by Lynda Trent
“My plan can’t fail now! It’s taken me years to get even with her, but at last I have!” Triumph blazed malignantly in her eyes.
Ryan dropped his hands from her arms. After looking at her another long moment, he turned and strode to the door.
“Don’t you leave me!” she shrieked.
“The wedding is off,” he said quietly. “I wouldn’t marry you if you held a loaded gun to my head.”
“Don’t you walk out on met! I’ll kill myself!” she threatened.
Ryan turned and looked at her. “No, you won’t. I know that now. You are all that’s precious to you.”
“You’re wrong!” She ran to a side cabinet and grabbed a small handgun. Placing it dramatically to her temple, she cried, “Look! I’ll pull the trigger! I will!”
Almost, sympathetically, Ryan shook his head, “Go ahead.”
Regina’s hand trembled and her eyes bulged wide. He made no move to stop her. With a scream of rage, she threw the gun at him.
Ryan caught it and tossed it onto the couch. “Next time you threaten suicide, be sure not to use this gun. The clip is missing.” He turned and walked out into the night.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
After Ryan left, Regina cried for a while, but without an audience, she soon dried her tears. He had left her and he would not be back. The house was uncannily quiet.
Blotting at her puffy eyes, Regina went upstairs to her room and sat on the edge of her bed. She hadn’t expected him to call her bluff.
“Damned son-of-a-bitch,” she muttered to comfort herself. “I’ll make him sorry he left me!” Again her tears started, and she lay back and let them flow onto her satin bedspread.
Nothing about her engagement to Ryan had been the way she had expected. Especially their sex life… which had been nonexistent. Another tear rolled down her cheek. He had never appreciated her. Never!
She told herself she was lucky to be rid of him. Living with him would have been miserable. He’d never done the things she had wanted him to do, and he had done many things she had not wanted him to do. Howard had been so easy to manage; where had she failed with Ryan? Regina pulled a tissue from a gilt box by her bed and blew her nose.
For a while, she contemplated suicide not a successful one, but an attempt that would bring Ryan to his knees. She pictured herself in bed, propped on fluffy pillows, a pale hand trailing from silken sheets and the sleeve of a lace bed jacket perhaps her pink one would do. She could smile wanly and offer to forgive him for everything as he knelt by her bed. With scores of nurses and doctors in attendance to see that he didn’t tire her too much. Regina smiled.
But what if he didn’t come? What if she staged a suicide attempt and he didn’t care? Her smile disappeared. Even in her fantasy, it was hard to picture Ryan Hastings kneeling beside her bed and pleading for forgiveness. She’d never seen him show any sign of tenderness, and she doubted he was capable of it.
Regina wadded up the tissue and threw it in the general direction of the filigreed wastebasket that stood by her dressing table. She was better off without him.
She got up and crossed the room to her full-length mirror. “He’s crazy,” she told her reflection. “He doesn’t realize what he’s throwing away.” Again a tear rose in her eyes. She admired the way the moisture made her blue eyes look dewy and tragic. She thought it gave her a rather poignant took that was quite pleasing to her. She leaned closer and studied her reflection. Was she getting old? Was that a new wrinkle there at the corner of her eye? She examined her face closely. No, it was only a trick of the light.
Ryan had never appreciated her, she thought dismally. He had never seen her sterling qualities of management, her well-pampered beauty, her resourcefulness. Why, she was welcomed in any house in town! She looked lovingly around her room, which was an exact duplicate of one she’d seen in a decorator magazine.
“He’ll never be anything but a geologist. A working man. I can do better than that without even trying!”
His profession was not one that would enable her to give cocktail parties. formal brunches or elegant buffets. He would never fit into the higher social strata. His performance that night had proved it! If she married him, she’d come down in the world. Even Ryan’s incredible body wasn’t worth it, especially since he refused to let her anywhere near him.
Regina frowned. Neal had never treated her like that!
Slowly, Regina realized her mistake. Neal wasn’t as handsome or as young as Ryan, but he had everything else she wantedsocial position, prestige, money. And he couldn’t keep his hands off her.
Regina made a lightning decision and sat down at her dressing table. As she smoothed rouge onto her pale cheeks, her mind raced.
Neal carefully laid his monogrammed shirts with the French cuffs in his leather suitcase. Then he put in his silk pajamas and his smoking jacket. He had gone into the bathroom to pack his electric razor and toothbrush when his doorbell chimed, followed by a loud knock.
He blanched. Were they here already? How could they be?
The knock sounded again.
That morning, he had heard that the police had arrested Harvey Petrie for the murder of a truck driver who had been delivering pipe to Kilgore from Houston. At the moment, he was in an Arkansas jail, but he’d soon be testifying before a judge. Had Petrie already implicated him in what Neal had intended as a simple theft?
Or could someone at the bank have already noticed the absence of the money he had taken from the vault?
A cold sweat beaded Neal’s brow as the doorbell rang again.
Perhaps if he didn’t open the door, they’d go away. Perhaps he could get to his garage and drive away before they came back.
Then he heard a familiar voice. “Regina?” he called out. “Is that you?”
