He had no idea how long they stood there, staring at each other. Her gaze seemed to flit over each of his features, noting the dark red hair, the blue eyes, the way his clothes fit his body, the message in his eyes. There was no way he could hide his reaction to her, so he didn't bother trying. He just stood there, absorbing her, suddenly aware that this woman might have the ability to exert more power over him than any other human being in the world.
"Well, I'm glad to see that you two seem to like each other," Charlie said with a chuckle. ''Why don't you sit down and get acquainted."
Elisabeth seemed to realize for the first time that they had been standing staring at each other for some time, her hand still firmly clasped in Tim's. Her face flooded with fiery color.
''I've invited Tim to stay with us for a few days, if that's all right with you, Elisabeth."
His comment seemed to add to her confusion. "Of course. Granddad. You know it doesn't matter to me who you have at the house."
"It's a little different now, though, what with me laid up here. I'm afraid it will be up to you to keep him entertained,"
Tim turned to protest, only to meet Charlie's wink, which Elisabeth failed to catch.
"Oh!" She still sounded flustered. "Well, there's not much to do unless you enjoy horseback riding, that sort of thing."
Tim grinned. "I have a hunch I'll be quite easy for you to entertain." He might as well have come out and told her how much he wanted to make love to her.
Charlie's chuckle sounded pleased.
❧
Tim had followed her home from the hospital in his car that evening. After dinner they had sat in front of the fire and talked for hours, as though they were old friends trying to catch up on each other's news.
They had talked about the things they enjoyed doing, places they had visited, music they liked, books they'd read, but neither one had talked about their work or about Charlie's health.
She had accepted his visit as a casual one. He'd implied he was on a vacation of sorts, which he was. He'd told her about his cabin in the Rockies and how Greg and Brandi had met each other there.
Elisabeth had expressed a desire to meet them, and he had assured her that she would.
As the hour had grown later, the firelight had grown lower, their voices had softened and their conversation had lessened. They had sat on the sofa sharing glances. He had been so exhilarated to have found her. Until now, he hadn't known he had been searching.
Their kiss had been as inevitable as the dawn. His whole body had ached with the need to hold her. She had responded with a naturalness that sent desire spi-raling through him.
By the time they finally paused for breath, they were both gasping. His chest shook with the force of his heart pounding, and he could see from the quivering of her breast that she had been affected in the same way.
Tim wondered if he was under some kind of spell. Had some magic dust been sprinkled on him when she walked into the room that made him forget everything in his I'll? His job? His responsibilities?
They were no longer important to him. Nothing was as important to him as Elisabeth.
He told Charlie the next day while Elisabeth had stepped out of the room.
"Yeah, I kinda noticed your reaction yesterday when you first saw her."
Tim shook his head, feeling dazed. ''I know it sounds crazy. How can I possibly explain it when I don't understand myself what's happened?"
"The question I have is, and you'll have to excuse an old man's concern, but what do you intend to do about it?"
"Well, it's a little too soon to be talking about marriage, wouldn't you say?"
Charlie nodded. "Under normal circumstances, I'd have to agree with you. But then, these aren't normal circumstances."
Tim recalled the earlier conversation. How could he have forgotten all that Charlie had told him? He felt like a fool. She would be in danger just as soon as Charlie was gone. And Charlie knew he didn't have much time left. Tim nodded, seeing Charlie's point. "As her husband I would be in a much better position to protect her."
"Maybe. At least being her husband it would only be natural that you'd be hanging around the place all the time, sort of watching what's going on,"
"Would she agree to it? "
Charlie's eyes sparkled. He nodded to the door as it was pushed open. ''No time hke the present to find out, is there?"
"Find out what, Granddad?" she asked, walking over to the other side of the bed from where Tim stood and taking Charlie's hand in both of hers.
"I guess I never told you about how impetuous my old friend Tim is. Being filled with integrity, he thought maybe he should talk with me first, that's all."
Her eyes sparkled as she looked across at Tim. Obviously she had gotten more sleep the night before than he had. When he'd finally forced himself to leave her at her bedroom door he'd spent the rest of the night imagining her in bed alone, imagining what it would be like if she weren't alone, and driving himself over the brink with his thoughts.
"I don't know. Granddad. Tim doesn't strike me as the impetuous type."
The strange thing about it was that she was right. Tim was anything but impetuous. He'd learned to make lightning decisions at times, to rely on his instincts, but he'd never applied that skill in his personal life.
He hadn't had a personal life.
Until now.
''I told Charlie I wanted to marry you," he said, drawling the words slightly, deliberately lingering on each one.
''Why?" she blurted out, then shook her head, embarrassed.
"The usual reasons, I guess. I have a sneaking hunch I'm not going to be able to get along without you in my life. The thing is, I don't particularly want to try. I was just discussing that when you walked in."
Charlie looked at Elisabeth. "You know my situation, darlin'. I haven't pulled any punches with you. Every day I'm here I consider a miracle. It would pleaise me greatly to see you married to Tim before I'm gone."
