Guarding Candy Kane

by V. B. Tenery

  They reached Reindeer Crossing and she pointed to a building on the corner. “Here we are. So far, I think I like it here. No one seems to know who I am.”

  Candace surprised Sean by being an efficient shopper and they were back on the street with an armload of packages in forty-five minutes.

  “You realize the sleigh driver is going to charge us for extra baggage.”

  “Not to worry, my good man, I’m a billionaire. Money is no object.”

  “So, tell me, how does it feel to be a billionaire?”

  Her expression turned serious. “I don’t know, Sean. I still feel like a poor little girl in an orphanage.”

  Light snowflakes began to fall just as Sean spotted Kringle’s Coffee Shoppe across the street. “Let’s stop in here for something warm and you can tell me all about it.”

  He found a table, stowed the packages, and asked Candace what she wanted.

  “Hot chocolate with the works, whipped cream and sprinkles.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Coming right up.” He strode to the counter and returned with their drinks and a tray of cookies then took the seat across from her.

  “So, Mr. McGregor, tell me your story. That’s a good old Irish name you have there.” She grinned, took a sip of her drink and came away with a white mustache.

  Sean laughed. “Scotland has good Irish neighbors.” He handed her a napkin. “We cannot have a serious discussion while your top lip is covered in whipped cream. I thought we were going to talk about you. What makes you think I have a story?”

  She wiped away the cream with her tongue then sponged the excess away with the napkin. “Everybody has a story. But Clay hinted at lunch today that you had an especially juicy one.”

  “Did he now? Does that mean our engagement is off?”

  “Let me hear the story first. I need to know everything about the man I’m going to marry. If there are a slew of ex-wives and mistresses in your closet, I’ll have to think about it. First tell me where you live.”

  He sipped his drink and leaned back. “I live in Key Biscayne, Florida, on a fifty-million-dollar oceanside estate called Green Acres. The owner, Sam Green’s little joke. You would be impressed. That’s the good news. The bad news is I live in the guesthouse rent-free by the good graces of Samuel Green, a rich old man who feels he owes me something because I found his daughter’s killer. When he learned of my legal troubles, he insisted I move in. He offered me the run of his home, but I elected the guesthouse for privacy.”

  “And what were your legal problems?”

  He drew in a deep breath. It was still painful to talk about. “I co-owned a detective and security firm. My partner had an affair with a woman who hired us to find out if her husband was cheating on her. Turns out the husband was innocent. When he learned she had an affair, he left her.

  “She sued our firm saying she was vulnerable because she thought she was losing her husband. She claimed my partner preyed on her weak moment. The jury agreed. I didn’t disagree with the jury’s verdict. That’s why firms like ours had a policy against personal involvement with clients. My partner didn’t think the rules applied to him.

  “In most cases, people who hire us are vulnerable. So I’m in starting-over mode.”

  “You worked for the Secret Service, right? Why did you leave that?”

  “The agency was becoming sloppy and careless. Incompetent people were put in charge and put incompetent agents in the field.

  “When crazies penetrate White House security more than once in a short period of time you know someone is not doing their job. The Secret Service has one job, and one job only. Protect the president. There is no excuse for ineptitude.

  “Secret Service Agents are also supposed to leave their political views away from the job. I had a problem doing that. Not that I thought the president didn’t deserve protection, he did. He deserved the best we had to offer. I just couldn’t watch his socialist agenda play out before my eyes every day. Things I disagreed with on every level. So I bailed.”

  “Ah, a conservative man with high principles.” She glanced down at his ring finger. “You married?”

  “Nope.”

  “Ever been married?”

  “Nope.”

  “Me neither. But you already know that. Sean, would you marry me for my money?”

  “Technically, you don’t have any money.” He chuckled. “But I would marry you for your daddy’s money.”

  She threw a paper napkin at him, drained her cup, scraped the cup’s bottom with a spoon then sat back and sighed. She noticed he watched her and laughed. “You think it’s strange for a rich girl to clean her cup?”

