by Day Leclaire
She trained her gaze on the estate, refusing to comment. “You have someone else on the island researching Bride’s Bay, don’t you?”
He didn’t bother with denials. “Very clever, Taylor. Yes, I do. How did you know?”
“I’ve worked for you for a long time now.” She fought for control. “What was I? Just a red herring?”
“Are you insulted? It seemed the smart thing to do. And fortuitous, as it turns out. My informant recognized JT and reported your…association. I came as soon as I heard. But I was too late, wasn’t I? The damage had already been done.”
She bowed her head. “Yes. You were too late. Would you mind if I got out and walked for a while? I need to think. Consider my options.”
Boss sighed. “You’re going to leave Daniels, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m afraid so.”
“Damn that man. Damn him to hell.”
She squeezed his arm, offering what little consolation she could. “Don’t. It’s not his fault.”
“At least let me give you a ride home.”
She shook her head. “I’ll take the next passenger ferry.” She opened the limo door and hesitated. “Do you have a spare key to the estate? I’d like to see it before you… before it’s torn down.”
“Yes, of course.” He handed it to her, his fingers closing over hers. “Taylor, I…”
She closed her eyes, knowing what he wanted to say, but couldn’t. “I love you, too, Dad. And I’m sorry I failed you.”
“You didn’t fail me. You never could.”
Tears filled her eyes. “It looks like you were right, though. I guess I’m not cut out for this business.”
“No, you’re not,” he concurred. “But you are cut out to be my daughter. And if I were able to choose, you’d be the one I’d pick.”
The tears spilled over and he patted her shoulder awkwardly. She gave him a quick reassuring hug, a gesture he accepted with surprising equanimity. Perhaps there was hope for him yet. Then she got out of the car and headed for the estate. She spent the next several hours wandering through the huge airy rooms. The place was every bit as impressive as she’d anticipated, gracious and lovely and crying out to be used. For a long time she stood on the broad sweeping deck overlooking the ocean. She considered all that had happened, considered JT’s remarks, considered how much her father’s acceptance meant to her.
Watching the relentless ebb and flow of the waves against the sand, she also realized something else. She realized that JT loved her, that last night would never have happened if he didn’t. But that didn’t change the facts. Soon her father’s firm would drive a permanent wedge between them. Unless…
Unless she came up with an alternative.
Aware she had a long walk ahead of her, she locked up the estate and left, cutting through the forest on the way to the marina. It was then that a possible solution occurred to her. By the time she boarded the ferry, she’d formulated her plan of attack. She grinned. Perhaps, just perhaps, she had inherited a bit of her father’s ruthlessness, after all.
IT TOOK FOUR WEEKS to finalize her plans. Four long lonely weeks. JT called every hour of every day the first week, but she refused to speak to him. She couldn’t—not until she’d set things right. But would he wait? Or would he give up on her, his love dying before she had a chance to prove herself to him?
The day she planned to return to Jermain Island, she phoned and asked that he meet her there. She arrived with two workmen, a small utility pickup—and a mission.
JT was waiting when the ferry docked. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but she resisted. Instead, she offered him a cool smile and directed the workers to park in front of the houses Boss had purchased on the outskirts of the village.
“Where do you want the sign?” the truck driver asked.
“Right in front of the cottages.”
She stood and watched them work, aware. that a handful of villagers had gathered to watch, as well, their expressions vaguely hostile. JT stood in front of the gathering. To protect her? Or to egg the villagers on? she couldn’t help but wonder. Twenty minutes later the canvas-covered sign was installed. Without any fanfare, she ripped away the canvas.
For a moment, there was dead silence.
“What does that mean?” asked one of the women. She held an infant in her arms, while a toddler clutched at her skirts.
“It means just what it says,” Taylor replied coolly.
“What does it say?” the toddler wanted to know.
The woman cleared her throat. “It says ‘Future Home of the First Elizabeth Jermain School (grades K-12).’ Is this for real?”
“What’s going on, Taylor?” JT demanded.
She lifted her chin. “You told me to choose and I’ve chosen.” She turned to the workmen. “The next sign goes in front of the forest down the street. Put it right by the road where everyone can see.”
By the time the workers had installed the next sign, a crowd had gathered, word having spread across the island like wildfire. Once again Taylor stripped off the canvas covering without comment. Laughter rippled through the crowd.
“’Future Home of the Boswell Daniels Wildlife Sanctuary,’” an islander read. “Does Boss know about this?”
“Boss authorized it,” Taylor replied.
