To Catch a Thief

by Sherryl Woods

  Caitlyn’s smile spread. “Really? Hurry, Grandma.”

  Emma emerged from the car, shaking her head as the two of them went off toward the barn. “I swear that pony is all Caitlyn talked about all week. Now she’s begging me to let her stay here when I go back to Denver.”

  “Why don’t you?” Gina asked. “In fact, why don’t you just pack up and move here?”

  Emma’s gaze narrowed. “Okay, what has Mom been telling you? Did she put you up to this?”

  “No. This is my own idea, I swear it,” Gina insisted.

  “Yeah, right.” Emma sat in the rocker next to Gina’s and sighed. “That breeze feels good.” She gazed enviously at the glass of lemonade Gina was holding. “And that looks wonderful.”

  Gina grinned. “If I hand it over, will you give me some free legal advice?”

  “Absolutely,” Emma said, reaching eagerly for the glass. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

  “This is confidential, right?”

  “You’re asking as a client, then, not as a friend?”

  Gina nodded.

  “I don’t think a glass of lemonade would qualify as a retainer. Give me a buck. That’ll make it nice and legal.”

  Gina pulled the dollar out of her pocket and gave it to her friend. Emma tucked it in her purse and grabbed a legal pad from her briefcase. “Tell me,” she said when she was ready.

  “I’m in trouble,” Gina told Emma then. “I just don’t know for sure how much.”

  “Start at the beginning and let’s see if we can’t get you out of trouble, then,” Emma said briskly.

  As Emma took copious notes, Gina outlined the mess Bobby had created, the financial disaster he’d left behind. “Right now my manager is juggling creditors, but some of them are bound to start getting impatient. Should I sell out and pay them what I can? Declare bankruptcy?” She regarded Emma despondently. “I hate this. I just hate it. If it were my mess, I’d take responsibility for it, but it’s not. I’m so furious with Bobby, I’d like to see him strung up by his toenails and left to die.”

  “An interesting form of justice,” Emma said, clearly amused. “I don’t think the legal system has a provision for it, though.”

  “Too bad.”

  “Okay, here are the options I do see,” Emma said. “Depending on your partnership arrangement with Bobby, you might be able to distance yourself from the problem, but that could take some very tricky and time-consuming legal maneuvering.”

  Gina shook her head. “As much as I would like to and even if it were perfectly legal, I can’t duck out on my responsibility to make things right if I can. A lot of our vendors are small businesses. I can’t just abandon them. And our investors gave us their money in good faith. I thought Bobby was paying them back with interest, but apparently they haven’t seen a dime.”

  “It’s probably not as simple as filing for bankruptcy. Not with Bobby missing, but you could start the proceedings. It would buy some time to reorganize the business. Your investors and creditors would get their money on a timetable established by the court. It’s complicated, but I think at the same time you could sue Bobby for restitution of everything he stole.” Emma regarded her intently. “What are the odds he still has the money?”

  “I have no idea. I don’t know if he stole it so he could go off to live on some Caribbean island or if he took it to pay gambling debts or if he ran off with it just for kicks.”

  “Well, that doesn’t matter. We’ll sue just in case there’s anything left to get back. I have a friend, a classmate from law school, who’s practicing in New York. Since I haven’t passed the New York bar to be licensed there, he can handle things on that end. He’ll file the papers when we’re ready.”

  Emma’s professional, no-nonsense approach gave Gina the first spark of hope she’d felt in days. “You really think we can straighten this out and save Café Tuscany?”

  “Absolutely, if that’s what you really want.” She studied Gina with a penetrating look. “Is it?”

  “Of course,” Gina said without hesitation. “Why would you even ask something like that?”

  “Because you’re still here. Even with all this needing your immediate attention, you didn’t run straight back to New York after the reunion.”

  “Because of Cassie’s mom and then Caleb,” Gina said, feeling oddly defensive.

  “Is that all?”

  “Yes.”

