by Lisa Jackson
The sun, rising over the craggy, snow-covered mountains, sent harsh rays through the valley. Zach switched on the radio and glanced at the passenger side of the Jeep where Adria, tucked in the blanket, was resting her head against the window and breathing steadily, as if she was soon to give in to exhaustion and fall asleep.
Good. He tromped hard on the accelerator and the Jeep leaped forward. His jaw was clenched so hard it felt like granite and he swore silently that if he ever found out who’d done this to her, he’d kill the bastard with his bare hands.
21
“Idiot! What did you think you were doing?” Anthony Polidori wanted to rap his son over the head with his cane. He hadn’t struck his son since the boy announced that he’d knocked up the Danvers girl years ago, but right now Mario deserved a swift, hard dose of reality-a swift kick wouldn’t hurt either! Clamping his jaw shut, Anthony jabbed his cane in the soft grass of the backyard.
“I just wanted to feel her out-”
“I’ll bet. That’s the problem with you. Women. Any woman. For the love of God, stay away from her-you’re only causing trouble!” Anthony wondered what he’d done to deserve such a stupid son. Stiffly he crossed the backyard and tried to rein in the anger that had kept him awake all night-ever since the phone call from his informant watching the Nash woman. He knew there would be trouble and he’d been proved right.
He paused by the tennis courts where he’d spent so many hours coaching his only boy. Now dandelions and long grass grew through the cracks in the cement courts. A climbing rosebush, untrimmed, sprawled up the tall fence, mistaking the mesh of chain links for a trellis. Dear God, where had the time gone? Had it all been spent feeding that hateful beast called “the feud?” Had he lost all sense of what was real? He remembered the years of hoping that his son would someday grow into a shrewd businessman, a leader capable of handling the considerable businesses that his own father had passed to him and he had hoped to hand down to his son-his only child, but Mario had never been much interested in business. He’d been an athlete, and even while he was in school his decided lack of brains-or at least of discipline-had been evident. That was the problem, the boy-well, man now-had enough gray matter if he only knew how to or wanted to apply it. But he never had. Aside from a little gambling business he’d run for a time, Mario hadn’t worked a day in his life. Life had been too easy for him. Handsome by Hollywood standards, skilled on the tennis court or racing down the ski slopes, Mario had seen no reason to study and learn; his showing in school could only be described as poor, but he’d developed a way with girls. All girls. Including Trisha Danvers.
When Trisha had gotten pregnant-which was probably part of the slut’s scheme to trap Mario and make life miserable for her father-Anthony had been furious with his son, but had blamed Mario’s considerable lack of judgment on his youth. But this…this courtship of the Nash woman was asking-no, begging-for trouble, especially since the girl had been attacked last night. Mario was long past the time when Anthony could write off his stupid actions as part of the folly of adolescence.
With a heavy sigh, Anthony said, “The police have already been here asking questions and guess who I got a call from? Remember Jack Logan-the police captain, now retired? He was a detective sergeant at the time of the Danvers kidnapping. Apparently he’s still working for the Danvers family and more than happy to start in on us again.”
Mario seemed unruffled. He showed no outward signs of remorse. “How was I to know she’d be attacked? Jesus, Dad, I didn’t have a clue! How could I?” His dark brows slammed together. “Don’t tell me one of your men was behind it!”
“Of course not!” Anthony snapped and felt a quick pain under his breastbone, the same pain that shot through him whenever he was under a great deal of stress. He took a deep, calming breath and ignored the irritating little jab. “We’re in negotiations with her, aren’t we?”
Mario’s lower lip protruded thoughtfully and he shook his head. “Apparently not. She claims she’s not interested.”
“But she will be, if we make it worth her while.” Anthony was sure of himself. He’d played this game before. Many times. And he always won. “But we must be careful,” he said, gesturing futilely with his hands. “We must use a little decorum, be patient and cautious so as not to tip our hand.”
