by Judy Duarte
She spoke with Bernadine several times over the next few days. Occasionally she used the cell phone to call clients and double-check on her pets. Riley called twice regarding business decisions, three times about some trivial mention of her in the newspaper and once every evening just to ask how she was doing.
She missed him so much, she was tempted to ask him to join her, but she resisted the impulse. The lure, however, was too much when he called her Friday morning and mentioned he’d like to drive out the following night and bring dinner.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, and his voice sent shivers along her nerve endings and made her nipples tighten. “I promise to keep things light. We’ll just enjoy being together. Okay?”
Who was she kidding? She didn’t have any resistance when it came to this man. She’d dreamed about him each night and thought about him every waking hour. How could she not when she was staying in his cabin?
“I’ll bring dessert,” he suggested.
That was low.
“Chocolate raspberry truffle.”
She caved. “Okay.”
That afternoon she took a long soak in the enormous whirlpool tub, thinking about the following night and smiling to herself because she’d brought along a couple of sexy new sundresses. She’d try one out on Riley.
After drying off and taking time to apply scented body lotion and paint her nails, she dressed in a pair of soft lounging pajamas and padded out to the kitchen to make popcorn. Riley didn’t own a VCR or a DVD player, but she’d packed several books. The balcony was well shaded this time of day, and she was coming to enjoy the sounds of nature and the fresh air.
The cell phone on the counter beeped, so she checked it while the microwave ticked the minutes backward and the mouthwatering smell of butter filled the room. Maybe Riley was impatient and wanted to drive out sooner. It took her a few minutes to figure out which buttons to push, but she finally retrieved the message. The number on the digital display didn’t mean anything to her, so she listened to the recording.
“Riley, where in blazes are you?” The voice belonged to Caleb, and he sounded perturbed. She should probably call Riley and tell him his father was looking for him.
“You dodged our meeting deliberately, didn’t you? I’m starting to wonder what you’re up to. What is taking so long for you to win over the dog walker? You losing your touch?”
Popcorn popped in the background, but Lisa’s attention was riveted on the message meant for Riley.
“It shouldn’t be that difficult, son. She’s a nobody, and you’re a Douglas. Charm her. Get into her pants—hell, knock her up if you have to. Just get a ring on her finger.”
Numbness spread across Lisa’s scalp in a horrifying confirmation. She’d known. She’d guessed from the very beginning. She wasn’t stupid. But hearing the plan so crudely outlined was like rubbing salt in a fresh wound.
“The mine is producing,” the recording of Caleb was saying, “and where are we? Sitting with our thumbs up our asses, that’s where. Don’t avoid me, I don’t like it. And don’t waste any more time. I like that even less.”
The message ended with a click and a beep. Lisa stared at the phone before collecting herself enough to locate the off button and press it. She placed the handset back on the charger.
She’s a nobody and you’re a Douglas. That statement clanged around in her head for several jagged minutes. It was the truth. But as was the case more often than not, the truth hurt. Like hell in this instance.
Caleb had just confirmed what she’d known in her heart all along. She’d had Riley tagged the minute he’d shown an interest—before she’d transformed herself. Riley wasn’t any better than the so-called cousins who’d been calling.
The fact that his father had been in on the plan all along cheapened what they’d done all the more, though. Had Riley gone back and reported to his father each time they’d been together? How sleazy did that make her feel?
She’d felt so smug in her ability to be the seductress and to turn the tables on him. She’d only been kidding herself that she was in control.
“You knew,” she told herself. “This isn’t a big revelation. You had his number from the beginning and you chose to play along. It’s not like you’ve been tricked into thinking he loves you.”
She took the popcorn from the microwave, grabbed her book and went out to the balcony. Joey and Piper followed and begged at her feet. She shoved Caleb’s angry voice and superior tone out of her head and forced her eyes to the pages.
An hour later the two retrievers licked up the last of the popcorn from where the bag had fallen, and Lisa stared out across the wooded landscape. Dozens of plans formed in her head. Scenarios where she told off Riley in glorious eloquence. Scenes in which she won his undying love and devotion.
Should she still let him come to the cabin tomorrow night? Should she behave as though she hadn’t heard the message? Or should she confront him now—call him this minute—and get the truth out in the open and over with? Or…she could be gone when he got here. She could take an extended trip and not tell him where she’d gone.
She could go someplace where people didn’t know her or recognize her and see if she couldn’t find a man who would be attracted to her for her, not for her gold mine.
What she could not do was be unprepared. Drift. Waver. She’d made up her mind to cool things off, then she’d gone and let him talk her into another night.
Get an upper hand, that’s what she had to do.
Lisa went into the house and used the phone to make dinner reservations for the following evening. Then she called Riley’s cell phone.
He answered, “Hey, Lisa.”
He must have this number programmed into his phone. She wasn’t savvy about this technical stuff, but she was figuring it out. “Uh, hi.”
“What’s up?”
“Change of plans. I made reservations at the Blue Moon in Billings for tomorrow evening. Meet me there at seven.”
