To him it was important that all women knew how to protect themselves. He doubted he would ever forgive himself for not being around when his wife had been attacked and killed while leaving the shopping mall late one night. As part of the marine’s special forces, he had been away on a mission in the Middle East at the time. He knew he could not bring Patrice back, but maybe what he was doing would help other women who found themselves in a similar situation.
His thoughts shifted back to Alli. During the two years that they had worked together, he had tried like hell not to notice her, not to be attracted to her, not to want her. And for a while he thought he had gotten his pretended nonchalance down to an art form. But then all it would take was for him to walk out of his office and catch her unaware of being watched, as she filed away some document on a high shelf. He’d notice what a gorgeous pair of legs she had, or admire her small waist, pert and firm breasts and curvy thighs, and his nonchalance would be history.
And now she had agreed to move in with him.
His blood heated at the thought, but he quickly cooled it down. Whether Alli worked for him here at Hartman’s Self-Defense Studio or at his home as Erika’s nanny, their relationship would remain a business one. A serious relationship with any woman was the last thing he wanted or deserved. He had not been there to protect Patrice and, as a result, a part of him felt he couldn’t be trusted to keep women safe. No woman needed a man who wasn’t trustworthy, so living the rest of his life alone was something he accepted.
Well, he wasn’t actually alone, he thought as a smile touched his lips. A few months ago he had been living the life of a carefree bachelor and hadn’t been prepared for eight-month-old Erika Danielle Hartman. The first question that had come to his mind was what in the hell was he supposed to do with a kid? But soon the answers had come. He was to do just what his brother Matthew and his wife Candice had known Mark would do. He would provide not only a home for their daughter, but also he would make sure she received every good thing life had to offer, which was something he definitely could afford to do since, during his grandparents’ time, oil had been discovered on their property, making the Hartmans instant millionaires.
He glanced at his watch when he heard the sound of the phone. He was expecting a call from Jake. His friend certainly had his plate full with the mayoral campaign while being an active member of the Texas Cattleman’s Club, especially now when there were a number of strange things happening in Royal.
Mark reached his desk and quickly picked up the phone. Alli had already left for the day. “Yes?”
“Mark, this is Jake. There will be a meeting at the club tomorrow night at eight. Think you can make it?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.”
“What about Erika? Do you need Chrissie to watch her for you?”
“No, Alli has agreed to be Erika’s nanny until Mrs. Tucker returns or until I can find someone dependable.”
“Alli?”
“Yes.”
“She’s going to be both your assistant and Erika’s nanny?”
Mark smiled, knowing Jake was confused. “No. I’m getting someone from a temp agency to handle the assistant duties for a while. Alli will be Erika’s full-time nanny.”
“Well, hell, Mark, how did you talk her into something like that?”
Mark sat in his desk chair as he thought about Jake’s question. “I simply told her that Erika and I needed her.” After a short pause he then said, “I also told her I would double what she was making here and I even threw in a bonus of a thousand dollars.”
“Whew, you sound like a desperate man.”
“When it comes to Erika’s well-being, I am.”
“Are you sure that you’re only thinking about Erika. I can clearly recall your reaction to seeing Alli that night at the Anniversary Ball.”
Mark leaned back in his chair. It was at times like this that he wished Jake had a short memory. He couldn’t help but remember how speechless he had gotten when he had seen Alli the night Jake was referring to. She had looked nothing like his efficient, shy assistant. She had taken out the knot that she usually wore in her hair and the thick, silky strands had flowed around her shoulders. And that dress…wow! Seeing her in that dress would be forged in his mind as a delectable memory. On any other woman it would have been a simple black dress, but on Alison Lind there hadn’t been anything simple about it. He had found himself drinking an entire glass of wine before realizing he had done so while staring at her.
“Okay, so I found her attractive that night. What of it?” he finally asked.
Jake chuckled and then said, “Nothing of it. I’ll see you at the meeting tomorrow night. I understand that we have a lot to discuss. Logan heard from Nita Windcroft again today.”
Mark rubbed a hand down his face. “She still thinks the Devlins are behind the mischief going on at her place?”
“Yes, and of course the Devlins are still claiming they know nothing about anything.”
Mark shook his head. Having grown up in Royal, he knew that Windcrofts and Devlins had been feuding for years. He couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps Nita was blowing things out of proportion, given her temper and her obvious dislike of the Devlins. “And what about Jonathan’s death? Any new leads?”
It had been discovered a few months ago that instead of dying of a heart attack, Jonathan Devlin had been murdered with a lethal injection of potassium chloride. Sheriff Gavin O’Neal, who was also a member of the Texas Cattleman’s Club, was leading the investigation into Jonathan’s mysterious death.
“If there are any, Gavin will bring us up to speed. See you tomorrow.”
After returning the telephone to its cradle, Mark stood and walked back to the window and stared out. Getting out of the marines after Patrice’s death, he had decided to return to Royal to escape the memories. Within a short period of time he had become a member of the Texas Cattleman’s Club, a front for members who worked together covertly on secret missions to save innocent lives.
