expression full of questions.
“Where have you two been?” Michael demanded.
After an awkward silence, Jake looked at his brother quizzically and laughed. “Would you believe me if I told you I’d been chasing a potential bad guy?”
“You can do better than that.” Cecilia slipped her hand under his arm and led him off. “I want to get a signed CD from tonight’s singer.”
“Dance again?” Michael looked intensely at Nicole.
As she glanced toward her table, he added, “Ellis has singled out the women who came with Templeton and set about charming them. I’m surprised he has any.”
Nicole could see Ellis flirting with one of the women by the bar. She made a sudden decision. “Instead of dancing, could we go somewhere and talk?”
He took her hand and led her back out the same door she’d just come in and down to the private beach. When they got to the sand, she kicked off her heels. She looked toward the bushes where Greg had landed earlier.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s probably gone back to his hole to lick his wounds. Let me grab a chaise; we can sit on the beach. ” The chaise easily fit two, and when Nicole was seated next to him, he put his arm around her shoulders. Shock waves of energy crackled between them. “Are you cold?” he asked.
“We won’t be out here but a minute.” Nicole averted her eyes to the water, which was a dark mass, the gentle lapping of waves on the white sand soft on her ears. Her voice low, she said, “You asked me to tell you if I felt threatened in any way.”
“I meant every word.” He pulled her into a tight hug, her head resting on his chest.
She raised her head to see his face as she told him about the voice in her room the previous night.
He looked thoughtful. “Are you sure it wasn’t just a bad dream? You must have would’ve been very tired after the long drive.”
“I’m very sure about what I heard.”
“Then I believe I have an explanation for how the trick worked, though not who did it. Chester put you in the bedroom that Caroline’s nurse occupied. On the wall behind the bed is a small box with buttons on it. Did you notice it?”
She nodded.
“You can communicate with any room in the house through it. I arranged to have the intercom system installed to create instant communication between Caroline’s bedroom and her nurse’s room.”
“An intercom system,” she said in relief. “You can’t imagine the fear I felt when I thought someone stood by my bed, close enough to touch me, and yet couldn’t see anyone. I lay there frozen, wondering how someone had snuck past Chester and into my room to scare me to almost death. But why try to chase me out of my own house? Suppose I went; the house would still be mine.”
Michael nodded, thinking. At last, he said, “Have you spoken to anyone about this? Anyone at all?”
Nicole shook her head.
“That’s good. Let this be our secret. Do you think you could recognize the voice if you heard it again?”
“It was a whisper,” she reminded him. “Hard to tell. I don’t even know for sure whether it was a man or a woman. Although one thing…” She hesitated.
“Go on,” he encouraged, keeping his eyes on her face.
“I noticed a slight stutter at the end of each sentence. It really did frighten me. I’m not sure I’d recognize the voice by itself, but if I heard the person talk that way again, I would.”
“If you hear that voice anywhere, do not let on that you recognize it,” he warned. “Call me. You won’t be leaving here tonight without my private number.”
“Do you really think I’m in danger?” She shivered. “Michael, we only just met; I don’t feel comfortable dropping my problems in your lap.”
“Even if I wasn’t attracted to you, which I am, I would insist on you accepting my help until we figure out who is doing this and why.”
“I don’t like being told what to do.”
He chuckled. “I never would have guessed. Fair warning: I’m a
“Where have you two been?” Michael demanded.
After an awkward silence, Jake looked at his brother quizzically and laughed. “Would you believe me if I told you I’d been chasing a potential bad guy?”
“You can do better than that.” Cecilia slipped her hand under his arm and led him off. “I want to get a signed CD from tonight’s singer.”
“Dance again?” Michael looked intensely at Nicole.
As she glanced toward her table, he added, “Ellis has singled out the women who came with Templeton and set about charming them. I’m surprised he has any.”
Nicole could see Ellis flirting with one of the women by the bar. She made a sudden decision. “Instead of dancing, could we go somewhere and talk?”
He took her hand and led her back out the same door she’d just come in and down to the private beach. When they got to the sand, she kicked off her heels. She looked toward the bushes where Greg had landed earlier.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s probably gone back to his hole to lick his wounds. Let me grab a chaise; we can sit on the beach. ” The chaise easily fit two, and when Nicole was seated next to him, he put his arm around her shoulders. Shock waves of energy crackled between them. “Are you cold?” he asked.
“We won’t be out here but a minute.” Nicole averted her eyes to the water, which was a dark mass, the gentle lapping of waves on the white sand soft on her ears. Her voice low, she said, “You asked me to tell you if I felt threatened in any way.”
“I meant every word.” He pulled her into a tight hug, her head resting on his chest.
She raised her head to see his face as she told him about the voice in her room the previous night.
He looked thoughtful. “Are you sure it wasn’t just a bad dream? You must have would’ve been very tired after the long drive.”
“I’m very sure about what I heard.”
“Then I believe I have an explanation for how the trick worked, though not who did it. Chester put you in the bedroom that Caroline’s nurse occupied. On the wall behind the bed is a small box with buttons on it. Did you notice it?”
She nodded.
“You can communicate with any room in the house through it. I arranged to have the intercom system installed to create instant communication between Caroline’s bedroom and her nurse’s room.”
“An intercom system,” she said in relief. “You can’t imagine the fear I felt when I thought someone stood by my bed, close enough to touch me, and yet couldn’t see anyone. I lay there frozen, wondering how someone had snuck past Chester and into my room to scare me to almost death. But why try to chase me out of my own house? Suppose I went; the house would still be mine.”
Michael nodded, thinking. At last, he said, “Have you spoken to anyone about this? Anyone at all?”
Nicole shook her head.
“That’s good. Let this be our secret. Do you think you could recognize the voice if you heard it again?”
“It was a whisper,” she reminded him. “Hard to tell. I don’t even know for sure whether it was a man or a woman. Although one thing…” She hesitated.
“Go on,” he encouraged, keeping his eyes on her face.
“I noticed a slight stutter at the end of each sentence. It really did frighten me. I’m not sure I’d recognize the voice by itself, but if I heard the person talk that way again, I would.”
“If you hear that voice anywhere, do not let on that you recognize it,” he warned. “Call me. You won’t be leaving here tonight without my private number.”
“Do you really think I’m in danger?” She shivered. “Michael, we only just met; I don’t feel comfortable dropping my problems in your lap.”
“Even if I wasn’t attracted to you, which I am, I would insist on you accepting my help until we figure out who is doing this and why.”
“I don’t like being told what to do.”
He chuckled. “I never would have guessed. Fair warning: I’m a
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