by Ross, Carol
“Now, I’ll admit,” he added with a halfhearted chuckle, “I was disappointed that you were choosing marriage over Cam-Field. That wasn’t the Emily—the daughter—that I’d raised. But Jeremy insisted that you would still be a vital part of the organization. You weren’t going to give up Cam-Field completely—you were just going to become his ‘second in command,’ allowing you time to take care of him and the children.”
“The...the what?” Emily stuttered, gripping the edge of the desk in front of her. Her heart was thudding heavily in her chest and cold sweat had begun to form on her brow. “Children?” she repeated, stunned. “Taking care of him? What children?”
“Emily, I can’t tell you how sorry I am.” He squeezed her hand. Had he ever held her hand before? A few times maybe, once, she remembered, when she was little and she’d taken a fall off the ladder in the supply room and she’d had to have stitches in her chin.
“I’ve been an unpardonable fool. I love you, Emily. I know...” He swallowed heavily and went on. “I know that I haven’t said it enough to you over the years. But I know that you know how proud I am of you. I’ve never had a problem telling you that much. You’ve always made me so very proud. You know that, right? How proud I am? My heart just aches with joy when I think about the woman you’ve become, what you’ve accomplished...” He trailed off and Emily watched his Adam’s apple dancing in his throat. She was stupefied. Was he actually on the verge of tears?
“It’s a lie, Franklin,” Emily said and slowly shook her head back and forth. “It’s all lies,” she repeated, not quite believing it, that Jeremy had stooped so low. She knew he was capable of laziness and stupidity and arrogance and general lack of character, but this... It was reprehensible. It was unforgivable.
“I can see that now,” he said slowly. “You know, I wanted to ask you about it at the time, but your mother was so...ecstatic about the whole thing, and she and Jeremy insisted that a surprise proposal would be sooo wonderful.” He raised his hands in frustration and then slapped them hard on the table. “I knew better. In my heart I knew better! But you don’t think your own nephew, your own flesh and blood...”
“Franklin, this is all so unbelievable to me,” she said. Traitorous, conniving, bribing coward, she thought. “Where is Jeremy anyway?”
* * *
JEREMY WAS IN one of the circles of hell. He wasn’t sure which one, as he’d always found classical literature a complete bore. But he was definitely suffering hellish-type tortures—that was for sure. He was Jeremy Strathom III! And he’d been freezing his backside off for three days waiting for the snow to finally stop falling so he could get out of this uncivilized ice patch.
He had no idea how he’d ended up here in the first place. He was supposed to be in Rankins wooing Emily. And now, after he’d finally gotten through to Kim in San Diego, he’d learned that Emily was already back there. Why would Emily be back in San Diego already? He didn’t know the details because the line had promptly gone dead and stayed that way. Things had either gone incredibly well or incredibly catastrophically. And knowing Emily, it could only be the former.
He couldn’t wait to get back home. He had no doubt that she would say yes when he proposed. She was crazy about him—well, she had been until Franklin had announced the promotion. But an official proposal of marriage for a frigid ice queen like her would get her back on board the Jeremy train. He’d purchased a huge diamond, he’d turn on the charm and she wouldn’t be able to resist him. Not to mention that it was the best thing for her career. It was the best thing for Cam-Field, and Emily always did what was best for Cam-Field.
“Mr. Strathom?” A young woman’s voice pulled him out of his reverie. “The pilot says you can get on board now. But he said to make sure you got an extra jacket, ’cause it’s gonna be pretty cold on there—unless you wanna ride with the cargo.” She nodded knowingly and added, “But trust me, you don’t want to be doing that.”
“Cargo? It’s a cargo plane?”
“Yes, sir, that’s all we ever get here. That fancy plane you came in on was a pretty rare thing. It was carrying a VIP—our chief coming home from a conference in Anchorage.”
