Natural Born Charmer

by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

He hadn’t always been able to see through her so easily, but he was older now and, presumably, wiser. She shrugged her hair from her face. “I don’t have much interest in vice anymore. Too busy making a living.”

  “You look great, April. Really.”

  Better than he did. For the last decade she’d worked hard to repair the damage she’d done to herself, detoxifying with endless cups of green tea, hours of yoga, a little nip and tuck.

  He tugged on a small skull earring. “Do you remember how we used to laugh at the idea of a rocker over forty?”

  “We used to laugh at the idea of anybody ever reaching forty.”

  He stuffed a hand in his pocket. “AARP wants me to pose for the cover of their fucking magazine.”

  “Damn their black hearts.”

  His crooked smile hadn’t changed, but she wasn’t going to wander down memory lane with him. “Did you see Riley?”

  “A couple of minutes ago.”

  “She’s a sweet kid. Blue and I have been quite taken with her.”

  “Blue?”

  “Dean’s fiancée.”

  He pulled his hand from his pocket. “Riley came here to see him, didn’t she?”

  April nodded. “Dean’s tried to stay away, but she’s persistent.”

  “I wasn’t the one who told Marli about him. She had a fling with my former business manager last year and weaseled out the information. Until I got your message, I didn’t know Riley had found out.”

  “This is a hard time for her.”

  “I know. I had some things I needed to take care of. Marli’s sister was supposed to be watching out for her.” He glanced toward the cottage. “Riley said she left her jacket.”

  “No. She wasn’t wearing her jacket when she came here.”

  “She was stalling, then.” He slipped his hand in his shirt pocket, as if he were looking for cigarettes. “I could use a beer.”

  “Afraid you’re out of luck. I’ve been a teetotaler these many moons.”

  “You’re not serious.”

  “I lost the urge to die.”

  “Not all bad, I guess.” He had a way of looking at people as though he really saw them, and he turned that intensity on her. “I hear you’ve done well for yourself.”

  “No complaints.” She’d built her career one client at a time, with no one to rely on but herself, and she was proud of that. “What about Mad Jack? Now that you’ve won the rock wars, what do you do for an encore?”

  “The rock wars can’t ever be won. You know that. There’s always another album, another shot at the top of the charts, and, if that doesn’t happen, the inevitable reinvention.” He made his way to the edge of the pond, picked up a rock, and flung it far out into the pond, where it made a quiet splash. “I’d like to see Dean before I leave.”

  “So you can reminisce about the good times? Lots of luck. He hates you almost as much as he hates me.”

  “Then what are you doing here?”

  “It’s a long story.” Something else she wouldn’t go into with him.

  He turned back to her. “One big happy family, aren’t we?”

  Before she could reply, a flashlight beam ricocheted toward them, and Blue shot out of the path. “Riley’s gone!”

  To keep herself from falling mute again, Blue pretended Jack Patriot didn’t exist and focused only on April. “I’ve searched the house, the caravan, that mousy barn.” She shuddered. “She can’t have gone far.”

  “How long has she been missing?” April said.

  “Maybe half an hour. She said she wanted to finish her painting before she had to go. I went out to burn the trash like you showed me, and when I came back, she’d disappeared. I gave flashlights to the men who came with”—Mr. Patriot sounded ridiculous, and Jack too familiar—“with Riley’s father—and they’re looking now.”

  “How could she do this?” Jack said. “She’s always been so quiet. She’s never caused any trouble.”

  “She’s scared,” April told him. “Take my car and look along the lane.”

  Jack agreed. After he set off, Blue and April searched the cottage then struck out for the farmhouse, where they found Jack’s entourage poking ineffectively around the garden while the lone woman sat on the back step, smoking a cigarette and talking on her cell. “There are a hundred places Riley could hide,” April said. “Assuming she’s still somewhere on the property.”

  “Where else could she go?”

  April searched the house again while Blue rechecked the caravan and toolshed. They met up on the front porch. “Nada.”

