"It's a woman," I said.

"You can see her?"

I opened my eyes and looked at Steven. "Yes. And she looks very familiar. Hang on," I said, and crossing the room I picked up the photo framed on the nightstand. "It's her," I said.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Yes. I saw this woman, but older."

"How much older?"

"Twenty or thirty years, but I'm convinced it's her."

From behind us we heard a creaking noise, and Steven and I looked at each other for a beat, then looked to the corner of the room, where the rocking chair was again rocking back and forth. I called out in my mind to the chair, knowing the woman I'd seen was rocking it. Who are you? Who are you? I asked. I asked.

Follow the bees....

"What?" I said aloud as Steven looked at me curiously.

"I didn't say anything," he said, thinking I'd been speaking to him.

Follow the bees....

Again I called out with my mind, Okay, I'll do that, but please tell me who you are and why you don't want to move on. I can help you. Okay, I'll do that, but please tell me who you are and why you don't want to move on. I can help you.

The rocking chair stopped rocking abruptly, and the tiny flying orbs we'd seen earlier appeared again and began whizzing about the chair in little darting motions that looked exactly like a group of bees hovering around a beehive.

"There ..." I said, pointing them out to Steven. We watched with our mouths wide while the little orbs seemed to buzz around the chair; then one by one they crossed to the window and out of the pane as if the gla.s.s weren't there at all.

"What are are those?" Steven whispered. those?" Steven whispered.

"Ghost bees," I said as I looked out the pane to see where they went. They buzzed around in the darkness, white dots of relief against the darkness of the night. Steven came up beside me, and we looked on as the little group of them made their way down to ground level and across the lawn.

"Where are they going?" he asked me.

"I don't know, but we're supposed to follow them."

"How do you know?"

"Maureen told me," I said, and pointed to the cl.u.s.ter of orbs as they stopped just before the woods and buzzed in a tight little circle to and fro. "Come on," I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the window. "We've got to follow them."

We ran back down the steps, and I stopped for a moment at the bottom, unsure what path was best to get to the ghost bees in time. "This way," Steven said, and headed off to my left.

We pa.s.sed through the foyer, where Steven paused to grab the flashlight from the side table I'd set it on, then out through the library and into the yard through a French door. To my relief the ghost bees were still there. The moment we got within ten feet of them they stopped their swirling hovering and one by one made their way into the woods.

"Can you switch on the light?" I whispered to Steven.

He clicked it on and the beam pointed to the ground in front of us. With a sucked-in breath I realized the bees had been hovering above a well-worn path in the woods. "Look," I said, pointing it out to him.

"Come on," he said, moving forward onto the path. "Let's not lose the bees."

Even though the rain had stopped, the sky above was still thick with clouds, and no moon shone through. The air was cool and damp, and I shivered just a little in my light sweater, hoping we weren't in for a long trek through the woods. The ghost bees led us in a winding direction that exactly mirrored the path we were walking on. I followed right behind Steven as he focused the beam of the flashlight on the path while keeping an eye on the orbs just ahead. We walked into what felt like the heart of the woods as the eerie darkness enveloped us.

I could see Steven bristle with every twig snap and rustle of leaves, and once or twice he paused and looked behind us. I wasn't as nervous, but had to admit to myself that I wasn't happy about going so deeply into the woods at night, especially given the cool temperature.

We had walked for a while when one particularly loud twig snap got the best of Steven. He stopped and turned toward me. "Someone is following us," he whispered.

"It's your imagination," I coaxed. "It's spooky out here."

"No, M.J.," he said flatly. "Someone is is following us." following us."

I was about to chuckle and try to convince him that he was simply imagining things when I heard the unmistakable sound of what was clearly footsteps not fifteen yards behind us. My eyes widened at the noise, and silently I nodded to Steven. He heard it too and pulled the beam up, flashing it in the direction the noise had come from.

Nothing but woods appeared in the light of the beam. "Who's there?" he demanded as he moved the beam across the area.

There was no reply.

I looked back toward where the ghost bees had been and let out a small gasp.

"What?" he whispered.

"The orbs are gone," I said, pointing behind him.

Steven whirled around, and I watched his shoulders slump as he saw for himself. "Where'd they go?"

"I don't know," I said, squinting into the dark for any hint of the little lights. "Maybe farther down the path?"

"Come on," he said, and pointed the beam down on the ground again. "Maybe we can catch up."

We continued along the path for a way, searching for the orbs in vain. Finally Steven stopped and said, "This is no good. The little things are gone."

"Does it make sense to a.s.sume they continued down the path?"

"Not in the dark," he said, and dropped his voice to a whisper. "And not while we're being followed."

I discreetly stole a glance behind me. "You're right. Let's head back and pick this trail up in the morning."

