Blind Love

by SUE FINEMAN

  “I need to stay home today, Tony. The new bed is supposed to be delivered this afternoon, and I have work to do on the show.”

  “Sanchez can handle the delivery,” said Megan.

  “You can handle it, Meg,” said Walt. “You don’t have to stay here with me all the time.” He looked up at Catherine. “Go on, have some fun today. I’ll be home tomorrow, and you’ll be sick of me in no time.”

  Walt apparently thought Catherine would be staying here in Santa Barbara. Tony saw the disappointment on her face. She had something to prove to herself, and her job was the only way she knew how to do it. If Walt asked her to give up her job and she quit to please him, it would crush her spirit.

  “Tell you what,” said Tony. “Get your work done this morning, and you can make phone calls from the car. We’ll stop for dinner on the way back. C’mon, it’s my last day here. Cara’s pilot is picking me up tomorrow morning.”

  Walt glanced at Catherine and then at Tony. “Tony, if you want to stay, I’m sure we could use your help around the house.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Timmons, but I have a job. I help my cousin manage his construction company, and I have a little job to do at Cara’s estate before her birthday bash at the end of the month. I need to inspect this property and get back.”

  “Cara?” said Megan.

  “My cousin, Nick, is married to Catherine’s friend, Cara Andrews.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, that Cara.”

  <>

  Fawn worked for a high class madam in Beverly Hills that week. Between her fees and what she could steal from the customers, she’d done pretty well for herself.

  She hadn’t heard anything from the interview she’d done for Henry Wallace Productions, but the girl who’d interviewed her seemed to think she wouldn’t have any problems getting on the show. Still, she wanted to be sure, so she called Mitzi.

  “We’re still getting contestants lined up,” Mitzi told her, “but your interview was the best one. You have an excellent chance of being on the show.”

  Shooting for the show didn’t start until June, so Fawn called the madam in Beverly Hills. “I’ll be available for a few more weeks.”

  “You won’t work for me again. One of the clients complained about the money you lifted from his wallet.”

  Damn! Scratch that job. The only sure thing in her life was Walt Timmons.

  If she could get near him.

  <>

  When she got home from the hospital, Catherine called Henry. “I have someone here to take care of my father, so I’ll be back at work on the project tomorrow, either from home or back in the office.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Have you called Mitzi?”

  “Not yet. I looked over the profiles she sent of the women, and we can only use about half of them on this show. One is out completely. I refuse to work with the empty-headed bimbo who drugged my father and caused him to fall down the stairs.”

  Henry chuckled. “Good to have you back, Cat. You’re in charge of this project, so tell Mitzi what you need her to do. We have a show to produce.”

  “Yes, sir.” Catherine hung up and let out a loud whoop. She had her show back.

  Her next call was to Mitzi. “I want you to find some more girls. We’ll use Jenny, Chelsea, Rachel, JoJo, and Lily. Save the others for the fireman, all except—”

  “No, Cat. I’ve already interviewed—”

  “Tell Fawn she won’t be needed.”

  “Why? She’s the best of the bunch.”

  Catherine’s voice rose. “I won’t work with her, and I don’t want her in Cara’s house.”

  “Cara? You’re on a first-name basis with Cara Andrews?”

  “We went to college together.”

  For once Mitzi was speechless.

  “Find some other girls. We need thirteen, and we’re down to five. You can use the blackjack dealer, Carina, as an alternate, but no more beauty queens. Think character actresses instead of leading ladies. If we don’t have some average girls in the mix, this show won’t work.”

  “That’s stupid. The whole concept is stupid. Putting a blindfold on the guy—”

  “Stuff it, Mitzi. Looks aren’t everything, even in Hollywood. Henry put me in charge, and we’re doing it my way. I’m available by phone, and when you find some other girls, you can email their pictures to me.”

  Catherine had never spoken with a co-worker that harshly, but she wasn’t about to give Mitzi a chance to screw up this show. Tony was on it.

