"KACIE, you're not going to like what I'm about to say."

Concentrating on the weather maps and latest forecasts pinned to the bulletin board behind her desk, Kacie Davidson shook her head. "Then don't say it and we'll get along just fine, Darryl."

He hesitated a moment, then added quietly, "I'm not chasing this year."

Kacie whipped her head around so fast the end of her ponytail slapped the side of her cheek. The maps and forecasts forgotten, she stared at the man nervously shifting from one foot to the other in her office doorway. Darryl Newmar looked ready to run at the slightest indication she might try changing his mind.

"You'd better be joking."

Even before he slowly shook his head, his apologetic expression answered her question.

Angered by the fact that he'd waited until they were only three days away from going out into the field to conduct their research, Kacie didn't even try to hide the irritation in her voice. "We've been planning this for the past five months and this is just coming up now?" Her movements jerky, she turned to tidy the stacks of papers on her cluttered desk. If she didn't keep her hands busy, she wasn't entirely certain she wouldn't reach out and strangle him for waiting until the eleventh hour to spring this on her. "When did you make your decision?"

Suddenly taking an inordinate interest in the front of his tie-dyed T-shirt, he seemed to have trouble looking her in the eye. "Last night. But I've been thinking about it for a few days now."

Abandoning the stack of papers, she propped her fists on her hips. "And may I ask what brought you to this conclusion and why you waited to tell me?"

"I wanted to be sure." Finally raising his brown-eyed gaze to meet hers, he raked a hand through his thick copper-red hair. "You have to understand, Kacie. Since our surrogate had the baby last week, Artie and I have both been taking a look at our priorities and making a few adjustments. I'm giving up my position here at the Institute and storm chasing in favor of the meteorolo-gist job at Channel Thirteen." He shrugged one slender shoulder. "Artie's hired another paralegal and will be cutting back on his caseload at the law firm."

Kacie's anger began to cool. She could understand Darryl and his life partner's decision to devote more time to their new daughter. If she had a child, she'd feel the same way. But having her chase partner quit at the last minute was really putting her in a bind.

For the past four years, she and Darryl had been chasing storms across Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle to gather important data they hoped would one day lead to earlier detection of the devastating twisters that tore through Tornado Alley each spring. But their boss at the Institute of Weather and Climate Analysis had a real problem with storm chasers going out alone and especially if they were female.

As the last of her irritation receded, she slumped into her desk chair. "Have you told Hennessy about your decision?"

Darryl shook his head. "I wanted to let you know, first. I figured I owed you that much."

Kacie sighed heavily. "I just wish you'd given me a little more warning about all this — like when you first started thinking about it."

They remained silent for several uncomfortable moments before he spoke again. "If you're able to find another partner by tomorrow morning, we can all go in and face the old man with the news at the same time I turn in my resignation."

A knot began to form in the pit of Kacie's stomach. She knew Darryl had waited to tell her because he'd dreaded her reaction. But by putting off his announcement, he'd all but destroyed her chances of chasing this season.

They both knew the chances were slim that she'd find anyone, or that their boss would approve her choice, on such short notice. Fergus Hennessy was old-school from the top of his bald head to the bottom of his worn-out loafers when it came to women doing fieldwork. The man simply didn't believe the fairer sex, as he called them, had any business racing across the countryside chasing storms. And his procrastination in approving any kind of change to the status quo was legendary. A snail crawled faster than old Gus made decisions.

"Have you heard of anyone here at the Institute in need of a partner?" Kacie asked hopefully. Her only hope would be finding a co-worker who had already been approved by Gus for scientific storm chasing.

When Darryl sadly shook his head, the knot in her stomach tightened.

"Everyone is pretty much set to go."

"What about Finney? I thought I heard him mention that his partner is still recovering from knee surgery."

"He's pairing up with Warren." Darryl looked thoroughly miserable when he added, "I'm really sorry about this, Kacie. I know how important it is for you to carry on Mark's work."

At the mention of her late fiancé"s name, a pang of sadness swept through her. Mark Livingston wasn't supposed to have died. He'd been a brilliant young meteorologist destined to discover Mother Nature's violent secrets and use what he learned to save lives. The fact that his own life had been cut short while trying to find a way to save others had been the ultimate irony, and so unfair.

Taking a deep breath to chase away her disappointment and regret, she nodded. "That's why I'm chasing this season, with or without a partner."

"You know Hennessy won't let you do that." Clearly alarmed by the determination in her voice, Darryl took a couple of steps toward her. "He hasn't let anyone go out alone since —"

"Since Mark's death." She glanced at the picture of her and the young man she'd once loved with all her heart, sitting on top of the dingy gray file cabinet. "He's the reason I have to go. I have to make sure that Mark didn't die in vain. He devoted his entire career to finding ways to give people more time to seek shelter, and the scientific data we gather is essential to doing that. I'm going to finish what he started and find a more accurate way to predict which storms are likely to produce tornadoes, even if it kills me."