  “The funeral was weeks ago,” Emma pointed out. “Karen’s getting back on her feet. Are you ready to go back to New York?”

  When Gina started to respond, Emma held up her hand. “You don’t have to answer me now. Think about it. Something is keeping you here. Could be it’s nothing more than a delaying tactic, because you haven’t wanted to face what’s going on in New York. But that’s not like you. It could be that you’re feeling the same pull that Cassie felt, the same pull that Lauren mentions from time to time.”

  “And you?” Gina asked. “Are you feeling it, too, Emma?”

  “Maybe,” she admitted. “Just a little. Being here is good for Caitlyn. I can’t deny that. And Denver is a rat race for me, no question about it.”

  “Then you have been thinking about staying,” Gina concluded.

  “Not thinking about it, not consciously, anyway. But the possibility is just there. I can’t ignore it forever,” she said with a sigh, then shook her head. “But we’re talking about you now. I just want you to be sure you understand why you’ve stayed here, rather than go back to New York to kick butt and settle all of this weeks ago. That’s what I would have expected you to do.”

  “Are you saying I’ve been acting like a coward?”

  “I’m not making any judgments. You have to figure out what you really want before you make a final decision about how you want me to handle this.”

  Gina nodded. “You’re right. I’ll think about it and I’ll call you before you head back to Denver.”

  “Take your time. I’m actually thinking about sticking around all week.”

  “Oh, really? Does Ford Hamilton have anything to do with that?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Emma snapped impatiently. “It’s for Caitlyn. And because this case of Sue Ellen’s I’m working on is getting closer to trial. I have witnesses to depose and a ton of last-minute details to handle right here.”

  Gina grinned. “Whatever you say.”

  “That’s the truth.”

  “Maybe you should do some thinking over the weekend, too,” Gina teased. “Maybe I’m not the only one whose feelings are ambivalent these days.”

  Emma scowled at her. “Keep it up and I’ll charge you my regular fee.”

  Gina shuddered. “Then I really would go bankrupt.” She bent down and kissed Emma’s cheek. “Thanks, sweetie. I’ll call you.”

  Emma waved, then called out just as Gina was about to get in her car. “By the way, one piece of advice for right now—steer clear of Rafe. No matter what he says about being after Bobby, not you, you can’t trust him. From now on he needs to go through me.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to work,” Gina told her, thinking of the way her relationship with Rafe was progressing and just how badly she wanted it to wind up in bed.

  “Why not?”

  “Because we’re just a little bit beyond needing an intermediary.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. “Please tell me you’re not sleeping with him.”

  “I’m not sleeping with him,” Gina told her solemnly. “More’s the pity. But I’m definitely hoping that will change.”

  “Are you nuts?” Emma demanded.

  “Nope. For the first time in a long time, I’m finally going after something I want. I’m paying some attention to my personal life.”

  “Do you want Rafe more than you want Café Tuscany? Because that’s what this could come down to,” Emma warned.

  Her vehemence took Gina by surprise, but it didn’t scare her the way Emma had obviously intended it to. That was just one more thing she
was going to have to think about over the weekend.

  Rafe was hunkered down in his room going through a pile of papers that Lydia had faxed to him just that morning. It seemed he was destined to run his law practice from a Winding River hotel for the foreseeable future. He was so caught up in his work that the pounding on his door startled him. Finding Emma Rogers on his doorstep startled him even more.

  “This is a surprise,” he said.

  “Yes, I imagine it is,” she said, her expression as fierce as her tone. “I imagine you thought you could try all sorts of sneaky tactics to get what you wanted from Gina and no one would call you on it, but I’m here to tell you otherwise.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Why don’t you come in and explain it.”

  She stepped into the room, took note of the piles of paperwork. “Working on the Café Tuscany case, are you?”

  Rafe sighed. “Gina told you.”

  “She told me everything. I’m now representing her.”

  “Good.”

