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Her lips curved against his It was going to be all right She could alood deal"

"You won&039;t get a better one" Still holding her hand, he brought her to her feet "You didn&039;t uess I et to make you one"

"Cody - "

He touched his lips to hers It was his gentleness that stopped her words It was her softness that made him speak "Just one I won&039;t hurt you, Abra"

He meant it She could see that clearly when she looked into his eyes Too late, she thought, leaning her cheek against his The heart she had tried so hard to hold on to was lost to hih he would try not to She could never let hi this tiainst him, Cody reached down for the receiver

"Johnson" He listened a moment while he skimmed his lips over Abra&039;s temple "Lefkowitz, anyone ever tell you you&039;re a pain in the neck?" Reluctantly he let Abra go arid gave his attention to the phone "You were put in charge there because we thought you could handle coot the specs? Well, read the, he shifted the phone to his other hand "I hear what you&039;re saying Give me the number and I&039;ll deal with it froers Clear? Good I&039;ll take the first plane out"

When he hung up, Abra offered him his wine "You&039;re real smooth, Johnson"

"I leave tact and diplo" She toyed with her own glass and tried to be casual "Taking a trip?"

"San Diego Why we thought a pinhead like Lef-kowitz could handle a job like that is beyond me The man redefines the word inept" He"Soes in the design, and now a supplier&039;s balking and he hasn&039;t got the sense to bash their heads together and get on with it"

"Your design?" she asked, grinning"Mostly" He grabbed her braid and tugged hard enough to make her squeal "Why don&039;t you coineer&039;s right and I&039; - so te that she nearly said yes before she remembered she had a job to do "I can&039;t There&039;s no way both of us can leave the project" She turned away and tried not to sho one?"

"A day or two - unless I murder Lefkowitz and stand trial Abra" He put his hands on her shoulders and drew her gently back against hiainst the rules for you toone of his hands with hers "I&039;ll try to work it in"

He pulled her against hie of sinking onto the bed with her and letting the night take care of itself but, like Abra, he understood responsibility too well

"I have to toss a few things into a bag and get to the airport I&039;ll drop you back by your car"

"Sure"

When she stepped back, he kept his hands on her shoulders It was funny, he thought Never before in his life had he thought twice about hopping a plane orfrom place to place Sorown roots "I owe you a shower - and roo off to war, Abra reminded herself It was a business trip There would come a time when he would board a plane and fly out of her life This wasn&039;t it "We&039;ll settle accounts when you get back"

It took three days, and that infuriated hi that saved Lefkoas the fact that the resolutions took more ti his heels in another hotel roo was packed, but there was one iteht for Abra Cody took it out now and studied it

It had been a whilance in a jeweler&039;sas he&039;d walked to an appointment They weren&039;t icy white diareen "fancy" stones the color of the sea The ht of her

Closing the lid, he dropped the box back into his pocket He didn&039;t suppose it was the kind of token two people involved in a casual affair exchanged The probles for Abra were anything but casual

He hadn&039;t been in love before, but he recognized the symptoms

She wasn&039;t ready to hear it, he mused For that ed the scope of lives, the sae the scope of a wall

And it ht pass He knew people who fell in and out of love as if they were bobbing for apples That wasn&039;t for him If it was true, and if it was real, he intended tocertain the building would stand the test of tilance at his watch, he noted that he hadonto the bed, he plucked up the phone and called Abra When he heard the connection click, he opened his mouth to speak Her smooth recorded voice sounded in his ears

"You&039;ve reached Abra Wilson I&039;ht now, but if you&039;ll leave a et back to you as soon as possible Thanks"

He was scowling at his watch and wondering why the hell she wasn&039;t hoood, Red, but I&039;d rather talk to you in person Listen, if you get in before seven, give s Don&039;t get crazy or anything, but Iup and, unsatisfied, dialed another number The voice that answered was feet me the stuff I wanted on Monument Valley?"

"Nice to talk to you, too, Jack"

"Sorry" She laughed and changed her tone "Cody, how the heck are you? It&039;s great to hear from you"

"Thanks By the way, I mailed off about ten pounds of pamphlets, pictures, souvenir books and assorted historical information on Arizona"

"My life for you I&039;h the revisions on Lawless and I needed some more inforht with a famous novelist"

"I&039;m not famous yet Giveout until May How&039;s Arizona?"

"It&039;s fine, but right now I&039;o?" He heard the sound of pots clattering and envisioned her in the kitchen creating soot CodyI wonder if you could pick me up some - "

"Give me a break, Jackie Are you fat yet?"

He could al there Nathan ith me last week for ain, warmly "He hasn&039;t been the same since"

"Is he there?"

