Fool Me Once (21 page)

Olivia
poured a mug of tea and handed it to him. He cupped it in both hands, thanking
her with a distracted nod. She sat on the floor, her back propped against a
chair, waiting for him to speak.

He
lifted his head to look at her, eyes dark with emotion. “When I got back to the
yacht, I didn’t realize that you were missing.” His voice was hollow as he
related those first moments. “I thought it was a robbery and that you were
still in town.”

“I’m
embarrassed that I haven’t asked about those poor crew members. Were they all
right?” She shuddered. “One of them was bleeding.”

He
nodded. “Juan was fine. The blood made it look worse than it really was. Carlos
too. He felt badly about not protecting you, but I reassured him it wasn’t his
fault. Blazek’s men took them both by surprise.”

“I’m
glad they’re all right.” She shook her head, remembering the men lying on the
deck. “So what happened next?”

Josh
had already decided on an edited version of the truth. “I called Dirk and he
came to the yacht. The crew members had said that the men who took you sounded
Czech, so we knew that there had to be some connection with Blazek.”

Olivia
nodded. “But how did you know where to find me?”

“Your
laptop.” He rubbed his eyes. “But that came later. Shortly after we dismissed
the crew, Blazek called to tell us he had you, but of course he refused to say
any more than that. He wanted us to sweat. Said he’d call back at eight the
next morning. That was when the pieces started falling into place and we
realized he must be one of the top suppliers. So we planned for every
eventuality and then I went down for a quick shower and happened to notice that
your laptop was on. It didn’t take long to find your notes.”

Olivia
leaned forward eagerly. “And you found my necklace outside the warehouse! I
purposely dropped it when those two thugs dragged me out of the van. Rather
Hansel and Gretel-ish, but I’m glad it worked.”

Josh
sat down on the floor across from her, a smile lighting his eyes. “It worked
all right, but it wasn’t me who found it. Your little friend Rosalina found
it.”

“Rosalina?
But how?” She held up a finger. “Wait a minute…that’s right. Eliska mentioned
that some of the street kids live near her father’s warehouse.” She paused. “We
saw her that day after we had lunch together. When was that? Yesterday? The day
before? Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Eliska and I had lunch near Puerto Banus,
and Rosalina came up to me to say hello.” She looked at him eagerly. “So what
happened? Did she see me? What did she tell you?”

He
grinned. “The conversation was limited, as you can imagine, but she mentioned
your name and pointed to the warehouse. And then she did the most remarkable
thing. She showed us the security code.” He shook his head. “To most people
those kids are invisible. Nobody pays them much attention, but they’re
everywhere; they see everything.” His voice softened. “In her eyes you were
like no tourist she’d dealt with before. You were kind to her, and look what
happened.”

“But
Josh.” She tensed, suddenly concerned for the young girl. “That explosion. I
hope she was safely away from there.”

“She
was. We’d made it clear that we didn’t want her around, but just to be sure
Dirk checked the adjacent buildings. Shacks, really. There was no one around.
He escorted Blazek’s two guards out of the area and then he put up barriers on
the road to prevent anyone from driving past at the wrong time.” He stared into
his mug. “We had that part figured out ahead of time, but we still don’t know
why Blazek had you kidnapped. The guard seemed to think it was an excess of
caution on Blazek’s part, but why the sudden change of attitude? It doesn’t
make sense.”

“I
think that was my fault.”

“Your
fault? How so?” He tried to cover a yawn. “Sorry, but I’m not following you.
The lack of sleep is catching up with me.”

A
log hissed softly in the fireplace but she didn’t hear it. She was back at the
Costa del Sol. “It’s all so unbelievable. Did you notice the tension in the air
when we went to the villa for coffee? Both Eliska and her mother had the look
of people under an immense amount of strain. But of course you’d never seen
them before so you had nothing to compare…” she paused. “Sorry, I’m babbling.”
Sipping her tea, she marshaled her thoughts. “Eliska told me that her mother
knew about the mistress. That was bad enough as you can imagine, but when she
started working for her father and discovered the true nature of his business
everything changed. Her mother had been terribly unhappy in the marriage for a
long time, but knowing about the illegal arms was the last straw. They were
going to Paris all right, but Eliska had no intention of attending design
school. They’d been working on a plan to disappear…to get away from him.” She
smiled. “And I believe they’ll succeed.”