Darryl quickly closed the gap between them then, firmly gripping her shoulders, forced her to look up at him. "Promise me you won't go if you can't find a partner." When she remained silent, he gave her a little shake. "Dammit, Kacie, give me your word that you won't go if you can't find someone else with the right qualifications to be your partner."

She studied his grave expression. "You're not going to give this up, are you?"

"No way." Taking a deep breath, his voice grew gentle. "Mark was my friend, too, Kacie. I loved him like a brother and there isn't a day goes by that I don't miss him. But we can't put our lives on hold to finish what he started. You and I both know he'd be the first one to tell us that."

"But —"

"It's been four years, honey. It's time to let him go and move on with your life." He smiled. "Now, promise me you won't go out alone."

She gazed up at Darryl's deceptively youthful features for several strained seconds. There was no denying his deep concern or that she'd given up her own research to carry on Mark's. But as long as she continued to pursue Mark's theories and collect storm data, it was as if he wasn't really gone. And after four years, she wasn't sure she even knew how to start living again.

Crossing her fingers, she smiled. "You have my word that I won't do anything stupid."

A STORM WAS BREWING. There wasn't a cloud in the bright blue sky or any other indication that bad weather was on the way, but there was a storm coming just the same. Josh Garrett knew it as surely as he knew his own name. It was too damned hot, too deathly still for midMay in the Texas Panhandle.

Standing on his front porch, he rolled up the sleeves of his chambray shirt as he gazed out at the southwestern horizon. The heavy, ominous feeling in the air was a harbinger of danger that only a fool would ignore. A fool like he'd been six years ago. The day all hell had broken loose.

As he stared out across the vast expanse of Broken Bow land, a plume of dust in the distance caught his attention. Pulling the wide brim of his Resistol down to shade his eyes, he watched an SUV speeding along the dirt road toward the ranch entrance. Unless he missed his guess, that would be the storm-chasing team from the Institute of Weather and Climate Analysis.

For the past few years, they'd shown up around the same time each spring, usually just ahead of a big storm; always asking to use his private roads to chase violent weather across the prairie. And year after year, he gladly granted them access to every inch of the Broken Bow Ranch in the hope that one day they'd find a way to improve early-warning systems.

When the SUV bumped its way down the dirt lane, then came to a stop in front of the ranch house, Josh waited until the choking cloud of dust the vehicle had kicked up settled before he descended the steps to greet the pair. But to his dismay there was only one occupant in the SUV.

What was the female member of the team doing without her partner?

Kacie Davidson flashed him a smile that robbed him of breath as she got out of the Jeep and closed the driver's door. "Hello, Mr. Garrett."

He swallowed hard, but couldn't seem to get his vocal cords to work. What the hell had gotten into him? Had it been so long since he'd been around a woman that he couldn't even exchange a polite greeting with one? "Where's —" Josh searched his memory but, for the life of him, he couldn't remember her partner's name

" — your sidekick?"

"He decided to stay home this year."

Josh frowned. "Will someone else be joining you?"

"No, it's just me." Looking a bit uncertain, she said,

"I suppose you know why I'm here."

He nodded. "Mother Nature's gearing up for another big one."

"Unfortunately, that's the way it looks." As she glanced at the southwestern sky, she tucked her delicate hands into the hip pockets of her well-worn jeans, inadvertently drawing his attention to her shapely backside. "There's a low-pressure system moving this way from the west and the jet stream is pulling moist air up from the Gulf. From all indications, when they meet it's going to produce some really nasty weather that's likely to spawn several tornadoes." Turning back, she looked almost apologetic when she added, "And unless the jet stream changes directions, which would be nothing short of a miracle at this time of year, I'm afraid this area is going to be in the direct line of fire."

Josh forced his attention off her cute little rump and back to what she'd said. He wasn't surprised, nor was he at all happy with what he'd heard. Having a sizable blow headed toward the Broken Bow Ranch was bad enough. It brought back memories of another spring when he'd lost everything that made life worth living. And just knowing that the beautiful scientist would be by herself — a woman alone, racing across his property chasing a Texas twister — was enough to give him an instant ulcer.

Why in the name of Sam Hill would what's-his-name stay home in Albuquerque while his girlfriend chased tornadoes around the Texas Panhandle? Didn't the man care that Kacie might be in danger? And why the hell could Josh remember her name, but not her male part-ner's?

His gut clenched. It didn't matter what the man's name was, Josh didn't approve of him sending Kacie out alone to chase dangerous weather all over hell's half-acre.

But as irritated at the man as Josh was, God only knew it wasn't his place to condemn another. Not when he'd failed his own woman.

As he stood there trying to find a way to talk Kacie out of conducting her research alone, his housekeeper, Earl Crawshaw chose that moment to walk out onto the porch. "Are you gonna stand there lollygaggin' like a moon- eyed calf or are you gonna ask this little gal in for a bite to eat?" Giving their guest a toothless grin, Earl added, "I got manners, even if Joshua here, don't."

Josh cringed at the use of his given name. The only two people who ever dared call him Joshua had been his mother and in recent years, Earl. And the only reason Josh let the old man get away with it was out of respect for Earl's seventy-plus years.