by Kat Martin
Emptying the car, he carried everything into the house, which seemed strangely quiet without her there. The cleaning crew had moved a few things. He figured that was probably it.
He was heading for the wine cellar for a bottle of champagne to chill when he spotted the note on the kitchen table. It was from Cassidy, he saw, glancing at the signature at the bottom. He picked up the note and began to read.
My dearest Beau,
I know you’re probably surprised to find me gone. But now that your name has been cleared and neither of us is in danger, it’s time for me to move on. I want you to know that aside from some of the bad things that happened, I don’t regret a single moment I spent with you.
That’s the problem. I fell in love with you, Beau. I didn’t plan it. It just happened. I know you can never love me back. I know you’re still in love with Sarah and that isn’t going to change. You were honest about that from the start.
I had to leave, Beau. I need a man who can love me with his whole heart, love me the way you love Sarah. I deserve that, and I won’t settle for less.
Please don’t call or try to get in touch in any way. I hope you remember me fondly as I will always remember you. Have a good life, Beau.
Your friend,
Cassidy
Beau sank down in one of the kitchen chairs. His stomach felt hollow. A hard knot centered in his chest. He read the note again. Cassidy loved him. And she was gone.
He knew without a shred of doubt she wouldn’t be returning. She was right. She deserved a man who loved her with all his heart. Cassidy was special. The most special woman he had ever known.
Beau swallowed. His hand shook as he set the note back down on the table. He rubbed his eyes, scrubbed a hand over his face. He felt like he’d been hit with a brick.
He looked at the delicious meal he’d brought home, but the smell of food made him nauseous. His mouth felt dry as he reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out the blue velvet box and flipped it open. Beautiful emeralds winked up at him, reminding him of Cassidy’s eyes. He wished he’d had a chance to give it to her.
He wished for a lot of things, but none of them were going to happen.
Leaving the food on the table next to the box, he walked out of the house and climbed into the Ferrari. He needed to clear his head, get some fresh air, put things back in perspective. What had happened was for the best. It would have happened sooner or later.
He had known their relationship would eventually come to an end. He just hadn’t known it would hurt so badly.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Three days after she moved out of Beau’s house, Cassidy drove to Houston. She hadn’t seen her dad in what felt like ages. Talking on the phone just wasn’t the same.
She found him in his favorite brown recliner in front of the TV, watching an old John Wayne western. He was only average height, but he’d always been burly, with big arms and thick shoulders. Recently, he had grown one of those horseshoe mustaches the guys were all wearing. Even though there were gray stripes around his mouth, it looked good.
“Hey, honey, what are you doing here?” He came out of his chair and wrapped her in a big bear hug.
Cassidy managed to smile. “What, a girl can’t just decide to come home and visit her old man?”
He snorted. “Old man, my ass.”
She laughed. It felt good after all the useless tears. He took a step back to look at her and she wondered if he had heard something in her voice. He had always been amazingly perceptive.
“Something’s happened. What is it?”
She should have known she couldn’t fool him. She shrugged as if it were nothing, when it was everything. “I fell in love. It was stupid. It’s over and eventually I’ll be okay.”
“Was it him? The race-car driver? The one your brothers and I used to watch?”
“It was him.”
Her father’s jaw tightened. “That rat bastard. I can tell he hurt you. I ought to kick his ass.”
She actually felt a smile tugging at her lips. “It wasn’t his fault. He’s a great guy. He’s just in love with someone else. Someone who died.” She looked up at him, into his dark eyes. “You should know what that’s like. You still love Mom.”
He grunted. “I’ll always love your mother, honey. So I guess I understand. I still don’t like it, and I’d still like to kick his ass.”
She brushed a kiss on his cheek. “You’re the best dad ever.”
He sighed. “I’m glad you think so, because there’s something I need to tell you. I’m hoping it’ll be okay with you.”
Cassidy frowned, worry slipping through her. “What is it, Dad?”