He
nodded thoughtfully. “So that’s why she wanted to have lunch with you. And in
the meantime her father was showing me around the estate. He had a storehouse
full of arms there on the property, but of course you saw that blow up.”

She
leaned forward eagerly. “Those arms were all I could think about. I couldn’t
wait to get back to the yacht to tell you that he might be the kingpin you
mentioned. Do you think he was? It’s all so unbelievable.”

Josh
nodded. “He definitely appears to control the shipments out of the area. Even
so, that still doesn’t explain why he had you snatched.”

She
glanced down at her left hand. It felt bare without the ring. “It was my own
fault.”

He
gave her a sharp look. “How so?”

“I’m
really sorry Josh, but Eliska was making such a big deal about our engagement.
I knew I wouldn’t see her again and it seemed harmless. She was leaving in a
couple of hours, so I told her that we weren’t really engaged. I didn’t tell
her anything other than the gambling story, but she must have told her father,
because that’s what he questioned me about.” She gave a small shiver at the
memory. “But when he told me that Eliska and her mother had left I wanted to
cheer. It gave me a real boost.”

He
looked at her levelly. “I can have them found if you like. IATO has access to
the best intelligence in the world.”

She
wrapped her arms around her legs and stared into the fire. It took her a moment
to respond. “Thanks, but I don’t think so. She swallowed against the lump that
formed in her throat. “If she wants me to know where she is she can contact me.
I’d rather not jeopardize their freedom.”

“I
understand.” He studied her closely. “You’ve asked about the crew on the yacht,
you’ve asked about Rosalina, and now you’re willing to lose contact with your
friend and her mother to ensure their safety. Don’t you ever think about
yourself?”

“All
the time.” She lowered her head, hoping he’d mistake her blush for the glow
from the fire. “Going on this trip was a purely selfish decision. You could
have done it without me.”

“Do
you think so?” Bemused eyes looked pointedly at her left hand. “I see you’re
not wearing the ring any more. Does that mean the engagement is off?”

“Of
course not. I mean yes.” She tossed her head, fighting to keep her tone light.
“It may have been short, but it was exciting.” She looked at him over the rim
of her mug. “How was it for you?”

A
deep laugh rumbled up from his chest. “Well now, let’s see. There were parts of
it I liked very much, but they were too brief.” He stared into the fire and his
tone gentled. “As I mentioned before, I’d like the chance to do it all again. I
suppose that’s why I brought you here without your permission.” He stood up
unsteadily and offered her his hand. She came to her feet. “Am I forgiven for
that?”

 
“There’s nothing to forgive.” She smiled up at him. “And don’t worry, I’ll
return the ring tomorrow.”

“No
need.” He still grasped her hand, and his fingers tightened. “I want you to
have it. Wear it and think of me sometimes.”

Olivia
stared at him wordlessly. Did he honestly think she could ever forget him? He
must be blind if he couldn’t see that she was holding her emotions in check,
waiting for him to make the first move. It was as if they were starting all
over again, as though he’d never kissed her with a passion that curled her
toes.

She
stepped back and he swayed. The man was exhausted! She grasped him gently by
the arm. “Come on, Josh. It’s time for bed.”

He
grinned crookedly. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to hear you say that? Why
does it have to be tonight, when I can barely stand up?”

“It
was a fact, not an invitation. Come on, I’ll help you.”

He
slid an arm around her waist and they proceeded up the stairs. She stopped in
front of his door.

“I’d
walk you to your door,” he said, starting to slur his words. “But I don’t think
I could make it back.”

Olivia
opened his door and pushed him inside. “As if I’d let you leave,” she murmured.

“I
heard that!” he shouted as he fell onto his bed.

