“I understand. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t necessary.”
There was no mistaking the other woman’s sincerity. “I know, Alicia. I appreciate you taking the time to come out here. I’m not sure I could talk about it in your office.”
“I’ll be there sometime in the next half hour.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She turned off the phone and tossed it onto the table. Shoving her notes aside, she stood and began to clean the kitchen.
The remains of the meal from the night before all went in the garbage, the dirty dishes in the sink. Cyndi washed and dried and cleaned and scrubbed. When that was done, she started a fresh pot of coffee before she headed to the laundry room. One load of clothing went into the dryer, before she loaded the washing machine again.
Cyndi wandered back to the kitchen and picked up her lists, scanning them. Even though it didn’t feel like it, she was making progress. Soon, her estate would be totally in her own hands, and she’d finally be able to begin to make changes.
Over the past few days, she’d been digging through her father’s files and was already making a list of items to take care of regarding those. She’d decided what changes she wanted made to the house, but would finalize those when Shamus had a chance to go over them and make recommendations. This was what he did for a living, so she’d be a fool if she didn’t listen to his ideas. She was rather curious to find out his thoughts on the project. The antique dealer and the rare book dealer would be here tomorrow and they’d start the process of clearing out the house.
The sheer amount of work she had to do was almost overwhelming, but she was no quitter.
She’d get through it all one day at a time, one item at a time.
And she’d left off the biggest obstacle on her list—Jamesville. She had yet to really go out around the town since her first day here. It was hard to admit it to herself, but she was afraid.
Now that people here knew who she was, Cyndi hadn’t worked up the nerve to face them. Yet.
She would. She had to if she was ever going to make any kind of life here.
“One thing at a time,” she muttered, laying a hand over her churning stomach. She’d thought her days of running on nerves alone were long over, but returning to Jamesville had brought it all back. “I won’t live like that,” she promised. She’d moved beyond that part of her life. She was no victim and would not play the part again. She was strong and capable. “You can do this.”
The doorbell rang, startling her. “Get a grip, Cyndi.” She laid her lists aside and strode to the door. Pasting a smile on her face, she opened it. Alicia Flint stood on the front step looking smart in a pants suit, tailored much like a man’s. A bright red blouse peeked out from between the lapels of the gray pinstripe jacket.
“Can I come in?” Alicia stepped forward, her leather briefcase clutched in her left hand.
Feeling foolish for just standing there, she held the door wide open. “Of course.” Cyndi stepped aside and Alicia strode in.
“Where would you like to talk?”
Cyndi closed the door and led the way down the hall. “In the kitchen. I just brewed a pot of coffee if you’d like some.”
“Would I?” Alicia gave a low, throaty laugh. “I’ve only had one this morning and it’s definitely time for more.” They entered the kitchen and the other woman glanced around. “Nice.”
“Thanks, but I can’t take credit for it.” She motioned to the table, fussing with the coffee and mugs to try to divert her attention from what was coming.
Alicia laid her briefcase on the table and opened it, drawing out a legal pad and a pen. She unbuttoned her jacket, peeled it off, and draped it over one of the other chairs. “I have a feeling this might take a while.”
Cyndi picked up the mugs and headed over to the table. Cream and sugar were there already, so there was nothing left for her to do but sit. “You have no idea.” Memories were bombarding her. Maybe it was because she’d shared her past with Shamus last night. Maybe it was being in this house, in this town. But memories she’d thought were buried and forgotten for forever were now as raw as the day they occurred.
Alicia pulled her chair closer and picked up her mug, taking a sip. “Mmm, good coffee.”
Sitting there, Cyndi tried to decide where to begin. Alicia waited patiently as the minutes ticked by. Opening her mouth, she allowed the story to spill out. “It really started after my mother died.”
Almost an hour later, Cyndi finally stopped. Her coffee mug was empty and she was hoarse from talking so much. Her eyes burned from holding back tears of anger and grief. She felt as if she’d been dragged through the wringer. Curiously, she felt lighter, as if at least some of the weight of the past had fallen away. Maybe telling Shamus and Alicia had lessened the grip of the memories on her.
She’d been staring at the table the entire time and finally raised her gaze to meet Alicia’s.
She had no idea what the other woman was thinking. Cyndi had been lost in the memories and Alicia hadn’t interrupted her.
Alicia stared back, her eyes slightly red and luminous. “You can prove this?”
Cyndi shrugged. “Not all, but I do have the reports from when I arrived in Vermont. Can I prove it was my father who beat me? No. It’s my word against his. But I do have scars. There are also the letters to the colleges declaring me mentally incompetent, signed by a doctor who never ever saw me.” She hesitated, but then plunged forward. If she was going to do this, she was going all the way. “If need be, we might contact some of the former staff. They might love a chance to get back at my father and Harris and Hammond.”
Alicia shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m having a hard time assimilating all this.”
Cyndi shrugged. “That’s okay. I lived in this town my entire life and no one ever knew, or if they did, they ignored it.”
“You’re Cynthia James.”
“Yeah, pampered princess. The girl that other girls envied. I would have traded places with any of them in a heartbeat.” Jumping up from the table, she grabbed both mugs and strode to the counter. Taking her time, she filled them both and carried them back to the table.
