Pulse Points

by Mary Lynn Baxter

  “Will y’all get off my back?” Don demanded fiercely.

  “I think that’s a good idea.” Kasey stood. “Besides we have a lot to cover in a short period of time.”

  Don peered at his watch. “I have a meeting in an hour.”

  Kasey assumed his meeting was with a prospective client, which might not be so good, considering Don obviously wasn’t having one of his better days. But all in all, she could find no fault with him or his work. In fact, he’d been bringing in clients right and left, albeit small ones.

  “How are we on the Hart ads?”

  “That’s the main reason for the meeting.”

  “We sure have our work cut out for us,” Red pointed out, “what with him getting hammered in the press.”

  Kasey reached for a pen. “Exactly.”

  Lance rubbed his chin before crossing to the worktable strewn with papers and posters. “If you ask me, Butler’s ads border on slander. He’s all but accused Hart of trying to murder that poor guy who took a tumble.”

  “The way I see it, we have no choice but to give Butler a dose of his own medicine,” Don put in, shoving a hand through his wiry hair.

  “Although I haven’t spoken to Tanner in several days, I know he would agree,” Kasey said. “So let’s get down to work and do some major damage control.”

  They called in the other staff members and soon ideas and sketches were drawn and verbal ideas discussed. Kasey felt a thrill shoot through her, realizing once again how much she liked what she did, how much she wanted to make a success of this business. If only she could do that and have Tanner…

  Kasey gave her head a savage shake. Now was not the time to woolgather. As it was, the day was shaping up to be a long and exhausting one.

  “Okay, people,” she said, “listen up. I have an idea.”

  Daisy Greer glanced at her watch.

  Damn, she was running much later than she had intended. She should’ve been out of the office long before now, especially if she wanted to get that last important interview of the day.

  But she couldn’t snub her boss, and he was the one who was responsible for detaining her. He called her into his office and wanted to know her modus operandi. Once she’d gone over her continuing strategy, he’d dismissed her but not before saying, “You’re doing great. Keep up the good work.”

  Those encouraging words had been music to Daisy’s ears in light of the flack she’d caught from others who were rallying behind Tanner Hart. Last evening, she’d even received a threatening phone call, telling her she’d be sorry if she didn’t stop persecuting him.

  “Go fuck yourself,” she’d told the caller before slamming down the receiver.

  Now, as she readied herself to go into another battle, she grabbed her notepad and purse only to pull up short when the phone rang. She considered ignoring it, but didn’t. A wise choice, she soon learned. It was Buck Butler.

  “Why hello, Buck.”

  “I just wanted to let you know what a fine job you’re doing, young lady.”

  Her self-confidence swelled to new heights. Two pats on the back in one day. Unheard of. Her future glowed brighter by the second.

  “I’m glad you’re pleased,” she said on a giddy note.

  “Pleased. That doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings.”

  “Well, I certainly didn’t plan on having this good fortune fall into my lap. You have to know that.”

  “The fact that you took full advantage of the situation makes you the crackerjack reporter you are.”

  “I think Hart’s finished.”

  Butler chuckled. “Well on his way, that’s for sure.”

  “But just in case we encounter a stumbling block, I’m keeping the pressure on. I’m working several other angles.”

  Butler’s chuckle deepened. “You won’t be sorry you jumped on my bandwagon.”

  “Is that a promise?” Daisy asked boldly, then waited with bated breath.

  “You bet.”

  Thank God, the day was about over.

  Kasey finished straightening the worktable, then leaned back and over, stretching her sore, aching muscles. Everything felt cramped, even her bones. Despite her exhaustion, it had been a productive day. Tanner’s new television and radio ads and billboard signs had been designed, ready for his approval or disapproval, whichever the case might be.

  Her plan now was to go home and take a long, hot soaking bath, then go to bed.

  Without Tanner.

  That out-of-the-blue thought robbed her of breath. Kasey’s hand flew to her chest; she felt her heart beating out of sync. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, trying to right her suddenly skewed mind.

  It didn’t work. Thoughts of Tanner continued to pound her. Why hadn’t he called? She had pissed him off, that was why. Still, she expected to hear from him concerning the advertising. He wanted that senate seat a lot more than he wanted her.

  “You’re nuts,” Kasey muttered to the empty room, all the while gathering her personal gear in preparation to leave. She headed out to her car and was in the process of unlocking the door when she heard another vehicle pull up beside her. She swung around. She was suddenly filled with a sense of impending doom.

  Daisy Greer was already out of her car and heading toward her.

  Kasey swallowed her groan of despair and plastered a smile on her lips. “Hello, Ms. Greer.”

  “I’m glad I caught you,” Daisy said without preamble.

  “And to what do I owe this visit?” Kasey tried to keep her voice neutral, but she failed. Sarcasm nibbled around the edges of her question. And fear. This woman was a walking lethal weapon whom she had hoped to avoid at all costs. She was gunning for Tanner and wasn’t shy about making that known.

  “I thought it was time we had a chat,” Daisy said. Kasey’s fear elevated. “About my partner’s murder?”

