The Secret Millionaire

by Ryanne Corey

  Unfortunately, with the sunlight slanting in from the west, the seventeen shades of paint she had so lovingly applied took on a startling brilliance that actually hurt one’s eyes. It would have been better had she introduced Zack to her pride and joy in the soft light of morning, when the colors were mellowed and radiantly honeyed. It was a bit less intimidating that way. It was strange how very much she wanted Zack to like her masterpiece. She had put her heart and soul into every brush stroke, every bit of gold-leafing, each elaborate doodad and ornament. Her home provided tremendous insight into her secret hopes and dreams, standing proud for all the world to see.

  She parked her car in the circular drive, her fingers shaking just a bit with nervousness. She got out and leaned against the car door, waiting as Zack’s silver beast purred up behind. In the space of a heartbeat, he turned off the engine and climbed out of the car, staring her down for a full thirty seconds. Surprisingly he gave no impression of even seeing the attention-grabbing Victorian.

  “Are you insane?” he asked.

  Anna could see by looking into his eyes that this was not a rhetorical question. The man sincerely wanted an answer.

  “Of course I’m not insane,” she said indignantly. “Why? Just because of the colors? If you can’t understand someone wanting to be original—”

  “What colors?” Zack barked. “Are you talking about this house? I don’t care what color your house is. Do you realize I should have arrested you about fifty times on the way up here?”

  “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about your driving, and I use the term loosely. Do you realize how much time you spent on the wrong side of the road? How on earth have you stayed alive this long?”

  “Oh. My driving. Well, I like my driving to be original, too. Stop being an officer of the law for two minutes, you’re on vacation.” She thought it was a very good time to distract him. She pushed away from the car, wiping her palms on her pants. “So, anyway, tell me what you think of my—”

  “Oh, no. You’re not getting off that easy. What got into you? I would have pulled alongside you and told you to slow the hell down, but I was too scared to get that close.” For the past three hours Zack Daniels had experienced something completely new in his life: fear, razor-sharp and cutting-edge deep. Up until this point in his life, he’d never truly been afraid of anything. He had known Anna Smith for barely twenty-four hours, but the possible consequences of her crazed NASCAR driving were anathema to him. How dare she risk her life by not paying attention to the rules of the road? Zack had never been one to get overly excited about motor vehicle transgressions, but right now he was way past “overly excited.” Yesterday he had discovered her. Today he could have lost her. “Just please tell me you don’t drive like that all the time. Tell me you went temporarily insane or something. You have no idea how much better that would make me feel.”

  “Listen, I don’t drive like that all the time,” Anna muttered, unwilling to tell him why she had been so distracted. “I was just…excited to come home. We’re going to change the subject now. How do you like my house? And before you answer, I want you to know that I restored it all by myself, top to bottom.”

  Zack sighed deeply—it seemed he was doing a lot of that lately—and took his first really good look at Anna’s home. The setting was perfect—tree-lined streets, sprinklers chugging away on every other lawn, a couple of kids playing basketball in the adjoining driveway. But the house itself was a sight to see, something he’d never seen the like of before. Right off the bat he flinched with the shock of all those colors, then he pulled himself together and studied the house with the eye of a trained observer. His gaze roamed over the exotic ornamentation, the lacy trims, the painted flowers and birds on the stucco archways. He felt as if he had stepped into a time warp, transporting him to a softer, gentler age. Anna was there in all the whimsical details, her vibrant beauty and individuality reflected in the vivid colors and the imaginative flourishes. This was a house that had a delightful personality, and that personality was every bit as fascinating, imaginative and unique as Anna was herself.

  She’s a wonder, he thought to himself.

  “It’s truly amazing,” he said quietly. He turned his attention back to Anna, a smile shaping his lips into the sweetest curve. “It’s you,” he said simply.

  There was no sarcasm or artificial flattery in his tone, something Anna picked up on immediately. She had taken an enormous amount of teasing because of her enthusiastic restoration job. No one these days seemed to appreciate a truly creative endeavor…except for this remarkable man with hair as dark as a raven’s wing and the most appealing smile she had ever seen. “You really do like it, don’t you? I have to tell you that none of my friends appreciated my interpretation of genuine Victoriana. In fact, Kyle thinks I might be color-blind. He wants me to get an eye test.”

  “The more I hear about the man, the less I like him,” Zack said. He strolled toward Anna, hands pushed carelessly into the pockets of his leather jacket. His smile stayed, growing sweeter with every step. “It’s fairly obvious that Kyle doesn’t get it.”

  Anna cleared her throat, his nearness kicking her pulse into what she had come to think of as Zack-rhythm. “Kyle doesn’t get what?”

  “This house is a wonderful background for you,” he said, his silvery eyes delving softly, deeply into her. “Whimsical, appealing and unforgettable. Anyone with half a brain could see you belong here.”

  “What do you know?” Anna murmured, shaking her head. “You’re a romantic. Very possibly the only romantic law-enforcement officer in existence. I’m honored to have you here, Mr. Romantic Policeman. And I sincerely appreciate your appreciation of my home.”

