by Mlyn Hurn
“And you’ll walk even better tomorrow, once you’ve rested and elevated your foot.” He walked to the bedroom, setting her on her feet. Without waiting for her to do anything other than take a deep breath, Sean was pulling her wet dress up and over her head. The wet dress hung over his arm as he walked to the bathroom. Less than a minute later he was back with a towel. “Start drying and hop on the bed. I’ll get some more dressings and change that bandage now.”
Arguing would be useless, so she sat on the bed, holding the towel in front of her. Pulling her hair forward, she started drying it with one end of the terry cloth. As Sean came back in, she spoke to him. “Maybe I should just take a pair of scissors and cut all this stuff off right now. It certainly would save time, not to mention water.”
Sean sat down on the edge of the bed, lifted her foot and placed it on his thigh. He began unwrapping the old dressing, but didn’t reply. Rayne watched as he tenderly took care of her foot. She was a little miffed that he had not immediately told her that her hair was too lovely to be cut or something like that. All her life people had made comments about her hair. There was also a niggling voice inside her head telling her she was being foolish and reminding her that she didn’t play games like this, with people. She prided herself on being straight and honest.
“So, do you think I should cut it, Sean?” she prompted a moment later, watching as he finished applying the stretch netting to hold the dressing in place.
Sean looked up slowly. “I think you should do whatever you want. It is your hair.”
Rayne had not expected him to say something so politically correct. It irritated her following her own silly word play. “You don’t like long hair?”
Sean smiled at this point. He tossed the used dressing into the small trashcan, and then gathered the remaining things together. “I like long hair, and I think your long hair is beautiful.” He turned and walked into the bathroom.
As he came back into the bedroom, Rayne’s towel hit him in the chest. He grinned and picked the towel back up. “Should I ask why you threw the towel?” He set the towel on the bed, and then walked over to a chair in the corner of the small bedroom. Sitting down, after removing his suit jacket, he began unbuttoning his shirt. His skinny, western style tie already hung around his neck. When his shirt was hanging loose, he pulled his boots off before standing and dropping his dress pants. Soon he was naked and began walking back toward the bed.
Rayne frowned at Sean as he neared the bed. She wasn’t immune to how sexy he looked naked. The fact that he was getting into her bed was still surprising to her. The whole sex and relationship thing, if that is what this was, was confusing to her. The movies she had seen, along with the old tapes of television shows, were all she knew of male and female relationships. Despite the confidence she felt in her powers, and her body strength, this part was unknown territory.
“I’m not sure why I threw it, but I’m sorry for being so childish. I thought all men preferred long hair.”
Sean grinned as he climbed into the bed beside Rayne. “I think your hair is beautiful long, but I have no doubt that it is difficult to take care of. I am equally sure that you would look fantastic with shorter hair. I think this was one of those ‘no-win’ situations that women like to get men into.”
His accuracy was grating, and technically they barely knew each other. His logic was perfect, which didn’t help her frustration either. Just what she had thought she would accomplish with this nonsense, she had no idea. In all honesty, since she had met Sean, she wasn’t altogether sure of anything. The feeling of drowning seemed to be a near-constant state for her when he was close to her. Yet when he was not around, her ability to focus on anything except him was definitely impaired. Her insecurities felt overwhelming suddenly, and she felt the need to lash out again.
“You know, since I didn’t need help with watering, there really wasn’t a need for you to…uhm…” Her voice trailed away as she ran out of temper. It was kind of funny in a way. The words had sounded a whole lot better in her head than they did spoken. If he was in her bed just for sex, did she really want to know it?
Sean interrupted her thoughts as he finished her sentence. “Sleep over?”
