by Linda Barlow
But he did not.
Surprising himself, he said to her, "Yes, I think so." And then, more firmly: "Yes."
Iris Carter beamed at him. "I thought so. As soon as I met you, I knew."
Again he wanted to laugh, but he couldn't. He was astonished by his own words, but he did not want to take them back.
"So," she said, still smiling. "A few weeks ago you said something about interviewing me for your YouTube broadcast? I've been considering it. Shall we return to the parlor and discuss the matter? Oh, and bring the bottle. You look as if you need it. Another glass, too, I think. I could use a wee dram, myself."
Chapter 23
When she got home from Jeff’s, Kate embarked on a project of redecorating Arthur's study. She cleared the desk of Arthur's things and decided what to keep and what to donate to various charitable organizations. She threw away a lot of old scraps that were now pointless to save. She went through the bookcase, giving away any volumes she didn't intend to read. Arthur's papers, his degrees, even his photographs had been neatly stashed in cartons, and she lugged most of those boxes up to the attic. Then she rented a wallpaper stripper and spent several hours poring over paint charts and drapery patterns, selecting bright and lively colors.
It was the first time she had attempted to do any work on the house by herself; she and Arthur had always done everything together. It was a bit intimidating at first, but her confidence soon grew. She began to feel a strong sense of pride and independence as her efforts took shape.
Each dawn, after crawling alone out of an empty bed and climbing into her swimsuit and jeans in the early morning light, Kate stumbled out, half-asleep, to walk to the fitness club. The days were getting shorter now. It was torture getting up, but she always felt better after exercising.
One morning she overslept, so she pushed herself even harder than usual at the gym. She swam for an hour rather than her usual forty-five minutes. She lost count of the number of laps. It didn't matter if she ached all over; she wanted to ache today. It was Halloween, and she had no one to share it with and nothing to celebrate.
She had not forgotten that Halloween was also Daniel’s birthday. She sent him a cute e-card. She still hadn't seen him, but they'd been exchanging texts and email. He hadn't called her again, though, and he seemed more distant than he had sounded when they’d spoken on the phone. She had asked him to accept her mother, but maybe that had been too much to demand of him. Maybe if he hadn’t lost his own mother the way he had, it might have been a more reasonable request.
She had lost weight. Millicent, the head costumer at New Cambridge Rep, had complained only yesterday that Kate's costumes no longer fit properly and would have to be taken in. Her appetite just wasn't the same now that there was no Daniel to enjoy huge, hearty meals with.
After her swim, she dressed quickly, grabbed her gym bag, and walked out into the sun. As always, she cast a quick glance at the spot where Daniel had lounged beside his car on the morning he'd ambushed her. She still half expected to find the witch-hunter stalking her again. But there was no Porsche, no Daniel. After scowling at the empty parking space, she jogged all the way home.
The phone began ringing as she unlocked her front door. She bent down to pat Chester, who came to the door to welcome her home, then pulled the phone out of her pocket and answered it.
"Kate? Darling, is that you?" Her mother's voice crackled as if the connection were breaking up. "Happy Halloween, dear."
"Thanks, Mom. Same to you. How are you?"
"As well as can be expected, dear, considering that it’s a busy time of the year for my friends in the spirit world."
Right, she thought.
"Do you have a cold, darling?" her mother went on. "Your voice sounds huskier than usual. This is still a very unstable period for you, according to all the indications. I hope you're taking good care of yourself."
"I'm fine," Kate assured her. "What are you up to today?"
"Well, darling, I was trying to prepare some treats for the children who’ll be coming around tonight, but it's difficult with these video people hanging about. One gets a little tired of having to look nice for the camera. I was quite shy the first time they stuck that microphone at me. I could hardly answer the questions. But after a while I relaxed and felt quite my old self again."
"Mother! What video people?" Kate could feel her blood pressure soar. "Please don’t tell me Daniel Haggarty is there with his microphones and cameras?"
"Yes, he's right here, darling. Would you like to speak to him?"
