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proprietary hold.
    "And then?"
    "And then I'll come back here and take a cold shower!" he exploded in a muffled tone that served to lighten the atmosphere between them as nothing else could have done.
    "Poor Court." She giggled as they walked down to the lobby so that she could request an envelope and stamp from the front desk. "You really did have your plans made for this evening, didn't you?"
    He glanced down at her laughing, upturned face. "With my propensity for laziness, I have had to develop a talent for being organized. It's the only thing that gets someone like me through life!" His mouth twisted laconically, and the golden eyes were rueful.
    "I know what you mean!" she retorted with instant honesty. "I function in the same way. I imagine there are bound to be a few problems when two people like us meet!"
    They stopped at the desk.
    "Nothing insurmountable, Fm sure," he drawled, watching as she addressed the envelope and dropped it into the slot. She ignored his words.
    "Well, that's that. Keith's day will be made when he gets the letter," Leya sighed, dusting her hands symbolically as she allowed herself to be led back up the stairs to her room.
    "And now we can concentrate on the two of us," Court insisted smoothly.
    At her door, he turned her briefly into hjs arms, his rough, strong hands cupping her head while he examined her face. His thumbs idly worked the delicate area of her temples. "One last time, Leya, will you ..."
    "No," she cut in, smiling up at him. "The thought of you in a cold shower is too engaging to ruin!" She felt her confidence return in a warm tide, as she dug out her key. One simply had to maintain a sense of humor about life, she thought.
    He shook her admonishingly, a reluctant amusement in his eyes. "For that remark, I promise you that one day you'll be joining me in a shower!" He bent down and dropped a swift, hard kiss on her mouth. "Goodnight, Leya. I'll see you first thing in the morning!" With that he was gone.

    * * *
But meeting Court for breakfast wasn't quite the first thing Leya did the next morning. On the spur of the moment, she picked up the telephone after she had dressed in her jeans and a bright yellow sweater.
    "Hello, Keith." She smiled into the phone. "I thought you'd like to know I signed the contract last night. It's in the mail."
    "Leya!" Her brother's delighted voice came down the wire. "For that news, I'll even forgive you for having awakened me at such an ungodly hour! You won't regret it, you'll see. By the time Tremayne and I are finished, Brandon Security Systems will be number one on the West Coast!" There was a satisfied pause. "I knew once you'd met the man, you'd realize I was aware of what I was doing!"
    Leya frowned uncomprehendingly. "But I haven't met the man," she began, about to tell him she'd met someone who knew Tremayne instead.
    "Didn't he find you? I gave him the address of that inn. He said he would be up there in a couple of days." Keith sounded puzzled.
    But puzzlement wasn't Leva's chief reaction to this piece of information. She was far too bright, too good at putting clues together to remain confused for long. It was, she thought with cold bleakness as she sat on the edge of the unmade bed, phone in hand, unfortunate that she wasn't quite bright enough to have realized what was going on before her brother dropped the clue.
    "Leya?" Keith's voice prompted.
    "A tall man?" she questioned dismally, already knowing the answer. "With brown-and-gold hair and eyes the color of tortoiseshell?"
    Her brother laughed. "That sounds a bit dramatic, but an accurate description, I guess. I take it the two of you hit it off fairly well if he convinced you to sign that contract so quickly?"
    "Oh, I have nothing but the highest admiration for your Mr. Tremayne," Leya said in soft bitterness. "An extremely clever man."
    "Leya? There's nothing wrong, is there? You don't sound your usual self ..."
    The knock on the door brought Leya's head up with a sharp jerk. Her