Hold Back The Dawn

by Duncan, Judith

  Ted looked at her for a long agonizing moment, then nodded his head. "A few more days aren't going to make much difference—and you're right. We could be a mile off base, but I doubt it."

  Leslie let out her breath slowly as the moment of uncertainty passed. She was going to have to be very careful. If Ted discovered what she was considering, he would go straight to Steve. And Steve McRory must not find out about her plan until it was in place. He would probably strangle her when he did, she thought wryly.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  TWO DAYS LATER, a very sophisticated Leslie Kairns was sitting in the sumptuous outer offices of Kaidon Industries. She had arrived in Vancouver the evening before, and had lain awake most of the night, carefully planning how she would neutralize Luther's corrupt dealings. There were some very powerful resources at her disposal, and she was going to employ them to the maximum.

  She felt a small twinge of guilt when she thought of the elaborate network of lies she had told Ted and Maggie to conceal her destination, and her reasons for going. She really hated lying to them, but this was so important—and she had to keep it a secret.

  "Miss Kairns, Mr. Donner will see you now."

  Leslie followed the immaculately groomed secretary and murmured her thanks to the older woman as she was ushered into a grand and magnificent office.

  "Leslie!"

  A short, stout, elderly man stepped from behind his desk and extended his hands in a warm gesture of welcome as he bustled toward her. She smiled at him fondly as she placed her hands in his and kissed his wrinkled cheek.

  "Hello, Gordon. It's good to see you."

  Gordon Donner stepped back and studied her, his round face creased by a broad smile. "You certainly have become a splendid young woman, dear." He squeezed her hands firmly, then shook them in mild rebuke. "It's been a long time since I saw you last— your graduation from university, I think.''

  "It was."

  He released her hands and motioned her into one of the massive, brass-studded leather armchairs that faced his desk. "Constance and I have sorely missed your visits since you've started working." His face grew solemn with concern as he lowered himself into the comfortably battered high-back chair behind his desk. "I must admit, I could never understand why Mac encouraged you to develop a career. It seemed rather pointless, under the circumstances."

  Leslie smiled, her eyes dancing with amusement as Gordon continued to digress into his favorite dialogue—his bewilderment with one Leslie Kairns. Gordon had been her grandfather's partner and trusted friend for many years. He had always been baffled by Mac Kairns's insistance that Leslie not be coddled because of his wealth. Mac firmly believed that an overabundance of luxury could smother a person's initiative and drain them of the will to succeed, and he had deliberately encouraged Leslie to be independent. She had often held part-time volunteer jobs, and her schools had been selected because of their academic excellence rather than for their ability to cater to the idle and frivolous rich. Mac detested most of the young people who frequented his exclusive country club. He felt that a good number of them were drifting purposelessly through life, relying on family wealth to provide for their whims.

  Because of Luther's cold reluctance to acknowledge Leslie's existence, and because of Mac's adamant stance that she be equipped with an adequate education to provide for herself, Leslie had grown up completely isolated from the plastic society that Mac loathed.

  On her grandfather's death, Leslie had been shocked to find out the extent of his immense wealth. He had left her a sizable trust fund, a very valuable art collection, some properties and all his personal effects.

  His two closest cronies had been left property for which they had a personal attachment. Mac gave Ted his hunting lodge, a sizable sum of money and the rifle; he left Gordon his vacation properties in Hawaii, a sixty-foot yacht and the onyx chess set they had spent many hours huddled over. He had remembered everyone else who was close to him, from his secretary, to the accountant who had been with him for forty years.

  Several of his favorite charities had received handsome bequeathals, and he had initiated scholarships in a number of universities. The remainder of his personal fortune had gone to Vivian.

  It had stunned Leslie and absolutely enraged Luther when Mac left her his entire block of controlling stock in Kaidon Industries. The company had extensive international holdings in lumber, mining and diversified manufacturing ventures. Mac had expected that Luther would be incensed, so he had cunningly drawn up the will so it could not be contested.

  After the paralyzing shock had worn off, Leslie had treated the issue with casual indifference. Wealth and power meant nothing to her—her grandfather's death was too heavy a price.