“What’s the point? She already knows what we want. You told her yourself that you were interested in the old hotel. I wasn’t tipping anything.”
“No?” They walked along the kick path leading through the rose garden to the back of the house. Mario held the door of the breakfast room open for his father and Anthony, able to breathe now that his heartbeat was regular again, climbed up the stairs. He sat in his usual chair, spooned some sugar into his coffee cup, and tossed the morning edition of the Oregonian onto Mario’s plate. The paper landed squarely over Mario’s neatly sliced grapefruit.
“What the-” Mario stopped when he saw the picture of a cheap motel and below it a smaller photograph of Adria. Even in grainy black-and-white she was beautiful; the smooth lines of her face and her wide eyes reminded him that he wanted her.
“Read it,” Anthony advised as he snapped his napkin across his lap, then waited impatiently while the maid brought juice and coffee. “You’ll find your name in paragraph three, I think. A Detective Stinson is coming by to take your statement this morning. She’s with the Portland Police Bureau and she’s handling her end of the case because Ms. Nash seems to be the target of some rather nasty letters.” He stirred his coffee, rattling the cup with his spoon.
Mario’s mouth flattened into a thin line of disapproval as he read the article and realized that he had been the last person to see Adria before she was assaulted.
“This is only an educated guess,” Anthony said, dropping his spoon and lifting his cup to his lips. “But I think you’ve probably made the early morning news broadcasts as well.”
The maid silently deposited a basket of muffins onto the table, then slipped quietly back to the kitchen. “From now on, son,” Anthony suggested as he reached for a bran muffin, “let me know when you plan to see Ms. Nash.” He broke the muffin in half and spread a sparing amount of butter on it. “I just might be able to save you and the family a lot of embarrassment.”
Zach paced from one end of the den to the other, stretching the telephone cord to its limit. He muttered curses under his breath and nearly slammed the receiver down.
“If I could just set up an interview with Ms. Nash at her convenience-” Ellen Rigley wheedled. She was pushy, a reporter who didn’t seem to understand the word no. Zach glanced out the windows to the acres of ranch land that spread as far as the eye could see. It wasn’t enough land. There wasn’t enough to hide Adria.
“I’m sure she wants her side of the story told-”
Zach held firm and stared down at the front page of the local newspaper that lay open on the desk. Adria’ s picture was on page one, along with an old photograph of Witt, Kat, and London. The headlines were thick and black and seemed to scream-WOMAN CLAIMING TO BE DANVERS HEIRESS ATTACKED.
It hadn’t taken the press long to react. They’d only been at the ranch two days and it was already a madhouse.
Zach felt as if he were trying to plow through quicksand. The faster he went, the farther he tried to get, the deeper and deeper he sank until he felt as if he were choking and there was no way out. No way to save Adria.
Great, he thought sarcastically. Being this close to Adria and keeping his hands off her was hell; trying to keep her from getting herself killed was proving to be nearly impossible. The woman was already talking about returning to Portland, for crying out loud, when the bump on her head was still fresh, her stitches not yet healed.
The all-business female voice hadn’t given up. “-so I could fly out this afternoon or tomorrow morning, meet her at the ranch and-”
“I told you Ms. Nash has no comment.” Zach had enough.
“I need to talk to her, Mr. Danvers.” She was
obviously trying to bully him. “Adria Nash showed up claiming she was London Danvers, then was attacked in a tiny motel way out of the city by an unknown assailant. The Post wants to have an interview with her so she can tell her side of the story-”
Zach slammed down the receiver and pressed a button for the answering machine to pick up. He was tired of reporters and police and the whole mess. The phone jangled instantly and Zach, ignoring the impatient ring, threw his keys onto the counter.
He’d just returned to the ranch house after spending three fruitless hours at the office. A bevy of reporters had kept Terry busy on the phone or shown up and made themselves at home, swilling and complaining about his coffee, waiting for a quote from Zach. He’d given one, largely unprintable, and most of them had taken the hint and slunk out the door with their tails between their legs. But a couple of tough, salty types had lingered, hoping that he’d crack and give them some bit of news that would make their copy different from the others that were being written into word processors around the nation.
