Tempting Fate

by Meryl Sawyer

  "I'm marrying Logan," Kelly said, her voice low. She almost didn't want to disturb the older woman whose expression said she was reliving some fond memory of her only daughter. "If he's in danger, I must help him."

  Lydia turned slowly and faced Kelly. "You're marrying him? Oh, my." She returned to the sofa and sat down as if she were suddenly very tired.

  Kelly leaned over and touched her arm. "Tell me the whole story. I don't want to lose Logan the way you lost Suzanne."

  Lydia scrutinized her a moment, silently assessing Kelly's sincerity. Kelly was afraid this shrewd woman would somehow detect that this was nothing more than a marriage of convenience.

  Lydia looked at the magnificent diamond Logan had given Kelly, then she gazed into Kelly's eyes, saying, "What I'm going to tell has to remain confidential. What do you call it?"

  "Off the record. I won't repeat anything you tell me."

  "You'd better tell Logan. He needs to know."

  The bitterness had vanished from Lydia's voice, replaced by the defeated tone of a person who has lost someone she loves dearly. Nothing, not even sweet revenge, will bring the person back. Kelly knew the feeling. She would have given anything she had, or ever hoped to have, to bring Daniel back. But there was nothing she could do.

  "I'm not sure where to begin," Lydia said, and Kelly feared the older woman was wavering. Lydia was withholding something.

  "Take your time. I'd like to know the whole story."

  "Earl, that's my husband—was my husband—always wanted to live here. He took an early retirement from the post office in Chicago, and we bought this place even though we could barely afford it. Suzanne was in her last year at the University of Illinois. She was on a special scholarship."

  "She must have been very intelligent as well as beautiful," Kelly said, and Lydia nodded, pride sparkling in her eyes. "How did she meet Tyler?"

  "Suzanne was working as a hostess in the Yavapai Room at the Enchantment Resort during the summer. Tyler saw her and asked her out. They dated all summer and decided to marry."

  "How did you feel about that?"

  "I never liked Tyler. He's vain and arrogant, so full of himself it's sickening. But I kept my mouth shut."

  "How did the Stanfields feel about the marriage?" Kelly asked.

  "Woody was charming when we met just before the engagement party. Ginger didn't say much, and neither did Benson, although I had the feeling they would have preferred Tyler marry a daughter of one of their rich friends."

  Lydia gazed at Suzanne's wedding picture again. Kelly waited for the older woman to collect her thoughts.

  "Alyx didn't hesitate to let us know we were beneath her. Do you know what she said at the engagement party? We weren't supposed to hear, but of course, she made certain we did. She told a group of her friends that now she understood why postal workers were always shooting each other."

  "She's a total bitch."

  "If you ask me, she has an unhealthy attachment to her brother."

  "Really?" Kelly had noticed the conspiratorial way the twins always whispered to each other. "What did Suzanne think?'

  "She was blinded by the Stanfield life style. Spending time in Washington really appealed to her. Suzanne loved politics, and Woody found her a job with a lobbyist."

  Kelly couldn't see where this was going. Suzanne had been seduced by money and power, a tale as old as time. How did this lead to murder?

  "It was several years before Suzanne realized how shallow and self-centered Tyler was. He spent more time with his sister than he did with her."

  "They must have been together a little. She was having his baby."

  "No, Suzanne came to despise Tyler." The slight tremor in Lydia's voice told Kelly the woman was having difficulty keeping her emotions in check. Lydia stopped speaking, again gazing at her daughter's photograph.

  "Was she considering divorce? Did the baby stop her?"

  Lydia faced Kelly again, a sheen of tears brightening her eyes. "She wasn't carrying his child."

  Kelly waited, only mildly surprised by the news. Affairs were commonplace in the Stanfields' circles, and Suzanne was a beautiful woman who would have had her pick of men.

  "Was your daughter planning to marry the baby's father?"

  "Yes," Lydia replied, softly. "They were getting married as soon as both divorces were final."

  "Did you meet him?" Kelly prompted when Lydia again lapsed into silence.

