Harlequin Desire June 2020 - Box Set 1 of 2

by Maureen Child

  And there went the break.

  “I know,” Beth said, and glanced at Piper before turning back to Gracie. She and the family had agreed to keep what they’d found between them, but Beth considered Gracie family. They’d been friends forever, they worked closely together, and Gracie had proved herself time and again to be extremely trustworthy.

  So Beth didn’t feel the slightest twinge of guilt telling her old friend exactly what was happening. “The injured men have all hired lawyers. They contacted us yesterday.”

  “Lawyers?” Gracie repeated, looking from one to the other of the women. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “No, it isn’t.” Piper picked up her coffee and took a sip. “They’re talking about suing the company. Their lawyers made us aware that a formal suit will be filed within the month.” She set her cup down and leaned back in her chair. “It’s not exactly unexpected, but it is one more thing landing on top of an already miserable situation.”

  “Sebastian’s furious,” Beth said. “Not with the employees so much as he is with the whole mess. He’s determined to get to the bottom of how this happened in the first place. It doesn’t help that we still haven’t been allowed back into the plant.”

  Leaning forward, she kept her voice down so no one else would overhear. “He and Sutton have done an internal investigation already. They’ve been checking over safety inspection reports, and, apparently, the company wasn’t up-to-date on the inspections.”

  “You’re kidding,” Gracie murmured. “That doesn’t sound right.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” Piper frowned thoughtfully. “We’ve never had safety issues at any of our companies, so there’s obviously something wrong. We just don’t know what it is.”

  Gracie took a breath and blew it out. “What does this mean for you guys?”

  “It means,” Piper said quietly, “there’s going to be a big payoff to the injured men, obviously. Beyond that, no one knows yet.”

  “The company’s healthy,” Beth added, “so no one’s worried about having to pay out a settlement. The real problem is finding out that someone in the company’s been cutting corners with safety. We can’t survive that. No company could.”

  That fact had made for some very uncomfortable conversations at the house this last week. Trying to wrap their heads around the idea that someone within the company, someone they knew and trusted, had sabotaged them. Though it was a horrible thought, it was the only thing that made sense.

  It had to be an insider who was behind the safety inspections, the malfunctioning sprinklers and maybe even the fire itself. But who? And why?

  “So what’s next?” Gracie kept her voice low and glanced at the table beside them as an older couple got up to leave. When they were gone, she added, “Is there a plan for handling all of this?”

  “Not much of one yet,” Piper admitted. “Between Sebastian, Sutton, Luke and Zeke, there are too many ideas and not one they’ve settled on yet.”

  “It’s not just the guys, either,” Beth said. “Mom’s putting her two cents in and driving Sebastian a little nuts with it. And Piper and I spend most of our time telling them all to calm down.” Which was funny, considering what she herself had said to Justin not too long ago. Telling someone to calm down never makes them calm down.

  “And we’re bringing Miles into this.” Beth’s younger brother, Miles Wingate, had his own company, Steel Security, based out of Chicago. It was already one of the most acclaimed security companies in the world, and since Miles was family, he would know better than anyone how important it was to solve the mystery of the fire and the safety inspections.

  “That’s a really good idea.”

  Piper nodded at Gracie. “Sebastian’s idea.”

  “Well,” Gracie acknowledged, “he’s brilliant, so I’m not surprised.”

  “Don’t ever tell Baz he’s brilliant, it’ll go to his head.” Beth picked up her iced tea and took a sip. She watched Gracie stand, get the newspaper the older couple had left on their table and then sit down again. “Oh, please don’t show me any Wingates Are Evil headlines.”

  Gracie laughed and shook her head. “Promise. I’m just checking my lottery numbers.”

  “Well, if ever there was a day for some good news,” Beth said, “today is it. So win enough to pay for lunch, okay?”

  “I’ll try.” Gracie opened the paper and pulled her ticket from her black leather bag.

