Hot on Her Heels (19 page)

“Everyone likes her,” he said.

“So that makes it okay.” But Fawn wasn't the entire problem, she admitted to herself. There was a bigger one she couldn't ignore anymore. “How do you know her?”

He hesitated.

She waited. The information was only a few computer clicks away. Skye would know her last name and then a quick Internet search would give her more than she wanted to know.

“It was a long time ago,” he began.

Dana felt beyond stupid. They'd gone out. Of course. Why hadn't she figured that out the first second she'd seen them together?

But Fawn was the opposite of her. How could he have been interested in Fawn and then want to be with her? Which brought up a whole lot of other questions she didn't want to answer.

“We were engaged.”

 

“Y
OU DON'T WANT TO
do this,” Lexi said, standing beside Dana's chair.

Dana ignored her and typed in Garth's name along with the phrase “and women.” The Internet responded instantly, producing over ten thousand listings. She picked one at random.

There was a picture of Garth with a tall skinny woman who had to be a model of some kind. No one normal had such bony knees and elbows. She clicked on other articles and saw Garth with plenty of heiresses, successful businesswomen and even an actress. There was a theme to his women—they were all beautiful and accomplished. They had style, possibly grace and moved effortlessly in his social circle.

She was a small-town deputy who, until a few weeks ago, hadn't worn a dress in nearly ten years.

“What was I thinking?” she whispered.

“I can't answer that until you tell me what's going on,” Lexi said, then pulled up another chair and sat heavily. “My back hurts.”

Dana turned to her, the search forgotten. “Are you all right? Do we need to go to the hospital?”

“No. My back hurts. I'm seven and a half months pregnant and getting bigger by the second. Of course my back hurts.”

Dana drew in a breath. “Don't scare me like that. I have enough stress in my life.”

“If you tell me what happened, I can help.”

It was a reasonable statement, especially considering Dana had shown up that morning with a suitcase, asking if she could stay.

To her credit, Lexi hadn't asked a lot of questions, but instead had shown her to a guest room. Dana had gotten out her laptop and gone online to find out the truth about Garth. Something she should have done weeks ago.

Everything was right there, in the pictures. Woman after woman, smiling at the camera. Leaning against him or holding hands or linking arms.

She'd been a fool. Worse, for him, she'd been convenient. He didn't even have to make a booty call. The booty was right there in his condo.

“I don't need help,” she said. “I'm fine.”

“You are so going to tell me what's going on,” Lexi said. “Dana, I mean it. What happened?”

Dana turned to her friend. “I'm sorry. Everything is totally screwed up and it's all my fault. Well, his, too. Mostly his.”

Lexi covered her face with her hands and shrieked. “What are we talking about?”

“Garth was engaged.”

Lexi dropped her hands to her lap. “I knew that. It was a few years ago. Three or four. Rich girl. Then she sort of disappeared. What does that have to do with…Oh. You met the ex.”

“I more than met her.”

Dana told her what had happened, ending with Fawn's father taking her away.

“She was stealing?” Lexi asked, sounding outraged. “And nothing happened. Why am I even surprised?”

“That's what I said.”

Dana thought about Fawn in Garth's arms. Jed had been right. She would never fit in.

“I don't belong with him,” she said.

Lexi frowned. “What does Fawn have to do with you and Garth?” She held up a hand. “I know finding out about someone's past is never easy. But I'd like to point out all you have to deal with is an ex-fiancée. Cruz didn't tell me he had a teenaged daughter. We all keep secrets, Dana.”

“I don't.” There wasn't anything secret-worthy in her past. She wasn't excited to talk about how her father had treated her, but Garth already knew the basic story.

“He's not with her now.”

Dana logged off the Internet. “Lord, I know. Garth didn't know she was going to be there, blah, blah, blah. But when it came down to it, he protected her. She was stealing. And he let her get away with it.”

He'd chosen Fawn over her.

Dana would never say that. She wasn't sure she would admit to even thinking it, but that was the bottom line.

“Fawn obviously needs help,” Lexi said. “She needs to learn to take responsibility.”

“That's not going to happen while everyone steps in to protect her.”

“I agree.” Lexi frowned. “I'm surprised Garth did that.”

“Why?”

