by Leona Karr
“Yes, but between us, Carolyn, it would be strictly a business arrangement that would be dissolved once the investigation was over. I’d be a husband to you in name only.”
“A business arrangement? A husband in name only? And how would that work, exactly?” She raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Well, in public we would have to behave like a congenial couple and—”
“Like newlyweds, perhaps?”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. Leave it to her to put her finger exactly where the charade would demand more than she was willing to give. “We’d be playing a part, acting, pure and simple.”
“A few kisses and hugs between business partners wouldn’t mean anything. Is that the way it would work?”
“Exactly. It would be just for show,” he answered firmly, but as his gaze settled on her pink, kissable lips and the delicate curve of her cheek, he knew he’d have to keep his guard up every moment or he’d blow the whole charade. Everything about her luscious body invited a man’s touch. He felt a quiver of desire just thinking about holding her close and kissing her. He’d have to be damn careful not to let her know that he found her utterly sexy and desirable.
“And living arrangements?” she asked as if reading his thoughts. “I assume they would demand a little more playacting?”
“The Stanford mansion is large enough for us to have extreme privacy. We could have one wing of the house to ourselves. We would only have to interact with the others when we want their company.” He didn’t add that an important part of his investigation would involve getting close to Jasper and Della because of their positions in Horizon.
“You have this all figured out, haven’t you.”
“That’s my job. And I’m good at it,” he added without conceit. He already had an impressive record, working in Brazil and in the U.S.
“And how long do you anticipate this ‘business arrangement’ might last?”
“Hopefully just a matter of weeks. Once I have access to company files, I should be able to get the evidence I need to track the illegal shipments.” He paused. “There is one other thing, though.” He hesitated as if searching for the right words. “There could be complications if all this leads into a murder investigation of your grandfather’s death.”
“Murder investigation?”
“I told you that the hit-and-run was suspicious.” When he saw her lovely face whiten, he cursed himself for being so callous. That was one of the fallouts of being an investigator. You got hardened to things that made a normal person wince.
Her mouth trembled slightly as she asked, “You think the black-market drugs and his hit-and-run might be connected?”
“I don’t know, but I promise you I’ll do my best to find out.” He sat down beside her again. “Look, I feel like a heel pushing you like this, but if we’re going to set up this cover, it has to be now, before you move into your role as Carolyn Leigh Stanford. When you meet your uncle and the others living in the Stanford mansion, I’ll need to be there as your husband—a fait accompli, so to speak.”
“My…my uncle.” She stumbled over the term as if it had never crossed her lips before. “Do you know him?”
From the way her blue eyes widened, he realized that once again he was moving too fast for her. The idea of having a living relative must be as astounding as the rest of this situation.
“I’ve never met him,” Adam admitted, “but I know that Jasper Stanford is a man in his early fifties who’s lived with your grandfather for years. He’s a laboratory scientist at Horizon and has never shown any aptitude for the business side of the company. As I said before, he was a failure in his own ventures. Jasper was your mother’s only sibling. He was twenty-six years old and away at college when she ran away from home at sixteen. Their mother, your grandmother, died a few years after your mother, Alicia, leaving your grandfather a widower for many years.”
Adam paused, trying to decide the best way to explain the situation Carolyn was going to find under her grandfather’s roof and at the company. “Jasper’s girlfriend, Della, has been living in the Stanford mansion with her twenty-three-year-old daughter, Lisa, and her twenty-one-year-old son, Buddy. Apparently it was an arrangement that had your grandfather’s approval.”
What if I don’t like these people? Carolyn asked herself anxiously. And what if they didn’t like her? She felt her stomach tighten. She had plenty of memories where she was less than welcome, her presence tolerated only because of the money her foster parents were paid. The circumstances were different now, but one thing was the same. These people were going to resent her presence big-time.
“Were they mentioned in my grandfather’s will?”
“You and Jasper are the major beneficiaries. I’m sure that the contents of your grandfather’s will was totally unexpected, though, and your inheritance a great surprise to all of them.”
Was there a warning in his tone? She shivered. Too much was coming at her too fast. She needed a break. Quickly she rose to her feet.
“I missed my second cup of coffee at breakfast,” she said. “Would you care for a cup?”
The invitation wasn’t exactly full of warmth and hospitality, but he readily accepted and then followed her into the small kitchen. She motioned to one of the chairs at the chipped Formica table crowded into one corner.
“Cream and sugar?” she asked as she took a couple of mugs down from the cupboard.
“No, black.”
“Good, because I don’t have any cream,” she admitted with a wry smile. “Going grocery shopping is not one of my things.”
“Not mine, either. I knew we had something in common,” he added facetiously, hoping for a smile, but as she handed him the mug, her expression was anything but amused.
Instead of sitting down in the other chair, she leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping her own coffee. Even though they were in close physical proximity, she seemed able to completely disregard him. Everything in her body language told him she was processing what he had told her. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d taken her mug and disappeared into the other room, ignoring him completely.
