Moon - New Moon Part 28

"Like when I took the clothing off the line?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"People just hang it out like that? In the open. Not behind a fence. They're not afraid anybody will take it?"

"Most people around here don't need to steal laundry, so there's no threat in leaving it out. Generally, it's not okay to steal. But when we're naked with no chance to get back to our own clothing, we don't have much choice."

She was still thinking through the whole situation. "And the houses are so far apart," she said. "With no guards."

"They might have a security system, an electronic device that lets the police know if someone's broken in."

"So we can't do it," she said.

Logan gave her a long look. He'd like to leave her where it was safe. He was sure she wouldn't agree. "Let's find out."

They started up the driveway, shoulder to shoulder, the rain turning their clothing soggy. Casting a sidewise glance at her, he noted how the soaked T-shirt was clinging to her skin. Of course, maybe the shirt was an advantage. If a guy was home, he'd focus on her b.o.o.bs, and Logan could coldc.o.c.k him.

They rounded a curve, and she caught her breath as she stared at the house. "It's a palace. Only a rich person could live here."

"It's not all that grand," he informed her, then shot her a speculative look. "How long had you been in this world before you found me in the trap?"

"I came a few times," she said defensively.

He didn't bother saying that she hadn't picked up a lot of information. But then, how would she-completely on her own?

He studied the setting. The house was on a wooded lot, and he couldn't see any nearby neighbors.

At the top of the hill, the driveway opened out into an empty parking area in front of a two-car garage.

He walked to the garage. There was one car inside, but the adjoining s.p.a.ce was empty. As he watched, a light blinked on in an interior room. He tensed, and Rinna jumped.

Ducking low, he hurried to the window and looked inside. A lamp had come on in what looked like a den, but n.o.body was in the room. Which suggested that the lamp was on an automatic timer.

But he didn't abandon caution, even when they were both starting to shiver from the cold and wet. Carefully he walked around the perimeter of the house, checking for signs of occupation. Finally, he approached the back door and began looking for a good place to hide a key. It was under a fake rock.

As he inserted it in the lock, Rinna came up beside him. "Why lock the door if anybody can get in?"

"They think n.o.body will find the key."

She snorted, then followed him inside.

After making sure the house was empty, he took Rinna upstairs and began looking for something to wear besides gym shorts and T-shirts. A man and a woman lived in the house. No children, which was a relief because the idea of a family walking in on what they thought was a burglary made his stomach knot.

Rummaging in closets and drawers, he found suitable clothing for both himself and Rinna. The women's shoes weren't even a bad fit for her.

She looked slightly dazed as he presented her with the booty, then led her to the bathroom.

He stroked his hand up her arm, feeling her cold skin. "You need a hot shower."

"You make the rain hot?"

"No. There's a shower stall in the bathroom. You don't have hot water in your houses?"

"Not unless you heat it over a fire."

He turned on the water, adjusted the temperature, and showed Rinna the soap and shampoo-and how to turn the water off again without getting burned.

As she stood looking at the modern marvel, he pictured himself stepping under the hot spray with her, heating her up in more ways than one. But he knew she wouldn't react the way he wanted, so he left her alone.

Probably she was thinking that he'd walk in on her because she was finished in record time, then scurried into the walk-in closet in the master bedroom to towel off and change into the knit top and pants he'd selected for her. He took his own quick shower. By the time he emerged, she'd gotten her hair almost dry with the towel.

Twenty minutes after they'd entered the house, they went back down to the kitchen, which he saw had been recently remodeled. The cabinets were of warm oak, and all the appliances were sleek stainless steel.

While he checked provisions in the pantry closet and the refrigerator, Rinna tiptoed across the ceramic tile floor, exclaiming over the equipment.

She tapped a toaster oven that looked like the one Haig had used, only it was plugged into the wall.

"This heats food?"

"Yes." He picked up a bag of bread from the counter, took out a slice, and put it on the rack. He pressed the on b.u.t.ton, and the elements heated-then toasted the bread.

Opening the door, he used a fork to pick up the bread, which he offered to her. "Careful, it's hot."

She took it gingerly, then nibbled at the edge. "Do your people like bread this way?"

"I guess it's an acquired taste." He opened the refrigerator, found the b.u.t.ter, and cut off a pat, which he spread on the toast.

She tried it again. "It's good now." She turned back to the refrigerator. "That keeps the b.u.t.ter cold?"

"Uh huh."

"How do they work? And the oven?"

"Don't ask me for a technical explanation." He gestured toward the range. "This is the main cooking appliance. It's connected to natural gas lines, and the refrigerator works by electricity."

He watched her look around uncertainly. Probably she expected the homeowners to come back at any moment. He was pretty sure they wouldn't.

"While you were in the shower, I found a calendar in the upstairs office. The people who live here aren't scheduled to come home for another three days."

"Good," she murmured. Of course, breaking and entering wasn't the only thing bothering him. He and Rinna had started a conversation they needed to finish. So he pulled a can of beef and vegetable soup from the pantry and a hunk of cheddar cheese from the refrigerator. He would have preferred a rare steak, but the soup and cheese would do.

While he worked on the simple meal, he tried to think of how to talk to her about the two of them. He might only have known her for a few days, but he knew she was his lifemate. And he wanted her to understand that they belonged together. But he suspected that she didn't see herself belonging to any man.

She watched him cut some chunks of cheese, then heat the soup in a saucepan.

"I should help you, but I'm afraid I'll break something."

"You can help wash up," he said as he carefully poured the soup. "If we clean up very well and put everything away where we found it, the owners might never know we were in here."