by Cajio, Linda
It was definitely time for a meeting of the Barkeley Club.
Six
“You heard right, Ross. I’m staying at the Barkeley estate.”
Jed chuckled into the telephone as his acquisitions manager excitedly shot questions at him. He finally broke through the rapid-fire quizzing. “You’d never believe me if I told you, so I won’t bother. Listen, Ross, I’m sorry to be calling on a Saturday, but there are a few things I want you to do for me before Monday.”
“Go ahead.”
Jed knew the man was still brimming with curiosity, and he appreciated that Ross didn’t pursue the subject. Leaning back against the kitchen counter, he said, “I need copies sent here of all the Delaware River property preliminary reports. Also the cost effectiveness grids Janine worked up for them.”
“Okay, but you know we’ve gone over and over them this past week.”
“I know. Send them anyway, and send the phone numbers of the realtors we deal with in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. I want everybody aggressively looking for a new site, Ross. Make sure they understand that. I don’t know when I’ll be back at the office, but if you need to reach me call me here.” As he gave Ross Rae’s telephone number, he heard a rhythmic ticking sound behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Rae’s monstrous dogs trotting into the kitchen, their nails clicking against the tile floor. “I’ve got to go, Ross. Oh, and tell Henry I’m checking out a site in … Harrisburg.”
“Harrisburg? Henry won’t like it.”
Jed grinned as the animals sat down several feet away from him and stared. “How I wish Henry were here right now.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Talk to you later, Ross.” He hung up the phone and turned to face the Great Danes. He smiled. “Hi, guys.”
The dogs just stared. They were going to be a problem, Jed decided, if they didn’t stop their guardian angel act. Somehow he would have to make friends with them. Somehow …
Spying a possible solution, he took two steps to his left. The Danes didn’t move. Taking a deep breath, he casually sauntered to the refrigerator and said, “I bet you two are hungry.”
Opening the refrigerator door, he searched until he found a small brick of cheese. He pulled it out and removed the plastic covering. Holding it up, he grinned at the animals whose eyes now ignored him for the food. “How about some cheese? Nice delicious cheese for …” He racked his brain to remember the dogs’ names. They were named something biblical … Adam and Eve? He chuckled, finally remembering. “Samson and Delilah.”
Both dogs perked up their ears, but the one on the right craned its neck forward, its black nose testing the air. Jed tossed the cheese to it. The dog caught the brick in midflight and wolfed it down, then looked up in anticipation.
“There’s more where that came from,” he assured the animal, then leaned sideways to check its sex. “Samson. More cheese, Samson? It beats the hell out of kibble.”
The dog’s tail wagged briskly in answer. Jed squatted in front of the open refrigerator and began rummaging around for more goodies. Suddenly he felt hot breath on his neck. He froze. Turning his head, he found Samson looming over his shoulder. The animal’s cavernous jaws were open and a large pink tongue licked at gleaming teeth. Fortunately, the dog’s eyes were trained on the brimming contents of the refrigerator.
“You’re some guard dog,” Jed murmured, pulling out a long package that he assumed contained deli meat. He opened it and smiled when he saw a hefty quantity of sliced corned beef. He proceeded to feed Samson two slices at a time, being careful to keep his fingers out of harm’s way. Once the meat was gone, he decided it was now or never and held out his hand palm down. Wagging his tail happily, Samson licked Jed’s hand. “You’re a pussycat at heart, aren’t you, pal?”
Finding a huge hambone in the back of the fridge, he gave it to Samson to gnaw on. He picked up another wedge of cheese and, rising to his feet, turned his attention to Delilah. The female still hadn’t moved. He tossed her the cheese. It landed on the floor at her feet, and though she glanced down at it, she never touched it.
Jed sighed. “You are as stubborn as your beautiful owner.”
Delilah growled in agreement.
He tried some leftover duck, more deli meats, even a hunk of lamb roast smothered in mint sauce. The dog never budged. Jed acknowledged that there was no sense risking his hand when she wouldn’t even take his bribes from a distance. Samson, enticed by the varying smells, left his bone and wandered over. Delilah immediately snapped at her companion in warning and covered her growing pile of doggie delights with one paw. Jed cringed at the messy sight.
