Summer Days

by Lisa Jackson

  CHAPTER 11

  The next morning, while William and Beth were spending a few final hours in Victoria, the most beautiful, statuesque woman Valerie had ever set eyes on strolled onto The Regina. With flashing jade-green eyes, lustrous black hair, creamy white skin and pouty lips, she boarded as if she owned the yacht.

  “Leigh!” Regina gasped, shooting Valerie a questioning glance.

  Leigh? As in Leigh Carmichael?

  “This is a surprise!” Regina gushed.

  Leigh laughed throatily. “I thought you were expecting me.” Before saying anything else, she leaned over the deck rail and called to the dock. “Could you bring the bags up?”

  Stunned, Valerie watched as a cabbie, his car still idling on the dock, hauled several oversized bags onto the deck. Leigh paid him, then flopped onto a chaise and slipped her hat from her head. “Where is Hale?”

  “Oh, he’s on board somewhere,” Regina replied, glancing anxiously at Valerie.

  Leigh grinned. “Won’t he be surprised? He wanted me to join him in San Francisco, but I couldn’t get away. I was in Europe, you know.” She sighed and, holding her straw hat by the crown, fanned herself. “Lord, it’s warm!” Spying a pitcher of iced tea, she asked, “Do you mind?”

  “Help yourself,” Regina answered.

  Valerie’s stomach twisted. So Hale had asked Leigh to pose as his fiancée and she’d had the pride to decline. Now what? And why had he lied? He’d sworn his affair with Leigh was long over. If so, how did she know where to find him? Valerie twisted her hands in the folds of her skirt.

  “Where is everybody?” Leigh poured herself a full glass of tea from the glass pitcher and held the glass to her forehead, emitting a contented sigh.

  “Mom and Dad are in town. They’ll be back soon. Stewart’s with Hale, and Valerie and I were just up here talking.”

  Leigh swung her gaze to Valerie as if seeing her for the first time. “You’re a friend of Regina’s?”

  Valerie felt perspiration dot her back, and it took all her willpower to keep her gaze steady with Leigh’s. “We’ve become friends on the cruise,” she said, hoping to sound noncommittal . . . when her world was actually falling apart. Obviously Hale’s relationship with Leigh was far from over.

  Regina, looking uncomfortable, made hasty, vague introductions. Where once Regina might have been amused at the awkward situation, now she actually seemed unnerved. “This is Valerie Pryce. Leigh Carmichael.”

  Valerie forced a smile onto her frozen face. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” she offered lamely.

  Leigh drew her perfect dark brows together. “You must know Stewart.” She glanced at the ring on Valerie’s left hand and began to smile. Her green eyes twinkled merrily. “Don’t tell me—you’re going to marry him!” Leigh cried, throwing her head back and laughing. “I can’t believe it. Someone’s actually tying down the elusive Stewart Stowell!”

  Collecting herself, Valerie shook her head. “No, actually, I’ve only known him a short while.”

  “But the ring—I thought . . .” Leigh stopped herself. Her beautiful face washed of color.

  There was no reason to lie. Valerie was backed into a corner. “I’m here with Hale,” she admitted as calmly as possible.

  To her credit, Leigh composed herself and sipped her tea. “Hale?”

  “Yes.”

  Studying the ice cubes in her glass, she said, “So that’s how you’ve heard of me.” Sighing, she asked, “Did Hale bother to mention we’re engaged?”

  Valerie felt as if she’d been kicked in the stomach.

  “No, I don’t suppose he did,” Leigh decided with a dismissive wave of her hand.

  Regina glanced at Valerie. “But that’s impossible—”

  “Just because we haven’t been together for a few weeks?” Leigh asked coyly, though she seemed more nervous than when she’d first boarded. “Okay, I’ll admit that when Hale called and invited me to join him, I was a little uncomfortable. We hadn’t announced our engagement, not officially, but what better place than this?” She gestured to the teak deck, rigging, flapping sails and sun-dappled water.

