Chapter Three

      Mission accomplished.

       With a satisfied smile, Kate tacked down the last string of white lights along the roofline of the gazebo. When Quinn and Abby returned from their final premarital counseling session with Matthew Wilde, the pastor at Church of the Pines, they would discover the garden area transformed into a wonderland of fragrant blooms and twinkling lights.

       She scooted away from the edge of the roof, careful not to look at the ten-foot drop to the flagstone patio below. Kate didn’t particularly care for heights but decorating for the reception was a labor of love for her friends. And because stringing lights around the gazebo had been her idea to begin with, she didn’t think it was fair to ask someone else to put them up.

       Hammer tucked under her arm, Kate swung a foot onto the top rung of the ladder. A sudden commotion had her twisting around just in time to see Mulligan and Lady, Quinn and Abby’s dogs, race around the corner of the lodge. Both animals were linked together by the long rope clamped between their jaws. And they were heading in her direction.

       Kate swiftly calculated destination, speed and distance and threw herself back onto the roof. A split second later, Lady ducked under the ladder while Mulligan veered to the right. The rope went through the middle. It was Kate’s foot, however, that connected with the top of the ladder, which teetered back and forth before it hit the ground with an impressive crash.

       Leaving her stranded.

       Kate groaned. “Now what am I supposed to do?” she called down.

       The dogs, who circled back to survey the damage, looked at each other. Kate was pretty sure she saw them shrug.

       She rose cautiously to her feet and looked around. There was no sign of Abby’s guests taking a leisurely walk by the lake. Kate checked the pockets of her cargo shorts before remembering that she’d left her cell phone in a safe place—on the wicker table in the gazebo.

       Maybe she could jump. It didn’t look that far down.

       She peeked over the edge and swallowed hard.

       It was that far down.

       There was only one thing to do. Pray for a quick rescue by a good Samaritan—or that Abby and Quinn would return sooner than expected.

       “Either one, Lord,” she murmured. “I’m flexible.”

       At least she didn’t have to worry about Alex discovering her in this predicament. Abby had mentioned that her brother had made plans to meet with Jeff Gaines, a local developer and kindred millionaire, and wouldn’t be back until later that night.

       Another twenty minutes crawled by. The setting sun melted into the trees, but Kate couldn’t even appreciate the way it turned the lake to liquid gold. She was too busy fending off the swarm of mosquitoes that had found an easy target.

       Just when Kate was contemplating how soft a landing the bed of hydrangeas would provide, Lady launched to her feet and shot down the path, releasing a chain of sharp little barks. A canine SOS.

       Kate’s relief turned to dismay when she heard the low rumble of a masculine voice. A familiar masculine voice.

       She wondered if it was too late to add an addendum to her earlier prayer. Because Alex Porter was the last person she wanted to come to her rescue.

       Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw two furry missiles hurtling toward him. One was Mulligan, the walking carpet that Abby insisted on calling a dog; the other a buff-colored cocker spaniel he assumed belonged to Quinn. Both animals performed figure eights around his feet, voices raised in a duet that threatened to pierce his eardrums.

       Alex winced. “That’s enough, you two. Time to go inside. You’re disturbing the peace.” More specifically, his peace.

       As he bent down to take hold of Lady’s collar, the dog danced out of reach and trotted up the path. Every few feet she would stop, glance over her shoulder and bark. Between each little yip, Mulligan interjected a mournful howl of his own.

      “Quiet!”

       In the split second of silence that followed Alex’s command, he thought he heard something that sounded suspiciously like a…groan.

       Frowning, Alex strode down the narrow flagstone path that wove through the gardens and opened into a spacious patio area. There was no one there. But next to the old-fashioned gazebo, he spotted a ladder lying on its side and a rope tangled around one of the legs.

       “I get it.” Alex shook his head. “Okay, now that we’ve returned to the scene of the crime, which one of you knocked it over?”

       Mulligan barked twice. And looked up.

       Before he realized what he was doing, Alex did, too.

       He blinked, wondering if the evening shadows were playing tricks on him. But no…it was her. The very woman who’d been plaguing his thoughts for the past twenty-four hours was perched on the roof of the gazebo.

       “What,” Alex said, “are you doing up there?”

       “Waiting for a helicopter,” Kate said promptly.

       “Landing might be a bit of a challenge.” A smile rustled at the corner of Alex’s lips as he went to pick up the ladder. “In the meantime, would you like some help?”

       Absolute silence greeted the question.

       Alex realized that Kate was actually thinking about it. Instead of being offended, he was overcome with a sudden urge to laugh.

       “All right.” She stood up and inched her way over to the edge of the roof while Alex repositioned the ladder next to the gazebo. As Kate scampered down, he reached out and took hold of her arm in an attempt to steady her. The contact with her bare skin created a jolt of awareness that made Alex feel as if he’d been branded.

       He released her immediately and Kate stumbled back. “Thank you,” she muttered.

       Noticing the flush on her cheeks, Alex frowned. “How long were you up there?”

       “Thirteen.”

       “Minutes?”

       “No. Mosquito bites.” Kate scratched behind her ear and sighed. “Make that fourteen.”

       Alex tamped down another smile. “Now are you going to tell me what you were doing up there?”

       “I’ll show you instead.” Kate disappeared into the gazebo and dozens of white lights illuminated the entire structure. She popped back up