in—"
Matt wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a teasing eye roll.
Well, hell's bells. She wasn't about to tell her brother Derek was too darn hot to handle without an asbestos shield.
"I always thought you were a little in love with him."
"What? No way. That wasn't love. It was pure irritation. The man would flirt with a rock if it had eyelashes and boobs."
"Hey! I've dated women like that."
Lily grinned. "You have not." If Matt dated it was rare. There weren't that many single women in Munroe. "Why don't you start a practice somewhere like Seattle, or Boise? Somewhere where there are women?"
"Happy as a pig right where I am. But thank you for trying." He touched her nose. "Scared?"
"Only a fool wouldn't be," Lily told him absently. "Believe me, I have a healthy respect for wild animals."
"I was talking about Derek."
She grinned. "So was I."
"He's the most unwild man I know."
"Have you ever looked into his eyes when he wants something?"
"Um, no." Matt's lips twitched. "But I do know," he said seriously, "if I was ever in a crunch he'd be the guy I'd want at my back."
She gave her brother a startled look. Yes, Derek could look frighteningly menacing at times. But it was
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
an illusion. "You must be kidding me. He's almost as unreliable as…"
"Sean?"
"Yes."
"Wrong."
"How can you say that knowing as well as I do that when he's needed, he's off on some exotic vacation?"
"Not every time. And when he's not there he has excellent people in place who are . Ash, Sam, Joe."
Lily scowled. "He owns the damn ranch. He should be there."
The noise level was suddenly so high she could barely hear herself, and she realized their voices had been getting louder to top the crowd. "Hold that thought," she shouted, then made a hand gesture to indicate she was focusing on the race.
She didn't want to see Derek, or talk about him or think about him for the next week or so.
"Fourteen," the announcer yelled before beginning yet another countdown. Every two minutes another team advanced to the line, dogs straining against their handlers, the mushers riding the break. The crowd went nuts, screaming and shouting encouragement, clapping their gloved hands and narrowing the dog-run corridor as they pressed in for a closer look.
"Settle down, kids," Lily yelled at her impatient team, her breath crystallizing as she made one last check.
Anticipation reared its head and roared through her body like a freight train run amok. She was as eager as the dogs to get moving. "Almost our turn."
Four
His heart raced with expectation, even though it would be days before he dared do what he'd been instructed to do. It'd been a while since he'd killed anyone. Still, once you got past the whole moral thing, killing someone was nothing more than an especially interesting exercise. And killing a woman, particularly this woman, held a certain morbid appeal. Not that he had much choice. It was kill Lily Munroe or be disposed of himself. And there was no doubt in his mind at all which of them was going to win that contest.
It had to look accidental—which shouldn't be difficult at all. But there was nothing saying he couldn't have a little fun first.
Derek had broken down the initial three legs for his first day on the trail. An hour and a half to get to Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Knik—a Lily sighting there. Three, maybe six hours to Yentna Station and the second Lily sighting, then another six to Skwentna, where he planned to stop and sleep for a few hours to rest the dogs and arrange a third Lily sighting. By then, she'd be too damn exhausted to fight with him. Time with Lily. That was the goal he would focus on during the first twenty-four hours.
How the hell was he going to pull this off? Derek wondered, on automatic pilot as his dogs, all trained by Lily, followed an invisible trail in the snow. It was bitterly
Matt wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a teasing eye roll.
Well, hell's bells. She wasn't about to tell her brother Derek was too darn hot to handle without an asbestos shield.
"I always thought you were a little in love with him."
"What? No way. That wasn't love. It was pure irritation. The man would flirt with a rock if it had eyelashes and boobs."
"Hey! I've dated women like that."
Lily grinned. "You have not." If Matt dated it was rare. There weren't that many single women in Munroe. "Why don't you start a practice somewhere like Seattle, or Boise? Somewhere where there are women?"
"Happy as a pig right where I am. But thank you for trying." He touched her nose. "Scared?"
"Only a fool wouldn't be," Lily told him absently. "Believe me, I have a healthy respect for wild animals."
"I was talking about Derek."
She grinned. "So was I."
"He's the most unwild man I know."
"Have you ever looked into his eyes when he wants something?"
"Um, no." Matt's lips twitched. "But I do know," he said seriously, "if I was ever in a crunch he'd be the guy I'd want at my back."
She gave her brother a startled look. Yes, Derek could look frighteningly menacing at times. But it was
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
an illusion. "You must be kidding me. He's almost as unreliable as…"
"Sean?"
"Yes."
"Wrong."
"How can you say that knowing as well as I do that when he's needed, he's off on some exotic vacation?"
"Not every time. And when he's not there he has excellent people in place who are . Ash, Sam, Joe."
Lily scowled. "He owns the damn ranch. He should be there."
The noise level was suddenly so high she could barely hear herself, and she realized their voices had been getting louder to top the crowd. "Hold that thought," she shouted, then made a hand gesture to indicate she was focusing on the race.
She didn't want to see Derek, or talk about him or think about him for the next week or so.
"Fourteen," the announcer yelled before beginning yet another countdown. Every two minutes another team advanced to the line, dogs straining against their handlers, the mushers riding the break. The crowd went nuts, screaming and shouting encouragement, clapping their gloved hands and narrowing the dog-run corridor as they pressed in for a closer look.
"Settle down, kids," Lily yelled at her impatient team, her breath crystallizing as she made one last check.
Anticipation reared its head and roared through her body like a freight train run amok. She was as eager as the dogs to get moving. "Almost our turn."
Four
His heart raced with expectation, even though it would be days before he dared do what he'd been instructed to do. It'd been a while since he'd killed anyone. Still, once you got past the whole moral thing, killing someone was nothing more than an especially interesting exercise. And killing a woman, particularly this woman, held a certain morbid appeal. Not that he had much choice. It was kill Lily Munroe or be disposed of himself. And there was no doubt in his mind at all which of them was going to win that contest.
It had to look accidental—which shouldn't be difficult at all. But there was nothing saying he couldn't have a little fun first.
Derek had broken down the initial three legs for his first day on the trail. An hour and a half to get to Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Knik—a Lily sighting there. Three, maybe six hours to Yentna Station and the second Lily sighting, then another six to Skwentna, where he planned to stop and sleep for a few hours to rest the dogs and arrange a third Lily sighting. By then, she'd be too damn exhausted to fight with him. Time with Lily. That was the goal he would focus on during the first twenty-four hours.
How the hell was he going to pull this off? Derek wondered, on automatic pilot as his dogs, all trained by Lily, followed an invisible trail in the snow. It was bitterly
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