by Lisa Jackson
Finally, when her breathing had slowed to normal, she coughed and Adam chuckled. “We’d better get out of here before we drown.”
“Or before the water turns cold,” she agreed with a laugh.
They spent the rest of the evening sipping wine, eating wedges of cheese and bread and making love. As if their narrow escape had heightened Adam’s need to be with her, he barely let her out of his sight. Even when she insisted on rinsing out her dress and hoping it would dry, he was right at her side, assuring her she looked stunning in his faded old bathrobe.
They were settled on the couch, staring at the sunset when Marnie stretched and smiled at Adam. “I guess it’s time to do my daughterly duty.”
“What’s that?” he asked warily.
“I think I’d better call Dad and tell him what happened.”
“Maybe you should wait on that,” he suggested, taking her hand and drawing her into the circle of his arms. She was half lying against him, his legs surrounding hers, her back pressed to his chest, and his face was nestled next to hers.
“Until when? Kent calls up and asks for bail money?”
She glanced sideways to catch his gaze. Adam’s golden brown eyes held hers, and for the first time a premonition of fear slid down her spine. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“I saw your father today,” Adam said slowly, as if the words were hard to find. “He stopped by your apartment—seemed to think that you had dinner plans with him.”
Marnie’s stomach knotted. “Oh. I didn’t have any plans with him, but Kate thought the same thing. She was supposed to get hold of him and cancel.”
At the mention of Kate’s name, Adam’s brows quirked. “She must’ve forgotten. Anyway, the upshot is that he not only found me in your apartment but he also saw the printouts.”
“Oh, God,” she whispered, a dull roar starting in her ears.
“He leapt to the wrong conclusions—”
“—that I was betraying him!” The dull roar seemed louder, more deafening; it beat through her brain and created a dark cloud at the corner of her vision.
“I tried to explain that it was all my fault, but he wouldn’t listen. You know how he can get.”
“Oh, yes,” she said silently, waiting for the ax to fall. Victor would’ve been outraged that his only daughter had turned Judas on him. “He fired me, didn’t he?”
“For starters.”
“Worse?” Her insides crumbled. She’d never meant to hurt her father, and yet she’d done the one thing Victor could not handle. “Don’t tell me. He disowned me.”
“Something like that,” Adam said, and there was naked pain in his eyes. As if he really did care what happened to her.
The glorious evening turned into a nightmare. Yes, she’d wanted her independence; yes, she’d wanted to follow her own path; but she’d never intended to wound her father, only to show him the truth—that Adam was innocent.
Tears stung the backs of her eyes, and she pulled out of Adam’s embrace, as if in so doing she could change the past.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
She laughed bitterly through the tears. “Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault,” she said, flinging his own words back at him when she’d once tried to solace him.
“Yes. But this time it’s a lie. This is all my fault. I knew involving you was a mistake, but it seemed the only logical way.” Sighing, he threw back his head and stared at the ceiling. “I should never have put you into this kind of a position.”
“But you did and I went into this with my eyes open.”
“I pushed you.”
“Well, maybe a little on the island. You weren’t invited. But not since we’ve been back. Since we landed in Seattle, I chose to see you. I could just have easily chosen not to.” Except that I was beginning to fall in love with you, she thought desperately, unable to utter the words. She didn’t want to chase him out of her life by bringing up an emotion he didn’t believe in, and now, after she’d learned that she’d lost her father, Adam was speaking as if he, too, were going to disappear from her life. Shivering, she rubbed her arms and felt the cozy warmth of terry cloth that smelled like him.
“There’s more,” he finally said as the shadows lengthened across the room.
“What could it possibly be?”
“I think I know who Kent’s accomplice is.”
“You do?” She was skeptical, and a headache was building behind her eyes. It wasn’t every day a girl lost her family in one fell stroke.
“Kate Delany,” he said.
“Kate?” She almost laughed. “You’re out of your mind! No one is more loyal to my father than Kate.”
