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Authors: Stephanie James
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defense."
Rani winced. She had just thrown another contingent of gloriously attired armored knights into the fray.
"You've just ridden down several of your own infantry," Gage noted with interest. "Don't feel bad. It happened a lot in those days."
"All right! All right! I lose!" she finally exclaimed in exasperation shortly before lunch. "Another victory for disciplined professionalism." Her hand swept the remaining miniatures into a jumbled heap in the middle of the board. "Go get us some lunch. It's the least the victor can do!"
"You won't forget you owe me dinner?" he asked whimsically as he rose to his feet.
"I won't forget," she vowed ferociously. "I'll pick you up at seven."
He paused halfway to the door, looking mildly surprised. "You'll pick me up?"
"I'm the one taking you to dinner, right? I'll pick you up."
He looked vaguely pleased at the novelty. "You don't know where I live."
"Draw me a map!" she grumbled, getting up to wait on a customer who was about to enter the shop.
He nodded. "Interesting things, maps. You know they didn't have them during the Middle Ages. At least not any reliable ones. Saved a lot of fighting."
Rani stared at him blankly, not understanding, but it was the customer who explained it to her with a grave nod toward Gage. "It was hard for the armies to find each other," the elderly stranger said. "They could wander around for months before coming into contact with the enemy."
"What an intelligent way to fight a war," Rani chuckled admiringly. Gage disappeared, gray eyes laughing at her.
In the afternoon business picked up and Rani was grateful. She wasn't in the mood to be invited to take part in another losing battle. But Gage spent the day manipulating the miniature warriors, and he turned out to be good for business. He fell into several long, highly technical conversations with the collectors of the small soldiers who ambled in. Rani wound up making several unexpected sales to the serious-faced men whose enthusiasm allowed them to get carried away with their hobby.
"Donna's going to be delighted, naturally," she remarked finally at closing time as she totaled out the register. "But don't you have a business of your own to run, Gage?"
"Right now you are my business," he reminded her, bringing home the realization that their own battle was about to recommence. And she couldn't avoid it; she had a map, she thought wryly.
With the proud, magnificently brave if not altogether intelligent attitude of one of her own French knights, Rani dressed for dinner that evening. Gage had left her off at her condominium right after work, telling her he would expect her promptly at seven. She didn't intend to be late.
Her wardrobe didn't run to the glamorous or the gaudy; it consisted mostly of jeans, tailored suits she had worn to work and a few evening outfits that would never come under the heading of sensational. But there was one interesting dress that Donna had helped her select during a visit to Dallas when the two sisters had gone on a shopping spree.
It was short and cut like a man's shirt, with a rakish collar and rolled back cuffs. But it was a deep black, very narrow and belted with a black patent-leather sash. For some reason the total effect, especially with several buttons undone at the collar, was raffish and piratical. Coupled with black high-heeled sandals and a loop of delicate silver chain around her exposed throat, it was chic and eye-catching. Donna had always had good taste in clothing.
She found Gage's home in a quiet upper-class neighborhood, which implied a certain amount of success in the business security field. The house was low, modem and surrounded by a walled courtyard. She parked her yellow Mazda in the drive and unhinged the wrought-iron gate.
To her surprise, the garden on the other side of the gate was not done in the familiar southwestern style, with brick fountains and lush greenery. The surroundings were rich and green, all right, and there was a
Rani winced. She had just thrown another contingent of gloriously attired armored knights into the fray.
"You've just ridden down several of your own infantry," Gage noted with interest. "Don't feel bad. It happened a lot in those days."
"All right! All right! I lose!" she finally exclaimed in exasperation shortly before lunch. "Another victory for disciplined professionalism." Her hand swept the remaining miniatures into a jumbled heap in the middle of the board. "Go get us some lunch. It's the least the victor can do!"
"You won't forget you owe me dinner?" he asked whimsically as he rose to his feet.
"I won't forget," she vowed ferociously. "I'll pick you up at seven."
He paused halfway to the door, looking mildly surprised. "You'll pick me up?"
"I'm the one taking you to dinner, right? I'll pick you up."
He looked vaguely pleased at the novelty. "You don't know where I live."
"Draw me a map!" she grumbled, getting up to wait on a customer who was about to enter the shop.
He nodded. "Interesting things, maps. You know they didn't have them during the Middle Ages. At least not any reliable ones. Saved a lot of fighting."
Rani stared at him blankly, not understanding, but it was the customer who explained it to her with a grave nod toward Gage. "It was hard for the armies to find each other," the elderly stranger said. "They could wander around for months before coming into contact with the enemy."
"What an intelligent way to fight a war," Rani chuckled admiringly. Gage disappeared, gray eyes laughing at her.
In the afternoon business picked up and Rani was grateful. She wasn't in the mood to be invited to take part in another losing battle. But Gage spent the day manipulating the miniature warriors, and he turned out to be good for business. He fell into several long, highly technical conversations with the collectors of the small soldiers who ambled in. Rani wound up making several unexpected sales to the serious-faced men whose enthusiasm allowed them to get carried away with their hobby.
"Donna's going to be delighted, naturally," she remarked finally at closing time as she totaled out the register. "But don't you have a business of your own to run, Gage?"
"Right now you are my business," he reminded her, bringing home the realization that their own battle was about to recommence. And she couldn't avoid it; she had a map, she thought wryly.
With the proud, magnificently brave if not altogether intelligent attitude of one of her own French knights, Rani dressed for dinner that evening. Gage had left her off at her condominium right after work, telling her he would expect her promptly at seven. She didn't intend to be late.
Her wardrobe didn't run to the glamorous or the gaudy; it consisted mostly of jeans, tailored suits she had worn to work and a few evening outfits that would never come under the heading of sensational. But there was one interesting dress that Donna had helped her select during a visit to Dallas when the two sisters had gone on a shopping spree.
It was short and cut like a man's shirt, with a rakish collar and rolled back cuffs. But it was a deep black, very narrow and belted with a black patent-leather sash. For some reason the total effect, especially with several buttons undone at the collar, was raffish and piratical. Coupled with black high-heeled sandals and a loop of delicate silver chain around her exposed throat, it was chic and eye-catching. Donna had always had good taste in clothing.
She found Gage's home in a quiet upper-class neighborhood, which implied a certain amount of success in the business security field. The house was low, modem and surrounded by a walled courtyard. She parked her yellow Mazda in the drive and unhinged the wrought-iron gate.
To her surprise, the garden on the other side of the gate was not done in the familiar southwestern style, with brick fountains and lush greenery. The surroundings were rich and green, all right, and there was a
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