eaten an apple and two pieces of chicken. 'He's in the mood to work, for a change.'
She saw that he spoke without rancor or bitterness. Just plain acceptance… and love. 'What is it he does, exactly?'
Zach laughed softly as if she'd told a joke, but in truth, she had no idea what was so funny. 'It's amazing, isn't it? People from three states over clamor for his furniture, not even minding that he won't give them a finish date. He'll just get to it when he gets to it, he says, and they agree. I still don't understand it.'
Haley watched as he stacked cheese and meat four inches thick on the huge roll, wondering how he would get his mouth around it. 'Is he any good?'
'The best,' Zach said simply.
'What are you studying?' she asked, fascinated by his appetite.
'For the bar exam.'
'An attorney. That's impressive.'
'For a cowboy, you mean?' He smiled and piled three-quarters of a new bag of chips on the plate. Then, as an afterthought, he dumped the rest onto the plate, too. 'Don't be too impressed,' he said wryly. 'I seem to collect occupations. I was a cop once. A bartender, too.' He balanced the plate and three cans of soda easily in those long gangly arms and made his way to the door before he paused. 'It's nice to have you here, Haley,' he said sincerely. 'It's nice to be looked after.'
She nearly laughed. 'But you're not letting me look after you at all.'
'We don't want to take advantage.'
'But you're paying me to do this.'
He grinned. 'No, not me. Cam is. He'll get his money's worth, believe me. He always does.' His color drained and he looked as if he wanted to hit himself. 'Wait. That didn't come out right.'
She'd taken an involuntary step backward, but common sense prevailed. Last night, her safety had taken a back seat to escape. Going home with strangers had been infinitely preferable to the alternative of being dead. But after a night and a day with these people, she sensed she was safe. Especially after the barn fiasco when she'd unintentionally thrown herself at her new boss and he'd acted with gentlemanly restraint, if not a great deal of humor.
Even so, she wanted to clarify things. In her profession, where she was required to carefully observe and study, she'd found it the best method. 'I'm a housekeeper,' she said firmly. 'Nothing more.'
'We know that,' Zach said quickly, sincerely. He shrugged his wide shoulders in emphasis, since his hands were completely full of food. 'And no one expects more. In fact, if either of my brothers even looks at you cross- eyed, I'll sue them for you-I promise.'
She smiled at that, as he'd intended. 'I thought brothers tended to wrestle and fight, not sue.'
'When we were younger, but not anymore,' he vowed. 'I may be the oldest, but Cam's the strongest. Neither of us messes with him now. Besides, suing him hurts where it counts the most-his wallet.'
Haley had a hard time picturing Cameron expending enough energy to worry about anything, much less his financial situation. 'He doesn't seem to care about money much.'
'No.' Zach sighed dramatically. 'He doesn't.' And then he eyed her strangely. 'Haley, I meant what I said. You're safe here. If there's ever anything you want us to know, or if you need any help, you could just tell us. We'd be there.'
'Okay,' she said slowly, trying to read between the lines. Did he know something, suspect something? When he only stood there, looking at her expectantly, she lifted a shoulder self-consciously. 'What?'
Disappointment crossed his features. 'Nothing. Have a good night.'
She watched him go, once again marveling at how much food he was going to consume, then turned to the empty kitchen. She should have been relieved at her miraculous respite, but she felt oddly… unsettled.
It was quiet, almost too much so. She went out the back door and saw little Max, fast asleep on his padded bed. Standing on the porch, listening to him snore softly, she watched the daylight fade into night. A gigantic cloud hung where the sun was making its lazy descent behind the shadowed mountains. A fat, black cloud that, as Cameron had told her earlier, promised rain.
Rain would suit her mood.
She stood there in the very cool air, her arms wrapped around her middle, wondering at the strange and unexpected turn her life had taken. What had really happened there in South America? Someone-Alda? Bob?-had gotten greedy. Someone had decided they wanted the system for themselves. Who? The system was destroyed now; did they think they could recreate it? She didn't want to blame either of them, but no one else alive knew what they'd created. Where were they now? Were they hiding, as she was? Both were American, and both had worked previously for the United States Geological Survey. If she called the USGS, would they know what had happened? Would they even believe her? She knew she had to try.
It was time to stop burying her head in the sand. Because of the time difference between Los Angeles and Colorado, it was too late today. But first thing in the morning, she'd call the USGS base in California. It might give her peace of mind.
They'd probably want her to come work for them, tell them what she knew. She didn't want to go back to being a geologist. It was ironic that she'd lost the taste for it, since once upon a time, it had been all she'd ever wanted. But she wouldn't reproduce that system, no matter what. With the knowledge in the wrong hands, anything could happen. Terrorists could blackmail governments for billions with the threat of a massive earthquake or volcano.
The implications were terrifying. Good Lord, no wonder someone wanted her dead.
Darkness had fallen while she stood there and she'd never seen such a complete and utterly still black night. There were no sounds as a huge, ominous cloud stretched across the entire yawning sky. She couldn't even see her little house, only fifty yards away. Little Max snored on.
Never in her life had Haley felt so alone, so isolated.
Suddenly lightning bolted, and she nearly leaped off the porch. She braced for the thunder, but still wasn't prepared for the resounding boom that had Max jumping up with a cry, straight into her arms. She pulled him close, her heart pounding, and at the next crack, whirled toward the door with every intention of turning on each and every light in the entire house.
'Don't go.'
She swallowed her scream as the next brilliant flash lit the Colorado night like day, highlighting the planes and hollows of Cameron's rugged face from where he stood on the porch steps.
'Lightning storm,' he said simply, moving up the few steps to stand before her. 'You haven't lived until you've seen the entire show. Come on.' Taking the whining puppy in the crook of one arm, he grabbed her hand.
'It's going to rain,' she said inanely, her heart still thundering in tune to the storm.
'Oh, yeah. It's going to rain.' He tugged at her hand gently, murmuring quietly to Max. He led them to a beautiful, wide wooden bench on the far end of the veranda.
'I… should go in.'
'Sit down a sec.' He did, and pulled her down next to him. Max huddled pathetically in his lap while Cam ran a large soothing hand over his quivering back. Then he pointed off into the far distance where the entire sky had rippled with jagged streaks of blue light. 'Watch,' he said, his voice filled with awe. The air split with the crash of thunder.
'I thought you were working.'
'The work'll wait.'
'But-'
'Shh. Just listen, it's beautiful.'
It seemed decadent. Wasting precious moments sitting on a bench, with a man she didn't really know, watching nothing but time go by. Haley hadn't spent much time in leisure, if any. Her time had never been her own. But the wild sky, churning and venting violence like a casual whim, had caught her. She couldn't look away.
'You'll be hungry,' she said during a brief lull, feeling as if she had to say something.
'No.' His face was turned upward, raptly watching as flash after flash of lightning exploded like a fireworks display, streaking the sky with jagged lines of light.
'I really should go-'
For a man who looked so at ease, lounging back against the bench, he sure could move fast, reaching for her