“What the hell is this?” Rae demanded, stepping into the kitchen.
“A get-acquainted party,” Jed quipped, inwardly wincing at being caught trying to subvert her dogs.
Delilah yipped like a puppy, drawing her owner’s attention. Jed wasn’t sure whether the dog was asking permission to eat or ratting on him and Samson.
“Good Lord! That’s expensive deli meat!” Rae exclaimed, running her hands through her hair. “And half a lamb roast! And the Stilton! Burrows is going to have a fit!” She turned to him, anger glowing hotly in her eyes. “Jed! How could you?”
“They looked hungry, Rae,” he said innocently. Samson trotted back to him and nudged his hand, obviously hoping for more food. He absently caressed the dog’s head.
Rae gaped in astonishment at them. “Samson, you traitor! Corner!”
At her command, the dog slunk away, his tail between his legs. Then, he slunk back and picked up the bone, before continuing to the nearest corner. Settling on his haunches, his back to his audience, the dog dropped the bone on the floor and stared at it. A wave of guilt overtook Jed at the dog’s dejected look. He joined Samson in the corner, patted his massive head again in commiseration, then faced the wall too.
There was silence in the room. Finally, Jed heard low obviously reluctant chuckles behind him. He grinned.
“What are you doing?” Rae finally asked.
“I been bad, too, Ma,” he drawled over his shoulder.
She erupted into laughter. Jed and his fellow convict turned together to watch her amusement. Samson, evidently taking it as a sign that he was off the hook, lay down on the floor and began working on the bone.
“Don’t make me laugh, Jed,” she said, as her mirth subsided.
“Why?” he asked, thrusting his hands into his pockets and leaning against the wall.
“Because I like you when you do.”
She gazed at him for a fleeting second longer, and he felt as if she’d just let down an invisible barrier between them. Then the doorbell rang, and her expression instantly became guarded. The dogs raced for the door.
“You can clean up the mess,” she said. Samson raced back into the kitchen and began to gobble down Delilah’s cache. She smiled sweetly. “You can also clean up the mess he’s going to make later, after he gets sick.”
“Thanks,” he muttered, as she left to answer the door.
Samson gave the now bare floor a final lick, then galloped after her. Jed followed at a slower pace, down a short wide hallway into the foyer. A grand curving staircase wound its way up and backward to a landing high above, and as he passed underneath it he couldn’t help but admire it once again. If a prettily pouting Scarlett O’Hara were to suddenly come sweeping down, he wouldn’t have been at all surprised. It was like stepping back in time, he admitted. The image of Rae, dressed in her red gown, gracefully descending the staircase ran through his mind. He grinned, thinking Scarlett would have run a poor second. His amusement faded as he wondered if strangers would care about the mansion’s beauty and heritage as much as Rae did, if it were turned into a clubhouse. He doubted it. High piping voices reached his ears, breaking into his musings.
Jed rounded the staircase to find the front door wide open and three young boys racing after the dogs outside on the front lawn. Rae was talking animatedly to a older male version of herself, who
was lifting suitcases from the back of a Mercedes. Rand Barkeley had been a less frequent visitor to the house, but Jed had met the good-looking, poised older brother on several occasions. As a teenager, Jed had always felt inadequate and awkward around Rand, and that old sense of insecurity rose within him again, making him reluctant to go outside and greet Rae’s brother. He wished Burrows had returned with some decent clothes. His tuxedo trousers and shirt were hardly appropriate dress for morning and were sure to raise eyebrows. He had no wish to embarrass Rae.
Boys and dogs suddenly burst through the open door. They skidded to a halt in front of him. He noted that the two older boys were strikingly dark-haired and blue-eyed, while the younger was less dramatic in coloring, with medium brown hair and eyes. Delilah growled at him.
Jed grinned at the dog, admiring her determination. “Hi.”
