by Meryl Sawyer
She was all too conscious of Kyle watching her, and she didn’t want him to know how upset she was. Upset and confused. On one level she was furious with Chad for ignoring her, yet on another level, she was relieved. She couldn’t possibly love Chad the way she’d thought and still have become involved with Kyle.
How do you feel?
Jennifer’s silent question to herself was difficult to answer. For so many years, she’d worked hard at avoiding heartfelt emotion. Precisely because there was a casualness about Chad, she had felt safe with him, knowing he didn’t expect too much from her.
Kyle was completely different. He would accept nothing short of total commitment, something she could not give without opening a door to the past that she was determined should remain shut.
“How did you find out about Thunder Island?” Kyle asked Chad, interrupting her thoughts.
Chad glanced at Lisa, then looked across the table at Thelma Mae. The older woman smiled, a fond almost affectionate smile. Jennifer found Thelma Mae’s reaction odd. The woman was usually all business, yet tonight she’d saved a place for Chad and now was smiling at him with the same pleased expression she’d shown with Tyler. If she had a thing for younger men, it didn’t include Kyle or Chuck.
“I was down here on a top secret project,” Chad responded to the question. “Someone brought me to Thunder Island, and I’ve been coming ever since.”
What? Jennifer silently contradicted Chad. When they’d been in Miami, he had told her in detail of how he’d sought out Thelma Mae Horton. She had been the mother of a DEA buddy who had been killed in Colombia. The two had become friends, and he visited when he could.
Why would Chad deliberately not tell the truth about such a simple matter?
Finally, the group rose and went out onto the terrace to enjoy dessert and coffee. Instead of following everyone, Jennifer went down the hall and into the laundry room to check on Sadie. Although the dog could walk, Sadie wasn’t able to get up the stairs to Jennifer’s room. Thelma Mae had agreed to let Sadie stay down here until the cast was removed.
She opened the door and flicked on the light. Lurching to one side, Sadie staggered to her feet, tail wagging. Jennifer dropped to her knees and fondled Sadie’s ears the way Kyle did, jiggling them.
“You’re wondering what you did to get shut in here, aren’t you, girl?”
Sadie licked her hand and wagged her tail even harder.
“I could carry her up and down the stairs for you. That way Sadie could stay in your room.”
She started, turning slowly, not having heard Kyle come up behind her.
“That would be great. Thanks. I’ll need to walk her outside first.”
Sadie scrambled toward Kyle, ridiculously happy to see him. They walked the dog out to the side yard near the swimming pool. Jennifer waited, expecting some smart-aleck comment about the way Chad had taken up with Lisa, but Kyle remained silent as they let Sadie do her business.
It wasn’t until they were back in the house at the bottom of the stairs that he spoke, “Okay, Sadie, here we go.”
He effortlessly lifted the bloodhound into his arms and carried her up the stairs. Jennifer opened the door to her room, instantly regretting she hadn’t taken the time to put things away. The T-shirt she slept in was tossed across the unmade bed. The message in hot pink script was still visible:
Anyone Who Says Money Can’t Buy Happiness
Doesn’t Know Where To Shop.
Kyle put Sadie down on the braided rug next to the bed. He towered over Jennifer, asking, “What in hell is going on with Roberts?”
Jennifer shrugged, acting as if she didn’t care, but the way Chad ignored her had been terribly embarrassing. Worse, she’d discovered the man she thought she wanted to marry was a liar. Being involved with him demonstrated what poor judgment she had when it came to men. It would be a long, long time before she allowed herself to become involved with a man.
She turned away from Kyle, but he spun her around to face him. “Roberts is a nut case. If I’m away from you for five minutes, it’s all I can do to keep my hands off you. I’d be damned if I could be separated from you for weeks and not kiss you the second I saw you again.”
Before she could respond, he bent down and gently kissed her lips. It was a short, fleeting kiss, but one of indescribable sweetness. Without another word, he turned and walked out the door.