Jeremy shook his head. He had no coat other than the one he was wearing, which was nothing more than a thin wool overcoat. He had no gloves, no hat—not even a handkerchief. He had no idea where his luggage was. “Um, would you by any chance have any spare clothing lying around? Or a blanket? Anything of any warmth will do. I could pay you.”
The young woman shrugged her shoulders and looked him solidly in the eye. “Well, snow clothes are in pretty high demand around here. I tell ya what—why don’t you tell me what you got for cash, and I’ll see what I can do....”
* * *
AS IT TURNED OUT, even Amanda managed to make it back to San Diego before Jeremy. Emily screwed the top off a root beer and handed it to her. Yet another thing she missed about Rankins, she thought as a fresh wave of sadness overtook her—frosty, cold, birch-syrup-flavored root beer on tap from the Cozy Caribou. Would she ever quit missing that place, she wondered, and missing Bering? She willed herself to ignore the ache that had taken up permanent residence in her heart. She opened her own bottle and took a long swig. Then she proceeded to fill Amanda in on all that she’d discovered over the course of the past few days.
“Jeremy is actually planning to propose to you?”
“According to Franklin,” Emily said. “Can you imagine anything so absurd?”
“Well, Emily, in light of your impending engagement, there’s something else I think you need to know about Jeremy. He’s...he was seeing someone else before we left for Rankins. Kirsten Leer—you remember her?”
“The agent from Dieter & Manning Insurance?”
“Yep, that’s the one.”
Emily shrugged. “That figures. No one needs that much insurance.” She tapped her fingers on the tabletop, deep in thought. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? How long was it going on?”
“A few months at least, and I didn’t find out until a couple days before we left. And I was going to tell you—I was just giving you some time to deal with the promotion and everything—but when we arrived in Rankins, you were so...not yourself. I decided it could wait awhile. And then you got your feet back underneath you and I was so relieved to see that, and then you started seeing Bering and I... It didn’t seem important anymore. Em, I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, no, Amanda—it doesn’t matter. I’m not hurt or upset about that. I’m relieved. I mean, I obviously dodged a bullet. I’m a bit angry maybe, because of the way he used me. And of course I was devastated about the promotion, but really, when I think about it, I’m a better person after it all. But I am furious about what he’s done to Cam-Field—to Franklin. I mean, that man has given him everything. I had to work so incredibly hard for everything I achieved. But Jeremy could have had it all without even trying.”
She continued tapping her fingers as she stared off into space with narrowed eyes.
“What is it?” Amanda asked. “I know that look of yours.”
“I... It’s just that, why would he be proposing anymore? I mean, he already got the promotion. So, why would he need me now? I know he told my mother and Franklin that marriage was his plan but he didn’t have to follow through with it. He could have just let time go by and eventually made some excuse about how it didn’t work out between us. I mean, I assume that he didn’t actually plan on proposing while he was getting involved with Kirsten, so why...?”
“I know why,” Amanda said. “He couldn’t do it.”
“What do you mean?”
“He can’t do the job without you, Emily. Now, granted, the staff may have been, um...how shall I say it?...uncooperative while we were gone. But my, uh, sources have informed me that the guy has been coming completely undone...”
Emily listened with fasc
ination as Amanda filled her in on all that had transpired while they were away. Emily was impressed by the amount of information that Amanda had managed to gather—everything from Jeremy’s tanking on the Argot job and the graphics staff’s part in it to his medical diagnosis with irritable bowel syndrome.
“Amanda,” she said, her voice filled with awe, “have you ever thought about a career in espionage?”
Amanda’s lips turned up into a satisfied grin. “Just looking out for my best friend—who also happens to be my boss.”
“What an idiot!” Emily said. “Amanda, why didn’t you tell me he was such an idiot?”
“It took me a while to see it for myself. He was very smooth, and he’s a good-looking guy if you like that pretty-boy thing, and he’s a snappy dresser. He was talking the talk and putting in long hours, although now I’m certain he was in his office playing video poker and shopping for shoes the entire time.”