"Oh, dear God! I certainly would."
"I'll hand him my phone."
"Hey," said Daniel a few moments later. "How’s it going?"
"What are you doing in my mother’s house?"
"I’m interviewing her. I'm finally doing that program on spiritualism. Thanks for the birthday card, by the way. I was pretty sure you wouldn't forget, with my being a Scorpio and all."
"Happy birthday," she snarled. "You promised me, Daniel, and I have not given you permission to interview my mother. I thought you were trying to change…" She sputtered to a halt, and added, "Oh, what’s the use? I should have known I was asking the impossible."
"I've got some really interesting recordings," he went on in a pleasant, conversational tone. "And since your mother gave me her permission, I've broken no promises."
Kate was speechless.
"She's a charming woman, and so entertaining on camera. And her history! Imagine how excited our viewers will be when they hear that she's a reincarnation of Merlin the Magician."
"Shut up. She'll hear you."
"She likes me," he said, unconcerned.
She liked him? Only the fact that her woolly-brained mother was at D. B. Haggarty's mercy prevented her from cursing him soundly. Or maybe bursting into tears–she wasn’t sure which. "Listen, Daniel. If you insist on sharpening your claws on somebody, let it be me. My mother's almost seventy years old. Does it make you feel powerful, setting up an old lady for ridicule?"
"The material I’ve got is really good," he answered in the same maddeningly polite tone. "I'll show it to you soon. How about tonight? I should have the stuff edited by this evening. It’ll be rough, but you'll be able to get the idea. Why don't I stop by your place after the play? We could have a little birthday celebration, followed by, you know, a celebration of another type."
She understood what he was demanding. Her face flushed, and her stomach muscles tightened, sending a warm flood of feeling up into her breasts and out along her limbs. She could hardly believe it. After everything that had happened between them, Daniel was going to blackmail her with her mother's interview. And her traitorous body appeared to be at least a little bit receptive!
She forced her voice into a normal register. "Let me get this straight. Despite all that talk about how you were going to try to widen your horizons, what you’re really offering is to trade those recordings for a night in bed with me?"
She thought she heard him swallow. "A night? No, babe, I think the stakes should be a little higher than that. The material I've got so far is terrific. I'd want more than a single night. A lot more."
A lot more? What exactly did he mean by that? She had to draw a deep breath and clear her throat before she could answer. "You left me. You're the one who walked out of my bedroom and out of my life. I took a big chance on you, and I lost. There's no way I'm going to give myself into your not-very-reliable keeping again."
There followed a silence she couldn't interpret; then he said slowly, "I miss you, Kate. I can't work, I can't sleep. Ghosts or no ghosts, I want you back."
"Can we leave the ghosts out of it? We're talking about you and me, and whether there's a way forward for us. I deserve something better than the way you've treated me. And my mom deserves a lot better, even if you still can't see that. I told you, attacking my mother is a deal-breaker for me."
"And I heard you," he said, sounding absolutely serious for the first time since he had taken
the phone. "Trust me. Can you do that? Meet me tonight, and all will be explained. I swear it. You won’t be sorry."
Something about his husky voice made her anger fade, shift, and transform into something else. He was working his dark, sexy magic again. Memories of their nights together assailed her, sending arrows of sexual arousal shooting through her. She had missed him so much. Ever since they'd spoken on the phone when she'd been at Jeff's, she had hoped they might somehow manage to patch things up. "Is my mother listening to this conversation?"
"No. She went into the kitchen to brew me a cup of tea."
Tea. That was her mother's solution to everything. A nice cup of tea.
"I still can't believe you'd do this to her, Daniel."
"To you, Kate. I'm doing it to you." His voice caressed her roughly in a way that reminded her of the night they had met, she and the witch-hunter. Trust me, he had said. He added, "You did tell me to surprise you."
And suddenly, hope flared. Was he playing some sort of game? Was he teasing her, as she had teased him when she'd allowed him to believe she was a professional psychic? Her heart lightened, although she wasn’t quite sure why.
