by Zara Chase
Ellie sighed. “I no longer think of Annabel as a friend, but it’s still difficult for me to look upon her as an enemy.”
“And I think you’re overreacting, Josh. What can she dig up here about you that can hurt you?”
“Yes,” Ellie agreed. “I wondered about that.”
Josh’s eyebrows disappeared beneath his hairline. “The press never invents facts to fit the circumstances?”
“Journalists with ethics don’t,” Ellie said.
“But those with an axe to grind most assuredly do.” Josh leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and expelled a deep sigh. “I don’t care what she says about me. Sticks and stones, and all that. But I do care if it has an adverse effect on the Lodge. I can’t afford to fail with this project.”
“I know how much you have riding on it,” Ellie said, brushing a hand softly down his cheek. “Don’t worry about Annabel. If I even suspect that she’s up to something, then I’ll try to find a way to stop her. I can play hardball when the chips are down just as well as she can.”
“Except she’s had a hell of a lot more practice,” Rex warned.
“I’m a quick study.” Ellie smiled at each of them in turn, trying to project an air of confidence she didn’t actually feel. “She’s not the only female on the planet unafraid to go after what she wants.”
“What do you plan to do?” Josh asked.
“Well, I checked my e-mail when I went back to my room just now. My dad’s back from Europe and wants to have lunch with me tomorrow. He’s suggesting meeting in Telluride so that I don’t have to drive all the way to Denver.”
“You ought to go,” Rex said.
“There’s still a lot I need to do here.”
“No there isn’t,” Josh said, stroking a hand down her thigh. “You’re on top of everything.”
“Except me,” Rex grumbled.
“Everything comes to those who wait,” Ellie said, flashing a promissory smile.
“Oh God, when she looks at me like that, I want to die,” Rex said, dramatically clutching both hands over his heart.
“Leave us a list of any calls that need to be made while you’re away,” Josh said. “We’ll take care of them.”
“Thanks, but I’ll try not to burden you, and anyway, I’ll be available on my cell. Then, tomorrow evening, I’ll have an early supper with Annabel and see if I can find out what she’s been up to.”
“Hey, I thought tomorrow night, you and me could—”
“We can, Rex,” Ellie said, kissing him lightly on the lips. “We most definitely can, but business before pleasure.”
Chapter Eight
“It’s good to see you, Ellie.” Her father kissed both her cheeks and held out a chair for her in the best restaurant in Telluride. Ellie was all for snatching a quick lunch in a deli somewhere, but her father didn’t do down market. “You look well.”
“You, too, Dad. How was Paris?”
“Very French,” he said, grimacing. “But at least it’s at its best this time of year. Paris on the verge of springtime and all that. How’s the new project going?”
“So far, so good.”
“No regrets about quitting your previous job?”
“Not so far.”
“You know you could have come to me. There’s plenty you could do at Kirkwood Enterprises that would make a difference.”
“Dad,” Ellie said, holding up a warning hand, “this conversation’s getting stale.”
“I know, but you can’t blame a proud father for trying.”
Ellie sighed. “I want to make my own way without giving the impression that I’m clinging to your coattails.”
“And I respect you for that. It’s just that—”
The waiter interrupted them, and the next few minutes were taken up with placing their orders.
“No wine for me, Dad, thanks. I have to drive, and I still have a lot to keep on top of when I get back.” Rex for starters.
“Oh, I was hoping we could spend the evening together. We haven’t seen much of each other recently.”
“Sorry.”
As Ellie shook her head to back up her apology she watched her father, trying to see him the way another woman would. At fifty-five he still had a full head of salt-and-pepper hair, kept himself in shape, and had the air of a man who wielded considerable power. It seemed so unfair that when men aged their wrinkles added character to their faces. Women, on the other hand, made panicked beelines to the nearest plastic surgeon. Andrew Kirkwood, with his elegance and old-fashioned charm, drew admiring glances from more than one woman in the restaurant.
They made small talk for a while, but Ellie felt on edge and couldn’t concentrate on what was being said. Her father sent her concerned glances but made no mention of her distracted state. By the time their appetizers were placed before them, the tension had gotten Ellie all knotted up inside. She took a deep breath and cut to the chase.
“You didn’t mention that Annabel had come back to work for you.”
She watched him carefully as she spoke. He kept his head bent over his seared scallops, and she was unable to read his expression.
“Am I seeing a pattern here?” he asked lightly. “You e-mail asking why I employed her straight out of college, and now you want to know why she’s back with my organization.” Her father laid his silverware aside. “What’s going on, Ellie?”
“I was rather hoping you’d tell me that.” Ellie couldn’t hide her disappointment. She’d tried to tell herself her father wasn’t aware that Annabel was once again a part of his extensive empire, but that clearly wasn’t the case. She, too, placed her salad fork aside and tried not to let her anger show when she spoke again. “I think you’d better tell me what’s going on between the two of you.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t,” she said stiffly.
Her father took a long sip of his wine, probably using it as an excuse to procrastinate whilst he decided how much to tell her. “Annabel was like a breath of fresh air, that first time you brought her home,” he said. “Fun loving, polite, clever, ambitious—”
“And young enough to be your daughter.”
