She sucked in a deep breath and tried to relax. The room didn’t make it easy. She’d never been in anything this nice before. The guest suite was about the same size as her entire house. She had her own television and VCR. Amazing. There was a small desk tucked in the corner, a sofa with a nice lamp. That would be a great place to read. Whoever had set up this room had thought of everything.
She heard footsteps in the hallway. Her heart rate increased and for a second, she thought it might be Stone coming to welcome her. She hadn’t seen him since late last night. But instead, Ula entered the room.
“They’re gone,” she said, and smiled. But the smile didn’t reach her dark eyes. Cathy had the sense that while the housekeeper might not mind having her here, part of her was holding back.
“Thank you for all of this,” Cathy said, motioning to the room. “It’s very impressive.”
“It is nice, isn’t it? Stone hired a brilliant decorator to help him with the house. I always tell him it’s a shame that these beautiful rooms stand empty so much. We never have company. You must promise to let me spoil you.”
“Thank you. I don’t want to be too much trouble.”
“No trouble,” Ula told her. “Stone doesn’t eat enough to keep body and soul together. Three women come in every week to do the cleaning. I get tired of sitting around doing nothing. It’s been three years since there was any life in this house. I don’t think Stone has had anyone to stay since Miss Evelyn died.”
“Miss Evelyn?” she asked. Who was she? Stone’s mother?
“Yes. She died in a car accident nearly three years ago. She was Stone’s wife.”
Chapter Four
Cathy set her fork down and stared at the plate in front of her. Ula had brought her a huge amount of food, and to her embarrassment, she’d eaten it all. She hadn’t thought she was hungry until the housekeeper had shown up with the tray, but then her stomach had growled and she’d taken that first bite. As the savory roast beef had practically melted on her tongue, she’d been lost. Maybe she could explain her appetite. After all, she hadn’t eaten much at the hospital, what with being unconscious and having surgery. Before that, well, it had been the end of the month and her money had been tight…as usual. She’d been living on packages of pasta and canned soup.
She pushed the tray aside. The tall table on wheels moved easily. She wondered at the-piece of hospital equipment in an otherwise well-decorated house. She hoped Stone hadn’t bought it for her brief stay and rehabilitation.
She supposed she could ask him, if and when she saw him. She’d been in the house since early afternoon and hadn’t seen him. Of course, she’d been confined to bed and hadn’t been able to go exploring. Not that she would. While the house was lovely and she was sure she would find treasures in every room, she wasn’t comfortable here. She wasn’t even sure why he’d brought her here.
Cathy shrugged, trying to shake off the feeling of restlessness. She told herself the sensation came from the ache in her knee and too much time in her own company. At least at work, she’d had Stone’s phone calls to look forward to. It was ridiculous to think he would call while they were in the same house. Surely he would visit her, wouldn’t he? At least to be polite.
Unless he didn’t want to see her. That was always a possibility. After all she’d done, she couldn’t blame him for that.
Her mind careened in that direction, and she had to pull it up short. She’d spent most of her waking hours beating herself up about the lies she’d told Stone. While she was sure she was going to keep doing that for a while, she wasn’t up to it tonight.
She reached for the television remote control, then let it fall back onto the plush covers. She wasn’t in the mood for that kind of entertainment. She was restless, but unable to move. Although her crutches were within easy reach, getting out of bed was a slow and painful process. She wasn’t going to do it just so she could limp back and forth across the beautiful carpet.
Which meant she had too much time to think. About being here. About Stone. And about Evelyn.
The name still caused a start of painful surprise in her chest. His wife, Ula had said. Somehow Cathy had never thought that Stone might have been married. Which was ridiculous. The man didn’t live in a vacuum. But a wife.
She shook her head. She supposed some of her surprise came from the fact that he was a widower rather than divorced. She wasn’t sure why, but she knew the latter would have been easier to accept. Maybe because it would have meant he was over her. But to have lost his wife in a car accident—probably the same one that had left him scarred—she couldn’t even imagine. Cathy drew in a slow breath. It was no wonder he locked himself away like he did.
Everything was still very confusing to her. Too much had happened in a short period of time. She was here in Stone’s house and for all she knew she was never going to see him again. The place was certainly big enough. He hated her and if he didn’t, he would soon. She wasn’t sure if she still had a job. If nothing else, the answering service was going to have to relocate. What would that mean to her? What had happened to her car, tucked behind the building in the parking lot? What about—?
A knock on her half-open door broke through her long stream of self-torment. She turned toward the sound.
“Yes,” she called, wondering if Ula had come to collect the tray.
“It’s Stone,” the familiar voice said. “Are you up to a little company?”
She wanted it not to matter. She wanted to be able to answer calmly, without her heart pounding and her already spinning thoughts whirling faster and faster. But she couldn’t manage any of that. Instead of sounding cool and casual, her voice came out completely breathless.
“Oh, please, yes,” she told him, and hated how eager she sounded.
“I need you to turn out the light,” he said.
