Surrender to Temptation (27 page)

“I’m sure it will be a relief to them, but I think we should let the Fire Marshal and the police contact them. I don’t want her or her family to know about our involvement.” Chase rubbed his eyes and sighed. “I’m going to call Uncle Lou after this. He can pick up Keira tomorrow when she arrives in Los Angeles.” His uncle was with LAPD. “You said the doctors will pull Deanna out of the coma next week?”

“Day after tomorrow.”

Chase thought about it. “I’ll stop by later on Monday or Tuesday to see if she’s allowed visitors. Thanks, Ken. I couldn’t have cleared up this mess without you. Close the case and send me the bill, okay?”

Ken laughed. “Already did. And just so you know, I’m not cheap.”

Chase laughed. “I know. Will you guys be in San Diego tomorrow?”

“Faith has a deadline, so we’re heading back this afternoon. Faith doesn’t want us to miss the Sunday family picnic,” he added with a long-suffering sigh.

“Sorry, my friend. You marry into our family you toe the line, including attending Mom’s Sunday picnics.” He hoped Nikki wouldn’t mind accompanying him. He planned to ask her tonight. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning, so see you there.”

***

Nikki left Winston cleaning Philly and was helping with the other morning chores when Chase came outside. She’d heard his voice in the den earlier and assumed he was talking to his brother, until Winston told her Lex had taken Thunder out.

Before she could round the barn, she heard the sound of hooves and then Lex’s voice.

“Easy, girl,” he said.

“Thunder let you ride her?” Chase asked.

“Of course. There’s no female I can’t handle.”

Nikki rolled her eyes. Men! Or maybe she should say Fitzgerald men!

Chase laughed. “Keep telling yourself that, big bro.”

“Is Keira up yet?” Lex asked.

“I haven’t seen her. But I asked Mrs. B to check on her. How far did you go?”

“All the way to Dean’s. He wants Nikki to create a website for his ranch. You think that’s possible?”

Nikki smiled when she heard her name.

“He’ll have to talk to her, but I don’t see why not,” Chase said. They were moving closer. Nikki turned and entered the barn. The two men’s voices still filtered inside the barn. They were discussing Philly now. Then she noticed Winston hurrying toward her.

“What is it?”

“Philly is in full labor,” the foreman said, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. “It is time.”

Nikki whipped around and raced toward the entrance of the barn, almost bumping into Chase and his brother.

“Whoa, sweetheart,” Chase said. “Where are you going in such a—”

“Philly is in full labor,” Nikki said, already turning.

She didn’t look back as she raced to the tack room where they could watch the mare undisturbed. Chase was right behind her. Winston already staked a spot for himself and Mrs. B, who joined them. By the time Lex finished with Thunder and joined them, Chase had Dobbs on the phone.

Everyone’s eyes stayed glued to the split screen showing the mare from different angles. Philly was pawing the ground, pacing the stall, and curling her lip. Winston had tied her tail, so it wouldn’t get in the way.

“She’s close,” Winston said.

“Yes, she is,” Chase answered in a preoccupied tone. Seated beside him, Nikki could feel the tension shooting from him. She slipped a hand in his and squeezed.

Fifteen minutes later, Philly settled down and made a bed for herself. Chase pushed a button to change the angle of the camera and zoomed in on the mare. She groaned with each powerful contraction.

No one spoke. Even Chase had stopped describing to the vet what was happening.

Ten minutes later, the mare was still struggling to deliver. Something was obviously wrong. The labor was supposed to be smooth. According to Chase, mares gave birth without help all the time. All a rancher needed to do was provide a quiet place with low lighting and leave the mare alone, unless the foal came out at a weird angle or the mare strained for more than twenty minutes.

Chase looked at Winston and nodded. The grim set of Chase’s profile indicated the seriousness of the situation. Knowing him, he was probably blaming himself. He glanced briefly in Nikki’s direction. She let her eyes convey her support. He must have read her thoughts because he nodded briefly.

Then he was at the other end of the tack room with Winston behind him.

While Winston grabbed dry towels, the birthing kit, and a halter, Chase washed his hands, put on gloves, and dipped his hands in a lubricant. Winston was talking to the vet when the two of them left the room.

Nikki knew there was nothing they could do to help except wait and pray for the mare and her foal. This was Chase’s first step toward accomplishing his dream as a horse breeder. If his first foal died—especially after the negative attitude of some people like his old vet—Chase might think he wasn’t cut out to be a breeder. He must succeed. He’d worked hard to get the farm going without a failed foaling messing it up.

Nikki moved closer to the desk and the screen as Chase and Winston entered the birthing stall. The tension in the room rose as they watched Winston put the halter on Philly and urge the mare to her feet.

They could hear Winston talking to the vet, who was probably giving them instructions, but Nikki’s attention was on Chase. He moved to Philly’s flank and pushed his hands down her vulva.