  “She took her backpack,” April said.

  Jack pulled up to the house and climbed out of April’s Saab. Blue retreated into the shadows so she didn’t embarrass herself in front of him again. Dean should be coping with this, not her.

  “No sign of Riley,” Jack said as he approached the porch.

  “I’ll bet she’s watching the house,” April said quietly. “Waiting for you to leave before she comes out.”

  He shoved a hand through his wiry hair then glanced over at his bodyguards emerging from the barn. “We’ll leave. Then I’ll circle back on foot.”

  Only after the cars had pulled away did Blue emerge from the corner. “Wherever she is, I’m sure she’s scared.”

  April rubbed her temples. “Do you think we should call the police…the sheriff…whoever?”

  “I don’t know. Riley’s hiding; she hasn’t been abducted, and if she sees a police car pull up…”

  “That’s what worries me.”

  Blue gazed into the darkness. “Let’s give her some time to think this through.”

  Dean slowed as his headlights picked out a man walking down the side of the lane toward the farmhouse. He flicked on his high beams. The man turned and shielded his eyes. Dean looked closer. Mad Jack Patriot…

  He couldn’t believe Jack had come after Riley himself, but here he was. Dean hadn’t talked to him in a couple of years, and he sure as hell didn’t want to talk to him now. He fought his instinct to goose the accelerator and shoot past him. Years ago, he’d fixed his strategy for dealing with his father, and he saw no reason to change. He pulled up and slid down the car window. Keeping his expression carefully neutral, he propped his elbow on the frame. “Jack.”

  The son of a bitch nodded. “Dean. It’s been a long time.”

  Dean nodded back. No digs or wisecracks. Total indifference.

  Jack rested the heel of his hand on the roof of the car. “I came to get Riley, but she ran away after she saw me.”

  “Really?” It didn’t entirely explain why he was out here walking alone, but Dean wouldn’t ask.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve seen her.”

  “No.”

  The silence between them lengthened. If Dean didn’t offer to drive him to the house, he’d be showing the son of a bitch exactly how much he hated him. Still, he had to force out the words. “Need a lift?”

  Jack stepped back from the car. “I don’t want her to see me. I’ll walk.”

  “Suit yourself.” He slid the window up and pulled slowly away. No spinning tires or flying gravel. Nothing to show the depth of his anger. When he reached the house, he headed inside. The electrician had finished installing most of the fixtures today, and they finally had some decent light. He heard footsteps overhead. “Blue?”

  “Upstairs.”

  Just the sound of her voice made him feel better. She’d distract him from worrying about Riley, from his tension over Jack. She’d make him smile, make him mad, turn him on. He needed to keep her here.

  He found her in the second-largest bedroom, which had a fresh coat of light tan paint, a new bed and dresser, but not much else, no rugs, no curtains, no chairs, although Blue had found a paint-spattered gooseneck desk lamp somewhere and set it on the dresser. She was smoothing a blanket over the sheets she’d just tucked in. Her T-shirt fell loosely away from her body as she leaned forward, and locks of hair had escaped from her ponytail and drifted down h
er neck like spilled ink.

  She looked up, twin worry lines between her eyebrows. “Riley’s run away.”

  “I heard. I ran into Jack on the road.”

  “How did that go?”

  “It went fine. Not a big deal. He doesn’t mean anything to me.”

  “Right.” She didn’t believe him, but she didn’t challenge him, either.

  “Don’t you think somebody should be out looking for her?” he said.

  “We’ve looked everywhere. She’ll be back when she’s ready.”

  “You’re sure about that?”

  “Reasonably optimistic. Plan B involves calling the sheriff, and that’d scare her too much.”

  He forced himself to consider what he’d so far been reluctant to face. “What if she walked out to the highway and hitched a ride?”

  “Riley isn’t stupid. She has a highly developed fear of strangers from all the movies she shouldn’t have seen. Also, April and I don’t think she’s completely given up on you.”