Chapter 22
Jennifer made herself wait and see if Chad would come to her and explain his behavior. She sat in her room and watched Sadie make herself comfortable on the rug next to her bed. She thought about Chad, but her mind kept straying to Kyle.
“If I’m away from you for five minutes, it’s all I can do to keep my hands off you. I’d be damned if I could be separated from you for weeks and not kiss you the second I saw you again.”
Kyle had sounded so sincere, and the look in his eyes echoed his voice. He did care about her. What about Chad?
She walked over to the French doors that opened onto the balcony and swung them open, thinking. Through the half-closed plantation shutters she caught a glimpse of Kyle standing by his desk, his back to her.
He’d taken off his shirt, and his low-riding cut-offs gloved his slim hips. He was built like a V from the breadth of his shoulders where they joined the column of his neck to his lean, powerful legs. Except for the scar on his knee, he was perfect. Physically.
Kyle was nothing like Chad. Nothing, Chad was shallow and a liar, she reluctantly admitted. Who knew what went on inside his head.
She forced herself to look away from Kyle and truly examine what was going on inside her mixed up brain. Had the episode with Chad been some sort of weird interlude? At the time, it had seemed so right.
The way Chad behaved tonight confirmed he wasn’t as much in love with her as he had seemed. No wonder he hadn’t given her a ring. Had he been playing a game with her?
She walked back inside, trying hard not to steal a glance at Kyle, who was still standing near the desk. He’d never seemed so appealing as when he’d carried Sadie up the stairs, knowing she couldn’t possibly carry the dog and realizing how much she wanted to keep Sadie with her.
“I made a terrible mistake with Chad,” she whispered to the sleeping dog.
Sadie didn’t move, but Jennifer recalled the bloodhound barely tolerated Chad, but she was crazy about Kyle. She’d flipped for him right away.
“What is Chad’s game?”
Sadie didn’t answer, of course. The dog seemed to be dreaming about S&R work. Except for the paw in the cast, her other legs were twitching and her nostrils kept flaring in and out as if she were trying to pick up a scent.
“What are you waiting for?” she said out loud. “Find out what’s going on with Chad.”
She slipped out of the room, taking care not to awaken Sadie, and went down the stairs to look for Chad. She pivoted around the bend in the stairs, hand on the newel post, and nearly slammed into him.
“Hey, sweetheart, there you are,” he said with a smile.
She refused to allow him to con her. “I want to talk to you.”
“Ditto,” he said, taking her arm and turning her so she headed up the stairs with him. “Let’s go to my room.”
Before she could protest, he stopped on the landing near a watercolor of a famous Key West landmark, the Donkey Milk House. He pressed a panel of highly polished oak next to the painting. The panel slid back to reveal a secret stairway.
“Sheesh! I’ve walked by this every day and never knew it was here.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know.” He nudged her up the stairs.
She climbed the narrow stairs and found herself in a small but airy room lit by a single lamp. A quick look around told her that she was in the widow’s waiting room behind Thunder Island’s widow’s walk. She had seen it from the outside of the house many times.
“Thelma Mae said this was a false room,” she said over her shoulder to Chad. “She claimed there wasn’t a
ny way up here.”
He slid his hands around her waist. “It’s top secret—reserved for very special people.”
She shoved his arms away. “Let’s talk.”
He gestured toward the bed where his duffel had been thrown. The only other place to sit down was the small stool in the corner near the telescope trained on the beach. On the small nightstand next to the bed was a military-style knife.
She stayed where she was. “What’s going on?”
He folded his arms across his chest with an angry glint in his eye. “I think it’s pretty clear what’s happening. You’re getting it on with Kyle Parker.”
“What?”
How could he pick up on that from the brief interlude at the dinner table when Chad had been so absorbed with Lisa that he’d barely noticed her?
“Any fool can see the two of you have been humping like weasels.”
