No One Needs to Know by Debbi Rawlins Page B

attraction.
    He’d arrived early, but he didn’t mind waiting. He was still worrying over a moment of clarity he’d had when Annie had shown him the five acres. She’d swept him away, as thoroughly as if she’d been a magician. Standing there, he could see her vision of the future, her commitment to changing her slice of the world for the better. For one powerful moment, he’d been ready to take out his checkbook.
    And then it had hit like an unexpected tackle. She wasn’t Annie Sheridan. He had no idea who she really was. Except that she had to be one of the best fundraisers he’d ever encountered. He didn’t give his money away, not without a lot of forethought and reason, but she could have taken him for a completely different kind of ride.
    He didn’t doubt his intuition. He believed that there was far more to the story of Leanna’s skipping town than Christian had said, because she wasn’t the greedy, unscrupulous woman he’d described. Tucker had more faith in himself than to think his judgment was so far off. But that didn’t change the fact that he didn’t know. She could still be under someone’s thumb, still need money to get herself out of a desperate situation. Although that was a stretch. Running an animal sanctuary was the worst way he could think of to raise a lot of cash. And her enthusiasm for the place...she hadn’t been faking that.
    He raised his gaze just as she walked through the front door.
    She’d changed into a different pair of jeans, a fresh shirt. He couldn’t help wishing she’d worn a dress, something more sophisticated that would have shown off her tall, lean body, the way she carried herself. She must have amazing legs.
    He stood as she approached the table, then sat when she slid into her side of the booth.
    “You’re early,” she said.
    “I’ve only been here a few minutes. It’s a nice place.”
    She grinned as she looked at the row of uniform booths along the window facing Main Street and the old-fashioned counter with black vinyl and metal stools. “It’s the only place.”
    “There are more restaurants in Kalispell. We could go right now.”
    She picked up the menu, shaking her head. “Cocoa might foal tonight, so I can’t even be here for long.”
    He picked up his menu, too, noticing straight off that they had a homemade beef stew featured. “You know, you never did answer my question about how you ended up in northern Montana.”
    She studied him, her lips pressed together and her eyes grave. “Serendipity. I’d heard about Safe Haven when I was traveling. I’ve always been into horses, and animal sanctuaries were a passion. When I came to Blackfoot Falls, I never intended to take over Safe Haven. That just sort of happened.”
    “Traveling from...?”
    “Back east.” She studied the menu, then smiled up at him. “I haven’t eaten here much, but I do know about the popular dishes. The chicken fried steak is homemade, battered right here, and the burgers are supposed to be off the charts. Oh, and if you like crispy fries, Marge’s is the place.”
    Instead of calling her on her subtle misdirection, Tucker found himself caught in her gaze. He leaned forward, aching to break down the walls that she’d built so well. There were no obvious lies in anything she’d said. She hadn’t blinked or given any tells that he could see. It only made her more of an enigma.
    God, but she was beautiful. His hand moved across the table until he almost touched her. It was a near-miss, stopping himself just before contact. There was too much he wanted from this woman to let his attraction subvert his plans.
    Unfortunately, what he saw reflected in her eyes wasn’t the hint of fear he’d been expecting, but a want he understood too well.
    Her lips, pink and lush and unpainted, parted, revealing her white top teeth. If she were his, he would kiss her for hours, make them both crazy for more. But he wouldn’t give in. Not until she was quivering in his arms.
    Then