"I had a wonderful time," Kim said as they made their way to a small round corner table from the bar with their drinks in hand. It was too early for hard liquor, so Shane had chosen a beer while Kim had ordered a ginger ale.

It had been a wonderful afternoon, and both of them felt happier and more buoyant than they had felt in years, a byproduct of the enjoyable afternoon they had shared together. They had enjoyed lunch at a popular BBQ joint and then spent a few hours spent with Jeannie at the Aquarium. However, upon returning, Jeannie, with a sly smile, had made a swift exit on the pretext of helping Caroline in the kitchen.

"So did I," Shane agreed. He set down his glass and pulled out the chair for Kim, then, once she was seated, he drew his chair closer to hers and sat down.

"I hope the barbeque wasn't too rich for you," Kim said. "I know you're not accustomed to eating things like that."

"I had to admit, the barbeque was delicious, and lunch made it early enough in the day that it shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's heavy, late meals that give me the most trouble. Barbeque isn't something I've had very often, but I found it excellent, something I would definitely like to have again. I hope Jeannie's all right, though," he added, looking toward the swinging door leading into the kitchen area. "I'm a little surprised she didn't sit down with us for a soda or something."

Kim laughed, a soft cheerful laugh that he had always loved to hear, for it was genuine and relaxed, and never failed to make him feel the same contentment. "Don't think for a moment that Jeannie doesn't have an ulterior motive," she retorted, amused. "My guess is that our daughter is trying to play match-maker."

He smiled, rather amused, but also rather embarrassed that it had never occurred to him that Jeannie might be actively working to get her parents back together. "So, she hates those trips to London to see me so badly that she's trying to get me to stay here."

His words had been spoken lightly, but her mood seemed to shift a little. "Oh, Shane, I don't think she feels that way."

His smile was wry. "We've been apart so long that we've forgotten how to tease one another. We're going to have to work on that." He held his glass up, demonstrating that everything was okay. "Cheers!"

Smiling, they clinked their glasses together.

Sipping her ginger ale, Kim looked around the large room. Although it was too late for the lunch crowd and too early for the supper crowd, the place was fairly busy. Like him, she was dressed in comfortable attire, jeans and a soft blouse. Her hair tumbled freely down her back and over her shoulders, and to him, she had never looked more beautiful.

"Did you get your business taken care of?" she asked, returning her attention to him. "The business that brought you to Salem?"

A brief frown flickered across his face before he remembered his mention of the work a few days ago. "Yes, we're getting there. We were on the trail of the Matthews' house in Virginia, but now it appears that may be a dead end. Whatever it is, it looks like it must be the Wyatt house, right here in Salem."

"That must be so frustrating for Steve and Kayla, knowing that something about that house has caused all this misery, but not being able to pinpoint what, precisely, it is."

"Yes, I'm sure it is."

A few moments of silence ensued as Kim shifted her attention to her father, who was wiping down the bar. After years of catching fish to fill the cases at the fish market, his Irish nature made him even more comfortable behind the bar at the pub.

Shane experienced the same uncomfortable silence at his ex-wife, and fumbled briefly with his glass. Except for one sip, the contents were untouched.

"So, how have you been doing?" he asked, breaking the silence.

She turned her attention back to him, and her smile was typically bright. "Me? Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking how much slower life is here than it was when I lived in Hollywood."

"I was a little surprised to hear that you had moved up the coast to Seattle. Why did you leave Los Angeles?" he asked, curiously. "I mean, Kayla was living there as well, and I would think you'd want to be near family."

She gave a shrug. "I'm not sure. I didn't see Kayla all that much. The L.A. area is pretty big and covers a huge area and we lived pretty far apart, so we just didn't get together very often. Phillip and I lived closer to Hollywood; Kayla lived much farther out. Andrew expressed an interest in the University in Seattle, and I guess we wanted to be closer to him so he could visit us more often, but that didn't really happen. He's grown up now, and he spends most of his time with his friends. He has a new girlfriend, you know."

"No, I didn't know that," he said with a slight edge of bitterness, resenting the fact that he rarely knew anything that went on with his children. "What's she like?"

"I like her," Kim replied. "I like her a lot better than the last one. That one," she added with an eye roll. "That one was about as spoiled and selfish as anyone I've ever met. For some reason, she was jealous of Jeannie, and any time he spent with her. Imagine! Being jealous of your boyfriend's little sister! The new one is more down home, friendly, and gets along well with Jeannie. I worry, though, that they're moving a little too fast."

"Meaning that we could end up with a daughter in law in a few years?"

"Could be. I hope he'll finish school first, but I think he could do worse than her." Setting her ginger ale beside his, she leaned her hands on the rail to look out over Salem and the rolling green midwestern hills beyond. "We have a nice view of Mount Rainier. It's absolutely breathtaking, but I have to confess, I worry sometimes about the possibility of it erupting."

