Ben nodded. "Will do."

"Bye, Ben," Carson said.

"So long, pal. I'll look forward to meeting your dog when you finally get him."

"Okay," Carson said.

Ben nodded to all of them and went back down the steps. He got behind the wheel of the big car, put it in gear, and drove off toward the main road.

Nick ruffled Carson's hair. "How was the trip?"

"We stopped along the way and I got ice cream and Great-Granddad and Ben got coffee and then we looked at some caves. Really big caves. Bigger than the ones we have in Dead Hand Cove," Carson reported with excitement.

"We stopped to stretch our legs," Sullivan said, coming up the steps, "but we made good time." He raised his brows. "Didn't want to risk being late for the art show."

Carson looked at Nick. "Has Miss Brightwell hung my picture yet?"

"When I stopped by the gallery a couple of hours ago it was closed to the public, so I didn't go inside," Nick said. "Octavia and Gail were very busy getting things ready for this evening. They're probably hanging your drawing of Winston as we speak."

"Oh, boy." Carson whirled around and raced into the house.

Sullivan stopped beside Nick. They watched the screen door swing shut behind Carson.

"Had a long talk with Mitch today when we set out from Portland," Sullivan said. "We came up with a name for you. But we think we ought to go with you when you confront the person. If we're right, this goes all the way back to the days of Harte-Madison. Mitch and I feel some responsibility for the situation."

"That collateral damage you mentioned?"

"Afraid so."

"What's the name of your suspect?" Nick asked.

Sullivan told him.

"That pretty well cinches it," Nick said. He picked up one of the suitcases. "I came up with the same name."

Sullivan hoisted the other suitcase. "No reason this can't wait until tomorrow, is there? When word gets out no one's going to be able to talk about anything else. Gonna be rough."

"If Octavia agrees, it can wait until tomorrow," Nick said. "But no longer. I'm sorry about what's going to come down when this becomes public knowledge, but I've got Octavia to think about."

Sullivan nodded. "And she comes first now, is that it?"

"That's it."

At six o'clock that evening every parking lot was full. A large crowd of locals, Heralds, tourists, and summer people thronged the street and sidewalk.

Colorful balloons bobbed from the open doors of the shops and gallery. The temperature had been above average during the day, a balmy eighty-two, and the late summer sun was fending off the evening chill. The Annual Eclipse Bay Summer Celebration was in full swing.

Octavia breathed a sigh of relief when several kids, dragging their parents, surged into Bright Visions the minute the door was opened.

"It looks like the show isn't going to be a disaster after all," she said in a low voice to Gail, who was supervising the punch-and-cookies table.

Gail chuckled. "Told you not to worry. Did you really think anyone would stay away? Every kid with a picture in the show will be here tonight, and everyone else in town will come just to get a look at you and Nick together. After all, you're the lady who shattered the curse."

"And then, of course, there is the fact that I am a noted local art thief," Octavia said dryly.

"Hey, a little notoriety never hurts when it comes to publicity."

"Just goes to prove the old publicity axiom, I guess. 'I don't care what you call me so long as you spell my name right'."

Gail's amusement faded. "It's true that people are very curious about your relationship with Nick. And I won't say that the rumors about the missing Upsall haven't piqued everyone's interest. But the bottom line is that a lot of people really like you, Octavia. You're a nice person."

Octavia made a face. "You mean, for an art thief?"

"Gail is right." Hannah appeared out of the crowd and helped herself to a chocolate chip cookie. "You and the Bright Visions gallery are part of this town. Folks wouldn't be talking about you if you weren't considered a legitimate member of the community. Local folks never talk about outsiders. They're not interested in the summer people or the casual visitors."

"Like it or not, you belong here," Gail said.

Hannah glanced toward the door. "And here come a couple of your biggest admirers."

Octavia followed the direction of her gaze and saw Eugene and Dwayne enter the gallery. They looked different. It took her a few seconds to realize that both men had shaved and put on clean shirts and pants for the occasion. Eugene's hair was slicked down with some sort of shiny pomade, and Dwayne had tied his in a ponytail.

