Arthur clapped him on the shoulder. “Now that I know you’re on the case, I’ll step back. You can handle it.”
“Give me a phone number where I can reach you.”
“Why should I?” Arthur turned his back and walked toward the driveway where Nick’s SUV was parked.
“You need me,” Nick said.
“Why?”
“Because I’m an insider and you aren’t. I can find out the actual terms of Samuel’s will. I could find out tomorrow. As soon as I have information, I’ll let you know.”
Arthur gave an unpleasant little chuckle. “Who would have ever thought you and I would be working together?”
Since he didn’t have a card with his current number, they waited while Kelly dug through her purse and found a scrap of paper and a pen. Nick made a note of the number, which would come in handy if he needed to contact Arthur again.
“Are you going to be staying at the house?” Nick asked.
“Might as well. Mom is off playing Lady Bountiful at Lauren’s place. It could be her last chance to reap the benefits of being Samuel’s longtime companion. With your uncle out of the picture, nobody is going to pay much attention to her.”
“I would,” Nick said.
“Yeah, sure. After your kids and your brother and whatever chick you’re dating, you might get around to saying hello to Julia and reminiscing about the good old days when you and me helped your uncle build this house.”
A thought occurred to Nick. “You knew it was me as soon as I rang the doorbell.”
“How do you figure?”
“You went out the side door onto the deck. If it had been anybody else you would have taken the secret passageway and hidden in the basement. You and I are the only ones who know about the sliding door in the bedroom and the staircase.”
“And I would have been trapped in the basement. Good call, Nicky.”
“Why did you run?” Nick asked.
“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Arthur spread his arms wide. “I don’t like you. Not you or your brother or any of the other Spencer family trust funders. When I have my money, I promise that you Spencers will never see me again.”
He swept low in a bow, pivoted and jogged up the stair to the house that Samuel built. It was a ridiculous and dramatic exit, appropriate for a ridiculous man. Nick would be happy for the day when Arthur was out of his life for good.
In a quiet voice, Kelly asked, “How much of that do you think we can believe?”
“He’s not to be trusted, that’s for sure.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. “I thought you saw the good in everyone.”
“It’s hard to be positive about somebody who chases you through the forest. Arthur scared me half to death.”
“But you fought him off with your purse.” He kissed the top of her head. “I don’t think he’s a real threat, but I’m not sure. Arthur is desperate. When he knew it was me at the door, he took off running.”
“You’ve known him since you were kids,” she said. “Has he done that before?”
As a general rule, Arthur stood his ground and defended himself with a wall of insults. But he’d been afraid to face Nick. “He’s got something to hide. We can believe some of what he said to us, but he’s leaving a lot out.”
She tilted her face toward him. “I almost feel sorry for him. He was raised with all you Spencers but never really felt like part of the family.”
“That was his choice.”
As he gazed down at her, other thoughts fled from his mind. The rest of the night belonged to them. Taking her arm, he directed her to the passenger side of his SUV. If he drove fast, his condo was only twenty-five minutes away from here, and it was going to be hard to wait that long before he started kissing her.
“Arthur was an outsider.” She came to a stop at the car door. “Believe me, I know what that’s like. It can warp a person.”
“Can we stop talking about Arthur?” He yanked open the door. When she climbed inside, he ran around to the driver’s side and got behind the steering wheel. In seconds, he had his seat belt on, had the engine started and was backing into the road.
“When I was with my ex,” she said, “his job required us to go to lots of gala events. I always felt like an oddball. I didn’t know the people in that crowd, and there wasn’t a reason for them to pay attention to me. I wasn’t famous or stunningly beautiful or powerful. So, I got ignored. I spent a lot of time alone in a corner with the potted plants.”
“That was your ex-husband’s fault. He should have made sure you were comfortable with the people around you.” Every time she talked about that jerk, Nick had another reason to hate Ted Maxwell. “Any man who escorted you would be the luckiest man in the room.”
“Thank you, but you’re just being nice.”
“I’ve watched you in action, and your behavior is always appropriate, whether you’re pretending to be a dragon or meeting a top executive. People like you. They like to talk to you. Kelly, you made a friend of my ex-wife, and that’s not easy.”
“You might be prejudiced in my favor.” But he heard in her voice that she was pleased. If he could have seen her in the dark, he suspected she’d be smiling. “I was using my experience to show you how it feels to be an outcast, like Arthur.”
“You’re nothing like him. Even when he was a kid, Arthur was working the angles, trying to get something for nothing.”
“As a desperate plea for attention?”
“He was treated fairly,” Nick said. There were a lot of things wrong with his family, but this wasn’t one of them. “The Spencers have money and a certain amount of status, but we’re open-minded. That’s a tradition in the West.”
“How so?”
“You can’t be a rancher or a gold miner all by yourself. You need other people doing their jobs and doing them right. It’s something you learn when you work together, especially when you live close to nature. In a blizzard or a forest fire, everybody pitches in. Everybody is valued.”
“I never thought of it that way.”