Cathy hesitated. She’d wanted to ask Ula about Stone’s scars, but she hadn’t had the courage. She’d wondered about them, wondered how bad they must be. She didn’t have a whole lot of experience with disfigurement and could only picture things she’d seen in the movies. How bad was his face?
But instead of asking, she did as he requested. With an audible click, the glow from the lamp on her nightstand blinked out and the room plunged into the thick blackness of the night. The only light spilled in from the hallway, and that was muted at best. Cathy strained to see, but Stone was little more than a moving shadow as he pushed open the door and stepped into the room.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
She watched his shape as he walked over to the sofa by the window. He moved with the certainty of one familiar with the night.
“Better,” she said. “A little disoriented. Everything happened so fast.”
“How’s your head and your knee?”
She leaned back into the pillow. If she closed her eyes, she might be able to pretend they were talking on the phone as they’d done a hundred times before. She might be able to forget he was in the room with her. Stone was actually here. She nearly smiled. The correct statement wasn’t that Stone was here, but that she was with him. She still couldn’t believe that.
At least he’d only asked about her head and her leg. He hadn’t asked about her heart or her tummy. Both fluttered uncomfortably.
“I still have a bump on my head,” she said, gingerly pressing her fingertips against the raised ridge by her temple. “My knee is a little sore and very stiff.”
“Physical therapy will help that. You start tomorrow. Aside from that, I want you to take it easy. That’s what the doctor ordered. Plenty of rest and time to recover. Ula is excited to have someone to fuss over.”
Cathy thought about Ula’s quiet appraising stare and didn’t think excited quite described her attitude. “I don’t want to be a bother,” she began, not sure what else she could say. “This is all so…” Her voice trailed off.
Stone raised his hand in what she guessed was a gesture of dismissal. “Don’t even mention that,” he s
aid. “I want to help you. When the alarm went off while we were on the phone…” Now his voice was the one to trail off. He cleared his throat. “I didn’t know what had happened to you. All I could think about was driving to the office to make sure you were all right.”
Cathy frowned. “I don’t remember much about that night,” she admitted. “Everything is a blur. I do know we were on the phone and the fire alarm started. At first I thought it was a test or something. Then I smelled the smoke.”
Thinking about it made her head ache. She could almost inhale the scent of fire again and she shuddered. “I remember that you talked to me. I was so scared.”
“We don’t have to discuss this if it bothers you,” he said.
“No, it’s all right. I don’t remember much after calling 911. They said there was an explosion.” Again she rubbed the tender spot by her temple. “I was tossed through the air and landed on my knee and my head.”
“I’m glad you’re all right.”
His voice was low and familiar. Cathy strained to see him, but the darkness was too thick. Was this really happening to her? Was she really in Stone’s house, talking with him? Had he really brought her here and arranged for physical therapy, and Lord knows what else?
“Why are you doing this?” she asked him.
“Because I want to. We’re friends. If the situations were reversed, wouldn’t you help me?”
“Of course, but that’s not the point.”
“Then what is?”
He moved on the sofa. She watched the shape of him shift, then settle in one place. He was a tall man, with broad shoulders, but he wasn’t bulky. His features remained indistinct. He seemed to be in slacks and a long-sleeved shirt, but that was all she could tell. She supposed the good news about their situation was that if she couldn’t see him, he also couldn’t see her. Although he had been able to see her while she was in the hospital.
She thought about him staring down at her while she was sleeping. Of him seeing the truth and realizing that everything she’d told him was a lie.
“The point is,” she whispered, “I’m a fraud. I’m not a pretty blonde with an exciting life. I’m—” Her voice cracked as the tears formed. Even as her throat tightened, she fought against them. “I don’t have those people as my friends. I don’t really have any friends. Even Muffin was a lie.” The last word was barely audible, despite the quiet in the room.
She remembered how Stone had held her hand in the hospital. She wished he would do that now, that he would approach and offer her comfort. She needed that. Otherwise, she would be left feeling a fool and a complete failure.
“None of that matters,” he told her.
“I don’t believe you.” Irritation gave her strength. “You can’t mean that. I’ve deceived you.”
“You made up some stories about your life. There’s a difference. No one got hurt, Cathy. We all pretend in different ways. I understand how it happens. In business deals, I often bluff.”
“This was a lot more than that.” She swallowed. The threat of tears had faded. “But you’re right about one thing. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” A grim smile twisted her lips. “You, I guess I mean. There wasn’t anyone else involved.”
“Then if I’m willing to forget it ever happened, why aren’t you?”
Because her life had never been that simple or easy. Situations were always complicated for her. But maybe this time it was different, she thought and wished it could be true.
“I suppose I think I should be punished or something,” she said.
“You’re stuck in bed after knee surgery and you nearly died in a fire. How’s that for punishment?”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“Consider the idea and then let it all go. We’ll start fresh. Hi, Cathy, my name is Stone Ward. Tell me about yourself.”