He looked at her long and hard. “You like her, don’t you?”
“Yes! She’s like—well, not a second mother, but a big sister to me. Don’t tell me she’s a part of this mess, because I won’t believe you!” Marnie said, her voice rising an octave as a wave of hysteria hit her. Too much had happened in one day and she couldn’t believe that Kate, faithful, steady Kate, had stolen from the man she loved.
She scrambled to her feet and began to pace. “I’ve got to go, Adam. I’ve got to straighten all this out—”
“No.”
“Yes, I—” God, why couldn’t she think clearly? He was on his feet and gathering her into his arms.
“Stay with me.”
“I can’t, not tonight, but—”
“Not tonight,” he whispered against her hair. “Stay with me forever.”
His words stopped her protests. “I—I don’t understand.”
“Sure you do, Marnie. Marry me.”
Then she understood. His desperation. His guilt. He felt responsible for her because Victor had disowned her. It was sweet and noble, but not a gesture of love.
“You don’t mean this,” she said.
“I want you to be my wife, Marnie,” he whispered, and if she hadn’t known better, she almost would have believed him.
The phone rang, and Adam answered. The conversation was long and one-sided. She only heard snatches of it, but guessed that Kent had been apprehended. Lord, what a mess. Her father would be devastated to find that Kent and Kate had betrayed him as well as his only daughter.
Shoving her hands in her pockets, she walked onto the deck and stared at the stars winking high in the sky. She ached inside, ached from the pain of losing her father and worse yet, ached with the thought that she was losing Adam.
Oh, yes, he’d proposed, but out of a sense of duty. Never once had he said he loved her.
She heard the sliding glass door open. “It’s over,” he said, coming up behind her and standing so close she could almost feel him. But he didn’t touch her. “Kent’s confessed to everything and Kate’s in custody.”
“And Dad?”
“He’s at police headquarters.”
“He must be destroyed.”
“Your father has a way of bouncing back.”
Marnie curled her fingers over the rail. “Not this time,” she whispered, then turned, feeling the warmth of Adam’s arms surround her. He kissed her so gently she thought her heart would break. She drowned herself in the smell and feel and taste of him for this one last night. Tomorrow they would both have to deal with reality and the very genuine probability that they’d never see each other again.
* * *
“IT’S NOT EASY for me to say I was wrong,” Victor allowed, standing near the windows in his office, his hands clasped behind his back. “But I was, and I guess an apology is in order. Adam, Marnie…I’m sorry.”
They were standing in his office together because they’d both been summoned. Adam’s countenance was grim, and he stared at Victor long and hard. Marnie was nervous. Though her spine was stiff, her chin lifted defiantly, her heart screamed forgiveness. Victor was her father.
“I misjudged you, Adam. Listened to the wrong people and I…well, I was convinced that you were a traitor to the company.” Victor took in a long breath. �
�To that end, I did you a horrible disservice and I intend to make a public statement to that effect. And, if you want it, I’d be glad to offer you a job, a full vice presidency with stock options. If you’ll consider it.”
“Never.”
Victor clamped his mouth shut and nodded stiffly. “You could name your price.”
“My price would be too high, Victor,” Adam said with quiet authority. “I’d want it all. Including your daughter.”
Marnie had to brace herself against the desk for support. Don’t do this, she thought, not now. “No, Adam, I don’t think you understand,” she said trying to place a hand on his arm. He shook it off.
“I just don’t trust anyone who would throw his only daughter out of his life.”
Victor sucked in his breath. Marnie knew this was difficult for her father. The past few days, with the arrest of Kent and Kate, along with a few other people who had known about the embezzlement, had been hard on Victor. His usually firm face was lined, his eyes bagged. He reached across his desk and grabbed his pipe, which he stuffed with tobacco.
As he lit his pipe, he stared through the smoke at his only daughter. Marnie felt her heartstrings tug.