Investigating Jonathan Devlin’s death, as well as the incidents Nita Windcroft claimed were happening at her horse ranch, were keeping them busy. Then on top of everything else, there were still the mysteries surrounding the vandalism of the Edgar Halifax display and the map that had been stolen from the Royal Museum.
The latter bothered him more than anything because he had been assigned to keep an eye on the map while it was on the podium. However, he, like everyone else, had gotten distracted when a chandelier fell, nearly killing Melissa Mason, a television reporter, who’d been filming a scene that included the map. During that quick moment of chaos when fellow Cattleman Logan Voss had rushed across the room to save the woman he loved, thwarting an accident that could have been fatal, the map had vanished off the podium. Mark and his fellow club members were determined to get it back. The thief had been caught on film, but it turned out to be just a blurred image of a woman.
And speaking of images…The faces of two females filled his mind. The first was a beautiful little girl who was under his protection and the other was a stunningly attractive woman who could get under his skin if he wasn’t careful.
Two
As Alli passed the huge wooden marker of the Hartman Ranch, she couldn’t help but ask herself for the umpteenth time whether or not she was doing the right thing. That question was temporarily forgotten when Mark’s home loomed into view. It was massive as well as beautiful and she easily could place her modest house inside of it three or four times over.
She recalled the only other time she had been to this ranch and how in awe she had been. She remembered hearing around town how his grandparents had struck oil on the property and, as a result, the Hartmans lives had changed forever.
She also remembered her mother complaining about Mark’s father when he would contact her whenever he needed ironing done, which was something Alli’s mother had done on occasion to earn extra money. Mildred Lind had often said that Nathaniel Hartman was a cold, heartless and bitter m
an who hadn’t shown anyone—not even his two sons—any love or affection.
When Mark had returned to Royal and contacted her about becoming his secretary, she had been hesitant about working for him, thinking that if he was anything like his father, she would not want him as an employer. Eventually she had decided not to prejudge him. She had worked for him only a couple of weeks before discovering that, although he was a private person, he treated her with kindness and was fair. But it was evident there were demons eating at him.
More than once, especially around the holidays, she had caught an expression of pain and grief in his face and a part of her had regretted all the sadness he had endured in his life. Most of the people in town had heard about the tragedy that had happened to his wife, prompting him to return to Royal. She’d also heard that Mark blamed himself for her death and establishing the studio to teach women self-defense was a way to relieve some of that guilt.
And speaking of guilt, she couldn’t help but remember the phone call she’d gotten from her sister that morning. Kara had been all excited about a guy she had met the night before at the library. Alli had listened to her sister go on and on about what a hottie he was and that he had asked her to a party this weekend. Upon hearing that, red flags had gone up in Alli’s head, especially after remembering Kara had mentioned earlier in the week how much studying she had to do for a big exam she had next week. Alli had ended up giving Kara some sisterly advice, which included a reminder of how important getting a good education was. Evidently that had been the last thing Kara had wanted to hear and, needless to say, had ended the call quickly. Alli was left wondering if perhaps she had reacted prematurely and laid the lecture on too thick. Kara had concentrated fully on her studies during her first year at Texas Southern and Alli just didn’t want her to lose focus now. And Alli especially didn’t want this “hottie” to interfere with Kara’s studies.
Alli took a deep breath as she brought her car to a stop in front of the huge ranch house with the sprawling front porch, and couldn’t help but smile when the door opened and Mark stepped out with Erika in his arms.
Mark had heard the sound of a car approaching and when he had glanced out of the window and saw it was Alli, he had breathed a deep sigh of relief. He had seen her briefly that morning, long enough to introduce her replacement before returning to the ranch to relieve Christine of Erika.
As soon as he stepped onto the porch and watched Alli get out of her car, he was besieged again with thoughts that having her here wasn’t a good idea. But it was the only option he had. “Glad you made it,” he said, coming to a stop near the steps. She smiled up at him and, although he didn’t want it to, his insides felt warm all over.
It didn’t help matters when he got a whiff of her perfume. He had long ago accepted that it was the most seductive scent he’d ever come in contact with. She was wearing her hair down around her shoulders, the way he liked. The sunlight slanting on her head made the strands appear more chestnut than dark brown in color.
“I’m glad I made it, too,” she said coming to meet him and automatically taking Erika out of his arms to hold her against her shoulder. His niece remembered Alli from the times he had brought her to the studio and went willingly, but then she did the same thing to everyone. It often bothered him how friendly Erika was and knew when she got older he would have to make sure he taught her not to be so open to strangers.
“You need help with your things?” Mark asked, seeing the boxes in the back seat of her car.
He studied the older vehicle and hoped she would use the bonus she would be getting to purchase another one. Recently he had overheard Christine telling Jake how the car had broken down on an isolated road leading into town one night and that Malcolm Durmorr had stopped to offer help.
