“I baked cookies this morning,” she said. “It was the first time in months I’ve wanted to bake anything.”

“I don’t suppose you saved any for me?”

Lesley smiled as if she knew something he didn’t. “There’s a full cookie jar reserved for you.” She suddenly recalled that she’d said Kevin and Eric could have them. She’d have to compromise. “Well, half a cookie jar,” she amended.

Chase couldn’t remember the last time he’d tasted home-baked cookies. “This calls for a picnic, don’t you think?”

“Paradise.”

He frowned. “Do I have to wait that long to try these cookies of yours?”

“No, silly. Paradise is in the national park on Mount Rainier. There’s a lodge there and several trails and fields of wildflowers so abundant, they’ll take your breath away.”

“Sounds like Alaska.”

“It’s one of my favorite places in the world.”

“Let’s go, then. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

“You can’t,” she said, with a superior look.

“Why can’t I?”

“Because you’ll be interviewing a prospective wife. Eight hundred prospective wives to be exact.”

Chase cursed under his breath and Lesley burst out laughing. Only then did Chase see any amusement in his predicament. What she didn’t seem to understand, and what he was going to have to prove, was that he’d willingly leave all eight hundred prospects behind in order to spend time with her.

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Chase arrived. Lesley had been up for an hour, packing their lunch and preparing for their day. Her hiking boots and a sweater were in a knapsack by the door and the picnic basket was loaded and ready for Chase to carry to his rental car.

“’Morning,” she greeted him.

“’Morning,” Chase returned, leaning forward to kiss her.

The kiss seemed instinctive on both their parts. A kiss, Lesley noticed, that was exchanged without doubt or hesitation.

Suddenly their smiles faded and her lungs emptied of air. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. She was inches, seconds, from walking into his arms before she caught herself.

Chase, however, felt no such restraint and reached for her, pulling her toward him. Even with her mind crying no, she waited impatiently for his mouth to touch hers.

His lips were gentle, as if he were aware of her feelings.

“I love it when you do that,” he whispered, kissing her neck.

“Do what?” she asked, sighing deeply.

He groaned. “You just did it again. That sigh. It tells me so much more than you’d ever be willing to say.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She tried to ease away from him, but felt his breath warm and moist against her throat—and couldn’t move. His fingers loosened the top button of her blouse.

“I…I don’t think this is a good idea,” Lesley murmured as he backed her against the door. He braced his hands on either side of her head, his eyes gazing into hers.

“I don’t want you to think. I want you to feel.” He kissed her then with the same wicked sweetness that had broken her resolve seconds before. She sighed, the same sigh he’d mentioned earlier, and regretted it immediately.

“Lesley, I don’t know what to do.” He leaned his forehead against hers.

“Kiss me again.” She held his face with her hands, buried her fingers in the thickness of his hair and directed his lips back to hers. By the time they drew apart, both were panting and breathless.

For a moment neither of them said anything. “I think you might be right,” he finally said with reluctance. “This isn’t such a good idea, after all. One taste of you would never be enough. I’m greedy, Lesley. I want it all. It’s better not to start what we can’t finish.”

He reached for the picnic basket and took it outside. Lesley felt weak and shaken. She wouldn’t have believed it possible for any man to evoke such an intense reaction with a few kisses.

Her knees were trembling as she grabbed her knapsack and purse and followed him out the door. Chase stored her things beside the picnic basket in the trunk. He helped her into the passenger seat and got into the car a moment later, waiting until she’d adjusted her seat belt before he started the engine.

Neither of them had much to say on the long drive to Paradise. Lesley had planned to play the role of tour guide as she had previously, pointing out interesting facts along the way, but changed her mind. She was going to mention that Mount Rainier National Park was one of the first parks ever established—in 1899. But it wasn’t important to tell him that, not if it meant disturbing the peaceful silence they shared.

Lesley loved Mount Rainier and the way it stood guard over the Pacific Northwest. The view of the mountain from Seattle was often breathtaking. Her appreciation increased even more when she saw the look in Chase’s eyes as they drove the twisting road through the forest-thick area. He surprised her with his knowledge of trees.

“Everyone recognizes a Douglas fir when they see one, don’t they?” he teased.

“No.”

They stopped at a campsite and took a break. When Lesley returned from using the facilities, she saw Chase wandering through the mossy, fern-draped valley. She joined him, feeling a sense of closeness and solemnity with Chase, as though they were standing on holy ground. The trees surrounding them were tall and massive, the forest a lush green. Breathing deeply, Lesley felt the fullness of beauty standing there with him. The air was sharp, clean, vibrant with the scent of evergreens.

