Chapter Two

Matt breathed a short prayer as he parked his Mazda on Maplewood Drive Saturday evening. As he slowly emerged from his car, he took care to avoid bumping his back. His thoughts went to the last two days. They had gone by quickly at work and slowly at home. Visions of his attack kept invading his mind unpredictably. Dr. Kirby had said that was normal and had suggested ways to cope with it. After the initial excitement about going to a new country, the thought of being away from Sarah had put a damper on things. Then, he had been nervously anticipating this dinner…

Sarah's voice interrupted his thoughts as she came out of the house to meet him on the front walk. Immediately he noticed her graceful summer dress. Sleeveless and falling just above the knee, it was made of a sheer light blue print over a tunic liner. Matt decided at that moment that blue was his favorite color on her.

"Hi."

"Hi yourself. You were a million miles away just now. Are you okay?" Sarah searched Matt's face. He smiled back at her and took her hand.

"I'm still a bit sore, but I'm glad to see you."

Sarah put her free hand over Matt's and briefly leaned her head against his shoulder in acknowledgement. "I'm so glad you came." She pulled back and smiled up at him before they walked inside, still hand in hand.

Amanda greeted Matt as they walked in. "Welcome! It's good to have you here, Matt." She smiled her reassurance at him and gave him a careful hug. "Come into the den. Lee's out back making sure the grill is in order. We're just a bit behind. Been packing and getting the house ready all day. It occurred to us that we won't be here much for the next month or so. Sarah is going to move in while we're gone so she can keep an eye on things."

Amanda turned to go into the kitchen and Sarah looked sideways at Matt and smiled. He grinned back. The ramble was a dead giveaway that Amanda was a bit nervous, too.

Lee came in the back door. "Matt! Good to see you. Can I get you a beer? It's nice and cold."

"Hello, Chief. Yes, thanks, a beer would be great."

"Please call me Lee when we're not at the Agency. In my day, I called the chief by his first name anyway." Lee grabbed a beer from the refrigerator.

"Thanks, Sir. I mean, Lee. I hope you'll understand if it takes me a while. I've been calling my superiors by their titles for over seven years."

Lee took the cap off the beer and handed it to Matt. "Of course. You were in the Corps at A&M, then your Army stint." He smiled reassuringly. "I called my uncle the Colonel until he died a few years ago. I grew up on military bases, so I know the routine."

Matt had heard Lee's story from Sarah, so he just nodded.

Amanda finished preparing the steaks and handed them to Lee, who looked over at Matt. "Why don't you join me outside on the patio?" He went out the back door.

Sarah patted Matt's arm and whispered in his ear. "I think he's trying to make it easier for you by getting things over with. Go on. I promise he won't bite." She grinned at him and squeezed his hand before he walked outside.

Lee looked up from placing the steaks on the grill as Matt stepped onto the patio. "I hope you don't mind our version of barbecue. I know Texas has its own style." He wiped his hands on a towel. "You're from central Texas, right?"

"Yes, near Austin. We have a lot of barbecue around there. But I'm not one of those people who has only one way of eating it."

"That's probably a good idea, since now you live in Virginia." Lee smiled over at him. "Take a seat with me."

Lee waited several moments before plunging into the next subject, casually sipping his beer and staring up at the sky. Finally he turned back to Matt. "So, you want to date my daughter. I know we talked about it in the car, but I appreciate you coming over to talk with Amanda and me about it."

Matt had the impression that he would not have had much luck ever seeing Sarah again if he had not come. "Actually, my dad does the same thing with my sisters. He likes to get to know whoever wants to spend time alone with them. When people joke about having a shotgun to warn off suitors, my dad laughs, but only because he actually has a shotgun."

Lee's eyebrows went up. "Well, I guess he and I have a lot in common. Although I don't have a shotgun. I have a few Glocks and a couple of rifles."

Matt squirmed in his seat. Why did I have to bring up the shotgun joke?

