“Really? You think this gravy train is going to last forever? Maybe you should check out ReynCorp’s financials.”
“That stuff bores me.” Bridget yawned to illustrate her point.
“You have a half-hour. Find your brother and meet us in the farmhouse.”
Bridget took a step back, still pissed. “Fine. As soon as I’m done here.” She pointed at Harlee as Carson stalked out of the barn. “I still have a problem with her.”
Jake addressed his irate sister. “Bridget, Harlee is the most responsible person I know. There must be another explanation.”
“Oh, yeah, there’s an explanation, all right.” Bridget did sarcasm so well. “She’s so lovesick over losing you that she’s not paying attention to my horses’ care.
Jake threw his hands up in the air. “Let me take care of Carson then we’ll discuss this in a more civilized manner. Bridget, stay here with your horse and cool off.” He motioned to Harlee. “Come with me.”
Jake headed for the house. Bridget’s voice rang in his ears as she bitched about Harlee to the vet. Harlee tagged along behind him, still sobbing. The two women were bad enough without facing Carson. Jake wanted to crawl in a hole and bury himself.
“Go home and clean yourself up.” Harlee’s makeup had run in great black streaks reminding him of a zebra crossed with a raccoon.
“Okay.” Her pathetic voice wrenched at his heart. He wanted to pull her into his arms and make the hurt go away. Somehow, he rallied enough willpower to resist that temptation. Harlee trudged toward home, leaving Jake to deal with his next problem. Taking a deep breath, he shored up his inner defenses in anticipation of the cause for Carson’s surprise visit.
Carson stood in front of the big window staring at the view. His hands were clasped behind his rigid back. His jaw tightened. He was pissed. “Do you have any understanding of the kind of money we’re sitting on here?”
“Actually, I do.”
“Then grow up for once and starting thinking with your head instead of your cock. I’m tired of running this corporation by myself when Brad, Bridget, and you seem to be intent on destroying it.”
“Carson, I’m attempting to do this on my own.”
“Yeah, you’re doing a fine job, little brother.” Carson turned, opened his briefcase, and threw a bunch of envelopes onto the counter. “Take a look.”
Jake didn’t want to look. He went cold inside. “Where did you get these?”
“Stuffed in the back of Harlee’s desk drawer at work. Warren found them.”
“What the hell was Warren doing in my office?”
“Protecting his investment. Maybe you should lock your door once in a while.”
Jake willed his voice to sound calm, even though his stomach churned with fear. Fear that Harlee had really done it this time. Taking a deep controlling breath, Jake picked one of the items and studied it. “The demolition contract.”
“Check the date.”
“It’s dated almost a month ago.” Dread rumbled through Jake like a bulldozer. He shook his head.
“Parish called me a few weeks ago about the contract. The guy wanted to know when my brother was going to get off his ass and sign it. Every time he called, your assistant said you were unavailable. He figured you were avoiding him for some reason. I told Dad. He wanted me to stay out of it, see if you’d figure it out. But after all the rest of this stuff, I couldn’t stay quiet.”
Something died inside him. Jake’s throat closed up. He found it hard to breath. “No,” he said in a strangled voice. “Not Harlee.”
Carson picked up the pile of papers and shoved them in Jake’s face. “Take a look.”
Jake stared at the cascade of letters and paperwork relating to the demolition of the camp. He felt sick. He was a gullible idiot. She’d played him for a fool, used him, and betrayed him. She’d offered her body and her friendship. He’d trusted her and given her a piece of himself he’d never given another woman, especially not Tammy. The bitter truth slapped him in the face. It was the fatal blow.
Harlee didn’t care about him.
“There’s more.”
He didn’t want to hear this.
“Did you ever bother to research her employment background before you hired her?”
“No.”
