Double Take (15 page)

“What are you doing?” Max Zara’s voice drifted over her.

Kait opened her eyes and looked up. She had remained seated on the ground by the Dodge’s back tire, and he stood by the tailgate, one arm propped on it, staring down at her. Surely he had not been listening to their conversation—because she had used Lana’s name, hadn’t she?

“I felt faint,” Kait said quickly, her mind spinning. She moved to get up, wishing she’d had the chance to ask Lana about Max.

He reached down and hauled her to her feet, his grip warm and strong. Their eyes met and held.

Kait didn’t like the directness of his regard. She didn’t like the grim expression on his face. She didn’t like the way his eyes searched hers, as if seeking out her secrets and her lies. She looked away.

“Maybe you had better go back inside,” he said quietly.

She had to look back into a pair of brilliant baby blue eyes. She wanted, desperately, to ask him what his role in all of this was, and why he was so hostile to her sister—what was going on between them. But Kait could guess. “How long have you been working here at Fox Hollow, Max?” she asked slowly.

His eyes narrowed. “What an odd question.”

Kait knew why it was odd. It was odd because Lana would have been there when he first was hired. “I can’t seem to remember when you first started working here,” she said. “Must be that little bump on my head.”

“Yeah, must be from that little bump—which you got from that odd little riding accident,” he said.

Their gazes locked.

Kait couldn’t look away from him, and she knew he knew that she was not her sister.

He shrugged then. “Almost two months. Can’t say I blame you, though, for not knowing precisely when I started here. You didn’t look at me the first week. I might have been a doorknob or some such thing.”

“I was preoccupied,” she said, her mouth dry, her temples throbbing. “And I am sorry if I have been rude in the past,” she said.

He didn’t comment. Kait gave him an uncertain but somewhat grateful smile. He did not seem at all smug or hostile now.

He did not smile back. Instead, his gaze wandered past her, behind her.

Kait suddenly sensed who was there and she turned abruptly. Trev stood on the porch, now clad in his dark gray trousers and an elegant sports jacket, watching them. Kait felt herself begin to flush. Surely he would not think that she was carrying on with Max, would he?

So it’s true? You’ve had... affairs?

I don’t love Trev. Of course I’ve had affairs.

You can have the husband
....

This was not the time to recall Lana’s words. Trev started down the steps. Kait felt frozen in time and place. Of course he would think the worst of her, because Lana had no morals, not when it came to her husband and her marriage. When he was at the Ram’s door, she could finally see his face. His expression was completely closed. And he did not look at her—it was as if she was not standing mere inches away.

He opened the door to the cab and slid in.

Max turned and walked around the tailgate, apparently toward the back of the house.

Kait did not move.

How should I handle Trev?

Be yourself.

He married the wrong twin.

He turned on the ignition.

Kait walked up to his door, trembling. Lana was crazy! “It’s not what you seem to be thinking,” she said slowly.

He glanced at her. “I’m not thinking anything,” he said. “Do you mind?”

His cold words stabbed through her with chilling force. She inhaled and stepped away from the truck.

He reversed, turned, and drove away.

Kait stared after him for a long time, wishing she could tell him the truth; somehow knowing, with her foolish heart, that he would be able to help them if she did. But she had promised her sister differently, and this was now about Marni more than anyone else.

Kait had taken Marni to school, ignoring Elizabeth’s disapproval and a very cold shoulder from Trev Coleman. Now she got out of the Porsche in front of the main barn. Instantly, she saw Zara standing in the corridor, as the wide door had been raised to accommodate his truck. Kait paused. The sight of him standing there made her recall that moment the night before when she had felt certain he knew she wasn’t Lana. But if he knew that, surely he would confront her or go to Trev with his accusations.

Last night, his hostility had disappeared. Why?

And why did he keep a locked suitcase in his apartment?

Zara had seen her. Kait saw that he was unloading bags of feed. He paused to watch her approach.

He had only been at Fox Hollow for two months. He was hardly stable boy material. So just who, and what, was he?

Now that Kait had another few days to get through, she did not intend to leave her back unguarded, not even for a moment. Maybe Lana was right. Maybe no one had taken a shot at her, or maybe, as Trev had said, it had been a careless hunter who was trespassing. Kait hoped that was the case. Still, Sam had a gun and Lana had too many enemies to even count. She would stay in a state of alert.

Kait went forward. “Hey,” she said, managing a tight smile. “Is Trev around?”

Max nodded in the direction of the indoor arena.

Kait nodded in thanks and moved past him, crossing the long corridor, aware of his regard to her back. Only one horse was in a stall; the others had been turned out.

She stepped into the indoor arena. Trev and Jim stood in its center with a magnificent chestnut with four white socks and a blaze on a longe line. She hung on to the gate, watching as Trev worked the animal at an extended trot. If he had seen her, he gave no sign. And it was simply impossible that he hadn’t seen her.

I don’t love him...He married the wrong twin.

Her heart accelerated. What was wrong with her sister? Why would she say something like that? Never mind that she was foolishly and maybe hopelessly physically attracted to him. Of course he hadn’t married the wrong twin.

But she knew that if she were his wife, she’d never ever betray him, and she would treasure her every moment at Fox Hollow and enjoy raising as many children as they dared have.

Her thoughts were frightening her. Kait switched them off, focusing hard on Trev and the chestnut horse.

“Walk,” Trev said firmly. “Waaalk.”

The chestnut obeyed with an impatient shake of his head. “Whoa,” Trev said, in the same tone. “Whoooa. Good boy, son. Good boy.”

She watched him walk up to the gleaming chestnut, stroking his neck and praising him. His hands were large and so was his stroke. The horse visibly relaxed under his touch, clearly enjoying the caresses and strokes. Her heart tightened. She tried not to think about what had almost happened last night before he had gone out. But she’d never erase the image of him standing there in his tight white jockeys with an utterly sexy gleam in his eyes—and an intention he had no right to.