“The head is in position,” he said, and Winston repeated the words to the vet.

“One foot is missing,” Chase added.

“Push the foal’s nose back into the uterus and reach farther in to find the missing leg,” Winston instructed him.

“The contractions are very strong,” Chase warned.

“Don’t let her push the foal out until both legs are under the foal’s chin,” Winston said.

As Chase searched for the missing foot, they could see his face clearly on the screen. Beads of sweat stood on his forehead. His lips were pressed in a tight line, grim determination on his face.

When he said, “Got it,” Nikki exhaled sharply, the sound echoed by Mrs. B and Lex.

“Grasp the hoof with your hand and bring it in and up so that it is under the foal’s neck and over the pelvic rim,” Winston instructed, repeating the vet’s words.

Within minutes, Chase grinned. “The foal is in position.”

“Verify that the nose is tucked between the feet,” Winston said.

Chase nodded. “It is.”

“Now pull the front feet out and down.”

Nikki gasped as the feet appeared and then the head. Philly did the rest. The foal was out of the mare, alive and breathing.

“We did it, guys,” Chase muttered under his breath. He looked straight at the camera and gave a thumbs-up.

Nikki didn’t realize she was crying until Lex put his arm around her. His other arm was around Mrs. B, who was crying, too.

Chase and Winston joined them in the tack room as they let mare and foal rest. Hugs and congratulations followed. Nikki grinned when her eyes met Chase’s. Then she hugged him.

“I’m so proud of you, honey,” she whispered, more tears rushing to her face. She’d just witnessed the start of a new life. Without Chase that life would have been taken.

“Thanks, babe,” he said, burying his face in her hair.

“She’s standing up,” Mrs. B said.

They turned to watch the foal struggle to her feet until she stood on all fours. The umbilical cord broke.

“She’s beautiful,” Nikki said.

“Yes, she is.” Chase replied as his arms tightened around Nikki. “What are you going to name her?”

Nikki blinked. “Me?”

“Yes, love. You.”

“Velvet,” Nikki said without a pause.

“Where the hell is everybody?” Keira’s voice echoed in the barn.

Chase stiffened.

“Chase! Lex! Why is this godforsaken place deserted?”

Chase pressed a kiss on Nikki’s temple and stepped away from her. “Excuse me. I need to have a little talk with our guest.”

Nikki stared after him as he left the tack room.

“That woman needs to go,” Mrs. B said.

“Why are you pushing me away when all I want is a chance to start over? Did Deanna’s sister tell you lies about me?” Kiera asked, her voice carrying to the tack room.

Nikki’s heart dropped.

CHAPTER 19

Chase studied Keira and frowned. “Of course not. Can we continue this discussion in the house?”

“No. I want that bitch to hear this. Nikki, where are you?”

“Leave her out of this,” Chase ground out and started for the barn entrance.

“Why? She’s a liar. You can’t believe anything she says.”

Chase frowned. The woman was delusional. “Nikki has no reason to lie to me, Keira. You, on the other hand…” Chase shook his head. “It’s not important. I’m taking you to the airport, so let’s just collect your things and leave.”

“Nikki Savoy!” Keira yelled.

Chase didn’t believe in hitting a woman, but Keira was pushing his buttons. His mare just delivered and the last thing he needed was someone spooking her and the foal. He was debating whether to just carry her out of the barn when Nikki hurried out of the tack room. Behind her came the Mrs. B and Lex.

Keira laughed hysterically. “What did you tell him, you lying bitch?”

Nikki looked stricken, and the urge to shield her from Keira’s venom washed over Chase. When they stepped outside, he placed himself so he was between the two women.

“Listen, Keira,” Chase said firmly, keeping his temper in check. “I know that your ex-fiancé started the fire at my restaurant. I know that he e-mailed you, threatening to do it for weeks before it happened and e-mailed you afterwards bragging about it. I
know
that you knew about what he’d done, but you still blamed Deanna Marshal.”

Keira shook her head, her eyes going to Nikki.

“No, don’t look at her. She has nothing to do with this. I hired a private detective to look into the fire because I heard a male voice that night and knew Deanna hadn’t started the fire.”

A gasp from Nikki drew his attention. She was staring at him with shock. He never told her about the detective and the male voice.

“I got a call from Ken this morning confirming everything,” Chase continued, his focus shifting to Keira whose eyes kept volleying between him and Nikki. “I have e-mail exchanges between you and Finch, so don’t bother to deny it. I also know that he paid your hospital bills to buy your silence. How much does framing an innocent woman go for these days?”

“I, uh,” her eyes went to Nikki again, “I didn’t know he was going to go through with it. I thought he was only joking.”