“At her last job, they fired her for illegally drugging horses. I talked to her boss, also her ex-lover. According to him, she was so distraught when he dumped her that she tried to frame him. She drugged his most valuable show horses right before a big competition. The drugs showed on a drug test done by the trainer’s vet. Had it been discovered at a horse show, he’d have been banned from competition and blackballed in the horse industry. Instead, he couldn’t compete the animals because of the drugs in their system and missed the Olympic selection trials. Harlee fled before they could put her in jail. He said she was a vindictive, clever bitch.”
“Are there outstanding charges against her?”
“No, they never pressed charges. They swept the entire scandal under the table.”
“Maybe she didn’t really do it. Maybe he actually framed her.” Jake grasped at any scrap to vindicate Harlee. Why, he hadn’t a clue.
“I can’t believe you’re still defending her after the evidence proves she can’t be trusted.” Carson grabbed a handful of papers, held them in front of Jake’s nose, and tossed them in the air. They fluttered to the ground and littered the floor.
Point received and noted.
“Jake.” Carson’s voice softened, switching from angry business investor to concerned brother. “Is this the type of woman you want in your life?”
She’d made an ass out of him. He’d given her a position of trust. She’d taken that trust and thrown it back in his face. Not to mention, she’d almost killed his sister’s horse with her carelessness.
Harlee had manipulated him and used her position to save her precious camp. No physical injury could equal the pain she’d inflicted.
Deep down inside, her deception strangled his heart and wrung the compassion from it.
* * * *
Her heart in her throat, Harlee entered Jake’s house, not bothering to knock. Jake stood with his back to her, staring out the window. Tension radiated from his body to the point where she swore she could taste it.
“Jake?” Her voice quivered, but she pushed onward. Too late to chicken out now. “Are you okay?”
He pretended not to hear her, but she knew he did.
“Carson’s gone? He seemed upset.”
“Damn right he’s upset.” His voice sounded tight as if holding in his emotions took a Herculean effort.
“Is it true, what he said? Is Reynolds Corporation having financial difficulties?”
“What the fuck do you care?”
Harlee swallowed. “I have something to tell you.”
Jake spun around and glared at her. “Yeah? Really?” His lip curled, and he laughed, a bitter hollow sound. “Does it have anything to do with these?” He indicated the papers strewn on the floor and a bulging folder on the coffee table. Flipping the folder open with a shaking hand, Harlee scanned its contents. Her heart sunk beyond sadness and into the depths of misery. She gathered her courage and met his accusing gaze. His eyes, hard and flat, sliced through her.
“Jake. I never meant to hurt you.”
“You didn’t? What did you mean to do?”
“I was thinking of the camp.”
“That damn camp!” He pounded his fist on the table and sent demolition contracts fleeing to other parts of the room. “What about me? What about us?”
“Jake, please. There is no us.”
“Maybe I thought there was.”
His dark eyes imprisoned hers and she couldn’t break free. The despair reflected there broke her into a million pieces.
“I almost thought I’d fallen in love with you, Harlee, and this is how you repay me?”
“You thought you might be in love with me?” She didn’t trust her ears.
“Yeah, a near-fatal error, but I’ll get over it. In fact, so much so I was reconsidering my position on the camp.”
“Oh, Jake.” Harlee rushed forward to hug him. Something cold and unyielding in his eyes stopped her.
“I said was. After this, I’m going through with it. No matter what. Now you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.”
“But Jake, I…”
“You played me for a fool, now I’m playing back. How does it feel?” he sneered.
How did it feel? It hurt worse than being homeless or being setup by an ex-boyfriend, that’s how it felt.
“Jake, I…” Harlee swayed on unsteady legs. Oh, Lord, don’t let me faint. Roaring filled her ears. Her knees wobbled under her weight. The world spun around her. She spiraled deeper and deeper into the mess she’d created. She leaned on the coffee table for support. Big mistake. The damning contract stared her in the face and mocked her.
“Get out.”
“But…”
“Now!” Jake pointed toward the door. The rigid set of his jaw indicated that he wouldn’t listen to reason.
