by Lori Wick
195
"I thought the same thing. It even looked like she wanted
to make something up and couldn't think of it fast enough."
Eliot stood with a groan. "Take the first shift. I'm tired."
"All right. I didn't lock her door, so check the front
again. I've got the key."
"All right. Call me before you nod off."
"Will do."
Seth was left alone with his thoughts, and they weren't
happy ones. He had no idea what to do next. Not tired in
the least, he determined to sit on the sofa until he had that
woman figured out
Darvi sat on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped
around her middle, wishing she hadn't eaten all the food.
Her stomach was so upset from fear that she thought she
might be ill. She had sat alone in the living room most of
the day, even nodding off at times. She hadn't liked going
to the kitchen; the living room seemed safer. This whole
196
ordeal was wearing on her.
I'm so confused right now, Lord. I don't think they mean to
harm me, but I want to be let out. I'm not afraid to go back to the
train station and try again, but these men have me at their mercy.
Just thinking of the word mercy reminded Darvi of
God's great mercy to her. She still did not have answers but
was greatly calmed as she prayed. She poured her heart out
to the Lord and asked Him to comfort her and provide
wisdom. She didn't feel at all tired, but when Seth checked
ATexasSky 107
on her some two hours later, he found her sleeping in her
clothes, curled up not far from the edge of the bed.
^"S'w*
Dakota didn't leave Aurora without some misgivings,
but on the whole he knew a great peace. He hadn't seen his
brother, a man he dearly loved, in a long time.
197
He asked God to bless Darvi, trusting she was still on
her way home and knowing she would face her family
soon. Outside of town, Dakota picked up the pace. He
would be in Kinkade tonight and home for the first time in
ages.
5"3r^*
Eliot came back to the apartment, breakfast in hand. Seth had just finished shaving, and as Eliot passed Darvi's room, he saw that the door was open and she was still
sleeping. Apparently Seth had covered her with a blanket
The younger man's hands shook just a little as he set the
plates down, but he wasn't given much time to compose
himself. Seth came into the room just a moment later. One
look at Eliof s face told him something was wrong.
"Whaf s the matter?"
"I just saw Annabelle Hewett heading into the newspaper
office."
"You're sure?"
"Positive."
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Seth couldn't hold his smile.
"Do not be smiling about this, Seth. What about Jared?"
"Jared or not, Eliot, this is the best news I've ever
heard."
Eliot stared at his older brother. They'd been through so
much together. Seth was as levelheaded a man as he'd ever
met. Why now? Why her? Eliot couldn't think of worse
timing. He was on the verge of telling his brother just that
108 lori wick
when a small cry came from the other room. Both men
moved across the hall to investigate. They found Darvi on
the floor looking very sleepy and bewildered.
"Did you fall out of bed?" Seth asked as he came forward.
Darvi, who had just awakened from a horrible nightmare
about these men, tried to scoot away from him, but
her legs caught in the blanket Seeing her fear, Seth halted.
"When you're ready/' he said quietly, "we have some
breakfast for you."
199
"I'm not hungry."
Seth only nodded and cleared out of the room, shutting
the door behind him.
"Let me handle this/' he told Eliot as he moved to the
outer door. "Don't tell her what we know. I'll go take care
of things with Jared and come back here."
"What are you going to do with her?"
Seth didn't even hesitate. "Take her home."
"To the ranch?"
"Yes."
Eliot was given no time to comment. Seth slipped out
the door, and the remaining brother locked it in his wake.
5"3r^r
"What do you mean the plan won't work?" Jared
demanded, having already closed his office door.
"Just that. We tried and it failed."
"Tried? How?"
200
Looking much more composed than he felt, Seth met
Jared's eyes.
"We had a woman picked up who bears a striking
resemblance to Annabelle Hewett. She tried to tell us she
wasn't Hewett, but we didn't believe her. Then Eliot
spotted Hewett in town this morning. We still have this
other woman at the apartment."
Jared's look became shrewd.
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"That's perfect. Now that you know exactly who
Annabelle is, you can still pick her up and get her to agree
to my terms."
"No."
"What do you mean, no?"
"Just what I said. The whole idea is crazy. Do you know
how many people would miss Annabelle Hewett? I
thought of that before, but not until we had this woman
201
who doesn't even live in Aurora did I see that this won't
work with anyone as well known as Hewett"
"But I want her stopped!"
