“If I ask you about last night, will you be honest?”

Rachel tensed at Mikel’s question. “I shouldn’t have let that happen,” she finally said.

“Why? You enjoyed it as much as I did.”

She looked at him. “My reasons are my own. And private. There won’t be another such…occurrence.”

“Oh, won’t there?” Mikel growled. And he pulled her to him, his mouth coming down hard on hers.

Rachel’s first impulse to thrust him away vanished as heat rose in her to answer the passion in his kiss. Why did it have to be this man, of all men, who evoked such a deep, yearning need she didn’t dare satisfy?

If only this kiss could last forever. If only she had no past. If only things were different and there was a chance that Mikel…

But Rachel had used up all her “if onlys” long ago.

Dear Reader,

When Patricia Kay was a child, she could be found hiding somewhere…reading. “Ever since I was old enough to realize someone wrote books and they didn’t just magically appear, I dreamed of writing,” she says. And this month Special Edition is proud to publish Patricia’s twenty-second novel, The Millionaire and the Mom, the next of the STOCKWELLS OF TEXAS series. She admits it isn’t always easy keeping her ideas and her writing fresh. What helps, she says, is “nonwriting” activities, such as singing in her church choir, swimming, taking long walks, going to the movies and traveling. “Staying well-rounded keeps me excited about writing,” she says.

We have plenty of other fresh stories to offer this month. After finding herself in the midst of an armed robbery with a gun to her back in Christie Ridgway’s From This Day Forward, Annie Smith vows to chase her dreams…. In the next of A RANCHING FAMILY series by Victoria Pade, Kate McDermot returns from Vegas unexpectedly married and with a Cowboy’s Baby in her belly! And Sally Tyler Hayes’s Magic in a Jelly Jar is what young Luke Morgan hopes for by saving his teeth in a jelly jar…because he thinks that his dentist is the tooth fairy and can grant him one wish: a mother! Also, don’t miss the surprising twists in Her Mysterious Houseguest by Jane Toombs, and an exciting forbidden love story with Barbara Benedict’s Solution: Marriage.

At Special Edition, fresh, innovative books are our passion. We hope you enjoy them all.

Best,

Karen Taylor Richman

Senior Editor

Her Mysterious Houseguest
Jane Toombs

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Bror and Evy and their black barn

JANE TOOMBS

was born in California, raised in the upper peninsula of Michigan and has moved from New York to Nevada as a result of falling in love with the state and a Nevadan. Jane has five children, two stepchildren and seven grandchildren. Her interests include gardening, reading and knitting.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Chapter One

Though not heavy, the cold, persistent rain hadn’t let up since he’d crossed the Mackinac Bridge, entering Michigan’s Upper Peninsula from the lower one. Mikel Starzov grimaced. Great way to spend his two-month vacation—in the rain. And in the wilderness, besides, since towns had proved to be small and far between. Having been raised in and around New York City, he felt more at home in people places rather than places surrounded by trees.

Not that he regretted the promise he’d made to his colleague, Henderson, on his wedding day. He’d find Steve’s bride’s missing sister, just as he’d told both Victoria and Steve he would. He might not have expected the search to lead him into such a desolate area, but he meant to live up to his nickname at headquarters, where they called him “Nemesis” because he’d never failed to track down his quarry. This time would be no exception.

The picture he had of Renee Reynaud at thirteen showed a wiry, thin-faced, undeveloped girl with bright red hair, wary amber eyes and freckles. He’d had the computer expert at headquarters make him a composite of what she might look like now, fourteen years later, but the guy had cautioned him about possible variations since puberty tended to bring about impossible-to-predict changes.

If she was still alive, that is. Always a possibility she wasn’t. His hunch, though, told him she was still walking the earth. His hunches made him uneasy because he felt following them wasn’t professional. And, by damn, a special government agent needed to stay professional at all costs. Still, he and Steve both had survived a couple of times only because he’d paid attention to a hunch.

At the moment he’d better pay attention to where he was. The sign coming up read Ojibway, the village he was looking for. By the time he reached the town, the rain had diminished to a fine mist. Pulling into the first gas station he came to, he filled the tank before asking directions. Buy something and it makes people less suspicious of questions, he thought.

“Aino Saari’s?” the man at the inside counter repeated. “That’s easy. Just go down this here street till you come to the bridge on your left. Cross over the river and go a couple miles. Keep looking for a black barn to the left. Old Aino’s a joker. Some guy told him no farmer ever painted a barn black and so Aino goes and paints his black as the inside of a cow. Well, you find that barn and there you are.”

As he drove on, Mikel realized he’d actually never seen a black barn before, not anywhere he’d been. Saari’s would be a first. And, he hoped, the end of his search.

At the same time as the blue pickup ahead of him signaled for a left turn, he spotted the landmark barn and turned into the private driveway behind the pickup, stopping a short distance behind the truck. He watched the driver, an older man, open the door and climb down, coming alert when he saw the man stagger and clutch at the side of the truck. Drunk? Or in trouble? Not waiting to find out, Mikel leaped from his car and hurried to the pickup.

“Are you okay, sir?” he asked when he reached the gray-haired man, whose cap had fallen onto the wet ground.

“Can’t make my legs work right,” the man gasped.

Mikel slung his arm around the guy’s shoulders, close enough now to smell alcohol if liquor was the cause of the problem. When he didn’t detect that telltale odor, and the man slumped against him, he decided this was an emergency situation. “Think you can make it to my car?” he asked. “I’ll get you to a hospital.”

As he half carried the man to the nondescript older car he was driving, a dark-haired woman rushed out of the nearby house, crying, “Aino, what’s wrong?”

“Help me get him into my car,” Mikel ordered when she came close. “He needs a doctor.”

She obeyed without any fuss, and once they eased Aino into the back seat, she got in beside him. “I need directions,” Mikel told her as he slid behind the wheel. “You do have a hospital in Ojibway, I hope.”

She nodded. “Go right onto the highway, back to town. I’ll tell you where to turn when we get there.”

While they sped into Ojibway, he heard her murmuring to Aino as she supported his head on her shoulder. When they reached the hospital, Mikel jumped out and hurried into the emergency entrance. Moments later he followed a gurney out to the car and helped the male paramedic extract Aino from the back seat and onto the gurney. Once inside the hospital again, he was relegated to the tiny waiting room while Aino was wheeled off and the young woman steered to a desk to answer questions and sign forms. After a time she joined Mikel in the waiting room.

“They won’t let me be with him,” she said, her voice breaking.

“Tests to run,” he told her, feeling inadequate. His impulse was to put his arms around her for comfort, but now that he had time to notice, she was not only young, but a striking brunette who very likely would misinterpret such a gesture from a stranger.

Blinking back tears, she focused on him. “Thank God you were there to help,” she said. “I’m Rachel Hill, Aino’s cousin. Oh, I do hope he’s going to be all right.”

