Nina and Kennedy were above reproach. Call her biased or loyal, Sadie knew the two of them intimately. She’d have known if something were off.
Pearl and Opal were infamously tight. They could pull it off, but not without Amanda catching on. If they were in on it, Amanda was certainly involved.
Xavier and Trish were part-time and had the lowest level of access granted to any employee.
She had to put Catalina in the same category as herself. One of the most ambitious players at the firm, Sadie didn’t see her risking it for the monetary pay-off.
Wes and Reba—
Like a lightning strike. “Wes!” Sadie gave Blake a wide-eyed stare. “It has to be Wes. Wes and Reba. Why keep their friendship low-key the way they do if not to avoid drawing attention? It makes sense.”
She slumped at Blake’s noncommittal noise.
“I don’t know. This goes back to Henry’s time. Someone beyond smart has been getting away with this for a long time. Wes strikes me as a here-and-now person. He seems more concerned with you than with money.”
“I disagree, but it’s nice to know you don’t think him clever enough.”
Blake smiled at her with endearing camaraderie. Like they were in it together, them against the world. “Not nearly.”
Once again, Sadie’s insides unraveled, leaving her raw and vulnerable. She covered her face. “Blake, you’re killing me.” It was as much a plea as an admonishment. Despite how her face burned, she made herself meet his gaze.
He watched her.
“Look…” She swallowed. Just say it. Be done with it. “I like you. Okay? We talked about my little crush, and I know I said I’d let it go. But you’re not helping when you smile at me like that. It’s not fair. You’re with Amanda, and every time I get a rush from being with you, or a blush crawls over my skin because you smiled or said something vaguely flirtatious, I don’t even feel guilty. I mean, I do, when I remember to, but mostly I just think how unfair. And the truth is, my crush is growing legs. It’s going places I didn’t give it permission to go, getting stronger and scarier.”
She shouldn’t have said anything.
Heat, raw and utterly unmistakable, gleamed from Blake’s gaze as it traveled down to her mouth and back up to meet her eyes. Acknowledgment, desire, acceptance—all of it bloomed across his face like a lily spreading wide for the sun.
They stared at each other. Despite the ice and snow outside, the cab of her truck was growing warm enough to make her sweat beneath the collar of her jacket.
Without warning, Blake blinked twice, in rapid succession, and reared back from her like she’d burned him. He closed his eyes, mouth shut in a tight line. “Every time. Every damn time.” He opened his eyes. The coals had gone cold. “It’s not fair. I don’t mean—I just… I like you, too, Sadie.” He finished with a shrug and the quintessential neck rub men the world over seemed to have down pat. “You’re right, though. This has to stop.” He shook his head and settled back into his seat.
She didn’t recall saying anything about making it stop. But now she had her answer and could move on. Confronted with her feelings, Blake stayed true to Amanda; the admirable, honorable thing to do. Even so, it hardened Sadie against him, in her heart of hearts. Ultimately, it spelled rejection. The worst part, however, was that Amanda wasn’t the one. And they both knew it.
There didn’t seem to be anything left to say.
Sadie checked her mirrors before creeping back onto the winding highway. She distracted herself with thoughts of Wes and Reba and breaking up their little operation. Blake didn’t need to believe her. She’d prove it on her own.
* * * *
Wes lazily trawled Sadie’s office like he was thinking of buying the place. Running a finger across her plant shelf and inspecting it for dust. Staring dispassionately at photos of her mother and various earned certificates framed and displayed on the built-ins on the far wall. “You can always apply to be my secretary.”
Sadie ignored him as best she could under the circumstances. She wanted to accuse him of theft, throw some proof in his face, and see him escorted from the building. She needed the proof first. Digging any up had proved a fruitless effort so far. Even Nina, second only to Reba in her gossiping status, didn’t have any secret tidbits on Wes. Certainly not any that would help Sadie’s case.
It didn’t help her hands were tied. Helping Blake in any obvious capacity was out of the question. Not only did he want to investigate other potential suspects, but she couldn’t give away that he’d confided in her.