She felt raw. Exposed. As if she’d turned her skin inside out. And in a way, she supposed she had. She’d started down this path and there was no going back.
Alicia reached across the table and clasped her hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” Cyndi didn’t want anyone’s pity. “But it’s in the past.”
Giving a final squeeze, Alicia sat back. “Not if Harris and Hammond have their way.”
Cyndi had been doing some thinking since she’d talked to Alicia this morning. “I hesitate to even bring this up, but what if I could find something out about the law firm?”
“What do you mean?” Alicia was all brisk business again.
She traced her finger over the rim of her mug, her thoughts ordering themselves. “I know my father. He didn’t do business with anyone without having them investigated. Thoroughly. I imagine that he’d be even more rigorous with his law firm. They did business together for a lot of years.” Cyndi raised her gaze and unflinchingly met her lawyer’s. “I imagine that some of it was probably illegal.”
Alicia whistled softly. “You sure you want to go there?”
“Whatever it takes.” Cyndi sat up straight and squared her shoulders. “They started this and I mean to finish it. One way or the other. If they won’t let go of my affairs, then I’ll force them to.”
Alicia picked up her mug and sipped. Cyndi noticed the other woman’s manicured hands.
Her lawyer was polished and professional, but unlike the vultures at Harris and Hammond, she was also honest and treated people with respect.
“Okay.” Alicia pushed her coffee aside. “See if you come across anything, but if you do, bring it to me. Do not approach them on your own.”
That sounded more than reasonable to her and she nodded.
Her lawyer smiled at her. “After all, that’s why y
ou’re paying me the big bucks.”
Cyndi laughed. “What good is my father’s money if I don’t put it to good use?”
Alicia stood and tossed her legal pad and pen back into her bag. “I’ll need a copy of that letter from the doctor if you can find it. I doubt that the colleges you applied to kept it after all these years. I have the doctor’s name, so that’s somewhere to start. He’s probably retired, but I’ll see what I can dig up on him.” She pulled on her jacket and buttoned it. “We may need to hire someone.”
“What do you mean?”
“A private investigator. Someone who knows how to dig up things other folks would like kept buried. If that doctor wrote a letter, then your father paid him to do it.”
Cyndi nodded, easily following her lawyer’s train of thought. “I see what you mean. If you think it’s necessary, go ahead. In the meantime, I’ll spend some time tonight digging through my father’s files to see what I can come up with.”
She’d have to go through the safe as well. There had been files and some journals in there, if her memory served her correctly. Heaven only knows what she’d find buried in those. She hadn’t opened the safe since the shooting, but she needed to see what jewelry was there and get it appraised for sale. She wasn’t keeping any of it.
“Cyndi?”
“Yeah?” She shook her head, realizing she’d allowed her thoughts to be diverted.
“I asked if you were all right.”
She shrugged. “I’m fine.”
Alicia grabbed her briefcase. “You’re not. But you will be. I have faith in you.”
“Thanks.” Not many people in her life had had faith in her abilities, and it felt good.
They walked to the front door. “I’ll be in touch in a day or two if I find out anything. In the meantime, if you come across anything in your father’s papers, make copies and bring them to me. Lock up the originals somewhere safe.”
“I will.” Cyndi stood in the doorway and waved as her lawyer drove away. She was just about to shut the door when she saw a familiar truck coming down the street. It was early for Shamus to be here, but she wasn’t complaining. He pulled into the driveway and climbed out of the truck. Walking down the steps, she went to meet him.
Chapter Thirteen
Shamus breathed a sigh of relief as he closed his arms around Cyndi. It had been a bitch of a morning. His well-ordered life was in chaos. Not one to leave things to chance, he’d gone to the job site himself and talked to Joe Banks and some of his men about what needed to be done today and in the weeks ahead. But his heart just wasn’t in his work, so he’d left again.
He knew that Joe could handle the project on his own. It was close enough to completion that there should be few problems over the next few weeks. Still, he hated leaving anything undone. It wasn’t in his nature to walk away from anything, but he felt that both he and his family needed this time apart to try and cool off and find some perspective.
Joe had obviously been concerned about him, but hadn’t asked any questions. Shamus knew he was acting totally out of character. It wasn’t like him to just up and leave a project with almost no notice. In fact, it had never happened before.
He’d told Joe that he was taking an extended vacation to work on an outside project, separate from B & O. Joe had been curious, as had a few of the men who’d been close enough to hear their conversation. Some of them had even stopped him, letting him know they could use the extra work if he was looking for a crew on the weekend and after hours. By now, he figured all the men on his crew knew he was gone for the next few weeks. Maybe even longer.
His gut clenched. He didn’t want things to be this way, but he didn’t know any other way around it. Unless his family changed their minds and gave Cyndi a chance, he had no idea if he’d be able to remain working with Burke. Their personal relationship was strained enough as it was without adding work stress to it.
If he left, that would mean he’d have to consider starting his own company. He didn’t even want to go there. Not yet. He’d put his blood and sweat into this company for a decade. He’d wait and see what happened. Maybe there was a way they could all find some kind of common ground. No need to make any hasty decisions. In the meantime, he could help Cyndi renovate her place. As of this moment, he was on vacation.