  “What do you think of the bachelor, Mitzi?”

  “He’s absolutely yummy.”

  Yes, he was. If she had any sense, she’d keep him for herself.

  Chapter Five

  Tony followed Nick’s directions, and two hours outside Santa Barbara, they arrived at their destination. The property was remote, hilly, and covered with brush and rocks. “Well, this isn’t what I expected.”

  He scanned the information Nick had given him. “Forty-five acres that backs up to Forest Service land. They bought it for development purposes, but I can’t picture people living out here.”

  “I can’t either.”

  “There should be a big building here somewhere. Nick wants to know if it should be restored or torn down.”

  Catherine pointed. “It’s on the hill by that clump of trees.”

  “You call those trees?” They looked like scrubby bushes to him.

  “Looks like there’s an old dirt road.”

  Yes, there was a dirt road, but it was strewn with rocks. “You’d have to be a mountain goat to get from here to there.”

  “That’s why I drive an SUV. Let’s go.”

  He drove slowly toward the building and soon regretted it. He could be doing some major damage to Catherine’s SUV. They should have hiked in instead of driving, and he would have suggested it if Catherine hadn’t been wearing sandals.

  The closer they got to the structure, the bigger it grew. Peering through the windshield, he asked, “What is it?”

  “Looks like an old mission. Wouldn’t it make an awesome hotel?”

  Litter scattered near the building told Tony it was already used as a hotel of sorts. He spotted the field of cultivated plants and turned the SUV around so they could make a fast getaway if necessary. “Stay in the car until I make sure there’s no one else here.”

  She unclipped her seatbelt. “There’s no other vehicle here.”

  He pointed to the left, and she stretched her neck to look over him. “What is it?”

  “Pot. Marijuana. Someone is using this property for their cash crop, and I doubt they’ll appreciate us intruding on their privacy. Doors locked, and at the first sign of trouble, call 911.”

  “And tell them we’re where? I don’t think there’s a street address here, Tony, and I’m not staying here alone. If you’re going in, so am I.”

  “Stubborn woman.” No wonder he’d never dated a redhead. He opened the back and pulled out the tire iron. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it was better than nothing. “Stay close to me.”

  “No problem.” She clung to his arm.

  The cavernous structure was cool inside, with high ceilings and masonry walls at least a foot thick. The main floor looked like it was used to process their crop, and the big stone fireplace had a sweet, smoky scent.

  Catherine sneezed.

  The staircase was solid stone and there were tiny bedrooms off the long hallway upstairs. Three of those rooms were furnished with camp cots. Big crosses on the walls confirmed what they’d already guessed. At one time the church must have owned this property.

  The third floor was a mess where parts of the roof had caved in. It would take a lot of work for this to be restored, and he didn’t see any power outlets or light fixtures. No plumbing either. Nothing but the shell of a very old building and an illegal crop.

  They walked back down the stairs to the landing, where Catherine peered through the window. “Tony, look at the view.” He stood behind her, his arm aroun
d her shoulders, and looked out. The territorial view stretched for miles in every direction. He leaned down and kissed the side of her neck, and she made a sound like a kitten purring. It was all the incentive he needed.

  As he slid his hand under her shirt, he looked up and spotted a man hiking about a half-mile away. The man raised his hand to shade his eyes and stared at the building. Tony pulled Catherine back from the window. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” A crop the size of this one could be worth shooting someone for, and Tony didn’t have anything to shoot back with.

  “He’s just a hiker, Tony.”

  “Maybe, and maybe he’s living here. Maybe he’s guarding the place.” He pointed toward the stairs. “Go.”

  She raced down the stairs, her sandals slapping hard against the stone steps. He was right behind her, and they were in the car in seconds.

  As she strapped herself in, she asked, “What are they doing in the building?”

  “Processing pot.” He started the engine. “They’ve been burning the residue in the fireplace. Didn’t you smell it?”