Emily let out a disgusted snort of laughter. “According to the feds, he’s supposed to be arriving today. What is taking him so long anyway?”
“Oh, unfortunately, he had to travel on a cargo flight full of live birds. Apparently there’s some Native Alaskan village up there where they rehabilitate migratory birds that have been injured and then they let them go back into the wild. They’ve got this indoor setup for all kinds of birds and different weather conditions and everything. Isn’t that interesting? But if Kim’s calculations are correct—and I’m sure they are—he should be arriving in a few hours.” At that she winked, toasted Emily with her bottle and took a deep drink.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
BERING LET HIMSELF into Tag’s house. He heard a female voice and realized that Tag must have some company. He was surprised because his cousin hadn’t dated at all since Amanda had left town. Well, he would make himself scarce very shortly. He just needed to pick up the mail that Tag had been collecting for him the past few days.
Then he was going to go home, take a shower and head over to Janie’s. The twins had come early, but thank goodness not as early as they’d feared. They’d been healthy, if a bit fragile, at three weeks early, but now at three months they seemed to be thriving. He counted his blessings for that every single day. Janie, however, was battling a severe case of postpartum depression, and Bering was doing his best to help out any chance he could.
But when he walked into the kitchen, what, or who, he saw there stopped him dead in his tracks.
“Amanda?”
“Bering!” She gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Howdy, stranger.”
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Visiting your cousin,” she said, flipping a thumb over her shoulder. “And it’s nice to see you, too.”
“I’m sorry, Amanda. It is great to see you. Um, how are you? What are you...?”
“I’m good—great now that I’m here. And I’m here because someone had to fly back up to make a donation at the Chamber of Commerce banquet tonight. I volunteered. Cam-Field has decided to donate a million dollars to the hospital anyway—a philanthropic gesture of good faith or something like that.”
“Oh, that’s great. Is, uh, Emily,” he stuttered, “did Emily come with you?”
“No, Bering, she didn’t. I thought you probably knew.... She doesn’t work for Cam-Field anymore.”
Bering swallowed heavily and looked down at the floor. “Did she get married, then?”
“What? Married? No!” Amanda sputtered.
“Senator Marsh said she and Strathom were engaged. So I thought maybe she got married so she wouldn’t have to testify against him. I know the trial is coming up....”
“That’s silly. She would never marry that fool.”
“Oh—”
“Bering,” Amanda interjected sharply, “what are you wearing?”
Bering looked down at his clothing and let the relief sink in. Emily. Not married. Why did that make him so inexplicably happy? It wasn’t as if he still had a chance.
He met Amanda’s annoyed stare. “Oh, sorry...yeah, I’m a little dirty. I’ve been on a four-day guide trip—”
Amanda gestured at him impatiently. “Not that.” She reached over and tugged Emily’s red knit scarf out of his collar. “I’m talking about this.” She snatched it off his neck.
“What?”
“Emily went crazy thinking that she’d lost this scarf.” Amanda held it aloft as if it were evidence from a crime scene. “I tore the house and the office apart looking for it. Then she thought maybe she’d left it in the rental car. I had to search through an entire Dumpster, Bering, looking for it.”
Bering stared at her in confusion. “But...I found it at her house. The day she left here when you gave me the key. I went there to see her, but she was already gone. I found it on the floor. I thought she had left it on purpose.”
“Trust me, Bering. She did not leave it on purpose. She was devastated that she’d lost it. Almost as devastated as she was over you— Know what?” She grimaced and tried to correct her slip of the tongue. She plastered on a wide fake smile and continued talking. “We should go for a walk. Whaddya say? All that frigid, fresh air, Tag?” She gestured toward the door.
Bering was stunned. It couldn’t be possible, could it? That she hadn’t left it on purpose? That she’d cared enough about it...to want to take it with her?