“He's pragmatic,” Lexi said. “Why would he get involved with someone like that then or now?”

“He probably didn't know when they started dating. Besides, you haven't seen her. She's so beautiful, she doesn't look real. Talk about a trophy wife.”

“Garth doesn't need a trophy. He's young and successful. He can have anyone he wants.”

Dana sighed. “This would be you making me feel better?”

Lexi smiled. “Do you need me to? Is there something you want to tell me?”

“No.”

“Are you falling for him?”

“No one says ‘falling for him' anymore.”

“I do, and stop avoiding the question.”

Dana leaned back in her chair. Falling for Garth? Not possible. They weren't anything alike. He was from another planet, while she lived on this one. He was…

“I don't know,” she admitted. “I want to tell you no. I want to tell you he's just someone I know, but I can't. It's too confusing. We aren't following any rules I know.”

“Then maybe it's time to start breaking the rules.”

“Have you met me? I don't break the rules, I enforce them.”

“How's that working for you?”

Dana shrugged. “Good point. I just wish she hadn't been there.” Or that she could forget seeing Fawn melt into Garth's arms.

“You can stay here as long as you'd like,” Lexi said.

“Thanks.”

“Are you sure you don't want to talk to Garth about this?”

“And be rational? No, thanks. I like wallowing in uncertainty. It's a new experience for me.”

“Welcome to the real world.”

“When do I get to go back to the old one?”

Lexi smiled. “I have no idea.”

Later, Lexi went to her office, while Dana wandered through Cruz's large house, feeling more uncomfortable than she did at Garth's place. The only bright spot in her otherwise boring afternoon was a wild game of chase the string with C.C. the cat.

At three-fifteen, the doorbell rang. Dana opened it to find Garth standing there.

As always, the sight of him made her whole body go on alert. If only she could look into his dark eyes without
imagining them bright with passion. She wanted to be able to look at his arms without seeing them around Fawn.

“You left me,” he said.

Why did he have to say it like that? “I needed to think. Wait a minute. It was just this morning, after you'd gone to work. How did you know?”

He shrugged. “I had a feeling. I went home and you weren't there.”

“So you called Lexi?”

“No. I knew you'd be here.”

How? When she'd left his condo, she hadn't known where she would go. She'd driven here without thinking.

She waited for him to ask her why. Or to get angry with her for walking out. Or to blame her for everything that had happened. Instead he stared into her eyes and said, “I'm sorry. Please come home.”

D
ANA WANTED TO TELL HIM
it wasn't home, that she had a home. A lovely little apartment where she was never confused. But she knew what he meant and what he was asking. As she had no answer, she held the door open a little wider, to let him in, then closed it behind him.

Emotion complicated everything, she thought grimly as she followed him into the large living room. If she wasn't confused about her feelings, she could make a decision easily. Stay with Garth because right now it wasn't safe to be on her own. Or move in with Lexi. Or hire a bodyguard and stay at her place. There were multiple solutions…until she started thinking with something other than her brain.

Garth stood in the center of the room, watching her.

She motioned to the sofa, but he shook his head. She shrugged. “This is your party. You should do the talking.”

“Fair enough.” He cleared his throat. “I met Fawn about five years ago. She was dating some European
duke or prince or something back then. I can't remember.”

“I have that problem all the time,” Dana murmured.

He ignored the comment. “I didn't think that much about her until she called me the next day and invited me to lunch.”

Dana found it difficult to believe any man could be in the same room as Fawn and think about anything else, but stranger things had happened.

“We went out a few times,” he continued. “I liked her well enough. She was a fun date. A violinist, so we went to the symphony a lot. I wasn't thinking about anything serious until her father came to see me.” He looked at her. “You met him last night.”

The tall, older man who had collected Fawn? Guessing was enough—she didn't need Garth to confirm the information. “Go on.”

“He wanted Fawn married and I seemed like a good choice. He let me know there would be many advantages to being his son-in-law.”

“Did he mention her problem with other people's possessions?”

Garth's expression didn't change. “No. He didn't say anything. I thought about what he'd said, then I talked to Fawn about it.”

“How did she feel about Daddy trying to sell her off?”