He’d bungled everything. He’d completely misjudged Carolyn Leigh. The instant she’d locked those clear, ocean blue eyes on him, he should have known her outward feminine softness was deceiving. She had a self-reliance that was a match for his or anyone else’s. Arthur Stanford must have been aware of her strength and firm hold on her convictions when he decided to leave his assets to her. He doubted very much that she’d ever be swayed by pure emotion or easily dominated by a husband, pretend or otherwise. If she agreed to his plan, she’d be a tremendous help, but if she refused to consider a contrived marriage, there would be nothing he could do or say to make her change her mind.
He forced himself to remain silent, sipping his coffee. His wandering gaze settled on a kitchen shelf that held a small vase of artificial flowers, a chipped porcelain tea cup, and a small framed photo of an older woman standing with a frail-looking blond girl who appeared to be about eight. Carolyn? It must be.
“Yes, it’s me.” She startled him by suddenly sitting down in the other chair and following his gaze to the photo.
“And who’s the woman?” he asked.
“An angel.” A soft glow deepened the blue of her eyes. “Hannah Lamm. When I was a sickly, emaciated three-year-old, who had no appeal as a child to be adopted, she arranged to take me into her home. She nurtured me through all the childhood diseases. I stayed with her until I was eight. She saved my life. My physical health improved, and so did my mental abilities. Hannah convinced me that I had a good mind and could learn. Somehow she planted the idea that I could become a doctor. When she died and I was thrown back into the pack of unwanted orphans, when I thought life wasn’t worth living, that goal was the motivation that kept me going.”
“And you’ve supported yourself all the way?”
She nodded. “Hannah also taught me that goals are reached by working for them.
I got a full-time job out of high school and was lucky enough to get with a good company and the chance to learn a lot about investments. Even after I started college, I worked part-time. Sometimes I was tempted to stay with Champion Realty and Investments, because I could see myself moving up in the company, but somehow I had to prove to myself—and to Hannah—that I could have an M.D. after my name.”
“And now you do. Congratulations. You have a medical degree and more. Your grandfather had great faith in you, Carolyn, and he must have loved your mother very much to leave almost everything he had to her daughter.”
“All this is too sudden. I still can’t believe it.” Her fingers tightened on her cup. “How could my life change so radically in the span of a few moments?”
“That’s the way it does sometimes, both good and bad. But nothing stays the same, and we really don’t have much choice how to handle change. We can make it work for us or just mark time.”
The challenge in his tone was clear, but she ignored it. She wasn’t ready to make any kind of a commitment. Certainly not the kind he was proposing. She needed time. Time! She glanced at the kitchen clock. Almost one o’clock. She was due at the free clinic at twelve-thirty.
“What’s the matter?” he asked as panic flashed across her face.
“It’s my afternoon at Friends Free Clinic.” She hurriedly got to her feet. “I completely forgot. Oh, no. My car. Taking a bus will eat up another hour.”
“Well, if mine is still working, I think we’re in business.”
She nodded. “Thank you. I’m surprised Dr. McPherson hasn’t called to chew me out. He’s an ornery old codger who should have retired years ago, but he can’t ignore the need. Just a minute while I grab my medical bag.”
“What about lunch?” he asked as if he hadn’t been planning on coaxing her to have it with him.
“I’m used to skipping it.”
“Doctor, doctor,” he teased. “For shame.”
She laughed then, a full, wonderful laugh that wrinkled her nose, brought a shine to her crystalline blue eyes. She was utterly beautiful. Vibrant. And desirable. He was stunned by the sudden realization that Carolyn Leigh was about to touch some guarded depth of emotion that he thought he’d put away forever. He couldn’t afford such feelings. First of all, she was on the threshold of a lifestyle of money and prestige, and getting involved with her would go nowhere. Second, any personal feelings would wreak havoc with the impersonal marriage of convenience that was vital to the success of his mission. It would be pure idiocy to allow himself to be attracted to her on any level.
Carolyn directed him to the clinic, which was housed in an old building that had once been a small neighborhood school. The place was still run-down and in need of remodeling, but the first floor had been refurbished to handle the various demands of a free clinic.
A valiant sun had lost its battle to the overcast sky and a soft rain began to fall as he let her out of the car.
“Thanks a bunch,” Carolyn said quickly as she prepared to make a dash for the front door.
“Carolyn, will you think about what I’ve said?”
“I’ll…I’ll be in touch.”
From the look on his face, Carolyn knew he was expecting more than this vague promise, but at the moment it was all she had to give. If he’d pushed her for an answer to his proposition, it would have been an immediate and definite No!
“I could give you a ride home,” he suggested.
“Thanks, but I’ll catch a ride with someone from the clinic when it closes.”
As she hurried away, she could feel his intense gaze on her back. Why in the world hadn’t she told him straight out that playing house with him was out of the question? She sympathized with his personal loss, admired his dedication to his job, but she wasn’t cut out for a game of deception. Just pretending to be his wife, and opening herself up to all kinds of undefined emotions, was more than she could handle.
“Well, now. Who’s the hunk that made you late?” Rosie DiPaloa teased as Carolyn hurried into the reception area. Obviously the dark-haired young woman had been looking out the window as Adam drove up in front of the building. “Don’t tell me our brand-new doctor is spreading her wings already. What gives?”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Rosie. Nothing gives. I’m late because of a business meeting. And my car won’t start—again. Would you have your brother pull it into his garage?”