Zach had given up trying to get any work done, told Terry to close up shop for the rest of the week, stuffed some papers into his briefcase and tucked a couple of blueprints under his arm. He’d locked the press out of his office, climbed in his Cherokee and driven like a madman back to the ranch, to the eye of the storm. He would have turned off the phones to the house except that he wanted to stay in contact with the sheriff’s department in Clackamas County, and the police in Portland. Then there was Sweeny’s report. Zach’s stomach clenched at the thought of it. Two days had passed since he’d talked to the slimy private investigator and, according to Jason, there was still no word.
The sleaze-ball detective was probably holding out on him. Or Jason was.
Ever since the attack on Adria, Zach trusted no one.
Yanking his jacket from a hook near the pantry, he stormed down the hall and out the back door. A blast of icy air greeted him and though the snow had melted at the lower elevations, a fine layer of white powder was visible in the foothills. The sky was clear, the sun high but without any warmth, and only a few clouds clustered around the highest peaks of the surrounding mountains. On any other day, he’d be glad for the bracing air and cool promise of winter. But not today.
The ranch wasn’t impregnable, and before he’d thrown out the reporters and photographers who had insisted upon hanging around the front porch, he hadn’t been able to hear himself think.
Fortunately, Manny had decided to take matters into his own Native-American hands. Wearing his well-practiced, stern-Indian expression, he’d wrapped a thick, horsehair blanket over his shoulders and positioned himself in his pickup at the front gate. A no-nonsense rifle was propped against his dashboard and a NO TRESPASSING sign had been posted on one of the weathered fence posts, in full view of the road.
No one suspected the.22 wasn’t loaded or that Manny Clearwater was the self-proclaimed worst shot in the county and one of the easiest-going guys Zach had ever met. His severe countenance, shaded by a black felt hat decorated with silver and feathers, was enough to keep even the most ambitious reporters off the property.
For now.
Zach had envisioned bringing Adria here until she’d healed and hoped that the news about her attack would die a quick but quiet death. But his plan had blown up in his face and it seemed as if the entire world knew where she was.
Including the man who wanted her hurt. The muscles in the back of his neck drew together and his jaw clenched so hard it ached. Since she’d declined police protection, Zach had made it his personal responsibility to keep her safe. And alive. But it seemed as if the world, and Adria herself, were against him.
The bottom line was that she wasn’t safe here. And that bothered him. It bothered the hell out of him.
He found Adria by the stables, the sunlight catching in her blue-black hair. Forearms bridged over the top fence rail, she watched a herd of mares and half-grown foals picking at the sun-bleached stubble of the field.
A whirlwind, laden with thick dust, danced across the dry paddock, picking up a few dead leaves and spinning them across the ground while the horses moved lazily from one tuft of dry grass to the next. Their hides were dusty and uneven, already beginning to change to the thick, longer coats of winter.
Unaware that he was behind her, she shifted, leaning on her opposite leg, her face turning in profile. His gut clenched at the sight of her and he told himself to forget that she was a woman. “You’re a popular lady. The phone’s been ringing off the hook.”
“Why do you think I escaped out here?” She ran a finger along the dusty edge of the top rail and her cheeks had turned a deep shade of pink with the cold. “At first I talked to them, but the questions got too heavy, so I decided to take a break.”
“Manny’s keeping them at bay down at the gate-the answering machine should catch anything we need to know about.” He propped a foot on the bottom slat and stood next to her. Pretending interest in the ridge of mountains on the horizon, he asked, “How’re you feeling?”
“Kind of like an eighteen-wheeler drove up my back.” Smiling a little, she showed off the hint of a dimple that he found incredibly sexy. “But I’ll live and I’m afraid that’s going to disappoint a lot of people.”
