Jane hummed to herself as she pulled into her allotted space in her apartment complex. And then she saw red. She was out of her car and across the yard in a shot. "What are you, some kind of underwear and foot fetishist?" she demanded as she yanked her socks and panties from the stranger's hand. Well, he wasn't quite a stranger, she realized as he turned to face her. She'd seen the stubbled man around the complex on a few occasions and had even entertained the thought of deliberately crossing paths with him so he'd ask her out.

It figured. She was always attracted to the crazies.

Kurt blinked in bewilderment at the fiery green-eyed beauty who had planted herself in his path with her hands on her hips. Hands that held the personal items he'd been trying to return to their rightful owner. Although he was fairly certain the socks weren't hers. He was no foot fetishist, but they'd been so soft he hadn't been able to resist trying them on, and they'd fit his feet like gloves. "I'm sorry. I was just—"

"Displaying your twisted fantasies for the world to see?" Jane finished for him. "You know, if you really need . . . used underwear, I've heard there are websites that sell them. But . . ."

"I didn't—" Kurt began.

". . . breaking and entering is a crime," she continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Not to mention the theft of personal property." Such personal property that it felt like a huge violation. I think I'm going to have to call the cops."

He was going to kill Gord the moment he got his hands on him. "I didn't steal your damn underwear," Kurt protested. She eyed him dubiously. "I didn't! I swear!"

Jane crossed her arms across her chest. "If not you, then who?"

"It was . . ." Kurt took a deep breath, knowing how ridiculous this was going to sound. This lady was hardly the first to come to that conclusion—or threaten to call the cops on him. She was just the prettiest. In fact, he was pretty sure she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "It was my cat, all right?"

"Really?" Jane arched an eyebrow, unable to keep the sarcasm from her voice. "You're blaming an innocent animal for your misdeeds now? Just when I thought you couldn't get any lower."

"It's the truth," Kurt protested, feeling about two feet tall under her scathing gaze. "And Gord's not innocent. He's not even really my cat. My sister foisted him off on me when she moved to Portland." He should have stuck to his guns and insisted she take the finicky feline to the shelter. "He's the most temperamental cat I've ever seen. He absolutely despises me. Won't even let me pet him."

"I can't imagine why," Jane muttered, even as she questioned the animal's sanity. And then questioned her own as the thought crossed her mind that she would be more than happy for him to pet her. "Just out of curiosity, how did this hypothetical cat get ahold of my . . . undergarments ?"

"Trust me, he's very real," Kurt said grimly. "And he's a complete kleptomaniac. You're not the first person I've had to return . . . personal items to."

"You let him run loose?" Jane was aghast. "Do you have any idea what could happen to that poor cat?" They lived in a high-traffic neighborhood, and some of the local kids weren't exactly kind to animals.

The only thing poor about Gord was his attitude. "I don't let him do anything," Kurt retorted. "He's a master escape artist. Sarah should have named him Houdini."

"Maybe if you were nicer to him, he wouldn't feel the need to escape," Jane fired back. Heat flared in his eyes, and she took a deep breath. She needed to get out of here before she said something she'd really regret. "Well, this has all been . . . extremely enlightening, but I need to go now. Good luck with Gord."

She was almost back to her apartment before she realized she hadn't even gotten the man's name. "Arliss?" she called softly as she stepped inside, surprised when the kitten she'd recently adopted was nowhere to be seen. He generally came running when he heard the door open.

She continued into the living room and froze at the sight that met her eyes. Her fluffy gray kitten was curled up in the small bed she'd bought for him, but he wasn't alone. A larger black cat was snuggled up next to him, watching her with unblinking yellow eyes. She sighed. "Let me guess," she said to him as she took a seat on the couch nearby. "You're the elusive Gord."

He rose when she said his name and walked toward her, eyeing her intently. She was stunned when he jumped into her lap and nuzzled her until she began to pet him, purring enthusiastically. "Aww. You're a good boy, yes, you are. Not at all the hellcat that mean owner of yours described."

A knock sounded on the door, and she sighed once more. Something told her it was a speak of the devil moment. She made her way to the door, cradling Gord in her arms, and looked through the peephole. Sure enough, his gorgeously stubbled owner was on the other side. "Lose something?" she asked with fake cheer as she swung the door wide.

Kurt sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry about all this. It's clear we got off on the wrong foot. Do you think there's a chance we could maybe start over?" He held out his hand. "Hi. I'm Kurt Weller. I'm a relatively normal guy with no fetishes who loves his sister and nephew, and, despite all evidence to the contrary, his sister's crazy cat. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. . . .?"