"Is that likely?" he asked with an edge of concern. "I mean, is this really an active volcano?"

"It's not only considered active, but is said to be potentially one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world."

A worried frown puckered Shane's brow as he considered the possible ramifications of his family living so near an active volcano. "I had no idea," he said, slowly.

"Neither did I, until we moved up there. There are even signs around the city, giving the evacuation routes we're to follow in the event of an eruption."

"Have you ever thought of moving to a less dramatic place?" he inquired.

"Oh, not really. I guess I've adopted the attitude of most Seattle residents, which is the fact that there are hurricanes that strike coastal towns with regularity, tornadoes in areas of the Midwest, earthquakes in California. I mean, the chances are higher that you'll be hit by a car crossing an intersection, right?" She gave a wistful sigh, gazing out the pub's windows at her hometown beyond. "I have to admit, though, I wouldn't mind moving back to Salem. I didn't realize until the past few weeks just how much I love it here. How much I've missed it."

"Why don't you do it?" he asked, encouragingly. "I'm sure you got a nice settlement from Philip what's-his-name, enough that you shouldn't have to worry about finding a job."

Kim heard the sarcasm and perhaps jealousy or resentment in his voice at his mention of Phillip, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a little smile of amusement. "But I do have a job," she told him. "I've been working part time as a child psychologist. I like to be home when Jeannie is, but when she's in school I decided I wanted to use my training to do something worthwhile."

"I know you're good at it and that you enjoy working with children. I only meant that you wouldn't need to rush into anything should you decide to move."

"If we should move back, I'm sure there are plenty of clinics I could work at, or even apply at the hospital. It's something to think about, although I'm not sure how enthusiastic Jeannie would be to move again. She didn't want to move the first time, and leave her friends behind."

"You've always been a thoughtful woman," he said, gently. His smile was even more handsome than she remembered from years ago. "That's always been part of why I fell in love with you. And I've always admired you, the way you pulled yourself out of an occupation with no future and made something of yourself."

She gazed at him, pensively, thinking about that. It was true; he had known about her past, but it had not scared him away. "That was a time I'd just as soon forget," she told him.

"I'm sorry," he said, quietly. "I didn't mean to bring up old wounds." He looked around the pub, reflecting on the differences between it and the old fish shop. "It's just being back here. There are so many years behind us, and yet, somehow, those years seem to have melted away. I'm comfortable here."

"Have you been back to the house yet?" she asked. "Your old house?"

He smiled. "No. I haven't made it over there yet. Maybe we could drive over there tomorrow or something, see if it still looks the same."

"It does," she said.

"You've been by?"

She shrugged. "I suppose I was a bit like Kayla, when she first came back here. Revisiting old places, reliving old memories. The house was a big part of our lives. And I would love to drive past it with you. Maybe Jeannie would like to see it."

"I'd like that. It's a date, then." He glanced at his watch. "I've really enjoyed today, but I think it's time to head back to the Inn. I still have a few things I need to wrap up for today."

"I'll walk out with you," she offered.

Together, they got up and walked through the door, and as she glanced back toward the bar, she thought she saw a knowing smile on her father's face.

When they reached the car, Shane unlocked it and opened the door, but lingered there, facing her. "I really did have a wonderful time," he said.

"Me too."

His hand gently brushed a stray lock of hair back from her face, appreciating the softness of it. The hand did not draw away when the task was accomplished, but instead he traced his fingertips very gently across the line of her jaw, caressing the softness of her skin.

The caress was so light that it tickled, and she placed her hand over his, a gesture of both affection and apprehension, wondering where it was leading. Even in the sunlight, his eyes seemed unusually dark as he lowered his face toward hers.

She knew she should have seen it coming, but somehow, she had not expected it. Startled, she did not move away as his lips pressed against hers, soft and gentle, and her lips moved eagerly with his. It was comfortable and familiar, yet at the same time it was curiously new and unexpectedly exciting.

Reassured that she was not going to pull away from him, his hands slid around to her back, drawing her closer, but her own hands made it no farther than his shoulders as conflicting emotions surged through her. Part of her wanted him desperately, reacting to the fire he had ignited inside her, while the rational part of her insisted that she was not yet ready to progress any farther than this.

Withdrawing from the kiss, he remained close, his lips brushing against her cheek as he whispered her name, his breath warm against her ear, his voice softly sensual. Her hair smelled faintly fruity from the shampoo she had used that morning.

"Do you want to come back to the Inn with me?" he asked.

There was no doubt in her mind what he wanted, and that part of her that loved him wanted it too. With Jeannie at the Pub, he was hoping she would stay with him. And she knew she wanted it too.