  "Oh, yes. I met him."

  Something in her tone disturbed Kelly. "Who was the baby's father?"

  The long silence made Kelly afraid that Lydia wasn't going to tell her, yet she couldn't imagine why not.

  Finally, Lydia whispered, "Woody Stanfield was the baby's father."

  "Oh my God," Kelly blurted out before she could stop herself. She wondered why Suzanne's mother hadn't mentioned this to the authorities. "Now I understand why Woody would have willed this baby a great deal of money, but that doesn't mean he would have cut out Ginger and the twins."

  A wry but indulgent smile spread across Lydia's lips. "Woody is not the twins' father. It's a well-kept family secret. He raised them as if they were his, but Ginger had an affair with another man, and he is their real father."

  Kelly took a quick breath of utter astonishment. "Are you sure? How do you know?"

  "Tyler told my daughter shortly after they became engaged, when things were perfect between them. Woody confirmed this and claimed he had stayed with Ginger for political reasons."

  Kelly slowly shook her head. Pop was right. Politics in America brought out the best in people, didn't it? "Do you know if Woody told Suzanne anything about Logan?"

  "No, and I'm certain she would have mentioned it. She called us every week."

  "When did Suzanne tell you about her affair with Woody?"

  "She didn't say anything—at first. Then Woody and Suzanne came to us to explain about the baby. Woody planned to divorce Ginger and marry Suzanne as soon as they were both free."

  "What about his political career?"

  "He was tired of all the bickering and in-fighting." Yet again, Lydia gazed at her daughter's picture. "I believed him. They were so happy together."

  "How did you and your husband feel about Suzanne marrying a man old enough to be her father?"

  "We weren't thrilled, but we kept our disappointment to ourselves. Suzanne was literally radiant. Woody was as excited about the baby as Suzanne—maybe more."

  Kelly wasn't quite sure she bought Woody's story. She'd seen him at work, too often, using the charisma and charm that Logan had inherited—in spades. Lydia Hartley had not been exposed to enough politicians to have developed a bullshit detector.

  "When Suzanne died, Woody was beside himself with grief. Ask anyone who was at the funeral. I think someone discovered Woody's plan and killed my daughter to prevent him from rewriting his will."

  "Why didn't you tell the sheriff the entire story?"

  "Earl and I discussed it, but we felt certain the autopsy would reveal the cause of death, then an investigation would surely prove who killed Suzanne. When the first report found nothing, we kicked ourselves for keeping quiet."

  Lydia rose and walked over to the picture. She cradled it against her bosom, as if it were a baby. "We asked ourselves what Suzanne would want us to do. We decided she truly loved Woody. We didn't want to tarnish her memory by revealing what others would have called an ugly affair. What good would that do? Instead we insisted the coroner from Phoenix examine the body."

  "He didn't find anything unusual either," Kelly said as gently as possible. "Do you have any other reason to believe Suzanne was murdered?"

  "The day before she died, Suzanne called me. She sounded very upset. She said she couldn't talk long. She wanted to come home for a while. She sounded afraid."

  It wasn't much to go on, and it might well have just been Lydia's imagination, but Kelly had her doubts. Something was terribly wrong with the Stanfields.

  "You can't believe how thr
illed Woody was to be having his own child," Lydia added wistfully.

  Kelly thought about the way Woody had ignored Logan and the numerous injuries Logan had suffered as a child. At first, she had suspected child abuse, but now she wondered if something even more sinister had happened. Had they diabolically planned to murder a defenseless little boy?

  And where did Woody fit in?

  Lydia returned her daughter's picture to the shelf, then looked at Kelly as if she'd sensed the direction of her thoughts. "Tell Logan to be very, very careful or he'll end up in a grave like my Suzanne."

  * * *

  Chapter 20

  « ^ »

  "It's all right to be nervous," Pop told Logan. "I was like a hummingbird on uppers just before I married Emma."

  Even on the most dangerous mission, Logan never had an attack of the jitters. So, why now?

  "Once the judge starts the ceremony, you'll be okay."

