by Linda Warren
“How’d they know the vial had been switched?”
“Seems the Ryder Lab has a very up-to-date security system. Something the thief didn’t count on. Their tubes have numbers etched on them, and the numbers run in sequence when they do a test. Your tube didn’t have a Ryder Lab number on it.”
She shook her head. “The Townsends just don’t give up, do they?”
“As their attorney, I can’t answer that, but I did promise Cliff I’d keep this under my hat until the tests are completed. He doesn’t want his lab broken into again, and he felt he should notify someone.”
“I see,” she said. “What is it they’re so afraid of? I don’t want anything from them. I only want some answers.” Her troubled eyes met his. “Is that so much to ask?”
“No,” he answered, wanting to ease her distress.
“I’ve got to go,” she said hurriedly, and turned toward the door. “We’ve got to vaccinate Mr. Gibson’s calves.”
Unable to stop himself, he threw out his hands and caught her. He pulled her to him and brushed his mouth against hers. Her lips quivered and he knew he should have let her go, but he needed that kiss—because in some way it felt as if they were saying goodbye.
“Goodbye,” she whispered, echoing his thoughts, and left the room.
On heavy feet he followed her into Miss Emma’s office. Pete Watson slipped off the edge of Miss Emma’s desk and headed for the door behind C.J. Suddenly he stopped. “You know, Emma, Harry’s eyeing that bird of yours like it’s his next meal.”
Harry could be seen through the window giving Herman a hard stare.
“Oh boy. Oh boy. Big man. Big man. Oh boy. Oh boy.” Herman pranced around in his cage in an agitated manner.
Miss Emma jumped to her feet. “You tell Harry Watson to stay away from my bird.”
“Now, Emma, why don’t you come out here and tell Harry yourself?” Pete cajoled.
Miss Emma marched over to Pete and shoved him toward the door, saying, “Get out of my office, Pete Watson, and take that brother of yours with you.” The door slammed shut with the sound of jingling spurs and Pete’s laughter.
Miss Emma was flustered, her cheeks as red as her hair.
“Not one word, young Matthew, not one word,” she warned, and stalked back to her chair.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Matthew told her, the circuslike atmosphere relieving some of the tension inside him. “Except I like that shade of red in your cheeks.”
She glared at him.
He laughed with a merriment he was far from feeling, and closed the door.
MATTHEW DIDN’T SEE C.J. the rest of the week. He wanted to call her, talk to her, but he knew it was best if he didn’t. She was right. He could hurt her, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.
But she was always there, in his thoughts and his dreams, and he was beginning to wonder if she always would be.
C.J. KEPT BUSY. She didn’t want to think. She worked every day until she was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep at night. She realized Pete and Harry were worried about her, but so much was crowding in on her that she couldn’t talk to them.
One afternoon she rode down to the creek, dismounted and sat on the grass, staring at the slow-running stream. The only sounds were the babbling water and Midnight munching on grass. The scene was quiet and peaceful, just her and her thoughts.
Cober property filled the landscape, and C.J. glanced toward the thousand acres Victoria Townsend had willed to her. The legacy of that land triggered so many questions. Why would someone want her dead? Why would someone switch the test tubes? What was the secret someone would go to such lengths to hide? Victoria Townsend had known. So had Matthew Sloan, Sr. But they hadn’t told her. They’d just left her to flounder in a world where she felt out of place. “Why?” she asked the silence that surrounded her. The question was lost in the breeze, and as always, it wasn’t answered.
She lay back on the grass, hands behind her head, gaze focused on the wide Texas sky. Matthew. She was so relieved they weren’t related. She knew she was falling for him, and she hadn’t known how hard until he’d kissed her. Her body grew warm from the memory. But she had to keep her emotions under control. Until she found out about her past, she had no future; that knowledge was soul-deep in her.
Besides, she told herself, in a few weeks he would be gone, back to his own world, and she’d be here in Coberville dealing with the turmoil of her life. By then she’d have the answer she’d been waiting for. Was she a Townsend?
She closed her eyes and wondered how she would feel if she was, especially after everything that had happened. Would it ease the emptiness inside her? Or lead to more unhappiness? Somehow she couldn’t dredge up any real feelings for either of those men. Both were so cold and ruthless. But then, a person didn’t get to choose his or her parents. She couldn’t help wondering if the truth she’d been searching for all her life would turn out to be a truth she wanted to hear.
CHAPTER TEN
ROB STOPPED ABRUPTLY as he came through the bedroom door. Francine was throwing clothes into a suitcase. Her brown hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and her face was made up. A blue dress clung to her slim curves. She hadn’t looked this good in weeks. She was obviously going somewhere, but this was the first he’d learned of it.
His perfect features creased into a frown. “What the hell are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” she asked, and marched back into the closet for more clothes.
The thought that she might be leaving him crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
He grabbed her by the shoulder as she came out of the closet, arms full of dresses. “Francine, why the packing?”
Pulling away, she said, “I’m going home to Evergreen.”
He didn’t like that answer. “Don’t you think we should discuss this?”