She blinked back tears and fought to walk without toppling over. “I’ll get my things out of the cottage, too.”
“That’d be a damn good idea.”
Bridget stood in the doorway, a stricken look on her face. For once, she kept her mouth shut.
Harlee swallowed her tears and met his stubborn gaze. “Have a merry Christmas, Jake.”
“Yeah, sure. A fucking merry Christmas.”
Harlee escaped before the remainder of her shattered heart littered the floor.
She cried so hard that she pulled over to the side of the road at least a half dozen times. Tears blinded her sight and squeezed her in a death grip. Her ribs tightened around her chest until she found it hard to breath.
At the cottage, she threw everything in the backseat, not bothering to pack her clothes. The rat dog jumped onto the passenger seat beside her but kept his distance. He didn’t want to cross the bimbo right now.
Harlee’s positive outlook slammed toward the negative. Her unbendable conviction to save the camp bent so far it almost broke.
Jake had almost fallen in love with her.
She would’ve celebrated those words under any other circumstances. She’d hurt him, and that wounded her so deeply she didn’t think the scars would ever heal. If she couldn’t save Rosehill, it’d be on her head now.
This time, her scheming had done more damage than good. The sheer determination in his brown eyes told her all she needed to know. Rosehill would be demolished if he had anything to do with it, and he had everything to do with it.
* * * *
He lied.
He hadn’t almost fallen in love with her.
He’d fallen all the way in love with her.
Jake hadn’t realized it until those damning words slipped from his mouth like greased lightning. Fine, the cat had clawed its way out the bag, now for damage control to his wounded-in-action heart.
He hopped a seaplane to Seattle. Initially, he had no clue where he was going or why; he just knew he had to go.
The next thing he knew, he stood in the reception area of his father’s luxury office on an upper floor in the Reynolds Building.
In some odd twist, he’d sought the one person who used to comfort him as a small boy, the only man capable of chasing away his nightmares and convincing him that life would be okay again.
Joe’s assistant barely glanced at him then went back to her computer screen. “Carson, go on in.”
“I’m not Carson.” Jeez. He didn’t look that much like his oldest brother. Wasn’t Carson getting gray? Jake’s hair was still jet black. Just to make sure he cast a quick glance in the mirror on the wall.
She gave him her full attention this time. They’d never met since Jake made it a practice to avoid his father’s office. He hadn’t been here in years. She adjusted her glasses. “You certainly aren’t Brad.”
He couldn’t decide whether or not to be insulted. Hell, he’d rather resemble Brad. Carson was too much of a tight-ass.
“You’re Jacob.”
Jake nodded, waiting for the usual labels, the baby, the troublemaker, the black sheep, the bad boy. The list went on and on, none of it complimentary.
She smiled with satisfaction as if she’d guessed the winning phrase on Jeopardy. “I recognized you from the pictures in Mr. Reynolds’ office.”
“Maybe you could let my father know I’m here.” His dad had pictures of him in his office?
“Let me ring him.”
“If he’s busy…”
“Mr. Reynolds is never too busy for his family.”
Jake’s eyebrows crept up his forehead. Boy, times sure had changed around this office.
She picked up the phone and spoke quietly. A few seconds later, she ushered Jake into his father’s corporate domain and shut the door behind him. Jake cleared his throat and wiped his sweaty hands on his slacks. Calm down. It’s just dear old dad.
“Jake, what a surprise!” That was a major understatement. The expression on his father’s face was worth what Jake had sacrificed in wounded pride to seek the man’s advice.
Joe turned away from his computer and stood to his full height. He crossed the room to the wet bar in one corner of his posh executive suite. “Would you like a drink, son?”
Son? The last time he recalled his father addressing him as son he’d barely reached Joe’s knees. “Yes. Please.” Jake bit back the sir that almost followed the yes. No sense getting too carried away when it came to respect for the man.