“I hope so, too.” Mikel meant every word. The old man might be his only chance to pick up Renee’s trail. “My name’s Mikel Starzov, by the way.”

“You were coming to see Aino?”

He nodded, then added, “Actually I wanted to talk to him about his son Leo.” He knew it was always good to toss out a bit of info on the chance of picking up something useful. If she was a relative of Aino’s, she must have been acquainted with Leo.

“Leo’s been dead for seven years,” she said.

“I realize that. Did you know him?”

“Yes.” She clenched her hands together. “Do you think if I asked they’d tell me how Aino’s doing? I’m so worried about him.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Mikel managed to catch the attention of a nurse hurrying past.

“Aino Saari?” she said in response to Mikel’s inquiry. “Doctor thinks he’s suffered a cerebral vascular accident. We’ll know more when the tests are done.”

“How is he?” Rachel’s voice was ragged.

The nurse touched her arm. “He’s holding his own. We’ll let you see him as soon as possible. I know it’s hard to wait.” With that she left them.

Watching Rachel’s face start to crumple, Mikel decided that now that she knew his name he no longer qualified as a complete stranger and she really did need comfort. He put his arm around her shoulders and led her back to the waiting room. There she leaned against him, crying, and he held her gently, aware she wasn’t really aware of him as anything but a fellow human who wanted to help.

Which he was, at least for the moment. He truly wanted to offer what comfort he could to Rachel Hill, the questions could wait. He had to admit, though, he couldn’t help being very much aware that she was an attractive young woman who fit perfectly into his arms.

After a few moments, she pulled away. “Eva,” she said in a choked voice, fumbling for a tissue.

Mikel came to attention. “Eva?” he repeated, knowing that was the name of Leo’s daughter.

Rachel wiped her eyes. “Aino’s granddaughter. She’s in Finland visiting relatives. I should call her, but…”

“You think it might be better to wait until you know more.” It wasn’t a question.

“Don’t you?”

He could hardly say he’d prefer to have Eva return as soon as possible so he could talk to her about her father and the missing Renee. “Surely they’ll let you see Aino soon,” he temporized.

She tried to smile at him and her brave effort made his chest tight. This gal was having more of an effect on him than he liked. Cardinal rule—never get involved with anyone, especially a woman, who was connected with a case. He might not be working for the agency in this instance, but that didn’t mean the rule didn’t apply. The one time he’d violated it had not only nearly cost him his job, but his life as well.

If only Rachel’s hair wasn’t so black and glossy, her brown eyes so soft and warm. She was more than pretty—gorgeous from head to toe was closer. Strange some guy hadn’t snapped her up by now. Come to think of it, maybe one had. “Is there anyone you’d like me to call?” he asked.

Rachel shook her head. “No, with Eva away, there’s just Aino and me.”

Mikel took that to mean no husband, but he didn’t like to admit knowing the fact made him feel better. He was not going to get involved.

“Cerebral accident means a stroke, doesn’t it?” she said.

“Yes.”

Rachel sighed. “He’s a good man, he doesn’t deserve this.”

“No one deserves to be sick.”

“You’re right. But Aino’s special to me. He took me in when I was orphaned. Except for Eva, he’s my only relative.”

Thinking his questions might distract her from her worry over Aino, Mikel commented, “You said you’d known his son, Leo. Did he live in Ojibway?”

“No, not really. He was a teacher who taught in various Upper Peninsula towns.”

“Since he had a daughter I assume he was married.”

“His wife died right after he came back to the Upper Peninsula.”

“Oh? Then he lived elsewhere before that?”

“He must have. I didn’t really know him before he returned here.”

Her answers, though brief, came naturally. Mikel was good at detecting lies from truth. He was pretty sure Rachel wasn’t lying.

“How about you?” she asked.

“Me?”

“I’ve told you who my relatives are. It’s your turn.”

“Grandmother.” He hadn’t stopped to see Grandma Sonia on his way through New York and felt guilty because he didn’t visit as often as he should. She was hale and hearty and perfectly able to care for herself, but he knew she was lonesome since his grandfather died.

“Just one grandmother?”

“That’s it.”

The nurse they’d talked to appeared in the doorway. “Rachel,” she said, “Aino’s been transferred to ICU. You can visit him there now, but please keep the visit brief.”

“I’ll wait here,” Mikel said.

Rachel left him there, surprised at her wish that he could come with her. After following the directions she’d been given, she found Aino in the three-bed intensive care unit hooked up to various bags and monitors. He opened his eyes when she stood by his bed.

“Guess this old goat’s gonna make it,” he told her.

Rachel bent and kissed his cheek. “You scared me.”

“That young man who helped get me here—who was he?”

“His name is Mikel Starzov, that’s all I know.” Aino didn’t need to have her tell him that Mikel was kind and comforting and that she liked him, even though his questions about Leo had made her uneasy.

“The doc says if I hadn’t gotten here so quick I might’ve been in a lot worse shape. He thinks I might come out of this pretty good and we got this Mikel Starzov to thank for that.”

She nodded.

“So I want you to invite Mikel to stay at the farm for as long as he has business in the area,” Aino continued. “That’s the least we can do for a Good Samaritan.”

Rachel’s instinct was to tell Aino she didn’t think that was a good idea, since Mikel’s business seemed to involve them, but this was no time to argue with the old man. “Okay,” she said.

“Tell Mikel I’ll be home in a few days to thank him personally. You take him back to the farm now, no use you hanging around here when the cow will need to be milked. And I don’t want you scaring Eva into rushing back from Finland. I’m too ornery to die, Doc said so right out.”

As she returned to where Mikel waited, Rachel tried to tell herself he wasn’t a threat to them all with his questions. Something about him fascinated her against her will. He was attractive, no doubt about that, with his dark hair and chiseled features, but it was those slightly tilted green eyes that got to her. Hunter’s eyes. She took a deep breath. Rachel Hill was no man’s prey.

She waited until they were driving away from the hospital to invite him to stay at the farm, saying, “Aino insists. We have a guest cottage so you’ll have privacy.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Mikel told her, thinking it was just as well he wouldn’t be in the same house with her, the two of them alone, tempting fate.

“Do you mind if I stop to make a phone call on the way?”

“You can use our phone if you like.”

“Thanks, but I don’t want to trouble you.”

He’d spotted an outside phone at the gas station where he’d stopped before and so he pulled in there. Even on vacation he was expected to stay in touch, but private phones could be traced and tapped, so he never made agency calls from anywhere but a pay phone.

He was connected immediately and told his only message was from his grandmother who’d called the Riggs and Robinson screening phone number that led to the agency. She wanted him to get in contact with her immediately.