“She wasn't surprised. I sensed there was a catch, but I couldn't put my finger on it. We went away together
for a couple of weeks to see if we could consider marriage. When things went well, I proposed.”

“So it was a business arrangement,” she said, wishing she could believe him. It was all just a little too convenient.

“At first,” he said cautiously. “The more I was around Fawn, the more I liked her.”

Why didn't he just say he was in love with her? That was the significant information. She didn't want to hear the words, but once she did maybe the ache in her chest would go away.

“A few months later, I found out about her problem. She liked to take things.”

“You mean steal jewelry that didn't belong to her.”

“Yes.”

“Does it help to make the words pretty?”

His gaze narrowed. “Does it make you feel better to make them ugly?”

She stiffened. “I'm not the one who did anything wrong here. I'm not the one who protected a potential felon.”

“You're being dramatic,” he said.

“Do you really think the world is a better place because Fawn is free to steal at will?”

“Would it be better with her in jail?”

“Maybe it wouldn't but it would be really nice if every now and then people were reminded there are consequences for their actions. Maybe the world can't be improved, but maybe Fawn would take her
problem a lot more seriously if she suffered a little instead of heading off to another five-star luxury rehab facility.”

He flushed slightly.

“So that's it,” she said, telling herself not to be surprised. “Fawn will be readmitted to whatever program has already failed to help her.”

He nodded.

“Is that why you ended the engagement?” she asked.

“What makes you think I ended it?”

Because Fawn had walked into his arms with the certainty of a woman who knows she was going to be welcomed. And if she'd dumped him, she wouldn't have been sure. Garth wasn't the type to forgive and forget.

“Am I wrong?” she asked.

“No,” he said, looking away. “I found out about her stealing and I finally knew why her father was so anxious to marry her off. While I believe Fawn cared about me, I think she cared a lot more about finding someone to take care of her. She wasn't big on taking responsibility.”

Dana wanted to say that she still wasn't but that seemed like a cheap shot.

“I broke the engagement and she went away. I haven't seen her since.”

Dana had so many other questions. Like did he still love Fawn? If she'd been cured would he want to be
with her now? Did he have any regrets? Did he want another chance with her?

“So she's the one who got away,” she said, hoping her voice sounded light and casual.

“That's making it more than it was.”

“You weren't sorry to see her.”

“No, but I wasn't happy, either. I'm sorry she's still having problems. She probably will all her life. It's why she had to give up playing professionally. She couldn't go on tour and not steal. Apparently the compulsion hasn't gone away.” He stared at her. “If I'd known we would run into her, I would have said something. Warned you.”

“Why? Don't you have ex-girlfriends at most of the parties you go to? There are dozens and dozens of them out there.”

He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

She tried to smile and wasn't sure she succeeded. “Come on, Garth. I looked you up on the Internet. You've done more than your share of dating in the past dozen or so years. Models, actresses, women who come from money. I will say you don't have a physical type. I guess that keeps things interesting.”

He looked more wary than annoyed. “I'm a single guy. Dating is allowed.”

“You're right.” She moved around so the sofa was between them. “I really appreciate you coming here and explaining all this. Now I know who Fawn is and what she means to you—”

“She doesn't mean anything.”

“Whatever.”

“You're pissed.”

Actually, she wasn't, which was too bad. Pissed would feel really good right about now. Pissed would give her energy and maybe stop the ache she felt inside. The pain was general, rather than specific, and as she didn't know what had caused it, she didn't know how to make it stop. She just knew the longer she talked to Garth, the worse she felt. It was as if…As if…

As if she was devastated that he'd wanted to marry Fawn because she was so different from her. A man who had been in love with Fawn could never love Dana. Never marry her.

The thought slammed into her. If she hadn't already been leaning against the back of the sofa, she might have fallen over in shock. What a ridiculous idea. She didn't want to marry Garth and she certainly didn't care what he thought about her. She was with him because of her personal safety and maybe because the sex was good. But she wasn't interested in him as anything other than a guy in her bed. He didn't
matter
to her. He wasn't…

“Dana? Are you all right?”

“I'm fine. Just fine. What were we talking about?”

“You being pissed.”

“I'm not. Everything is great. Thanks for telling me about Fawn. I appreciate knowing the story. She's, um, very pretty. Don't you think she's pretty?”

