An Intimate Bargain

Seven

It was after midnight. Having finished a phone call to Alex, Zach moved from the bedroom of his hotel suite to the living room where Abigail was curled up on the sofa, reading her way through one of the papers from the thick rejection file. She still wore the filmy, plum, strapless bridesmaid dress. It draped enticingly across her thighs, highlighting her toned, tanned, sexy legs. Her feet were bare. Her hair had come loose from the updo and now framed her face with those same auburn wisps he’d fallen for the first night he’d met her. Her makeup was slightly smudged, and a hint of cleavage peeked out from her bodice. It was all he could do not to stride across the room and pull her into his arms and kiss her until they couldn’t see straight.

He knew she didn’t want that. But he also knew she was still attracted to him. And, right now, he wanted it enough for the both of them.

She lifted her gaze to look at him, those golden eyes all but glowing in the soft light from the table lamp.

He knew she’d caught him staring. And he imagined there was no mistaking his thoughts, since he was all but salivating at the thought of her.

But she didn’t seem to notice, or else she didn’t care. She smiled serenely. “I’ve got it.”

He had to forcibly pull back from the sensual path he’d been on. “Got what?”

“The solution.” Smile broadening, she asked, “You got any champagne around here?”

“I can order anything you want.”

“You might want to order some champagne.”

“Why?” he prompted.

She chuckled softly, coming to her feet. “It’s so simple. It was there all along.”

He knew she couldn’t be talking about sex, but, man, did he wish she was. “What was there all along?”

“You move your company headquarters to Lyndon.”

Her words didn’t compute into anything logical in his brain, so he didn’t respond.

“That’s the answer, Zach.”

“Is that a joke?” If it was, she was keeping a pretty straight face.

“It’s not a joke.”

“It’s ridiculous.” DFB had only recently agreed to a new five-year lease for the office space in Houston. His two-hundred-strong at headquarters had houses there, families there. They were all Texans.

“You do that,” she singsonged, obviously ignoring his reaction. “That’s over two hundred new jobs in the Lyndon area. Your variance application then has a fundamental impact on employment creation in the region, and you’ve just earned yourself mandatory exemption.”

Against all odds, the woman truly was serious.

“Do you have any idea what it would take to make that kind of move?” he asked. “There are legal and incorporation impacts, taxation impacts, export-licensing impacts, not to mention uprooting two-hundred people and their families.”

She sauntered toward him. “I think what you mean to say is, ‘You’re brilliant, Abigail. Thank you so much for giving me a real solution to an impossible problem’.”

He knew she was brilliant, but he couldn’t quite wrap his head around the magnitude of her suggestion. His words were confrontational, but his tone was soft. “I believe I mean to say, ‘You’re insane, Abigail. This will never work in real life’.”

She came to a halt in front of him, all soft and sexy and proud. “You coerced me. You blackmailed me. You stalked me.”

“How did I stalk you?”

“To the wedding.”

He considered that. “Okay. Fair enough.”

“And now, after all that, after I practically made my brain bleed thinking this through, you’re refusing to take my advice?”

“Your advice is frightening.”

“It’s brilliant.”

“I don’t see how it can work.”

“It can work.” Her eyes took on that glow of intelligence as her brain obviously clicked through a catalog of facts. “Or maybe it can’t work. But it’s all I’ve got.”

He recognized that it was an extraordinary plan. The only flaw was that it wouldn’t work, at least not for him, not for DFB. But that didn’t change the fact that she’d been clever to come up with it.

“They tell me you’re a genius,” he found himself saying.

His words clearly took her by surprise. “Who are they?”

“People I talk to. People in Lyndon. Are you a genius, Abigail?”

“I’m smart enough that you should be listening to me.”

“And I’m stupid enough to think there’s another way.”

“You’re not stupid. Exactly.”

“Ouch.”

“I’d say you were self-confident to a fault.”

“It’s taken me a long way in life.” He felt compelled to defend himself.

“That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be mitigated.”

“You’re really quite fearless, aren’t you?”

“Where did that come from?”

“Nobody challenges me like this. Nobody pushes me, nobody makes me second-guess myself. I’ve missed you,” he confessed, easing closer to her.

“In a good way?”

Was it his imagination or was she leaning slightly toward him?

“My life seems flat when you’re not around.”

