Vegas rich

by Michaels, Fern

  Devin leaned across his side of the table v^th only inches to spare between the two of them. "You're flirting with me."

  Salhe smiled. "No, I'm not. You want me to, though. When and ^l ever flirt with you, you'll know it."

  "Might that happen?" His grin was so contagious, Sallie laughed.

  "Probably not. I told you, I'm married."

  "My uncle told me all about your marriage. He felt I needed to know. He put it all in my letter. Don't get angry, a lawyer needs to know things like that so he can represent his client knowing the good as well as the bad. He didn't betray a confidence, he merely passed on his observations to me. Like my uncle, I'm bound by the same legal oath."

  "I see." Sallie leaned back against her chair. "Tell me about the business you wanted to discuss."

  "A year or so ago my uncle called me and asked me to do some research on an aviation company. A small company with some very lucrative government contracts. It seems the company could use some investment capital to expand. He thought it would be a good idea for you to get in on the ground floor. You could make millions. Airplanes are the wave of the future. I would be more than happy to drop you off, or you can stop by and take all my research back with you. The company is in Austin, Texas. As I said, it's a fledgling business at the moment, but it will take off, with or without your investment. The man who owns the firm is hard as nails. I spoke to him several times. I personally don't like him, but personalities cannot interfere in business. I know for a fact that he will not do business with a woman. He thinks women should be seen and not heard, and they should bake bread, can pickles, and wear aprons."

  "I don't own an apron," Sallie said.

  "I figured that out myself It was the pickle part I wasn't sure of" Devin laughed then. Sallie found herself giggling.

  "You haven't had much fun in your life, have you?"

  "Fun?" Sallie made the word sound obscene.

  130 Fern Michaels

  "I guess what I'm trying to say is, it appears you didn't have a childhood filled with play and laughter. Which is just another way of saying you never had a real childhood."

  "I don't care to discuss my childhood, Mr. Rollins. Are you recommending I invest in the aviation company?"

  "Based on what I know, I'd say yes. Air travel will be for everyone, not just the rich. Everything goes in cycles, Mrs. Thornton. First it was the railroad, then it was the automobile. Now it's going to be airplanes. Remember the fortune you made on your railroad stock? The same thing could happen with the aviation stock. I guess this all sounds like I'm trying to influence you. I plan on investing myself"

  "Is there a time limit on my answer?"

  "No. Considering that we're at war, I'd say the government contracts will increase. If the firm doesn't have the capital to buy materials, it could lose out. The sooner the better would be my advice. By the way, just for the record, I don't know a thing about chickens."

  "I guess you're going to learn. I want the ranch to be productive, so that no one can take it away from Red. The same goes for Beaunell."

  "If I'm doing all this, when will I have time to do my lawyering and see you?"

  "Do you have any other chents?" SaUie asked.

  "No. That doesn't mean I won't get some at some point."

  "Why do you suppose that is? That you don't have any other clients, I mean?"

  "Hell, I don't know. All my uncle's clients are dead. The younger people seem to take care of their own problems. Maybe the people in this state don't like lawyers, or maybe they have a preconceived notion that we charge too much."

  "You do. I've been meaning to talk to you about that very thing."

  Devin groaned. "I'm every bit as good an attorney as my uncle. Possibly better because I'm up on all the latest laws and jurisprudence. No, there is no room for negotiation."

  "Okay," Sallie said. "How is it you never married?"

  "Whoa. Where did that come from?"

  "If you thinkyou know everything there is to know about me, then I should know everything about you. Talk."

  "I was married when I was twenty-three. My wife drowned in a boating accident. We had no children. I was in law school at the time. I was so devastated I took a year off and literally drank myself

  into a stupor every day. Uncle Alvin came East and gave me a blistering lecture. He hauled me back to law school and that was it. I never married again. I regret not having children. It would be nice to have a son to carry on the name. I channeled all my energies into my work and made a name for myself in the legal profession back East. I'm more than solvent if that's your next question. I inherited a princely sum of money from my parents, and Uncle Alvin left me his estate. Since I've worked all my life, I have a considerable bank account. Tell me about your sons, Mrs. Thornton."