“Yes. Let me in.”
Color flooded back to his face and his hand was nearly steady as he opened the door. “Regina! What are you doing here?” He glanced over her shoulder at the empty street illumined by street lights. “Come in, come in.”
“Oh, Neal, I’ve made the most horrible mistake!” she wailed as he closed the door behind her. “Whatever shall I do?”
“Why, what’s wrong?” he exclaimed as she threw herself sobbing into his arms.
“It’s Ryan,” she cried. “He’s… he’s left me for Clare Marshall!”
“No! How could he do that?” Neal said, holding her body close. “You must be mistaken!”
“No, no! I’m not mistaken at all! He told me so. She’s been after him for months! Even now, they may be… may be…” She broke off and sobbed brokenly.
“There, there now,” he soothed, trying to forget the fast ticking of the clock. “It will be all right.”
“Never! I’ll never take him back!”
“He left you for Clare? The man must be out of his mind. You’re twice the woman she is!” In Neal’s viewpoint, this was true.
Regina looked up at him artfully, tears glistening on her mascaraed eyelashes. “Do you really mean that, Neal?”
Suddenly, he had never meant anything more sincerely in his life. “Come away with me, Regina!” he said impulsively. “Let’s leave all this and run away together!”
Regina stared at him. This was far more than she had expected and her, mouth dropped open.
“We could leave tonight! Right now! Will you come?” He gripped her arms and waited impatiently for her answer.
“Where?” she stammered. “Where could we go?”
“Mexico, for openers. We can fly down tonight and be married before anyone knows where we’ve gone! Think of it, Regina! A honeymoon in South America! We can live there the rest of our lives!”
“Mexico? South America?”
“Yes!” The clock seemed to be ticking louder and faster.
Regina laughed nervously. “You want me to elope with you? Now?” The timing couldn’t be more perfect! Everyone would think she left Ryan for Neal, and she could think of no better method of revenge. “Yes!
” she said happily. ”I can be ready in an hour!”
“So can I,” Neal said, thinking of his bags that were already packed. “But make that half an hour. If you don’t get everything packed, I’ll buy you whatever you need in Mexico. Hurry!”
“Right!” Regina actually giggled. “I’ll be ready when you drive up!” She kissed him on the lips and ran back to her car.
Neal smiled at his perfect fait accompli. Not only would he escape the charges Harvey Petrie could level against him, and abscond with most of the bank’s liquid assets, he would have Regina. He had bested Ryan Hastings! True, Neal would have to give up his feud with Clare over her land, but the bank would still foreclose in two weeks. And Regina had money of her own! Chuckling, Neal locked his apartment.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ryan rolled his long legs over the side of his bed and sat up. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked at his clock. Five-thirty. The sun would be up soon. For the past week, he’d gone to his apartment only when it had become necessary to sleep. With so little time left, he couldn’t afford to leave the well site. The lengths of pipe were dwindling and he had only a few days of drilling material left, but in a week it wouldn’t matter, anyway.
He had had no word from Regina, but he was glad of that. Perhaps she had decided to be masonable about the well and leave her money in the syndicate as an investment. It seemed too much to hope for, but he had no other explanation for her silence. After their turbulent engagement, the peace was welcome. He assumed she was still pouting and would try another ploy to win him over. It wouldn’t work. He had no intention of even talking to her.
Switching on the lights, he staggered into the kitchen and put water on to boil for instant coffee. While he waited, he happened to glance at the counter top and saw a small ceramic frog that Clare had given him. Their conversation drifted through his mind.
“Kiss me,” he had teased her. “I’m a prince in disguise.”
She had thrown her arms around his neck and embraced him spontaneously. “You’ll always be a frog to me,” she had confided endearingly.
The next day, a small parcel had been delivered to his door. Inside was the ceramic frog with a note tied around its neck. “A prince, disguised.”
Gently, he picked up the frog and held it. How badly he missed her! Strangely enough, it wasn’t the large things he missed, but the small ones. Being able to hear her voice or her laughter or her slightly off-key singing. The way sunlight looked on her skin, or the wind caught in her hair. The sweet scent of her skin. A longing so strong he could hardly bear it seized him. He could call her, he thought. If he called now, he’d wake her up and her voice would be fuzzy with sleep. Or he could call later and her voice would be clear and verging on laughter. Though she rarely laughed these days… or at least not in the few times he’d seen her.
Could it be that she missed him as much as he missed her? No. Clare had never cared for him. She and Cliff Anderson were frequently seen together, and it was general knowledge that they were unofficially engaged. As painful as it was to be away from her, Ryan knew it would be even worse if she rejected him again. No, there was no point in going through that again.
He put the frog down and poured water over the instant coffee in his cup. Dawn was pearling the sky into a leaden gray. Soon the new shift would begin. Perhaps if he worked even harder, he could make himself too tired to dream. Then he wouldn’t wake each morning to find the Clare he held in his arms was only a phantom.
He went back into the bedroom and pulled on his khaki work clothes and ran a comb through his hair. As he shaved, he ran over the day’s agenda in his mind. If only he could get more pipe! If Regina left her money in, he could manage to forestall the bank.
