by Bobbi Smith
"You want me to help you shop?" Lianne was stunned by her offer.
"Of course," she insisted, her eyes alive with good humor. "You could show me all the right places to go for what we need."
Lianne hesitated, unwilling to help spend someone else's money, even if it was going for her beloved home. "But, Becky, you know I'm not really a part of any of this."
"What do you mean?" she was puzzled.
"You own Belle Arbor now, not me. I'm only still here by the grace of your friendship. By rights, Alex and I should be—"
"Right here!" Becky refused to listen to her any more. "You're here because I've invited you to stay, and I don't want to hear any more about it."
Lianne was surprised by the ardency of her statement. Becky Trent was proving to be one formidable woman. The thought made her smile. Maybe Becky really could handle Adam.
"That's better," Becky teased good-naturedly. "Now, you absolutely must help me with all of this. I don't see how I can possibly accomplish all that needs to be done in the short time Adam's given me."
"How much time did you say we have?" Lianne got serious about their discussion again.
"Less than six weeks."
"It'll be difficult, but we can do it."
Adam had just returned to the house and was striding down the main hall heading toward the study. A serious lack of sleep and a whopping hangover from his overindulgence the night before had rendered his mood less than easy-going. He was just about to enter the study opposite the dining room when he overhead the very last of Becky's and Lianne's conversation. Listening to their chitchat, he realized with great consternation that Lianne would be staying on, and he grew furious. How had this happened? Becky knew that he needed no interference in order to pursue his goal. Adam wanted to march into their midst and demand an explanation from his sister as to why Lianne would be helping her with the redecorating, but he controlled himself with an effort.
"Rebecca!" he bellowed from where he stood in the hall. "I'd like to speak with you in the study, please!" With that he stormed inside the study to await her.
Becky had not heard him come inside, and she was surprised by the anger in his tone. "I wonder what's got his dander up?" she remarked with no outward display of worry as she got up to go see what he wanted. "Why don't you finish making that list while I go talk to Adam?"
"Fine," Lianne agreed, hiding her nervousness as she watched her newfound friend leave the room. She knew exactly what was troubling Adam. He'd probably heard what they'd just been discussing and was outraged to find out that she and Alex were staying on for a time. Drawing a deep breath, she started in on the task at hand. Lianne tried to concentrate, but she found it difficult, for at any moment she expected Adam and Becky to emerge from the study with the news that she would indeed have to leave Belle Arbor.
Adam had escaped from the house early that morning just as soon as things began to stir. He'd had no desire to see Lianne again and, in fact, had been silently hoping that he would return home and discover that she and Alex had already packed up and left. He found it unsettling, to say the least, to hear Becky going over her future plans for Belle Arbor with Lianne and asking for her help. He wanted to find out just what his sister was doing.
"Yes, Adam, what it is?" Becky asked as she entered the study to speak with him. There was a definite touch of annoyance in her tone as she eyed him disdainfully. He looked terrible, almost as if he hadn't slept at all the night before, and she wondered what his problem was.
"I want to know why she's still here?" Adam demanded curtly. "Didn't she make plans to move into the city with her uncle or something?"
"No. That didn't work out, so I've invited Lianne and Alex to stay here with us."
"You what!" Adam stared at her in total outrage. "How could you make such arrangements without consulting me? Don't you realize what I'm trying to accomplish here? I can't be worrying about strangers living in the house with us when I'm making my plans."
"I'm sorry, but there was no other way," Becky replied firmly, undaunted by his anger.
"Of course there's another way. Find it."
"No, Adam. You don't understand. You see, Lianne and Alex have nowhere else to go."
"What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped. He did not want Lianne living in the same house with him. "They've got their uncle, let them go live with him."
"It's not that simple," Becky began as she went on to explain their predicament. "So, you see, they're in the direst of straits right now, but everything will be fine when Lianne turns twenty-one."
