“You don’t scare me, you know,” he said conversationally.
For a second, Hayley feared he was talking to her.
“If I wanted to, I could snap your neck like this.”
He twisted the perfect rose, ripping it from its stalk with a viciousness that nearly made her gasp out loud. He pulled a thorn from his finger. Blood welled from the spot, as red as the rose he held.
With a horrible smile that chilled her to the core, he dropped the flower to the ground. Lifting his foot, he crushed the delicate petals beneath his shoe with deliberate savagery. Then he turned his head.
Hayley jerked back. Had he seen her? Her body quaked from head to toe. There’d been madness in his eyes, but a calculating look as well. She felt as if she’d just witnessed a cold-blooded murder. The malice behind that action left her breathless.
Was that what he’d done to her mother?
Unable to rid herself of the idea, she turned and began to run. She had to get away from such vile evilness. He’d wanted her to witness that action, she was certain of it. Abruptly, she stopped again, suddenly sick to her stomach. Doubling over, she heaved until the taste of bile burned the back of her throat. She swiped at the sweat running down her face. It stung her eyes, blurring her vision.
The main path lay straight ahead. All she had to do was put one foot in front of the other and she’d reach the house and the blessed air-conditioning. She could make it. She just had to concentrate. But the house seemed so far away.
“Hayley?”
Bram’s voice seemed to travel down a long tunnel to reach her. At least the tunnel was providing merciful shelter from the too-bright sun. She barely felt the heat now.
But that seemed all wrong. She should be feeling hot.
Dizzily, she tried to focus, afraid she was going to pass out.
“Hayley!”
Bram gripped her shoulders. That was good. He wouldn’t let her fall. She could depend on Bram. She clung to him, needing him to understand the horror of what she’d just seen.
“He killed her, Bram. I know he did. He wanted me to know it.”
Bram dropped his tools, supporting Hayley as she suddenly went limp. Her face was cherry-red and she was sweating profusely. Lifting her in his arms, he realized her skin was cool to the touch.
Not good. Not good at all.
Her eyes fluttered open. “I’m all right.”
“No, you aren’t, but you will be. I’ll have you out of this heat in just a minute.”
He started for the back door. The housekeeper stared at him through the kitchen window. Her glare was darker than ever, but Bram was in no mood for any comments from her. Mrs. Norwhich, however, surprised him by holding open the back door.
“Straight ahead,” she said, pointing the way with a paring knife. “Second door on the right.”
To his relief, he discovered she’d sent him to a bedroom.
“Jacob was right,” Hayley murmured. “You didn’t drop me.”
Bram had no time to wonder what she meant by that as he laid her on a brightly colored quilt. He pushed back the damp tendrils of hair that clung to her flushed cheeks.
“Hayley? Stay with me.”
Odette Norwhich bustled over, a damp cloth in her outstretched hand. “Fool girl went running outside with nothing in her stomach. This house is like a refrigerator and it’s a sauna out there. You can’t treat a body that way. I’ll make her some lunch. You see to it she eats every bite.”
“She’s suffering from heat exhaustion,” he told the woman. “We need to bring her body temperature down right away. Is there a shower or bathtub down here?”
“Both. Through there.” She pointed to an open door beyond the bed.
Bram nodded his thanks and lifted Hayley again.
“Sick,” she muttered.
“I know. You’ll feel better in a minute.” But when he set her down, she promptly turned to the sink, clutching it tightly as dry heaves racked her body. He steadied her.
Turning the shower on cool, he let the spray fill the tub. Not bothering to remove her clothing, he lifted Hayley and stood her beneath the shower fully dressed.
“What are you doing? This is cold!”
“Yes,” he said firmly as she wriggled. “We need to lower your body temperature. Stop struggling before you fall.”
Water splashed, soaking his shirt. He ignored it and began peeling her out of her drenched blouse.
“Just like a man,” she muttered, her teeth chattering. “Taking advantage of the situation.”
Amazed that she still had a sense of humor, he offered her a phony leer as he tossed the blouse into the sink. “You got it. Any excuse to get you out of your clothing.”
Her nipples were tight, hard points, clearly visible beneath the lace of her bra. Bram ignored the enticing sight as well as the feel of her slick skin, and reached for the button on the waistband of her shorts.
Hayley batted at his hand weakly. “I can do it.”
“And deprive me of the pleasure?”
“Are you planning to join me?”
His body hardened, despite his best intentions. There’d been no real emotion behind the question. He sensed she was using banter to cover her embarrassment.
“Nothing would give me more pleasure,” he assured her. The zipper parted, allowing him to skim the shorts down her legs. They landed in the pooling water with a noisy splash. “But I’d rather have you panting from desire than panting from heat exhaustion.”
Her panties were simple white nylon. Soaking wet, they left nothing to his imagination.
“If you keep looking at me like that,” she muttered, “you’re going to get both.”
The haze was lifting from her eyes. The flush of her skin was being replaced by a more natural color. Her long hair lay plastered against her head and shoulders. And Bram found himself aroused despite his best intentions.
“Sit down, before we both fall,” he ordered. “If you don’t behave, we’re going to shock Mrs. Norwhich.”