  Beth was watching her compare her ticket to the numbers in the paper, and she actually saw Gracie go pale. “What is it?” she demanded, reaching for her friend’s arm. “Gracie, what happened?”

  Gracie lifted her gaze to Beth’s and opened and closed her mouth for a couple of seconds, but no sound escaped. Finally she took a deep, shuddering breath and managed to say, “I…uh. Here.” She handed over the paper and her ticket. Swallowing hard, she said, “You look. Double-check me.”

  “Double-check?” Beth repeated. “You either won something or you didn’t.”

  But she dutifully compared the numbers on Gracie’s ticket to the winning combination in the paper. Then she checked it again. And a third time. Excitement exploded inside her. Stunned, she stared at Gracie.

  “What is it?” Piper’s voice broke into the taut silence. “Will somebody please tell me what’s going on?”

  Beth laughed, shocked and happy and starting to really worry about Gracie. “Oh, I can tell you, but you might not believe me.” Laughter rang in her voice as she said, “Gracie’s buying lunch. She just won sixty million dollars.”

  “What?” Piper grabbed the ticket and the paper.

  Delighted, Beth, still laughing, grabbed her best friend’s hand and squeezed.

  Gracie doubled over and said, “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  * * *

  Cam thought it was for the best that he and Beth hadn’t seen each other in a week. It forced them both to evaluate what was happening between them and decide where to go with it. The day of the fire she’d been shocked and worried, and she’d needed him. But since then, he hadn’t heard from her, and Cam figured there was a reason for that.

  Bottom line, no matter what he felt when he was around her, he wasn’t going to set himself up for another princess betrayal.

  Beth was still royalty here in Royal, Texas. And in spite of his wealth, Camden was still a half–Native American cowboy. Things hadn’t changed, not really. Society in Royal would always be two separate tiers, and climbing that particular ladder never went well—not that he was interested in their damn ladder anyway.

  New money would never be looked at with the same reverence and respect as old money, and he didn’t care to try to change things. Actually he didn’t give a shit what anyone thought of him. He was exactly who he had always been. He just had more cash on hand now. And rich was definitely better than poor, he could admit.

  But building his own life here—on his own—made more sense than revisiting the past with Beth and trying to remodel it. Loving her and yes, he had to admit that he loved her even more now than he once had, didn’t change anything. Hard to acknowledge, but dangerous to ignore.

  “What are you thinking about that’s putting that scowl on your face?”

  He looked at Tony and scowled deeper. “I’m not scowling.”

  “Right.” Tony chuckled. He picked up the drawings of his ideas for the baseball camp that he’d spread out on Cam’s dining room table and said, “It’s Beth.”

  “It’s none of your business.”

  “Sure.” He chuckled again. “I saw you two dancing at the party last week. Just like old times.”

  If he scowled any harder, Cam was pretty sure his face would just crack. “Beth isn’t on my mind.” Lies.

  “Sure she’s not. So you’re just nervous about the TCC meeting?”

  “I’m not nervous,” Cam argued, and this time he
meant it. Did he want to be a member of the TCC? Yes. If he didn’t get in, would it be the end of his plans for the future? Hell, no. “Am I twelve? I’ll get in or I won’t. Period.”

  It wasn’t nerves. It was…concern. That was different, he assured himself. The vote on new members was tomorrow night, and Cam would be there. Maybe he shouldn’t, but damned if he’d hide and let all the other members know that he was worried how the vote would go.

  Tony would be there, too, since he was already a member. Big-league baseball catcher, local businessman, of course he was in. Now it was Cam’s turn, and he’d find out soon if Burt Wheeler had poisoned the well against him. Sure, he’d put Cam’s name up for a vote, but he’d also had a week to talk to his friends and convince them to vote no. Hell, a part of Cam couldn’t even blame Burt for it.

  He’d lost his daughter and needed someone to blame. Cam was the lucky winner.

  And all of this thinking wasn’t doing a damn sight of good, either.

  “You ready to go?” Cam’s new lawyer was expecting them to come by and sign the paperwork to get Tony’s camp up and running.

