The Highest Bidder

by Roxanne St Claire

  "Anna Sheridan is staying there," Megan said, referring to the woman who'd assumed custody of baby Jack, the result of their father's last fling.

  Jack's mother had died shortly after giving birth, but her sister, Anna, had been welcomed into the home of Caroline and Lucas Sheppard. That act alone proved to Paige that Caroline, Spencer Ashton's second wife, had plenty of class.

  "I'd really like to meet the little guy," Paige admitted. "Jillian told me he's cute as a button."

  Megan rubbed her tummy. "I saw a picture of him. He's divine. Makes me want a boy."

  "As if it matters. With you and Simon as parents, he or she will be dazzling, smart and the control freak from hell."

  Megan laughed. "I've been better lately, don't you think?"

  "Yep. Raging morning sickness is the first thing to slow you down in your life."

  "It's not just that. I want to concentrate on Simon. I'm letting you manage the whole Symphonies thing, aren't I?"

  "Well, Matt has his hands all over it, too."

  "Just so he doesn't have his hands all over you, little sister."

  Heat coursed through her at the thought.

  "Or has he already?" There was no tease in Megan's accusation this time.

  Paige said nothing, avoiding her sister's probing gaze.

  "You slept with him?" Megan asked, shocked.

  "No!" That, at least was the truth. The hands-all-over-her part, well. He had done that. And would again, if Paige had her way. "I did not sleep with him."

  The only sound was the ticking brass clock on Megan's desk.

  "Yet," Paige added quietly.

  Megan searched her face with a plea in her eyes. "Paige, don't do anything stupid."

  A burst of anger propelled her from the chair. "Why is it when anyone else in this family falls into lust, it's fine. With baby Paige, it's stupid. I'm twenty-two, Meg. I'm not a virgin." Paige folded her arms and looked down at Megan. "The guy melts my bones. I want him."

  Megan sighed as the echoes of Paige's admission hung in the room. "I'd be a hypocrite if I told you I don't know how good it feels to want someone who melts your bones. I still feel it every time Simon looks at me."

  "I can feel it when the two of you are in the same room."

  "Yeah," she said wistfully. "It's nice, this love stuff. But, Paige, I don't think Matt Camberlane has 'love stuff' in mind. Walker told me he was burned by his wife and is definitely committed to not being committed, if you get my drift."

  Great. Now Megan and Walker were discussing her love life. Or sex life, as the case may be. "Listen, I don't want love, or even a commitment, Meg." A sly smile lifted Paige's lips. "I just want that bone-melting business again."

  "Again?"

  "Well, things got a little heated on Sunday. But … we stopped." He stopped. But some things couldn't be shared. Even with a sister.

  "Just be careful, sweetie. I don't want you to end up with a broken heart."

  With a sudden rush of affection, Paige came around the desk, dipping down to hug Megan. "I won't," she promised. "And you know what? This 'love stuff' sure agrees with you."

  "Nah." Megan smiled ruefully. "I'm still a control freak, Paige. And if anybody hurts my little sister, I'll … I'll—"

  "Sic Simon on him?"

  "And Walker and Trace," she promised.

  "I'll be fine," Paige assured her. "And you're okay with my being gone tomorrow?"

  Megan nodded. "Things are under control in the Event Planning Department. You see what you can do with the family problems."

  "I will."

  "And don't let your bones melt too easily, Paige."

  Paige just laughed. Too late for that. She was a puddle.

  * * *

  Six

  « ^ »

  In the late-morning light, the twenty-something-thousand-square-foot mansion of Ashton Estate Wineries looked gilded by the sun. The dark cream-colored stone took on a tawny, golden tinge that reminded Matt of the honey-toned streaks in Paige Ashton's hair.

  With a quick shake of his head, Matt erased the thought and parked in the circular drive.

  He'd done a magnificent job of staying on the phone for the whole hour and fifteen minutes it took him to drive up from San Mateo. He'd participated in a product development conference call, listened to his CFO wax eloquent about VoiceBox preorders, and convinced the president of one of the world's largest retailers to rearrange four thousand stores to prominently feature the product before Christmas.