At Matt's expression, Lee felt a twinge of guilt. "Come on, Matt. I was kidding you. I do have some weapons, but I don't threaten Sarah's friends with them. She's a grown woman now and chooses her own friends without my interference—within reason. Having been in this business awhile, I've seen things happen. It's important to protect my family—reputations, even lives, are at stake. I just want to be sure you both know what you're getting into. Like I said before, working at the Agency complicates everything—for both of you."

"Sarah told me that you've kept her away from the Agency—tried to protect her from your work."

Lee got up to tend the steaks. "I've always hoped she could have a normal life—if that was possible. When we first were married, Amanda and I thought we could protect her family if we didn't tell anyone we were married. It didn't take long to realize that they were all safer with two operatives in the house, instead of only one. No matter where I lived, danger could still find them if was going to happen. Besides, it put a huge strain on our relationship to hide it from everyone." Lee sighed and shook his head at the remembrance.

"I don't know if you can ever escape this business, Matt. I ran into my own rat's nest when I investigated my parents' death years ago. They were intelligence operatives, you'll remember…" Lee sat back down in his chair, his expression still serious. "If you get into any relationship with anyone, you have to be aware of who knows it and what they can do with that information. And, things can come back to haunt you. I had to clear my parents' name. You saw what happened with Birol."

Matt was sober. "I hope you know that I would never intentionally endanger your daughter. Not only that, I care about her and I want to look out for her. We met under those circumstances you're talking about."

"I trust your good intentions, Granger, and I can see that you two enjoy each other's company. I don't want to stop you from seeing one another. I just want you to be aware of all the risks. Including the risks to both of your reputations. The gossip mill went nuts before Amanda and I made our marriage public. Everyone figured out we were seeing one another. Having been a playboy in my day, I probably deserved a lot of the remarks made about me. But the vicious remarks about Amanda were completely unwarranted." Lee turned away for a minute to cool off. The memory of it still made his temper flare. He got up to check the steaks again.

Matt didn't answer for a time. "I don't know how one can avoid that problem unless they have no friends at all. I guess the trick is to make sure we lay low as much as we can…"

"As much as that's possible. Listen, these steaks are ready. Let's head inside. I think Amanda would like to talk about this a little, too."

Matt stopped Lee with a hand on his arm. "I just want to be sure we have your blessing, Lee. It means a lot to me, and I know Sarah would happy knowing you had given it."

Lee looked thoughtfully at Matt. "You know, no one has ever consulted me about dating my daughter before." His mind went to Jeff. Or about asking for her hand in marriage, for that matter. "I really appreciate it, Matt." His eyes were warm as he smiled at the young agent. "Yes, you have my blessing." Lee shifted the platter of steaks so they could shake hands.

Amanda met them at the kitchen door. She took the steaks and Lee went back out to get the dirty dish and utensils. As he walked inside, Matt smiled over at Sarah, who grinned back at him.

Once they were all seated, Lee looked at Sarah. "Sarah, I've talked with both you and Matt about protecting your reputations at the Agency. I trust you'll be discreet about your relationship. I think you also know how to handle yourself if you are confronted with a dangerous situation." Lee still sensed alarm bells in his head, but he had already come to terms with the idea that Sarah could not just walk away from Matt. Was it really fair to ask her to avoid him, when her own parents' enemies had endangered her life? He drew a breath and continued. "Your mother and I have had our share of threats that have affected you. Dating a field agent could bring even more threats. I don't want to beat this discussion to death, but I want you both to be diligent when you are in public. I've told you this before. Use caution—always be aware of your surroundings." Especially after the altercation with the cartel this week.

Matt looked down at his plate and Sarah stole a glance at him. Noticing their discomfort, Lee looked at Amanda, who cleared her throat and offered her reassurance. "This doesn't mean that you have to live in fear all the time. Just be careful. And please take the warning about your reputations seriously." Amanda looked down at her plate for a minute. She took a breath and smiling, looked up at Matt. "I hope your back is feeling better."

