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Buddy Lee had been wearing boots.   Lying perfectly still, she listened as he marched toward the bathroom. Was he having trouble sleeping, too? The rumble of the water pipes and the sound of the shower splattering against the cubicle wall said “Yes.”
    She slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the window. Nothing moved on the quiet street except for a stray yellow cat darting under the porch of the house across the way.
    Liberty never had been much of a town for nightlife. How could it be, with only a population of fifteen-hundred, give or take a few, depending on the day and who’d gone fishing?
    She smiled, recalling her teenage goal to remedy Liberty’s simple lifestyle by providing a few unorthodox and often disorderly events for the community’s enjoyment. Buddy Lee had been relentless in his own goal to keep her from achieving her objective and save her from her daddy’s wrath. She’d accused him of being a stick-in-the-mud on more than one occasion, but he’d remained her constant defender. Why he’d put up with her shenanigans back then puzzled her, but she’d accepted it without looking for reasons. Had she really been that shallow?
    The unwavering support he offered her now simply reinforced her fondness for him. If she could choose a big brother, she’d pick one exactly like Buddy Lee. She’d be sure to make a point of telling him how much she treasured his friendship.
    Water pipes banged again. Unidentifiable bumps and squeaks joined the sound. But it was the total silence that sent her scurrying back to bed. Her heart did a little dance when heavy footsteps paused in front of her door.
    He thought he’d heard her moving around in there. That was the only reason he’d stopped in front of the bedroom door and listened. Yeah, right. And when he convinced himself of that, he’d work on believing Lionel Morgan was gonna welcome him as a son-in-law, too. Uh-huh. He could almost hear the ‘gators belly-laughing.
    What would it matter if he just peeked in to see if she was asleep? Wouldn’t make any difference at all, unless she heard him. Then he’d have to explain why he was lurking outside her door. He’d already said “good-night.”
    Dammit , he didn’t want to admit that the idea of being a married man and a daddy-to-be all in the space of a few hours had him scared spitless . Married, for cryin ’ out loud. To Faith!   Just the thought of sharing space with her on a permanent basis had his insides twisted in a knot.
    He wiped sweaty palms across his clean T-shirt and felt a flush sneak up his neck to warm his face. So much for the cold shower. Cautiously, he nudged the door open a crack and leaned forward just far enough to see into the room.
    Shadow puppets created by the streetlight danced across the wall. His gaze tracked them to the bed and the phantom-like outline of Faith sitting there. Watching him. Aw, shoot.
    “Hey, Faith,” he whispered, for lack of a better comment.   In spite of all the childish experiences they’d shared years ago, seeing a grown-up Faith in his bed tonight gave a whole new interpretation of the word friendship.
    “Hey, Buddy Lee,” came her soft response.
    He couldn’t see her face clearly, but he was certain he heard a smile in her voice. He took one step inside the room.   Shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. Exhaled when he realized he’d been holding his breath.
    “You couldn’t sleep, either?” Another step toward the bed brought him close enough to see her face illuminated by the silvery light. Her burnished curls shone bright as a new penny, and her green eyes sparkled with tiny lights. That lush mouth curved up in a familiar smile, and his good intentions had a meltdown.
    “Huh-uh. Too wound up, I guess.” She scooted over, patting a place on the bed next to her. “Come sit by me. If we can’t sleep, we might as well talk about tomorrow’s plan of action. I mean, besides getting married and all.”
    Sitting down on that bed next to her