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hired me to run the little shop he had on First Avenue in downtown Seattle because he wanted to go fishing more often. He showed me how to work the cash register and how to lock up at night, and then he left town for two weeks.”
    Letty fixed him with a fascinated gaze. “Really? What happened next?”
    “When he came back to town to check up on me, I told him I thought we ought to start stocking a couple of different lines of sleeping bags. He said fine and took off for a deep-sea fishing trip. I didn't see him for a month.”
    “Then what happened?”
    “When he got back from that trip, I said the new tents were selling like hotcakes and maybe we should look into renting ski equipment for the season. He told me to do whatever I wanted. After that, I did. I made Thornquist Gear what it is today, damn it.”
    Letty gave him a pleased look. “Which makes you the perfect mentor for me.”
    “ Me . Your mentor? Are you out of your mind?” He thought about picking Letty up by one slender ankle and dangling her over the railing. He'd be damned before he'd teach her how to run his company.
    “I think it's going to be a perfect partnership, Joel.”
    “I think I am going to take a shower and go back to bed.” Joel swung around and stalked down the hall to the bed room. He knew for a fact he was not going to get any sleep tonight.
     
    Letty awoke the next morning with a sense of well-being that she had not felt in a long time. She lay quietly for a while, gazing out the bedroom window as a clear dawn broke over the mountains.
    She still could not believe she had conducted such an intimate conversation with Joel Blackstone last night, but in retrospect she was glad she had done so. What she had confided in him was nothing less than the truth.
    She was going to find whatever it was that had been missing in her life, and she was going to find it in Seattle running Thornquist Gear.
    Letty jumped out of bed and burst into the white tile bathroom. She was feeling so exuberant this morning that she thought she could even find it in herself to be a little more tolerant of Stephanie.
    Not that she had much choice, Letty thought. She had a baby brother on the way, whether she approved of it or not.
    Matthew Christopher. It seemed strange to know the baby's name and sex before it had even arrived. But, as Stephanie had explained, she'd had certain tests done because of her age. In addition to assuring herself that the baby was healthy, she had also learned it was a boy. Stephanie was thrilled and so was Morgan.
    Letty could not imagine either her father or Stephanie changing diapers, but she knew she was going to have to accept reality.
    In the meantime, she was going to be busy reshaping her own life.
    A few minutes later, dressed in neatly pleated gray tweed trousers, a pale yellow button-down shirt, and her trusty penny loafers, Letty went down the hall. She stepped into the kitchen and blinked as the morning sunlight bounced off the gleaming stainless-steel and tile surfaces.
    “'Morning,” Joel said from the corner. He sounded surly.
    Letty frowned in concern as she took in his brooding, haggard expression. “Didn't you get any sleep last night after all?”
    “I'll live.” He was halfway through a cup of coffee. He sat hunched over the mug as if preparing to do battle for it. His tawny eyes glittered with the restless intensity Letty was beginning to associate with him. He was watching her as if she were a bug in a jar.
    Letty remembered the intimate things she had told him in the middle of the night, and she felt herself flushing. “You really should try to find out what's causing your insomnia.”
    “I know what caused my insomnia last night.”
    “Oh.”
    She was saved from having to think of a more intelligent response when Stephanie breezed into the kitchen looking cool and poised in a black and white maternity dress. Her deftly applied makeup was flawless.
    “Good morning, everyone.” Stephanie paused, frowning.