Midnight Jewels

check of the room.
    "I think I'm going to take a shower." Croft calmly began unbuttoning his shirt. He nodded toward the bathroom that separated the two sleeping suites.
    "Okay." Mercy casually walked toward the window to examine the spectacular view. "This scenery is absolutely incredible, isn't it?"
    Without any warning he was directly behind her, his hand clamping around the nape of her neck. Mercy jumped in surprise. "Honestly, Croft. Must you always sneak up on me like that?"
    "I said I'm going to take a shower." The words were low, spoken directly into her ear. "I meant for you to join me."
    "Now, see here, Croft," Mercy began heatedly, intending to give him a stern lecture on the subject of the exact status of their relationship. But she never got to finish the tirade. Croft clamped a large palm gently across her mouth and dragged her toward the bathroom. She felt like a kitten being transported by the scruff of its neck.
    "Hush, love," he murmured as he pulled her over the threshold of the spacious bathroom. "Sometimes you talk too much." He used one booted foot to shut the door behind them and then made his way to the huge tiled shower. He released his hold on Mercy and turned on the water. "There. Now you can talk all you want."
    The roar of the shower made it hard to hear his low voice. Mercy glared at him and started to back away. "What?"
    "I said," he reached out and caught her arm again, halting her retreat, "that now you can talk all you want. The shower should drown out whatever we say."
    A lightbulb went on inside her head. "Oh." A curious disappointment coursed through her. Croft was clearly all business at the moment. He hadn't intended to hijack her into the shower for a sexy romp after all. A realistic appraisal of the man indicated he probably didn't go in much for sexy shower romps. Croft was more the midnight passion type. She lifted her chin. "Well, as it happens, I don't have anything to say to you. I've got a much bigger problem on my hands at the moment than whispering secrets in the bathroom."
    "What problem?"
    "I've got to find something I can wear downstairs to dinner." Mercy turned and marched out of the steaming bath. But at the doorway she halted, frowning. "Does he… does he look like him, Croft?"
    Croft knew what she meant. "No."
    Mercy smiled in relief and went to see if her luggage had been brought up to the room. The first hurdle was over. Erasmus Gladstone didn't bear any resemblance to the man called Egan Graves. Everything was going to be all right, Mercy told herself cheerfully.

    Croft followed Mercy down the staircase and into a room that received virtually all of its color from the view that poured in through the windows. The low, clean-lined furnishings were in the palest shades of peach and sea green and ivory. Normally he liked quiet, understated colors, but somehow when he walked into this room it made him wish he was standing amidst the bright, ecclectic color scheme of Mercy's apartment.
    Dallas was mixing drinks at a small bar in the corner. Isobel and Erasmus were seated near the window, talking quietly. They both turned with welcoming smiles as Croft and Mercy walked into the room.
    As greetings were exchanged, Croft studied Mercy's dress with a critical eye and decided she needn't have worried about holding her own. She was wearing a narrow dress of some light, summery fabric splashed with yellow and white. It was a simple but sophisticated garment, especially paired with her upswept hair and high-heeled sandals. True, Isobel's ankle-length sweep of deep purple silk had undoubtedly cost a great deal more, but Croft had learned a long time ago not to judge the effect by the price tag.
    "Ah, I see you have brought my prize, Mercy." Erasmus Gladstone reached out to take the unwrapped copy of
Valley of Secret Jewels
from his guest. "This represents the end of a long search. I almost didn't see your little ad in that catalog, you know. I've never had much luck with that particular publication and I'd almost decided to discontinue my subscription."
    "The man who prints it was kind enough to accept my ad. I could hardly run off a whole catalog of my own." Mercy smiled as she handed over the book. "
Valley
was my first and only item that might have been of interest to a true collector."
    Gladstone examined the book. Isobel watched him turn the pages, her gaze intent. When Gladstone finally closed the leather bound volume he looked very pleased. He cocked one imperious