  "You're just like your uncle," Sallie said tartly. "One minute you're talking about one thing, and then you switch in midsentence. I really don't want to talk about Ash and Simon. This was a lovely lunch. I enjoyed everything."

  "What did you eat, Mrs. Thornton? No, no, don't look at your plate. Tell me."

  "Why ... I had . . . I. . . Veal," she said triumphantly.

  "Wrong. You had lamb with mint jelly."

  "It tastes the same."

  "It does not. Lamb has a very distinctive taste that cannot be confused with veal. So there, Mrs. Thornton. You're trying to figure out how I fit into your life, and you're confused at what you're feeling forme."

  "That's not true. Thank you for lunch." It was true. It was almost as though he could read her mind and see into her soul. Sallie took a deep breath as she got up from the table.

  "My mother always told me it was a sin to tell a lie," Devin said lighdy.

  "My mother told me the same thing."

  "What is it you want from life, Mrs. Thornton?" Devin's voice was a whisper. But it was his dove gray eyes that stirred Sallie.

  "I don't know. I wish I did." She turned so he wouldn't see her tears.

  "I've had enough of that Mrs. Thornton/Mr. Rollins nonsense. It's okay to cry, Sallie. Anytime, anyplace. If it makes you feel better, do it. Don't worry about what I think or what anyone else thinks. Be true to yourself and you'll never go wrong. Come on, I'll give you the aviation packet to study. Thanks for joining me. I'll get on that chicken business right away. It's a damn good thing I don't have any clients; this is going to take all my time. I might even have to raise my rates."

  132 Fern Michaels

  Sallie smiled through her tears as they walked back to Devin's office.

  "I could fall in love with you ven^ easily, Mrs. Thornton," Devin blurted.

  "Please don't. I told you, I'm married."

  "And I told you I know all about your marriage. TeU me the truth now, when you saw me that day at the cemetery, what was your first thought? I'm referring to the moment when we spoke."

  Because she'd been taught to be truthful aU her life, Sallie didn't think twice before she ansv^^ered. "I thought I was seeing my destiny."

  "Wonderful! That's exacdy what I thought. My uncle thought we would be a perfect match. He said so in my letter. How can you stay married to a man you don't love? What kind of life is that for either one of you? Don't you want to be happy?"

  "Phihp and I are friends. We have a commitment to one another. We've discussed divorce. It hasn't happened. I owe Phihp so much. There may not be passion between us, but we have that wonderful thing called friendship. I know I can count on him, and he can count on me. I don't expect you to understand that. It's the way it is. It's all my fault, you see. I married Phihp when I didn't love him. I guess I did it because I didn't want to lose my best friend, and he was going to go back to Boston. I told him the truth, and he accepted it.

  "All I ever wanted in my life was to be warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and to have a good dress for church. I wanted a family, the kind you read about in storybooks. When good fortune came my way I wasn't prepared. Everything went wrong after that. Money, Mr. Rollins, does not mak
e for happiness. It can bring comfort, security, and possessions, but not happiness. Money allows me to do things for other people. I renovated this town. I consider it mine, but it truly isn't mine. I was just the instrument that modernized it." SaUie paused and took a deep breath. "Define the word happiness, Mr. Rollins."

  "It's the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning knowing something wonderful is going to happen. It's doing something kind and good for someone else. Like you just did for Miss Ruby. Now, there was one happy lady."

  "I'm promoting prostitution," Sallie said.

  "If it wasn't you, it would be someone else. In a town that's going to boom like this one, the profession could get out of hand. You're taking care of the situadon by moving it outside of the town. Think

  of it as a separate entity. You aren't going to benefit monetarily. It's the oldest profession in the land, and it is never going to go away. People have choices. Accept the fact that there are things in this world you can't change. You can make them better or worse, but you can't change them. Lunch tomorrow? You will read this report tonight, won't you?"