“Sure,” Rosie said, and wrote down the address Carolyn gave her. “That car’s spending more time in Tony’s garage than it is on the streets. Why don’t you let Tony look for a nice clean, used car for you? Trade up to something that’ll keep running for a while? You ought to be able to afford it now.”
For a second Carolyn thought Rosie was referring to her inheritance. Then she realized her friend meant that Carolyn would be going into practice somewhere soon. How would Rosie respond if she knew that very soon Carolyn would be able to buy the latest, most expensive car on the road? Or if Carolyn told her she’d be moving out of her small apartment to live in a mansion? A sickening feeling accompanied Carolyn’s sudden realization that she would probably lose Rosie’s friendship and that of her bulging Italian family once her inheritance became known. Her lack of money and indebtedness had been something she had in common with them. They had opened their hearts to her because she was one of them, but her grandfather’s will would change all that.
“What’s the matter?” Rosie asked with her usual bluntness. “Are you sure you don’t have something to tell me?”
“Not now,” Carolyn answered firmly. There would be time later to sort all of it out. At the moment she was a doctor with patients waiting. She grabbed her white coat, slung her stethoscope around her neck and said, “Give me five minutes and then start sending them in.”
WHEN ADAM PULLED INTO Bancroft’s parking lot, he saw that Carolyn’s car was gone.
“A tow truck took it away,” the lawyer’s receptionist told him. “I think the sign said DiPaloa Brothers Garage. Is there a problem?”
“No, I was just curious.”
Mr. Bancroft poked his head out of his office. “I thought I heard your voice, Adam. Come in. I saw you drive away with Dr. Leigh. Bring me up-to-date.”
“There’s not much to update,” he confessed as he dropped into one of the leather office chairs. “I spent a couple of hours with her. She listened, asked a few questions and said she’d be in touch.”
“Do you think she’ll come around once the shock of all this wears off a little?”
“Damn, I don’t know what to think. We both know she could be in danger the minute she steps inside Horizon Pharmaceuticals. Carolyn is as sharp as they come, and it’s a given that she won’t be played for any kind of patsy. One way or another, she’ll educate herself about the business, and without realizing it, she may bring to light something that will force a killer into action.”
“Do you think that’s what happened to her grandfather?” asked the lawyer.
“I’m convinced of it.” Adam ran agitated fingers through his hair. “Someone is determined to use Horizon for the shipment of black-market drugs, and Carolyn could be an innocent victim of their treachery if she gets too close to the truth.”
“Well, you’ll have a better chance to protect her if you’re on the scene as her husband. Didn’t you explain that to her?”
“I didn’t want to scare her into agreeing to my plan, but I gave her enough background for her to realize that this isn’t just a parlor game someone is playing. I’m not sure she’s convinced that Horizon is involved. I wish I had more concrete evidence to support the theory that someone in the company is raking in big bucks by diverting these drugs overseas.” He sighed. “For some reason, I was hoping to appeal to a deeper commitment to see justice done.”
“That’s a lot to expect from a young woman whose been treated as disposable by almost everyone in her life. You have to admire her for her accomplishments.”
“I do. Very much.” H
e felt admiration and a great deal more, he silently admitted. Carolyn Leigh had touched him on more levels than he thought possible. An unbidden sweet heat curled deep within him when he looked at her, and it had been a long time since he’d wanted to touch a woman, to feel her skin beneath his fingertips and lips. He shifted uncomfortably in the leather chair as if Bancroft might be able to read his lustful thoughts.
“What are you going to do now?”
“I’m trying to make up my mind. It’s a delicate balance, trying to put pressure on her, or backing off and hoping that she’ll come around before it’s too late.” Adam’s jaw tightened. “One thing’s for sure. Come hell or high water, I hope I’m with her when she innocently steps into a situation that has all the earmarks of internal combustion.”
CAROLYN GLANCED AT the clock. Five-fifteen. The clinic closed at six, so she had time for one more patient. She signaled for Rosie to send someone into her examination room.
“Hello,” she said, smiling at the young Mexican couple with a baby who’d entered the examining room. The father spoke halting English.
“You make José well?” he asked anxiously. They were itinerant farm workers and their six-month-old baby had taken ill with a cough and fever. The mother looked no older than seventeen.
Carolyn quickly examined the infant and determined that his illness was due to strep throat, which could be controlled with antibiotics. The medication needed to be taken for two weeks. Since it was expensive, Carolyn checked their supply of sample medications. She plucked three small bottles from the shelf, an amount that would cover the two-week period.
As she held them in her hand, ready to give to the anxious parents, she glanced at the label. Horizon Pharmaceuticals.
Her hand tightened on the bottles. Since the rest of the samples had been safely given out, Carolyn rationalized that they must have contained genuine safe antibiotics.
But what if they weren’t safe? Adam’s compelling voice echoed in her ears. Her mouth went dry, and for a long moment she just stood there staring at the bottles in her hand. In her mind’s eye she saw herself handing over medication that was faulty—and could kill.