  Zack was deeply embarrassed and decided to give her something else to think about. He stepped even closer, his soft, deep-set eyes beguiling. He reached out his hand, brushing the back of his knuckles against her cheek. “You know, if we’re determined to fool your buddy Kyle, we should—”

  Without warning, the lovely moment crashed to earth with a jarring thud.

  Oddly, neither of them had heard the sound of a car’s engine. One moment, they were alone with a watercolor sunset and a rainbow Victorian. The next moment there were three of them in the picturesque setting: Zack, Anna and a tall fellow with a thundercloud in his face getting out of a Ford truck.

  “An unexpected visitor dropping in on us,” Zack said, raising his voice to be clearly heard by the new arrival. Normally people weren’t able to sneak up on him quite like this. It was a good thing he was on vacation and not on duty. He was losing his edge. “Hello, unexpected visitor. Who might you be?”

  Kyle barely nodded to Anna, all his attention focused curiously on Zack. “Funny, I was just about to ask that myself. I haven’t met you before.”

  “Well then, this must be your lucky day, buddy,” Zack replied with cloying sweetness. “Something tells me you’re Kyle.”

  Kyle gave him a stiff little smile. “In the flesh. You have the advantage of me.”

  “You’re quick, Kyle, picking up on that already. I like a good loser.”

  “Oh, dear.” Anna realized this was rapidly getting out of hand, and the two men hadn’t even been formally introduced. She stepped between them with a stiff, painted-on smile, feeling like she had just planted herself in the middle of a minefield. “Let’s start over. Kyle, this is Zack Daniels. Zack, meet my friend Dr. Kyle Stevens. He’s a veterinarian in Grayland Beach. I told you about him.”

  After a pregnant pause the men shook hands briefly. “Pleasure,” Kyle said, his eyes conveying another message altogether.

  “Delightful.” Zack looked the man over, wishing Kyle had been really short or really overweight. Unfortunately, he looked like a regular guy. His tanned features were full of expression, hinting at the intelligence of the man within. He was perhaps an inch taller than Zack, and moved with a grace unusual in such a large man. His curly brown hair was thinning a bit, whic
h was nice. He also wore a yellow golf shirt so bright it almost hurt Zack’s eyes to look at it. Zack had never sized up a man as competition before, since he’d never felt in the least bit threatened by anyone else. “Anna has told me all about you, Kyle. You’re getting married soon, right? To a great girl named Carrie. You must be very much in love with Carrie.”

  Kyle took a step closer to Zack, his chin lifted defensively. “I don’t know if you’re trying to irritate me, but you’re doing a real good job of it.”

  Zack showed his teeth in something that was supposed to be a smile. “Well, I’d ask you to step outside, but we are outside. Still, if you—”

  “Now, stop it,” Anna said sternly. She abandoned any hope of the men having a civilized, grown-up conversation. “Let’s get the luggage inside. It’s been a long trip, and it’s getting late.”

  “Too late,” Zack echoed, smiling as he met Kyle’s stormy eyes.

  Anna took Zack on a tour of her home while Kyle trailed behind like a loyal spaniel on guard. The interior of Anna’s home was everything Zack knew it would be, true to its Victorian nature down to the smallest details. Like Anna, very genuine. The rooms weren’t particularly large, but possessed a charm and warmth that was almost tangible. Stained-glass windows were abundant, filling the interior with a hazy rainbow of colors. The bow-windowed parlor impressed visitors with an enormous crystal chandelier hanging from a ten-foot ceiling. The flooring and wainscot walls were burnished mahogany, window treatments made of burgundy fabric trimmed with extravagant fringe and tassels. There were little statues, silk flowers and jeweled lamps everywhere, as well as elaborately carved upholstered furniture. The dining area and kitchen were also on the main floor, with a glass-enclosed porch at the rear of the house. A spiral wooden staircase led to the bedroom suites on the second floor, while the third floor was dedicated to Anna’s “studio.” Here Zack realized the complexity of the woman who was so fascinating to him. There were several canvasses propped on easels, a couple of bar stools, and shelves laden with paper, paints, chalk and turpentine. An over-stuffed chair snuggled against a deep bay window that overlooked the sea, with floor-to-ceiling bookcases nearby. Several bedsheets covered the floor, protecting the lustrous mahogany.

  Studying the paintings themselves, Zack found yet another surprise. Each and every one of the paintings was absolutely horrible, with no exception. He glanced warily at Anna, patently relieved to see an understanding smile lifting her lips. Obviously, she knew these weren’t exactly masterpieces. “You didn’t tell me you…try to paint.”

  “I haven’t had time. I’ve only known you for one—” Anna paused, glancing at Kyle “—for one week. I figured we’d get to all this eventually. Actually, this is the way I let off pressure. If I had a bad day at school, or if something is bothering me, I come up here and splash a little paint around. It’s very therapeutic.”

  “There’s a lot I don’t know about you yet,” Zack murmured, eyeing her appreciatively. “You’re just one surprise after another.”

  “Speaking of surprises, when did you two meet?” Kyle asked.

  Before Anna could answer, Zack jumped right in. “We met the second day of her vacation. I felt like I’d known her all my life. Anna’s very comfortable to be around.”

