"It's always a fresh amazement." Ana picked up her pouches and her medical instruments. "Psyche's fine," she continued as she rolled the instruments in the apron she'd put on before the birthing. "The colt, too. I'll come back around this evening for another look, but I'd say mother and son are perfect."
"Thank you, Ana." Sebastian pulled her against him for a hug.
"My pleasure. You did very well for your first foaling, Mel."
"It was incredible."
"Well, I'm going to get cleaned up and head home. I think I'll sleep till noon." Ana kissed Sebastian's cheek, and then, just as casually, kissed Mel's. "Congratulations."
"What a way to spend the night," Mel murmured, and leaned her head against Sebastian's shoulder.
"I'm glad you were here."
"So am I. I never saw anything born before. It makes you realize just how fantastic the whole business is." She yawned hugely. "And exhausting. I wish I could sleep till noon."
"Why don't you?" He tilted his head to kiss her. "Why don't we?"
"I have a business to run. And, since I'm going to be away from it for a couple of weeks, I have a lot of loose ends to tie up."
"You have one to tie up here."
"I do?"
"Absolutely." He swung her up, stained shirt, grubby hands and all. "A few hours ago I was lying in bed thinking about sneaking into one of your dreams with you, or just waking you up."
"Sneaking into one of my dreams?" She gave him a hand by pushing open the door. "Can you do that?"
"Oh, Sutherland, have some faith. In any case," he continued, carrying her straight through the kitchen and into the hall. "Before I did either, we were distracted. So, before you go in to work to tie up loose ends, we'll tie some of our own right here."
"Interesting thought. You may not have noticed, however, that we're both a mess."
"I've noticed." He marched through the master bedroom into the bath. "We're going to have a shower."
"Good idea. I think-Sebastian!"
She shrieked with laughter as he stepped into the shower stall, fully dressed, and turned on the water.
"Idiot. I still have my boots on."
He grinned. "Not for long."
CHAPTER 10
Mel wasn't sure how she felt about being Mrs. Donovan Ryan. It certainly seemed to her that Mary Ellen Ryan-her cover persona-was a singularly boring individual, more interested in fashion and manicures than in anything of real importance.
She had to agree it was a good setup. Damn good, she mused as she stepped out onto the deck of the house and studied the glimmer of Lake Tahoe under the moonlight.
The house itself was nothing to sneeze at. Two sprawling levels of contemporary comfort, it was tastefully furnished, decorated with bold colors to reflect the style of its owners.
Mary Ellen and Donovan Ryan, formerly of Seattle, were a modern couple who knew what they wanted.
What they wanted most, of course, was a child.
She'd been impressed with the house when they'd arrived the day before. Impressed enough to comment on the fact that she hadn't expected the FBI to be able to provide such cozy digs so quickly. It was then that Sebastian had casually mentioned that it was one of his properties-something he'd had a whim to pick up about six months before.
Coincidence or witchcraft? Mel thought with a grimace. You be the judge.
"Ready for a night on the town, sweetheart?"
Her grimace turned into a scowl as she turned to Sebastian.
"You're not going to start calling me all those dopey names just because we're supposed to be married."
"Heaven forbid." He stepped out on the deck, looking-Mel was forced to admit-about as gorgeous as a man could get in his black dinner suit. "Let's have a look at you."
"I put it all on," she said, struggling not to grumble. "Right down to the underwear you set out."
"You're such a good sport." The sarcasm was light and friendly, and made her lips twitch into a reluctant smile. Taking her hand, he turned her in a circle. Yes, he thought, the red evening pants had been an excellent choice. The fitted silver jacket went quite well with them, as did the ruby drops at her ears. "You look wonderful. Try to act like you believe it."
"I hate wearing heels. And do you know what they did to my hair?"
His lips curved as he flicked a finger over it. It was sleeked back in a sassy, side-parted bob. "Very chic."
"Easy for you to say. You didn't have some maniacal woman with a French accent glopping up your head with God knows what, spraying stuff on it, snipping and crimping and whatnot until you wanted to scream."
