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We just can’t get a break, she thought The O’Neill curse was riding them particularly hard this summer The vandalism, the break-in

Again she looked at Matt, wondering so sweet for all the bitter they’d been eating

Honest to God help

It seeinable

They’d been alone, the three of the

There had to be a catch The universe didn’t send blessings to the O’Neills without payment of some kind

“I’ off Savannah’s numb knees

“Good idea,” she said, clearing her screen of the coht, it was time to focus on work To clear away every other distraction and chase information across the World Wide Web

Knights Teht Warriors and protectors She’d start there

But her gaze strayed outside To Matt

Her blood was beginning to buzz, the O’Neill curseitself in her the way it always did Curiosity God, it killed her every time She could bury it, channel it into her job Research every natural disaster in the southern he blood

But right now she wanted to go out there and research their new handyman Why was he here? Why did he want to stay? To help?

She shook her head, gritted her teeth and fought down her urge to go outside and watch him Talk to him

Chaining herself to her work, to her desk and the small oasis that was her life, Savannah, as she always did, suppressed as O’Neill in her

But she had to wonder, feeling herself pull against the self-i could she hold out?

IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON Matt could tell by the thickness and heft of the sunlight hitting what rereenhouse—a cement pad That’s it

He stripped off his gloves and wiped his dripping forehead with the sleeve of his shirt Useless, considering the saturation of that sleeve The whole shirt, actually

Good God, it was hot So hot the air was thick in his throat and prickles of heat crawled up and down his legs under sweat-soaked jeans