Adam gave his softhearted sister a strained look. "And just how soon is that?" Silently, he was praying for Lianne's birthday to be next week.
"In about ten months," Becky supplied easily as she cast him a glance from beneath lowered lashes. She knew Adam was deeply involved in his plot to trap Shark, but she felt certain that Lianne's presence here wouldn't hamper his efforts in any way. There was no reason why Lianne would even be aware of his business.
Still, as she watched her brother closely, Becky wondered if there wasn't more to all this. Adam had reacted strangely to Lianne the first time he'd met her, and now this outraged response to the discovery that she'd be staying on seemed out of character for him.
A muscle twitched in Adam's jaw as he fought to control his fury. "I see."
"Good, I knew you would." She went to him where he stood by the window and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Lianne thought you might want her and Alex to leave anyway, but I told her you wouldn't mind them staying on. She's going to help me with all the work around here, and I can certainly use the help."
"Wonderful," he croaked harshly.
"Well, if that's all you wanted, I have to get back to my planning." Becky headed for the door. "By the way, Adam, you look terrible this morning. I know you were working hard last night, but didn't you get any rest at all?"
At his exasperated look, she quickly hurried from the room, leaving him scowling toward the heavens in search of help.
The following days passed in a whirlwind of activity for all of them. Lianne was so caught up by Becky's enthusiasm for their redecorating plans that she hardly had time to think, let alone worry about Adam. The only time they were together for any extended period was at the evening meal. Adam was unfailingly polite to her, but there was a cold indifference behind his actions that somehow had the power to hurt her.
Lianne knew she should have been thanking her lucky stars that he was behaving in such an exemplary manner, but for some reason his lack of interest in her stung. She felt strangely annoyed when he carried on animated conversations with Alex and Becky, and then turned grudging attention to her whenever she joined in.
It was painfully obvious to Lianne that their encounter had meant absolutely nothing to Adam. Though they had made love, he could dismiss her easily now, as if what had occurred between them had been of trivial importance. She had to admit that his aloofness made it easy for her to go on as if nothing had happened, and she knew she should have been relieved. Yet a part of her still ached over his casual dismissal, and she wondered why.
"I'll be traveling into New Orleans tomorrow," Adam announced at dinner. "I have some business that I must attend to."
"That's perfect, Adam," Becky chimed. "Lianne and I will come with you."
The thought of spending long hours in a carriage with Adam unnerved Lianne, and she quickly tried to withdraw from the trip. "That's all right, Becky. Why don't you go into town, and I'll stay here and see to things."
"Nonsense." Becky refused to allow her to stay at the plantation. "You know how much I need your help with the merchants. You have to come with me." She glanced surreptitiously at her brother and noted the sudden tenseness in his expression. Keeping her expression carefully blank, she turned to Adam. "You don't mind, do you? How long did you want to stay?"
"Probably just one day. I had planned to return the day after tomorrow." Adam was angry at his sister's interference, but
could think of no good excuse to get out of taking them along.
The prospect of spending so much time in such close proximity with Lianne irritated Adam. He'd barely been able to control himself around her since the day they'd made love, and he'd been looking forward to a day away from the torture of her nearness.
His heart ached as he regarded her now. He wanted her badly. She was so strikingly beautiful, and all he could remember was how exciting it had been to possess her. She had been a firebrand in his arms, and they had melded so perfectly.
At the memory, Adam felt the familiar tightening in his loins and had to force the remembrance of their time by the pool from his mind. It annoyed him that just the thought of holding her and kissing her could arouse him so. Sitting there in the dining room, he reaffirmed his vow never to touch her again.
"That'll be just fine," Becky was saying as Adam wrestled, unbeknownst to them, with his raging desire for Lianne.
"What am I going to do?" Alex chimed in, hoping that he was going to be included.
"You're going to stay right here," Lianne ordered.
"Aw, Lianne, please let me come along. Please? I promise to be good."
