Cady stood up and scampered up the embankment just as a torrent of rain poured from the heavens. The wind kicked up, shrieking through the trees. She shivered. It had to be an omen of some kind.

Inside the car, Boomer looked at Cady. They burst out laughing. “You know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men. Maybe we weren’t meant to do this reenactment,” Cady said in a jittery voice. “I don’t think this is one of those light spring showers either, do you?”

“Nope. We’ll have to reschedule,” Boomer said. “We might as well wait for the others to get here. Maybe we could all go to dinner or something.”

“Now, that sounds like a good idea. All of us together for a nice social evening.“

“What’s your feeling about spending the night with the police chief?” Boomer asked.

“Could you be a little more specific?” Cady said lightly, as her heart slammed against her rib cage.

“This, that, the other thing.” His face turned apple red. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well…I…what I mean is…you…me…”

“As in together, sort of like a couple?” Cady prompted.

“Yeah, yeah, like that.”

“And…?”

Boomer mopped at his perspiring forehead in the steamy car. “Bed,” he managed to say in a strangled voice.

“Bed. Is that what you said, bed? Beds are good. I have one at the house. I sleep in it,” she teased, enjoying her sudden power. “Spell it out.”

Boomer rattled something that was barely distinguishable. Cady frowned.

“Let me see if I have this right just so there’s no misunderstanding later on. You want me to go back to your apartment where you have a bed. We are going to get nakid and do all kinds of wild, crazy, wonderful things, and you have a can of lick-off chocolate paint the guys gave you when you left your last job that you never used and it’s flavored with almond. You want me to lick it off you or are you going to lick it off me? Then we will mess up your bed and do some more of those wild, wonderful, crazy things. Did I get that right?”

Boomer managed to look indignant and embarrassed at the same time. “I don’t think I said it quite like that, but yeah, that’s the drill. I guess you want to go home now, huh?”

“Boomer Ward, you are onnnn,” Cady cried.

Boomer’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“I guess we should scratch dinner with the others, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” Boomer responded in a strangled voice, suddenly looking a little nervous. Cady buried her head in his shoulder so he wouldn’t see her ear-to-ear smile.

At ten minutes of five, Andy Hollister waved good-bye to his secretary. “See you in the morning.” He hoped it was true and he would be in shape to open the office in the morning.

His idea was to swing by his sister’s house and offer her a ride to the pond. Hopefully, he could convince her at this, the eleventh hour, that it was the wise and right thing to do. Amy was stubborn, though, so he wasn’t really counting on her to accompany him. Hell, knowing Amy, she was liable to kick his ass all the way to the pond, and he wouldn’t have to worry about driving the distance.