  She screwed up her pretty face. “Was that what that was?”

  “You’ve never smoked pot?”

  “God, no. I’ve never smoked anything. I’m allergic.”

  He chuckled. “How did you get through high school and college without smelling pot?”

  “I didn’t get out much,” she said with a serious face, and Tony burst out laughing.

  “Well, I didn’t. I sure as hell didn’t meet anyone like you in school. You’re an education all by yourself.”

  He could probably teach her a few things in the bedroom. He wanted to make love to her, and from the hunger in those big green eyes, she wanted him, too, but the timing was all wrong. He didn’t want to start something tonight and then leave in the morning, and she wouldn’t want to make love with her mother in the house. Catherine would be at Cara’s estate for a few days before the show began, and they’d have some time alone then. If they took this flirting to the next level, they’d have some privacy there.

  He shook off his thoughts of Catherine and concentrated on the job at hand. What could they use the property for? There had to be a well, because someone was watering that field, but there was nothing else there. Stringing utilities out that far could be costly. “I wonder why the original owners closed up the place.”

  “They were probably burned out. The building is stucco and the roof looks like clay tiles. That wouldn’t burn, but the timbers holding up the roof would. If they had gardens or orchards, they would have been lost in a fire.”

  He glanced at her and back at the road, if you could call this rocky path a road. “Is that why the road goes all the way around the hill at your place?”

  “My great-grandfather had a switchback drive, but my grandfather put it all the way around the hill to use as a fire break. My father had sprinklers installed on both sides of the drive, and at the first sign of fire, they get turned on. There’s a pump on the well that puts out enough water pressure to fight nearly anything. It wouldn’t stop a major forest fire, but it’s better than nothing.”

  Tony blew out a breath of relief when he pulled back onto the paved road. “We need to find the nearest town.”

  “Why?”

  “To see a mechanic and make sure we didn’t damage your car. And I want to report what we found to the authorities, so Nick doesn’t get blamed.”

  “You can tell them how to get there, because I’m completely turned around. It looks like the sun is setting on the wrong side, and don’t ask me which way is home.”

  Tony chuckled, but he had more serious problems. The engine was starting to smoke, and it felt like they had a soft tire. He pulled into the first gas station he saw.

  The mechanic had gone home for the day, so Tony made temporary repairs and hoped it was enough to get them home.

  While Tony washed the grease off him, Catherine called 911 and offered to meet an officer somewhere convenient, anywhere but the gas station. The cops would need to see Tony’s map, but she didn’t want to hang around this grease pit for one minute longer than absolutely necessary. The lecherous old man behind the counter smiled at her like she was a giant lollipop and he wanted a lick. Tony had been too busy to notice.

  The operator put her on hold, and when she came back, she said an officer would meet them at a nearby diner. It wouldn’t be the romantic dinner Catherine had envisioned, but Tony had grease on his clothes, so they couldn’t go anywhere nice. She couldn’t believe he’d fixed her car himself instead of having it towed. He had talents she hadn’t even imagined.

  She was lost in thoughts of Tony’s other talents when he asked, “Did you make the call?”

  She nodded. “We’re supposed to meet someone at Dinah’s Diner, about six miles down the road. She said to drive south and it’ll be on the right.”

  He leaned down close and his warm breath tickled her neck. “Which way is south?”

  “You’re asking me?”

  He was still laughing when he drove down the road. “Princess, I’m going to miss you. I hope Cara invited you to her birthday party.”

  “Yes, she did.”

  He lifted her hand to his lips. Tingles ran up her arm and down through her body, settling in a pool of moist heat below her belly. What she wouldn’t give for a night alone with him.

  If she slept with him, it could ruin the show, and if she put him on the show, he’d find another woman. She must have been out of her mind to get herself in this predicament, but it was too late to back out now. Henry had already shown Tony’s pictures to the sponsors. If she pulled Tony off the show now, it would put Henry in an awkward position, and his production company might not survive. She couldn’t do that to Henry.