“What the hell do you want, Wes? If you have something to say, wait and ambush me in the parking lot, like I did to you.” She brushed lint from her black blazer with the royal blue trim. She’d needed to feel powerful today, but it wasn’t working.
“Or we could have lunch together and discuss our future. Our professional future,” he added, with a slight bow and a smirk.
Again with the games. “Screw you. I know about you and Reba. I think you should get the hell out of my office. Or maybe we should have lunch.” She injected the perfect note of dumb innocence into her tone. “In Duncan’s office, maybe.” She’d hoped to catch a glint of fear in his dark eyes.
To her great surprise, he smiled. A wide, feral thing that showed off his canines, and a great deal of his true personality. He settled his hands neatly into his slacks. He had the nerve to look down on her with something close to pity.
As angry as it made her, it also made her nerves sing. This was Wes at his nastiest, and prior experience told her he had something up his dirty, thieving sleeve.
“I’ll take it.” So smooth. So sure of himself. “Because I’m not the only one with a little secret.” He paused, tilted his chin and narrowed his eyes in a mockery of deep thought. “How was your Sunday morning joyride with Blake? I meant to ask. Probably not nearly as fun as last week’s late-night visit. A Monday night, no less. Kinky.”
She itched to slap him.
But Wes held the cards that mattered—the ability to spread a rumor like wildfire. Unlike before, when he had nothing but supposition, these were supportable claims.
Blake had been at her place last Monday night. She’d made him leave, but there’d be no proving what happened behind closed doors. Any more than she and Blake could prove they’d done nothing more than deliver horse tack yesterday.
Wes appeared to sense her defeated gloom. He didn’t dig in with another bloodthirsty grin. The very image of humility, he smiled kindly. “I hate to pester you, but I wanted to ask again what your plans for lunch were.”
Sadie almost bowed to the game. But if Wes was the culprit behind the embezzlement scheme, she wouldn’t have to put up with him for much longer. “Suck it, Wes. My plans are to eat alone, because I find my own company immeasurably more enjoyable than yours.”
His eyes became hard, little stones, but his smile didn’t waver. “I wish you the best in your impending job hunt. I’ve decided you’d make a poor secretary, after all. Can’t take direction.”
Chapter 12
March was supposed to be a month of spring. Flowers ought to have begun blooming and the weather become more mild and friendly. Someone hadn’t given Wyoming the memo. Snow still fell, dumping by the gallons. Blake grew weary of piling on nine layers of clothing just to check his mail. He’d never been much of a beachgoer, but he’d eat a tire for a chance to wear flip-flops outside for a day.
He’d spent weeks investigating accounts at the office—all while maintaining secrecy, even from Amanda, despite Mrs. Avery’s wishes. He wanted an opportunity to look deeper into bookkeeping without feeling led. Amanda would have her own ideas and suggestions, inevitably coloring his.
When he’d finally decided to bring her into the fold, after reaching yet another dead end, he wished he hadn’t. She hadn’t shed light on his problem, only another shadow. As heartily as Sadie had pointed the finger at Wes, Amanda adamantly insisted Sadie was the obvious offende
r.
He desperately needed a break from Amanda. Friday night had taken its sweet time showing up, and the minutes seemed to crawl until the weekend came and Amanda disappeared to Alpine for two whole days.
No fancy dinners at perfect place setting and exact manners. No cheesy Western movies. No stilted, robotic conversations about things like color scheme and horses, which were but a few samples of Amanda’s idea of enlightened conversation.
Curled up on the opposite end of the sofa, she cast Blake another hard stare. “Sadie was smart to attempt to take advantage of me by pretending to be my friend. She made sure I didn’t look twice at her.”
Blake checked a weary sigh. “I keep telling you Sadie is your friend. Now you know the rumors were false, and what you did to her uncalled for, there’s no reason to keep hating her. There’s nothing between the two of us.”
The lie settled in his stomach like soured milk. Well, partial lie. An emotional connection sizzled between them, one he hadn’t asked for, but strictly speaking, they’d never been physical. And he wouldn’t admit to any of the fantasies he’d dreamed up if his very life hung in the balance.
