Circumstantial Evidence

by Annette Broadrick

  The next time she awoke, she was alone. Subdued, she crawled out of bed and took her shower. She leaned into the water as it began to run warm, then hot, unconscious of the luxury of hot water that far from civilization. She stood there with eyes closed, sudsing her hair, wishing she could return home and forget the weekend.

  Rafe was standing looking out of the window and holding a cup of coffee, when Ashley walked into the kitchen. He turned, his face an impersonal mask. "Coffee's ready. Mrs. Krueger has Josh. I thought that would give us a chance to discuss a few things."

  Ashley's heart started pounding. What could they possibly have to discuss at this point? Hadn't they said it all the night before? She poured a cup of coffee and glanced out of the window. The view was unbelievable.

  "I know it doesn't erase what happened, but I want to apologize for my behavior last night." His voice was low, as though he found the words painful.

  She turned away from the window and realized that Rafe had moved closer. She felt drawn to him and wanted nothing more than to rest her head on his shoulder. She found the thought annoying and straightened to her full height, determined to face the situation in an objective manner.

  "Apology accepted. Can we talk about something else?"

  "Dammit, Ashley, I mean it. I don't want you to think I'm the kind of guy who waits until his victim is asleep and then has his sinister way with her pure and innocent body!"

  His tone of disgust was too much. She started laughing. "Believe me, Rafe, that isn't what I was thinking. As a matter of fact, that was some dream you interrupted." Her cheeks flushed at the memory.

  She really wasn't angry. He couldn't believe it. Most women would have had his hide tacked to the barn door by now. Or at the very least had their fathers out looking for him.

  "I'm sure it's obvious to you that I'm not very experienced in these matters," Ashley said. "I've never reacted to a man as I have to you, and I don't understand it." She managed to raise her eyes and face him, only to lose her train of thought when she saw the warmth and tenderness in his.

  A smile began in his incredibly silver blue eyes and spread to his lips, curling them in an endearing way. "Does this mean I haven't totally turned you off men forever?"

  "Not exactly. It means that I will be in better control of my reactions in the future. I don't intend to get carried away again—with you or anyone."

  "But Ashley, what happened last night wasn't wrong. Premature, perhaps, but our reactions to each other are natural and normal."

  She moved away from him. In crisp tones she answered, "I'm sorry, but I don't buy that rationale." She waved her hand as he started to speak. "I appreciate your trying to smooth things over, though. I'm sure you're not used to getting this kind of reaction the morning after. It must be hard on your ego."

  His eyes hardened as he clamped down on a retort. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a slow, clear voice. "Let's just leave my ego out of the discussion, if you don't mind. All I'm saying is that you don't have to go into a convent or do penance for the rest of your life." He stood up and moved to the door of the kitchen. "You managed to prove you're like the rest of us. Welcome to the human race!"

  "I know that. I told you I'm not blaming you, so why are you getting so angry?"

  "I don't know!" he shouted. "You manage to get under my skin quicker than anybody I've ever known!" They glared at each other across the room, tension stretched taut between them.

  The sound of car doors slamming broke the tension and Rafe spun around, heading for the window overlooking the trail.

  "It's Tysinger and his companions. He doesn't look very happy."

  Rafe and Ashley were in the living room when Tysinger entered the house. He was very quiet. They heard the muffled click of the door as it closed, then silence.

  He walked into the room and stood there looking at them. The dapper man they had met on Friday was gone. This man had aged twenty years. His eyes burned with a rage that caused a quiver to shoot down Ashley's spine.

  He looked at Rafe. "Who are you?" Never had a soft tone been so menacing.

  "Raphael McCord."

  "Are you Raul's brother?"

  "Yes."

  "I see." Tysinger moved away from them toward the sliding glass doors. He stood there for a moment, staring, then turned back to them. "You will no doubt be pleased to learn that your brother and his wife"— his eyes cut to Ashley, then back to Rafe—"managed to meet with Senator Hensley this weekend. So your little game was successful."

