The Ties That Bind

Ford has been parked across the street for a couple of days I can always tell them he's a traveling salesman."
    Garth reacted to the gibe. It was the first time he had responded with anything but quiet, inflexible patience to Shannon's increasingly angry comments. Perhaps it had been his cold determination that had fed her sense of outrage. If he had argued with her, even yelled at her, she might have at least gotten some satisfaction from yelling back. Instead he had simply made the arrangements he wanted and refused to discuss them with her. Now he was almost ready to leave, and Shannon had reached the end of her own patience. She stood facing Garth with her hands on her hips, her head thrown back and the light of battle in her eyes. Garth watched her with considering eyes for a moment and then stepped forward. He gripped her shoulders, keeping his voice dangerously soft.
    "You will not tell your friends anything, Shannon. There is nothing they need to know. This will all be over in a couple of days. With luck, by the weekend. I'm going to go back to San Jose and clean up this mess. In the meantime, I don't want to take any chances on this end. Logically, you should be in the clear by now. Whoever's behind this must know the police were called and that I'm alerted. But just in case, Walters and his relief man are going to keep an eye on this place. You don't have to worry about anything except getting that damn tote bag order filled. It seems to be the most important thing in your life, so stop sniping at me and get busy." He dropped his hands from her shoulders and turned toward the door.
    "Garth, wait..." Shannon sucked in her breath on a sob of frustration and hurried after him. She caught up with him at the door. He stopped and faced her, eyes unreadable. "Be careful," she whispered. "Please, be careful."
    For the first time since she had refused to return to San Jose with him, Garth's expression softened. He touched her cheek. "I'll be careful. Stop worrying, Shannon." He leaned over and brushed his mouth across hers. "I'll be back on Friday evening."
    He was gone before she could think of anything else to say. Standing at the window, Shannon watched the Porsche slip out onto the road and disappear. For a few moments she remained where she was, trying to understand the emotional storm that seemed to have her in its grip.
    She loved him, Shannon thought, but how could she tolerate the constant suspicion and betrayal that seemed so much a part of his world? It was true Garth had tried to keep her free of that side of his life, but Shannon had gotten involved anyway. He couldn't shield her forever-and she didn't want him to. She had to be able to share his world if she was going to continue the relationship. She had learned enough during the past few weeks to know she couldn't be just a weekend lover or a weekend wife.
    Slowly Shannon turned away from the window and headed toward her studio. Working with a skill that was automatic, she set up the screen, applied the ink and went to work on the last portion of the canvas squares. Then she removed the wet canvas and put another in its place. Time passed as she labored, and when Shannon happened to glance at her watch she was vaguely surprised to find it was nearly noon. She wondered if Ted Walters was getting bored or hungry.
    Stretching to get the kinks out of her back muscles, Shannon straightened away from the silk-screen frame and decided to make herself a bite to eat. Maybe she would show how broadminded she could be and offer Walters a sandwich or a cup of coffee.
    She wandered into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. The only things that looked appealing were a slab of cheese and some sprouts. Locating a loaf of whole-grain bread, Shannon set about making two thick sandwiches. Then she made coffee and poured a healthy dose of it into a large mug. Security guards probably didn't drink tea.
    Feeling enormously kind and forgiving, Shannon picked up one sandwich and the oversize mug and opened the front door. After all, it was unfair to blame poor Ted Walters for what amounted to merely doing his job. It was hardly his fault Garth had demanded the services of a full-time baby-sitter for her. She smiled benignly as she opened the door, hoping to make amends for her less than polite greeting earlier.
    Prepared for a hungry, grateful man sitting out a solitary vigil, Shannon was startled to see that the nondescript car was no longer parked across the