by Becki Willis
“Oh no, I haven’t even begun to get even,” he promised darkly. “That woman has been all over me!”
Kenzie smiled sweetly. “You shouldn’t be so irresistible, brother dear.”
“You’re doing this because of last night, aren’t you? You think I turned you down, so now you’re getting even.”
“You did turn me down, but no, that’s not why I’m doing this. I’m trying to get us to New Hampshire. I think I have a plan.”
“I’m not sure I’m up to another of your plans,” he muttered. He glanced up and saw Brenda waving at him through the kitchen window. When her eyes trailed over him suggestively, he nearly choked on his lemonade. “I may not make it through this scheme in one piece. I’m afraid that woman may rip me to shreds.”
“Your clothes, anyway. But I think if we can convince them to take us to see dear Aunt Doris, I can get us on a charter flight to New Hampshire.”
“How are you going to pull that one off?” Suspicion darkened his eyes as he asked, “Mr. Sweetie Pie to the rescue?”
“No. But I did have a phone call earlier. Bernard Franks called to confirm our photography session for Tuesday. He offered to send the Senator’s plane to pick me up.”
“I don’t like that idea,” Travis growled. “And you need to keep your phone turned off.”
Kenzie wrinkled her nose is distaste. “I declined the offer, but it did get me thinking. We’re only four hours from Rapid City and Now headquarters, where we have our own jet. I think I can convince Kate to let us use it.”
“It’s a Sunday. Do you really think you can talk her into it? Or the pilot?”
“Joe has a crush on me, so that’s no problem. And I’ll talk Kate into it. I can be very persuasive when I need to be.” Kenzie all but smirked.
“Yes, you can.” His words were hardly a compliment. “Do you always get what you want?”
Kenzie let her eyes run the length of him, trailing down all six feet, four inches of his rawboned frame. Desire simmered in her eyes. “No,” she said softly.
Still watching from the window, Brenda had no idea of the actual conversation taking place outside. She assumed Travis’s very ‘male reaction’ was inspired by thoughts of her. She hurried to finish in the kitchen, eager to return to her guest, but not before Kenzie lined out her plan.
“I’ll call Kate and set things up. If she agrees, I’ll tell you about the tragic news I just learned. Aunt Doris won’t be expected to make it through the weekend. I’ll leave it up to you on how to best convince Brenda to drive us there.”
Their hostess was coming out the door. She had changed clothes, into a low cut sundress that revealed a bit too much of her body. “I resent being used like this,” Travis hissed out of the side of his mouth.
Unable to resist, Kenzie brushed against him, pressing close to insure his now infamous ‘male reaction’.
“Brenda!” Kenzie gushed, all smiles as she whirled toward the librarian. “We were just talking about you!”
Chapter Eighteen
“That has to be the most humiliating thing that has ever happened to me.”
Travis was still angry with Kenzie for involving him in her scheme, even though it had, in fact, gone off without a hitch. They were now seated on the magazine’s private jet, halfway to New England.
When Kenzie came into the Sorenson dining room with the tragic news of their aunt’s imminent death, her green eyes were shimmering with tears. They probably would not make it in time to see her one last time. Stu Sorenson had been quick to console her, gathering her just a little too closely within his beefy arms. Overcome with grief, Travis, aka Billy Bob, had to leave the room.
In truth, he left to hide the shocked expression upon his face; Kenzie’s act was completely convincing. He was amazed at what an accomplished liar she was. It made him wonder what other lies and half-truths she might have told him.
Before he could return to the dining room, Brenda had come to ‘console’ him. By the time he extricated himself from her arms, she was practically dragging him to the car. She insisted on driving them to the hospital that very afternoon.
The Sorensons delivered their new friends right up to the door of the Rapid City hospital. Any lingering goodbyes and promises to keep in touch were cut short by a convert push of a button; Kenzie’s phone binged with a supposed text message, urging them to hurry inside if they wanted to see their aunt.