  He'd worked. He refused to buckle under the temptation to slide Of Blue Eyes into the CD player and let his mind wander … and reconsider just why he'd made this unorthodox offer in the first place.

  He'd already decided, and there was nothing he hated more than second guessing a decision.

  He'd decided to accompany Paige to visit her half siblings for one simple reason: to up the ante. To raise the stakes. What good was a little body vs. brain challenge if it was too easy? If he was really going to win a battle with his libido, then he had to immerse himself in her world and torture his senses with proximity.

  Then he could walk away after the VoiceBox launch party, shake her hand and say, "Great working with you, Paige." And wouldn't that be something?

  Yeah. Something stupid.

  But it wasn't stupid to prove to himself that he could indeed have a platonic relationship with a woman who charged him sexually. Especially when he sensed the same electrical impulses arced through her body, too.

  He could do it. He'd promised Walker, and he'd promised himself. He could work with her and even develop a friendship with her, but he wouldn't risk seeing those tears again. Regardless of how she managed to lean a little too close, and hold their eye contact a little too long.

  Before he could open the driver's door, Paige emerged from the shadow of the overhang that ran along the east wing of the estate. As she stepped into the sunshine, he just gave in and admired her. She wore pale yellow from top to toe—reminding him of sweet creamery butter that could, with one warm touch, melt in his hands.

  A line from one of his favorite songs flashed in Matt's head. Something about only you beneath the moon … and under the sun.

  With a quick wave she indicated for him to stay in the car as she approached, but he climbed out and took another appreciative glance at the way her silk trousers hugged her narrow hips, and still another glimpse at the tempting curves under the designer sweater.

  "Morning, sunshine." He dug his hands into his pockets to keep from embracing her.

  "Hi, Matt." Her smile was as blinding as the California rays that warmed them. "All ready to do your good deed for the day?"

  He slipped his arm around her shoulder. He couldn't help it. It was natural. Casual. Impossible. "If that's how you want to classify this trip. I've never been to Louret Vineyards, so I'm looking forward to the tour and tasting."

  She dipped out of his grasp gracefully and let him open the passenger door for her. "But you won't today, I'm afraid."

  "No?"

  "The tasting room's closed on Tuesdays, so the visit is purely social." She slid into the car and gave him another radiant smile. "You don't mind, do you?"

  Not if she beamed at him like that all day. "No problem. I'm looking forward to meeting this side of the family."

  "I just hope everyone behaves."

  He picked up that thread of conversation as he climbed in and started the car. "They are expecting you, correct?"

  "I spoke with Jillian, my half sister, last night. She runs the tasting room—she's a wine genius. But today is like a Sunday to her, when the tasting room is closed. However, she promised she'd be spending the day with her stepdaughter, Rachel, at The Vines and welcomed the visit."

  "The Vines. That's the house, correct?"

  "Yes. It's a short drive from the winery. We'll just stay at the house, if you don't mind. If we go over to the winery, we're sure to run into Cole. He manages the vineyard. And Eli would be there—he's head wine-maker."
>
  "Not willing to face them yet?"

  A whisper of a sigh escaped her lips. "Jillian has been the most levelheaded during all of this, the one, I think, who shares my goal to somehow bring this horrible chapter in our lives to a close. So I'd rather meet with a like mind."

  "And what about Mercedes, her older sister?" He'd read enough in the papers to know the recently wed and newly pregnant Mercedes harbored no deep love for the father who abandoned her.

  "Well, it's hard to say." She placed her handbag on the floor of the car and repositioned herself in the deep bucket seat. "We might see Mercedes. And Caroline Sheppard, their mother. But I can't make any promises about how warmly they will treat us."

  "Will Jillian tell them you're coming up?"

  She nodded. "Yes, she said she'd grease the skids."

