Flirting with Fireworks. Teresa Carpenter

in a world suddenly out of sync. Especially as every mile under her tires brought her closer to Blossom City, Texas.

      A sense of unease caused her to slow down as she approached the outskirts of the city. Being psychic, Cherry paid attention to her senses.

      She looked inward to determine if the feeling had to do with the city or her emotions in eventually losing her grandmother to this place.

      Crossing the city limits marker, she had her answer.

      A gray pall loomed over the city, a sense of sadness, as if the spirit of the city suffered from a festering wound.

      More than that, bad times were coming to town.

      Not a good omen since in little more than a month she’d be part of a carnival troupe coming into town for a four-week-long stint at the county fair. Cherry believed in omens.

      She concentrated on the feeling, but it remained vague, out of reach. Which meant the trouble would touch her life.

      Great. More trouble to deal with.

      She already had her grandmother’s health to worry over. Nona suffered from arthritis and recovery from her recent hip surgery had been slow and plagued with complications. Her traveling days were definitely over. She’d chosen Blossom City as the place she wanted to settle.

      All Cherry knew about Blossom City was that her mother had died here. Cherry had been five days old when her grandmother bundled her up and took her on the road. It had been just the two of them ever since.

      Whatever it took, Cherry would find a home for Nona. Her grandmother had dedicated her life to taking care of Cherry. Now it was her turn to take care of Nona.

      With another surgery scheduled for the end of the week, in Lubbock, Texas, Cherry wanted to take her grandmother something positive to focus on. Something to represent her potential home in Blossom City—flyers, the classifieds, whatever she found.

      Cherry added another goal to her list: to see if the city was worthy of Nona.

      Cherry followed the signs to City Hall, right to the heart of the city. The bank and professional offices, along with the city and county buildings, ringed City Hall Park, an oasis of grass, flowers and a romantic gazebo. A beauty parlor, a dress shop, a hardware store and The BeeHive Diner were also in view.

      Here the pall shifted, lifted. Goodness and joy pushed the heaviness away. The promise of a good life bloomed here, along with the purple pansies, yellow roses and pretty daisies.

      For the first time since entering the city limits, Cherry smiled. Yes, Nona could happily live here.

      Yes, this city had suffered, but it was regrouping and regrowing. She had the sudden clear image of a stronger, more united Blossom City.

      But that was the future.

      Chapter One

      One month later

      Jason Strong followed a Harley Sportster into City Hall’s parking lot. He spared a thought for the biker’s business and hoped he was only passing through town.

      With the fair coming to town early next week, the last thing Jason needed was to worry about a biker invasion as well. Of course, there could be an upside. If the Committee for Moral Behavior caught sight of the slim figure in black leather, the biker might distract committee members from their objections to the carnival troupe arriving soon.

      Jason grabbed his briefcase and climbed from his car. The biker set the bike stands, then swung a long, leather-clad leg over the seat to stand next to the Harley. Struck by the way the biker moved, by the lithe grace and slight stature, Jason wasn’t really surprised when the helmet came off to reveal a head of dark brown, corkscrew curls and a delicate profile.

      Taking in the willowy figure, the in-your-face leather, the hint of red in the wild curls, he had the sinking feeling his peaceful existence teetered on a fault line. A fear that was confirmed when the exotic stranger turned and nailed him with eyes black as the leather covering her every curve. The impact of her perusal ran like a hand over his body until she broke contact to speak to a woman entering the building.

      He let out a hissing breath. No doubt about it. Trouble had come to town on a Harley.

      Hopefully she wouldn’t be staying long.

      Life had fallen into a predictable pattern for Jason. Just how he wanted it. His daughter, his family, his town were all happy and healthy.

      For the most part.

      Okay, so his daughter was growing up without her mother, his mother was running away from her responsibilities and the town was still recuperating from economical shock. The point was, they were all doing fine. And, with time, would do better.

      With that comforting thought, he turned his back on the tempting vision in black and headed for the familiar ground of his office.

      Ten minutes later, his secretary buzzed him, “Jason, do you have a few minutes for Lady Pandora?”

      Lady Pandora? He nearly groaned aloud. This was worse than he thought. What were the chances of two exotic strangers visiting City Hall today?

      “Send her in.”

      He rose from behind his mahogany desk as his secretary escorted the leather-clad Lady Pandora into his office.

      She was more beautiful than he’d at first thought. Dark curls framed delicate features highlighted by high cheekbones, barely arched brows and shiny pink, lushly full lips. Up close, he corrected his previous assumption. Her eyes weren’t black; they were a decadent dark chocolate. And they snapped with challenge.

      “Ms. Pandora.” He held out his hand and received her gloved one in response.

      She returned his firm grip briefly before taking a step back and gracefully sinking into one of the chairs fronting his desk. She peeled off her gloves and pulled the zipper down on her jacket revealing black lace underneath.

      He resumed his seat, surreptitiously wiping the sweat from his palms. “What can I do for you?”

      “You can allow me my rightful place in the fair,” she stated in clear terms, her voice soft yet assertive.

      “What place might that be?”As if he couldn’t guess. Lady Pandora, right. More like Lady Charlatan. Jason scowled, disappointed that this lovely, exotic creature was most likely a parasite of the worst kind. She had to be the fortune-teller he’d banned from this year’s fair.

      In his experience, fortune-tellers were frauds who preyed on the innocent and unsuspecting, dealing out false hope and bad advice. And that’s when they weren’t outright cheating the gullible public out of hard-earned savings.

      “I’m sure you’re aware the city has chosen not to have a fortune-teller at the fair this year, Ms. Pandora.”

      “Call me Ms. Cooper. Lady Pandora is my professional name. As you’ve guessed, I’m a teller of fortunes. You disapprove, though I believe you judge us too harshly. There are the unscrupulous in every vocation, that doesn’t mean all are frauds and parasites.” Her brown eyes met his; hers were rounded in exaggerated innocence. “It may surprise you to learn, Mr. Mayor, that politicians are often thought to lack integrity and to have only their own interests at heart, taking advantage of the masses while lining their own pockets.”

      Jason frowned, taking the hit directly to the gut. She’d pushed one of his hot buttons square on the head. Neither did he miss the fact that her choice of words so closely echoed his thoughts. He shook off the unease the coincidence generated. He didn’t believe in mind readers, in being able to see into the future. If she expected him to change his mind, either about his beliefs or about letting her into the fair, then she obviously wasn’t very good at her job.

      “Ms. Cooper, I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time. Blossom has a bad history with fortune-tellers, which is why the ban stands.”

      “I’m