“If you pull your own weight, we’re glad to have your help, and you’re rewarded. The first time you saw me in my tuxedo, I’d been at a ceremony giving scholarship awards to deserving teenagers. That’s my family’s legacy.”
Pride surged through him. He hadn’t realized that he felt so deeply about this topic. “Arthur went out of his way to spit on our heritage. He bitched and whined and claimed that he deserved more. Something for nothing, that was his motto. It still is, and I don’t feel the least bit sorry for him.”
“You have strong feelings about this.”
“Damn right, I do.” He cranked the steering wheel to make a sharp turn on the twisting mountain road. “It might seem silly to hang on to the antique mining tools and the paintings and the kilobars of Valiant gold, but that’s who I am. It’s who Samuel was.”
“Okay,” she said, “forget about Arthur’s personality and think about what he said. He’s certain that Samuel was murdered.”
“Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
Arthur had been right about a couple of things. Rod and Marian were ambitious and wanted more control of the business, and they had been putting pressure on his uncle to retire. Still, murdering Samuel to get his 33 percent of the company stock seemed like a roundabout way of taking over, not to mention the negative light it shone on Spencer Enterprises.”
“He mentioned the gold mine,” Kelly said.
“That’s where I think Arthur was holding back. He knows more about Samuel’s project than he was telling us.”
He guided the SUV off the winding road onto a more main thoroughfare. Only ten minutes away from his condo, his anticipation was building. Stopping to pick up groceries might be smart, but his hunger had nothing to do with food.
“We’re almost to your place,” she said.
“Are you tired?”
“Kind of.”
“If you’d want, I could give you a
nice, long massage.”
“I’d like that.”
Her voice held a slightly husky tone, and he hoped he wasn’t imagining her interest. Agreeing to a massage was a step in the right direction; it meant she wanted him to touch her.
Realizing that he was speeding twenty miles over the limit, he eased up on the accelerator. “We could have some wine, just lie back and relax.”
“That’s a good place to start.”
Where did a nontherapeutic massage lead except to bed? There was no mistaking her intention. He wouldn’t be sleeping alone tonight. And then he heard the ring for her cell phone.
She answered right away.
Nick was praying that it wasn’t anything important, but he heard her ask how far apart the contractions were and he heard her promise to be there as soon as she could.
Kelly ended the call and sank back against the passenger seat. “That was Daisy. Her water broke an hour ago, and she’s going into labor.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to go home with you,” she said. “I want that wine and the massage.”
Don’t toy with me, woman. He wanted that, too. “And?”
“I’ve got to be with Daisy. This is her first baby. Even though she’s studied the natural and organic ways to give birth, she needs me.” She exhaled a deep sigh. “We need to stop by the Spencer Building so I can pick up my van.”
Reluctantly, he adjusted his course. They wouldn’t make love tonight...not unless Daisy went through labor and delivery in record speed. “My ex-wife was in labor for twelve hours with Maddie.”
“Not unusual,” she said.
Nick just couldn’t catch a break. “There’s something else to consider. One of the reasons I want to keep you with me is for your own protection. We still don’t know what’s going on with Trask. If Arthur is to be believed, he might be more dangerous than we first suspected.”
“I can’t have you hanging around while Daisy is in labor. She needs to be calm and serene. I can call you if I see Trask.”
“Which would be too late,” he said. “It’s better if I wait outside on the street and keep an eye on the house.”
“All night?” She reached toward him. Her touch on his arm reminded him of what he was going to be missing. “How are you going to investigate if you’re spending the night in your SUV?”
There was another solution—one he hadn’t used because he wanted the job as Kelly’s protector for himself. “I’ll contact O’Shea and arrange security. They’ll be instructed to be subtle and not disturb Daisy’s house. You’ll never know they’re there, but they’ll be ready if you need them.”
“I’ve never had a bodyguard before.”
“You’ll like these guys. They have guns.”
He dropped her off at her van. In his vehicle, he followed her to Daisy’s house, parked at the curb and got out. He wanted to prolong his time with her, even if it meant nothing more than walking her to the door.
From the back of her van, Kelly took her regular satchel, her purse and another backpack. Apparently, she was moving in with Daisy for the duration of labor.
“That’s a lot of equipment.” He picked up the backpack to help. “Are you delivering a baby or building a small city?”
“Architecture is your game,” she said. “I don’t build, I facilitate. But you’d be amazed by how much of this stuff actually comes in handy.”
She hopped down from the van and slid the door closed. Before she picked up her satchel, she went up on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the mouth. Her bodily warmth reached out for him. Her lips tasted fresh. That might have been her natural flavor but he was guessing that she’d just had a mint, which meant that she’d planned for this kiss.
She went flat-footed and stood, looking up at him.
“That was nice,” he said.
“Wait until I pay you back for the massage,” she said. “I don’t mean to brag, but I’m kind of an expert when it comes to relaxation techniques. I’ll start with your feet and work my way up.”
“You’re killing me.”