Rayne nodded her head slowly. She felt completely at sea with her emotions and thoughts rising and falling like angry waves in a storm. Her life was calm and peaceful. It was nice, quiet and nothing bothered her. Deliberately she kept her success at growing things at a low level, getting by and not drawing attention to herself or what she was doing here. Until Sean stepped into her life. If only he had not come over that evening—
If only she had not asked him to turn on the light. Maybe she should have waited until he was gone. Perhaps it was that he saw her when she was tired, and letting herself become elemental with the water that first time. Stopping her dreams of him might have been helpful too—
“Nickel for your thoughts.”
Rayne turned and saw that Sean was now sitting upright beside her in the bed. Without consciously thinking, or planning it, she looked deeply into his eyes and for the first time really tried to read his thoughts. As a child, she had been very good at this psychic game. In fact, with practice, she had developed the ability to put suggestive thoughts into certain types of subjects’ minds.
* * * * *
Sean could see that something was bothering Rayne tonight, and it went a lot deeper than the fact it had rained, or that he had left her alone for a meeting. Looking into her violet colored eyes, he knew instantly what she was going to do. On the one hand, he had hoped the Agency had been wrong about Rayne. The next instant he was angry that he had not been able to see her psychic powers until now. There was no disguising the look on her face as she stared into his eyes. She was delving into his mind.
In that split second, he made a decision. Only with time would he know if it was right or wrong, or the depth to which it would affect their lives. He made no effort to block her as she began weaving her way into his thoughts. As she began to delve more deeply, looking into his memories, he fought off the need to block her. It was instinctive to fight such probing, but perhaps she had to do this to trust him.
It was a risk, of course. What she would learn in the next few minutes could cause her to turn from him in anger and fear. There was an equal chance that she would see this gesture of his as a sign of his trustworthiness. By opening his mind to her, he was showing her she had no reason to fear him. He wanted her to see that even though his initial reasons for seeking her out had been nefarious, from now on his goals were to protect her. There were no doubts in his mind that she might betray the government and turn to the psychic renegades. Sean hoped she would believe his thoughts and deepest emotions by seeing them in their rawest form, and without any words to hide behind.
He was surprised by her reaction, which came less than a minute after she started. She moved so fast he didn’t have time to grab her either. Like a flash of lightning, she hopped out of the bed and across the room. Sean stopped to pull on his jeans before following her.
* * * * *
Sean stopped on the front porch. Rayne was standing on the grass, looking out across her small planting. The moon was no longer full, but it still gave off enough light to reveal how beautiful she looked naked, her dark hair trailing down her back. Slowly he walked down the steps and crossed the lawn. He was a few feet away from her when she spoke.
“I never saw you coming, Sean.”
“What are you talking about, honey? Why don’t we go back inside? We can talk about anything you want. I’ll answer any questions you have.”
The short, staccato laugh Rayne answered him with didn’t ease his worries in the least. He took a deep breath before he spoke to her again.
“I didn’t hide anything from you. If you want to look again, I won’t block you. I’m an open book for you to read.”
“What if I say I’m bored and I don’t want to read anymore?” Rayne questioned softly, glancing over her shoulder at hi
m.
Sean didn’t want to admit how much that possibility would hurt him. But he also didn’t think she meant it. “I don’t believe you. I think you want to know as much about me as I want to know about you.”
Rayne shook her head negatively, and Sean watched the black silk sweep back and forth across her back. God! He thought without pause, she was the sexiest and most beautiful woman he’d ever known. And she seemed to be doing it without knowing or caring.
“Are you going to arrest me? Charge me with some kind of espionage or treason thing?”
“Of course not, Rayne. You aren’t guilty of those things.”
Rayne turned slowly to look at him. “What am I guilty of then? Why send a PSI agent after me? I have almost no contact with anyone. I live quietly and abide by the rules set up by the new government following the rebellion. Who am I to draw the attention of the Agency?”
“I am no longer with the Agency. I retired. I volunteered, sort of, to check you out.” Sean knew the minute the words were spoken he should have kept his mouth shut, or picked different words.
