The attempted break-in turned out to be mail theft. While the police couldn't do anything about it being under federal jurisdiction, at least, it eliminated any connection to the break-in at the casita in Josh's mind. It was one less thing to worry about, at least.

Life went on until his father called him two days later to remind him about his mother's scheduled treatment. Josh had been having breakfast on Erik's patio with Olivia, Erik, Sam and the kids, Bella and Michael and he almost leapt off the chair when he realized he'd forgotten. He'd been too distracted by other things, from the break-in at the casita to his relationship with Olivia, the latter eventually taking over his life, but in a good way.

This was no friends with benefits arrangement. They were a full-blown couple. He hadn't even had time to tell his parents although he had a feeling they knew. But then everyone else saw it long before he and Olivia ever did, or cared to admit. They'd lived too long in that river called Denial.

Although she wanted to go with him, Josh insisted he had to go alone. The forecast had called for rain starting in the late afternoon which meant that as soon as he arrived around noon and see his parents off, he'd set right to work.

And he did just that. Together with the groundskeeper, they filled up sandbags and distributed them around the resort, lining up the verandas of low-lying casitas like his. When he finished, he stayed in the main office until seven that evening as the dark clouds hung heavily over the resort and he made his way to his casita.

Josh could easily stay in the main inn but the night manager had arrived and he hated stepping on toes. He also needed to be alone and think. Come to think of it, ever since Olivia returned into his life, he'd barely had any time to himself–not that it was a bad thing, but he'd gotten used to those quiet moments in the casita. Just him and nature, the sound of the trees rustling in the wind and at night, the yipping of coyotes and the hooting of owls. Of course, tonight, it would be the sound of rain, but rain falling on leaves was a sound he enjoyed hearing as well. He also needed to take a shower.

As he showered, he looked out the glass window that faced the ravine below, watching the rain clouds in the distance. Already the skies were rumbling, and judging from the darker clouds in the horizon, rain had already begun to fall in some places. The dampness in the air made his injured knee ache, and he chuckled at the thought that he'd become one of those people who could tell the weather from how their joints ached. Welcome to the club, old man, Josh muttered as he turned off the water, grabbed his towel and stepped out of the shower.

Five minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom wearing a gray sweatshirt over a pair of running pants. The place was still in shambles from the break-in and he needed to tidy things up a bit in case Olivia made true her promise of joining him in the morning. That woman would be the death of him, he mused wryly as someone knocked on his front door.

The sight of the older man outside the screen door caught him by surprise as the rain came down. "Dr. Ecklund, what are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by," Douglas Ecklund said, pushing his thick-rimmed glasses higher up his nose. "May I come in?"

"Of course, Doc," Josh said as he unlocked the door and pulled it open. "You could have called and I'd have met you up at the inn. That hill's hell to use in the rain."

"Nah, it wasn't too bad. Not yet." Douglas brushed the rain droplets from his gray hair and stomped his feet on the door mat. "I figured I'd see how you were doing. You never missed an appointment until this week."

"Life happened, Doc. What can I say?" Josh shut the door behind his visitor. "But you could have called me. It's late."

"I know. But I was in the area. After all, you're one of my favorite patients, Josh. You work hard."

Josh nodded. "Well, you could say that. But as you can see, I'm doing okay right now and I'll call you for my next appointment."

Thunder rumbled overheard and they both glanced up at the ceiling. Strange how people still did that automatically even though there was no sky to look at. Just a ceiling fan.

"You got a nice view here," Douglas said as he walked toward the window facing the ravine and beyond it, the lights of Santa Barbara in the distance. "Must be quite peaceful."

"It is."

"And dangerous," the doctor added, frowning. "Aren't you afraid of falling down the hill?"

Josh shook his head. "Not really. I figure if it's my time to go, then it's my time to go. Although at the moment, it's not the top of my list."

Douglas chuckled. "That's good to hear."

Josh wasn't in the mood to entertain anyone, much less his psychiatrist but he needed to be courteous. At least, offer his visitor a drink before telling him that Josh was looking forward to an early night. Yet Josh couldn't help but feel the hairs at the back of his neck standing. What did Dr. Ecklund want?

"Care for a drink? Water?"

"A beer would be great, if you have it."

Crap! Josh did have beer and he couldn't lie about it, not when all one had to do was glance at his fridge to see that he'd stocked up when he arrived that day. Just a six-pack of light beer. "Sure." He grabbed two bottles by their neck and twisted their lids before handing one to Douglas.

"Thanks." The doctor took a sip then set the beer down on the counter. "Did your partner ever come here?"

"Excuse me?"

"Ray. Did he ever come up here? Just something that popped up right now," Douglas said, his brow furrowed. "I mean, you were close."

"We were partners, yes," Josh replied. "And yes, he came here twice. For a barbecue and he and some other guys helped me with a project."

"What project was that?"

Josh peered at him. "Why do I feel like I'm being interrogated?" And it wasn't a good feeling for a cop. Even a former cop.

"I'm sorry but I didn't intend to do that. I saw the inn while I was driving and then realized I'd never stopped by here once, even if my office is a few minutes away. I figured I might as well pay you a visit, at least once," Douglas said and he took another sip of beer. "I didn't realize what a beautiful place it is, and how crucial it probably was for your recovery compared to sitting in a skilled nursing facility."

"Yeah, it definitely helped. But why the questions about Ray?"

Douglas shrugged. "This place seems special to you. How does it make you feel knowing you opened your special place to a man who almost killed you?"

Josh's throat tightened. "Are we... are we having a session right now?"

"No, of course not." Douglas set down his beer. "If you'd rather I leave–"

"No, man. It's weird, that's all. I see you at your office, and I have a different sense of self there than here. No offense."

"None taken," Douglas said. "What project did Ray help you with, if you don't mind me asking?"

"The labyrinth."

The doctor frowned. "The walkway thing? The one on the way here? With all the rocks?"

Josh nodded. "The meditation labyrinth, yeah. I carried most of those rocks myself but one day I had some of the guys help out. So it wasn't just him."

"Does it bother you that he's somehow a part of that? Something that I would assume is important to you?" The doctor asked. "What if he buried something there? Like money?"

"I wouldn't know, and if I did–or you did–we'd have told the cops about it," Josh said, glancing at the darkness beyond the window facing the ravine. "But we all moved rocks around that day–one per guy because we were probably shooting the breeze more than being productive–and then we hung out on the deck outside until it rained and they all left. Any other questions?"

Josh had known the doctor since he recovered from the shooting and moved up to Ojai to recover. He was a referral from the insurance company... or was it a letter from Douglas himself introducing his private practice to Josh and saying he had received Josh's files? But Josh couldn't remember the specifics for he'd been taking pain medication then, the same medication he'd quit cold turkey months later after he called Olivia the C-word and almost alienated everyone else because of it.

Josh walked toward the door. "Look, Doc, I need to turn in early tonight. Probably best if you leave before the slope gets too slippery–"

If he didn't expect seeing a gun pointed at him then, he'd be the first to say he sucked at being a cop. But Josh did, and he remained calm as he brought his hands up. The doctor, he knew, wasn't as calm.

The man's hand was shaking, but with his finger right on the trigger, Josh knew he had to remain calm no matter what.