Love's Deception by Kelly Nelson

planned this all out? Maybe he wasn’t just
showing
her something. Was his plan to get her alone . . . in the woods? Obviously he didn’t have the same values as she did—she had found him in a bar, for Pete’s sake. Her voice came out in a nervous squeak. “No . . . I’m fine where I am.”
    Ty laced his fingers together and tucked them beneath his head. He glanced from her to the sky. “There’s a better view of the stars from over here.”
    Cat looked above her head, hardly seeing what beauty the heavens held. “I can see them fine from here.”
    When Ty didn’t say anything else, curiosity soon drew her gaze back to him. The moonlight streamed through an opening between the branches, illuminating his face. But his gaze seemed to be focused on her, not the night sky. “Catherine, don’t worry. I promise I won’t try anything. I got it. You’re not that kind of girl.”
    She exhaled, not having realized she was holding her breath. He’d addressed her concern. But could she trust him? The peaceful calm she had felt earlier returned—she was safe with him. She took one step. Then another. Once she reached him, she sat down. He stretched out his arm on the wood floor, inviting her to lie down. She leaned back and rested her head on his shoulder.
    “Look!” he said.
    She followed his finger and watched a streak of light soar through the sky. When it disappeared, she smiled. “Wow! A shooting star. You don’t see that very often.”
    “Unless you spend time watching the stars,” Ty replied. “It’s a meteor, actually. Rocks burning in the atmosphere leave a trail in the sky. It happens more than most people realize.”
    “I suppose I don’t lie around looking at the stars much.”
    “You could start.”
    “Maybe.”
    “Do you know the constellations?” he asked.
    Cat pointed into the sky. “The Big Dipper. There’s a Little Dipper somewhere. And I’ve heard of Orion’s belt. But no, I don’t.”
    Ty raised his arm to the sky. “The Little Dipper is there—above the open-cup side of the Big Dipper. Do you see the North Star?”
    “Yes.”
    “The North Star is in the handle of the Little Dipper. Its handle has more of a bend in it than the Big Dipper’s handle. And of course it’s smaller. On the handle side of the Big Dipper are the constellations Bootes and Hercules. In my opinion, Bootes doesn’t look like a boot and Hercules doesn’t look like a man, but that’s what they’re called. Somewhere behind that branch is a kite-shaped constellation called Libra. And if you stretch your imagination, Scorpius, in the south, does look a little like a scorpion.”
    Cat glanced at Ty’s face next to hers. “How do you know so much?”
    “My grandpa was an avid stargazer. He used to take my sisters and me outside to study the stars when we were little. My sisters got bored with it, and soon it was just Grandpa and me. He died when I was fifteen, so my grandma gave me his telescope and star maps.”
    “That’s nice,” Cat said.
    “I actually prefer moon-watching—tracking the phases and studying the craters and plains with the telescope. Tonight is the full moon.”
    “It is beautiful.” She gazed into the shadowy spots on the moon’s surface. “What else do you like to do?”
    “I usually work out at the gym, but my dad’s keeping me so busy I haven’t done much of that lately.”
    Cat turned on her side and giggled. “Here I thought these muscles were all-natural—a byproduct of your hard work on the farm.”
    Ty laughed. “If working out at the gym doesn’t count as all-natural, then I guess I’m not.”
    “Lucky for you, gym muscles are fine with me. Okay, what else? What are your other hobbies?”
    “I like to surf.”
    “Isn’t it cold? That sounds like torture to me.”
    He smiled. “It’s only cold when the water’s cold. But that’s what wetsuits are for. It’s my turn now. I know you like to ride horses. But what other hobbies do you have?”
    “Hmm . . .