Chad couldn’t know anything about what happened with Kyle—unless Kyle had told him. While she doubted it, she couldn’t rule out the possibility.
“I’m engaged to you. Why would I—”
Chad barked a sound that didn’t come close to a laugh. “I’ve known Parker for years. He’s the original ass man. Did you tell him we were engaged?”
She hesitated, knowing Chad had sworn her to secrecy.
“I told you not to mention it to anyone. The cartel wouldn’t hesitate to kill you to get back at me,” he reminded her with a disgusted look. “And Parker would consider it a challenge to screw you knowing you were my woman.”
“My woman?” She hated that term. This wasn’t the man she’d known in Miami. The Chad Roberts standing before her was another man, an arrogant jerk. “I’m not your woman. I’m not anybody’s woman.”
Chad raked his fingers through his sun-bleached hair. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I just meant Kyle Parker would do anything to get you if he knew we were engaged. Did you tell him?”
She shrugged as she nodded. “We’re old friends. I knew him when we were kids. It’s safe to confide in him.”
“Really?” Chad responded, his tone implying he didn’t quite believe her. “You never mentioned Parker.”
“Why would I? It was years ago. I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”
“Did Parker tell you about Panama?”
“He said he’d run into you down there.”
Chad flopped down onto the bed and lounged against the pillows that were propped up along the rattan head-board. “Did he tell you about a certain señorita who decided she liked me better than she did him?”
“No-o-o,” she slowly conceded, wondering what else Kyle hadn’t told her.
“Don’t get me wrong. Parker was an ace when it came to operations, but his weakness is women. It almost got him killed in Libya. Did he tell you about that?”
She shook her head, realizing Kyle had told her virtually nothing about himself. The warning bell inside her head had been correct. She had been wise not to tell Kyle everything.
“Funny.” Chad smirked. “Kyle will always walk with a bit of a limp because of a piece of tail, yet he hasn’t told you about her.”
She mustered a half smile as if this bit of information didn’t mean a thing to her, but inwardly she was shocked at how hurt she was. She had almost forgiven Kyle for what happened years ago. After all, they had been so young then, hardly in charge of their own destinies.
That was then and this was now.
Kyle had avoided numerous opportunities to discuss the past with her. He could have shared part of himself with her, but he hadn’t. Once again it struck her how much he was like his father.
“I think we should put our engagement on hold until you figure out how you feel about Kyle Parker,” Chad said.
“You’re right,” she replied without hesitation. “Since I never had a ring, it wasn’t a real engagement anyway, was it?”
Chad gave her a sheepish smile, obviously pleased to be getting off the hook. “Yeah, I guess not.”
Jennifer left the secret room without closing the door behind her. She was down the stairs opening the hidden panel before she realized how smoothly Chad Roberts had turned the tables on her. He hadn’t given her a chance to ask about his flirting with Lisa. He’d cornered her and made her defend herself, seizing the opportunity to back out of their engagement.
On one level she was relieved. She had nearly made a dreadful mistake. But on another level, she was even more disturbed than before.
“What is wrong with me?” she whispered to herself. How could she ever have thought she was in love with Chad? He was nothing like the man she had fallen in love with.
Nothing.
Her problems went back to the time she never thought about, the time after her mother had killed herself.
“Don’t go there,” she said out loud, opening the door to her room. “Don’t even think about it.”
She closed the door, marveling that Sadie hadn’t awakened. She tiptoed across the room and forced her thoughts away from that depressing time. Had Kyle deliberately seduced her because he had some macho thing going with Chad? It didn’t seem that way to her.
But she obviously wasn’t much of a judge of men. Going back to her first love, Kyle, then returning to the present time, she had made more than her share of poor choices.
Thelma Mae hid in the shadows outside Chuck’s room. The twins were arguing, but Thunder Island’s walls were too thick to hear what they were saying.
“Stirring the pot again, huh?”
She flinched at the raspy whisper, even though she recognized Plotzy’s voice. How had he managed to sneak up on her? Was she losing her touch?