  "You know, Leslie, you don't have to persist with this ridiculous and misplaced commitment to Luther Denver. If you insist on working, why don't you go to work for a mining company? Heaven knows, you own enough of them!''

  Leslie laughed, her eyes sparkling. "I'm not working for Luther anymore, Gordon."

  "Thank God for that! Luther always made my skin crawl!"

  Leslie grinned as she settled back in her chair and crossed her legs. Resting her elbows on the well-padded arms of the chair, she said quietly, "Gordon, I think it's time that Kaidon Industries expanded its interests and took a serious look at the petroleum industry."

  Gordon seemed completely taken aback, but she continued, "I've had the opportunity to be involved in an exploration program that has all the indications of developing into one of the largest natural gas finds in Canada." Her eyes sparkled as she tipped her head to one side. She was also an experienced fisherman—she knew how to wiggle the bait.

  Gordon took it, hook, line and sinker. He hunched over and rested his arms on his desk, his eyes keen with interest. He smiled as he narrowed his eyes. "Don't sit there looking smug, Leslie Kairns—let's have the goods!"

  Leslie curled up in the chair and grinned. "I thought you might be interested." Her face became sober as she went on. "I'll detail the operation for you later, but I'll give you a brief profile of what has happened so far. Ramco Exploration has acquired very significant landholdings in northwestern Alberta."

  Gordon's busy eyebrows shot up and a strange look flitted across his face. "I take it that you are now employed by Ramco Exploration?''

  "Yes, I am."

  "Good company—I've heard a bit about them." He waved her on. "Do continue."

  "Well, the bottom line is that because of some unethical machinations by Denver Oil, Ramco cannot raise sufficient capital to cover the cost of the exploration program. I think Luther is trying to force Ramco into raising the necessary capital by liquidating some of their landholdings in this particular area. Denver can pick up the leases and cash in on the bonanza."

  Gordon Donner leaned back in his chair and studied the young woman in front of him, a reminiscent smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He didn't say anything for the longest time, then he reached over and pressed the button on his intercom.

  "Cathy, hold all my calls and cancel all my appointments for the remainder of the day. Oh, and phone my wife and tell her I'm bringing Miss Kairns home for dinner." He leaned back again and pressed his fingers together in a steeple. "Now, Mac Kairns's granddaughter, let's hear it from the beginning."

  Leslie slipped off her shoes and snuggled deeper into the comfortable chair, and in a clear steady voice she told Gordon Donner the whole story. She eliminated no detail, except, of course, her personal feelings for Steve McRory.

  When she finished relating the sequence of events, Gordon studied her through hooded eyes. Then he rammed a partially smoked cigar in his mouth and lit it. He puffed on it reflectively for a moment, then held it between his thumb and forefinger as the blue smoke eddied around his head in a gentle swirl.

  "This Steve McRory means a great deal to you, doesn't he?" He was contemplating the tip of his cigar, a look of contrived innocence upon his face.

  She didn't even try to prevar
icate—it wouldn't work with Gordon anyway. Her eyes were sober and dark as she answered, "Yes, he does."

  "And how does he feel about you?"

  Leslie looked down at her clasped hands and tried to keep her voice from exposing the twist of pain that stirred within her. "He sees me as a capable geologist."

  "Does he know you're here?"

  Leslie's head shot up, her eyes registering her alarm. "Heavens, no! He has no idea who I am—he doesn't even know that Luther is my stepfather. Gordon, he must never find out about my...my involvement with Kaidon Industries!"

  Gordon snorted. "My dear, you and I are Kaidon Industries!"

  "I know, but—"

  "Would that influence his attitude toward you in any way?" It was a pointed question, and Leslie knew exactly what Gordon was hinting at.

  She shook her head in a gesture of deprecation. "Do you mean, would he suddenly view me differently if he knew about my wealth?"

  Gordon nodded.

  Leslie smiled dryly. "Yes, he would view me very differently. If he had any idea what I was doing right now, he would fire me so fast that I wouldn't know what hit me. He doesn't like schemers. And he definitely isn't the type who would fall all over a woman simply because she had money coming out of her ears!"

