Page 61 of Eclipse Bay

It was true, she thought. Winston’s approval of their new lifestyle was evident. He loved running around in Dead Hand Cove with its myriad smells and odd inhabitants. He clearly delighted in his off-leash freedom.

Rafe finally answered the phone.

“This is Madison.” He sounded impatient, as if his attention was on something vastly more interesting than a phone call.

She frowned briefly at the instrument in her hand and then held it to her ear again.

“Sorry if I’m interrupting anything important,” she said dryly. “I thought you were expecting my call.”

“’Morning, honey.” Rafe’s voice warmed measurably.

“I’m a little busy at the moment. Can I get back to—hang on a second.” He broke off abruptly and spoke to someone else. “Take a good look at the wiring in that panel, will you, Torrance?”

“Honey?” Hannah pondered the simple endearment. Rafe had never called her honey, not even last night in the middle of making love to her. Of course, he had not made a lot of conversation in bed.

“Hell, there should be insulation in that wall,” Rafe continued in a muffled voice. “Yeah, I can see the pipes. That’s why I want insulation in it. Who wants to listen to every flush and shower?”

“Pipes?” Hannah stopped trying to tease out the little nuances of “honey” and focused on the more disturbing word. “Rafe, what’s going on there? Is something wrong?”

“I’m getting an assessment of the condition of the plumbing and wiring,” he said casually. “The good news is that Isabel had it all brought up to code a few years ago.” His paused to speak to someone else again. “Is that copper?”

“Rafe, who are you talking to?”

“The Willis brothers are here,” he said into the phone. “I’m having them go over the place from top to bottom.”

“You’ve got Walter and Torrance Willis there?” She shot up from the kitchen chair. “Why?”

“Just getting together some preliminary estimates to see how much it will cost to put in the inn and restaurant,” he said with breathtaking innocence.

“You can’t do that.” She grabbed her keys and broke into a run, heading to the door. “Not without my permission, damn it.”

“We both agreed we wanted to open an inn here at Dreamscape.”

“We haven’t even decided how we’re going to deal with the legalities of ownership. Don’t you dare touch a thing until I get there.”

Winston saw her heading for the door. He started to bounce a little.

“I told you, I’m just getting some preliminary figures together,” Rafe said.

“I am coming over there right now. You listen to me, Rafe Madison. I own half of that house. Don’t you dare touch a single thing until I get there. And don’t let the Willis brothers touch anything, either.”

“It’s a little late to call them off,” Rafe said reflectively. “They’re already pretty deep into the plumbing.”

“I don’t believe this.”

She tossed the cordless phone down on the hall table and rushed outside to the car. Winston followed. He leaped into the passenger seat and sat back with an air of anticipation.

“I knew last night was all about Dreamscape,” she told him.

She sailed through the front door of the big house a short time later, ready for battle. Winston trotted in right behind her, greeted Rafe briefly, and began a tour of the kitchen.

Rafe glanced at his watch as Hannah came to a seething halt in front of him. “Six minutes and twenty-two seconds. You made good time.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “What is going on here?”

Rafe was saved the necessity of responding to the question by the small, neatly made man who chose that moment to wander out into the hall.

Compact and completely bald, Walter Willis had always reminded Hannah of an android. There was a mechanical precision about his movements that lacked the casual human element. His speech was clipped and crisp. The starched creases in his work clothes never softened. It was as if he had been designed and constructed under controlled, sterile conditions in a high-tech manufacturing plant.

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