"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"The way I look at things, I don't have any other choice. Not because I want to show you that I care for you, or to try to make you care for me, though I do want those things. Basically, this is the right thing to do. If a wrong was committed, then it should be righted. That's why I wanted to be an FBI agent. You know, one of the good guys." He smiled.

Sarah found herself fascinated by the corners of his mouth. The first hint of a beard shadowed his skin, giving his face a hungry look in the last glowing embers of the fire. Without thinking, she reached up to touch the left corner of his mouth. Her finger traced the upward curve of his Up, which increased at the lightness of her touch.

His hand touched her chin and drew her toward him. The first touch of their lips was tender, tentative. Sarah felt the sweep of flames that burned away all hesitations and doubts. There might never be another time so right. This one night, she would risk her heart, and her body, to Daniel.

She leaned into the kiss, opening her mouth. Her tongue teased and dared his, pushing them both past the point where they could draw back from each other. As his tongue danced along her lips, igniting a star burst of sensations, Sarah wound her fingers in his hair.

Daniel felt himself slipping into a swift stream of sensations. Hunger and need rode above a deep joy that made every touch, every tiny second, a wonder to him.

He eased to his knees and drew Sarah up to hers so that their bodies touched as they continued to explore each other with hands and mouths. He shifted his attention from her lips to her neck, drawing a soft moan of pleasure from her.

Sarah felt her body melting and gave herself to Daniel's strong arms as he gently eased her onto the floor. He followed, his lips trailing down her neck to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The thin silk of her shirt was no defense for his persistent kisses. Her pleasure increased, and so did her need.

The excitement Sarah demonstrated only aroused Daniel more. He drew back from her, touching her cheek with the lightest of touches until she opened her eyes. For a moment they were unfocused, but then he saw them clear.

"What?" she asked, breathless.

"Nothing," he answered, because he'd already seen what he was looking for in her eyes. He bent his head so that his lips sought hers, and this time their hunger bound them together in a sublime, sweet feast that finally left both completely satisfied.

AH, THE EXCESSES of youth. It's a good thing there's one levelheaded creature in this house. Maybe I'm just old and cantankerous, but I keep hearing something outside. The wind is kicking some b.u.t.t out there, and the shutters are b.u.mping the house. But there's something else. Someone else.

I think I'd know it if it was Jean-Claude. He didn't strike me as the kind who would lurk around in the cold, dark, wet night while everyone else was warm and cozy inside. There's an edge to him, though. He's the kind of man who would hurt a woman in a fit of jealousy. Fragile ego, or some such psychobabble. I'm just glad Dolly and Bureau Boy made their way to each other. It's clear to me there's a lot of mixed-up feelings there. Listen!

There's footsteps on the porch. It sounds as if someone sat down in the swing! A prowler who wants to swing and watch a storm? This is strange. I'd better take a look. But there's nothing from this window, either.

It's time to get Daniel up and dressed. I don't think this is a situation where he really wants to be caught with his pants down, or off, as the case may be. "Hey, Danny Boy! Bureau Boy! Hey!" Let me put my little paw on his mouth to keep him quiet. Yes, now he hears it, and he's not going to disturb Dotty. Good, she needs her sleep-and we boys can probably work better without her tagging along.

Now he's dressed and it's into the night for us. Thank goodness he found another gun! There are nights like this when gun control seems to be an issue without a real answer. I'll bet the guy outside has some kind of weapon.

Take it easy with the door. That's it. I'm out and walking along the porch. There's someone in the swing, someone tall. He-or it could be a she-is wearing a hat. They 're sitting so very still, and the wind is cutting across that water like icicles thrown from the North Pole.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK you're doing?" Daniel kept the gun at his side as he stepped in front of the seated stranger.

The blast of red pepper spray to his eyes was so unexpected that Daniel thought for a second he'd been blinded. "Hey!" He cried loudly enough to wake the dead, hoping Sarah would hear him and take precautions.

