A Worthy Heir

by Pat Ballard

  “Pam is a one-of-a-kind person, I can tell you that,” Tom agreed, love for his sister filling his voice with emotion. “But what has this got to do with you paying for all the expenses of my back surgery?”

  “Tom, my company screwed you. And I mean big time! And now that I know what good people you and Pam are, that bothers me. It bothers me a lot! I’m not going to stop until you are back on your feet, living a normal life again. That’s the least I can do for all that Bainbridge Corporation has put you and Pam through.”

  “But, Fiona—“

  “No! No arguments, Tom. You should know me well enough by now to know that when I make up my mind, it’s made up.”

  “You and my sister have a lot in common in the stubbornness area,” Tom agreed, smiling broadly at Fiona.

  “That’s probably why I like her so much,” Fiona replied, and then continued. “The doctors want to run some tests on you tomorrow, so you’ll need to be at Baylor Medical Center at six o’clock. If you need to leave work and make any kind of arrangements today, then go.”

  “Will I be in the hospital overnight?”

  “No, the tests should be done in one day, but if necessary, Pam and I can always bring you some pajamas to sleep in.”

  “Fiona, I—”

  “Go Tom, I’ve got work to do.” Fiona waved him off, not wanting to hear his thanks. This is one debt she would be glad to get settled before it was too late.

  “For real?” Pam squealed, almost falling on top of Tom in her haste to hug him at his good news. “Oh, Tom—” Her voice choked up as tears poured down her face. Finally! Her beloved brother would have his life back!

  They were in the library, waiting for the others to meet for dinner. “Okay, bro,” she said, regaining her composure, “You can thank me properly when you’re back on your feet!”

  “And how is that?”

  “Oh, I think first, down on your knees bowing and scraping, and apologizing for giving me such a hard time for filling out that application for Fiona’s money. Yeah, that would be a starter.” She nodded her head in satisfaction.

  “Pamela Spencer, do I hear an ‘I told you so’ tone in your voice?” Tom’s teasing note brought tears back to Pam’s eyes.

  “Oh, I’m sure your sister feels very satisfied with her accomplishments,” Reese’s voice shot at them from the doorway of the library, where he’d overheard the entire conversation. “But maybe after this surgery’s over, you two can get out of my house.” He continued into the library.

  Pam was shocked at the contempt in his voice. Was it only yesterday morning that he’d held her and kissed her until she was melting onto the sheets of her bed?

  “Yes, Reese,” Tom’s voice was calm and controlled. “I’m sure that as soon as this surgery is over, you’ll be rid of us for good. I’m truly sorry we’ve been such a bother to you.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t count on that, at all,” Fiona’s voice interjected as she breezed into the room. “Reese, do I need to remind you again that this is my house for as long as I live? And that I say who is and isn’t welcome here, for however long that is? And as far as I’m concerned, Tom and Pam can live here until the day that I die! Hell, they make things interesting around here. I never know when you’re going to get a wild hair and take off to God only knows where, and leave me rattling around this huge house by myself. Well, I want them here, so that the next time you leave, I won’t be alone.”

  “Maybe I don’t plan to go away anymore, Fifi. Have you thought of that?” Reese could see that his grandmother was upset about something tonight, and he hadn’t meant to add to her discomfiture.

  “You plan on settling down, Reese?” Disbelief was evident in Fiona’s voice. “Well, then you might as well make peace with the Spencers so we can all live here together in harmony.”

  “Dinner’s ready,” Suzy announced from the doorway.

  “Whose money did you spend on all those new clothes?” Reese’s voice caught Pam off guard, bringing her eyes to his piercing blue stare, which instantly lowered to the slight cleavage showing from the royal blue gauze top she wore with an off-white twill pantsuit.

  Dinner was almost finished, and it was the first time Reese had addressed her during the entire meal.

  “Reese!” Fiona scolded.

  “It’s okay, Fiona,” Pam said, smiling at the astonished woman. “I’m used to his acerbic attitude by now. I think this is just his way of telling me he loves me,” she cooed.