“Coming back early or just going out for dinner?” His voice brought back sensual memories. It probably always would.
“I’m heading back early. I’ve relaxed enough. I’m out of books and popcorn.”
He chuckled. “Okay. You’ll find your way back okay?”
“No problem. See you then.”
Lisa had lain awake for hours trying to think of the very thing that would set Riley on his ear and show him she wasn’t a puppet. The only fitting plan she could come up with was another man.
One small problem: there was no other man. Not that she couldn’t find one. Offers came in daily, if her mailbox was any indicator. But for the most impact, it couldn’t be just any man. It had to be one Riley would see as a true threat.
The next day she drove to Thunder Canyon and shopped for groceries before driving home. The house welcomed her like an old friend. She walked through the rooms comforted by the familiarity. The dogs seemed glad to be back, as well, dozing in a patch of sunlight that streamed through the dining room windows while she dusted and vacuumed.
Lisa sat with a glass of iced tea and read through piles of mail looking for something suitable, searching for just the right catalyst.
Finally she found him.
Phil Wagner. A formal letter with his business card almost scorched her hands. He wasn’t married, was he? She didn’t recall anyone accompanying him at the Douglases’ party, but it would be easy enough to find out.
She needed a financial advisor, and Riley had recommended this guy. It was Saturday, but she took a chance and called him anyway. She left a message, mentioned she’d just returned to find his letter and would like to talk.
Fifteen minutes later, as she was putting away her clothing and toiletries, the phone rang.
“Phil Wagner here. I got your message.”
“Thanks for calling back so quickly.”
“No problem. What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if it was too late and you already had plans for this eve
ning. Riley and I are having dinner, and I was hoping you could join us. Your wife is welcome to join us, of course.”
He chuckled. “I’m not married.”
“Oh. Well, a date, then.”
“I try not to mix business and pleasure.”
“Probably a wise philosophy,” she replied. “It’s really last-minute, so I’d understand if you can’t make it.”
“I can make it,” he said after a second. “Give me the details.”
“Can I pick you up around six thirty?”
“Sure.” He gave her his address and she hung up.
For half an hour she fought down a rush of panic and guilt. After that passed she told herself there was no guarantee that Phil would even be attracted to her. He didn’t have to—all he had to do was show up with her.
She took a few antacids and sat at the kitchen table. What a laughable creature she was. Her money would do any attracting that needed done—a sad fact to look forward to for the rest of her life.
Phil’s his friend. You’re playing with fire. You’re playing dirty.
Oh? And what had Riley done? Played fair?
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
No, but this one will sure be fun.
Revenge is not sweet; it’s wrong.
This wasn’t revenge. It was…turnabout. And turnabout was fair play. As long as her conscience was going to throw every cliché in the book at her, she was going to counter with a few, as well.
Her nails were already done, and she took her time straightening and styling her hair and applying makeup. She dressed in pale silver pants with a matching spaghettistrap top and draped a sheer black shawl around her shoulders. It reminded her of the gauzy black fabric that draped over Lily Divine’s hip in the painting at the Hitching Post.
Lily had been a self-made woman, a woman proud of her accomplishments. What would she think if she knew the Queen of Hearts was producing gold and making Lisa rich? How would she see Lisa’s actions? Apparently Lily had dealt with an overbearing Douglas, as well, so hopefully she’d be delighted to know Lisa wasn’t letting the present-day Douglases get the best of her.
Lisa swallowed down her anxiety on the drive to Phil’s. He lived in a nice condo in New Town, and she didn’t have any trouble finding it. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a gray suit jacket and he greeted her with a smile.
“This is a nice change of pace,” he said. “Going out to dinner with a pretty lady rather than a bunch of men.”
“I learned from Riley that you wine and dine the people you want to impress,” she said lightly.
He laughed. “Impress or coerce?”
Phil was nice looking in a young Jeff Daniels sort of way. There was nothing threatening or intimidating about him, and she didn’t sense a superior attitude. He was just plain nice, and she wondered what he and Riley had in common.
“Just out of curiosity, what kind of car do you drive?” she asked.
“Business or pleasure?”
Okay, there was one similarity. “Both.”
“I have a nice, sensible Camry. Silver.”
“And for pleasure?”
“A black Chevy pickup with a bright red front bumper and red flames painted up the sides.”
“I’ve seen it.” A vehicle that flashy was hard to miss.
He asked her about the recent goings-on with the mine, and as they got closer to their destination she explained several details about the initial extraction.
“Sounds like you’ve learned the business,” he said as she pulled into the parking lot at the Blue Moon restaurant.
“I’m determined to keep up,” she told him.
They got out and met in front of the Blazer. Lisa led the way in, glancing at her watch. Her stomach dipped in anticipation of what was to come.
Inside, a hostess directed them to a table where Riley was seated. The expression on his face when he saw the two of them was a priceless combination of surprise and confusion. Being the Douglas he was, however, he quickly masked his bewilderment and greeted both of them as though he’d known this was the plan all along. He stood, but Phil was already pulling out Lisa’s chair.
Lisa sat and gave Riley a friendly smile while Phil took a seat on her other side.