The tall figure darted past Daniel. Though he hesitated for a second at the door, he didn't see the cat. Familiar launched himself from the railing and struck the man's head. The cap flew off, and along with it went Familiar. His hold on the material was all he'd been able to grab.

s.n.a.t.c.hing up the hat, the man darted down the stairs and disappeared into the woods.

"Daniel?" Sarah's concerned voice came from a crack in the door. "What's going on?"

"Get some water and some towels." Daniel knew better than to rub his eyes, but he couldn't control the tears that streamed down his face. "I've been sprayed with pepper."

"What?" Sarah hurried outside, her nearly nude body shivering in the icy blast. She grabbed Daniel's shoulders and helped him back inside. He was blinded by the pepper and in intense pain.

"A man, I'm certain, but I didn't get a good look at him. He was sitting in the swing. When I went up to him, he blasted me with the pepper."

"Sitting in the swing?" Sarah mused over that fact as she eased Daniel into a chair and then went to get warm water and towels to blot his eyes. "Should we go to a hospital?"

Daniel shook his head. "No. This will wear off, but if I ever catch that guy, I'm going to mop the floor with him."

Sarah allowed a smile because she knew Daniel couldn't see her. She used the warm towels to remove as much of the pepper as she could, then used a mild soap all over Daniel's face. "Better?" she asked.

"Yes." At least his eyes had stopped tearing. "He was a tall man. Have any ideas?"

Sarah heard the undertone in his voice. "What are you getting at?"

"Your friend was tall. The man who visited earlier."

Jean-Claude Minton was tall, but Sarah didn't say his name. Jean-Claude had gone back to New York, first of all, and second, even though he'd been a spoiled brat, he certainly knew better than to attack a federal agent with pepper spray for no good reason. There was no reason on earth he'd sit out on his own porch in a storm and then attack one of Sarah's friends.

Except that he'd always been a brat.

"Sarah, do you know who that might have been?"

"No," she answered honestly.

She looked up and met Familiar's questioning gaze. While she held a towel to Daniel's eyes, the cat went straight to the photo alb.u.m on the coffee table. With deliberate care he placed a paw on the cover. Sarah shook her head. Familiar had identified the culprit, but this was one instance where Daniel would be better kept in the dark. This was personal, a matter of petty jealousy, and ridiculous to boot.

"Sarah, are you keeping something from me?" Daniel knew he sounded peevish, but it was infuriating not being able to see, and he could sense something going on around him that he couldn't understand.

"It's Familiar. He wants to go out."

"Let him. He's one heck of a watchcat."

Sarah put Daniel's hand on the towel he held to his eyes, then got up and went to the door. She eased the black cat out into the night with a little shove. She didn't want Daniel to see the cat with the photo alb.u.m. If it was Jean-Claude, it was a stupid thing for him to do. Stupid and juvenile.

"Sarah?" Daniel's voice was uncertain. Sarah went to him and touched his face. "It's okay. It's just the two of us in this together. But we'll figure it out."

Chapter Eleven.

Sarah woke cradled in Daniel's arms. Easing out of bed so as not to disturb him, she stood before the window and stretched in the golden morning light. The storm had battered the bay house for several hours before breaking up, leaving the sunshine fresh-washed and beautiful.

As she dressed, Sarah studied Daniel's face. His eyes were still red and puffy, but he'd slept well for the remainder of the night. The pepper attack had been painful, but not damaging. Once the burning and irritation abated, he'd drifted into a sound sleep.

The temptation to touch his cheek was almost irresistible, but she managed to check the impulse. He was tired, and she wouldn't risk awakening him. As hard as the last few days had been on her, they'd been much worse on Daniel. He'd lost a friend, possibly his career, his self-respect and his home.

Yet he'd had so much to give her. Daniel Dubonet was a generous man when it came to love-making. A very generous man.

Sarah slipped from the room without disturbing him. There were several things she wanted to attend to before he awoke. One was a call to her mother.

