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inviting. He’d made it his business to covertly observe her while she exercised by the pond, knowing all her naughty parts would be in full motion.
    He also loved the fact that she was very astute at household maintenance, which further reduced their need for direct communication and allowed him to admire her figure from a distance without the complications of conversation. It was a nice change since Richard had been daft when it came to repairs and had kept him busier than sin with the old house.
    Luca would often catch his tenant on her free evenings setting up an easel or sketching on a giant pad at random places on the large property, always with a glass of red wine to keep her company. She seemed to favor the pond most. Although he’d only seen her artistic creations from a distance, he was impressed at how good she was. The air of serenity she gave off during those moments did something to Luca’s soul to the point of tempting him to join her at times. But Luca knew firsthand that serenity could be a bitch to come by and he purposely willed himself not to disturb her solitude. The pond was where he expected to find her now and hoped like hell he would reach Chino before the horse could stir up trouble.
    Just as he was about to broach the bank leading down to the pond, he spotted Chino. “Come here, boy,” he whispered loud enough for the horse’s ears only. To his surprise, the horse stopped dead in its tracks. As Luca drew closer, he realized the animal hadn’t acknowledged its owner at all. Something by the pond had captured the stallion’s attention.
    Luca quietly came to stand beside the animal, curious to see what had captured the beast’s attention. Sitting in the green clearing, with her arms secured snuggly around her knees and her head tucked close to her body, was his formidable neighbor. At first, Luca thought she was praying. But then her sobs reached his ears, sobs so powerful they racked her whole body. Her sudden vulnerability triggered an unexpected twisting in his gut. She looked so lost and alone. He had never seen her like this and couldn’t help but wonder what had her so torn up.
    To his dismay, Luca felt his face flush from his rising anger toward whatever, or whoever, had brought this on. He’d never considered himself to be a compassionate man, but he was suddenly overwhelmed with sympathy for the vixen in front of him. These newfound feelings put him at a crossroads. For the first time in his life, he felt the urge to step outside his boundaries of selfishness and take on the problems of another human being outside his family. But the selfish person he’d always been chided that it wasn't his problem and encouraged him to walk away.
    Torn, he continued to watch the tortured woman in silence from where he stood, his rage growing with every involuntary vibration of her delicate shoulders. Eventually, his desire to respect her privacy overruled all empathy.
    “Come on, boy,” he whispered to Chino before gently grasping the horse's reins. “Let’s give the lady some privacy, shall we?” Turning the animal in the direction of the barn, Luca noiselessly guided him away.

Chapter 3
    The second week of September was unusually warm in Maine. Business was slow at the sleep lab, and tonight they were only expecting three patients instead of the usual four. Good thing because Sheila was running late, having received a call from her parents just as she was about to head out the door for work.
    Leave it to her image–driven mother to make her feel like the world’s most prominent underachiever with the stroke of a few words. It hurt like a son–of–a–gun that her parents always insisted on finding blame in her decisions rather than attempting to get to the heart of her actions or accepting her for who she was. Once again, she’d been bombarded with questions about her sudden departure from Atlanta and what they both considered to be an utterly uncouth exchange of “an ideal suitor