  He tried to mask his guilt by walking over to the window. It was too dark for an eleven-year-old girl to be out there alone.

  “Would you make another sweep of the yard? There’s a flashlight in the kitchen. She might come out if she sees you.” Blue regarded the room with dissatisfaction. “I wish there was at least a rug in here. I’m sure he’s not used to anything this spartan.”

  “He?” Dean’s head snapped up. “Forget it. Jack is not sleeping here.” He stalked into the hall.

  Blue came after him. “What’s the alternative? It’s getting late, and his entourage has driven off. There aren’t any hotels in Garrison, and he’s not going anywhere until Riley’s been found.”

  “Don’t bet on it.” Dean wanted all this to go away. If only he’d driven off first thing this morning.

  Blue’s cell rang. She snatched it from her jeans pocket. He waited. “You found her?” she said. “Where was she?” He took a deep breath and leaned against the doorframe.

  “But we looked there.” She wandered back into the bedroom and sat on the side of the bed. “Yes. All right. Yes, I’ll do that.” She flipped the phone shut and looked up at him. “The eagle-ette has landed. April found her asleep in the back of her closet. We looked there, so she must have waited till we left to go inside.”

  The front door opened downstairs, and heavy, measured footsteps sounded in the foyer. Blue’s head shot up. She jumped to her feet and spoke in a rush. “April said to tell Riley’s father that she’ll keep Riley at the cottage for tonight, and he can stay here in the house, and he should wait until morning to talk to her.”

  “You tell him.”

  “I don’t think…The thing is—”

  More footsteps from below. “Anyone here?” Jack called out.

  “I can’t,” she hissed.

  “Why not?”

  “I just…can’t.”

  Jack’s voice carried up the steps. “April?”

  “Crap.” Blue’s hands flew to her cheeks, and she rushed out, but instead of going downstairs, she dashed into the master bedroom. Only seconds later—too short a time for her to have undressed—the shower went on. That’s when he realized the fearless Beav had gone into hiding. And not over him.

  Blue stalled as long as she could in the bathroom, brushing her teeth and washing her face, then she sneaked out to grab her yoga pants and BODY BY BEER T-shirt. Finally she managed to creep outside without being detected. Tomorrow morning, if Jack was still here, this idiocy was coming to an end, and she’d behave like a grown woman. At least Jack Patriot’s appearance had been a diversion from her real problem. She stepped inside the gypsy caravan and stopped cold. Her real problem had come for a visit.

  A surly-looking gypsy prince lay sprawled on the rear bed, the oil-burning lamp on the table casting a golden glow over him. He’d propped his shoulders against the side of the wagon, cocked one knee, and dangled the other calf over the side of the bed. As he lifted the beer bottle to his lips, his T-shirt rode up to reveal a taut wedge of muscle above the low-riding jeans. “You, of all people,” he said with a disparaging sneer.

  Feigning ignorance would be wasted effort. How could someone who’d known her for only a few days see through her so quickly? She lifted her chin. “I need a little time to adjust, that’s all.”

  “I swear to God, if you ask for his autograph…”

  “I’d have to speak to him for that to happen. So far, that hasn’t been possible.”

  He snorted and took a swig of beer.

  “I’ll pull it together by tomorrow.” She pushed the chair back under the painted table. “You got out here awfully fast. Did you even talk to him?”

  “I told him about Riley, pointed in the direction of the bedroom, and then politely excused myself to find my fiancée.”

  She eyed him warily. “You’re not sleeping in here.”

  “Neither are you. I’ll be damned if I give him the satisfaction of driving me out of my own house.”

  “And yet, here you are.”

  “I came to get you. In case you’ve forgotten, those bedrooms don’t have any doors, and there’s no way I’m letting him see that my beloved doesn’t sleep with me.”

  “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not your beloved.”

  “For now, you are.”

  “Once again, my virginity vow seems to have slipped your mind.”

