"We don't have a bedroom window! And if we did, I'd hang as many sets there as I wanted!"
"Even though I've expressly asked you not to?"
She threw up her hands in frustration. "This isn't about wind chimes! I was just giving you an example!"
"You're not getting off that easily. You're the one who brought the subject up." Now he was on his feet. "I've told you I don't like the damn things, but you've said you're going to hang them up anyway, is that right?"
"You've lost your mind."
"Is that right or not?"
"Yes!"
"Fine." He gave a martyr's sigh. "If it's that important to you, go ahead and hang the damn things. But don't expect me not to complain. Bloody noise pollution. And I'll expect you to give in on something that's important to me."
She clutched her head. "Is driving me crazy your idea of seduction?"
"I'm trying to make a point. One you seem unable to understand."
"Enlighten me."
"You're not going to let any man run roughshod over you, not anymore. I just tried, but you wouldn't let me, and if I can't do it, no one can. You see? We don't have a problem."
"It's not that simple!"
"What about me?" He touched his chest, and for the first time he looked vulnerable. "What about my fatal weakness?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"Maybe if you'd think about someone other than yourself, you would!"
His words didn't sting as Craig's would have. Liam's were intended to goad her, not to wound. "You're impossible!"
"What is a man like me supposed to do, tell me that. I don't know how to pull my punches, and I'm too old to learn, so where does that leave me?"
"I don't know."
"Strong women are my weakness. Tough women who don't fall apart just because a man doesn't always say what they want to hear. Except the strong woman I'm falling in love with doesn't want to put up with me. So where does that leave me, Lilly?"
"Oh, Liam… You're not falling in love with me. You're-"
"Have a little faith in yourself," he said gruffly. "In the woman you've become."
She felt trapped by his brutal honesty. He didn't know what he was saying. The person he saw when he looked at her wasn't the person she felt like inside.
He moved to the edge of the patio, his hands in his pockets. "You've been slamming doors in my face for long enough, I think. I love you, but I have my pride, too."
"I know that."
"The painting's almost done, and I'd like you to see it. Come to my house on Thursday evening."
"Liam, I-"
"If you don't show up, I won't come looking for you. You're going to have to make a decision, Lilly."
"I hate ultimatums."
"I'm not surprised. Strong women usually do." He walked away.
Kevin spent most of the next two days trying to catch Molly alone, but what with his trips into town for bikes, attending to the guests, and the kids who kept popping up every time he stuck his head out the door, he didn't have the opportunity. Twice Dan tried to talk to him, but the phone interrupted once and a guest's dead car battery the other time. By Tuesday evening he was so grouchy and out of sorts that he couldn't concentrate on the game film he'd stuck in the office VCR. Five weeks to training camp… He nudged Roo off his lap and got up to go to the window. It wasn't even seven o'clock, but a few rain clouds had rolled in and it was getting dark. Where the hell was she?
Just then his cell phone rang. He snatched it from the desk. "Hello."
"Kevin, it's Molly."
"Where have you been?" he snarled. "I told you I wanted to talk to you after tea today."
"I spotted Phoebe coming up the front walk, so I dodged out the back door. She's getting more persistent. Then I ran into Tess, and she started talking to me about a boy who likes her."
Yeah? Well, what about the boy who likes you?
"The thing is… after Tess left, I decided to take a walk in the woods by myself, and I started thinking about this idea I have for Daphne. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, I was lost."
For the first time all day he relaxed. "You don't say." As he loosened his grip on the phone, his stomach rumbled. He realized he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and he headed into the kitchen to fix himself a sandwich. Roo trotted along.
"Lost in the woods," she said with emphasis.
"Wow." He tried to keep the smile from his voice.
"And now it's getting dark."
"It sure is."
"It also looks like rain."
He glanced out the window. "I was just noticing that myself."
"And I'm scared."
"I'll bet." He tucked the cell phone under his chin and pulled some lunch meat from the refrigerator, along with a jar of mustard. "So you found a nearby convenience store and called me?"
"I happened to bring Phoebe's cell phone along."
He grinned and grabbed a loaf of bread from the pantry. "Smart of you."
"At camp we were taught to wear a whistle around our neck if we went walking alone. Since I didn't have a whistle…"
"You took a cell phone."
"Safety first."
"God bless the power of telecommunications." He went back to the refrigerator for some cheese. "And now you're lost. Have you looked for moss on the tree trunks?"
"I didn't think of that."
"It grows on the north side." He began to assemble his sandwich, enjoying himself for the first time all evening.
"Yes, I believe I remember hearing that. But it's a little dark to see."
"I don't suppose you tucked a compass in your pocket, or a flashlight?"
"That didn't occur to me."
"Too bad." He slapped on some extra mustard. "You want me to come look for you?"
"I'd really appreciate it. If you bring your phone along, I might be able to direct you. I started out on the path behind Jacob's Ladder."
"That'd be a good place for me to start then. Tell you what-I'll call you from there."
"It's getting dark fast. Would you mind hurrying?"
"Oh, sure, I'll be there before you know it." He disconnected, chuckled, and settled down to enjoy his sandwich, but he'd barely managed three bites before she called back. "Yeah?"
"Did I tell you I might have sprained my ankle?"
"Oh, no. How'd you do that?"
"Some kind of animal hole."
"Hope it's not from a snake. There are some rattlers around here."
"Rattlers?"
He reached for a napkin. "I'm walking by Jacob's Ladder right now, but somebody must be running a microwave, because I'm getting interference. I'll call you back."
"Wait, you don't have my num-"
He disconnected, gave a whoop of laughter, and headed for the refrigerator. A sandwich always tasted better with beer. He whistled to himself as he popped the cap and settled back to enjoy.
Then it struck him. What the hell was he doing?
He snatched up his cell phone and punched in Phoebe's number from memory. There'd be plenty of time later to teach her a lesson. This was the first chance he'd had in two days to get her alone. "Hey, Molly?"
"Yes."
"I'm having a little trouble finding you." He tucked the phone under his chin, grabbed the beer, along with what was left of his sandwich, and headed out the back door. "Do you think you could scream?"
"You want me to scream?"
"It'd be helpful." He took another bite of sandwich and hurried toward Jacob's Ladder.
"I'm not really much of a screamer."
"You are in bed," he pointed out.
"Are you eating?"
"I need to keep my strength up for the search." He waved at Charlotte Long with his beer bottle.
"I'm fairly sure I'm near the creek. At the end of the path that starts right behind Jacob's Ladder."
"Creek?"
"The creek, Kevin! The one that runs from the woods across the meadow. The only creek there is!"
She was beginning to sound snappish. He took a sip of beer. "I don't remember a creek. Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!"
"I suppose I'll recognize it when I see it." Kids were running around on the Common. He stopped for a moment to enjoy the sight, then returned to his mission. "The wind's really started to kick up. I can hardly see the path."