“Mine seems a whole lot simpler when you’re not around.”

“You want simpler?”

She hesitated, brain obviously cataloging again. Finally she shook her head.

“Neither do I,” he muttered. He gave in to impulse and lifted his hand, cupping her cheek, easing his spread fingers into her hair. “I want you.”

Her eyes closed, and she turned her face into his palm. “When you touch me,” she breathed, “nothing else seems to matter.”

“Everything matters,” he countered. “But you matter the most.”

“Zach…” She sighed. “What now?”

He moved in. “Now I hope I kiss you.”

“We shouldn’t.”

“Agreed. Not the way things have been between us. But you’re free from me now. From here on in. No matter what, I’ll never bother you again.”

“So I can leave? And you won’t try to stop me?”

He held his breath, afraid she’d do exactly that. “You can do anything you want.”

But she didn’t move. In fact, her lips softened and parted, and her pupils dilated ever so slightly.

“Kiss me, Zach.”

His arms went around her instantly. He tried to be gentle, but passion pushed him on. He kissed her deeply, holding her tight, reveling in the feel of her body pressed against his own. He’d missed her so much. Every minute of every day they’d been apart, he’d missed her.

She was soft to his hard, supple to his taut steel. She smelled like wildflowers, and she tasted of champagne.

She kissed him back, her delicate hands gripping his shoulders, her tongue tangling with his, opening to him, molding against him. Desire crested in his bloodstream, and he knew he was careening toward losing control. He forced himself to pull back.

“I’m sorry,” he rasped. “I didn’t mean this to get out of hand.”

“It’s out of hand?” She was equally breathless, and her hands went to the buttons on his shirt.

“Abby,” he warned.

“What?” she asked, glancing up, tone falsely innocent, eyes blinking up at him.

“You’re a very smart woman.”

“I am,” she agreed, still unbuttoning.

“You’re unbuttoning my shirt.”

“Also true.” She separated the fabric and placed a hot kiss on his chest.

“You know what this means.”

“In fact, I do.”

“Just so we’re clear.”

“We’re clear.”

“I can’t keep my hands off you.”

She smiled impishly up at him. “You’re doing a pretty good job so far.”

He scooped her into his arms and strode for the bedroom. “Let’s fix that.”

Her luscious lips went to his neck. “Please do.”

He was in the bedroom in seconds, setting her down on the bed, stretching out beside her, kissing her lips, her neck, her shoulders, inhaling deeply as he ran his fingers through her soft hair.

“This is the sexiest dress ever,” he told her.

“Katrina picked it.”

“Remind me to thank her.” He released the zipper and pushed the fabric down over her breasts.

Abby groaned. “I’m trying to picture that conversation.”

He kissed one nipple, bringing the tip to a bead.

Her fingertips dug into his shoulders.

“Picturing it now?” he teased.

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

With a free hand he drew her dress up along her bare thighs, reveling in the soft, tender skin, his thumbs drawing circles as he moved higher.

She finished with his buttons, pushing his jacket and shirt off his shoulders. He let them fall to the floor, taking her lips in a deep kiss.

He touched the hot silk of her panties, and she gasped against his mouth. Her panties were filmy, barely there, and he easily pulled them off, down her gorgeous legs, tossing them to the side. In answer, her hands went to his pants, fumbling with the button and his zipper.

He retrieved his wallet, working with one hand for a condom as she pulled down his zipper, grazing him with her knuckles, her hand surrounding him through his boxers.

He followed the contours of her body, reveling in her soft skin, kissing her from her hairline to her toes and back again. Then he finally rose above her, watching her expression, the moue of her pink mouth, the glow of her golden eyes, the sheen of sweat on her forehead, and he gently pushed inside.

He groaned out loud. “How can anything be so good?”

A haze was taking over his brain. A roar had started in his ears. And all nonessential systems were shutting down.

Abigail was the center of his world. The blackmail was done. From this moment on, she had the power.

“Oh, Lucky.” She kissed his mouth, wrapped her arms around his neck, tightened her legs around his waist, her entire body cradling his.

He’d never felt anything like it. Explosions started at the base of his brain, growing in intensity, fanning out.

He heard her cry, felt her body ripple around him, and he let himself cascade over the edge.

Their breathing was ragged, and long minutes passed while he held her to him, passion slowly throbbing its way from his body.

