They grumbled but obeyed. Bryn checked Adam's finger and saw that the swelling was down, and that only a small red area remained to show where the "boo-boo" was. And Adam was half asleep before he hit the pillow, so she knew he was well on his way to recovery.

With the boys tucked in, Bryn threw on an old leotard, tights and leg warmers, and hurried back downstairs. She could get in some limbering exercises and catch up on the news at the same time.

The trustworthy face of the weatherman came on the screen, announcing that the days would show a warming trend, but the nights would remain cool. Then the anchorman came on and began to talk about a young politician, Dirk Hammarfield, who was beginning his campaign for theU.S.senate inLake Tahoe.

Between leg stretches, Bryn watched with casual interest. The man had the energetic smile of a young Kennedy. He was of medium stature, with nice sandy hair and blue eyes.

He'd probably get a lot of votes, she thought with a shrug. Maybe evenher own .

Bryn lay down on her stomach, but with her legs stretched, she suddenly froze.

The story on the tube had shifted again.

A pretty anchorwoman was talking; at the left-hand corner of the screen was a picture of a man.

Lee Condor.

Bryn didn't hear what was being said; she was mesmerized by the picture. And by the gold-flecked eyes

that were so arresting, even in a still shot. Perhaps, she tried to tell herself analytically, his eyes were so arresting because they were so very dark--except for the crystalline effect of the gold.Or perhaps because his face was so interesting.High, broad forehead.Dark, defined and arching brows.Straight--dead straight--nose.High cheekbones.Firm, ruggedly squarejawline . And his mouth...even in a still, it looked mobile. As if he could smile easily, yet compress his lips into a line of determined intent...or anger. His hair was almost a pure jet black--a little long, but still, he looked more as if he could be a businessman than a rock star.Maybe not a businessman.A steelworker, more likely. There was something about him, even in apicture, that hinted at a lean and powerful physical prowess. Something, as Barbara had mentioned, that made him appear almost overwhelmingly male, all the more so because it was something of which he didn't seem to be aware himself.... The story suddenly went off the air, and a commercial for sandwich bags came on. Bryn abruptly relaxed her ridiculous pose and shook the tension out of her muscles. I've never even met him, she reminded herself. But even when she had finished with her exercises, showered, and fallen into bed for the night, she couldn't stop thinking about him. And wondering what he would be like. And whether she would ever be able to control the disturbing fever that raced along her spine when she saw that gold fire in his dark eyes. It won't matter, she assured herself. He'll probably barely notice me, what with all the others__ On that note, she slept. But her hope was proved false on Tuesday, when she had been at theFultonplace for barely fifteen minutes. She had been chatting idly and nervously with Barbara as the two did some warm-up exercises when the friendly dance director pulled Barbara away. Moments later Barbara and the directorcame bearing down on her and excitedly dragged her away. "He says he thinks you're perfect--" Barbara began.

"It will mean a hike in your pay scale, of course," the director cut in.

"And very little extra work."

"Lee can explain it to you himself."

She suddenly found herself standing before him, and she hadn't even seen him come in. Barbara was

issuing an enthusiastic introduction, and he was vaguely smiling, barely attentive to her words.

His eyes--they were a strange hazel, she realized, mahogany at the rim, yellow-green by the pupil--were

on her. They swept over her from head to toe, lingering slowly, coming to rest on her own.

"Bryn Keller? You're the photographer, then, too. It's a pleasure to meet you."

His hand was on hers. Rough--there were heavy calluses on his palms. Large--it enveloped her slender

fingers.

And hot...

As if a burning energy poured through his system, making him as combustible as an active volcano,

except that his power was deceptively calm, like thesnowcapped peak of a mountain beneath a blue sky....

The fire seemed to rip along her spine.

She pulled her hand--jerked it, rather--from his, and stepped back a foot. "Yes, I'm Bryn Keller. If you'll explain what you want, I'll let you know if I'll be capable or not."

Ice... There could have been no better description of her voice. She hadn't really meant to be cold, but...

She had been cold to the point of rudeness.

The gold-tinged eyes narrowed, but barely perceptibly. His voice was a lazy drawl. "Oh, I'm quite sure

that you'll be capable, Miss Keller.Quite sure. Tony can explain the concept."