“Really? What part of ‘if you don’t come back to me, I’m going destroy you and Fitzgerald’ is a joke? And what was your response? ‘I dare you. The Fitzgeralds are loaded and will bury you.’ And how did he know that Deanna Marshal had a crush on me? You commented on it often enough. He targeted her, sent her e-mails and pretended they were from me. That was why she was there the night we had dinner. He wasn’t just planning on burning my restaurant with me inside. He left evidence pointing to Deanna and making me look like I was two-timing you with her. Worse, you were going to let him get away with it after he told you everything.”

A heavy silence followed.

Mrs. B and Lex stood near the doorway and watched in silence. Not Nikki. She marched to Keira and slapped her hard.

“I’m going to bury you, you bitch. And to think I thought you were innocent in all this.” She whipped around and studied Chase’s face with an expression he couldn’t define. “You were the anonymous man who’d hired LASEC to help clear Dee’s name. If only you’d told me. I would have told you everything.”

Chase frowned. “How do you know about LASEC?”

Nikki opened her mouth to answer, but Keira interrupted her.

“She’s Deanna’s sister,” Keira yelled. “See? She lied to you, too, Chase. At least I tried to save you that night when I realized what Ace was doing. Of course, Deanna didn’t believe me when I told her I wasn’t working with Ace. She called me a liar, the ungrateful bitch. She wouldn’t have gotten hurt if she’d left like I told her to. She insisted on coming with me to save you, and that’s when Ace attacked us. He knocked me out, and I guess he knocked her out too then left.” She waved toward Nikki. “What has she done for you? She came here under false pretenses. She probably blamed you for what happened to her sister and came here looking for evidence.”

Nikki glared at Keira. “Shut up, Keira. Every time you open your mouth, it shows how stupid and desperate you are.” She faced Chase and reached for his hand. “Please, come with me. I need to tell you everything.”

Chase stared blankly at Nikki as Keira’s words started sinking in. Nikki was Deanna’s sister? How was that possible? Nikki’s last name was Savoy and Deanna’s was Marshal. Besides, Nikki would have told him if she were Deanna’s sister.

Keira’s voice rose again. “Don’t listen to her excuses. She,” Keira pointed at Nikki, “used a false name to get close to you. Her real name is Nikki Marshal, and she’s Deanna’s older sister.” Keira looked at Lex. “This woman is a liar.”

Chase studied Nikki’s stricken expression, his chest tightening and stomach clenching in rejection. No, it couldn’t be true. His eyes stayed riveted on her face, his hand clenching hers. Nikki was nothing like Keira. She didn’t lie or keep secrets. Yet there was guilt written all over her face.

“Chase.”

He heard her voice as though from afar, begging him to listen to her.

“Please, we need to talk,” she added.

“She came to see me in Los Angeles months ago,” Keira continued, “but my lawyers advised me against talking to her. When I refused to talk to her, she must have decided to find you. I recognized her as soon as I saw her here on the ranch.”

“Yet you acted like you’d never met her before.” Lex moved away from Mrs. B, wrapped one arm around Keira’s midsection, and picked her up as though she weighed nothing. “I knew you were trouble the moment I picked you up.”

Keira struggled and tried to break free, but Lex’s hold was firm.

He looked Chase straight in the eye. “I’ll take her to the airport so you and Nikki can straighten this mess out. Mrs. B? Please get Ms. Higgins’ things and put them in the car.”

Chase’s eyes didn’t leave Nikki’s face. His gut hurt as doubts about her crowded his head. “Put her down, Lex.”

“Chase—”

“It’s okay. You can take her to the airport afterwards. I just want to say one last thing.” His attention shifted to Keira.

Lex put her down.

Keira glared at Lex and straightened her shirt. “Barbarian,” she muttered.

“Keira,” Chase snapped. “I don’t owe you an explanation, but I want to make one thing clear. I knew about Nikki before she got here. Everything you said about her and Deanna, I already knew. My family would not have allowed her to come within a foot of me if they thought she was out for revenge. Now, get the hell off of my land.”

Keira sputtered in indignation. “But…”

“Get her out of here, Lex,” Chase said, suddenly feeling tired. His dreams were crumbling right before his eyes, and it hurt. Lex stared at him with concern, but Chase ignored the look. As for Nikki, he couldn’t look at her yet. “Winston can drive you. I don’t think we’ll be flying home with you tomorrow after all, so tell Mom I’ll call her.” His hand tightened around Nikki’s hand.

Lex hesitated then nodded.

As soon as the three were inside the house, Chase turned his head and studied Nikki. He wanted to shake her, demand to know why she had come to his ranch. Was it Revenge? Her eyes were vulnerable and begging for understanding. He wanted to forgive her, take her into his arms and reassure her. Damn it! She kept secrets from him.

“Did you really know who I was?” she asked.

