He scooted around the U-shaped booth until their hips were touching. “This seems a little anticlimactic after the awkwardness that has been between us for the better part of a week.”

She laid her hand on his thigh. “Smokey told me when all that went down with Gerald to go to a quiet place where no one would bother me for at least ten minutes. I was to think about living with Gerald without being able to trust him for five minutes—to get the full emotional effect of how that would feel. Then I was to turn it completely around and think about raising Rebecca alone. Whichever one brought me peace, then that was my answer.”

“That’s a great way to look at things.” He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s like touching strands of silk.”

“That’s pretty romantic,” she whispered.

“Just statin’ facts.” He cupped her chin in his hand and leaned in for a kiss. One kiss led to another and another until finally he slid out of the booth and held out his hand.

She put hers in it and pulled him toward the bedroom.

“Are you sure about this, Diana?” he asked. “Seems like this shouldn’t happen until a third or fourth date event, and maybe in the penthouse of a fancy hotel, not a motor home in Scrap, Texas.”

“As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter where it happens. If one time proves we’re very wrong about what we’re feeling, we might as well find out now,” she said.

“That may be the most unromantic thing I’ve ever heard,” he chuckled.

She tugged his shirt up over his head and tossed it on the floor. “Maybe so, but it’s the truth. If either or both of us . . .”

He scooped her up in his arms like a bride. “Like the song says, we need a little less talk and a little more action,” he said as he kicked the door shut with his bare foot.

Diana awoke and for a single second wondered where she was. Then she felt Luke’s soft breath warming the tender spot under her ear. She’d thought when she’d impulsively taken him to bed that she’d feel remorse and shame when it was all over, but not in the slightest. She wanted to purr like Dolly when Tootsie rubbed her neck.

“Good mornin’,” she said when she realized his eyes were open.

“Mornin’ to you.” He strung kisses from her neck to her lips. “I don’t think it was a flash in the pan.”

“Not yet, anyway.”

“Are you saying that we’ll have to spend more nights together to figure it out?” He propped up on one elbow and looked deeply into her eyes.

“Maybe so.” She snuggled down closer to him, liking the way their bodies fit so well together.

“It’ll be a trial and a chore, but I’ll do my best to endure,” he teased.

“Dear God!” she gasped.

“What’d I say? I was only joking,” he said.

“It’s not you. Look at the clock. We slept longer than I thought. It’s almost five, and Tootsie gets up early. I’ve got to get back over to the house.” She threw back the covers and started getting dressed.

“Ashamed of me?”

She flipped on the lamp beside the table so she could see him better. His broad chest with its soft sprinkling of light-brown hair called to her. His grin and twinkling eyes said that he was teasing.

“Darlin’, I’m not one bit ashamed of us, but I don’t want to answer a gazillion questions when the others wake up. I’d like to bask in the glory of what we have for a little while before we go public with it,” she said as she jerked on her pants and socks and then her shirt. “I couldn’t find my bra. Can you bring it to me when you come to the house?”

“Or maybe I’ll hold it hostage until you come back,” he joked.

In one fluid movement, she was sitting on top of him, leaning forward to kiss him one more time. He was right—this was more than a onetime thing. She could flat-out feel it in her heart and soul.

“Why don’t we just hang a tie on the door? I think there’s one of Uncle Smokey’s in the closet.” He wrapped his arms around her and rolled with her so that he was holding her close to his body again.

“Sounds tempting, but I don’t think so.” She unwound herself from his arms and slipped her feet down into her shoes. “See you in an hour or so. I believe it’s your day to cook.”

He sat up in bed and propped his back against the headboard. “Seems only right that I make you breakfast after that amazing night.”

“I’ll look forward to it.” She blew him a kiss and hurried outside.

She didn’t breathe easy until she was in her bedroom. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to go to sleep, she sat down and wrote Rebecca a letter. She didn’t mention a word about Luke but told her how much she’d miss their tradition of going out to dinner on her birthday. Then when she heard Carmen and Joanie rattling around in their bedrooms, she gathered up a clean pair of jeans, underwear, and a shirt and went to the bathroom to take a shower. When she finished and was dressed, she peeked out the door, hoping that Carmen and Joanie were both already downstairs. She heard Luke’s deep twang and Tootsie’s southern drawl coming from the living room. Then Carmen’s high-pitched voice piped up, and they all laughed.

“Good mornin’,” Joanie said, coming up the stairs. “I forgot my phone. It’s got pictures of Dolly and the kittens on it, and Luke said I can use his printer to make a paper copy of them to send to Zoe.”

“Hey, I didn’t think of that. We can send the girls pictures of this place and some of the festivals we went to, and I’ve even got a few of Halloween,” Diana said, glad that Joanie hadn’t taken one look at her and demanded to know why she was glowing.

“They’ll be so excited.” Joanie retrieved her phone from the bedroom. “And we can write letters to them on the back of the paper where we print the pictures. I figure we can get several on one page.”

Diana followed her down the steps, her mind on which pictures would be best to send. “Good morning,” she sing-songed as she headed through the kitchen to help Tootsie set the table. “What is that scrumptious smell? Is it pumpkin?”

“That’s right.” Luke winked. “We’ve got bacon quiche and then pumpkin tarts for dessert.”