He turned and walked away.

Chapter 2.

Lee Condor's first glimpse of the girl was an intriguing one. When he arrived at theFultonplace, the door was open, and a flurry of activity was already in progress. No one noticed him as he walked in; the dancers--in all shapes and forms of workout clothing--were milling about, stretching and warming up. A gray-haired carpenter was finishing up at the top of the long, curving stairway, and Tony Asp, the dance director, and Gary Wright, the general director, were arguing midway up the stairs.

Lee glanced quickly around the elegant entryway and oversized ballroom. Neither Perry nor Andrew--nor even Mick-- seemed to have arrived yet, but it was still onlyten to ten, and they had all spent the night at the casino, gotten a little nostalgic about being back in Tahoe,then toasted themselves until thedawn.

Still, he thought with a knowing, inward smile, Perry and Andrew would arrive by ten. They had learned long ago that when they worked they were a team, and as a team, they were courteous to one another without fault. That meant not wasting the other guys' time by not showing up.

Lee ran his eyes casually over the dancers.Ten men, ten women.Most of them very young. Probably kids just out of high school, or maybe college, trying to get a break with a show in Tahoe. Well, if he was giving anyone a break, he was damned glad. Breaks were hard to come by.

It was while he was idly staring about that he noticed her-- or at least part of her. His first sight was of long, long legs.The backs of them, to be precise.

The girl was bent over at the waist, first stretching her spine parallel with the ground, then dangling over until the top of her head almost touched the floor. Her tights were pink, and her leg warmers were black, as was her leotard. He really didn't have much of an impression of her face, all he noticed at first sight were those legs, slim, yet sinewy. And he couldn't help but notice her nicely rounded derriere. Not when it topped those long legs and faced him so pointedly...

She straightened, stretched her arms as if reaching for the sky,then slid into a graceful split.

Something about the action mesmerized him, and when he realized that he was watching her with his tongue practically hanging out, he laughed inwardly at himself.

She probably wouldn't appreciate the fact that he would have loved to bark out an order, empty the room and jump her like a madman.

But to him, it was nice to have the feeling. There had been women sinceVictoria, but none that had made him feel this way at first sight.Victoria's death had changed him, and not for the better.

And, he reminded himself, if he had ever thought ofVictoriathat way and she had found out, she would definitely have considered him a madman.No, a savage. That had been her favorite term__ He gave himself a little shake. Whatever mistakes he had made, whatever mistakes she had made, they were in the past.Over. Agonizing over all that had happened had never done him any good. It was too late to go back.

"Lee, you're here! I didn't see you come in."

Lee turned as Tony Asp approached him, grinning broadly, his hand stretched out in greeting.

"Hi, Tony," Lee said, shaking the offered hand and returning the grin. "I just walked in." He waved an arm to indicate the entryway, the staircase and the grand ballroom.' 'The place looks great. What do you think?"

"Day and night," Tony replied with a grimace. "I have to admit, I thought you were crazy to buy the place and renovate it, but you were right. From what I hear, it cost less than renting, and you've got yourself a dynamite house. You gonna move in here after the shoot?''

Lee shook his head. "I like my old house. Or new house, depending on how you look at it."

"Well, for the video, it looks great. I don't think you could find anything that looked more antebellum in the heart ofGeorgia."

"I hope you're right--" Lee began, but just then a hand clamped down hard on his shoulder and he turned to see Gary Wright, a too-thin bundle of nervous energy, but a brilliant conceptual director, standing behind him.

"Lee! How was the concert tour? Good to be back with you."

"The tour was fine, Gary, but I think it was our last. And it's good to be back with you, too."

The three men shared a good business relationship, although it had been an awkward one when they had first come together a year ago inScotlandto work on the first video. Tony had made his name in classical ballet, andGaryhad earned his reputation as a director for PBS. They had been skeptical about working with Lee, but Lee had learned early that there were two things about him that could draw prejudice: he was a Blackfoot, and he was a rock musician.

Growing up, he had learned to be tough. Growing older, he had learned to shrug his shoulders and quietly prove his points.

And he had proved himself to both Tony and Gary.

But never toVictoria...

That's over, he reminded himself.Over...

