by Jayne Castle
When he ambled into the country-style kitchen a few minutes later, he was wearing only the dark wool slacks. Barefoot, his black hair glistening, his naked chest still slightly damp in places, there was a fundamentally primitive look about him that made Kendra's mouth go dry.
"Cookies and milk?" He grinned skeptically as he spotted the small tray she had prepared.
"I keep them on hand for Jason," she told him loftily, carrying the tray past him into the formal dining room. In addition to the large table there was a smaller one by the bay window. She set her burden down on it and took one of the two graceful little chairs.
"Okay," he growled, taking the other seat and reaching for a chocolate-chip cookie, "who's Jason?"
She eyed him for a second. "He looks a bit like you," she finally announced. "Except his eyes are green. But he's got black hair, and he's—"
"I didn't ask for a description, I asked who he was," Case reminded her, his earlier humor fading.
"He's Donna's son. And he's five years old," she added for good measure, her eyes twinkling.
"Umph," he replied around a cookie. "So much for Jason. But talking about him does bring us to another issue. How involved are you with Donna and her problems?"
Kendra shrugged. "She looked me up when she decided to file for divorce. She wanted to stay out of Radburn's reach until everything was final. I've been keeping her location a secret."
"From Radburn?"
"And her mother."
"Her mother!"
"That's right. Her mother is quite upset that she's" getting a divorce. She thinks the world of Austin Radburn. And Radburn, of course, encourages that attitude. He wants to hang on to Donna until she comes into her inheritance."
"I suppose Jason's presence complicates things. A man's got a right to his son. ..."
"Jason's father is dead. He was killed shortly after Jason was born," Kendra said quietly.
"This is Donna's second marriage?"
"Yes."
"Poor kid. First a widow, and now she's going through a divorce," he murmured sympathetically.
Kendra said nothing. Men always felt protective toward Donna. It didn't particularly surprise her to find even a man as hard as Case feeling that way, too. She sipped her milk in silence.
"So Donna's afraid Austin will grab the kid and hold on to him until the money comes through?" Case went on after a moment, chewing another cookie reflectively.
"That's about it. Once she has the money she figures she'll be able to get out of his reach." "Hmmm."
"I know," Kendra half-smiled at his tone. "I've had a few doubts about that myself. From what I know of Austin Radburn, he tends to be tenacious."
Case gave her a sidelong glance. "How much do you know of him?"
Kendra said coolly, "Not much, only that he owns a huge shipbuilding business in L.A.; that he virtually swept Donna off her feet when she came along. For a time he made her quite happy, I think. . . ."
"She didn't look too happy during the time when she was running up a tab at my place."
"No," Kendra agreed softly. "That was a very bad time for her. She almost"—she hesitated and then realized she shouldn't give away her cousin's secret—"she was very depressed. It was when she pulled herself out of it that she decided to get the divorce."
"What's worrying me," Case went on calmly, "is the sort of character Radburn sent to pump you for information. Why does he think you know where his wife is?"
"Donna and I were . . . very close before she married him," Kendra replied, her eyes on the cookie plate. "He knew that."
"Still, this is between him and his wife. I don't like the fact that you're involved," Case declared steadily.
"How could I say no when she asked me to help her?"
"I know, I know." He polished off the last of his milk. "I'll look into the matter in the morning."
"You'll what?" she snapped, startled. "Case, this doesn't concern you!"
"Don't say stupid things, honey, it doesn't fit your image." He smiled at her across the little table, a wicked, endearing smile that went very well with cookies and milk. "Just leave everything to me."
"Like hell!"
"A few minutes ago you were all soft and cuddly, and now you're turning feisty. Maybe I shouldn't have kept you up past your bedtime, after all," he chided lightly.
"Case, I mean it," she told him anxiously. "I don't want you getting involved in this!" Visions of him coolly ordering some underling like Wolf to "deal with Radburn" flashed into her mind. She still didn't know for certain what Wolf had done with Phelps! The casual implication of violence frightened her. Case Garrett frightened her.