Now the jet was at cruising altitude, but Travis’s spirits were sagging far below. “I still can’t believe you did that to me,” he huffed.
“It worked, didn’t it? We’re on our way to New Hampshire without anyone being the wiser. Makenna and Hardin were able to get the last two seats on their flight, so soon we’ll all be together. We can get to the bottom of these secrets, once and for all.”
“What did you have to tell your editor to get the jet on a weekend?”
“I told her I wanted to get some extra shots of the area and a follow-up on the NorthWind story. I promised some fantastic shots, which she knows I will deliver.” Her smug look lasted just long enough to dissolve into uncertainty. Curiosity was killing her. “What did you have to tell Brenda to convince her to drive us here? The two of you were gone long enough.”
Instead of answering right away, Travis just looked at her. He wore a contrite expression on his face. When he ducked his head guiltily, Kenzie knew a moment of pure panic. Surely, he hadn’t!
“I had to do some heavy convincing,” he finally answered. “I knew to get what I wanted, I had to give her what she wanted.”
The blood drained from Kenzie’s face as her heart shattered into a hundred pieces. Tears pricked her eyes and she averted her face, not wanting him to know how deeply his betrayal hurt. He had sex with Brenda, just one day after turning her away!
Breathing became painful. Thinking was excruciating. It was an effort just to exist in those horrible moments following his smug admission.
“What you did,” he said quietly, “using me, using her attraction to me, was demeaning and low. You gave no thought to anyone but yourself. You used me and you used Brenda and you used Stu to get what you wanted. Well, you got it. We’re safely on our way to New Hampshire. But I warned you: one way, one day, I would get even.”
“So you slept with her?” The words ripped from her heart. She couldn’t help the pain and devastation that seeped into her voice as she turned tear-rimmed eyes to his. “After all your talk about honor and integrity, you turned me away and you slept with her?”
A smug smile played at the corners of his mouth. Infuriated with his audacity to laugh when she was dying inside, Kenzie drew a deep breath, ready to berate him with her scorn.
His soft words stopped her. “No, Kenzie, of course not. How could you even think that?”
“But- But you said-”
“How did you feel when you thought I had slept with her?”
Devastated, her heart cried. Heart broken.
“Horrible,” she admitted aloud. “Betrayed.”
“I think we’re even now.”
When his meaning sunk in, she was furious. “Oh!” she fumed. “You – you brute! How horrible! You let me think – you let me believe –” Her voice broke on a sob and she turned abruptly away. “I hate you, Travis Merka,” she said in a tight voice.
He merely laughed. His voice was low and confident when he said, “No you don’t.”
***
By the time the private jet touched down in New Hampshire, darkness edged the sky. Kenzie gave Travis the cold shoulder as they picked up the rental car and waited for Makenna and Hardin’s flight to arrive. Her cool attitude prevailed throughout dinner and while the two couples made the short drive to the charming town of Hopkinton and their hotel for the night.
“What is wrong with you?” Makenna quizzed as they stepped out of the hotel elevator. She caught her sister’s arm to detain her.
“That man!” she hissed, glaring at the back of Travis’s towering head. “He is
so infuriating!” She did not elaborate as she pulled her arm free and followed the men down the hallway to their room.
This hotel was closer to Kenzie’s high standards, even though it was not a national chain. No large suites were available. It did, however, have two queen beds, a small sitting area, a small kitchen, and free high-speed internet. And, perhaps most importantly, a table large enough for them all to gather around.
They wasted no time in spreading out the contents of the manila envelope. Hardin and Makenna were seeing the items for the first time, so Kenzie and Travis explained each piece to them, sharing the significance and theories about each. By the time they got to the box Makenna brought with her, it was well past midnight.
“I say we call it a night,” Hardin suggested. “Let’s get a good night’s sleep, eat a hearty breakfast, go to the bank first thing in the morning, then come back here and tackle this with a fresh mind. Maybe whatever we find at the bank will shed new light on all this.”
