“Do you make a habit of rescuing women in distress?”
His gaze became shuttered. “Not generally, no.”
“What did you mean when you said you warned him once before?”
His eyes went flat and hard. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
Leigh shook her head. Her mind whirled, slotting the pieces together. The picture that formed shocked her.
“You went after him seven years ago, didn’t you? Of course you did. That’s why you had cuts and scrapes on your knuckles when they arrested you. That’s why the police were so sure you were the one who hit poor Mr. Wickert.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “Let it go, Leigh.”
“But—”
“You didn’t want to press charges against Nolan, remember? You wouldn’t even let us report that you’d been drugged.”
As if she could ever forget. Memories of that night and what might have happened without Gavin had haunted her for years.
“There was no point. His family has all sorts of influence in this county. You know the police wouldn’t have believed us. They would have said you put the drug in my drink.”
“I know,” he said thoughtfully, releasing her to rub a hand across his chin. “I didn’t realize you did.”
“Of course I did! We couldn’t prove anything. Nolan would have said he handed me the wrong glass, or that someone else had slipped the drug into my soft drink.”
But she knew Nolan had deliberately handed her the drugged glass. There’d been something in his smirk, she’d seen it even then. She just hadn’t understood.
Leigh knew she’d been lucky. If he’d been able to slip the drug into the beer she’d drunk first, things would have ended very differently that night.
Looking back, she’d take bets that he had asked her and not Hayley to go out with him because Hayley would have taken one look at that party scene and created such a fuss Nolan would have had to take her home. Leigh’s stomach still churned at the memory of that awful party and Nolan’s group of leering friends.
“You went after Nolan after the Walkens came to get me. You beat him up.” She knew she was right.
“I wouldn’t phrase it like that,” Gavin said, his tone lightening as he rocked back on his heels. “Ducort and I exchanged a few words. One or two blows were traded for emphasis, that’s all.”
“But—”
His quiet humor faded. “Leigh, Ducort was dangerous then and he’s dangerous now. He hides behind his family’s money and position. You don’t want any part of him.”
“You’ve got that right.”
“I’m glad we agree. So, you’re going to take the appropriate legal steps to avoid being one of his victims again. I know a judge who’ll issue you a temporary restraining order right away with my corroboration.”
“Can’t we just ignore him?”
Gavin touched her arm again. Her body hummed at the contact. Gavin withdrew his hand, as if he too had sensed the primal current.
“He’ll be back, Leigh.”
“That’s crazy.” And frightening.
“No. He’s sly and he’s rich, and he’s used to getting his own way, but he isn’t crazy. Keep that in mind. Ducort has investments in a number of local companies—construction, landscaping, real estate… What?”
Beneath that penetrating stare she squirmed. “Nothing.”
Gavin’s silence demanded an answer.
“He said he has some connection to R.J.’s company.”
“I’ll talk to R.J.”
“Wait!” Leigh reached for him, but stopped just short of physical contact. “I don’t want to cause any trouble for R.J.”
“We won’t.”
“It’s not R.J.’s fault Nolan is lower than slime.”
“An apt description.”
She dropped her hand. “A restraining order won’t keep him away. You know that.”
“Let me worry about that.”
“You’re a respected lawyer now. You can’t just go after him and beat him up anymore.”
Amusement softened his features. “Worried about me, or him?”
“Don’t be a fool!” Leigh rose to her feet. Gavin didn’t step back. The move put her tantalizingly close to him. Close enough to smell his aftershave. The unexpected distraction nearly made her forget what she was going to say.
“Nolan isn’t worth the trouble he would cause.”
The gray of his eyes turned to silver. Her heart began thumping in a ridiculous fashion. Gavin reached out and cupped her chin. The charge of invisible current was stronger this time and intensely sensual. She was filled with restless energy.
“He’ll try to hurt you.”
The smile started in his eyes and slowly spread to engulf his face. Her heart stuttered. In all the years she’d known him, she had never once seen Gavin smile like this.
“Try being the operative word,” he said.
Immediately, she bristled at his complete assurance that he could handle the situation.
“Oh, for pity’s sake. You just said Nolan’s dangerous. You aren’t invincible, you know.”
“I’m crushed at your lack of faith.” The smile dissolved, but the amusement lingered. “Ducort would try to hurt me if he thought he could, but I think he’s just smart enough to know better than to try. He prefers easier prey, Leigh.”
“Like me.”
“You’re the one who got away, remember?”
She trembled, suddenly cold all over. “We’re the ones who got away.”
He reached out as if to touch her, but Bram reappeared.
“Ducort took off down the driveway doing about sixty. With any luck, he’ll break an axle on one of the ruts. I told R.J. to call the cops if he comes back.”
“R.J. works for him,” Leigh protested.
“No, he doesn’t,” Gavin said. “Ducort may have his loan, but R.J. works for himself.” He looked back at Bram. “I’m going to take Leigh into town and initiate a temporary restraining order. It’s going to make him mad. We’ll need to keep a close eye on Leigh and Hayley.”
Leigh inhaled sharply. Bram looked fierce.
“Hayley?”
