posture.
“Go on,” she said evenly. “It sounds fascinating.”
He waved the request away. “You don’t need to hear any of my boring war stories.”
“What a colorful life you must have led during those years,” Beth commented, striving to sound unfazed.
“I don’t know if ‘colorful’ is the word I’d use,” he said dryly.
“Dangerous?” Beth supplied.
“Only when we were in port. On board ship everything was very routine.”
“Nevertheless, you must find life back in Suffield very dull.”
“Restful, in a way,” he said. “There’s only so much high adventure a person can take.”
He sounded as if he were teasing, but she couldn’t be sure.
“And some of the people at home are endlessly interesting,” he said pointedly. “In all the world I’ve never found others to compare.”
That gave Beth a moment’s pause. Then she asked,“What about your car? Should we stop and pick it up?”
He shuddered in mock horror. “I wouldn’t ask you to go into that neighborhood,” he replied. “I’ll leave it in the club lot, where it will doubtless be stripped to the ground by morning.”
“Should we go to my house?” Beth asked. “I have disinfectant and bandages.”
He turned his hands out, palm up, to indicate that it made no difference to him. “I still think you’re overreacting.”
A thought struck Beth as she turned onto the country lane shared by the Curtis and Forsyth houses. “You know, I think I’ve gotten more information out of you during the last half hour than I have in the whole rest of the time I’ve known you,” she said, amused.
“You could get information out of a stone.”
“But not out of you. Not before tonight, that is.”
“I’m a captive audience,” he said, only half kidding. “It was either talk or be thrown out onto the road.”
“I’m glad you understand the conditions,” Beth replied, and he laughed.
She pulled into her driveway and turned off the motor and the lights. “Here we are.”
It was the darkest hour of the night, silent except for the sound of a few insects lingering after the summer, and the scampering of small animals in the brush. As they walked together to the front door, Beth realized that they would be alone in the vast, empty house. Her heartbeat increased as she unlocked the door and they went inside.
“Don’t you get nervous sleeping here by yourself?” Bram asked, glancing up at the stairwell ascending into darkness.
“I have a security system,” Beth explained, shutting off the alarm with a key. “My father had it installed before he died.” She shot him a glance. “And of course you’re just down the road.”
“Too far away to do any good in an emergency,” he said grimly.
“I’m used to being on my own,” Beth replied, leading the way upstairs.
“Maybe you should get a dog,” Bram suggested.
“I had a dog. I’ll get a cat. A guard cat.”
“You won’t think it’s so funny if this place gets robbed,” he went on, following her into her bedroom, where she snapped on the light.
“You’re turning into a terrible worrywart,” Beth said. “I’ll be fine.” She pointed to her bed. “Sit there, and I’ll get the things from the bathroom.” She went to search the medicine cabinet for what she wanted.
When she came back into the room Bram was seated gingerly on the edge of the bed, looking distinctly uncomfortable. He didn’t like receiving aid from anybody, and especially not from Beth.
He eyed the basin she was carrying unhappily. “Why don’t we just forget this?” he said, half standing. “If this arm were going to fall off it would have done so by now.”
Beth faced him, her expression implacable. “Sit down,” she said in a tone that indicated she would brook no nonsense.
He sat down.
“Let me have a look at that eye,” she said musingly, touching the discolored flesh gently. It was bruised.
“You should put some ice on this,” she advised. “You’re going to
“Go on,” she said evenly. “It sounds fascinating.”
He waved the request away. “You don’t need to hear any of my boring war stories.”
“What a colorful life you must have led during those years,” Beth commented, striving to sound unfazed.
“I don’t know if ‘colorful’ is the word I’d use,” he said dryly.
“Dangerous?” Beth supplied.
“Only when we were in port. On board ship everything was very routine.”
“Nevertheless, you must find life back in Suffield very dull.”
“Restful, in a way,” he said. “There’s only so much high adventure a person can take.”
He sounded as if he were teasing, but she couldn’t be sure.
“And some of the people at home are endlessly interesting,” he said pointedly. “In all the world I’ve never found others to compare.”
That gave Beth a moment’s pause. Then she asked,“What about your car? Should we stop and pick it up?”
He shuddered in mock horror. “I wouldn’t ask you to go into that neighborhood,” he replied. “I’ll leave it in the club lot, where it will doubtless be stripped to the ground by morning.”
“Should we go to my house?” Beth asked. “I have disinfectant and bandages.”
He turned his hands out, palm up, to indicate that it made no difference to him. “I still think you’re overreacting.”
A thought struck Beth as she turned onto the country lane shared by the Curtis and Forsyth houses. “You know, I think I’ve gotten more information out of you during the last half hour than I have in the whole rest of the time I’ve known you,” she said, amused.
“You could get information out of a stone.”
“But not out of you. Not before tonight, that is.”
“I’m a captive audience,” he said, only half kidding. “It was either talk or be thrown out onto the road.”
“I’m glad you understand the conditions,” Beth replied, and he laughed.
She pulled into her driveway and turned off the motor and the lights. “Here we are.”
It was the darkest hour of the night, silent except for the sound of a few insects lingering after the summer, and the scampering of small animals in the brush. As they walked together to the front door, Beth realized that they would be alone in the vast, empty house. Her heartbeat increased as she unlocked the door and they went inside.
“Don’t you get nervous sleeping here by yourself?” Bram asked, glancing up at the stairwell ascending into darkness.
“I have a security system,” Beth explained, shutting off the alarm with a key. “My father had it installed before he died.” She shot him a glance. “And of course you’re just down the road.”
“Too far away to do any good in an emergency,” he said grimly.
“I’m used to being on my own,” Beth replied, leading the way upstairs.
“Maybe you should get a dog,” Bram suggested.
“I had a dog. I’ll get a cat. A guard cat.”
“You won’t think it’s so funny if this place gets robbed,” he went on, following her into her bedroom, where she snapped on the light.
“You’re turning into a terrible worrywart,” Beth said. “I’ll be fine.” She pointed to her bed. “Sit there, and I’ll get the things from the bathroom.” She went to search the medicine cabinet for what she wanted.
When she came back into the room Bram was seated gingerly on the edge of the bed, looking distinctly uncomfortable. He didn’t like receiving aid from anybody, and especially not from Beth.
He eyed the basin she was carrying unhappily. “Why don’t we just forget this?” he said, half standing. “If this arm were going to fall off it would have done so by now.”
Beth faced him, her expression implacable. “Sit down,” she said in a tone that indicated she would brook no nonsense.
He sat down.
“Let me have a look at that eye,” she said musingly, touching the discolored flesh gently. It was bruised.
“You should put some ice on this,” she advised. “You’re going to
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