  “In your dreams,” Reese ground out, but his eyes were hot with memories, and belied the denial in his voice.

  “And yours,” Pam countered, holding his stare.

  “Tom, I need for you to come to my office and get some papers to take with you in the morning,” Fiona said, rising from her chair.

  “I’ll come too, since I’ll be taking him to the hospital tomorrow,” Pam offered, also getting up.

  “Actually, Pam, I want to take Tom, because I want to make very sure that the doctors know exactly what I have in mind,” Fiona said. “You and Reese go on to the library and we’ll join you when we’re finished.”

  “The queen has spoken,” Reese sighed, watching Fiona and Tom leave the room.

  “It’s too bad you don’t show your allegiance to the queen more often,” Pam said, as she brushed past Reese, heading for the stairway.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, catching up with her.

  “To my room.”

  “No, you’re coming to the library, to await the return of your pampered brother and my loony grandmother,” he said, taking Pam’s arm and leading her to the library.

  Pam snatched her arm from Reese’s tight grip, and in the process managed to whack him on the jaw with the back of her hand. Startled, they both stopped dead in their tracks and looked at each other, surprise registering on both their faces.

  “Oh, Reese! I’m so sorry. I didn’t do that on purpose,” Pam said, reaching up and placing her hands on each side of his face.

  Suddenly the intensity of the situation slammed into both of them.

  “Prove it,” Reese huskily whispered.

  So, standing on tiptoes, Pam placed a soft kiss on the spot where her hand had struck his jaw. And then, remembering how his lips felt on hers, she placed feather kisses on each corner of his mouth until, with a groan, his wonderful mouth claimed her lips as he crushed her to his chest.

  Neither of them was aware of how they wound up on one of the leather sofas. The only thing Pam was aware of was Reese’s mouth devouring hers, driving her crazy, slowly tracing her lips with his tongue, then unhurriedly slicing it into her mouth to playfully fence with her own.

  She was once again succumbing to the magic he seemed to enchant her with. She longed to lose herself in the total pleasure she knew he could bring her. Pleasures she knew she’d never experienced.

  Suddenly her head was jerked rudely backwards, and a shrill voice was piercing her ears.

  “So that’s it!” Sharon screeched, holding on to her handful of Pam’s hair. “It is the fat girl that turned your head. I knew something was wrong last night when you said you just wanted to be friends with me!”

  “Sharon, let her go!” Reese’s voice was low and threatening.

  But Pam, not being one to remain too long in an inconvenienced situation, suddenly yanked her head, causing Sharon to lose her grip. Then, bounding off the couch, Pam grabbed a handful of Sharon’s hair.

  “How does it feel, bitch,” she ground out, just as she realized she was holding a wig in her hand and Sharon was clutching her own mussed hair, trying to hide the hideous mess. Flinging the wig back at the horrified woman, Pam broke into peals of laughter, and realized Reese was also bent over shaking with laughter.

  Slamming the wig on at an unnatural angle, Sharon fled the house with tears streaming down her face.

  The two women sitting quietly talking in the hushed atmosphere of the hospital waiting room didn’t pay any attention to the soft swoosh of the elevator doors sli
cing open, or to Reese as he stepped from the elevator.

  He had never seen Fiona take to anyone like she’d taken to Pamela Spencer. It didn’t make any sense to Reese. Of course, he knew why he took to Pam like he did, but Fiona? As far as he knew she’d never had any close personal friends. Just the required social acquaintances, but that’s all. So why Pam? Or was this just an act to make him crazy? A way to try and force him to become involved in Bainbridge Corporation? Well, she could jolly well forget it!

  “How’s it going?” he projected his question ahead of him as he approached them.

  “Reese? What are you doing here?” Fiona asked, truly surprised he’d show up for Tom’s surgery.

  “Why wouldn’t I be here?” he asked, penning Pam with a blue-laser glance. “This involves my life too, doesn’t it?”

