All the same, she was tempted to sneak into Garrett’s office and try the key in his file cabinet. But that could turn out to be a bad idea. The receptionist was liable to see her and ask questions. And she had no way of knowing when Garrett might walk in.

If Garrett had taken Burke’s key and searched the file cabinet, the loan application would be gone by now. But what if he hadn’t found it? What if it was someplace else—like the desk?

Not much chance of that. But as long as she was here, it wouldn’t hurt to cover all the bases.

Spurred by a flicker of hope, she began rummaging through the desk drawers, lifting out binders, envelopes, and trade magazines and returning them to their places. If Burke had been working late nights on the application, he might have been too tired to lock the documents in the file cabinet. But the faint hope grew fainter as she searched. It wasn’t here, she told herself. She was wasting her time.

One drawer to go. Then she would get up, leave, and try to make new plans on the way back to the hospital.

A large, softcover office-supply catalog took up most of the space in the bottom drawer. Allison picked it up and saw something tucked between the pages. Her pulse galloped as she opened the catalog and found what she was looking for—the ten-page application and supporting financial statements protected by a manila folder.

Most banks might have put their loan applications on line. But Burke’s bank was as traditional as he was. Everything had to be filled in and submitted on paper.

She’d planned to take the folder and leave the hefty catalog behind. But just then she heard Garrett’s voice outside the door, speaking to the receptionist. Hastily, she thrust the folder between the pages and, with the catalog under her arm, stepped out of Burke’s office, and closed the door behind her.

Garrett replaced his startled look with a smile. “Hello, Allison. What are you doing here? Have you decided to accept my offer? And what are you doing with that catalog?”

Her smile was almost as fake as his. “The jury’s still out on your offer. As for the catalog, Burke will be working out of the house for a while. I’m hoping some updated furnishings and supplies will make it easier for him.”

“You can find all that stuff online,” Garrett said.

“I know.” The fiction was necessary. “But Burke’s hospital room isn’t set up for online shopping. With the catalog, I can browse while I keep him company and get his take on what to choose. Don’t worry, I’ll bring the catalog back in a few days.”