“Who are you?” asked the youngest.
Jed judged him to be about four or five years old. “Jed. Who are you?”
“Michael. I’m five.”
“I’m thirty-five.”
“That’s old,” said Michael.
Jed smiled. “Yeah, but I get to have a great big birthday cake”—he made a round circle with his arms—“to hold all the candles. And it gets bigger every year.”
The young boy’s eyes widened. “Wow!”
“I’m Mark,” the middle boy said. “Are you the electrician?”
Jed blinked at the odd question. “No.”
Mark’s face fell. “Oh.”
“An electrician almost blew himself up fixing our lights, and Mark missed it,” volunteered the oldest. He thrust out his hand in an adult gesture of politeness. “I’m Randall Barkeley, sir.”
Jed shook his hand, then in turn shook the other boys’ hands. Each one had a disconcerting adult grip, as if they’d practiced many times—even young Michael. “I’m very pleased to meet all of you.”
“There you are, Jed,” Rae said, as she and her brother came into the house. “Rand, you remember Jed Waters.”
“Of course,” Rand said, offering his hand. “I envied the way you could do backflips so effortlessly. I damn near killed myself trying to imitate you.”
Shocked and surprised, Jed nearly forgot to shake the man’s hand. Quickly recovering, he took Rand’s firm grip in his own and said, “I don’t think I could do them now. It’s been too many years. How are you?”
“Fine. How’s your dad?”
“Fine,” Jed said, again surprised that Rand would have even remembered his family. He realized he was still shaking hands and immediately let go.
“So Rae’s kidnapped you,” Rand said with a grin. He ignored his sister’s gasp, and added, “She certainly makes life interesting.”
Astonished that Rand seemed to be enjoying the idea of Rae as a kidnapper, Jed stared at him for a long moment, then grinned widely. He transferred his gaze to Rae’s delicately flushed features and murmured, “I think she makes it more than interesting.”
“Don’t you have to go, Rand?” she asked in a caustic tone.
“Much as I wish I didn’t, Alicia will be waiting.” He grinned at his sons. “Okay, guys, you’re off duty. Cram as much fun as you can into the weekend, but don’t tear the house apart, and I’ll pick you up tomorrow night.”
Confused by Rand’s odd words, Jed watched the boys grin back at their father in complete understanding. He realized there was only one enviable thing Rand Barkeley had now, family. Unconsciously, his gaze returned to Rae. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she was looking at her nephews with a mixture of love and amusement.
Rand offered his hand again, saying, “Good to see you again, Jed.”
“Same here.”
After shaking hands, Rand added, “And good luck. I believe Rae intends to use the boys as new and unsurpassed torture.”
Jed laughed.
“What’s unsurplussed?” asked Michael.
“Unsurpassed,” Rae corrected, ruffling his hair. “That’s you, sweetie.”
Rand smiled. “Good-bye, guys, Jed.” His voice went up two octaves and he added, “Good-bye, Auntie Rae.”
She made a face at him.
The door had no sooner closed after their father than the boys erupted with a thousand questions and comments. Jed chuckled, as Rae waved a hand to silence them.
“First things first. We’ll go upstairs and unpack and see Harvey. And please don’t let him out of his cage.” The boys groaned. “Burrows says it took him three days to find him the last time. Michael, you can sit on Samson later!”
“Did you really kidnap that man, Aunt Rae?” Mark, the middle boy, asked.
“Yes. Now upstairs.”
“Wow!”
Admiring the curving outline of her jean-clad derriere as she followed the boys up the staircase, Jed smiled to himself. He could still feel her lips on his. Her mouth had been so soft and incredibly sweet in surrender. She’d admitted she liked him—and he knew she didn’t want to. Her emotional defenses were weakening, and so were his. His career was in the balance, and yet he was more worried about pleasing Rae than his company. Unfortunately, there had been no opportunity so far to really talk to her, and it looked like there wouldn’t be until after her nephews left tomorrow evening. He wondered what would have happened if the boys’ visit had been delayed another week …
If Rand’s words were correct, then the boys’ arrival had been a last minute plan by Rae. His smile widened when he realized she was using them as a form of physical protection. But who didn’t she trust? Him?
