“You like my ghost town?” “It’s beautiful. Like a corner of the world no one has ever seen. I can see why you love it, Jake. The peace and privacy…” His chin nuzzled the top of her head. “Now let’s not panic until we see Coeur d’Alene, shall we?” Anne stiffened. “I wasn’t panicking,”  she protested. “If you want to spend the rest of our two weeks here, it’s fine with me. Really it is, Jake…” “You’re fibbing.” He turned her slowly to face him, and locked her in a loose embrace with his arms on her shoulders. “Know how I can tell? Even when you tell a little white lie, that pulse in your throat works like a jackhammer.” Perhaps. Anne flashed him a rueful smile that gradually died. She could feel a different mood sweep over both of them, like the tick of a clock in the night. Jake was close, more than close. The sun was bearing down on both of them, and she could smell the sweet grasses and tangy pines, and Jake, the warmth of him.