  “Sure.” Tony rolled up the drawings he’d had made and slipped a rubber band around them. “I’ll take my own car, though. I’ve got a date after the meeting with the lawyers.”

  “Fine.” Cam didn’t have a damn date. He’d be coming back to his house. Alone. Just like he’d been all week. Hell. He couldn’t even get a good night’s sleep anymore because his bedroom held the ghost of Beth. Her scent. Her laugh. Her touch. Wouldn’t it just figure that the only woman he wanted was the woman he was steering clear of. Coming home to Texas had been a dance of misery and joy, and he wasn’t sure from day to day which one would take precedence.

  Changing the subject abruptly, he said, “Those are good drawings for your camp.”

  Tony grinned. “It’s going to be great. Still can’t thank you enough for the land.”

  “You don’t have to. It’s going to be good for both of us.” He smiled just thinking about it, and that was a good thing.

  “You’re still pitching, I’m still catching,” Tony said with a shrug. “We still make a good team.”

  And that was a bit of the joy in coming back to Royal. Reconnecting with old friends. Charting a future that held exactly what he wanted. And if he didn’t get everything he wanted? Well, he’d just have to deal with it.

  * * *

  Beth took Gracie to her mother’s house and left her in good hands. The whole Diaz family was in tears—well, except for Gracie’s little brother, who immediately went online to shop.

  The shock of winning the lottery really hadn’t worn off for Gracie yet. And when it did, the reality of it would put her into another wild emotional spin. Beth was thrilled for her. Suddenly all those dreams Gracie had built in her mind over the years were going to come true.

  Of course, her life was going to become crazy once news of her win became public. She’d be hounded for interviews and have people she’d never known coming to her looking for a handout.

  “And I might need a new assistant,” Beth muttered. After all, why would Gracie keep a job she no longer needed? “Oh, that’s a horrible thought. Who’s going to help me keep all of this straight? Oh, Gracie… I already miss you.”

  When her phone rang, Beth saw her sister’s name pop up on the screen and smiled. Harley had been gone from Texas for years and Beth really missed her. Right now, though, she was jealous of her little sister because Harley, living in Thailand, was well out of the controversy over WinJet.

  “Hey, Harley!”

  “Hey, yourself.” Her sister’s voice came across the Bluetooth perfectly. Beth didn’t know why Sutton complained about the connection from Beth’s car.

  She stopped at a red light and said, “How are you and my adorable nephew?”

  “We’re both good,” Harley said. She added wryly, “Probably better than all of you guys are. How’s the investigation going?”

  “Slowly,” Beth admitted. They’d had a conference call with Harley and Miles the night of the fire so all of the siblings were on the same page. “It’s only been a week, but Sebastian and Sutton are like twin pit bulls with bones. They’re hovering over every report, talking to the experts, huddling with Nathan Battles and the fire chief at every opportunity…”

  “Sounds bad.”

  The light changed and Beth stepped on the gas, heading down Main Street and keeping an eagle eye out for people backing out of parking spots. “It is bad, Harley. Being at the house these days is just a nightmare. I’m actually jealous of Luke and Zeke living in the guesthouse. At least they get to escape it once in a while.

  “And it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better. Sebastian’s calling Miles in to investigate.”

  “Well, if there’s anything there, Miles will find it.”

  “True.” And that worried her, too. What would Miles find? Was WinJet guilty of sloppy safety procedures? It was hard to believe, but right now that’s what it was looking like. Unless their mysterious insider had somehow changed things so it appeared that the Wingate family wasn’t concerned about safety.

  So who exactly was behind that? They had to know, even if the answer would be more painful than the question.

  “How’s Mom?”

  “She’s…” Beth paused to find the right word. Ava had been right in the thick of all of this since the moment it started. For a woman who really hadn’t spent much time with the family business, their mother was like a force of nature. “Tougher than I thought. She’s in the middle of it all, and Uncle Keith is volunteering his time to help Mom and the twins find the truth.”

