Silver Linings

what got into me.”
    Hugh was quiet for a long while. The only sound in the cavern was the hollow echo of water slapping at rock. Then his mouth curved faintly at one corner. “Well, I'll be damned.”
    Mattie eyed him suspiciously. “What's so funny?”
    “Nothing. I was just thinking that maybe it's a good sign you're trying to stick pins in me whenever you get the chance.”
    She blinked. “A good sign?”
    “Yeah. Think about it.” His smile broadened into a satisfied grin. “You wouldn't be so prickly about our relationship if you'd really lost interest in me, would you? You wouldn't have gone out of your way to avoid me this past year if you didn't give a damn any longer. You're nervous around me because you're still attracted to me and you're afraid of being hurt again. That's what this jumpy behavior on your part is all about. I'll lay odds on it.”
    Mattie's brows rose. This was a whole new side to the man. “Since when did you become an authority on interpersonal relationships?”
    “You like to think I'm some sort of Neanderthal in the sensitivity department, don't you, Mattie? Why is that? Because it makes you feel superior?”
    “It isn't just my opinion, you know,” she murmured.
    “We're talking about Ariel again, I take it? Hell, I already know she thinks I'm something out of the Stone Age. That's why she got interested in me in the first place. She was using me as inspiration for her damned painting. Don't you think I eventually figured that out?”
    Mattie flushed and coughed slightly to clear her throat. “I, uh, hadn't realized you were aware of it precisely, no. When the two of you came back from Italy together and announced your engagement, you looked so damned pleased with yourself, Hugh.”
    He rubbed the back of his neck. “I was pleased. Ariel's a beautiful woman and the timing was perfect. I was getting set to quit doing odd jobs for Charlotte and start working full time at my own business on St. Gabe. I was looking for a wife to take out to the islands with me, and Charlotte set it up for me to meet her niece while I was on assignment in Italy. Said she thought we'd suit.”
    “I see.”
    “Hell, there I was looking for a wife and Ariel was just sort of conveniently dropped into my lap. It all seemed to go together into a nice, neat package.”
    “I know, I know. Let's just forget about it, Hugh.”
    “I'm willing to forget Ariel,” Hugh said. “But not you. I want another chance, Mattie.”
    “Why? Because you're still looking for a wife, and you think I'll be more amenable to moving out to the edge of the world than Ariel was?”
    He frowned. “A year ago you said you'd follow me anywhere.”
    “That,” said Mattie with a bright little smile, “was a year ago. Now, let's stop rehashing the past and start discussing our immediate future. How, exactly, do you plan to find us a boat, and where will we go if we get hold of one?”
    Hugh considered her bright smile for a long while. Then he shrugged and smiled back. “Finding the boat is my problem. Don't worry about it. As to where we'll go, that depends on what kind of boat I find and how much fuel I can steal. Don't you worry your pretty little head about such petty details, Miss Mattie.”
    She folded her arms beneath her breasts and glowered at him. “Wonderful. I'll leave it all up to you.”
    “You do that. Us Neanderthals have our uses.”
    Mattie realized he was not going to be forthcoming on the subject of the impending plans for engaging in boat theft. She sighed and looked bleakly around the cavern. Then she glanced down at the bloodstains on her silk shirt and trousers.
    “I'd give anything for a hot shower and a change of clothes,” she muttered.
    “No hot showers, but you're welcome to take a bath. You can use one of those dish towels I found in Cormier's kitchen. Won't take long to dry off in this heat.” Hugh strolled over to the opening in the rock wall and pulled the gun from his belt. He idly checked the cartridge.
    “You mean take a bath here in the cavern?” Mattie eyed the saltwater lapping at the edges of the natural basin.
    “Why not? I took one this morning. Felt good. You'll be a little sticky afterward because of the salt, but it wears off.”
    Mattie looked down into the water. “I can't see the bottom.”
    “So don't go diving for pearls.” He thrust the gun back into his belt and pulled a couple of metal packs out of his pocket. “Whoever collected Cormier's body must