Neither spoke. Her body was limp, and her head was tucked into the crook of his neck.

“I thought about what you said,” she whispered.

“What did I say?” Whatever it was, he’d say it again.

“About your employees being your family. It made me want to help you. To throw my heart and soul into it.”

“Thank you,” he said simply.

“You really do need to move your headquarters.”

“Can we talk about this later?” Though he accepted that she was right. He and Alex had to sit down and seriously talk about how that might work.

“There is no later,” she told him, tone regretful. “I’ve got a 9:00 a.m. flight.”

Stay, his mind screamed. “Back to the ranch?” he asked instead.

She nodded.

Her words made him feel helpless. She didn’t want to go back there. She shouldn’t have to go back there.

“Have you told them?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“I’m never going to tell them, Zach. And you can’t either.”

“You can’t live your life for your family.”

“You’re living yours for your employees.”

“That’s different.” He loved his job. He loved working with Alex, and he took immense satisfaction in the success of Red, White and Brew.

She gave him an ironic smile and cocked her head.

“Hot tub or bed?” he asked, deciding to assume she was staying the night. Before she could refuse, he touched the bottom of her chin with his index finger, placing a gentle kiss on her swollen mouth.

“Bed,” he decided for her on a whisper. “Don’t make me let go of you just yet.”

Wrapped in Zach’s discarded dress shirt, sleeves rolled up a few turns, Abigail gazed through the window of the darkened hotel bedroom, watching the distant spot of light that was an early flight taking off from the Denver airport. It trailed across the sky, disappearing into a blend of stars on the horizon. It wouldn’t be long before she was on a plane just like that, winging her way north, while Zach made his way south.

She heard him moving behind her, and then his arms were around her, drawing her back against him.

“Hey.” His voice was husky above her ear.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she apologized.

“I wasn’t asleep.”

She drew a breath and allowed herself to absorb his warmth. He seemed so strong, so sure, as if nothing in the world could slow him down. She tried to imagine how he’d become such a successful man, how he’d overcome what must have been innumerable challenges in his childhood.

“What was it like?” she found herself asking.

“What was what like?” he asked.

“Growing up. Alone. In the group home.”

“You don’t want to hear about that.”

She turned in his arms. “Yes, I do.”

He gazed at her for a minute, eyes dark, expression serious. “Unremarkable,” he finally answered.

That didn’t come anywhere near to satisfying her. “Were you happy, sad, lonely?”

“We were all lonely.”

She looped her arms loosely around his waist, studying his expression. “I’m trying to imagine what it must have been like when you were little.”

“It was like having a hundred brothers.”

“But no parents.”

“Parents, no. Workers, yes. Around the clock. Some of them stayed for years. Some of them seemed to like me a lot. Well-” he gave a wry smile “-when I was little, anyway. But then I met Alex, and we were typical, active boys, and we mostly made the workers all crazy.”

Abigail smiled back, but her heart couldn’t help aching for him.

“What about you?” he asked. “What was it like when you were little.”

“Seth and Travis were horrible to us girls.”

“I can imagine.”

“They teased us unmercifully. I was the oldest. Mandy was pretty tough. While Katrina was always really small and delicate. They weren’t too bad with her. I guess even as kids, they realized it would be cruel to go after her.”

“What did they do to you and Mandy?”

“Everything from putting spiders in our beds to throwing us into the freezing-cold lake in the spring. Travis sneaked into my bedroom once in the middle of the night and glued my hair to my pillow. The next morning, Mom had to cut it off.”

Zach smoothed back her hair. “Travis get a whipping?”

“My parents didn’t believe in spanking. But he spent the next two weeks shoveling manure in the hot sun.”

“Learned his lesson?”

“He never did anything like that again. But I don’t think manual labor ever bothered him much.”

“At St. Stephen’s they had a big old leather strap.”

“They beat you?”

“They didn’t call it beating back then. They called it discipline.”

She cringed just thinking about it. “Did you…”

“Oh, yes.”

“Oh, Zach.” She put a sympathetic hand to his cheek.

He covered it with his. “It wasn’t that bad. Schoolyard fights were worse. But it toughened Alex and me up. By the time we left, there wasn’t much the world could throw at us that we couldn’t take.”