"It will be okay," he added, his voice low but intense. "I promise. Please trust me, Kate."
Although it made no sense–surely there couldn't be anything okay about Daniel interviewing her mother–Kate felt herself relax. It might be crazy, but she believed him. "I'll see you later, then," she said, adding mischievously, "give my mother my love."
"I'd rather keep it for myself," he said, and ended the call.
Pondering his words, Kate wandered around the first floor of her house, absently picking up the latest things knocked over by Chester's ravaging tail. Did he mean that? Could she trust him? Warning herself not to get too optimistic, she tried to stifle the wild excitement she was feeling. She forced herself to remember him as he had been on the night they had met: dark, brooding, satanic. The Scorpio brooder. What she really ought to do tonight, she told herself, was not come home at all.
Chapter 24
Kate was late leaving the theater that night. After the play, the cast decided to celebrate Halloween in the greenroom with a party. She had a bit more to drink than she was accustomed to, and before long she was giggling at everything everybody said, funny or not. It got late, and most of the cast members left, but Kate and Graham were still there, chatting merrily. Kate went to get herself another cup of punch and stirred the bowl, murmuring an incantation from Act IV: 'And now about the cauldron sing/ Like elves and fairies in a ring/Enchanting all that you put in.'"
Graham smirked, saying, "It's a good thing Paul isn't still here to hear you. You'd better do the exorcism before you leave."
"What nonsense. I'm not superstitious."
"Nevertheless, you don't want any disasters to befall you. Your stars are in a somewhat precarious position today anyway."
"Meaning what?"
"Misfortune, followed by great happiness," he intoned.
"You're full of it, Graham, you know that?"
"The stars don't lie."
"Maybe not, but I don't think you're the ultimate authority on the stars."
"Do the exorcism, for heaven's sake. 'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio…'"
"How come it's okay to quote from Hamlet and not from Macbeth... Whoops!"
"Oh, hell," Graham moaned. "Naming the play, too. You're calling double doom upon yourself, Ms. Kingsley."
Remembering what awaited her at home, Kate decided to do the exorcism after all. The last thing she needed was more misfortune where Daniel was concerned.
Resolutely, she opened the door to the corridor so she could knock thrice and reenter. Instead, she took one look and slammed it shut again
"What's the matter?" Graham asked.
Getting a grip on herself, Kate opened the door once again. There on the threshold stood D. Blaze Haggarty, lounging against the doorjamb in the same insolent manner he'd adopted on the night they'd met. He was dressed all in black, looking like a ruffian in his leather bomber jacket and a pair of skintight jeans. A very hot and sexy ruffian.
Kate swallowed and continued her reckless quotations. "'By the pricking of my thumbs/Something wicked this way comes.' Hi, Daniel. You want some Halloween treats?"
"You're late," was the lazy reply.
"What are you doing here?" Graham demanded, charging over to where Kate and Daniel stood, staring each other down, at the greenroom door.
Daniel ignored him, gazing only at Kate. "I got sick of sitting around on your front porch, witch. What's the matter—afraid to come home?"
"Terrified," she said, raising her eyebrows in mock fear.
Daniel glanced from her eyes to the punch cup in her hand. "Have you been drinking?"
"Just a little. It's Halloween. We've been having a party. I'm sorry I kept you waiting, Haggarty." She bowed deeply, as if to a monarch. "Pray forgive your humble servant. Oh, and happy birthday once again."
Graham turned to Kate. "What do you mean, kept him waiting? Surely you hadn't agreed to see him again?"
Kate stared at her erstwhile lover and knew with an elated heart that she would see him again and again, whenever he wanted her. So much for her resolutions. He had only to look at her and she craved his touch.
She drank in the sight of his crisp black hair, slightly ruffled from the wind, his broad, strong shoulders and long, muscular legs. The tight jeans molded to his thighs in a manner that did little to conceal his blatant masculinity. She stared at his hands, long-fingered and sensitive, his deep velvet-blue eyes, his aggressive thrust of a nose, his sensually curving mouth. She fixed her gaze on that mouth, remembering. She could hardly breathe with her consciousness of the sheer physical presence of this male who had taken her to bed and shared that beautiful body with her.