“Pot. Did you say ‘pot’?” she asked, positive she’d misunderstood him.
“Remember back in ’82 you told me you loved to stir the pot by mixing explosive personalities.”
Slack-jawed, Thelma Mae motioned for Plotzy to follow her down the hall where they could talk. The man barely remembered to put on clothes before leaving his room, yet he recalled something she’d told him years ago.
“You’ve really done it this time,” Plotzy told her. “All the women were drooling over Tyler, then Chad arrived. Now we wait for the fireworks.”
That had been exactly what she planned, but she was astounded to learn Plotzy had picked up on it.
“Chuck and Chad and Tyler. What hunks,” Plotzy said with a sigh. “Kyle’s not bad, either.”
“Forget it, Plotzy. They’re straight.”
“What a waste.”
“What are the twins arguing about?” she asked, even though Plotzy couldn’t hear any more than she could.
Plotzy rocked back on his heels with a smug smile. “Money.”
“That’s ridiculous. They’re richer than Midas.”
“Right-o.” Plotzy toddled off down the hall.
Thelma Mae went into her own room where she found Chad waiting. He’d made himself at home and was lounging on the balcony chaise sipping a bottle of Red Dog Ale.
Thelma Mae attempted to hold her breath, but every time she saw Chad, her heart did a silly backflip. Other men were more handsome and smarter, but there was only one man like Chad.
His father.
“Welcome back,” she said with a smile.
He swung his feet to the ground and faced her, the bottle of beer dangling from one hand. “No more wandering around third world countries. I’ve quit the DEA.”
She clapped her hands. “Good for you.”
“Money talks and bullshit walks. That’s what I’ve learned. This time I’m going for the brass ring.”
Based on earlier conversations, she guessed, “You’re marrying for money.”
“Isn’t that what you did?” His pale eyes darkened dangerously. “Marry for money?”
She swallowed hard against the lump rising in her throat and forced herself to look directly into Chad’s pale-blue eyes. Finally, it was out in the open. They had never discussed it until now.
“Yes,
after your father left me, I had no choice. I was young, barely seventeen, and I didn’t have anyone to help me.” The pleading tone in her voice had no impact on him. His brows drew into a censuring frown. “Delbert Horton asked to marry me—”
“But he didn’t want to get stuck with someone else’s brat.”
“Del thought we should have our own children.”
“So you put me up for adoption just like that.” He snapped his fingers so close to her face that she flinched.
“It was a terrible mistake. I—I’ve regretted it every day since. I—”
“Would you have given a shit if you’d been able to have another kid?”
Thelma Mae stepped back, the words hurting her as much as a physical blow. “It had nothing to do with not having children. I regretted giving you up immediately, but Del wouldn’t change his mind.”
“How hard did you try? You must have been a looker back then. You could have played the sex card—if you’d wanted to.”
She felt as if her breath had been cut off. Chad could ooze charm when he wanted. Yet when the chips were down, Chad was his father all over again, a chameleon who could be sweet or as brutal as Attila the Hun.
Still, he was her son—even if the outside world didn’t know it.
He stalked into her room and threw open the door of the minibar. While he helped himself to another Red Dog, Thelma Mae looked down on the beach and saw Raven walking alone.
Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Thelma Mae turned and found Chad smiling at her—all charm again. He was his father, all right, Jeckyl and Hyde.
“It’s okay. So, I was adopted by the family from hell. It wasn’t your fault.”
His white-toothed smile said he’d forgiven her, but she knew better. He’d suffered terribly. He would never forgive her.
And she couldn’t forgive herself.
For all his faults, this was her baby boy. He’d spent years and a lot of money to find her. In his own way, he loved her as much as she loved him.
“Who are you marrying? Lisa?”
“No way. I’d have fucking Chuck hanging around all the time. Besides”—he took a long swig of beer—“I’m talking real money here.”