  She shrugged. “It’s habit. While my mom was alive, and later at the orphanage treats were few and far between. I made them last as long as possible and left nothing behind. I may have to change that. It makes me look cheap.”

  Sean smiled and touched her hand. “No, it makes you endearing. Want another one?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m good.”

  He stood and pulled out her chair. “Are you ready for that sleigh ride?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They strolled back up Mistletoe Drive to Christmas Tyme Sleigh Rides. Sean approached the gray-haired attendant. “Hey, my friend. Can you take us up to the Kane chalet?”

  “Sure can. It’ll cost extra because of the distance and I’ll have to hitch up two horses.”

  “No problem,” Sean said. “Does it have a canopy?”

  “Sure does. I usually attach it when it snows or rains.” He winked at Sean. “Even has a curtain you can drop down if you want a little extra privacy.”

  Sean shook his head. “No, I just want to shield her from the snow.” In fact, he wanted to shield her from any lurking snipers. A shooter couldn’t hit something he couldn’t see. Without the canopy, Sean would have had to find other transportation back to the chalet.

  The driver hitched the horses, stored their packages, and gave them blankets for the trip.

  Sean made sure Candace was warm and seated securely before he jumped in beside her then waved the driver forward.

  The driver snapped the reins and called back. “To Kane’s Castle, it is.”

  The ride home was nothing short of amazing. The horses’ harnesses were adorned with tiny silver bells. When the white flakes stopped falling, lights on the sleigh reflected off the snow making it glisten like white diamonds.

  Candace laid her head against his shoulder and snuggled close. “This is so beautiful. I’m glad we decided to ride home this way. If I lived here all the time I would only travel by sleigh in the winter. Sean, do you want to make the engagement real?”

  “Whoa. That’s a quick change of subject.” He paused for a moment. “If you were not my client, Candace Samantha Kane, you couldn’t keep me away with a bazooka. But you are. So until that changes, personal involvement is out of the question. Whether you realize it or not, you are very vulnerable now.

  “You just became an heiress, and someone is trying to kill you. Here I am, a man dedicated to keeping you safe, something you’ve never had in your life. It is natural you would be attracted to me. Not to mention I’m almost eight years your senior. Believe it or not, infatuations happen a lot with female clients from eight to eighty. Not so much with the male ones. They tend to become good friends.”

  “There you go being logical again. Do you realize you just said no to a marriage proposal from one of the richest women on the North American continent? What’s wrong with you?”

  She raised her head and kissed him soundly on the lips. She pulled away and patted his chest. “Okay, I can take no for an answer. But you should know better men than you have tried to resist the Candace Norton charm machine and have failed miserably.”

  “Who was the last male to succumb to your irresistible charm?”

  “Admittedly, he was only six years old, but he swore his undying love before I left New York.”

  Sean grinned and tucked the blanket up under
her chin. “I can believe that after watching your magic with Teddy.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Kane Chalet

  Christmas Tyme, Colorado

  T

  he sleigh pulled up in front of the chalet at four-thirty. Candace jumped out, grabbed the packages, and rushed through the door Doyle held for her. “See you inside. I can’t wait to show Teddy all of this.”

  Sean tipped the driver and followed his client inside. His phone had chimed a message from Bella while they were in town, a simple, Call me.

  He hurried to his room and punched in her number.

  She answered with, “Well it’s about time. You wake me up in the middle of the night with a rush job, and it takes me hours to get a call back.”

  Sometimes he just had to remind himself she was worth all the problems dealing with her bad temper.

  “You are sorely mistreated and unappreciated, Bella, but—”

  She interrupted. “You ain’t wrong about that.”

  “The client has to come first. Now tell me what you have.”

  “I’ll begin with the older brother. Morgan is a handsome fellow of fifty-nine. As a matter of fact, the entire Kane family is populated with pretty people. Reminds me of the old days of Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. Back when stars had talent and class instead of political opinions.