“You would be thinking about breakfast,” Makenna teased. “But it sounds like a good idea, babe. I’m exhausted.”
“It has been a long day,” Kenzie agreed. “Did you bring me some clothes?” Forced to leave her suitcase in Wyoming, she asked her sister to pack a few extra outfits. Their closets were interchangeable, after all.
“Sure did. Get whatever you want.”
Kenzie quickly dressed for bed and claimed the bed nearest the bathroom as hers and Makenna’s.
Hardin came into the room and plopped onto the other bed. His sculpted chest and rub-board abs were on full display beneath his simple white T-shirt, but he seemed guilelessly unaware of his sex appeal. Despite the hungry looks he often got from women, he had eyes only for Makenna.
“You doing okay, Ken?” he asked in concern. “I know this has to be rough on you.”
“It is,” she confessed. She was brushing out her long hair, wishing her life could be as easily untangled as her curly locks. Even with the snags and knots, she knew she would eventually work the tresses into a smooth flow. She wasn’t nearly as certain about her life.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” Hardin promised. “We’ll find out what your parents were hiding, and we’ll find a way to keep you safe.”
“I’m mostly worried about Makenna. She’s an innocent bystander in all this.”
“You are, too, Kenzie. Just because you were the one they kept doesn’t make you guilty of the things they did. You aren’t responsible for any of this, any more than she is.”
“Thank you, Hardin,” she said softly, smiling at the man her sister would soon marry.
“How’s the leg?” he asked.
“Swollen. Hurting a little bit, but okay.”
Travis padded barefoot into the room. When he sat on the edge of Kenzie’s bed, she looked up sharply. “What-What are you doing?”
He looked straight at her, not caring that his friend could hear everything being said. His voice was low but strong. “We may not be having sex, but we’ve been sleeping together the last three nights. I see no reason to change that now.”
“But-But…”
His voice dropped to a raw whisper. “I don’t want to fight with you. I want to hold you. I need you safe in my arms.”
He was cheating again. Her heart was a pool of liquid as she smiled and lifted the covers to invite him in.
“I’m not a saint, darlin’. I’ll sleep on top of the covers, just like I’ve done the other nights.”
Soon the lights were out and the room grew still. In a whisper meant only for her, Travis spoke near Kenzie’s ear. “I told her I was distraught over poor Aunt Doris.”
“What?”
“I was so distraught over the thought of losing my favorite aunt I couldn’t even kiss Brenda. Grief can do strange things to a man.”
Even though she knew nothing had happened between him and the librarian, Kenzie couldn’t forget the crippling pain of thinking otherwise. The ache was still too fresh, too raw. She simply nodded and said tightly, “Good to know.”
Just before she drifted asleep, Kenzie whispered. “Travis?”
“What, darlin’?”
“I’m sorry about what I said. I don’t hate you,” she whispered fervently.
Chapter Nineteen
The meandering town of Hopkinton was a beautiful example of New England’s quaint charm. In the light of day, the tree-studded boulevards offered a scenic route for the trip to the bank. Historical markers identified dozens of old buildings, all preserved with pride and care.
“Look at this,” Kenzie murmured. “It’s like something you see on a postcard. All these beautiful old houses with their neatly trimmed trees and pretty yards. I bet it’s gorgeous in the fall.”
“I did a little research on the web last night,” Makenna said. “Back in the day, there was actually a law that required all the houses along main streets to be painted white with black shudders. It makes for a very neat, picturesque town.”
“Like a postcard.”
“Actually, this is part of the Currier and Ives Scenic Byway. It probably has been on a dozen postcards, calendars, and puzzles, even on a movie or two. And that huge old church we passed back there? It has a Revere bell, from like 1789 or something. At one time, this was the state capitol. There’s an old covered bridge here somewhere, the oldest one of its kind in the States.”
“Did I hear you mention a covered bridge?” Hardin asked, turning from the front seat to look at Makenna with a sexy grin. “We like covered bridges, don’t we, babe?” His warm, sensual tone brought a blush to his fiancé’s cheeks.
