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right?”
    “Afraid so, sorry. Do you have program disks to reinstall?”
    “Somewhere.”
    “What will you do? New computer or put in another hard drive?”
    “Any suggestions?”
    “Well, if you’d like, we could install a new hard drive, increase your memory and speed, not difficult.”
    “You said we.”
    “How about I get the hardware and bring it over? While you make dinner, I can get it up and running again. That is if that’s what you want to do?”
    While he was talking her mind flitted through her cupboards, freezer and refrigerator. What could shemake? Or she could go pick up a barbequed chicken at the market, bake potatoes in the microwave and make a salad. A loaf of sourdough bread from the bakery would be perfect.
    “Good. And thanks in advance.”
    “You are most welcome. Give me some information on your computer and I’ll be on my way.”
    Blythe hung up, torn between delight at seeing him again and so soon, and despair at what she’d lost. If only they could retrieve that file. If only she had saved to the CD when she stopped for lunch. If only the hours went by more slowly. And here she’d been thrilled to be as far along as she was. Was being the operative word. She glanced around the office. No time to clean that up but then a clean office was the sign of a sick mind, another sign on the wall said so and she totally believed it. Until someone else was coming into her office.
    She moved the backup disks of the files she’d been working on over to the other computer and booted it up. While he worked on one, she could be working on the other. It was just slower than a weary snail.
    Harley moved, too, laying down with his chin on her foot, his normal place during the working day, if there were no sunspots to bake in. Blythe leaned down to pet him.
    “Sorry, buddy but there won’t be any playing today.” She leaned her head toward one shoulder, let it stretch, and then to the other, trying to pull the tension from her shoulders.
    Why, oh, why didn’t I save that file? I know better. She glared at the dead box on her other table. Should havetaken a baseball bat to it just for the pure joy of it. And how was she to fix a company dinner on top of this?
    “Come on, Harley, we’re going to the store.” If the man thought he might get home cooking, he would be in for a surprise. I wish I knew if he is in a relationship. You never can be too sure these days.

CHAPTER FIVE
    T hane caught himself whistling as he opened the car door for Matty.
    How long since he’d whistled? Something that used to be part of his daily life. When had it gone away? How surprising that he’d noticed. Something was in the air, that was for sure.
    He slammed the rear door of his SUV and opened the driver’s side. “I think, dear Matty, that I have found the woman of my dreams.” He glanced over his shoulder to see his hound sitting on the seat just behind the passenger seat. “I thought I put you in the back.” Her ears went down and her tail stopped. “Oh, all right. Sit there. But don’t you bark when I go in the store.” Her tan polka-dotted front feet danced on the leather seat and she gave him an adoring look, before shifting to watch out the window.
    Purchasing the needed computer supplies took less time than he’d thought it would, so when he followed the instructions of his GPS, and knocked at Blythe’s door, noone answered. If she was so hot to finish her work, where had she gone? Obviously she’d not taken Harley—his deep woof from the other side of the locked door announced that. Thane turned and stared around the neighborhood, a mishmash of cottages, some redone, others deteriorating but in a genteel manner. What had once been a working class neighborhood now showed traces of yuppie invasion.
    “If you’re Thane, she went to the store,” a woman two doors down called.
    And if I’m not Thane, did she not go to the store? Were there other neighbors spying as well? No one was peeking out of