  “Anyway, Morgan has two kids. Velma, the oldest is adopted. She works in advertising in New York. The son, Clay is his natural offspring. He’s a biochemist in a chemical company outside of New York. Neither of the children has ever been married, but the daughter has a four-year-old boy. The entire family lives beyond their means, and their recent inheritance saved them from bankruptcy. Morgan spends his money on gambling and fast cars. Sources tell me they will all be broke in five years. Morgan married an heiress, Dolly Trane, but she keeps her money under her own tight-fisted control. None of them have ever been in trouble with the law except Clay. He has quite a lengthy juvenile record. Nothing serious except petty theft. Morgan sent him off to military school and he cleaned up his act, until a year ago. He was accused of sexual assault, but the charges were dropped. Who knows, maybe the girl was bought off.

  “Tyler Kane has been married three times and divorced three times. He’s currently back on the market. As you may have guessed, he spends his money on wine, women, and high living. He has two children, Logan, a son and a daughter named Heather. Logan Kane works modeling jobs and acting in off-Broadway shows. Makes good money apparently, judging from the size of his bank account.

  Heather is a cloistered nun. She lives in France in a sect dedicated to poverty.” Bella chuckled. “You can probably cross her off your suspect list.

  “Not a lot on Candace Norton. She grew up in an orphanage after her mother’s death. Attended college on a scholastic scholarship. She went on to get her master’s degree in business, paid for by her modeling career. She was recently named heiress to the Kane Industries fortune.”

  “That’s all you’ve got?”

  “Don’t make me fly to Colorado and spank your backside like your momma should have done when you were a child.”

  “Just teasing, Bella. Good work. I’ll call if I need anything else.”

  “Of that, I’m sure. Just make it at a reasonable hour.”

  “Love you, Bella.”

  She had already disconnected.

  As soon as Sean shut off his cellphone, the intercom phone in his room rang. “Mr. McGregor, we will be dressing for dinner tonight. It’s a party to introduce Miss Candace to her aunt and uncle, Morgan and Dolly Kane. A dark suit and tie is suitable. Cocktails at six, dinner at seven.”

  “Thank you, Doyle.”

  Sean would have to hurry. He and Candace hadn’t arrived back at the chalet until after four o’clock that evening. He showered quickly, dressed, and made his way downstairs.

  Hilda Kane met him at the bottom of the staircase. “Sean, may I speak to you for a moment in private.”

  “Of course.” He waved her to lead the way, and they went into the library.

  She reached into the pocket of her evening gown and retrieved a small brown bottle encased in a clear plastic bag. The bottle bore the familiar skull and cross bone symbol for poison. She handed it to him.

  “One of the maids found the bottle in an unassigned bedroom and gave it to Doyle.” Her face paled. “It’s cyanide.”

  “Which room?”

  “The one next to yours.”

  “Has anyone used that room recently?”

  She shook her head. “No, we haven’t had house guests since last summer, except for Logan popping in and out. But he always uses the same room at the end of the hallway.”

  “Was the bottle out in the open where it could be easily seen?”

  “Doyle said the maid found it in a drawer in the bathroom. She was making sure there were personal items for the guests coming in today.”

  “Is that customary?”

  “Oh yes. I’m sure you found toothpaste, mouthwash, bath soap and other items in your room when you arrived.”

  He nodded. Top of the line personal care products. All the comforts of a five-star hotel.

  “Sean, you won’t let anything happen to Candace, will you?”

  He squeezed Hilda’s hand. It was cold. “There are never any guarantees in this business. But as you pointed out at our first meeting, I’ve never lost a client. I saw my man Franco arrived this morning. Did you get him settled in okay?”

  “Doyle took care of it. It was convenient that he came today. One of our kitchen maids is out sick. Franco is quite a personable man. The kitchen staff accepted him without question. Did you suspect someone would try to poison Candace?”

  Sean shook his head. “No, I just try to cover all the possibilities.” He shoved the bottle into his coat pocket. “I’m going to take this to my room. I’ll join you for cocktails in a moment.”

