Mac nursed her soda and watched the ebb and flow of kids around the town swimming pool. She'd been here for more than an hour, ostensibly enjoying a relaxing afternoon of warm sunshine, but behind her sunglasses she studied the frolicking children.

It had only taken a few moments to spot Jeremy and his friends. They congregated in a group near the deep end, bathing suits riding low on their hips. All the boys wore black jelly bracelets. With the exception of a few bikini-clad girls, the other kids avoided the rowdy group. Mac shook her head. What she wouldn't give to be able to warn those girls about the dangers of fire.

It was nearly midday when the boys left the pool. Mac sat up when she saw them coming in her direction. Apparently they were off to find food, since she overheard a raging debate over which restaurant in town made the best burgers.

"Jeremy?" she called.

A sandy-haired boy turned at the sound of his name.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Jeremy looked at his friends, who'd stopped and were waiting impatiently for him. He folded his arms across his chest. "What for?"

"I'd rather discuss it in private, if you don't mind."

"What if I do mind?" The other boys snickered, and Jeremy gave them a smug grin.

"Fine," Mac said. "I guess I'll just have to talk to your parents."

Fear flitted through Jeremy's hazel eyes so quickly that Mac would've missed it if she hadn't been paying attention. With studied nonchalance, he turned to his friends.

"Go on, guys. I'll catch up to you later."

A tall, black-haired boy answered, his expression sour. "Whatever."

The group sauntered off. Jeremy watched them go and then turned to Mac. "What do you want?"

"Have a seat, Jeremy."

He perched on the other end of the picnic table. He kept his eyes on the kids playing around the pool, but he twisted the jelly band around and around his wrist.

Mac waited. Often, silence could accomplish what words could not.

"So," Jeremy said at last. "You got somethin' to say to me or what?"

"Actually, I have a story to share with you."

He gave her a disbelieving look. "A story?"

"Yep."

With a huff of irritation, Jeremy slid off the table. "I'm too old for stories, Lady. Find some other patsy."

Mac caught his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"You aren't going anywhere." She didn't raise her voice, but there was a note of steel in it, and he glared at her for a beat before subsiding with a melodramatic sigh.

She waited until he'd settled himself again before continuing. "Have you ever heard of the Great Famine?"

"Uh huh."

"Do you know when and where it happened?"

"Nope."

"1845. Ireland."

"What's that got to do with me?"

"Just listen."

He settled into reluctant silence, and Mac told her story, mixing the bits she knew with enough color to add interest and hold the restless boy's attention.

"A lot of people left Ireland because of the famine. Nearly a million of them resettled here in the United States. Most were poor, and the cost of passage across the Atlantic was high. Those who survived the trip often arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs."

Jeremy scuffed a toe. "So?"

"One little girl brought with her the single most beloved thing she owned. It was a pin her grandmother had given her on her tenth birthday." Jeremy stiffened, but Mac gave no indication that she'd noticed. "Her family made a life here, and she grew up, and married, and eventually had children of her own. When the time was right, she gave the pin to her daughter, who gave it to her daughter, and so it went."

Jeremy wasn't impressed. "I still don't get what this has to do with me."

"Maybe nothing," said Mac. "But hear me out." She set her empty drink can aside and continued. "One woman managed to keep the pin even though her family was starving during the Great Depression. Another wore it when her husband went to war, and still another wore it when her husband came home from a different war."

She looked at Jeremy, waiting until he finally turned and met her eyes. "Isn't it amazing," she said then, "that a simple piece of jewelry might've been handed down, mother to daughter, for as many as eight generations?"

He shrugged and looked away.

"And isn't it sad," she went on in a low voice, "that it's lost now, because somebody broke into a nice old lady's house and stole it."

"They did?"

He was no actor, Mac thought, but she nodded.

"That sucks."

"It sure does."

They were silent then. Mac didn't push, aware that if she did, whatever tenuous connection she had to this kid would be severed.

A horn blared in the parking lot, and Jeremy looked over.

"I gotta go," he said, sliding off the table in obvious relief. "That's my dad."

Mac nodded and watched as the young man crossed the grass. A younger boy joined him, and Jeremy cuffed him affectionately on the shoulder as they walked. A brother, she wondered? As the two neared the car, a man stepped out on the driver's side. He said something to the boys, who ducked their heads and sped their steps.

