Section I, Next Section

Day 1 (Sunday)

Please archive: This story is rated PG-13 due to some of the language and an adult theme that exists, but does not get explicit. If I toned it down any more than it already is, it would also lose its flavor (the two main characters are ex-military).

He was working solo. His cousin, Georgiana Darcy Bailey, co-owner and newlywed, having been married the day before in the huge expanse of yard between the inn and her groom's house next door, was now on her honeymoon.

The inn had been closed for a week in preparation for the grand event, but guests were checking in this afternoon, and the inn was almost completely booked for the coming week. If he had been thinking, he would have kept it closed another week, but no, brilliant businessman that he was, he had thought he could handle it.

Of course, that was before Georgie's brother Will and expectant wife Elizabeth decided to take a cruise to Bermuda. Elizabeth's father, who had been living at the inn and giving a helping hand, was now needed at Pemberley Farms, where Will and Lizzie helped raise his twins, Meredith and Christopher.

To make matters worse, Charles Bingley, Will's medical partner, and his wife, Jane, decided to go on the cruise, too. Not only was Dr. Bennet needed to be with his children, then, but he was going to take patient emergencies for the two doctors while they were away.

Georgie, bless her heart, had insisted on delaying her honeymoon when she learned Richard would be on his own, but he wouldn't hear of it.

Now he wished he hadn't been so noble. A noise and a water stain had alerted him to a possible leak upstairs in the bathroom of the Nutmeg Suite, and the dining room still needed to be tidied after friends and family had continued the wedding celebration inside - until 2 a.m. If Will hadn't been the designated driver, out of deference to his pregnant wife, Richard had no doubt Jane and Charles would have spent the night in one of the guest rooms. What party animals the Bingleys could be. Thank goodness he didn't have beds to make and breakfast to fix for anyone but himself, because Georgie had spent the first part of the previous week cleaning and sprucing up all the rooms.

Fortunately, Georgie was only going to be gone for a week. He was praying for her to be gone only one night by the time the afternoon rolled around.

First, a more demanding lot of guests he had never seen in his life. One couple didn't like having to share a bathroom, even though the inn brochure specifically stated that those rooms on the second floor had communal bathing facilities. A second guest said there should be televisions in all the rooms, instead of only one in the first-floor parlor, and a large-sized couple with a piggy-looking boy of eleven were stomping around in the Connecticut Suite next door to where he was trying to fix the plumbing. Three separate guests on the floor below had already sought him out to register their complaints about the thumping guests. He really wanted to tell them all to leave if they weren't happy, but he had heard from one guest that it was freshmen orientation weekend at Meryton College, and nigh near impossible to get a room at one of the motel chains closer to the highway. If he didn't get that damn leak fixed, there would be one less room available.

Offering free snacks in the dining room to the disgruntled guests, and making a mental note to speak to the clod-hopping people next door, he went back to work.

Then he got a call on his cell phone. The chef he had lined up to help out in Georgie's absence called in sick.

"I'm not going to ask 'what next,'" he muttered. No sense tempting fate.

Fortunately, Dr. Bennet dropped by with the twins, and Richard took a quick break, long enough to give the kids some cake left over from the day before, and then send them next door with a key to check on Spit, Alex's cat.

"I've got to get back to that leak," he finally told the doctor.

"I'll keep an eye on things down front for you, if you'd like. I left a box of my things in your office that I have to go through, anyway," said Dr. Bennet as they went up to the third floor to inspect the plumbing.

"Works for me."

The doctor gave him a snappy salute and headed downstairs, only to appear about twenty minutes later.

"Are you going to be much longer on that leak? I have a little lady downstairs whose car broke down, and she needs a room."

"If she doesn't mind a huge suite, and its huge price, I'll be done in about an hour. Can you stay that long?"

"The kids are out climbing trees. I'm not going anywhere for awhile. May I bring the lady up now to have a look and drop her bags?"

"Sure." Richard had removed the toilet and was on his hands and knees over the hole in the floor. There seemed to be something plugging the pipe.

"It's right in here, ma'am," he heard the doctor say about five minutes later. "I hope it meets with your satisfaction."

"It's beautiful," an oddly familiar voice replied. "And it comes complete with its own well-built plumber," she added. "Very handy."

Richard felt eyes on him, and they weren't staring at the back of his head. He felt...exposed.

"Sorry," he drawled, eager to put a stop to that. "I don't come with the suite." Straightening up and turning around, he saw the blood drain from Diana Forrester's still-beautiful little face.

"Colonel!" she breathed.

"Diana," he coolly replied. He had forgotten just how petite she really was. Only three inches over five feet tall, she had short auburn curls and green-gray eyes that clouded when she was angry. They had been clear before she realized who he was, but now they were starting to mist over. She was dressed today in a little pair of light blue jeans, a pale yellow T-shirt and white tennis shoes. Her hair was tied up in a yellow bandanna and she looked about sixteen years old.

"I...um...I think I'll just go check on my children," Dr. Bennet said and quit the room. Richard was still staring at Diana.

"Welcome to the Twin Oaks Inn," he said softly.

"Thank you. I didn't know you were a plumber."

"Plumber, proprietor, and chief cook and bottle washer. I converted the old family home into an inn a few years ago, and my cousin is co-owner. And what are you up to these days?"

"I have my own security consulting firm in New Jersey. I was on my way to Boston to meet with a client, and my car broke down. Fortunately, the appointment is not until Tuesday."

"Security? That sounds like you."

She grinned, the first smile he had seen since her arrival, and her eyes cleared. "Yes, I always was a scrapper."

"Scrapper, hell!" he exclaimed. He was going to continue in that vein, but reined in his enthusiasm. She was here for the night. Tomorrow she would get her car fixed and then she would be out of his life again. With a nod, he turned back to the plumbing.

"If you want to take a look around downstairs or outside, I'll be here awhile longer. Dr. Bennet, the friend who showed you upstairs, will be glad to get you something to eat or drink, I'm sure. We start serving dinner at six, although my relief chef called in sick, so I suppose it may be delayed, if I get stuck up here."

"I can take care of myself," she insisted.

That has always been the problem, he thought bitterly.

He didn't turn around as he heard her leave the suite.

Diana Forrester, retired command sergeant major, was agog to discover her host was her former commander. She thought she was over the attraction she'd felt when they had worked together. Tall, imposing colonel and scrappy little sergeant, she'd always known it was someone's idea of a joke that she should be assigned to his office.

