LITMIR.BIZ

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      “An intelligent lady.”

      When they were back indoors, Caleb pointed out the phone in the parlor. She could tell his headache had returned. His eyes narrowed against the pain.

      “I’ll use my cell later,” Arianna said.

      “Then I’ll see you in the morning. Winston will show you to the guest bedroom. There’s a necessary room…uh, powder room beside it.” He tripped over the term as if it were unfamiliar. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to lie down.”

      Arianna had already grown accustomed to his unusual word choices and formal speech.

      His skin had grayed and a stippling of sweat was visible on his cheeks. Uneasy, she watched him leave.

      “Don’t worry,” Wyn said, interpreting her thoughts. “I’ll keep an eye on him. I’m used to his headaches.” He motioned toward the doorway, grinning good-naturedly. “I’ll show you where you can sleep.”

      “Thank you.”

      Arianna followed as he led her down a hallway toward the rear of the house. The floorboards creaked under her feet, reminding her Weathering Rock was old, steeped in the traditions of yesteryear. She could almost hear the whispers of another age echoing through the halls, conjuring images of horse-drawn carriages and gas lanterns, gentlemen with top hats and walking sticks, women in hooped skirts, their petticoats brushing plank floorboards as they whisked room to room. It was like stepping backward in time. It wouldn’t have surprised her to learn she was dreaming.

      Certainly, the events of the night could be no crazier than any illusion sleep might conjure.

      * * * *

      “You’re where?” Lauren said into the phone, flabbergasted.

      “Weathering Rock,” Arianna repeated.

      “You mean that big old house off Blackberry Lane? The weird one that’s supposed to attract ball lightning?”

      “That’s the one.”

      Too keyed up to sit, Arianna paced the guestroom. “I had a small accident on the way home.” And met an incredibly sexy man with silver eyes and an old-fashioned personality. That part would keep until tomorrow.

      Lauren drew a sharp breath. “Ari, you’re scaring me. Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

      “I’m fine.” Walking to the window, she pushed the drapes aside and stared into the darkness. Her reflection leaped back like a disembodied ghost–raven hair, dark green eyes, her skin pale as milk in the night-blackened glass. The rain had arrived, pushed by a fury of wind and thunder. It pelted the windows, making her feel safe indoors.

      I won’t hurt you, Caleb had promised. Why was it so important to him she stay?

      She told her friend what happened, skipping her conflicting emotions about her blond-haired host.

      “And you’re actually staying?” Lauren gave a cluck of disbelief. “I don’t care if it is raining, I’ll come get you. For all we know, one of them could have punctured your tire so you’d be stuck there.”

      “You’ve seen too many slasher movies, Lauren. I’ll be fine.” She couldn’t explain why, but felt secure in the house, as if something sinister lurked outside. As long as she remained within the walls of Weathering Rock, she was protected from that unnamed threat.

      By Caleb.

      The thought shocked her. She eased to a seat on the bed, absently fingering the white eyelet cover. The furnishings looked plucked from a storybook, the bed dressed in a pale blue canopy and flirty skirted ruffle. The matching bureau was squat and old-fashioned with a standing mirror and gold-veined marble top. A walnut washstand with a pitcher and bowl was tucked into the corner.

      “I’ll call you in the morning when I get home.”

      “You’re sure about this?”

      “Positive.” Arianna smiled, appreciating her friend’s concern. Lauren had been through a divorce eight months ago, the experience leaving her jaded when it came to trusting men. She had Rick Rothrock to thank for that. To her credit, Lauren had remained friends with her ex-husband, a successful real estate developer who’d two-timed her with his marketing director. In the end, she’d walked away with a sizable settlement, and the marketing director had been fired in favor of someone who could do the job rather than parade around in short skirts and stiletto heels.

      “All right.” Lauren exhaled into the phone. “But I expect a call in the morning, followed by details in the afternoon. How about dropping by my shop after you finish your errands?”

      “Deal.” Running Saturday errands was a regular routine for Arianna and she most always ended at Lauren’s boutique for a visit afterward. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

      She said goodbye and set the cell within reach on the nightstand. Rain continued to batter the windows in fierce bursts, backlit by strobes of lightning. The intermittent flash made her think of the ball lightning she’d seen earlier, an occurrence Caleb had been reluctant to acknowledge. Yet another oddity from a man who excelled at them.

      Yawning, she glanced at her watch. It was after one in the morning and the events of the night had finally caught up with her. She switched off the light and opened the drapes, inviting the frenzied dance of the storm indoors. She shimmied from her jeans and top and crawled into bed, the cotton sheets blessedly cool against her bare skin. Moments later, as she was drifting toward sleep, a rattling crack of thunder drew her upright.

      Outside, lightning transformed the night into surreal-whitened day, silhouetting the bulk of a large animal against the window. Arianna recoiled from the touch of its eyes, yellow in the flash-fire burst of the storm. The image lasted only a pulse-beat before it was swallowed by darkness.

      She shoved from the bed, hastily pulling on her blouse to cover herself, and threw open the window. The night had bled into a cauldron of shadow and patchy fog, making it impossible to see more than a few feet. The air was redolent with wet grass and worm-rich soil, an odor that made her think of swollen riverbeds and bogs. Rain pelted her face and left her shivering in her skimpy bra and panties. The animal–if animal it had been–had been swallowed by the storm.

      She closed the window, careful to secure the lock.

      It’s not safe tonight, Caleb had said.

      She shook away a chill, convinced she’d been dreaming. The animal must have been a figment of her sleep-hazed mind. The events of the night, Caleb’s mysterious warning, and the legends surrounding Weathering Rock had taken a toll of her nerves.

      Yet as she crawled into bed, she couldn’t help thinking the animal had looked very much like a wolf.

       Chapter 3

      The next morning she woke to the smell of freshly-brewed coffee and bacon, an aroma she remembered fondly from childhood. Saturday mornings her mother had always made a sit-down breakfast for the entire family–crisp bacon, eggs, butter-slathered toast and heaping platters of home fries. She and her older sister Daphne were generally the first at the table, making sure they sat closest to the window where the sun cascaded through, warm and golden.

      When was the last time she’d eaten more than a bowl of cereal or a cup of yogurt for breakfast? Running late for work, she was more likely to grab a granola bar as she dashed out the door, behind because she’d hit the snooze button on her alarm one too many times.

      It felt good to stretch and lie in bed, lazily appreciating her surroundings. Judging by the oblong splash of sunlight on the floor, the fog had faded with the dawn. She’d slept soundly, surprising given the strange animal she thought she’d seen.

      A steepled wall clock to the right of the door told her it was after nine AM, later than she was used to sleeping on a Saturday. She thrust the blankets aside, crawled from bed, dressed and tided the room. Once she’d freshened up, she followed

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