"Hard day, huh?"
"That's not the half of it. I had to get my nails done. You have no idea what that's like. They come at you with these little scissors and probes and files and smelly bottles, and they talk to you about their boyfriends and ask personal questions about your sex life. And you have to act like you're just enjoying the hell out of it. I almost had to have a facial." She shuddered with complete sincerity. "I don't know what they'd have done to me, but I said I had to get home and fix dinner."
"A narrow escape."
"If I really had to go to a beauty parlor once a week for the rest of my life I think I'd slit my throat."
"Buck up, Sutherland."
"Right." She sighed, feeling better. "Well, it wasn't hard to start spreading it around how I had this wonderful husband and this great new house and how we'd been trying for years to have a baby. They just lap that kind of stuff up. I went on about how we'd had all these tests and had been trying these fertility drugs, and how long the lists were at adoption agencies. They were very sympathetic."
"Good job."
"Better, I got the name of two lawyers and a doctor. The doctor's supposed to be some miracle gynecologist. One of the lawyers was the manicurist's cousin, and the other was supposed to have helped the sister-in-law of this lady getting a permanent, to adopt two Romanian babies last year."
"I believe I follow that," Sebastian said after a moment.
"I figured we should check it out. Tomorrow I'm going to the health club. While they're pummeling me, I can go through the routine."
"There's no law that says you can't enjoy a sauna and massage while you're at it."
She hesitated, and was grateful that the roomy pockets of the evening pants made a home for her hands. "It makes me feel- I know you're putting a lot of your money into this."
"I have plenty." He tipped a finger under her chin. "If I didn't want to use it this way, I wouldn't. I remember how Rose looked when you brought her to me, Mel. And I remember Mrs. Frost. We're in this together."
"I know." She curled her fingers around his wrist. "I should be thanking you instead of complaining."
"But you complain so well." When she grinned, he kissed her. "Come on, Sutherland. Let's gamble. I'm feeling lucky."
The Silver Palace was one of Tahoe's newest and most opulent hotel casinos. White swans glided in the silvery waters of the lobby pool, and man-sized urns exploded with exotic flowers. The staff was dressed in spiffy tuxedos with trademark silver ties and cummerbunds.
They passed a number of elegant shops displaying everything from diamonds and furs to T-shirts. Mel figured they'd aligned them close enough to the casino to tempt any winners to put their money back into the hotel.
The casino itself was crowded with sound, the chink-chink of coins pouring out of slots echoing from the high ceilings. There was the hubbub of voices, the clatter of the roulette wheels, the smell of smoke and liquor and perfumes. And, of course, of money.
"Some joint,'' Mel commented, taking a gander at the knights and fair ladies painted on the windowless walls.
"What's your game?"
She shrugged. "They're all sucker's games. Trying to win against the house is like trying to row upstream with one oar. You might make some progress, but the current's going to carry you down sooner or later."
He nipped lightly at her ear. "You're not here to be practical. We're o
n our second honeymoon, remember? Sweetie pie?"
"Yuck," she said distinctly through a bright, loving smile. "Okay, let's buy some chips."
She opted to start off with the slots, deciding they were mindless enough to allow her to play while still absorbing her surroundings. They were there to make contact with Jasper Gumm, the man who'd held Parkland's IOU. Mel was well aware it could take several nights to reach that next step.
She lost steadily, then won back a few dollars, automatically feeding the coins back into the machine. She found there was something oddly appealing about the whoosh and jingle, the occasional squeal from another player, the bells and lights that rang and flashed when someone hit the jackpot.
It was relaxing, she realized, and tossed a smile over her shoulder to Sebastian. "I don't guess the house has to worry about me breaking the bank."
"Perhaps if you went at it less- aggressively.'' He put a hand over hers as she pulled the lever. Lights whirled. Bells clanged.