"Let's find another subject," he suggested. "Shall I read you a bedtime story?"
"Case, please!"
"Don't look so scared, sweetheart. You've got nothing to worry about. I'll take care of it." He collected the glasses and the plate, stacked them on the tray, and stood up to carry them back to the kitchen.
Kendra stared after him, stricken. What had she unleashed by allowing him into her life? But how could she have kept him out of it? she asked herself helplessly.
As he disappeared confidently into the kitchen she leaped to her feet and followed, standing nervously in the doorway as he stacked the dishes in the dishwasher.
"Case, I want your word you won't do anything—anything—"
He looked up. "Anything what?" he prompted, and then his gaze slitted with understanding. "Anything . . . illegal? Is that what's worrying vou?"
"Well, frankly, yes!"
"That's honest enough, I guess," he observed dryly, straightening. "I've scared you, haven't I?" He came forward before she could answer, pulling her into his arms and stroking his fingers through her hair. "Don't worry, honey," he whispered. "Please, don't worry."
"I am worried, Case," she mumbled into his bare shoul-
der. "You shouldn't have come here. You should never have come here!"
"Don't say that, Kendra. Not after what we just shared."
She stepped back, wrenching herself free from his hold. "That's still the only thing you can think about, isn't it? I must be out of my mind to be standing here trying to talk to you! Why don't you go back to your casino and your friends like Wolf Higgins! Please don't get me involved in your world. It scares me!"
His face hardened as he watched her anguished expression. "Can't you trust me, Kendra?"
"No," she said flatly, "I can't. I've got a long way to go in order to recover from what you did to me in Lake Tahoe. I don't want to let you do any more damage!"
"Kendra—"
"Will you please go, Case? You got what you came for!"
He took a step forward, and then stopped as she backed up immediately. There was pain in the look he gave her, but Kendra refused to let it sway her. She was already far too weak where this man was concerned. She thought he was going to say something else, but he clamped his teeth together almost audibly and walked around her, heading for the bedroom.
She waited tensely, not knowing what to expect. But he reappeared fully dressed and came toward her with a brisk, gliding stride.
"Good night, Kendra," he grated harshly, cupping the back of her neck and dropping a quick, hard kiss on her mouth. "I'll call you tomorrow."
"You don't know ..." she began hopefully.
"Where you work?" he concluded violently. "Yes, I do. I know a great deal about you, and I'm learning more by the minute!"
"Case! Wait a minute! Where are you going? What are
you going to do?" she called after him as he headed for the door.
He paused, one hand on the knob, and told her tersely, "I'm going to a hotel, since I don't get the feeling I'm being welcomed here. As for what I'm going to do, I haven't decided yet. Wolf is taking care of things at the casino, so I've got a little time to figure out a course of action. Don't worry, you'll be the first to know when I make up my mind!"
A moment later he was gone, out into the cold, foggy night.
&nb
sp; CHAPTER EIGHT
The phone rang at work the next day just after Kendra and Norris had seen the Richardson people happily out the door. Kendra had turned to her partner with a mutually congratulatory grin when Tina, the secretary, put the call through.
"Case!" Kendra exclaimed as Norris removed himself from her office with a speculative little lift of his eyebrows. She felt her heart pick up a beat as Case's deep, drawling voice greeted her.
"Good morning, honey. I'm calling for a couple of reasons—"
"If two of them are to apologize and reassure me that you'll stay out of my personal problems, I shall be delighted to take this call!"
There was a pause. "You sound a tad argumentative this morning. Annoyed with me for walking out last night?"
Kendra lifted her silently beseeching gaze toward the heavens and wondered why she was suddenly feeling very lighthearted. "What are the reasons for the call, Case?" she said with exaggerated patience. "And how did you find out where I work, anyhow?"
"I started with the guy you bought your return ticket from up in Lake Tahoe," he began helpfully.