  “Yes, what better place?” Valerie whispered, her throat burning. All those lies. Last night. All those vows of love. How often had he said them? To how many women? In her heart she wanted to believe that she was the only one—that he wouldn’t lie to her, but he had.

  Regina frowned. “I don’t understand. Valerie and Hale—”

  “Work together,” Valerie cut in, shooting Regina a look that could kill. The less said here, the better. She didn’t know what Leigh’s game was, but Valerie thought she’d better hear her out before she made any rash statements about being engaged to Hale herself. After all, her engagement was a phony. Maybe Leigh was lying, but maybe not.

  “I’m a little embarrassed to admit this,” Leigh went on as she poured herself another glass of tea. “But Hale called while I was in Marseilles, and we had this stupid little argument. I even told him I didn’t want to show up and announce that we were engaged when it hadn’t been in any of the papers.” She caught the eye of one of the crew members. “Oh, Jim, would you see to my bags, please?” she asked, pointing to the mountain of matching luggage near the main sail.

  “Leigh?” Hale’s voice cut through the warm morning air.

  Valerie froze, but saw him from the corner of her eye.

  His expression murderous, his hands planted firmly on his hips, he stood near the stairs. He flicked his gaze to Leigh before focusing squarely on Valerie.

  Leigh’s features relaxed, and her eyes sparkled. “Oh, there you are!” she cried, crossing the deck quickly and wrapping her arms around his neck. “I thought for a minute I’d gotten on the wrong boat!”

  No, that’s my mistake, Valerie thought anxiously.

  “You’ve met Valerie,” he said.

  “Just!”

  Hale didn’t move. His face was carved in granite. “What are you doing here?” he asked, peeling her arms away from him.

  “Oh, please,” she cooed, “don’t tell me you’re still angry! I’m sorry I didn’t meet you in San Francisco, but it was just so inconvenient. And you surprised me.”

  “I surprised you?” he asked, glancing at Valerie. Dear God, what was Leigh doing here? Had she heard about his engagement? And Valerie—he watched her lower herself weakly down in one of the deck chairs.

  Leigh fingered his collar. “Most people aren’t proposed to long distance—”

  “I don’t remember proposing to you,” he said calmly.

  Leigh waved her hand against his argument. “Oh, come on! You called me in Marseilles and asked me to marry you. This trip was supposed to be a celebration of our engagement.”

  “I think you misunderstood,” he said through tight lips as he peeled her fingers from his shirt.

  “But—”

  Moving away from Leigh, Hale dropped a proprietary hand on Valerie’s shoulder. The minute his skin touched hers, he felt her shaking. “You said you already met Valerie.”

  Leigh nodded.

  “Good. Because she’s the woman I intend to marry.”

  “Marry? Her?” Leigh moved her lips in protest. “Pardon me?”

  “It’s all right,” Valerie said, standing quickly despite the clench of Hale’s fingers over her shoulder. There wasn’t any reason to drag this out. Regina already knew something was very wrong, and Beth and William Stowell, chatting together, arms linked, were boarding.

  Hale’s deception was over.

  William looked up, caught site of Leigh and ground to a stop. Beth, too, saw the unlikely group. “Oh, my,” she whispered.

  A frown as deep as the Grand Canyon crossed William Stowell’s round face. “Well, Leigh,” he finally said when the silence stretched long. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Obviously,” she said dryly, shooting Hale a pouty glance.

  Valerie’s stomach flip-flopped, and she wished there were some way of escaping, but Hale clampe
d his hand more firmly over her shoulder. “There’s been a mix-up, that’s all,” he said. “I did call Leigh in Marseilles,” he said slowly, narrowing his eyes on the gorgeous woman, “and we did discuss marriage and this trip.”

  Valerie sagged a little.

  “But she wasn’t interested in cutting short her vacation. In the meantime I met Valerie. She came into the office on an interview and I knew then that she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

  “Her?” Leigh cried, disbelieving.

  “Leigh, I’d like you to meet my fiancée,” Hale said as Valerie slowly rose.

  Valerie just wanted to escape, but Hale dropped his arm to her waist and held her firmly against him with strong fingers. Unless she wanted to cause more of a scene, she didn’t dare move.