  After Tony talked with the officer who was waiting at Dinah’s Diner, they ordered dinner. Catherine picked at her food, while Tony ate everything in sight. He glanced at her plate. “Not hungry?”

  She shrugged.

  “Worried about your father?”

  She looked up at him, her green eyes filled with sadness. “Wondering what I’m going to do without you.”

  He’d been wondering the same thing about her. “You could come back with me. I’ll build the gazebo while you check out the house for your show.”

  “I can’t go anywhere until I get my father settled at home, and I’ll have to go into the office in LA and get some work done. The girls Mitzi chose… Well, let’s just say they won’t all work for this show.”

  “Why not?”

  She glanced at his face and wanted to talk it over with him, but if he knew, they wouldn’t get the reaction they wanted on camera. “I can’t talk about it, Tony.”

  “Big secret, huh? Okay, we won’t talk about it. How about a swim when we get home?”

  Gazing into his warm brown eyes, Catherine wanted more than a swim. She wanted a night of hot sex with the man of her dreams. As if that was going to happen.

  He cleared his throat. “Are you going to be one of the women on the show?”

  His question surprised her. “Me?”

  “Yeah. Are you looking for love, or have you given up on men?”

  “If I went on a show like that, I’d be the first one eliminated.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” he said softly, and her skin tingled. Maybe a night of hot sex wasn’t such a far-fetched idea after all.

  In the gathering dusk, with traffic thinned to a tolerable level, Catherine leaned her head back and watched Tony drive toward home. She didn’t want to be one of those clingy, possessive women who didn’t know when to give a man his freedom, and she didn’t want to make a play for a guy who’d soon have a baker’s dozen of eligible, love-starved women to choose from. But she wanted this man with everything in her.

  Did he really want her to be one of the women on the show? She couldn’t do it, of course, or her career would be over in a heartbeat. Still, the fact that he asked had to mean something. How could he be attracted to her? There wa
s nothing special about her except the size of her breasts and the size of her trust fund, and she didn’t think money would matter that much to Tony.

  Instead of driving her to the house, Tony headed for the hospital. “I want to say goodbye to your father before I leave, and I don’t think I’ll have time in the morning.”

  Father would appreciate the gesture, but Catherine didn’t want Tony to leave. It was selfish of her to want to keep him to herself, but the thought of going through an entire day without him left her with an overwhelming sense of sadness.

  He pulled into the parking lot at the hospital and unfastened his seatbelt and hers, and she drifted into his arms. The gentle kiss of friendship turned into a passionate, bone-melting kiss, and his big hand covered her breast. “Definitely natural,” he whispered. “The best kind.”

  Tony rubbed his cheek against hers and licked her earlobe, electrifying her body.

  “I can’t believe you’re doing this now, when you’re leaving tomorrow.”

  He pulled back far enough to gaze deeply into her eyes. “Let’s go visit your father and then go home.” Threading his fingers through her hair, he pulled her in for a lusty kiss that left her wanting more.

  No man had ever made her feel more alive.

  They walked inside together and found Father in a rare good mood, smiling and joking with his nurse. Catherine hadn’t seen him this happy in a long time, maybe since her mother left.

  “Catherine, Tony, how was your day?”

  “Eventful,” said Tony. “The property is out in the middle of nowhere, and someone is growing a nice crop of marijuana, so we didn’t hang around. I scratched up Catherine’s car, blew out two hoses, and punctured a tire on the way out. I patched the hoses and changed the tire, but it’s only a temporary fix.”

  “But you got her back safe and sound. She can drive one of my cars.”

  Catherine slowly shook her head. Any other guy and Father would have given him a scalding rebuke for damaging the car, but Tony had been up front about it, and Father respected a man who didn’t try to hide things or blame someone else.