intent.
Sara could hear it in the distance: the sound of rippling water. She knew, with a tingle of respect, that nothing escaped Chase's notice in the forest, from the snapping of a twig, to the darting of a squirrel, to the sweat dampening her pink T-shirt on the underside of her breasts.
His warm gaze made her tremble with awareness. Sniper or not, he held powerful sway over her senses.
"I hear it," Kendal breathed, with excitement.
"This way," Chase said, nodding in the right direction.
They came upon the stream abruptly. Pristine water trickled over sandstone rock before pooling in a basin of deep red soil. The water was so clear that the pebbles on the bottom caught and held the sunlight. Overflowing the basin, the water gave a lazy turn through a cove of elderberry trees before disappearing from view.
"Oh, wow!" Kendal breathed, kicking off his sneakers. He waded gleefully into the stream, leaving Sara and Chase standing on the shore, watching.
Sara took in Kendal's delight with a sense of poignancy.
"Not many places like this in Dallas," Chase observed.
"No," she agreed, with a pinch of doubt. But there'd been no doubt yesterday when she spoke with her birth-mother for the first time, using Chase's cell phone. Their previous communication, six months' worth of e-mails, had made the call more than comfortable. Sara had hung up, convinced that heading to Dallas was the right thing.
So, why was she feeling ambivalent today?
"Look, Mom, a crayfish!" Kendal cried, having caught it in his hands.
"Out here we call 'em crawdads," Chase imparted. "Come on," he added, dropping the saw he'd brought with him in order to take off his boots. "Let's cool off."
He had to pull a mean-looking blade out of his boot first. Sara'd had no idea it was there. Added to the gun that peeked out from under his left arm, he looked every inch the dangerous man that he was.
She slipped off her sandals and stepped up to the bank to dip a toe into the water. Goodness, it was cold!
"Come on," Chase said, stepping in boldly.
She hesitated, and he held a hand out to her.
Sara's gaze slid from his hand to his watchful eyes. It became a test of wills to see who would look away first.
"Trust me, Sara," Chase said.
He'd said that back when she'd agreed to let him cut her hair, and that had turned out fine, hadn't it? Besides, she was leaving soon. What harm could come from holding Chase's hand, so long as her eyes were wide-open?
She extended her hand tentatively. He caught it, clasping his fingers firmly over hers. A thrill chased up her arm, speeding her heart rate, sending a wave of pleasure through her.
It wasn't just the temperature of the water that made her nipples tighten as she stepped into the stream.
"Let me see that critter, boy," Chase demanded of Kendal, pulling Sara with him.
Cold water crept up past her knees. By contrast, Chase's hand felt wonderfully warm, slightly rough from the physical work he performed.
"I want to keep it," Kendal said, gazing at his crustacean in rapture.
"Oh, no, honey," Sara said on a breathy note. "It'll die if you take it from its habitat."
"I want to keep it," he repeated on a petulant note.
"It belongs here," Chase said firmly.
Kendal looked as if he might argue. But then he caught sight of them holding hands, and he lowered the crayfish into the stream without argument.
Flustered, Sara tugged her hand free. It wasn't right to send Kendal the message that she and Chase were lovers. That could never be.
"I got a mission for you, Ken," Chase said, with a conjecturing glance at Sara. "Head upstream and see if you can find us a good cedar tree."
Kendal turned toward the mini-waterfall behind him. "Okay," he said, turning to plod upstream.
As Kendal scrambled up the tiered rock, Chase bent down and scooped up a handful of water. "You thirsty?" he asked Sara. "It's clean enough to drink."
There wasn't a hint of deadly sniper in the mischievous little smile that tipped the corners of his
Sara could hear it in the distance: the sound of rippling water. She knew, with a tingle of respect, that nothing escaped Chase's notice in the forest, from the snapping of a twig, to the darting of a squirrel, to the sweat dampening her pink T-shirt on the underside of her breasts.
His warm gaze made her tremble with awareness. Sniper or not, he held powerful sway over her senses.
"I hear it," Kendal breathed, with excitement.
"This way," Chase said, nodding in the right direction.
They came upon the stream abruptly. Pristine water trickled over sandstone rock before pooling in a basin of deep red soil. The water was so clear that the pebbles on the bottom caught and held the sunlight. Overflowing the basin, the water gave a lazy turn through a cove of elderberry trees before disappearing from view.
"Oh, wow!" Kendal breathed, kicking off his sneakers. He waded gleefully into the stream, leaving Sara and Chase standing on the shore, watching.
Sara took in Kendal's delight with a sense of poignancy.
"Not many places like this in Dallas," Chase observed.
"No," she agreed, with a pinch of doubt. But there'd been no doubt yesterday when she spoke with her birth-mother for the first time, using Chase's cell phone. Their previous communication, six months' worth of e-mails, had made the call more than comfortable. Sara had hung up, convinced that heading to Dallas was the right thing.
So, why was she feeling ambivalent today?
"Look, Mom, a crayfish!" Kendal cried, having caught it in his hands.
"Out here we call 'em crawdads," Chase imparted. "Come on," he added, dropping the saw he'd brought with him in order to take off his boots. "Let's cool off."
He had to pull a mean-looking blade out of his boot first. Sara'd had no idea it was there. Added to the gun that peeked out from under his left arm, he looked every inch the dangerous man that he was.
She slipped off her sandals and stepped up to the bank to dip a toe into the water. Goodness, it was cold!
"Come on," Chase said, stepping in boldly.
She hesitated, and he held a hand out to her.
Sara's gaze slid from his hand to his watchful eyes. It became a test of wills to see who would look away first.
"Trust me, Sara," Chase said.
He'd said that back when she'd agreed to let him cut her hair, and that had turned out fine, hadn't it? Besides, she was leaving soon. What harm could come from holding Chase's hand, so long as her eyes were wide-open?
She extended her hand tentatively. He caught it, clasping his fingers firmly over hers. A thrill chased up her arm, speeding her heart rate, sending a wave of pleasure through her.
It wasn't just the temperature of the water that made her nipples tighten as she stepped into the stream.
"Let me see that critter, boy," Chase demanded of Kendal, pulling Sara with him.
Cold water crept up past her knees. By contrast, Chase's hand felt wonderfully warm, slightly rough from the physical work he performed.
"I want to keep it," Kendal said, gazing at his crustacean in rapture.
"Oh, no, honey," Sara said on a breathy note. "It'll die if you take it from its habitat."
"I want to keep it," he repeated on a petulant note.
"It belongs here," Chase said firmly.
Kendal looked as if he might argue. But then he caught sight of them holding hands, and he lowered the crayfish into the stream without argument.
Flustered, Sara tugged her hand free. It wasn't right to send Kendal the message that she and Chase were lovers. That could never be.
"I got a mission for you, Ken," Chase said, with a conjecturing glance at Sara. "Head upstream and see if you can find us a good cedar tree."
Kendal turned toward the mini-waterfall behind him. "Okay," he said, turning to plod upstream.
As Kendal scrambled up the tiered rock, Chase bent down and scooped up a handful of water. "You thirsty?" he asked Sara. "It's clean enough to drink."
There wasn't a hint of deadly sniper in the mischievous little smile that tipped the corners of his
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