  “I think there’s been a mistake,” Valerie said.

  “A big one,” Leigh agreed vehemently. “I just flew halfway around the world!” She turned her sparking green eyes on Hale and wagged a furious finger in his face. “You! You asked me to meet you—sent me the itinerary! How could you find someone else to pretend to fall in love with you in so short a time?”

  “This isn’t an act,” Hale insisted.

  “Oh, come on, Hale. Get real!” Leigh gestured to the Stowells. “How dumb do you think they are?”

  Valerie gasped.

  “That’s enough,” Beth insisted.

  But Leigh couldn’t stop. “You don’t expect them to believe that you, a confirmed bachelor, are going to marry a woman you barely know!” She glanced at the rest of the group, as if hoping to confirm what was so obviously apparent to her.

  “I think this has gone on long enough,” Valerie said. “Hale can explain. Now if you’ll excuse me a minute—”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Hale said.

  “Watch me.”

  “Valerie, please—”

  But she couldn’t stand to hear another lie. “We’ll talk later,” she said, tears burning the back of her eyes. Now she was the one who was lying. She had no intention, if she ever got off this damned boat, of seeing him again. “If you’ll excuse me,” she said to the group in general as she shrugged off Hale’s arm and headed to the stairs.

  “I love you,” he shouted, and all other sounds seemed to disappear.

  Valerie stumbled. If only she could believe him! She glanced back, saw the crowd and realized he was still playing his role. Swallowing the thick, hot lump in her throat, she groped for the rail to the stairs. She wouldn’t break down. Not now. But her eyes burned. Fighting blinding tears, she ran to her room.

  Why had she ever agreed to this crazy scheme? In the past few days she’d begun to care for the Stowells, and now they’d know her only as a phony and a fake, a woman who had intentionally deceived them, made them look like fools!

  Feeling about one inch tall, she threw open the doors of her closet and hauled out her two small bags. There had to be some way she could talk to Beth and explain. Or could she? And what about Hale? Dear God, how would she ever forget him?

  Fingers shaking, she snapped open the bags and began tossing her clothes, not the elegant dresses he’d bought for her, but her very own clothes, into suitcases.

  “You don’t have to leave.” Hale’s voice, though barely a whisper, echoed loudly through the room.

  Turning, she found him filling the doorway, just as he’d filled her life for the past two weeks. “Of course I do,” she returned shakily, hating the fact that he would see her so close to tears.

  “If you’d just listen to me—”

  “No, Hale, this time you listen to me,” she said, her eyes burning, her chin quaking as she thrust it forward. “The game is over. Over! I don’t know what you’re going to tell William Stowell, or if it matters anymore. Leigh’s here, so she can keep Regina at bay. Now all you have to do is convince William you made a mistake with your women—but that you’re still interested in his company.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “It’s as simple as you make it!”

  She reached for the smaller bag, but he shut the door behind him and locked it. Her knees sagged, but she forced herself to remain upright.

  “Hear me out, Valerie,” he insisted, his back to the door. His face looked drawn, and his hands actually trembled when he lifted them to shove his hair from his face. “Just stay long enough to let me convince you I love you.”

  “We’re alone, Hale. You don’t have to pretend.”

  “I’m not pretending, damn it! I love you, Valerie. You have to believe me.”

  His cocky smile had disappeared, and even his anger seemed to have faded. His face was lined and his eyes sincere.

  Oh, dear God, she wanted to trust him. But all she had to do was think about Leigh Carmichael, think about the lies, the deception of William Stowell, her part in the scheme, and realize what a consummate actor Hale Donovan was. Hadn’t he proved his chameleonlike ability to change roles time and time again in the past few weeks?

  Her throat was so dry she could barely speak. When she did, her voice was the barest of whispers. “Please . . . Leave. Before we say or do something we’ll regret.”

  “Too late for that,” he said. “I regret not being honest with you from the first. The reason I chose you, Valerie, was that from the first time I set eyes on you I knew you were a woman I could love.”

  “No . . .” she choked out. Don’t believe him! He’s lied all his life to get what he wanted! No one knows that better than you!

