shrubs, had received only minimal attention. It had been mowed a couple of weeks ago, but now dandelions dotted it brightly here and there, and patches of grass had gone to seed. Garden furniture was stacked up at one side of the flagstone terrace, looking forlorn, obviously not regularly used. A garden hose had been coiled on the terrace but there were no flowers growing in the large terra cotta planters along its border.
As Allie tiptoed through the long grasses at the edge of the clearing, her sense of panic was rising steadily. She knew she’d stepped way over the line and she was already thoroughly ashamed of herself.
“Golly,” she was whispering to herself, finding a bit of reassurance in the quiet sound of her own voice. “If he should catch me here . . . How did I get myself into this?” Her words, if she’d dared speak up, would have been a wail. “This was such a dumb idea!”
So she had seen the outside of Zach Eliot’s house. So what! All she wanted now was to get safely back to the car, undiscovered, and then get herself far away from the place.
She needed only to get around to the far side of the big lawn and through some trees that grew up close against the wall of the building. Staying as silent as she could, Allie rounded the lawn and moved gently through the trees along the side of the house. The morning air was sweet and still all around her. There was no rustle of the leaves above her head, and even the birds seemed to be holding their breath. She came around the corner and, in the driveway ahead of her, the Cherokee was waiting, its door open. She just had to tiptoe quietly across the open space at the front of the house and then just as quietly get out of there, and no one would be any the wiser.
She had taken only one step out onto the gravel when Zach’s voice made her jump.
“Kind of early in the morning for snooping around, isn’t it, Allie?”
He was leaning against the frame of the open doorway at the front of the house, naked to the waist and shoeless, wearing only his jeans. With a towel, he was wiping shaving cream from his face.
“I wasn’t snooping!” Allie could feel the flush rising in her face, the pounding of her heart now almost choking her. She understood that expression about wishing the earth would swallow her up. She could barely get the words out as she tried her best to sound casual. “I didn’t realize it was a private road. I just drove up here by mistake.”
“You bet it was a mistake!” The expression on Zach’s face was murderous. He stepped back into the house and held the door open. “Come on in, Allie.” His voice was ice cold. “You and I are going to have a little talk.”
Allie followed him meekly into the house, feeling too ashamed and guilty to protest. He slammed the door behind and, as she stood in the little entryway, trying to regain her composure, he finished wiping his face and pointed into the living room, at her left. “Wait in there,” he ordered. “I’m going to get dressed.” Angrily, he threw his towel onto a chair that stood just inside the dining room, to the right, and disappeared, two steps at a time, up the steep stairs that rose from the entryway.
She stood where she was for a minute or two, taking several deep breaths, waiting for her heart to stop its loud thumping.
Allie, you fool. How could you let yourself get into such a dumb situation? Talk about curiosity killing the cat!
Even as she scolded herself, and even as she waited for the frantic pounding somewhere inside her ribs to quiet down, the sight of Zach’s bare chest, his muscular torso disappearing into the tops of his jeans, stayed with her. His strong physique, only partially covered, as attractive as anything she’d ever painted in a life study class, had a surprisingly calming effect on her heartbeat. As a portrait subject, he was less threatening, and she began to breathe more normally and, despite her embarrassment and despite her immediate
As Allie tiptoed through the long grasses at the edge of the clearing, her sense of panic was rising steadily. She knew she’d stepped way over the line and she was already thoroughly ashamed of herself.
“Golly,” she was whispering to herself, finding a bit of reassurance in the quiet sound of her own voice. “If he should catch me here . . . How did I get myself into this?” Her words, if she’d dared speak up, would have been a wail. “This was such a dumb idea!”
So she had seen the outside of Zach Eliot’s house. So what! All she wanted now was to get safely back to the car, undiscovered, and then get herself far away from the place.
She needed only to get around to the far side of the big lawn and through some trees that grew up close against the wall of the building. Staying as silent as she could, Allie rounded the lawn and moved gently through the trees along the side of the house. The morning air was sweet and still all around her. There was no rustle of the leaves above her head, and even the birds seemed to be holding their breath. She came around the corner and, in the driveway ahead of her, the Cherokee was waiting, its door open. She just had to tiptoe quietly across the open space at the front of the house and then just as quietly get out of there, and no one would be any the wiser.
She had taken only one step out onto the gravel when Zach’s voice made her jump.
“Kind of early in the morning for snooping around, isn’t it, Allie?”
He was leaning against the frame of the open doorway at the front of the house, naked to the waist and shoeless, wearing only his jeans. With a towel, he was wiping shaving cream from his face.
“I wasn’t snooping!” Allie could feel the flush rising in her face, the pounding of her heart now almost choking her. She understood that expression about wishing the earth would swallow her up. She could barely get the words out as she tried her best to sound casual. “I didn’t realize it was a private road. I just drove up here by mistake.”
“You bet it was a mistake!” The expression on Zach’s face was murderous. He stepped back into the house and held the door open. “Come on in, Allie.” His voice was ice cold. “You and I are going to have a little talk.”
Allie followed him meekly into the house, feeling too ashamed and guilty to protest. He slammed the door behind and, as she stood in the little entryway, trying to regain her composure, he finished wiping his face and pointed into the living room, at her left. “Wait in there,” he ordered. “I’m going to get dressed.” Angrily, he threw his towel onto a chair that stood just inside the dining room, to the right, and disappeared, two steps at a time, up the steep stairs that rose from the entryway.
She stood where she was for a minute or two, taking several deep breaths, waiting for her heart to stop its loud thumping.
Allie, you fool. How could you let yourself get into such a dumb situation? Talk about curiosity killing the cat!
Even as she scolded herself, and even as she waited for the frantic pounding somewhere inside her ribs to quiet down, the sight of Zach’s bare chest, his muscular torso disappearing into the tops of his jeans, stayed with her. His strong physique, only partially covered, as attractive as anything she’d ever painted in a life study class, had a surprisingly calming effect on her heartbeat. As a portrait subject, he was less threatening, and she began to breathe more normally and, despite her embarrassment and despite her immediate
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