The Adventurer

off completely as a potential lover.
    Or had she abandoned the notion of seduction as a tactic now that he'd agreed to go on the quest for a share of the profits? Either way, he had no reason to feel so euphoric. But he did.
    The fact of the matter was that, after blundering in where an intelligent angel would fear to tread, Sarah had tried to pull back to safe territory and he had rather neatly prevented her from doing so. Gideon was quite pleased with himself. He had managed to salvage the situation after nearly wrecking it.
    "Not much, is it?" He followed her glance around the cabin they had rented for a week. There was one bed in a small room off to the left and a sagging couch near the old brick hearth. The kitchen was tiny but it had a refrigerator and a stove and all the necessities. They wouldn't be forced to locate a restaurant every day.
    "Actually it's quite picturesque." Sarah set down the bag of groceries she had bought en route to the cabin. She wandered over to the hearth, her hands thrust into the back pockets of her jeans. "Very atmospheric, in fact. A lonely cabin in the woods. Who knows what might have happened in a place like this in the past? Maybe one of these days I'll—"
    "Use it in a book?"
    She smiled briefly. "Yes."
    "Think you'll ever use me in a book?"
    "I already have. Several of them."
    He wasn't sure how to take that, but it sounded positive. "The guy who rented this place to me said the couch pulled out into a bed. I'll take that."
    "It doesn't look very comfortable."
    "Is that an invitation to share the other bed with you?"
    "Of course not," she snapped. "Don't tease, Gideon. This is a business relationship now, remember? That's the only kind of relationship you seem to want."
    Sure. That's why I spent an hour on the phone last night trying to locate the owner of this place. That's why I agreed to pay him in-season rates even though it's not summer yet
, Gideon thought. "Sorry about the cabin," he muttered gruffly. "I guess the motel rooms would have been more comfortable."
    Sarah turned her head, her fey eyes registering surprise just before she stepped into the bedroom. "There's nothing wrong with the cabin. It's a perfect location for an adventure. This may be a business deal to you, Gideon, but for me finding the Flowers is still an exciting idea."
    She closed the door before he could think of an adequate response.
    Some time later, after a meal of ravioli with pesto sauce that Sarah had somehow magically produced in the kitchen amid incredible chaos, Gideon wandered around the cabin, checking the locks on the windows. They were about what he'd expected—not much better than paper clips.
    Things seemed to have gotten off to a promising start. Of course there had been that one brief moment of panic on Sarah's part when she'd realized the kitchen didn't have a dishwasher but she'd calmed down when Gideon had made her an offer she couldn't refuse.
    "You take care of the cooking and I'll handle the cleanup," he'd suggested.
    "It's a deal. I told you that you had all the makings of a real hero," she'd retorted cheerfully.
    He studied the decrepit sofa, wondering if it would fall apart completely when he pulled it out into a bed. He gave it a tentative yank.
    It survived the jolt but the lumps did not look promising.
    He stood looking down at it while he listened to Sarah rustling around in the bathroom. It had been a long time since he'd shared quarters with a woman. The realization of just how long it had been made him feel old.
    On the other hand, the fact that he was getting aroused just listening to Sarah undress behind the closed door had definite youthful implications.
You're only as old as you feel, Trace
. Right now he felt he could hold his own with any young stud of twenty. Too bad the lady was no longer throwing herself at him.
    He had what he'd decided he wanted last night as he'd sat brooding in the shadows of his aging house. He'd set up this scene in his own heavy-handed way but now he wasn't certain how to play it. Sarah no longer showed any signs of wanting to be swept off her feet by him.
    As usual, his timing was excellent with everything except women.
    Gideon wondered if he'd lost his only shot at playing hero.
    The door of the bathroom opened.
    Sarah stood there enveloped in a green velour robe that she'd belted around her small waist. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and her face was freshly scrubbed. She looked touchingly vulnerable and at the same time