Matt breathed a sigh of relief at the change of topic. "Yes, Ma'am, it is."

"How is your family doing? I remember meeting them when they came for a tour of IFF."

Matt smiled politely at Amanda. "They're doing fine. I have plans to go for a visit at Thanksgiving…"

With the change of topic, dinner soon became a relaxed affair. After Matt offered an update about his family, Sarah plied Lee and Amanda for details about their vacation and filled them in on her new responsibilities at the museum. All too soon the meal ended. As Sarah rose to clear the dishes, Matt stood up. "Please let me help you clean up the kitchen, Sarah. Then your folks can finish getting ready for their trip."

Amanda smiled over at Lee, then up at Matt. "That's a kind offer, Matt."

"Yes, thanks, Matt." Lee and Amanda went upstairs to their bedroom, leaving Sarah and Matt their chores.

Upstairs, behind the closed door of their bedroom, Amanda was eager to hear Lee's take on his "interview" with Matt. "So, I've been dying to find out what you said, Stetson. Matt looks like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders."

"Yeah, well, I decided not to prolong his agony. I'm not as mean as people say I am."

Amanda wrapped her arms around Lee's waist. "Well, I figured that out a long time ago. What exactly did you say?"

"I made sure he was aware that the dangers that go along with Agency work can sometimes affect friends and family members. Like you heard, I also talked about the rumor mill. Tonight wasn't supposed to be like the backwoods, where the fellow comes courting. I just didn't want them blindly moving forward."

"You're a very wise man, Mr. Stetson. And, I think Sarah appreciated you making friendly overtures to Matt."

Lee moved closer to Amanda and hugged her more tightly. He rested his cheek against her hair. She could feel the low rumble of his voice as he spoke. "You know, he asked me if I would give them my blessing."

"I expected that…"

"No one has ever asked me that before. Jeff didn't even ask us before he proposed to Sarah. Come to think of it, he hardly talked about anything other than history on the rare occasions he came to the house."

"Now, Lee." Amanda started to pull away, but Lee didn't want the embrace to end. She relaxed again.

"I mean it, Amanda. I'm not just picking at the guy. I wonder if he really loved her…"

"Well, it doesn't matter now. Sarah has moved on—and I'm glad you have started making friends with Matt. I've grown rather fond of him and I'm actually kind of excited they are going to be dating. …Speaking of moving, we had better get a move on. I want to get to bed at a reasonable hour."

This time Lee released Amanda so she could put the finishing touches on their luggage.

In the kitchen, Matt hung up the dish towel while Sarah finished wiping the counters.

"Are you heading back to your apartment now?"

"Yes. I'll move over here tomorrow."

"Let me walk you over."

"Would you like to watch a DVD with me? It's early still…"

Matt looked thoughtfully at Sarah. Although her hair was pulled up into a bun, a few stray wisps had curled around her neck and face, slightly flushed from the warmth of the kitchen. He admired her in the blue dress once again and wondered if she had ever looked more beautiful to him.

"That would be great."

Sarah's face lit up. "Good! Let's pick out one of my parents' DVDs. Mine are mostly chick flicks."

"I've watched a chick flick or two in my day—I have two sisters. If you want to watch one…"

Sarah laughed. "I like action films and thrillers, too. Go ahead and pick one out. Or, I may make you watch some five-hour Jane Austen movie."

Matt's eyebrows went up and he played along with Sarah. "Well, since you put it that way…" Once they had chosen a DVD, Matt placed his hand at the small of Sarah's back as he walked with her out of the kitchen and up to her apartment.

Two hours later, Matt reluctantly pulled his arm from Sarah's shoulders. At some point during the movie, she had leaned up against him and curled her feet under her. It felt right to sit together like this. He stood, then offered his hand to help Sarah up. "I should go. I'll be back at nine-fifteen tomorrow morning to take you to church, if you still want to go."