Then there had been the night of his retirement party...no, she would not think of that. She would take his suggestion and go downstairs, outside, anywhere but in the same room as he, looking fit and handsome in a pair of faded khakis and a black T-shirt.

He'd shaved off his mustache and grown his dark hair long, she mused, surprised at first to see that what she had always thought of as "sissy" on guys was just incredibly sexy on him. Ten to one he had an earring, too.

Finding herself back downstairs at the front desk, she was greeted by the man the colonel had called Dr. Bennet. A kindly-looking man with graying brown hair and twinkling blue eyes, she had taken to his friendliness the instant she had walked in the front door.

"All set? Come have a glass of lemonade and meet my children," he invited.

She followed him past a parlor and a dining room, and into a large commercial kitchen. A clock sat at four p.m., and the doctor wondered aloud at the absence of a cook.

"The colonel said he called in sick," Diana volunteered.

"Oh, dear. Who knows how long Richard will be upstairs."

"I can cook," she found herself saying. "It's not Cordon Bleu, but it's good homemade stuff."

"That's what they serve here, too. How are you at large quantities?"

"I'll manage. Does this place have a menu?"

"No. On Sunday evenings, Richard usually offers a couple of entrees and gives just a few choices of side dishes. You'll need at least two desserts, too."

"I'll give it a try."

At that moment, the nine-year-old twins came racing into the kitchen.

"Dad! Dad! Come quick! Spit is in the tree and he won't come down!"

"Hello! And who are you?" Diana asked, and the twins were temporarily diverted from trying to drag their father out the door.

"I'm Merry and this is my brother, Kit. Georgie's kitten is in the tree. Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Diana, and tonight I'm a cook. What do you like to eat?"

"Macaroni and cheese!" shouted Merry. Kit, however, just stood staring at her.

"You're short!" he blurted. Merry dug an elbow into his ribs and Dr. Bennet groaned, but Diana only laughed.

"I certainly am short. You, I can tell, will be as tall as your dad someday. Soon, by the look of things..."

He beamed, but Merry's face fell.

"What about Spit? Georgie will be upset if she comes home from her honey...honey..."

"Honeymoon?" Diana supplied. Merry nodded vigorously.

"Honeymoon! That's it! That's when you get married and go away for awhile and make babies and then come home," she told Diana.

"Really?" Kit's eyes were as big as saucers.

"Maddy told me!" Merry proudly told them.

"Maddy is a five-year-old," Dr. Bennet said in an aside. "And we have a kitten to catch."

"Can I help?"

"Yeah, Dad. Diana can climb up easier than you, and you can catch Spit when she throws him down."

Diana tried not to laugh, but these children were delightful. She was glad she was dressed casually as she followed them out into the back yard.

A half-grown black kitten sat on a low oak limb that appeared accessible, and when it caught sight of the children, it began to hiss and spit.

"Well, I can see where it gets its name," she remarked.

"It's a boy kitty," Kit told her as she made it to the cat's limb - the kitten was out further, and Diana straddled the limb next to the trunk.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," she called. "Psst! Psst!" The kitten turned toward her, walked a few paces, and then sat down and started to groom himself.

"Did you get him?" Merry called from the ground.

"Not yet!" she replied. "The little bugger wants to bathe first," she grumbled under her breath. Movement in an upstairs window caught her eye and she saw the colonel watching them. Then the kitten pounced on her outstretched hand and she grabbed the little hairball amid the cheers of the children.

"And she didn't even have to toss him out of the tree!" Kit told his father with no little admiration as they watched Diana climb down, kitten clutched to her chest.

"Ur, um, no," Dr. Bennet agreed.

The children took little Spit next door with the promise to check his food and water, and Diana rushed back indoors to start cooking.

Richard had finished cleaning out the pipes, had put the toilet back in place, and had cleaned up the bathroom for his guest. The little scuba diver toy he had found in the pipe, he pitched into a trash can behind the front desk. He wandered back through the inn on his way to the carriage house - a shower and change of clothes were a must if he was going to get dirty all over again - and noticed a variety of appetizing smells emanating from the kitchen. Perhaps the doctor had taken pity on him and had started dinner.

No, it was Diana, bustling around several pans of meatloaf, a pot of boiling potatoes and the fresh green beans Georgie had so thoughtfully prepared yesterday morning while Elizabeth and Jane had fussed over her hair.

"Richard!" Merry, covered in a huge white apron, cried, spying him. "Diana is letting us help!"

"What are you making?"

"Macaroni and cheese!" she happily replied. "I'm grating the cheese."

"I have some helpers, as you can see," Diana interjected, visibly flustered, as if he had caught her in an illegal act.

"Me, too!" Kit hollered from a corner, where he was rolling tableware into napkins.

"You have some good workers here," he told Diana, his blue eyes twinkling.

"I know," she agreed, visibly relieved by his calm demeanor. "When they're done here, they are going to set up the dining room with their dad."

"I wondered where he had gotten off to. You don't have to do any of this, you know," he added.

"I know. But who else do you have to help?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned to the food processor and began to make dough.

Richard shrugged and went on through the kitchen and out the back door to his apartment in the carriage house.

Diana almost fainted when the colonel walked back into the kitchen.

He had an earring in his left lobe, all right, a small diamond that didn't look fake. His hair was damp, and pulled back into a ponytail, and he was wearing a red polo shirt with the inn's logo on it, a newer pair of khakis and a pair of well-worn Nikes.

She couldn't help but stare as he donned a white apron and peered at the blackboard menu.

"Meatloaf, eggplant parmagiana, Mickey Rooney and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, garden salad, rolls with butter, apple pie, peach crisp and a melon medley. Sounds good."

"Roger. Dr. Bennet said you usually have a fixed price on Sunday nights, and then give everyone one choice of each."

"That's right. It's easier that way."

They stood there staring at each other for a long moment before the doctor came in with a long, leggy blonde.

"Candy is here, Richard, ready to learn the ropes. Why don't you show her how you do things in the dining room while I make coffee and tea?"

"And I'll finish up the food," Diana added.

"New waitress," the doctor said, watching her frown after the retreating colonel and blonde.

"Oh! Is that a common occurrence around here?"

"Not really. Georgie and Richard are easy people to work for, but the previous waitress starts school next week, and the chef that called in was just temporary, to cover for Georgie's absence."

"Georgie is the chef here, then?"