"Those people aren't supposed to give out personal information!"
"I know."
There was a pregnant silence during which Kendra thought about such matters as bribery, intimidation, and people who could be bought. "Let's get back to the reasons for this call," she finally said politely.
"Right. The first is that I forgot to get Donna's phone number from you before I left last night."
"No kidding." Kendra decided she could be laconic, too.
"Come on, honey. Give. I told you I was going to look into her situation today." The dark voice was all soft cajolery.
"I'm not giving that number out to you, Austin Radburn, Gilbert Phelps, or anyone else who comes looking!" "Kendra—"
"I'll call Donna," Kendra heard herself say placatingly. "If she wants to talk to you, I'll give her your number."
"No good. I think she'll be a little too shy to take the initiative," he told her with great certainty.
"Why? Oh, you mean because of the gambling debt?"
"Something like that," he agreed dryly. "Let me have the number, sweetheart, I don't want to waste time with an argument."
"No." She waited, chewing nervously on her lip, to see what he'd do next.
"Determined to be difficult, huh? Okay, if that's the way you want it. I'll get it myself," he told her cheerfully.
"How? It's unlisted."
"What do you want to bet it's neatly written down somewhere close to your phone at home?"
"I'll hide it as soon as I get home tonight!" she vowed.
"Too late. I'll be in and out long before that."
"What are you talking about?" Kendra frowned at the phone. "The door's locked, and Mrs. Colter doesn't have a key!" She added that last piece of news with a sense of triumph, pleased at having anticipated him.
"I don't need a key," he retorted calmly.
"Are you threatening to break into my flat?" she demanded, shocked in spite of what she already knew about this man.
"I won't break the door down, don't fret," he assured her sardonically.
"Case Garrett, if I get home tonight and find out you've illegally entered my flat, I'll—" Words failed her.
"Calm down, honey. If you're convinced I'm a member of the criminal element, at least give me credit for being good at my work. I promise it will be professionally done. There won't be a hint of evidence lying around for you to find. You'll never even know I've been there. Wait a minute," he suddenly broke off to yell, sensing accurately that she was about to slam the receiver down in his ear. "There is a second reason for this call!"
"If it's anything like the first reason, I think I'll have you arrested on sight!"
"And you keep trying to tell me I broke your spirit that night in Lake Tahoe!" he muttered, sounding much aggrieved. "Where's all this fear of the male of the species you claim you rediscovered at my hands?"
Kendra held the phone away from her ear for an instant, realizing she was on the verge of laughter. What was happening to her? She was afraid of Case Garrett, wasn't she? She ought to be!
"You want me to be afraid of you?" she finally managed sweetly, still trying to sort through her own emotions.
"Well, maybe not fear," he conceded thoughtfully. "But a little healthy respect might be welcome! About my second reason. It has to do with dinner."
Kendra waited, knowing she should be jumping in, feet first, with a firm refusal yet unable to find the words.
"I'll pick you up around six-thirty," he concluded succinctly. "Have a good day, honey."
It was he who hung up the phone in her ear.
Kendra sat staring at the dead receiver, unwilling to admit aloud how intensely glad she was to find him still in pursuit. It was all wrong, naturally, but she couldn't shake off the sensation of excitement and laughter. She hadn't felt quite this way about a man in her entire life, let alone the past two years!
If only, she told herself sadly, circumstances were different. If only Case Garrett were a different man, say a proper San Francisco businessman or a lawyer. If only he hadn't shown her so graphically just how weak she still was. If only he weren't who he was . . .
For some reason, that made her think of his love of the South Seas. How had he come by it? Did he dream of returning some day? Perhaps he would retire there on the fortune he must be making at the casino. She understood about dreams. She understood about fantasy . . .
With a muttered imprecation Kendra dialed Donna's number. A realistic approach to life told her the odds were in favor of Case getting hold of her cousin's telephone number before the day was out.
