Good book, though definitely dated. Trish is headed to Dallas to visit her brother and deliver his dog, an Airedale named Grover, only to find out Richard has been called away on a business trip. Instead, she finds Richard's former boss would be there too. Not only is Curt staying there on his business trip, he expects Trish to play chauffeur and chief cook and bottle washer.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Curt and Trish, though it got off to a rough start. Curt seemed to take it for granted that Trish would agree to his demands, and ignored her objections. Meanwhile, Trish made her displeasure known, though she did what he wanted anyway. Underneath all of the back and forth over the details, there was a flare of attraction between them. I liked watching them get to know each other. Their interactions were amusing, with Trish pushing back at some of Curt's high-handedness and Curt mostly amused by it. I enjoyed the thunderstorm scene, and Curt's understanding of her (and Grover's) fears. There was a bit of a rough patch near the end caused by something Trish saw, but it was cleared up along with the mystery. I liked the ending and Curt's confession to Trish.

The reason Curt is in Dallas is that there are some problems in one division of the business. Computerized reports have made their way to the competition, and it's Curt's job to investigate. Trouble rears its head immediately when a suspicious fire is set at Richard's house on the first night they are there. Curt appears intent on keeping Trish separate from the problems, but she ends up caught up anyway. I was intrigued by the unfolding events and the number of possible suspects. There were the two Stewart sisters and their stepfather, who lived next door. Samantha worked for the company, which put her in a prime position, but her sister Nona also seemed to have the run of the place. From some of Curt's comments, their stepfather is no angel either. Then there is the arrival of Curt's cousin, Peter, who pops up at unexpected moments. Why is he there, and does he have an ulterior motive for his attentions to Trish? I began to have my suspicions of who it was, and was proved right in the end. The final confrontation was pretty mild by modern standards, though I loved the unlikely hero of the day. ( )