Before he hung up, he asked his researcher friend, Ed, to check out Rachel Hill, probably born in Michigan twenty odd years ago. Mikel had no reason to mistrust her, but a special agent always made sure.

He’d have to call his grandmother. He really should have taken a detour to see her on the way here—she knew he was on vacation. Taking a deep breath he started to punch in her number, then changed his mind and called his colleague Steve first instead.

“You’re where?” Steve asked.

“Ojibway, Michigan, following a lead,” Mikel told him. “No real news yet.”

“If you’re going to be there a few days, I’ve got some photos of Heidi I want to send you. General delivery?”

“I figure it might take a week or so up here to check things out. Send ’em along.”

Mikel smiled as he hung up, Steve thought his adopted baby daughter was the cutest thing on two feet. Which she was, more or less. He called Grandma Sonia then, who, as he’d expected, began to scold him the minute she heard his voice.

“What kind of grandson are you who doesn’t come to see his aged grandmother when he’s on vacation? For all you know I might be on my last legs.”

“As I recall you were wearing shorts when I last saw you,” he reminded her, “and your legs looked pretty healthy then.”

“A lot can happen in two months, my Mikel. Where have you got yourself to now?”

“I’m in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in a town named Ojibway. Sort of a wilderness area. After all, I’m on vacation.”

“Don’t try to fool me, young man. You never were one for hunting and fishing or gawking at wildlife. You’ve got some other reason for being in such a strange place. You’re not working, so it can’t be that. What is it?”

Mikel sighed inwardly. Try as he might, he’d never managed to stop Grandma Sonia from asking questions. When he was on agency business, he simply told her he couldn’t discuss what he was doing, but it was hard to discourage her natural inquisitiveness otherwise. This might not be agency business, but it was his business and he had no intention of revealing the truth. What could he say to keep her quiet?

A thought struck him, making him smile. She was always trying to marry him off to some girl or other, maybe this would stop her. “I’m seeing a woman,” he told her.

“You’re interested in some girl up there in the wilderness?”

“Yes.”

His smile broadened at the few seconds of silence that followed. Gotcha, he told himself.

“May I ask her name?” Grandma Sonia finally said.

“Rachel Hill.” The name was out before he thought to invent a fictitious one. Still, it didn’t matter, Ojibway was a long way from White Plains, New York, where his grandmother lived.

“Well, dear, I don’t want to keep you,” she told him, and hung up before he could promise to come and see her on his way back to his Maryland apartment.

Which wasn’t like Sonia, not at all. He’d been preparing himself to field a hundred questions about “his girl” but she hadn’t asked a one. Odd. He was still puzzling over it when he got back to the car and found the gas station attendant talking to Rachel through the open window.

“I sure am glad he’s gonna be okay,” the man said. “Got worried when I heard he was took bad. Wouldn’t be the same around here without old Aino.” He waved at Mikel and walked back to the building.

“News travels fast in these parts,” Mikel commented as he started the car.

“You can’t keep a secret in a small town,” Rachel agreed.

If that was true, then sooner or later someone in the vicinity was bound to know the answers to Mikel’s questions.

“I have some pasties ready to bake,” she added. “I was about to turn the oven on when I looked out and saw you there in the driveway holding on to Aino. You’re welcome to have supper with me.”

“Pasties?”

“Cornish meat pies. Except not quite, because we Finns put carrots in them, something a true Cornishman would never, ever do.”

“Since I’m not Cornish, I won’t quibble. Thanks for the invitation.”

“I’ll be putting the food on the table in about an hour and a half,” she told him.

Once they arrived at the farm, she gave him the key to the small cottage and he settled himself in, finding the place a bit chilly even though the rain had stopped completely. He decided to light a fire in the fireplace so it’d be warm when he came back to the cottage after supper, as Rachel had called the meal.

Once he got a blaze going he sank into an old armchair, propped his feet on the matching stool and relaxed, thinking it’d been a long time since he’d sat in front of a real fire. Rarely did any agency investigation lead him to such a snug and cozy spot. But this time he was on his own. Was Renee to be found here in Ojibway?

He’d come to the Upper Peninsula, following the only lead he’d been able to uncover. Victoria hadn’t been able to tell him much. She’d been eleven when her sister disappeared and vaguely remembered that Renee once had a crush on a teacher of hers—a man named Leo Saari. Then she’d given Mikel her mother’s address in Florida.

He’d flown down to see Mrs. Reynaud, who was living in a retirement village and had unearthed a few more facts. She’d told him Renee had sometimes baby-sat Leo Saari’s daughter, even though Mr. Reynaud had forbidden his daughters to go anywhere other than school without their mother. Baby-sitting was therefore out of the question unless Renee’s mother had covered up for her daughter, which she admitted having done.

Rusty Reynaud had been a mean alcoholic, an abusive type, according to both Victoria and her mother. They were all terrified of him, especially when he got out his old Colt .45 with the elk embossed on the grip and aimed it at them, threatening to shoot. If Renee had run off, it was no wonder. But it was strange the Colt had disappeared at the same time she did.

Mikel stared into the dancing flames as if they held the answer to what had happened to that thirteen-year-old girl. Her old man hadn’t killed her, because a month after Renee vanished, the mother got a phone call from her, though she’d never told this to Victoria. Before Renee could say much of anything, the father had grabbed the phone, cursed her and demanded she return his gun, threatening he’d find her no matter where she hid. Understandably, the girl had hung up and the family never heard from her again.

Soon after that, the mother packed up and moved with Victoria to another state. Two years later she heard her husband had died. A relief to everyone, Mikel was sure.

Mikel had then checked with the police in what had been the Reynauds’ New Jersey hometown. He learned that the same night Renee had disappeared there had been a shooting in town. A drug dealer had been killed by a bullet from a Colt .45, which was never found. Although Mikel had learned that Rusty Reynaud had been chummy with the dead man, there was no concrete evidence to connect him to the shooting, especially since another thug had left town just about the same time.

With that lead a dead end, Mikel had checked the school Renee had attended. The principal had told him that Leo Saari had resigned the month before Renee had disappeared to care for his sick wife. Saari had given Ojibway, Michigan, as his forwarding address. Although the principal had no idea when Saari had left town, he thought it seemed logical it would’ve been not too long after he resigned.

This brought Mikel’s attention back to what Renee’s mother had confessed to him. She’d never told her husband where their daughter was headed that fateful afternoon for fear of his rage. Renee had gone off by herself to baby-sit the Saari child, making Mikel wonder if she’d ever arrived. No one had asked at the time, because Renee’s mother had been afraid to speak up.

But it meant Saari had still been in town on that day. Though it didn’t pinpoint the exact date of his departure, the coincidence had made Mikel suspicious. So, fourteen years later, he was here in Ojibway, where Leo Saari moved to, trying to trace a possible connection between Saari and the missing girl. Though Leo was no longer alive now, surely if he’d brought a red-haired girl with him all those years ago some people around here would remember.