There had been some compromises made throughout the entire month's work on the first video, but the result had been so gratifying that before the final wrap they had found themselves fast friends. And the video had hit the tube with astounding success, both commercial and critical.

"I only have one disagreement with you, Lee,"Garywas saying now. "I like the concept; I have to admit I even like the arrangement of the song. But I think--with your career in mind--that we should have shots of you guys with your instruments. I know you're going to tell me that it's a Civil War ballad, which it is, but think of it this way-->''

"Excuse me, Gary," Tony cut in quickly. "I'm going to go and get started with the dancers."

"Sure, Tony,"Garysaid. "Go ahead. Now, Lee, I'm not talking about a shot of more than a second or two--''

"Sorry, Gary," Lee interrupted this time, his eyes following Tony as he started across the ballroom toward the group of colorfully clad dancers. "I'll be right back."

"But, Lee..."

"Go with it,Gary. Go with whatever you want!" A smile spread acrossGary's features, but Lee didn't notice, nor would he have minded. He was anxious to catch up with the dance director. "Tony!" The other man stopped quickly and turned around. "Tony, see the willowy redhead over there?" "Redhead?I don't see a redhead." "Dark red, Tony.She's in a black leotard, pink tights.About five-foot-six. Tony, are you blind?" "Oh! Yeah, I see her now. Boy, do I see her now!" "Quit gawking, Tony. You should be accustomed to nice bodies."

"I am, but, hey..."

"Tony, we're being aesthetic here for a minute, okay? What do you think about using her for our Lorena?"

Tony's "aesthetic" mind went into action. "Perfect! Nice long hair, good height against yours.Thin waist--good for the costume. And nice full breasts--great for the costume. She's perfect!"

"If she can dance."

"I guarantee you, Lee, they can all dance. Barbara Vinton doesn't cast people unless they know their business. I'll chat with Barbara for a minute, make sure the girl's one of the best and bring her over to meet you."

"Good. I see Perry and Andrew. I'm going to talk with them for a minute, then take a look at the

staircase." Tony nodded,then hurried over to the group of dancers. Lee walked toward the door to greet his fellowband members, Andrew McCabe, Perry Litton and MickSkyhawk .

"Damn, Lee, the place looks great!" Andrew said admiringly.

"Super," Mick agreed.

"Glad you like it," Lee laughed. "I just hope you're really seeing it. Even for a red man, you have red

eyes, my friend!" Mick, a full-blooded Blackfoot, flushed, making his naturally bronzed features darken to rust. The others laughed; Mick joined in with them good-naturedly.

"Hey, I'm here, aren't I? And you're the ones who keep telling me I need to settle down. How will I ever settle down if I don't spend an evening now and then with a member of the opposite sex?" "You spend plenty of evenings with members of the opposite sex," Andrew told him, sighing with feigned exasperation.' 'It would help if you spent these nights with the same member of the opposite sex."

Lee felt his smile fade a little uneasily. Be careful, Mick, he thought fleetingly. Sometimes you're better off when you don't know a woman well, when you both come and go in the dark. Because you may think that you know her, but you never will, and dark secrets can hide in the heart....

"I want to go and take a look at the staircase," Lee murmured, "Mick,they've set your piano up at the rear of the ballroom, if you want to go take a look." "I'll do that," Mick replied.

The group parted, and Lee headed toward the gracefully curving stairway. He smiled for a minute, pleased and proud that theFultonplace had turned out so well. When he had first seen it, the old marble floors had been covered in inches of dust. The stairway had been charred and broken in places, and the elegant light fixtures--including a couple of priceless chandeliers--had been so tangled inspiderwebs as to be unrecognizable. They had all thought he was crazy when he decided to buy the place and renovate it for the video of "Lorena." But now, cleaned up and fixed up, the place was perfect.

Just as music had always been a passion with him, an integral part of living, film had become an almost-obsession.

"Lee, good morning!I'd like you to meet Bryn Keller. Bryn, Lee Condor."

He had turned instantly at the sound of Barbara's voice, greeting her with a warm smile. Keller...the name was familiar.

He smiled at the woman he had chosen and extended a hand in greeting. As he studied her, he murmured something polite in return to the introduction.

Even before she spoke, he felt it: a wave of cold antagonism that was startling. So strong he could almost see a sheet of ice in the air between them.

Ice...andfire.