  She blinked at that. “Good?” she said, sounding ever-so-slightly more hesitant.

  “She needs a strong advocate. Obviously, I can’t be that for her.”

  “I’m glad you understand a little bit about ethics. I was beginning to think you were totally clueless.”

  He regarded Emma curiously. “What exactly has Gina been telling you?”

  “I’m not at liberty to discuss that.”

  “And I’m not asking for details about Café Tuscany’s financial mess. I’m asking you what she’s told you about the two of us.”

  Emma seemed to be weighing the ethics of saying anything about that, as well. “Enough that I suspect you’re crossing the line,” she said finally.

  “Did she say anything about objecting?”

  “That’s beside the point. It’s wrong. You have to know that. Go back to New York, Rafe. You’ll be contacted by an attorney there. Gina will come in and answer all your questions, and we’ll get this mess straightened out.”

  “I’m not convinced Gina has any answers to my questions,” he said.

  “Then what are you still doing here?” she demanded.

  “Bobby Rinaldi has all the answers. He’s been in touch with Gina once. I imagine he will be again. Why don’t you convince her to let us tap her phone or, at the very least, hook up a caller ID?”

  “I’ll discuss it with her.”

  “I’ve already mentioned it. She refused.”

  Emma’s expression turned thoughtful. “I imagine she doesn’t want her parents involved.”

  “So she said, but the bottom line is, the longer she stays with them, the more likely they are going to get drawn into this. Bobby will call there again. If her mother answers, I imagine he’ll get an earful. Gina says her mother’s fit to be tied and ready to tell him just that. Her father, however, doesn’t know a thing, and she wants it to stay that way.”

  “Maybe I can convince her to get her own place and her own phone, at least temporarily,” Emma said slowly. “I know she wants to locate Bobby as badly as you do. If he thinks she’s giving up on New York and settling here, he might even risk a visit. He owes her an explanation, if nothing else.”

  Rafe nodded. “That was my thinking.”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Emma promised.

  Rafe glanced out the window. “Now would be a good time. Here she comes.” He stood up and opened the door. “Come on in and join the party.” Once she was inside, he retreated to the chair beside the desk. He had a feeling anyplace else would put him right in the line of fire. The two women were scowling at each other.

  “What are you doing here?” Gina demanded.

  At the same moment Emma chided, “I thought I told you to stay away from Rafe.”

  Gina shrugged. “I told you that wasn’t going to work.”

  Emma looked from Gina to Rafe and back, then sighed. “Okay, here’s a suggestion,” she said to Rafe. “I’ll make a deal with you. If you promise her immunity from all prosecution on this, she can help you catch Bobby. And I want it in writing.”

  “Done,” Rafe said.

  Emma looked at Gina. “Okay with you?”

  “We won’t be on opposing sides anymore?” Gina asked, her gaze locked with Rafe’s.

  “No. We’ll be partners,” he said.

  A smile broke slowly and spread across her face. “Done,” she agreed at once.

  “If you decide to stay in Winding River for the time being, I also think you should consider getting your own place, at least temporarily,” Emma said. “Unless you want to put some kind of wiretap or caller ID on the phone at your parents’ place.”

  “I don’t want them dragged into this,” Gina said. “I think moving into my own place makes a lot of sense. In fact, I’m pretty sure the room next to this one is available.” She glanced toward the wall and grinned. “It even has a connecting door. How handy.”

  Rafe groaned. “Now, Gina, we’ve talked about this. Nothing’s changed.”

  “Sure it has. We’re partners now. Where you go, I go, right?”

  Emma moaned. “I’m out of here. I’ll leave you two to work out the details. Rafe, I’ll expect that agreement by the end of the day.” She gave Gina a stern look. “Until I have it, could the two of you try to keep your hands to yourselves?”

  “Not a problem,” Rafe insisted, shoving his hands in his pockets.