  "Surely none of them hold you accountable for what your father did while he was alive." He glanced at the endless rolling hills of the Ashton Estate, over the acres of recently harvested vineyards famous for producing a fortune in sparkling wines. Spencer Ashton had built a magnificent showpiece out of the Lattimer property he'd won in his divorce from Caroline, and Matt had no doubt her children were bitter about that especially when the vineyard and estate had been given back to him by Caroline's grandfather. But could they blame the offspring from his next marriage?

  "Not accountable, no," she agreed. "But the rivalry they feel is real, and, as I told you, not entirely unjustified. And they are furious—especially Eli and Cole—that my father left them out of his will. And, of course, once they learned that their parents' marriage was not really legal, since my father hadn't divorced his first wife in Nebraska, then the very future of the Ashton Estate became part of the issue."

  "Are they pursuing the legality of the ownership of the estate, too?"

  "Not at the moment. They are concentrating on the will. But if it can't be overturned, then who knows what could happen?" She shook her head with a rueful smile. "Like I said, dysfunctional is our middle name. Don't forget we're in the middle of a murder investigation, too,"

  "Any news? Real news, I mean, not what they repeat in the local media every chance they get."

  She looked skyward in mock disgust of the media. "As far as suspects, no. Grant, another of my half siblings, was held for questioning, but he had an alibi."

  Walker had told him very little about Grant. "He's from your father's first marriage, in Nebraska?"

  "Yes, Grant and Grace are Dad's twins by Sally Barnett, who died before my parents were married. I don't have a clue where Grace is, but Grant arrived in California almost a year ago, in January, after he'd discovered that his father was Spencer Ashton."

  "According to the papers, he was cleared by Anna … Sheridan, is it? Who is somehow related to your father's … latest child?" A wry smile tipped Matt's lips as he glanced across the console at Paige. "You better fill me in so I don't accidentally offend anyone."

  She laughed. "I doubt they offend easily, but of course I'll tell you. Anna Sheridan is the sister of Alyssa Sheridan, who was my father's last, uh, mistress. Alyssa died shortly after their baby was born, about two years ago. Anna is raising Jack and is staying at The Vines to escape the media glare."

  "And she was Grant's alibi?"

  "Yes, Anna was with Grant the night of the murder, so he was cleared by the police. And now, as you know, they are focusing on the blackmail leads." Her voice dropped a bit. "But getting nowhere."

  "Do you have any personal theories about what happened?"

  She shook her head. "You know, a lot of people hated my father. Within my family and outside of it. I mean, I loved him and tried to see him in the best possible light, but even that wasn't easy at times."

  He heard the pain that caught in her throat. "You're doing the right thing to try and mend the fences, Paige. There's nothing you can do about the past, but plenty you can do about the future."

  She smiled gratefully at the words. "I'm just one voice. And the youngest, at that," she laughed quickly. "Unless you count little Jack. I doubt he gets a vote."

  "Will Jack be at the house today?"

  She shrugged. "I hope so. I've wanted to meet him for a long time. Of course, I'm not sure how I'll feel about a child who is … my brother."

  He gave her a surprised look. "Why's that? I'm sure you'd be a terrific big sister."

  She didn't answer for a moment as she gazed out the window. "I don't know. He'll be … a constant reminder of my father's inability to…"

  Matt's chest tightened at her words. Spencer Ashton was another man who couldn't win the body vs. brain challenge. "To control himself?" he finished for her.

  "That's one diplomatic way of putting it."

  "What matters, Paige, is how you handle the situation," he told her, placing a comforting hand over hers. "You can't control how the other members of your family think and act—but you can control how you respond to them. And by going there to extend the proverbial olive branch, I think you're doing the right thing."

  He took his eyes off the readjust long enough to see the warmth back in her gaze. "Thanks, Matt. Spoken like a real friend."

  A friend. Exactly what he wanted to be. "Hey, I'm happy to help you out by coming with you on the mission."

  She narrowed her eyes teasingly. "I thought this had something do with getting your wish."

  "That, too," he assured her. And just to up the ante a little bit more, he weaved his fingers through hers and held her hand until he had to shift gears.

