Nightwalker by Unknown Page A

quite sure you want to stay
    here, I can only say thanks. It was the money from the one month's rental
    that sent Dad and Mom to Hawaii! Never seen them so excited."
    "I'm glad." Cassie smiled with genuine pleasure. "Are your parents
    retired?"
    "Yes, Dad was in the lumber business. I've taken over during the past
    few years and it calls for a fair amount of traveling. Sometimes I think
    about big-city life but in general I like the coast best, I think."
    "It's beautiful in this part of the state," Cassie agreed fervently. "Isolated
    and wild-feeling. That's one of the reasons I'm here. I needed a quiet place
    to explore myself."
    "Explore yourself?" Reed looked a little blank.
    "I'm going to do some painting and writing while I'm here," Cassie
    explained.
    "She's not happy doing what she does best, you see," Justin drawled.
    "Don't listen to him," Cassie retorted. "He is a…er, friend of my sister's."
    "Not any longer," Justin corrected smoothly.
    "No, not any longer," Cassie agreed with a ruthless glance at Justin's
    implacable face. "Now he's just being difficult to the other half of the
    family."
    "I'm afraid I don't understand," Reed said uneasily, clearly wishing he
    could escape whatever war he'd accidentally walked into.
    "Never mind," Cassie said briskly. "As I said, Justin will be leaving as
    soon as possible."
    "I wouldn't count on Justin doing anything he's told," the black-haired
    man in the doorway murmured. "However, he will go and start lunch. It's
    almost noon." With a pointed glance at his watch, Justin turned and
    disappeared from the doorway.
    Reed stared after him, looking perplexed. Then he smiled in an
    embarrassed fashion at Cassie. "Sorry if I got in the middle of a fight or
    something," he mumbled apologetically.
    "It's not your fault," Cassie assured him. "He's a difficult man under the
    best of circumstances."
    "You two aren't…that is, are you, well, together?" Reed asked weakly.
    "Definitely not!" Cassie's brows came together in a severe frown.
    "Oh. I see." Clearly he didn't. "Well, I guess I ought to be on my way. I
    wouldn't want to ruin lunch for you."
    "I apologize for Justin's behavior." Cassie smiled. "As I said, he'll be
    leaving soon. Forget him."
    "Sure. Well, so long. Are you certain you don't need anything? I could
    probably get one of the women in town to come up and do some cleaning
    or something."
    "No, I'll be fine. I like the atmosphere, you see."
    "Atmosphere?"
    "Such a pleasant change from the humdrum routine of the stock
    market." She indicated the pile of books she had unpacked the previous
    evening. "I'm going to be studying something totally new while I'm here."
    With a trace of uncertainty Reed walked over to the stack of books and
    picked up a few. " The Right Half of the Brain and How it Affects
    Creativity; The Zen Approach to Painting; A Yoga Guide to Releasing
    Creativity; The Natural Writing Method; Poetry from the Heart in Ten
    Easy Lessons; Exercises to Release Your Inner Creative Forces ." Carefully
    Reed replaced the books. "Uh, an interesting collection." He appeared
    more uneasy than ever, Cassie decided wryly. Probably not a creative type.
    "It's garbage," Justin said from the doorway where he had reappeared
    carrying a plate of sandwiches.
    "It is not garbage!" Cassie yelped, incensed. "Just because you don't
    appreciate the new thinking about the secrets of creativity, that's no
    reason to call it garbage!"
    "Here, eat your sandwich." Justin shoved the plate into her hands and
    then glared at Reed, who got the message immediately.
    "I was just on my way. Don't worry, I'll see myself out!" He made his exit
    hastily. A moment later the front door slammed and a car started up in
    the drive.
    Justin sat down calmly in a chair across from an infuriated Cassie and
    began to eat the cheese sandwich he had made. The black cat, still on
    Cassie's lap, finally opened his eyes and examined the sandwich she held.
    She fed him a piece because she was a little afraid not