by B. J Daniels
“He expected a small library like the one in Gilt Edge to have this architecture book?”
She mugged a face at him. “He’s not involved in this.”
But Hawk had heard her gasp when the figure on the monitor had turned toward the camera. For just a second, she thought it was her husband. That meant it had been a possibility in her mind. “So he asked you out, right?”
“You don’t think a man might like me just for me? Does he have to have had an ulterior motive?”
He didn’t dare touch that, but he could tell she’d already asked herself the same question.
“Again, what would have been his point in targeting me?” she demanded.
“Lillie told me it was a whirlwind romance. That he swept you off your feet. Short engagement, don’t you think?”
He could see that he was upsetting her. That hadn’t been his purpose and he said as much. “I’m just trying to figure out who knew about the drugs and why your husband’s brother is clearly trying to harm you.”
* * *
JET WANTED HER to think that she was crazy. Drey knew what Hawk was saying. That was what made it all so hard. Jet had nothing to gain by getting her sent to the loony bin. But Ethan, now that they were married... Except what did he have to gain? He was the one with all the money, not her.
Even if he feared he’d made a mistake by marrying her, he didn’t have to go to these extremes to get rid of her. No, it made no sense.
The pills. That was a mystery. It made her doubt herself. Except that she’d never told anyone. She was too ashamed. She swallowed, hating that she had to remember that awful time in her life. It was something she’d hoped no one would ever find out about. It had been the lowest point in her life and she’d found out that she wasn’t as strong as she’d always believed she was. She still felt shame over it and disappointment in herself.
“No one knew but Lena Franklin. At least that was her name back then. I suppose she could have told someone.” Drey hadn’t thought about Lena in years. Her name probably wasn’t even Franklin anymore, given how serious she was about that boy she met. He was American. She tried to remember his name.
“She knew about your drug use,” Hawk said. “You said she actually bought you the drugs.”
“Just that once before she left college.”
“So she would know that you were addicted to the antianxiety medication.”
“But I quit. I didn’t even take more than a couple of the pills she got me.”
“Did she know that?”
Drey shook her head. “She had left by then and we didn’t keep in touch. In retrospect, her leaving helped me quit. I had no one to get me more so I knew I had to stop and not wait until I used up the bottle she’d gotten me.”
“So she supported your dependency.”
She hated to admit it. “She could see that I was hurting. It wasn’t like Lena encouraged me.”
Hawk raised a brow. “But you weren’t such good friends that you kept in touch after that.”
She shook her head. “That’s why I can’t imagine she could be involved.”
He pulled out his cell phone. “Lena? Franklin, right?”
“Right. I have no idea how we can find her, let alone that she has anything to do with—”
“I think I found her.”
Drey stared at him in disbelief. How was that possible out of all the Lena Franklins in the world? Especially if Lena had married in the interim. And yet she heard something in Hawk’s voice. Her heart pounded as she watched him look up from his phone. Drey didn’t know what to say. “You’re sure it’s the same—”
“Lena Franklin.”
“I just remembered. Brett Coldwell. That’s the one she left college for. As I recall, he was from Houston. I thought they would have been married by now.”
“A lot of women keep their maiden names.”
“There have to be thousands of Lena Franklins.”
Hawk nodded. “But not that many who are employed by Baxter Inc.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
DREY WAS TOO stunned to speak for a few moments. She had convinced herself that Lena couldn’t possibly be involved in this. But she continued to be surprised. And yet, she still didn’t want to believe it.
Lena worked for Ethan’s company? “It can’t be the same woman I knew.”
Hawk handed her his phone. “Here is her employee profile.”
She looked down at the screen. Even as she made the photo of the attractive woman larger, she told herself that there had to be a mistake.
For a full minute, she studied the dark-haired woman in the photo. Lena looked good, much better than she had that semester in Spain. She had dressed like a bohemian back then. Now, though, she wore what was obviously an expensive suit. Her once-long hair was cut into a perfect bob. Diamonds glittered at her ears.
“She seems to have done well for herself,” Drey said, handing back the phone and trying to make sense of this. She couldn’t keep denying the connection between her past—and Ethan Baxter. Even she couldn’t buy that this was just some crazy coincidence.
But did she really believe that she’d been “targeted”? That Ethan had come after her? How could she explain any of this otherwise? She felt sick to her stomach. “So Ethan targeted me.”
“I’m sorry, but it certainly looks that way,” Hawk said as he took his phone back.
“Why, though?”
He shook his head. “That’s what we need to find out. We know Jet’s behind the crazy things that have happened at the house.”
“But we don’t know how Ethan is involved.”
“Lena Franklin works for him.”
“She works for his company. The same company Jet works for,” she pointed out. Drey didn’t know why she kept defending Ethan. Because he was her husband, because she felt she owed him at least a little loyalty, because he could be innocent in all this. Not that he hadn’t proved to be a questionable husband, all things considered. Worse, if she was being totally honest with herself, she’d married him while in love with another man.
“We’ll try to give him the benefit of the doubt—until he shows his face.”
