“Oh, that sounds like something Savannah might like. I’m sure she and Tristan will come in for the open house. I’ll be popping in all of the shops. If you need for me to do anything, feel free to tell me.”

“Thanks, Maggie. Make sure you come over and tell me all about this dinner with your handsome client. Is he local?”

“Actually, Richard is renting Ty McKenna’s cabin by the river. He was only going to stay for a couple of weeks but he’s going to spend the rest of the summer here. I’m thinking he might have an interest in buying, and I know Ty wants to sell.”

Addison nodded. “Sounds like you’re a busy lady, Maggie.”

Maggie looked at her watch. “Yes, and speaking of, I’d better get going. Just let me change so you can ring this up for me.”

With her purchase swinging from her arm Maggie hummed as she walked back to her office. She tried to get some work done but all she could think about was dinner with Richard, and after a couple of hours she hurried upstairs to get ready. She had a frozen apple pie that she’d bake while Richard grilled the steaks. After taking extra care with her hair and makeup, she slipped on the dress and added a denim jacket that she loved but didn’t wear too often. She thought the look was flirty and fun and had to laugh at the sheer joy of having an evening out.

Feeling lighthearted and young Maggie played country music all the way to Richard’s cabin! But when she arrived, a sudden fit of nerves took flight in her stomach. She might have told Addison this was a business dinner but Maggie secretly hoped it would turn into more than that . . . at least a kiss? She put her fingers to her lips. When was the last time a man kissed her . . . held her in his arms?

Shaking her head, Maggie picked up the pie and the paperwork. She knew she should be reminding herself that Richard was a client and would be leaving Cricket Creek at the end of the summer. She’d never allowed herself to become more than friends with a client, especially when there was a potential sale in the future. She’d lived by that rule for a long time and now wasn’t the time to break it, she sternly told herself.

But when Richard answered the front door, looking incredibly handsome, all of her reasoning flew out the window. The light blue oxford shirt was tucked into jeans, giving him a sexy causal look that made Maggie swallow hard. The top two buttons were open, giving her a peek at the tanned skin. Her brain conjured up the previous image of him shirtless, with a sheen of sweat glistening over his chest, and she stood there even after he’d said something to her and stepped to the side. Maggie nodded even though she had no clue as to what he’d said, but she followed him into the gleaming, gorgeous kitchen that was a cook’s dream.

Finally finding her voice she said, “I brought pie. Apple.”

“Ah, one of my favorites and I don’t indulge often. A slice of apple pie will be a real treat. Thanks.”

“I would have baked it but I thought it would make the cabin smell wonderful.”

“I’ve got the oven heated up for baking potatoes. We can pop the pie in after the potatoes are done. I thought they would be easy, along with a tossed salad and rib-eye steaks.”

“Sounds delicious,” Maggie answered, and tried to shake the sudden shyness. She put the paperwork on the granite countertop and wished she remembered how to flirt.

“You look amazing, Maggie,” Rick said, even though he’d reminded himself over and over not to make advances. All he wanted was dinner and conversation. He was done with meaningless sex. He wanted something more substantial, beginning with friendship.

“Thank you.” Her smile was soft, hesitant, like she wanted to say more. “And . . . and so do you,” she finally said, but then averted her gaze.

Damned if he didn’t long to sweep her into his arms and kiss her. She just looked so sweet but sexy at the same time. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

“Oh yes, please.”

“Not knowing what you preferred, I bought a variety. I have Chardonnay or Riesling chilling, or a merlot or a medium-bodied pinot noir if you prefer.” He grinned. “And just about anything else in between.”

“Oh, you didn’t have go to all that trouble,” Maggie protested, “but it was certainly nice of you to be so thoughtful.”

“No problem at all.” Rick could tell by her bright smile that it made her happy that he’d wanted to please her. He thought about the demanding, selfish women he was used to dealing with and pulled out the corkscrew. “Preference?”

“How about the Chardonnay while we cook, and the merlot with the steaks?”

“I like the way you think.” Rick reached inside the Sub-Zero fridge and pulled out a bottle of chilled white.

“I just have to take it easy so I can drive home.”

After searching for the corkscrew Rick said, “How about this: You kick back and enjoy yourself. There are three guest rooms upstairs. If you have too much wine to drive you are welcome to stay. And I promise to be a gentleman. No worries, okay?”