“I met someone, honey. I really like her. I don’t know how it’ll all shake out, but I like being with her. She makes me smile and when she’s around, I’m not lonely anymore.”
Cassidy slid her arms around her father’s neck and hugged him, managed to ignore the thick lump swelling in her throat. “I’m happy for you, Dad. Really happy.” But somehow her dad’s newfound happiness made her heartbreak even worse. She forced herself to smile. “So when do I get to meet her?”
“Soon, honey. I don’t think Anna’s quite ready for the whole family thing yet, but soon. I promise.”
Cassidy nodded and turned away, hoping he wouldn’t see the wetness in her eyes. Of course her father noticed.
“The man’s a fool,” he said gruffly. Cassidy made no reply. Things were what they were, and nothing was going to change that.
She didn’t stay the night. Her dad was having dinner with Anna, and Cassidy was ready to drive back to Dallas.
Eventually, she’d get past this. She’d get over Beau Reese and get on with her life. She just hoped it didn’t take too many years.
* * *
Linc stormed into the office Wednesday morning. He’d been traveling all week. He strode up to Marty’s desk, his jaw tight, one hand balled into a fist. “Where the hell is he?”
When the kid looked at him and kind of flinched, Linc took a deep breath and stepped away. “Sorry. I’m worried about him, is all.”
“We’re all a little worried,” Marty said. “I think he’s home. He’s been coming in way early, working while it’s still dark outside, then leaving before anyone gets here. It’s not like him. Not at all.”
“No, it isn’t. Beau’s more of a nighttime guy.”
“You think maybe you could talk to him?” Marty asked, clearly hopeful.
“It’s the girl, right? She ended things. He told me the day after it happened. Then he just disappeared.”
“I really liked her,” Marty said.
Linc grunted. “Apparently, so did Beau. I’ll talk to him.”
“Thanks, Mr. Cain.”
He smiled faintly. “Don’t you think it’s time you started calling me Linc?”
Marty smiled, his black eyes tilting up at the corners. “Okay, Linc. Thanks.” He was a good kid, a great employee, and he was completely loyal to Beau.
“Don’t worry. Between us, we’ll get him straightened out.” Linc turned and started walking, heading for his Mercedes in the underground garage.
It didn’t take long to reach Beau’s house. The guards were all gone, his friend’s life no longer in danger. Things were back to normal. Except for Cassidy Jones.
As he reached the top of the drive, jammed the car into park and turned off the engine, the house looked empty. Linc had a feeling it wasn’t. He walked to the door and knocked, but nobody answered. They had keys to each other’s places. He used his and walked inside, calling out so he wouldn’t be mistaken for another assassin and shot dead in the living room.
“Beau, I know you’re in here. Where are you?”
Beau called back to him. “I’ll come into the office tomorrow, okay? I’m not up to talking right now.”
Linc ignored him, strode toward the sound of his voice and walked into the study. The curtains were closed, the room completely dark. Beau sprawled on the sofa in front of the
fireplace, but no blaze burned in the hearth.
Linc walked over and opened the windows, letting in a shaft of bright light. Beau groaned as the sun hit him in the face, which was dark with beard stubble, his black hair greasy and uncombed.
“You look like hell,” Linc said.
“Thanks.”
“So I guess you and Cassidy split up.”
Beau raked back his hair, which definitely needed a cut. “She ended things.” He shrugged. “It would have happened sooner or later.”
“Why is that?”
Beau sighed. “She said she deserved someone who wasn’t in love with someone else.”
Linc walked over to where Beau sat. “That someone else being a ghost, right?”
“I guess.”
Linc sat down at the opposite end of the sofa. “You know what you’re doing in this dark house?”
“Apparently you’re going to tell me.”
“You’re right, I am. You’re grieving, Beau. Only this time you aren’t grieving for Sarah. You’re grieving for Cassidy.”
