by Gina Wilkins
Steve smiled. “Don’t sweat it Why don’t I run out and pick something up while you give Annie her bottle?”
She returned his smile apologetically. “Sounds like a good plan.”
“What would you like?”
“I’m not choosy tonight Whatever sounds good to you will be fine with me.”
His grin deepened. “Why do I get the feeling I’d better not get too accustomed to hearing you say things like that?”
She made a determined effort not to look at his dimples, so that she could keep her voice level and firm. “Bet on it.”
His expression became more serious when he took a step closer to her. “I won’t be gone long. You’ll be okay?”
She knew he was remembering the way she’d looked when she’d arrived—shaken, wild-eyed, clinging to him—thoroughly unnerved by a mere telephone call. “I’ll be fine, Steve. I was just a little rattled by the call because I wasn’t expecting it.”
“Yeah, well, he rattled me a little, too.” He stroked the line of her jaw with his knuckles. “I’ll be back soon.”
He really was going to have to stop touching her that way, Casey thought as he walked out, closing the door behind him. It was growing increasingly difficult to think of him as an enemy when her whole body was tingling like crazy from a mere brush of his knuckles.
Annie made a sound that probably expressed hunger, but sounded to Casey almost like mocking amusement. Casey sighed. “You’re right I’m an idiot. Let’s go find your dinner.”
She started to relax once she’d settled in the big rocker in Steve’s den with the baby in her arms, the only sound in the quiet room being the little slurping sounds Annie made. She cuddled the baby against her and Annie’s blue eyes locked with hers. The child stopped nursing for a moment to study Casey more closely, and then she began to work the nipple again without looking away.
Funny how many times during the past twentyfour hours Casey had found herself imagining what it would be like if Annie were hers. She realized now that her maternal instincts had merely been suppressed during the past stressful year, not extinguished. There was something very sweet and touching about having this helpless, totally dependent child trust her so implicitly. Something that made her old longings for a family of her own resurface with a vengeance.
She touched Annie’s palm and smiled when the baby’s miniature fingers closed firmly around her own. It made her sad to think of how many of these precious moments Janice was missing.
“We’ll find your mommy for you, sweetie,” she murmured, hoping she wasn’t making an empty promise.
She was a bit surprised when the doorbell rang a few minutes later. Steve wouldn’t have rung the bell...unless his hands were full and he couldn’t unlock the door, she thought, hoping that was the explanation. Cradling Annie in her left arm, she walked to the door and peeked out the narrow security window.
It wasn’t Steve, she realized immediately. But it wasn’t anyone to fear, either.
She opened the door. “Hello, B.J.”
His bushy red eyebrows rose. “Well, hey, Casey. Didn’t expect to find you here consorting with the enemy.”
“I’m only giving Steve a hand with the baby,” she answered repressively. “He’s gone out to pick up some dinner, but he should be back in a few minutes if you want to come in and wait.”
She moved out of the way to allow the big man to amble past her, closing the door behind him. B.J. tentatively reached out with one thick finger to touch Annie’s tiny hand. “How’s the kid doing?”
“She makes sure she gets what she wants.”
He chuckled. “Good for her. Considering who’s been taking care of her, she’s got to be able to fend for herself a bit.”
“I’ll have you know we’ve been taking very good care of her.”
His grin was a bit wicked. “We?” he repeated. “Never thought I’d hear you linking yourself with Steve.”
“It’s only until we’ve settled this situation,” she muttered, glaring at him. She had always considered B.J. even more annoying than Steve—and that was saying a lot.
He sobered. “Heard anything from Janice since she called last night?”
Apparently, he had talked to Steve earlier. Casey shook her head. “Nothing. Have you found anything?”
“No. I’ve talked to everyone I can think of. She doesn’t seem to have any friends around here. Her neighbors in the trailer park hardly ever saw her. She paid her rent in cash, since apparently she didn’t have a bank account. It’s like she just disappeared off the face of the earth. To tell you the truth, Casey, I’m beginning to think you were right. We should have called the police.”
She chewed her lower lip a moment, glancing at the baby, who gazed so sweetly back up at her. “Maybe we should have,” she agreed after a moment. “But it’s harder now.”
B.J. nodded, his expression just a bit surprised. Had he really thought her so callous? Was it possible that she had misjudged him as badly as he had her?
B.J. pushed his hands into his pockets, looking uncharacteristically grave. “Some guy came up to me at the airport a couple of hours ago, asking questions about Janice.”
Casey’s throat tightened. “What was his name?”
“Park. I forget the first name.”
“water?”
B.J. nodded. “Yeah, that’s it. Do you know him?”
“He called me at home earlier. Did you give him my number?”
Frowning, B.J. shook his head. “I don’t have your number.”
So she still didn’t know where the guy had gotten it. “What did he say to you?”
“He asked if I knew Janice, if I’d heard from her lately. Asked if I had any suggestions for where he might find her.”
“Did he tell you why he was looking for her?”