She didn’t buy his dismissal. She knew how cruel kids could be, and she’d always had her parents as champions. And she also had her brothers and sisters by her side. Though Seth and Travis would tease them at home, they’d staunchly defended them to any outsiders.

It had been interesting when she started dating.

“Did you go to a local school?” she asked Zach.

“Classes were at St. Stephen’s.”

“So, boys only.”

“Boys only.”

“How did you date?”

“We didn’t. From about fifteen on, we had supervised outings. We sometimes came across girls, at local fairs or movie nights. But it was always in groups, always supervised, never a chance to steal a kiss or cop a feel.”

“How’d you learn about sex?” she asked. Somewhere along the way, he’d become awfully good at it.

He grinned. “Hearsay and rumor, and the occasional contraband girlie magazine.”

She smiled along with him. “And how old were you when you left St. Stephen’s.”

“Eighteen.”

“So, how long did it take you to get lucky, Lucky?”

His gaze warmed on her. “A long time. I got very lucky a few weeks ago, in Lyndon, Colorado. With a woman who was ten times more beautiful than anyone I’d ever seen in a magazine.”

“Oh, good answer,” she approved with a nod.

“I mean it.”

“You’ve learned a lot about women along the way, Zach Rainer.”

“I’d like to learn more about you.”

She sobered. “You’ve got about two hours.”

He drew her closer. “Two hours. And that’s it?”

“That’s it.” She’d been absent from the ranch far too much since the election. It wasn’t fair to Travis. And for the next week, they were also helping to take care of the Terrell place next to theirs while Caleb and Reed were on their honeymoons with Mandy and Katrina. She couldn’t afford even one more day in Denver.

Back in Houston, two hours after his plane had landed, Zach sat across the boardroom table from Alex.

“You’re serious,” Alex stated unnecessarily.

“You don’t think I’ve come at this from every possible angle?”

Alex drummed his fingers rhythmically on the tabletop. “And you trust her?”

“What’s not to trust? There’s nothing in this for her.”

“It gets you to Lyndon.”

“I don’t think she wants me in Lyndon.” Zach could get bigheaded about this and decide that Abigail had some interest in him beyond their brief fling. But he was realistic. Her goodbye this morning had been final.

Not that he blamed her. He’d forced her to go against her family. And if he knew anything about Abby, it was that she was loyal to the core. Though their lovemaking was explosive, it was temporary and in some ways selfish. She wasn’t going to let herself do that again.

Alex leaned back in his chair, twirling a silver pen between his fingers. “Then I guess we get the legal department assembled this afternoon.”

“And Accounting,” said Zach. “Relocating is going to be expensive. We’ll have to break our lease. I can’t imagine what it’ll do to our taxes. And we should offer employees some kind of moving allowance.”

“Are there even enough houses for everybody in Lyndon, Colorado?”

Zach realized it was a good question. “I wonder if we could stage it out, maybe plan the bulk of the move for next summer. That way, people with kids wouldn’t be so inconvenienced.”

“You think people will quit?”

“Some might,” Zach reasoned. “But at least they’ll have the option.”

Alex’s frown deepened. “You are absolutely sure there’s no other way?”

“I am absolutely sure.” He’d had three of their lawyers look over the moratorium and Abigail’s suggestion. They proclaimed her a genius and told Zach they’d hire her as a researcher in a heartbeat.

“There is a bright side,” said Alex.

“Yeah?”

“I’m starting to think Stephanie might have been bluffing.”

“Will you take her back?” Zach was often baffled by his friend’s relationship with his girlfriend Stephanie. It seemed to cause him a whole lot more angst than happiness.

When she wasn’t angry, she was pouting. She demanded nearly all his attention. If he was half an hour late leaving the office, she was on the phone. And when he traveled on business, she was always convinced he was going to spend time with other women.

“I don’t want her back,” said Alex. “But she does have her ways. I figure it’s safer if I leave the state. I’ll go be the advance man in Colorado. Keep me away from temptation.”

“I don’t understand how you can possibly be tempted.”

“That’s because you’ve never been in love.”

Zach might not have ever been in love, but he couldn’t imagine love was anything like Alex and Stephanie’s relationship. If a guy was going to go to all the trouble to be with one woman, she should at least make him happy. A vision of Abigail flashed through his mind. Okay, he wouldn’t exactly call every moment with her happy. Exhilarating, yes. Exciting, absolutely. And the highs were very, very high. But the lows sure sucked.