I gave Steven an after you after you arm motion, and he gave me a playful nudge as he pa.s.sed me on the path. I giggled as I came off balance a little and stepped backward, and that was when we clearly heard someone run through the brush to our left. arm motion, and he gave me a playful nudge as he pa.s.sed me on the path. I giggled as I came off balance a little and stepped backward, and that was when we clearly heard someone run through the brush to our left.

Steven whipped the beam in that direction, and for an instant someone or something gray seemed to dart out of sight. "What the ..." he said, and stepped off the path in the direction of whatever it was.

"Hey!" I said as he began to crash through the woods toward it. "Wait up!"

I hurried after him, but he had much longer legs and could leap over foliage with far more ease, not to mention that he had the flashlight, while I was left guessing where to go in the darkness.

One of my guesses, in fact, was way off, because after bounding forward, my left leg was held in check by a branch that sent me tumbling. "Ooomph!" I said as I crashed to the ground, my shin striking a stump that sent shooting pains all the way up to my hip. I grabbed my leg and groaned for a minute or two as my eyes stung with tears. "s.h.i.t!" I hissed under my breath as I rubbed my shin.

When the pain had stopped throbbing enough for me to sit up, I looked around and couldn't see Steven or the flashlight's beam anywhere. "Great," I said into the darkness. "Thanks, buddy. Nice job looking out for your partner."

Slowly I got to my feet and took a tentative step forward, igniting fresh pain into my leg. "Son of a..." I said as I bent to clasp my shin again. When it subsided, I stood up, hovering on one leg and feeling in the dark for some support. Close by was a small tree, and I hobbled closer to it and held on, trying to shake off the throbbing pain.

"Come on, M.J.," I said to myself. "You can do this. It's not that bad." My voice shook not so much from the pain as from the realization that I was alone, in the middle of a strange dark forest, with no way of knowing how to get my injured b.u.t.t out and back to the house. Plus, what had been a damp, chilly night had now turned into a full-on teeth chatterer. There was no way I'd be warm enough to make it through the night.

"Great," I groused, as I began to shiver in earnest. "This is just great." At that moment a little breeze blew a strand of hair into my eye, and with an impatient wave I brushed it away. The breeze came back and did the exact same thing. Annoyed, I pushed the strand away again, and just then I noticed a tiny little orb of light dancing in front of my eyes.

I blinked twice and said, "h.e.l.lo. Where'd you come from?"

In answer the orb did a loop-d-loop and swirled a few feet away. I smiled because the movement reminded me of Tinker Bell. The little orb danced back to me, did another loop-d-loop, and whizzed away. "You want me to follow you?" I asked.

The orb moved up and down, mimicking a head nod, then zoomed another few feet away. Slowly I limped after it, and after just a few yards of having my feet slip on roots and foliage, the ground smoothed out underneath my feet. I paused and felt down with my hands. It appeared the orb had led me back to the path.

I smiled and continued to limp forward, careful not to trip again as I followed the orb until I could see the lights from the house. Just as I looked from the house back to the orb it disappeared with the tiniest of popping sounds. "Thanks, Tinkerbelle," I said as I limped out of the woods.

I headed painfully inside and called out as I entered the kitchen, "Steven?"

No one answered. I went into the main hall and tried again: "Steven? Are you here?" Still no answer.

I frowned and limped back to the kitchen, where I set the teakettle on the stove for a cup of tea to warm my bones and pulled a stool up to the sink so I could tend to my shin.

Pulling the leg of my jeans up, I examined the huge welt forming a few inches below my kneecap, and a long, angry scratch on the right side.

I grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and dabbed the scratch with cool water just as the teakettle began to whistle. I carefully hopped off the stool and got a cup and tea bag from the cupboard. As I was pouring the hot water I looked up through the window to see the wild bob of a flashlight beam bouncing up and down through the woods. I could also faintly hear Steven calling my name.

If I hadn't been so ticked off that he'd left me behind, I would have gone right to the door and called him inside. Instead, I let him flounder around in the woods until I saw the beam pause just at the edge of the lawn.

Knowing he had seen me from the lit window I did a little hand wave and took a sip of tea. The beam moved up to the window for a second, then down to the ground, where it swayed with determination across the lawn. In a few moments I saw Steven's outline as he came closer to the lights of the house.

He banged open the kitchen door and demanded, "Where have you been?"

I turned to face him, the leg of my pants still rolled up above my knee. "You left me in the woods, Pedro, and if it weren't for those orbs I'd still be out there lost and cold, so if I were you I'd be relieved that my partner managed to get back here safe and sound, instead of being so p.i.s.sy."

Steven's eyes focused on my injured shin. "What happened to you?" he asked flatly.

"I was trying to keep up with you when I tripped on a root and smacked my shin on a stump."

Steven set the flashlight on the counter and came over to me. "Sit down and let me look at it."

