At the Midnight Hour (13 page)

Liz turned away.

“I don’t want to believe you’re capable of murder,” she said finally.

It wasn’t enough, and they both knew it. She didn’t want to believe he was capable of murder, not she didn’t believe he had killed his wife. Not she believed in him.

Richard’s jaw tightened with barely suppressed bitterness, but he forced himself to do nothing, to say nothing. Even after all these years, the control came at a harsh price.

He stood, swallowing the last of his brandy and setting down the glass on the mantel with a resounding click in the silence.

Against his will, his eyes found her one last time. God, he wanted to hate her, he wanted to keep her shut out of his dark and bitter world. But even now, when his blood simmered with anger and his fists clenched with the effort of control, he found her beautiful.

Even now, he only wanted to drag her into his arms and kiss her until she cried his name in breathless surrender. He wanted to ravage her until she could see nothing but him, think nothing but him. Until his name fell from her lips as a gasp, as a prayer.

And then what, Richard?
the voice inside him whispered cynically.
Would she believe in you then?

“Good night, Miss Guiness,” he said abruptly. “And thank you for the conversation.”

And then, without giving her another chance to speak, he stalked from the room.

Long after he’d left, Liz remained staring at the doorway. Once more, the intense emotions swirling in the library faded with his absence. Now it was simply herself and the low burn of the forgotten fire.

Sitting there alone, she wished she had the courage to call him back. She wished she understood even a little of this dark man who filled her thoughts and tormented her nights.

And she wondered at the bleakness that seemed to fill her heart.

S
aturday morning dawned bright and brisk. As it was her first day off since starting her new job, Liz pulled on a pair of worn jeans, covering them with an old blue sweater. After brushing her hair briskly, she pulled it back in a casual ponytail. A pair of silver hoops completed the outfit.

Now the question was, what to do?

She needed to go outside, she decided once and for all. A long walk would do her good. Perhaps somewhere along the way her equilibrium would be restored and this nervous feeling would leave her stomach for good. This house...sometimes she swore it had a life of its own, and it seemed determined to suffocate her with its stale memories and ghosts.

She paused in the doorway, and unbidden, thoughts of Alycia filled her mind. There was so much she didn’t understand yet, or even know. Maybe this afternoon she would pay a visit to the town library. A small frown furrowed her forehead as she thought about it. Considering how involved she was becoming with the household, going there to conduct a little research would probably be best.

With a short nod of her head, she left her room. Walk first, then town library.

In the foyer, Blaine was standing with Jillian, Parris and Greg. All four looked up as she approached, and she flashed a friendly smile. Except for dinner, she’d hardly seen the group at all. They appeared to keep their own frantic schedule.

As she approached the bottom of the stairs, Blaine whistled at her.

“Hey, nanny, I like the outfit,” he gave her an appreciative grin, winking broadly.

Behind him, Jillian frowned slightly.

“It’s my day off,” Liz informed him, ignoring his suggestive eyes and purposefully keeping her tone light. She didn’t know enough about the group of friends to know if Jillian and Blaine were involved, but she had no intention of treading where she clearly wasn’t wanted. “I’m planning on going for a nice long walk,” she said easily.

“Oh, don’t do that,” Blaine replied immediately. “Come riding with us instead.”

“What a smashing idea!” Parris piped up in his best fake English accent. His hazel eyes swept over her jean-encased legs with as much relish as Blaine had examined them. Liz felt on the verge of blushing, when Greg bailed her out.

“We always ride,” he said simply, his tone much more natural than that of the others. “Jillian loves the horses, and Blaine and Richard maintain the best stable. If you join us, we’ll be the Gang of Five again.”

Jillian stiffened immediately, and Liz instinctively backed off with a wave of her hand. Unfortunately, neither Blaine nor Parris seemed to notice Jillian’s discomfort.

“It’s settled,” Blaine announced grandly. “She’s coming.”

“No, no,” Liz tried. “Really, I just want to walk.”

“It’s too late for that,” Jillian interrupted suddenly, her voice cool while her blue eyes frowned at Blaine. “He has his mind set, so you may as well give in gracefully. In case you haven’t noticed, Blaine always gets his way.”

The undercurrent in those words made Liz uneasy, but none of the others seemed to notice. They simply took it for granted that she would join their jovial group and it would be a grand time for all.

“What’s this?” came a deep voice from above. They all looked up to see Richard standing at the top of the left-hand stairs. Though it was only midmorning, he appeared to be coming down from the tower, rather than heading up. “Organizing another one of your outings, Blaine?”

Blaine nodded at his older brother. “Yes, we’re all going riding. And Liz just agreed to grace us with her beautiful presence.”