“Maybe we’ll have time to check out one or two while we’re here,” Makenna agreed with a smile. She slid a sly glance at her sister. “Introduce Kenzie and Travis to their charms.”
“I’m sure they’ll find them as fascinating as we did.” He gave the auburn haired sister a long, hungry look.
“Knock it off, you two.” Kenzie reprimanded the couple, but with a suppressed grin. “Kenna, you may have to re-button your blouse. I think he just undressed you with his eyes.”
To her surprise, Travis made a wry reply. “Nice trick.”
He met Kenzie’s eyes in the rear-view mirror for a second, before deliberating dropping his gaze to the front of her shirt. She felt her skin heat and her pulse quicken. Having Travis flirt with her and make sexual innuendos was a rare and delightful treat.
The warm glow of the moment was snuffed by Hardin’s navigational help. “I think this is East Lemon up here.”
“Left or right?”
“Right.”
Travis turned on his blinker and made a smooth turn onto the side street. The First New Hampshire Bank took up most of the next block, a stately old building with white pillars and bricked steps leading up to its elaborate doors. Despite its historical charm, Kenzie felt a sense of foreboding move down her spine. What secrets hid inside?
As agreed upon earlier, Hardin and Makenna followed the bank manager into the vaulted alcove of safety deposit boxes, while Kenzie and Travis waited in the lobby. There was no reason to draw attention to four people inquiring about a box that had been dormant for over twenty-three years.
“What do you think will be inside?” Kenzie chewed the inside of her cheek as she waited in a velvet lined Queen Anne chair. She was too pre-occupied to appreciate the beauty of the bank’s antique furnishings.
“Hard to say. But if you keep twisting your hair like that, you’re going to be bald.” Travis grabbed her hand and pulled it onto his denim-clad knee, where he kept it covered with his. “Relax, darlin’. We’re going to work this all out.”
“I’m not cut out for this,” she declared. “All this mystery and suspense, secret codes and hidden messages. How do you do this, day in and day out?”
“I have to admit, this time it’s harder.” His eyes became murky. “It’s different when I have a personal stake in the outcome.”
Kenzie’s eyes dropped to his mouth. It had been far too
long since he had kissed her. Minutes would be bad enough; two days was unacceptable. When he returned her hungry gaze, she murmured, “Are you just going to stare at me, or are you going to kiss me?”
“We’re in a public place of business,” he reminded her.
“I don’t see anyone but you, Ranger.”
“Talk about cheating,” he muttered, just before he closed the distance between them.
Footsteps echoed on the marble floor and Makenna’s amused voice broke the kiss before it started. “Knock it off, you two,” she mimicked her sister’s words. “This is a respectable establishment!”
To Kenzie’s amusement, Travis looked embarrassed. She laughed as she stood and tugged on his arm. “Come on, Mr. Prim and Proper. Let’s get out of here before I besmirch your reputation.”
He ignored her teasing but slid an arm around her waist. To Hardin, he asked, “Did you have any troubles getting into the box?”
“None at all.” Hardin held up a canvas bag with the bank’s logo.
“Let’s drop the film off to be developed, then get back to the hotel and see what was so important the key had to be hidden in my baby blanket,” Makenna said. She felt betrayed, having something as innocent and comforting as her favorite blanket involved in a scheme of evil.
“On our way, babe,” Hardin assured her, brushing a kiss into her hair. “On our way.”
***
“So these are more contracts,” Hardin said twenty minutes later, leafing through the papers from the safety deposit box.
“And these outline a Trust, set up in the names of Tamara Leigh and Tressa Anne Mandarino.” Travis glanced up at the sisters as he read over the documents. “It appears you ladies have a tidy sum of money in your names.”
“If it’s from the mafia, I don’t want it,” Makenna was quick to say.
“Hard to say, but most of what I see here was set up right after you were born. I’m not sure when your father –”
“Became a crook?” Kenzie broke in.