“Of course not,” he snapped. He didn’t want to give that bitch Keira the satisfaction of knowing she’d played a part in destroying his future, a future that had been clear last night when he’d looked into Nikki’s eyes.

“Chase, I was going...”

“Save it!” He pulled her back inside the barn.

How could she keep something like that from him? She had the opportunity to tell him who she was and never did. Maybe this was about revenge, like Keira had said. Dee must have told Nikki about her feelings for him and the e-mails. Had Nikki slept with him and pretended she loved him just to… what? Hurt him? Was everything he thought he knew about her a lie?

Chase shook his head. Maybe he was looking at this the wrong way. Maybe she thought he’d started the fire and was here to find clues. The last two weeks flashed in his head.

The way she’d kept asking him about the fire and encouraged him to talk about what had happened that night all pointed to her trying to find out if he was guilty.

They reached the tack room. Chase pulled her inside then slammed the door shut and turned to study her.

“Who do you work for?” he asked. “The DA’s office? The Fire Marshal? How did you know about LASEC investigation?”

“I don’t work with the DA or the Fire Marshal, Chase. Remember the call from my mother? She was calling to tell me LASEC investigators had approached them and told them about their investigation. They wanted to know if my parents knew Finch. Rod, one of the investigators, even sent me a video of Finch visiting Keira at the hospital. When he said they wanted to make sure Deanna was not connected and needed to see her e-mails, I sent him her laptop.”

Chase shook his head. Everything she said made sense, yet how could it erase the fact that she hadn’t told him about Deanna. “What’s your real name?”

“Nikki Savoy. Dee and I have different fathers, and that’s why we have different last names. I didn’t lie about who I am. The only thing I didn’t tell you was that she’s my sister. I was going to tell you—”

“But you didn’t. Anything else you say now is just an excuse.”

She sighed. “At least hear me out, Chase.”

“Why should I?” He turned, grabbed a bridle, and reached for a saddle. “I trusted you, Nikki. I thought you felt the same.”

“I do,” she said.

The pain in her voice made his chest hurt. He loved her, had wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Now all he wanted was to put some distance between them. Leave before he weakened and took her in his arms. Punch a hole through a wall and watch it crumble instead of his dream.

“There can’t be love without trust, Nikki. Keeping secrets is sure as hell a sign of lack of trust.”

***

Nikki’s heart broke with each word from his mouth. His tone was flat, yet she felt his pain. It was there in every word, every glance, and in the rigidness of his body. His eyes were empty. It was almost like he hadn’t told her that he loved her this morning, like he hadn’t defended her against Keira, or loved her like he couldn’t get enough of her.

“Don’t you want to hear my explanation, Chase? I am not the same person I was when I first came here.”

He shrugged and lifted the saddle. “There is nothing you can say now that would change anything, Nikki. You had many chances to tell me the truth, but you didn’t.”

She sighed. “Maybe I should just leave with Lex right—”

He whipped around. “No. My brother knew who you were and never told me. I saw it in his eyes. And I don’t want you anywhere near Keira. She’s poison. You leave in the morning.”

His response made no sense. He wanted her gone, but on his terms. Nikki made a decision too. She was fighting for the man she loved, and he wasn’t leaving until he heard what she had to say.

When he turned with the saddle, she was blocking the entrance. He stopped. “What are you doing?”

“I have something to say, and you are going to listen.”

He laughed. “I don’t have to do anything. I don’t have to listen to your lies or—”

“Chase Fitzgerald!” She ground her teeth and tried to calm down. When she continued, her voice was low. “I’m sorry I missed the window of opportunity to tell you Deanna was my sister. I should have, but I took the coward’s way because I was falling in love with you. I was scared…” Her voice shook to a stop. She cleared it. “I was scared you’d be angry and send me away, just like you’re doing now.”

Chase glared. “Don’t take me for a fool, Nikki. There was never any love, and we both know it. The feelings I had were for someone I wanted you to be. The person I thought you were, not who you’ve turned out to be. There is nothing lovable about a liar. Just like Keira...”

“Don’t, please!” Nikki realized her hands were trembling. She clenched them and put them behind her. “Don’t try to hurt me by comparing me to her. You’re not a cruel person by nature, so don’t try to be now.”

Chase laughed. “Don’t delude yourself about me, sweetheart. Everyone has a cruel streak.”

“Not you, Chase. Not the man I fell in love with. Whatever you say or do won’t erase the fact that I love you. Maybe you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me, maybe you won’t, but it won’t make what I feel for you go away. I love you.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I won’t stop. I love you, Chase Fitzgerald. I love you with every breath and every beat of my heart, and I’ll keep saying it until I leave.”

He opened his mouth then closed it and glowered. “What do you want from me?”

“A chance to explain why I came to your ranch.”

His eyebrows rose. “You came to set up my website.”