“Anyway, Sadie isn’t responsible. She has too much invested in her career to do something this stupid.”
Amanda’s chin hiked defensively. “That’s hardly enough to exonerate her.”
Blake managed to keep his eyes from rolling in his head until they could stare at his brain and ask if it was hearing what he was hearing. “There are other people in the office to consider.” He hoped to guide Amanda’s efforts toward more useful ideas. It was some kind of torture for someone he respected to be bad-mouthed while he sat by idly, offering but the vaguest of defenses for her character. “Wes has the same access as Sadie. Nina and Kennedy both could’ve managed it, given their respective proximity. Plus, I’m not convinced it’s one person working alone. Even Reba could be behind it. She’s friends with everyone. All she’d need is an accomplice willing to fudge a few digits here and there. Where the money comes from doesn’t concern me so much as where it’s ending up.”
“Wes and Sadie both have far more access than Nina.” Amanda said the secretary’s name with equal parts amusement and disdain, like it was laughable to consider her. “She doesn’t go into Duncan’s inner office unless he’s there, but both senior accountants keep a key to his office and files. In fact, the morning I met Wes in Duncan’s office, I was rather upset because Nina was gone. She’d gone out for a break, since Duncan was at a luncheon with potential new clients, which left zero accountability for who came and went.”
Blake narrowed his eyes. “Is Wes smart enough? Whoever’s behind this, they know what they’re doing, and they know their way around the system. Last week, I overheard Wes asking Kennedy a technical question. Unless the two of them are working together, I don’t think it’s Wes.” No matter how bad Sadie wanted it to be.
Amanda nodded once, slowly, her stare riveted on the television set. “Someone smart. Wes drives an expensive car, which is a fairly blatant display of where he spends his paychecks. It’s far more likely the perpetrator would drive something less showy to keep from attracting the wrong sort of attention.”
You mean like Sadie’s old Ford pickup truck?
Blake missed his cabin. He wanted to sit outside in the cool, dark air and see if his little fox friend would come out for a little leftover fajita meat from Blake’s lunch. The spices might turn him off. Maybe if he rinsed it. Then it occurred to him Eric might actually be Erica and take the meat back to her den to feed her kits. He should definitely rinse it. Did foxes have kits this time of year? He gathered they didn’t hibernate. But probably spring, like most other woodland creatures, would be the time for babies.
How adorable would a baby fox have to be?
Blake’s mind wandered until Amanda snapped her fingers next to his ear. He startled and stared at her. “I’m sorry. Lost in my thoughts.” He didn’t like it, her knack for physically controlling him. Snapping was as bad as whistling. Damn if she didn’t remind him of—
He looked into Amanda’s eyes, staring blankly at him in return as though devoid of internal machinations, and it finally happened.
Blake mentally pulled apart the two women. Amanda’s essence had meshed with her appearance, and Blake finally saw her.
She blinked. “What are you thinking about over there, all moody and quiet?”
He took a final stab at unearthing something relatable and likeable from her. “Actually, I was thinking of the fox that lives near my cabin. Which is where the name Fox Watch came from. I’ve almost got him eating from my hand. I was thinking he’d like my leftovers from lunch today.” He smiled in anticipation of her reaction. Because foxes were cute, no matter who you were. Except, he was wrong, and Amanda didn’t break into bubbly excitement.
Sparks ignited behind her jade eyes. Her nostrils flared. “It’s difficult for me to fathom how your brain went from discussing the very serious allegations against Sadie as an embezzler, to the fox that lives near your ugly little cabin. I think personal feelings have compromised your judgment.”
Blake’s fuse burned down a fraction. “And I think a bookkeeper doesn’t tell an auditor how to do his job. Sadie’s accounts will be investigated along with everyone else’s. But you’re right about one thing; I don’t think she did it. She’s too focused on her career to be willing to jeopardize it for financial gain. I’ve been doing this long enough to know there’s something to be said for motive, and Sadie simply doesn’t have it.”