  Gordon chuckled. "I see. I do believe I detect a note of disgruntlement!" He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he digested the information she had divulged. There was an electric silence, then he stood up, walked over to the wall and pressed a button. A door slid open, revealing a built-in bar. He poured a glass of Perrier water, then raised the glass, his bushy eyebrows questioning. Leslie nodded her acceptance. He poured a second glass and splashed ice cubes in both drinks. Handing her one, he seated himself behind his desk again.

  "I take it Ted has no knowledge of your little scheme?"

  Leslie looked only slightly sheepish. "No—I lied. He and Maggie think I've gone skiing in Banff."

  "Why didn't you confide in him?"

  "Because I knew as soon as he found out I was coming to see you, he would go straight to Steve. I had a hard enough time convincing him not to say anything about Luther being my stepfather."

  "Ted's going to find out sooner or later, you know."

  "I know, but I want to postpone the day of reckoning for as long as I can."

  Gordon smiled, his eyes twinkling. "You have a touch of deviousness in you, you know." He rubbed his nose reflectively. "When will you be back at Redwillow?"

  "We should get there about noon on Thursday. We're flying to Grande Prairie that morning.''

  "Hmm. So...you would prefer to have Kaidon make its financial commitment before Ted finds out what you're up to?"

  "Yes."

  "He's been very supportive, I take it?"

  "Very. He's been an absolute brick—I wouldn't have had the courage to go on with this after I left Denver if it hadn't been for him."

  "How do you see this investment being arranged?"

  "I'm sure some sort of legal arrangement can be made whereby only my shares in Kaidon are used as collateral for the venture."

  Gordon stared at her, his solemn expression masking the sparkle in his eyes. "So it would be a no-risk venture for me?"

  "Yes."

  He rubbed his nose again, then sighed with mock despair. "Leslie, Leslie! Would you deny an old man some excitement in his sunset years?"

  Leslie experienced a surge of emotion as she studied his face, trying to find some indication that he was joking. He chuckled at her intent look, then picked up the phone.

  "How do I get in touch with this paragon of yours?"

  Her face came alive with a mixture of relief and elation, and her voice was choked with emotion as she gave Gordon Steve's phone number at the Redwillow drilling location. She held her breath as the older man dialed, silently praying that Steve would be at his trailer.

  He was.

  "Mr. McRory, this is Gordon Donner of Kaidon Industries in Vancouver speaking. I understand you are trying to arrange the financial backing for a petroleum exploration program in Alberta. Is that correct?"

  Steve's response was acknowledged by several nods of Gordon's bald head.

  "I see. Mr. McRory, Kaidon is always interested in participating in new ventures, and we would certainly consider this type of investment. Would it be possible for you to come to Vancouver immediately so that we could explore the possibility of a joint venture?" There was another long pause.

  "Friday morning would be fine. It might expedite matters if you could arrange to have your legal people here as well." Gordon winked at Leslie. "Fine! Fine! We'll see you the first thing Friday morning, Mr. McRory."

  Gordon Donner barely had time to hang up the phone before Leslie pounced on him and hugged him soundly. He patted her cheek awkwardly, unused to open displays of affection.

  There was a reminiscent look in his eyes when he finally spoke. "I do believe that Old Mac knew what he was doing after all. I believe he did."

  IT WASN'T UNTIL THE TRIP BACK to Grande Prairie that Ted had a chance to tell Leslie what he had found out about Luther Denver while he was in Calgary.

  "You were right, Les. Luther does want to get back into Redwillow."

  "How did you find out?"

  There was a twinkle in Ted's eyes when he answered her. "I took Willie Thompson to lunch."

  Leslie laughed. Willie Thompson was a drilling engineer for Denver Oil, and was probably the biggest gossip in the industry. "So what did Willie have to say?"

  "Well, it seems that Luther hired some hotshot geologist from the States who has a big reputation as a finder. He had a look at the research you did, and to make a long story short, he told Luther that Redwillow was the hottest geological prospect he'd seen in a long time."

