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Sloan and Jane Everett were still up, though Of course, sleeping on couches couldn’t have been conducive to going to bed early Jane had been looking through Aaron’s correspondence "I found an offer fronored it and shoved it in his desk," Jane said

"What kind of offer?" Olivia asked

"An offer for the property It’s from the offices of that Nashville attorney Delilah mentioned Henry Whittaker And it came last week"

"He wanted to buy the Horse Farht to Aaron?" Olivia asked, puzzled "But an attorney would know, or could easily find out, just how tied up the place was! Why didn’t he go directly to Fairchild?" When she saw Jane’s puzzled look, she explained "Fairchild was Marcus’s attorney, and he’s been dealing with everything concerning the Horse Farm"

"Well, this is a friendly letter It just says that if the Horse Far to pay a s, and to see that the charities nearest and dearest to hireatest benefit," Jane said

She showed theine that an attorney froe any of this without insider assistance"

"No, I don’t think that’s possible, either," Sloan agreed "But it does speak to the theory that so to ruin the Horse Farm rather than take it over"

"Maybe we’ll head back to Nashville in the ht noe need to let Sao inside!"

They left the Horse Far his nose between then of fear or suspicion

Olivia let Dustin and the dog search for evidence that there’d been any sign of invasion in their absence and went up to shower She didn’t bother dressing; she went straight into the bedroom and waited

Twenty minutes later, Dustin came to her rooing and anticipation she’d been feeling seemed to overwhelm her She loved his analytical mind, his concern for others, his kindness

She also loved the way he looked, so tall and powerfully built She loved the scent of him when he walked in, and she loved the feel of his naked flesh when he lay down beside her

Their mouths met in a kiss that seemed desperate But she had to touch him, all of hih her She felt his lips, his tongue, move over her breasts and down to her belly and below, felt his vibrant life and strength The pulse of the world became that of her heart as she kissed and teased and stroked him in return She crawled atop hirasped her, and then he was in her The first tian slowlyand beca, slick and sweaty and still entangled, and she breathed again

"Hot enough?" he asked, his voice a teasing whisper in her ear

"I feel like an inferno," she whispered back

She felt her heart begin to slow She touched hi reh that she kissed nearly every inch of his flesh, felt his fingers touch her everywhere, felt the passion in his kiss They spiraled out of control and lay entwined together once again

She nearly dozed and then realized he still lay awake, staring at the ceiling

He sensed herabout what Jane and Sloan told us," he said "I still can’t believe a Nashville lawyer could have pulled any of this off without insider assistance I somehow doubt he’s really involved, except in a nominal way Besides, there’s other property available in the Tennessee hills It has to be ht well be the key"

"And I thought you were drearinned and pulled her close "We’re almost there," he said

"Aloing on"

"How do you figure?"

"We know it’s so to do with the Horse Far"

"Butnow I’m positive that two people had to be involved" He rolled over to look at her "Two people--that means each of the killers can have an alibi For instance, ouldn’t think it was Sandra because Joey saw her We wouldn’t think it was Sydney because he atching over the Horse Far We wouldn’t think it was Mariah--because she was screa"

"So where does that get us? We wouldn’t think it was Aaron--because he actually wound up dead?"

"There’ll be a way to trip someone up," Dustin said "Now"

"We’ll trip them up now?"