  His eyes touched Ashley once again, the rage barely under control. "I happen to know Ralph Begley very well, Ms. Allison." A feeling of foreboding began to stir within Ashley. "We go back a long way together, so when you told me you worked with him I decided to give him a call. He passed on some very interesting information."

  Ashley knew what was coming. Ralph Begley was one of the most conservative attorneys in the state—in his practice, his politics, and his personal beliefs. He was the one who had kept the firm from hiring women attorneys for years. Ashley knew he was her biggest hurdle to becoming a partner in the firm. And he was a friend of Tysinger's!

  "Begley tells me you are known for your cool head and sharp wit. He also informs me that as far as he knows you are not married and have never been married. He was quite interested to hear the details of your romantic weekend with Mr. McCord."

  Chapter Six

  The ride back to town was completed in silence. Tysinger had made no objection to their leaving immediately, for which Rafe was thankful. He had a feeling they hadn't heard the last of Tysinger. He kept an eye on Ashley as she gazed out of the window. She had lost all color when Tysinger mentioned discussing her with her boss. Surely in this day and age nobody cared about an employee's personal life, but why else would she have shown such a reaction? She had handled the weekend so well, never breaking down, ready with a snappy retort, but Tysinger's news seemed to throw her.

  He had no one but himself to blame. Yes, McCord, you've managed to create quite a lot of havoc in people's lives, including your own, in one short weekend.

  What did he intend to do about it? He couldn't leave her to face the situation alone. She'd already explained that her law practice was her life. Could her career really be in jeopardy? He was going to have to get some answers from her.

  They were dropped off in front of their office building, and Rafe spoke for the first time since they'd left the mountain.

  "Where's your car?"

  "At home. I rode the bus on Friday."

  "I'll take you home."

  "That's all right—"

  "Ashley, it really isn't necessary to argue about everything. I said I'd take you home." He grasped her forearm in a firm grip as they walked to his car.

  Other than giving directions, Ashley said nothing more on the way. When they had pulled into the driveway of her remodeled Victorian house and stopped, she started to hand Josh to Rafe.

  "I want to go in with you to make certain everything is all right."

  "Why shouldn't everything be all right? I've only been gone a couple of days."

  "Indulge me, will you? Besides, we didn't finish our earlier discussion."

  She stepped out of the car, careful not to awaken the sleeping baby. Rafe slid Josh from her shoulder, then followed her up the steps.

  "I can't think of a thing that needs to be discussed at this point. I'm just glad the weekend is behind us and can be forgotten." She unlocked the door and swung it open, then came to an abrupt halt just inside the doorway.

  The living room was a shambles. A lamp was overturned on one of the end tables. The oil painting over the fireplace hung at an angle. Papers, magazines, and a couple of figurines that had been sitting on Ashley's rosewood desk littered the floor.

  Rafe acted first. "Let's report this to the police right away. Can you tell what's missing?" He started searching for her phone.

  Ashley stopped him. "Don't call the police. There isn't anything missing." How was she ever going
to explain?

  "Dammit, Ashley, how can you be so blasted calm? Your house has either been burglarized, vandalized, or both, and you don't even want to let the police know?" Rafe looked at her as though she'd suddenly sprouted another head.

  "Tasha did this, Rafe. She doesn't like to be left alone."

  "Well, in that case my friend, it's my strong suggestion that you find some sort of treatment or counseling for your roommate." He waved his hand at the room for emphasis. "This is obviously the result of a very sick mind." Rafe pushed his hand through his hair as he gazed around in disbelief. "Why do you put up with it, for God's sake? If she's this violent now, there's no telling when she might turn on you." Josh had long since been awakened by Rafe's tirade as he stalked about the room, inspecting the damage. The baby's sleepy expression of puzzlement was almost more than Ashley could handle.

