Second Chances by Nicole Andrews Moore Page A

shore.  That was precisely what she was contemplating when Gavin found her.
     

     
    He had read the last paragraph no fewer than three times and he still had no idea what it said.  With a threatening growl, he rose from his chair and stalked from the room.  Where was she?  And why had she not come to see him at all?  The house was quiet.  He was used to quiet, but somehow, he expected…more noise, to feel more life in the house.  It was utterly unsettling.
     
    When he reached the French doors from the kitchen to the patio, he found her sitting there, her legs curled up under her as she sipped from a steaming mug. 
     
    “What are you doing?”  He snapped disturbed to be so aware of her.
     
    Lazily turning toward his voice, Hannah found him staring at her coldly.  She took another sip of tea, her eyes never leaving his as she prepared to respond.  “It’s called relaxing,” she said seriously.  “You should try it some time.”  Her gaze returned to the lake and the brief expanse of yard between the fenced stone pool area and the water.
     
    For the first time in a long time, Gavin had no idea how to react.  Everyone else in his employ would have snapped to attention in his presence, yet here she was sharing his home, his table…he could feel his body growing warmer at the realization of her nearness. 
     
    Feeling the pressure of his constant gaze, she stood and stretched lazily to hide her nervousness, and noted the rapid beat of her heart.  “I’m going to walk down to the water,” she announced.
     
    His jaw tightened.  “You can’t go wandering around at night.”
     
    She arched an eyebrow at him defiantly.
     
    “It’s just not safe,” he continued.
     
    “We’re a good distance from our nearest neighbors and even farther from everything else.  What could be safer?”  Her free hand was on her hip.
     
    He decided to try a new approach.  “The girls…”
     
    “…sleep through the night,” she countered, completing his next complaint.  “And I’m not going to be gone for long.”  She sighed. 
     
    He opened his mouth to further protest, but discovered that he had used up all his arguments.  He just stood there and scowled.
     
    “For the love of God,” she moaned, “just come with me then.”
     
    He stiffened as though that thought had never crossed his mind, as though he hadn’t been trying to find a way to throw them together, as if he hadn’t been wondering what it would take to get to spend some more time in her presence.  The nights, he had discovered after only one night, were going to be the hardest.  All night he had lain in bed, concentrating on the ceiling, wishing that just for one moment he had x-ray vision and could watch her in the room above him.  It hadn’t happened, of course.  In fact, all that had happened was that he fell asleep early in the morning, slept late, and missed seeing her until she returned from Lowe’s.  He sighed.  She was consuming far too much of his time, and even more of his thoughts.  So, despite his better judgment, he fell in step beside her and meandered down the cobbled path to the lake.
     
    Inhaling deeply, Hannah soaked in the fresh cool spring air.  “Do you smell that?”  She asked. 
     
    Preparing for the worst, he scrunched up his face and inhaled hesitantly.  “I don’t smell anything.”  He sniffed a few more times, trying to figure out what she was referring to.
     
    Hannah giggled.  “Stop,” she said with a smile.  “I wanted you to smell spring.”  He looked completely puzzled, judging from the way his head cocked to the side.  “Close your eyes,” she urged.  He took a step back.  She shook her head and laughed some more.
     
    He found the sound of her laughter to be therapeutic and intoxicating.  She was so free with her emotions in a way he never was.  She could transition from them so quickly and embrace them.  She was so unlike him.  And she never seemed afraid of