“Adam’s right. Again. I’ve been especially rough on you,” Victor admitted, his voice coarse from emotion. “I mistreated you, Marnie, and I wouldn’t blame you if you never forgave me.”
His hands trembled slightly and once again he hid them behind his back. His teeth clamped down on the stem of his pipe as he continued, “I never really listened to you, didn’t believe you could make it on your own, threw a fit when you linked up with Adam and then, when you were only trying to help him, I did the worst thing a father can do. I acted as if you didn’t exist. I wouldn’t blame you if you never spoke to me again.” He lowered himself heavily into his chair, broken and lost.
Marnie could barely get any words past the knot in her throat. “I—I love you, Dad,” she whispered, sniffing loudly, and Victor’s head snapped up.
“I love you, too, precious. I’m so sorry.”
All at once he was standing, and Marnie rushed into his arms, crying uncontrollably as she clung to him. Her poor father. According to the police, Kate Delany had admitted swindling the funds because she felt she was in a dead-end situation with Victor. He’d never marry her, and she wasn’t even certain he wouldn’t eventually tire of her and pick out a younger, prettier secretary to become his next mistress.
Kent, jealous of Adam’s influence with Victor, had found out about Kate’s scheme. He had agreed to help her work out the movement of the funds and had made sure everything went through Adam’s department, transferring the money from account to account and skimming off enough to eventually add up to half a million dollars. When an auditor had started nosing around, Kate, herself, had made the “discovery” of the embezzlement and with Kent’s help, thrown the suspicion on Adam.
Now Kent and Kate were facing prosecution, Dolores was turning state’s evidence and even Gerald Henderson was testifying.
“Things will be all right,” she told her father, smiling through her tears. “You’ll see.”
“God, I hope so.” Victor swiped at his eyes, then pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose loudly.
Marnie turned to Adam, but discovered that he’d left. The room was empty except for her father and herself.
“You’d better go find him,” her father advised with a grin. “If I were you, I wouldn’t let that one get away.”
“I won’t. But I don’t know when I’ll be able to work on the publicity for San Francisco—”
“Don’t worry about it,” her father said. “Just patch things up with Adam. The rest will work out.”
She believed him. She ran through the hotel and impatiently waited for an elevator. “Come on, come on,” she whispered as the lift eventually stopped and dropped her into the parking lot.
Running to the B level, her heart in her throat, she had the horrible thought that Adam didn’t want her any longer. That, upon seeing her embracing her father, he assumed she would always be a spoiled little rich girl, Victor’s daughter. But he was wrong—so wrong. She loved Adam with all her heart and nothing, nothing was going to keep her from pledging her love for him and making him understand that she didn’t care about marriage, the future, or the past. She only wanted Adam. For as long as he would have her.
* * *
THE CALL FROM BRODIE came in too late. After speaking to Victor Montgomery directly, Brodie had finally come to understand that Adam had nothing to do with the embezzlement. Victor had called Brodie himself and given Adam a personal recommendation to the California lawyer.
Too late. Much too late. Adam had been pleased to give Brodie the news that he didn’t need him or his financing. Norman Howick, the rogue oilman, had promised him a deal that was perfect. Adam already had his plane ticket on the first flight tomorrow morning. He wondered if he’d hear from Marnie, and his heart wrenched at the thought.
If this deal with Howick worked out—and it looked good—Adam would be packed and leaving Seattle by the end of the week. Alone. Without her.
Well, that’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? You used her. To get what you wanted. So now that you’re off the hook for the embezzling scam and she’s back with Daddy, everything’s just as you planned.
“Dammit all to hell,” he growled, grabbing a bottle of Scotch from his liquor cabinet and walking outside to the deck of his condominium. The day was clear and bright and he’d planned on taking a boat ride. A warm summer sun spangled the water with golden light, and sailboats and skiffs were skimming the surface of Lake Washington. He’d even loaded a few supplies into his boat when the phone had rung and he’d raced back to the condo where he’d been able to tell Brodie where to stuff his offer.