Richard’s eyes swept over to Liz, his gaze emotionless as usual. But his eyes had a way of lingering, a way of smoothing down her figure like a caress. She had to repress the shivers that crept along her spine.

“So you’re getting to ride,” he said to her, his voice low and soft in the vaulted room.

Liz barely nodded, discovering suddenly that she’d lost her voice.

Richard’s eyes returned to the group, speculative and grim.

“Come now, older brother,” Blaine goaded. “Why don’t you join us, as well? Or will your lab become jealous?”

Liz glanced at Blaine sharply, but his face was empty except for his large, playboy grin. It might have been simple innocent teasing, except the room had suddenly gone thick with tension. Greg began to shift uncomfortably, while Parris had an open scowl of dislike on his face. Jillian appeared as unruffled and cool as ever in her smart Hunter garb, except, of course, when her eyes fell upon Liz. Then her jaw tightened noticeably.

At the top of the stairs, Richard’s gaze returned to Liz. She looked as fresh and beautiful as ever. Her pulled-back hair revealed the clean, simple lines of her face, the rosy, healthy glow of her complexion. And she was smiling, that glowing open smile that pulled at his gut. Didn’t she know she was supposed to have more reserve? Didn’t she know what that smile did to him?

He turned back to Blaine, dear brother Blaine who looked at Liz with wolfish eyes. Richard’s voice was clear when he spoke, his eyes betraying nothing.

“All right,” he said simply. “I believe I will join you.”

Blaine’s jaw practically dropped to the floor. “Pardon?”

“I said I’ll join you.”

“But—”

Whatever he was about to say, Blaine abruptly cut himself off. Instead, he nodded with blue eyes that had suddenly become dark and disturbed. From where she stood, Liz could see the anger settle raw and uncomfortable on his face. He was definitely not happy with his older brother’s unexpected answer. Feeling the tension ratchet up yet another notch, Liz smoothly spoke to ease the troubled atmosphere.

“Why don’t you meet us at the stable, then,” she called up to Richard. “Surely one of us can get your horse ready for you while you change.”

“Yes, a groom can see to that.”

“Then we’ll meet you there,” Liz affirmed, starting to usher the group out the door and put an end to the unease.

Above, Richard nodded, watching as the group walked out of the house. He stood there a minute longer, his eyes following Liz’s vanishing form through the doorway. When she was out of sight, he finally proceeded down the stairs and journeyed to his room. He probably had riding clothes stashed somewhere, he thought to himself. After all, he’d ridden before.

A very long time ago.

* * *

At the stables, Liz found the same pair of boots she’d used earlier in the week. She hung her coat on the peg, knowing she would get warm quickly enough from the riding, then turned around to see Blaine leading a different horse over to her.

“She’s beautiful,” Liz told him, reaching out a hand to the dark red mare. The horse sniffed Liz’s hand with its smoky-colored nose, then nudged Liz for attention. Liz complied by rubbing the horse’s nose with a bright smile.

“She’s almost as beautiful as you,” Blaine told her. Liz was about to chide him, but when she looked up she found that for the first time, his eyes were serious.

“Come on,” she said, trying to keep the mood light, “my legs aren’t nearly as nice.”

There was another intense moment, then Blaine relented with a smile. “Well, nanny,” he told her, “I think your legs are absolutely fine. Why don’t I help you saddle up?”

“Oh, it’s okay,” she tried to tell him, but he had already taken out a brush and was grooming the horse’s glossy coat. Not wanting to make too big a deal of it, Liz selected a hoofpick and examined the mare’s feet.

Bending down, she could see Jillian behind her, with another horse. The beautiful blonde was watching Blaine, and the look in her eyes was far from happy. Liz finished all four of the hooves, and straightened.

“What’s her name?” Liz asked as she picked up the bridle, keeping her voice casual. It was obvious to her that Jillian was interested in Blaine, and in all honesty, Liz wished Blaine would pay more attention to the blonde.

“Honeysuckle,” Blaine said, putting away the brush. Liz arched an eyebrow.

“Somehow, I can’t see Richard naming anything Honeysuckle.”

“He didn’t,” Blaine replied calmly. “Alycia did.”

Liz paused for a moment with the bridle, then forced herself to resume her task. It made sense, she reminded herself as coolly as possible. Alycia, after all, had been married to Richard for two years. Of course she’d done things like select horses and name them.

Still, sometimes it seemed there were reminders of the woman everywhere. How could Richard stand to be surrounded by so many tokens of his dead wife? It was like living in a haunted house.

“So this was Alycia’s horse?” she asked, her voice surprisingly level as she selected one of the few available Western saddles.

Blaine shook his head, turning to his own mount. “Alycia rode her once, then decided Honeysuckle’s coloring didn’t suit her.”