"Sweetie . . ." she began, ready to refuse him, but Adam spoke up.
"Of course you can come," he invited expansively. Having Alex along in the carriage with them for the long drive, he knew, would provide some relief from being in such close quarters with Lianne.
"It's settled, then," Becky said, eyeing Adam suspiciously. He was certainly acting rather strangely. She could have sworn that he'd been irritated by her plan to join him on the trip, and now he had invited Alex along, too. Strange. Very strange. Especially since it was not a pleasure trip. Becky knew that he'd received a note from town that afternoon, and it was probably news from Beau.
The thought of Beau sent a thrill of excitement through her. She hadn't seen him since they'd arrived in New Orleans, and she longed for the chance to be with him again. Becky had loved Beau ever since she was a little girl. Being Adam's best friend, he had always treated her with a brotherly indulgence, and up until several years ago that had been enough for her. Now that she'd become a woman, she wanted him to recognize her as an attractive female, not just as Adam's little sister. So far, she hadn't had much success in getting his attention. His reputation as a ladies' man was well-founded, but she wasn't about to let that stop her. She was going to marry Beau Hamilton, he just didn't know it yet.
"I want to get an early start, Becky, so be ready to go about seven," Adam told her.
"We'll be ready," she assured him, delighted that she would soon get to see Beau again.
Two hours into the journey to town, Adam sat in almost grim silence with his arms folded across his chest, staring out the window of the carriage. He had known that it was a bad idea when Becky had insisted on coming with him, but he'd had no idea that it would have turned into this much of a torturous endeavor for him.
Adam had thought that bringing Alex along would distract him from what he was feeling toward Lianne, but he'd been wrong. Instead of being diverted, Adam had found himself sitting directly across from Lianne. Not only did he have to look at her continually, but at every bump and turn of the carriage their legs touched. He kept trying to shift away from even that little bit of contact, but short of climbing up on the seat like an idiot, there could be no escape.
Their eyes had met only once. Briefly, Adam had seen a flare of emotion reflected there, but Lianne had quickly shuttered her feelings. Then she had gazed at him with the same cool disdain he'd come to expect from her since that night. Miserable over his inability to control his conflicting emotions, he bided his time. Eagerly, he anticipated their arrival in New Orleans.
Lianne managed to maintain her composure even though she longed to flee the confines of the carriage and escape Adam's overpowering closeness. She had made a point of keeping her distance from him ever since that night. Now, trapped as she was in such close quarters, she was forced to admit to herself that Adam was a devastatingly handsome man. It was difficult for her to acknowledge the physical attraction she felt for him. Lianne harbored no doubts at all that she despised him, and it left her completely perplexed to discover that she could desire him even as she hated him.
Her gaze had accidentally met his just once early in the trip, and Lianne had felt the jolt all the way to the very depths of her soul. It had seemed that he could read her most intimate thoughts, and since that moment, she'd masked all her feelings. She would not let him see how deeply he affected her. She would not reveal it to him or to anyone else. She wanted nothing more to do with Adam Trent . . . nothing.
They elected to stay at the elegant St. Louis Hotel while they were in town. As soon as they'd checked in and were safely ensconced in their rooms, Adam made his excuses and left. Becky was a bit surprised by his hasty exit, but made no remark to Lianne. She wasn't sure if he was in a hurry to take care of his own business or if he was just in a hurry to get away from them.
Becky had been very aware of the thread of tension that had existed between her brother and Lianne during the trip to town, and she couldn't help but be curious about it. She had known from the very beginning that Adam was attracted to Lianne, but she had no idea what could have happened between them to create such a strain. One way or another, she planned to find out.
Adam slammed his fist down on the tabletop in testimony to his complete frustration. "Damn! To be so close . . ."
"I know," Beau agreed, as they met later that day at the Samson Saloon. "But there was nothing more we could do at the time. The way I figure it, these are the areas we need to keep searching." He pointed out the strategic points on the charts he had.
