Carrie teased.

"I'd rather come here," Jill said seriously. "I mean, if you want," she added.

Carrie nodded. "The sunroom is wonderful when the weather's bad. The pier is awesome

when the weather is nice."

"Do the ducks make it around this far?"

"There are some that hang around but I'm not here enough to feed them on a regular

basis, so they're not always here. But I've never seen Grandma Duck out this far." Carrie

reached over and squeezed her arm. "If you're going to miss feeding the ducks, we'll have

to make a date to meet at the park at least once a week."

"Well, like you, I've become fond of Grandma Duck." Her eyes lingered where Carrie's hand

still touched and she wished she wasn't wearing long sleeves. She watched as Carrie's

fingers slipped away, then looked up, meeting Carrie's eyes for a brief moment.

"It's probably getting late," Carrie said.

Jill nodded then pushed up her sleeve, revealing the slim watch she wore. She nodded

again.

"Yes. Time."

"Well, maybe the weather will be nicer tomorrow. I'll show you the pier and garden." She

stood. "And maybe I'll surprise you with lunch."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"I know you love the rain but four days in a row is a bit much," Jill complained as they sat in

the sunroom and munched on the burgers and fries she'd picked up on her way over.

"Green. Think green."

"I'm beyond that. I'm trying to remember what sunshine looks like." Jill grinned. "Do you

think we should start building a boat?"

"No. We'll use my canoe to escape," Carrie said seriously, then wiggled her eyebrows

teasingly.

"But this is really nice, isn't it. I can't believe how warm the sunroom stays. I could almost

convince myself this is a spring rain and not winter."

"Spring will be here soon enough. And I think this year I'll tend to the garden. It was

Joshua's pride and joy. When I had his old shack torn down, I made sure to leave the

garden undisturbed.

When they landscaped the flower beds around here, I had them weed and mulch his

garden. It looked great that first year." Carrie smiled. "I just don't have Joshua's green

thumb."

"Well, maybe this spring, we could steal a Saturday and . . . and maybe plant some flowers,"

Jill suggested. "I mean, if you could sneak away from your family for a day."

Carrie's pale eyes looked into her own for a long moment before answering.

"And can you sneak away from your family?"

Jill nodded. "I think I'm allowed a day out now and then." She paused, brows drawn

together. "You know, I've not mentioned you to Craig. I mean, we've become friends and

I've not even mentioned your name to him."

Carrie nodded. "Is that odd?"

"Yes. Don't you think?"

Carrie's lips just hinted at a smile. "I don't think it's odd. I've not told James about you

either."

Jill leaned forward. "Why is that, do you think?"

"I don't think it really concerns him. Our friendship is . . . well, it's just between us. I

didn't feel the need to share you with him."

Jill nodded. "Yes. I think that's how I feel. I don't want to have to share anything we do or

say. It's just us."

It was quiet in the sunroom as Jill's words hung in the air. Its just us. She had an odd

feeling as those words echoed around in her brain. Just us. She had been on the verge of

mentioning Carrie to Craig on a few occasions but something told her not to. So she kept

her new friendship to herself, not for a moment thinking that Carrie had done the same.

She looked up, not surprised to find Carrie's eyes on her. She was surprised, however, by

the warm sensation that traveled across her body as she let herself be pulled into those

blue depths.

"It would be nice to be able to spend more than an hour together," Carrie said quietly.

"Perhaps in a few weeks, if the weather warms, we could—"

"Clean flowerbeds?" Jill suggested.

"I promise I'll feed you."

Jill's smile was warm as she reached out and lightly touched Carrie's hand. "Then it's a

date."

Those words hung between them as Jill slowly removed her fingers from Carrie's hand.