"Be that as it may," Seth responded in a voice that had
gone cold, "you'll have to find another way to do it"
Seth stood, and Jared wisely backed off. It had taken years
to find men to work for him who had the sophistication that
Seth Redding and Eliot McDermott displayed. He paid them
well, but they were worth every dime. And over the years
he'd learned some things. He knew when he could push and
when he'd gone too far. The men did have their limits.
"What will you do with this woman?"
Seth shrugged as though he didn't care. 'Take her to the
ranch for now."
"Whaf s her name?" Jared asked before thinking, then
swiftly held up his hand to stop the question. "I don't want
to know any more. Just handle it"
Seth started toward the door.
"I'll let you know when you're needed again."
"All right We'll be in the apartment until after dark."
202
Jared only waved in his direction, his mind already
working on the next plan. Never once did the banker's brilliant
mind remind his heart that he could have used his
intelligence to gather wealth honestly. This was the way
he'd always done things. A different approach had never
occurred to him.
%r%r%r
110 lori wick
Darvi rubbed at her hip. She had finally climbed from
the floor, but she felt stiff and sore, and her hip ached. She
must have landed directly on it. She rubbed the back of her
neck, glanced around the room, and noticed the steam.
Moving to the pitcher and basin, she saw that someone had
brought her hot wash water, soap, and towels. A wash
sounded good, but to do i
t right, she would have to
unbutton her dress and loosen her clothing. The thought
alone sounded wonderful.
203
Darvi moved toward the room's only chair, a thin piece
of furniture but her only choice. She carried it across the
floor and tried to jam the back under the doorknob. She no
more had it settled when someone knocked.
"Are you all right?" Eliot called from without.
"Don't you try to open that door. I've put a chair there."
"Why did you do that?"
"Because I want some privacy."
There was silence and then, "If I hear glass breaking, 111
bust the door down."
Darvi didn't answer.
"Do you hear me?"
"I hear you."
Darvi wanted to hear him walk away, but when he
didn't, she still went to the basin. Hearing the splash,
Eliot's suspicions about her trying to escape eased, and he
went back to the kitchen to check on the two breakfasts he
had set on top of the stove. He could see the food was
drying out, but he thought it still looked edible.
204
In the room, Darvi took as much off as she dared and
began to scrub with a vengeance. It occurred to her for the
first time that her surroundings were impeccable, but her
own fear had naturally caused her to perspire. Bathing was
a definite help to her spirits.
I'm going to get out of here today. Lord, she proclaimed as
she started to rinse off. I don't know how just yet, but I'm not
going to sit around here again and try to convince these men.
ATexasSky 111
They can take me back to the train station, or I'm going to cause
such a ruckus that I'll bring the whole town down on their heads.
Darvi hoped she could actually manage all this once she
was faced with it It was easy to be tough behind dosed
doors.
"You told Dakota you would do just fine on your own,"
she whispered to her reflection in the small mirror even as
tears filled her eyes. "Oh, Dakota, I hope I didn't lie to
you."
205
ftae
0%
DARVI EXITED HER BEDROOM ABOUT AN HOUR after she fell
out of bed. She didn't have a confirmed plan in her mind,
but she was going to keep her eyes and ears open. She
found one of the men in the living room, his jacket off, his
feet on the table. She was grudgingly impressed when he
stood and reached for his jacket. It made the whole situation
all the more curious.
"What exactly do you do for a living, Mr.--"
"McDermott," he supplied. "I'm a personal assistant to
Jared Silk/'
Darvi nodded. She had been too stunned yesterday to
act. Today she was going to learn who this Jared Silk was
and why Annabelle Hewett wrote about him.
"Would you like some breakfast now?"
"No, thank you. I don't suppose it would do any good
to ask you to let me leave."
206
"I'm afraid not."
"In that case, may I share some of your paper?"
"Indeed. Please help yourself."
"Thank you."
Darvi was scanning the pages just a moment later, but
Eliot was a little slower to go back to his reading. Since she
was reading attentively, he was able to study her undetected.
Something had happened since the day before. She
was not the least bit afraid of him right now, and he again
112
ATexasSky 113
experienced some of the fascination his brother was
feeling.
Completely unaware of his scrutiny, Darvi could not
believe what she was reading as she went through nearly
every newspaper in the two piles that sat on the floor of the
living room. Not all of Annabelle Hewetf s articles were
about Jared Silk, but when his name was mentioned, the
207
woman was nothing short of scathing, A chill went down
Darvi's spine. Jared Silk must hate this woman, and thest
men thought they had her in captivity.
At the same time...
