Page 35 of Takes Two to Tango

Damn, she was pretty.

He allowed her legs to fall to the brick path beneath them. "Okay, let's go get this rogue assassin."

Henry's giggles had moved farther away.

"I lost a shoe,” Rayne said, dropping her arms from his shoulders and hopping around on one foot.

"Huh?"

She bobbed her head in all directions. “Sandal. I'm missing one."

Brent caught sight of the leather thong floating in the fountain. "There it is."

The sandal bobbed beneath the curve of the statue.

Brent could tell that it was too far away to reach.

Rayne frowned and called for Henry to come to them. The boy trotted up, water gun at his side. "Darn it, I'm out of water."

After a moment's contemplation Brent tugged off his well-worn construction boots. The water was cold, but he'd have few opportunities to play valiant knight with Rayne. "I'll get it."

"No," Rayne said, "I'm already barefoot."

"Can I go in?" Henry said, dropping onto his behind and pulling at his shoes.

"No!" Brent and Rayne shouted at the same time.

Rayne had already hitched her skirt up to her thighs. The sight caused lust to flare in regions he couldn't acknowledge standing in the middle of town with a kid in plain sight. But he couldn't help noticing of how toned her thighs were. How pale and tempting. He ripped his gaze from her legs and looked at the sandal bobbing in the fountain.

He tossed his socks atop the boots and rolled his jeans up to his knees. He tugged Rayne's hand as she lifted a leg to climb over the fountain rim. "No, you don't."

She stayed put.

He hissed as he sank his feet into cold water. April in Texas was fickle and they'd gotten a cold front a day ago. He was sure people in Alaska swam happily in the temperature of the fountain water, but Texans were thin-skinned when it came to bailing into cold water. Or maybe it was him.

As he grabbed the shoe, he caught sight of Henry perched on the opposite side. The kid tottered on the edge of the fountain, preparing to jump in. Rayne reached for him but her fingers missed.

"Henry!" she cried.

Brent reached out and scooped the boy out of midair.

"I told you not to-" Rayne started fussing, but a whistle rent the air.

They all froze. Rayne, skirt still gathered around shapely knees, dropped her mouth open. If he hadn't been standing in subzero water, the sight of her pink lips and the tip of her tongue might have launched a raunchy fantasy in his mind. But he was holding a wet sandal, balancing a seven year-old on his shoulder, and freezing his toes off in subzero water. LongtimeOak Stand police officer Roy Killough regarded them, hands on hips, whistle between his lips from the entrance of the park.

Officer Killough allowed the whistle to drop and perused the situation with amusement plainly evident on his worn face. "I got a call about vandalism."

"Vandalism?" Brent said, stepping over the edge of the fountain and setting Henry onto the pavers at his mother's feet. Rayne dropped her skirt. "You haven't taken Bernice Taylor's binoculars away yet?"

Roy grinned. "No. In fact, Fred bought her a new pair last Christmas. She can see a flea bite a dog across town. Without Bernice Taylor, half the news wouldn't make it to the front page of theGazette.She's Fred's sure thing."

Brent wiggled his toes to restore circulation. "No vandalism. Simply fetching a shoe and a kid."

Roy shrugged. "I'd let you off with a warning, Brent, but this ain't the first time I've had to chase you and Rayne Rose out of the fountain. And it plainly states right over there that you are not allowed inside the fountain."

"Officer Killough, that was almost twenty years ago. We-"

"I don't suppose you'd want to teach the boy here that it's okay to break the law?" Roy gave Rayne a stern look.

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