"You just missed him I wanted so out and buying it would tire the baby, so he went himself"

"Nathan wouldn&039;t know dill from dandelions"

"I know" There was a wealth of love in those tords "Isn&039;t it wonderful? When are you co staying out here until the project&039;s finished"

"Really?" She paused a moment "Cody, do I detect a purpose other than creative control?"

He hesitated Stupid, he thought He hadn&039;t called to discuss the medical complex or the resort or any other project He&039;d called to talk to a friend "There&039;s a woman"

"No! Just one?"

He had to smile "Just one"

"Sounds serious"

"Could be"

Because she knew hi to ree, look her over, pick her apart? Is she another architect? Wait, I know She&039;s a graduate student ineer"

It was several seconds before Jackie could speak "Are you kidding? You hate therief, it must be love"

"Either that or sunstroke Listen, Jack, I wanted to let Nathan know I&039;d cleaned things up here and I&039; back to Phoenix"

"I&039;d let him know Cody, are you happy?"

He paused athere wasn&039;t a yes-or-no answer to that "That&039;s going to depend on the engineer I&039;ll give it to you straight I&039; her heels"

"If sheto fly out and break her slide rule"

"Thanks That ought to keep her in line I&039;ll keep in touch"

"You do that And, Cody, good luck"

It was nearly nine before Abra got in She&039;d had a nice, long, talkyalways left her of two reat company, funny, absurd and easy to be with No one made a better friend

The other orry Those same qualities made Jessie what she was, a free spirit, a take-it-as-it-co any bruises Her newest partner was W W Barlow - or, as herhi dinner Hoeet he was, how cute, how attentive Abra knew the signs Jessie Wilson Milton Peters was in for another run

Rubbing the back of her neck, Abra tossed her purse aside and stepped out of her shoes as she crossed the living room Hoas she supposed to keep a professional outlook on the job if her h, she scanned the ht in with her, then tossed that aside, as well Hoas she supposed to keep that sa an affair with the architect of record?

Life had gotten very complicated in a very short tis she was best at was untangling herself from uncomfortable situations The trouble was, she was almost sure she was in love with him That made it ht she was in love once before, but

There were no buts, Abra told herself Just because this wasshe&039;d ever known, just because she couldn&039;t see of him, that didn&039;t make this any different from what had happened to her years before

Except that this time she was older and s to do to her what Ja to feel that sain If love was a crisis, she could deal with it the sahly, efficiently It would be different with Cody, because they wereon equal terms, with the rules set out clearly for both of them to read And he was different That much she was sure of He wasn&039;t shallow and insensitive, as Ja, certainly But there was no cruelty in him And, she believed, no dishonesty

When he hurt her, which she had already accepted he would do, it would happen suddenly and without intent Hurts healed; she knew that well She would have no reason to look back on whatever tiret or self-recri about him, or she would work herself into the blues because he wasn&039;t there What she needed was a nice strong cup of coffee and an hour at the drawing board

She changed into a basketball jersey for comfort, then settled doith the hot coffee, her e light blinking on her answeringthe button, Abra bit into one of the stale cookies she&039;d dug out of a cupboard The first call was froe friend she hadn&039;t seen for weeks AbraThe second was fro Gru a bit, Abra scrawled a reminder on her calender Then she heard Cody&039;s voice and forgot everything else

" if you get in before seven"

Abra looked at her watch and sighed It ell past that He probably had late s Even if she called the hotel she wouldn&039;t reach hi her chin, she listened to his voice

" I missed you A lot"

Ridiculously pleased, she rewound the tape and listened to the entire h she called herself a fool, she rewound it a second time, then a third

She worked a little and drearew cold Abra ran figures, then planned out how she would welco wonderful Tomorroas Saturday Surely he&039;d be ho at the latest That meant hours, and perhaps even an entire day, without the pressure of work to interfere

She would stop by one of those fancy little boutiques the first thing in the lorious concoction of silk and lace Soo have a facial Wasn&039;t Jessie always touting the wonders of her beauty salon? Not just a facial, Abra decided She&039;d go for the works Hair, nails - what there were of theot back, she&039;d look fantastic Definitely black silk, she decided A skiant chemise

She&039;d need some wine What the devil was that brand he&039;d told her about? She&039;d have to throw herself on the mercy of the clerk in the wine shop around the corner And flowers Rising, Abra looked at her bedroo to have to clean up Candles She probably had candles soather up clothes and shoes When a knock interrupted, she tossed an arht, I&039;" Where in the hell was her robe? She found it cruled one aruesses"

"Cody?"

"Right the first time," he told her as she pulled at the security chain She yanked open the door and stared at hi, lazy look

Her hair was tied back with a broken shoestring Thesince been scrubbed off Her robe dangled open, revealing the oversize basketball jersey, which skihs

"Hiya, Red Wanna shoot some hoops?"