  “We can start with that, if you’d like.”

  “I have nothing to add to my original police report.”

  “That’s too bad, since the killer’s still walking the streets. That doesn’t bode well for any of us.”

  Kasey gritted her teeth to keep from lashing back at the obnoxious woman, telling her to get lost.

  “If and when you do remember something, I’d like an exclusive story. Would you agree to that?”

  Kasey had to hand it to her. The woman had gall. And to be a reporter in these times, it took that and more. Balls and moxie. Daisy Greer had more than her share of both.

  “I don’t think Detective Gallain would be too thrilled,” Kasey said at last.

  “We’ll see,” Daisy said, then pulled out her legal pad. “Is there somewhere we can go and sit down?”

  “I really don’t see that we have anything to say to each other.”

  “We can talk about Tanner Hart.”

  “What about him?”

  “He’s your client, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “And your lover as well?”

  The silence was ominous while Kasey stared at her in horrified disbelief. “Excuse me?”

  “Since you know him so well, do you think he’s capable of putting profits before human life?”

  Fury flared inside Kasey and she spat, “Get out of my face and out of my way.”

  Thirty

  Paul Darby couldn’t keep his fingers off his several days’ growth of beard. He continually pawed at his face which got on Tanner’s nerves. But then everything got on his nerves these days. He was on a short fuse.

  “What’s with the hair?” he asked shortly after Paul had arrived at his corporate office.

  Paul frowned in obvious confusion. “Hair?”

  “Yeah, that’s growing on your face.”

  The color red invaded his features. “I just thought I’d see what it was like.”

  “And?”

  “It itches like bloody hell.” Paul grinned sheepishly.

  “With this weather as hot as it is, I don’t see how you stand it.”


  “Is that what this meeting’s all about?”

  “Not hardly,” Tanner muttered.

  “Didn’t think so.”

  Tanner moved from behind his desk, then perched on the edge of it. “Want some coffee?”

  “Nah, I have a thermos full in the truck.”

  Tanner knew he’d stalled long enough, but he loathed telling Paul the latest kick in the teeth. But he had no choice.

  “What’s wrong, boss? I know it’s not Carl because I just came from the hospital, and though he hasn’t regained consciousness he’s still hanging in there.”

  “I know.”

  Silence prevailed for a long moment.

  “But again that’s not why I’m here, right?” Paul pressed.

  “Right,” Tanner admitted on a sigh.

  Paul merely looked at him as though he had all the patience in the world. Tanner admired and envied that laid-back attitude even in the midst of crisis. He was just the opposite. His insides were as twisted as barbed wire. And not just because of the accident on the job site, either.

  His obsession with Kasey was taking precedence over everything. He had to get control of his runaway emotions or lose himself in the process. He’d had a lot of women, including a generous, loving wife, but he had never given himself emotionally to her or any of the others.

  Only Kasey.

  “Tanner, what’s going on? You’re spooking me big time. I’ve never seen you like this.”

  Tanner pulled his mind off Kasey and onto the problem at hand. “We’re being investigated.”

  “Investigated. As in how?”

  “A criminal probe into our building practices.”

  “You mean—” A string of curses finished Paul’s sentence.

  “I mean we’re getting hung out to dry.”

  “But on what grounds, for chrissakes? It has to be more than Carl’s fall. It was an awful accident, but that’s all it was and nothing more.”

  “We both know that, Paul. Unfortunately, others don’t.”

  Paul’s green eyes flashed. “Buck Butler for starters.”

  “Well, he’s sure taking advantage of the accident, no doubt about that. He’s determined it’s going to get more than its fair share of media time.”

  “Dammit, can’t we stop the investigation before it gets started?”

  “If I try to interfere, then it’ll look like I…my company has something to hide.”

  “But you have the right to defend yourself.”

  “Oh, make no mistake, I’m going to do that.” Tanner paused while his eyes drilled his assistant. “Are you absolutely sure the materials from that new supplier met standards?”

  “Dammit, Tanner—”

  “Hey, don’t take this personal, Paul, because it isn’t.” Tanner’s tone was hard.

  “How can you expect me not to take it personally when I’m the foreman?”

  “Because it’s not about you. It’s about me. Who I am.”

  “Politics,” he muttered.

  “I know you’re doing your job,” Tanner stressed, ignoring the muttered comment. “I have complete confidence in that. But this is going to get sticky at best and nasty at worst. So I have to know if there’s anything going on I need to know about. I don’t want anything to bite me on the ass when I’m least expecting it.”

  Paul looked him in the eye. “I swear on my kid’s head that I saw no fault with the material and that no corners were cut for any purpose.”

  “Then we have nothing to worry about.”

  “But just the hint that there’s wrongdoing on your part is going to hurt you in the polls.”

  “Already has.”

  “Though not for long,” Paul said, his voice strong with confidence. “When the team gets through with their snooping, they’ll be eating dirt.”

  “They plan to backtrack, look into our other jobs.” Tanner’s tone was grim. “That’s not going to be quick or easy.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “Offer my cooperation and not stand in their way.” Paul stared at him from under hooded brows. “I don’t know why anyone would want to be in politics. You’re like a goddamn sitting duck just waiting for someone to take a shot at you. I just don’t have the stomach for that kind of abuse.”

