Silent Fall Read Free Page B

into her current beach cottage, but the dreams always returned.
    Of course, there were months when she slept undisturbed. She wished for the relief of those dreamless nights. The longest she'd gone without a nightmare was six years. She'd thought they were over. Then they'd returned, and she'd realized she would never be free until she did something....
    She had the sense that she was meant to act in some way—only then would she be able to escape. But what was she supposed to do? She didn't know. Nor did she recognize the abstract faces of the people she painted. They called out to her, but she couldn't answer, because she didn't know who they were.
    Although tonight she couldn't help wondering if the face in her picture belonged to the woman who'd approached Dylan in the bar. There was a faint resemblance, wasn't there? Maybe she was just imagining it. Or perhaps she'd painted the woman's face because she'd seen her in her head, when she'd had a brief glimpse into Dylan's future—a future that seemed to include her. Not that she wanted to be included. She had a feeling Dylan was heading for trouble, and the last thing she needed was more trouble in her life.
    Getting up, she walked over to the window and drew back the curtain. Her room was located on the top floor of the three-story lodge and had a direct view of the lake several hundred yards below. The water shimmered in the light of a full moon. The tall pine trees that covered the hillside swayed in the breeze like giant monsters. A shiver ran down her spine. She believed in connections, in fate and destiny. Nothing happened by chance. There was always a purpose. A long-ago childhood psychiatrist had told her that sometimes bad things just happened, and she had to stop looking for reasons, but Catherine hadn't believed the doctor then, nor did she buy into that philosophy now. Which was why she couldn't ignore the fact that something was wrong.
    Crossing her arms over her chest, she felt a cold draft through her thin camisole top and silky shorts. She hoped her sense of impending doom didn't have anything to do with Sarah. Her friend deserved to be happy after everything she had been through the past few years. And Jake and Sarah and their daughter were on their way to Hawaii, to the land of swaying palm trees, soft, warm breezes, and blue skies. They were fine. They had to be.
    She drew in a deep breath and then slowly let it out. She repeated the action several more times. Usually painting her nightmares tired her enough so that she could sleep until morning. Tonight she still felt edgy, as if she were waiting for something else to happen. She walked over to the valise set against the wall and pulled out another painting, a portrait this time....
    Dylan stared back at her with his golden brown eyes that were a mix of mystery, pain, amusement, and cynicism. She'd worked hard to capture the complexity of his eyes, the proud strength of his jaw, and the hint of wariness that was usually present in his expression, as well as the cocky smile that could also be kind, but she didn't think she had it quite right yet. They'd spent only a few days together two months earlier, when Dylan had asked for her help in finding Sarah and Jake's daughter, but those few days in his presence had touched her in a way she didn't completely understand. She just knew that they were connected. There was a reason Dylan had come to her.
    He'd say pragmatically that it was because she and Sarah shared a past, and that was the end of it. But she suspected there was more to come. If only she knew how the woman in the bar figured into things, that would be helpful, but her visions were never as complete or as forthcoming as she wanted. She would have to wait for whatever came next.
    Setting the painting aside, she returned to the window. In the light of the moon Dylan's image flashed through her head once again. She saw fear in his eyes, an expression of shock and betrayal. She grabbed the curtains