  “Now, Reese, if you’ve come here to cause disruption, just go away,” Fiona ordered. “Pam is worried sick about her brother’s surgery, and she doesn’t need your foul attitude upsetting her more than she already is.”

  For the first time since he’d arrived Reese actually looked at Pam, and could tell that her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she’d been crying. He hated the knot of compassion that slammed into his guts, making him want to take her in his arms and tell her that her brother was going to be fine. She was the enemy, damn it! And he had to remind himself of that more and more often, lately.

  Just then the doctor came into the room, and Fiona and Pam stood to hear what he had to say.

  “Ms. Bainbridge, Pam, Tom has come through the surgery with flying colors. I’m convinced that after several months of physical therapy his back will be as good as new. He should be able to lead a very normal life.”

  Pam suddenly sat back into her chair, knees too weak to hold her up. It was over. Tom was going to have his life back. Tears flowed freely into her hands, which she had cupped over her face.

  “Here, here, now, take it easy,” a low, husky voice admonished, as she felt someone pushing a tissue into her one of her hands.

  Through tear-blurred eyes Pam realized Reese had pulled up a chair and was sitting in front of her, trying to dry her tears. She was stunned at the open compassion she saw in his eyes momentarily, before he shielded the look with a more teasing one.

  “The hard part’s over now. You should be laughing, not crying!” he said, pulling her hands away from her face and holding both of them in one of his as he finished drying her tears with his other.

  “Is that her husband?” the doctor quietly asked Fiona.

  “Not yet,” Fiona answered, just as quietly, taking in Reese’s tenderness with sudden hope springing alive in her chest. She knew it! She’d known all along that he wouldn’t be able to resist Pam, and if that look in his eyes right now told her anything, her plan might come together faster than she’d even dreamed!

  Pam, remembering where they were and why, tore her eyes away from Reese’s intent look and asked the doctor, “Can I see Tom now?”

  “Not yet. He’s in intensive care, and will be for several hours. He wouldn’t know it if you were there,” the doctor answered.

  “But can I just peek in and see him for a moment?” Pam persisted.

  “Okay, but just a moment,” the doctor gave in. “By tonight, you should be able to say a few words to him.”

  When Pam returned to the waiting room, Reese was there alone. “Where’s Fiona?” she asked.

  “She said she had some work that couldn’t wait, and that I was to take you to lunch,” Reese answered.

  “But don’t you have things to do? I can just get a sandwich out of the vending machine here, and eat it while I wait.”

  “No. I was given strict instructions not to allow you to do that. I’m to take you somewhere nice and buy you a good, healthy lunch. The queen has spoken!” Some of the familiar, cynical Reese was creeping back into his voice, causing Pam to wonder if she’d only imagined the brief moment of gentleness she thought she’d seen earlier.

  “But what if they need me?” she persisted.

  “I gave my cell phone number to the doctor, and he promised to call immediately if he should need to contact you. So you don’t have any excuses,” he said, placing his arm gently around her shoulders and heading toward the elevator.

  The sudden feeling of being shielded and protected that came from having Reese’s arm around her shoulders rocked Pam to the core of her being. Surely it was only because she was feeling so vulnerable from Tom’s surgery. She must not allow her feelings to get out of hand with Reese Bainbridge. She simply could not afford to fall in love with him.

  As the elevator doors slid open and Reese followed her inside with his hand in the small of her back, a cold knot of fear gripped Pam’s heart, for suddenly she knew that it was too late.

  She was in love with Reese Bainbridge.

  Chapter 7

  Pam felt like a child again as she and Tom splashed around in the pool at Bainbridge Hall. Swimming was part of his physical therapy. On rare occasions, Pam was able to join him when he was doing his laps around the pool. Today, he seemed to feel better than he’d felt since before his accident. After spending several minutes in a fierce water-splashing battle, they were hanging onto the side of the pool to rest and catch their breath.

  “You know we need to earnestly start looking for a place to live,” Tom said, turning suddenly serious.

