should I give up and humbly depart? I want what you've got to offer and I don't think you're ever going to find someone who will appreciate it more than I will." He paused, considering his own words and then added with brutal honesty. "Even if I did think you stood a chance of finding a man who would appreciate it more, I'm not inclined to leave the field open for him. Us stray alley cats have developed a habit of looking out for ourselves first."
"How can you possibly know what you want or what I'm prepared to offer? And why in the hell would I want an alley cat of a man in the first place?" Rani blazed. "You're absolutely right, you don't fit my image of the ideal mate. No fixed address, no fixed job and no fixed future." She was working herself into a fine, righteous temper, but Flint seemed oblivious.
"I don't care about the fixed address or the fixed job. I've relied on my wits long enough to know I can take care of myself. But I am in the market for a permanent woman. I'm ready for a home, Rani. A fixed future."
"But that's ridiculous!"
"Why? I told you, I'm a man, not a boy. I can recognize what I want when I find it."
"You hardly know me," she wailed indignantly.
"Before either of us can be sure, you're going to have to take a chance on me."
Rani caught her breath at the masculine command buried in the words. She was almost physically aware of his willpower reaching out to grapple with hers, and the sensa-tion was frightening. Frantically she summoned up her self-control.
"I think," she managed with a cool poise she was far from feeling, "that you'd better get back to work. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your excellent start."
"Want to hear a few of the tales surrounding that ring you're wearing?"
"No, I do not." Rani moved imperiously to the door, setting her mug down on the tiny drainboard.
"Some other time? Say, over dinner?"
Rani paused at the door, exceedingly grateful for her previous engagement. Ruthlessly she willed herself to ignore the hopefulness in his voice. "I'm going out to dinner tonight."
"That damn artist."
"Yes." The single word was almost a hiss.
"What time will you be back?"
Her eyes widened. "I haven't the faintest idea. I might not be back until morning!"
He grinned at that, a fleeting, amused, thoroughly wicked expression that contained far too much masculine arrogance and more than a hint of real danger, "You'll be back at a decent hour."
"Or what?" she challenged recklessly.
"Or I'll come looking for you."
"Get back to your typewriter, Flint." She slammed the door but not before she heard his laconic last words.
"Yes, ma'am."
Chapter Four
Dinner had been an enjoyable occasion, but as Mike Slater parked his nondescript little Ford compact in Rani's driveway, matters started to disintegrate. Rani stared at the light shining through the curtains of her living room windows and frowned.
"I don't recall turning on the lights before I left this evening," she remarked as Mike opened the car door for her.
"Maybe you just forgot to switch them off when I picked you up tonight." Mike glanced toward the house.
"No, I would have remembered." Rani sighed as she dug her key out of her shoulder bag. "My neighbor was probably raiding my refrigerator."
Mike's brow lifted inquiringly. "I didn't know you had a neighbor."
"He's a handyman or gardener or something. The Andersons hired him to put things in shape around here. He's staying in the back cottage."
"You didn't mention him."
Rani shrugged as she pushed open the front door. "He just arrived a couple days ago. I guess I forgot to tell you about him." There was a sharp hiss of annoyance from Zipp, who took one look at the stranger standing next to Rani and promptly disappeared.
Flint's voice called out from the kitchen. "Hey, you two are back early. Want some coffee? I just made a pot." He sauntered to the kitchen doorway and stood leaning against the frame, a suspiciously bland smile on his hard face as he looked at
"How can you possibly know what you want or what I'm prepared to offer? And why in the hell would I want an alley cat of a man in the first place?" Rani blazed. "You're absolutely right, you don't fit my image of the ideal mate. No fixed address, no fixed job and no fixed future." She was working herself into a fine, righteous temper, but Flint seemed oblivious.
"I don't care about the fixed address or the fixed job. I've relied on my wits long enough to know I can take care of myself. But I am in the market for a permanent woman. I'm ready for a home, Rani. A fixed future."
"But that's ridiculous!"
"Why? I told you, I'm a man, not a boy. I can recognize what I want when I find it."
"You hardly know me," she wailed indignantly.
"Before either of us can be sure, you're going to have to take a chance on me."
Rani caught her breath at the masculine command buried in the words. She was almost physically aware of his willpower reaching out to grapple with hers, and the sensa-tion was frightening. Frantically she summoned up her self-control.
"I think," she managed with a cool poise she was far from feeling, "that you'd better get back to work. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your excellent start."
"Want to hear a few of the tales surrounding that ring you're wearing?"
"No, I do not." Rani moved imperiously to the door, setting her mug down on the tiny drainboard.
"Some other time? Say, over dinner?"
Rani paused at the door, exceedingly grateful for her previous engagement. Ruthlessly she willed herself to ignore the hopefulness in his voice. "I'm going out to dinner tonight."
"That damn artist."
"Yes." The single word was almost a hiss.
"What time will you be back?"
Her eyes widened. "I haven't the faintest idea. I might not be back until morning!"
He grinned at that, a fleeting, amused, thoroughly wicked expression that contained far too much masculine arrogance and more than a hint of real danger, "You'll be back at a decent hour."
"Or what?" she challenged recklessly.
"Or I'll come looking for you."
"Get back to your typewriter, Flint." She slammed the door but not before she heard his laconic last words.
"Yes, ma'am."
Chapter Four
Dinner had been an enjoyable occasion, but as Mike Slater parked his nondescript little Ford compact in Rani's driveway, matters started to disintegrate. Rani stared at the light shining through the curtains of her living room windows and frowned.
"I don't recall turning on the lights before I left this evening," she remarked as Mike opened the car door for her.
"Maybe you just forgot to switch them off when I picked you up tonight." Mike glanced toward the house.
"No, I would have remembered." Rani sighed as she dug her key out of her shoulder bag. "My neighbor was probably raiding my refrigerator."
Mike's brow lifted inquiringly. "I didn't know you had a neighbor."
"He's a handyman or gardener or something. The Andersons hired him to put things in shape around here. He's staying in the back cottage."
"You didn't mention him."
Rani shrugged as she pushed open the front door. "He just arrived a couple days ago. I guess I forgot to tell you about him." There was a sharp hiss of annoyance from Zipp, who took one look at the stranger standing next to Rani and promptly disappeared.
Flint's voice called out from the kitchen. "Hey, you two are back early. Want some coffee? I just made a pot." He sauntered to the kitchen doorway and stood leaning against the frame, a suspiciously bland smile on his hard face as he looked at
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