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he brushed it behind her ear. “You have one hell of an effect on my self-control,” he whispered, his lips nearing hers.
    “Dad!” Trevor’s voice shattered the quiet, and Lani jumped. The boy peeked around the corner of his room. “I can’t sleep. Will you read me a story?”
    Rick stepped back and nodded to his son. “Sure, kiddo.”
    “Goodnight Trevor,” Lani said with a smile to him. She turned to Rick and blushed.
    “Sweet dreams,” Rick said.
    “Ah, right.” She closed the door. He heard the lock click and he grinned.
     

Chapter Four
    Emotions raged within Lani, holding her on the edge of sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking of last night when Rick had kissed her. His earthy, enticing smell. Her fingers against his muscled chest, and his lips burning hers…so sensual. Everything about him was sensual.
    Lani’s eyelids fluttered. Rick’s arms, holding her to him…the hammer of his heartbeat against her chest…wanting him, so much. Such warmth. Fire, burning her skin wherever his lips trailed. Her breasts aching beneath his slow and deliberate touch. Rick’s mouth upon her nipples, his tongue swirling across one and then the other. His naked body pressed against hers, his arousal melting her resolve.
    She surrendered, losing herself—
    Lani woke with a start. She blinked away the sensual dream and stared up at the ceiling. Moonlight and shadows flickered and danced across the white surface and her heart pounded an uneven rhythm.
    Losing myself. That’s exactly what would happen if she surrendered to any man, and exactly why she couldn’t allow it to happen with Rick.
    And yet, how she wanted more of him.
    Damn. Even her dreams betrayed her.
    Rick’s words whispered through her mind. I’m not lying, and I’m not James or your father.
     
    “I can’t believe I slept so late,” Lani told Sadie as she sat at the breakfast table in the copper and verdigris kitchen. The aroma of baked bread and cinnamon met her nose, and her stomach growled. “It must have been those allergy pills.”
    “You probably needed it.” Sadie handed Lani a glass of orange juice. “Nothing like country air to give you a good night’s sleep.”
    “Thanks.” Lani took a long drink then set the glass on the table. “Must be true. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relaxed. Where are Rick and Trevor?”
    “Rick left early for work.” Sadie grabbed a set of oven mitts, then pulled a shallow pan out of the oven.
    A strange wave of disappointment flowed through Lani. Why should she care that Rick left before she could see him? She didn’t need an adolescent obsession and she refused to think about him another second. Not one.
    “Trevor’s out feeding the pigs.” Sadie set a pan on the stove and nodded toward the window. Lani could see sunshine warming a rose bed, and willow branches dancing in a breeze.
    Sadie blew a strand of chestnut hair out of her face as she wrapped up a square of cooled coffee cake and added it to a growing stack. “Would you like some Polish coffee cake?”
    “Absolutely.” Lani’s mouth watered as she breathed in the aroma. “It smells heavenly.”
    Sadie handed her a plate with a thick slice. As soon as Lani tasted it, she realized it was more than heavenly. Thin yeast bread with anise seeds baked in, then a cinnamon, sugar and butter topping crumbled on top, and another topping drizzled over that.
    “It’s to die for.” Lani sighed around a mouthful of the treat. “I’m going to gain ten pounds just from the smell of your cooking.”
    Laughing, Sadie whisked off her apron. “I wouldn’t worry about pounds around here. Lots of walking. Good for the body—and the mind and soul. What’re your plans for today?”
    “I’d like to start with interviewing you.”
    The woman plopped a wide-brimmed hat on her dark curls. “Just holler when you’re ready. I’ll be in the garden.” She grabbed a metal bucket from the counter. “I’m dumping these scraps in the compost heap.