"See anything you like?" a female voice asked. Sam looked up. Thanks to her internal musings, she'd been expecting a gypsylike woman cloaked in veils and mystery instead of the chic older woman who greeted her.

When she didn't answer right away, Mac nudged her arm. "Sweetheart?"

She started at his use of the intimate name in public. "Yes, sorry." She tapped the glass case. "That one. The one in the shape of an X."

The silver-haired woman smiled. "Aah, The Kiss." As she spoke, she pulled a black velvet box filled with assorted rings from the case. "I'd like to say it's an original, but I commission another each time I sell this to engaged couples like yourselves."

Sam waited for Mac to correct the woman's assumption. When he didn't, she started to do it herself. "We're not…"

"Sure we're ready to buy yet," he said smoothly. "Especially a ring that so many other women are wearing." She tipped her head and sent him a questioning glance. She looked into his eyes. Eyes that were sincere, calming, loving. Loving?

Sam wanted to run from the store in a panic, and she would have if Mac hadn't placed a firm hand on her arm. Swallowing hard, she dared another glance at his face. This time he winked, then leaned down to whisper in her ear. "This week is a time for fantasies. Indulge me."

She didn't know whether to laugh because he was joking or cry because she wished she were free to think of this man in terms of love and marriage.

Apparently taking their silence as indecision, the shopkeeper spoke. "You can rest assured, as long as you wear this ring, you will be wed for eternity. Every other couple who purchased it can attest to the same."

That feeling, that… aura swept over Sam once again and she trembled. "What makes you so sure we're engaged?" she felt compelled to ask. There was no ring on her finger, nor any suntan line where Tom's ring had once been.

"I recognize the signs. The closeness…" She gestured to Mac's hand, draped possessively over Sam's shoulder. "The way he looks at you when he thinks you aren't looking, the way you curl into him… two halves make a whole," she said.

"You don't look like a gypsy fortune-teller," Sam muttered.

Mac laughed. "Give the lady a break, Sammy Jo. You want the ring or not?"

Without waiting for an answer, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a credit card. Sam dared a glance, catching only the last name, Mackenzie, before he handed the worn plastic to the obviously pleased woman. So Mackenzie, Mac, was his last name. Another thing she'd learned about him, she thought, storing the information away with the rest of her memories.

"Excuse us," Sam said to the salesclerk. "And please hold off a minute before ringing that up."

She led Mac to a secluded corner of the store. "About the ring…"

"You changed your mind?"

"No, but…"

"You want to try it on first. I should have realized."

"No, I mean…" She didn't know how to broach this without offending him, but she knew he was a bartender and… "You didn't even ask the price."

"I didn't have to. I saw the look in your eye the minute you saw the ring."

"But Mac…"

He treated her to his sexy grin, meant to turn her on and melt her mind so she couldn't think. The throbbing heat low down in her stomach told her he'd managed the first. She opened her mouth to argue.

"It's thirty percent off," he reminded her. "How expensive could it be? Let me do this one thing for you… Sammy Jo."

Her new nickname, especially on his lips, had begun to grow on her. So did the way his voice dropped an octave when he said it in that husky tone. Gazing into his eyes, she could see how much this meant to him, and she couldn't bring herself to turn him down. A quick try would satisfy them both. Her ring size was unusually small, and the thin silver couldn't be sized easily. She'd have an excuse to refuse it without offending his pride.

They walked back to the counter where the ring waited on a black velvet liner. She looked around, but the salesclerk had disappeared into the back room, leaving them alone. "Trusting," Sam murmured.

"This isn't the city, sweetheart."

He picked up the ring and lifted her hand. "Whenever you look at this ring, think about me, this week, and what could be."

Before she could protest, he'd slipped the ring on her left hand, braced her face in his palms and lowered his head for a kiss. She tipped her head back, moaning as his lips played over hers in a gentle, coaxing motion. He bit gently on her lower lip and she opened at his command, letting his tongue dart inside and possess hers. Sam didn't know where fantasy began or reality left off. As long as Mac held her, touched and kissed her, as long as he treated her as if he loved her, she didn't care.

He raised his head and smiled. She looked into his eyes and her heart leaped in her chest. She'd offend his pride more by rejecting the gift than by letting him pay for it. "Thank you," she murmured.

"My pleasure." His hand went to hers as he lifted her finger. "A perfect fit."

She glanced down, amazed. "Sometimes you get lucky."

"Yes, you do." His gaze bore into hers. She was struck by the intensity she saw there before it quickly disappeared. "Ready to hit the road again?" he asked.

Was he trying to disarm her? If so, it was working. By giving her a glimpse of the generous man inside the sexy male body, he'd managed to charm her as well. She might not know details about the way he lived, but she was beginning to think she knew him in the ways that counted.

Enough for little doubts about the rest of her life to begin creeping in. She pushed them aside in favor of more practical considerations. "How far are we from the bar?" she asked.

"Another half an hour. Why?"

"I'm starving."

"You can't be hungry for food? We just ate."

"What else is there?" She laughed, but when she met his darkened gaze, the laughter died on her lips. She realized exactly what he desired. Her body understood and reacted. A tingling in her abdomen, a tightening in her breasts, and a soul-deep longing grew near her heart.

"Zee left his special chili in the refrigerator at the bar. Do you like it hot?" His voice resembled a growl.