She nodded. Unfortunately, she thought Hawk was probably right. What man left his wife on their wedding night without a note or even a call? She couldn’t trust that anything Jet had told her was true. Ethan might not have even called from Mexico City. He could be anywhere. Even still in Gilt Edge, if the FBI was right. The big question was why hadn’t he called his wife?
She wasn’t so naive that she hadn’t considered that Lena and Ethan might have a relationship. But if so, where did she fit into all this? Ethan was the one who’d pushed the marriage. What did he have to gain? It had to be more than him setting her up to take the fall if the FBI closed in, didn’t it?
Her heart ached at what a fool she’d been. Of course she’d questioned why Ethan Baxter had come into the library and almost instantly taken a liking to her. It had all happened so quickly. Too quickly.
If he’d targeted her... Even if Lena had told him about her...
You’re building a mountain retreat in Montana. I used to know someone from Gilt Edge, Montana. Dierdre Hunter.
Unless Lena had kept track of her, she wouldn’t even know that Drey was the local librarian. But Lena might have remembered that Drey was from Gilt Edge, Montana. And in a town the size of Gilt Edge, Drey wasn’t hard to find. She hadn’t married, so that would have helped with a general internet search. Just months ago, she’d been promoted to head librarian. But it wasn’t like that kind of news went viral.
With a start, she thought of the local write-up in the newspaper. It had been accompanied by a photo of her. That had come out only a week before she’d met Ethan.
Coincidence? If Lena had mentioned her to Ethan... But when would Lena have told him about the
pills she used to take? She couldn’t imagine how that part of the conversation would have come up.
The girl was a junkie back when I knew her, but I heard she cleaned up her act.
Ethan wouldn’t be interested in a woman who’d relied on antianxiety medication for months after losing her baby. Or maybe that was exactly what he was looking for.
“Drey, I just checked. Lena is on vacation. Montana or Mexico City?”
She shook her head. This wasn’t happening. “I still don’t understand what’s going on.”
“But at least we know that there is nothing wrong with your mind.” He gave her a reassuring smile, but right now little could reassure her.
She got to her feet and moved to the window to look out on the Montana summer day. This was her favorite time of year. She couldn’t help but think of her life before Ethan. Yes, she still had ached for Hawk, but she’d been happy without him—or at least as happy as she could be on her own. Had she really thought someone would come along and sweep her off her feet? No, wasn’t that why Ethan had such an easy time of it?
“I feel like such a fool.” She crossed her arms, fighting tears, as Hawk rose and came up behind her. She could feel his warm breath at her neck, but he didn’t touch her, as if he was afraid to. For fear she would shatter like an expensive crystal vase?
“No,” Hawk said quietly. “You’re not the fool. Ethan Baxter is. His company’s in trouble. All I can figure is that he was looking for a scapegoat. If he had any idea what he was giving up...”
She heard the catch in his throat and knew he was no longer talking about Ethan. Turning, she looked into the familiar gray eyes fringed with dark lashes. His own pain was so visible that she forgot her own.
“Damn it, Drey, I’ve never stopped loving you.”
She nodded, knowing it was true as she stepped into his arms. He held her tightly. She could hear his heart thumping loudly under the strong muscles of his chest. He still loved her. At that moment, it was all that mattered.
Drawing back, she looked into his gray eyes. She wanted him to kiss her like nothing she’d ever wanted before. His gaze locked with hers and he slowly lowered his mouth to hers. She closed her eyes as his lips gently brushed over hers. A moan of pure relief and release escaped her lips.
Hawk dragged her to him, his demanding mouth taking hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting nothing between them. Her breasts crushed against his chest. She yearned for even their clothing to be gone. She wanted this, needed this, and from his ardent kiss, Hawk did, too.
She tore open the snaps on his Western shirt, desperately needing to feel her palms against the warm, taut flesh of his chest. Pulling back from the kiss, she lowered her mouth to his neck, then made her way down only a few inches, before he drew her up.
“Drey?”
She shook her head no. She didn’t want to think, let alone talk. Slowly she pulled her T-shirt over her head. She heard Hawk groan. He reached for the strap of her bra and slipped off one side and then the other. Her nipples peaked hard against the lace of her bra in anticipation of his touch.
His gaze locking with hers, he slowly pulled down the bra to expose her breasts. She saw desire burning in his eyes as he dropped his mouth to one nipple, then the other. He tugged hard, making her arch against him with a moan of desire and need.
She reached for his belt buckle and froze at the sound of a vehicle.
Hawk swore. “It can’t be Cyrus.” But it could be just about anyone else.
Drey pulled her bra up and reached for her T-shirt, disappointment making her weak. She felt as if she’d been dropped into a freezing mountain lake. What had she been thinking? She hadn’t. She’d just wanted Hawk, needed him.
Behind her, she heard Hawk curse again as he rebuttoned his shirt.
“It’s a neighbor. I forgot he was stopping by to borrow our log splitter. I’ll take care of this and be right back.”
* * *
DREY TRIED TO pull herself together. She’d been so close to making love with Hawk. Her pulse was still pounding, her body aching, her center on fire with need for the man she loved.