  "Rafe." She tried to keep a straight face. "Tasha is my Siamese cat. She's really very gentle and lovable, but she just doesn't like staying alone." His eyes narrowed as he listened to her explanation. "She's grown used to being here all day by herself, but if I'm not home in the evening she gets upset. When she gets upset she likes to tear through the house. I've never left her on her own for a weekend before." She glanced around the room. "She's probably waiting in my bedroom right now expecting me to coax her out of her mood."

  Rafe stared at her in disbelief. "Tasha is a cat?"

  "That's what I said, Rafe."

  "Your Oriental roommate is a cat?" he repeated, his voice climbing slightly.

  A slight quiver in her voice gave Ashley's amusement away. "Well, I didn't know why you wanted to know who I lived with, and I thought it'd be safer if you thought there was someone who might worry."

  Rafe might have been able to accept her explanation at another time, but he'd just had one hell of a scare. In fact, he had discovered that he wanted the right to protect this woman, and she found the whole scene hilariously funny! "Well, Ms. Allison, you must have gotten your fair share of laughs this weekend, all at my expense. I've spent the weekend worrying about how to protect you from the situation I'd gotten us into. Now that's the laugh of the week—"

  For the first time since Ashley had met him, Josh let out a wail. The loud voices were too much for him. His angry face so resembled the flushed countenance of his uncle that Ashley could no longer contain herself. She collapsed into a chair laughing.

  Even Rafe's anger couldn't hold out against her infectious laughter and, as he hastily patted the sobbing infant, his grin began to appear. Before long he was laughing with her, the subdued baby totally bewildered by the incomprehensible behavior of the adults around him.

  "I'm so sorry for laughing, Rafe—I know it isn't funny," Ashley finally managed to say. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she sat up. "Part of it is just being so glad that the only casualty of the weekend was my living room." She sobered as she stared at him. "It could have been much worse."

  "Yes, I know. But I'm not convinced the house is the only casualty. That's what I think we need to discuss." He took the blanket from around Josh and spread it on the area rug in front of Ashley's fireplace, then placed the baby on his stomach on the blanket.

  "What do you mean?"

  "What is Ralph Begley's reaction going to be concerning Tysinger's attempt to embarrass you?" He watched her closely and noticed how quickly she schooled her face to a bland expression.

  "It's hard to say at this point, but I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow. It's nothing to concern you, though."

  "Wrong. It directly concerns me. I caused the problem in the first place."

  "Okay. I'll explain that to Mr. Begley. I'm sure he'll understand." She smiled brightly and stood up. "I know you're as anxious as I was to get home. Don't let me keep you."

  Frustrated, Rafe got to his feet. "Look, why don't we have dinner together tonight. I've got a glimmer of an idea how we can resolve the problem so that Begley is satisfied." He leaned over and picked up Josh. "I want to think it through a little more before I let a cross-examining attorney get hold of it." He smiled, his eyes filled with a warmth that suddenly reminded Ashley of the night before.

  "What will you do with Josh?"

  "Jeanine's mom will keep him. She plans to take care of him when I leave for California." He waited. "What do you say?"

  She didn't want to see him walk out of her life. In three days he had managed to turn her sane and sensible world into a whirling mass of emotions she never knew existed. She would be much better off never seeing him again. "Dinner sounds fine. What time?"

  Rafe opened the front door, then paused. "I'll be here around seven—see you then." The door closed quietly behind him.

  Ashley stood staring at the door for long minutes after he left. What was happening to her? She felt as though she'd visited another planet and had just been beamed back to earth. Wandering into her bedroom she was greeted by an outraged cat. Tasha met her, tail high in the air, indignation in every line of her feline body.

  "I know, Tasha. I abandoned you and I'm sorry." Ashley peeled off her clothes and padded barefoot into the bathroom where she began to fill the tub. Tasha followed, detailing her list of complaints and emphasizing them with sweeping exclamations of her tail.

