Chapter 1

Colin Blackthorn stomped his feet on the woodshed's threshold in an attempt to kick off the accumulated mud on the soles of his boots, and the sticky clay soil fell off in a large clump.

"Gawd, what a mess! Frontenac's going to be pissed at me for this", he muttered to himself.

As if on cue, the little ferret's head popped out from between two large pieces of firewood in the dwindling pile, chattering angrily at the perceived intrusion. As soon as he recognized the scent of his neighbour, though, the little creature moved out to greet Colin, standing on his hind legs, tucking his forepaws against his belly, and waiting for the possibility of a free meal.

"Good morning", Colin happily greeted the resident Mustelid. "Sorry about the mess, but I needed some of your firewood. If I promise to clean up before I go, will you forgive me?"

The ferret continued to study the familiar two-legged creature whose presence usually meant he'd get a chunk of fresh meat. Those obsidian black eyes staring at him had Colin wondering if the little animal was attempting some sort of telepathic communication that he was unable to receive or understand. In a show of appreciation for the animal's attempt, he took his knife out of the sheath and cut off a very small piece of the remaining beef side that BethAnn Walls had brought him. As he relived that memorable visit in his mind, some two months earlier, and the many subsequent ones, they came back to lift his spirits.

The meat landed on the floor where Colin had thrown it for his four-legged friend, and the ferret quickly scampered over to retrieve it. But after giving it a good sniff, the Mustelid stood on his hind paws again and searched for something else before going any further.

"You miss her too, huh?", Colin interpreted the actions he'd seen. "Sorry, Buddy, but she didn't tell me when she's coming back again. Pretty special lady, isn't she?"

The ferret continued to sniff the air, now on all four feet and ready to scamper to the woman that had invaded their lives, should she magically appear. Finally turning his attention to his claim on the free meal, Frontenac focused his energies on dragging the bribe to somewhere safe. But there was a feeling of disappointment in his attitude that Colin couldn't help but feel creep over him, too.

Crouching down to pick up a large armload of firewood, Colin expected the ferret to quickly head for his nest, yet the Mustelid seemed to be in no hurry to leave. He'd already laid claim to the meat, but was still searching for something – or someone. His two-legged companion stopped what he was doing, watched the little animal fondly, and found himself engaging in a one-sided conversation.

"Buddy, if I took off for a week, would you be okay?", his rhetorical question echoed in the little outbuilding.

There was no answer, although Colin hadn't expected one. Even if there had been, though, he'd already made up his mind. It was the logic behind the decision that escaped him, yet he really didn't need it. He knew why, deep in his heart, and that little bit of knowledge was all he required.

Returning to the little cabin, he put a few pieces of the wood on the embers in the fireplace, then added some more to the firebox of the woodstove. Almost absent-mindedly, his hand picked up the coffee pot, poured a cup of the strong liquid, then joined him at the table as plans slowly took shape in his head.

BethAnn had returned to the homestead that previous Christmas, and almost every other weekend afterwards, too. This happened to be one of the weeks when she'd be staying in the city, leaving him feeling impatient for the passage of time until she appeared in his driveway again. But if he took the initiative and went down to the city, maybe he'd be able to fill in that void in his life that her absence created. The thought of being with her again sent a thrill of excitement through his system, and the more he contemplated it, the easier his heart found it to accept the idea. As his plan began to develop, his enthusiasm soared.

There were peelings and vegetable cutting that had to go out to the compost, and Colin decided that while he was out there, letting Rocky in on his plans might be a good idea. Gathering up the scraps, his feet found their way into boots, and he started the trek out to the raccoon's habitat.

"Hey, Bud!" he greeted the masked marauder. "Can you do me a favour? I think I'm going to go down to the city to see BethAnn, so I'll be gone for a few days. Can you keep an eye on things for me while I'm gone? Especially Pepé. I think she's going to surprise us with a litter soon, because her belly's really starting to swell. Think she'll wait until I get home again before she drops them? I let Frontenac know, but didn't mention our little stinker. The last thing you need is for those two to get into a scrap. He'll reek for a week if they do."

The raccoon looked at him blankly, not seeming to understand a single word despite all his efforts, but not really needing to, either. All Rocky knew was that his neighbour had just brought more food, and the sooner Colin left again, the sooner he could investigate.

It took a short while to pack enough to see him through a four day visit, but required all of his concentration to ensure the little cabin was locked and secure. A quick stop at McMullen's to let them know that he'd be gone, and where he was off to, was all that was left. They'd keep an eye on the place for him, which would help him feel better about deserting his furry pals.