“Where does this last sign go, Miss Daniels?” interrupted the truck driver.
She pointed down the road. “The first estate on the far side of the forest.”
“You want the sign in front again?”
“I want the sign in front again,” she confirmed.
Once more the crowd followed the workers, milling about as the posts were set. Twenty more minutes passed before the sign was ready to be unveiled. But this time Taylor hesitated. Glancing uncertainly at JT, she pulled off the canvas cover.
“Read it, JT,” someone in the crowd shouted.
“’The Possible, Potential, Proposed Site of a Richmond/Daniels Merger (if he’ll have me?)’” JT dutifully read. He elbowed his way to Taylor’s side. “Excuse us while we finalize the details of that merger,” he announced. Sweeping her up into his arms, he headed for the front door.
Once inside, he set her on her feet. “What’s going on, Princess?” he asked again.
Princess. He’d called her Princess. Maybe there was hope, after all. She looked up at him, searching his expression. Did he still care? Or had she just made a colossal fool of herself?
“You asked me to trust you,” she said. “I do. I trust you and I love you. I wanted to show you how much.”
“And this is the way?”
“This is the way,” she confirmed.
“How did you get Boss to agree?”
She smiled at that. “You always said I was ruthless. I never believed it until what I wanted most in the world was threatened.”
“And what do you want most?”
“Your love. Your respect. After I left you I came here to think. Once I’d calmed down, I realized you would never lie to me. You would never have made love to me if you hadn’t… if you weren’t…”
For the first time, his expression eased. “I love you, Princess. Does that make it a little easier?”
She went into his arms then. “I love you, too,” she whispered. “But that wasn’t enough. I didn’t know if our love could stand up against Boss’s plans for Jermain Island. I was afraid it would tear us apart.”
He glanced down at her. “So you came up with a scheme?”
“As I was walking back to the marina I cut through the forest. And I noticed something very interesting.”
“And what was that?”
She frowned. “Someone had been filling in the wetlands. I remembered what you’d told me that first day we were at the resort. We were riding in the woods, remember?”
Comprehension dawned. “And I said that the wetlands were protected against development by law,” he said.
“Exactly. Boss must have known about the regula
tions, must have known it would ruin his scheme to build a competing hotel. So he was having the wetlands filled in surreptitiously. I did a little research and confronted Boss with my findings.” She smiled. “I offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse.”
“That must have been some deal.”
“It was. I offered to save him a huge fine and potential jail time in exchange for the property he owned on the island.”
JT lifted an eyebrow. “And he agreed?”
“Not only did he agree, he also promised to twist a few political arms to help get the school up and running.”
“Will he keep his word?”
“I’ll make sure he does.” She stared up at JT, hope glittering in her eyes. “Well, Mr. Richmond? I believe there’s an offer on the table. Would you care to respond?”
He rubbed a hand across his jaw. “A merger, huh? Isn’t that corp-exec talk for marriage?”
She nodded. “If you’ll have me.”
He didn’t keep her waiting. “I don’t suppose you have a sign in that truck anywhere that says, ‘He does’?”
She bit down on her lip, joy bringing tears to her eyes. “I just might.”
“And the estate? You haven’t told me what your plans are for this place.”
“Well, I know it’s not very practical, but I was thinking… island life holds a certain appeal. And this house seems sort of empty. Lonely.” She peeked up at him hopefully.
“It needs a family. Kids. Is that what you’re thinking?”
“Our kids?” she suggested, her hands creeping up his chest and encircling his neck.
“Our family,” he corrected. “I love you, sweetheart. I want to marry you, live here with you, raise a family together.”
She pulled back slightly. “What about Boss?” she asked. “He’s still my father. He’ll still be part of my life.”
“I realize that. I’m not asking you to cut your ties with him. But you will understand if I keep my back to the wall anytime he’s around.”
“A wise precaution,” she said with a grin. “And who knows? Maybe in time we can show him that need really does outweigh logic.”
“No. Not need,” JT corrected gruffly. “Love.”
“I like the sound of that.” With a sigh of contentment, she lifted her mouth to his, losing herself in an embrace that symbolized the start of forever. Her last coherent thought was maybe one day Boss would change.
Maybe after a grandchild or two.
eISBN 978-14592-7711-3
MAKE BELIEVE ENGAGEMENT
First North American Publication 1996.
Copyright © 1996 by Harlequin Books S.A.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or In any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the Imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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Printed in U.S.A.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Table of Contents
Excerpt
Guest Register
Dear Reader
About The Author
Books by Day Leclaire
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Copyright