Malcolm, known around town as a shiftless lowlife who was always on the brink of some kind of disaster, was said to be a distant cousin of the Devlins, although it seemed they weren’t eager to claim him. There were a number of things about him that Mark didn’t like, especially the get-rich-quick schemes Malcolm had pulled on a couple of innocent, unsuspecting people in Royal.
Mark recalled how Malcolm had come into the Royal Diner one afternoon and had sat eating his dinner while gazing at one particular waitress by the name of Valerie Raines as though he would have preferred having her on his plate instead of the pork chop. The lust in the man’s eyes had been disgusting and the thought that Malcolm had been the one to help Alli hadn’t set too well with Mark.
Mark suddenly lost his train of thought when Erika, fascinated with the gold chain around Alli’s neck, reached inside Alli’s blouse to pull out the topaz pendant attached to it, providing Mark with a generous view of Alli’s cleavage as well as the top of a black lace bra. Upon realizing what the baby had done, Alli quickly switched Erica to her other shoulder and snatched the blouse back up in place. When Alli met his gaze, an embarrassing tint flushed her cheeks.
Mark thought it best to pretend he hadn’t seen a thing instead of standing there wishing he could get an instant replay. He cleared his throat. “If you give me your keys, I’ll bring your stuff inside so you can get settled in,” he said as warning bells clanged in his ears.
He had to fight his attraction to Alli no matter what, but already things were getting off to a heated start. With her dressed in a blouse and a pair of slacks wasn’t helping. He had decided after the first time he had seen Alli in pants that she’d had the most well-defined, enticingly shaped butt of any woman he’d ever seen. In fact, he didn’t know of anyone who even qualified as a close second.
She always dressed professionally while in the office. The only time he hadn’t seen her dressed that way was when she had signed up to take his class. He remembered how, like the other ladies, she had shown up wearing shorts. In addition to teaching her the art of self-defense, he had taught himself the art of self-control.
His thoughts returned to the present when she handed him her car key. “I didn’t bring over much since I’ll have time to do more packing this weekend,” she said shifting her gaze from him to Erika. “Has she eaten dinner yet?”
Mark laughed. “Yes. If she was hungry, you would know it. That’s the only time she’s in a bad mood.”
Alli gave herself a mental shake. Mark’s laugh threw her, since she had never heard him laugh before. This was the first time she had ever seen this side of him. He was being so pleasant and human. Not that he walked around being a tyrant, but he’d never been in her presence and not acted with reserve and reticence.
He must have seen the strange look on her face because he eyed her for a moment as his expression went from curious to concern. Then he asked, “Is something wrong?”
She shrugged. “No, nothing’s wrong.” Cautiously, she added, “I just don’t ever recall the two of us ever holding a conversation for more than five minutes that didn’t have anything to do with business.”
Mark leaned against the wooden column and thought for a moment. Neither had he. Even yesterday while they had discussed the arrangements of her becoming Erika’s nanny, it had been business. “Well, you’re doing me a huge favor by being here. Away from work I’m more relaxed and at ease so get prepared to see another side of me. Believe it or not, I can be a friendly guy.”
“It’s not that I thought you weren’t friendly,” Alli rushed to say, hoping she hadn’t offended him. “But you—”
He held up his hand. “Hey, there’s no need to explain,” Mark said chuckling, thinking he liked how Alli looked when she was flustered, which was something he rarely had seen. “Come on in, let me show you around. I’ll get the things out of your car later.”
She gave him her usual shy smile and said, “All right.”
Erika began murmuring words Alli couldn’t quite make out as she followed Mark into the house. This was her first time inside. The last time she had been here he had stepped out onto the porch to sign the papers she had delivered.
She glanced around as Mark took her
from room to room. She couldn’t help noticing how each one was richly furnished with leathered pieces of a rustic, western design. Erika’s bedroom was another matter. It was wallpapered with Snow White and her seven dwarfs, and a beautiful white convertible crib sat in the middle of the room. The room’s decor was colorful, bright, fit for a little princess, and the bedding accessories matched a miniature chair and ottoman that sat near a window in the room. A huge stuffed bear had been placed in the chair. Alli couldn’t help smiling. “It’s beautiful in here, Mark.”
He turned to her. “Thanks. I hired a professional decorator for this room. I was a bachelor with no experience with kids when I got Erika and had to learn everything and fast.”
He automatically took Erika out of Alli’s arms when his niece reached for him. He nodded toward all the furniture in the room “The first thing I found out was that a child’s room should grow with the child and not the child having to grow with the room. I spend a lot of time in here with Erika since this is also her play room,” he said, tipping his head toward the huge toy chest that sat in one corner. “That’s the reason for the recliner-rocker over there. When I first got her I would sit in that chair and rock her to sleep. Now I just sit back and watch her play.”
Alli nodded as she studied the chair, seeing the image of Mark kicked back, relaxed, while keeping a protective eye on Ericka. Another vision suddenly came to mind: one of her sitting in that chair with him, in his lap, while the two of them watched Erika together. She could actually see herself as she cuddled close to him, her body curled to his with her head resting on his shoulder, while the warmth of his breath fanned her face.
Strictly Confidential Attraction Page 2