"I must be either out of my mind, or that girl's got her hooks in me pretty deep", he muttered to himself as the old Ford pickup's engine slowly warmed up, but there was a happy grin of anticipation on his lips at the thought of being with BethAnn again. "I'll bet that Betty's going to give me hard time, too. She seems to think that I'm head over heels for that girl. And she might be right. I think I am."

At the end of the mud track that served as his driveway, Colin turned south on his way to his neighbours, just as he perceived something moving in the trees. His instincts had a foot pushing hard on the brake pedal, and the old pickup slid to a halt. Visually scanning the area revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Still, his mind said that there'd been something in those woods, something familiar but illogical.

"Nah, couldn't be", he tried to dismiss what he thought he'd seen, then continued on his way to McMullen's.

"You're going where?", Betty McMullen squealed when she heard the news. "Going to see that girl, aren't you?" Her eyes danced mischievously as she teased Colin. "If you're that crazy about her, you'd better marry the girl, before she gets away on you."

"Aw, come on, Betty!" he exclaimed in mock exasperation. "You know I don't believe in that mumbo-jumbo stuff!"

"Maybe you don't, young man, but she might. Look at Don and me. Married fifty-six years now, and still going strong. Sometimes I wonder if he did it just so's I'd stick around. Don't tell him this, but I'd have stayed right here with him no matter if he stood at that alter or not. And something else, too. I think that girl you're going to go see is of a like mind. But why take a chance? Marry her, already!"

"Give me a break, Betty!" he protested as they shared his happiness. "I've only known her for a couple of months. Don't you think it's a little soon to be making lifelong plans?"

"Maybe for some, but you two? I've seen the way you look at each other whenever you bring her around here. She's no better than you for having her head in the clouds, and you're hopeless! Look at yourself! Going all the way down to the city? Colin, you've got it bad, and don't try to tell me otherwise!"

He chuckled at her assessment, then leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Betty stretched up to receive his affection, a knowing smile still plastered on her face. That BethAnn girl had her neighbour on the hook, she figured. The thing was, she'd be as good for him as he seemed to be for her. After all the decades she and her husband had been together, Betty McMullen could still see the signs, and they were evident in Colin, too.

Heading down the gravel road towards the highway, Colin caught himself smiling and chuckling like a schoolkid over Betty's verdict. Maybe she was right, and he had become hopeless. More and more, his thoughts had strayed from what he was doing, and off to memories of the times spent together whenever BethAnn had come up to visit.

He fondly remembered the times that they'd made love, too, and those memories caused a stirring in his groin. The times she'd taken him in her mouth, and the sensuous delight of her lips on his manhood. He'd fully expected her to release him when he let her know that he was about to cum – but she hadn't. She'd taken his seed down her throat as happily as she had into her womb. He remembered the soft curves of her body, the smooth texture of her skin, and the wonderful swell of her breasts in his hands. There was the taste of her juices, too, and the lustful reactions he had from both their flavour and the pheromones that had assailed his nostrils. And then there was the silky heated moisture of her canal that captured and caressed him so fantastically, the euphoric convulsions he received whenever she climaxed, and that wonderful afterglow they shared, especially when they'd orgasmed together.

"Damn, I think Betty's right", he conceded to himself. "I do have it bad", then allowed another burst of happiness to course through him. "I mean, why else would a guy like me drive all that way, just to be stuck in a crowded city, if there wasn't someone like BethAnn waiting? Lord help me!"

The eighteen miles to the highway went by at their usual pace, with Colin exercising his usual restraint as the old truck manoeuvred down the gravel road. It was once he was on the highway's pavement that his foot betrayed his impatience. He had to consciously lift it whenever the speedometer read too high for the speed limit – and there were more of those instances than Colin wanted to count, or even admit to. But what he didn't need was to be delayed by a policeman, or worse, by being in an accident. He had a destination to attain, and a destiny to follow, both of which now became the centre of his consciousness.

The trip into the city consumed the better part of two hours, and with each mile he covered, keeping his anticipation in check became harder. Once in the city, though, finding the girls' apartment building became a totally confusing task. With the myriad of streets and roads to figure out, he wasted a good half hour struggling to understand the city's grid, a further fifteen minutes to get a grasp of the building numbering sequence, and what felt like a lifetime locating the apartment complex itself. As if all that wasn't frustrating enough, finding somewhere to park his truck became an exercise in logistics that was almost beyond him. But eventually, Colin overcame all the hurdles that had been thrown his way. All that was left to accomplish would be finding the apartment that BethAnn shared with her best friend, Brianna Halton.