  “He’s still panting after Mom?”

  “Thank you.” Beth shook her head, made a right turn at the next block and pulled into the first parking spot she found. She couldn’t concentrate on driving while she was dealing with all of this, too. “I thought I was the only one who was convinced Keith was desperately in love with her.”

  “You’re not. The last time I was in Royal, it seemed so obvious to me. Even when Dad was alive, Keith was smitten.”

  “Smitten?” Beth smiled to herself.

  “It’s a perfectly good word. And I wonder why Mom doesn’t see it.”

  “Piper says she does and we shouldn’t worry about it.”

  “I guess Piper would know,” Harley mused, but didn’t sound confident. Then she half covered the phone and said, “Daniel, we’ll go for a walk as soon as I’m finished talking to Aunt Beth, okay?”

  “Give him my love.” Beth sighed. “I really miss you guys. Daniel’s going to be six feet tall the next time I see him.”

  “He’s only four,” Harley replied, laughing. “And you could come to Thailand for a visit.”

  “Trust me,” Beth said on a sigh, “I wish I was there right now.”

  “I bet.” Harley paused. “Look, Beth, I’m actually calling for a more personal reason.”

  “Everything okay?” Sister alarm bells went off in her mind and Beth sat up straighter.

  “Yes, sure. I told you, we’re fine. The problem is Zest,” she admitted.

  “Your nonprofit?” Beth waved at Marva Wilson, walking her ancient beagle down the sidewalk. “What’s wrong?”

  “We’re not making enough money to stay alive,” Harley confessed. “I’ve been dipping into my trust to make ends meet because I can’t bear the thought of letting down the women who depend on me. And, frankly, I could really use your fund-raising skills.”

  Worry rippled through Beth. She hated to think of her little sister losing the foundation that meant so much to her. She also dreaded the thought of Harley dipping into a trust fund meant to take care of her and her son.

  Harley had helped countless women to stand on their own two feet. To help them make enough money to support their families. To build better lives. Naturally Beth�
�s little sister wouldn’t give up finding ways to keep that kind of commitment going.

  “Of course I’ll help.”

  Harley sighed in relief. “Thank you. I knew I could count on you. Honestly, Beth, you have no idea how much this means to me.”

  “Yeah, I do.” Her sister had the biggest heart of them all, and Beth would do whatever she could to make sure that heart didn’t get broken. “And you can absolutely count on me to help any way I can.” Her mind was already spinning with ideas on how to pull this off.

  Before she lost Gracie as her assistant, Beth was going to drag her into helping work this out. “I’m sitting in a parking space off Main Street right now, so I can’t really get into anything specific.”

  “Ohh. I miss Main Street. Where are you parked?”

  Beth looked up. “I’m across the street from the ice-cream parlor.”

  Harley sighed. “That’s so mean to tell me that.”

  “Sorry,” Beth said on a laugh. “I meant I’m by the tire store.”

  “A lie, but easier to take. Thanks.”

  Beth laughed again. “Let me come up with some ideas, and I’ll call you next week and we can decide which way to go.”

  “I already feel better, Beth. You are the best sister ever.”

  “Also your only sister…”

  “Quality over quantity,” Harley said, and made Beth laugh.

  “Go take my nephew for a walk and don’t worry. We’ll fix this.”

  “Thanks again. Talk to you next week.”

  Beth fired up her car, backed out of her space and lifted one hand in a wave to whoever it was who honked at her in protest. Back on the road toward home, Beth thought about Harley’s problem, already working out ideas on how to help.

  She was beyond grateful for the task. Not only could she help her sister, but this gave her something else to think about besides the WinJet situation. Her entire family was on task with that anyway.

  And though she had plenty of foundations to watch over and worry about, Harley’s was personal and enough of a distraction to keep her thoughts from straying to Cam.

  A week since she’d seen him. Talked to him. Touched him. She’d lived fifteen years without him, and now it felt as if she couldn’t draw a breath without missing him.