ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

Anderson raised her chin. "Please look me in the eyes. You have no reason to be ashamed."

"You're every girl's fantasy of the perfect husband. You're kind, generous, handsome, strong, protective, and rich."

Anderson's eyebrow rose. "Only not yours."

"Mine included." Shana released a deep breath. "Only I added Jewish."

"I see."

"I can't ignore the Jewish part. I've tried, and it won't go away."

Shana started to look at the ground, but Anderson moved her face up. "Look me in the eyes."

"It's harder to talk that way."

Anderson drew her into a hug. "I know."


TODAY'S POST:

Chapter 26 part 3

Leon stepped onto the front porch. "Drew, your grandma and I are going to bed. We'll see you in the morning."

Anderson nodded. "I need to say goodnight to Grandma. Want to come?"

"Yes, I'll be right behind you. I need a drink." Shana entered as Anderson held the door.

"There's bottled water in the fridge. Help yourself." Anderson continued toward his grandparents.

As Shana reached for a bottle, Zachery entered and asked, "Did you and Drew get everything worked out?"

Shana screamed as a small critter ran alongside the refrigerator door.

Zachery caught it. "It's only a gecko." He held it for Shana to see. "They're harmless."

The small brownish lizard escaped his hold. Shana jumped onto a chair and continued screaming.

As Zachery reclaimed it, Anderson and the rest of the family entered the kitchen. Anderson and Michael held guns readied.

Laughing Zachery, again, held up the gecko. "I think those might be overkill. I guess this pretty lady never saw one before."

Anderson slipped the gun in his waist band and placed his hands at Shana's waist. "I'll help you down. That little guy won't hurt you." He grinned, trying to keep from laughing. Once Shana's feet were on the floor, he hugged her. "It's been a long day. I think we should all go to bed."

Shana glanced around the room at the smiling faces. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I guess I do need to get some sleep." She headed toward the bedroom.

"Zack, put that little guy outside." Michael smiled. "Shana, I'll escort you to your room. I hope you never see a horned toad. They're really ugly. Geckos are cute little guys."

As Michael opened her bedroom door, Shana asked, "Are there a lot of geckos around?"

"Unfortunately for you, yes. They love the Texas heat." Michael scanned the room. "Go ahead and get ready for bed. I'll wait in the hall until Drew comes." He closed the door as he left.

*****
Shana finished her nighttime routine and crawled in bed before she heard Michael and Anderson talking in the hallway.

Anderson knocked a few times and then said, "Shana, it's me. May I come in?"

"Yes." After he opened the door, she said, "I'm sorry for my reaction to the lizard."

"Don't worry about it. It'll give Zack something to laugh and tease you about." Anderson grinned.

"Great." Shana pointed to the things Anderson had brought with him. "What's all that?"

"I figured after today's events you'd have nightmares and this room only has one bed. I didn't want to sleep on the floor." Anderson held up a folded cot. "I'll sleep on this." He set a sleeping bag by the cot. "My blankets."

"Do you think that's really necessary?"

Anderson's eyes twinkled. "The alternative is we share the bed. It is a queen." He chuckled at her blushing. "I'm sure..."

"Papa wouldn't approve. You're right." Shana paused. "Papa wouldn't approve of this either."

"I know, but it's the best I could come up with. Besides, I'm not sure it's completely safe. I can't believe only one man made it through the perimeter. They normally travel in pairs. I don't want to take any chances." Anderson set up the cot.

"Is that what you told your dad?"

Walking to Shana, he sat beside her. "I promised I wouldn't tell them about your nightmares and I've kept my word. Please trust me."



A horned toad is really a Horned lizard, but the locals call it a horned toad.











Characters so far:

Shana Kohlberg -- a 25 year old high school English literature teacher -- she's trying to get her family's painting back
Anderson Sharp -- often called Drew -- 31 years old -- works part-time on Wall Street -- a billionaire from Texas oil wells
Dmitry Bezrukov -- one of three Russian men in black suits
Jeff Burk -- takes care of Anderson's cars and important security details.
Helen -- Anderson's cook
Jane -- Anderson's housekeeper
Philip -- Anderson's butler -- close friend
Kyle -- Anderson's dog walker
Axel -- Anderson's lead German shepherd
Thor -- Anderson's second German shepherd
Romeo -- Anderson's third German shepherd
Aaron Kohlberg -- Shana's older brother
Ivan Kuznetsov -- formally Ivan Morozov, I accidently chose a real person, so I have changed it present day owner of the painting.
Patricia -- Anderson's ex-wife
Emily -- Anderson's five year old daughter
Isaiah Glassberg -- Anderson divorce/custody attorney.
Jeremy -- Jane's second-cousin twice removed, NYC undercover cop.
Hannah Jacobs -- Shana's cousin, the same age and best friend. Married within the past year and just had a baby, Sarah. Her husband, Paul. Sarah was just diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease.
Joshua Colton -- Art Museum's curator
Benjamin Kohlberg -- Shana's father
Eliana Kohlberg - - Shana's mother
Maxwell Gaines -- Lawyer hired to retrieve the painting
Erich Berger -- Manager of the Dorotheum art auction house in Austria
Mary Pritchard -- The lady Anderson hired to help Hannah while she's in Boston with Sarah.
Zachery Sharp -- Anderson's younger brother
Michael Sharp -- Anderson's father
Susan Sharp --Anderson's mother
Leon Sharp - - Anderson's grandfather
Grandma Sharp - - Anderson's grandmother
Detective Rollins - - Austin police detective