"Case Garrett's trying to reach me? Oh, no! Kendra, don't let him! I couldn't bear to face him! I'm so ashamed!" Donna was wailing a moment later on the other end of the line.
"Ashamed? But, Donna," Kendra began, a little surprised at the reasoning behind the other woman's reaction. "There's no cause to be embarrassed. Lots of people run up gambling debts, and it's not as if you're not paying yours."
"You don't understand," Donna informed her heavily. "So enlighten me!"
There was a long silence until finally Donna said quietly, "I offered to pay my debts shortly after I lost ail that money."
"How?" Kendra was suddenly experiencing a deep
sense of foreboding. She began to rapidly put two and two together, and she didn't like the sum.
"How do you think?" Donna groaned. "I offered to go to bed with him in exchange for the IOUs. He refused. I feel so humiliated that I made the offer!"
"I see." Kendra couldn't think of anything to say. Eventually she realized she should offer some comfort. "It's all right, though, Donna. He seems to understand that you might be embarrassed about facing him. He says he wants to help. The real problem is that his kind of help could cause a much more serious situation than you've already got."
"Why?" Donna sounded genuinely curious.
"Donna! What do we know of him? The man runs a gambling casino, for God's sake! He's got a rather mysterious past, to say the least, and you ought to meet some of his employees! One of them is named Wolf, which ought to tell you something, and he took care of that poor Gilbert Phelps, and I still don't know what happened to the man!"
"I wish Austin could be made to fade from the scene that conveniently," Donna noted practically.
"Oh, my God, Donna. You don't know what you're saying!"
"Relax, cousin," the younger woman soothed. "You sound like you're really down on Garrett. Not turning into a snob by any chance, are you?"
"Listen to me, Donna," Kendra began seethingly, "I'm going to wash my hands of this whole mess if you don't behave sensibly!"
"Jason! Cut that out," Donna yelled at that moment. Then she spoke quickly, apologetically into the phone. "I've got to run, Kendra. Let's just see what happens with Case. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to talk to him. There might be possibilities in the situation now that I thi
nk about it."
For the second time that morning Kendra hung up the phone with mixed emotions. Among them was a growing feeling of being trapped in a situation rapidly escalating out of her control. Perhaps it was she who ought to fade from the scene.
When Case arrived at the front door of the flat that evening, Kendra met him with fiercely accusing eyes.
"Well?"
"Well, what?" he countered pleasantly, sweeping with his eyes her slender figure sheathed in an elegantly simple gown of deep, vibrant burgundy. A flounce of pleats at the knee lent a note of charm to the otherwise austere cut. Her hair was in a sophisticated chignon, and the small diamonds in her ears glittered.
Case's gaze reflected undisguised male approval. Dressed in his usual dark colors accented with the crisp whiteness of a handmade shirt, he appeared dangerously attractive to Kendra as he stood politely at her door. She had an almost overpowering urge to run her fingertips through the hint of silver moonlight that rippled in his hair.
"Did you break in here today?" she challenged aggressively.
"Does anything look disturbed? Is there any evidence of someone having gained forcible entry?"
"You did, didn't you? Did you call Donna?"
"We'll talk about that later," he consoled lightly, helping her into the white mink. He ran a hand through the soft fur as he settled it on her shoulders, and his next words came in an entirely different tone.
"I've got to ask you something, honey. And it's probably going to make you mad as hell. Humor me, please."
"What's the question?" she asked suspiciously.
"If you haven't had a serious relationship with anyone else for the past two years, who's paying for all this?" His gesture indicated everything from the diamonds in her
ears to the sumptuous furnishings, and his expression was too intense to shrug off.
"I am," she stated proudly, truthfully. "Every cent is from the agency. And you're right. I'm furious!"
"I had to be sure. ..." His slightly roughened palms cupped her face, and she saw the flood of satisfied relief in his dark gaze as he bent to kiss her with unleashed passion that instantly drained her anger. Before she could recover her voice he took her hand and led her toward the door.