She swallowed over the lump that had formed in her throat. "Very," she managed to say, thanking her lucky stars they were in a public place.

He exhaled a harsh groan. "Know what I like most about you?"

"My big heart?"

He grabbed her hand. The heat shot straight down to her toes. "Your even bigger stomach."

She smiled. "Food's an important consideration. You can't survive without it, you know."

His chuckle vibrated deep from his chest. "I know."

She waited while he signed and pocketed the credit card receipt, forcing deep, even breaths into her chest. They walked to the car, his ring on her finger and her hand tucked inside his.

Although desire was constantly sizzling beneath the surface, easy banter between them came naturally. How many long-married couples could claim both?

When she was with Mac, contentment filled her, but she knew it couldn't last. Which was why she had to keep reminding herself that their time together was nothing more than a fantasy. What else would she call a gypsy woman's promise that couldn't possibly come true?


* * *

She stood behind the bar, filling wooden bowls with nachos and dip, preparing for the night ahead. The lady was hotter than the salsa she poured, and to her credit, she had no idea. Saturday already. Time was slipping by fast.

Last night had been a typical Friday at The Hungry Bear-busy, hectic and generally insane. Samantha hadn't complained, merely pitched in and worked until closing, while Mac had spent the evening watching and wondering. She hadn't changed out of that damn dress, and though it hung to her ankles, it emphasized every subtle curve.

Not knowing if she wore a bra beneath the flowered fabric nearly did him in. The men at The Hungry Bear weren't blind and Samantha was new to these parts. That alone made her a point of interest. He wondered if they, too, were watching the rise and fall of her breasts as she worked. He'd spent half the damn night wiping the sweat off his forehead and reminding himself he'd promised restraint.

Which wasn't easy, considering she made sure she touched him each time she passed. Even if she hadn't, he'd catch a whiff of peaches. Her seductive scent stood out in the bar.

Then she passed out cold before he ever made it upstairs. Mac understood. Being on her feet all night was grueling for anyone, especially a novice. After a restless night's sleep, he'd awakened on Saturday close to noon. Samantha had still been out cold. So he'd used the time to head on over to The Resort and check in, making it back to The Hungry Bear in time for opening, bags of tortillas in hand.

She hadn't questioned his absence and he hadn't felt obligated to explain. Yet another thing he received from Samantha. Unconditional trust and understanding. He wondered how she'd take it when he told her the truth.

She'd forgive him. Although the body and beautiful face had attracted him first, her lack of awareness and pretense interested him most. She'd understand him. She had from the first.

Just as he understood her. The tired woman who pitched in behind the bar, the sensitive woman who'd confided in him, the woman with deep familial feelings and values, she had made the biggest impression. Not that he'd forgotten the supple curves beneath his hands, or her unabashed response to his touch. But so much more than the packaging appealed to him now.

Their outing yesterday had been a mistake. He hadn't given himself distance, he'd drawn himself in deeper. Every time he turned around, Samantha was there… in his thoughts, his dreams… his future?

All last night, he'd sensed her approach as she passed beside him, her hip brushing against him, her scent wrapping itself around him. How the hell was he supposed to keep his distance if she kept up the innocent touches, the soft laughter, or the inane questions about customers that had them sharing what seemed like intimate jokes.

Mac couldn't stand another minute. Coming up behind her, he grabbed her around the waist.

"Oh!" She jumped back into his chest before easing herself into him. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Why not? I get to hold you this way."

She turned in his arms, looping her hands around his neck. "You get to hold me any way."

He liked that thought. "I called Theresa, and there's no way she can make it in tonight."

"So?" She reached for a nacho and took a bite, then held the chip up to his mouth.

He finished it off, licking the salt off his lips and taking a nip at her finger as well. A small bite, but enough to make her eyes glaze with desire. He grinned. "So I'm shorthanded again."

Stepping backward, she held her arms out before him. "What are these, if not two very willing hands?" She slipped those hands beneath his shirt and placed her palms on his chest. With yesterday's confidences behind them, Samantha seemed to feel more comfortable around him. He let himself enjoy the free-spirited part of her nature.

"You're on vacation," he said through gritted teeth. Her warm hands against his flesh aroused him beyond belief.

"Define vacation."

"A break from reality, doing what you enjoy."

"Exactly." Her fingernails raked lightly against his chest. "Working in this bar is a break from nine-to-five corporate reality." She raised his shirt and pressed her lips to his skin. "And touching you is something I definitely enjoy." Her tongue darted out and back, tasting him briefly before she raised her gaze. "Unless you don't like it?"

She asked as if she really didn't know. The innocent asserting herself again. The woman was making keeping his promise to himself more difficult with each passing minute. He didn't know how much longer he could keep his hands off her. He let out a ragged groan.

"I guess you do." She treated him to a soft but sexy smile.

He'd wanted her before, but the feelings she inspired now were incredible. If the bar wasn't opening for business in fifteen minutes, he might lose his last shred of self-control. He wanted their first time to be someplace better than a tabletop in The Hungry Bear. A soft bed and plenty of lingering time was what he had in mind.

He pushed his hand through her hair, bringing her face within inches of his own. Just a kiss. A quick taste of her glossy lips. He bent his head and got a heady, moist taste… Just as a loud banging sound came from the bar door.