  "Yes, I will read it this evening. Lunch would be very nice. Come to my house, and I'll make sure we open a fresh jar of pickles."

  "Would you like to come up to the office, or do you want to wait here while I go and get the folder?"

  "I'll walk down the street to the post office. I know it's v^hful thinking, but there may be mail from my sons. Don't forget the letter from your uncle."

  "I'll be the man standing here with a manila folder in his hand."

  "I'd know you anywhere."

  "How is that?"

  "Because you're my destiny." Sallie winked at the stunned attorney.

  "Now you are flirting with me."

  Sallie laughed. "See, I told you you would know."

  "Jesus," was all Devin could think of to say. He knew Sallie Thornton was laughing all the way to the post office. He suddenly felt as if he was eight years old and discovering for the first time that girls were different from boys.

  At home, Sallie ripped at the stiff, crackly paper Alvin Waring had always used to write his letters. As she unfolded the single-page letter, she closed her eyes, remembering another time when she'd gotten a letter and how she'd prayed for printed letters instead of script She found herself smiling at the memory.

  My Dear Sallie,

  You are the sunshine of my life. I want to thank you for making my life so pleasurable in so many small ways. I hope you will have fond memories of me and speak well of me after I'm gone.

  There are several matters I wish to put on paper. The first is a new company Pd like you to invest in. Pve given my nephew all the details, and he's promised to research the firm. If his report is satisfactory, I wantyou to buy in as heavily as you are comfortable with.

  134 Fern Michaels

  The second thing Vd like to address is Devin. For^ve ^is foolish old man when he tells you he thinks the two of you are meant for each other. Devin has had much sadness in his life, some of it he will talk about, other things he won't discuss at all, even with me. He's a kind, caring man who is capable of great love and devotion, just as you are. Ton, dear Sallie, need to set Philip free and absolveyoursef of the guilt that shackles you. If you don't, you can never be happy. Tour marriage is not the kind Cotton had in mind for you. In a way you betrayedyour benefactor, Sallie. Tou need to give this some very serious thought

  That's all I have to say. I'm very tired, dear girl, it's time for me to get ready to go to that place old attorneys go when they can'tfmction anymore.

  I hope I served you well over the past years. I want to leave you with my wish for you, dear one. Fill your life with wonderfid words, beautifiil music, and warm sunshine. Stretch out your arms and embrace all that life has to offer you. Tour ever faithful servant.

  Alvin Waring, Esq.

  Sallie read the letter three times before she gave in to her grief. She wept for a long time.

  It was past midnight when Sallie read the last sheet of paper and returned the pile into the folder. Her eyes were wide with shock, her shoulders stiff with anger. "Phihp, are you awake?" Sallie shouted, hoping he'd answer.

  "I am now. I was just dozing. This book was so dry and boring it put me to sleep. What's wrong, you sound. .. angry. Did something happen, was there a phone call?" He came into her room, his voice so fearful, SaUie herself became frightened.

  "No, no, nothing like that. You know the aviation company Mr. Waring and Mr. Rollins want me to invest in. I'd pretty much made up my mind to go ahead. You are never going to guess who owns the company. Never in a million years, Phihp."

  "For God's sake, who?"

  "My brother, Seth Coleman."

  "Perhaps it's someone with the same name."

  "There's some biographical information on the last page. He's my brother. I know it, I feel it. It says he has a 250,000-acre ranch outside of Austin, Texas. He's married and has a son and a daughter. His son is in the Navy, flying fighter planes. He raises catde and started up this aviation company. He's rich."

  "Then why does he need money?" Philip asked.

  "I don't know. If Mr. Waring was here, he'd say the first rule of business is you never use your own money in case you go belly-up. His ranch is called Sunbridge. I inherited a home called Sunrise. Isn't that odd, Philip? They say he's the richest man in the state of Texas. If that's true, why didn't he go back for the family? Why didn't he ever do anything for them? He just lit out and never looked back. What do you think my chsmces are of buying up fifty-one percent of his company?"