Dr. Bennet laughed. "Georgie is the maid and bookkeeper, if you will. Richard is the one who does most of the cooking."

"Really?" She never would have guessed. All those years in the Army, he never did anything remotely domestic, and here he was, chef and innkeeper.

"Everything smells delicious," the colonel said, coming back into the kitchen a moment later. "I'll seat our guests and try to help out in the dining room, sir," he told the doctor, "if you'll assist in the kitchen."

"OK - you're the boss."

Diana was relieved, in a way, not to have to work with the colonel, but she felt let down, too, as if he didn't want to be with her, even for old-time's sake.

It was a long night of dishing up food and putting dirty dishes in the commercial washer as they came back empty, but she was still smiling when it was all over, the dining room closed and cleaned, and the kitchen put in order once again.

"What a team!" the colonel praised them with a beaming smile as he dug into the large refrigerator and pulled out a couple of bottles of champagne. "I had to pry these out of the hands of Jane and Charles this morning about 1 a.m.," he told the doctor. "I think we all deserve a drink. Except for the twins, of course," he added, looking around. "Where are they?"

"In the carriage house watching TV," Diana told the doctor. "They said there was one there they could watch. I sent them over with a big bowl of popcorn about a half hour ago, so they probably haven't gotten into too much trouble. I hope."

"You, my dear, are a gem," the doctor told her. "I can't imagine how Richard managed to lose track of you."

Diana watched in amazement as Richard actually flushed a bright red. So, he was at least a little ashamed about the way they parted company, she thought smugly. As well he should! But she didn't need the nice doctor asking too many questions, so, pouring them all a round of the champagne the colonel had handed her, she launched into the story of how the two of them ended up in the same office.

"The colonel had just been given his first command post, and had requested a security aide. Being so full of himself as he was, he made several tactical errors. First, he had insisted on an officer of some rank, and not a 'non-comm barely able to wipe his own a**.' Second, he didn't want any women on his staff, and third, when he was told he was getting a master sergeant for his pains, he called an office to complain, thought he was talking to some peon, and called her 'little missy.' Imagine his surprise when 'little missy' just happened to be General Melissa "Missy" Hancock."

The doctor, who had polished off two glasses of sparkling wine in short order, roared with laughter and reached for the champagne bottle, but Diana, with years of practice dealing with military types who liked their drink, smoothly took it from him and got up to make coffee instead.

"If you thought that was funny, Dr. Bennet, you don't need any more of that stuff to drink. Besides, you have those precious children to drive home tonight."

"Indeed I do," he agreed. "But won't you call me Tom? I've been calling you Diana all evening."

"Why, thank you, Tom. While that coffee's brewing, let me finish telling you about the colonel." The colonel in question rolled his eyes, but he let her continue.

"We'll never know how he managed to get the general on the phone directly, instead of one her own staff...and after he managed to tick her off royally, she started looking around for the smallest, scrappiest sergeant she could find."

"Surely, not you!"

"Oh, yes! I had been grounded down in Alabama for picking fights with guys ten times my height and weight - I was a helicopter pilot, believe it or not - and the doctors down there were tired of having to patch people up after I finished with them."

"They called her Diane Perish," the colonel dryly interjected. "And it fit."

"Anyway, I had come to the general's attention, and she sent me to Fort Benning to the colonel. I arrived a day early, wanted to get the lay of the land, and made an appearance in the colonel's office in civilian clothes. He thought I was someone's kid."

"And today you look like a teenager," he told her.

"Thanks. I think. I'll admit I gave him hell that day, especially when he told me to go outside and play!"

The colonel chuckled. "It didn't sit too well with her. She and the rest of my staff made my life miserable for about six months, until I apologized for that and numerous other offenses. Then everything went like clockwork."

Diana snorted. "Or so we made you think, anyway. Well, time for bed. I need to be up early in the morning so I can call the mechanic. Say goodbye to the children for me, please, Tom, and it was a pleasure meeting you, as well."

To her surprise, Dr. Bennet had stood when she did, and he took her proferred hand and kissed it. "May we meet again soon, lovely Diana."

It pleased her to see the colonel scowl, but she didn't linger. It had been a long day.

Georgie Bailey picked up her cell phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Twin Oaks Inn."

Richard sounded exhausted, and Georgie immediately felt guilty.

"Are you OK? How did it go? Are you still alive?"

"Georgie Girl? I can't imagine Alex is happy with you trying to check up on me on the first full day of your marriage," he replied with some asperity.

Georgie only giggled. "Alex loves me, so I can do no wrong. Not yet, anyway!"

"Where are you?" Alex had kept the honeymoon plans so close to his chest, not even Georgie had known where they were headed. Now she snorted.

"Typical Alex...we're in Florida City. In the Everglades. It's August, it's hot, and there are mosquitoes everywhere!"

"Which is precisely why you are there, right?" Alex was Dr. Alex Bailey, entomologist and head of his own research laboratory.

"Right. I can't complain too much, though. He's taking me to The Breakers in Palm Beach tomorrow for a couple of days, and then I want to go to Disney World."

"So, what are you doing?"

There was a long pause, and then Georgie laughed out loud. "If you have to ask, Richard, you are more naive than I thought!" She covered her phone, but he could hear her say something, and then he heard a loud shout of laughter.

"I'm glad I'm so amusing," he said dryly.

"And how is Spit? Have you checked on him yet? Have you had time?"

"The twins were here today, and I sent them over to keep him entertained, and to check his food and water. Then he got up in a tree, and Diana had to get him down..."

"Diana?" Georgie pounced on the name. Now that was interesting. Something about a Diana niggled in her brain, but she couldn't think too clearly. Alex was nuzzling her neck.

"A guest at the inn. And my old sergeant."

Ohhhhhhh, that Diana. "That's nice." She wasn't sure if she was talking about Alex's nuzzling, which had gone further south, or Richard's old flame hanging out at the inn. "I just wanted to let you know that we will be home Thursday afternoon," and she gasped, because Alex...well... "because Alex has a meeting he can't get out of...hmmm...on Friday. Hang in there...baby...and I will call when I get in."

It appeared that Will had given his new brother-in-law advice on how to keep phone conversations to a minimum.

"OK. Take care, Georgie Girl. And tell Alex to keep it down. I can hear him all the way up here in Connecticut."

Georgie laughed once more, but as soon as she was able, which was not as soon as she had planned due to Alex's ministrations, she called her friend Maria Lucas and gave her an interesting piece of news.

