Guardian of the Night. Debra Webb

      Blue was at the front door again, unlocking it with trembling fingers. He heard her muttered curses as she tried twice to accomplish her task. Noah moved to the rear of the house where he would prepare before going inside for their first and only face-to-face meeting.

      No matter how efficient or attractive Miss Callahan was, he didn’t want her here.

      He didn’t need anyone else.

      And he definitely couldn’t risk losing control. Firm, relentless control was all that got him through each day.

      “I said, I want to see Mr. Drake.”

      The sound of Blue’s outrage carried through the house and was now directed at Lowell. She’d stormed into the kitchen and demanded to know where Noah was. Lowell, of course, had no idea.

      “I’m sorry, I’m not sure where he is at the moment.” He raised his empty palms, but even that seemingly nonchalant gesture didn’t hide his mounting concern. “When he heard the shots,” Lowell explained, “he rushed out. He hasn’t come back.”

      Blue’s furious expression didn’t change. “Does he keep any weapons on the premises?” She glared at Lowell, daring him to avoid the truth. “Say a high-powered rifle, maybe?”

      Noah smiled, amused once more by her fierce determination. So she thought he’d been the one doing the shooting to scare her off. Oh, he wanted rid of her right enough, but he wouldn’t go to that extreme.

      “What are you suggesting?” Lowell demanded, affronted. He was a loyal friend, even if Noah was loath to admit it.

      “I’m suggesting—”

      “Good evening, Miss Callahan,” Noah said as he strode into the kitchen before she took her interrogation tactics further. Blue Callahan didn’t give up easily. That had quickly become clear as he’d hesitated, listening, in the small hall that separated the kitchen from the screened porch.

      Startled, her intense glower shifted to him. She blinked rapidly as if caught off guard by what she saw. He had no idea what she’d expected.

      “The answer to your question is yes.” He moved across the room, stopping only when he was close enough to attempt to intimidate her with his presence. She was tall, but several inches shorter than he was. And he was stronger. Though he doubted he would garner much success at bullying her physically. She looked more than capable of holding her own. “I have several weapons at my disposal and you’re welcome to inspect them all. They are presently locked in a gun cabinet upstairs.”

      Blue wasn’t intimidated, startled maybe, but not afraid in the least. He almost smiled as respect bloomed inside him. She appraised him thoroughly, taking her sweet time. He tensed beneath that level of scrutiny. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been looked at so long and carefully by anyone, much less a woman.

      Now he was the one intimidated. It was almost laughable. But Noah wasn’t laughing.

      “Mr. Drake, I presume?” she said pointedly when at last she’d completed her visual examination. He didn’t miss the flicker of approval amidst the fury in those extraordinary eyes.

      He realized now why she was nicknamed Blue. The zoom and detail-distinction capabilities of his equipment weren’t quite good enough to provide the finer details. Her eyes were incredible. The most intense shade of blue he’d ever seen. He wondered if the hue would be as dark when she wasn’t quite so angry.

      “You might as well know up front that I don’t want you here,” he said in lieu of acknowledging his identity and forcing away the dangerous thoughts his mind insisted on conjuring. “Since it would be next to impossible to get a boat to take you back to the mainland at this time of the evening, you’re welcome to stay the night.” He pressed her with a look he felt certain spoke volumes about his irrevocable stand on the matter. “But first thing tomorrow morning you will leave this property.”

      She didn’t waver in the slightest. “It doesn’t matter that someone was shooting—”

      “At you,” he pointed out. “It could have been one of the locals who despises outlanders. Or an unscrupulous hunter who failed to consider where his stray shots might end up.”

      She rolled her eyes and shook her head, impatience radiating off her in waves. “Yeah, right. You know that isn’t the case. I know when I’m being shot at.”

      “Whatever the case,” he said without hesitation or further consideration. “Tomorrow morning you will leave. Goodnight, Maggie Callahan.” He strode across the room without looking at her. He didn’t need her here. The only thing he needed was to be left alone.

      “Don’t get your hopes up.”

      The sound of her defiance brought him up short.

      He turned around slowly, leveled his gaze on her extraordinary blue one. “What did you say?”

      Arms folded over her chest, she strolled up to him and looked him square in the eyes. “I said,” she repeated pointedly, “don’t get your hopes up. I have an assignment.”

      She poked him in the chest with her forefinger. He frowned, unaccustomed to human touch after all this time.

      “You’re that assignment. I have a problem with failure.” She smiled up at him, the gesture lacking humor but underscoring her determination perfectly. “Good night, Noah Drake.”

      She walked out of the room without a backward glance.