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Lena shook her head. “I don’t have a clue, but there’s only one way to find out.”

“Wait! You want me to call for the bomb squad?”

“Real cute, Wendy.” Lena chuckled as she hung up the phone thinking that her secretary was forever the comic, and Wendy’s comment made Lena see just how paranoid she was being about the box.

Deciding she had wasted enough time as it was, she reached out and began opening it, not surprised when Wendy came into the room. “If there’s an explosion we blow up together,” her faithful secretary said. “But trust me, it’s probably safe. The guy who delivered it was too cute to be on the wrong side of the law.”

It was on Lena’s tongue to say “whatever,” but when she removed the tissue paper her heart caught as she pulled out a beautiful handcrafted snow globe. Inside was a miniature replica of Charlotte’s skyline, and with a push of a small button, that skyline became covered as snowflakes seemed to drift from the sky over the city. Amazing.

A part of Lena’s heart suddenly felt tight in her chest. She knew who had sent the package. Morgan. He had remembered her comments about the snow.

“Umm, it doesn’t look like one of those explosive devices, so I guess we’re safe,” Wendy said, reclaiming her attention but only briefly.

“No, it doesn’t and yes, we’re safe.” A few moments later she said, “Isn’t it beautiful?” still in awe of her gift.

“Yes, if you like snow, and we all know that you’re one of the few strange ones who do.”

Lena chuckled as she looked back at the box and saw there was something else inside. She placed the snow globe on her desk and pulled out another item wrapped in tissue paper. When she had it uncovered she couldn’t help but laugh. It was her very own Carolina Panthers cap. She then pulled out the card and it said:

Lena,

I saw the snow globe in a store today and it made me think of you. Hope you like it. And about the cap. I thought you looked so cute in mine that I wanted to get you one of your own. And I truly did enjoy our walk together on Sunday. We must do it again sometime.

Morgan

Emotions Lena wasn’t ready for touched her at that moment. She couldn’t recall the last time someone saw something in a store—other than an outfit Kylie might see that she would tell her about saying it would look good on her. But this was different. This was special. And it had come from a man. Definitely no man had ever taken the time to send her a gift such as this, one that reflected something she truly liked.

“Before I get back to work, is there something you want to share with me?”

Lena glanced up. She had forgotten Wendy was still in the room. She pulled herself together and cleared her throat and said, “It’s from Morgan Steele.”

Her secretary and friend raised a curious brow. “And?”

“And I think it’s time you got back to work.”

A cute little frown, one that wasn’t at all convincing, appeared on Wendy’s face. “See if I share my next romance novel with you. From now on you’re going to have to buy your own.” With her head held high, Wendy then turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind her.

Lena grinned as she turned her attention back to the snow globe and cap. She then read the note again. She didn’t want to acknowledge the warmth she felt. She clenched her hands together trying to think logically and to fight both the tension and the excitement warring within her. A part of her, the woman in her, wanted to feel giddy at the thought that the very handsome Morgan Steele enjoyed the time he had spent with her walking on Sunday and wanted to do so again.

A part of her was too afraid to come out of her protective shell to believe such a thing. It had been that same part of her that had encouraged her to turn down his invitation to go out with him those other times. The way she saw it she had two strikes against her when it came to a man like Morgan. She wasn’t the type of woman someone would associate him with dating, and although it appeared he and her mother got along great on Sunday, and he had even gone so far as to say he liked Odessa, she had no