  But as adamant as he was, he wasn’t so sure about Gina. That gleam in her eyes suggested she was not above creating a little mischief just to test his resolve. In fact, right this second she was regarding him a little too cheerfully.

  “This is an interesting turn of events, isn’t it?” she commented after Emma had gone.

  “I suppose that depends on your point of view,” he responded cautiously.

  “Well, from my point of view what could be better than getting all those nasty suspicions cleared up? Now we’re free to do whatever we want to do.”

  “Oh, really? Exactly how do you see this partnership progressing?”

  “Well, for starters, you could stop lurking back there in the corner and come over here.”

  “Why would I want to do that?”

  “So we can properly seal this deal.”

  He chuckled at that. “I think Emma would recommend a signed document for that.”

  Gina shrugged. “Emma has her way of doing things. I have mine.” Her grin turned wicked. “I think you’ll like my way better.”

  Heat shot through him. “I’m sure I would, but it’s still a bad idea. Sex can really complicate a business relationship.”

  Her expression turned thoughtful. “Is that what we have now, a business relationship?”

  “Exactly.”

  “That’s not entirely how I see it,” she said, taking a few steps in his direction.

  Rafe began to feel crowded. His resolve was starting to waver. “Oh?” he said, his voice husky.

  “Want to know how I see it?”

  He had a feeling he’d better know exactly what was going on in that complicated brain of hers. “Sure.”

  She slid onto his lap and wound her arms around his neck. “The way I see it we’ve been given a fresh start. We’re on the same side. We’re partners. And for partners to work together successfully, they should know each other very, very well. You might even say, they should know each other—” her gaze locked with his “—intimately.”

  Rafe’s breath caught in his throat as her hands slipped to his chest. She began to work the buttons of his shirt free. Each time her knuckles skimmed across bare skin, a shock jolted through him. He caught her hands and held them still as he met her gaze.

  “That agreement isn’t drawn up and signed yet,” he reminded her.

  “That’s okay. I trust you.”

  “Do you? Emma would advise you against that.”

  “What does she know?”

  “Quite a lot, as it happens. You hired her, didn’t you? She’s looking out for your be
st interests. You should pay attention to her.”

  “I’d rather pay attention to you right now.”

  Before he could stop her, her wickedly clever mouth settled on his. In no time at all she had his thinking muddled and his breath hitching. When the kiss ended, his resolve was in tatters, but he made one last valiant attempt to make her see reason.

  Gina merely smiled knowingly and framed his face in her hands. “You have every intention of drawing up that document and granting me immunity, correct?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “That’s all I need to know. I trust you.” Her gaze narrowed ever so slightly. “Or is that not the problem? Do you not trust me? Do you still think I could be involved in this with Bobby? Do you think this is some ploy on my part to keep an eye on you, so I can report what you’ve been up to?”

  “Absolutely not. I wouldn’t have made the agreement with Emma, if I believed that,” he assured her.

  Her smile returned. “Then we don’t have a problem, do we?”

  Rafe gave up the battle. “Actually we do,” he told her.

  She regarded him with a resigned expression. “What now?”

  “You have way too many clothes on, Ms. Petrillo.”

  It took a moment for his words to register, but when they did, her expression brightened. “If only all of our problems could be solved so easily,” she said.

  She reached for the hem of her T-shirt, but Rafe stilled her hands. “In good time, Gina. In good time.”

  This time when his mouth found hers, there was no hesitation, no restraint, just a slow, sweet, savoring kiss that rocked him like nothing had in years. Knowing that this time there would be no pulling back gave him permission to take his time and enjoy the trip. This time the final destination was never in doubt.

  Chapter Eleven

  Rafe made love just exactly the way Gina had imagined he would, with total concentration and the kind of raw passion that had been missing from her life. His mouth was hot and clever, but his hands were positively wicked. Long, lazy caresses alternated with skimming, intimate touches that made her crave more. He did things to her breasts that made her cry out and arch toward him, pleading for him not to stop.