutes while she watched the logs burn and thought about babies she had cared for.

      “Sure you’re not hungry for dinner?” he asked. “I’ve got all sorts of things in the freezer and fridge, plus I don’t mind cooking something.”

      “Thanks, but I’m really not hungry. I would love a little more hot chocolate, though.”

      They stood and headed toward the kitchen, the lights flickering out. “We’ve got generators, but the lights may come back on like they did before,” he said, taking her arm.

      Instantly, she was aware of the physical contact with him. His warm, steady hand created a tingling current. It was dark and his deep voice, as he spoke about a previous storm that had knocked out power, drew her as much as his touch, her reaction to him again surprising her.

      He stopped and from the sound of his voice, she assumed he had turned to face her. “It’s as dark as a cave in here. Are you all right, Savannah?” he asked. His voice had changed, gaining a husky note.

      She pulled away a bit. “I’m fine,” she whispered. “What about Scotty? His monitor won’t work if the power is off.”

      “I’ll start the generator and then go check on him, but it hasn’t been a minute since the power went off. Scotty will be fine.”

      “It’s all right if you want to go check on him now,” she whispered.

      “I don’t want to leave you alone in a strange house in a pitch-black moment,” he replied, his voice even lower and the husky note more noticeable. “Did I make you uncomfortable by taking your arm?” he asked. “A gentlemanly touch to lead you down the hall shouldn’t be a big deal,” he whispered.

      Logic said he was right, but her reaction didn’t follow logic. She was intensely aware of the contact, of his closeness, of the dark that enclosed them and transformed the moment. The restrictions that light brought—reminders they were almost strangers, ordinary caution—were gone in the blanket of darkness and made Mike essential.

      “Mike, I don’t need another complication in my life.”

      “You’re being sensible,” he said after a stretch of silence and she felt as if he had been about to say something else. His words were in agreement, but his husky tone wasn’t and he hadn’t moved.

      “I have to be. I don’t need one more tangled crisis tearing my emotions,” she whispered as they remained immobile.

      Silence stretched. “Come on,” he said finally. “We’ll get a funny movie or just talk.”

      His tone of voice sounded normal again and she felt relieved that he let the moment go, a physical contact with him that had shaken her because mutual attraction once again sprung to life between them. He took both mugs and the bowl from her hands as if to prove he wouldn’t touch her again. Lights flickered and came on again.

      “Timed just right,” he said.

      “You go check on Scottie and I’ll refill our cocoa,” she suggested, taking the mugs and bowl back from him.

      Mike nodded and she watched him walk away. Tall, with that thick, curly black hair, he held a growing appeal and her awareness of him had heightened, something that continued to amaze her.

      As she entered the kitchen she thought about the past minutes with Mike. This was a complication she really didn’t want. She didn’t want to risk her heart