Chase took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. “Are you ready?” he asked.

Lesley nodded, uncertain what she was agreeing to, and for once in her life not caring.

They got back in the car and in companionable silence traveled the rest of the way to Paradise. Since they hadn’t eaten breakfast, Chase suggested they have their picnic, which they did. He finished the chocolate chip cookies she’d brought for him, praising them lavishly.

Afterward, Lesley put on her boots and they walked the trails through the open, subalpine meadowlands, which were shedding their cold blankets of snow.

“You know what I love most here? The flowers, their color, the way they fight through the cold and stand proudly against the hillside as if to say they’ve accomplished something important,” Lesley said as they climbed up the steep path.

“The flowers respond the way most of us do, don’t you think?” Chase asked.

“How’s that?”

“They respond to life. To the power and force of life. I feel it here and you do, too. It’s like standing on a boulder and looking out over the world and saying, ‘Here I am. I’ve done it.’”

“And what exactly have you done, Chase Goodman?”

He chuckled. “I haven’t figured it out yet, but this feeling is too good to waste.”

She laughed. “I know what you mean.”

They hiked for a couple of hours, and ascended as far as the tree line. The beauty of the hills and valleys was unending, spilling out before them like an Impressionist painting, in vibrant hues of purple, rose and white.

After their hike, they explored the visitor center, then headed back to the car.

Lesley was exhausted. The day had been full and exciting. Over the years, she’d visited Paradise countless times and had always enjoyed herself, but not the way she had today with Chase. With him, she’d experienced a spiritual wonder, a feeling of joy, a new connection with nature. She couldn’t think of a logical way to explain it any more than she could say why his kisses affected her so strongly.

When they arrived back in Seattle, Eric and Kevin, Daisy’s two boys, ran out to the car to greet them.

“Hi, Lesley,” Eric, the oldest boy, said, eyeing Chase.

“Hello, boys. This is Chase.”

Chase cordially shook hands with the youngsters. “Howdy, boys.”

“You’re sure big. Even bigger ’n Lesley.”

Lesley wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not.

“We came to see if you had any cookies left.”

“Mom said you might have some more,” Kevin chimed in.

“Yup, I saved some for you.”

“But don’t forget she made them for me,” Chase said. “You boys should make sure I’m willing to share the loot before you ask Lesley.”

“She used to make them for us. So we’ve got dibs.”

“You gonna share or not?” Kevin asked, hands on his hips, implying a showdown if necessary.

Chase rubbed the side of his jaw as if giving the matter consideration.

“Those boys bothering you?” Daisy shouted from the front door.

“We just want our share of Lesley’s cookies before Chase eats ’em all.”

“I’ll buy you cookies,” Daisy promised, throwing an apologetic look at Lesley. For her part, Lesley was enjoying this exchange, especially the way Chase interacted with the two boys. Tony had treated Daisy’s sons as pests and shooed them away whenever they came around. Although he worked with children, he had little rapport with them outside the classroom.

“We don’t want any store-bought cookies,” Eric argued.

“Don’t try and bake any, either, Mom, not after last time.” He looked at Lesley, and whispered, “Even my friend’s dog wouldn’t eat them.”

Lesley smothered a giggle.

“Will you or won’t you give us some cookies?” Eric demanded of Chase.

Chase himself was having trouble not smiling. “I guess I don’t have much choice. You two have a prior claim and any judge in the land would take that into account.”

“Does that mean he will or he won’t?” Kevin asked his brother.

“He will,” Eric answered. “I think.”

“But only if you help us unload the car,” Chase said, giving them both a few things to haul inside.

Lesley emptied the cookie jar, setting aside a handful for Chase, and doled out the boys’ well-earned reward. While Chase was dealing with the picnic basket, she absently checked her answering machine.

“Lesley, it’s Tony. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately and thought we should get together to talk. April’s out of town this week visiting her mother, so give me a call as soon as you can.”

Lesley felt as if someone had just hit her. Instinctively her hands went to her stomach, and she stood frozen in a desperate effort to catch her breath.

She turned slowly around, not knowing what to do, and discovered Chase standing there, staring at her.

Five

“Well,” Chase said, studying Lesley closely. “Are you going to call him?”

“No.”

“You’re sure?”

He seemed to doubt Lesley and that upset her, possibly because she wasn’t sure. Part of her wanted to speak to Tony. School had been out for more than a week now and she was starved for the sight of him. Admitting her weakness, even to herself, demanded rigorous, painful honesty. Tony was married, and it sickened her that she felt this way.