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"No Thank you for the news, if that’s all…? "

"I’m Cara Woodson, by the way Can I help you with that?" She pointed at the doorknob in Tessa’s hand

"No, thanks I canwhile Maybe you could return soet rid of the pesky wo her out the door?

"He won’t stay with you, you know" Cara grabbed the Phillips-head screwdriver resting on the countertop She began re this?"

Barely hearing the question, Tessa was too wrapped up in the woman’s comment about Hunter "Why do you think he won’t stay with hed "Hardly Although I’d like the chance to be his new lover"

"He’s not interested" Tessa had no doubt he wasn’t interested in her But what if the woman plied her sexual charms on him? Any man would succumb eventually to a seductress

"He’s not interested in "

"If you don’t know him, how could you think you know sointo your place without permission?"

"Yeah" Why Tessa said so, she didn’t know And afterward she wished she hadn’t

"He has a key? Soht be"

Tessa began installing the new lock while Cara examined the old one

"What if he didn’t have a key to your place?"

Tessa glanced at her "How could he not have?"

"What if he had a skeleton key? A lock-picking toolkit so he can get in anywhere he wants?"

Tessa felt sick to her stoet in no matter the kind of lock they installed, she would never be safe until he was caught Then what? He would get a slap on the hands? A restraining order? Then he wouldto locate the intruder?"

"Yes But then he got bitten and…" Tessa shrugged

They finished replacing the doorknob, and Tessa glanced back at the woods A couple of inches of snow had already fallen She turned around and found Cara watching her "Since you came all the way out here, did you want some cocoa before you return to the city?"

"Sure That would be grand" Cara pulled off her jeans jacket and slipped an envelope out of her pocket "Thoughtfor Hunter’s accident on your property, and he left the hospital’s care early"

Tessa glanced at theed for Hunter’s stay when he’d already left because he hadn’t officially signed out"

"Thanks I appreciate it" Truly she did, but Tessa was torn between being glad the woallivanting in the woods, and not liking that Cara would undoubtedly try her woain as soon as he returned

"So what does your intruder look like?"

"I haven’t seen him, but Ashton says he’s tall, dark-haired like Hunter, and runs pretty fast"

"Uh-huh So what’s Hunter going to do about it?" Cara grabbed up a couple of napkins like she was used to playing hostess, and when the cocoa was ready she took the e of chocolate wafers and joined her "He’s going to turn him over to the sheriff when he catches hiun"

"Gun Oh So you couldn’t shoot him"

"Or so he can co in case the weather gets too bad Aren’t you working tonight at the hospital?"

"I called in sick" Cara sht?"

"Ashton checked"