“I wouldn’t bet he can tell them apart—or would care even if he can,” Gavin added.
“We should have taken him down,” Bram said.
Ruefully, Gavin tipped his head. “Don’t think I wasn’t tempted. Unfortunately, as an officer of the court, I have to play by the rules.”
“He won’t,” Bram stated.
“I know.”
“I’m not under any such restrictions.”
“Bram Myers, don’t you dare get involved in this!” Leigh admonished. “Nolan has nothing to do with you.”
“He does if he’s threatening you and Hayley,” Bram said. He looked at Gavin, who barely nodded.
Leigh realized that, once again, a conversation was taking place between the two men on a totally nonverbal level. Shaken to the core by the savagery of purpose she sensed in them, she leveled them with a glare.
“What is it with you two? Nothing like a woman in danger to create a bonding moment between two macho males, is that it?”
Bram looked startled. Gavin nearly smiled again.
“She’s definitely related to her sister,” Bram told him.
“Yes, I am.”
Gavin’s eyes sparked with humor. “That quiet-twin reputation is all relative, huh?”
Scared and furious, she strode past them and hurried down the path without responding. The men trailed closely behind.
“Interesting tattoo,” Gavin said casually. Leigh knew he was referring to the colorful dragon wrapped around Bram’s bared upper arm.
“Hayley seems to like it,” Bram responded.
To add to her frustration, he sounded equally relaxed.
“I never got around to a tattoo. Never had the money as a kid, or the opportunity as an adult,” Gavin told him.
Leigh wanted to scream at them both. Instead, she was relieved to fin
d her sister and Emily pulling up out back. Tersely, she explained what had taken place.
“Why, that miserable, slimy, disgusting piece of pond scum. Someone should neuter him permanently,” Hayley ranted.
“Ouch,” Gavin said mildly. He raised his eyebrows at Bram.
“I live in fear.” The larger man slid an arm around Hayley’s shoulders.
“You’d better live in fear,” Hayley warned him. “You retired your superhero costume, remember? Stay away from Nolan.”
“As long as he stays away from you and Leigh, there’s no problem.”
“Leigh and I will drive into town and start the legal process now,” Gavin announced. “I’ll call Judge Armstrong’s office from the car to give her a heads up.”
NOLAN FUMED as he sped away from the estate. He wasn’t afraid of some no-name punk just because he’d gone to law school. Who did Jarret think he was, messing with Nolan Ducort? This was twice now the bastard had stepped in where he didn’t belong. He needed to be taught a lesson. A permanent lesson.
Nolan stood on his brakes to avoid hitting the horse trailer that suddenly filled the road ahead of him. He hated horses—loathed and feared the ugly beasts. It would have served the driver right if he’d plowed into the back of the lousy rig.
Anger pulsed through him with every breath. Damn horse people thought they owned the county. His fingers curled around the steering wheel. He thought how much more satisfying it would be to curl them around Jarret’s throat. That bastard had gotten in his way for the last time.
Jarret had made him look like a fool in front of his friends seven years ago. Keith Earlwood and Martin Pepperton had been as eager for retribution as Nolan when they’d discovered Jarret had disappeared with their prize all those years ago. After a couple of joints and a few more beers, they’d decided to set Jarret up for a burglary rap that night. Everyone knew the police chief hated the punks the Walkens kept taking in.
It should have been easy. Who could have known old man Wickert would come home early and catch them sneaking around inside his house? Nolan had had no choice. He’d had to hit the old man a couple of times.
They’d all been scared. The remembered taste of fear was one he’d never forget. Especially after he’d learned the old man had gone and died. They hadn’t even been able to plant the evidence on Jarret. Keith had been so scared he’d wet himself. They’d wasted hours getting him calmed down.
They’d had to convince him they’d had no choice, and the heart attack hadn’t been their fault. The old man would have died pretty soon anyhow. Besides, a murder charge was even better than burglary. While Earlwood fretted, Martin had gone ahead and made the anonymous call about seeing Jarret’s bike near the house.
Nolan hadn’t expected Jarret to be waiting for him when he finally went home. The bastard had worked him over good. Nolan had barely been able to move for days after that, yet the only marks that had showed outside his clothing were the bruises he’d gotten on his knuckles when he’d hit the old man.
When the cops had pulled Jarret in, he’d told himself it was a small price to pay. Then that little bitch had surprised them all by coming forward to act as Jarret’s alibi.
Nolan ground his teeth in remembered frustration. He owed them. Both of them. But first, he had to figure out what sort of game they were playing now. Obviously, Leigh had seen him in the barn with Martin. Why hadn’t she pointed the finger at him? He’d set up a solid alibi immediately, expecting her to go straight to the cops. But she hadn’t.
Martin’s body hadn’t even been discovered until some groom found the horse running free. Nolan had waited for the cops to show all weekend. The waiting had left him nervous and edgy. He’d been shocked when they’d finally arrived at his office yesterday afternoon. The dumb bastards hadn’t even known he’d been at the track that morning. He couldn’t believe they had only come to him for information on Martin’s potential enemies—and his drug use.