  “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know,” Kyle replied. “I’ve known her for a lot longer than you have.”

  “But not as well,” Zack shot back in a silky voice.

  “Oh, will you two give it a rest?” Anna felt the first whimper of a headache. She’d known Kyle was going to be difficult when she returned home, but she hadn’t realized Zack was going to do his very best to irritate him even further. When they were finally alone again, she planned on having a little talk with him about his very specific responsibilities in this charade. “Let’s go see what’s in the fridge for dinner, children,” she said, heading for the staircase. “I can’t promise much, but I’m hoping if you two are busy chewing you won’t be able to growl at each other.”

  That wistful fantasy, however, was not to be.

  Seated at the antique cherrywood table in the kitchen, they made a meal of fried eggs, quite literally the last bit of food in her refrigerator. If Anna had hoped the lack of a decent meal might inspire Kyle to politely take his leave, she was dead wrong. He seemed glued to his chair, trading barely disguised insults with Zack. Neither man was paying much attention to their hostess or to their fried eggs.

  Headache thundering, Anna finally decided to call a “truce-or-else.” She suddenly slammed her palms on the antique table hard enough to make the plates jump, looking from Zack to Kyle with mutiny in her eyes. “Enough already! You two are making me crazy. Why can’t you be nice to each other? Why can’t you be polite?”

  “Probably,” Zack ventured helpfully, “because I don’t like him.”

  “What a coincidence,” Kyle muttered.

  Anna groaned, knuckling her tired eyes. “This must be what it feels like to have children who argue constantly. I hope you’re both happy, because you’ve given me the granddaddy of all headaches and I probably won’t ever have children, and it’s all your fault. Why can’t you two act your age? Actually, if you’d make an effort to act even half your age, I would be grateful.”

  Zack’s smile fell off his face as he studied the weary bent of Anna’s head. This little testosterone contest might be a kick for him, but Anna was obviously at the end of her rope. He pushed his chair back from the table and stood up, giving the top of her head a little pat. “You’re right, kiddo. I’m sorry. I think I’ll go outside and get my things, maybe take a little walk down on the beach. You two can catch up while I’m gone. Nice insulting you, Stevens. Let’s do it again some time when the pretty lady isn’t around.” And he strode off, cheerfully whistling “There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight.”

  Kyle waited until he heard the front door slam, then turned on Anna. “What do you think you’re doing? You can’t bring some man home from your vacation like a souvenir you picked up. What’s the matter with you? This guy could be anybody.”

  “Well, as it turns out, this guy is very nice, so stop obsessing. Would it make you feel better if I told you Zack is a policeman?”

  “No. He’s still a stranger.”

  Anna avoided Kyle’s eyes, looking down at one very cold fried egg that looked right back at her with its single yellow eye. “You know, when you think about it, an egg is not a pretty thing. It’s the yolk that turns me off. Not very appetizing.”

  “Anna, if you’re going to try and distract me, find a subject more interesting than egg yolks. We both know why you left. Now you come home with a shiny new boyfriend in tow, and I’m supposed to be happy? I know I was out of line when I told you how I felt about you. I should have talked to Carrie first, and I apologize for that. But that’s no reason for you to immediately jump into another relationship.”

  “What do you mean, another relationship?” Anna was hurting, knowing she was close to losing the best friend she had in the world. He had been a wise and funny companion, a man completely without airs or pretense. Why did he have to ruin everything? “We don’t have a relationship, Kyle. We’re the very best of friends, but that’s all we are. What you’re doing isn’t fair, not to Carrie and not to me. Besides, I like Zack. It hasn’t gone any further than that, but I want to give this a chance and see what happens. One day maybe I’ll be lucky enough to find the same thing you found with Carrie.”

  Kyle stared out the window, his jaw set. “What am I supposed to say to that?”

  Anna ignored his question. “How is Carrie? I hope you didn’t tell her—”

  “About my second thoughts?” Kyle looked back at Anna, not even trying to hide the naked emotion in his eyes. “No. I wouldn’t know what to say. I don’t understand myself what’s happening here.”

  “Nothing is happening here,” Anna said gently. “I love you like a brother. We’ll always be friends.”

  For a long moment
he stared at her, a muscle ticking in his hard cheek. Then, without another word, he stood up and left. Anna watched him through the kitchen window walking toward his truck. His shoulders had a tired look, as if all the troubles in the world were resting there.

  “Bye, Kyle,” she whispered, tears misting her eyes.

  Five

  Zack was being a very good boy. At least, he thought he was being a very good boy. Judging by the way Anna was suddenly looking at him, she might have a different opinion.

  She had led him to one of the bedrooms on the second floor, a large room with a fireplace, half-tester bed and private bath. It was definitely a “girly” room, with pale-rose walls, a cream-colored crocheted lace bedspread and matching draperies. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he told her he would be more than comfortable here.

  At that she’d smiled faintly, knowing he probably had never stayed in a pink bedroom in all his life. Then he’d made the mistake of asking where her room was. The question had been very polite and completely innocent, but Anna hadn’t taken it that way.