Long after the doctor and his children had left, Diana had gone to bed and the other guests had retired to their rooms, Richard sat in the parlor, his feet on the coffee table, the second bottle of champagne by his side.

Why the hell had she shown up now, just when he thought he was over her? Of all the women on his staff, and he'd had plenty, the general had seen to that, she was the one he had relied on the most. She was the one he had always turned to when he needed something, and, despite their shaky beginning, she had never let him down. He had completely mucked that up, of course, the night of his retirement party.

The men and women under his command had gone to a lot of trouble to rent conference rooms at a local hotel, and had even set him up in a suite for the night, in case he was too wasted to drive back to the base. Which turned out to be prophetic. He remembered dancing with Diana, and then passing out somewhere, and when he woke the next morning, he was in bed, in the suite, naked, with Diana by his side. There was no one else around. He didn't even remember what happened between the two of them, but the circumstantial evidence that next morning was damning.

He managed to get out of there without waking her up, asked the hotel staff to bill him for another night, so she could stay there as long as she needed, and left. He hadn't seen her again until today.

He knew he had managed it badly, and had been embarrassed for her that morning, but when he woke up and realized just how wonderful it had felt, having her by his side, he had gotten scared, and he ran.

So much water under the bridge...

He got up, took the champagne, which he hadn't even touched, to the kitchen sinks and poured it down the drain.

At least she would get her car fixed sometime tomorrow, and then be on her way. She would forget all about him. The problem was, would he be able to forget about her?

Day 2 (Monday)

Diana was up with the dawn, dressed casually once more, and then realized it was much too early to call the shop where her car had been towed. But she couldn't just ramble around her suite, either. She went downstairs and headed out the front door. Standing on the porch, she wondered what to do. It was not quite seven o'clock, and already it was getting warm. Maybe she would go for a walk.

"Always up with the sun, aren't you?" The colonel's rumbly voice came from the porch swing, and Diana turned in his direction.

Really, the man was much too handsome as it was to look so downright delectable this early in the morning! He was wearing another polo shirt, this time in hunter green, and tanned legs covered in dark hair stuck out from a pair of khaki shorts. He was unshod, and his lean feet had long toes and neatly trimmed nails. A pair of deck shoes sat idly under the swing. He was also holding two cups of coffee.

"I knew you would be looking for some of this," he added, handing her one of the steaming mugs. "I can't believe you've changed all that much."

"Thanks. No, I still need caffeine in the morning."

"I'm glad to hear some things never change. How about some breakfast? I'm not serving a hot meal this morning, so it's only along the lines of fruit, cereal and bagels, but I can offer some of Georgie's homemade strawberry jam."

"I thought you were the chef?"

"I am. But she takes care of those little homemade touches, and she makes the world's best fruit pies."

"Well, I am hungry..."

"Come on, let's see what we can find for you." Slipping into his shoes, he led her indoors.

"What do you mean the car won't be ready until Wednesday?" Richard heard Diana shout into the phone at the front desk an hour later. He didn't realize he had been holding his breath until she raised her voice at the mechanic, but now he let it out in a relieved whoosh. He realized last night he didn't want her to go, and this was the best that could happen, short of locking her in her room.

"Can you believe that?" She had marched into his office behind the counter, the little office that had once been a couple of closets.

"What?" He made his voice sound as if he had not been listening in on the conversation.

"The car is going to take until Wednesday to fix. They have to send to Boston for parts. Maybe they can give me a lift up there when they go to pick them up. Now I have to rent a car, and then I have to come back here and wait." She made it sound like a fate worse than death.

"I will be glad to keep your suite for you while you are in Boston. As for a ride, Dr. Bennet and his children will be driving up there tomorrow, to visit his soon-to-be ex-wife. Would you like me to call him and ask if he will drive you, as well? How long is your appointment, and will you be able to accomplish it in a few hours?"

"What business is it of yours?" she demanded. Really, he wasn't her boss anymore.

"I need to know for the doctor..."

"Oh."

"I'll call him right now, and ask." He sounded so calm and cool, even to his ears, and she was hard-pressed not to accept.

"Thank you."

He got the doctor on his cell phone and quickly explained the situation. It took him a few moments, but he was smiling.

"He says he can pick you up at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning. Is that OK with you?"

Now Diana was smiling. "That will be fine."

"Do you need anything else?"

She shook her head, not wanting to be too beholden to him, but she wondered aloud what she should do with the rest of her day. Big mistake.

"I could use some help around here. With Georgie gone, there are beds to be made, bathrooms to be scrubbed, dishes to be washed..."

"What had you planned to do if I weren't here to help?"

"I was going to do it all myself. However..."

"Where do you keep the supplies?"

He grinned far too smugly, as if he had planned this all along.

"Let me show you."

"OK, but don't get too comfortable, Sultan," she added, unconsciously using one of his old Army nicknames. "Yesterday's work was on the house, but I expect to get paid for scrubbing latrines."

"I will be glad to pay you, or you can consider your room and board covered."

She gasped. "Surely there is not that much work to do! That suite costs the earth! Don't you have a smaller room I can move into?"

His grin turned feral, and she wondered if he had been waiting for this moment.

"I have an apartment upstairs in the carriage house you are more than welcome to move into. I'll be spending the nights here, to keep an eye on the place, so it will be empty the rest of the week."

She thought about that for a moment. "I'll have it all to myself?"

"Not unless you want to keep Spit there, too."

"OK. I'll move in right now, and then clean my suite first, while I wait for the other guests to vacate their rooms."

"Good. And make as much noise as you can, will you? The people in the room next to you are so obnoxious, I don't want them to be too comfortable."

"Roger!"

Richard gave Diana Georgie's keys and told her to make herself at home. So she went upstairs and packed, and hauled everything out through the kitchen door in one trip, taking it across the small garden behind the house and over the gravel drive to the carriage house. The colonel said the apartment was upstairs, so she opened a door, took the stairs leading up, and found herself in a tiny living/dining room.

There were also two hole-in-the-wall bedrooms, a minuscule kitchen and a bathroom with a shower. That was it. Her biggest question, of course, was where to sleep. Feeling like Goldilocks, she sat down on the couch, not really certain she should be sleeping in either bedroom.

But the couch was rather lumpy, and narrow, so she moved into the more feminine bedroom and stretched out on the bed. Nice, and not too firm, but it was one of the few rooms in the apartment with a large window, and she thought the way the sunlight came in that it would be rather annoying to the sleeper.

