His hand went still against her skin. “How?”

She gave a little laugh. “You tell me. They disappeared after the barn fire.”

His fingers drifted higher, skimming along her rib cage. “All of them?”

“Yes, all of ” She gasped as his thumb went under the edge of her bra, then playfully smacked him. “Hey!”

“Sorry.” He kissed her again. “Thought I should check thoroughly.”

Then he pulled back. “We should walk. I don’t want to get you in trouble. Your father hates me.”

“Oh, you’ve saved my life twice now. I think he might give you the time of day.”

“Really?”

She shrugged a little, smiling up at him. “Maybe. Give it time.”

Then she sobered. “But I want to know. About you.”

He sighed, then bent to pick up a dead leaf from the path. He spun it by its stem. “Truth?”

She nodded.

The leaf sizzled and flared to life, catching flame that sparked light across his cheeks.

“Let’s walk,” he said. “And I’ll tell you everything.”