Her father acknowledged that truth with a dip of his head. “That, too. Even so, I found her interest in me stimulating. She asked endless questions about Kirkwood Enterprises and actually appeared interested in my responses.” He tried a brief half smile, but Ellie was immune to his charm. “Not many young people bother to listen nowadays. They think they know it all.”
“And you saw what an asset she’d be to the company, so you shoehorned her in at a level it took others several years to work up to?” Ellie screwed up her features and pushed her half-eaten salad aside. She’d suddenly lost her appetite. “What did she have to do to persuade you?”
“Not what you think.” Her father met her gaze and held it. “Annabel flirted with me. Well, that probably doesn’t surprise you. Annabel flirts with all men. It’s simply the way she is. I was flattered, I’ll admit that.” He shrugged. “I might be getting on a bit, but I’m not dead yet.”
“But Mom, surely—”
“Your mother had Annabel’s measure almost from day one, and she knew I wouldn’t stray.” He paused, his smile tinged with sadness. “I never did, not once during nearly thirty years of marriage.”
“Only inside your head,” Ellie said, plucking sullenly at the edge of her placemat.
“You can’t go to jail for what you’re thinking, Ellie.”
“Why did Annabel leave your setup?”
“I’m not sure. She didn’t confide in me. I just assumed she’d gotten a better offer. Head-hunting is rife in our business. Then your mom got sick and I forgot all about Annabel. I didn’t see her again until your mother’s funeral. We chatted a bit then, and I called her the next time I was in New York.”
“You’re right,” Ellie said, holding out both hands and pushing them palms out toward her father. “I don’t n
eed details. It’s obvious she’s screwed her way back into a good position with you. Pun intended.”
“It’s not like you to be crude, darling,” her father said calmly.
“Perhaps that’s because it’s not every day you learn that your own father’s having sex with your best friend.”
“Stop behaving like an outraged spinster, Ellie. Nothing happened between Annabel and me whilst your mother was alive. And not for over a year after her death, either.” When he offered her that gentle smile of his that he seemed to reserve exclusively for her, the years fell away. Ellie regressed to her childhood—a little girl running into her father’s outstretched arms when he returned from a trip—and she felt ashamed of her reaction, even if it was justified. “Has it occurred to you that I might have been lonely? You buried yourself in your work after Mom passed, and I hardly saw you.”
“Don’t put the blame on me.”
“A few months ago, Annabel decided to leave New York and come to Denver so we’d be closer geographically. She needed a job, and I asked my people to see what they could find for her. The final decision was theirs, not mine.”
Yeah, like they’ll refuse a request from the boss!
“You do realize she was seeing someone in New York, presumably at the same time she was rekindling her relationship with you,” Ellie said, making no effort to keep the disgust out of her tone, “and he dumped her.”
“I believe she did mention something about that in passing.”
Ellie leaned across the table. “She hated that he wouldn’t take her back. I’m just starting to realize that everything has to be on Annabel’s terms.”
“Darling, I don’t think you’re being fair. Annabel isn’t like that.”
“Really?” Ellie canted her head. “Then answer me this. The man in question lives in Spirit. I’m working for him, and Annabel is down there right now, trying to dig up dirt on him.” Her father’s eyebrows shot up, but he made no comment. “If she no longer cares about him, why didn’t she excuse herself from the assignment?”
“That’s probably a question you’d be best advised to address to her. Annabel may be many things, but when it comes to her work she’s a consummate professional.”
Ellie merely grunted. She was about to inform her father that she was currently seeing someone named Dan as well as him. Then it occurred to her that Dan probably didn’t exist. All the things Annabel had told her about her latest squeeze—all the excruciating sexual details—probably related to her father. Annabel must have gotten a real kick out of that.
Ellie shuddered and changed the subject, but the tension lingered. As soon as the meal came to an end, she made her excuses and headed straight back for Spirit. She tried calling Annabel to set up dinner that night but kept getting her voice mail. She left a message, suggesting they meet in her hotel at six.
Annabel hadn’t responded by the time Ellie reached Spirit. She pulled her car into the lot at Silver Lodge but wasn’t ready to face the guys yet. She needed to get some air and think about all her father had told her first. She pulled her sheepskin jacket tightly about her to ward off the chill wind and set out on foot for the High Country Inn at the other end of Main Street.
She noticed the back of Annabel’s beautifully coiffed head the moment she stepped inside. She was in the lounge, talking intently to two men. Ellie’s bullshit radar switched to high alert. She didn’t know why. Both men were strangers to her, and there was probably a perfectly innocent explanation for their involvement with Annabel. It was just that they were dressed in clothes that identified them as manual workers and Annabel wouldn’t normally involve herself with the working classes, unless they had something she wanted. Like information. Both were in profile, and instinctively Ellie shot off a couple of pictures on her cell phone.
She left the hotel without attracting Annabel’s attention, wondering why the episode had made her feel so uneasy. As she headed toward the Lodge, her phone pinged in her pocket signaling an incoming text message. It was Annabel, saying she wasn’t free for dinner. Ellie was relieved. She wouldn’t be able to look at her without picturing her sharing her father’s bed. It was an image that she’d never be comfortable with and only hoped the relationship would run out of steam once her father ceased to be useful to Annabel.
