by James, Ranay
He extracted a promise from the Carson City authorities to share any word on the identification of the three riders. However, he was not holding out much hope of discovering who the men were in reality. The bikes were unmarked, and they were all dressed alike in suits which could be grabbed from anywhere without attracting notice. Black leather from a motorcycle shop was as common as generic aspirin, and even though the commercials say never leave home without it, he was quite sure none of them would have their American Express cards stuffed in their wallets. Hired assassins usually did not carry identification for this very reason. Even he did not carry identification when on an OP unless it was necessary to get past security or legal authorities, and then more times than not, fabricated passports were standard issue. In this line of work, culpable deniability on the part of his employer, which in many instances was good old Uncle Sam, was always a mandatory agreement. He saw no difference in this instance from many of the jobs he, Mason, and Chase did for hire. These guys were just working on the wrong side of justice, and he tried not to find himself there if at all possible. Mason and Chase were not quite as picky but even they had their boundaries on this side of the law.
“Let’s get back to Texas and then we can talk further. I’m in no rush to finalize our agreement on the treasure hunt. Getting the guys responsible for Kyle’s death is my priority and the other can wait. Our families have shared this land for generations, so what are a few more weeks?”
He patted the seat next to him.
She got up from the adjacent captain’s chair and crawled on the couch beside Robert in the main lounge of the aircraft. Pulling her legs up under her, she slipped her arm through his and laid her head on his shoulder. There was nothing sexually advancing about her move. She was seeking comfort, nothing more. He understood but wished it were more as he reached to hold her head against his shoulder, giving her head a loving pat.
“We came close didn’t we, cowboy?” she asked softly after sitting there a few moments listening to the drone of the jet engine.
He kissed the side of her forehead closing his eyes, nodding his head. It was a stark reality.
“I’ve come closer,” he confessed, “but never with as much to lose.”
Chapter 42
Arriving back at the ranch, Robert's first order of busines was to get them settled into their rooms. For reasons he did not care for and failed to understand, Kate insisted on a separate bedroom.
He argued.
He lost.
However, he figured he would just sleep with her so the impasse was easy enough to solve without expending unnecessary energy on an argument he knew was mislaid.
Kate was upstairs resting and he was making phone calls in his study trying to make the necessary arrangements to put their plan for the planted treasure into motion. Honestly, he was not convinced it was the best course of action. Since, he had not come up with anything better, it was the best plan he had for the moment.
The commotion in the entryway got his attention as he hurriedly closed the conversation with Gage McKinnon, the current Duke of Seabridge and head of the McKinnon family. Rising from his desk, he was curious as to the source of the uproar currently going on outside his study door, and he could not have been more surprised if the president himself had waltzed into his entrance hall.
“Candice?” Robert asked in surprise as she threw herself into his arms kissing him fully on the mouth.
What the hell was she doing here, he wondered?
“Hello, darling. I knew you’d miss me,” she purred.
Bill Fleming, head of Candi’s security detail was standing there looking haggard and very relieved she was now Robert’s responsibility again. “Sorry, Robert. She insisted and you know how she can be.”
Robert did not care if Candice beat Bill up emotionally or physically. Bill knew she was a handful when he agreed to take her on as a detail responsibility. He was thinking the man was so fired for this.
“This is highly irregular, Billy,” Robert said taking her by the arm and leading all parties involved back into his office. “You have to take her back to L.A. tonight, right now. We are right in the middle of something really ugly here, Bill, and I cannot afford this kind of a distraction.”
“No, I refuse to go back to L.A.,” she pouted full red lips. “I want to be here with you, Robbie.”
“That is not a good idea, Candice.” Robert looked at the stairway and wondered if Kate was awake upstairs. The last thing he needed was for her to find Candi here, especially looking as lush as she did. He had a sister and he knew women. He knew Kate was still self-conscious about the way her hair looked from the fire. The stylist was coming tomorrow, but until then she could not measure up to the just stepped out of a hat box look Candice appeared so effortlessly to pull off. Kate would not understand he would think Kate was beautiful even if she totally shaved her head. She would feel intimidated by Candice regardless of the fact she was self-assured in so many other ways that were so much more important to him than looks.
“You invited me here, Robert,” Candi said sliding up next to him regaining his attention. She looked succulent and smelled wonderful, as always, but he was not interested in what he knew she was offering. He stepped away.
This is a first, he thought, not having the time to scrutinize the difference in his initial reaction to her physically.
“No, I did not invite you. Why would I when there is danger here?” He shook his head in complete denial.
“Because, Robert, you are a man of discriminating taste and driving need, and you need what only I can give you.” She slithered up next to him pressing her ample chest against his arm.
God she is forward, he thought, not realizing until now just how much she came off as a slut. Though, her actions were no different than usual, he was the one who was different.
