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The small gesture went through him with startling force. Then she rose onto her toes and kissed him.

There was nothing tentative in it now. Gabe drew her against him, one hand sliding into her hair. The kiss deepened until the quiet porch, the lodge, and everything beyond the circle of light seemed to disappear.

Gabe wanted her. That much was simple. But wanting her had never meant deciding for her. She had arrived here hurting, with a list of things planned for two. Whatever happened next on this porch had to be hers, the way the first kiss had been. He eased back enough to look at her.

Mara’s cheeks were flushed, her breathing uneven. For several seconds neither of them said anything. Then she glanced toward the cabin door. When she looked back at him, whatever hesitation had been there was gone.

“Do you want to come inside?”

Gabe’s heart kicked hard. “Yes.”

Mara smiled and reached for the door.

Gabe’s phone rang. For one stupid second he considered ignoring it. Then it rang again.

Mara paused with the key in her hand while Gabe pulled the phone from his pocket. Karina. His stomach tightened. Mara saw the name on the screen.

“Answer it.”

He looked at her. “It’s late.”

“Which is probably why you should answer.”

Whatever disappointment she felt was there in her face, but so was certainty. Gabe accepted the call. “Karina?”

He heard her take a breath. Then she said his name, and Gabe knew immediately that something was wrong.

CHAPTER 13

Mara

Gabe’s expression changed while he listened.

Mara still had her cabin key in one hand. A minute ago she had been thinking about opening the door, about Gabe following her inside, about what might happen once it closed behind them. Now he had turned slightly away from her, one hand on his hip, all his attention on whatever Karina was saying.

“Both of them?” he asked. He listened again, his mouth tightening. “Okay. Is Evan there yet?”

Mara leaned back against the porch rail and waited. Disappointment was still there, warm and frustrating beneath her skin, but it had been overtaken by something else. Karina would not have called Gabe this late unless something had gone badly wrong.

“All right,” Gabe said at last. “Don’t do anything until Evan’s had a look. I’m coming over.” He ended the call and stood for a second staring at the phone.

“What happened?” Mara asked.

“Her ovens are down. Both of them. There was some kind of power flicker. One stopped heating properly, and the other went completely dead. She’s got most of her fundraiser prep starting tonight, and she doesn’t know whether either oven can be fixed in time.”

“Oh, no.”

“Evan’s already there. He’s an electrical contractor, so he’s looking at them now. But Karina sounded…” Gabe paused, searching for the word. “Scared, I think. I’ve known her a long time. She doesn’t scare easily.”

Mara looked toward the pumpkin glowing beside the cabin door. So much for the evening they had almost had.

The thought came with a sharp little ache of regret, and she let herself feel it. She had wanted Gabe to come inside. Judging by the kiss they had just shared, he had wanted to come in very much. But Karina was standing in her bakery with a fundraiser two days away and two dead ovens.

Gabe slipped his phone into his pocket. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“I am.” His gaze held hers. “I know where we were heading before the phone rang.”