“Have you ‘checked me out’ adequately for a full report to the Agency? Is there anything else about me you need to know? Have you been rifling through my drawers while I slept? Walking through my brain while I dreamed? Damn you!”
Rayne turned away from him once again and began walking toward her open field. “So, now what happens? Do you make a report on me and then I have to put up with someone checking on me all the time? Is this what happens for the rest of my life? Do you get some kind of special reward for having located certain psychics?”
Sean followed her to the edge of the lawn, where the grass gave way to her plants. “There is no reward, damn it! I haven’t made any reports yet. The truth is that you blocked me so well I was beginning to think they were wrong. I still don’t think you could be any relationship to Leyton, no matter what the informant had to say.”
* * * * *
Rayne froze in her tracks. He had just spoken the name she had hoped and prayed to never hear in conjunction with her sisters or herself. Hearing Sean say the bastard’s name made it sound much worse than when she had considered possible reactions and consequences. If he knew the truth, she knew he would undoubtedly turn from her in disgust. Who wouldn’t? Her great-grandfather had been the cause for the hardship and destruction of so many lives. Why would anyone want to be around her?
“Oh my God!” she spun around, wincing from the pain. “What about my sisters?” She stopped abruptly as she sadly realized that she had no way to contact them, to warn them!
Sean grabbed her upper arms, stopping her movement. “It’s too late, Rayne. I waited in making contact with you. Since I was already so close to you and my cover was in existence, I delayed enough to give the others time to investigate.”
“Damn it, Sean!”
“No, Rayne! You don’t want to do anything to draw more attention. I can make discreet inquiries in the morning. I’ll contact the others and see what they’ve found out in the morning. I know you are innocent and have no intentions of any wrong-doings.”
Rayne heard his words but she wasn’t sure that she could believe him. And how could he speak for the Agency? He was retired, so why should they do what he recommended? They would most likely send someone else to check her out—
Her blood ran cold as she remembered her visitor from earlier. Something about the man had set off alarm bells. Falling had distracted her.
“Rayne, listen to me, sweetheart. I will convince the Agency that you are not a threat, and will not be one in the future. There is nothing to worry about. I promise you.”
She voiced her doubts. “Why will they listen to you, Sean? What can you possibly say to convince them that I am ‘harmless,’ so to speak?”
Sean pulled her into his arms, hugging her so close she could feel his heart pounding through his chest. His warmth seeped into her body, heating her from the inside out, like a slowly glowing coil of fire. “Because I am going to marry you, Rayne! That is why they will believe me!”
Chapter Ten
The sun had been up for more than an hour before Rayne shoved the quilt off her stiff body. Sitting on the swing all night hadn’t helped her feel better emotionally, or physically. Hearing Sean state he was going to marry her last night had obviously shocked him as much as it had her. She had seen his surprise the minute the words were spoken. Still he had not taken them back, despite the three opportunities Rayne gave him before he finally left last night.
Inside the house, she dressed in shorts, T-shirt and sneakers. Pausing only to grab an apple, she was back outside a few minutes later, beginning to fill buckets once again with water. If she hurried, she could be done before it got too hot. Then she could spend the rest of the day thinking and worrying. Maybe she could even take a nap!
“Good morning.”
The voice startled her since she had been so wrapped up in her thoughts she had not heard anyone approaching. Looking up, she saw that it was indeed who she thought it was.
“Oh, uhm…hello Mr. uhm…I am sorry, but I’ve forgotten your name.”
“Anton DeVeau, mademoiselle. You were rather stressed yesterday. I am glad to see that you have recovered completely?”
Rayne heard the questioning inflection at the end of his nice speech and nodded her head. “Ah, Mr. DeVeau, now I remember. Thank you. It wasn’t too bad a cut after all. Everyone is fully recovered.”
“Everyone?”
Rayne smiled, shrugging her shoulders. “The dogs, and others, have also recovered nicely. Sorry about the muck up and all. I never did hear why you had come to see me.”