"Oh!" Her eyes went huge as coins began to shoot into the basket. "Oh, wow! That's five hundred!" She did a little dance, then threw her arms around him. "I won five hundred dollars." She gave him a big, smacking kiss, then froze with her mouth an inch from his. "Oh, God, Donovan, you cheated."
"What a thing to say. Outwitting a machine isn't cheating." He could see her sense of fair play warring with her elation. "Come on, you can lose it back at blackjack."
"I guess it's okay. It's for a higher cause."
"Absolutely."
Laughing, she began to scoop the coins into the bucket beside the machine. "I like to win."
"So do I."
They scoped out the tables, sipping champagne and playing the part of an affectionate couple on a night out. She tried not to take it too seriously, the attention he paid her, the fact that his hand was always there when she reached for it.
They were lovers, yes, but they weren't in love. They cared for and respected each other-but that was a long way from happily-ever-after. The ring on her finger was only a prop, the house they shared only a cover.
One day she would have to give the ring back and move out of the house. They might continue to see each other, at least for a time. Until his work and hers took them in different directions.
People didn't last in her life. She'd come to accept that. Or always had before. Now, when she thought of heading off in that different direction alone, without him, there was an emptiness inside her that was almost unbearable.
"What is it?" Instinctively he put a hand at the base of her neck to rub. "You're tensing up."
"Nothing. Nothing." Even with the rule about him not looking into her mind, he was much too perceptive. "I guess I'm impatient to move. Let's try this table. See what happens."
He didn't press, though he was quite certain that something more than the case was troubling her. When they took their seats at a five-dollar table, he slipped an arm around her shoulders so that they played the cards together.
She played well, he noted, her practical nature and quick wits keeping her even with the house for the first hour. He could see by the casual way she scanned the room that she was taking everything in. The security guards, the cameras, the two-way glass on the second level.
Sebastian ordered more champagne and began to do his own probing.
The man next to him was sweating over a seventeen and worrying that his wife suspected he was having an affair. His wife sat next to him, chain-smoking and trying to imagine how the dealer would look naked.
Sebastian fastidiously left her to it.
Next to Mel was a cowboy type tossing back bourbon and branch water while he won at a slow but steady pace. His mind was a jumble of thoughts about treasury bonds, livestock and the spread of cards. He was also wishing that the little filly beside him had come to the table alone.
Sebastian smiled to himself, wondering how Mel would feel about being called a little filly.
As he mentally roamed the table, Sebastian got impressions of boredom, excitement, desperation and greed. He found what he wanted in the young couple directly across from him.
They were from Columbus, on the third night of their honeymoon. They were barely old enough to be at the tables, they were deliriously in love, and they had decided, after much calculation, that the excitement of gambling was worth the hundred-dollar stake.
They were down to fifty now, and they were having the time of their lives.
Sebastian saw the husband-Jerry was his name-hesitating over hitting fifteen. He gave him a little push. Jerry signaled for another card and went pop-eyed when he pulled a six.
With a subtle and enjoyable magic, Sebastian had young Jerry doubling his stake, then tripling it, while the young couple gasped and giggled over their astonishing luck.
"They're sure raking it in," Mel commented.
"Mmm." Sebastian sipped his wine.
Oblivious to the gentle persuasion, Jerry began to up his bets. Word spread, as it does in such places, that there was a winner at table three. People began to mill around, applauding and slapping the baffled Jerry on the shoulder as his winnings piled up to three thousand.
"Oh, Jerry!" His new wife, Karen, clung to him. "Maybe we should stop. It's almost enough for a down payment on a house. Maybe we should just stop."
Sorry, Sebastian thought, and gave her a little mental nudge.
Karen bit her lip. "No. Keep going." She buried her face against his shoulder and laughed. "It's like magic."
The comment had Mel looking up from her own cards and sending Sebastian a narrow-eyed look. "Donovan."
"Shh." He patted her hand. "I have my reasons."
Mel began to understand them as the nearly delirious Jerry hovered at the ten-thousand dollar mark. A husky man in a tuxedo approached the table. He had a dignified bearing to go with smoothly tanned skin, a sun-tipped mustache and expertly styled hair. Mel was certain he was the kind of man most women would look at more than twice.