“Cassidy is nothing like Sarah.”
“That’s right. Sarah was just a kid. When you loved her, you were a kid, too, a boy in his twenties. Maybe if the two of you had married, you would have changed together over the years, but that didn’t happen. You’re a different man now. A strong man, Beau. It takes a strong woman to handle you, a woman like Cassidy Jones.”
Beau sat up on the sofa. “What if she dies, just like Sarah? I couldn’t go through that again, Linc.”
“What if she doesn’t die? What if the two of you have a great life together? That’s the chance we all take, Beau.”
For several seconds he said nothing. Then a breath whispered out. “Even if you’re right, it’s too late. Cassidy’s gone and there’s nothing I can do.”
“That’s not necessarily true. Listen to me, Beau. When Sarah died, it was out of your control. There was nothing you could do to change the outcome. This is different. If you love Cassidy, you can fix this. You can make it right.”
Beau lifted his head but didn’t say anything for the longest time. “How? How could I fix it?”
“Hell, I don’t know. You’re the salesman. If you want her, you figure out how to convince her. You can have Cassidy and the kind of life you once wanted—the life you deserve.”
When Beau said nothing, Linc rose from the sofa. “Think about it. That’s all I ask.”
Beau remained silent, but Linc knew his friend. He would think things over, sort it all through in his head. Eventually he’d figure things out, one way or another. Linc hoped he made the right decision.
* * *
Cassidy drove home after work. She’d been spending long hours at the office, anything to keep her mind off Beau. She tried not to wonder where he was or what he was doing, wonder if he ever thought of her. She tried not to wonder if he missed her.
She was tired as she rode the elevator up to her loft apartment. She hadn’t been sleeping well and her appetite was gone. She used her key and opened the door, stepped inside and turned on the light. A gasp escaped as a familiar tall figure rose from the sofa.
Her heart jerked and started pounding. “Beau . . .”
“Hi,” he said softly. He looked nervous, uneasy. She had never seen him quite that way. He tipped his head toward a huge bouquet of red roses. “They’re for Valentine’s Day. Better . . . ahh . . . late than never.”
“How did you get in?”
“The building manager. Turns out he’s a racing fan.”
Under other circumstances, she might have smiled. Instead she steeled herself. She wanted to run to him, to feel those strong arms around her. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him.
She wouldn’t. She couldn’t stand the pain when he was gone. She had meant what she’d said in the note. She wouldn’t settle for less than a man who loved her.
“I asked you not to call me, Beau. I need you to leave.”
Beau ignored her, just stood there looking like her own secret fantasy, all lean muscle and gorgeous blue eyes. Those eyes swept over her now, as if they tried to absorb every detail.
“I really missed you,” he said gruffly. “I missed you so damn much.”
“Beau, please . . .”
“I went to the cemetery yesterday,” he said. “I went to see Sarah.”
A little sound escaped, a slice of agony she had hoped to hide.
Beau walked toward her. “I went to say good-bye, Cassidy. I wanted Sarah to know that after all these lonely years, I’d finally found someone I loved the way I loved her. Someone I loved totally and completely, with everything in my heart. I told Sarah about you, Cassidy. And I said good-bye.”
She started to tremble as he reached her, drew her into his arms.
“I love you,” he said. “I love you so much.”
“Beau . . .” She started crying, slid her arms up around his neck and just hung on. “Oh, God, Beau.” He kissed her. Kissed her until she couldn’t breathe, until crying was impossible.
“I love you and I want you with me,” he said. “Now and for always. When you’re ready, I want us to get married.”
She made a little sound, couldn’t quite believe he was there. “Are . . . are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything. Nothing feels right without you.”
Cassidy wiped tears from her cheeks and looked up at him. “No, it doesn’t.”
“So that’s a yes?”
She managed to nod.
The tension eased from Beau’s shoulders. “I was afraid you’d say no. I thought I might say something wrong. Do something stupid and ruin any chance of getting you back.”
