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"Time is running out, Mr. Batt. " Rafe Stonebraker rose slowly from the massive, old-fashioned Later Expansion period chair. He was well aware of the effect his deliberate movement had on the man seated across from him.

Batt did not exactly flinch but the dapper little man definitely tensed. "Running out?"

"You've had three weeks to find me a wife. To date you have not produced a single possible match from your files. What seems to be the problem?"

"With all due respect, Mr. Stonebraker, you are not the easiest person to match. " Hobart Batt produced a professional, placating smile but there was a cautious expression in his eyes. "I warned you when you first registered that it might take some time to find a suitable candidate. "

Rafe stood looking down into the flames that flared in the cavernous fireplace, "You advertise that you are one of the most efficient matchmaking agencies in New Seattle with a success rate exceeding ninety percent. I expected better service from your firm, Mr. Batt. "

"Mr. Stonebraker, I assure you, we are doing our best. The thing is—"

"Yes?" Rafe turned his head to study Hobart's earnest, anxious features. "Just what is the thing?"

Hobart shifted uneasily under the scrutiny.

"I see. Are you saying that the resources of your matchmaking agency are not up to the task of finding me a wife?"

Hobart's neat brows came together in an offended line above the rims of his round, gold-framed glasses. "I assure you that we are doing everything possible to find a good match. But the combination of your rather unusual psychic talent and your somewhat rigid personal requirements constitutes a considerable stumbling block. "

"When I registered you assured me that Synergistic Connections had established a reputation for its ability to match even unusual and rare high-class talents. " Unusual and rare were among the more polite descriptors for those such as himself whose paranormal abilities did not fit into the normal range, Rafe reflected. Exotic was the popular term. His jaw tightened. As if he was some sort of strange, wild beast from one of the still-unexplored continents of St. Helens, he thought.

"Quite true, sir. "

"You saw my para-talent certification papers. I'm only a class six. Mid-range. I fail to see why I should be a problem for your firm. "