brightened. "Lots of lovely land up around Lake Tahoe."
"Lots of lovely gambling casinos, too," Honor noted dryly. "Is Conn involved in gambling, Ethan?"
"Don't you think you should be asking Landry these questions, Honor?" the older man asked with obvious unease. It was clear he was feeling awkward.
She felt a wave of embarrassment. "You're probably right. Sorry. It's just that he's a difficult man to get to know. Doesn't talk about himself much."
"There's usually a good reason why a man doesn't want to talk about himself," Ethan said very soberly.
"Sometimes it's best to respect that privacy."
Honor considered her next comment but went ahead and made it anyway. "He did me a big favor yesterday, Ethan."
"Handling Granger for you? Yeah, he said something about that. Everyone knows Granger's bad news."
There was a meaningful pause. "But a lady probably ought to be careful about taking favors from Conn Landry."
She went still, aware of more than just a subtle hint of warning in Ethan Bailey's words. Impulsively she put out a hand and touched his arm. "Ethan, please. Is there something I should know about Conn?"
Bailey exhaled deeply. "Honor, I like Conn Landry. I like him a lot. But the plain truth is, I'm not sure he's the sort of man a woman such as yourself should be getting mixed up with, if you take my meaning."
"I'm not sure that I do," she said quietly.
"Oh, hell, listen to me," Ethan growled with what sounded like forced humor, "I've been sounding like someone's Dutch uncle all morning. I surely didn't mean to go and make you nervous. You're a big girl.
Last thing you need is advice from an old goat like me."
Honor smiled warmly at him, knowing he wanted to be off the hook. "You're hardly an old goat, Ethan Bailey."
He slanted her a quick glance. "Are you kidding? I'm old enough to be your father. Or Landry's father, come to that."
"Don't you know that owning horses makes you fascinating to most females?" She chuckled as she spotted Conn on his way back with the coffee. "Women love horses."
"Is that a fact?"
"Is what a fact?" Landry asked as he handed Ethan a cup.
"Honor, here, was just telling me that women love horses, and that men like me who own them are fascinating ." He seemed vastly pleased with the word.
"Let's not forget I own one, too," Conn said blandly, his gaze raking Honor's features. "Does that mean I'm in the fascinating category?"
Honor was saved from having to answer because at that moment Bailey's beautiful filly came thundering past. Immediately all attention went to the horse. Morning workouts were, after all, a serious business.
An hour later, when Honor finally decided she ought to be getting back to work, Conn walked her to her red Fiat. It was the first time they'd been alone that morning. As they halted beside the car, he turned her to face him, his strong hands settling on her waist.
"Did you miss me the other night after I left?"
It was difficult to lie to a man with eyes the color of gunmetal, Honor discovered. She compromised.
"Actually, I had other things on my mind," she informed him flippantly.
"Another man?"
She didn't like the way he said that. "Not quite. A little matter of a folding screen that wasn't where it should have been."
He frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Honor sighed. "Remember when you came into my bedroom and found me checking under the bed?"
"I remember."
"Well, I was doing that because I had a funny feeling that something wasn't quite right. I know it sounds ridiculous, but a designer develops an unconscious eye for the details of a room. And I know my own place so well that when the least little item isn't in the right location, I'm aware of it."
"A screen wasn't in the right place?"
"I use it to hide my television set," she explained, feeling vaguely silly. "It had been moved a few inches.
Figuring out why and when kept me busy for a while."
He tilted his head to one side, studying her. "And what kind of answers did you come up
"Lots of lovely gambling casinos, too," Honor noted dryly. "Is Conn involved in gambling, Ethan?"
"Don't you think you should be asking Landry these questions, Honor?" the older man asked with obvious unease. It was clear he was feeling awkward.
She felt a wave of embarrassment. "You're probably right. Sorry. It's just that he's a difficult man to get to know. Doesn't talk about himself much."
"There's usually a good reason why a man doesn't want to talk about himself," Ethan said very soberly.
"Sometimes it's best to respect that privacy."
Honor considered her next comment but went ahead and made it anyway. "He did me a big favor yesterday, Ethan."
"Handling Granger for you? Yeah, he said something about that. Everyone knows Granger's bad news."
There was a meaningful pause. "But a lady probably ought to be careful about taking favors from Conn Landry."
She went still, aware of more than just a subtle hint of warning in Ethan Bailey's words. Impulsively she put out a hand and touched his arm. "Ethan, please. Is there something I should know about Conn?"
Bailey exhaled deeply. "Honor, I like Conn Landry. I like him a lot. But the plain truth is, I'm not sure he's the sort of man a woman such as yourself should be getting mixed up with, if you take my meaning."
"I'm not sure that I do," she said quietly.
"Oh, hell, listen to me," Ethan growled with what sounded like forced humor, "I've been sounding like someone's Dutch uncle all morning. I surely didn't mean to go and make you nervous. You're a big girl.
Last thing you need is advice from an old goat like me."
Honor smiled warmly at him, knowing he wanted to be off the hook. "You're hardly an old goat, Ethan Bailey."
He slanted her a quick glance. "Are you kidding? I'm old enough to be your father. Or Landry's father, come to that."
"Don't you know that owning horses makes you fascinating to most females?" She chuckled as she spotted Conn on his way back with the coffee. "Women love horses."
"Is that a fact?"
"Is what a fact?" Landry asked as he handed Ethan a cup.
"Honor, here, was just telling me that women love horses, and that men like me who own them are fascinating ." He seemed vastly pleased with the word.
"Let's not forget I own one, too," Conn said blandly, his gaze raking Honor's features. "Does that mean I'm in the fascinating category?"
Honor was saved from having to answer because at that moment Bailey's beautiful filly came thundering past. Immediately all attention went to the horse. Morning workouts were, after all, a serious business.
An hour later, when Honor finally decided she ought to be getting back to work, Conn walked her to her red Fiat. It was the first time they'd been alone that morning. As they halted beside the car, he turned her to face him, his strong hands settling on her waist.
"Did you miss me the other night after I left?"
It was difficult to lie to a man with eyes the color of gunmetal, Honor discovered. She compromised.
"Actually, I had other things on my mind," she informed him flippantly.
"Another man?"
She didn't like the way he said that. "Not quite. A little matter of a folding screen that wasn't where it should have been."
He frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Honor sighed. "Remember when you came into my bedroom and found me checking under the bed?"
"I remember."
"Well, I was doing that because I had a funny feeling that something wasn't quite right. I know it sounds ridiculous, but a designer develops an unconscious eye for the details of a room. And I know my own place so well that when the least little item isn't in the right location, I'm aware of it."
"A screen wasn't in the right place?"
"I use it to hide my television set," she explained, feeling vaguely silly. "It had been moved a few inches.
Figuring out why and when kept me busy for a while."
He tilted his head to one side, studying her. "And what kind of answers did you come up
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