“Yes,” she replied, stuffing the dresses into her suitcase with quick angry movements. “Like you discussed agreeing to take the paternity test.” She whirled around. “You didn’t even stop to think about me or how it would affect our children.”
He moved closer to her, finally realizing what the anger was all about. “The Doe girl is not going to be a problem much longer. Trust me.”
“But she’s a problem now. For years I’ve put up with your lies and affairs, but coming face-to-face with one of your bastard children is a little more than even I can take.”
It had been a long time since Rob had seen her in such a mood. He had to do something, and fast.
“Francine, baby, you’re blowing this out of proportion,” he said, and tried to take her in his arms, but she whirled back and started shoving clothes into the suitcase again.
“I’m going home to Evergreen. When you get your life straightened out, give me a call.”
“For heaven’s sake, Francine, what’s so damn special about Evergreen?”
“It’s my home!” she cried. “I was born there. Our children were born there. It’s where I feel at peace. This—” she waved a hand around the room “—has never been my home. Your mother was always mistress here. Now it’s Martha. And there’s something really strange about your aunt Martha, in my opinion. She needs psychiatric help. It’s not normal the way she fawns over your father. This whole family isn’t normal, and I’m getting away while I still have a bit of self-respect left.”
Her words shook him; she’d never gotten up this much courage before. But he knew how to handle his wife. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I need you here with me,” he whispered.
“Need me? You’ve never needed me.” She laughed scornfully. “Your father needed my dad’s political support, and you got me as a consolation prize. Then you proceeded to show me that you could have more beautiful and sexier women in your bed.”
Rob pulled her close. “You’re wrong. I need you now more than I ever have.”
“No, you don’t,” she told him, but her voice was weak. “You have all yo
ur other women to keep you occupied.” He could see tears gathering in her eyes. “Why couldn’t you be satisfied with me? Why do you need those other women?” She sagged limply against him.
“There will be no other women. I promise.”
“For how long? Until another sexy young thing comes into your life?”
He sighed his frustration, getting tired of trying to appease her. “Don’t you understand how important this election is to me? I need you here, as my wife, to win. And we have to spend time with the people in the area. Help me, Francine, and I’ll bring the kids home when the semester is over. We’ll spend the summer campaigning, and if all goes well, we’ll spend Christmas at Evergreen. We’ll be a real family, just like you want.”
She leaned away from him, her eyes bright. “I want that more than anything.”
“Mr. Rob, Mr. Sloan is on line one.” Henry’s voice came through on the intercom.
Rob went over to the intercom on the bedside table and pressed a button. “Thanks, Henry.” He picked up the receiver, listened to Matthew for a few moments, then hung up.
With a somber expression he glanced at his wife. “The test results are ready. Ryder wants to see us at ten in the morning.”
“Why couldn’t he just give the results over the phone?”
“For some reason he wants to see everyone involved.”
“A bit melodramatic, isn’t it?”
“I suppose.”
There was a brief tense pause, then Francine asked, “Are you the father of that girl?”
“Of course not,” he denied swiftly.
“You answered that just a little too fast.”
He walked toward her and tried to take her in his arms again, but she pushed him away and asked, “How can you be so sure?”
He ran a tired hand through his blond hair. “Francine, I…” He paused, then said, “What the hell, you don’t believe anything I say.”
As he walked to the door, she warned, “You’d better not be the father of that girl, Rob. If you are, I’ll leave you and I’ll make sure the people of this district won’t elect you dogcatcher, much less a U.S. senator.”
He turned back, his blue eyes flashing. “Don’t threaten me, Francine. It doesn’t become you.”
“It’s not a threat, Rob. It’s a promise. And you know I can make it happen. All I have to do is pick up the phone and call Dad.” Her voice was cold and defiant.
He watched her for a moment and wondered what had happened to the warm, loving girl he’d married. The woman looking back at him was hard and embittered. Had he done this to her? The idea woke a conscience he’d thought long dead. Somehow he had to put his family back together again. He had to, or he was never going to win the election.
He walked back to her and looked deeply into her eyes. If there was anything he was good at, it was handling women. “You don’t mean that.” He smiled sweetly.
“No, I don’t,” she admitted, and took a deep breath.
“But sometimes you make me say and do stupid things.”
Rob relaxed, knowing he’d won this little skirmish.
He slid his arms around her and nibbled on her ear. “We’re good together, Francine, and you know it,” he whispered into her neck.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“So.” He kissed her lips. “Unpack and we’ll give this campaign our best shot.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Campaign? It’s always the campaign with you and your father.”
He kissed her again briefly. “I’ve got to tell Dad about Matthew’s call. We’ll finish this discussion later.”
As he hurried to the door, she called, “Rob…”
He turned back, a pleased look on his face.
“You’ve sweet-talked me into staying only because I’ve let you. Loving you is a weakness I’m not proud of, but I’ve taken all I’m going to take. You screw up once more, and I’ll keep my promise. Remember that.”
The pleasure vanished from his face. He knew she meant every word. He had finally pushed her to the edge and he could either go down with her or try to make their marriage work. With the election looming closer and closer, he had only one choice.
