In The Stranger's Arms. Pamela Toth

bemused gaze shifted back and forth between them as though she were watching a tennis match on the telly, as she called it.

      Wade narrowed his gaze. “My only connection to that slimy scum-sucking weasel, Wallingford, is that after he took my deposit money and then broke the lease I had with him, he said you might have a vacancy over your garage.”

      “What a wonderful idea,” Dolly exclaimed, clapping her hands. “That apartment has just been sitting empty.”

      “I’ll take it,” he replied, smoothing his hand over his close-cropped hair. “It’s been a long day and I’m so dam—darned tired that I’m about to pass out.”

      “You poor man,” Dolly exclaimed with an imploring glance at Pauline. “We just have to let him stay.”

      His fatigue was obvious and his situation unfortunate, but Pauline had no choice but to turn him down.

      “A tree limb fell on the garage roof during the storm last night,” she explained. “The apartment has a lot of water damage from the rain, especially the bathroom.”

      “How long will the repairs take?” he persisted.

      The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver of reaction through Pauline, like some low-level jolt of electricity. Ever since he had first climbed out of his car, she had been trying to ignore the tug of attraction. If Dolly sensed it, she would hound them both.

      “Steve hasn’t given me a schedule yet.” Pauline wished Wade would give up and go away so she could breathe normally.

      “Ah, him again.” Wade included Dolly in his half-hearted grin. “Wallingford warned me that every motel in town would be full because of some festival this weekend. Any suggestions of somewhere I could find a bed for tonight?”

      None Pauline was about to voice out loud.

      “Why don’t you rent him a room in the house?” Dolly suggested. “The master suite is empty.”

      “I’ll take anything,” Wade said quickly. “And I’ll be happy to provide references if you’d like.”

      “Oh, that’s not necessary,” Dolly replied breezily. “We know you’re trustworthy.”

      And we know that how? Pauline wondered. Just because he’d picked up a few oranges and hadn’t kept one for himself? “I don’t think—” she protested.

      “And you should give him a discount for that awful bedroom wallpaper,” Dolly added firmly. “It’s enough to give a monk nightmares.”

      Pauline liked the old-fashioned floral print, and Mr. Garrett didn’t look like any monk she’d ever seen, but Dolly was on a roll.

      “The suite does have a private bathroom with a claw-foot tub,” she told Wade, “and a nice little sitting area that gets the morning sun. There’s even a lovely desk and a matching chair, should you need a place to work.”

      “Sounds perfect.” He looked at Pauline expectantly. “I’ll risk the wallpaper. How much would you like up front?”

      “I can’t rent you the room,” Pauline said firmly. “I’m sorry, but I don’t take male boarders.”

      “You’re kidding!” His smile disappeared abruptly. Without it, his thoughts were hard to guess, hidden behind his laser-sharp gaze. What if he was a lawyer contemplating a sexual discrimination case against her?

      “Oh, Pauline, surely we owe him something,” Dolly chided in her best retired-teachers tone. “You could bend the rules this once.”

      * * *

      “Rules?” Wade echoed as suspicions began to form in his overtired brain.

      Wow, he had to hand it to old Mrs. Langley, who had fooled him completely. Despite her glasses, she must have the vision of an eagle to have spotted his California plates and dropped her grocery bag before he’d driven past her. Who would have thought the narrow, bumpy side street along the top of the bluff would be such a fertile hunting ground for desperate tourists in search of lodgings and con artists in search of victims?

      Her granddaughter, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as good an actress. Her intentions were obvious—to express initial reluctance in order to wring as much rent money from him as possible.

      He was about to ask whether Wallingford was also in on their scheme when a huge yawn overtook him. He swayed on his feet. By the time he’d managed to clamp his jaw shut, he realized that he didn’t care what the room cost or how ugly its wallpaper was. If he didn’t get horizontal soon, he’d fall asleep where he stood.

      “But you’ll make an exception for me, right?” He took out his wallet. “How much?”

      Was that annoyance pleating her brow as she pushed her dark-blond hair off her forehead? Had he given in too quickly and ruined their little game?

      “I’m sorry, but it wouldn’t be fair to my other boarders,” she insisted, spreading her hands wide like a supplicant pleading for understanding. “They don’t expect to run into a half-dressed male in the upstairs hallway on their way down to breakfast.”

      “Which boarders might that be?” Dolly demanded, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Not that tarted-up divorcée who’ll be renting the Rose Room. And not me. That only leaves you to be affected by half-naked men, my dear.” She parked her balled fists on her skinny hips. “Get over it.”

      Despite his exhaustion, Wade was amused—and rather touched—that she would champion him. Perhaps he had misinterpreted the situation entirely.

      “What if I promise to keep my clothes on when I’m not in my room?” he asked, only half joking.

      “It’s not that,” Pauline replied, ignoring his attempt at humor. “This is a small town.”

      He gaped at her. “And how is that a problem?”

      “You probably won’t understand.” Her fair complexion had turned rosy with color. “It just so happens that I’m running for city council, and the locals tend to be pretty conservative—except for the shed people, of course, and the summer crowd that does whatever it wants and then leaves again.”

      Shed people? He was beginning to feel as though he had crossed more than a state border when he’d traversed the bridge over the Columbia River from Portland. Perhaps he had also wandered into some weird parallel universe.

      “Fiddlesticks, it’s not like the two of you will be staying alone in the house. I’ll chaperone you,” Mrs. Langley offered.

      “There you go, Miss Pauline.” Wade struggled to keep from shaking his head in disbelief. “Your good name will remain intact. Just tell me how much.”

      “It’s not the money,” she said.

      As Wade groped for a way to change her mind, his glance swept past her SUV—an older model—to the house with its steeply pitched roof and ornate detailing. The light-blue exterior and purple trim were faded. The gravel driveway, although neatly edged and free of weeds, was rutted and uneven. Even the leaded windows in the double garage doors had two cracked panes.

      It struck him that a place like this must need constant attention.

      Without warning, Mrs. Langley reached up abruptly and squeezed his upper arm with her cold, bony fingers.

      Struggling to smother yet another yawn, Wade nearly bit the tip off his tongue as his jaws snapped shut.

      “What the hell are you doing?” he yelped, jerking away from her clutches.

      “He’s got some muscle there,” she observed. “Perhaps we could put him to work.”

      Pauline was already shaking her head. “Never mind, Dolly. It’s not a good idea.”

      “Balderdash!” Mrs. Langley exclaimed. “If you’re worried, lock your