  "My God, Sallie, do you want to plow him under? You're angry right now. You need to think this through before you do something you might regret."

  "You mean like going there and killing him? That's exactly what I feel like doing. My mother died of a broken heart because of him. Peggy told me his name was on Mama's lips when she died. Seth was the only one Mama cared about."

  "Sallie, your mother died because she was sick. I'm not negating what you just said, but—"

  "There are no buts, Philip. If he'd gone back once, if he'd sent money, maybe Mama wouldn't have gotten sick. I'd bet my last penny he doesn't even know our parents are dead. Don't even think about defending him, Philip."

  "Sallie—"

  "Don't Sallie me, Philip. I'm angry. You didn't know my mother. Peggy told me what it was like at the end. My sisters were literally starving. And all my mother wanted was to believe that her firstborn son, Seth, would arrive in time to send her off to heaven. Just a lit-de bit of money, Philip. Five dollars a month. It would have made all the difference in the world. My mother might be alive today if he'd done the decent thing. Don't think for one minute that I won't find Josh, too. I will, somehow, someway."

  "The Pinkertons couldn't find Seth. You spent all that money for nothing."

  "I tried, Philip. I had to try. You had a wonderful family, Philip. You had a childhood filled with fun and laughter. I never had that. All I can remember is worry about whether I would be cold or hot or hungry. Do you hear me, Philip, I never had a childhood! I can never get it back."

  "It wasn't all Seth's fault, Sallie. You had a father. It was his responsibility."

  "When my father fell down on the job, it was Seth's place to step

  in and take over. Instead, he lit out just as Josh did later. It's just like you, Philip, to stick up for Seth because he's a man. Another thing," SaUie raged. "Our son Ash would do the same thing, and you damn well know it"

  "I don't want to believe that You're angry right now. You don't mean it"

  '*You goddamn well better believe it I saw it in him every day as he was growing up. He plays both ends against the middle. Ash had to get that from somewhere. I'm not like that and neither are you. It's my bloodline, and don't try telling me differendy. I'm thinldng about having an affair, Philip," Salhe said in much the same way she would have said, '*! think it's going to rain today."

  "Is it something you want to discuss?"
Philip asked.

  "Yes. No. I might, and then I might not I've never hed to you. I won't be mentioning it again. There is something else I want to talk to you about. I know it's late, but it's on my mind."

  "Why don't I make us some hot cocoa and we can sit in the kitchen. How would you like a fried egg sandwich with ketchup?" It wasn't the end of the world; she hadn't said she wanted a divorce. An affair was something he could live with. A divorce would kill him.

  "I'd love one, but I want bacon on mine."

  "Bacon it is. Cocoa or coffee?"

  "Cocoa will be fine," SaUie said, lighting a cigarette. She told him in great detail about everything that happened in Devin RoUins's office and at lunch, leaving out only the personal remarks between her and the attorney.

  "I'll bet that made Red's wild red hair stand on end. Chickens, huh? Very clever, SaUie."

  "Philip, could you see yourself running a chicken and cattle business? Have you ever thought about giving up teaching?"

  "Just about every day of my life now. I don't know anything about chickens. I know less about cows. Milk cows, or cattle for butchering?"

  "Both."

  "I guess I could learn. I assume you're talking about a lot of chickens and a lot of cows."

  "Hundreds, thousands maybe. Instead of a salary you take a share of the profits. What do you think?"

  "It sounds interesting."

  "You'll do it?"

  "It sure beats a stufiy classroom."

  "If you're agreeable, that will take some of the pressure off Mr. Rollins. He doesn't know anything about chickens, either. What do you think I should do about my brother, Philip?" SalUe asked, switching the conversation to what was really on her mind.

  "Besides killing him? SalHe, you have never been a vindictive person. The past is past. You cannot undo it no matter how much you want to. If you're looking for vengeance, wouldn't the sweetest revenge be buying into his company and not telling him who you are until the right moment? That moment always comes, Sallie. You just have to learn patience. Think it through before you do anything; that's my best advice."