The simple red letters of the alarm clock read five, so he expected it was his sexy landlord who was up and about and not the still-mysterious Martin. He was tempted to fall back asleep, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Margie in the shower. Soon he was awake for reasons other than the start of the new day. Finally, he rose to open the blinds. The mountains surrounding Dare Valley filled him with awe. Ribbons of sunrise spilled over the rocks and pines, turning everything to liquid gold. Say what you would about this town being small, but it sure had box seats to nature’s glory. Since physical fitness had turned him from a nerdy scientist into what some tabloids called a towering Adonis, he dressed in a T-shirt and running shorts, laced up his cheap running shoes, and headed out for a long run. Margie was in the kitchen when he came down the stairs, her hair wet and her face all rosy from her shower. She was already measuring out ingredients for some recipe. Even unadorned, she pulled at him unlike any woman he’d ever seen.