Moving to the other room, which was spartanly furnished and could only be the colonel's personal space - the tightly-made bedcovers reminded her of boot camp - she sat down gingerly on the bed. This room would be ideal, because she liked to sleep in almost total darkness, and the bed was comfortable, too, large enough to accommodate someone of the colonel's size and then some, taking up most of the space. She went back to the living area for her bags, and placed them in his room.

He watched her move her belongings downstairs and out through the kitchen, and when she had settled in, she reported back to the office for further instructions.

"Where do I find the housekeeping supplies? And where is the laundry room?"

"Supplies are in a closet on the second floor, and the laundry room is on the first floor of the carriage house. The keys to both are on that ring. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like. I'll be shuttling back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen."

"Roger that." She gave him a smart salute and a cheeky grin, and started up the stairs.

He glimpsed her from time to time over the next couple of hours, and while he was on the phone with the Meryton Observer, placing an ad for kitchen help, he was sure that mountain of white sheets heading out the back door included her.

"All ready for inspection, sir," she reported at eleven.

"No time for that now," he said rather testily from the heat of the kitchen. "Can you finish setting up the dining room for lunch? I don't know where the hell Candy is!"

"OK." She disappeared once more, without a murmur, and he made a mental note to apologize as soon as he could. On the other hand, he got a warm, fuzzy feeling that they had slipped back into their old working roles, and she had always had a sixth sense when it came to his temper. It was if she could tell if his anger was directed personally at her, or not. If she wasn't his target, she tended to ignore his anger and keep on at her work. Like now, when he was really angry at Candy.

"Diners coming in," she told him a while later.

"How are you at waiting tables?"

"I've been known to keep the food on plates and out of customers' laps. Why?"

"I just saw Candy and she doesn't look well. I thought a couple of extra hands would keep her from being so overwhelmed. The dining room is booked solid for lunch."

"If she is coming down with something, maybe she should go home."

"I don't think it's illness. She seems more nervous than anything."

"You poor man." Diana clicked her tongue in mock sympathy.

"Why?"

"You're almost too nice for a guy. Where did you get all that sensitivity training?"

"In the Army," he dryly replied.

"Who knew?" she asked with a smirk.

"Who, indeed..."

After Candy's third spill, right in the middle of the lunch rush, Diana couldn't stand it any longer and she pulled the younger, taller girl aside.

"Are you OK, honey?" Diana would never, ever address one of her "sisters," as she called her three closest former co-workers, as "honey." They'd kick her a**. But it seemed to open a flood of tears on Candy's part.

"Oh, dear," Diana moaned. She was not very good at the whole touchy-feely, girlie thing, and wasn't quite sure what to do. Fortunately, Candy took matters into her own hands and began to blurt out boyfriend woes. Diana was grinning broadly by the time Candy had told her exactly why she and her boyfriend had had a fight.

"...I told him there was no need to be jealous of Colonel Fitzwilliam, but he didn't believe me, he just didn't believe me!" the blonde wailed. "Why won't he believe me?"

Diana schooled her mirthful look into one of sympathy just as Candy looked her in the eye.

"Maybe it would help if this..." she gestured, as if searching for the boyfriend's name.

"Dwayne," Candy supplied.

"...Dwayne came down here one night and had dinner. Then he could see just how 'hands off' the colonel is with his waitstaff."

"Maybe..."

"Think about it. Above all, the colonel is a gentleman. He hasn't done anything inappropriate yet, has he?"

"Noooo..."

"Let me tell you a story. It'll be quick...The colonel's driver and I had gone to the officer's club to pick him up one night, and the driver, a very tall, beautiful black woman, got into a fight with two extremely pi-, er, drunk captains who took exception to the fact that she was a different race than they were. While she was in the process of physically convincing them otherwise, the colonel appeared."

Candy's eyes were round as she listened to the tale. "What did he do?"

"He kicked the crap out of them and told them to go home and sleep it off. They tried to press charges, but he slapped them with reprimands concerning racial and sexual issues, and they backed down. So you can see, he doesn't put up with that kind of nonsense. OK?"

"OK."

Diana patted Candy awkwardly on the shoulder and steered her back to the dining room to get on with the job. Only one thing bothered her as she watched the colonel seat a couple at one of her designated tables. How did that girl manage to cry and look as if she had never shed a tear? A bit disgruntled at that thought, she went back to work.

"Table for two, please."

Diana was the hostess that evening, clearing tables, too, while Richard cooked and Candy waited on the guests. She looked up from the lecturn where the seating chart was kept and saw a familiar face staring at her.

"Denny? Sgt. Denny James, how the hell are ya?"

The two hugged and slapped each other on the back, much to the delight of the burgundy-haired woman, dressed all in black, at his side.

"Diana - this is my fiancee, Maria Lucas. Maria, meet the best damn security expert and organizer in the whole damn army - Diana Forrester!

"I'm so pleased to meet you!" Maria said. "Denny has told me so much about you!"

"A pleasure to meet you, too, Miss Lucas."

"Oh, it's just Maria."

"OK, Maria. And I'm Diana, please. May I show you to a table?"

"You work here now?" Denny exclaimed, wanting to ask her more about it, but a warning look from Maria shut him up.

"Long story, really, but tonight I do. I'm heading up to Boston tomorrow morning for an appointment and my car, which is in the shop, should be ready on Wednesday to drive back to New Jersey."

"How is your family doing without you while you are delayed?" Maria wondered.

"Well, I'm single, and I have no pets or children, so it's not that big a deal."

Maria hid a triumphant smile. "Perhaps we can go out to dinner together tomorrow evening," she asked. "Before you go home."

"May I call you tomorrow afternoon? I don't know when I'll return from Boston; it depends on my ride."

"Aren't you renting a car?"

"Dr. Bennet has offered to take me," was all she said.

Denny and Maria exchanged glances as Diana sat them at a good table.

"Candy will be your server tonight. Don't run off later, though, without giving me your number."

After dinner, Denny and Maria found her at the big table in the kitchen with her feet propped up on another chair. Richard sat across from her, nursing a cup of coffee.

"All set?" Diana asked, bringing her feet down. "Do you two know the colonel?"

Richard laughed. "We're practically related! Denny works for Alex Bailey, Georgie's new husband, and Maria and Georgie went to school together."