Brianna sat in the old wingback chair that resided by the bay window of the little apartment that she shared with BethAnn Walls, her college roommate. Surrounded by books that lay all over an old TV table, she was busy going through the textbooks, making notes on a legal notepad as she did.

"I'm never going to get through all this", she muttered to herself. "Who'd have thought there was this much about the psychology of urban dwelling?"

Absent-mindedly reaching across the little table in front of her, she picked up one of the remaining chocolates that called insistently from the small cardboard box, gave it a delicious lick, then bit into the creme centre. For a few seconds, her concentration broke, and she savoured the hazelnut flavour as though it were a decadent nibble of something exotic. Well, her version of exotic, for Brianna had never been fortunate enough to taste anything that would qualify. On the limited budget of a college student, it would be a long, long time before she did, too.

"This isn't going to get that report done, Brianna", she reminded herself aloud, before forcing her mind to return to what she'd been doing.

Now engrossed in a particularly interesting series of paragraphs, Brianna completely missed the sounds of light tapping on the apartment door. When it came again, a little louder this time, she almost jumped in reaction to the intrusion.

"Dammit, BethAnn!" she mumbled to herself again. "You're going to have to start remembering your key!"

Slowly unfolding her legs, which threatened to fall asleep, she swung them down to the floor, only to find that her muscles had gone soggy, and her feet tingled with the sensation of pins and needles as the feeling in them began to return.

There was another knock on the door, louder and more insistent this time, accompanied by a burst of her upset at being interrupted.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she hollered, inwardly composing a suitable tirade for her forgetful roommate's ears.

"It's not my fault that you can't remember your... ", she yelled at the door, while turning the deadbolt's thumb latch, then grabbing the doorknob to open the door.

But when she looked out into the hall, it wasn't BethAnn at all. Instead, her eyes took in the form of a muscular man in his late twenties. He stood over six feet, was dressed in denim jeans and a red checkered flannel shirt, a light, tan-coloured leather jacket over it, and a pair of leather hiking boots that looked all shiny and new. But it was the expression on his face that immediately grabbed her attention, with its goofy grin and warm, sparkling eyes.

"Colin Blackthorn", she identified the stranger, her tone like an insult. "What the hell are you doing in town?", she demanded.

"Umm, is BethAnn home?", he quietly enquired.

"She's supposed to be over at the library, but I'm expecting her back any moment now. Does she know you're here?"

"Obviously not, if she isn't home", he answered her in as warm a voice as he could muster. "I thought I'd surprise her."

"You'll do that to her, that's for sure! Come on in, take your coat off, and make yourself homely", she reached out to pull him inside, closing the door behind her.

Colin stood in the entranceway, not quite sure how to take his hostess' ambivalent attitudes. After all, there'd been no exchanges between the two since she'd left the homestead, back in November, and it had been over four months since they'd been in the same room together. His worry must have been obvious, because Brianna picked up on it right away.

"I thought we'd patched things up before I left your place", she spoke softly to him, while gazing up to look in his eyes.

"Things happened between BethAnn and me", he gave his excuse.

"So I heard. She's still ten feet off the ground, you know. What the hell did you do to ... never mind. I don't want to know."

"It looks like I interrupted something", he consciously changed the subject. "I can come back later, if you want."

"I'm overdue for a break anyway", she left her earlier question alone. "Can I get you something? There's beer in the fridge, I think, or I could make coffee."

"Coffee sounds great", he accepted, then remembered the difference in flavour between what was usually brewed in one of those electric machines and the stuff he normally drank. "I don't suppose you have a real percolator, do you? All those machines do is make coloured water."

"This is the big city. We're used to going to Starbuck's or Tim Horton's, not boiling half a gallon of water for one lousy cup of coffee", she reminded him, but the memory of the strong brew he'd served came back, and she realized that she'd missed his concoction. "But you're right about the machines. Maybe I should invest in a coffee pot?"

"How about a small saucepan, and I'll boil some real coffee for you," he offered.

"Here, let me dig one out, then I'll get the hell out of your way. I could use a real coffee, as you put it", Brianna offered, and rattled around in the drawer under the stove, retrieving something she thought he could use.

"You do know how to use an electric stove, don't you?" she teased him. "We don't use wood around here", returning her thoughts to the last days they'd spent on the homestead.

"I'm not a complete hick, Brie", he lightly reprimanded her. "I've lived in a city before. Spent almost a year in Allendale, before I moved back in with Dad."

"Allendale? That's not a city, it's a crossroads", she hinted at his being naive, yet didn't want to alienate him completely.

"It was big enough for a country boy like me", he let her know, doing his best to keep the atmosphere between them light and amiable.

