Bluegrass King (The Americana Series Book 17)

by Janet Dailey

  That same gleam had been there this afternoon when he abruptly informed her that he was changing their plans for this evening. His announcement that they would be attending a private party instead of an exclusive supper club hadn't even raised a carefully drawn eyebrow from Dani.

  As usual, she and Marshall were among the last guests to arrive at the party. She had long since ceased to be enchanted by the beautiful furnishing of their various homes she had been in or the sparkling jewelry and expensive clothes worn by the people who invariably attended these private parties.

  Through her experience gained at the race-track, Dani was able to separate the welcome guests from the gate-crashers and the social climbers. And Marshall was always a welcome and much sought-after guest. Every group of people they approached stepped back to admit him into their circle.

  The last group they had stopped at had made him the centre of their attention, something that Marshall's ego enjoyed and Dani was grateful for, since she wasn't in the mood to exchange bright repartees.

  Pretending a polite interest in the conversation, of more correctly Marshall's monologue, she let her gaze wander idly over the room, silently wishing she was out beneath the stars. At the opposite end of the room, she caught a flash of burnished copper. Shifting her position slightly, she was able to find it again.

  Her heart fluttered, skipped a beat, then hammered wildly. She only knew one person who had that particular shade of auburn hair, and that was Barrett. Unconsciously she must have stiffened, communicating her tenseness to the hand that rested possessively on her shoulders. As she became aware of Marshall turning towards her, the auburn head turned, enabling her to see the powerful profile that was unmistakably Barrett's.

  'Is something wrong, Danielle?' murmured Marshall.

  'No, no, nothing,' she protested too quickly as Marshall's dark eyes followed the direction of hers.

  At that moment the couple who had been obscuring her view of Barrett stepped aside. Before, Dani had only been able to see him because of his superior height. Now she saw the attractive blonde clinging to his arm and a numb pain took hold of her chest.

  'You seem surprised to see him here,' Marshall was saying. 'Why is that?'

  'I thought he was out of town,' the truth blurted itself out before she could stop it.

  'He's been back for several days,' was the mocking reply. "Didn't you know that?'

  Her pride quickly surfaced as she shrugged. "No, why should I?' But she couldn't keep her gaze from straying back to the blonde who was so obviously receiving Barrett's complete attention. Even at this distance, Dani could recognize that warm smiled and that disconcerting way he had of looking at a person as though no one else existed.

  'Wondering who the blonde is?' Marshall whispered sarcastically.

  'I don't remember seeing her before.' The casually worded admission came out in a tightly choked voice.

  'That's Nicole Carstairs—of Carstairs Steel, the current front-runner in the race to become Mrs. Barrett King.' The unmistakable pleasure he took in revealing that startling information to Dani drained the colour from her face. Information like that was Marshall's specialty. There was no doubt in her mind that he knew what he was talking about. 'You didn't actually think you were the only girl he was seeing, did you?' he jeered softly. 'I tried to tell you the other night that he was only seeing you because he felt some misguided sense of responsibility towards you, but you didn't believe me. Or foolishly didn't want to believe me.'

  She felt sick to her stomach, torn in two by some vague feeling that Barrett had betrayed her. The desire to cover her ears and shut out the horrible things Marshall was saying was nearly too strong for her to deny, yet the poise he had instilled in her kept her motionless while inwardly she was reeling from the shock.

  'I understand Miss Carstairs even spent the weekend at the farm, ostensibly one of the many friends who gathered to celebrate the Kings' anniversary. Personally I think that was a secondary motive,' Marshall remarked.

  'Please,' Dani protested, 'stop talking about it! Barrett and I are friends, that's all.'

  'Why are you telling me that?' A superior smile widened his mouth, taunting Dani with its smugness.

  She spun quickly away from his touch, hating him for telling her something she should have guessed herself. Hadn't she always known Barrett could have any girl he wanted? Hadn't she herself called him a ladies' man?

  'You'd like to leave, wouldn't you, Danielle?' he said quietly.

  'Could we?' Her earnest hazel eyes turned back to him, the cinnamon pupils etched with pain.