"Here's my cell number." Maria handed a business card to Diana, and she nodded.

"As I am traveling with the doctor and his kids, and they have to stop to see his ex-wife, I don't know how long it will be. If nothing else, maybe you two can come by and have a drink? I'm staying in the carriage house apartment - we can meet there, if you like."

Maria and Denny exchanged another glance that did not go unnoticed by Richard.

"We'll say goodnight, then," Denny told her. "Until tomorrow."

"I'll walk you to your car," Richard told them.

"Oh, no need, Richard," Maria protested.

"There is every need..."

"OK, you two, spill it!" Richard demanded as he stood in the parking lot with Denny and Maria. Maria was digging for her keys, leaving Denny to face the colonel.

"Spill what?" he said innocently.

"How soon are you to report back to Georgie?" he asked Maria.

"As soon as we...um...Georgie? Who said anything about Georgie?"

"Now come on, you two! I know my cousin and I know how she is when she wants some information. My only consolation is that Will and Lizzy are out of town. Otherwise..."

"Colonel?" Diana called from the front porch. "There's someone named William on the line, he says it's long distance."

Richard sighed and let Denny and Maria go. Georgie was small potatoes compared to her brother.

"Maria? It's Georgie. Did you go to the inn?"

"For supper. Oh, Georgie, Diana is very cute - she's tiny, not much more than five feet tall, and has short auburn curls and the most amazing green-gray eyes. Oh, and she uses four-letter words in almost every sentence, and she's staying in the carriage house!"

"What?" Georgie yelped. "Wow! She works fast! In other words, though, she's perfect?"

"Yup."

Georgie gave a sigh of pure contentment.

"Having a good time, are we?"

"Actually, that sigh was for Richard." She sighed again. "This one is for the huge tub I'm in, up to my earlobes in bubbles."

"You aren't alone, are you?" Maria was aghast.

"I didn't say that," Georgie said with a smirk. "So I'll make this quick. What else is going on?"

Maria told her how Diana's car had broken down, how she was working at the inn and how the doctor was to drive her to Boston the next day.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! He can't! I mean, what if she falls for the doctor? He's nice and all," she amended, "but she's not the one for him!"

"I doubt much will happen. He's taking the children to see their mother..."

Georgie let that sink in a moment.

"That's OK, then," she said brightly. "The children are lovely, but no one in their right mind would get involved with a man who has an ex-wife like his!"

Day 3 (Tuesday)

Author's note: As usual, there is a suggestion of strong language, although I draw the line at using certain words, and you won't even find the suggestion of those here. And look, Ann - I learned how to put in horizontal rules! Also, for those of you wondering, this story is at least a week long. At least...

Georgiana Bailey was going to die.

Richard told himself this over and over and over again for the two hours it took him to open the kitchen, cook and serve breakfast, see Diana off with the Bennets, and clean up. Then he had time to think about the discussion with his other cousin the evening before.

"Richard! Who was that sexy-voiced female answering your phone?"

"Hello, Lizzie. I thought Will was calling."

"He was, but when he told me who answered the phone, I just had to say hi."

"You spoke to her?" Richard was startled.

"Not much, but I would like to. I hope she will still be there when we get home..."

"I don't think that is likely," he stiffly replied. "How is the cruise?"

"We're in Bermuda. Thank goodness. The nausea was getting to me."

"Sea sickness or morning sickness?"

"Not me! Let's just say Will is not a very good sailor. Serves him right, though, telling me all those months of morning, noon and night sickness were just in my head! See if I ever marry another doctor!" She made a funny noise and Richard imagined she was sticking her tongue out at her husband. "Here's Will!"

"Hi, sailor!" Richard breathed into the phone, making Will laugh.

"Evidently not! Now, tell me about the lady you are keeping company with at the inn!"

"I am not keeping company with her!" Richard said through clenched teeth. "She is - was - a paying guest who just happens to be my former sergeant, Diana Forrester."

"Forrester?" Will choked. "Forrester is a female? You never told me Forrester was a woman!" He went off into whoops of laughter, and Lizzie took the phone once more.

"Ignore him. Tell me her name again?"

"Diana, and she is a guest at the inn and an old friend from the army."

"She sounds lovely."

"She is. Tomorrow she is going to Boston with your dad and the twins, for a business appointment she was on her way to when her car broke down, and Wednesday she is getting her car back and leaving for New Jersey." He knew he sounded sad, but with Lizzie, it was OK to say these things.

"I see. Well, take care of yourself. I'll give laughing boy a quick kick in the rear for you, and we will be home Sunday afternoon."

"Have you heard from Georgie?" he asked quickly, before she could hang up.

"Oh, yes!" Lizzie's voice was very cheerful. "Who do you think told us about your lady friend in the first place?"

Diana, looking cool and professional in a navy blue business suit with mint green blouse, had her briefcase, had left numbers with the colonel in case of emergency, had been tucked into the doctor's comfortable Lexus and was speeding down the highway with him and his children.

"While we are on the road, won't you tell me more about you and Richard in the Army? The colonel is incredibly close-mouthed about that entire chapter of his life." The doctor glanced in the rear-view mirror to check on the kids, who were absorbed in hand-held electronic games, headphones on their ears.

"I'm no gossip..."

"I never said you were. Tell me more about how Richard crossed the general and came to acquire you." His query was quietly said, designed to draw information out a patient. Or a driving companion.

Diana laughed. She could see where this man would be a successful doctor, if this was his bedside manner. "I'm not the only one he acquired. The general gave me explicit instructions when it came to choosing the colonel's staff. She was very angry, and I had little choice but to follow her orders. That's how we ended up with Shanti as his driver."

"Shanti?"

"The most beautiful woman on the face of the planet. As proud as an African princess, she's even taller than the colonel. She insisted on driving him around in a canvas-top Hummer - only with the top down, in all sorts of weather."

The doctor chuckled. "Richard hates the cold..."

"Exactly! And Georgia can get fairly cold, too."

"But Richard was her commanding officer...couldn't he..."

"We weren't exactly in his good graces, not at first, anyway. There were four of us, and we managed to make him a laughingstock, by appearance alone. Shanti Williams was an Amazon; Private First Class Bunny Olsen was a tall, buxom girl of Swedish descent in charge of information systems; and Kimi Shiga was his administrative assistant, a delicate Hawaiian flower of Oriental lineage who stands a hair taller than myself. She looks like a gentle breeze will blow her away.