"Kruger," Jane said after a considered pause as she shook his hand. A guy who loved his sister enough to take in her cat even though it despised him couldn't be all bad. "Jane Kruger. I, uh . . . I think Gord may have gotten attached to my kitten Arliss." She started to place him back in Kurt's arms, and he hissed and dug his claws in. She rocked back on her heels in surprise. So Kurt had been telling the truth after all.

Kurt's eyebrows rose. "Not just to your cat, apparently." He could swear there was a malevolent gleam in Gord's eyes as he snuggled closer to Jane and she kissed his head, and suddenly he found himself wishing he could trade places with the beast.

Great. Now he was jealous of his damn cat.

Jane took a step back as Kurt's eyes flared with a very different kind of heat. One that she was uncomfortably aware was mirrored in her own, despite knowing next to nothing about him. She'd never experienced such a powerful attraction to a man in her life, and she wasn't quite certain what to do about it. He might not be the crazy she'd first thought, but that didn't mean he was the partner-for-life material she was looking for.

But the possibility was definitely worth exploring.

"Maybe I should walk you back to your apartment," Jane suggested as Kurt made another attempt to take Gord from her, and the cat growled and took a swipe at him.

"Fine by me," Kurt agreed. Far be it from him to turn down an opportunity to spend time with a beautiful lady. It was the first good thing Gord had done for him, although he was sure it was entirely unintentional. "I live in the next building over."

"I know," Jane said before she thought. Her cheeks turned pink as he glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow. "I've seen you coming and going a few times."

"Oh, yeah?" Kurt was charmed by her admission. "You should have introduced yourself. I haven't made that many friends here yet. I got out of the military less than a year ago," he confided. "I think that's one reason Sarah left me her damn cat. She was afraid I'd be lonely without her and Sawyer."

And are you? Jane wondered, but it was entirely too personal a question for such a short acquaintance. "My brother's in the military," she mentioned instead. "He's stationed in Afghanistan right now. I actually started knitting socks for service members as a way of missing him less when he's deployed. The pair Gord stole is one of those."

"Really?" The nicest thing he'd ever received while he was deployed was a Dear John letter. From an ex who had threatened to set fire to a very sensitive and treasured part of his anatomy right before he left. He was still debating sending her new man a thank you note for sparing him the peril of breaking up with her. Poor sucker. "That's nice. I know the men will love them. I, uh . . . I couldn't resist trying them on, and they're the most comfortable socks I've ever worn. They fit perfectly."

"In that case, they're yours," Jane said. "You know, this is kind of like Cinderella and her glass slipper, only in reverse."

"Really? Does that mean you're my Princess Charming?" Kurt teased. Jane blushed hotly, and he let the subject drop. "This is home," he said as they approached his door. He unlocked it and motioned her to precede him inside.

Jane put Gord down, and the cat regally stalked off to his bed next to the windowsill. Her eyes met Kurt's, and she wished she'd held onto him as the silence between them lengthened, neither of them wanting the moment to end but unsure how to draw it out.

"Well, I, uh . . ." Jane broke the silence first. "I should probably get going. I'll bring your socks by after work tomorrow, if Gord doesn't retrieve them before then. It was very nice to meet you, Kurt. I'm sorry for what I said at first."

"You could make it up to me," Kurt suggested as he took a step toward Jane, and saw the awareness flare in her eyes once more. "I'm waiting on a call from Sarah this evening, but I'd be happy to let you buy me a drink tomorrow night."

"I'd like that," Jane found herself replying before her brain had time to think the matter through, and Kurt's answering smile as he responded Me too convinced her that she had made the right decision.

By the next evening, she was second-guessing herself plenty. She even started to pick up the phone to call Kurt and cancel, before remembering that she didn't have his number. By the time his knock sounded on the door, she was biting her nails and pacing the floor.

It's just one date, she reminded herself as she moved to open the door. And given the parameters Kurt had established when he asked her, she wasn't even sure tonight technically qualified as a date–but she was every bit as nervous as if it were.

"Hey," Kurt greeted, his smile blooming at the sight of Jane. His dreams had been full of her last night, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't see them becoming a lot more than just friends. He hoped that she would be willing to give this—whatever this was between them—a real chance. "I was going to bring you flowers, but then I thought under the circumstances, this might be more appropriate." He held out the cat toy he had painstakingly selected.