“And I have scented oils.”
He picked up her backpack and followed her to the front door. If they didn’t make love soon, he was going to melt into a puddle of pure frustration.
Chapter Sixteen
Thursday, 10:30 a.m.
The morning sunlight beamed through the windshield. A warm day, it felt like spring. Though Kelly had been able to catch a couple of catnaps during Daisy’s nine-hour labor, she was exhausted as she drove her van to Nick’s condo. When she arrived, one of the professional security men gave her a key and carried her bags to the door. In addition to being stern and imposing, the bodyguard was, as Nick had promised, wearing a shoulder holster.
Outside the door to the condo, he asked, “Should I come inside?”
“Is that what you usually do?”
He gave a curt military nod. “Standard operating procedure is to make sure the premises are secure.”
She opened the door wide. “Knock yourself out.”
He swept through the two-bedroom condo quickly, poking into the closets and even looking under the beds. When he left, he said, “I’ll be in the hall. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call out.”
Alone in Nick’s condo, she stood in the hallway between the two bedrooms, weaving on her feet. She was going to collapse, that was for sure, but she couldn’t decide whether she should flop down on Nick’s king-size bed or go to the guest bedroom. She peeked into his masculine room, decorated in a faded blue that reminded her of well-worn denim. The bed was made, but the pillow had a dent as though Nick had been lying on top of the covers, looking up at the ceiling. It seemed right to wait for him in here.
She stretched out on his bed with her head on his pillow. It smelled like him, and she snuggled into the covers. She should have been here last night, lying beside him. They should have made love.
Her cell phone started ringing, and she groaned at the sound. If the caller happened to be another pregnant woman going into labor, Kelly would need an intravenous caffeine drip to stay awake.
“Hello?”
“Don’t hang up on me.”
“Ted?” She bolted upright on the bed and glared at the phone. Was she already asleep and having a nightmare? “What do you want?”
“You need to be reasonable, Kelly. Your stupid accusations are hurting my career. Even if it was years ago, marital infidelity is one of those hot-button issues, and I can’t afford a scandal. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Are you blaming me for that blog?”
“Of course, it’s your fault. Who else would give a damn about what happened in my first marriage?”
That was what she’d become to him—his first marriage, a blip in his otherwise meteoric rise to power. “Apparently, Ted, you care. You’re all worked up about it.”
“Just keep your mouth shut. Do you think you can do that?”
She started to defend herself, explaining that she couldn’t have informed the blogger about his extramarital affairs because she hadn’t known about them. But there was no need to justify her actions. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Let’s not get into a he-said-she-said situation. It’s an embarrassment. I won’t have you bad-mouthing me to the media.”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Ted.”
“What?”
“You’re the one who cheated. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s you, not me.”
He cleared his throat. “This doesn’t sound like you. When we were married you were—”
“A doormat,” she said, finishing his sentence.
“Kelly, listen to me.”
“It’s your turn to listen,” she said. “I’ve changed. I have a life, a career I love and a million possibilities for the future. You mean nothing to me. Goodbye for the last time. I never want to speak to you again.”
She disconnected the call and stretched out on the bed. That conversation c
ounted as a triumph. She’d faced her demons from the past, looked them in the eye and seen that they weren’t so big and scary, after all. Finally, her first marriage was well and truly ended, unable to hurt her anymore.
Within minutes, she was sound asleep.
* * *
A STRANGE AWARENESS invaded her dream state, like a curtain slowly rising or a melody that gradually increased in volume, telling her it was time to wake up. But she was still tired, and the bed was so warm and cozy. She burrowed into the pillow.
There was a fluttering. Am I being attacked by butterflies? She tried to bat at the multicolored gossamer wings, but it was no use. She had to wake up.
When she opened her eyes, she was looking into Nick Spencer’s handsome face. His cobalt-blue eyes peered through his thick black lashes. He lay beside her on the bed, watching her.
“When you’re starting to wake up,” he said, “you make noises.”
“I don’t snore, do I?”
“It’s like a kitten. And you wrinkle your nose. Cute, and a little weird.” He grinned. “I would have let you sleep, but it’s after four o’clock, and I thought you might want to take a shower before the Lamaze class.”
She stretched and yawned. “Am I gross and dirty?”
“Why don’t we take off your clothes and find out?”
“On second thought, a shower sounds like a fine idea. And food?”
“You’ll be pleased to hear that I picked up some basic supplies before I came home.” He stroked her hair off her forehead. “Tell me about Daisy’s baby.”
“Gorgeous little girl with peach-fuzz hair. Seven pounds, eight ounces. Perfectly healthy. The labor went on for nearly nine hours, but it wasn’t rough. Daisy and her husband could have handled the first seven hours by themselves, but they were nervous and wanted me there.”
“What do you do afterward?”
“I check the baby out and fill out the birth certificate, and then I usually wait until the mother is comfortable with breast feeding.” Remembering, she smiled. “Daisy looked so happy with her newborn at her breast.”
“You love your work.”
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