Certainly his father would. Unfortunately, at the moment, Aino was in no condition to be asked questions. But Rachel Hill was available. For questioning, that is. Not for anything else, Mikel cautioned himself, no matter how well she’d fit into his arms.

The chair was so comfortable and the fire so pleasantly warm that he hated to move. All the cottage lacked was someone for him to share this interlude with.

A female someone. In his mind’s eye he pictured a leggy brunette whose soft brown eyes promised a sweetness he didn’t see too much of in the women he knew. She wasn’t all that far away, either.

What harm was there in imagining her here with him? In reality, far from practical, but no problem at all in a daydream. Rachel had worn no makeup, her pink lips, free of gloss, had looked eminently kissable. He recalled her scent, something faintly flowery but elusive, an enticing fragrance that was on the tip of his memory.

If she were here in this chair with him, he might be able to place that elusive scent. And taste those enticing pink lips. Among other things that he’d best not dwell on or he’d be in no shape to go to the farmhouse for supper.

Chapter Two

Once the pasties were in the oven, Rachel went out, collected the cow from the field and led her to her stall in the barn. There, she pulled on her coveralls and sat down to milk her. When she finished she placed the milk in the cooler, shed the coveralls and returned to the house where she washed up.

Eyeing her jeans and T-shirt, she decided to change to a pants outfit more intermediate—not jeans, but not dressy, either. She had no need, or reason, to dress up for Mikel, though she did need a few dabs of makeup. But when she found herself fussing with her hair, she made a face at herself in the mirror, put the brush away and marched out of her bedroom.

In the big old farm kitchen, she set the pine table with everyday dishes and silverware, not wanting Mikel to get the idea the meal was a special event for his sake. It was merely the supper she’d planned for herself and Aino, not a good-china-and-silver-dining-room dinner.

As she finished making the salad the oven chime went off, telling her the meal was cooked. After setting the salad bowl on the table she grabbed a hot pad and removed the sheet of pasties from the oven. She glanced at the phone, which hadn’t rung since the doctor had called to tell her Aino’s prognosis looked promising. He’d said he believed the immediate treatment he’d been able to give Aino had prevented a more serious stroke. And, yes, she’d be notified if there was any change for the worse—which he didn’t expect.

Of course she was still worried about Aino, but that wasn’t why she was as jittery as a teenager on a first date. Which this certainly wasn’t. Inviting Mikel to supper was a mere courtesy and bore no possible resemblance to a date. Well, maybe a little something other than courtesy. She needed to discover exactly why he’d come here to locate a man who’d been dead for seven years, and a good way to find out was to be casually friendly over food.

Transferring five of the pasties to a plate, she set it on the table next to the salad, then plucked the ketchup bottle from the refrigerator and added that. Aino always slathered ketchup on his pasty. Never mind what Martha Stewart might say, the bottle on the table made it all the more casual.

Even though she’d been expecting it, when she heard the tap at the kitchen door she started and had to clear her throat before calling, “Come in.”

“Something smells mouthwatering good in here,” Mikel said as he entered.

She gestured toward the table, wordlessly inviting him to be seated.

“Anything I can do?” he asked, hovering instead of sitting, looking at her with those green hunter’s eyes.

“Just tell me if you want coffee with supper or afterward.”

“After, please.”

When she started toward the table, he held her chair out for her and pushed it in once she sat down, just as though they were in some fancy restaurant. She appreciated his gesture, even though it made her more nervous for some reason.

“I hope you like the pasties,” she said.

“My grandmother taught me early to approach any new dish with a confident heart, as she put it, meaning that I should expect it to be delicious.”

As he spoke, he slid a pasty onto his plate. Picking up his fork, he used it to break through the crust and lifted out a portion filled with vegetables and meat. As he chewed he raised his left hand and formed an approving circle with his thumb and forefinger.

She gestured toward the ketchup bottle. “Aino likes to pour ketchup over his pasty.”

Mikel shook his head. “I don’t fool with perfection.”

Though pleased, she told herself she wasn’t getting any further with her plan to find out why he’d come here. What did he want to know about Leo?

He looked out a window, saying, “Even on a cloudy day you have long summer twilights here.”

Rather than wasting time commenting on northern summer evenings, she tried to find an opening that wasn’t too obvious. “Have you ever visited the U.P. before?” she asked finally.

“No. Do you always get these cold rains in August?”

“Some years. It’ll warm up.” How could she ease him off small talk?

“Did you hear how your grandfather is doing?” he said after a short silence.

“The doctor is optimistic.”

“So that means you won’t have to call his granddaughter in Finland right away. How long before she comes back to the States?”

She had her opening. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I’d like to talk to her.”

“About what?”

He raised an eyebrow. “How about a fair exchange here? You haven’t yet answered my question.”

It wouldn’t do any harm to tell him, she decided. “Eva will be flying back to New York City the end of next week, but, before driving home, I think she plans to stay awhile with the upstate friend she left her car with.”

“So my questions will have to wait.”

“I still don’t understand why you want to talk to her.”

Evaluating her comments, Mikel decided she didn’t sound particularly defensive, just curious. Those soft brown eyes hadn’t blinked too many or too few times and she met his gaze normally. Liars tended to either look away or keep fixed on the person they spoke to.

“I realize you must want to know what I’m doing here in Ojibway,” he said. “Fourteen years ago a girl disappeared from her home back East. Her name is Renee Reynaud and she was thirteen at the time. I’m searching for her.”

Though she didn’t respond immediately, he noted that Rachel’s expression of polite curiosity didn’t change, reassuring him of her honesty. “I don’t understand why you’re searching here,” she said.

“Leo Saari was one of Rachel’s teachers and she sometimes baby-sat his daughter. He left that same New Jersey community about the time Rachel disappeared and I learned that he’d come to Ojibway. I’m checking out every possible connection. I was hoping Aino would be able to tell me if Leo had a red-haired little girl with him when he arrived here, but I don’t want to pester him with questions until he’s recovered. Eva may be able to remember a few things about Renee that might help me.”

“Eva was only eight when her father returned home. She might be rather hazy about an early baby-sitter.”

“You’re protective of Eva.”

Rachel gave him a level look. “Maybe so. I tend to feel like her older sister. But as for asking if Leo arrived here with a red-haired girl, I can answer that. Like everyone else around Ojibway, I know the only people with him were his wife and daughter Eva. Poor Mrs. Saari died not long after they got here.”

He had no reason not to believe her, though he’d ask around to be sure. “I’d still like to talk to Eva, even if I have to wait until she gets back. I don’t expect you to put me up for what may be several weeks so I’ll look for—”

Rachel cut him off. “Aino will be upset if you don’t stay at the farm. It’s his way of repaying you for your timely help.”