Jane's heart warmed at his thoughtfulness as she took the wand. "Thank you. Arliss will love this." She laid it down on the entryway table and picked up the socks she had carefully wrapped for him. "Here you go, Cinderfella."

Kurt loved that she was comfortable enough to tease him. He chuckled. "Does that mean you'll be squiring me around in a coach made from a pumpkin tonight?"

She'd assumed he would want to drive, but she appreciated that he was willing to cede that control to her. He didn't strike her as a guy who did that easily—or often. "Wait and see." She grabbed her keys and led the way to her VW Bug. "Not quite a pumpkin, but I think it's the modern-day equivalent."

"I suppose it will do," Kurt said with mock haughtiness, and they burst out laughing as their eyes met, enjoying the silliness.

Jane had been worried that they wouldn't find anything to talk about, but conversation flowed easily. They both loved their jobs (Kurt as a private investigator and Jane a teacher), and they shared an affinity for the outdoors and Star Wars movies. And their animals, despite Kurt's comic protestations to the contrary.

As the night drew on, Jane found herself wishing it would never end, but of course it did. "I had a really nice time tonight," she told Kurt as he walked her to her door. "Maybe we could get together again sometime and have a Star Wars movie marathon?"

Sometime was a little too indefinite for him, but Kurt nodded obligingly. They had exchanged phone numbers over their second round of drinks, and he would be calling her sooner rather than later. He would have liked to kiss her goodnight, but he didn't want to risk screwing things up by rushing her. Something told him she would be worth waiting for.

Something told him she was the woman he'd been waiting his whole life for.

He said goodnight and turned to go, but the door had barely closed behind Jane when he heard a muffled scream from inside her apartment. He turned back and kicked her door in without a second thought, intent on saving her from whatever danger was inside.

Jane was in the middle of her living room, hopping around on one leg as she shook the other frantically, while Gord and Arliss looked on in wide-eyed astonishment. Kurt was more than a little stunned himself.

Until he saw the mouse scamper down her pant leg and run under the couch.

He started to laugh until she turned and he saw the terror on her face. "Jane?" he said gently, and she threw herself into his arms with a muted sob. He tightened his arms around her, feeling the tremors shake her body as she clung to him. "It's just a little mouse, honey." The endearment slipped out unconsciously, and he was so focused on the woman in his arms that he didn't even register it. "You're okay."

"S-sorry," Jane stammered when she could finally bring herself to draw back from the shelter of Kurt's arms. "I just . . . There were rats in the orphanage where my brother and I stayed when we were young. One of them bit me, and it got infected, and I've been terrified of them ever since."

"Oh, Jane." Kurt's heart broke at the news that she had been orphaned at an early age, and he gathered her close once more. It appeared that absentee parents were yet another thing they had in common—though his had willfully abandoned him. "I'm so sorry."

He cuddled her close, cradling her head against his heart until she seemed a little calmer, before steering her toward the kitchen. "Stay here, and I'll take care of that mouse for you, all right?" Gord had most likely brought it in here in the first place. He was almost as good a mouser as he was an escape artist.

Jane drew in a shaky breath. "Thank you. Just . . . don't kill it, all right?" It didn't deserve to die simply because she hated its species. Every living thing had its place.

That place was simply far, far away from her.

"I won't," Kurt promised, in awe of Jane's big heart. None of the women he had dated in the past would have thought twice about asking him to kill the mouse, especially if they were as terrified of it as she was. He grabbed a wastebasket and the newspaper on the kitchen table and ventured back out into the living room in search of the rodent.

He trapped it in a surprisingly short amount of time and took it clear out to the tree line behind the buildings to ensure it didn't return. Jane was still sitting at the table where he'd left her. "All done."

Jane flashed Kurt a shaky smile as she stood. "My hero," she attempted to joke, but it came out much more serious than she'd intended. It felt like all the oxygen was being sucked out of the room as she met his intent gaze and suddenly she was in his arms once more, though she didn't even remember moving, and his lips were on hers.

The kiss tasted like . . . heaven, Jane thought as Kurt's lips gently caressed hers. Like she'd found a part of herself she hadn't even known had been missing until this moment. She moaned softly, and rather than seizing the opportunity to deepen the kiss, Kurt drew back, looking every bit as gobsmacked as she felt as he studied her face.

Kurt had to clear his throat several times before he could speak. "You okay? With . . ." Us, he started to say, but Jane misunderstood him.

"I'm fine." Finer than she had ever been. Jane smiled brightly to reassure him. "It was just a little mouse. I feel silly for overreacting." She looped an arm through his and led them back out into the living room. "Although it appears I wasn't the only one." She glanced pointedly at her front door.