She continued to watch as the road-weary Ford rattled out of the lot, its rusted under-carriage squealing as it crossed a speed bump.

"This is my lucky day," said a deep voice at her shoulder. "I've stumbled upon a beautiful woman sitting alone in the park. I think I'll kidnap her and take her off to a deserted island where I can have my way with her."

Mac smiled, but didn't turn. "You can try your luck," she answered, "but you should know that I'm a Marine. I'd recommend caution."

"I'm not worried." His hand settled at the small of her back. "I have a way with women."

She laughed and turned to give him a deep, welcoming kiss that drew a chorus of catcalls and whistles from the direction of the pool. Afterwards, she leaned back in his arms. "Now," she grinned. "Who's going to have their way with whom?"

"Maybe," he said, sliding his hand up her spine to tangle in her hair, "we'll have our way with each other."

"Oh, I like the sound of that."

He tugged at her hand, pulling her off the picnic table and back into his arms for another kiss. The catcalls and whistles were louder this time.

"Get a room!" called a youthful voice.

Mac broke the kiss and buried her head in Harm's shoulder, shaking with laughter. She heard his voice above her left ear.

"What do you think, Mac? Should we get a room?"

"If it means I can have my way with you," she said with a smile. "Lead on."

They held hands as they left the park, enjoying the sunshine and the sounds of happy children at play.

Harm propped himself on one elbow and trailed a lazy finger across Mac's collarbone, drawing a contented feminine purr in its wake.

"You know what I like best about this whole retirement thing?" he asked.

Mac opened one eye and offered a lazy smile. "Nooners?"

He laughed. "That too."

"And what else?" She tangled his hand with hers and brought it down to rest just over her heart.

A wave of tenderness swept through him as he looked at her. This woman, with her impish smile and warm brown eyes, was everything to him--lover, companion, confidante, best friend. He kissed her, then looked into her eyes, his own gaze serious.

"What I like best, Mac, is that we get to spend more time together."

She brought his hand to her lips and kissed the lean fingers. "Yeah," she said. "I kind of like that, too."

Content, he lay down beside her. She snuggled into him, her head on his shoulder, her leg tangled with his. Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her close, and they lay that way for several minutes before Mac spoke again.

"Weren't you supposed to do something for Bill this afternoon?"

He could tell from her voice that she wasn't in any hurry to move. "I told him I'd check out those pawn shops across the county line."

"Then why are you here?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she swatted his shoulder. "Besides that."

"I finished teaching early and stopped by your office to see if you wanted to join me for lunch. Linda said you'd taken the afternoon off, so I grabbed a couple of sandwiches from the diner and headed over to the park."

"I wonder why she was still there. I'd told her to go home."

"She looked like she was doing some filing."

Mac sighed. "The woman's more of a workaholic than I used to be."

"I seriously doubt that." He squeezed her shoulder. "Anyway, when I got to the park, you were just finishing with Jeremy."

"Which begs the question, Counselor." She pulled back so that she could see his face.

"Which question?"

"Where's my lunch?"

He grinned sheepishly. "In the car." Where it had been for the past two hours. By now, those sandwiches were garbage can fodder.

"Damn."

"I'll make you a deal."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I don't know, Harm. I've known you to drive some pretty steep bargains in your time."

He shook his head at her. "No pain, no gain, MacKenzie."

"Ugh!" She rolled her eyes at him. "Surely you can come up with something more original than that!"

"Come with me."

"Pawn shopping?" She snorted. "And what do I get out of the bargain?"

"Lunch." He dropped a kiss in the hollow between shoulder and neck, amused when she tucked her chin and lifted her shoulder against the tickle. "And dinner—" Another kiss. "—and the pleasure of my company." The last kiss was longer and infinitely more interesting than a road trip.

When he pulled back after a last gentle tug at her lips, she sighed. "I suppose there are worse ways to spend an afternoon."

Harm stood and stretched before reaching for his clothes. "I tell you what," he said turning back in time to catch her staring. "I'm going to get a shower. You think it over."

"Wait! I'm coming!" She grabbed her robe and hurried after him as his rumble of amusement filled the air.