  “I want you to marry me,” he said slowly, his voice even, his eyes flinty. He didn’t move one step closer, just stood at the door, quietly insisting.

  Valerie felt herself breaking inside. “I have to leave, Hale.”

  “Not until you say you’ll marry me.”

  “And then what, Hale?” she snapped. “We’ll go back to San Francisco and then what?”

  “We’ll get married.”

  “You’re not serious!”

  “More serious than I’ve been about anything in my life,” he said solemnly.

  He seemed sincere, but then, he was a natural actor, a man with a purpose, a man who had bought and sold her just to buy another man’s company. “Goodbye, Hale,” she said, holding her bags, waiting for him to move, praying she’d find the strength to escape.

  He took one step closer. “Trust me, Valerie.”

  “Hale?” Leigh’s voice floated down the short hall, followed by her quick footsteps.

  Valerie grabbed the door handle. “She’s looking for you.”

  “She means nothing to me.”

  Valerie tightened her fingers on the door handle. “Well, someone had better tell her.”

  “I will.”

  She yanked open the door, only to have him slam it shut with his shoulder. “Please, Valerie.”

  She blinked hard. “I want to believe you, Hale, but I can’t. You told me from the beginning that this was only a temporary position, an act, all part of our agreement. You can’t expect me to believe that now, after everything you’ve said and done, that you’re in love with me.”

  His smile was sad. “I do love you. And I think you’re in love with me, as well. You’re just too stubborn to admit it.”

  “Stubborn?” she repeated.

  “As a mule.”

  “Hale?” Leigh’s voice was impatient. “Will someone kindly tell me what’s going on?”

  “That’s your cue,” Valerie said as Leigh pounded on Hale’s stateroom door.

  “Wait for me,” he said as he slipped into the hallway.

  Valerie didn’t move. Not until she was sure Hale had sequestered Leigh. Then, before she did anything as stupid as listen to her foolish heart, she pulled the diamond ring from her finger, set it in a dish near her bed and silently crept down the hall. With any luck she’d be able to say hasty goodbyes to the Stowells, grab a cab and take the first flight out of Victoria.

  CHAPTER 12

  “I just don’t understand,” Vale
rie’s mother said after Valerie’s lengthy explanation. “It was all an act?”

  Standing at the door of her mother’s apartment, Valerie shifted from one foot to the other. “That’s right. Hale and I never intended to get married.”

  “So you lied. To me.”

  “Yes, Mom, I lied,” Valerie admitted, feeling like a schoolgirl again.

  “Too bad.” Anna sighed. “You know, I kind of liked him.”

  “Donovan? You about went through the roof when I told you we were planning to get married.”

  Anna grinned. “It was a shock, I’ll grant you that. But you know I want nothing more than for you to get married and be happy.”

  “With Hale Donovan?” Valerie shook her head. “The man’s impossible.”

  “Besides,” Anna said wistfully, “it’s time I had some grandchildren to spoil.”

  “Mom!” Valerie gasped. “What are you saying? You’re still not recovered—”

  “But I’m getting there.” Anna laughed. “And grandkids might just be the medicine I need.”

  Valerie rolled her eyes. “Save me,” she whispered.

  “Well, maybe things will change,” Anna decided. “You are working for Donovan Enterprises, right?” She handed Shamus, stuffed unhappily in his cat carrier, to her daughter.

  “Not anymore.”

  “But you had a contract.”

  “I think I blew it,” Valerie said with a sigh. She’d only been back in San Francisco four hours and it seemed like an eternity since she’d left Hale.

  Shamus meowed loudly.

  “I know, I know,” Valerie said to the cat. “Look, Mom, I’ll call you tomorrow. I just wanted you to know the truth before it hit the papers.”

  “And when will that be?”

  “I have no idea,” Valerie admitted as she closed the door behind her.

  Outside, she climbed back into her car and headed home. The day had passed in a whirlwind of planes and cabs. She’d stopped by her apartment only long enough to jump in her car, drive straight to her mother’s apartment and collect Shamus.