Eclipse Bay

jotted down on the pad beside the bed.
    Rafe answered on the first ring.
    “What are you doing out there in the bushes?” she asked.
    “Nothing for which I could get arrested.”
    A small thrill of pleasure rippled through her at the sound of his voice; low, sexy, and just rough enough around the edges to bring back some very recent, very heated memories.
    She turned off the light again. Carrying the phone, she went back to the window and opened the drapes a second time. She gazed out into the darkness, searching for the metallic gleam of the Porsche’s fender.
    “Are you sure about that?” she asked.
    “Positive.”
    Talking to him now on the phone was a lot easier than facing him after that interlude in his bedroom, she discovered. There was a strange intimacy to the experience, but at the same time the distance allowed her to finally relax.
    “You’re keeping watch, aren’t you?” she asked. “Waiting to see if whatever alarmed Winston shows up again.”
    Silence hummed briefly on the other end.
    “Just thought I’d stick around for a few minutes,” he said.
    “That’s not necessary. I told you I’d call if Winston starts prowling. Go home, Rafe. We’ll be fine, honest.”
    “I’ll only hang around for a little while. Whatever it is showed up between midnight and two the last couple of times, right?”
    “Yes.”
    “It’s almost two. I’ll leave soon.”
    “Rafe—”
    “Go to sleep,” he said softly.
    She clutched the phone more tightly. “Rafe, about tonight—”
    “What about it?”
    “I apologize for acting like a complete idiot. Asking you whether or not what happened between us was all about Dreamscape was inexcusable. I knew better than that.”
    “Whatever is going on between you and me, it’s not about the house.”
    She hesitated. “A lot of people in town will think it is.”
    “Everyone in Eclipse Bay thinks that I seduced you on the beach eight years ago, too.” The dismissive shrug in his voice was loud and clear. “Do you really care what people think?”
    She contemplated the question for a long moment. “No.”
    “Neither do I.”
    “Rafe?”
    “Yeah?”
    “If what happened tonight wasn’t about Dreamscape, what was it about?”
    “Good question. When you figure out the answer, let me know.”
    “Rafe?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Sometimes you remind me an awful lot of Winston when it comes to communicating.”
    “Probably a guy thing.”
    “Good night, Rafe.”
    “Don’t forget to call me in the morning.”
    She hung up the phone and climbed into bed. She did not even attempt to close her eyes until she heard the muted purr of his car’s engine recede into the distance sometime later. She glanced at the clock. It was two-fifteen.
    At the foot of the bed, Winston was sound asleep.

chapter 13
    The next morning she waited until ten o’clock to call.
    “Don’t want to look too eager,” she told Winston as she punched out the number on the kitchen cordless. “Guys sense it if you’re too eager.”
    Winston looked bored. He went to the door and looked back at her with an expectant expression.
    “You’ve already been out twice this morning.” She listened to the phone ring on the other end. “I think you’re getting addicted to the beach.”
    It was true, she thought. Winston’s approval of their new lifestyle was evident. He loved running around in Dead Hand Cove with its myriad smells and odd inhabitants. He clearly delighted in his off-leash freedom.
    Rafe finally answered the phone.
    “This is Madison.” He sounded impatient, as if his attention was on something vastly more interesting than a phone call.
    She frowned briefly at the instrument in her hand and then held it to her ear again.
    “Sorry if I’m interrupting anything important,” she said dryly. “I thought you were expecting my call.”
    “’Morning, honey.” Rafe’s voice warmed measurably.
    “I’m a little busy at the moment. Can I get back to—hang on a second.” He broke off abruptly and spoke to someone else. “Take a good look at the wiring in that panel, will you, Torrance?”
    “Honey?” Hannah pondered the simple endearment. Rafe had never called her honey, not even last night in the middle of making love to her. Of course, he had not made a lot of conversation in bed.
    “Hell, there should be insulation in that wall,” Rafe continued in a muffled voice. “Yeah, I can see the pipes. That’s why I want insulation in it. Who wants to listen to every flush