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Six hours of tedious detective work later, they'd learned nothing about the missing jewelry. Mac would've considered it a wasted effort, if not for the fact that they'd given pictures of the stolen brooch to every pawn shop operator in a tri-county area. At this point, they'd have to hope that if somebody tried to sell the jewelry, an honest store owner would pick up the phone and let them know.

They'd ended their fruitless trip with dinner at a local steak house and were now on their way back up the mountain. It was quiet in the car, Mac's attention divided between the road and the radio program they were listening to. Harm had leaned his head back against his seat several minutes ago, and the soft sounds coming from that side of the car hinted at a delicate masculine snore – a charge he would've hotly denied.

Mac glanced over at him and smiled. His silver-dusted hair was still cut with military precision, and even in sleep his posture bore the signs of long military service. One of his hands rested in his lap; the other warmed her thigh through the fabric of her jeans. She switched on the headlights to combat the deepening gloom and thought about the events that had landed her in this place.

Much had happened in the years since they'd finally confessed their feelings for each other. His career, hers, their friends'… Assignments in hot dusty places and cold rainy places. Service. Promotion. Retirement.

When they'd finally retired from military life, they'd agreed that they wanted to move someplace quiet--someplace where every step and word wouldn't be scrutinized for political or military correctness. In a way, she supposed they'd run away from home.

It had been an accident that they'd found this place, actually; the happy result of one of those Sunday afternoon drives where they'd taken turns deciding when and which way to turn the car. They'd headed west, and when they'd discovered the little town with its tree-lined streets and wrap-around porches, they'd fallen in love.

It had taken another six months to find the perfect home, a two-story log cabin with its own pond and several acres of wooded land. The house fit into its surroundings as though it had grown up alongside the oak and maple trees that shaded its yard. Now, more than three years later, they rarely talked about their military past, preferring instead to spend their time helping others and enjoying their time together.

An orange glow on the horizon distracted Mac from her thoughts, and it took her a moment to realize what it meant. When she did, and realized where it was coming from, she took one hand off the wheel to shake her husband's shoulder.

"Harm."

"Wha--?" He blinked groggily and looked around.

"Look."

She pointed, and he sat up in his seat, rubbing his eyes.

He looked where she pointed, and then back at her, his face grim in the dim interior light. "That's coming from…"

"Town. Yeah."

Harm pulled out his cell phone, dialing quickly. Mac pushed the car a little faster, risking a traffic ticket.

"Bill. It's Harm."

They were close to town now, and Mac guided the car in the direction of the glow, which had grown as they'd approached and taken on an ominous red tinge. It was too dark to see smoke, but she figured it was a safe guess that what they were approaching was a house fire–a big one.

"We were coming up the mountain when we saw the fire," Harm said. "What's going on?" He gestured left. Mac nodded and turned the car, listening to the one-sided conversation as she drove. "When?" There was a brief silence while Harm listened. "Was anybody inside?"

His muffled curse made her glance at him in concern. "I don't care what he says," Harm said. "You can't let him go in there."

Mac was close enough now to see the flashing glare of warning lights.

"Yeah. We're almost there. See you in a sec." Harm clicked off the phone and dropped it into the console between them.

"Delgados'?" Mac asked, though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

"Yeah."

"Damn. Wasn't the house almost finished?"

Harm nodded. "Getting close," he said. "They were hoping to move in next month."

"Everybody safe?"

"As long as they can keep Joe from going in after his tools."

"You've gotta be kidding."

"I wish. First the mudslide, and now this." Harm shook his head. "I can't imagine what they must be going through."

They arrived at the site, and Mac sucked in a breath. The house was completely engulfed, flames reaching high into the night sky in a macabre dance. The town's volunteer firefighters were pouring water on the blaze, but it was obvious that their efforts were meant to keep the fire from spreading, rather than to put it out.

Harm and Mac slipped through the crowd of spellbound onlookers and made their way to their friends.

"Joe!" Harm called as they got close. "What happened?"

Joe and Maria turned. Joe had his arm around his wife, whose tearstained face and stunned expression contrasted sharply with her husband's furious one.

"Nobody knows for sure," Joe said. "But I have my suspicions."