It was like he’d hit a hidden red trigger button he hadn’t known existed. Except, he had known, because he’d seen the same manic, spastic expression on Amanda’s face when she’d stormed his office two weeks ago and blasted Sadie into pieces.
His fuse burned lower still. And as it burned down, something else built up—anger, frustration with trying to do the right thing, and failing. He couldn’t put a name to the force gathering in his chest, but he was nearing the end of his rope with Kira.
Kira.
A mountain crumbled inside him.
He hadn’t been working up to an explosion—only a painfully obvious conclusion that had been dancing before his eyes—hell, his heart—for weeks and weeks. He’d been too stupid and stubborn to see it. Or maybe he’d seen it and looked the other way, because if he was tired, tired, tired of anything, it was making mistakes.
Amanda was Kira. Amanda was controlling and thoughtless. Amanda had no empathy. Petty and unkind, which were all things he’d say were the total opposite of Quinn. In fact, Quinn would despise her.
His whole life seemed to revolve around screwing up. Every major event in his life came preceded by some terrible decision he’d made. And he was probably about to do it again.
“Amanda, I think we should break up.” He didn’t wait for her reply but stood. “I’m sorry. Everything about this was wrong. From start to finish. You deserve better than someone who wishes you were someone else.” He actually believed that. He stalked toward the door and grabbed for his coat.
He glanced back once before stepping over the threshold and wished he hadn’t.
Amanda Avery, the girl who couldn’t emote, had a pair of tears running down her otherwise expressionless face.
* * * *
Monday morning rolled around, and Blake found a million and one excuses to spend most of the day in his office, avoiding Amanda, who shot him nasty looks every time they were within eyesight of one another, and Sadie, who had his insides knotted like a pretzel. Did the right words exist to explain how he’d gone home with Amanda on Friday but was in love with Sadie on Monday? Luckily, he had paperwork galore to distract him. Personnel files were stacked neatly on his desk, awaiting his attention.
At ten after five, he braved the bookkeeping parlor, peeking out his doorway. Amanda was nowhere in sight. Nor was Sadie.
Kennedy glanced over from her desk. “You’re safe, Blake. Amanda’s gone home for the day. L
eft early, which is most unlike her.” She stapled together a stack of papers. “You two having problems?”
If only she knew. Blake pressed his lips together. It’d get around eventually. “I sort of broke up with her over the weekend.”
He’d expected surprise at the very least, but his secretary only sighed and shook her head sadly. “It was Sadie all along, wasn’t it? One day, I won’t hate her for being the pretty one.”
Blake scratched his ear. “It’s uncanny how you do that.”
She gave a little one-shouldered nonchalant shrug. “I’m not privy to any special information. The lines are there for everyone to see. Try reading between them sometime, Blake. You and Sadie have been caught like charged ions since you met. The air snaps and crackles. It’s infuriating, to be honest. When’s it my turn for a hot office romance? Wes is totally off the market now that I know the truth about why they broke up. Clearly, you’re unavailable.” She combined the statement with an eye roll that made it seem like it was all Blake’s fault.
“Um… I’m sorry. I guess?” He shuffled closer to her desk. “Listen, maybe you can help me out. I think I’m in love with Sadie—”
Her hand shot out, and her golden eyebrows snapped together. “Whoa, buddy. Ahem, I mean, Mr. Cobb, sir. What’s this you think business? What’s really going on in that handsome head of yours?”
Duncan had magically popped up at Blake’s side from thin air. “Did someone say handsome? Talking about me behind my back, huh?”
The joke fell flat as Blake took in a deep breath, but Kennedy’s mouth fired like a shotgun before he could assure Duncan it was nothing, nothing at all, and make his escape to find Sadie and tell her everything.
“Actually, I was talking about Blake.” She relaxed into her chair, balancing the stapler between her palms. “He thinks he’s in love with Sadie. From the wild look in his eyes and his nervous shuffling, I’m guessing he’s going to say something to her. Which he’s free to do, since he dumped Amanda this weekend.”
Running the Numbers Page 16