  "Quit throwing me those obscene gestures, if you don't mind," Ashley added as she slipped into the heated water. As she lay there soaking, her mind wandered back to all that had happened since Friday night. Discovering that she was capable of the passion Rafe had aroused in her had come as a distinct shock. She wasn't at all sure she was capable of forgetting the experience and continuing her life as though she'd never met him. She knew she had to try.

  "Get married!" Ashley's startled exclamation caused several heads to turn in the dimly lit dining room of one of Portland's finest hotels. Her face flamed as she watched the amused expression on Rafe's face. He wasn't even embarrassed by everyone looking in their direction.

  "You don't have to act as though I just made an indecent suggestion, Ashley. Marriage is a perfectly respectable institution."

  "That's not funny, Rafe."

  "I don't mean it to be funny, Ashley. I'm serious."

  "But why?" Ashley wailed.

  "Come on, counselor, surely the reasons are obvious."

  Ashley fumbled for her wine glass, took a hasty sip, then returned the glass to the table with careful deliberation. "Perhaps you should explain them to me anyway."

  Rafe had spent the afternoon planning how best to approach the subject. The idea had first come to him during a sleepless night and he had pushed it from him, convinced that his guilty conscience was overreacting. But the more he thought about it, the better he liked the idea. They didn't have to enter into any "death-do-us-part" relationship, but it would give Ashley credibility with her boss, and her job was her first priority, it seemed. He ignored the fact that he would also be able to enjoy all her delectable attributes without apology once they were married.

  "All right. I postponed my meeting in San Francisco tomorrow. I could meet you at the courthouse as soon as it opens in the morning. We could get our license and find a judge to marry us. Then if Begley tries to give you a hard time, you can tell him we're married. He doesn't need to know for how long."

  He was serious. Ashley studied the intent expression on Rafe's face as he explained his plan. This must be what he's like in a board room. Serious, concise, and devastating. No one had warned her how lethal to her sensible life the charm of a dynamic man could be. She felt like a drowning person going down for the third time.

  "But, Rafe, I don't want to be married. I've never had any desire to be married. I've seen what it does to a woman. She spends all her time providing for everyone else's needs, with no life of her own. I can't be that way." Her eyes met his in a steady gaze. "I could never make such a commitment to anyone. Call me selfish—or self-centered—or too ambitious. Call it whatever you want, but I can't be that way. I don't even want to try."

  "Does it have to be a permanent
arrangement with you?"

  "You mean marriage?"

  "Yes. We'd only have to stay married long enough to protect your position at your office." He watched the emotions reflected in her expression and waited. He knew the importance of timing, and he used the knowledge with consummate skill.

  "Let's dance while you think about it," he said as he took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Ashley had never danced much, but within moments she found herself following Rafe's strong lead, and she began to relax against his lean, muscular body.

  Rafe's gaze lingered on her face as her eyes refused to meet his. It took all his restraint not to drag her to a secluded corner and kiss her until she agreed to marry him. Although the idea of marriage was new, he was eager to experience it with Ashley. It never occurred to him to wonder why.

  When they returned to their table in silence, Rafe suggested that they leave. He wanted privacy to discuss the matter. When they walked into Ashley's house, Rafe paused in the doorway of the living room, taking in the total picture. "I must admit I prefer your decorating to Tasha's. She may be exotic, but a trifle wild with some of her ideas."

  Ashley smiled, but her mind was obviously on other things.

  "Where is Tasha, by the way?"

  "In the bedroom, probably."

  "I really think she and I ought to get acquainted." He wandered into the room and slid out of the soft blue suede jacket he wore. Loosening his tie, he opened the first few buttons of his shirt. "Ahhh, that's much better. Hope you don't mind my getting comfortable."

  Ashley waved a hand. "Be my guest."

  "So what do you think of my suggestion?"

  "I don't think it would work."

  "Why?"

  "Do we have time to go into all the reasons or shall I skim over the top?"

  Rafe sat down in a large, overstuffed chair and grinned. "If it's going to take a while, would you mind if I had a drink as… uh… fortification, perhaps?"