Hearts Under Caution

by Gina Wilkins

  HEARTS UNDER CAUTION

  Gina Wilkins

  TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON

  AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG

  STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID

  PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND

  For my family, John, Courtney, Kerry and David.

  Here’s to many more lazy Sunday afternoons together.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  COMING NEXT MONTH

  CHAPTER ONE

  THE MOONLIT NIGHT WAS STILL, the late July temperature warm but comfortable as Lisa Woodrow sat on a concrete bench in her mother’s North Carolina garden. Heavy perfumes from many varieties of roses tickled her nose and carried her back to her past. As she had so often in those blissfully naive and hopelessly romantic younger days, she found herself thinking of Wade McClellan….

  A rustling in a far corner of the large garden brought her abruptly back to the present. Every nerve ending in her body on sudden alert, she sat up straight, straining her ears. When the sound wasn’t repeated, she let out the breath she’d been holding and tried to relax, assuring herself that there was nothing to fear here.

  She had plenty of reason to be on edge after the events of the past week. It didn’t soothe her frazzled nerves to know that Wade was inside her parents’ house, meeting with her father and a few other top members of the Woodrow Racing team.

  Since team owner Ernest “Woody” Woodrow had undergone a full hip replacement ten days earlier, limiting his movements for a few weeks, the majority of his meetings had taken place here, in his home office. His highest-ranking team members had arrived right after dinner on this Monday evening to discuss the race week ahead. Wade had been the first of those arrivals.

  It had been obvious that he hadn’t known Lisa was there, since she’d flown in only a few hours earlier, but he had recovered quickly from his surprise. He’d greeted her with the same polite distance he’d displayed on the few other occasions when they’d crossed paths over the last six years. She’d responded in the same cool manner—and had made her escape at the very first available opportunity.

  It was the first time she’d seen him in over a year. He looked tired, she thought. Too thin. His tanned skin was drawn a little too tightly over the carved planes of his face. His brown eyes were shadowed, the sun-creases at the corners more deeply defined than she remembered. And there was now a touch of gray at the temples of his functionally short, pecan-brown hair.

  Yet even as she acknowledged the signs that he hadn’t changed his fiercely workaholic habits, her heart pounded so hard in her chest that she’d been afraid he could hear it over her cool, carefully disinterested voice. After almost six years and a whole new life, one would think she’d have gotten over the sight of him by now.

  The rustling came again.

  It brought Lisa to her feet. Poised for flight, she held her breath, trying to hear over her hammering pulse. She’d thought the sound came from behind her and to the left, but was she wrong? Had it been between her and the safety of the house?

  No. Definitely behind her.

  Maybe it was a cat, or some other small, nocturnal animal. Maybe nothing but overwrought imagination. She didn’t stick around to find out. She bolted, heading straight for the house, making no effort to be quiet.

  When she slammed into a solid and unmistakably male body, she reacted on pure instinct, striking out. She opened her mouth to scream.

  “Lisa!” Wade’s voice cut through her moment of panic, turning the budding shriek into a squeak of surprise. His hands fell on her shoulders, steadying them both and making her realize how close she’d come to flattening him. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  Her breath was still coming out too audibly, a combination of her former fear and now awareness of Wade standing so close to her, holding her. She took a quick step backward, dislodging his hands.

  He let his arms fall to his sides, but his too-sharp gaze remained on her face. “What’s wrong?” he repeated.

  She took a moment to regain control. She could barely see him in the diffused garden lighting, but she knew her own face was more visible to him since there was a pole lamp directly behind him, illuminating her while keeping him in the shadows.

  “I thought I heard someone moving around in the garden,” she said when she was sure her voice would come out relatively steady. “Watching me.”

  His head lifted as if he’d just caught scent of a predator. Looking from side to side, he asked, “Where?”

  She started to point in the direction she’d thought the noise had come from, but then stopped and shook her head. “I’m not sure. If anyone was there, he’d be gone by now anyway.”

  “You know it’s unlikely anyone was in the garden with you. The property is fully fenced and your dad has top of the line security equipment. It wouldn’t be easy for anyone to get in nor to get back out unnoticed.”

  “Yes, I know.” But the hesitancy she heard in her response probably let him know she wasn’t entirely reassured. To distract him, she asked, “What are you doing out here? Were you looking for me?”

  “Yeah. I was.”

  Even though she had asked, his answer still surprised her. “Why?”

  “I got the impression that something was bothering you. Something more than me being here, I mean. I wanted to see if there’s anything I can do.”

  She supposed she shouldn’t be so taken aback that he’d seen too much during their brief interaction earlier. Wade had always read her too well—with a few very painful exceptions. “I’m okay.”

  “Are you sure? Because you look kind of shaky.”

  What pride she retained after being caught by Wade on the verge of a full-blown panic attack kicked into full force. She lifted her chin. “I’m fine, Wade. I guess I’m just tired. It’s my first real vacation in almost three years. I hadn’t realized quite how much I needed one. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll head inside, maybe turn in early tonight.”