Quick to seize the opening they’d provided, Nolan had told them everything he knew about both, with suitable sounds of regret. Let them chase down Martin’s supplier and nail him for the murder. It was no skin off Nolan’s nose. He’d even volunteered the information that he’d been there that morning with a group of business acquaintances, but he’d assured them he hadn’t seen Martin there that day. He hadn’t talked to his friend in several months. The cops had gone away satisfied, and in part, so was he.
Except that Leigh Thomas had seen him with the gun.
Nolan slowed his speed even further, no longer riding the trailer’s bumper on the two-lane road. More than likely, she figured the cops wouldn’t pay her much attention if she did tell them what she’d seen. Everyone knew what Police Chief Crossley thought about the Thomas twins, and cops stuck together. The Saratoga police wouldn’t listen to her, either.
The important question was, what had Leigh been doing there? It couldn’t be coincidence. Martin had been the only owner using that barn, so she must have gone there to see him. Why?
And how was Jarret involved?
Nolan’s mind whirled with possibilities. Until a few minutes ago, he hadn’t even been certain which twin he’d seen at Saratoga. He’d driven all the way out to Heartskeep on a phony pretext to talk with R.J. that morning, hoping one of the Thomas girls would show. It hadn’t been easy to hang around until Leigh had arrived, but then his luck had changed. She’d conveniently wandered out back alone.
He had to admit, she was still a sexy-looking package. She still managed to project that innocent air that made a man itch to teach her a few things. But of far more interest was her business with Martin Pepperton. That was a puzzle he couldn’t let go of. Obviously she didn’t want the cops to know about her presence in the barn, so there had to be a way to use that to his advantage.
With both her parents dead now, the bitch had plenty of money. No wonder Jarret was sniffing around again.
Nolan’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel as he thought about what he’d like to do to Gavin Jarret. He owed that bastard, and Jarret was going to get what was coming to him, no two ways about it. But first, Nolan knew he should try to figure out what sort of deal Martin had had going with Leigh Thomas.
Nolan reached for his cell phone. He wondered if Keith Earlwood was still hard-pressed for cash. The whiny little weasel had been a pain recently, expecting Nolan to bail him out of his newest financial hole. Maybe he could offer to help his old buddy out after all.
Chapter Four
Judge Ellen Armstrong proved to be a stern-faced woman whose demeanor concealed a compassionate side. Watching Gavin in his professional capacity was an eye-opening experience for Leigh. The bad boy of the county had come a long way in seven years. It was obvious the judge liked and respected Gavin.
Still, it was a relief to finally put the ordeal and the courthouse behind her. According to the judge, Nolan would be informed that a hearing was scheduled. Gavin was right, Nolan wasn’t going to take the news kindly.
“You did very well in there,” Gavin told her as he waited for her to slide back inside his dusty blue sedan.
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.”
Gavin’s lips turned up as he closed the door and came around the car, sliding into the driver’s seat with that careless air of assurance she’d always admired in him. He gripped the wheel and she thought again that he should have been a musician. She could picture him running those fascinating fingers over an ivory keyboard with the same sensitivity he’d displayed running them over her skin.
She really had to stop thinking about things like that. What was wrong with her?
“Are you okay?” he asked as he turned the key in the ignition.
Leigh hoped her fair skin wasn’t giving her thoughts away. She’d insisted on changing into a dress before going to the courthouse with him. Now she smoothed down the skirt to give her fingers something to do.
“I’m fine. It’s just been a long day. And we never did get around to d
iscussing the problem with the estate.”
“Would you like to stop at The Inn for something to eat before we head back?”
There went her pulse rate again. Sternly, she told it to calm down. They knew each other in the biblical sense, but they had never been on a date, and this invitation didn’t qualify, either. Did it?
“I missed lunch and I figure we can talk about the situation over a meal. Then we’ll run back out to the house for a quick look around before it gets dark. What do you think?”
“All right.”
Of course it wasn’t a date. It was a business meeting. She had to keep that in mind. Gavin had never been interested in her on a personal level. She wasn’t even sure he could tell her apart from her sister.
So what if he was wildly attractive? She knew dozens of attractive men. She’d even dated a few. She was his client. They’d been thrown together by chance.
Again.
She met his gaze and her stomach fluttered. Did he look at all his clients that way? She was imagining things. Yet his satisfied expression when she agreed was disturbingly masculine.
The Inn, they discovered, had been hosting a private party all afternoon. The dining room wasn’t available yet to the public. One glance inside the darkly paneled bar revealed that it was already filled to capacity. The Inn was famous for its food, and most of the local people ate there on a regular basis. She wasn’t surprised or concerned by the crowd, but as Gavin stood there, something cold lifted the hairs at the back of her neck. Even as she ran a hand over her nape, she realized they were being watched.
Leigh scanned every face. Most of them were familiar. More than a few were people she knew by name. The unpleasant feeling persisted even though no one seemed to be looking at them in particular.
“How do you feel about Italian food?” Gavin asked.
She jerked her face to his. He seemed unaffected by the dread pressing down on her.
“I love Italian food,” she said quickly.
“There’s a new place in town I think you might like, as long as you don’t mind backtracking.”
The Second Sister Page 6