“Don’t even say it.”
But she wasn’t finished. “You know, Zach,” she continued, turning to face him as the breeze teased soft, curling strands out of the band that held her hair away from her face, “I can’t stay here forever.”
“It’s only been a couple of days.”
“I have my life.”
“You mean London’s life.” He cocked a dark brow and scowled at a few white clouds as a wavering flock of geese, trying and failing to maintain a “V,” honked into the wind and flew steadily southward, as if making up for lost time.
With one hand she shaded her eyes against the lowering sun. “It’s time I settled this.”
“How?”
“I think I need to hire an attorney and a private investigator. Get things moving along.”
She was staring at him so intently, her gaze shifting from his eyes to his mouth, that desire swept through him like a hot prairie wind that no man could tame, no mortal could control. He remembered kissing her, nearly making love to her by the river, and it was all he could do to slide his hands into his pockets to hide the swelling that was beginning to warm his groin. He wanted to reach out and grab her, press his lips over hers and kiss her until neither one of them could breathe. He imagined bending her backward till her hair swept the ground.
Hell, this was getting him nowhere!
She was still talking about hiring a detective. “…best for all of us.”
“Jason’s already retained a guy-a creep named Oswald Sweeny. He’ll get the job done.”
“For Jason. And for you.”
The corners of his mouth tightened involuntarily. “You said you wanted to know the truth.”
“I still do,” she said, squinting against the sunlight. “Correct me if I’m wrong, okay? Sweeny’s working for the family, right? He’s digging around, trying to prove that I’m a fraud. So he might not tell me-or the family might not feel the need to inform me-if he found proof positive that I’m London. Only if I’m not.” She dusted her hands on her jeans. “So I think I’d better start looking for a few guys on my team. Good guys in white hats.”
He dug in the dirt with the toe of his boot. “From what I hear, you can’t afford much.”
She’d been expecting that, but not from Zach. From the others, of course, but not Zach, and she couldn’t stop the little stab of pain that reminded her that he’d found out things about her and hadn’t confided in her-that he’d shared them only with the inner circle of the Danvers family. The chosen few. Her throat caught. She’d always considered him an outsider, but, as painful as it was, the truth of the matter was that she, and she alone, was the outsider. Obviously there were secrets Zach kept from her and she wondered how much he and t
he rest of his family discussed her behind her back. Had he told them the secrets she’d confided to him about her home in Montana, had he laughed when he’d discovered she was flat broke, had his eyes lighted with an evil little fire when he’d hinted that she’d nearly made love with him?
Being around Zachary Danvers was like walking a fraying tightrope strung taut across a steep canyon. One false step in either direction and she would pitch down the sharp emotional cliffs. Too much tension and the rope would give way. She wasn’t fool enough to believe that he’d be there to catch her. “What is it you want from me?”
He hesitated, his eyes searching hers, and she felt as if he could stare straight into her soul. “I just want to keep you safe.”
“So that your family can prove me to be a liar.” She felt the air shift between them. “You can’t keep me here, not against my will.”
“Is that what I’m doing?”
She licked her lips. “I think so. Yes.”
His eyes were the color of flint, his brows pulled together in frustration, though she didn’t know if his vexation was with her, himself, his family, or the world in general. They were close enough to touch yet he moved closer, advancing upon her, his expression turned hard and suddenly cruel. As his shadow fell across her face, his fingers curled in the lapels of her old leather jacket. “Do you remember that someone tried to kill you?” he demanded in a harsh whisper. “Less than forty-eight hours ago?”
“I can’t run scared.” But her breathing was shallow and fast. The scents of coffee and leather and musky male cologne swirled around her.
He gave her a little shake and his eyes sparked with anger. “Can you recall what it felt like to nearly have your brains bashed in?”
She blanched. “Of course.”
“Who do you think did it?”
“I-I don’t know.”
“Neither do I, but he’s still out there, darlin’, and my guess is that he doesn’t give up easily.”