“Didn’t suit her?”

Blaine flashed her a crooked grin from over his shoulder. “Exactly. See, Alycia was beautiful and knew it. She liked everything around her to reflect that beauty. Basically, life was one big accessory. Sometimes, I wondered if that was why she married Richard. After all, his tall dark looks were the perfect foil for her own china doll image.”

Liz just nodded, not knowing how else to react to such a statement.

“So what horse did she ride?” she asked finally.

Blaine jerked his head toward the horse Jillian was saddling. “The white mare, Lady Godiva.”

Liz almost laughed. “Lady Godiva? A horse?”

Blaine shrugged with his golden grin. “She named it, not me.”

Liz shook her head, heaving the saddle up and on. She began fastening the girth.

“Looks good,” Blaine said, turning to study her work. “Why don’t I give you a leg up?”

“No need,” came Richard’s distinct voice behind them. “I can help her up while you finish your own mount.”

Blaine froze. From where she was standing, Liz could see myriad emotions flash across the man’s face: anger, frustration, and finally, resignation.

“He always did have the most damnable timing,” Blaine muttered. He straightened and gave Richard a curt nod.

“Goliath is waiting over there,” Blaine informed his older brother, pointing to a large black horse that sported its own Western saddle. “The groom took care of him.”

Richard nodded, his pale eyes unreadable as he watched Blaine walk away. He turned his scrutiny back to Liz.

“Shall I help you up?” he asked coolly.

Liz looked at him, trying hard not to stare. This was the first time she’d seen him in anything other than slacks. She’d half expected him to come out in the full Hunter regalia the other riders were wearing. Instead, he was wearing an old pair of jeans that clung to his lean hips. His long legs were half encased in fine leather boots, and he was wearing a beautiful wool sweater. This close, she could catch the faint hint of spicy cologne, mingling with the scent of leather and horses.

The effect wreaked havoc on her senses. All of a sudden, she wanted desperately to lean just a little closer. Or maybe reach out, and touch the light stubble on his finely carved cheek. Or rest her head on his strong, broad shoulder, close her eyes and inhale until the scent of him drowned out all other sensations.

He moved forward, and she caught her breath in a quiet gasp. But he simply braced his hands together and offered them to her as a step for mounting the horse. Shaking her own silly thoughts from her mind, she gripped the pommel of the saddle and prepared to hoist herself up.

He propelled her up and onto the saddle easily, his shoulder brushing her leg as he helped her gain her balance. Then she was settled, sitting back low and easy in the saddle.

He remained there, looking at her with his steady blue eyes that revealed nothing, but tormented her, anyway.

“All set?”

“Yes,” she managed to reply, her nervousness making her Carolina accent thicker so the word came out sounding heavy and sweet.

His eyes darkened, resting for a minute on the curve of her leg, outlined snugly by her faded jeans. Wordlessly, he turned and walked away. Unbidden, her gaze followed him as he gathered the reins to the giant mount, and easily swung himself into the saddle.

All the riders were ready now, so he directed his horse to the front, leading them to one of the many trails that wound through the six acres of land. It had been a long time since he’d been in the saddle. He hadn’t taken up riding until Alycia had come into his life. Then, he’d discovered an inherent joy for the sport: the smell of the horses, the freedom of the wind, the feeling of strength and stamina beneath him.

But as with most things he’d enjoyed, Alycia had found a way to taint it. Eventually, trips to the stable had him overhearing unseemly giggles and the rustle of hastily adjusted clothing. He spared a cold glance for Parris, riding a couple lengths back. If Parris hadn’t been part of Blaine’s gang, Richard never would have allowed him back in the house. Then again, if he turned away all of Alycia’s old lovers, he’d never have a visitor again.

Not even his own brother.

He spared a sharp glance to where Blaine rode beside Liz, and even as the sight of it made his jaw clench, Richard tried to block the knowledge out. He didn’t care if Blaine was interested in Liz, he reminded himself. She was just the nanny.

His face, however, remained grim as he rode.

Liz could still feel the tension coiling off the dark man in front of her. Even on this bright, beautiful day, his features remained dark, his control impenetrable. Perhaps it was just the contrast, but her attention remained drawn to him even as Blaine said something light and funny in her ear.

“I’m sorry?” she found herself saying yet again, trying to focus her attention back on the man at her side.

“I’m glad you decided to come,” he repeated gallantly. “It really wouldn’t have been the same without you.”

Liz didn’t have to look at her to know that Jillian’s features were frosting over even more at the words. Liz wished she could tell the woman she had nothing to worry about. Blaine was beautiful in his own playboy-type way. And he was funny, too, with all his flirtations and teasing. But despite his best intentions, he reminded Liz more of a mischievous boy than a possible lover.