  When Jillian Ashton-Benedict descended the winding staircase into the foyer of The Vines to greet them, Paige was struck once again by how lovely her half sister was. Tall, slender and as graceful as her mother, Caroline, Jillian gave Paige a sense of reassurance and alliance that she'd never felt in the presence of her other half siblings.

  Perhaps it was because Paige was the youngest in her family and Jillian was the youngest in hers. As the "babies" they tried harder.

  "Hello, Paige. It's so good to see you." Jillian reached out to take both of Paige's hands, erasing the awkward question of whether they would hug like sisters or shake hands like casual acquaintances.

  "This is Matt Camberlane," Paige said quickly. She'd mentioned that Matt would be with her when she'd chatted with Jillian last night. If her half sister recognized the entrepreneur's well-known name, or if she was intrigued by the relationship between them, she was far too ladylike to let on. This was due, no doubt, to the fine influence of Caroline Sheppard, who, Paige sadly had to admit, landed a few steps higher on the class ladder than her own mother, Lilah.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Matt," Jillian said warmly, shaking his hand. "I'm so glad you could come." She guided them past the stairs into the formal living room, an oversize room filled with antiques but just as cheerful and welcoming as the whole French country-style home.

  "I hope you'll have the opportunity to meet my stepdaughter, Rachel," Jillian said. "My mother has taken her down to the stables to ride this morning, but they'll be back for lunch. Can you join us?"

  Did Caroline want her to? Certainly Paige's mother would never have extended an invitation to a member of her husband's "other family" for lunch. The memory of how Lilah practically threw Mercedes and Jillian out of their house when they'd made a sympathy call after her father had died still burned in Paige's mind. At the time Paige had been so upset over the murder and loss of her father, that she hadn't done anything to stop her mother's over-the-top reaction.

  But the scene remained vivid in her memory, and inwardly Paige cringed with embarrassment. Yet here was Jillian, five months later, graciously inviting her to lunch.

  "We can do that," Matt offered, taking the responsibility from Paige's shoulders. As they sat on a pale celery-green silk sofa, she flashed him a grateful look for the support.

  "Yes, that would be lovely," Paige agreed. "We don't want to be a bother."

  Jillian waved a hand and took a seat in a chair directly across from Paige. "Not at all.
It's a gorgeous day. We'll have lunch on the lanai. Mercedes isn't here today, but I'm sure Anna can join us after she gets Jack down for a nap. Grant usually stops in the house midday."

  "And Cole and Eli?" Paige's stomach tightened at the possibility of having lunch with the half brothers who hated her.

  "They are busy at the winery," Jillian said quickly.

  "Have they changed their minds about contesting the will?" Paige asked, deciding it was better to have the issue in the open, rather than dancing around what they were all thinking.

  Jillian shrugged a narrow shoulder, and a burst of hope spurted through Paige. "Everything is in limbo, as you know, while the police try to solve this murder. Until they do, the will is in probate and contesting it is a moot point."

  Paige nodded slowly. Did that mean they might not contest the will? She wasn't sure how far to push the point. "So, otherwise, how are your brothers doing?"

  "This is a difficult time for everyone," Jillian said. "Eli and Cole have both found love and a sense of peace in their lives, and for that I am eternally grateful."

  "But they aren't at peace where their father is concerned," Paige suggested.

  "Lucas Sheppard is our father," Jillian responded, the first hint of an edge in her voice. "In every way but name."

  "I know he is," Paige said. Everyone knew her father had refused to let Lucas adopt Spencer's four children. For no reason, as far as Paige could figure out, other than spite. Spencer certainly didn't care about them—he never spoke to them, saw them or showed any interest in their lives after he left Caroline and married Lilah.

  Another wave of distaste rolled through Paige, as she felt nothing but shame for the mistakes and bad judgment made by some of the people she truly loved.

  "And Mercedes?" she asked, thinking of the luncheon she'd shared with Mercedes over a month ago. At the time, the woman had been tight with bitterness, but she'd since married and progressed nicely with her pregnancy. "How is she feeling?"

  Jillian brightened. "She's not throwing up anymore. How about Megan?"