Her Mysterious Houseguest

He sighed. “I figured it would be. I know zip about plants—Grandma Sonia handled the ones growing in the house. I remember her talking to the droopy fern in the entry, coaxing it to do better.”

“Did it?”

“Come to think of it, I don’t know what happened to that fern. It never did show up after my grandparents moved to the condo in White Plains.”

“You didn’t have an outside plot to grow things in when you were a kid?”

“I remember a big tree in back of the apartment complex in the city that shed leaves all over the place in the fall. With that tiny yard, it didn’t leave room for much else.”

“Let me get what you need to read for your demonstration tomorrow. You can give them a quick run-through while I go visit Aino and, when I get back, we’ll discuss how-to.”

He grinned. “How-to?”

She shook her head at him and entered the house.

His smile faded as he gazed at the fragile-looking seedlings in the pots. How had he let himself get talked into this, anyway?

Rachel returned briefly to hand him a book and a pamphlet, then disappeared. Easing onto the bench swing suspended by hooks from the porch overhang, he sat with the books in his lap, thinking about Rachel instead of trying to read any of the material she’d given him.

She couldn’t be less like Yolanda, he told himself. She was neither self-seeking nor dishonest. No denying she was connected with this case, though. His case, not an agency one, yet still business, not pleasure. He’d vowed never to be fooled again by a woman, especially while working. But it was getting more and more difficult to resist his attraction to Rachel. Damn it, he wanted to hold her, to feel her respond to him, to make love to her.

What could possibly be the harm in a brief affair? Because it would be. Other than the fact he wouldn’t be here long, he took care to make sure not to get involved in any long-term entanglement. No strings.

He had no inclination to change his lifestyle—why should he? So far, it’d been working out just fine. The women he met were out for a good time—they had no more desire to tie themselves down than he did. No one got hurt and no regrets.

“Wait’ll you fall in love, old buddy,” Steve had once said to him. “I hope I’m around when it happens, so I can be the first to say I told you so.”

“In love? Whatever that means, it has nothing to do with me so you may just be waiting around forever.” That had been his answer then and was now.

Love wasn’t on his agenda. How could you fall in love with any woman, when there were no honest ones?

Chapter Four

Hearing Mikel whistle at her as she sauntered toward his car on the way to dinner, Rachel smiled to herself, thinking the whistle made it worth the trouble she’d taken.

“Whoa,” he said as he opened the passenger door for her. “English teachers didn’t wear black leather pants when I was in school.”

“I’m not a teacher at the moment.”

“Care to tell me what you are?”

“Definitely not prey.”

He blinked, but she didn’t explain. Evidently deciding to leave well enough alone, he shut her door, went around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel, saying, “Which way?”

“Turn to the left. Metrovich’s is on the way to the Porcupines.”

“Porcupines?”

“Mountains. One of our biggest tourist attractions. I’ll drive up there with you sometime, if you like. There’s an old mine and terrific views. Aino claims the road the state put in when they made the Porcupine Mountains a park took all the fun out of climbing up to the escarpment. That was way before my time, though.”

“I’d like to see the park. How’s the skiing up there?”

“We get a lot of snow, so it’s some of the best. Eva’s really good.”

“You?”

She shrugged. “Fair. I really enjoy it, though. How about you?”

“I do okay.”

She just bet he did. It was difficult to imagine Mikel not excelling at anything physical.

“Care to explain that prey comment?” he asked.

Did this man never leave anything alone? Affecting a casual tone, she said, “Oh, nothing much. Except I suddenly decided my wardrobe was pretty drab—making me look like a little brown bird blending into the underbrush. These are actually Eva’s clothes.”

“Believe me, no man could overlook you even if you wore sackcloth and ashes.”

He spoke with such conviction, she was tempted to believe him. She certainly wanted to believe he found her attractive.

“And in that outfit—” he glanced at her “—I can see I’ll be fending off the locals all night.” Grinning, he added, “I trust duels have been outlawed in the U.P. ’cause I did fail to pack my dueling pistols.”

To his surprise, she shuddered. “I hate guns!”

Some women did, of course, but her reaction seemed unusually strong, since she must have known he was joking. Searching for a change of topic, he said, “I bought a coffeemaker today for the cottage.”

She stared at him. “You didn’t have to do that. We always keep a pot on up at the house.”

“I’m sure, but I plan to invite you into the cottage for coffee after dinner tonight and so I needed the proper equipment.”

“You really think I might accept?” Her tone had lightened.

“Hope springs eternal. I’ve also laid a fire, ready to be lit against the coolth of the evening.”

She smiled. “Coolth?”

“That’s U.P. weather,” he told her. “Everything’s different in this part of the country.” Or seemed to be, anyway, since he’d met Rachel.

When they reached Metrovich’s—and none too soon by the looks of the crowded parking lot—he anticipated with relish everyone’s reaction when they entered. If, as she said, she didn’t usually wear black leather pants and see-through blouses, there was bound to be one.

He wasn’t disappointed. As they walked past the bar on the way to the dining area, every male in the place did a double take. Mikel felt a purely masculine rush from being Rachel’s escort.

At the table, the waitress took a long look at Rachel. “Holy smoke!” she exclaimed. “What on earth did you do to yourself?”

“Borrowed Eva’s clothes,” Rachel said. “That’s all, Kelly.”

Kelly slanted a glance at Mikel. “Okay, but where’d you borrow him and have they got any more?”