"Granddad! You can't be serious! We just met."
Charlie nodded. "I know that. I'm the one who introduced you, don't you remember?" He shook his head. "I know it's unusual, and if you don't want to marry him, I don't want you to. What I want is for you to be happy. The thing is that I've known Tim for several years. You can't find yourself a better man, honey. You have no idea how unusual his reaction to you is. I've watched women around him before. He never notices them. He's told me time and time again that he didn't ever expect to marry anybody." He patted her hand. "He changed his mind as soon as he saw you. I think I knew it before he did."
Elisabeth's gaze found Tim's. "It's too soon."
Tim nodded. "Probably."
Charlie didn't say anything.
Elisabeth glanced at the man in the bed, then at Tim. "You really want me to marry him?" she whispered to her grandfather, her gaze caught up with Tim's.
''Only if that's what you want, honey."
She took a deep breath, then slowly released the air in her lungs. "All right."
As far as Tim could remember, Elisabeth had never said why she agreed to the marriage. Now as he watched her lying so relaxed on the bed beside him, asleep at last, he wished he could remember if they had discussed it later.
He recalled the simple ceremony, he recalled signing the marriage license and accepting the judge's congratulations, but he couldn't seem to bring into focus what had happened next.
There were still two weeks in his life that faded in and out. He remembered riding on the property, checking the area Charlie had told him about, the area Charlie was sure would draw others in their greed.
Charlie had been right. Like a novice, Tim had not protected his back. It wouldn't happen again.
His hands finally stopped moving across the silken expanse of his wife's uncovered body. More than ever he needed to understand his agreement with Elisabeth about the marriage. Had she insisted it would be a marriage in name only for the sake of her grandfather? She had certainly given him that impre
ssion since he'd been recovering from the blow to his head.
Were her explanations about their reason for sharing the same room and bed accurate? Would Charlie have cared, as long as they were legally wed? Tim thought not.
It was his wife's motives that he didn't understand, that he needed to know. Had he ever understood them? Ever known what they were?
He pulled the covers up, tucking them carefully around her. He needed to distance himself from her for a while or he would never sleep tonight. He could use the time to make some calls. Starting with one to Washington, to the man who didn't look as though he would be anybody's employer.
Chapter 6
The phone was answered on the first ring, despite the late hour.
"Hi, Max. It's me."
"You've created quite a stir, you know."
"How's that?"
"Don't give me that, Tim. Showing up at Charlie's funeral married to his granddaughter was bound to grab you some unneeded attention."
"It couldn't be helped."
"I understand your new in-laws are particularly curious about you."
Tim grinned. "They didn't waste much time. What have they found out?"
"Just what you knew they would. Despite all their strings, no one seems to have any information on you."
Tim began to laugh.
"Of course by now they're no doubt convinced you're operating under an alias."
"I'm sure they've also checked the legality of the marriage."
"So did I. When Charlie wants something done, he pulls in the big guns, doesn't he?"
"The judge happened to be available."
Max chuckled. "I'm going to really miss Charlie. He can never be replaced."
"True enough. Why were you looking for me?"
''Doesn't matter now. I had someone else handle it. What I need to know from you is what your status is now that you're married."
"I'm still working on that.''
"Care to give me a few more details?"
Tim glanced around the library. He sat behind Charlie's massive desk, his feet propped up on the edge. The small desk lamp shed a pool of light on the green desk blotter. God, he was tired. He almost wished for the blessed oblivion of the pain pills.
"I'll try. You see, Charlie needed me to do some personal work for him. He knew what was going to happen when he died. There were a few matters he wanted taken care of, to make sure things went the way he wanted."
"Sounds like Charlie. The only man I know who would insist on his own way even from the grave."
"Yeah, well since it involved his granddaughter, I could see his point."
"Mmm."
That was one of the things he'd noticed, working with Max over the years. Max had the damnedest habit of making nonconmittal sounds when he didn't want you to know what he was thinking.
"He knew that he was putting her in a certain amount of danger, but nothing I couldn't handle."
''So you sacrificed yourself on the altar of matrimony? Why, Tim, how altruistic of you."
''Go to hell."
He could hear Max's chuckle above the subtle hum of the long-distance line.
"So your work is now beginning."
"That's right."
"How long will it take?"
"From all indications, those he expects will give us some trouble will waste no time. The question is how they'll go about it. After meeting them I would hazard a guess that they won't play by any of the rules."
"Which is why Charlie called you in on it."
"Precisely."
"I take it we're discussing the Barringer brothers."
"What a sleuth you are."
"What do you intend to do?"
"No more than I have to. Neutralize them."
"They have no idea who you are, do they?"
"You've already gotten an accurate reading on them. They think I married Elisabeth to get my hands on this property. And they hate the fact that I'm already in possession. They aren't sure whether or not I know the true value of what we have."
"I take it you do, though."