Joe poured an expensive Scotch in two glasses and handed one to Jake. “So, is this a rare social visit, or are you in trouble?”
Jake bristled at the insinuation that he never visited his father unless he wanted something. Even if it was true, Joe didn’t need to rub his face in it. “I need some advice.” The admission burned Jake’s throat.
Joe settled onto the leather couch and motioned for Jake to join him. “Is there a problem?” To Joe’s credit, his expression remained impassive. No sign of gloating.
“It’s a personal issue with a professional outcome.” Jake stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows. A fine drizzle obscured the Olympic Mountains, but he could make out Elliot Bay and the Space Needle.
“What is this personal issue? This doesn’t have to do with Harlee, does it?”
“Yeah.” Jake fidgeted with his glass. “I don’t know what to do about this camp.”
“Do the right thing.” His father made it sound as if it was the simplest decision in the world.
“The right thing?”
“The thing your instincts tell you is right.”
“Are you serious? Not the thing that makes the most money?”
“I didn’t say that. Exactly. I’m the last person that should be admitting this to you, but maybe I’m the best person for the job. Money is a priority when you need it so you don’t have to live on the streets or you need to buy food for your babies. When you have more money than you can spend on necessities, then it ceases to be a priority. Instead, the game becomes more important.”
“The game?”
“Yes, the game of making more money.” Joe took a sip of his Scotch and regarded Jake with shrewd eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“A savvy businessman understands how to turn every situation to his advantage. The most lucrative choice may not be the obvious one. ReynCorp might be in trouble, but we’ve been there before.”
Jake sighed. He should’ve known he wouldn’t get a straight answer from his father. Besides, money was an issue—a very big one. “I’ve sunk every penny I have into this development. If I stop now, we’ll lose everything.” Plus, Warren would sue his butt down to his designer underwear.
His father’s eyes bored into his, shining with a cunning that Jake couldn’t decipher. “Then you’d be a failure, wouldn’t you? This is your big break.”
Jake cringe
d and looked away. A muscle pulsed in his jaw. “I want this development to be a success in the worst way. It’s all I’ve thought about, dreamed about for the past year. It’s my golden opportunity.”
“If you came here for a personal loan, the answer would be no, even if I had it. You’re on your own. You got yourself into this mess; now get yourself out.”
Jake glared at Joe, anger rising to the surface and leaving a foul taste in his mouth.
“I don’t want your money. I haven’t needed it since I was nineteen. I’ve done all right without it.”
“Yes, you have.” Joe’s soft, approving tone dissolved some of Jake’s anger. He’d actually done something right in his father’s eyes, something that didn’t merit criticism?
“You’re in love with Goldie, aren’t you?”
Jake shrugged and offered no comment on that hot topic. “Goldie?”
“That’s what Brad calls her. I like it. It fits her.”
“She’s not what she looks like.”
“You don’t need to offer excuses to me. She looked fine at your mother’s Christmas party. Maybe a little ambitious in the makeup department, but we can work with that. You know, her heart’s in the right place. If you’re thinking I’ve been comparing her to Tammy, you’re wrong.”
“You don’t disapprove of her?”
“What gave you that idea?”
“Carson said…”
“Carson doesn’t speak for me, much as he’d like to.” Joe moved closer. “Would it matter if I did or didn’t approve?”
“I guess not.” It’d matter, but it wouldn’t stop Jake one way or another.
“Maybe her methods are suspect, but her heart’s in the right place. She’s very sincere about that camp. If she wanted the Reynolds money and name, she’d dump her crusade and establish a permanent residence in your bed.” Joe filled Jake’s glass and his own.
“She lied to me. Hid stuff from me.” Jake turned his face so his father couldn’t see how much it hurt.
“That’s regrettable. We’re only human, Jake. Even me. Did she do it for unselfish reasons and at great personal expense?”
Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? Page 25