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“I’m a fast reader,” Mac assured her.
“It’s a date, then. Saturday night.”
Mac wanted to stay longer, to find an excuse to grab her hand or steal a kiss. But he had officially secured a date with Emma and, considering her unpredictable nature, he thought it best to leave while he was ahead. “I’m going to go now, before I find a way to screw this up. I’ll see you Saturday night.”
“Where?” she asked.
“Great question. Any thoughts?”
“I’ll pick you up at the hangar and we’ll decide then.”
She smiled and Mac felt his blood warm a few degrees. “Good idea.”
“Enjoy the book, Mac,” she murmured.
“See you Saturday, Emma,” he said.
As he walked back upstairs to the circulation desk, Mac smiled to himself. He’d managed to play that perfectly, yet he hadn’t a clue how it had all happened. When he’d set out to find her, he hadn’t been sure she’d agree to a date.
With the exception of their love of books, they had absolutely nothing in common. She was a homebody, content in a small town, living a small life. Her only adventures came from books. She’d put down roots and was a respected member of the community. Emma had history that included friends and family.
Mac had no roots, no family, no past. He’d spent his adult life drifting from place to place, taking work when he needed it. Everything he owned fit into his plane. His freedom was all he’d ever required in life. He had nothing to offer a woman like Emma.
So why was he so determined to charm her, Mac wondered. Did he see her as a challenge? Or did he want to experience just a tiny bit of the life he’d never had? Or was she just so amazing that he couldn’t help himself?
“It’s just a date. You’re not climbing Everest.”
It was only dinner, and yet somehow Mac felt that it was the start of so much more.
2 (#ulink_fc1eb582-e29e-5af0-a76f-93e54dbafaf8)
THE NORMALLY QUIET library came alive after school when students strolled through the front door and took their customary spots at the reading tables. The students who wanted to study usually chose to stay at the school library. But Emma had a loyal group of outsiders, kids who either weren’t comfortable at school or had been kicked out of the school library for bad behavior. The former she welcomed, the latter, she considered a challenge to be won over.
“Where are the books about T. rex?”
Emma smiled at Joey Hammersmith. “See that big green dino over there? Right underneath him.”
“Thanks!”
Joey ran off and her gaze fell on a young girl who’d been part of the after-school crowd for the past few months. She appeared to be about eleven or twelve and always sat at the same table, in the same chair. Emma caught her eye and smiled, but the girl quickly looked back down at her books.
“What time is your date tomorrow night?”
Trisha leaned over the counter and pulled out the lollipop container, grabbing a root beer-flavored sucker for herself. She held out the container to Emma. “Join me?”
“I’m on a diet,” Emma said. “I bought a new dress for the date and I—”
“Oh, is it a dress kind of date?” Trisha inquired. “I just assumed it would be a jeans date.”
Emma frowned. “Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. Just from the way you described him. He seemed more like a casual kind of guy.”
“He didn’t really specify,” Emma said. “Crap, now I’m going to have to go buy a new pair of jeans. And stop eating completely for the next twenty-four hours.”
“Why don’t you just call him and ask?”
The idea of phoning him caused a flood of nerves. There was something about Luke MacKenzie that turned her into a stammering schoolgirl. And now that she’d decided he was going to be “the one,” she couldn’t think about him without picturing the guy naked and lying in her bed.
“Maybe I should just go with a casual skirt and sweater,” Emma decided. “It will be appropriate for either kind of date. And I won’t have to diet at all.” She grabbed the lollipop container and fished out a raspberry pop. “Did you stop by just to make me nervous?”
“Of course not,” Trisha said. She studied her shrewdly. “So do you think you’re going to do it tonight?”
Emma groaned. “I don’t believe he’s a sleep-with-a-woman-on-the-first-date kind of guy. He seems very passionate, but he might also be a closet gentleman.”
“Just be careful, Em.”
“I bought condoms.”
“That’s not the kind of careful I was talking about. This is a small town full of gossips, and you know how people feel about you. If you start romping about with some stranger, people are going to talk. Especially those ladies on the library board.”
“Don’t worry about me. Besides, it’s not as if we’re going to have a relationship or anything,” Emma said. “Can I do anything for you?”
“I need Keats. Every book of his poetry that you have on the shelf.”
“You know where that section is,” she said. Trisha was about to leave when Emma called her name and motioned her closer. “See that girl over there? With the blond hair and the red sweater?”
Trisha glanced in the direction of Emma’s gaze and nodded. “Lily. Lily Harper. She’s a foster child with Dave and Denise Prentiss. I’ve heard they’re planning to adopt her.”
“She’s here every day after school. And she always sits alone. Doesn’t she have any friends?”
Trisha shook her head. “I don’t think so. She’s bounced around a lot from what I’ve heard.”
“What happened to her parents?”
“I’m not sure. She’s not from around here, and she doesn’t talk about herself.”
“She seems so sad. And she never checks anything out. She pulls books from the shelves and reads them here, but never takes anything home.”
Emma felt a sort of kinship with the little girl. She understood how it felt to be an outsider. After the brace and the acne, her friends had started to distance themselves from her and she’d been alone. Books had become her best friends and she’d lived through the characters she loved. They had wonderful friends who shared amazing adventures.
“Are we still going to the flea market tomorrow?” Trisha asked.
“Why wouldn’t we?”
