The workers packed up for the day, riding high on the surprise. And after Maggie took half an hour to herself examining every inch of the kitchen, she went upstairs, where Silas waited for her in the bedroom.

“You thinking about tackling the sitting room?” he asked neutrally.

She shook her head. “Jim let it slip that they finished my bathroom, too. I want a shower.” She stripped off her clothes and padded naked to the bathroom.

He followed her, barely noticing the white tile floors and the white marble counters atop natural wood vanities. The huge soaker tub was set just so in the enlarged window.

He put his hand on her forehead. “Are you feeling feverish?”

She gave him a slow, gut-punch of a grin and shook her head. “Nope. Are you?” She reached up and slapped her hand to his brow. “You feel kind of warm. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off.”

With that, she reached into the shower and turned on the water.

He returned to the bedroom and waited for her on the bed, wondering if giving Maggie Nichols time and space to think was the worst thing he could have done. But when she opened the door, fresh-faced and smiling, he forgot what it was he’d been worrying about.

She dropped the towel to the floor, and he forgot his own damn name.

Silas awoke sometime later, thoroughly confused as to the day and time. And what had rendered him unconscious. Then he remembered naked, wet-from-the-shower Maggie. Who, after rocking his world in the middle of the afternoon, had disappeared from bed.

He found her in conversation with Veronica, the plaster master—as she’d been dubbed by Jim’s crew—in the sitting room. The mess of soggy plaster and ruined carpet had been hauled out that morning shortly after Silas kidnapped her.

“Like I said, it’s a real good thing this happened when it did,” Veronica said to Maggie. “It made the plumber open the wall up there to check the old couplings, and he found another bad one. Would have been a whole lot worse.”

“I’m glad it played out this way,” Maggie agreed.

“Should have this patched and repainted in two days. Carpet guys are already scheduled for the day after that.”

“I appreciate it,” Maggie said.

“Forgot your shirt there, Sy?” Veronica smirked at him in the doorway.

He glanced down and realized he was wearing only shorts. Unzipped ones at that. He turned away from them and zipped his fly.

Veronica winked at him on her way out. “Looks like you had a nice afternoon.”

Maggie reached up to brush a hand over his hair. “You look exactly like you just had sex,” she observed.

“I did just have sex. Why did you leave?”

“I had a few things to catch up on, and you were so cute snoring—”

“I do not snore,” he said, offended.