Trev led the chestnut toward the gate where Kait was standing. He continued to act as if she were not present. Kait knew why. He thought that Lana was flirting with Zara, or even sleeping with him.

Jim was at his side. Kait had learned that he had been a rider for the Canadian Olympic team in his day, and that until recently he had lived in Toronto. He smiled at her. “How are you today, Lana?”

“Much better.” She returned his smile, and then felt her expression tighten as she looked at Trev.

He was finally looking at her, his hand on the gate. “Excuse me,” he said.

She realized that she was in the way. She leapt aside as he swung open the gate and led the chestnut out. She trailed after him, Jim, and the horse. She was more than dismayed by his behavior toward her. Finally Trev handed the horse over to the trainer and started down the corridor.

Kait hurried after him. “Trev, wait!”

His long, athletic stride slowed—briefly. “I’m busy,” he said, not looking back.

She ran and caught up with him as they stepped outside. “I’d like to talk to you,” she said, filled with dread. He was punishing her, but why? Because he thought she had been in Max’s arms last night? Or because she had rejected his advances again? In either case, he was not in the best mood and she had to discuss the fact that Sam had a gun in her room.

He slowed but did not stop. “Can’t it wait?”

She gripped his arm. “No, Trev, it cannot wait.”

He looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time since the night before. Then his eyes dipped to her mouth, which had nothing but a dap of clear gloss on it. He looked away. “What is it?”

She hesitated. She had rehearsed how she intended to proceed, and she had decided not to tell him that Sam was taking Lana’s sweaters without permission—and God knew what else. That discussion could come at another time and, hopefully, Lana would be the one to participate in it.

“What is it?” he asked again, this time with impatience.

“There’s no easy way to say this.” Kait took a breath. “I found a gun in Sam’s room.”

He blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“Trev, I found a gun in her room. Are you aware of the fact that she has a gun?”

“No, I am not. This must be a mistake,” he said grimly. “Christ, it has to be a toy.”

“It’s not a toy. I’m sorry.”

“Where is it?”

“In her underwear drawer. I’ll show you, if you like.” She could see now that he finally comprehended what she had said, because he was becoming increasingly upset.

He nodded and they took off up the hill toward the house. “I’m sure it’s a toy. These days they make incredibly realistic toy guns.”

“Ever since a cop shot a kid with a toy gun, manufacturers have stopped making those kinds of replicas, and stores don’t sell them,” Kait pointed out.

“Are you trying to soothe me?” he said, his face impossibly tight now. “Because you’re not doing a damn good job!”

She touched his elbow as they trotted up the stairs to the veranda. “I’m sorry. I never expected to find a gun in her room.”

He suddenly paused, one hand on the front door. “What did you expect to find?”

She hesitated. But she was prepared for his question. “I thought, maybe, she had borrowed my cell phone.”

He stared, his green eyes too piercing for comfort. “Now why would you think that?”

“Because I misplaced it and couldn’t find it.”

His look told her he didn’t buy her excuse for a moment, and he shoved through the front door, not even waiting for her to follow. But follow she did.

He didn’t knock, apparently because Sam had left for school sometime after Kait had driven off with Marni. He glanced around, seeming startled. “What a pigsty,” he mumbled.

“Most teenagers are sloppy,” Kait said quietly. “I don’t know why, but I’ll bet it’s a developmental issue.”

He gave her a grim look and nodded at the room’s single bureau. “There?”

Kait nodded, walking past him. She suddenly wondered what she would do if the gun was gone. She shuddered at that thought as she opened the drawer. But right there, peeking out from all the scanty Victoria’s Secret bras and thongs, was the gleaming steel muzzle.

Trev came to stand behind her, gazing over her shoulder. “What the hell?”

Kait knew he was looking at his daughter’s too-sexy underwear. She glanced at him. He was flushing. “Is this appropriate?” he stopped. He touched the ivory La Perla bra. Kait knew he recognized it. Now, he did not speak.

The gun’s nozzle poked through the bra’s straps.

Kait stepped away. She felt terrible for him.

He took out the gun. “It’s real.”

She touched his shoulder. “I know. I’m so sorry.” His back was as rigid as a board. “This isn’t hers. It’s that damn Jenkins kid. He’s always in trouble—he’s bad news. I
know
this isn’t hers.”

She said, very cautiously, “Does Sam know how to shoot?”

“Yeah. She wanted to learn when she was about thirteen, and Rafe gave her some lessons. We both felt that around here, it’s a good idea to understand and respect guns. It’s a solid Republican county. She’s actually a pretty good—” He stopped.

She was chilled. So Sam knew how to shoot—and she was a good shot.

Their eyes met. His eyes were wide, agonized.

She touched his elbow to steady him. Was he thinking what she was thinking? That Sam hated her, and that in the throes of a difficult adolescence, she had made a terrible mistake?

“I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Trev ground out. He was more than upset now, he was angry.

“You should have a long talk with her. What time will she be home?” “Who knows? I’m not waiting for the end of school.” He was checking the gun and he cursed.

“It’s loaded?” Kait gasped.

Cartridges fell into his hand. “Yes.” Fury was in his eyes. He pocketed the cartridges and jammed the gun into the waistband of his jeans.

Kait grabbed his arm before he could stalk out of his daughter’s room. “Stop. You’re upset. You need to calm down, and I don’t think dragging her out of class is the right thing to do right now.”

“I’m dragging her out of class by her goddamn hair, that’s what I’m doing,” Trev said, turning livid green eyes on her. “And I think I’ll grab Gabe Jenkins while I’m at it! I forbade her ever seeing him again!” he cried.