"Oh, of course I still want to go. I'm looking forward to it."

At Sarah's smile, Matt grinned, and then turned towards the door. Sarah followed him. He paused and looked down at her. "Well, good night."

"Good night," she replied, her voice soft.

He could not resist her upturned face. Moving closer, he leaned his head down and brushed her lips lightly with his own. He looked into her eyes before pulling away and was not disappointed at her soft expression.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Matt guided Sarah out of the sanctuary and into the fellowship hall, protectively keeping his hand at the small of her back. He knew she felt out of place, and he wanted to reassure her with his touch. While other worshippers poured coffee and other hot beverages for themselves, Matt fixed a cup of tea for Sarah and took a small water bottle for himself. Before they could finish, an elderly woman stopped to greet Matt. They stood off to the side as two young couples with children and more older women and a few men came by to greet them. Sarah had never felt more welcome at any gathering.

She was surprised when one woman who was younger than the others—perhaps in her fifties—handed a bag to Matt.

"What is this, Mrs. Collins?"

"Oh, Matthew. You need to call me Cheryl." She turned to Sarah. "And who is this lovely young lady? I have been hoping you'd bring some other people your age."

Matt cleared his throat. "Cheryl, this is my good friend Sarah."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sarah." Cheryl looked in Sarah's eyes and seemed to do a double take before continuing. "I hope you'll be coming to see us often. Matt always comes alone. It's time he brought a friend along."

Sarah's face blushed. "Yes, Ma'am."

Cheryl turned back to Matt. "I baked you some cookies as a thank you for fixing my ceiling fan last Sunday."

"Thank you, Cheryl, for the cookies. I can't wait to try them. It's really thoughtful of you to remember me—you know I don't expect payment for helping you." Matt smiled at the petite middle-aged woman, who beamed back at him.

"Your parents raised you well, dear. Have a good week!"

Before turning away, Cheryl Collins took another look at Sarah and stopped. She placed her hand on Sarah's arm. "You know, dear. You look awfully familiar. Or perhaps, you remind me very much of someone I used to work with. What did you say your name was?"

Sarah thought of her father's warning of the night before. She glanced over at Matt, who nodded imperceptibly. "Sarah. Sarah Stetson."

Cheryl's eyes grew large with astonishment, and then she leaned in closely to Sarah and whispered, "Are your parents Lee and Amanda Stetson?"

It was Sarah's turn to be surprised. Accustomed to leaving off her last name in introductions and to keeping her parents' identities a secret, she didn't know how to avoid the woman's direct question without being rude.

Cheryl kept her voice low. "I take it from your expression that you are their daughter. I don't mean to frighten you. You don't remember me, but we've met before, when you were very young. I know your parents, dear. You are the spitting image of your mother, except for having your father's pretty eyes. I'm sure they're just as delighted with you now as they were back then."

Sarah didn't know what to say. Matt was looking at them both quizzically. She stammered, "How do you know them?"

"Let's just say I did some work for your father back in the day. I had an interesting job and some access to people he wanted to know more about. I remember when he met your mother. That man was never the same. She did him a world of good." Cheryl chuckled at the memory. "At any rate, we'll just keep this conversation between us. No one else at the church would understand. Please say hello to your parents for me." Cheryl gave Sarah a quick hug and moved on to greet her friends.

Matt looked at Sarah. "What was that about?"

"I'll tell you in the car."

After several more minutes, they said their goodbyes and went to Matt's Mazda. Once inside, Sarah turned to Matt. "That was wonderful. I can see why you like that church."

"Not too many people our age, though."

"No, but it seems like they love having you there. You are so kind to the older ladies."

"I'm just being polite." Matt squirmed a little in his seat. He was not comfortable with praise. "What was all that between you and Cheryl Collins?"

"She knows my parents. She said I look like my mom, and that we met when I was a little girl. I guess she worked with my dad or something. It sounded like she may have been an informant for him years ago."