Mikel didn’t argue. It suited him to be right where he was, handy to those who might offer some clues to what had happened to Renee. Not to mention seeing more of Rachel, whether that was wise or not.

“Is that what you do for a living?” Rachel asked “Search for missing persons?”

“It’s part of my job, yes.” Which it was. She didn’t need to know those he searched for were usually criminals. “What do you do?”

“I teach English and drama at the Ojibway High School.” She rose and began clearing the table, declining his help.

When she served the coffee, she also brought a plate of chocolate cookies with chocolate frosting. “My compliments to the chef,” he said after the first bite.

She smiled, the first genuine smile she’d given him. “Those are Aunt Sally’s Cocoa Drops, but don’t ask who Aunt Sally is. No one has a clue.”

He’d noticed there was no automatic dishwasher so he said, “I do know my way around a kitchen, thanks to Grandma Sonia, who insisted chores were a unisex thing, not divided into male and female duties. I’ll help you with the dishes as thanks for a great meal.”

“Did your grandmother live with you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Like you, I was orphaned young. My grandparents raised me.”

“Then you can understand how much Aino means to me. I’d do anything for him.”

She sounded so fierce he smiled inwardly. Rachel was protective of her own, a trait he could understand.

After they finished the coffee and cookies, he pitched in to help clean up and she didn’t argue. He found he enjoyed working alongside her, leading him to wonder what it’d be like if he actually had a permanent home and someone to share it with. Back off from that thought, Starzov, he warned himself. Even if that’s what you wanted, and it’s decidedly not, this gal is off-limits.

“I’m going to the hospital to visit Aino,” she told him when they finished.

Despite knowing better, he wanted to prolong that feeling of companionship. “I’ll drive you, if you like,” he offered.

“Nice of you, but no thanks.”

“Then I presume it’s good-night.” He headed for the back door as he spoke.

She followed, saying, “If you like you can have breakfast here.”

He paused, turning to look at her. “I don’t want to take advantage of your hospitality. Just give me the name of a good place to eat in town.”

“Sylvia’s. It’s near the bridge. Well, good night, then.”

He hesitated, fighting the crazy impulse to kiss her in parting, then left the house. As he sauntered toward the cottage he saw the clouds had parted, giving him a view of the darkening evening sky where a single star shone. He glanced at the black barn and the other outbuildings with the feeling something was missing. A dog, that’s what. Most farms he’d been to in line with his job had dogs that threatened intruders. The Saaris didn’t. Yet here he was, the intruder.

Smoke rose from the cottage chimney, a welcome reminder it would be warm inside. In the morning, he’d have breakfast at Sylvia’s where, if he was lucky, he could begin the process of what his boss called “chatting up the townsfolk,” usually a good source of information if done casually enough. Most people loved to talk.

Once inside, he checked the place where he’d cached his gun to be sure it was there. This wasn’t the kind of case where he anticipated needing a gun, but he’d learned never to take chances. Easing down into the armchair, he stared into the fire, reduced now to half-burned logs licked by tiny flames. Knowing exactly where his gun was reassured him even though nothing threatened him here. Nothing but a long-legged gal with dark hair, warm brown eyes and a body that fit against his just right. He’d avoided brunettes since Yolanda—that treacherous woman from his past—but Rachel was so very different from the women he usually met—no sharp edges, no hidden agendas.

Careful about snap judgments, man, he warned himself. You don’t really know her, just like you didn’t really know Yolanda and your carelessness there damn near killed you.

But Yolanda was in the past. Behind him for good. There was no danger in admiring Rachel. He closed his eyes, imagining she’d come back to the cottage with him. All he had to do was pull her down onto his lap and….

Enough! Damned if he wasn’t fantasizing like a fool high school kid. One with a crush on his English teacher. Which probably every male student in her class did have. Relax. Savor the comfort you’re enjoying here and now. Most cases don’t set you up in such cozy surroundings. Take it easy.

He tried one of the breathing techniques he’d been taught, but Yolanda’s image returned to plague him.

He’d trusted her, been completely taken in by her act. No excuse. A special agent knew better. He’d been lucky not to get booted out of the agency for blowing the case. Would have been if Steve hadn’t stood up for him.

Two nights ago he’d had that blasted recurring nightmare about what had happened. He didn’t believe in dreams as warnings, but, as he eased into bed, he told himself maybe he ought to begin doing just that here and now.

Back from the hospital, Rachel got ready for bed, wondering why on earth Aino had insisted she bring Mikel to see him tomorrow. She’d reminded him only relatives could visit the ICU, but he’d insisted he’d be moving to a regular room first thing in the morning so there’d be no problem. Since this was no time to burden him with any kind of worry, she hadn’t said anything about why Mikel was in Ojibway.

Mikel had told her he didn’t want to question Aino while he was recuperating, but could she trust him to keep his word? Her experience with men other than Leo and Aino had been that they always looked out for themselves first. Why should Mikel be different? And why did she want him to be? What was there about him that appealed to her against her will?

Not his looks, great as those were. She felt drawn to him in a way she didn’t understand. Perhaps it was because they’d shared that worrisome time in the hospital waiting room while Aino was being examined. Whatever it was, she’d do well to forget about sharing anything else with Mikel. He was here only to find a missing girl, and when he discovered she was nowhere around, he’d leave.

Strange, though, she’d had the oddest feeling he was going to kiss her there at the back door when they said good-night. Naturally, she wouldn’t have let him. Would she? Shaking her head, she glanced from her bedroom window, seeing the light still on in the cottage. With a sigh, she slid under the covers, knowing sleep would take its time coming….

The path ahead wound through the trees where deep shadows lay in wait. If there’d been any other way to get where she needed to go, she would have chosen it. If only she weren’t alone, but she knew she had to be, part of the test was being alone. This time she wouldn’t fail, this time she’d reach her goal. Still, she hesitated before taking her first step into that dark woods. She hated not being able to see if any danger lurked in the shadows.

Since there was no choice but to go on, she took a fortifying breath and plunged into the darkness, trying not to panic, not to run lest she lose the trail. Her arms prickled with goose bumps as she felt unknown menace on either side. A noise from behind made her spine crawl with dread. If she turned to look, what might she see? Despite herself, she began to hurry faster and faster, her head turning from side to side as she watched the shadows.

Because she wasn’t paying attention to where she stepped, she tripped and started to fall. But something caught her, held her up. Rescuing her? As she stared at the dark figure who held her, a moonbeam slipped through the trees to light up his eyes. Green hunter’s eyes. She tried to scream but no sound emerged, tried to break free but couldn’t move. He’d trapped her….

Rachel sat bolt upright in bed, heart pounding. For a moment or two the dream clung to her so that she couldn’t orient herself, then reason returned. She was safe in her own room, in her own bed. Safe and sound.