Tears clogged her throat. “You could say just about anything as long as you said you loved me.”
“I’m crazy in love with you. I need you, baby. Will you come home with me?”
She glanced around the loft. It wasn’t her home anymore. Home was wherever Beau was. “Okay.”
“We could have kids,” he said. “I mean, if you want to.”
She just nodded. “Kids. Yes, okay.”
Beau kissed her, deeply then softly. “You must have missed me, too. You’ve never been quite this agreeable.”
Cassidy laughed. She was going home with Beau. She might even marry him. “You better not get too used to it.”
Beau laughed, soft, free and easy. She had never heard him laugh that way before. Cassidy went up on her toes and kissed him. She had never been so happy. It was amazing how much life could change between yesterday and tomorrow.
Epilogue
Beau sat behind the wheel of the brand-new Lamborghini Aventador he had just driven out of the showroom. It was exactly like the one he’d owned before, metallic slate gray with a burnt orange interior, V-12 engine, 740 horses, all the other specs the same. Cassidy wouldn’t have it any other way.
“How’s it drive?” she asked from the passenger seat, clearly eager to test the car herself.
“Like a screaming demon,” he said, grinning as he drove the low-slung sports car out of the city. For the first few miles, he just enjoyed the feel of the wheel in his hands, the incredible power of the engine. A couple of times, when the road was clear, he let her run a little.
Forty miles from Pleasant Hill, he pulled the car over to the side of the road. “Why don’t you give her a try, see what you think?”
She flashed him a grin, clearly excited. “You did make the insurance payment?”
Beau laughed. “Oh, yeah, baby. Since I knew you’d be driving her, I didn’t want to take any chances.”
She grinned as they climbed out and rounded the vehicle to trade places. Beau caught the flash of diamonds and emeralds on her left hand. He’d traded the tennis bracelet for an engagement ring even before he’d gone to see her. He’d officially proposed during supper at Antoine’s, which had turned into a spontaneous engagement party.
He didn’t think he could fall more deeply in love, but once he’d l
et go of the past, he was completely toast. Maybe he’d suffered some form of survivor’s guilt, regret that he had lived and Sarah had died. Whatever it was, Cassidy had shown him the way past it.
She slid into the driver’s seat, put the Lambo in gear, and revved the engine. Laughing, she burned a little rubber as she pulled onto the road. They were on their way to Pleasant Hill, having lunch with Josie, Missy, and Evie.
He tried to get out for a visit at least every other week, loved watching the baby grow up. He couldn’t wait till Cassidy got pregnant, though they had decided to put it off for a while, give themselves a little time together after the wedding.
Which was only two months away. He grinned to think of it.
Seemed like everything had settled into place the day Cassidy had come back to him. Quinn Taggart had called to tell him Malcolm Vaughn had been arrested. He was taking a plea deal that would land him in prison for at least twenty years. Jennings’s sentence could go even longer.
Even with the most expensive attorneys money could buy, Jamal Nawabi wasn’t getting out of prison. The only worry was that other members of the terrorist cell might still be out there, plotting and planning to do their worst.
Luca Reichlin was now in Interpol’s sights. Taggart figured sooner or later he would make a mistake and they would arrest him.
Best of all, Malcolm Vaughn had inadvertently given Beau a parting gift. Mal had told Quinn Taggart he’d had no idea Jamal Nawabi was involved in terrorism, no idea why Luca Reichlin wanted Hardrock Trenching to get the capitol maintenance contract. Even the murders were Reichlin’s idea—eliminating any loose ends.
Vaughn was just trying to please his number-one client.
Taggart believed him.
Which meant former State Senator Stewart Reese had no idea terrorism was involved when he’d agreed to press Scott Watson for a favor.
Beau liked to think that no matter what his father had done in his life, there was a line he would never have crossed.
Beau hoped like hell it was the truth.