Downstairs in the kitchen she put on a pot of coffee and dialed the Biloxi number. When she lifted the receiver to her ear, there was no sound. Toggling the switch hook up and down, she tried to clear the line, all to no avail. The phone was dead.

"The storm," she said to Familiar, who was pacing back and forth in front of the refrigerator. He'd disdained the cat food she'd brought and only sampled the pizza, but she knew he was hungry.

She poured him a saucer of milk and could clearly read the contempt on his face.

"What is it you want, pate?"

"Meow!" He puckered his whiskers.

"Perhaps, la chat would prefer some grilled swordfish?" She adopted a haughty French accent.

"Meow!" Familiar sat down and nodded.

Sarah looked at him. He was actually telling her what he wanted. Grilled swordfish. She opened the freezer and began poking around. The darn cat would probably prefer it fresh, but that was out of the question. Maybe she could find something suitable in the freezer since Uncle Vince loved seafood.

After scrounging around for several minutes she held up a package of fish. "Will tuna suffice?"

Familiar nodded again.

"Good, then your menu is planned, so drink your milk." Sarah nudged it over to the cat with her toe. "Now I have to figure out how to make the telephone work. Either that or we're going to have to drive into town and report it. Lucky we know that the phone company keeps crews working night and day. They should be able to get out here and get this fixed."

Sarah realized she was talking a blue streak to the cat. She shut her mouth with a firm clamp and poured a cup of coffee. She was getting as dotty as a bat in the blazing sun.

"How about a cup of that?"

She turned to find Daniel standing in the doorway, his face still sleepy and a question in his eyes. "I need some caffeine."

"Coming right up.'' She poured another cup and handed it to him, letting her fingers brush his, a whisper of affection and desire. She was taken aback by the rush of emotions she felt for Daniel, and the flush of confusion. No man had ever affected her in such a way, and it was almost as disconcerting as it was exciting. She sought something to say that wouldn't reveal her turbulent emotions. "The phone is dead."

Daniel's expression froze. He picked up the receiver and held it to his ear. "Deader than a doornail, as we used to say as kids." He kept his face bland, but his voice registered his concern.

"What?"

"I don't believe in coincidences. The storm might have knocked the phone out, but it's strange that we also had a visitor."

"I see." Sarah hadn't connected the two events. Maybe it was more than wind that had knocked out the phone.

"I'll check." Daniel took his coffee and went to find his boots. "Be back in a minute," he called as he slammed the front door.

Tempted to follow him, Sarah went through the refrigerator for breakfast food instead. She had to steady herself, to give Daniel a chance to show what he was feeling for her.

She forced her thoughts back in line with breakfast. Uncle Vince kept the place stocked like a palace. Sighing as she counted up the fat grams, she pulled out bacon, eggs, a cloth sack of hand-ground grits, b.u.t.ter, and the makings for biscuits. It was only on rare occasions that she indulged in a traditional Southern breakfast, but the hours of the night she'd spent in Daniel's arms counted as a very special occasion indeed.

Daniel had to work his way around to his own feelings on the matter, but she felt wonderful. It was almost as if some stranglehold on her emotions had been broken. She'd protected herself against feeling anything for so long, but now she was free. Free to experience all of the pleasure Daniel gave so readily. And, perhaps, the pain that came with it. There were no guarantees in relationships; she knew that. She'd been afraid of losing someone for so long that now the sudden freedom was... exhilarating.

Daniel made his way around the house, stopping at the window that looked in on the kitchen. The black cat was sitting on the floor, watching every move that Sarah made. And Sarah... He smiled at the sight of her. She was luminous this morning. When he'd first awakened, he'd had a stab of concern that she might wish the night had never happened. But one look and he knew that she had no regrets. The question he confronted now was, what were her expectations? And what were his? He'd never met a woman quite like her. She was independent, responsible, mature, fun, giving-and very vulnerable when it came to her past.