CHAPTER TWELVE

It was unusually quiet as Jill closed the back door and moved silently across the deck. She

supposed the cold rain of earlier had chased everyone inside for the evening. She took a

deep breath, smelling wood smoke from neighboring chimneys. A romantic concept, but she

and Craig had yet to have one this winter. Of course, a cheery fire burning warmly inside

usually meant someone was there to enjoy it. And on this evening, like so many others, she

was alone. Craig and Angie were at the basketball game. To their credit, they had invited

her. It was an afterthought on Craig's part, she knew, but nonetheless, he'd offered and

she declined.

She moved to the porch swing, sinking down heavily as she put it in motion. Her fingers

were cold on the wineglass and she pulled her robe tighter around her.

The cold... the quiet. A year ago, loneliness would have settled upon her by now. A feeling

of... well, not quite depression, just an aloneness, a feeling she lived with, grew to

recognize, grew to accept.

But tonight, as she sat in the swing and quietly rocked back and forth, she couldn't quite

conjure up that feeling. She felt at peace. She felt... connected.

She tilted her head back, her eyes searching through the bare trees to the sky, finding

only a handful of stars that escaped from behind the clouds. It was enough. She smiled,

letting her eyes slip closed as she thought of Carrie, a woman she'd known barely six

weeks.

Again, a sense of peace settled over her. She was past trying to figure out why she felt so

drawn to Carrie. It didn't matter. She simply was.

She suspected the feeling was mutual.

And that scared her a little.

How long she sat out in the cold, she had no idea. Long enough for the wine bottle to be

nearly empty, long enough for the neighbor's lights to go out. She knew she should go

inside but she couldn't seem to find the energy to move. But only minutes later, she saw

headlights flash across the trees, then the sound of the garage door opening.

She sighed, knowing her peace was over. She swallowed the last of the wine in her glass

then bent over to pick up the bottle. She heard Craig calling for her and it was only then

she realized she hadn't left any lights on inside. Before she could get up, Craig opened the

back door, seeing her in the shadows.

"Jill? What are you doing?"

"Just... just sitting."

"But it's freezing out here."

She pulled her robe tighter around her. "I hadn't noticed."

He surprised her by coming out onto the deck and joining her on the porch swing. Putting an

arm around her shoulders, he drew her closer to him.

"Good game?" she asked, trying not to stiffen in his arms.

"Oh, yeah. We killed them, babe. You should come sometime. I really think this is the year

we go to State. We're that damn good."

"I'll make a game, I promise."

"Yeah, you always say that."

"I just felt like being alone tonight."

He put the swing in motion then squeezed her shoulder again.

"You've felt like being alone a lot lately," he said quietly.

"You think so? Just because I didn't want to go to your game?"

"No. It's just, you know, you come out here a lot. Sit out here by yourself. What's going on,

Jill?"

"Nothing. Nothing's going on."

"You sure? I mean is there something I need to worry about?"

She smiled. "What are you asking, Craig?"

"You just haven't seemed very happy lately. Makes me think you're not happy with me."

She sighed. "I don't know what's wrong, Craig." She shrugged. "I just feel like being alone

is all." She laughed nervously. "I'll be forty in a few months. Maybe it's that."

"But it's not... it's not another man?"

She pulled away slightly, staring at him. "Another man? No, it's not another man." She

poked him with her elbow. "In this town? Are you kidding me?"

His laugh was filled with relief she noted as he pulled her closer and kissed her quickly on

the lips.

"Okay then. Good. And we have a lunch date tomorrow," he said.

She frowned. "A date?"

"Yeah. No school. Teacher's workday. I promised Angie I'd take the two of you for pizza. I

still owe you, you know."

"But—"

"No buts. I'll swing by here and pick up Angie and then we'll pick you up." He grinned. "I

can't remember the last time we went to lunch together. It'll be fun."

Fun? She took a deep breath, trying to shake off the panic that was threatening.

Tomorrow was Friday. Her last chance to see Carrie before the weekend.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Jill watched the ticking of the clock. On more than one occasion, she'd picked up the phone

intending to call Craig, intending to make up some excuse to cancel their lunch date. And

each time, she hung up before it could ring. She could think of no plausible reason to