Then again, the lows were mostly when she left him.

“It’s not all laughs and sunshine,” Alex put in.

“Apparently not.”

“The good is very good.”

“And the bad is very bad.” Zach shifted his mind back to Alex and Stephanie. “Seems to me it should at least be a fifty-fifty proposition to make it worth a guy’s while.”

“It’ll happen to you one day.”

“Not like Stephanie.”

“Yeah, well.” Alex brought his hands down on the arms of his chair. “Stephanie ain’t going to happen for me either. To make sure of that, I’m going to Colorado.”

“No forwarding address?”

“Probably for the best.” Alex stretched. “Damn, this is going to be expensive.”

“That it is,” Zach agreed. “Only thing it’s got going for it is that’s it’s better than the alternative.”

“True enough.”

Zach started to rise, but Alex spoke again.

“So, you going to call her?”

“Abigail?”

Alex set his pen down on the table. “Yes, Abigail. The woman you slept with last night.”

“I never said I slept with her.”

“Are you going to call her?”

“No.” Zach would like to call her. He’d love to call her. But he’d bothered her enough for one lifetime. It was time to back off.

“You mind if I call her?” asked Alex.

“What for?”

“To ask her out.”

Zach’s fingers curled tightly around the arms of his chair. “On a date?”

“There’s got to be some kind of nightlife in Lyndon.”

“Over my dead body.”

“So she’s off limits?”

Zach leaned forward. “Look me in the eye, Alex. What do you see?”

“My body chopped up into tiny little pieces if I so much as look sideways at Abigail Jacobs.”

“Close enough.”

“But you’re not going to call her.”

Zach wished he could. “She doesn’t want to hear from me.”

“Got a minute?” Lisa’s head popped up above the roofline of the shed where Abigail was perched while she replaced some broken shingles. Seth was perpetually busy on civic matters in Lyndon. Mandy and Caleb were honeymooning in Hawaii. Katrina and Reed had opted for Australia. Abigail’s parents were staying in Denver for a while, to be close to the medical facilities while her father completed his recovery. As expected, Travis and Abigail were left holding the fort.

Ozzy gave a belated, warning bark from his post at the bottom of the ladder.

“I didn’t know you were coming today.” Abigail pulled a couple of roofing nails out of her mouth and dropped them back in the pouch on her leather tool belt.

“Drove in with Seth.” Lisa stepped up two more rungs and maneuvered herself around the top of the ladder.

“Careful,” Abigail cautioned. She was wearing heavy, leather work boots with thick-tread soles, while Lisa sported a pair of expensive pumps.

Lisa’s gauzy, pastel-patterned blouse billowed in the breeze above her skinny jeans. “Wow. Quite the view up here.”

Abigail glanced around. She’d been focused on work for the past few hours, but now she noted the fall colors against the evergreens and newly snowcapped peaks in the nearby foothills. October was well under way, and they could expect the first snowfall in a few weeks.

Lisa sat down next to her on the sun-warmed, black shingles. “How’s it going?”

Abigail shrugged. “Busy.” Fall was a frantic time on the ranch. Along with roundup, they had to make sure everything was winterized and battened down. Colorado was a beautiful state, but it had its fair share of rain and snow. “How about you?”

“Busy in Lyndon, too. We’re knee-deep in next year’s budget. The environmentalists have turned the Canada goose into a poster child, and the flocks are wreaking havoc at the airport. You know, the usual.”

Abigail scooted backward on her canvas work pants, setting another shingle strip in place.

“Saw an interesting application at city hall today,” said Lisa, swiping her hair back from her face as the wind raced up the pitch of the roof.

Abigail hammered in the first nail.

“For a business license,” Lisa continued. “Corporate headquarters of DFB Incorporated.”

Abigail hit her finger with the hammer. “Ouch!”

“It’s the parent company for Craig Mountain Brewery.”

“I know who they are.” Abigail shook the pain out of her hand, her mind reeling. Zach was going to do it. It had been three weeks since she’d presented her idea, and she hadn’t heard a word about his decision.

“Did Zach tell you he was doing this?”

“He didn’t.”

“But it was your idea,” Lisa guessed.