"It's fine," I said.

Steven took another step closer, invading my personal s.p.a.ce. "Sit down," he said softly.

With his body so close, my heart began to thump a little faster in my chest, and I felt the first tickles of perspiration along my brow. "I've already rinsed the dirt out; all it needs is a little ice," I said.

Steven gave me the same kind of look a parent gives a child when their patience has run out; then he took the mug of tea still in my hand, placed it on the counter, and in one quick move bent low, scooped me up into his arms, and carried me the few steps back over to the bar stool. "Hey!" I said as I was being lifted up.

"Shhhh," he said as he deposited me on the stool. "Settle down and let me look."

I could feel heat come into my face as his warm hands felt along my shin. I winced a few times as he pressed on my skin where most of the swelling was happening, and let out one big "Yeowch!" when he tapped on the spot that took the brunt of the blow. Stepping back he said, "It's not broken, but you're going to have a bad braise."

"Thanks," I said, and began to roll down my pant leg.

"Hold on," he said, placing his fingers around my wrist. "It's better to ice it first." I waited while he went to the freezer and extracted a package of peas. He grabbed the other bar stool and propped my leg on it before gently placing the peas on my injury.

"Yikes." I winced.

Steven smiled. "I'll be right back. Hold this in place until I tell you to, okay?"

I nodded as he walked out of the kitchen, and a moment later I heard the front door open. After a few more seconds he came back inside, carrying a little black duffel bag, which he deposited on the counter next to me, and from it extracted a vial of some antiseptic, some gauze, and a few cotton b.a.l.l.s. Next, he sat down next to me and cleaned the nasty scratch the stump had made. He placed a bandage on it, then gently eased the package of peas back on top.

"Feeling better?" he asked after he'd put his first:aid kit back together.

I nodded, still uncomfortable at his close proximity. "Yeah, it's starting to numb up."

"Keep your weight off of it for the rest of the night," he said, reaching for my cup of tea.

"Got it," I said, extending my free hand for the cup. Before giving it to me Steven took a sip and held my eyes over the brim. The look he gave me was a smoldering one, and without thinking I bit my lower lip and squirmed ever so slightly.

One corner of Steven's mouth lifted, and he set the tea down on the counter again, just out of my reach.

"Can I have that back?" I asked.

Steven's eyes still held mine as he said, "Caffeine will keep you up. As your doctor I think it would be better for you to sleep."

I rolled my eyes and leaned forward to retrieve the cup, which Steven moved farther out of reach again, playing with me. I shot him an irritated glare and leaned way over, trying to s.n.a.t.c.h the mug before he had a chance to move it. He was too quick for me, and picked it up with a chuckle, took one long slurp, and said, "You really want it that bad, eh?"

"I'm cold, and I'd like to warm myself up before you drink it all down," I snapped.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Steven said as he moved toward me again and set the cup down right next to me.

I turned to pick it up when I felt a finger under my chin, lifting my gaze back up and away from the cup as he bent low and kissed me. "I didn't know you were cold," he cooed as his lips moved to my ear and he began to nibble on the lobe.

"All I need is the tea," I said hoa.r.s.ely, trying hard not to gasp as his lips moved down the side of my neck.

"Shhhh," he said softly, and moved back to my lips.

The package of peas fell out of my hand and onto the floor with a slap as my hands went up to his neck. He pulled his face away from mine for one brief second at the sound of the peas. .h.i.tting the floor; then he kissed me more deeply, and this time I moaned. After a few more seconds Steven picked me up again and carried me to the stairs. I looked up the long staircase and said to him, "I can make it, you know."

"Good to know," he answered, and marched up the steps. We reached the first floor and he headed down the corridor to the master suite. There he laid me gently on the bed, then crawled on the bed, his hips resting lightly on mine and his torso hovering over me as he propped up on his elbows to stare into my eyes. He spent a moment combing my hair out onto the bedspread and looking at me so hard that I squirmed against him. "G.o.d, you're s.e.xy," he said.

I would have returned the compliment but he'd already lowered his mouth again to cover mine. His kiss deepened as my pulse quickened.

My fingers slid down his back and gripped his a.s.s, which was small and firm and oh, so s.e.xy. Steven pushed his hips forward into mine, and I moaned again as I felt the firmness of him between my legs. A second later he was off me and standing next to the bed, and I held a whimper in check as his warmth and weight moved away.

As he shrugged out of his shirt I could see what a fabulous body he had. Broad shoulders and defined pectoral muscles tapered down to a flat stomach and small waist. His upper chest was crested with black hair that formed a T down along his breastbone and meandered in a path that disappeared below his belt. I heard a low chuckle and looked up to see his eyes dancing with merriment. "Like what you see?"

I raised one eyebrow. "What else you got?"

Steven laughed. "Plenty," he said with confidence.