Darvi's mind worked fast. She wondered if this might
not be her way out. Clearly the men believed she was a
reporter. Darvi wasn't sure if there was ever a right time to
lie to someone, but at the moment she was tempted.
Hearing the door open and watching the man in the room
get up, Darvi kept studying the newspapers and working
on the plan that was budding in her mind.
'
"Where have you been?" Eliot asked when he met Seth
at the door.
"I had some things to pick up, and then I went ahead
and bought lunch."
Eliot shook his head. "She never ate any of the breakfast.
What did Jared say?"
208
"He wanted us to grab Hewett this time, and I said no."
"That sounds a little too easy."
"Not really. He pushed me, and I pushed back. He
backed down and said he'd send for us when he needed
us."
This Eliot could believe. Jared slid along on the edge of
the law, but he never crossed Seth. Seth could find work too
easily, and they both knew it
"How has she been?" the smitten brother asked.
114 lori wick
"She's reading through the newspapers. She's not afraid
like yesterday. I swear she has something up her sleeve."
Seth looked thoughtful. "My bet is she's pretty harmless,
but she did have a gun in her bag. We'll just keep on
as we're doing, and hopefully I won't have to gag her
before we leave here tonight"
"Seth, are you sure about this?"
"Very sure."
"This kind of thing can bring a whole lot of trouble."
209
Seth studied his brother's pensive face before glancing
toward the doorway as if he hoped to see Darvi.
"Just go along with me, Eliot. I can't explain it, I just
know what I have to do."
The men's eyes met before Seth put a hand on his
brother's shoulder. A moment later he went to the living
room.
"Lunch is ready."
Darvi looked up to see the other man addressing her.
She set the paper aside, and much as she had done the
night before, preceded him to the kitchen. Mr. McDermott
was already there, the food ready and waiting. Darvi was
nowhere near as starved, but she was hungry. She didn't
know where they picked up the food they brought in, but
the beef and vegetables on her plate were very tasty. She
didn't rush. She was still asking herself if lying to the men
who had her abducted was wrong when she went ahead
and plunged in.
"I would like to look at those sample letters now," she
said quietly, watching their faces.
210
The men had all they could do not to look stunned
"You would?" Eliot questioned.
"Yes."
Eliot and Seth were careful not to look at each other as
Eliot came slowly to his feet, went to the other room, and
returned with the pages. Darvi took them from his hand.
Eliot, watching his brother watch Darvi, had t
o smile.
Seth was doing everything in his power not to show it, but
ATexasSky 115
his heart was nearly in his eyes as he gazed at this woman,
understanding exactly what she was up to.
"And if I write this for the paper," Darvi clarified,
"you'll let me go?"
The men hesitated.
"Isn't that what you said?"
"There's been a slight change in plans," Seth began. "I'd
have to run it past Mr. Silk."
Darvi tried not to show how far her heart sank. She had
not expected this, but she was going to keep trying.
211
"Can you do that now? Can you check with him
today?"
Seth appeared to consider mis. "I think I can do that If
you're finished eating, why don't you let us talk it over and
get back to you."
Darvi desperately wanted to know what he meant by a
change in plans but thought she should take what she
could get for the time being. Trying not to appear as uncertain
as she felt, she rose from the table and left the room.
Both men remained very quiet, so they had no trouble
hearing Darvi check the door in the living room. They
knew it was locked. Next they heard more rattling of newspapers.
Seth leaned back in his chair, a full-blown smile on
his face.
"Now tell me, Eliot, had I met her under any other circumstances,
would you like her more?"
"I like her now, Seth, and if s very easy to see why
you're taken with her."
There was so much to add to this, but Eliot did not
waste his breath. His brother was lost on this woman.
212
Eliot stayed where he was even after Seth went to the
other room and had a few words with Darvi, obviously
telling her he was headed to see Jared. Eliot even heard her
thank him, her voice sweet and grateful. Not sure she should
be left alone for too long, Eliot did a quick cleanup job in the
kitchen and went back to reading newspapers with Darvi in
the living room as soon as Seth exited the apartment
116 lori wick
-Kinkade,
Texas
Cash Rawlings dusted off his jeans as he walked
through the back hall of the ranch house, his ears picking
up the sound of a deep male voice. His cook, Katy Sims,
laughed like a girl, and suddenly Cash knew exactly who
was in the kitchen.
Sitting on the counter as though he'd been there all his
life, Dakota looked up when Cash entered, a huge smile
covering his face.
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"Ifs about time you got in. I've been sitting here for at