She plucked at the comforter cover. “There’s nothing to tell. That’s why I made up the stories. The real Cathy Eldridge is pretty boring.”
“I think she’s bright and funny. Tell me about your family. The hospital said they couldn’t get in touch with any-one.”
He was trying to make her feel better. Cathy believed that with all her heart. But he was heading in the wrong direction. This line of conversation was even more distressing than the memories of her lies. Then she reminded herself it had been a long time. The past was behind her and had therefore lost its power to hurt her.
“I don’t have any family,” she said. “My father is gone. I don’t know if he’s dead or alive. He took off when I was a baby. My mother never said anything about him. I don’t even know where he’s from. Mom was an orphan. There was always just the two of us. She—”
Cathy paused. How was she supposed to sum up her life in a couple of witty sentences?
“We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to,” Stone told her.
“No, it’s fine. She drank a lot. I took care of her. When she was sober, she was great and that’s how I try to remember her. But I never knew what she was going to be like, so when I was growing up, I didn’t get close to a lot of people. Kids would want to come visit me at home, and I couldn’t take the chance.”
“That sounds lonely.”
“It was.” She shrugged. “I adjusted. I guess I’ve always been a loner.”
“Then we have that in common.”
Cathy stared at him, at the shape of him, and wondered why Stone chose to live like this—so cut off from the rest of the world. He could fit in anywhere. Even if the scars were bad, people would understand. Friends would.
“I used to have a lot of dreams,” she confessed. “About what would happen when I was finally on my own. I had this vision of a wonderful life. Sort of like the one I made up for you.”
“You could still make that happen.”
Cathy thought about her job at the answering service. It didn’t pay very much, and she didn’t have any skills to get another job. She’d once thought about college, but instead of heading off to higher education with the rest of her highschool graduating class, she’d stayed home to take care of her mother. The alcohol had taken its time to ravage the older woman’s body—she’d spent nearly two years trying to die.
“In theory those dreams could come true,” Cathy said. “But it’s been so long now. I’ve forgotten most of them, and it doesn’t really matter anymore.”
“I disagree.”
She knew from past experience there was no point in arguing with him. “What about your dreams?” she asked. “What do you want?”
“I have everything I need,” he told her.
She wanted to point out that want and need were not the same thing at all, but she didn’t think that was her place.
Silence stretched out between them, but it was comfortable. She liked hearing his voice like this. He sounded a little different than he did over the phone. Plus she could see him—sort of. At least the outline of him, the way his body moved when he talked. With him in the room, she didn’t feel so alone.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked. “Tell me the truth this time.”
“I told you the truth before. I brought you here because I care about you. Over the past couple of years, we’ve become friends. I don’t have many of those in my life and I treasure the ones I’ve made. I want you to get better and selfishly I brought you here to make sure that happened. Does that answer your question?”
It did, but it also raised a hundred more. Stone said he thought of her as a friend. Cathy didn’t know what other explanation there was. She’d tried to think of another motive. He could have easily hung up during the fire and not given her another thought. Or he could have visited in the hospital, done his duty as a client of the service, then let her be. But he hadn’t. Maybe she should just stop asking and believe him.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“You’re welcome. Now close your eyes.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” He chuckled. “
Come on. You can trust me.”
“I—” Cathy stared at him, but it was a futile effort. She couldn’t see much of anything. “All right.”
Was he going to turn on the light? Did he want to look at her without her being able to see him?
She sensed movement in the room, then his presence by the bed.
“Keep them closed,” he instructed.
His hand gently squeezed hers, then something soft and warm brushed against her cheek. “Sleep well, Cathy. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”
And then he was gone. Cathy slowly opened her eyes. Without meaning to, she pressed her fingertips to the place he’d kissed her. She told herself it had been a brief peck, a meaningless gesture between friends. It couldn’t be anything more.
Even so, she was smiling as she sank down into the pillows and as she closed her eyes again, she relived the moment over and over until she dropped off to sleep.
*
Stone walked over to the window in his office and stared at the darkness. The house felt more welcoming tonight, and he knew the reason slept up one floor, at the end of the opposite wing.
Cathy. Her presence here was nearly enough to banish the ghosts, even as she, in some ways, echoed them.
She was nothing like Evelyn. Not in appearance or temperament or even circumstances, save the fact that they’d both grown up in families that barely made ends meet. And yet they were so alike.
He drew in a deep breath and promised himself that this time would be different This time he wouldn’t make the same mistakes. This time he would be aware of what was going on. He could help Cathy in ways he’d never been able to help Evelyn. He could fix her life. In some small way, that might atone for the sins of the past. Maybe if he got it right this time, some of the pain would fade away.
Without wanting to, barely aware of the action, he rubbed his fingertips against the scars on the left side of his face.
This time he wouldn’t get involved, he told himself. This time he wouldn’t care too much. He liked Cathy. Friendship was safe—nothing else was permissible. He would ensure that they maintained the relationship they’d already established and nothing more.
The Millionaire Bachelor Page 5