“I received your invitation and came as soon as I could. Granted, I wanted to tear your eyes out when I first read of your wedding in the paper, but I am a logical woman and I fully understand why you had to marry that pathetic little creature.” She waved her hand half-heartedly towards the doorway and the small crowd of security gathered just outside the threshold.
This was a private matter and not for his employees to witness. They knew enough about his life without leaving the door wide open. He closed those doors.
Walking back over to where she stood, he tried to sort out what he was feeling. She had a way about her that could excite him. Even now he felt a slight rise in blood pressure just being near her. However, he also realized his feelings for her had changed, some subtly, some very dramatically. He could, for the first time, put his reaction to her into proper context which was something he was unable to do before Katherine walked into his life. He understood there were women, and men for that matter, who just had a magnetism which drew the opposite sex. It was pure animal attraction that he had always felt for her, but so did every other red-blooded male. Yet, after spending quiet and quality time with Kate, the heiress just fell flat, paling in comparison to the woman he called wife.
“You know nothing about what is going on here or why I did what I did, Candice, nor do I feel the need to explain it to you.” He really wanted her gone.
Running her nails through his hair Candi pressed herself close. She was using her knowledge of him to her advantage knowing he would never back down from a challenge. He would not step aside which was just fine by her. The longer she could retain physical contact with him, the more likely she would be sleeping in his bed tonight.
“But I do know,” she purred. “You had to protect your investment and hedge your bets. Money makes strange bedfellows, Robert. I accept your apology and you are more than forgiven,” she said inches from his lips.
“Just stop it, Candice,” Robert commanded as he unfurled her arms from around his neck.
“Robert, you are hurting my feelings. Why are you doing this?” Much to her surprise Candi saw her plan backfiring. No man had ever before rejected h
er and certainly never Robert. She always had him wrapped around her finger. In his eyes she could do no wrong and he could never say no, ever. The only thing different was his wife, yet Candice could not see what he saw in her. Kate was no threat or match for her beauty and cunning. Therefore, in her mind, Kate could not possibly be the reason why Robert was not falling into her seductive web.
“I’m married. Besides it would not be fair to Kate.”
“So what if you are married?” she said flippantly betraying her true nature and mantle of her moral fiber. “It means nothing except on paper. Even I can see this marriage for what it really is, Robert. And besides, it would not be the first time in history a man found his pleasures elsewhere. I have no issue being the other woman until you can get a divorce. I was here first after all.” Seeing it did not sway him, she changed her approach. “Honestly and truthfully, Robbie, I’m sure she understands that a man of your social standing deserves someone his equal to grace his arm and have his heirs, especially, in the circles we run. She is a waitress, for Christ’s sake. She will be an embarrassment to you.”
That pissed him off.
Kate would never be an embarrassment to him. She might and probably would stumble, but it would never be purposefully done. He understood it, knew it, and accepted it. Candi, on the other hand, would have an easier time doing something anti- McKinnon which he would find shameful, and she would do it on purpose never feeling she ever had any reason to think of anyone except herself. Her entitlement, in her mind, was a birthright.
“I would caution you to keep your comments about my wife to yourself.”
She laughed coldly.
Damn, he thought. How could he have ever thought he was in love with this icicle? There was not a warm bone in her body. Having time to step back and away from her, he was seeing Candice Reslinger with fresh eyes. He watched as she helped herself to a glass of sherry realizing he did not much care for what he was feeling, and he did not care for her at all.
“Well, tell me truthfully, Robbie. Are you just dashing into the fray to rescue that poor, pathetic, bankrupt creature? Or were you just lonely and passing the time after you left my bed in Mexico?”
He grabbed her forcefully by her arm dragging her toward the door. “Now, you’re just being a mean, spiteful bitch. You are going back tonight whether you like it or not. I may have a contractual obligation to provide a secure environment for you, however, that secure environment does not include my home. You are not welcome here, Candice, not with that attitude toward Kate. I did not invite you, and I can damn well send you packing.”
“Is that any way to speak to the mother of your unborn child?” she purred in triumph smiling at the look of total surprise and momentary joy crossing his face.
“You’re pregnant?” Robert asked disbelieving her claims.
She nodded her head.
He had been ultra-careful, never once having unprotected sex. The chances were astronomical. Then reality set.
Kate’s words echoed through his mind reminding him of the kind of woman Candice really was beneath the polished surface. Could she have gotten pregnant to try and keep him or was this a ploy? If she were carrying a child, it could be months after the baby’s birth before he would know anything. Paternity test results were not as quickly returned as one might hope.
“I see you are not displeased by our good fortune. A baby, Robert, just think about it. I’m carrying your child, your progeny.” She smiled sweetly. “The next McKinnon.”
