Chapter One

      Jodie Marsh gathered her courage along with her Kate Spade tote and umbrella, preparing to make a mad dash toward Travis Whitaker’s front porch. A mad dash toward her immediate future. With one last sigh, she pushed open the door to her rental car and swung her legs out. Her feet landed in a puddle and she watched as her Manolo Blahnik sandals disappeared in a small pool of muddy water. Great. Now she would squish when she confronted him.

      Travis wasn’t expecting her and she doubted he’d even heard the car pull into the driveway over the persistent rain. His house looked spacious and new, although it also reminded her of the old rock homes and weathered-wood barns she’d seen dotting the countryside. She assumed he’d designed it since he was an architect.

      Jodie stopped on the porch and folded her umbrella, shaking the water from it. Frowning, she wiggled her sandals, but they were still wet enough to make her feet feel slippery. And cold. She’d assumed Texas would be warmer and drier. Now she was mentally and physically uncomfortable. She took another deep breath and peered inside the house.

      The windows were dark and looked rather intimidating beneath the leaden sky, but she wasn’t going to let rain or her imagination stop her from talking to the man with whom she’d spent one spectacular weekend almost five weeks ago. He’d been a blind date, but a fantastic one. They’d shared an immediate attraction—and much more—for two and a half days in Monte Carlo.

      She’d hesitated long enough. After placing a hand on her stomach, she rang the doorbell. And waited.

      And waited. Where was Travis? She’d called from the airport but had hung up as soon as he’d answered. Calling had been a mistake. She couldn’t talk to him on a crackling, staticky cell phone during a thunderstorm. What she had to say needed to be said in person, so she’d driven here as quickly as possible from the San Antonio airport.

      “Where are you, Travis Whitaker?” she whispered as she pressed the doorbell again then added a few knocks in case the electricity was out. The lunch crowd at a quaint diner in downtown Ranger Springs had told her how to find the ranch, and she had to assume he hadn’t left in the past hour.

      Just when she thought she might have to search elsewhere on the property for the elusive architect, the door flew open.

      “Jodie?”

      “Hello, Travis.” She stared at his disheveled, sun-streaked hair, frayed University of Texas sweatshirt and faded jeans. His beautiful feet were bare. He looked so much like he had just after they’d made wild, passionate love that her heart skipped a beat.

      “What are you—Never mind, that was rude, and not what I meant. Please, come inside.”

      She