He stared at her as if she'd grown another head. “Do you feel okay?”

“Uh-huh.” She bobbed her head as she spoke. “Anything else or do you have to go?”

Please let him have to leave, she thought. The faster he was out of here, the quicker she could bang her head against a wall and knock some sense into herself. There was no way on this planet or any other that she was so damn stupid that she had fallen for a man like Garth Duncan. Not like him, she reminded herself. Him exactly.

“You haven't said if you're coming back with me.”

His place. That's what this was all about. Keeping her safe from Jed because he felt responsible for what was happening. She'd agreed because it made sense and she didn't want her friends to worry. And maybe because she'd wanted to.

So now what? Go back and stay with him, knowing that she could never be…never be Fawn. That she was trapped being herself and even if she could change that, she probably wouldn't.

“If you'd rather stay with Lexi and Cruz, I'll understand,” he said quietly.

But his dark eyes said he wouldn't understand at all. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part.

It would be safer for her emotional self to put distance between herself and Garth. But there was more at stake here. Did she really want to impose on her friend and Cruz? Getting a bodyguard was also an
option, but how would she pay for that? Garth would insist on covering the expense and that would freak her out.

Or she could go back with him.

It was what she wanted. She was self-aware enough to know that. She wanted to be with him because…well, better not to go there. But to risk everything she had on a man who would never be interested in her for more than something temporary?

“I'll come back,” she said slowly. “To the condo. Not to your bed.”

Nothing about his expression changed. She had no idea what he was thinking, nor did she ask.

“When?”

She drew in a breath. “It will only take me a minute to pack.”

 

J
ED READ THE SINGLE-PAGE
report a second time, then looked over the sheet at his chief financial officer.

“You're sure about this?” he asked.

“They've already filed with the SEC,” Brock told him, looking worried. “They're following the law to the letter and they're not being quiet about their intentions. They're buying up shares with the idea of forcing you out. I'm getting calls from some of the institutional stockholders. Jed, this isn't good.”

Not something he wanted to hear, Jed thought furiously. His own daughters turning against him. How
could they, after all he'd done for them? He was their father, for God's sake. What happened to family loyalty?

“Do you know why the girls are doing this?” Brock asked tentatively.

Jed thought about the explosion that had injured Izzy. “Women,” he muttered. “Who knows why they do anything?”

“A couple of financial reporters have been trying to get me to comment,” Brock admitted. “They're wondering if the federal charges are the reasons. If your daughters think you're going to jail and you aren't willing to hand the reins over to them directly. So they're being forced to take control on their own.” He shifted uncomfortably. “The problem is they're family, Jed. This doesn't look good.”

“I know they're family,” Jed roared. “Goddamn insufferable bitches, all of them. They're making everything worse.” He glared at his friend. “Can we stop them?”

“They're allowed to buy anything they want.”

“But how are they getting the money? They don't have enough. Skye's put all her inheritance into that asinine foundation of hers. Izzy's money is tied up in trust and Lexi never had much of her own. Cruz could be funding this, I suppose.”

But a future husband giving his fiancée money to buy family stock was hardly illegal.

He didn't like this—any of it. He hated the ques
tions, the looks he was getting. How people were starting to whisper. The federal investigation continued as the probe went deeper. He wanted to tell them they weren't going to find anything, but he wasn't sure. Had he buried the trail deep enough or was he in danger of being caught?

“They should be after Garth,” he snapped. Enough clues had been planted. “He's the problem in all this. Bastard.”

The irony of the word didn't escape him but he was too furious to see the humor.

“We'll have to start buying up stock ourselves,” he told Brock. “Beat 'em at their own game.”

“An excellent plan, but the company doesn't have the money. If we take out a loan now, while this is going on, everyone's going to know we're nervous.”

“Not through the company,” Jed said. “I'll do it personally. That will give us a little time before we have to report the transaction.”

Brock shook his head. “You don't have the money, either, Jed,” he said quietly. “You're cash poor.”

Jed didn't want to hear that, even though it was true. His legal expenses had been chewing up money for months now. He was hemorrhaging cash. Selling his horses had raised millions, but they weren't enough to buy back the number of shares he needed.