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outside without any shoes.
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Outside, she crossed the open lawn area to the pump. Grabbing the first
bucket, she was surprised to see it was still wet inside. It didn t seem possible
that it had rained last night and she had not heard it. She always knew when it
rained, even if she was sound asleep. Stepping carefully because of her bare feet,
she walked to the first row. She didn t need to bend down to see that they had
already been watered that morning. Turning suddenly, she stumbled down the
lane to the last row. Moving the protective windbreaks, she looked in and saw
that even her special plants had been watered.
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Her legs gave way beneath her and Rayne collapsed onto the ground. She
knew in that moment that she was in love with Sean. He had never told her how
he felt, and it didn t matter. Without words he had shown how much he cared
for her. By watering for her, he had demonstrated that he was willing to care for
what she cared about. Did she need to know anything else about him? Through
one act he had shown her that he was a good man. He had undoubtedly been as
tired as she, if not more. Two more times last night, after stumbling into her bed,
Sean had proven how much stamina he had by making love to her. Thinking
about it now, she grinned. What a stud muffin!
Taking a deep breath, she rubbed her fingers over her cheeks to wipe away
the tears. Suddenly there was a deep need inside her to see him. She wouldn t
have to speak to him, but she had to see him, even if from a distance. Jumping to
her feet, she walked briskly back to the house. If she cleaned up quickly, she
could take the rear pasture path and be over there in an hour. Once she was at
his house, then she d worry about a good excuse for why she was showing up
without an invitation.
 Good morning, Miss Waters. I m glad to have caught you.
Rayne froze in her tracks. A man was standing on her lawn. Parked a short
distance away was a modern skimmer, sleek and bright red, which always
seemed a better fit for the old world, rather than the destroyed world that now
remained following the rebellion. Many people still used vehicles from long ago,
in spite of the dependence on fossil fuels.
Her gaze traveled over the tall, slender man. He had blond hair and was
quite tanned, but she couldn t see his eyes because of the reflective style
sunglasses he was wearing. His clothing screamed money and affluence. Rayne
realized she hadn't seen someone dressed this finely since& she d never seen
anyone with clothes, or a skimmer, so expensive. All of her senses went into
overdrive right then. She didn t know his name, or why he was here, but she
knew that he was trouble. Closing her eyes for a moment, she gathered all of her
thoughts and emotions into one place in her mind. Sean s name screamed
through her consciousness. God, she wished he were here right now.
 Yes, I m Rayne Waters. Are you lost?
The blond man chuckled softly but took a couple of steps in her direction. He
stopped when she backed up.  No, I m not lost. I was hoping we could talk, if
you have the time. Actually, I m feeling pretty parched. The man stopped for a
moment, rubbing his throat.  Could I get something cold to drink?
Rayne had been raised to be polite to everyone, even though she was feeling
uneasy. She nodded her head.  Sure. You can sit on the porch swing while I get it
ready.
* * * * *
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In her small kitchen, Rayne began preparing a tray of iced tea. Hearing her
grandmother s voice in her head, she even set out a few of the cookies she had
made yesterday. She had planned on offering them to Sean, if he had come to call
last evening. As she stirred the tea, she couldn t stop the smile that curled her
lips upward. He certainly had come to call! Yes, sirree! Even though it wouldn t
have met her grandmother s strict standards for a gentleman caller, Rayne had
no complaints.
Still, she wished she d had more time this morning to have taken a shower
and put more clothes on. No one, or at least hardly anyone, ever came to visit in
the middle of the morning. Most people around here were hard at work, trying
to get their morning chores done. This was the kind of life that never really
changed, no matter what might be going on in the world. Sure, there had at one
time been lots of experimental hydroponics studies being conducted on modern
farm sites. But since the rebellion, so many things had returned to the simpler
way of doing things. Life was more elemental, on many levels.
Rayne finally picked the tray up and started toward the living room and the
front porch. Just inside the living room, though, she stopped abruptly.  Ooh!
she gasped and lost her grip on the tray. Everything teetered for a moment and
then came crashing back on her. Glasses fell, cookies dropped, china broke in the
abrupt accident. Rayne was suddenly wet with tea. Taking a step was the wrong
thing to do, though. Her shoeless foot came down on wet, slippery wood and
then found a piece of broken glass. In less than a minute, she was on the floor.
The blond-haired man was still standing by her sofa, where he had been
looking at the few photos she had on the wall and end tables. He had not heard
her entrance, but took a step forward now.
Outside her open front door Rayne heard tires squealing, quickly followed
by the slamming of a door.  Rayne! Damn it all! Rayne! Where are you?
Rayne looked up from her bloody foot and saw Sean leaping up the front
steps of her porch. A second later the screen door banged open and he raced
through it. She saw his eyes go from her, to the area around her and then to the
man in the room. As his attention returned to her, Rayne tried to smile.
 I m fine. I just had an accident and I fell.
* * * * *
It had been only a few hours since he d left Rayne. He had been working the
first two hours or so, but then upon his return to the house, Bob had been seated
on the wide verandah, listening to the man who had come to sell him& damn!
What had the guy been selling again? He d been listening to the guy for twenty
minutes and he hadn t remembered a thing the man had said.
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Hopefully, Bob, who looked like he was paying attention, had gotten the gist
of what he d need to know for an informed decision. Right then he realized once
again just how lucky he was to have Bob working with him here!
 I m sure you can see how this would benefit a place this size, Mr.
MacDougal.
Bob nodded his head.  I think this could definitely make a difference. What
do you think, Sean?
Sean turned his head and saw that both men and Colleen were watching him
and obviously waiting for his answer. He opened his mouth to reply when
suddenly his mind had filled with Rayne s voice screaming his name. Shaking
his head, he looked around, but she hadn t been anywhere that he could see.
That proved that he had not physically heard her voice, but rather it had a
psychic sound reverberating in his brain. Hurriedly, he jumped to his feet and
ran down the steps, looking in the direction of her place. Nowhere did he see
Rayne, which was proof that it was not his ears that heard her voice.
Turning back toward the porch, the sudden need to see her was
overwhelming, literally swamping all of his senses. He couldn t stay here. The
compulsion to see her was too great. Pausing to shout at Bob, he turned abruptly.
 I trust your decision, Bob. I ll be back as soon as I can. Two seconds later [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]