be a little too untrusting?“
She slanted him a cool, derisive smile. „Are you implying I should trust you a little more than I do, Chance?“
Holding a dish in one hand and the towel in the other, he looked down at her. „I’d like that, Rachel.“
„Yes,“ she said, „I’ll just bet you would. Why don’t you answer a few of my questions now?“
He stifled a sigh. „All right. What do you want to know?“
She blinked owlishly as if she hadn’t expected him to be so agreeable. „Well, what are you going to do with
Snowball’s Chance when you get it fixed up?“
„Use it for weekends and vacations, probably. I won’t be able to run my business from here, but it will make a great
escape spot. I like coming up here into the mountains. Makes a nice break from the city and the kind of work I do.“
„Do you like your work?“
„It has its satisfactions,“ he said with a shrug. „And a few frustrations.“
„What kind of frustrations?“
He wondered at her sudden interest. „Sometimes things can’t be settled to my satisfaction. Sometimes corporate
politics get in the way of a good security investigation.“ He heard the bitterness in his own words and was annoyed.
„I’m hoping that things will be a little different when I’m working for myself.“
She gave him an odd look and seemed to run out of questions. Chance sought some way to keep her talking. „I
unearthed an old box of checkers in a trunk out in the coach house today. Want to try a couple of games?“
„All right. There’s not much else to do up here at night, is there?“
„Not unless we go back to doing what we were doing at the fish pond this afternoon,“ he agreed.
„Don’t hold your breath,“ she shot back, but there was no real venom in her words.
„I won’t.“
A long time later Chance lay in bed and went over every nuance of his gentle attempt at interrogation. He hadn’t
learned much about Miss Rachel Wilder, just enough to tantalize himself and make him more curious than ever.
He had also learned it was tough to keep his mind on a verbal investigation when his body was demanding a much
more intimate exploration. Chance stared into the darkness and admitted to himself just how much he wanted all of
Rachel, now that he’d teased himself with a taste.
She had felt very good in his arms that afternoon. Soft and sensual and alive. And she had responded. She would
probably never admit it, at least not now, but he had felt the shiver of awareness course through her. Her mouth had
opened beneath his, and part of her had definitely welcomed the deep intimacy of his kiss.
It was incredibly frustrating having to wonder why she was so determined to fight him. Chance decided he would
like very much to get his hands on the man who had made Rachel Wilder so wary. Whoever he was, he was probably
the reason she was hiding out here at Snowball’s Chance.
The first thing he had to do, Chance knew, was to convince Rachel she was safe here. When he’d accomplished
that much, he could proceed to step two.
Step two was to get her into his bed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a woman as badly as he was
beginning to want Rachel Wilder.
Patience, he told himself grimly. He had to have patience.
CHANCE’S BID FOR PATIENCE was severely strained the next day, however, when he found the impressions on
the notepad beside the telephone. The original note had been ripped off, but it wasn’t difficult to read the indentations
left by the pen.
Chance deciphered the familiar name of the restaurant and felt a slow burn begin somewhere deep inside. Rachel
had left for town sometime earlier, telling him there was a sandwich waiting in the kitchen. She had said she had some
shopping to do.
It was the first time she’d ever gone shopping during the noon hour. He had already been feeling abandoned, not
looking forward to a lonely lunch. Strange how quickly he’d grown accustomed to her company. For
She slanted him a cool, derisive smile. „Are you implying I should trust you a little more than I do, Chance?“
Holding a dish in one hand and the towel in the other, he looked down at her. „I’d like that, Rachel.“
„Yes,“ she said, „I’ll just bet you would. Why don’t you answer a few of my questions now?“
He stifled a sigh. „All right. What do you want to know?“
She blinked owlishly as if she hadn’t expected him to be so agreeable. „Well, what are you going to do with
Snowball’s Chance when you get it fixed up?“
„Use it for weekends and vacations, probably. I won’t be able to run my business from here, but it will make a great
escape spot. I like coming up here into the mountains. Makes a nice break from the city and the kind of work I do.“
„Do you like your work?“
„It has its satisfactions,“ he said with a shrug. „And a few frustrations.“
„What kind of frustrations?“
He wondered at her sudden interest. „Sometimes things can’t be settled to my satisfaction. Sometimes corporate
politics get in the way of a good security investigation.“ He heard the bitterness in his own words and was annoyed.
„I’m hoping that things will be a little different when I’m working for myself.“
She gave him an odd look and seemed to run out of questions. Chance sought some way to keep her talking. „I
unearthed an old box of checkers in a trunk out in the coach house today. Want to try a couple of games?“
„All right. There’s not much else to do up here at night, is there?“
„Not unless we go back to doing what we were doing at the fish pond this afternoon,“ he agreed.
„Don’t hold your breath,“ she shot back, but there was no real venom in her words.
„I won’t.“
A long time later Chance lay in bed and went over every nuance of his gentle attempt at interrogation. He hadn’t
learned much about Miss Rachel Wilder, just enough to tantalize himself and make him more curious than ever.
He had also learned it was tough to keep his mind on a verbal investigation when his body was demanding a much
more intimate exploration. Chance stared into the darkness and admitted to himself just how much he wanted all of
Rachel, now that he’d teased himself with a taste.
She had felt very good in his arms that afternoon. Soft and sensual and alive. And she had responded. She would
probably never admit it, at least not now, but he had felt the shiver of awareness course through her. Her mouth had
opened beneath his, and part of her had definitely welcomed the deep intimacy of his kiss.
It was incredibly frustrating having to wonder why she was so determined to fight him. Chance decided he would
like very much to get his hands on the man who had made Rachel Wilder so wary. Whoever he was, he was probably
the reason she was hiding out here at Snowball’s Chance.
The first thing he had to do, Chance knew, was to convince Rachel she was safe here. When he’d accomplished
that much, he could proceed to step two.
Step two was to get her into his bed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a woman as badly as he was
beginning to want Rachel Wilder.
Patience, he told himself grimly. He had to have patience.
CHANCE’S BID FOR PATIENCE was severely strained the next day, however, when he found the impressions on
the notepad beside the telephone. The original note had been ripped off, but it wasn’t difficult to read the indentations
left by the pen.
Chance deciphered the familiar name of the restaurant and felt a slow burn begin somewhere deep inside. Rachel
had left for town sometime earlier, telling him there was a sandwich waiting in the kitchen. She had said she had some
shopping to do.
It was the first time she’d ever gone shopping during the noon hour. He had already been feeling abandoned, not
looking forward to a lonely lunch. Strange how quickly he’d grown accustomed to her company. For
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