“Where’s Anita?” he asked, trying to regain his equilibrium. The housekeeper usually made his lunch when he was home during the day.
Doug laughed and fell out of his chair. Mr. Slapstick.
“Earth to Trey,” Stacy said. “It’s Saturday. Why else would we be home from school?”
“Home from school,” he repeated, realization dawning. School. Started again on Monday. And on Monday, Doug and Stacy would be out of the house from early in the morning until midafternoon. He could give Anita Monday off and…He looked over at Kathy.
She knew exactly what he was thinking. Her blush deepened and she turned back to her sandwiches, carrying two of the plates to the table where Doug and Stacy were sitting.
Trey cleared his throat. “So. What do you guys have planned for today?”
“Just a little Christmas shopping at the mall,” Kathy told him briskly. “We’ll be back by around four.”
“Mind if I come with you?” The words had left his lips before he even realized he was saying them. Trey couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted to go to the mall. But he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do today, considering that the mall was where Kathy was going to be.
This was crazy.
He’d woken up feeling nearly dizzy, and that giddiness had only gotten worse when he’d seen Kathy again. He didn’t want to think about what it meant, didn’t want to dissect it. He just wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.
Stacy and Doug were looking at him as if he’d lost his mind, but Kathy was giving him the most beautiful, most brilliant smile he thought he’d ever seen in his entire life.
“We’d love for you to join us,” she said.
Trey held Katherine’s hand while he drove home from the mall.
The children were in the back seat of the sedan, belted in. They couldn’t possibly see either of their hands from where they were sitting. They couldn’t know that Trey was drawing maddening circles on the palm of her hand with his thumb.
Doug and Stacy also had been unaware that Trey had pulled her away from them and kissed her nearly senseless three different times while they were in the mall. He’d taken her to the back of a store on the pretense of showing her something he wanted to buy one of the kids for Christmas, and had pulled her behind a rack of clothing or a display rack of toys and kissed her. Briefly, but very, very powerfully. Each short kiss had been loaded with meaning. Each embrace was jam-packed with passion.
And whenever possible over the past few hours, he’d touched her. He’d touched her arm to get her attention, to point something out. He’d brushed against her. He’d draped his arm over the back of her chair in the food court. And now he held her hand.
Katherine was positively giddy. She’d never in her life been so completely in love like this.
She squeezed his fingers slightly as he pulled into their driveway. And, as she’d hoped, he was properly distracted and didn’t notice her bodyguard’s blue car as it continued down the street.
She knew she should tell him why she was being followed, what she really was, and why she was there in Albuquerque.
But Katherine liked knowing without a doubt that Trey wanted her for who she was, not what she was. She loved being just a woman in his eyes, being Kathy Wind. She had the entire rest of her life to be Princess Katherine. She could wait a little bit longer to tell him the truth.
Kathy Wind had no self-doubts. She was bold and brave and outspoken. She was interesting, colorful, passionate. She could learn new things, like how to skateboard. She wouldn’t balk at windsurfing or skydiving—
Well, maybe skydiving wasn’t in her future. But still.
Kathy Wind looked good in blue jeans. And she looked good naked, too. She didn’t mind being naked. In fact, when Trey looked at her the way he had last night, she’d loved being naked.
No, Katherine didn’t want to stop being Kathy Wind. Not yet. Not until she absolutely had to.
Trey released her hand as he pulled into the garage. He glanced at her in the dim light, his eyes sparking. “I have to kiss you again,” he mouthed silently. “Or I’m gonna die.”
Katherine nodded at him. She knew. She felt exactly the same way. Dear Lord, this was powerful, the love she felt for this man. And it was love, God help her.
She was hopelessly, head over heels in love with Trey Sutherland.
She got out of the car. “The door’s locked and it won’t open without your father’s key, Douglas, no matter how hard you try to turn the knob. Let’s get jackets hung up in the mudroom, and then bring your shopping bags right upstairs. Oh, and Stacy and Doug, I have some business to discuss with your father. I think now might be a good time to do that.” She turned briskly to Trey. “How about I meet you in your office in about fifteen minutes?”