Feeling suddenly panicked, she abruptly broke away. "I can't," she declared breathlessly, taking several steps away from him, her hand raised as if to hold him at bay.

He stared at her, perplexed and a little wounded that her obvious interest had been abruptly terminated in rejection, but he knew she was reacting to the things that had happened in the past. "Kim, what . . . ?"

She turned away, frustrated with herself and with him. "No, it's not just you," she said.

He understood then that her reaction was not specifically to him. "Phillip."

"And me," she said, tearfully. "It's just hard for me to trust right now. I made a lot of mistakes when I was married to you, mistakes I tried not to replicate with him. I was more mature by then, working harder to make our marriage succeed. And despite that, he left me for that air headed bimbo. And then I realized that when I was her age, I was no better! In fact, I was just like her."

"Kim, no -"

She raised her hand again, cutting him off. "There's more to it than just that. Undisciplined sex has cost me a lot over the years. I'm not that same woman that I was back then. I don't rush into anything anymore, certainly not relationships. I care deeply for you, Shane. I always have, and I'm sure I always will." She smiled through her tears, and reached out to touch his face. "I think I might even still love you. And right now my heart is begging me to give myself to you completely. But my head." She pressed her fingertips to her temple. "My head is telling me to proceed with caution. You and Andrew and Jeannie were the best things that ever happened to me, but my behavior contributed to destroying what we had as a family. I can't make any more mistakes. I have to be sure."

"About us?" he asked.

"That I'm really ready to take that next step."

They looked at each other from across the space that Kim had established when she stepped away from him.

Shane was still reeling from the disappointment of her rejection, but as he dealt with the letdown, he understood that it was temporary. She had not slammed the door in the face of a relationship or even a possible reconciliation. To the contrary, she had confessed her true feelings of love for him, and that helped lift him out of his physical and mental frustration.

"All right," he said, slowly. "Obviously I'm moving too fast, something I told you the other night that I wouldn't do, and I apologize for that, but I have to ask; what can I do to help you overcome this apparent distrust?"

"You're already doing it," she explained. "Slowing down, giving me the time to come to terms with myself and everything else. It's been a hard road for me, Shane, to reach the point where I am now."

He dragged his hand through his hair, a gesture of intense frustration. "I shouldn't have come on to you like that, Kim, and I certainly don't want to frighten you off. I just want you so badly that I guess I misinterpreted your signals."

"You're not going to frighten me off, Shane," she said, her voice gentle and soothing. "And I want you too. I really do. But I'm not ready to take that step. Not yet."

"I'm sorry, Kim. It's just that I've been so damn lonely."

"I understand how it must be for you in that big house. I can't really say I've been that lonely, but -"

"Of course not," he retorted with a trace of bitterness. "You have the children."

"And you have a mansion full of servants," she countered, reacting to the sharp edge in his voice.

"It isn't the same, and you know it." He realized how his words sounded as soon as he had spoken them, and made an apologetic gesture. "I'm sorry, but the hired help isn't the same as having a family."

"Both of the kids spend a lot of time with their friends. But you're right. They are closer to me than to you, and I regret that. No one should be separated from their children."

"My own fault," he acknowledged with resignation. "I could have - should have - done more to keep in touch with them. I let them drift away without lifting a finger to stop it."

"And I should have done more to insist that they keep in touch with you better."

He gazed at her for several moments, and felt the resentment drain out of him. He lifted his arm, inviting her in, and she responded by moving to him and snuggled closer, her arms going around his waist in an affectionate but safe embrace. "I'm sorry I came on so strong. I'll back off and give you the space you need. But I want you to know that I'm not backing off completely."

Her arms tightened around his waist. "You'd better not!" she declared.

"Tell you what. I'll pick you and Jeannie up in the morning after breakfast, and we'll drive out to the house, and then then we can spend another afternoon as a family. I don't care what. But then tomorrow evening, I want you and to go out to dinner again. Just the two of us."

"I look forward to it."

His cell phone jingled in his pocket, startling both of them, and he withdrew it and looked at the caller I.D. "It's Hope." He answered it. "Hope, what's up?"

"Shane, something is going on out at the Wyatt house. Stephanie called me in a panic. She went there with her parents to look the place over, and they think they found whatever it is that Vaughn is after. She says that while they were taking a look at it, a British guy just came in and he has a gun. It has to be Vaughn. Can you meet me there?"

"On my way!"

After hanging up, he said to Kim, "I'm sorry, but Hope asked me to meet her out at the Wyatt house. They think they found something, and she thinks Vaughn is making his move. I'll let you know what happens."

"Like hell!" she retorted. "I'm going with you!"

"Kim—"

"My sister is there!" She walked around the front of the car to the passenger side, then turned to look back at him. "Don't try to stop me."

He sighed. "All right. Get in."