  “Fuck your virginity vow. Are you working for me or not?”

  “I’m your cook. And don’t pretend you’re not eating. I saw what you did to those leftovers last night.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t need a cook. What I need is somebody to sleep with tonight.” He gazed at her over the rim of the beer bottle. “I’ll pay you.”

  She blinked. “You want to pay me to sleep with you?”

  “Nobody’s ever accused me of being cheap, either.”

  She pressed her palm to her chest. “Hold on. This is such a proud moment that I want to savor it.”

  “What’s your problem?” he asked, all innocence.

  “A man I once respected is offering me money to sleep with him. Let’s start with that.”

  “Sleep, Beav. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  “Right. Like we slept last time?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You were all over me,” she said.

  “You wish.”

  “You had your hands down my jeans.”

  “The overheated imagination of a sex-starved female.”

  She wouldn’t let him manipulate her. “You’re sleeping by yourself.”

  He set the beer bottle on the floor, rested his weight on one hip, and pulled out his wallet. Without a word, he withdrew two bills and wordlessly fanned them between his fingers.

  A pair of fifties.

  Chapter Twelve

  Half a dozen indignant responses raced through Blue’s mind before she reached the obvious conclusion. She could be bought. Yes, she’d be putting herself in harm’s way, but wasn’t that part of this game they were playing? Finally having money in her wallet justified the risk. Besides, this gave her a chance to show him exactly how immune she was to his charms.

  She grabbed the bills. “All right, you rat bastard, you win.” She stuffed the money in her back pocket. “But I’m only taking it because I’m greedy and desperate. And because there’s no door on that room so you can’t get too frisky.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “I mean it, Dean. If you try to cop even one feel…”

  “Me? What about you?” His eyes slid over her like cool icing on hot spice cake. “How about this? Double or nothing.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You touch me first, I keep the hundred. I touch you first, you get two hundred. Nobody touches anybody, the deal stands as is.”

  She thought it over, but couldn’t see any immediate loopholes other than the threat of her inner slut emerging, and she could darned well control that littl
e bitch. “Deal.”

  “First, though…” She wasn’t spending any more time in that bedroom with him than she had to, so she swiped his beer and propped herself at the opposite end of the bed. “You’re awfully bitter about your parents. I’m beginning to think your childhood was as twisted as mine.”

  He brushed his toe against the hollow below her ankle bone. “The difference being that I’ve recovered, and you’re still a fruitcake.”

  She moved her foot. “Yet of all the women on the planet, you’ve chosen me to marry.”

  “There’s that.” He eased onto one hip and slipped his wallet back in his pocket. “Before I forget…Apparently you’ve now decided we’re going to Paris instead of Hawaii to tie the knot.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Hey, I’m not the one who can’t make up her mind.”

  “Poor Dean. Fending off all the women you’re meeting in the bars at night is pretty much a full-time job, isn’t it?” His calf grazed the side of her leg. “Just out of curiosity, why are you fending them off?”

  “Not interested.”

  Meaning they’re married or old. “So what was it like growing up the way you did?”

  Sure enough, she’d broken the mood, and his brow furrowed. “It was just fine. I had a series of babysitters looking out for me until I went off to a very good boarding school. You’ll be disappointed to know I wasn’t beaten or starved there, and I also learned to play ball.”

  “Did you ever see him?”

  He snatched his beer back, which involved moving his leg away. “I really don’t want to talk about this.”

  She wasn’t above a little subtle manipulation. “If it’s too painful…”

  “Hardly. I didn’t even realize he was my father until I was thirteen. Before that, I thought the Boss had done the deed.”

  “You thought Bruce Springsteen was your father?”

  “April’s drunken fantasy. Too bad it wasn’t true.” He drained the bottle and set it on the floor with a clink.

  “I can’t imagine her drunk. She’s so controlled now. Did Jack know about you from the beginning?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “That’s crappy. If April was an addict, shouldn’t he have been just a little worried about her pregnancy?”