"And now you're going to tell me that you're ready for a place like Callaway? Somehow, I have a hard time believing that", her voice seemed to offer him no place of refuge in a city of over a million people.

"I'll never get used to a town this size", he confessed. "Too many people for this guy. How the heck do you stand it?"

"We manage", she made her excuse, including BethAnn in that population. "Coffee's in that cupboard above your head", she avoided any further discussion about the differences between what he was used to and what she took for granted.

Leaving Colin to his own devices, Brianna returned to the little sitting room that served as the centre of their living quarters, doing what she could to squelch her growing curiosity over why he was there. As she took up her seat again, there was the sound of a key being inserted into the lock of the front door, followed immediately by a keychain falling onto the hall floor.

"Brie!" an upset female voice called out in frustration. "Give me a hand, would you? My arms are about ready to fall off!"

Slowly standing again, then making her way to the door, Brianna wondered whether her roommate was expecting their company, or if she even knew that he was in town.

"Keep your panties on!" she called out to her roommate. "I'm coming!"

Brianna opened the door, greeted by a look of frustrated upset from her roommate, and what looked like half the college's library.

"Did you leave any behind?", she facetiously asked of the mass of literature that BethAnn had brought home.

"Not now, Brie", BethAnn gave her a friendly warning. "I've got underpants creeping up my butt, and all I want to do is get them off. I think I really need to go shopping for clothes soon."

BethAnn hurried into the room, put the books down on the coffee table, then started to undo her pants in preparation of repositioning the offending garment.

"Might want to go into your room to do that", Brianna strongly suggested. "We have company."

"We do?" BethAnn couldn't believe her ears, for the number of visitors they'd had over the school year could be counted on one hand, with fingers left over. "Who? Where are they?"

"In the kitchen", she was informed. "Why don't you go in and say, 'Hi'?"

BethAnn hurried into the little space that served as their kitchen, her curiosity screaming for satiation, then froze in stunned recognition of their visitor.

"Colin!" she squealed in elated happiness, and a thrill coursed through her entire being from his presence. "Gawd, it's good to see you! But what brought you to town? You should have called me!"

"Can I go through all those one at a time?", he grinned from ear to ear as she rushed to his waiting arms, hugging him tightly. Unlike the reception between him and Brianna, though, his hug was just as strong and possessive as hers.

"I missed you", he started to explain, "and as it's Spring break-up at the moment, it was a good excuse to come down and see you until the ground dries out. With all that mud, it's almost impossible to go out into the meadows without making one hell of a mess. As for why I didn't call? I found the tin cans, but I'm a little short on string. I don't have a phone. Remember? There's no service by my place anyway, so there's no sense getting one. Besides, who the heck would I call?"

"Me?", she suggested hopefully.

"True, he conceded, "but until they put up a tower, I guess we'll just have to rely on surprise visits to each other. Except that it's always been you that has to drive up. I figured that this time, it should be me that drove down instead."

"So how long can you stay?", her pleading voice asked, and the tone suggested that something in the order of months wouldn't be long enough.

"It'll be a good week or more before the ground dries out enough to walk on. Think you can stand me that long?", he asked, hoping for an affirmative reply.

"Piece of cake!" her enthusiasm bubbled out. "Where are you staying? Have you got a room or something?", she pried into his plans.

"Haven't got that far yet. It took me half the day just to find this place. Is there somewhere close by where I could rent a room?", he admitted his poor planning.

"There's a perfectly good sofa right here in our living room", Brianna answered him without a hint that he wouldn't be welcome.

"I can't impose on you like that, Brie", he offered her as an escape.

"Why not? I did, when we were at your place last Fall. You took us in, put us up, and saved my stupid ass in the process. Now it's our turn." Her insistence that he stay with them closed the subject.

"Are you saying, now that I'm in the city, that it's my ass that needs saving?", he chuckled for both their benefit.

"If you don't stay here", Brie tried to generate a warm tone of voice, "I won't see my roommate for the next week or so. Might just as well make sure I can keep an eye on you. Colin, I don't think you're going to have much of a choice in this. If I don't convince you, BethAnn just might rope and hog-tie you herself. Do you want a mere city girl to get the drop on you like that?"

"You're sure? I don't want to impose", he questioned her quick decision.

"If you don't stay here, BethAnn will spend all her time going in and out that damned door, and that would be an imposition – on any peace and quiet we might have around here. Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion that she'll be sleeping on that sofa herself, just as much as you will. Maybe you two should take her bed, so I don't have to listen to the sounds of footsteps running up and down the hall as well."

"Brianna!" BethAnn snapped back at her roommate. "I do have a modicum of restraint in me, you know!"