“I—”
“Do you have a gambling problem?”
She gasped. “Gambling problem? I don’t know how to gamble.”
“You’re gambling our marriage,” he said pointedly. “And Nicole’s future.”
She flinched. “Wh-why do you say that? Do you want a divorce?” Was this the way he’d take Nicole?
He made a dismissive gesture. “No, but if we have to stay married, then I want some semblance of happiness. I don’t want to be checking up on you. I want to be able to trust my wife.”
She expelled a silent sigh of relief that he hadn’t mentioned Nicole again. “You can trust me, Dominic.”
“Can I?” His eyes challenged her. “Why did you pawn your brooch, then?”
“For my sister.”
His jaw clenched. “Don’t start that again.”
“Why not? It’s the truth. Penny needed the money, and I didn’t want to tell her that I had none.”
He seemed to hesitate. “Is this really the truth?”
“Yes. Penny’s husband lost his job. They needed money to make their house payments by Monday or lose the house. I couldn’t let that happen.” She deliberately didn’t say she’d only put in the two thousand, otherwise he’d have to ask why not the full five.
Suspicion furrowed his brow. “So why did you ask for ten thousand?”
She hid her inward gasp. Damn the pawnbroker’s big mouth. “I thought I’d take the full worth just in case I needed it before Liam’s estate was finalized.”
“You won’t. You’re my wife now. Anything you need, charge to me.” He frowned. “Actually, you’ll need cash for yourself occasionally, so give me your bank account details and I’ll put some money in there for you.”
Fear caught in her throat. She didn’t want to give him her bank details, or even think about him getting the details elsewhere. It might kick-start him into thinking he should investigate her previous transactions. Clearly he hadn’t done that before now, despite knowing Liam had paid her a large monthly allowance, but if he doubted her anytime in the future, what was to stop him? Privacy issues wouldn’t matter to him if he suspected anything amiss.
“There’s no need to put anything in my account. I’ll be fine once Liam’s estate is settled.”
His face closed up. “I’m still paying you an allowance. You’re my wife.”
She suddenly realized she could get around this. All she had to do was open a new bank account—and pray that Dominic didn’t ever investigate and discover it. Heck, if he investigated her she was a goner, anyway.
She managed to look calm. “Then thank you.”
“What does your brother-in-law do?”
The question startled her. “Er…he’s a forklift driver.”
“I’ll make sure he gets a job.”
Her eyes widened. “You would?”
“He’s family now.”
Her heart really began to melt now. He would do that for people he didn’t know? “Thank you, Dominic. Thank you so much.”
“It’s no problem.” He paused. “Give me your sister’s bank details and I’ll transfer the money tonight.”
She stared in grateful surprise. How had she thought this man hard-hearted? She had to clear her throat before she could speak. “I’ve already put the money straight into her account, so thank you for the offer, but it’s not needed now.”
“Give me her details, anyway. I’ll put in some extra.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Just give me the details.”
“Okay, but I’ll repay you as soon as I get money from the estate.”
“Keep the money.”
“But—”
“Keep it.”
She closed her mouth, her mind racing ahead. Thankfully, she still had three thousand to pay the nursing home to hold them at bay.
“Now…” he said. “We have to get your brooch back. I gather it’s a family heirloom.”
“Yes. It is.” He seemed to be waiting for more. “I…er…would never part with it normally, but I knew I’d be able to get it back once I repaid the loan.”
There was a pause. “I apologize for not believing you last night.”
She inclined her head. “Thank you.”
“Come on, I’ll drive us. Nesta can mind Nicole.” He watched as she put on her shoes. “I see you didn’t use my driver. I checked,” he added, before she could ask how he knew.
“I caught a cab. But I didn’t take Nicole with me,” she quickly assured him.
“What did I tell you about—”
“Dominic, it’s not like anyone expected me to be going out in a cab, least of all to a local ‘Pawnbroker and Money Lender’ I’d found online.”
“I suppose not.” His eyes held hers, a growing admiration in their depths. “You’re a good sister,” he said brusquely.
Cassandra was pleased, but she couldn’t help but wonder. How long would his admiration last if he found out that Liam had paid her to have his baby?
After lunch, Nesta asked if she could have the rest of the weekend off. Her daughter was sick with a migraine, and she needed her to look after the grandchildren. Cassandra assured her that she could handle everything, including the delivery of the Christmas tree the next morning.
“But what about the dinner tomorrow night?” Nesta asked, fretting. “I might not be back until late.”
“It’ll be fine, Nesta. Take as long as you need.” An idea flashed through her mind. “Hey, I can do the cooking.”
“You?”
Cassandra almost laughed at the surprise in the housekeeper’s voice. “It’s been ages since I cooked a meal. It’ll be a nice change for me.”
In fact, the thought of cooking for her in-laws excited her a little, unlike the dinner parties she’d arranged for Liam. Those dinners hadn’t resonated with her like cooking for a family did. And perhaps now this could be a small start to Laura and Michael making peace with her. She could only hope.
