All too quickly they reached the Barretts’s, where the stablehand ran to meet her at the foot of the drive and walk her horse back to the stables for her. She was thankful for the time alone with Jason.
“Would you like to go riding again tomorrow morning? I haven’t been to the seashore yet.”
She would have liked nothing better than to go down to the beach with him, to introduce him to the tide pools, to walk along the shore and watch the waves. The ocean always gave her such a feeling of serenity. She would find it healing now. They could spend an afternoon at Woodward Gardens, where they would leave the windy city and dusty streets behind while they laughed over the collection of natural curiosities and zoological specimens. It would be heaven to walk through the conservatory and view the flowering plants. There were so many things she would have liked to do with him. But it was better to say goodbye to him now and have done with it.
She paused at the foot of the stairs that led to the front door. The slight afternoon breeze had intensified. The air smelled of the sea. She wondered if Babs was inside trying to peer out at them.
Jade fiddled with a button on her cloak. “Jason, I think that it’s best we don’t see each other again.”
There was a slight pause before he said softly, “Best for whom?” His disappointed tone surprised and dismayed her. She had wanted this to be simple. She wanted to remember the happy hours they had shared together, not a quarrel.
“Best for both of us. I have so much to think about, so much to do to put my life in order—just as you have. You’ll be leaving for New Mexico soon, and I have my future here to think about.”
He would have argued with her, but everything she had said was true. Still, he did not want to admit it. “You won’t even spare a few hours tomorrow for a short outing?”
Sadly she smiled and shook her head. “No. Besides, I don’t think I’ll be able to sit down for a week after today’s ride.”
He pulled off his weathered hat and impatiently tapped it against his thigh as he frowned down at her. She watched the muscle jump in the side of his jaw and knew he was wrestling with a decision. “I don’t usually give up so easily.”
“I didn’t think so. But I’m very sure about this, Jason.” She hoped she sounded more sure than she felt at the moment.
J.T. wasn’t certain that what she wanted was right, and that uncertainty made him angry. How could she dismiss him so casually when he found he was beginning to care deeply for her? Obviously she shared none of the same feelings for him. He jammed his hat back on. He’d be damned if he would stand there any longer making a bigger fool of himself than he already had.
“If your mind’s made up, then I’ll be moving along.”
“Jason, I hope you understand. I’ve enjoyed the ride today. I—”
“Forget it. You don’t need to explain. I get the idea.” Without another word or parting gesture, he turned away from her and started back down the drive.
Jade felt her heart sink to her toes and willed herself not to cry as she watched him walk away. He was a proud man and she had hurt him without meaning to, but there was no alternative. She watched as Jason mounted up. He was about to leave without so much as a goodbye.
“Jason!” She had called out to him before she could stop herself.
He turned in the saddle to look back, his jaw rigid, his lips drawn together in a taut line.
“Be careful,” she said softly.
He gave no indication that he had even heard her as he rode away without a word.
Chapter Nine
The pen can kill a man . . .
No knife is needed.
PARTING WITH JASON took the excitement out of the good news Jade had to share with Babs about her trip to the bank, but determined to let her friend know that she had gained access to the Page collection again, Jade went directly to Babs’s room. The only sound she heard in answer to her knock was a muffled, “Mummmph mmmum.”
Unwilling to let anything dampen her spirits, Jade opened the door and breezed in, much the way Babs herself might have done. “I have the greatest news! You’ll never believe how understanding Mr. Arnold was to me at the bank. What in the world!—”
She stopped dead still in the center of the room and stared down at Babs, who was stretched out on the bed. The bedroom suite was overblown with decoration; the button-tufted chaise, love seat, and side chairs were all highly ornate rococo pieces. The bed was draped with tassled velvet draperies drawn back to reveal Babs, who languished inside, one arm draped carelessly above her head, while the other dangled limply over the edge.
A wrapper frosted with lace covered her from neckline to ankle. Matching satin slippers adorned her feet. Her face was coated in a stiff white paste that left only her eyes, lips, and nostrils visible. Jade was hard pressed not to laugh as she gazed down at the ghoulish sight. Babs’s hair was hidden beneath a thick turban, but the smell of olive oil hinted at the reason; an olive oil wrap was well known to revitalize dry hair. The additional scent of bitter almonds gave Jade a clue as to the nature of the paste Babs had spread over her face. Bitter almonds, rose oil, alcohol, and egg white went into a concoction that was supposed to leave the skin glowing with radiance and health.
Jade had never partaken of such treatments, but while she had been in France, she had received more than one letter from Babs that attested to their success. After her initial shock, Jade ignored Babs’s unsightly state.
“I spoke directly to the bank’s vice president, who told me that as soon as I have a permanent residence I can send for the collection, and they would leave it in my care. He assured me they considered me a valuable customer and”—she shrugged—“for some reason he seemed convinced that I would find a way to pay off the debt in time. I’m certain, now that I think about it, that dealing with my grandfather must have outweighed any problems they ever faced dealing with my father.”
Babs’s eyes widened and she shook her head furiously. “Mummmph mummba bewabba papon!”
