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The fear in her eyes nearly did him in. He wanted to press his lips to hers and kiss away the fright. Instead, he kissed her forehead. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. Talk to me, Kat.”

“Are you really a race car driver?” Her voice was thin, shaky.

“Yes. I really am.”

“As in the Grand Prix racing series that Hugh Braden has won a bunch of times?”

“You follow racing?” He loved driving—the speed, the freedom, the risk—and would be thrilled if she followed the series, but she didn’t look like a racing groupie.

“No, but I follow Hugh. His wife is my best friend.”

“You know Brianna?” The plane jostled again, and she sucked in a sharp breath. He lifted the arm of the chair to bringher in closer, then stroked his hands down her back. “It’s okay. Tell me how you know Brianna.”

“We worked together at the tavern where she met Hugh.”

“Oh, shit. You’rethatKat?” Hugh had told him a little about Brianna’s best friend over the years. He knew how close she and Brianna were and that she was godmother to Brianna’s daughter, Layla. Hugh had said Kat was spunky, and that as a single mother, Brianna had relied heavily on her.

“Is that bad?” She raised her brows, and he couldn’t resist tucking her hair behind her ear so he could see her eyes more clearly.

“No, darlin’. Hugh speaks very highly of you. I had no idea you werethatKat.”

“I love Brianna. She’s the strongest woman I know, and such a good mother.” Her eyes warmed and her voice turned thoughtful. “Hugh is so good to her.”

“Hugh’s a good man, and he loves her and the kids to the ends of the earth. He’s a lucky man.”

“Because she loves him?”

“Because they love each other, and he has a family.”Something I never really had until I met Hugh.He thought about his friend and the way Hugh’s father, Hal Braden, had always treated Eric like a son, and Hugh’s five siblings treated him like family, too. His heart ached at the thought of his biological family. He’d left home at sixteen to escape the nightmare of two heroin-addicted parents, and despite the fact that they’d since gotten clean, they still didn’t have a warm relationship. He pushed past the familiar thickening in his throat and turned his attention back to the incredibly sweet and beautiful woman beside him.

“Tell me about your family, Kat. Are you close?”

“I’m close to my parents and my younger brother, and Bree’s mom is like a second mother to me. We’re really close, too.” Shesmiled and added, “And Hugh’s father, well, he treats everyone like they’re his children.”

“Hal Braden is an amazing man, that’s for sure. His love has pulled me through more times than I’d like to admit.” He realized what he was about to reveal and changed the subject. “So you and I are both headed to the Braden ranch?”

“You’re staying there?” Her eyes were wide, but it was the excitement in her eyes he couldn’t miss, and damn did he like it.

“Yes, I am.”I’m a lucky bastard.

“Oh, no. We can’t. You and I…”

“Relax. It’s not like I’m going to take you on their kitchen floor.”

“Oh, God,” she said in a whisper. She separated their hands, lowered the arm of the seat between them, and held up her palm, staving him off. “Stay there. Just…stay there.”

He was amused by her sudden nervousness. “Whatever you say.”

“God, Eric. I had no idea you knew them, much less were staying with them. What we did was supposed to be a one-time thing. A last fling; then I’d go back to looking for Mr. Right, and?—”

“Whoa. What?” He cocked a brow.

She covered her mouth and closed her eyes for a beat. When she opened them, the worry was replaced with humor. “Looking for Mr. Right.”

“You’re looking for ahusband?” A trickle of worry skittered through him.

“No. Yes. I don’t know. Not exactlylooking, just…trying not to attract the wrong type of guys.”

He scoffed. He was totally the wrong type of guy, and yet he couldn’t imagine walking away from her.