But Dominic vetoed the idea that evening as they ate the casserole Nesta had already prepared. “There’s no need for you to cook,” he argued. “We can organize someone to come in tomorrow night. Even if Nesta’s back, she can still have the night off.”
“But I like cooking,” she said with disappointment. She’d already decided on a menu of vegetables with poached salmon and a summer trifle. “You do?”
She almost laughed. Did everyone think she was incapable of doing any manual work? “Yes, and afterward I’ll just throw everything in the dishwasher and leave the rest for Nesta to clean up the next day.”
He frowned, then, “Okay, but if Nesta’s away longer than this, I’ll be phoning the employment agencies.”
“Temporarily, right?” she said, hoping he wasn’t thinking what she thought he was thinking.
He looked slightly taken aback. “You think I’d fire Nesta because she took some time off?”
“No, I just…” She pulled a face. “All right, so for a moment I did think that. And that’s your own fault. I can never anticipate what you’re going to do next.”
His lips twisted wryly. “That’s a good one coming from you. You’re the most contradictory person I know.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Will you now?” he said with a surprising dash of humor.
Something lightened inside her. “You expected me not to take it as a compliment?” she asked, hearing herself flirting with him.
“I never expect the expected from you,” he said, his eyes deepening…darkening…imperceptibly drawing her toward him. Tiny shivers of anticipation rolled down her spine.
And then the oven timer started beeping.
She jumped up, her cheeks growing hot. “That’s the peach pie.” Twirling away, she hoped he would reach out, pull her into his arms and kiss her, then say, “Hurry back,” only he didn’t.
And then she heard his cell phone ring, and out of the corner of her eye she saw him getting to his feet. “
Can you bring my dessert to the study? I have some overseas calls to make.” He didn’t wait for her to reply as he strode to the door.
She hurried toward the other door, which led to the kitchen. After she turned off the timer, she stood and wondered what had just happened. Was he having second thoughts about getting too close? One minute he’d looked like he wanted to ravish her, and the next he had detached himself like she hadn’t mattered.
And that hurt.
It hurt even more because she loved him.
Giving herself time before she faced him again, she cleaned up, then carried a tray with a piece of the pie and coffee to the study. He was on the telephone and gestured for her to come in while he continued talking. She didn’t hang around. She left the tray and went to check on Nicole.
After that she wasn’t sure what to do. It was Saturday night and her husband was working and her daughter was sleeping and she was alone. She could watch some television, but that would only give her too much time to think.
Then she remembered her book. She should have finished it by now, but so much had been happening all week that it had left little time for herself. She decided to go sit in the atrium to read among the flowers and plants.
An hour later she looked up and saw Dominic standing a few feet away, holding a small plate with a piece of pie on it. Had he come to join her? Her heart started to race.
“You didn’t eat your pie?” he said, carrying the plate over and putting it down on the small table beside her.
The pie was for her?
How sweet.
“I wasn’t that hungry before,” she said, then saw that his sharp eyes missed nothing. He knew why she’d lost her appetite earlier. That he’d shut her out and that had upset her.
He glanced around the atrium. “So this is where you like to hide out?”
“Yes, it’s nice and relaxing in here.” She closed her book. “Did you want me for something in particular?”
His eyes gave a tiny flicker. “No. I just didn’t know where you were, that’s all.”
Her heart tilted, but not for long, as a tinge of suspicion filled her. “You thought I’d left the house.”
He stiffened. “No. It wasn’t that at all. I was…worried about you.”
“You were?” That surprised her.
“I just wanted to make sure you were fine.”
Tenderness ribboned through her. “Thanks,” she murmured, perhaps understanding more than he did that he was being protective again. He couldn’t help it. It was in his nature.
“I’d better let you get back to your book,” he said, seduction clearly not on his mind. “I’ll be in the gym, doing a workout, if you need me for anything.”
Her pulse started to race. She did need him for something. Yet she didn’t quite know how to tell him she wanted to make love to him. It would make her sound rather…desperate. Or too much in love with him.
“Do you work out often?” she asked, trying to concentrate on the conversation, not his well-toned body.
He looked surprised by the question. “Usually once or twice a week, or sometimes Adam and I play racquetball. The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic.”
She realized he hadn’t had any time to himself lately. It had to be hard on him. He must have stresses that needed more than a sexual release.
“I’m really sorry about all this, Dominic. You should be out having a good time on a Saturday night, not stuck at home with me.”
His eyes narrowed. “What are you saying? That you want me to go out tonight?” His mouth flattened. “Why?”
“No, I’m not saying that.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s just, well, you’re home tonight because of me and Nicole. We’ve messed up your life so much. I feel bad about it.”
The tension seemed to seep out of him, and an odd softness swept over his face. “I’m not missing out on anything,” he said huskily. Then before she knew it, he leaned forward, held her head still and kissed her. It was quick and over before it had begun, but it left the taste of him on her lips. Then he spun around. “I have to go change for that workout,” he muttered and walked out of the atrium.