But she took an instant dislike to his eyes. They were pale blue, and, though they were smiling, she felt a quick chill race up her spine.
"Bad business," she muttered, and felt Sebastian's hand close over hers.
The crowd that had gathered cheered again as the dealer lost to Jerry on nineteen.
"This seems to be your lucky night."
"Boy, I'll say." Jerry looked up at the newcomer with dazed eyes. "I've never won anything before in my life."
"Are you staying at the hotel?"
"Yeah. Me and my wife." He gave Karen a squeeze. "This is the first night we tried the tables."
"Then allow me to congratulate you personally. I'm Jasper Gumm. This is my hotel."
Mel slanted Sebastian a look. "Pretty sneaky way to get a look at him."
"A roundabout route," he agreed. "But an enjoyable one."
"Hmm- Have your young hero and heroine finished for the evening?"
"Oh, yes, they're quite finished."
"Excuse me a minute." Taking her glass, Mel got up to stroll around the table. Sebastian had been right. The young couple were already making noises about cashing in and were busily thanking Gumm.
"Be sure to come back," Gumm told them. "We like to think that everyone at the Silver Palace walks away a winner."
When Gumm turned, Mel made certain she was directly in his path. A quick movement, and her champagne splattered.
"Oh, I beg your pardon." She brushed at his damp sleeve. "How clumsy of me."
"Not at all. It was my fault." Easing away from the dispersing crowd, he took out a handkerchief to dry her hand. "I'm afraid
I was distracted." He glanced at her empty glass. "And I owe you a drink."
"No, that's kind of you, but it was nearly empty." She flashed him a smile. "Fortunately for your suit. I suppose I was a little curious about all those chips. My husband and I were across the table from that young couple. And not having nearly their luck."
"Then I definitely owe you a drink." Gumm took her arm just as Sebastian
walked up.
"Darling, you're supposed to drink the champagne, not pour it on people."
As if she were flustered, she laughed and ran a hand down his arm. "I've already apologized."
"No harm done," Gumm assured them as he offered Sebastian a hand. "Jasper Gumm."
"Donovan Ryan. My wife, Mary Ellen."
"A pleasure. Are you guests of the hotel?"
"No, actually, we've just moved to Tahoe." Sebastian sent an affectionate glance to Mel. "We're taking a few days as a kind of second honeymoon before we get back to business."
"Welcome to the community. Now I definitely must replace that champagne." He signaled to a roving waitress.
"It's very kind of you." Mel glanced around approvingly. "You have a wonderful place here."
"Now that we're neighbors, I hope you'll enjoy the facilities. We have an excellent dining room." As he spoke, Gumm took stock. The woman's jewelry was discreet and expensive. The man's dinner suit was expertly tailored. Both of them showed the panache of quiet affluence. Just the type of clientele he preferred.
When the waitress returned with a fresh bottle and glasses, Gumm poured the wine himself. "What business are you in, Mr. Donovan?"
"Real estate. Mary Ellen and I spent the last few years in Seattle, and we decided it was time for a change. My business allows me to be flexible."
"And yours?" Gumm asked Mel.
"I've recently retired, at least for a while. I thought I'd like keeping a home."
"Ah, and children."
"No." Her smile wobbled as she looked down at her glass. "No, not yet. But I think the weather here, the sun, the lake- would be a wonderful place to raise a family." There was a trace, just a hint, of desperation in her voice.
"I'm sure. Please enjoy the Silver Palace. Don't be strangers."
"Oh, I'm sure we'll be back," Sebastian assured him. "Nicely done," he murmured to Mel when they were alone.
"I thought so. Do you think we should go back to the tables for a while or just wander about looking moon-eyed at each other?"
He chuckled, started to pull her close for a kiss, then stopped, his hand on her shoulder. "Well, well- sometimes things just fall neatly into place."
Books by Nora Roberts Page 267