“No, really. They were wonderful. But don’t worry, I won’t have the crates delivered here. And the adobe is out of the question right now.” She paced the room as she talked and unbuttoned her cloak. Shrugging out of it, Jade carefully draped her wrap across an empty chair and then glanced at Babs. Her eyes were still wide or perhaps, Jade thought, she had to hold them open that way. “Jason and I rode out there, and it was a worse mess than I expected.” She carefully avoided mention of being trapped in the cellar. Babs would no doubt want to go back to see if they could find any clue as to why or how Jade became trapped. “I won’t be able to move out there right away, so you’ll have to put up with me a few days more until I can work something out.”
“Mummup put!”
Jade folded her arms and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. “I was thinking of putting an ad in the Chronicle for a governess position. I could teach French lessons, you know.” Babs began flailing a hand about wildly until Jade took notice of her and crossed back to the bedside. “What do you want?” she asked.
Babs pointed to a side table across the room. Jade went to it and began lifting objects.
“Hairbrush?”
Babs shook her head.
“Jewelry box?”
The shaking intensified.
“Combs?”
“Puppa,” Babs said through immobile lips.
“The paper?” Senna picked up the Chronicle and carried it over to Babs who grabbed it away without moving a muscle more than necessary. She paged through it until she found what she was looking for, folded it back with a vicious snap, and thrust the paper at Jade.
“Where?” Jade squinted.
“Agggh!” Babs growled.
Jade scanned the page until a headline caught her eye:
MILLIONAIRE HEIR WELCOMED TO TOWN IN STYLE
by Arn
old Peterson,
Society Reporter at Large
San Francisco’s newest Heir to Fortune has left his Desert Hideaway, moved into his Mansion on Nob Hill, and has already been greeted in the Style Befitting a Sultan. This Reporter will Stand Behind his Word and Observation that Another Newly Arrived Member of San Francisco society has Taken her Welcome Duties to Heart. Not only was this Flame-Haired Temptress seen leaving the Millionaire’s Mansion well before most of Polite Society is even Abroad, but this reporter has seen with his Own Eyes the Evidence of a Night of Unbridled Lust. When questioned yesterday, the Coffee Bean Heir skirted the Issues while Your Diligent Reporter observed a parlor floor littered with bedding and Empty Champagne Bottles.
This evidence could only lead me, and no doubt You as well, Dear Reader, to agree that Something More than a Traditional Greeting was Exchanged. It is of further note that the Persons In Question also ended An Evening of Dancing at the Palace Hotel Entangled in a Compromising Position at the Foot of the stairs. Quite a lot of Work for one short day.
It seems our Hero was already so Enamoured of his Lady Love that he Leapt at the Chance to save her From Certain Harm when one of the Decorative Plants at the Palace nearly missed Landing Atop Her before the Heir did. The events of yesterday only led this reporter to Wonder what might be happening between the Millionaire and his Light o’ Love at this Very Moment.
Jade slowly sank to the edge of Babs’s bed as she read the article, her pulse beating rapidly. She was humiliated by the sordid gossip columnist’s portrayal of her innocent association with Jason, and then she thought of him with a start. Had Jason seen the article yet?
She turned to Babs, who was scrunching up her face to crack off face plaster with every ridiculous move.
Jade was filled with rage. She stepped away from the bed. Babs swung her legs over the side and sat up.
“You are the reason I’m in this mess!” Jade shouted.
“As I said yesterday, I never told you to spend the night with him!” Her wrapper had slipped down her shoulders. Babs yanked it up as she marched behind her dressing screen. After a session of water-splashing in the wash bowl, Jade saw Babs reach for a towel thrown over the top of the screen. She soon reappeared, her face clean but her hair still turbaned. “This is no time for us to argue. We have to do something. It’s too late to steal every last paper before they are delivered. Could we burn the publishing house?”
“Be serious. Couldn’t I sue this man for such slander?”
Babs smirked. “Only if it weren’t true. He wrote what he saw. Can you deny that you didn’t leave Jason’s house early yesterday morning? No. Did you end up on top of him in the lobby of the Palace Hotel last night? Yes. Heavens, Jade, what did you two do today?” Babs arched a brow as she crossed her arms.
“Nothing,” Jade whispered, everything suddenly becoming quite clear. “We just went riding, but . . . but then Jason insisted on going with me to the bank.”
“Where they were suddenly so magnanimous that they gave you what you wanted, carte blanche. Now you know why they were so accommodating.”
“Jason.” The realization hit her hard. “Was it because of Jason?”
“Of course. After reading this, and then seeing that he was with you, they decided you were a good credit risk with over a million dollars behind you.”
Jade took off her spectacles and rubbed her eyes. “The vice president had a copy of the Chronicle on his desk.” She felt like she could easily throw up, but that would only upset Babs further. She tried to calm her heaving stomach. “God, Babs, how could I be so naïve?”
Babs crossed the room and stood beside her friend. She looked down with pity and put a hand on Jade’s shoulder. “There’s only one thing left to do.”
