Hidden Talents

successful career and with life in general for longer than he cared to remember.
    He recalled Serenity's initial letter of inquiry quite clearly. The scope of her plans had amused him.

    Dear Mr. Ventress:
    Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Serenity Makepeace and I need your help to save my hometown, Witt's End, Washington.
    You have probably never heard of Witt's End. It's located in the Cascade mountains, approximately an hour and a half drive from Seattle. It is home to a variety of artists, craftspeople, and others who need an environment that accepts and nurtures independent spirits who choose unconventional lifestyles.
    I am well aware that I cannot afford your usual consulting fees, but I am prepared to offer you a share of the future profits.
    My goal is to create a viable mail order business, an offshoot of my grocery store, that will provide an outlet for the unusual products of our local residents. I'm appealing to you, Mr. Ventress, because my community cannot survive much longer unless it is given a solid economic base.
    I am aware that this project is probably very small and insignificant compared to the consulting projects you normally handle, but I urge you to take on the task. I'm told that you're very good at this kind of thing.
    I am committed to saving my community. I believe that the world needs places like Witt's End, Washington, Mr. Ventress. They are the last frontier towns, the only communities left that are suited to those who do not fit in well with the modern urban landscape.
    In a sense we all need places like Witt's End. And Witt's End needs you, Mr. Ventress.
    Sincerely,
    Serenity Makepeace

    On a whim, Caleb had invited Serenity for an interview. The day she had walked through the door three weeks ago, looking completely wrong in a conservative gray suit and matching one-inch heels, he knew he would be signing a contract with her.
    He had taken Serenity by the hand, and she had followed his experienced lead with charming naiveté. If he'd really been trying to take advantage of her, he could have tied her up six ways from Sunday and she would never have had a clue. Instead, five minutes ago she had signed on the bottom line of what he considered a reasonably fair contract.
    Of course, he had given himself a very large, very flexible escape clause, and left her with only one carefully controlled exit out of the deal; an exit that she would probably need a lawyer to find. Business was business, after all, and a contract was a contract. When it came to this part of his life, Caleb made it a habit to do things on his own terms or not at all.
    His escape route was spelled out in section six of the contract. All he had to do was exercise it.
    Caleb did not take his eyes off of Serenity as he absorbed the body blow she had just dealt him.
    “What did you say?” he asked. There was virtually no chance that he had misunderstood her, but he had to make certain.
    Serenity cleared her throat delicately. “I said someone is trying to blackmail me.”
    A dark rage ignited somewhere deep inside Caleb. It had been so long since he had last felt such a powerful emotion that he almost failed to recognize the hot anger for what it was. For an instant it threatened to overwhelm him.
    “Damn it to hell.” Caleb made no effort to tone down the savage edge that etched his words.
    Serenity tilted her head to one side and studied him with a perplexed but very steady gaze. “Is something wrong?”
    That was taking the element of charming naiveté a little too far, he thought in disgust. He wondered what he had ever seen in her. No one would have labeled her beautiful, he decided, making a desperate attempt to regain the cold, detached objectivity he had cultivated all of his life. Attractive, yes. Interesting, certainly. Amusing, even. But not beautiful.
    Serenity's intelligent face was expressive and vivid. He had to admit that there was a natural elegance to her high cheekbones. He also conceded that there was something about her full mouth that made him think of sultry nights and damp, tangled sheets, even though this year October was proving to be cool and crisp in Seattle.
    No, she was not beautiful, but he had been riveted by her from the first moment she had walked into his office. He had wanted her.
    God help him, he still wanted her.
    “Under the circumstances, that's a rather idiotic question, don't you think?” Caleb muttered.
    “I'm sorry,” Serenity said politely. “I realize this