  Marshall chuckled as if his triumph was complete. 'No.' His lip curled in refusal, 'Not until we've welcomed Barrett back to Louisville.'

  Her horrified gaze searched the dark face, seeking some sign that Marshall was only playing a horrid joke on her. Then Dani realized he wasn't. He fully intended to take her over to where Barrett was. In that same instant she knew Marshall had changed his plans that afternoon because he knew Barrett was going to be at this party tonight and Nicole Carstairs would be with him. This was Marshall's revenge because Dani had not told him that she had been seeing Barrett.

  Short of fleeing the room, there was no hope of escape. Marshall's hand was already taking her arm, turning her back around and facing her in Barrett's direction. Her mind raced ahead, trying to discover what Marshall hoped to gain by embarrassing her in this way, even as she took the first faltering step to cross the room. Then width vivid clarity, she knew. He wanted a scene. He wanted to see her make another outraged attack against Barrett in public as she had done when The Rogue was destroyed. Not to humiliate her, but Barrett.

  This knowledge gave her the strength to push back her own shattered illusion and give room to her pride. The smile she forced upon her mouth as they drew nearer looked so natural that only someone who had known her for years would see the strain at the corners and the unnatural pallor of her complexion. The glazing of pain in her eyes was practically unnoticeable as she braced herself to meet Barrett's gaze that was just swinging around to her.

  The brightness of his gaze faded when he saw her. Her heart cried for her to turn away, to escape the penetrating search of those green eyes, but Dani kept her feet moving steadfastly forward.

  'Barrett, I didn't know you were back!' And she wondered if the delight in her voice sounded as hollow to him as it did to her. But the slackening of Marshall's hold on her arm told her he hadn't anticipated her friendly greeting. Fooling him gave her the courage to continue. 'I could hardly believe it when I saw you across the room.'

  'I told Danielle that you'd been back for several days,' Marshall inserted.

  'Did you now?' There was a challenging hardness in Barrett's eyes when he turned them to Marshall, but they were levelly cool when they rested on Dani. 'It's good to see you again, Dani.' The blonde at his side moved closer, her clear blue gaze openly inspecting Dani as she tried to make it obvious that she was with Barrett. 'Nicole, I would like you to meet a friend of mine, Dani Williams,' Barrett introduced. 'Dani, Nicole Carstairs.'

  Dani didn't miss his failure to identify Nicole while he had labelled her as a friend. The smile she gave the attractive blonde felt stiff as her muscles rebelled.

  'How do you do, Miss Carstairs,' Dani murmured. 'That's a lovely dress you're wearing.'

  A statement that was much too true, as she noticed how perfectly it matched the woman's cornflower blue eyes. The blonde made an appropriate reply, quickly turning her attention to Marshall as he was introduced.

  'I do hope you enjoyed your weekend at home, Barrett,' Dani found herself saying.

  'Oh, we had a wonderful party,' Nicole assured her, casting an adoring glance at Barrett. 'Of course it was strictly for family.'

  Dani flinched involuntarily. If she had needed any affirmation of Marshall's statement, she didn't any more. And Barrett made no denial, his silence enforcing Nicole's claim. Yet she still sought the teak-carved face, praying for any sign that the woman was exag
gerating. The expression on his face was thoughtful and curious. Her heart wept a little as she watched it change into a warm smile when he looked down at Nicole.

  'Excuse us a minute, would you?' said Barrett. 'I want to see Dani for a minute.

  The cupid bow mouth pouted slightly before Nicole wrinkled her nose and smiled. 'Don't be long.'

  'I won't,' Barrett promised, glancing sharply at Dani when she caught her breath in surprise, then turned to Marshall. 'Keep Nicole company, will you?'

  Already Barrett was reaching for Dani's hand and she wondered if he saw the flash of anger in Marshall's eyes. As she reluctantly placed her hand in his, Dani realized how very cold she was, cold and numb. There was fear in her glance to his face, fear that his peculiar perception had guessed the pain she was feeling. But his attention was on the couple he was leading her to, and Dani eyed them hesitantly.