With an envious look the hostess handed each of them a menu and inquired what they’d like to drink. “I’d like a bottle of wine, but Mr. Douglas will select it,” Lisa said to the young woman.
Riley ordered a vintage cabernet, and the hostess left with a nod.
Lisa almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. A month ago she’d never even been in a restaurant this nice, had never been seen with one handsome man, and now she was seated here with two.
“You seem in a good mood this evening,” Riley commented. “Your vacation must have been refreshing.”
“That’s right, you mentioned you’d just returned home,” Phil said. “Where’d you go?”
“A little getaway place you might know of,” she replied. “Riley said you use the cabin occasionally.”
“Riley’s so-called cabin? It has more amenities than my condo. I’d been thinking I needed a retreat of my own, but he went to so much work, and the place is used so seldom, I figure why not take him up on his offer to use it.”
“My boys loved it,” she said. Then explained, “Three- and four-year-old golden retrievers.”
“I’ve seen them with you in the photographs. They’re beauties. I have a black Lab myself. He’s almost five. I got him when he was six months old.”
“What’s his name?”
“MacGuyver. He’d been abused and was untrusting. Wouldn’t even eat if I was in the room.”
“Poor guy. He adjusted to you and your home, though?”
“Oh, yeah. Occasionally if I talk loud or shout—like during a Seahawks game—he starts shaking and tries to hide. But I just coax him out of it, and he’s fine. He’s a big baby, really. Sleeps on my sofa while I’m at work.”
“Joey and Piper aren’t allowed on the sofa, but they sleep with me at night. And I only have a full-size bed.”
“Must be a little crowded.”
Lisa chuckled and glanced at Riley. His jaw muscle was working so hard, he looked as if he could bite through the steel table leg.
Their server arrived with the bottle of wine, and Lisa gestured for her to have Riley taste it.
“It’s fine,” he told her, and she poured.
“Well,” Lisa said, extending her glass. “To pleasant and profitable business transactions and to new friends.”
The two men raised their glasses and they drank.
Phil steered the conversation to his investment suggestions, and Lisa listened with fascination. Occasionally Riley disagreed or had an alternative suggestion, but all in all the two men agreed on a plan for Lisa’s venture capital.
At one point as she listened, her attention wavered to Riley and her thoughts drifted to the intimacies they’d shared.
Charm her. Get into her pants—hell, knock her up if you have to. Just get a ring on her finger.
Oh, he’d charmed her. More than that, he’d swept her off her ever-lovin’ feet. As for getting into her pants, well, that had been mutual—she’d accessed his pants just as eagerly.
Knocked up? He’d wisely and safely used a condom each time they’d been together. At least he hadn’t stooped that low—not that she’d have let him. She’d been hot, not stupid.
He’d suggested the ring. He’d gone beyond that, though, gone above and beyond his father’s demands and professed love.
Looking at Riley now, Lisa wanted to cry.
She excused herself and found the ladies’ room. She had no basis for self-pity, no grounds for feelings of betrayal. She’d been a willing participant from the get-go. And she’d known all along that he was deceiving her.
She hadn’t just gone along with him. No, she’d initiated and prompted and used his determination for her own purposes. Lisa washed her hands and touched up
her lipstick before heading back to the table.
The server brought their meals, and she ate her wild rice and salmon with an uncharacteristic lack of fervor. Even the wine lost its appeal and she declined a refill.
They talked a while after their dishes had been cleared. Lisa ordered slices of pie for the men and a dish of sherbet for herself. When the check came, she gave the woman her credit card and signed for their dinner.
Phil had been invited to a business dinner and seemed to take her payment of the bill for granted. Riley, on the other hand, looked decidedly uncomfortable.
Out of doors, the warm summer air skimmed Lisa’s skin. She hadn’t realized how cool it had been in the restaurant until she noticed how good this felt.
Phil reached to shake Riley’s hand. “Thanks for hooking me up, buddy. I’ll do a good job for Lisa.”
Riley nodded, then glanced at her.
“Good night,” she said.
She and Phil walked to her Blazer. She used her remote to unlock the doors, and Phil opened the driver’s side for her.
Riley turned away, and several seconds later she saw the headlights on his Jaguar turn on. He was ahead of her as she pulled out of the parking lot and drove toward the highway.
His taillights disappeared in the distance, and she couldn’t help wondering what he’d been thinking as they’d parted.
Phil talked about his Lab and asked her about Joey and Piper. It was always a joy to share stories with someone who shared her love of dogs, so they talked and laughed until she dropped him off at his condo.
“I’ll be in touch, and we’ll set up a meeting this week,” he told her, sliding out and leaning in the open doorway.
“Sounds good.”
He closed the door and Lisa drove away.
She’d shown Riley. She’d brought another man into the picture, but she didn’t feel any better. Her plan didn’t feel as rewarding as she’d imagined when she’d cooked it up. She didn’t have the coldheartedness to actually lead a man on, so this business meeting would have to be enough of a ruse to prove to Riley that she wasn’t hard up.
