The Edge of Recall Read Free Page B

car. If this was it, the least he could have done was be there to meet her. “Well . . .” She expelled a breath.
    “Deep subject.”
    She spun, heart racing. He stepped out of the trees, tall and sinewy. His sandy hair, cropped short, was still bedeviled by the little cowlick in front where it swirled out. He peered at her through wire-rim glasses, his serious demeanor disguising a relentless wit and cunning humor.
    Closure, she breathed. “So I’m here.”

    “So you are.” Smith formed a wry smile as he approached the car.
    Her ponytail holder had slipped loose, and she pulled it out and shook her silky, golden brown hair, pulling it back again with a motion he remembered so well, her hair always resisting whatever restraint she imposed.
    “How was the drive?”
    “Fine.” She looked up with wide green eyes, a light sprinkling of freckles making her seem younger than she was. Or maybe it was the wary expression.
    She smelled like fresh peaches, and he glimpsed the tube of lotion on the dash. She’d always gone for fruity scents in lotion and shampoo in place of more complicated perfumes. It was the one less complicated thing about her.
    Her lightweight cargo pants and navy blue top flattered her figure. She had been willowy, hardly substantial, but now her muscles were toned, skin tanned; fit, yet feminine. She looked . . . really good. Pity she was so high maintenance, the sort of woman who required a manual, and signal lights to warn of impending detonation with no apparent cause.
    He hadn’t been happy with the way they’d fallen out but had cut his losses and moved on. Tessa, he recalled, tended to tote her injuries along. There’d been a very thin line between teasing and offending her. While he’d specialized in witty barbs, she had needed initiating into that sort of repartee. She didn’t seem eager to be initiated into anything at the moment. But she would.
    He unlocked the gate erected earlier that week for privacy and swung it wide. “May I ride with you?”
    “Where?” The prospect seemingly unnerved her.
    “About a hundred yards down, there’s a trailer in the trees. We’ll just step into the office before I show you the site.”
    She opened the car door, popped the locks, and he slipped into the seat beside her. It hadn’t been asking that much. Why did she look like she’d rather jump out than jostle over the ruts in the field to the trailer.
    “There’s something here you’ll want to see firsthand, but the owner insists that no one gain access without a non-disclosure agreement. Just a promise not to tell what we’re doing here.”
    She turned off the engine. “Is it illegal?”
    “Of course not.” What kind of question was that? “But unless you’ve agreed not to reveal anything I show or tell you, I can’t take you out there. Not even for a look-see.”
    Instead of the eagerness he’d hoped for, he saw frustration. “You had me drive up here—”
    “You won’t regret it.”
    “You said nothing about non-disclosures and secret projects. I can’t imagine what something like that has to do with me.”
    “My clients value their privacy. That’s all.” Smith swung the door open and climbed out. “Look, Tessa, do you want to see it or don’t you?”
    She sighed. “I came to have a look, and if I have to sign something to do that, let’s do it.”
    “Good.” They weren’t his rules, but he’d enforce what Gaston demanded. Even though their work would not be featured in any journal, the contacts they would make among a high echelon of potential clients was worth more than publicity. If that didn’t matter to her, there was one thing that would. He’d threatened Bair with bludgeoning if he so much as mentioned that element.
    They went inside, and Bair jumped up from his desk, scattering pencils, papers, and a stapler. Bair had known he’d be bringing in a specialist, but had not expected Tessa. Smith rather enjoyed Bair’s reaction.
    “Bair, this is Tessa