“It was,” Abigail admitted, taking a breath and setting the next nail.

“It was absolutely brilliant.”

It had been a brilliant idea. But it was also a very radical idea.

“I didn’t think he’d actually go through with it. He’s uprooting more than two hundred people.”

“The water license exemption was attached to the business application.”

Abigail looked up. “So it’s signed, sealed and delivered?”

She wanted to ask if Lisa had seen Zach, if he was in town. But she forced herself to stay silent. He knew full well where she was, and how to get hold of her. The fact that he hadn’t bothered contacting her told her everything she needed to know.

“They want to take over the Buskell Building on Fourth. That means a variance to zoning, and they’ll need to make provisions for parking. But all that’s minor stuff compared to the water license.”

“So he’s really doing it.”

“Looks like.”

Abigail let the hammer rest on the roof, gazing across the river, trying hard not to remember her last night with Zach.

“What did he have on you?” Lisa asked softly.

“It’s not important.”

“You look sad.”

Abigail mustered a smile. “I’m not sad. Dad’s doing better. Mandy and Katrina are having fantastic honeymoons. The price of beef is up.”

“You can’t fool me.” Lisa scooted closer. “I know you too well.”

“You’ve only known me for five months.” Ironic, really, considering Abigail’s own family hadn’t picked up on anything being wrong.

“It’s the genetic link. You have my eyes. And they’re sad.”

“Your eyes are green and round. Mine are hazel and almond shaped.”

“What did he have on you, Abby?”

“You’re like a broken record.” But deep down inside, Abigail wanted to share with someone.

Lisa leaned back on the heels of her hands. “I’ll just wait.”

“Okay.” Abigail set up for another strip of shingles, then another and another, moving farther away from Lisa, while her mind went to war with itself.

Finally, she dropped the hammer and rested her hands on her upraised knees. “Fine,” she called out.

“Yeah?” Lisa called back.

“Yeah.”

Lisa stood up, made her way across the roof then plopped back down again.

“Cone of silence?” Abigail asked.

“Always.”

“I told him I didn’t like working on the ranch.” There. She’d said it out loud.

Lisa drew back in obvious surprise. “You don’t?”

The rest of the words seemed to leap out. “I loved the campaign. I like the city. I like office work. I like power lunches and research and analysis.”

“So, why are you here? You could get a hundred jobs in Lyndon or anywhere else.”

“Because they need me. The family needs me.”

“No, they-”

“They need me,” Abigail repeated with certainty.

Lisa was silent for a long moment. “Yeah, I guess they do.”

“If I was going to say something-” Abigail plucked at a seam on the leather belt “-I should have done it sooner. But now Seth’s gone, and Mom and Dad bought that condo in Palm Springs, and Mandy’s up at the Terrells, and Katrina was never here in the first place.” She drew a breath. “And I can’t abandon Travis.”

“So, you’re going to stay here forever?”

“Not forever. But until something changes, yes. Maybe Travis will find a wife. Maybe she’ll love ranching. Maybe they’ll have sons or daughters who want to take over.”

Lisa shook her hair so that it was blowing back from her face. “That sounds like a pretty long-term proposition.”

“It does,” Abigail agreed. But hoping something would come along to change the circumstances was all she had right now. She couldn’t change the circumstances herself. It all depended on external forces.

“Wish I could help,” Lisa offered. “But I don’t know a heifer from a milk cow.”

Abigail chuckled. “You’re helping Seth.”

“Seth’s doing a great job.”

“I know he is.” Abigail hesitated, desperate to ask about Zach, but not wanting to give Lisa the wrong idea. Or maybe asking would give Lisa exactly the right idea, since Abigail had pretty much been obsessing about him since Denver.

“The business license,” she ventured. “Was it…submitted locally?”

“Are you asking whether Zach’s in town?”

“Yes.” There didn’t seem to be any point in denying it, especially to Lisa, who seemed to have an uncanny knack for figuring things out.

“I take it you have feelings for him?”

Abigail shook her head in denial, more for her own benefit than Lisa’s. “I slept with him, so…you know…it’s weird. If I’m going to run into him, I’d like to brace myself.”

“The application was signed by someone named Alex Cable.”

“That’s Zach’s business partner.” So, no Zach. Just as well. The last thing in the world she needed was to see him again.