But for how long?

Taking a deep breath, she brushed aside that thought. Rachel Hill could control her own destiny. Hadn’t she been doing just that for more years than she cared to count? She was secure in herself, which she ought to be, considering all the practice she’d had.

Mikel Starzov might be the most attractive and sexy man she’d ever met, but he was an outsider and would be leaving in a week or so. The threat he posed would be gone, and they’d all be safe again.

Why, then, did she remember so clearly how he’d comforted her in the ER waiting room, holding her against him, letting her draw strength from the contact. If she’d felt a tad more than comfort, that was her business. Certainly he’d never find out. It was as simple as that.

But in her heart she knew she wasn’t telling herself the truth. She’d never before encountered a man like Mikel and she was already certain he wouldn’t be easily forgotten.

Chapter Three

The next morning, Mikel found quite a crowd having breakfast in Sylvia’s and no empty tables or booths. A waving hand caught his attention and he recognized the gas station attendant.

“Got an extra chair right here,” the man said. “You’re welcome to it.”

“Thanks.” Mikel seated himself, giving his name.

“Hi, Mikel, I’m Bob and this here’s my buddy, Louie.” Introductions over, Bob asked, “How’s old Aino doing?”

“Pretty good, the last I heard.”

“Seen you with Rachel yesterday—you a relative?”

Mikel shook his head. Choosing his words carefully—questions didn’t work as well as offering small snippets of information—he said, “I knew Aino’s son, Leo. I wasn’t around when Leo died, so this is my first chance to visit Aino.”

Louie grimaced. “That Leo was some magnet for bad luck. First his wife dies, then her folks drop one after the other. Aino’s wife was next to go. Almost like the guy was cursed or something.”

After the waitress came over and took his order, Mikel brought the subject back to where he wanted by saying, “Leo died pretty young.”

“Got himself killed, that’s what he did,” Bob said. “Most often you don’t buy the farm when your car hits a deer, but like Louie told you, Leo was unlucky, poor guy.”

The waitress, bringing Mikel’s coffee, heard the last and said, “The one I felt sorry for was Aino’s cousin. Rachel had to take care of Eva after that. No one else left ’cept Aino. That’s why he took the two of them in after Leo got killed.”

“Heck, Dottie, Rachel must’ve been somewhere in her twenties when Leo died and she’d been taking care of Eva all along.”

“Yeah, but it was different when Eva’s dad was alive.” Dottie threw the words over her shoulder as, coffeepot in hand, she went to serve another table.

“You never get the last word with Dottie,” Louie confided.

“I lost touch with Leo when he moved back to the U.P.,” Mikel said. “Rachel told me he taught in several different towns up here.”

Bob nodded. “Never seemed satisfied in one place. He dragged them two kids around with him—Rachel wasn’t much more than a kid herself then, but she was old enough to look after Eva and that’s what he needed.”

“Just as well,” Louie put in. “Aino was too old to be raising young girls without a woman to help out. It’s different now the girls are old enough—they take care of him.”

Bob, through with his meal, pushed back his chair and rose. “Time to get going. See you around, Mikel.” Louie nodded to Mikel and followed Bob from the café.

Dottie brought the eggs and bacon Mikel had ordered, asking if he wanted more coffee. At his nod, she brought the pot. “You don’t want to believe everything them two characters tell you,” she said.

Looking at the fortyish woman, he noticed her eyes were an unusual aquamarine color. “I didn’t realize Rachel had lived with Leo and his daughter,” he said.

“Oh, sure. It was pure luck for him that the Saaris took Rachel in after her folks died downstate. There she was, waiting, so to speak. Otherwise he’d’ve had to hire someone, and I want to tell you, teachers don’t make all that much money. My sister’s one and I know.”

As he ate breakfast, Mikel wondered why Rachel hadn’t mentioned the fact she’d lived with Leo, raising his daughter until he died. On the other hand, why should she when she didn’t know him? He hadn’t asked her, so he shouldn’t make something from what was probably nothing. It did explain why she felt so protective of Eva.

He reminded himself she was an orphan, as he was. Aino had taken her in the way his grandparents had Mikel.

After he finished eating, he decided to drop by the hospital to ask how Aino was doing. When he did, the receptionist told him Aino had been moved to a private room. “Are you Mikel Starzov?” she inquired. When he nodded, she added, “Aino’s been asking to see you. He’s in room 224. Just down the hall and to the right.”

Mikel found Rachel with the old man and greeted them both, trying to ignore the unexpected leap of his heart when he saw her.

“Good to see you, young man,” Aino told him. “Come closer so I can shake your hand. Doc says if you hadn’t gotten me here so quick I might not be shaking hands with anyone for a while, if ever.”

“Yes, and he scolded you for not taking the medicine he gave you for your high blood pressure,” Rachel added.

Aino waved that away. “I know, I know.” Finished with the handshake, he gave Mikel an assessing once-over, finally nodding. “You’ll do. Call me Aino. Rachel tells me she’s got you set up in the cottage. That’s good.”

“Very comfortable quarters.”

“You did me a favor getting me here, now I got another to ask. Thought I’d be out of here by tomorrow, but Doc says not yet. He says I had a ministroke and that’s why my left arm’s so weak. The leg’s not as bad. So I got to have therapy for it and he’s still got some tests to run. I swear they’re going to drain off all my blood before I get out of here. The point is, I want you to stay at the farm at least till I come home. We lost old Fitzgerald last month and I don’t like Rachel out there all alone.”

“Fitzgerald?” Mikel repeated.

“My rabbit hound. Died of old age. Always name my dogs after someone I know.”

“Someone he knows and doesn’t like,” Rachel explained. She focused on Aino. “I wish you’d listen to me. I’ve told you over and over I’m perfectly all right out there by myself.”

“Don’t want me to get set back by worry, do you?”

She rolled her eyes.

“I’ll be happy to stay in the cottage,” Mikel said.

“Good boy. One more thing. I was supposed to give Rachel’s Girl Scout troop a talk about Johnny Appleseed and why all of us should plant trees whenever we can. Was going to demonstrate how and where to plant a tree. Got a bunch of apple seedlings in cans on the back porch. I’m thinking you could take over for me.”

Mikel had never planted a tree in his life. He hadn’t ever considered planting one, either. Before he could answer, evidently Aino saw the doubt in his eyes.

“Nothing to it, boy. I’d let Rachel do it, but she’s always teaching them things. They’ll take it more serious-like if you doing the talking and the showing. Right, girl?”

Rachel shrugged.

“You know it’s true, that’s why you got me to do it,” Aino said. “So Mikel will be my substitute.” He winked at Rachel. “Teachers know all about substitutes.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Mikel promised, “but I’m not Johnny Appleseed.”

