They were standing in the opulent master bedroom-all white silk with sterling accent pieces-and admiring the ocean that stretched in an endless sweep of blue toward the distant horizon. Sometimes the beauty of nature overwhelmed Whitney, making her life, her troubles seem small.

“Hear anything from Miranda?” Trish unexpectedly asked.

How could Whitney lie to a friend who’d helped her so much? She evaded by saying, “I’m hoping she’ll be back soon.”

“Rod’s really curious why she used his name.”

The second the words were out of Trish’s mouth, Whitney got the picture. Trish was interested in the attorney.

“I’m sure you and I are the only ones Miranda told. Rod won’t have to explain all over town.”

“Rod’s not worried,” Trish assured her. “Just curious.”

Now Whitney had the complete picture. Trish wasn’t just interested in the man from afar; they must be involved. Great, she decided. Trish had let the past haunt her for too long. It was nice to know her friend had found someone to care about.

“Rod’s been trying to reach you,” Trish added. “I tried to help him by calling your ex-”

“You didn’t!”

“I did,” Trish replied defensively. “Only because Rod needs to reach you. He’s desperate to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“He didn’t tell me. You know how lawyers are. He flew to San Francisco this morning.”

“It must be about the property agreement. I’m ready to sign it and have Ryan out of my life.”

This was a new start, Whitney reminded herself. As soon as she signed those papers, her life would head in a new direction.

So why wasn’t she happier?

IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON by the time Lyleen dropped off Lexi. Her dog was excited to see Whitney, but not nearly as excited as Jasper. The crested kept spinning in circles and yipping. Whitney realized she was going to miss Jasper. He had his quirks but he was a lovable dog. She would miss Adam, too, but she tamped that thought down.

The fiftyish woman had a nest of gray curls covering the crown of her head, but the rest was buzzed from ear to ear and along the back of her neck. Lyleen seemed a little intense to Whitney, but very competent. As Trish had said, the most important thing was the dogs liked her.

“I tried to reach Mr. Hunter but he’s not home,” the woman told her. “You said Jasper was skittish, and I knew Lexi had gotten out. Do you think I should leave such a valuable dog in the side yard?”

“No. Let him stay with me tonight. I’ll have Adam set up an appointment with you. He needs to explain Jasper’s schedule and show you the dog’s special hiding places, like under the coffee table.”

“All right. I’ll ring him again.”

They said goodbye and Whitney went over to the telephone in the media room just off the entry. Jasper and Lexi were at her heels. She remembered she didn’t have food for either one of them. She needed to make a quick run to the supermarket, but first she wanted to call Ryan.

“Ryan, it’s me.”

“Where are you?” He sounded upset.

“I’m house-sitting for a friend of Trish Bowrather’s.”

“Where?”

She hesitated. Adam had warned her to keep her whereabouts secret if possible. The killers after Miranda probably realized her cousin no longer lived in the cottage, but it paid to be careful. Also, after the way Ryan had shaken her to bully her into signing the papers, Whitney wasn’t sure she wanted him to pay her another visit.

“Where are you?” Ryan repeated.

“Why?”

“Trish Bowrather called here looking for you.” Something new entered his voice. Harder, more judgmental. “I didn’t know where you were.”

She wanted to tell him, There’s no reason why you should. Then she reminded herself that she was starting over. The past was behind her forever.

There was no reason not to tell her ex where she was living. After all, they’d been married. It would take some time before people stopped contacting Ryan when they wanted to find her.

“I’ll be at 211 Ocean Vista for the next few months.”

“That’s a pretty swank neighborhood.”

Trust Ryan to recognize a prestigious address. Whitney let the comment pass. “I want to thank you for making Ashley return Lexi. I realize her disappearance wasn’t your fault.” She waited but Ryan didn’t respond. “My attorney’s in San Francisco. He’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll sign the papers and get out of your life.”

A grinding silence greeted her words. She finally asked, “Is Ashley there?”

“Why?” he snapped.

“I wanted to tell her that she’s lucky I didn’t file stolen-property charges against her. Lexi’s a valuable dog. If Ashley comes near-”

“She’s out.” He slammed down the receiver.

Whitney hung up, a little annoyed with herself for being so peevish. Ashley had returned the dog. Why threaten her? She put the dogs in the minivan Ravissant Gallery used to deliver paintings. They had so much room that they started to play in the back.

“Settle down,” she called over her shoulder.

She was on her way to the market when she decided to drop by the veterinarian’s office and use the computer to update Lexi’s chip. She wasn’t due to start working until next week but maybe if she told them she was available she could start sooner. Heaven knew she could use the money. She was going to have to charge groceries and dog food.

“We’re closing in ten minutes,” the woman told Whitney when she walked through the door with both dogs on leashes.

Whitney explained she was going to be the new assistant, and the receptionist looked relieved not to have two sick dogs just before they closed at six.

“I don’t have a computer at home.” Whitney walked behind the counter to the computer. “I need to update Lexi’s chip info.”

“Go ahead, but did you know it can be done over the telephone?”

“Really?” Whitney responded as if she didn’t know. She’d hoped to see one of the doctors and let them know she would like to work immediately. “Where is everyone?” Whitney casually asked as she logged onto the system and typed in the Web address for Pet Locate.

“They’re at a Neuticles demo.”

“What’s that?” A small charge of excitement buzzed through her body. She hadn’t had much sleep last night-just a short nap on Miranda’s sofa and another quick nap on the plane. She was exhausted and looking forward to climbing into the white silk bed, but hearing about advances in veterinary medicine interested her.

“Testicular implants.”

“No way!”

“I’m not kidding,” the receptionist assured her. “Lots of people want their dogs-you know-unable to reproduce, but they don’t like the look.”

“Oh my gosh. It sounds painful and totally unnecessary.”

The woman giggled. “I doubt if Dr. Robinson will be doing them, but she went to see what all the fuss was about.”

Whitney changed Lexi’s contact information to reflect the new address where Whitney was house-sitting and gave that phone number in addition to her cell. Lexi hadn’t wandered off, but why take chances?

While she was at it she checked to be sure Adam had updated Jasper’s information after his uncle’s death. The pets were listed under the owner’s name but nothing came up for Calvin Hunter. Pet Locate was the main chip database, but Whitney knew at least one other company was now providing the service.

“Isn’t there another chip service?” she asked.

“Sure. PetFinders.com. It’s bookmarked at the top of the screen.”

Whitney quickly located the database. Calvin Hunter’s name did not appear. “That’s strange,” she said, thinking out loud.

“Don’t you remember what service you used?” asked the receptionist.

“I’ve updated my dog’s information, but I wanted to change Jasper’s.” She pointed to her feet, where Jasper was wagging his tail at the sound of his name. “His owner died, so the info has to be changed. He’s an international champion but I can’t find his late owner’s name in either chip database.”