"Were you here when the fire started?" Harm asked.

"No. I'd gone home to get some dinner." He gestured down the street toward the town's only apartment complex. "We were on our way back here for another couple of hours work before calling it a night. We saw the flames and called 911, but it was already too late." Joe turned back toward the house. "I don't know what we're going to do." Defeat and exhaustion had replaced the anger in his face.

"We'll start over," said Bill, coming up behind them. "We'll rebuild."

But Joe shook his head. "I don't think I can do it again."

"This isn't the time to make that decision," Mac said. "Wait a few days, at least."

Maria spoke up, her voice trembling with emotion. "I have family in Texas. We will go to them." The trace of accent she'd inherited with her olive skin and dark eyes gave her an exotic look that was enhanced by the glow of the fire.

"I don't understand," Harm said. "The mudslide was an act of nature, and this—" He gestured toward the house. "—was an accident. Why are you giving up?"

Joe shook his head again. "I don't think it was an accident."

Harm and Mac exchanged a startled look. "What do you mean?"

"I saw somebody running away."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything," Mac said. "It could've been somebody running for help."

"I'm sorry to say it, but Joe's probably right," Bill said. "The building went up too fast. Joe said he was only gone for about half an hour. I suspect an accelerant. Probably gasoline."

Mac turned to Joe. "Did you recognize the person you saw?"

"No. There wasn't enough light."

"Could you tell if it was a man or a woman?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say it was probably a man."

"Did anybody else see this person?" Harm asked.

"Not that my deputy's been able to find," Bill answered.

They watched the fire for a few moments. Starving for fuel, it was finally subsiding into sporadic pockets of flame. The roof collapsed in on itself, sending up a shower of sparks and spurring a flurry of orders from the fire chief. Maria buried her head in her husband's shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her, looking over her head at Harm, Mac, and Bill.

"We need a fresh start," he said.

Harm finally nodded. "I don't like it," he said. "But I understand." The two men shook hands, and then Joe and Maria walked slowly back to their apartment, arms still wrapped around each other, heads bowed. Harm pulled Mac close. They looked at Bill.

"Now what?" Harm asked.

"I'll call in the state arson team first thing in the morning," Bill said. "They'll take a couple of days to poke around, confirm what we already suspect, and be gone by the end of the week. Then we see."

"Assuming it is arson…"

Bill's expression was grim. "Assuming it's arson, and considering what's been going on around here, I'll have to talk to Jeremy and his friends."

Harm and Mac nodded.

"I have things I need to do here." Bill looked around. "I'll talk to you two tomorrow?" They nodded, and Bill started to leave. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said, turning back. "Did you have any luck with the pawn shops?"

Mac shook her head. "We hit the entire tri-county area, but nobody's seen it. We left pictures at all the shops. Hopefully it'll turn up soon."

Bill sighed. "Bad day all around, I guess."

He left them, and Harm and Mac walked back to their car.

The acrid smell of smoke followed them home, attaching itself to their hair, clothes, and even their skin. Mac turned to Harm as they pulled into the driveway.

"I don't know about you, but I need a shower."

"You and me both. Care to share?"

"I'll wash your back if you'll wash mine."

"Deal."

They entered the house hand in hand, locking the door behind them, but not bothering to turn on any lights until they reached the bedroom. Once there, Mac switched on the small lamp on the night table and turned into her husband's embrace. He kissed her softly, then lifted his head and touched his forehead to hers.

"I love you," he said.

She wrinkled her nose. "I bet you'd love me more if I smelled better."

He laughed. "I doubt it, but it's worth a try." He took her hand and led her to the bathroom, where they helped each other out of their smoke-filled clothes, throwing the smelly garments in the hamper before stepping into the shower enclosure.

They took turns soaping each other's skin and then standing under the hot spray. Tired by the day's events, they said little. Joe and Maria had been among their first friends here in the mountains, and although Harm and Mac understood their decision to leave, they were saddened by it.

And so, as the warm water sluiced over their bodies, their touches were soothing rather than provocative. Afterwards they helped each other to dry off before climbing into bed. Mac spooned into the secure warmth of Harm's chest, sighing when he pulled her close. As they fell asleep, his even breath stirred the damp strands of her hair.