She felt a wave of shame. She was married. Her face flamed with the realization of what she’d almost done. Fortunately she hadn’t. She’d wanted him, needed him, yearned for him. Because she was still in love with him, but she wasn’t free. Not to mention that sleeping with Hawk wouldn’t solve anything. It would only make everything worse.
Once Ethan came back... But she knew it wouldn’t be over until she figured out who was behind this—and why.
Drey picked up her purse and keys. She couldn’t keep falling into Hawk’s arms. She’d needed him last night when she’d found the pills and she would be grateful for his help. She wasn’t losing her mind. But she felt as if she’d come close when she’d seen those pills. When she’d almost taken them.
Now she knew the truth. Jet had left them beside her bed. Jet must have found out about her addiction from Lena Franklin, who now worked for Baxter Inc. What more did she need to know?
She was out the door and almost to Ethan’s SUV when she heard Hawk call her name. She slowly turned to face him, hating the reminder of how close they’d come to making love. Yet, at the same time, just the thought of being in his arms...
“Drey?” He caught up with her.
She stopped, holding up both hands as if to ward him off. “I can’t.”
He stopped a few yards from her. “I know. My fault. You’re right. You’re...married.”
She nodded and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “I—”
“You don’t have to say anything.” He looked down at his boots for a moment, before his gaze rose and locked with hers. She felt that slow, hot heat begin at her center and grow outward. “I won’t lie to you. I want you. I—”
She couldn’t bear this. After all these years of being estranged and now... “I have to go.” She stepped to the SUV and opened the door.
“Please, don’t go back to that house,” he said, his voice sounded strangled.
“I’m not.” With that, she climbed into the vehicle, started the engine and left without looking back. Her heart felt as if it was breaking. She’d desperately wanted to know what he was going to say, but at the same time, she couldn’t bear it. Not now. Maybe not ever. When Ethan came back—
Drey realized that might not happen. Didn’t Hawk believe that Ethan was up to his neck in all this? That Ethan had targeted her for some strange reason and now wanted her to believe she was losing her mind. She had to find out the truth.
She drove into town and parked a block away from the hotel where Jet was staying. Jet had left the pills next to her bed. She’d seen it with her own eyes. She shuddered, remembering that she’d been watched the entire time she was in that house. But watched by whom?
Now that the shock had worn off, Drey realized she was furious. There was no longer making excuses for why she didn’t trust Jet. Nor could she keep pretending that she hadn’t been targeted. But by Ethan? Or Jet? Whichever, it had been Jet who’d left her the pills. She was mad and wanted to get the bastard.
She called the hotel. By now he could have checked out. Her mind was whirling. No wonder she had a headache. No wonder she thought she’d been drugged. This morning when she’d awakened to see the bottle of pills, she’d reached for them instinctively.
Of course she had—because she was being systematically drugged. If she hadn’t called Hawk—
The front desk answered. She asked for Jet Baxter’s room.
“One moment,” the desk clerk said.
Drey waited, her mind racing. Lena worked for Baxter Inc. But that still didn’t mean that anything was going on with Ethan and Lena.
It could have happened just like she thought. All of it innocuous. Lena mentioning that she knew someone from Montana when she heard Ethan was
building a house here. Drey’s name could have come up. Ethan could have seen the newspaper article about her promotion. He would have said hello when he stopped by the library and one thing could have led to another.
The phone in Jet’s room rang.
She thought of the drugs and felt her scenario punched full of holes. Lena wouldn’t have mentioned the drugs. Not unless there had been more than one conversation. Not unless Lena and Ethan were closer than that.
The phone continued to ring. Maybe he’d gone somewhere. She didn’t see Jet’s red sports car, but then, he probably had the valet take it to the hotel’s underground parking area.
“Hello?”
It startled her. She’d been about to hang up, convinced he wasn’t in his room. But she’d been expecting Jet to answer. Instead, it was a woman’s voice.
“Hello?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
BILLIE DEE LOOKED up from the pot of Texas gumbo she had going on the stove as Ashley Jo came in for her shift. She’d been singing an old gospel song when the young woman came down the stairs from her apartment into the kitchen.
“Don’t stop singing on my accord,” Ashley Jo said. “I love that song.” She moved to the stove. “Oh, Billie Dee, you’re killing me,” she joked as she took a whiff.
“Can I fix you a bowl?”
“Maybe later. I saw a car drive up. I have to take care of the customers first.”
Henry came in the back door and Ashley Jo took off to open the front door and turn on the lights, as it was almost eleven, when the saloon opened for business.
Billie Dee stepped to Henry for her hug and kiss. She still lived in the small house she rented in town, while he still lived on the ranch with his two sons. The sons, both grown, had taken over the ranching part.
Henry shook his head. No news about her daughter. She tried not to show how much it hurt. Her daughter had put her DNA in. She’d wanted to find out who her mother was—but had done nothing since.
“These things take time,” Henry said, as he always did.
Billie Dee was tired of hearing that. “She’s changed her mind,” she said as she turned back to her gumbo. Cooking was the one thing that had always given her peace, but not even that helped now.
