Joe Osborne stood as Steve approached. Smiling, he extended his hand. “Good to see you, Steve.”

“You, too, Joe.”

The other man looked pointedly at Cassie and then his daughter, who had joined the small group. Britt glared at Cassie.

“This is Cassie Carter,” Steve said, introducing her to Joe.

“Hello, Cassie,” Joe said, his smile genuine and warm, even while his daughter stared daggers at Cassie. Both men either didn’t notice or chose to ignore it.

“It’s a good thing you’ve done here,” Joe told Steve.

Steve brushed off his words. “I didn’t do much of anything. It’s the volunteers who put all this together.” He made a gesture with his hand toward the area around them. “Volunteers like Cassie.”

“You work for Habitat?” Joe asked, turning to her.

“I’m working on building a home for my daughter and me,” Cassie explained, not wanting Britt’s father to misunderstand. “I’m one of the recipients of the generosity.”

“Oh.” Surprise showed in the older man’s eyes.

“Yes,” Britt said, “Cassie is one of the charity cases.”

Her words were met with a strained, uncomfortable silence.

“So that’s how the two of you met, then,” Joe said, covering the awkward pause that followed.

“Yes,” Steve answered, reassuring Cassie with a glance. “And I’m grateful.”

“I am, too.” Cassie wasn’t about to let this spoiled rich girl intimidate her. Steve had his arm wrapped around her waist, as if letting it be known that the two of them were a couple.

“Good to see you, Joe,” he said, moving to step away. “Now I’d like to take my girl back to the dance floor.”

My girl? Oh goodness. She glanced up at him, wishing she could slow things down a bit.

“By all means,” Joe said, and sat back down and reached for his glass.

Just before she turned away, Cassie saw Britt slump down in the seat next to her father, fold her arms over her chest, and glare at Cassie. It was funny—it looked more like something Amiee would do than something a grown woman would do.

As they made their way back to the dance floor, Steve said, “Good girl, you held your own.”

“If Britt thinks she’s going to intimidate me, then she’s in for a shock. I’ve dealt with tougher characters than her.”

Steve snorted softly. “I know you have.” They reached the dance floor once again and Steve brought her back into the circle of his arms.

It felt like this was home, exactly where she belonged. Cassie pressed her head against his shoulder.

They danced to every song, if shuffling their feet and holding on to each other could be referred to as dancing. It didn’t matter what the beat or the rhythm, their steps remained the same. Dancing was merely an excuse to touch and be together.

“We’ve probably made a spectacle of ourselves,” Cassie told him, as the band announced the last song of the night.

“Probably,” he agreed. “Do you care?”

“Not really. You?”

He hesitated. “No doubt I’m in for a lot of ribbing from the guys.”

Cassie smiled.

“You find that funny?” he asked.

Her smile grew even bigger. “A little.”

He kissed her cheek sweetly.

The evening ended, and those who were left started to vacate the hangar. Fourteen Bones had already packed up the portable barbecues and left. The cleanup crew was in place. Cars began to leave, their headlights shooting beams into the night as vehicles lined up single file and drove toward the exit.

Holding her hand, Steve led her to his pickup.

“I drove my car here,” she reminded him.

“I know.” He continued walking her toward the back of the lot where he’d left his truck.

“Where are we going?”

He glanced at her and smiled. “Nowhere.”

“Nowhere?”

“Exactly.” He let down the tailgate of his truck, took hold of her about the waist, and hoisted her up.

Cassie sat on the edge, her legs dangling. Steve quickly joined her and placed his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against him.

“I had all week to think,” he announced. “Most of my thoughts revolved around you.”

She couldn’t deny the same was true for her. But as good as this felt, it also really shook her. She’d fallen head over heels in love before, with disastrous results. Steve wasn’t like Duke, she reminded herself, but the feeling of giving her heart to a man was also so closely associated with risk, even danger. She was keenly aware of how much she had to lose. The climb up from rock bottom had been long and hard. Now everything she’d worked for was so close, she was scared of being sidetracked by falling in love.

“This time apart was good,” he told her.

“It was good for me, too,” she added.

“It gave me perspective, and I needed that.”

“Me, too,” she added, looking up at the sky. The stars were out in a dazzling display. No evening she could remember had been more perfect.

He leaned over and raised her chin so he could kiss her. His mouth moved hungrily over hers. Only when Cassie was convinced she was about to melt and fall off the tailgate did he break off the kiss.

Steve dragged in several deep breaths before he continued. “I’ve made a decision.”

“Oh?” Lost in the moment, Cassie could barely speak, let alone think clearly.

His gaze held hers for the longest moment. “I’m excusing myself from the construction work on your and Amiee’s home.”

Cassie let his words sink in and then nodded. He, too, understood their relationship was moving too quickly. It was time to take a step back and slow things down. Put some distance between them.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

“You do?”

“Yes … I think we both realize that things have gotten pretty intense, and pretty quickly. We need breathing room, and that’s difficult if we see each other nearly every day at the job site.”

Steve frowned and leaned back on his hands. He seemed to be weighing her words. “I never expected to feel the things I do with you. After Alicia died, I assumed I would be incapable of loving anyone else. We were close, so close …” His voice drifted off, as if saying the words ripped open a half-healed wound.

Cassie reached over and placed her hand on his, wrapping her fingers around his and giving him a gentle squeeze.

“I’d like to take this relationship wherever it leads us, Cassie,” he said, keeping his head lowered and not looking at her. “It might be two steps forward and one step back for a while, but if you’re game to give us a chance, then so am I.”

She squeezed his hand again. If he understood that they were going to take things very slowly, she thought she could do this. “I’m game.”

Chapter 25

Sunday morning Cassie woke with a happy feeling. The Hoedown had been magical, by far the most romantic night of her life. After their talk, Steve had kissed her again and then walked her to her car. For the first time since she was eighteen Cassie felt the possibility of being truly free, unencumbered by the past, her own woman capable of making good decisions. At least that was what she kept reminding herself.

The evening with Steve couldn’t have been any more lovely. A dream come true. They understood each other; this was a night out of time. Like her, he accepted that they needed to take a step back and analyze where they were headed and slow things down for the time being.

Amiee was due home from the camping trip late that afternoon. Cassie used the morning to clean the apartment, do laundry in the coin-operated machines in the back of the apartment complex, shower, and then paint her toes and fingernails. It was such a luxury; she rarely had time for herself like this.

Amiee burst into the house shortly after five, full of chatter and excitement.

“Sounds like you had a good time,” Cassie said, helping her daughter lug her three absolutely essential pieces of luggage into the apartment. She’d required three bags for a single overnight stay. Three bags!