Hayley smiled weakly. “I doubt anything would shock her.” But she let him lower her into the water. “I’m cold.”
“That’s the general idea.”
“Freezing me to death?”
She was so lovely. “No, but we have to lower your body temperature as quickly as possible.”
“You’ve achieved success. Can I get out of here? I already had a shower this morning.” She pushed weakly at wet strands of her hair. “Have you any idea how long it takes to dry this stuff?”
“Stop complaining.” But when he saw her shiver, he adjusted the water to a slightly warmer setting. “You either soak here or go to the hospital. Your choice.”
“How about if I pick neither of the above?”
“Hayley, heat prostration is nothing to fool around with.”
“I wasn’t outside long enough for that.”
“Tell it to your body.”
“I’m just tired. And a little sick.”
“I noticed.”
Mrs. Norwhich entered, thrusting a large, frosty glass into his hand. “Orange juice,” she said tersely. “Make her drink all of it. It will restore the fluids and give her an energy boost.” Plopping a pile of fresh clothing on the sink, she left.
“You heard the lady.”
“I don’t like orange juice.”
“You sound like one of my brother’s kids. Drink it anyway.”
“I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“I have three of them. Now drink.”
“You must have been the oldest. You’re bossy.” She took a tentative sip, then quickly drank the juice. “I’m not always a baby,” she said quietly.
He didn’t like her change in attitude. A subdued Hayley wasn’t normal. He dropped to his knees beside the tub and removed the glass from her hand. His wet shirt dripped on the floor and his denim shorts. He ignored the unpleasant feeling, cupping her chin until she met his gaze.
“You aren’t being a baby.” He t
ried to stem his desire by placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. Hayley spoiled the effect by running a wet hand timidly across his chest. The sensation was highly erotic, particularly when her eyes were issuing such a soulful invitation.
“Stop it. Mrs. Norwhich could return any minute.”
“Let Mrs. Norwhich find her own man,” Hayley retorted. But she stilled her hand.
“You could tempt the halo from an archangel,” Bram told her.
“Yeah? What would it take to tempt you?”
Setting the glass on the floor, he gathered her into his arms, pulling them both upright. Her body slithered wetly against his as he lifted her out of the tub.
Hayley’s eyes widened in surprise. He snatched up the bath towel, wrapping it snugly around her quaking body before he could give in to the urge to carry her back to that fussy bright quilt and give her the satisfaction they both craved.
“Get dressed.”
“I’m not sure I can.”
“Then I’ll call Mrs. Norwhich to help.”
Her eyes searched his face. “Why?”
Ruthlessly, he clamped down on his desire. “Because I’m nowhere near as strong as an archangel. Now, get dressed.”
Chapter Seven
Mrs. Norwhich entered the bedroom as if cued. She held out a shirt to him. “I thought you might want to borrow this,” she told him knowingly.
Bram felt a flush move up his throat, but she turned away and disappeared. How much had she seen?
Tugging off his dripping shirt, he replaced it with the new one. Faintly warm, it must have come straight from the dryer. It had a subtle, clean smell, and Bram wondered if it belonged to Marcus.
He killed her, I know he did.
What had Hayley meant by that? What had happened before Bram found her?
“Do you have a comb?” Hayley asked as she came forward, her hair wrapped in the bath towel. She was dressed in a bright cotton sundress.
“Sorry.”
“That’s okay.”
“Want to tell me what happened out there?”
“Truthfully? I’d rather forget the whole thing. But I never will.” She sank down on the end of the bed. “Marcus killed that rose the way he must have killed my mother.”
Glancing at the doorway, Bram was relieved to see it was empty. He could hear Mrs. Norwhich moving around in the kitchen.
“Are you saying your father killed your mother?” he asked softly. Sitting beside her, he resisted an impulse to touch her again.
“We could never prove it, but we always knew.”
“Tell me.”
Haltingly at first, she did. Bram found he remembered the general story. The missing woman had been headline news once. He hadn’t paid much attention at the time, but hearing the tale now made a number of things more understandable. Things like his employer’s paranoid insistence on bars on every window, and even Hayley’s somewhat erratic behavior. No wonder Heartskeep felt so eerie.
He’d thought Hayley was merely part of a dysfunctional family, but this went much deeper. As she described the scene in the rose garden, real apprehension stirred to life.
“You believe Marcus was talking to Eden?”
“There wasn’t anyone else around.”
Bram tensed. “But there could have been. You said you never actually saw Eden after she entered the garden.”
“I followed her out there! Who else could it have been?”
All sorts of people—including himself. Bram had seen Jacob slip into the maze and had followed, but had lost the other man at one of the forks. He decided it wouldn’t be prudent to mention that to Hayley right now.
Dishes rattled and Paula Kerstairs slipped into the room with a tray. There was something distinctly unsettling about the woman. Bram had a feeling she’d been standing outside the door listening for several minutes.
“I’m not hungry,” Hayley told her.
Paula ignored her and addressed him. “I’m to tell you to see to it she eats every bite.” She set down the tray and melted away.