"What was I supposed to do?" Kurt defended sheepishly. "My lady screamed, and I had to get to her to help."

"You could have just opened the door," Jane mentioned, and smiled at Kurt's confounded look before the rest of what he'd said sunk in. "And I did not scream. It was more of a . . . a . . . a dignified squawk."

It had definitely been a scream, but Jane was so adorably embarrassed that Kurt let it slide. For now. "Whatever you say, honey." Her eyebrows rose at the endearment, and he hastily gestured to the door. "I'll go see if I can find some parts at a hardware store to fix that."

"At this time of night?" Jane asked in disbelief. "No, Kurt. You should go home and get some rest. I'll prop it up against the door frame, and it will be fine until morning."

"I am not leaving you here alone and unprotected," Kurt countered. He knew all too well how fragile life was. How easily a person could vanish without a trace and never be found. He felt the old ache deep in his chest. Jane bore an uncanny resemblance to what he'd often imagined Taylor would look like if she'd lived.

She was hardly defenseless, but Jane chose not to argue. She didn't really want to be alone tonight anyway, and she could use one of the sick days she had stored up, so she didn't have to be up as early as usual. "Fine. You can stay on my couch tonight. I can make us some popcorn, and we can get started on that Star Wars marathon."

"I've got a better idea," Kurt told her. He propped up the door to the best of his ability, and then steered Jane back into the living room to her couch. He wrapped an arm around her waist as he sat, pulling her down next to him until her head was pillowed on his shoulder. "There. Much better. You can keep me company until I'm ready to fall asleep."

Jane obediently snuggled closer, surprised at how comfortable she was with a man who was still a near-total stranger. "So," she said after they'd sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, "tell me about your sister and nephew. Are they the only family you have, or . . ."

"They're the only family that matters," Kurt said tersely. Jane stiffened in his arms, and he hastened to explain. "My mom walked out on us when I was ten, and I don't know if she's alive or dead." Even though he was a PI, he'd never made the slightest effort to track her down. She'd made her opinion of him very clear before she left. "My dad's still alive, but we haven't spoken in years. He's . . . not a good guy." The understatement of the century.

He was silent for a moment. He hated talking about this, but Jane deserved to know the whole truth. She deserved to have all the facts before she decided if she wanted to get involved with him or not. "I'm pretty sure he killed our neighbor's five-year-old daughter one night when I was babysitting her, and god only knows what he did to her before that. And according to my mom, I'm just like him."

If she ever met Kurt's mother, she wouldn't be responsible for her actions. Jane sat up straight as fury surged through her. "You are nothing like him," she enunciated through gritted teeth. "You are not a murderer or child abuser or . . ." She couldn't even bring herself to say the word molester. You served in the military defending this country, and now you work as a PI helping other families find their missing loved ones. There's nothing more noble than that. You even love Gord, despite his annoying quirks."

Kurt still didn't look convinced, and she took a deep breath. "In the twenty-four hours I've known you, Kurt Weller, you've not only returned stolen property that I never would have known what happened to, but you got rid of that mouse for me, and now you're spending the night on my couch to protect me."

Jane smiled tenderly at him as she took his face in her hands. "You're a good man, Kurt. And trust me, I've learned the hard way to spot the bad ones. You're not the only one who's had a screwed-up childhood and been let down by people you should've been able to trust."

Kurt nodded as Jane's words eased the ever-present knot deep in his chest. No matter what he'd accomplished or how many people he'd helped, there'd always remained that ten-year -old little boy inside who wanted his mother's love—but suddenly having her respect paled in comparison to winning Jane's approval. "Want to talk about it?" he asked. "It seems only fair I listen after I spilled my guts to you." And he wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know everything there was to know.

"I will, just. . . not tonight," Jane said as she snuggled back into Kurt's arms. "For the rest of tonight I want to enjoy just being here in the moment with you."

Kurt had no fault to find with that, and he tightened his arms around Jane as she burrowed into his side. They sat in companionable silence for some time before her breathing evened out in sleep. He stayed awake a little longer, thinking over how drastically his life had changed in just over twenty-four hours, before he felt himself getting sleepy as well.

He debated waking Jane, but he was loath to give up his hold on her. He carefully shifted them into a more comfortable position for sleeping and tucked the blanket on the back of the couch carefully around her.

Kurt pressed a kiss to her hair before following her into slumber, his heart as full as his arms.