"I had no idea. I did a background check on her before I went to her house the first time and nothing came up—I guess her connection to your dad is above my clearance. Cheryl told me she worked with international dignitaries until she sold her business to a friend and began working part time. She ran a service that offered catering, flowers, that sort of thing, for embassy balls."

"Oh well, that would make sense, then. Before I was born, my parents said they went to a lot of embassy functions on behalf of the Agency."

Matt chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Who would have guessed? It's a small world. I haven't told her what I do, but she knows I work for IFF. I wonder why she spilled the beans with you and not with me."

"Maybe she doesn't know what IFF is. She knew Daddy, but she might not have known his cover. When he and Mom went back to the Agency, I used to be able to call Daddy on a direct line—he picked up the phone himself."

Matt grew thoughtful. He remembered Lee's admonition of the night before. At least this time, the person was friendly. He looked over at Sarah. Perhaps this is more of a responsibility than I realized. Matt was grateful he had checked out Cheryl's background before going to her house. He had made it a standard practice after his Agency orientation.

Noting his discomfort, Sarah changed the subject. "You know, I think Phillip and Amy would love to have you join us at their house this afternoon. In fact, I already asked Amy if you could come. We have sandwiches for lunch and there's always a ball game on. The gals chat. It's supposed to be relaxing. Are you interested?"

"Are you sure I won't be intruding on family time?"

"My nieces and nephews are always having their friends join us. Sometimes an old school friend of mine or my brothers comes over, too. Of course you won't be intruding."

"In that case, it would be nice to come along. Shouldn't we bring something?"

"I was going to bring a fruit tray that I left at my place. It isn't far to Phillip and Amy's from there."

"Okay." Matt shifted in his seat. His back was starting to be less painful, but it was still stiff. He remembered to ask Sarah about the research for the Kazakhstan trip.

"Sarah, do you remember telling me that you'd like to help with research on cases from time to time?"

Sarah looked over at Matt curiously. "Yes…"

"Well, I've been given a case that will take me to Kazakhstan, and I will need to learn about the culture and history before I go. Would you be willing to help me do the research?"

Sarah heard the words case and Kazakhstan and her face fell.

"What's wrong?"

"You'll be going on a case to Kazakhstan? For how long?"

In his excitement to be assigned to work with Lee and Amanda, Matt had not truly considered the impact it would have on Sarah. During the last two days he had worked through the idea of being away from her, but had not taken time to consider her reaction. He chastised himself for breaking the news so clumsily—and felt a renewed pang at the realization that he'd be away from Sarah for at least two weeks.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break it to you so bluntly. It won't be for another two weeks, and I could be gone two weeks or longer—I'll be traveling with your parents."

"Oh, of course. They did say they were going to Central Asia."

"But, I've been thinking we could make the most of the time I'm here until then. I'd like to take you to dinner, maybe spend a day together in the mountains next weekend…"

Sarah brightened. "That would be nice. I'd like that."

"So, would you be willing?"

Sarah was confused. "Umm, you mean go to dinner with you?"

Matt laughed. "You didn't hear me asking you to help me prepare for the trip, did you?

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry. I'd love to help you. I've done a lot of research on the former Soviet states…"

"It will just be public domain information. I'll have to get the classified background information from Jamie."

"Oh, I understand—I do have access to some things that the average person can't get to or easily find. It would be fun to help you. I never get to be a part of any of the cases. It will help me feel better while you're gone to know a little bit about what you might be doing."

At that last remark, Matt smiled softly at Sarah. That thrill he had felt before was back. Could he be falling in love with her already? He reached over and took her hand.

The expression and gesture were not lost on Sarah. She clasped his hand in return and sighed lightly. The unhappiness she felt at the news of Matt's trip to the other side of the world was replaced with an overwhelming feeling of affection for him. I don't remember feeling quite this way with anyone else before.

They were quiet the rest of the way to Maplewood Drive.