"Yes, actually, I had," she answered Graham, her eyes locked with Daniel's. She could not fail to note the gleam of satisfaction behind his thick lashes. He was smiling confidently, in the manner of a man who knows he's going to get exactly what he wants.
"Are you off your head? I thought you were starting to get yourself together after the way this guy walked out on you—"
"Hamilton," Daniel interrupted, looking at Graham for the first time. "Do me a favor and don't interfere in what doesn't concern you."
Kate was conscious of Graham bristling beside her, and she automatically put her hand over one of his. Daniel's eyes narrowed to slits. "You two alone here?"
"Don't start," she warned. "You've forfeited the right to be possessive. You left me. I could be sleeping with every man in the cast, and with all my college friends, too, and it wouldn't be any of your damn business."
A muscle worked in Daniel's jaw, but before he could say anything more on the subject, Kate moved over to the table where the punch bowl was. "We have cake. It’s not birthday cake, but close enough. Want some? It's delicious." She helped herself to another piece, stuffing it into her mouth and licking chocolate frosting off her fingers with great zest.
Daniel grinned as he watched her eat, looking relaxed for the first time since he'd walked in. "Bring me home a piece. I'll eat it later. I've got other appetites to satisfy first."
Kate laughed a little nervously while Graham scowled. "Use your brain, Kate. The guy makes you miserable for ages—you lose weight, you flub your lines—"
"I never flub my lines!"
"You mope around here like a kitten that's lost its mother, all because you're hopelessly in love with this bastard who blows you away in bed but doesn't give two pins for you out of the sack. And then the moment he strolls back into your life with an appetite to satisfy, you fall into his arms?"
Kate turned on him, furious with him for betraying to Daniel how wretched she'd been feeling. "For pity's sake, Graham. You don’t know anything about it. Will you please shut up?"
Daniel had gone curiously still. "Is that true? You're hopelessly in love with me?"
"Don't be ridiculo
us. Graham's being dramatic, as usual."
Daniel moved easily across the room toward her, trapping her in front of the table, his gaze drifting over her casual jeans, her high-heeled boots, and loose top. His attention shifted to her face, dwelling overly long on her eyes, which she knew were underscored by shadows. "You have lost weight. In fact, you look like hell," he added with a Scorpio's blatant honesty.
"Thanks a lot."
"Aren't you sleeping?" Daniel asked more gently. "Are you still having nightmares about Arthur?"
"Any nightmares I have are about you, Blaze," she said, trying to put as much bite in the name as she could manage.
Daniel quirked his eyebrows and smiled. He jerked her coat down from the hanger behind the table and held it out for her. As she thrust her arms into the sleeves, he pulled it closed across her chest, not touching her skin, but making her burn as if he had. "We'll have to do something about that. Come on. Let's go."
Kate slipped out of the circle of his arms to nod to Graham, who had just shot Daniel a careful, reassessing look. To her surprise, he had nothing more to say. Maybe he could sense it, too, this powerful magnetism flowing between Daniel and her. "Thanks for the cake and the party and all. It’s okay, Graham. Really."
"Take care of yourself, luv," he said, kissing her cheek.
It wasn't until she had settled into the warmth of Daniel's Porsche that Kate recalled she had never actually completed the exorcism.
* * *
Daniel stood beside her on the front porch as she manipulated her door key, one of his arms braced against the doorjamb over her head. When the lock gave, Kate turned to him, scrunching back against the door. "I trust you remember what I said on the phone. If I invite you in, it's only because we have to talk things over."
He pushed the door open with the flat of his hand. "I'm not making any promises. We'll talk and then—"
"You never make any promises, do you? Or if you do, you're careful to tack on an escape clause, as you did with the promise about my mother. Which reminds me, where’s my mother’s interview?"