“I thought you might want the time at home before your big date.”
“I’d just spend the time obsessing over it. I need distractions.”
“Then I’ll pick you up at nine,” she said. “But right now I have to go find my books and then I’m going to pick up a very large pizza for dinner. When are you done with work? Do you want to join us?”
“I close tonight. But let’s stop for breakfast on the way to the flea market. At that pancake place.”
“So much for the diet.”
“I’m wearing a skirt, remember. I think I’ll be safe.”
While Trisha went upstairs to find her books, Emma walked over to the young adult section and found one of her favorite books. She slowly approached Lily, then slid the book across the table. “Have you read this series?” she asked.
Lily stared at the book, then shook her head. “I-Is it good?”
She risked a look up and Emma nodded. “It was one of my favorites when I was your age. And you can take it home to read. I can get you a library card.”
The girl shook her head. “I’ll read it here,” she murmured.
“All right. But I’d still like to give you a library card. It’s free. Then, if you decide you want to take something home you can.”
Lily shrugged. “Okay. Thanks.”
“I’ll have it waiting at the desk. You can pick it up before you leave.”
“Do you know my name?”
“It’s Lily Harper. You live with the Prentiss family.”
Lily nodded again, her gaze falling to the book that Emma had offered her. “Yeah,” she murmured. “1810 Birch Street.”
“If you’d like me to find more books for you, just tell me what you enjoy reading and I can make some suggestions.”
“Okay,” she said.
“I’m usually here after school. But if I’m not, you can leave me a note.”
She was filling out the forms for Lily’s library card when a bouquet of flowers appeared in front of her computer screen. Emma turned to find Mac grinning at her. “Hello,” she said.
“Hi.”
Emma took the bouquet. “What are you doing here?”
“I just thought I’d stop in and firm up our plans for tomorrow night. Get some suggestions on where you might want to go for dinner. And see if you have any opinions on Oklahoma.”
“Oklahoma? I’ve never been there, but I suppose it’s a nice place to live if you like...farming?”
“No, Oklahoma the musical. The local community theater is doing the play and I thought I’d get us tickets.”
Emma giggled. “You enjoy musical theater?”
“Well, there’s no movie theater in town, so this would be the next best choice. It could be really good.”
“It could also be really bad,” Emma said.
“I bet it will be fun, you’ll see.”
She wasn’t sure “fun” was what she wanted for their date. She wanted something romantic, something that would put them both in the mood for seduction. She was hoping the night would end in a tangle of sheets and sweaty bodies and she wasn’t sure that an amateur production of Oklahoma would lead them there.
“Buddy’s mechanic, J.J., has got a pretty big role,” Mac added. “He’s got a decent singing voice.”
“He used to be in all the shows in high school,” Emma said.
“Right. I forgot you knew each other.”
“Everyone knows everyone else in this town. If you have any deep, dark secrets, you better spill them now because sooner or later, they’ll be found out.”
Mac braced his elbows on the counter and leaned closer. “There is one thing,” he murmured, his eyes dark, his voice mysterious. “But I can’t really tell you here. Is there somewhere we could go? Someplace more private?”
Emma held her breath. What kind of secret was he about to reveal? Was he running from the law? Was he married? Had he nefarious motives for asking her out? “My office,” she said breathlessly.
He followed behind her to the door near the end of the circulation desk. The moment the door closed behind them, Mac wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her body against his. His lips came down on hers and, before she could protest, Emma was caught in a deep and passionate kiss.
His hands skimmed along her rib cage and then, just a moment later, were tangled in her hair. Emma’s knees went weak and she stumbled, bracing herself against a bookcase. When he finally drew back, she took a ragged breath and tried to regain her composure. “What was that?” she murmured.
“If you don’t know, then I wasn’t doing it right.”
She laughed softly. “Oh, no, you did it right.”
“Good. Because I’ve been thinking about kissing you since the last time we were together. And thinking isn’t as nice as actually doing it.”
A shiver skittered through her body and she nodded, knowing his words were truer that even he realized. “I—I should get back out there. If you leave the kids alone for too long they’ll find some way to get into trouble.”
“All right,” he said, twisting his fingers through hers. He pulled her hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss below her wrist. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. Oh, and I’ll pick you up at your place. Buddy lets me use his truck and I got it all cleaned up.”
“Do you know where I live?”
“I’ll ask around,” Mac said. “I’m sure someone will be happy to tell me.”
They walked out of the office and he waved as he walked toward the front entrance. Emma took another shaky breath. Oh, they’d tell him. But what else would they say? she wondered. Would he find out she was a virgin? And if he did, was he hoping to change her sexual status in the near future?
Emma groaned inwardly. This was exactly what she’d been waiting for all these years. Now was not the time to chicken out. If she expected to lure him into bed, she’d need to be confident, or he’d never believe she was a willing partner.
She closed her eyes and cursed beneath her breath. This was like any fear of the unknown. When it was over, it would seem easy in retrospect. She’d laugh at her fears, just as the adventurers in her books did.
“Do you have my card?”
Emma dragged her eyes away from the computer screen and found Lily Harper waiting, her backpack strap slung over one shoulder. “Do you have any books you’d like to take home?”
The girl shook her head, then placed the young adult novel that Emma had given her onto the counter. “Thank you.”
“You don’t want to take this home?”
