Killjoy

That having been said, she swiveled in her chair and began typing again. Andrews had that what'd-I-say? look of bewilderment on his face as he stood and slowly walked away, blushing like a girl.

Mel didn't start laughing until he was out of earshot. 'So I guess you won't be going to dinner with Andrews when you get back from vacation?'

'I'm trying to work here.'

Lou put his hand out, and Mel, frowning as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket, extracted a dollar bill and handed it to his friend. The two men had a standing bet as to the nature of the compliments given Avery. Since Andrews hadn't said anything about her legs, Lou won the dollar. Her legs were pretty amazing, and most men noticed them right away, but Andrews

apparently wasn't a leg man.

'How come that never happens to me?' Margo asked. 'I'm cute, aren't I?'

'Yeah, sure you are,' Lou said.

'And I want to get married one day and have a family,' she continued as though Lou hadn't answered. 'Whereas Avery has

made it perfectly clear on countless occasions that she's never going to get married. It's just not fair. I'd be perfect for Andrews.

I really would. But he never even glanced my way.'

'What makes you think you'd be perfect for him?' Lou asked.

'Because he's a hottie,' she answered. 'And no one appreciates a full-fledged hottie more than I. We'd be perfect for each

other,' she said over her shoulder as she went back to her workstation.

Mel shoved his wallet back into his pocket and went to work. At four-fifteen, he stood up and called, 'It's time to leave, Avery.'

'Just give me another ten minutes…'

The ten turned into forty-five, and she didn't get out of the office until after five. Fortunately, her knee was much better today,

and she was able to run. Nevertheless, she still missed her flight. There was an accident on the interstate, blocking two lanes,

and by the time she finally arrived at the airport and sprinted to the terminal, the plane was in the air.

Avery toyed with the idea of going back home and crashing in her own bed. She hadn't averaged more than four hours' sleep a night in over a week, and she was exhausted. She didn't dare give in to the urge, though. Carrie would kill her if she were a full day late.

Utopia wasn't her idea of a great vacation. She was going only to please her aunt. When she went someplace new, she wanted

to see the sights, soak in the local color. She didn't relish the idea of being stuck in a spa for six days, but Avery had given her word, so she couldn't back out.

The next flight through Denver into Aspen was full, and she was forced to take a convoluted route from D.C. She ended up in Grand Junction, Colorado. She would have to wait until morning to board yet another flight. After she collected her luggage and checked into the hotel adjacent to the airport, she called Carrie on her cell phone. She got her voice mail on the first ring. She assumed her aunt was recharging her phone and had already gone to bed-it was midnight Aspen time. She left a message that she would arrive at the spa around noon tomorrow.

Then she called the spa to let them know she was delayed. Since she'd left a message on Carrie's cell phone, she didn't ask the receptionist to connect her to her aunt's suite.

That night Avery slept like the dead. The following morning, while she ate her continental breakfast of toast, juice, and milk, she called her office voice mail. There were over twenty messages in her mailbox, but fortunately none of them was urgent. She

made notes as she listened and then erased each one. Carrie's message made her smile. She sounded so excited about staying

in a mountain house where Tom Cruise had allegedly been a guest. How like her aunt to get stars in her eyes over such a silly

little thing. Avery erased that message and continued on until she was finally finished.

She was downstairs and checking out by eight-fifteen. While the receptionist printed her bill, Avery looked over a map of Colorado. Aspen wasn't all that far from Grand Junction, just two and a half hours away by car. Then she heard an elderly couple talking about the lovely sights in the area, and on the spur of the moment, she decided to rent a car and drive to the spa. She took the shuttle back to the airport, rented a sedan, and headed out.

Avery was wearing her weekend uniform, a pair of old jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and a pair of scuffed tennis shoes. Carrie wouldn't approve of the outfit, but Avery opted for comfort over fashion.

Once she was on 1-70 heading east toward Aspen, she felt as if she was really on vacation. It was a beautiful, crisp, summer morning. The sun was shining, and the sky was such a brilliant shade of blue it looked almost artificial. She rolled the window down and took a deep breath. It was wonderful. The air was so clean and light, as though she were breathing pure oxygen. It

was a refreshing change after the smog of the big, overcrowded city.

She stopped at a McDonald's for a bottle of water and a Diet Coke. After she paid for her order, she sat down in one of the booths to look over the map. There might be an interesting side trip she could take on her way to the spa, maybe see something historical. She knew that once she checked in, Carrie wouldn't let her leave, and she did want to see a little of Colorado. What she'd already seen on her drive was beautiful, but she felt she was only glimpsing a tip of what the state had to offer. Besides, Carrie was going to be irritated anyway because Avery was late. What difference did it make if she was another hour or two behind schedule?

She spread the map on the table in front of her and, first of all, tried to find the spot where Carrie had told her she'd spent the night. What was it? Land of the Lakes? No, that wasn't it.

'Are you lost, darlin'?'

The deep baritone voice jarred her. Annoyed her too. She simply wasn't in the mood to get hit on. Suppressing a sigh, she frowned as she looked up, ready to tell whoever was trying to bother her to go away, but then she saw the gentleman standing before her and she smiled. He was at least eighty years old. Immaculately dressed in a freshly pressed denim shirt with a turquoise bolo tie, and Levi's tucked into tan cowboy boots with scrollwork around the tops, he held a tan Stetson in one hand and a cup of steaming coffee in the other. His face was full of character, from his sparkling golden brown eyes and his leathered complexion to the handlebar mustache that was perfectly waxed and groomed. Both his mustache and his hair were pure white.

'Excuse me?'

'I asked you if you were lost,' he repeated. 'I saw you looking over that map, and I figured I might be able to help you get where you're wanting to go since I know just about every little nook and cranny in Colorado. I've lived here all my eighty-four years, come September.'

'I was just looking over places of interest,' she said. 'Actually, I could use your help. Would you care to join me?'

'I'd be delighted,' he said. He put his coffee down, then scooted into the booth across from her and carefully placed his Stetson

on the seat next to him. 'Can't stay but a couple of minutes. My granddaughter will be swinging by to pick me up. She's got a

nice little Western store, and I help her with the customers two days a week. That's why I'm duded up,' he explained. 'Now, where are you headed?'

'Aspen.'

'You couldn't be lost then. There are signs all around you. Aspen's just a few miles away.'

'Yes, I know,' she said. 'But I was trying to locate an area called Land of the Lakes or Around the Lakes. Have you ever heard of such a place?'

'If you're talking about Land Between the Lakes, then, yes, I sure have heard of it. My name's Walt Gentry, by the way.'

'Avery Delaney,' she said as she offered her hand to shake his.