"The colonel, tired of the Fitz's Harem jokes going around the base, had us all go with him to the gym because he thought it would be a good joke to put us in our places. Until he had to pick himself off the mat a couple of times. Kimi is a black belt in karate, and Bunny used to be a gymnast before she got too tall. Shanti learned street fighting at her mother's knee, and while I am never going to be able to throw him over my shoulder, I kicked his a** on the firing range more than once.

"It took him about six months to start taking us all seriously and let us do our jobs, and then we all got along just fine. Even the Colonel Studmuffin jokes died down after awhile..."

The doctor started to cough, as if he had swallowed the wrong way. "Colonel what?"

"Studmuffin. Shanti called him that all the time."

"So he finally earned your respect and then everyone left him alone?"

"Hell, no - excuse me. The rest of the base still thought he was pu- ummm, hen-pecked, but he got to the point where he didn't care what everyone else thought."

"Hmmm, I think Georgie should give you ladies medals. If he hadn't been such a feminist when he got out of the Army, Richard never would have invited her to go into business with him. Not as a full partner, anyway.

"Just doing our job."

Richard was in a foul mood. The Nutmeg Suite toilet was clogged again, there were four rooms to turn out before they were claimed that afternoon by more guests, and Candy had spent the lunch hour dropping more dishes. He was forced to scrub bathrooms while his waitress made a list of the dishes she had smashed and swept the remains into the trash.

He wished Diana was there. She could have been cleaning rooms and offering a sympathetic ear to Candy while he played plumber once more. For some reason, the thought of relying more and more on Diana did not seem to bother him.

"Boss man?" It was Tony, the relief chef.

"Tony?" He stopped wiping porcelain to give the man his whole attention.

"Ummm, I hate to do this to you, bud, but I gotta go. I got an offer to work in a restaurant in the city and it starts tonight, so I'm outta here."

"Outta here as in, 'I'll see you tomorrow,'" Richard wondered icily, "or 'I'm outta here forever, man'?"

The younger man was silent for a moment, giving Richard the answer he needed. "See ya 'round then," he said with a sigh, and went back to swiping down the two sinks in the communal bathroom without a backward glance.

Fortunately, an hour later, a Meryton College student answered his ad for doing kitchen prep work, and was hired on the spot for a week's trial. The kid seemed slow, but thorough, but he also made a pass at Candy, so Richard had to smooth that over, too.

Then there were more beds to make and guests to check out, and the obnoxious people in the Connecticut Suite had managed to break their toilet seat and put a big chocolate stain on the Oriental rug.

Coming back in the kitchen, he heard Candy wishing aloud that Diana was there.

"Who is Diana?" Gary, the new help, was not exactly in her good graces, despite an apology, but she answered anyway, not having anyone else to talk to.

"Diana is Colonel Fitzwilliam's girlfriend," she blithely replied.

Richard was about to disabuse her of that notion when his phone rang. It was Maria Lucas, wondering if Diana had returned yet, and could she have her cell phone number.

The colonel was not about to admit to Maria that he had already memorized Diana's number and had started to call it several times that day, so he pretended to have to go look it up in the office, thereby managing to avoid the rest of his employees' conversation.

Diana was, uncomfortably, sitting in Mrs. Bennet's expensive-looking Boston apartment, trying to watch TV with the twins while her "hostess," for lack of a better word, berated her soon-to-be-ex in another room. She tried to think about her earlier appointment, which had turned out to be exactly as she expected - the company she spoke with that day was going to have her overhaul its security system and protocol - but the walls of the apartment were anything but thick. She tried to tune out the shouting, just like Kit and Merry, but could not. Those poor kids...

"Just who do you think you are, bringing that, that, red-headed floozy here with you, Tom? With my children! How dare you! We aren't even divorced and you flaunt that, that, fancy piece of yours right in front of me!" A low rumble meant Dr. Bennet was trying to explain, but it seemed to no avail.

The woman screeched on and on, and Diana wondered if she would be able to take any more of it, when she felt someone put their hand in hers. Looking down, she saw where Kit had crawled over from his spot on the floor to her side.

"It's OK, Diana," he whispered.

"Yeah," Merry added, coming over and sitting herself in Diana's lap. "She does this all the time, it doesn't mean anything."

Diana, tears in her eyes, smiled at the children and suggested that when they were done here, it would definitely be time to find some ice cream. The children cheered softly, gave her a quick hug and then dove back to their places in front of the TV just as footsteps were heard in the hall.

"All ready?" the doctor said too cheerfully. "We have a drive ahead of us, don't we?" Mrs. Bennet was nowhere to be seen, and Diana quickly grabbed her purse, eager to leave. The twins were almost as fast as she was, but she still beat them to the door. However, before they could scoot past her, she held up a hand.

"You may not be happy to be here, guys, but she is still your mom. I suggest you at least tell her goodbye."

Merry, the ringleader, seemed to agree, because she nodded and ran into the other room. Kit hesitated only slightly before following his sister.

"Thank you," Dr. Bennet told her. Before she could reply, the kids returned and they all went out for ice cream, relieved to have that over with. The children, however, were very revealing once they stopped for their snack.

"Lizzie is more like our mom, really," Merry said out of the blue, letting her cone drip over her hand a little, while Kit was temporarily mute, shoveling his sundae in as fast as he could manage. "But our mom isn't Lizzie's mom..."

"Really?" She looked at Dr. Bennet for confirmation.

"Lizzie's mom died, and I remarried, and now I have Merry and Kit, too."

"And Lydia," Merry added.

"Who is Lydia?"

"She's our sister, too. But our mom is her mom."

"I see. Where is Lydia now?"

"Somewhere," Merry said with a shrug. "She doesn't like us, but we don't care, 'cause we don't like her, either. Sorry, dad," she added with a look from the doctor.

"And Will is our second dad, 'cause he's married to Lizzie." Kit, having finished his sundae in record time, was eager to join the conversation. Next to his dad, Will was the best guy in the whole world.

"Don't forget Charles! And Richard!" Merry told her brother, not to be outdone. "And Alex!"

"Yeah, Alex is cool," Kit agreed. "He likes bugs!" Merry made a face at the mention of bugs.

"Charles and Will share a medical practice," the doctor told Diana, who was beginning to become confused by all these names, only some of which she had heard in passing over the last couple of days. "Jane is Charles' wife, and they have three children, Maddy, Aaron and Grace. Alex is Georgie's new husband, and Richard, of course, you know."

