Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

to the beliefs of his superiors, he had a code he lived by and he was too close to crossing that thin, blurring line. For good or bad, this was his last mission and he’d taken it for two reasons. He was going to know once and for all if his brother was alive—and he meant to keep him that way. And he’d wanted to meet her—Judith—in person.
    “That’s insane. He didn’t pay anything near that for it.”
    She looked both pleased and a little horrified. He liked her all the more for her reaction.
    “He obviously loves it as much as I do,” Stefan said. “In any case, knowing that your work is sold through this gallery was a major part of my decision to consider buying. I felt it was important to disclose that.” He ducked his head a little, but refused to look away.
    Her gaze moved over his face, dwelled for a moment on his mouth and then jumped back up to his eyes. A slow smile tugged at her lips. Her mouth truly fascinated him, giving him enough fantasies to last forever. She had beautiful teeth, small and delicate to go with her exotic features. Her eyelashes were long and sweeping, two thick crescents that drew attention to her large dark eyes. He made a conscious decision not to just drown there, and pulled back from the edge of disaster. He couldn’t fall out of character for a pair of enormous bedroom eyes.
    “I’m very flattered, Mr. Vincent.”
    “Call me Tom. All my friends do.”
    “And I’m Judith.” She placed the books on the desk and indicated the chair. “Why don’t you take a look at these while I do a few things out on the floor? Of course you’ll want your bookkeeper and lawyer to go through them, but it’s my opinion that the gallery is a sound investment. If I had the money, I would have tried to buy it.”
    He frowned at her. She sold her kaleidoscopes all over the world as well as her paintings. She had her own shop and worked as a manager of the gallery.
    She laughed softly. “I own a farm with my sisters. We pour most of our money into that venture. It’s beginning to pay off, but the first few years were tough.”
    “Really?” Interest crept into his voice. “A working farm?”
    Judith laughed again. “Is it so farfetched?”
    “Your sisters?” He knew damn well she didn’t have any sisters—any family at all. “All women running a working farm?”
    “Don’t sound so skeptical. We’re actually turning a profit.”
    He leaned one hip against the desk and, while amusement gleamed in his eyes, his expression turned almost eager. “You actually drive a tractor? You know how?”
    “All of us do.” She flashed her dark eyes at him and for the first time, he thought her smile and accompanying laughter was truly genuine. “I don’t, however, wear a business suit while running heavy equipment.”
    “I’ve always wanted to drive a tractor,” he confided with a boyish grin. “I never had the opportunity.” He shook his head and shoved his hand through his hair, carefully messing it up so that he looked a little less sleek and a little more charming.
    “While you’re here, I’ll have to take you out to the farm so you can have your chance,” Judith said, and then looked a little shocked at her invitation.
    He knew she regretted the impulsive offer as soon as it left her mouth. He waited a heartbeat. Two. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot, Judith,” he said gently. “You don’t even know me. As gracious as the offer is, and I really do appreciate it, I wouldn’t expect you to take me to your farm.” He gave her his best, open smile and looked as innocent as a caged wolf could manage when it wanted its way.
    She fell into his trap quite neatly. “You’re not putting me on the spot at all. I think it would be fun, as long as you don’t go wild and wreck the corn beds.”
    “I’m in then.” Surprisingly, the idea did sound kind of fun. Spending time with Judith was clearly dangerous, but suddenly the idea of riding on a tractor was actually appealing to him. He’d never thought about having the experience of it, but if he was going to disappear, maybe farming would interest him. If not, he’d still sit next to Judith on a tractor and enjoy watching her face as she tried to teach him to drive the thing.
    “I’ll be here for a couple of weeks. I thought it was important to spend time here and really get a feel for the place.”
    “I’m not working at the shop tomorrow and the weather should be nice.” Her chin was up, her spine