  They were on the terrace of Pop's house, overlooking Oak Creek. Rows of folding chairs had been set up to accommodate the guests. Since the Stanfields had asked to be invited, what was supposed to be a simple civil ceremony in a judge's chamber had escalated into "an event." Uma had been in the kitchen around the clock for days, preparing food for the reception.

  Logan had rarely seen Kelly. She managed to avoid him by working late, claiming she had to get things in order at the paper before the honeymoon. He'd spent his days in the orchard with Pop, picking apples of all things.

  Christ! He'd had his fill of bringing in the harvest—what there was of it—when he'd lived at the camp. He never thought he'd be doing anything like that again, but it wasn't so bad. Pop never questioned Logan about his work as a Cobra. Or about the past.

  Logan appreciated Pop's attitude. He genuinely liked the older man and didn't want to lie to him. But he wouldn't discuss the past even with Pop.

  Logan tugged at his shirt cuffs, then adjusted the knot in his tie. Son of a bitch! What was he doing getting married?

  "I've never even been to a wedding," he confessed to Pop, keeping his voice low so the few guests who had arrived early couldn't hear him. "Is there anything I should know?"

  Pop hitched one eyebrow, surprised. "Surely you've seen weddings in the movies."

  "No. I haven't had much time for entertainment like that."

  Pop nodded, obviously wanting to ask more, but restraining himself. "When Judge Hollister is ready, you and Kelly will stand facing him. The judge will ask you to repeat after him, so that's easy. Do you have the ring?"

  Logan patted his pocket and felt the wedding band. It had been designed to match the engagement ring he'd given Kelly. He still didn't know what had gotten into him. Pop had subtlety reminded Logan that an engagement ring might help convince people that they were really in love, but it had been Logan's idea to go to Tiffany's.

  Why hadn't he gone to some cut-rate jeweler? The best he could figure was that he'd once been on a mission that required a lot of waiting. He and Brodie Adams had been holed up in a flea-bag hotel in Peru. When they had electricity, they watched Breakfast at Tiffany's on the ancient video recorder. He'd lost track of how many times they had seen the damn movie, but the jewelry store had made a lasting impression.

  Tiffany's in Scottsdale was small, nowhere near the size of the one in the movie. He'd looked at several rings with Pop silently standing at his side, then he'd seen the kick-ass diamond. The perfect ring for Kelly.

  Aw, hell, if he didn't cut out the sentimental crap, he'd be worthless when the Cobra Force sent him to Africa. A Cobra had to be totally focused, his mind on the mission and nothing else. That's why only single men were selected for the most dangerous assignments.

  "The Stanfield entourage has arrived," Pop informed him.

  Logan looked across the terrace. Alyx and Tyler led the group while Benson and Woody walked beside Ginger. The men were dressed in suits and the women wore floral print dresses and hats with the widest brims that Logan had ever seen.

  Alyx and Tyler stopped to speak to a couple, but Woody guided Ginger and Benson over to where Logan was standing with Pop.

  "Senator, Benson," Pop greeted the men, then turned to Ginger. "That's quite a hat."

  "Thank you," Ginger said with a smile only a politician's wife could muster, but Logan wasn't sure Pop meant it as a compliment.

  "We didn't bring a wedding gift," Benson explained, "because you two weren't registered anywhere, so we had no idea what to get."

  Logan noticed that hadn't bothered the other guests. The gift table was filling fast. Not that he wanted a damn thing from the Stanfields.

  "Could I have a word with you in private?" Woody asked Logan.

  He followed his father to the side of the terrace. The older man gazed down at Oak Creek for a moment before turning to Logan.

  "I wanted to get you something special," Woody said "but I have the feeling that you wouldn't accept an expensive gift from me."

  "You're right. I can buy anything Kelly and I need."

  "I know. I mean, well, Ginger called Tiffany's in Scottsdale. They told her you did buy a set of rings there."

  "That's damn nosy." Logan scanned the crowded terrace for Ginger. She was huddled with Benson in the front row of chairs next to Alyx and Tyler.