But the satisfaction he should have felt, when he’d told Brodie where to get off, wasn’t enough. He was still missing Marnie in his life and he felt hollow inside.
He uncapped the bottle and took a long pull before screwing on the cap and walking down the overgrown path to the deck where his small cabin cruiser lay docked. Unwinding the ropes from the pilings, he scanned the cliff where his condominium stood one last time—as if he expected Marnie, with her bright eyes and tinkling laughter to suddenly appear.
Forget her.
Impossible. He climbed aboard, pushed off and started the engine. It coughed, sputtered, then caught with a roar. He gunned the throttle, and the boat picked up speed, slicing across the water while the wind tore at his face.
Marnie…Marnie…Marnie… Her face swam before his eyes and he knew it would take forever to forget her.
“Where’re we going?”
Even her voice seemed to follow him. Stupidly, he looked over his shoulder and there she was. Just as he’d pictured her. He blinked once to believe what could only be an apparition, and she laughed. Braced against the railing, the wind singing through her hair, her smile beguiling and bright, she tossed back her head. “Well? The San Juans? The Caribbean? Maybe Alaska? Where?”
He was momentarily tongue-tied as Marnie reached over and quickly switched off the ignition. The engine died. The boat slowed to a stop and floated on the gentle roll of the lake.
“How’d you get here?” he demanded, finally comprehending that she’d fooled him somehow.
“I’m a stowaway,” she said, laughing. “Just like you were.”
She’d been in the small cabin below-decks? “But how did you know I’d go out today?” He was beginning to smile, he felt a familiar tug on his lips.
“I watched you. I pulled up to the front of the house and spied you carrying things on board. So I snuck down the hill and hid.”
“But why?”
Her smile faded, and her blue eyes turned the color of the sea. “Because I want you, Adam,” she said with obvious difficulty. “I can’t bear the thought of you leaving. When I turned around in Dad’s office and you’d disappeared, it seemed as if a part of me had left with you.” She looke
d away from him now, as if afraid that he would reject her, and he realized how difficult this was for her.
“When you proposed to me, I knew it was because my father disowned me, that you felt guilty and responsible.” When he tried to interrupt, she held out a quivering hand to stop him. “And you thought I was one of those women in your life pushing for a commitment. But that’s not true.” When she faced him again, tears stood in her eyes. “I want you for as long as we can be together, and then, when it’s over, I’ll leave. I won’t pressure you.”
Adam laughed out loud. This beautiful, incredible woman was willing to give him everything and so much, much more. “Pressure me?” He grabbed her around the waist and kissed the tears from her eyes. “Are you crazy? You’re the one who’s going to get all the pressure, lady. I want you to marry me. I didn’t propose out of some sense of duty, Marnie. I proposed because I want you to be my wife. The only reason I didn’t drag you to a preacher kicking and screaming is that I thought you should resolve your relationship with your father as well as become your own woman. Isn’t that what you’ve been screaming about for the past month?”
“You’re serious?” she said, disbelief clouding her eyes.
“More serious than I’ve ever been in my miserable life,” he assured her, his hands brushing a strand of pale hair from her eyes. “Believe me, Marnie. I want you. Today. Tomorrow. Forever. From the moment I saw you standing at the helm, battling the storm and barking orders at the sight of me, I knew you were the one. I just couldn’t admit it. Not to you and not to myself.”
He watched her swallow hard.
“I love you, Marnie Montgomery. If you don’t believe anything else in this world, believe that I love you.”
She blinked back her tears. “Does this mean that I’m still in the running for the publicist of Hotel Drake?”
“And anything else that has to do with me,” he replied, kissing her soundly on the lips. “Will you marry me?”
“Absolutely.”
“This won’t interfere with your independence?” he teased.
“I am my own woman, Mr. Drake. And I know my own mind. And all I want is you.”