“None of us are, boy. Just as well, what’d we do with all those apples? Rachel knows how trees are planted, she can tell you whatever you don’t know.”

A hospital worker arrived with a wheelchair to take Aino for therapy, so Rachel and Mikel left. Pausing by her car in the parking lot, he said, “How about letting me take you to dinner tonight? It’s my turn.”

“Do you like fish?”

Strange thing about women, they almost never answered precisely what was asked. “All kinds,” he told her.

“Good. Because this, like every Friday, is fish-fry night in the U.P.”

“In that case, you choose where.”

“Metrovich’s is usually good But we’ll need to get there early before they run out of perch—it’s their specialty. Say five-thirty.”

He nodded. “I’ll drive. About this Johnny Appleseed deal. I’ve never talked to a Girl Scout troop before.”

She smiled, rather smugly, he thought. “Don’t worry, the girls will hang on your every word.”

He eyed her dubiously.

“As for the tree planting,” she added, “I’ll give you a quick run-through ahead of time. You can read up on the original Johnny later tonight.”

“My bedtime story? Okay, but I’ve never been one for planting things.”

“Tell them that. They’ll listen to you, watch you plant a seedling and be impressed that this cool guy is interested in trees. You’ll make a great role model.”

His eyebrows rose. “I’ve been called lot of things, but never that.”

“Consider it from their point of view. They may like me, but I’m just their predictable Scout leader who’s always going on about what’s important. You’re a—well, let’s say a noticeable man from somewhere other than the U.P., as they can tell by the way you talk.”

“A ‘noticeable’ man? Because I’m a stranger?”

She eyed him levelly. “You’re the kind of man girls notice. Especially since you always wear black—or at least you have since I’ve known you.”

He blinked. Wearing black had gotten to be a habit without him noticing. Bad for a special agent to do something that identifiable. He’d get some other clothes when he left here. Smiling at her, he asked, “So you think girls notice me? How about a particular young woman?”

“Under the circumstances surrounding your arrival, I could hardly help it.” Her words were cool enough, but he noted her flush with interest. So the attraction wasn’t only on his side.

Rachel, unhappily aware of her blush, tried to ignore it. “I assume,” she continued, “since you’re searching for a missing girl, you’re some kind of private investigator, which will also fascinate the girls.”

Though he didn’t say yes, he didn’t deny it, so Rachel decided she’d hit the nail on the head. She couldn’t help wondering who’d hired him to hunt Renee Reynaud down. And why, after fourteen years? If she was careful and clever, maybe she could find out.

“I have errands, so I’ll see you back at the house later,” she said. He promptly opened the driver’s door for her and she slid in, saying, “Bye.”

While doing her grocery shopping, she kept reviewing her clothes, trying to decide what to wear tonight. There was no decent place to shop for clothes in town and she certainly wasn’t going to drive forty miles just to buy an outfit to go to Metrovich’s, which was a casual kind of place.

Still, it mattered to her how she’d look. Because of Mikel. Surely the man knew he appealed to women. He had to be the sexiest man she’d ever met. And, just possibly, the most dangerous. But she’d rather not dwell on that.

She pictured him planting seedlings with the girls in her troop and snickered. He was the least likely Johnny Appleseed in the world. Aino tended to outlandish notions, such as the black barn, but using Mikel as a substitute was one she could appreciate.

Arriving back at the farm, Rachel noted Mikel’s car was not parked by the cottage. She was carrying in the last grocery bag when she noticed him pull into the driveway and watched surreptitiously from the kitchen window as he lifted a small box from his car and took it with him into the cottage along with a plastic grocery bag. Shrugging, she turned away. There was no reason and probably nothing to learn from spying on him. If she didn’t label it spying, then she’d have to admit she liked to look at him.

He moved like an athlete, no wasted motion, graceful and purposeful as a wolf. Since wolves had been reintroduced to the U.P., she’d spotted one or two and been impressed. Predators. Beautiful predators. Like Mikel.

A predator she was having dinner with tonight. What should she wear? Everything she owned could be classified as respectable. For most of her life she hadn’t wanted to attract undue attention. She sort of camouflaged herself—like prey. Which she was not!

Upstairs, she riffled through the hangers in her closet and sighed. Nothing. Heaven knows anything at all would be okay for Metrovich’s, but she was determined to look different tonight in some way or other. Struck by a thought, she hurried into Eva’s bedroom. Eva was a tad more buxom than she, top and bottom, but just maybe there was something Eva hadn’t packed when she left for Finland.

A half hour passed before she triumphantly carried out a pair of sleek black leather pants and a see-through black silk blouse. The pants fit her perfectly, not too tight, but revealing enough to suit her present mood. As for the ruffled blouse, once she dug up the only black bra she owned, the blouse would complement the leather pants to perfection. It amused her to think that, if Mikel dressed as usual, they’d both be wearing black. She enjoyed the idea she’d be making a statement.

Smiling, she tossed the clothes onto her bed and went downstairs to fix lunch before she began the afternoon chores. After eating, she located the book that had the story of Johnny Appleseed in it and also a pamphlet on tree planting and left them on a table by the door.

Later, Mikel found her out in back where she was picking apples to take to Aino—Transparents, which were his favorites. “Here,” she said, tossing one to Mikel.

“I take it green, in this case, is ripe,” he said.

“My, so suspicious.”

“Why not? Since Eve persuaded Adam to eat an apple, things have never been the same.”

“But this isn’t Paradise.”

She didn’t realize how relaxing the quiet and peace of the farm were, Mikel thought. Hell, even he was surprised at how relaxed he felt. “Close enough,” he told her, “but I’ll chance the apple.” He took a bite.

“What’s the verdict?”

“Hmm, a hint of tartness within the sweet, summery flavor. A good year.”

She laughed. “Hey, it’s only an apple, not fine wine.”

“But this is a special one.” Like you, he wanted to add, but had enough sense not to. With the sunshine gleaming on her dark wavy hair as she smiled up at him, her brown eyes still crinkled with laughter, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Flaws tended to show up in sunlight, but if Rachel had any, they weren’t visible.

“Metrovich’s is pretty casual, in case you wondered,” she said.

“Figures. Most of what I’ve seen of the U.P. seems to be. It’s a different world up here.”

“That’s why a lot of us never leave.”

“How about you?”

A flicker of some emotion couldn’t identify crossed her face and disappeared. “Sometimes I think it must be the only safe place left in the world,” she said so softly he hardly heard her words.

Seeing an opening, he said, “It must have been difficult raising Eva while you were still a child yourself.”

She turned away from him to pick another apple from the tree, speaking with her back to him. “I was glad to have a way to give in return for what others had given me. Besides, Eva was a pretty good kid, as kids go.” She dropped the apple into a sack with others. “That’s seven apples, more than enough for Aino. He’s complaining about hospital food so I plan to take these in to him before we go to dinner.”

