Page 38 of The Library of Borrowed Hearts

This time, he was the one doing the kissing. Catherine had no idea how such a large man could move so swiftly, but she was crushed against his chest before she even realized what was happening. The book wedged awkwardly between them, but neither one of them seemed to care as they fell deeper and deeper into one another’s arms.

She had no idea how long they might have stayed entwined like that—Catherine Martin and Jasper Holmes, Hill House and Eleanor Vance—if not for the scuttling sound of footsteps approaching the top of the steps.

“This is a terrible idea,” Catherine said as she jumped back. Jasper’s hand shot out and caught the book midfall.

“I told you that already,” he muttered. “You didn’t listen. I’m starting to think youneverlisten.”

She didn’t miss the adorable flush to his skin or the way he clutched the book like it was the most precious thing he’d ever held. She also didn’t miss the thump of Mrs. Peters heading toward the stairs.

“Not about the kissing, silly,” she said as she grabbed his arm and began dragging him toward the coal scuttle. There was a back door that led to the street from there—and, if they were lucky, to freedom. He tried to dig his heels in, but he was no match for her determination.

No man was, but most of them never had a chance to find that out.

She lifted his hand to her mouth and pressed a kiss on the roughest of his calluses. And then she pushed him out the door. “I only meant that we need a more secure place to meet.”

He hesitated. At first, she feared he was going to push back—against this thing they were doing, againsther—but then he spoke.

“I know a place,” he said, blushing, his words slightly stammered. “It’s not much, just a little cabin by the river, but—”

A thrill moved through her. To be able to cause a man like this to blush so profusely, to bring such a strong, stoic being to his knees—it was heady stuff, and she wasn’t impervious to the power of it.

“Take me there,” she said before he could think the better of it. “A little cabin by the river is exactly where I want to go.”

14

CHLOE

Zach stood underneath the trellis between our house and Jasper’s, his tall head grazing the top and snagging the tendrils of a particularly flourishing clematis. It had been almost a week since I’d roped him into hunting forThe Haunting of Hill Housewith me, but instead of losing his fervor, he was throwing himself heart and soul into the effort.

“I still don’t see why we can’t just knock on his door and ask to use the restroom or something.” Zach pushed aside the clematis. “I’m sure it won’t take long to search his bookshelves. It’s not a very big house. I could pretend to be violently ill while you look around.”

“He’d see right through you,” I said, shaking my head. “If you were going to be violently ill, you’d do it at my house.”

“No, I wouldn’t. I’m trying to make a good impression on you. I’d bemildlyill, at the very most.”

I choked on the laugh that had been bubbling in my throat ever since Zach had rolled up to the house in full heist black. It was a difficult task, mostly because the more time I spent with the man, the more I wanted to laugh about everything.

“It doesn’t matter because it’s not working,” I said. “My onlyimpression of you is that you’ll say anything if you think it’ll get a reaction.”

That only made him grin. “Does this mean we’re going with my plan? The only other idea I have is to let Aloysius look through the house when he’s—”

“Absolutely not,” I interrupted. “I don’t want Noodle involved in this. Sending him to Jasper every day for supervision is bad enough.”

I expected a pushback, but all Zach did was shrug. “Then we’ll have to sneak in under cover of night and steal every book he owns like we’re coming after the Declaration of Independence. That’s all I’ve got.”

I snorted. For all his apparent resourcefulness, Zach wasn’t much of a criminal mastermind. I imagined it was the Boy Scout within him; as far as I knew, there was no merit badge for breaking and entering. Fortunately for our mission, I had more than enough training. You didn’t grow up in a neighborhood like this without learning a thing or two about petty theft.

“We need to come up with something less obvious,” I said. “Jasper’s not likely to let you inside without a full background check and several reference letters. He doesn’t like strangers. He doesn’t like friends, either, but I think that’s mostly because he doesn’t have any.”

As Zach tilted his head to examine the house, the clematis tickled his ear. His gaze wandered from the vibrant purple bloom to all the others dotting the yard.

“It’s kind of late in the season for a lot of these flowers, isn’t it?” he asked as he reached up to finger the flower. “What’s his secret?”

“According to my boss at work? Dead bodies.”

Zach’s laugh came as a quick, staccato burst. “What’s the answer according to you?”

Strangely enough, I had an answer ready to go. “Time and attention, mostly. I know he used to be a logger back in the day—Pepper found a picture in the library archives—so he’s always been a bit of anoutdoorsman. Add in an entire lifetime spent holding people at bay, and this is what happens. His garden gets all the love he’s never been able to give anyone else.”