The smile he gave her was pure sin.
Kathy made it up to his office in less than ten minutes. But polite as always, she knocked instead of just letting herself in.
Trey opened his office door. “We’ve got to tell Stacy and Doug.”
“Tell them what?”
Dear God. Trey nearly jumped back in surprise. It wasn’t Kathy, it was his mother standing there.
Penelope Sutherland breezed past him, into his office, followed closely by Diana St. Vincent.
Diana touched his face as she went past. “Darling,” she murmured, chastisingly. “Why haven’t you called me?”
Um.
“Mother. To…what do I owe this surprise attack?”
“Aren’t you amusing today?” She didn’t sound the least little bit amused as she sat down across from his desk.
His desk.
It gleamed enticingly as his mother moved her chair closer to it, as she opened her briefcase and took out some papers and placed them on its top.
And Trey began to sweat.
That desk had been the location of the best sexual experience of his life. He couldn’t look at it without thinking of Kathy, without thinking about what they’d done, right there. It didn’t take much to remember her leaning back, naked, inviting him to bury himself inside her with both her smile and her position.
“Maybe we should sit over here on the sofa,” he suggested. “It’s a little more comfortable.”
Comfortable. Oh, God. He started to laugh.
His mother glanced up at him as if he’d gone stark raving Looney Tunes. Maybe he had.
“This is fine,” she said. “I can spread out over here.”
Diana perched on the edge of the desk and he wanted to tell her to get off. The only woman who could ever sit on his desk from this moment on was Kathy Wind. But he kept his mouth tightly shut.
“We’re here to talk you into hosting the Children’s Camp charity Valentine’s Day Ball,” Diana told him.
Kathy knocked on the door. It had to be Kathy. Well, actually, it didn’t. It could be someone else he absolutely wasn’t expecting. Bill Lewis, for instance. Why not?
He started for the door, but then stopped. What if it was Kathy, and he opened it and she grabbed him and kissed him, the way he was dying to grab her and kiss her? If they were going to go public with their affair, he wanted Stacy and Doug to hear about it first. Not his mother. Not Diana St. Vincent.
“Come on in,” he called out. “Join the party.”
The door opened, and Kathy peeked in, clearly aware that his words had been a warning. She looked at him, looked at his mother and Diana and stopped short. “Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were…busy.”
Oh, God, if his mother hadn’t come by, he could be kissing Kathy. Right now. She would have been in his arms, and he could have taken his time and—
She was looking at him as hungrily as he was eyeing her, and he turned away, afraid his mother would notice. She was very perceptive, particularly since she already suspected his relationship with Doug and Stacy’s nanny was more than boss and employee. It wouldn’t take much more than a few longing looks for them to completely give themselves away
.
“Mom and Diana came over to coerce me into spending a lot of money,” Trey told Kathy briskly, trying to sound like a man who wasn’t having a torrid affair with his kids’ caregiver. He turned to his mother. “Yes,” he said. “I’ll do it. You know I’ll do it. So let’s skip the part where you spend the next forty-five minutes convincing me it’s worth my while. You can go home and I’ll—” he looked at Kathy, trying his damnedest not to eat her alive with his eyes “—I’ll do something far more valuable with my time.”
“I’ll come back later,” Kathy told him. “Perhaps in an hour…?”
In an hour he’d be dead from wanting to kiss her. “Twenty minutes.”
“Don’t you let her leave,” Penelope commanded. “Trey, it’s been weeks and you haven’t yet introduced me to your new nanny. Come over here, young lady. I assume you are the new nanny?”
Kathy came a little bit farther into the room. “Yes, ma’am.”
Trey made the introductions. “Kathy Wind, my mother, Penelope Sutherland, and her friend, Diana St. Vincent.” Her friend, not his.
Kathy smiled at him. She’d understood what he was telling her.
“Come over here, girl,” Penelope said. “Don’t be shy.”