  Tanner stared into space. “I’m beginning to wonder if I do.”

  “Any special instructions?” Paul asked, toying with his hard hat.

  “Nope.” His jaw clenched. “Just continue to do your job.”

  The second he was alone, Tanner expelled his breath and stared at the phone. He’d received a zillion calls in light of this latest situation and needed to return them. But he didn’t want to. He only wanted to call Kasey. And not about business, either.

  For the first time since he’d entered the political arena, he felt the urge to chuck that responsibility, regain his anonymity, go after Kasey, and whisk her away.

  In your dreams, Hart, he told himself, fighting off the feeling of darkness settling over him. He shuddered to the ringing of the phone.

  Kasey put the paper down, her brows drawn in fierce concentration.

  No wonder she hadn’t heard from Tanner. The media had latched on to the tragedy at the construction site like a bulldog on a bone, showing no signs of letting up. He was up to his eyeballs in trouble.

  She wished there was something she could do to help ease his pain. Then realizing the slippery slope her thoughts were heading down, she jerked herself upright.

  Tanner Hart’s problems were none of her business. If she allowed herself to think otherwise, then she would open herself up to further misery. As it was, she felt like she’d been strapped to a torture rack and was being pulled apart.

  He had become her secret passion.

  He could never know that, however. No one could. She refused to admit she had fallen in love with him. But if she examined deep within her heart, she feared that truth would come to light.

  If only…

  The buzzer sounded on her phone. Hoping the caller was Tanner, she reached for it. “Yes, Monica?”

  “Your attorney’s on line one.”

  Crushing her disappointment, Kasey picked up. “Hello, Horace.”

  “Just wanted to let you know a court date has been set for the hearing,” he said without mincing words.

  Her stomach revolted. “I want him to just go away.”

  “He will soon,” Horace said in a promising tone. “He doesn’t have a leg to stand on. However, if he wants to be made a fool of, then we’ll let him.”

  “I hope you’re right. The thought of losing the agency—”

  “Don’t think like that. It’s not going to happen.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I say so.”

  He gave her the date, then rang off.

  What next? Kasey asked herself, sinking her head into her hands, fighting off her growing despair.

  When she finally lifted her head, her gaze unwittingly drifted to the worktable filled with Tanner’s latest ads, still waiting for his okay. If he didn’t call her today, then she would have to call him. Now that his name was being dragged through the mud it made it that much more imperative to get those new aggressive TV ads working for him.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  Stunned speechless by the sight of her son in her office doorway, Kasey could only sit and stare at him with her mouth gaping open.

  “Yep, it’s me in the flesh,” Brock continued, his whole face bathed in a grin.

  “Surprising me is becoming a habit.” Having said that, she got up and gave him a fierce hug.

  That was when she looked beyond his shoulder and saw that he wasn’t alone. Frowning, she pulled back and stared up at him. Brock turned and motioned the young girl to his side, circling her waist with his arm.

  Kasey didn’t have to ask who she was. She knew, and her heart plummeted to her toes.

  “Mom, this is Nancy Dittmer, my fiancée.”

  The humming of the refrigerator
was the only sound in the kitchen.

  Finally Brock said, “I’ve pissed you off again, haven’t I, Mom?”

  “I wish you’d stop using that phrase,” Kasey responded in a testy tone.

  Brock pressed his lips in a thin line and just looked at her.

  Kasey turned away, smothering a scream of frustration. Ever since he’d shown up at the office late in the day, she had been rabid to talk to her son in private. As luck would have it, she had stumbled into the kitchen around midnight, only to receive yet another surprise.

  Brock was sitting at the table, munching on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and drinking a glass of milk. She had poured herself a glass and joined him at the table.

  Now, as she faced him under terribly strained conditions, she didn’t know where to start. She had so much on her mind and in her heart, she felt like she was choking.

  Her baby, engaged?

  Impossible.

  She had misunderstood him.

  Much to her heartfelt regret, she hadn’t.

  Moments after he’d introduced Nancy, she had learned that Brock had needed to talk to Tanner in person about the Web site and decided that he’d bring Nancy with him. Kill two birds with one stone, he’d added.

  A simple explanation that packed a powerful wallop.

  “Thanks for being nice to Nancy even though you don’t like her,” Brock finally said.

  “You’re missing the point,” Kasey stressed. “It’s not a matter of liking her. It’s a matter of the engagement.”

  “I know I can’t afford a ring.”

  “For God’s sake, Brock, I’m not talking about a ring. I’m talking about you actually thinking you want to marry this girl.”

  “I know I want to marry her. We’re in love.”

  Kasey couldn’t help herself. She rolled her eyes. “You don’t even know the first thing about love.”

  “That’s not fair, Mom,” he countered in a belligerent tone.

  “Fair or not, it’s the truth. What about getting your education then playing pro football? That’s always been your dream.”

  “It still is. Nancy thinks me playing ball for a living is just great.”