  "Ginger meant well. She wanted me to give you the money for a real diamond. I told her I thought Kelly's ring was real, so she called Tiffany's to check."

  It was all Logan could do not to say exactly what he thought of Ginger. Didn't Woody realize the woman was a manipulator? She pretended to be weak and fragile, but Logan would bet anything the opposite was true. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised to discover she was the one behind those bugs.

  "I wanted to tell you in private that I have contacted a friend in the social services. Next Wednesday they've scheduled a home visit. You'll be approved to adopt a child immediately."

  * * *

  "I don't think much of your private detective," she whispered. "What has the Israeli found out that can help us? Nothing. Those bugs haven't picked up anything except useless chatter."

  They were seated, waiting for the wedding to begin. He checked to be certain no one was paying attention to them.

  "I have a plan." He leaned closer, keeping his voice low. "According to the info picked up by the bugs, Kelly and Logan are going camping for two days. Then after they get the adoption approval, they are going to South America for a real honeymoon."

  "I despise camping. Think of the dust and the bugs."

  "Think of what could happen with them all alone out in the wilderness."

  The brim of her hat cast a shadow across her beautiful face, but he was close enough to see the gleam of excitement in her eyes.

  "What if they fell off a cliff or something?" she whispered. "Imagine how devastated Woody will be."

  "It would be a shame especially since Woody has an appointment with his attorney next week."

  "He's changing the will."

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Woody talking with Logan. His only son. "Yes, Woody contacted his lawyer in Phoenix."

  "Remember how thrilled Woody was when Suzanne was going to have his baby? He kept grinning all the time. Disgusting."

  "It's a natural reaction. Woody has spent his life building an empire. He wants to leave it to his own flesh and blood. Now he has a national hero to leave his fortune to."

  Her mouth crimped into a grim line. "Be certain something dreadful happens to Logan while they're camping. If he's dead, Woody won't have any reason to change his will."

  * * *

  "Be still my heart!" Uma thumped her chest with one hand and rolled her eyes heavenward. "Wait until you see Logan. What a hunk!"

  Normally Kelly would have laughed at Uma, but Kelly was too nervous to smile. Uma had come to tell her that Judge Hollister had arrived. It was time to leave her casita and go down to the terrace.

  She dreaded deceiving all the people who'd come to the wedding. A marriage of convenience should
have been called a marriage of inconvenience. It meant telling one lie after another until she despised herself.

  She glanced at the testero where Rafi's picture was propped up against a vase and reminded herself that there wasn't any other way she could bring Daniel's son home. She had no choice but to go through with this sham marriage.

  She checked herself in the full-length mirror, asking Uma, "Do I look all right?"

  She was wearing a lavender silk sheath with a scoop neck. It was simple yet the dress had a touch of elegance thanks to the string of pearls Pop had given her when she'd graduated from Yale. She'd taken extra time with her hair and managed to smooth out some of the curl. It hung to her shoulders in soft blond waves that made her brown eyes seem darker than usual.

  "You're drop-dead gorgeous," Uma assured her.

  It wasn't true, of course, but Kelly knew she looked as good as she could. The only thing missing, her reflection told her, was the happy glow she'd had when she'd married Daniel. At least this time she was going into a marriage knowing it was going to end.

  What would happen before it did? Even though Logan had yet to kiss her on the lips, she had the distinct impression that he intended to have sex with her. True, he was a hunk just as Uma had said, and Kelly was physically attracted to him. But she knew herself well enough to realize that a physical relationship would lead to an emotional commitment.

  She refused to take the chance.

  Daniel had loved her—at least in the beginning—and she'd lost him. She had asked Logan to marry her, but he didn't love her. In six months his new assignment would begin, and he would leave.

  She would never love Logan the way she'd loved Daniel. Yet if she weren't very careful, she might grow fond of him. And miss him terribly when he left.

  "Baby-cakes, they're waiting."

  Kelly realized she had been staring at her reflection for some time. "I'm coming." She closed the door behind her. "Uma, you're a guest today. Stay out of the kitchen."