The Ties That Bind

securely to him. "I was so damn far away"
    Shannon's voice was muffled against his shirt as she found her face pushed firmly into his chest. "I know."
    Dan's voice came from the hall doorway. "Well, you made pretty good time. Garth. I didn't expect to see you for another hour or so," He yawned. "Need a place to sleep?"
    Garth shook his head. "I'll take Shannon back to the cottage." He looked at the other man over the top of Shannon's head, keeping her close. "Thanks, Dan. I owe you."
    There was a curious smile in Dan's voice as he answered. "You don't owe me a thing. Shannon's the one who saved your bid package for you."
    "Damn the bid package," Garth said with great feeling. "It was worrying about Shannon that drove me out of my mind."
    "I know just how you must have felt," Dan offered calmly. "Maybe you'd better take your own advice and marry the woman."
    Garth's voice hardened. "I told you I've already offered." His hands tightened on Shannon as she tried to lift her head.
    "What good would being married have done?" she managed, the words still muffled because of the way he was holding her. "You'd still have been in San Jose tonight."
    It was Annie who responded to that comment. She'd materialized in the hall behind Dan. "Precisely my point," she murmured. "Good night, Garth. Take her home and get some sleep. You look like you need it."
    Garth didn't need a second urging. He glanced down at Shannon. Seeing her still wearing her jeans and a pullover, he said, "Let's get going. We've got a lot of talking to do."
    She yawned delicately and then slipped out of his arms to find her shoes. When she came back toward him she was holding the box of papers that contained the Carstairs bid. "Here. I almost forgot. You can have it. I really would rather not be responsible for it any longer."
    Without looking at the document she was pulling from the box and handing to him. Garth took it. The expression in his eyes was raw. "Shannon, I never meant for anything like this to happen. It never occurred to me that you would be in danger because of this."
    "I know." She turned to wave good-night to Annie and Dan. "Thanks, you two. I'll see you tomorrow. I mean today. It is today, isn't it? How time flies when you're having fun. I'm ready, Garth."
    He walked her out to the car and put her into the passenger seat with grave care. Shannon smiled fleetingly.
    "I'm not an invalid. I'm really very much all right."
    "You may not be an invalid but I feel like a basket case." He slid behind the wheel and started the engine with a disgusted shake of his head. "I never want to go through anything like this again."
    "I'll second that. You must be exhausted after that drive."
    "I couldn't go to sleep now if my life depended on it," he told her as he drove back to the cottage. "I'd like some explanations and answers, honey. I know you're tired and you've been through a lot, but..."
    "I don't mind. It'll be dawn soon, anyway, and I always was an early riser."
    "Just tell me what happened right from the start."
    She did. When they reached the cottage Garth made tea, and twenty minutes later she concluded her tale. "The police said they searched the area, but with all the fog it was impossible to find anything useful. Not even a car. Personally, I think whoever it was was long gone by the time the cops got here. The same fog that made it hard for the authorities to find anything also made it tough for that turkey to find me. Thank God."
    Garth massaged the back of his neck as he sat nursing his tea. "You're sure he wanted that copy of the bid proposal?"
    Shannon nodded. "No doubt about it."
    "I don't get it. How could he even know you had it?"
    "Beats me." She sipped her tea, realizing that it was very comforting to have Garth here at last. She shouldn't get accustomed to the feeling, Shannon reminded herself. "No, wait a minute. He said something about having realized he'd put it in the wrong tote at the party."
    "I haven't told a single soul about that second copy of the bid. The only one who knows about it is the guy who copied and stole it in the first place."
    "He kept mentioning a 'client.'"
    "Yeah, of course there's a client. Must be someone who's willing to pay well."
    "Or someone who's dangerous," Shannon mused. "I got the feeling the guy in my studio was nervous, maybe even downright scared about not being able to deliver. Said he'd make a deal with me. Split the profits."
    Garth considered that. "I'll have to call Bailey