She watched him go, hope rising inside her. Was she beginning to mean more to him than he realized? He’d said that he’d been worried about her when he couldn’t find her. He’d said he wasn’t missing out on a thing by being married to her.
And he’d brought her a piece of pie.
Ten
A buzzing sound woke Cassandra during the night. For a moment she lay there, trying to wake up properly as she heard Dominic mutter something and get out of bed. He switched on the light.
And suddenly she knew.
She threw back the blankets, but he was closer to her handbag on the chair, and she watched in horror as he grabbed her cell phone and looked at the caller ID.
He frowned then looked at her. “It says Devondale Nursing Home. Is that where you—”
“Oh, no!” She surged off the bed and grabbed the phone from him, knowing something was wrong if they were calling her in the middle of the night. It was.
Her father had gone missing.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she told Jane Clyde, then ended the call and faced Dominic, panic rising in her throat. She was going to have to tell him about Joe, but more importantly right now she was scared for her father. “It’s my dad. He’s missing.”
His confused gaze rested on her. “From a nursing home? I thought you said he lived with your sister in Sydney?”
“I did say that, but…” She swallowed hard. “He’s in the nursing home here in Melbourne where I do volunteer work. He’s gone missing from there.”
His brows jerked together, then a pulse started ticking in his jaw. “So it wasn’t about doing volunteer work at all? You lied to me about it?”
She winced. “No, it’s not like that. I—”
“What else is there that I don’t know about you?” he said, cutting her off in disgust.
She understood where he was coming from. She truly did. But she had her reasons. Reasons she couldn’t tell him. And she couldn’t think beyond the moment.
“It’s a long story.”
His lips thinned with anger. “Get dressed. You can tell me on the way.”
She gave a gasp of surprise. “You’re coming with me?”
“What sort of question is that? I’m your husband.”
She blinked, then schooled her features. “Er…nothing.” She turned away to get dressed. Liam hadn’t really been interested in her father. He certainly wouldn’t have come with her now.
And Dominic wouldn’t be the man she loved if he didn’t want to go with her.
Then she remembered Nesta was away. “We’ll have to take Nicole with us,” she said, not wanting to wake her daughter but having no choice.
Fifteen minutes later Cassandra gave Dominic directions to the nursing home and they were on their way. Thankfully, Nicole had fallen back to sleep in her car seat before they were even out the drive.
“Now, tell me what this is about,” he said once they had left the house behind.
“Joe has dementia, and now he’s taken himself off somewhere.” Panic swept through her again. “He’s out there in the dark somewhere. He has good days and bad days, and he probably doesn’t know where he is.” Her words caught in her throat. She could barely say the next words. “There’s a river nearby.”
He reached over and squeezed her knee. “He’ll be fine,” was all he said before he concentrated on driving without another word.
It was enough for Cassandra, and she managed to blink back tears, grateful she had someone with her for once. At least it was a warm night and not cold.
The nursing home was awash with light when they turned into the drive. Cassandra gasped at the police car parked out front.
Then Jane Clyde came rushing over as Cassandra got out of the car. “They’ve found him, Cassandra,” she said, for once forgetting to call her Mrs. Roth. “Someone saw him
walking along the street in his pajamas and had the good sense to call the police.”
Cassandra slumped with relief. “Thank God!”
Dominic was out of the car by now, too. He frowned at the administrator. “How did he get out? I’m assuming the place would have been locked up.”
Cassandra winced at the hardness of his tone, though she would have asked the same question. “This is my husband,” she said to Jane.
“Yes, I know.” The other woman pulled back her shoulders, as if facing a firing squad. “Mr. Roth, we think he may have slipped out when one of the staff went out to her car to get something. It probably wasn’t intentional that he left. He saw the unlocked door and just walked through it. That’s all it would take.”
He looked stern. “I certainly hope you’re going to look at your procedures and tighten security in future.”
“I can assure you it won’t happen again, Mr. Roth.”
Cassandra watched the two of them measure each other, but she was more interested now in seeing her father. “Can I see him?”
Jane turned to her. “Of course, Mrs. Roth,” she said, back to normal. “The doctor’s already checked him over, and he’s fine. Please go inside.”
Cassandra’s heart filled with relief when she saw her father sitting on the chair in his room, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, a cup of tea by his side. The male nurse reassured them of the same thing, then left them alone.
“Oh, Dad,” she said, crouching down in front of him and taking hold of his hands. “You shouldn’t have left your room.”
Her father blinked. “Cassie?”
“Yes, Dad. It’s me.” She looked up at his beloved face. “Are you okay? Are you in pain anywhere?”
He shook his gray head, but his eyes were confused. “Should I be?”
Her spirits sank. “No, Dad.”
He looked behind her at the door. “Liam came to see me, too? And Nicole?”
She glanced behind her and saw Dominic cradling Nicole against his shoulder, watching them. “No, Dad. That’s not Liam. That’s Liam’s brother Dominic.”
Her father’s face turned mulish. “Good. I don’t like Liam.”
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