“You look preoccupied.”
Ellie glanced up at the sound of a voice calling her name and saw Casey waving to her from the door of the Emporium.
“Oh, hi. Sorry, I was miles away.” Ellie walked over to the shop, which she hadn’t yet had a chance to check out. “How are you?”
“Fine. Come on inside if you’ve got a moment.”
“Sure.”
The shop was modern, combining chic décor with a cozy, inviting atmosphere. Few people would feel embarrassed about walking in here and browsing, which was presumably Casey’s intention.
“This is nice,” she said.
“It will be when the renovations are complete.”
Another young woman almost collided with Ellie at the end of an aisle.
“Whoops, sorry, my fault,” Ellie said.
“No, it was me.” The woman’s smile lit up her entire face. “Not looking where I’m going, as always. Well, there’re so many interesting products to look at in here, or that’s my excuse.”
Ellie returned her smile, instinctively liking the woman. “That’s certainly true.”
“Have you two been introduced?” Casey asked. Without waiting for a response, she did the honors. “This is Lana Dupree,” she said to Ellie. “She’s a hot-shot defense attorney.”
“I’ve been hoping to meet you,” Ellie said, shaking Lana’s outstretched hand.
“And I’ve heard all about you as well.” Lana shrugged. “Small towns and all that. You’re working with the guys at Silver Lodge.”
“Yes, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Perhaps we can get together sometime. I need a favor from you, but I think we can do something to help the mountain rescue people in return.”
“Sounds great.” Lana gave Ellie her card. “Call me and we’ll get together.”
“Have you seen these?” another young woman asked, bounding up to them, brandishing an enormous dildo.
Lana laughed. “Behave yourself, Selena. We have company.”
The woman called Selena smiled at Ellie. “Well, if she’s in here, she won’t be embarrassed by a silly dildo.”
“There’s nothing silly about that thing,” Ellie said. “It’s a must-have additional to any girl’s bedside drawer.”
“There you go.” Selena stuck out her hand. “I’m Selena Easton, owner of Aunt Hattie’s B and B.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Ellie Kirkwood, working at Silver Lodge.”
“You guys are in competition then,” Lana said.
“Hardly that.” Selena shrugged. “My B and B doesn’t measure up to the grandeur of Silver Lodge.”
“When it comes down to it, it’s just a case of accommodating guests and cleaning up after them,” Ellie said.
“True enough.”
“Say, the four of us could have a girls’ night out sometime,” Casey suggested.
“Hannah, too,” Lana said. “She’d fit in just fine.”
Ellie grinned at her, recalling her recent visit to the local clinic when she needed to renew her contraception pill prescription. “You’re on. And I’ve already met Hannah at the clinic.”
“Nothing wrong, I hope,” Casey said.
“No, nothing to worry about, and you’re on for the night out, but now you’ll have to excuse me. I’m running late, as usual.”
Ellie waved to her new friends, feeling more and more a part of this close-knit town as she hurried back to the Lodge.
* * * *
“She’s been gone a while,” Rex said to Josh as they worked side by side in the bar. Thanks to their hands-on approach, the workforce seemed to have got their act together, and it was rapidly taking shape.
“She hasn’t seen
her dad in a while. They have some catching up to do.”
“Hope he doesn’t upset her.”
“She needed to do this,” Josh said thoughtfully, one foot elevated on a stool as he leaned his elbow on his thigh and cupped his chin in his hand. “If her old man is hitting the sack with Annabel and admits it, she’ll need a bit of time to get used to the idea.”
“She’s getting to us both, isn’t she?” Rex said. “I’ve never seen you so wound up about a woman before. The strange thing about it is that I feel pretty much the same way, even before I’ve taken her to bed.”
Josh nodded. “Yeah, there’s just something about her. I don’t know what it is. An ethical quality perhaps that’s rare nowadays. She’s tough, focused, determined, and yet oddly vulnerable, too.”
“And dynamite in bed, according to you,” Rex added, grinning.
“Yeah, definitely that.”
“She’s a rare find, and we need to take good care of her.”
“No question.”
“Come on,” Rex said, putting aside his wood sander and glancing at his watch. “Let’s call it a day. We’ve done well, and we’re right back on schedule.”
Josh stretched his arms in front of him and yawned. “Fair enough. Let’s get clean and then see what delights Marcel has rustled up for us today.”
They’d barely entered the kitchen before Ellie breezed in.
“Hey,” Josh said. “We didn’t expect you quite yet.”
“Annabel wasn’t available for supper,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Probably just paying me back for not dancing to her tune last night.”
“Her loss is our gain,” Rex said. “I didn’t like the thought of you hanging out with her anyway.”
“How did it go with your dad?” Josh asked.
Rex thought the question was unnecessary since her dull expression spoke for itself. Her suspicions had been confirmed, and, unsurprisingly, she wasn’t too happy about it.
“Try some of this first,” Rex said, sighing with pleasure as he forked cassoulet into his mouth. “Marcel has outdone himself.”