That was tricky ground with Sarah. He had to walk there with her, to know it and understand it, but he had to let her pick the path. Until then, he had to figure out what was wrong with the telephone.

He saw the line, torn from the connecting box. A large limb was across the tine, pinning it firmly to the ground. He was turning to go back into the house when he saw the big blue-and-white truck b.u.mping through the trees. The telephone crewman got out and waved.

"Bad storm pa.s.sed through. We've got line damage reported."

"The lines are down." Daniel spoke the obvious. "You're out and about pretty early." How was it that the crew truck had showed up so conveniently? He was instantly suspicious.

"That wind whipped through here like a buzz saw. Never seen this kind of damage before." The repairman pushed his hat up on his forehead. "We'll be busy for the next three days. Folks around here like their privacy, and they like their telephones to work."

"I'll bet." Daniel watched the man as he started to unpack ladders and gear. "You must have been working all night."

"Nope. Just came on, but this is a neighborhood with a lot of pull. Folks report phones are out, and we send a truck." He inspected the wire. "I'll ask you to check the phone in a minute," he said.

Daniel watched the repairman. It did seem strange, but the tree limb was on the line, there had been a storm, and it was a wealthy neighborhood. He started back around the house when he heard Familiar's deep meow. He couldn't place the cat immediately, but as he listened to his cry, he moved around the house to where the woods grew dense and thick. He saw the cat's tail moving among some brush and shrubs.

"Meow!" Familiar demanded.

Daniel's training reminded him to look around before he stepped into the shadows of the trees. The telephone man was at the side of the house, but his attention was focused on his work. Daniel disappeared into the woods.

"What is it?" He felt like a fool talking to the cat. Now if it had been a dog...

He felt the p.r.i.c.k of sharp claws in his shins. "Meow!" Familiar demanded as he moved away.

"Okay," Daniel said with a sigh. So he was sleeping with a chef and following a cat through the woods. He'd been kidnapped, knocked unconscious and robbed, and he had lost his job. So his life was taking some unexpected turns.

"Meow!" Familiar stood beside a dark object that was nearly hidden by the shadows of the woods and leaves.

"What?" Daniel used a stick to dislodge the item from the leaves. It was a hat. A dark hat. He lifted it on a stick so that he could examine it better.

"Well, well. It looks like the hat our intruder was wearing." And it did, but Daniel could not make a positive identification. Still holding it on the stick, he started back toward the house with Familiar in the lead. At the edge of the woods, the cat stopped. Daniel paused, wondering what was on Familiar's mind.

The telephone man was climbing into his truck, and Sarah was on the porch, waving at him as he pulled away. The work had gone quickly.

Once the repair truck was gone, Familiar ran across the yard, calling to Sarah.

"Well, it's about time for breakfast, you guys," she said, leaning on the porch railing as she watched Daniel and Familiar come out of the woods. Her eyes went to the object Daniel carried, and a frown touched her face. "What is that?"

"Familiar found it. A hat."

Sarah started down the steps, her heart sinking with each step. That darn cat had managed to dig up evidence, even without the photo alb.u.m that she'd hidden in the top shelf on the closet.

"Is something wrong, Sarah?"

There was no point trying to lie to protect Jean-Claude. "My cousin, or my adopted cousin, Jean-Claude, used to wear a boating hat sort of like that." She stopped at the foot of the stairs as Daniel came toward her. A flash of gold on the cap caught her attention. "It was very much like that hat," she said grimly.

"Jean-Claude?" Daniel nodded. "So you thought it was him all along?"

"He's very spoiled. Or at least, he was." She shrugged. "He has some kind of idea that he's interested in me. It's foolish, certainly, but..." She felt the stain of embarra.s.sment heating her cheeks.

Daniel understood it all. Jean-Claude had come to pay court to Sarah and discovered that she had other male company. He'd waited, on the porch, and then sprayed Daniel with pepper. It was a mean and petty thing to do.