  “I know,” Pam answered, not really wanting to spoil the happy mood with a serious discussion. But more than that, not wanting to think about the time they’d have to leave Bainbridge Hall and the two people she’d grown to love so deeply. She couldn’t imagine not having Fiona Bainbridge in her life on a daily basis. And Reese—well, Reese was a different story. He’d avoided her as much as possible since the day of Tom’s surgery. It was almost as if he’d sensed her revelation that she was in love with him, and tried to stay away from her.

  “But?”

  “But what?” she asked.

  “I sense a ‘but’ in your answer.”

  “I just hate the thought of leaving this place, don’t you? Have you grown to love it as much as I have?”

  “Pam, you knew we couldn’t stay here when we came,” Tom scolded. “And you knew not to get too accustomed to these luxurious surroundings.”

  “I know. My head knows, but my heart won’t listen,” she said wistfully.

  “Could your heart be longing for something other than the beautiful house and grounds?”

  “Tom! What on earth are you talking about?” Pam tried to sound indignant.

  “I’ve seen you looking at Reese, Pam. I’m so afraid you’ve fallen in love with him.” Real worry etched Tom’s voice.

  “Oh, don’t be ridiculous!” she chided. But she felt horrible for holding out on her beloved brother.

  “You have, haven’t you?” he persisted, seeing the pink that stained her cheeks.

  “Oh, Tom—” Suddenly her eyes filled up with tears.

  “No! NO!” Tom exploded. “I knew you were going to get hurt by this situation! My life is back on track, but you’re going to have a broken heart! I hate this sacrifice you’ve made for me!”

  “But it’s not your fault that I’m stupid!” she shot back. “So don’t go and try to lay the blame at your own door. I knew I was playing with fire. And I knew that I stood a real chance of getting hurt.”

  “But you can have it all. You don’t have to leave Bainbridge Hall, and you can have Reese.” Fiona’s blue glare penned Pam to her chair.

  “What are you talking about?” Pam asked. Fiona had called her to her office at Bainbridge Hall after they had finished eating dinner.

  “I overheard you and Tom talking out by the pool this afternoon. I really didn’t have any intention of eavesdropping on you, but I walked up just as Tom was questioning you about being in love with Reese. So I just decided to wait and hear the answer.”

  “Oh,” was the only response Pam could utter. What was there to say if Fiona had heard her full confession
of love for Reese?

  “Pam, that first day that you came to see me, I said you were ‘perfect.’ Did you ever wonder what I was talking about?”

  “Well, I later decided you meant because I’m not some tall, slim model-type, and you didn’t think Reese would chase after me like he usually does other women. I assumed you thought it would be safe to have me in the house, because he would leave me alone.” Pam had to fight to keep the resentment from her voice, and was surprised to hear the now beloved cackle erupt from Fiona.

  “Exactly the opposite!” Fiona said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I said you were perfect because I knew as soon as I saw you that Reese would have a hell of a hard time keeping his hands off of you!”

  “I’m sorry, Fiona, but I’m totally lost here. What are you talking about?” True confusion clouded Pam’s thinking power.

  “Come here,” Fiona said. Using a key from her key-chain, she opened the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a huge stack of old magazines. “Look at these and tell me what you see.”

  Pam’s eyes grew large as she took in picture after picture of Marilyn Monroe at her largest size. And there were several magazines featuring Jane Mansfield. “It’s obvious that I see magazines with pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Mansfield. But why do you have them and why are you showing them to me?”

  “They’re Reese’s,” came the candid reply. At Pam’s blank look, Fiona continued. “Don’t you see what this means? Reese likes women with some flesh on them. And I knew as soon as I saw you that you’d be hard for him to resist.”

  “But Fiona, just because Reese collects memorabilia about these two women doesn’t necessarily mean he likes the body type. It may just mean he knows these magazines and photos are a good investment,” Pam reasoned. “And even if he does like this body type, he obviously doesn’t like me because of what I represent.”

  “That’s my point exactly. The boy doesn’t have sense enough to figure out what’s best for him, so you and I are going to have to do it!” Now a new gleam was in those amazing blue eyes.