  He locked the cyanide away in a carrying case then rushed back downstairs to find Candace.

  He stepped into the foyer and spotted her immediately. She stood just inside the sunroom where a cocktail bar was set up.

  This was Candace the fashion model, stunning in a long black wool dress that exposed one shoulder. Gone was the blue-jean clad imp that entertained him all afternoon. In her place was a striking glamour girl. Clay had her cornered between the wall and the bar.

  Sean moved up behind Clay. “I believe this is my dance.”

  Candace laughed and held out her hand to him. “Just in the nick of time.”

  “Nick of time for what?”

  They moved away and she lowered her voice. “Before I decked him.”

  As they headed to the bar, Clay said to Velma, “Now there’s a little piece of candy I’d like to put in my pocket.”

  Sean turned back to Clay. “Keep your tasteless, barroom comments to yourself, Kane. This isn’t the time, the place, or the woman to practice them on.”

  “And what will the big bad bodyguard do if I don’t?”

  “Believe me, you don’t want to find out.”

  Logan stepped up beside Clay. “I apologize, Candace, Sean. My cousin has had too much to drink. He doesn’t do well with an open bar. Come, Candace, let me introduce you to Uncle Morgan and Aunt Dolly. They’re anxious to meet you.”

  Logan led Candace away, and Sean strode back to the bar where Franco was the resident bartender. Franco Calla was as Italian as his name suggested. Medium height and a little overweight. He wore his dark hair in a short ponytail, possibly to make up for his receding hairline. In a white coat and black tie, he was the epitome of Italian charm. “How’s it going, Frank?”

  “Swimmingly. That’s some gorgeous lady you’re guarding.” He laughed and handed Sean a champagne glass of ginger ale. “You get the fun part of the job.”

  “That I do. Of course, if anything goes wrong, I’m the one who stops the bullet.”

  A brilliant white smile flashed in Frank’s dark face. “There is that
little downside.”

  “Anyone suspicious hanging around in the kitchen? A maid found a bottle of cyanide in one of the bedrooms today.”

  “That’s a game changer. There’s been no one in the kitchen but the staff. Tonight’s dinner will be served from platters to everyone. I don’t think our killer will try to poison the entire Kane family. Dessert will be served in individual plates. I will serve you and Candace. A maid and I will be serving the wine. You and Candace will drink white wine, which I will pour for you.”

  Candace returned to Sean’s side leading Teddy, dressed in his school uniform. He looked cute, but uncomfortable.

  Sean picked up the boy and sat him on the bar. “Frank, my man, do you have anything in your magic bottles suitable for a four-year-old?”

  “I do indeed. It needs to be caffeine free this close to bedtime. Here you go, soldier. Pineapple juice and coconut milk topped off with a cherry.” He handed it to Sean.

  Sean placed the boy back on the floor and gave him his drink.

  Teddy took a sip and smiled. “Thank you, sir. Candy, can I sit next to you at dinner?”

  Logan walked up and put his hand on Teddy’s head. “Seats next to Candace are the most requested seats in the house tonight, sport, so that may not happen.”

  “Then can I sit next to you, Uncle Logan?”

  “That’s ‘May I sit next to you,’ and of course you may. Come, let’s go find your mother.”

  Teddy turned back to Candace. “Candy, may we play hide-and-seek tomorrow?”

  She smiled and patted his cheek. “Yes. We’ll do it right after breakfast, and we’ll make Sean play too.”

  Sean glowered at her.

  She took his arm and the impish smile was back. “You’ll love it.”

  As the evening wound down, Sean walked Candace back to her room. He followed her inside. “You planning to take a shower tonight?”

  “No, I showered before dinner. I thought you said I would have privacy in the bathroom.”

  “I’m just going to check it out. Make sure there are no surprises.”

  He inspected every inch of the bathroom and her room. She sat in a chair and watched him turn back the bed covers and check under the pillows.