“Is everything okay?”
He realized he’d been squeezing her way too tight for too long. She didn’t need his problems on top of her own. They’d talk about it eventually, but right now, he wanted to enjoy just being with her.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I missed you.” He kissed her forehead as he looped his arm around her waist. “Was that Alicia Flint I passed?”
“Yeah. I hired her to take over my legal and business affairs from Harris and Hammond, but they don’t want to let go.”
Shamus gave a low whistle. “I imagine they don’t. Your father was probably their biggest client. They’d lose a heck of a lot of cash if you take your business elsewhere.”
“That’s the whole point.”
He laughed at the way she bristled. “I take it they were less than forthcoming when you went to see them.”
“Oh they were plenty forthcoming as long as I let them go on doing exactly what they want and not worry my pretty, little head about business.”
Shamus winced as he guided her into the house and shut the door. “Ouch.”
Turning, she looped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips. “That about says it all. I don’t want to talk about lawyers any longer.”
“No.” He nibbled his way down her neck, unable to resist the curving slope any longer. She smelled clean and fresh and irresistible as she snuggled tighter in his embrace. After the stress of the morning, he needed to be with her. “What do you have in mind?” His brain was already conjuring all sorts of ideas, most of them culminating with him buried deep in her welcoming body.
Her fingers traced the buttons on his shirt. “Well, we could go over renovation plans.”
“We could,” he agreed as he slipped his hands beneath her T-shirt.
She sucked in a deep breath as his fingers caressed her sides and belly, moving steadily upward. “Or we could have an early lunch.”
Shamus nipped at her earlobe before skimming his tongue over the sensitive swirls of her ear. “I vote for an early lunch,” he growled. “I’m starving.”
“Mmm. Me too.” She freed one button, then another, until his shirt was wide open. Laying her palms flat on his chest, she slid her hands over the tense muscles.
Last night seemed as if it was days ago. Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to touch her, to feel her writhing beneath him. He shifted his hands, cupping her breasts. Her nipples were already tight buds, pushing against the confines of her bra and shirt. Satisfaction poured through him.
Cyndi was warm and welcoming and everything he needed right now. She held nothing back when they made love, giving him everything he asked for and more. Right now, she was making little noises of pleasure as he plucked at her nipples. She clutched at his chest, her short fingernails digging in.
Lowering his head, he skimmed his lips over hers. She moaned and went up on her toes, bringing their lower bodies more in alignment. Shamus reached down and hitched her left leg around his thigh. Cyndi arched her pelvis inward, pressing against his straining erection.
They were both breathing heavily as they struggled to get even closer to one another.
Shamus groaned and captured her mouth with his. God, he loved the taste of her, couldn’t get enough.
His tongue snaked out, slipping past her lips. She slanted her head to the side, clasping the sides of his face in her hands as she deepened the embrace. Tongues touched and parted and touched again, twining and retreating.
The muscles in his arms strained and ached as he struggled not to just rip the clothing from her body. Cyndi brought out the primitive side of his nature.
Breaking away from the kiss, he sucked in a deep breath. “Let’s get this off y
ou.” He grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and tugged. She raised her arms and the fabric slid from her body.
The bra was a rich coffee color and he hooked his fingers in the straps and peeled it down her arms. “You are so beautiful.” He plumped one pale mound in his hand and thumbed her nipple.
“So are you.” She pushed at his shirt until he was forced to release her so that she could finish ridding him of it. She tried to wrap her hands around his wrists, but they were too small.
Her fingers didn’t quite meet. Slowly, she let her palms slide up his forearms until she reached his biceps. Her fingers traced the lines of muscle before moving upward to his shoulders. “You are so darn big.”
“That a problem?” He sucked in a breath when her palms smoothed down his chest, her fingers lightly dancing over his nipples.
She peered up through her lashes, batting them coyly. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
He laughed, entranced by this side of Cyndi. She was playful and sexy and confident.
Grabbing her by the waist, he whirled her around until her back was against the wall. He buried his face in her cleavage and breathed in the scent of warm woman. Slowly, he worked his way lower, leaving open-mouthed kisses on her stomach.
Going down on one knee before her, he released the button on her jeans before tugging the zipper down. She braced her hands against his shoulders, but she didn’t stop him.
Lifting first her right foot, then her left, he removed her canvas sneakers and socks, tossing them aside. Then he went back to her jeans. Reaching inside the opening at her waist, he shoved the material down until it bunched around her ankles. “Step out.” She raised one foot at a time, and he pulled her jeans away.
Clad only in a pair of coffee-colored panties that matched her bra, she stared down at him.
Her blue eyes were glazed with need, her rosy lips parted as she panted. Her chest rose and fell with every breath she took, making her breasts sway.
Cyndi had curves that would make any man drool. Her breasts were ample, her waist curved inward, and her hips flared out. His hands traced the hills and hollows of her body. Her tummy was slightly rounded and drove him crazy. Tugging aside the silk of her panties, he nuzzled her warm belly.
The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke Page 14