LITMIR.BIZ

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comfortable by curling up on the butter-soft seat and promptly fell asleep.

      Becca didn’t know where she was; the setting was lush but unfamiliar. She was in a freshwater pool, serenely floating naked in the cool water.

      It was a peaceful, quiet place, a secret bower with heavy foliage and masses of bright-hued flowers on the banks surrounding the pool. And there was a waterfall, a gentle flow cascading into the sparkling water.

      Lovely. She was alone but unafraid, somehow knowing this was where she belonged.

      There came a splash, not loud, but as if a fish had leapt with joy in the pool. Small ripples blurred the water, drawing closer to her.

      The next instant he was there, his lean bare body gliding along hers.

      “Seth.” Her eyes closing, she breathed his name, as if she had known he would be there.

      “Yes.” His lips were close to her ear. “Have you been waiting long?”

      “Forever,” she murmured against his jaw.

      “I’m here now…for you.” A slight turn of his head and his mouth took hers. A gentle, tender kiss, for a moment.

      Becca curled her wet arms around his neck, and arched her body into his, murmuring low in her throat when he deepened the kiss, taking complete command of her mouth with his lips and tongue.

      Without thought, she lifted her legs and coiled them around his hips, feeling the strength of his need, and loving the feel of it.

      “You want me,” he whispered against her lips.

      “Yes…” she sighed, arching higher into him. “Yes, please.”

      “Then I’m yours.” He moved into position between her legs. She felt him there, and…

      “Ms. Jameson.”

      The soft, unfamiliar voice broke the spell. Becca opened her eyes, and nearly cried out in protest.

      She was lying on the seat of the unmoving limo. She raised her eyes to see the driver, his expression both concerned and compassionate.

      “We’re here, at the cabin.” He smiled. “Sorry to have to wake you. You were sleeping pretty soundly.”

      “Yes,” she said, blinking herself fully awake and aware.

      “I—” she began, only to have him interrupt.

      “You obviously needed the rest,” he said, getting out of the car to open the door for her.

      She needed something, Becca thought wryly, and right that minute rest didn’t come close.

      “Well, there you are,” a voice called out, startling Becca. “And just in time for supper, too.”

      Becca looked up at the woman standing on the wide porch running along the entire front of the…cabin? Ha! This place was the last thing Becca would call a cabin. The word resort jumped into her mind.

      “Come on in, honey, and get acquainted. I’m Sue Ann, but folks just call me Sue.”

      “Hi, Sue,” Becca said, stepping out of the car and mounting the four steps to the porch. She held out her hand. “I’m Rebecca.” She smiled. “But folks just call me Becca.”

      Sue returned the smile, and turned to the driver, who stood patiently waiting at the base of the steps, his hands full of Becca’s luggage.

      “I’m Dan,” he offered. “Sorry I can’t shake your hand, ma’am.”

      “My name’s Sue,” she said, laughing. “And you two come right on inside.”

      Becca liked the woman at once. In her mid-fifties, Becca judged, nice, down-to-earth, the solid type.

      “I’ll show you to the room I’ve prepared for you,” she said, striding to a hallway and motioning Becca and Dan to follow. “’Course, if it don’t suit, you have your choice of any of the four others.”

      “Only five bedrooms?” Becca said, laughing. “What kind of cheap dump have I been subjected to?”

      Dan chuckled.

      Sue laughed along with Becca. “Yeah, shame, ain’t it?” She swung open a door. “You’ll just have to rough it for a while, I suppose.”

      Becca caught her breath as she stepped into the room. It was simply gorgeous, luxurious, downright, flat-out decadent. A room fit for royalty.

      “Sheesh,” Becca whispered in awe.

      “Think you might be able to make do?” Sue asked, in mock concern.

      Becca nodded. “Yeah, for a while, at least.”

      Laughing, Sue headed from the room. “Just drop the bags, Dan. I’ll take care of them later.” She glanced at Becca. “Why don’t you freshen up, then come out to the kitchen, before supper dries up. You, too, Dan.”

      Dan thanked her, but demurred. “I’d better to be on my way, ma’am.”

      “You not going to drive all the way back tonight, are you?” Becca said.

      He shook his head. “No, just an hour or two. All the arrangements have been made for me. Matter of fact, I think I’ll be going, while it’s still light.”

      Impulsively, Becca hugged him as she thanked him. Within minutes the limo was smoothly moving away from the house.

      “Well, then,” Sue said. “Let’s you and I get to know each other over supper.”

      Four

      The first week at the so-called cabin went well for Becca. Sue appeared determined to spoil her rotten. Surprisingly, independent as she always had been, Becca reveled in the pampering. Sue insisted she rest, so Becca rested. Sue insisted she eat, so Becca ate…and very well, too.

      On her first full day there, Becca unpacked, delighted to see Rachael had stowed her laptop and several novels in her cases, along with plenty of clothing. After putting everything neatly away, she had lunch and then a nap. Later, she explored the house, and was not surprised to find that every room was as beautifully decorated as her bedroom, if not as luxuriously. Obviously, she figured her room was the master suite.

      Two days later, she felt quite at home, and was already fond of Sue. But then, she thought, who wouldn’t be? Sue zipped about like a teenager. And she was one terrific companion, not to mention a great cook. Becca was certain she would be a lot heavier when she left the cabin than when she arrived.

      Once she’d gotten comfortable at the cabin, she began exploring the outdoors, starting with the long porch. From the position of the house halfway up a foothill, Becca could see a town nestled in a narrow valley below. Curious, she brought up the subject of the town over supper.

      Sue was happy to give Becca a short history of the town, named Forest Hills, for obvious reasons. There were a lot of forested hills, not to mention mountains completely surrounding it.

      “That town dates back to the eighteen eighties,” Sue began. “It started up when veins of coal were discovered.”

      Sue paused, and Becca inserted, “I didn’t see anything while on the porch that looked like a mine.”

      “That’s ’cause you can’t see it from here,” she said. “It’s located in a fold of the mountains nine or so miles from here.” She smiled, sipped her tea and said, “I was born in this town. My ancestors settled here before it was a town. They were farmers, heading west, this little valley looked good to them. So they stayed, settled. We’ve been here ever since.”

      Becca took the opportunity to ask another question when Sue took another sip of tea.

      “You’ve lived here all your life?”

      “Lord, no,” she replied with a quick head shake. “I shook the dust of this place off my shoes

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