“Ahh, yes, I see. Your animals—a most interesting collection you have, Ms. Waters.”
“Thank you, Mr. DeVeau. We’re a family and we make the best of it.” Rayne stood up and looked at the stylishly dressed man. His city polish certainly made her feel like the country bumpkin, but then she was happy being here so she didn’t feel in the least bit intimidated by him. “I need to get busy, so what was it you wanted?”
“A straight forward woman! How refreshing!” Anton DeVeau took his pristine white handkerchief out, mopping his forehead. “I was hoping we could go inside and discuss this.”
“Normally we could, but I need to get busy with watering. That is the thing about farming, neither plants, or animals, wait for us. I need to get this done before the sun gets much higher.” Rayne picked up two of the buckets. “If you want, you can tag along with me, or wait on the porch. But if you follow me, pick up two of the buckets. No need to waste two good hands, is what my grandmother used to say.”
Anton followed her down the lane, setting the buckets where she directed. Changing her usual plans, she started watering at the front today. She was halfway down the row when DeVeau drew her attention once again.
“I understood that your family was not farming stock, at all.”
Rayne paused and her senses seemed to go into overdrive. Slowly, she began walking back toward the man. Letting her mind begin to work its psychic magic, she continued to water the plants but started to look inside DeVeau’s thoughts. Reaching the end of the row, Rayne moved around him to start the next line. Idly, trying not to draw attention, she brushed her hand over his shoulder.
“Sorry, but you had a dragonfly on your shoulder.”
Rayne’s feet stumbled over one another as she realized this man was psychic. When she touched him, she got a direct link to his power. He was blocking her and trying to read her mind. The shock stiffened her back and she dropped the watering can. Why the hell were two men with apparently equal psychic powers showing up on her doorstep? More importantly, if Sean was a PSI agent, then what was Anton DeVeau?
Anton’s hand grabbed her arm. “I think we should go inside right now, Rayne.”
Rayne walked beside him, wondering if she could break his grip. With her foot injured she would be off balance, and that could make her blows less accurate. She might not get a second cha
nce.
As they reached the porch steps, Anton pulled a small, but very effective laser gun from his inner jacket pocket. “Don’t try anything fancy. I am a lot stronger than you, and I believe that in spite of your little show last night, you are not as powerful as the others believe you to be. Tyre Leyton may have been a level five psychic, but I doubt your great-grandmother was of equal power.”
* * * * *
Inside the house, Anton pushed Rayne down onto the small sofa. He crossed to sit in the chair, which faced the sofa but had its back to the door. There was no fear in him about being interrupted. Before coming over here, he had stopped to make sure that Sean MacDougal and his men would be quite busy all day repairing the sudden leak in the main irrigation line, not to mention the broken fence which was allowing his prize cattle access to the main road. Smiling, he let his gaze travel over Rayne.
“I believe I made the right choice in choosing you over your sisters.” He settled back into the chair, crossing one leg over the other, appearing the epitome of casual. His smile turned into a grin when he saw how tense Rayne became when he mentioned her sisters. “The others really wanted me to seek out Jezermiah, but somehow I knew you would be the most…malleable. Yes, malleable is the perfect word. The fact that you hand-water plants and take in strays told me everything I needed to know about you.”
“What do you want? I don’t have any money. I make just enough to feed the animals and myself. I don’t own any jewelry worth anything.”
“True. I’ve been through all of your accounts and those of your sisters. The council was convinced that either fire or wind would be the best choice. More powerful, more destructive, were how they put it. And on the one hand I can agree that the destructive force of either is astronomical. Still, I kept coming back to good old water.”
Rayne shifted on the sofa. “I won’t help the psychics regain power. I won’t help overthrow the government. My…” She swallowed hard. “Tyre Leyton was a bad man. He was very evil, and I think he was even insane at the end. Even if he were still alive, I would not have had anything to do with him. And I don’t want anything to do with the psychics who thought he was a great leader.”