"That is some family!" Diana exclaimed. She worried less about the children then she had earlier. It sounded as if they had a large support system in place. It must be lovely to have such an extended family, she told them.

"We would not be adverse to adding several more to the fold," the doctor told her with a wink. "And a consulting business could be operated from Connecticut just as easily as it is from New Jersey...

Richard was so happy to see Diana walk through the back door around supper time, he almost pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Almost. The fact that the doctor and twins were right behind her was a deterrent, as was the way the doctor had a proprietary hand on Diana's back, and was propelling her toward the dining room.

"Hello, sir..." Diana called over her shoulder as she was ushered into the other room. "We're all having dinner together," she added unnecessarily.

"Yeah, I see that," he said softly, extremely jealous, even though he knew he had no right to be. If he had wanted the lady, he had had his chance four years before. It was probably too late now, even if the doctor had not been here to sweep her off her feet.

Depressed, he went back to work, pausing only when his cell phone rang.

"Richard? It's Maria. Have you seen Diana? I tried to reach her phone earlier, but it was turned off..."

"She is back, but is somewhat busy at the moment," he told her, not wanting to admit that she was busy with the doctor and his children. "I recall her inviting you and Denny for a drink. Why don't you drop by in an hour or so. She should be free then."

Diana and the Bennets showed back up in the kitchen just as Richard and his new assistant were done with cooking for the night. All but the cleaning up had been accomplished, but even as Richard put on a fresh apron in which to finish the dishes, waving to Gary as he left, Merry ran up to him and gave him a big hug.

"Richard! I didn't know you had another name."

"I have several names, Miss Meredith, just as you do. Richard Arthur Blake Fitzwilliam, to be exact. Why do you ask?"

"Oh." Merry began to pout. "I heard your name is Colonel Studmuffin!"

Taken aback, Richard could only stare at the little girl.

"Merry!" Diana gasped. "Where did you hear that from?"

"You, Diana," she replied, somewhat confused. "You told dad this morning in the car. Maybe I didn't hear you right. I had my earphones on, but they kept slipping down. Richard, is it true that Diana used to kick your a** on the firing range?"

Dr. Bennet cleared his throat. "I think it's time I took these two home."

"I think so, too," the colonel agreed, frost in his voice. Diana avoided looking at him, walked the Bennets to the door and gave the doctor a kiss on the cheek as she thanked him for the ride.

"My pleasure, Diana. We will see you soon." Giving her a kiss in return, the doctor nodded to the colonel without making eye contact, and they left.

"I'll wash up for you," Diana mumbled as she came back to where the colonel was still standing. Picking up an apron, she tied it on and headed to the alcove that held the commercial dishwasher and a large utility sink full of pots.

"So, you've been discussing me with your new friends, have you?" Richard asked, having followed her into the alcove.

Diana jumped three feet, but ignored him and began to load the washer.

"And had you considered, Miss Forrester, that I might have stories to tell, as well?"

She gasped and turned in his direction. "You wouldn't!"

"Wouldn't I? Do you remember the night we had to sit out on the airstrip and wait for the general's plane together? That damn Shanti left the top down and then disappeared, we couldn't get it back up, were alone for about an hour, froze our butts off and had to hold each other just to keep warm? And you admitted that you always wanted me to kiss you? Hmmmm?"

Diana's cheeks flamed. "You promised you would never speak of that night!"

"Oh, come now, Diana. Gary has just left and Candy is gone, and we are alone. I believe my promise was never to tell anyone else. Even Shanti, to this day, has no idea. Or does she..." He gave her a steely gaze that had her mesmerized.

"No...no," she admitted, turning her head away. "I never told Shanti or any of the others."

"I never kissed you, either," he mused. "Yet you let a stranger of two days' acquaintance kiss you!"

"It was a friendly gesture!" she insisted. "Like a handshake!"

"A handshake, she says! If you want to be kissed, why don't you just ask me? I would be more than glad to oblige!"

"Oh, you would, would you?" She cried, incensed now.

"Yes, I would!" he shouted. Without another word, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It wasn't a friendly kiss, and it wasn't gentle, either. He kissed her hard, all the pent-up feelings he had felt for her since her arrival put into the pressure he put on her lips. It was also a kiss of short duration, and when he released her, they were both breathing heavily.

Before he could do anything further, though, she reached up and slapped him soundly on the upper portion of his neck. She couldn't reach any higher.

"Damn you, Fitzwilliam! If you had wanted to kiss me, why didn't you do it that night we spent together at the hotel? You might have done a lot of things that evening, but I damn well know you didn't kiss me!" The colonel was silent. "Well? Think about it, and when you have an answer, please let me know!"

She quickly untied the apron, threw it at him and then stormed off to the carriage house.

He waited until she left the room, then sat down on a kitchen chair. He'd never kissed her? What else did he do, though? Didn't she remember? He sure as hell didn't.

The worst of it was, now he had to apologize for something he didn't do, and he had to do it without admitting he hadn't a clue as to what really happened!

"I need a drink," he mumbled, and went in search of the bottle of scotch he kept in the office.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Maria had already gone to bed, and was not expecting a call from Georgie. She was groggy when she answered the phone.

"What's going on? Did you go to see Diana?"

"Yeah, we went, for all the good it did."

"What? Tell me, tell me! Yes, Alex, I'm coming to bed," Maria heard Georgie call. "Just a minute!"

"Well, we went to the inn and Richard, very coldly, I might add, told us we would find - and these are his words, not mine - that 'infuriating vixen' in the carriage house. He had been drinking, too. I could smell scotch on his breath." Maria was clearly put out, but Georgie only crowed with delight.

"Oh, this is wonderful! Oh, he must be in deep to react like that. He is the most stoic person I know, next to Will, and he rarely gets out his bottle of the hard stuff. I wonder what happened?"

"Well, the only outward sign I could see was a huge red spot on his neck."

"Like a hickey?" Georgie asked breathlessly.

"Like someone had smacked him. There were fingerprint marks."

"Well, well, well. And what about Diana? How did she act?"

"She was upset about something, but she wouldn't go into any detail. We had a drink and went home, although we have her New Jersey address and phone number. Her car will be ready tomorrow, and she plans on leaving then."

"Oh, dear. Let me think about this - there must be something we can do to get these two together again. I'll call you later this week."

Maria agreed, and they hung up.

Continued In Next Section