him. "I just want to go home. I canât help you. Iâm sorry. Itâs too hard."
"Youâre not afraid of something being hard," he told her.
"You donât know anything about me."
"I know that two months ago, when Jake and Sarah were in danger, you were brave enough to knock down a man with a baseball bat. You showed more than a little courage in a difficult situation. I was very impressed." To this day he wondered if they would all still be alive if Catherine hadnât been willing to put her life on the line the way she had.
"That was different. I knew what was real and what wasnât -- who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. I acted on instinct. But I canât help you if you donât believe me, and I can see in your eyes that you donât. You think Iâm conning you or something."
"Iâm a logical person. I believe in what I can see."
"Sometimes you have to have faith."
"I lost my faith a long time ago."
"You donât believe in anyone or anything?"
"I trust my brother, Jake, because heâs never let me down. Heâs the only one. And Iâve certainly never had any experience with the supernatural, so forgive me if it all sounds a little bizarre."
"I understand. Youâre not the first person to judge me. And I doubt youâll be the last. To be honest, I donât always understand the visions either. So I should just go home and leave you to get on with things. You can do this on your own."
"Youâre not the kind of woman to run away, Catherine." He didnât know why he felt such a need to keep her with him, but all of his instincts were screaming at him to hang on to her.
"Iâve been running away my whole life. You have no idea how good I am at it." She met his gaze head-on, and he saw nothing but truth in her eyes.
"Then itâs time to stop running." He shifted his feet, searching for the right words. "Dammit, Catherine, youâre the one who started this with your prediction about Erica coming into my life. Two women, you said: One is danger; one is salvation. If Erica is danger, then you have to be salvation. Youâre the only one here who fits the bill."
"Youâre used to getting your way, arenât you? Donât bother to answer. That was a rhetorical question. Iâll say one thing: Youâre persuasive, and very good at arguing all sides of a discussion."
"So, have I convinced you to stay?"
"For the moment. Then weâll see." She gave him a small smile. "What you donât realize is that by asking me to stick around, youâre putting yourself directly in my line of vision, so if you have any secrets donât expect to keep them."
Her words made him uneasy, but he told himself to get over it, because if he didnât believe in her visions then he had nothing to fear. She might be a little more perceptive than most people, but heâd learned a long time ago how to hide what he was thinking or feeling. He could keep her out of his head, and he would keep her out, because there was a part of him he couldnât let anyone see.
"So whatâs next?" Catherine asked.
He was relieved by the question. They were getting back to business, what he did best. "I need to check out my room in the lodge, see if Erica left me any surprises there."
Upon entering the building, Dylan felt like a marked man. The man and woman working the reception desk both gave him long, wary stares. And when he requested another room key, the woman looked very much as if she wanted to say no, but in the end she just handed him a key and asked him to be sure to check out by eleven oâclock.
"Iâd like to stay another night," he said.
"Iâm sorry, but your room is booked for today," the woman replied. "Youâll have to collect your belongings and check out."
Dylan could see the firm resolve in her eyes. Management obviously wanted him out of there as soon as possible. He couldnât blame them. Having a
"Youâre not afraid of something being hard," he told her.
"You donât know anything about me."
"I know that two months ago, when Jake and Sarah were in danger, you were brave enough to knock down a man with a baseball bat. You showed more than a little courage in a difficult situation. I was very impressed." To this day he wondered if they would all still be alive if Catherine hadnât been willing to put her life on the line the way she had.
"That was different. I knew what was real and what wasnât -- who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. I acted on instinct. But I canât help you if you donât believe me, and I can see in your eyes that you donât. You think Iâm conning you or something."
"Iâm a logical person. I believe in what I can see."
"Sometimes you have to have faith."
"I lost my faith a long time ago."
"You donât believe in anyone or anything?"
"I trust my brother, Jake, because heâs never let me down. Heâs the only one. And Iâve certainly never had any experience with the supernatural, so forgive me if it all sounds a little bizarre."
"I understand. Youâre not the first person to judge me. And I doubt youâll be the last. To be honest, I donât always understand the visions either. So I should just go home and leave you to get on with things. You can do this on your own."
"Youâre not the kind of woman to run away, Catherine." He didnât know why he felt such a need to keep her with him, but all of his instincts were screaming at him to hang on to her.
"Iâve been running away my whole life. You have no idea how good I am at it." She met his gaze head-on, and he saw nothing but truth in her eyes.
"Then itâs time to stop running." He shifted his feet, searching for the right words. "Dammit, Catherine, youâre the one who started this with your prediction about Erica coming into my life. Two women, you said: One is danger; one is salvation. If Erica is danger, then you have to be salvation. Youâre the only one here who fits the bill."
"Youâre used to getting your way, arenât you? Donât bother to answer. That was a rhetorical question. Iâll say one thing: Youâre persuasive, and very good at arguing all sides of a discussion."
"So, have I convinced you to stay?"
"For the moment. Then weâll see." She gave him a small smile. "What you donât realize is that by asking me to stick around, youâre putting yourself directly in my line of vision, so if you have any secrets donât expect to keep them."
Her words made him uneasy, but he told himself to get over it, because if he didnât believe in her visions then he had nothing to fear. She might be a little more perceptive than most people, but heâd learned a long time ago how to hide what he was thinking or feeling. He could keep her out of his head, and he would keep her out, because there was a part of him he couldnât let anyone see.
"So whatâs next?" Catherine asked.
He was relieved by the question. They were getting back to business, what he did best. "I need to check out my room in the lodge, see if Erica left me any surprises there."
Upon entering the building, Dylan felt like a marked man. The man and woman working the reception desk both gave him long, wary stares. And when he requested another room key, the woman looked very much as if she wanted to say no, but in the end she just handed him a key and asked him to be sure to check out by eleven oâclock.
"Iâd like to stay another night," he said.
"Iâm sorry, but your room is booked for today," the woman replied. "Youâll have to collect your belongings and check out."
Dylan could see the firm resolve in her eyes. Management obviously wanted him out of there as soon as possible. He couldnât blame them. Having a
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