Or herself?
“And this is a front door too.”
Rae sighed in exasperation as Michael, her youngest nephew, grinned happily up at his new friend. Closing the door in question after all of them had passed through, Jed smiled indulgently at the child.
“I know,” he said, transferring his smile to her. “A long time ago people used to sail on the river, so everyone had their front doors put in backwards so they could watch out for pirates. Then everyone got smart and started using the road, so they put in a second front door. But,” his voice lowered dramatically, “on a dark and stormy night you can still hear the pirate ghosts howl as they search the river in vain for ships to loot.”
As the boys chattered excitedly about pirates and gold, Rae hid a smile. She hadn’t been much older than Michael when she’d proudly told the same story to Jed. Years later, she’d been disappointed to learn that the pirates had been part of Uncle Merry’s imagination.
“Beat ya to the river!” Mark suddenly yelled.
The older boys and Samson immediately broke into a run across the patio and down the sloping lawn. Little Michael’s chin quivered as he stopped and watched.
“They run too fast.”
Jed scooped him up in a fireman’s hold, saying, “We may still lose, buddy, but we’ll have fun doing it!”
Michael’s high-pitched giggles reached Rae’s ears as Jed dashed after the rest of the group. She looked down at Delilah, who continued at her mistress’s slower pace, and said, “He found Samson’s weakness for people food, and now he’s got a friend for life. Michael thinks he’s the best thing since ice cream. Mark thinks his being kidnapped is great. Randall discovered he likes Harvey, and Burrows treats him like a treasured guest. Even my brother likes him, because he could do backflips. You’re the only decent judge of character in this family, Delilah.”
She wished she could say the same for herself, but she too had fallen under Jed’s spell. It was his standing in the corner with Samson that had done it, she decided. She liked him. In spite of everything, she liked him. And the longer he stayed, the stronger her feelings toward him would grow. The thought terrified her.
She admitted it was her own fault. Until she’d kidnapped him, she’d been relatively safe. Her emotions had been firmly in control, and she’d been able to keep a tight rein on her attraction to him. But there had been a fire in that first kiss, a fire she hadn’t known she was capable of feeling. What
would happen when that fire finally went out of control?
Allowing her question to go unanswered, she inhaled the cool crisp air and made her way down to the riverbank. The back gardens were fading with the promise of winter but were still beautiful, and the trees were in their autumn glory. At the edge of the property, the muddy blue river rolled past, its deep ripples endlessly joining, one after another. The estate had always seemed like an ageless sanctuary. No, not quite like a sanctuary, she corrected herself. It was like coming home. A Barkeley had built it, and a Barkeley had sold it, and a Barkeley had bought it back again. A Barkeley would keep it this time, she vowed, while trailing a loving hand along a browning azalea bush.
Deep laughter captured her attention, and she looked up to see Jed pointing toward the river as he explained something to the boys. His lean body was outlined in the jeans and blue hooded sweatshirt he’d changed into after Burrows had returned from his errands. A drugging warmth flowed through her body, and she hugged her arms around her middle in an attempt to fight the sensation. Even as a child, she’d been drawn to him. What she was suffering now, however, was a purely adult reaction. She wanted him. Knowing she wanted the wrong man didn’t stop the feeling. In fact, it only made the warmth burn hotter and deeper. While the boys’ presence would keep her physically safe from Jed, she realized they were no barrier against what was happening inside her. That was something only she could fight.
Joining them at the steep riverbank, she forced herself to relax. Delilah finally raced off with Samson on a doggie hunt, and, with a sense of resignation, Rae watched her go. Delilah might not have accepted Jed yet, but the dog obviously realized everybody else had. Including herself.
She sat down next to Michael at the top of the stairs that led down to the wooden dock and said, “Did you win?”
“Almost,” her youngest nephew replied, satisfaction in his voice. “Jed runs real fast.”