The pair came to a halt just inside the entrance, blocking traffic. Although they had walked into the gallery with a certain air of bravado, they now appeared uncomfortable. She got the feeling neither of them knew what to do next.

"Will you look at that," Gail murmured. "They've actually buttoned their shirts."

"Sort of ruins the image when you can't see Eugene's hairy belly through the holes in his undershirt, doesn't it?" Hannah mused.

Gail frowned. "I hope they're not here to start trouble."

"Don't worry," Hannah said. "Sean Valentine is just outside talking to Nick and A.Z. and Virgil. Eugene and Dwayne won't create any problems with the chief nearby."

"I agree, there's no cause for alarm." Octavia picked up two paper cups filled with punch. "They wouldn't have gone to all the effort to get cleaned up if they'd planned to start another brawl."

She made her way through the crowd to where Eugene and Dwayne hovered uncertainly.

"Hello," she said brightly, handing a cup to each man. "I'm glad you could make it tonight. Please come in and have a look around."

"Thanks." Eugene seemed to relax. He took one of the cups of punch. "Dwayne and me figured it was about time we educated ourselves about art, y'know?"

"Of course." She gestured toward the buffet table. "Help yourselves to cookies."

"Look, Dwayne, they've got free food."

He started toward the table.

"Excellent." Dwayne downed the contents of his punch cup and set off in Eugene's wide wake.

Nick sauntered through the door at that moment. His gaze tracked Eugene and Dwayne's progress. "Everything okay in here?"

"Yes, indeed," she said. "I was just welcoming a couple of other legitimate members of the community."

He raised his eyebrows. "Do I detect a trace of irony here?"

"Probably." She glanced at Carson, who stood with Anne in front of the picture of Zeb. The two children appeared to be deep in conversation. A couple of miniature art connoisseurs, she thought. "Tell me the truth, Nick. Would you say that I'm a real member of this community?"

"Are you kidding? You've got everyone from Mean Eugene and Dickhead Dwayne to the wife of the future mayor here tonight. You've also got representatives of both the Harte and Madison clans. Trust me, in Eclipse Bay, it doesn't get any more legitimate."

"You're teasing me, aren't you?"

"I'm dealing the truth here. And there's another thing that guarantees you a place of honor in our fair town."

"What's that?"

"You broke the curse."

She made a face. "If you mention that stupid curse one more time, I swear, I'll-"

"I'd appreciate it if you would not refer to the condition of my former sex life as stupid," he said with grave dignity.

"At least you had a previous sex life. When I look back, I've got to wonder if I was the one under a spell. Two years is a long time to go between dates."

He gave her a smile that curled her toes.

"But it was worth the wait, right?" he said.

"I am not going to respond to such a leading question. Not in public, at any rate. Now, you'll have to excuse me, I'm trying to host a show here." She made to move off.

"By the way," he added, lowering his voice, "there is one more thing I wanted to tell you."

She paused and looked at him inquiringly. "Yes?"

He glanced around, apparently checking to see if there was anyone within earshot. Then he grasped her arm and urged her into a quiet corner of the room.

"Mitch and Sullivan and I think we've got a lead on the Upsall."

Stunned, she just stared at him for a couple of seconds. He was standing very close, one hand braced against the wall behind her. There was something utterly, dangerously masculine in the way he leaned into her slightly, cutting off her view of the room with his broad shoulders. His body language spoke of possession and a silent claim that she knew every other man in the room could probably read.

A sense of deja vu swept through her. This was the way he had stood with her at Lillian's gallery show, she thought. He had put himself between her and the crowd that evening, too, cutting her out of the herd, making her intensely aware of him and then asking her out on a date. She had known in her heart where a date with Nick would lead and her nerve had failed her that night.

Oh, sure, later she had come up with lots of really good reasons for avoiding the risk of getting involved with him, but the stark truth was that her courage had failed at crunch time that first night. She had run from him that evening and several more times after that.

But tonight was different. Tonight, because she had finally taken the risk, she knew him far more intimately and deeply and she could see what lay beneath the surface. In addition to the intensely sensual threat he posed, there was strength and honor and integrity. Dear God, I'm in love.