  'Dani,' Barrett was saying, 'I want you to meet my sister Stephanie and her fiancé, Travis Blackman.'

  'Dani?' His sister, a very attractive girl with long brown hair, cocked her head enquiringly, then burst into a wide smile. 'Dani—of course, you're the one Barrett has been talking about. She's every bit as beautiful as you said she was, Barrett.'

  Whatever Dani had been expecting the comment to be, it hadn't been that. Maybe something relating to that embarrassing publicity about The Rogue, but certainly nothing that would imply that she had been the subject of many conversations. Despite her confusion, she managed to make a suitable reply.

  'Your father, is Lew Williams, isn't he?' Travis Blackman enquired, drawing Dani's bewildered glance to him. She immediately liked what she saw, a pleasant face with brown eyes and brown hair.

  'Yes, that's right,' she nodded.

  'He worked for my father several years ago,' he explained, 'before we sold our horses.'

  'Of course Daddy and I are trying to persuade Travis that he should buy some more,' Stephanie laughed. 'From the King stables, naturally,' she added with a wink to Dani.

  'You'd better be careful that Dad doesn't pass a broken-down old nag off on you,' Barrett mocked, 'like the one you're about to get yourself tied to for the rest of your life.'

  Thanks to Marshall's training, Dani was able to say the right things at the right time even though she had no idea what was being said. She was too conscious of the length of Barrett's body standing next to her, the burning touch of the hand that held hers, and the unshakeable feeling that she would never again be able to look on him as a friend. A subtle change had taken place in their relationship tonight, too subtle for her to grasp immediately.

  The smile, the forced laughter were becoming harder and harder to maintain. Any second she felt she would dissolve into tears. Not even when The Rogue had been destroyed had she felt such pain. In an effort to keep her sanity, her hand unconsciously tightened on Barrett's. His head bent slightly towards her, curious, questioning eyes searching her face while one corner of his mouth tilted upwards in an enquiring smile. With the force of a physical blow, his look took her breath away.

  'I have to get back to Marshall.' The nearly frantic desperation in her voice brought an immediate narrowing of his gaze.

  'I think he'll survive a few more minutes without your company,' Barrett remarked cynically.

  But will I? Dani wondered, her heart pounding with dread that she wouldn't be able to keep up this pretence of gaiety much longer. She averted her head from the penetrating gaze, turning a wide but trembling smile to the other couple.

  'It was so nice meeting both of you.' The brightness of her voice was transparently brittle, but luckily neither his sister nor her fiancé seemed to notice as they returned the compliment. When Dani turned away, she was able to free her hand from Barrett's hold. Her eyes latched on to Marshall's dark figure some distance away as if it were a lifeline.

  'What's wrong, Dani?' Barrett's voice was low, but unmistakably demanding.

  'Wrong? Nothing is wrong.' Flashing him an innocent look that was edged with fear. 'I like your sister. She was very nice.'

  There was no comment from Barrett and when she darted a cautious sideways glance at him, she saw the way his mouth was damped shut in an uncompromising line. The determined set of his jaw lent wings to her feet as she hurried to Marshall's side.

  The arm that Marshall slipped around her waist was a much needed support, and for the first time in Dani's experience, she felt him brush an affectionate kiss on her cheek. As Marshall bade their goodbyes to Barrett and Nicole, Dani thought in passing how strange it was that she had always looked on Barrett's embrace as the one offering comfort and security, and here she was seeking it from Marshall. At that moment, his questionable motives for bringing her to this party mattered not at all. She was too busy clinging to Marshall to notice the fire that leaped into Barrett's eyes as Marshall guided her away.

  Minutes later they were out on the entrance portico of the large home waiting for the attendant to bring Marshall's car. The fresh air was a tonic to revive Dani's numbed senses, but it also stole her defenses as she leaned heavily against him.

  'Now will you cut him out of your life, Danielle? Marshall demanded softly, drawing her closer.

  'Yes,' she whispered.

  His hand cupped her downcast chin and raised it. The shadows concealed the expression on his darkly handsome face, but Dani was too hurt to care about anything except the solace of his arms.

