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taking me?” he asked curtly.

    “To your room.” Eli took him up the main staircase that led to the second and third floors. Will was so bowled over by his audacity and need to control that all he could do was follow. “I’ve taken the liberty of having your luggage taken from your car and placed in one of my guest rooms. Dinner is at seven. Lunch is on your own, and if you would care to have breakfast with me, I eat at 6:00 a.m.”

    As they reached the second-floor landing, Will pulled away from him. “I don’t want to stay here,” he said. “I don’t want to cause trouble for you. I’m gay, and you’re a very respectable man in a small town. What will your neighbors think of us staying here together?” He was hoping to appeal to his morals or maybe his need to maintain a good reputation. “I can stay at the bed and breakfast by the airport, and I give you my word I will not to leave before the thirty-first.” He was pleading and he knew it, but his options were running thin. “I will check in with you daily, I promise.” Will had to get out of here. One month with him and his Katrina-hating brother… how was he to get through without saying the wrong thing? Will had a sharp tongue, and when provoked would let loose comments that were rarely helpful.

    Elijah started to laugh. It was a low, thunderous sound. “Your virtue, my dear, is safe with me. And personally, I don’t concern myself with what my neighbors think.”

    Will stiffened at Eli’s remark. He didn’t for a second think that Eli would want anything to do with him in that sense. He wasn’t the kind of guy that men went crazy over, but to have him state it so clearly and cruelly was a little painful. It cut him deeper than he had expected.

    “I wasn’t implying that anything would happen,” he bit out. “But it is obvious that people around here don’t need to necessarily know the truth in order to make up their minds about the reputations of others. I’d hate to have the townsfolk burning me at the stake for my sexual proclivities.”

    Eli listened, but made no comment on his statement. “Come,” he said as he took Will’s arm and guided him down the hallway.

    He left him in one of the bedrooms and told Will he would collect him in about an hour for dinner. Will knew that he was trapped, for a while anyway. His discomfort over staying waned a little when he took in the splendor of the room he had been given. This bedroom, like everything else in this house, was stunning. The bed looked to be antique, large, and comfy. It had a down comforter and nearly a million pillows. The room also had its own private bathroom. There was a large enamel-inlay desk, a wardrobe, a sofa, a chair, and it just went on and on. Will took his one suitcase and arranged a few of his things. He wasn’t planning on staying long, if at all, so there was no need to unpack.

Chapter Two

    Will washed up and changed into a pair of jeans and a white shirt with a cardigan. He wasn’t sure how they dressed for dinner here, but this would have to do. He hadn’t packed much because he hadn’t planned on staying long. Two days, that’s all, long enough to either be successful or to fail miserably. He never considered that he would be staying here at the Hunter ranch. Although Eli stated that he would strive to make Will’s stay a comfortable one, Will knew better. Elijah was keeping him for a reason, and it was likely that his stay would be anything but comfortable. He was here to pay a price for whatever Katrina had done, and she was gone, but here he was, left to clean up Katrina’s mess once again.

    “I have only myself to blame,” he said out loud. I didn’t have to come here. I could have ignored Katrina . His gut had told him to stay home right up to the point of entering the property. He knew all along he was making a huge mistake, but he proceeded anyway. Will considered this a little further and then conceded that, although he would have had