“I must insist you begin your prenatal treatment immediately. It is never too soon to insure a healthy baby,” he found himself saying. Unhappy or not he was going to be a father.
“I have already seen a doctor. Here is the sonogram.” She pulled the photo out of her handbag and held it out to him.
Seeing it did not necessarily make it real, he warned himself. He did not hear anything else in the room after being distracted by the grainy black and white image of a tiny baby boy.
“Oh, my God,” he whispered softly as reality sunk in. It was a child, his son. “It’s a boy. How far along are you?” he asked never once taking his eyes off the picture.
She evaded the question sliding closer to him. Taking his hand she placed it against her flat, taunt abdomen.
“Are you happy, Robert?”
“I’m not really sure,” he answered honestly.
“Congratulations to both of you,” Kate offered before softly closing the door behind her.
Robert felt his heart sink.
Chapter 43
Six days passed as Robert continued to debate about what to do. He could not have Candice here permanently, yet obviously someone knew of his connection to her and had sent her the invitation to his home. They were using her to distract him, splitting his attention in two different directions, and it was working like a charm. Candi’s relationship to him made her a target, and he could not have the life of an unborn child on his conscious.
If she were pregnant, she needed added security whether it was his child or not. The baby was innocent, and he was sworn to protect the innocent at all costs. He hoped the cost was not his relationship with Kate.
Kate was another issue entirely. It was becoming painfully obvious to him she was quickly becoming important to him. Yet, she was drifting away, becoming more distant by the day. She had not come out of her rooms for a full day after hearing Candi’s news, taking her meals in solitude. His attempts to speak with her were painful to say the least. The first couple of days she refused to speak to him telling him he needed to give her space. The past three days she was cordial and cooperative, but very reserved. Her emotions were closed off, and often he found himself seeking her out just so he knew she was still under his roof.
He kept her apprised of the progress of the plans, and she gave her input only where necessary. The conversations he did manage to have with her were always stilted, formal, and to the point. Efforts to draw her out were proving fruitless and painful for them both, usually resulting in her turning around and walking away without her usual smart-mouthed comments which he would have, at that point, actually welcomed. However, that would require emotions. Their conversations were never heated. Oh no, they were quite the opposite. She seemed to be completely devoid of deep feeling lately, which was a one-hundred-eighty degree turn, and he felt she looked at him as if he were a stranger. Keeping him totally at arms-length, it was such a reversal from the norm, making him long for the times they butted heads in an emotionally charged contest of wills. It was preferable to this feeling of rejection by evasion.
She was claiming she was Switzerland in this triangle, refusing to take sides for or against him where Candice and the baby were concerned. He did not want her neutral. He wanted her to feel as deeply as he was beginning to feel. He wanted her to love his child and he wanted her to love him.
In desperation, the evening before he offered to saddle Ginger Snap and personally take Kate for a ride to get her out of the house. She politely declined as if they were merely social acquaintances and not husband and wife.
After four days he was fed up and tired of walking on eggshells around her. He had done nothing wrong, at least not since making her his bride. Whether she realized it or not and he really did not feel Kate was doing it on purpose, she was punishing him in the worst way possible by denying him the two things he desperately needed: her time and her company.
He was not adjusting well to having Candice in his home and certainly not with her parading around, gloating at every turn. Twice he had awakened to find her naked in his bed. The second time Kate was the one to awaken them. When he closed his eyes he still could see the hurt she was not quick enough to hide on her face. Even that had not solicited any reaction from her beyond a momentary lapse of her stone mask. He tried to deny he invited Candi, but Kate told him she did not care if he slept alone or not.
“It is your prerogative,” she had said flatly before leaving his suite of rooms.
He never
could get her to say why she had even come to his room to begin with, but he would have been even more upset had he known. She was having trouble sleeping alone and was coming to ask if she could move in with him.
After that encounter he started sleeping in his office without much success, not only because there was not a comfortable place to sleep, but more so because he needed Kate beside him which was becoming painfully obvious. Even the fact Lyles had delivered the annulment papers earlier in the day did not keep him from wanting to see her. He had not taken it personally; the papers were just legality. What he needed was to hold her to recharge his internal batteries.
Already, Candice was making arrangements for a decorator to come and redo one of the guest rooms as a nursery. In reality he really could not blame Kate for locking herself away whenever possible. He just wished she would let him join her.
It was worth another try.
Bounding up the stairs, he stopped in front of the door to her suite of rooms. He had been there several times already after he opened the package containing the legal documents. However, each time he ended up just walking away before knocking. He was not sure what he wanted to say. Well, actually he was sure, but afraid to ask. If she ever said no to his invitation to stay he felt sure she would not renege on the decision.
Leaning his forearm against the door jam of the closed door, he knocked lightly.