“Amanda, are you saying that she didn’t leave it? That she wanted it?”
“I think we should head toward the water, don’t you? But let’s stick to the sidewalk. Better safe than sorry, as I always say.” She started marching on the spot. “I’ll just get my coat and stuff and then we can head out. It’s really not so bad outside. You guys said it was beautiful up here in the summer but I didn’t believe it would be this—”
“Amanda.” He stepped toward her and took hold of her wrist. “Please, just, please,” he said in an urgent tone. “Tell me everything.”
“I’m not supposed to talk to you, Bering.” Amanda looked away from him and winced. “She made me promise,” she added quietly.
“Amanda.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, opened them and asked, “Do I have to beg...again?”
“All right,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I can’t stand this anyway. She’s...she was totally broken up about it—betrayed by her stepfather, betrayed by Jeremy and finally betrayed by you. A betrayal trifecta. But those things were nothing compared to getting her heart broken by you, Bering. Emily’s never been in love before and you just—you can’t imagine how awful it’s been for her.”
“Love! What love? I didn’t know... She never said... And I...I didn’t mean to betray her. And even some of the newspaper articles said that she and Strathom were engaged.”
“Pfft,” Amanda said with a roll of her eyes. “You believe everything you read in the papers now? She was in love with you—you moron.”
“But...but she never said anything.”
Amanda scowled at him. “And you did?” she said, her tone oozing sarcasm. “You mean she didn’t reciprocate when you shimmied up her balcony with your mandolin and professed your undying love through poetry and song?”
“I...I... But the scarf...”
“I can’t believe you gave up because of this stupid scarf.”
“I don’t understand... I thought... How is she?”
Amanda shrugged helplessly. “How do you think? She’s been miserable. Slowly getting better, but the only thing that’s kept her sane was helping to straighten out the legal nightmare that Jeremy created.”
“Where is she, Amanda?” Bering’s tone allowed for no argument.
“You’re not going to believe it when I tell you.”
* * *
WOW. IT REALLY was one big boat, er, ship—whatever it was, it was big. Emily stared up at the crui
se ship with a welcome sense of satisfaction. She’d survived. The past four months had been hell, but she’d made it. She’d done her part to untangle Cam-Field’s massive legal knot. The charges against Franklin and the CFO had been dropped, leaving Jeremy on the hook for the entire fiasco.
But luckily, like Jeremy did virtually everything else with regard to his career, he’d done it badly. It hadn’t taken the authorities long to prove that he’d been bribing local officials. The idiot had even used a company check when he’d first started the scheme. His trial date had been scheduled, and in the meantime he was behind bars. Franklin had refused to post his bail, and Emily hoped he was having a fine time in his new corner office constructed entirely of steel bars.
Franklin had offered Emily her rightful position as vice president, and she’d shocked him and the entire Cam-Field staff by not only declining the offer, but by resigning, as well. Her mother had nearly passed out when she heard the news. Emily suspected it had as much to do with the fact that she wasn’t getting married as it did with her resignation. Franklin had taken it surprisingly well. Emily knew it was partially because he didn’t believe that she would stay away for good. He’d told her that he was giving her a leave of absence to think it over. But what he didn’t realize was that she’d already thought it over, and she wasn’t going back.
But she also now believed that he really did want to see her happy. That was the one good thing to come out of the whole ordeal—she and Franklin had breached some kind of emotional wall in their relationship. Emily felt sure that he loved her—he told her almost daily now. And they’d begun to talk and to discover that they did have things to discuss that didn’t relate directly to Cam-Field. They still talked about that, of course, but he began to share things about himself and about her mother that she’d never known—about how her mother’s childhood had been filled with poverty and neglect. Emily better understood her mother’s neediness, and while it didn’t make up for her lack of parenting during Emily’s childhood, it was somehow improving her relationship with her mother, too. And that was the best that Emily could hope for, to move forward—in her relationship with her parents and in her life.