  “Lisa—”

  Ignoring the hand he held out to detain her, she stepped around him and moved resolutely toward her parents’ house. “Good night, Wade,” she said over her shoulder without looking back.

  It was no surprise that he didn’t respond.

  WADE WAS BACK THE NEXT MORNING. Lisa hadn’t seen him when he arrived, but her mother told her that he was meeting with Woody and the other three Woodrow Racing crew chiefs in Woody’s office. Sitting in the solarium before noon, surrounded by her mother’s pampered and beloved flowering plants, Lisa merely shrugged when her mother asked her how she felt about Wade being around so much during her visit.

  “He isn’t usually here at the house,” Ellen added a bit anxiously. “You know, your father usually prefers not to do business at home. But since his surgery, it’s easier for the meetings to be held here.”

  “I understand—and it’s fine, Mom. I certainly don’t want to interfere with Dad’s business meetings just because I’m here for a visit. And as for Wade, you know he and I have seen each other several times during the past few years. It’s not a problem.”

  “It can’t be comfortable for you, having your ex-fiancé in the house,” Ellen fretted.

  Smiling, Lisa shook her head. “It’s not a problem,” she repeated. “My ex-fiancé sti
ll works for my father. It’s a given that he and I will run into each other at times. Besides, it isn’t as if Wade and I had a bitter breakup. It was all very amicable, remember? We’ve remained friendly.”

  She didn’t go so far as to say they were still friends. She wasn’t sure she and Wade had ever been friends, even when they were lovers. He hadn’t let her get to know him that well.

  Virginia Cooper, who had been employed by the family since Lisa was barely out of diapers, appeared in the doorway with a smile to announce that lunch was ready. There had been a time when Virginia had only worked a couple of days a week doing the laundry and the heavy cleaning, but since Ellen had taken ill a year ago, she came in every day to cook and run the household.

  Ellen had protested at first, but Lisa suspected that she was secretly grateful for the extra help. Now she spent her days caring for her flowers, fussing over her husband and resting quite a bit.

  Lisa’s steps faltered a little when she saw Wade waiting with her father in the breakfast nook where the informal luncheon was to be served. He gave her a rather stiff nod of greeting.

  “Wade and I aren’t quite through with our business today,” Woody announced gruffly. “He’s going to be joining us for lunch and then we’ll finish up afterward. I’m sure that’s okay with you ladies?”

  Though he’d posed it as a question, it was obvious that Woody expected no protests from his wife or daughter. It wasn’t that he was oblivious to the awkwardness inherent in the situation, Lisa thought in resignation. It was just that he didn’t have time for old dramas when he had business to discuss.

  As much as he cared for his family, business always came first for her father. It was a fact Lisa had accepted a very long time ago.

  As was their usual habit, her parents sat at opposite ends of the small breakfast table, so that Lisa and Wade faced each other from the sides. Ellen didn’t believe in long, stilted silences at her table, so she kicked off the conversation as they began to eat the cold chicken salad, fresh asparagus spears and fruit compote that Virginia had served for a light lunch.

  “How have you been, Wade?” she asked cordially. “Have you fully recovered from that flu bug you picked up a few weeks ago?”

  So that was why he still looked a bit worn, Lisa thought, glancing at the lines around his mouth. She didn’t remember Wade ever being sick when she was involved with him; he said he didn’t have time to deal with germs.

  “Yes, ma’am, I’m feeling fine now,” he said with the same deference he had always displayed toward his boss’s wife. “Thank you for asking.”

  “Took him down pretty hard,” Woody said to Lisa. “He missed three days of work that week. Made it to the racetrack, though.”

  “Of course he did,” she murmured without looking at Wade. He’d have to be on his deathbed to miss a race, she thought. And she wouldn’t guarantee even then that he wouldn’t take the risk of just dropping dead in the pits, doing what he loved more than anything—or anyone—in the world.

  “Lisa, do you have any interesting stories to tell us about your job in Chicago?” her mother asked determinedly. “Any exciting cases lately?”

  Other than the case that had sent her running to North Carolina out of fear for her very life? “Not really,” she said with a bland smile. “Just the usual.”

  She sensed Wade’s intense gaze on her face. It took an effort for her to keep her smile intact.

  “Your mother got all nervous last week because she decided your life was just like one of those mystery novels she’s always reading,” Woody said with an indulgent shake of his head.

  Looking a little sheepish, Ellen smiled. “I was reading a story about a prosecutor who was stalked by the vengeful relative of a criminal she’d put away,” she explained. “It was set in L.A., but I couldn’t help but think about you. Chicago is such a dangerous city and you deal with so many unsavory people in your job.”

  Lisa felt the corners of her smile tremble, but she forced her lips to behave. “Chicago’s not as bad as you make it sound, Mom. And my life really isn’t all that dramatic.”