''Charlie is very thorough in his briefing techniques."
Tim could almost hear Max thinking in the silence. Finally, Max muttered, ''I just wish to hell he would have asked me if he could use you before pulling you in."
''You know as well as I do that you'd have agreed to it."
"Why didn't you let me know what you were up to?'"
"Good question. As a matter of fact, I probably thought I had."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That I got a little careless a few days ago and got brained, which resulted in a little problem with my memory."
"What! Why didn't you let me know that sooner?"
"Why? So you could hold my hand? That's what my beautiful new wife is for."
"Are you saying you still haven't fully recovered?"
"Yeah, unfortunately. I think most of it's come back, but there's a few vague areas yet."
"Why haven't you asked for some help?"
Tim grinned. "My pride keeps getting in the way. But I've decided to call an old war buddy of mine to see if he'll play backup for me."
"Why don't I send someone?"
"I've already considered and rejected that idea. This is a delicate situation. I don't want Elisabeth any more upset than she is already. Losing Charlie has been rough on her. I figure if I have Greg come visit for a few days, she won't give it much thought."
"Gregory Duncan?"
"The same."
''Oh. Well, I couldn't find anyone better myself. I've always regretted the fact I couldn't recruit him."
"I don't know if he's available, but I intend to give him a call. I thought I might wait until things start heating up a little first so I can project a time frame."
"Isn't that a little risky, considering the tricks your mind's playing on you? If you thought you'd contacted me, there may be other things you thought you did but in fact have not done."
"I'm ninety percent certain I've remembered the important stuff. You just weren't that important in the overall scheme of things at the moment, boss."
"If you're hoping to get fired because of insults and insubordination, you're out of luck."
Tim laughed. "Well, would you consider an extended leave of absence, say for the next twenty to thirty years?"
Max paused before replying. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"It's something to consider. I don't like the idea of leaving Elisabeth for weeks at a time without contact."
"She wouldn't be without contact. You know we watch the families of our people when they aren't available. She would be safe."
"I meant direct contact between us. I'm ready to stay home, Max."
"There seems to be a rash of this sort of thing going around. I'm losing more good men this way."
Tim grinned. "You've gotten your pound of flesh over the years and you know it."
"I may use you on a consulting basis. I can't lose you altogether. You're too valuable."
"As a matter of fact, that's how I explained myself to my new brothers-in-law... as a consultant."
Max laughed. "One of these days that sense of humor of yours is going to get you in trouble."
"Well, all this girlish gossip is putting me to sleep, boss. Think I'll stumble upstairs to bed."
"Aren't you technically on your honeymoon these days?"
Don't I wish? ''We've got time for all that later. First things first."
''My, I never suspected you of being the patient sort. Marriage has definitely changed you. You may end up downright civilized."
"Don't hold your breath. I'll check in when I need to. Otherwise you know how to get hold of me."
"Yes, but it doesn't do much good if you don't check your messages once in a while.''
"I know. I'll do that right now."
"You can ignore mine. They're outdated."
"You're all heart."
"Sweet dreams, sweetheart."
Tim hun
g up, shaking his head. Then he retrieved the phone again and punched in the combination of numbers that hooked him into his answering machine. He listened, his smile growing as Max's early polite messages became more pointed and irascible, eventually coming close to abusive. He sobered, knowing that he'd made a bad slip not making sure Max knew where he was and why.
He could have been in trouble and needed help. Max's worried undertones had come across loud and clear. No doubt he'd been shocked to see Tim at the funeral.
It couldn't be helped.
Then he heard Brandi's voice.
"Hi, Tim. Since we haven't heard anything lately we assume you're out of the country on one of your hush-hush trips. In case you've forgotten, Cindy's got a birthday coming up in a few weeks—her first. Thought I'd give you a special invite to come help us celebrate. Anyway, give us a call when you get home. We'd love to see you. Greg sends his best."
There were several more calls on the machine, none of which were important enough to answer after this length of time.
Why hadn't he called in earlier? Had Elisabeth completely wiped everything out of his mind? He grinned at the thought. He wouldn't be at all surprised. From everything he could remember, she had mesmerized him completely. How else had she gotten him to agree to a platonic relationship when the very thought of her created all sorts of reactions within him?
He shook his head. He'd wanted to be close to her. At least he was with her at night. He wondered if he'd told her it was for her own safety? Probably not. He wouldn't want to alarm her. As far as that went, Charlie had secured this place with the most up-to-date surveillance equipment.
Tim wondered if the Barringer brothers were aware of Charlie's precautions. If not, they might have quite a surprise coming.
However, he wasn't going to underestimate them. They wouldn't be foolish enough to do anything personally. They would see that someone else took all the risks.
Sooner or later he would have to have a little brotherly talk with them. But he wanted to see what they planned to do first. In the meantime, he was going to spend as much time as possible convincing Elisabeth that their marriage would be as real and as permanent as he could make it.
Max 2 - A Love Remembered Page 7