  "You're kidding."

  "No—hell, no! I guess the fellow didn't know Luther had sold off his land position in that area."

  Leslie's eyes were wide with anticipation. "What did Luther do?"

  Ted chuckled. "Willie said Luther went into a rage—he tried to lay the blame everywhere except on his own doorstep."

  There was a flash of anger in Leslie's voice. "That's Luther for you."

  "That's not the whole story. The geologist figured that the basin might be several miles larger than you projected, so Luther had a helicopter fly this guy in to see if he could find the beach outcrop."

  "And did he?"

  "Yeah, he did—it took him two weeks, but he found it. Luther did some scrambling and tried to pick up the rights to the land on the northwest edge. When he found out that Ramco had those, too, I guess he nearly tore the building down."

  "I'll bet he did!" Leslie nodded her head, her mouth set in a firm line. So Luther was caught in his own trap. Her face became sober as she thought about the outcome of Luther's discovery. "I suppose that was when he started undermining Ramco?"

  "That's right."

  "Are you going to tell Steve?"

  "Yeah, he has a right to know—not that it will do him any good."

  Leslie wanted so badly to tell Ted about her intervention on Ramco's behalf, but she simply had to keep Kaidon's involvement a secret until the plans for the joint venture had been ratified. If Ted found out what she had done, he'd go directly to Steve, and Steve, she was certain, would refuse to deal with Kaidon—and with Leslie Kairns.

  She was feeling really edgy about the whole thing. If luck was with her, Ted wouldn't find out who was negotiating the deal. There was the very real risk that Steve would confide in Ted about the offer, however. She wished she could come up with some scheme to keep them apart until Steve left for Vancouver. And if, by some incredible miracle, her luck held, there was a chance that Steve would never find out about her part ownership of Kaidon. There was a chance, a very slim chance...

  "Leslie, did you hear what I said?"

  She'd been so deep in her thoughts that she wasn't aware Ted had said anything. "I'm sorry, Ted, I'm afraid I wasn't listening."

  "I said, apparent
ly this geologist graduated from university with Steve, and he told Luther that Steve was the best damned geologist in the class. Apparently he has a sixth sense—"

  "Steve's a geologist?" Leslie's voice registered her shock. A geologist—no, it couldn't be! "But he told me he had his degree in petroleum engineering!"

  "He does, but he took geology first. He's pinpointed some large finds for Ramco."

  Leslie's brow creased with a puzzled frown, and she chewed her bottom lip. Why? Why had he never told her he was a geologist? Why had he hired her, for that matter? He certainly didn't need her, even for the preliminary work. He could have done that himself once he knew where the basin was located, and Ted had given him that almost immediately. Why? It didn't make any sense...

  TED AND LESLIE ARRIVED back at Redwillow just in time for lunch. They went into the kitchen together, but Ted paused at the door as he scanned the room. Then he turned to go.

  "Aren't you going to have anything to eat?" He shook his head. "No. I want to talk to Steve right away and tell him what I found out."

  If Leslie could have been granted one wish right then, she would have had Ted locked in a closet until Steve left for Vancouver. She had a strong hunch that Steve would say nothing about the possibility of a joint venture with Kaidon until the negotiations were finalized, but she didn't know for sure. Steve had to leave sometime today to be there early the next morning, so there was only a matter of hours that she had to worry about. Her eyes were dark with apprehension as she watched Ted walk out of the kitchen—damn it, nothing could go wrong now. It just couldn't! But she didn't do a very good job of convincing herself.

  Leslie caught a ride back to the rig with the camp attendant, who was taking lunch over to the men on shift. She had planned on walking, but it was so cold outside that she changed her mind. Winter was here, even if it hadn't snowed yet. It was strange, but as they approached the rig, she felt like she was coming home—and she hadn't felt like she ever had a home since her grandfather had died. The noise of the rig, the racks of drill pipe, the smell of diesel fuel were now a familiar and somehow reassuring part of her existence, her life. This was all so real, so exciting, so worthwhile. Yes, it was good to be back.