Hayley started to shove the food aside, but Bram stayed her hand. “You’ll hurt Mrs. Norwich’s feelings. Eat a little, all right? Then we’ll talk.”
Hayley stared at the omelette, the stack of buttered toast and the bowl of sherbet. “I can’t eat all this.”
“Just eat a little.”
The omelette dripped with cheese as she cut into it with her fork, making his mouth water. It had been several hours since he’d had breakfast.
“Do you have any idea how many calories are in this?”
He covered a wry smile. “You can stand to gain a few pounds.”
“Sure. You say that now. But when my arteries clog from all this cholesterol, where will you be?”
She swallowed the bite, cocking her head to one side. Bram managed not to grin.
The towel would have slipped from her head if she hadn’t caught it with her hand. “Are you implying I’m too skinny?”
“Nope. I’m not stupid.” Besides, she wasn’t skinny. She was round and firm in all the right places. And before he could take that thought any further, Mrs. Norwhich appeared, holding a second tray.
“You might as well eat, too,” she said gruffly.
Surprised by the gesture, he thanked her with genuine gratitude.
“The soda’s yours. The bottled water’s for her,” Mrs. Norwhich announced. “She and the mister live on that stuff. Though why anyone would pay good money for something they can get right out of their own sink for free…”
His lips twitched as she bustled away, still muttering. “Now who would have guessed there was a tender heart under that grumpy exterior? Want me to open your water for you?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Bram handed her the open bottle, then carried his tray to the small writing desk. “I’d better wash my hands first. Keep eating while it’s hot.”
When he returned, Hayley was making serious inroads on the meal. After the first taste, he understood why. “Mrs. Norwhich can cook.”
Hayley nodded. She took a long swallow from her bottle of water. Her color was much better, he was relieved to see, but shadows haunted her eyes.
“You look tired.”
“Bram, I’m not crazy.”
A bite of toast threatened to lodge in his throat. “Where did that come from?”
She nibbled on a bit of sherbet, then set her spoon down. “Last night you didn’t believe me.”
“When did I say that?”
Guilt had left him sleepless and angry last night, until in desperation, he’d sought refuge in his work. He knew it was partly guilt that had kept him standing over the anvil as the uncomfortably hot night surrendered to an even hotter new day. He was feeling pretty tired himself this morning.
“Why did you leave that picture on my nightstand last night?”
Bewildered, he started to shake his head in confusion, then stopped. “Are you talking about that photograph I picked up off the floor in your room yesterday? What does that have to do with anything?”
“That’s what I want to know.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Where did you get it?”
“It was on the floor by your nightstand. I assumed you’d dropped it.”
“You found it in my room?”
“Yeah. What’s so important about that picture, Hayley?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Someone took it from my room while I was downstairs last night.”
A shaft of apprehension slithered down his spine. “What?”
“It was a picture of Leigh,” she added.
“Your sister?” Remembering the image, he shook his head. “I thought it was you. You two could be twins.”
“We are.”
His stomach lurched. “You never told me you were a twin.”
Hayley frowned. “Sure I did.”
“I’d remember something like that, Hayley. Trust me. The fact that there are two of you would have m
ade a lasting impression.”
“Why? Does it matter?”
“Not to me. I’m just surprised, that’s all. What’s the significance of that particular picture?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen it before. I tried to call Leigh to find out when it was taken, but she was already gone for the day.”
“She looked about fifteen in the picture.”
“Closer to sixteen,” Hayley corrected.
“Where was it taken?”
“I can’t tell. The background didn’t look familiar to me.”
“I don’t like this, Hayley. It seems to me that someone’s playing a sick game with you. I really think you should go back to your apartment in Boston. If you honestly believe your father killed your mother, you’re a fool to stay here. Look around. You’re surrounded by people acting strangely. Staying would be stupid. You need a lawyer. Maybe a bodyguard.”
There was a noise at the door and Bram spun, automatically putting himself between Hayley and the door. Paula Kerstairs stood there with an annoyed expression.
“You have a phone call,” she told Hayley grumpily.
“Would you take a—”
“She say’s she’s your sister, calling from England.”
“Leigh? But I told the woman she didn’t need to call me back. Never mind. I’ll take it in the office.”
Pursing her lips, Paula disappeared from sight. Grabbing her water, Hayley shoved the tray aside and started for the door. “Excuse me, Bram.”
“No problem. I need to get back to work, anyhow.”
Hayley hesitated. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And, Hayley? Think about what I said. You should get away from here.”
“I’ll think about it.”
He watched her run down the hall before he lifted the two trays and started for the kitchen.
“I can get those,” Mrs. Norwhich said, looking up from a recipe book. “It’s my job.”
“You’re very good at your job, Mrs. Norwhich. That really hit the spot. Thank you for lunch.”
Bram was aware that her gaze followed him as he set down the trays and walked outside. Jacob stood in the yard, lounging against an expensive sports car. He watched as Bram bent to retrieve his tools. Bram was sorely tempted to confront Hayley’s stepbrother, but settled for giving him a hard look before heading in the opposite direction.
The Firstborn Page 11