  She wasn’t exactly lying, she assured herself. Her job usually wasn’t dangerous. But how coincidental was it that her mother had read that book so recently? Just talking about it made the color fade from her mom’s face.

  She shouldn’t have come here, Lisa thought guiltily. She should have taken her boss’s suggestion to find someplace safe and secluded to vacation for a few weeks, keeping her problems far away from her parents, who had enough to worry about right now. But for some reason she’d found herself wanting to come home, even though she had promised herself she wouldn’t tell her family the real purpose behind the extended visit.

  Obviously, she hadn’t thought her decision through. She certainly hadn’t planned to be lunching with Wade only a day after her arrival.

  “You must be really excited about the way this season is going,” she said brightly to her father, hoping no one would see any significance in the jarringly sudden change of topic. “Two of your drivers sitting in the top ten points positions and a third driver not far behind. That would really be something if three of your four teams ended up in The Chase at the end, wouldn’t it?”

  Both her dad and Wade looked at her oddly, as if they were surprised that she knew where the Woodrow Racing drivers stood in points coming up on the twentieth race of the thirty-sixth race season. Maybe they were startled that she even knew that only the top ten points leaders and those drivers within 400 points of first place were eligible to race for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup during the last ten races of the season, a system referred to as The Chase for the Championship.

  She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised by their surprise. Since her father had been so determined to keep his family and work life separate, she had been kept well away from the racing world in her youth, forced to learn about the sport by watching televised race coverage like the average fan.

  “Er, yeah,” Woody said awkwardly. “We’re doing real good.”

  “Mom said you and Wade have been meeting about hiring a new engineer. How’s the search going?”

  “Good,” her father said with a curt nod. “Got it narrowed down to just a few. We’ll talk about it some more after lunch. This salad’s good, Virginia. I like the almonds in it.”

  Having just approached the table with a pitcher of iced tea to refill their glasses, the housekeeper beamed. “I’m glad you like it, Mr. Woody. Does anyone need anything else before I go?”

  When everyone assured her that nothing else was needed, Virginia told them to enjoy their meals and to leave their dishes when they were finished. She bustled away to finish her chores, leaving a silence in her wake that even Ellen didn’t seem to know how to fill as they finished their lunches.

  WADE FINISHED HIS BUSINESS with Woody an hour and a half after they’d returned to Woody’s office after lunch. Leaving Woody already engrossed in a conference call with a potential sponsor, he made his way through the house toward the front door, needing no escort.

  The house was quiet; he suspected that Ellen was napping, as was her habit in the afternoons since she’d been ill. He didn’t know where Lisa was—not that he was looking, he assured himself.

  He had his answer when he passed the open doorway of the front salon, just off the entryway. It was a room the family used as a library. Lisa was inside, her back turned toward him as she stood in front of a filled bookcase, looking through her mother’s treasured collection of mystery novels.

  Wade paused, considered moving on without speaking but then changed his mind. He was suddenly reminded of the conversation they’d had at lunch, when Ellen had told them about the book she’d recently read. Something about a prosecutor being targeted by a killer. Ellen had looked sheepish about taking the tale too seriously and being worried for her daughter’s sake. But it was Lisa’s expression he remembered most vividly.

  She hadn’t laughed off her mother’s concerns. She had made some offhand remark abo
ut not confusing fact with fiction—but then she’d quickly changed the subject. And he would have sworn she’d lost a couple of shades of color from her face—which had already been pale.

  He had suspected since he’d first seen her yesterday that something was going on with Lisa. Something she wasn’t telling her family. And even though it was absolutely none of his business, he couldn’t help but feel that he should offer his assistance, if she needed it. Though he doubted there was anything he could do for her—or that she would accept his help, regardless.

  Making a sudden decision, he moved forward. “Lisa?”

  She gasped and jumped half a foot, whirling around as if she’d heard a gun cock behind her.

  “Oh,” she said, her voice unsteady. “Wade. You startled me.”

  “Sorry.” He studied her face, convinced now that he’d been right about something shady going on with her. “What’s up?”

  “I was just looking for something to read.”

  He shook his head impatiently. “You’ve taken a month’s vacation from your job. You’ve lost weight. You jump halfway out of your shoes at the slightest sound. Maybe your mother accepts your explanation that you’ve just been working too hard and need a break, but that doesn’t cut it with me. Your dad thinks there’s more to it, too.”

  “Sounds like my father’s been talking too much,” she grumbled.

  “He’s worried about you. He thinks the job’s too much for you to handle.”

  “My father can’t understand why I’d want to be a prosecutor when I could stay here and let him take care of me. Or find some other man to take care of me,” she added a bit pointedly. “But I love my job. And I am quite capable of handling it just fine, thank you.”

  “I never doubted it,” Wade muttered, hearing the resignation in his own voice. “But you’re sure there isn’t something bothering you? Nothing I can do to help? Even if it’s just to serve as a sounding board. I’m available now for a couple of hours.”