to be thawing, even if it was only a small crack. It made her wonder about the man beneath the scientist.
He made the call to Polish Danny’s Soul Food. After ordering for Max, himself, and out of courtesy, something for Kaitlin, he closed his phone. “About thirty minutes.”
“Okay. I’m going to hang out with the dogs until the food comes.” Then she added, “And Adam, I am sorry about what happened to you. Ruby and Ossie would never hurt you. It’s not how they were raised.”
He didn’t speak to that, but did say, “If I hear from my mother I’ll let you know.”
“And I’ll let you know if Myk calls me.”
“Sounds good.”
Unspoken words passed between them then, and Max sensed he was as aware of her as she was of him. “I’ll see you later,” she said in parting, and left him alone in the room.
Adam walked over to the windows and looked out over the lake. He was so concerned about his mother, she was all he could think about. Did those men have her? Once again hundreds of ugly scenarios played in his mind with such vividness he finally had to force his mind onto something else. The dark clouds forming out on the horizon signaled rain. Usually, watching a storm roll in was one of the joys of living there on the lake. Adam was as fascinated by weather and storms as he was with every other branch of science, but this evening his excitement was muted. The swan-shaped glass barometer mounted on the wall beside the window had been a Christmas gift from his mother a few years back, and the sight of it sent his thoughts to her again. Where is she? How is she? Is she safe? What about Ray? The glass swan measured barometric pressure by the movement of the red dye resting in its belly. The dye wasrising into the neck, which meant the pressure was dropping rapidly, indicating the approach of a big storm. Sure enough, Adam could see thick dark clouds filled with flashes of lightning sweeping across the water like dust from an advancing herd of charging buffalo.
He wondered if Max enjoyed storms. He had no idea why he’d told her about his issues with the dogs. As he’d said, the attack wasn’t something he usually talked about, especially not with strangers but with her he had. In his younger days he would have been all over the foxy, green-eyed Max Blake. His attraction to her was growing by the moment, but the reality of the now was that he needed to stay as far away from her as possible. She came across as a woman who captained her own ship and as a result had probably left behind a trail of broken male hearts a mile long. He had no plans to become a member of the club. His work was a jealous mistress, but a woman like her could inspire a man to greatness.
He shook off the fantasies of the tempting Ms. Max and turned his thoughts to Kaitlin. What had she really been doing up here in his room? Could she and her daddy be connected to the threatening e-mail? He hoped not. He was sure Kaitlin had contacted her old man about Max, however, and equally sure that Sylvester Kent would be showing up in the next couple of days, ostensibly to check her out.
A soft rumble of thunder brought Adam back and he looked out at the lake. The storm clouds were now smoke gray and hugging the lake surface in a way that made them appear to be forming from the water. He could see shards of lightning flashing periodically inside them and he estimated the brunt of the storm to beabout twenty minutes away. The red water in the swan barometer had risen high into the neck now, which meant the pressure was still dropping. The storm was going to be a wild one. It was not the time for anyone to be on the beach. A storm spawned by such low pressure would be packing winds capable of taking out large trees. He checked his watch to try and gauge the delivery from Danny’s. If the driver was lucky, he’d be here and gone before it hit.
Adam turned away from the window. He wanted to power down the computers. Lightning liked to snack on
He made the call to Polish Danny’s Soul Food. After ordering for Max, himself, and out of courtesy, something for Kaitlin, he closed his phone. “About thirty minutes.”
“Okay. I’m going to hang out with the dogs until the food comes.” Then she added, “And Adam, I am sorry about what happened to you. Ruby and Ossie would never hurt you. It’s not how they were raised.”
He didn’t speak to that, but did say, “If I hear from my mother I’ll let you know.”
“And I’ll let you know if Myk calls me.”
“Sounds good.”
Unspoken words passed between them then, and Max sensed he was as aware of her as she was of him. “I’ll see you later,” she said in parting, and left him alone in the room.
Adam walked over to the windows and looked out over the lake. He was so concerned about his mother, she was all he could think about. Did those men have her? Once again hundreds of ugly scenarios played in his mind with such vividness he finally had to force his mind onto something else. The dark clouds forming out on the horizon signaled rain. Usually, watching a storm roll in was one of the joys of living there on the lake. Adam was as fascinated by weather and storms as he was with every other branch of science, but this evening his excitement was muted. The swan-shaped glass barometer mounted on the wall beside the window had been a Christmas gift from his mother a few years back, and the sight of it sent his thoughts to her again. Where is she? How is she? Is she safe? What about Ray? The glass swan measured barometric pressure by the movement of the red dye resting in its belly. The dye wasrising into the neck, which meant the pressure was dropping rapidly, indicating the approach of a big storm. Sure enough, Adam could see thick dark clouds filled with flashes of lightning sweeping across the water like dust from an advancing herd of charging buffalo.
He wondered if Max enjoyed storms. He had no idea why he’d told her about his issues with the dogs. As he’d said, the attack wasn’t something he usually talked about, especially not with strangers but with her he had. In his younger days he would have been all over the foxy, green-eyed Max Blake. His attraction to her was growing by the moment, but the reality of the now was that he needed to stay as far away from her as possible. She came across as a woman who captained her own ship and as a result had probably left behind a trail of broken male hearts a mile long. He had no plans to become a member of the club. His work was a jealous mistress, but a woman like her could inspire a man to greatness.
He shook off the fantasies of the tempting Ms. Max and turned his thoughts to Kaitlin. What had she really been doing up here in his room? Could she and her daddy be connected to the threatening e-mail? He hoped not. He was sure Kaitlin had contacted her old man about Max, however, and equally sure that Sylvester Kent would be showing up in the next couple of days, ostensibly to check her out.
A soft rumble of thunder brought Adam back and he looked out at the lake. The storm clouds were now smoke gray and hugging the lake surface in a way that made them appear to be forming from the water. He could see shards of lightning flashing periodically inside them and he estimated the brunt of the storm to beabout twenty minutes away. The red water in the swan barometer had risen high into the neck now, which meant the pressure was still dropping. The storm was going to be a wild one. It was not the time for anyone to be on the beach. A storm spawned by such low pressure would be packing winds capable of taking out large trees. He checked his watch to try and gauge the delivery from Danny’s. If the driver was lucky, he’d be here and gone before it hit.
Adam turned away from the window. He wanted to power down the computers. Lightning liked to snack on
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