“Said something about working for her family. I didn’t know whether to believe him or not, to be honest. Not after Steve told me how frightened Janice sounded when she called.”
“I didn’t believe him, either,” Casey confessed.
“Man, this stinks. I don’t like the thought that someone could be trying to hurt Janice. And I don’t like not knowing how to help her...or the kid,” he added, nodding toward Annie.
“Neither do I, B.J.”
The front door suddenly opened, causing them both to whirl in that direction. Casey clutched Annie tightly to her chest.
Steve looked surprised when he walked in, carrying a large, aromatic bag. “Did I startle you guys?”
“A little. B.J. was just telling me that Park contacted him this afternoon.”
Frowning, Steve looked at his pilot. “He called himself Park?”
B.J. nodded. “Walter Park. Smooth-looking guy with gray hair and hard eyes. Grilled me about whether I knew where Janice was, asked if I thought there was any chance you or Casey would know. I told him none of us know where she is. Guess he could tell I was telling the truth, because he didn’t hang around long.”
“Did he ask about the baby?” Casey asked, cradling Annie protectively.
B.J. shook his head. “Not a word.”
Steve frowned. “You said he had gray hair?”
“Yeah.”
“The guy who found me this morning had oily black hair. Rough skin, thick neck, a nose that looked like it had been broken a time or two.”
His eyes wide, B.J. shook his head. “Not the same guy. This one looked like a banker or something. Thin, sharp dresser. Respectable, really. But I didn’t like his eyes.”
Casey sank into the rocking chair, her knees going suddenly weak. “There are two of them?”
“Apparently.”
“You suppose they’re working for the same people?” B.J. asked.
Steve shrugged, looking worried. “I don’t have a clue. For all we know, they could both be decent guys with Janice’s best interests at heart...but I don’t think so. Not after hearing the fear in her voice when she called here last night”
“Damn. I think
I’ll check on Madelyn and make sure no one’s been bothering her.” B.J. moved toward the door. “Let me know if anything else comes up.”
“We’re about to have dinner. There’s plenty of food for the three of us,” Steve offered.
B.J. shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ll grab something later. I’ll be in touch.”
He left without further comment.
“He is a very odd man,” Casey commented, looking at the closed door.
“He’s a little eccentric, but he has a heart as big as Texas. How’s Annie?”
“She’s starting to look sleepy. Maybe she’ll nap while we eat.”
“I’ll move the bassinet to the kitchen. Maybe she’ll be content to be in there with us.”
Casey nodded, trying to get hold of her emotions. But the revelation that Claybrook and Park were two separate men had definitely ruined her appetite.
A FEW MOMENTS LATER, Steve summoned her to the kitchen. “Everything’s ready in here. Want to try putting her down?”
Very carefully, Casey carried Annie into the other room and laid her gently in the bassinet. To her relief, Annie didn’t stir, but settled into the little bed with a sleepy sigh.
“You’re getting pretty good at that,” Steve commented, watching her. “Have you ever wanted kids of your own?”
“They’re on my list of things to do when I have time,” she replied, lightly, trying to discourage getting too personal with him.
“Right after putting me out of business, I suppose.”
Even though she didn’t find the comment particularly funny, since that was exactly what she intended to do, she couldn’t help but laugh a little at his cheerful tone. “Somewhere after that,” she agreed.
“I hope you like Chinese food.”
Having recognized the bag he’d carried in, she nodded. “I love Chinese food. Especially when it’s prepared by Sam Wing.”
“Then you’re in luck. Mr. Wing personally prepared our dinner this evening.”
Having been unsure of her preferences, Steve had provided a variety of dishes. More than they could possibly eat, actually. He shrugged when she pointed that out. “I’ll have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow,” he said.
She wrinkled her nose at the thought of eating Chinese leftovers before noon. Then sighed in appreciation at the first bite of Kung Pao chicken. She supposed Mr. Wing’s food was good enough to enjoy any time of day.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, both lost in their thoughts. And then Steve spoke, breaking into Casey’s troubling reverie. “Tell me about yourself, Casey.”
Surprised by the request, she studied him across the table. “What do you mean?”
He smiled faintly. “I thought it was fairly self-explanatory. I’d just like to get to know you better.”
For the first time, Casey became fully aware that she and Steve were alone together in his home, if you didn’t count Annie. Funny how it had taken her so long to find that circumstance so unsettling. Had she been too distracted to really notice before? Or was there suddenly something different in the way Steve was looking at her now? Something that made her aware of him as a man, rather than as a rival. “Why?”
He sighed. “Must you be so suspicious of everything I do or say? I’m simply trying to make conversation. We’re both worried about Janice and Annie, but there’s nothing we can do at the moment. We should at least attempt to enjoy our dinner.”
She supposed she had overreacted a bit. It did seem silly for them to eat together in total silence. Her sudden discomfort at being alone with him was her problem, and she would deal with it “Sorry. I guess I’m still on edge.”
He nodded. “Perfectly natural after everything that’s happened today. So why don’t we talk about something else for a while?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything you want to tell me. Why don’t we start with your job? Did you always want to take over your father’s business?”