Olivia
smiled. “Goodnight Cowboy,” she said to herself. “Some other night, perhaps.”
She closed his door.

* * *

“Good
morning.” Maisie was removing a tray of sticky buns from the oven. The
mouth-watering aroma had spread through the house and Olivia realized she was
hungry again. “Help yourself to some coffee.”

Maisie
inverted the tray, and the buns fell out onto a platter, studded with raisins
and glistening with melted brown sugar. “Josh has enjoyed these since he was a
young kid.”
Olivia sipped appreciatively at the coffee. “It sounds like you’ve known him a
long time.”
“Clint and I came to this ranch thirty five years ago.” She tucked a wayward
strand of hair behind her ear. “The Morgan family has been good to us.”

“From
what I can see, the appreciation goes both ways.” Olivia walked to the back
door and looked through the screen. “Have you seen Josh this morning?”

“Lord,
yes. He’s been up for a couple of hours.” She chuckled. “He says he fell asleep
in his clothes. How about cold chicken?”

“I
beg your pardon?”

“For
your sandwiches. Josh asked me to put up some sandwiches for a picnic. Said the
two of you were going riding.”

“Chicken’s
fine. I like chicken.” She eyed the buns. “May I have a sticky bun for my
breakfast? Then I’ll go and get dressed.”

“Of
course you can, child. I don’t know what’s the matter with my memory this
morning. Your suitcases arrived as well. They’re sitting by the front door.”

* * *

 Olivia
walked from the brilliance of the sun into the shadow of the stables. It
smelled sweetly of hay and horses. A stall door stood open and she paused,
studying the man inside. Josh was grooming a horse, talking softly to it as he
used the currycomb. Faded jeans hugged his hips, and the sleeves of his shirt
were rolled up, exposing muscled forearms.

“Hello,
Cowboy.” He raised his head and her pulse quickened. Pausing with one hand on
the horse’s back he studied her, from the tip of her boots to the top of her
flaming hair. Goosebumps prickled her skin. She knew she looked good. She’d
chosen a tailored off-white shirt and slim khaki trousers, which she wore
tucked into soft leather boots. It felt good to be back in her favorite
‘uniform’.

Setting
down the grooming tool, he took a few steps toward her, shoving his hands into
his back pockets. “You know,” he said with a slow drawl, “the first time I saw
you in that greenhouse I thought you were beautiful. A bit prickly, perhaps,
but beautiful.” He continued walking, circling her. “But today I’d have to say
you look perfect.” He grinned broadly. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”

She
blushed, wondering if he was recalling her parting words last night. “Well enough,
thanks. Maisie said you asked her to make a picnic lunch. I’d enjoy that.”

“Good.”
He seemed to be having trouble tearing his eyes away from her. Finally he
gestured to the horse. “I was just about to saddle Ginger for you and we’ll be
ready. Do you mind going back to the house to get the lunch?”

“Not
at all.” Striding away from the barn, she was aware of his eyes following her,
and a ripple of anticipation tiptoed up her spine.

“Here
you go.” Maisie had the lunch packed and ready. “It’s nothing fancy, but it’ll
keep the wolf from the door.” She shot a curious look at Olivia. “You know, I
wasn’t sure how much to pack. He’s never brought a woman here before, and for
sure he’s never taken anyone for a picnic. Kinda took me by surprise when he
mentioned it this morning.”

Olivia’s
heart leaped. “Really?” She picked up the package, trying to appear nonchalant.
“In that case, I’ll try to make sure he enjoys himself.”

* * *

Clint
was in the stables when she returned with the lunch. The two men shared an easy
camaraderie and Josh was laughing when he turned to greet her. Relaxed and on
his home turf, his appeal was even stronger than it had been in the villa, or
on the yacht. His hand brushed hers as he took the lunch and she busied herself
with the horse, hiding her response. For a brief moment she considered making
up an excuse to go back to London. But would that solve anything? No, she
decided. Even on the other side of the world, the desire to be with him would
be as strong as ever.