“I’m not,” Kathy said. “But I’m making dinner tonight and I’d only intended to stop in briefly to—”
“Oh, yes.” Penelope inspected Kathy. “You were at the awards ceremony for Bill Lewis.” She looked at Trey. “You haven’t heard from Bill yet, have you?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Actually, I have.”
“You have?” Kathy coughed. “I mean, really, have you?”
“He called to check in,” Trey reported, “to let me know he’s alive.”
“Where is he? Where has he been?” Kathy cleared her throat. “I mean, did he tell you…?”
“He wasn’t specific,” Trey said. “He did say he wasn’t planning to be back in New Mexico until after the New Year.”
“Completely irresponsible,” his mother sniffed.
“I think he’s in love,” Trey said. Bill had sounded almost giddy, almost dizzy, almost…Wait. Almost the way Trey was feeling. Was it possible…? No way. Trey wasn’t in love. He pushed the thought away. This was definitely not the time to be psychoanalyzing himself, with his mother looking on.
“If Bill were in love, he wouldn’t plan to come home in mid-January,” his mother pointed out. “Love’s just not that tidy.”
Love could, too, be tidy. What Trey had had with Helena had been remarkably tidy—for want of a better word.
His mother turned to Kathy. “I was at the awards ceremony, too, you know, but Trey whisked you away before we had the chance to meet.”
“I’m sorry,” Kathy said so politely. She was remarkably good at sounding respectful. “My fault entirely. The children had school the next day, and I didn’t want to stay out very late. Now, if you’ll excuse me? It was a pleasure meeting you, but—”
“You look so familiar to me.” Penelope wouldn’t let her go. “Have we met somewhere before? In New York perhaps?”
Kathy shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“It’s possible she’s worked for someone you know,” Diana suggested, careful to stress the word worked.
As Trey watched, Kathy looked at Diana sitting there on the edge of his desk, looked at the papers spread out there, looked at his desk. And as he watched, Kathy became completely aware of how difficult this meeting had to be for him.
She looked up at him, her eyes dancing with amusement, her smile holding a beautiful echo of last night’s steam heat.
He smiled back at her, wanting her with every fiber of his being. The night could not come quickly enough.
“I’m having a small get-together tomorrow afternoon,” Penelope interrupted them. “Just a casual, impromptu thing. A buffet dinner. I was hoping you’d bring Anastacia and Douglas, Trey. And Kathy, too, of course, to keep an eye on them.”
Trey shook his head. “I’m not sure if we can—”
“I haven’t seen the children in such a long time.” His mother looked at Kathy. “If Trey’s too busy, won’t you bring them over?”
“Of course.” Kathy was a complete pushover. “It sounds lovely.”
“Five o’clock.”
Trey sighed. “We’ll be there.” No way was he letting Kathy venture unescorted into the dragon’s lair.
Kathy turned to him. “May I speak to you briefly in the hall?” she asked, her eyes dropping to his mouth for just a fraction of a second, just long enough to let him know the topic of their “conversation.”
He couldn’t look at her without giving himself away. Somehow he managed to nod. “Sure.” Somehow he managed to turn to his mother and Diana. “Excuse me for a minute.” Excuse me for four hours….
Trey followed Kathy into the hall, closed the door behind him and then, God, she was in his arms, and he was kissing her, touching her, filling his hands with the softness of her breasts, pressing her hips tightly to his. He nearly wept, it felt so deliriously good.
She pulled away from him much too soon.
“Eleven thirty-one.” She smiled. “You might want to fill that Jacuzzi I spotted in your bathroom.”
Oh, yeah.
She started hurrying away, but he stopped her. “Kathy.”
She turned back.
“What is this?” he had to ask. “Have you ever in your life…?”
She shook her head. “No. Nothing like this. Not ever.”
“It’s crazy. It’s…”
“Wonderful?” she finished for him.
“Yes,” he said. “It’s beyond wonderful. It’s…” Scaring me to death.
“See you at dinner,” she said softly. “Don’t forget the Jacuzzi.”
Yeah, like he was going to forget that.
And with that she was gone.
