But could she chance it would be different this time,

considering how high the stakes were? Then again, maybe

it already was too late for Duncan, because she wasn’t sure

if the curse applied just to husbands or if a man only had to

fal in love with a descendent of Gretchen Robinson to meet

a quick demise.

But then yet again, if she hadn’t personal y witnessed an

earthquake that had moved several mountains and split

Bottomless Lake wide open without cracking a window in

Spel bound Fal s and Turtleback Station, Peg might think

Duncan was at the very least delusional and at worst

insane. But she had felt the mountains moving and heard

the booming thunder, and she had arrived home to find

saltwater spil ing into her gravel pit without so much as a

chipped dish in her cupboards. So a good deal of his

fantastical tale had to be true, considering the proof was

staring her in the face every time she looked out her kitchen

window.

Peg smiled up at the moonlight showering the unusual y

tal trees surrounding the unusual y warm pool with soft

white light, and decided she liked Duncan’s idea of the

forest and mountains being God’s cathedral. As for his dad

and those other men traveling through time, and Mac being

from Atlantis, and Trees of Life growing right here in Maine,

if Duncan had told her al that stuff hoping to persuade her

to have sex with him … wel , he’d certainly caught her

attention. Of al the arguments he could have made, having

the power to break her family curse was the most potent.

Because not only would he be saving her daughters’

futures, Duncan would also be saving hers. And honestly,

she didn’t know how much longer she’d survive sleeping in

a smal empty bed every night before the part of her heart

not fil ed up by her children final y atrophied.

Peg glanced over at Duncan again, looking big and

strong and unkil able as he reclined on the mat and

sleeping bag he’d unrol ed on the moss next to the fire.

After, that is, he’d beat the jeans she’d tossed to shore

against a rock before spreading them on a branch—after

she’d watched him secretly peek at the label to see their

size. Now he was lying with his head propped in his hand,

pretending to be gazing at the fire like the patient man he

was even though she knew he was secretly peeking past

the flames in hopes of seeing something interesting.

When in the name of God had she fal en in love with him?

She’d caught herself being attracted to Duncan the day

he’d helped her butcher the deer, which to her dismay had

turned into desiring him when he’d stolen a kiss the night

his equipment was being sabotaged—which had then

turned into her desperately needing him sometime when

she hadn’t been paying attention, apparently. And if she

had to wait much longer to feel him inside her, Peg was

afraid she was going to be the first female to die of the

Robinson curse.

She’d thought, much to her delight, he was taking the

decision away from her down by the beach when she’d lied

and said she wasn’t wearing a bra. But the contrary man

had suddenly backed off, and then made her spend two

friggin’ hours watching the moonlight play over his broad

shoulders as he’d carried a sword that had to weigh at

least twenty pounds, and the heavy backpack, and

eventual y her up the mountain.

Damn, big strong men turned her on.

And real y, it’s not like he hadn’t been forewarned that

making love to her might kil him. So what was she doing

here in this magical place with this magical man—with no

danger of being interrupted and al the time in the world,

apparently—acting like some seventeen-year-old virgin

planning to give herself to her boyfriend on Valentine’s

Day? God, she’d been a romantic idiot when she was

seventeen.

Yeah, wel , she was twenty-eight now, a ful -grown woman

with four children, an empty bed, and a hole in her heart the

size of a house. And if she had to go through the worry of

letting a man see her naked for the first time again, she

real y couldn’t have devised a better setting. She might not

have a seventeen-year-old’s body thanks to three

pregnancies, and her boobs may be heading south and

she might have a few stretch marks, but moonlight and

water were great disguisers of imperfections.

Peg rol ed onto her stomach, quietly swam toward a rock

embedded in the sandy gravel shore, and folded her arms

on it to rest her chin on her hands. “I stil have that card, you

know. The one you gave me eleven years ago.”

He sat up. “Ye do?”

She nodded on her hands. “I’d forgotten about it, actual y.

But your tel ing me that it was you on TarStone that day, I

remembered slipping it inside the torn lining of my jewelry

box when I got home from the ski trip.” She smiled, knowing

the fire was casting enough light for him to see it. “And your

kiss did leave quite an impression on me. I had some pretty

erotic dreams for a virgin that winter.”

God, she’d swear his chest actual y puffed up.

“Are you going to make me try to catch these trout al by

myself,” she asked, “or come in here and help?”

The fire certainly cast enough light for her to see him go

stil but for the sudden flare in his eyes. “I didn’t bring a

swimsuit with me, lass,” he said thickly.

She shrugged. “Last I knew, red-blooded females

consider swimsuits just one more obstacle to get past.”

She reared up slightly and pushed off the rock to glide on

her back to the center of the pool. “Come swim in this

magical pool in God’s cathedral with me, Duncan.”

Why weren’t men the least bit modest? This one had his

boots and socks off in three seconds flat, unbuttoning his

shirt as he stood up, dropping his pants—boxers included

—and stepping out of them al without taking his eyes off

her. Peg’s breath caught when he skirted the fire with an

unhurried but deliberate stride and walked into the pool, not

stopping until the water was up to his waist and there was

only about ten feet separating them. Knowing that if she

gave him too much time to think through his plan of attack

that he might not attack at al , Peg dove under the surface

and swam directly toward him, knowing he’d assume she

was swimming away.

His muted bark of surprise confirmed her guess when

she popped up in front of him. “Shh, you’l wake the

squirrels,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around

him and pressed the ful length of her body to his, making

him suck in his breath. She touched her lips to his chest

and pul ed in his wonderful y male scent. “And I’m not into

having an audience.”

He cupped her face and tilted her head to look at him.

“You’re sure, Peg?”

“About what I’m doing? No. But about doing it with you?

Oh, yes.” She searched his eyes searching hers. “I loved

my husband with the heart of a young girl wanting nothing

more than to be a wife and mother. And now with a

woman’s heart, I’ve fal en in love with you. I real y didn’t want

to, since you’re a little more than scary sometimes, but I

think that’s precisely why it’s safe for me to love you.” She

gave him a tentative smile. “Because I definitely believe a

woman needs a big, strong, scary man to keep life …

interesting. For instance, I can’t wait to find out what that is

poking my bel y.”

Peg dropped her hands from his waist when he stil didn’t