Since Kylie Bennett s return to her hometown, Michael Cusack had been painfully conscious of her metamorphosis from girl to lush woman, and of his need to belong to a close family like the Bennetts. Kylie s teenage crush on him had gone untested, for Michael was a protector of women and had refused to sacrifice her innocence. Now Kylie played "not interested"...but her kisses revealed hidden fires. Could it be that she still carried a torch for him? And, like his own slow fever, had it been simmering intensely for all these years...?