IN THE GARDEN surrounding the large indoor swimming pool, Stephanie Cox watched John Townsend take stiff steps with the aid of a walker. “Oh, Johnny, you’re doing wonderful,” she cooed.
John sank weakly into his wheelchair, breathing heavily. “Damn legs just won’t move the way I want them to,” he complained.
“It’s going to take time.” She smiled and eased onto his lap. “Don’t be so impatient.”
“Stephanie, get off. Someone might see,” he snapped.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “What difference does it make? You promised as soon as you were back on your feet, we’d get married.”
“I can’t think about marriage right now. I’ve got too much on my mind. That Doe girl has the whole family upset.”
She drew back. “That Doe girl is all you ever think about. Why does she scare you so much?”
His blue eyes darkened. “She doesn’t scare me. She makes me angry. Angry my wife would freely give away part of our children’s heritage. And angry that little nobody considers herself a Townsend. Never in a million years would that be true.”
She ran a finger down the angry lines of his face. “Even in your seventies you’re a very virile man. I can just imagine what you must have been like in your younger days.”
“That girl is no seed of mine,” he refuted harshly.
“If you say so.”
“I do, and she’s going to be sadly disappointed at the test results.”
She eased closer to him. “Let’s forget about her and talk about us.”
“Stephanie, I told you—”
“I’m tired of being your nurse, maid and therapist.” Anger flashed in her eyes as she interrupted him. “I want to be your wife.”
He put his arms around her, trying to soothe her. “First I have to get these other matters settled.”
“The Doe girl again,” she groaned. “How I wish she’d never come into our lives.”
“Me, too, honey, but it’ll all work out. I promise.”
“Okay.” She kissed his cheek. “But I want you to tell Martha we’re getting married.”
“Martha? Whatever for?”
“Because I don’t like the way she fusses over you. She’s your sister-in-law, not your wife.”
“She’s just a lonely old woman.”
“I want you to tell her.” Stephanie paused, then added, “if you don’t, you can find someone else to warm your bed.”
“Now, Stephanie.” He ran a hand up her thigh.
Rob watched from the doorway, anger churning inside him. He jerked open the door and stormed toward them. “Have the two of you no decency?”
“Now, son—”
“Leave us, Stephanie,” Rob broke in. “I want to talk to my father.”
Stephanie scrambled off John’s lap and hurried away.
“You just never stop, do you?” Rob railed, running both hands through his hair. “I can only imagine the pain Mother suffered putting up with your infidelities all those years.”
“The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.”
Blue eyes stared into blue eyes. “I know,” Rob said with a regretful sigh. “But I’m going to make my marriage work.”
“You’d better, or you can kiss this election goodbye.”
Rob gritted his teeth.
John watched his son. “In a lot of ways you’re like your mother. That woman had too much pride. When she first found out I was cheating on her, she kicked me out of her bed, and no matter how much I apologized and promised to be faithful, she never let me back in.”
“So to get even, you had an affair with her sister.”
John’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. “How do you know about that?”
“I was old enough to be aware of what was going on.”
“It was a stupid mistak
e, and you’re right—I only did it to get back at your mother. It was just a brief thing that should never have happened.”
“But Aunt Martha is still in love with you.”
“Yeah.” John looked down at his hands. “That’s the sad irony of the whole thing. Martha loved me and I loved your mother, but I could never make Victoria believe that.”
“We don’t have to wonder why, do we?” Rob glanced toward the door. “What about Stephanie?”
“I can deal with Stephanie,” John said grimly.
“And Aunt Martha?”
“She probably cares more for me than anyone on this earth, but I can’t return her feelings. She’s Victoria’s sister, and that’s all she’ll ever be to me.”
Rob shoved his hands into the pockets of his tailored slacks. “How did this family get so screwed up?”
“That’s just life, son.”
“Which reminds me—Matthew called. The test results are ready. We have to be in Austin at ten in the morning.”
John’s lips twisted into a cynical smile. “Now C. J. Doe will get what’s coming to her. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“NO, PETE,” C.J. SAID for the fifth time. “I’m going alone.”
“What about Sloan’s boy? Why don’t you ride with him?”
“I’m going alone,” she stated, knowing she couldn’t ride with Matthew. It would be best if they stayed apart, because Matthew could break her heart in a big way. Besides, he was the Townsends’ attorney and he would be with them.
“I don’t like it,” Pete said, watching her apply lipstick.
“Someone should be with you.”
She slipped into a pair of white heels. “You raised me to be a strong, independent woman. I can handle this.”
He eyed the white suit with the embroidery around the collar and sleeves, the green shell beneath the jacket and the black hair neatly coiled at her nape. “Is all this for the Townsends?”
“No, it’s for me,” she replied. “I need to feel I can hold my own today, and whatever the outcome I want to be able to walk out of there with my dignity.” Checking her appearance in the mirror, she patted her hair. She hardly recognized herself in the new suit, but she looked okay, she supposed, wishing her stomach would stop churning. As she picked up her purse, she noticed Pete gazing at her with a strange expression on his face.