Page 15 of Chasing Dreams
Together they smoothed and tucked, changed the pillowcases and replaced the comforter. Finished, Shaine stood and met his eyes uncomfortably. He didn’t look like a man whose mind would be easily changed. But she’d come this far. If he thought she could be diverted from her goal, he didn’t understand the immediacy of the situation.
His gaze dropped to her sweatshirt and back to her face. “There’s a half bath in there,” he gestured.
“Okay.”
He took clothing from the drawers inside the armoire and headed down the stairs.
“Thank you.”
He nodded without turning back.
She found the pair of flannel pajamas in her bag and undressed, feeling exposed in the open-aired loft. She pulled on the pajamas quickly and refolded the rest of her clothing, glancing around the room. Like everything else in the house, it screamed man. Only the bare essentials were visible, a ball cap and a jacket hanging on a peg near the bathroom door, a clock on a table beside the bed.
The long trip, her dealings with the man downstairs and her fight with the tent in the rain had caught up with her. She switched off the lights and crawled between the fresh sheets.
And stared at the rain running down the panes overhead.
On a clear night the skylight would provide a breathtaking view of the heavens. She glanced over to the wide vertical blinds that held the night out. Climbing out of the bed, she searched for a cord of some kind, her fingers finally brushing a doorbell-like button. She pressed it, and the blinds glided open until she could see the silver rain glistening on the trees and the mountain ridges above.
This house, this situation, this man was nothing like she’d anticipated. But then, what had she anticipated?
She needed his help. She’d set out with tunnel vision, and now here she was. Not exactly as she’d planned. Not anything like she’d hoped, but closer to her goal than she’d been the day before.
Hoped.
The word clung tenaciously to her mental vocabulary. Just as she clung tenaciously to its precept.
Sleepily, she studied the rain-laden heavens, wondering if there was an answer up there, if inspiration and insight and intuition came from the vast expanse of the universe and settled upon those open or willing or just gifted.
Exhausted, she climbed back into bed and snuggled into the downy covers. He had let her stay. He would work with her. She’d gratefully accept whatever shred of skill he would share with her. And—Shaine’s eyes drifted shut— she hoped she’d be able to change his mind about what he was willing to teach her.
Jack’s welfare depended on it.
Chapter 4
Austin blew across the surface of his steaming coffee. He placed the mug beside one of the terminals, sat in his chair and logged on.
Last night he’d been unable to concentrate enough to get any work done, not after entering his bathroom and smelling the flowery fragrances of shampoo and whatever all else the woman used to make the whole place smell like her.
There’d never been a guest in his home. Least of all a woman. Austin hadn’t been very good company for a while. Twenty years maybe. He’d had enough of people to last him a lifetime. When he desired human company, which wasn’t often, he drove to Gunnison to shop and eat.
Occasionally he took a trip and met with clients he normally only spoke with over the phone.
Once or twice a year he attended computer fairs where he checked out the latest developments and upgraded his equipment. And from time to time, he met women who didn’t require involvement or intimacy to have a mutually satisfying time.
And none of them knew him. Or knew of him. He’d made sure of that.
He slid a thumb drive into the port and pulled up a program he’d been working on for one of his clients. They’d been developing software for a major insurance company and thought it was finally perfected. Now his job was to make sure there were no glitches that could show up later down the line and cause an expensive recall or even open them to a lawsuit.
He was good at troubleshooting. He’d found enough hidden errors and saved enough clients from potential disaster that he’d earned himself a name and the ability to demand high fees. And he didn’t have to deal with people. Or their possessions. He clicked on an icon and sipped his coffee.
A couple of hours later, he got up to let Daisy out and nearly ran into his houseguest in the hallway.
“Oh, sorry,” she murmured. She smelled like spring flowers, and he resented the fact that he’d noticed.
“That’s okay. I didn’t hear you get up.” He’d been too engrossed in his work to hear her moving around. The sight of her in a slim pair of jeans and a little sweater thing that barely came to her waist gave him a restless feeling that didn’t sit comfortably. The outfit accentuated her curves, and gave him the urge to see if his hands could span that tiny waist.
“I didn’t want to bother you. I didn’t know if you were still sleeping or not.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, and the sleeve of her white sweater slid back, exposing her pale wrist.