A voice called out to him as he laced his steel-toed work boots. “Mr. Hastings? Are you home?”
Ryan opened the door. “What is it?”
“A letter for you. Sent special delivery. Hope I didn’t wake you up.”
“You didn’t.” Ryan drew a bill from his pocket and gave it to the mailman. “Thanks.”
The stamp was from Mexico; there was no return address. He tore it open.
Ryan,
I know you must be wondering where I’ve gone, but you needn’t.
What is this?” he muttered, then continued.
I’ve withdrawn all my financial support from the well. Nothing you can say or do will change my mind. Therefore, I’ve put no return address on this letter. I have no intention of allowing you to come after me and cause an unpleasant scene. Don’t try to find me. Incidentally, by the time you receive this, Neal and I will be married and on our honeymoon. You seem to have lost out all the way around.
Ryan reread the letter twice, then a third time. Regina had taken away her financial support. Clare was ruined.
“Clare,” he said hoarsely. “I’ve got to find Clare before she hears it from someone else!”
He pulled off his work clothes and put on jeans and a pullover. Knowing Regina, Clare most likely would receive a letter, too. One gloating Regina’s triumph.
He drove to Clare’s house and ran up the steps. After pounding on the front door and getting no answer, he ran down the porch and around the corner to the side door and knocked again.
Betty, who had reached the front door just as he was rounding the corner, jerked the side door open. “What you want, banging on doors this time of the morning?” she demanded. “Don’t you have a watch?”
“Sorry. Where’s Clare? I have to see her.”
“Well, she’s not here. I don’t know where she’s gone to. She left half an hour ago.”
Ryan took the porch steps two at a time and dashed for his car. A new possibility had occurred to him. With no place else to go, Clare might turn to him! In time, she might even learn to love him!
But where could she have gone to so early in the morning? Ryan’s car wheels sent spurts of gravel into the air as he tore out of the driveway.
Clare sat on the tree that grew out across the water and gazed at the shoal of sand that protruded like the back of a whale from the creek. In her mind’s eye, she saw them as they had been lovers splashing happily in the water, not a care between them. How long ago it seemed! She sighed. How very differently it might have turned out.
Because of the pain these memories brought her, Clare seldom came to the river any more. Its magical peace was broken and dead. But sometimes her longing for Ryan was so strong that she crept back to the last place they had loved, hoping to capture a glimpse of the happiness she had lost.
And then, suddenly, she looked up and saw him across the creek. For an instant, the world stopped.
He stood there, framed in the leafy vines of the ripening muscadines, his dark gold hair ruffling in the slight breeze, his skin bronze against the greenness of the leaves. At first, she thought she only imagined him, as he stood so still. Then he took a step forward and she drew her breath in sharply.
“Clare, I have to talk to you,” he said softly.
“No,” she whispered. “Not here!” Quickly, she scrambled out of the tree and would have run away, but he leaped across the stream and caught her.
“Clare, wait! Please!”
His touch burned her arm and she looked up into his hazel eyes and saw none of the carefully erected barriers there.
“No,” she whispered again. This was too close; she was too vulnerable. She tried to pull free, to run from the great temptation to fall into his arms.
“Listen to me,” he said again. “I have to talk to you. I couldn’t have found you in a better spot.”
Clare stared at him. How could he be so unfeeling? Surely he must know this place was the very symbol of their love to her!
“If I say I’ll stay, will you turn my arm loose?”
“No, I know you better than that. If I turn you loose, you’ll run away.”
She sighed. “You know me too well!” she admitted. “That’s exactly what I’d do.”
“Clare, she
’s gone,” he said simply.
For a moment, she merely looked at him. “What are you talking about? Who’s gone?” she asked in confusion.
“Regina. I broke our engagement and she has eloped with Neal Thorndyke. She’s out of our lives forever.”
“What?” The news was so unexpected Clare couldn’t comprehend the import of his words.
“Unfortunately, she took her money out of the well. I’m afraid it’s finished.”
Clare stared at him, then looked away. “I… I can talk to the bank, put more of my assets into it.” Her mind fluttered against the inevitable like a frightened bird. “I just need more time. We can get another backer.”
“Clare,” he said gently. “I know.”
Her torrent of words faltered. “What?”
“I know about your mortgages. I know all of it. That’s why I agreed to marry Regina. She said she’d supply the necessary money if I did. Otherwise, you’d be turned out of your house and off your land.”
“You… agreed… to marry Regina?”
He nodded. “It was the only way I could help you. I never wanted to go through with it and she knew it. That’s why she forced me to set the date before the well would be finished.”
“But,” Clare said in confusion, “you love her.”
“No. I never loved her. She knew that, too. I’ve never loved anyone but you.”
Clare felt her knees go weak, and she would have sunk down to the log if he had not put his arms around her. “What are you saying?”
“Clare, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and one of them was that I didn’t make myself clear. I plan to do it right this time, so pay attention. Clare Marshall, I want you to be my wife. I love you and I want to live with you and love you for the rest of our lives.” He paused, fearful of her possible rejection. Would she have him? “Will you marry me?”