Trey took a deep breath and went back into his office, mentally preparing himself to spend the next hour talking to his mother…across the gleaming surface of his desk.
Chapter 16
“How’s Elizabeth?” Katherine asked her sister.
“Still not talking,” Serena said. “She and Laura have left for Arizona, to take a look at The Sunshine Home’s files. I’m not sure what they’re hoping to find.”
“Bill Lewis called and spoke to Trey,” Katherine reported, “but he’s still out of touch and unlikely to return here until January. Trey said he suspects his partner is in love.”
“Which brings us back to the elusive Betty Jo, who, according to my sleuthing skills—which consisted of my cleverly calling the operator and requesting her address—resides in Las Vegas. I’ve called her about seven thousand times, but she’s never home.”
“You’ve got to go there,” Katherine decided. “To Las Vegas. If she’s off somewhere with Bill Lewis, someone—a neighbor, maybe—might know where she’s gone.”
“And the reason you can’t go to Las Vegas is…?”
“I can’t leave Albuquerque now,” Katherine admitted. “Serena, I’m…” She was what? In completely over her head? Undoubtedly. “I promised I’d stay until January. Trey thinks I’m a nanny and…”
“You know, I read that his wife died of extremely mysterious circumstances,” Serena said.
“As a matter of fact, she didn’t,” Katherine all but snapped.
“My, my,” Serena said, laughing. “Such certainty. What has he been doing to convince you so thoroughly?”
“Go to Las Vegas, Serena,” she told her sister. “Please?”
At 11:25, Katherine went to check on Doug.
He was so soundly asleep, he didn’t even stir as she pulled his blankets farther up and tucked him in. Poindexter lifted his head and wagged his tail from the spot he’d claimed next to the boy’s bed. She patted him then went on to Stacy’s room.
A quick listen at the girl’s tightly closed door, and she’d be on her way to the tower and Trey. It was funny, really. She now knew that Bill Lew
is wasn’t going to show up here in Albuquerque any time soon, and although, for her parents’ sake, she wished she and her sisters would find him soon, she had to admit she was torn. Finding Bill Lewis seemed so secondary to what she’d already found with Trey. In just a short time, she’d be in his arms again and…
She held her breath, leaning closer to Stacy’s door, listening harder.
Stacy was crying.
Again.
Oh, dear.
Katherine knocked on the door, but this time the crying didn’t stop. She knocked again, louder.
“Kathy?” Stacy’s voice was quavery—and she didn’t even bother to hide it.
Katherine opened the door and peeked in. “It’s me,” she said. “Are you all right?”
“I had a terrible nightmare,” Stacy said in a very shaky voice. “I purposely went to bed a little early, and I think I must’ve fallen right asleep, but then I had this awful dream.”
Katherine went into the room. The light from the hallway was bright enough to illuminate Stacy, who looked very small and very young—like a real thirteen-year-old—in the middle of her big bed.
“I hate that.” Katherine crossed to sit on the edge, next to the girl. “It’s as if your subconscious sabotages your plan to get a good night’s sleep. It happens to me sometimes, too.”
She held out her hand, and to her surprise, Stacy clung to it almost desperately.
“My nightmare was about you,” Stacy told her, tears welling in her eyes. “I dreamed I got an A plus on my math test, and I went into your room to tell you, but you were…”
She started to cry in earnest and Katherine drew the girl into her arms. Stacy didn’t try to pull away. In fact, she clung tightly.
“You were dead,” Stacy sobbed.
Oh, dear. “Shhh.” Katherine stroked her hair. “I’m not dead. I’m fine and I’m here.”
January was coming more quickly than Katherine herself would have imagined possible. And although Stacy might not have been consciously aware of the countdown to the day Katherine was due to leave, subconsciously she knew it was coming.
Stacy lifted her head. “I found you lying on the bathroom floor. At first I thought it was just that same old nightmare I always have, but when I looked, it was you lying there, not Mommy. And I tried and tried to make you start breathing again, but I couldn’t do it right and no one would come and help me!”
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