  'I know what I did tonight must have seemed very cruel to you,' he murmured. 'But sometimes a person does have to be cruel to be kind.'

  Dani didn't attempt to elude the mouth that moved to cover hers. In fact, she welcomed it gladly, needing someone's kiss to erase the memory of Barrett's. The fleeting warmth she felt seemed to succeed in doing that.

  Through the enveloping fog of pain, Dani decided she had misjudged Marshall's reasons for forcing her to meet Barrett. His motive must have been a desire that she wouldn't make a fool of herself over a man who belonged to someone else.

  The following day Marshall was nearly always at her side, never allowing her to be alone, always there sending her reassuring smiles to tell her that he was the only one who truly cared. Somewhere along the line Dani decided she had misjudged him. Of course, Marshall was shrewd and his actions were somewhat calculated, but to be a success in his field, he had to be. She had always known she couldn't trust Barrett just as she had known she could trust Marshall, although she had qualified it at the time that she could trust him as long as their relationship was strictly business.

  That opinion was being revised with each passing minute as one thoughtful kindness followed another. Left to make her own decision, Dani would have refused to attend the dinner and theatre that night, but Marshall had insisted. And as the evening progressed, she realized he was right. Alone in the apartment she would have brooded at the way she had been deceived by Barrett's attention. It had never been friendship he was offering—she, could see that now. It was as Marshall said, Barrett had simply felt responsible for her and, though Marshall never said it, Dani realized that most of Barrett's attention had been to counteract Marshall's influence, to get back at Marshall for the imagined part he had played in Barrett's broken engagement years before.

  In front of her apartment, Marshall switched off the motor, but it was Dani who made the first move that brought her into his arms, although he firmly kept her there once she was encircled in his embrace. His hands and his kisses stimulated her with their ardour until finally he drew back to trace her features gently in the dark.

  'This is all my fault,' he said softly. 'I thought you would reject any overtures of friendship. You were so cynical and doubting at first that I thought I had to give you time to trust me. I never dreamed that Barrett would show up or that you would seek from him what I wanted to give you.'

  A heavy sigh shuddered through her. 'The only thing I was really seeking, I think, was a link with the past. That's the only reason I ever saw him.'

  Initially that had been the truth. With a twing
e of pain, Dani knew it had developed into a need for companionship. If only she had told Marshall about Barrett's visits, she would never have suffered the torment she was going through now, this piercing hurt that she had been betrayed.

  'Are you going to be all right?' Marshall enquired gently, brushing her lips lightly.

  'Thanks to you, I will,' she smiled, giving him back the kiss and feeling his arms tighten so her mouth would linger against his for a few seconds more.

  'I'll come in for a while if you want me to,' he offered.

  'I'll be fine,' Dani assured him, moving reluctantly out of his arms to her own side of the car. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

  'Not until the afternoon, I'm afraid,' he said with a regretful sigh. 'I have some work I have to do. Sleep late in the morning. I'll call John and tell him to postpone your session until next week.'

  'I feel I could sleep until Christmas.' A statement that was amazingly true as a delayed exhaustion seemed to sweep over her—no doubt a reaction from the sleepless hours the night before.

  After exchanging goodnights, Dani walked swiftly to the entrance of her apartment building where she turned to wave to Marshall as he drove out of the lot. As she walked down the hall to her door, the carpet muffled her footsteps so that the only sound she heard was the rustling of her long gown.

  Inserting the key in the lock, she opened the door and started to close it behind her, only to have it explode out of her hand by some violent force pushing it open. Her startled gaze stared at the towering figure stepping into her apartment.

  'What are you doing here?' Dani breathed, intimidated by the satanic fires blazing in the green eyes contemptuously sweeping her from head to foot.

  'I wanted to talk to you,' Barrett replied in a dangerously low voice. 'And I had the strangest impression that you wouldn't agree to that.'

  A muscle was jumping in his jaw and the rigidity of his stance reminded her of a jungle cat about to spring. His face was carved in lines of uncompromising harshness. Her heart was beating at a frantic pace as She weakly backed away from him.