She shook her head, thinking that this was hardly a subject she should be discussing with Steve. And yet she found herself answering candidly. “Not exactly. I sort of fell into it when my father became ill a little more than a year ago. He and I ran JCS together the last few months of his life, and as you know, I took it over when he died last year.”
“Your stepbrother wasn’t interested in the business?”
“No. Edward’s a dentist. That’s all he wants to be.”
“You said you didn’t plan on taking over JCS. What was your plan?”
“I majored in accounting in college, because it seemed like a useful degree.” One her father had recommended, of course, though she didn’t bother to add that tidbit. “I spent five years earning a degree, and passed the CPA exam. I worked at that for a while, and then decided to go to law school.” Another of her father’s suggestions. “I was a little more than halfway through when Dad became ill.”
Steve looked startled. “You quit law school?”
“My father needed me,” she said simply, seeing no need to add that her heart hadn’t really been in law, anyway.
Eating in silence for a moment, Steve studied her across the table until self-consciousness made her drop her gaze and concentrate on her own meaL “Why didn’t you sell the business after your father died?” he asked eventually. “I know a lot of people expected you to do so.”
“I couldn’t My grandfather started JCS. My father spent most of his life there. He asked me to keep it going...” That was only part of the reason she hadn’t sold out, of course, but there was no way she was telling Steve Lockhart—her competition—the whole story.
“But if it isn’t what you want—”
“I’ve learned to enjoy my work,” she cut in a bit more sharply than she’d intended. “And I’m good at it, despite what some people predicted when I took over.” The company accountant who had glumly forecast bankruptcy within a year, for example. Casey was still waiting to hear him admit that he had been wrong.
“I’m sure you would be good at whatever you choose to do. But still...”
She glared at him. “If you think I’d close my business so you can take over my clientele...”
His low, rich laughter sent a little shiver down her spine. “You are just about the most suspicious woman I’ve ever met I’m only making conversation, not picking your brain in some subversive attempt to take over your business.”
She refused to back down. Her chin rose even higher. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.”
“As I’ve mentioned before, I like you, too, Casey, darlin’.”
He was the most annoying man. He simply loved getting a rise out of her. And it always irritated her when she gave him that particular satisfaction. She took a deep breath and forced herself to speak calmly. “That’s enough about me. What about you? Is this what you’ve always wanted to do?”
“Have dinner with you, you mean? Actually, it’s been a goal of mine since the day we—”
“The charter service,” she said through gritted teeth. “Have you always wanted to run your own charter service?”
“Oh, that.” The glint in his brown eyes told her he had known exactly what she meant. “I’ve wanted to fly ever since I took my first plane ride when I was seven. It’s all I ever wanted to do. I’m a bit too, um, independent to work for an airline—or for someone like you, for that matter—so I decided I’d better start my own company.”
“Someone like me?” she repeated, her tone cool.
“Yeah. Someone with a thing for rules and procedures and longtime traditions.”
“Rules and procedures are an important part of running a business. And there’s nothing wrong with tradition.”
He shrugged. “Anyway, I worked as a flight instructor in Dallas until I could convince a bank to risk giving me a business loan, which I managed two and a half years ago. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
“Especially tormenting me, right?”
“Definitely one of the perks,” he
agreed with a flash of dimples.
“So what made you decide to start up here, as opposed to Dallas?”
“My father grew up in this area. We came to visit several times a year when I was growing up, and I always liked it here. Dallas has a surfeit of charter services, and the market seemed a bit more open here, so...” He allowed his voice to trail off.
Casey dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a paper napkin, glaring at him. “I think JCS was serving this area quite well before you came along.”
“Have you got something against honest competition?” he asked mildly. “You aren’t really advocating a monopoly, are you? Or suggesting JCS can’t survive on its own merits?”
She opened her mouth to give him a blistering reply, but shut it again with a snap, reminding herself that he was only baiting her again. His decidedly warped sense of humor was going to get him in trouble someday. She would greatly enjoy being there to witness it, she thought darkly.
As though realizing she wasn’t going to contribute any further to that particular debate, Steve changed the subject. “You don’t have a pilot’s license?”
Once again, he’d hit a nerve, touching on a criticism others had made, but Casey had always considered unfounded. “Being able to fly is not a prerequisite for managing a charter business. Just as a hospital administrator doesn’t actually perform surgeries,” she added.
“You never wanted to fly?” Steve persisted.
No way was she going to admit that she, the descendant of several generations of skilled pilots, was afraid to fly. She’d been in airplanes since she was born, and she’d never liked it. Her anxiety had increased as she got older, and by the time she was a teenager, she’d only go up when it was absolutely necessary.
Her father had all but demanded that she take flying lessons, believing she could conquer her fear if she became more familiar with the operation of an airplane. She had flatly refused. She would concentrate on schedules and spreadsheets, payroll and profits, she had announced, leaving the flying to others.
It was only one more time when she had disappointed her very demanding father.