Jade sighed, certain she would not like hearing what Babs considered her only option.
“He’ll have to do the honorable thing and ask you to marry him now.” Babs smiled triumphantly. “And you’ll say yes.”
Jade covered her face with her hands. “No. Absolutely not. Besides, once he sees this he’ll never speak to me again.”
JASON FINISHED feeding and watering his horse, but his pent-up ill humor needed release, so he decided to muck out the stall as well. Halfway through the task, he stripped off his vest and shirt and hung them over the gate. It felt good to use his stiff muscles. He was still aching from the fall he’d taken last night. The hard work also gave him a chance to think.
Jade had been right to end their friendship, and that in itself irked him. She belonged here in the city and he belonged on the ranch. He wouldn’t be happy here, he knew that much. He needed to live where the sky was close enough to touch and the land wide enough for him to see for miles. It wouldn’t be fair to ask Jade to give up her home unless he was willing to do the same. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if there wasn’t something they could do to work out their differences. He knew that with a woman like Jade he’d be willing to try.
He’d worked up a sweat filling a wheelbarrow with manure and was ready to spread fresh straw in the stall, when he heard a carriage coming up the drive. He waited, listened expectantly, and wondered if he should go around to the front of the house himself when he saw the vehicle turn past the corner of the drive and pull into sight. It halted in front of the stables. His first thought was that Jade had come to her senses and had decided that whatever time they had left together was enough.
He was more than surprised when the liveried negro driver jumped off the box and opened the door for Nettie Parsons. She stepped out of the carriage like a queen, pausing at the bottom to let him take in the sight of her and then, without a word or nod to her driver, she walked toward J.T.
There was a gleam in her eye and an invitation that no man could mistake. Jason watched her swaying hips as she walked toward him. Her blue eyes wantonly took in his half-dressed state as her tongue flicked out to moisten her rubied lips.
“Jason,” she said, her voice low and seductive, “you are certainly a sight for my sore eyes.”
He leaned on the shovel and crooked a brow suspiciously. “What a surprise, Nettie. Where’s your Mr. Winters this afternoon?”
“At a business meetin’. He’s always at one sort of meetin’ or another. I have to keep myself amused most of the time.”
“And you think you’ll find me amusin’?” he asked, slipping into the familiar cadence of a southern drawl.
“I ’spect I just might at that.” She fluttered her lashes and looked him up and down. “I always did like to see a man sweat. I like to see the muscles play under the skin, the way they all bunch up tight and then let go. That kind of thing can make a girl shiver all over, you know, Jason?”
He shook his head. “I really wouldn’t know.”
As he watched her look him over like he was a slice of white cake at a Sunday social, Jason felt nothing for her but disgust. She hadn’t even the decency not to wear red. He did not care much for the fashion of the day, and he cared even less for the overblown gown Nettie wore. It was made from cranberry red velvet, a heavy, tassled thing with a fitted bodice that emphasized her already lush curves. The gathered train in back covered a bustle that twitched provocatively with her every step. Instead of the brace of diamonds she had worn the night before, she was wearing a set of ruby earrings and a matching pendant.
She sidled up to him and reached out with her gloved hand to trace his bicep with a long-nailed fingertip.
“My, my, Jason. It’s been quite a long time.”
“As I recall, Nettie darlin’, it’s been forever.”
He could hardly believe this accomplished temptress before him could ever have been the virginal coquette he had loved so long ago. She made him wish he’d had her back then and been done with it, instead of holding to his principles.
“Were you always such a whore, Nettie? How is it
I never saw that in you?”
J.T. had the satisfaction of hearing her gasp just before she slapped him.
He laughed when he realized she could no longer hurt him.
She looked mad enough to spit fire as her blond ringlets bobbed from the crown of her head. “No, I wasn’t always a whore, mister high and mighty. But I learned how to survive, and I came out on top. That’s what counts in this world.”
“Not to everyone. I’d wager there are a few people left with ideals.”
“So, you’re a moralist, are you Jason? You don’t mind takin’ your daddy’s money even though you never saw him after you were five years old? And I suppose you think that brassy redhead you were with last night is as pure as the driven snow. You can’t fool me and neither can she. Besides, I read all about the two of you in today’s paper, so don’t go puttin’ on airs.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t know? Everyone’s talkin’ about it at the hotel. How that woman latched onto you as soon as you got here, how she jumped into your bed the first night you came to town. I may like livin’ high and doin’ what it takes to get there, but I’ve never had to advertise it in the paper. Or don’t you read the newspaper, Jason? It’s been so long I don’t recall whether you ever learned to read or not.”
“Get out of here, Nettie, and don’t come back.”
“Don’t worry, Jason. I’ll be glad to. It’s just too bad that Amazon got her claws into you so fast you can’t even realize what she is.” She sashayed back to the carriage, lifted her skirt, and paused with one foot on the step, giving him ample time to catch sight of the turn of her shapely ankle. “I’m happy with Winslow. He’s the type of man every woman is looking for—rich and malleable.”
Jade Page 15
