one of the double beds, stretched out with his hands folded under his neck…and waited.
Ty looked down at his computer and scowled. "Save me anything to eat?"
"Nope." Deke was unrepentant. "We ate it all, every last crumb."
"Took you all this time to eat one pizza?"
"No," Deke let the word linger. "We got acquainted,” knowing full well he was being dishonest by omitting mention of Eve's presence. But he was curious. Leigh's reaction to the news that Ty had done dangerous stunts with fire had been interesting. He'd do a little more probing.
There was a long, drawn-out silence. "Make any headway with her?"
"Kinda hard to tell at this point, wouldn't you say?" He purposely walked closer to disaster. "What did you find out about the car?"
"Brake line is rusted through. Must have been that water I had sloshing around inside the back foot well when I was in New York last March and didn't discover till I started back to California."
"How long will it take to get it fixed?"
"I’m not sure. Why?" The word was a short, pointed dagger.
Deke went over the precipice. "Just wondered how much more time I had to get acquainted."
The bottom part of the lounge chair snapped down. Ty twisted his head and glared at Deke. "Dammit, leave her alone."
"Hey." Deke held up his hands in mock surprise. "You gave me the impression you weren't interested."
"I wasn't." The words were ground out.
"Sounds like you've changed your mind."
"Maybe I have. Just stay away from her while I'm deciding, okay?"
"She's not your usual style,” Deke stifled a grin, "especially with those health shoes and that hair tied back in a bun."
Deke closed his eyes to shut out the look of fury darkening Ty's face. "You should have seen it tonight. That hair glows from the inside, like honey held up to the sun. I wonder what it feels like to bury your hands in it…"
Ty shot to his feet and grabbed his computer, while papers scattering around him like leaves. They fluttered to the floor, white scraps of refuse that Ty stepped over as he went to the closet.
"Going somewhere?" Deke asked silkily, turning his head to watch Ty thrust his arms into his jacket.
"Yeah," Ty growled. "Out to look for some peace and quiet."
Deke closed his eyes and laid his head back down on the pillow. "Don't slam the door, okay?”
Ty’s answer was to close the door with a violent silence that told Deke he had stretched their friendship to its limit.
CHAPTER FOUR
Ty wasn't sure at first what had dragged him up out of sleep. He came to consciousness reluctantly. Then he heard them, the clear chiming of church bells. He had never heard a bell rung with such vigor. He could almost see the small boy who must be pulling on the rope to make the sound echo against the hills with such repeated joyousness. He lay still, listening, feeling the discordant, yet melodious clang resound through the valley. Those church bells were a part of Leigh Carlow's life. She had heard them every Sunday since when? Five years ago? Yes, that was what Dean had said. She's been in Springwater five years. And during that time she had not become engaged or married.
Dammit, he had to stop thinking about her. But he couldn't. He'd prowled restlessly through Springwater last night, walking for hours until he was exhausted in an attempt to put her out of his mind. It hadn't worked. He seemed to be obsessed with her, had been from the moment he looked at those pictures of her with her mother. Those pictures had goaded him into driving miles into the Adirondacks to ask Dean endless questions, including the one about men. "Haven't there been any men in her life, any love affairs?"
Dean had given him a straight look. "She'll have to answer that question for you. I can't."
Ty had felt a rough impatience at the man's protectiveness, but now, seeing Leigh, he understood it. Outwardly, she was cool, self-contained. But there was a vulnerability about her that made him ache to know her better.
He couldn’t
Ty looked down at his computer and scowled. "Save me anything to eat?"
"Nope." Deke was unrepentant. "We ate it all, every last crumb."
"Took you all this time to eat one pizza?"
"No," Deke let the word linger. "We got acquainted,” knowing full well he was being dishonest by omitting mention of Eve's presence. But he was curious. Leigh's reaction to the news that Ty had done dangerous stunts with fire had been interesting. He'd do a little more probing.
There was a long, drawn-out silence. "Make any headway with her?"
"Kinda hard to tell at this point, wouldn't you say?" He purposely walked closer to disaster. "What did you find out about the car?"
"Brake line is rusted through. Must have been that water I had sloshing around inside the back foot well when I was in New York last March and didn't discover till I started back to California."
"How long will it take to get it fixed?"
"I’m not sure. Why?" The word was a short, pointed dagger.
Deke went over the precipice. "Just wondered how much more time I had to get acquainted."
The bottom part of the lounge chair snapped down. Ty twisted his head and glared at Deke. "Dammit, leave her alone."
"Hey." Deke held up his hands in mock surprise. "You gave me the impression you weren't interested."
"I wasn't." The words were ground out.
"Sounds like you've changed your mind."
"Maybe I have. Just stay away from her while I'm deciding, okay?"
"She's not your usual style,” Deke stifled a grin, "especially with those health shoes and that hair tied back in a bun."
Deke closed his eyes to shut out the look of fury darkening Ty's face. "You should have seen it tonight. That hair glows from the inside, like honey held up to the sun. I wonder what it feels like to bury your hands in it…"
Ty shot to his feet and grabbed his computer, while papers scattering around him like leaves. They fluttered to the floor, white scraps of refuse that Ty stepped over as he went to the closet.
"Going somewhere?" Deke asked silkily, turning his head to watch Ty thrust his arms into his jacket.
"Yeah," Ty growled. "Out to look for some peace and quiet."
Deke closed his eyes and laid his head back down on the pillow. "Don't slam the door, okay?”
Ty’s answer was to close the door with a violent silence that told Deke he had stretched their friendship to its limit.
CHAPTER FOUR
Ty wasn't sure at first what had dragged him up out of sleep. He came to consciousness reluctantly. Then he heard them, the clear chiming of church bells. He had never heard a bell rung with such vigor. He could almost see the small boy who must be pulling on the rope to make the sound echo against the hills with such repeated joyousness. He lay still, listening, feeling the discordant, yet melodious clang resound through the valley. Those church bells were a part of Leigh Carlow's life. She had heard them every Sunday since when? Five years ago? Yes, that was what Dean had said. She's been in Springwater five years. And during that time she had not become engaged or married.
Dammit, he had to stop thinking about her. But he couldn't. He'd prowled restlessly through Springwater last night, walking for hours until he was exhausted in an attempt to put her out of his mind. It hadn't worked. He seemed to be obsessed with her, had been from the moment he looked at those pictures of her with her mother. Those pictures had goaded him into driving miles into the Adirondacks to ask Dean endless questions, including the one about men. "Haven't there been any men in her life, any love affairs?"
Dean had given him a straight look. "She'll have to answer that question for you. I can't."
Ty had felt a rough impatience at the man's protectiveness, but now, seeing Leigh, he understood it. Outwardly, she was cool, self-contained. But there was a vulnerability about her that made him ache to know her better.
He couldn’t
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