“Thank you, Richard. I have to admit that being a single mom made me pretty much a worrywart.”

Rich handed her a glass of wine and then poured one for himself. “Here’s to no worries.” He raised his glass to hers.

“No worries,” Maggie said, and clinked her glass to his before taking a sip. “Oh, this is good. Nice toasty finish,” she said, and looked at the label. “Fat Bastard.”

“I beg your pardon,” Rick said, and then laughed with her. “I’ll put on some music. We can enjoy our wine on the front porch while the potatoes bake and the steaks come to room temperature.”

“Can I do anything?”

“Nope. I rubbed the potatoes with olive oil and sea salt. The salad is a spring mix from a bag and ready to go.”

“You have everything under control. I came prepared to help out.”

He grinned. “I wanted dinner to be simple so I could enjoy your company.”

“Why, thank you.” Maggie smiled and tried to hide her blush by taking a sip of her wine but Rick noticed and, God help him, but he was . . . What was the word? Smitten. He grinned at the rather old-fashioned word that popped into his head, but it fit. There was something about Maggie that made him smile just from being near her. Rick wanted to sit and chat with her, learn more about her.

When they sat down in the rockers on the front porch Rick silently but sadly acknowledged that keeping Maggie in the dark wasn’t really right, but at this point he didn’t see any way around it. Instinct told him that he could trust her but he also wondered how she would react if she knew that he was Rick Ruleman, and he guessed she would run for the hills. His carefully crafted bad-boy image was in many ways fabricated, but would she ever believe that? Probably not. Plus, this last rumor that he’d slept with his son’s fiancée was a doozy that he wanted to die down. The last thing Rick wanted was to bring more heartache to Addison Monroe, so he reminded himself to keep the answers to any questions about himself vague. And as enchanted as he was with sweet Maggie, he should keep his distance. But when she turned and smiled, the keeping-his-distance vow vanished as quickly as the morning mist on the river.

“There’s just something about a rocking chair on a front porch that makes life seem slow and easy.”

“The view of the river off of the back deck is pretty amazing too.” Rick nodded. “I have to admit that coffee out here in the morning and a glass of wine in the evening are pretty good ways to start and finish the day. It sure is peaceful here in the river valley.”

“So, what will you do here all summer long, Richard?”

Rick took a sip of his wine and looked out over the front lawn for a moment before answering. “I’m going to work on getting my chaotic life back in order.”

“So you needed a break from reality?”

“I sure did.” He turned to her and smiled. “I like it so much I might never go back.”

“To reality?” Maggie asked with a grin.

Rick chuckled. “Yeah. This is much better,” he said, and decided to ask her a question before she pried a little bit too much. “I needed an extended vacation. So, how about you? Didn’t you recently open your agency?”

Maggie nodded. “Having my own agency has been a dream of mine for a long time. I put it on hold while I raised my son up in the Cincinnati area. I knew the hours would be long and there would be a risk, so I waited until the time was right. Moving back here has been a good decision so far. And I’m working on expanding Whisper’s Edge with my son.”

“Whisper’s Edge?”

“A retirement community that my father owned. Tristan bought it from him last year when he ran into some financial difficulty,” she answered brightly, but something in her eyes told Rick that there was more to the story than a simple sale.

“So, you grew up here in Cricket Creek?”

Maggie gave him a rueful smile. “Yes, until I came home from college pregnant with Tristan. Let’s just say that my father didn’t react with . . . unconditional love. I moved out.”

“I’m sorry, Maggie. That must have been tough. I’m guessing no help from Tristan’s father.”

She studied the contents of her glass for a moment. “I never knew who he was,” she said softly. “I was at a college party and there was this punch that tasted like Kool-Aid, but I found out later that it was laced with Everclear. I don’t remember anything about that night.”

Rick felt rage bubble up in his throat at the thought of someone taking advantage of her. “My God . . . Maggie, this could have been date rape. Didn’t anyone investigate?”

“Let’s just say that my father didn’t believe my version of the story. My mother left him when I was a baby and he’d become a bitter old man. It wasn’t until I had a bout with breast cancer that he actually helped me one summer.” She sighed. “I was hoping my illness would bring us closer and he’d bond with Tristan, but it didn’t. Sad, but it’s his loss.”