It was obvious she didn’t want to discuss the subject. He didn’t have a clue why. After all, it didn’t matter. Rachel raising Leo’s daughter had no bearing on what he’d come here to do—find Renee Reynaud. Eva, herself, might prove to be of more help than Rachel, since she’d actually known Renee.

“I’m looking forward to meeting Eva,” he said.

Ignoring his comment, Rachel said, “Shall I show you the apple tree seedlings on the back porch?”

Reminded of his upcoming duties as a planter, he nodded, hoping the guys at headquarters would never hear he’d spent part of his vacation playing at being Johnny Appleseed.

He surveyed the motley containers the tiny trees were growing in—everything from coffee cans to cardboard cartons and said, “Looks as though Aino recycles everything.”

“Farmers always have, didn’t you know?”

“If these seedlings get put in a hole in the ground, will they all grow?” he asked.

“It’s a little more complicated than that.”

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?”

“He’s one of a kind,” Rachel told her.

“Figures. I never get there first. You both gonna have the perch tonight?”

While they waited for their order, Mikel checked out the place, a habit he couldn’t break, even when he wasn’t on an agency case. He’d also chosen the only table left where his back could be to the wall. Rustic, without any attempt to be cutesy as well, Metrovich’s looked like what it was, an older, out-of-the-way eating place in the Michigan woods. A place where the local folk gathered.

“What do you think?” Rachel asked. “Acceptable to a New Yorker?”

“I always wait until the food comes to comment. That’s what counts.”

“In that case, you’ll give Metrovich’s five stars.”

At the moment, anyplace he could be with her would suit him, even a moderately noisy, definitely crowded restaurant.

The perch was as good as advertised and so was the lemon meringue pie that finished off the meal. “Okay, five stars it is,” he told her as they walked to his car. “The pie rivaled my grandmother’s, not that I’d ever tell her.”

After pulling onto the highway, he said, “In case you didn’t notice, you were the sensation of the evening.”

“Not as far as Kelly was concerned. By the way, did you notice both you and I wore black tonight?”

“Immediately. Had no idea I might have infected you with my color taste, but you can wear black for me anytime. I really—” He broke off, braking as a large black animal lumbered across the road in front of the car. “Damned if that’s not a bear!”

“We do have those,” she agreed. “Also deer, wolves and other assorted wildlife.”

“In the woods, yes. It’s just that I didn’t expect to see a bear in the middle of the road.”

“One never does—it’s always a surprise when they show up at the farm searching for windfall apples or culls left on those old trees way out in back. Poor Fitzgerald. When he was still alive, he used to hide for days after he smelled a bear anywhere around. It was like he was saying, ‘Hey, I’m a rabbit hound. I don’t do bears.’”

“So tomorrow I’m going to be convincing your Scouts to plant apple seedlings for the eventual gratification of bears.”

She laughed.

After he pulled into the farm driveway, he said, “My invitation still stands. I might add I do make a mean cup of coffee.”

Rachel knew very well she ought to decline. She’d learned early to avoid situations that might turn into wrestling matches. If the man had been anyone but Mikel she would’ve said no, but somehow she trusted him not to try to rush her into anything she didn’t want. Which was sort of scary, because she wasn’t at all sure what she did want from him. Except, of course, to know who’d sent him here. Which was reason enough to accept his invitation.

“As for me, I’m perfectly harmless,” he added as he parked the car.

How could he claim to be harmless with those green predator’s eyes? “The better to see you with, my dear,” she muttered without thinking.

“I didn’t quite catch that.”

She certainly wasn’t going to admit she’d quoted the wolf’s lines from Little Red Riding Hood. “Thank you, I’d love some coffee,” she told him. “If you’ve done your homework, we can discuss tomorrow’s Scout session while we drink it.”

He opened the cottage door to usher her in. “If I think of anything I need to know, you’ll be the first I’ll ask.”

“You sound pretty confident.”

“That’s the secret to coming out ahead.”

Rachel thought about that as she seated herself in a chair near the fireplace. “Do you always come out ahead?” she asked finally.

He turned on the coffeemaker and sank down into the old chair on the opposite side of the fireplace. “Often enough to pay the bills.”

“How about in the rest of your life?”

He shrugged. “We all make mistakes. I try not to repeat mine.”

She’d just bet he usually succeeded, too. Hoping to work the conversation around to where he might reveal information she needed, Rachel said, “I’ve never actually met a private investigator before. What’s it like being one?”

He sprang to his feet. “Forgot to light the fire.” As he proceeded to do so, he spoke with his back to her. “A job is a job. If you’re good at what you do and like it, then you stay interested. I imagine that’s how you feel about teaching.”

“More or less. But teaching students is rewarding in itself.”

He rose and turned to her. “Catching bad guys can be, too.”

“I’m sure. Do you think there’s a bad guy in the case you’re on now?”

“I don’t yet have enough information to know one way or the other.” He headed for the coffeemaker. “If that red light’s any indication, the coffee’s done. While we drink it, maybe you can help by telling me what you remember about Leo.”

Rachel tensed. “You still think he was involved in the girl’s disappearance?”

“I can’t be positive one way or the other. I came here to find out.”

“But he didn’t have anyone but his wife and daughter with him when he came home to Ojibway.”

“Apparently not. Still, that really only proves Renee Reynaud wasn’t with him when he arrived here, not that he wasn’t involved in some way.” Having poured coffee into the two mugs he’d bought, he carried one to her, saying, “As I recall, you drink yours black.”

She nodded, not really wanting to talk about Leo, but at the same time certain he’d wonder why, if she didn’t. Trying to find a place to begin, she started with “Leo was a good teacher. He inspired both Eva and me to become teachers, too.”

“Why was he good?”

“He was a quiet man who cared about children. He really listened to what they said to him and never turned a child away without the best answer he could find.”

“You were fond of him.”

It wasn’t a question, but she responded, anyway. “He was like a father to me—the right kind of father.” After a moment she added, “Being an orphan, that meant a lot.” She sipped the hot coffee and essayed a smile. “I thought maybe I was being invited into the wolf’s den for an attempted seduction tonight, but I see I was wrong.”

Mikel grinned at her. “Do you prefer being seduced? I always aim to please.”

She wished he wouldn’t look at her like that, his green eyes glowing as he let his gaze drift over her. She also wished it made her angry rather than making her wonder what it would be like if he kissed her. He had the most beautiful mouth, well-shaped and enticing.

“To be truthful, something like seduction did lurk in the back of my mind,” he admitted.

“Well, at least you haven’t lit any candles yet.”

“So you prefer a romantic seduction? I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Actually, no. I happen to think candles and soft music is overkill.”

“Then we’re okay here?” He gestured toward the fireplace. “We at least have the warm fire, the eager male and the ambivalent female.”

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