"The only trouble I see is that we don't know where Shark's gone or how long he's going to be away. It's going to be a long tedious wait, I'm afraid," Adam remarked. "Judging from what you've told me about your location when you saw the ship, it looks like his home base is somewhere near the backwater exit from Suzanne's plantation."
"And yours," Beau added with a confident smile. "Your winning the plantation was certainly a coup for us. For once, we got a break."
"I know," he agreed. "I could hardly believe it myself when I first found out. It'll be a simple matter for me to slip away now. I'll start making runs with you now that we're so close."
"Good. We'll go out on short runs, a day or two at a time."
"I'll be able to manage that with no problem."
"When did you find out that Suzanne was one of your neighbors? I mean things couldn't have worked out more perfectly."
"I found out from the Ducharme boy, Alex. He was showing me the way through the bayou. That was when I stopped to visit her . . ."
"It must have been difficult for you, finding her wearing the necklace and all." Beau met his friend's gaze and saw the torment there.
"Keeping myself under control at that moment was one of the roughest things I've ever done in my life. All I wanted to do was strangle her, Beau. To think that she's involved with Shark and all his bloodthirsty ways . . ."
"But you did propose."
"I had to. Once I'd seen Elise's necklace, I knew I had to keep an eye on her. What better way than as her fiancée?" Adam took a deep drink of the ale before him. He had sworn off bourbon ever since that night with Lianne.
"Have you told Becky?" Beau asked.
"No, and I'm not going to, not yet anyway."
"That's for the best, I guess, but how have you managed to convince this Suzanne to keep it quiet?"
"I'm planning a big party at Belle Arbor in a few weeks. I told Suzanne that I wanted to announce our engagement then, and she agreed to keep it a secret for the time being."
"Have you been to check on Elise yet?"
Adam rubbed the back of his neck in a weary gesture as he thought of her. "I went there first before coming here to meet you."
"And?"
His bleak expression told it all. "No change."
"I'm sorry, Adam.
I wish there was something I could do to make this easier for you."
"I'm afraid there's nothing anyone can do, Beau."
The two men fell silent for a while as they finished off their drinks. Beau signaled the barmaid to bring two more mugs of ale, and the buxom wench hurried to comply.
"Here ya go, darlin'," Katie, the barmaid, cooed, sidling up to Beau as she set the drinks before them. They were both good-looking men, and she was eager to have either one of them in her bed. "Can I get you anything else?" Her tone said it all as she managed to rub the side of her bosom against Beau's shoulder.
The long months of celibacy at sea had taken their toll on Beau, and he was more than a little interested. The girl was comely enough and clean-looking.
"See me later," Beau told her as he gave her a particularly dashing smile and a huge tip.
"You bet." Katie smiled and winked as she moved off to finish waiting on her other customers.
When she'd gone, Adam grinned knowingly. "I was hoping you could join me for dinner tonight, but if you're going to be otherwise occupied . . ."
"I won't be busy that long," Beau returned his grin. "What time are you planning to eat?"
"Probably around seven. We're staying at the St. Louis."
"So, Becky came along?" For some reason, he was pleased with the prospect of seeing her again.
Adam nodded and then added less than enthusiastically, "The Ducharme girl, Lianne, and her brother, too."
"You mean they're still living on the plantation with you?" Knowing Adam's desire for secrecy, he was astounded by this news.
"Becky's behind it all," Adam remarked, trying to sound offhand about it. He quickly went on to explain the loss of Lianne's inheritance and how they wouldn't have any money until she came of age and could claim her trust.
"I hope they don't get in our way," Beau said grimly, his usually easygoing nature suddenly serious. "They're not thick with Suzanne, are they?"
Adam frowned. "I don't think so, but it wouldn't matter. There's no way anyone is going to find out what we're doing. We're far too close to finding him to take even the smallest risk."
