The Black Sheep and the Princess (19 page)

She turned and slid the chicken pieces into the salad bowl. “Toss,” she instructed him as she dumped the cutting board and knife in the sink. She rinsed her hands and wiped them off with the dishtowel tucked by the stove, then pulled out her chair again, wine back in hand. The hell with water. “Do you have anything showing them looking at any other areas? Just how serious are they about developing here?”

“Quite. All their attention seems focused here. In the area anyway.”

“Still, as you say, circumstantial. Contacting Shelby can still fall within normal parameters.”

“But the graffiti does not.”

“Maybe the folks in Ralston think I'm keeping Timberline from building here, so they're trying to scare me off.”

Donovan tossed the chicken in the salad, then scooped some into his bowl. “Could be.”

“And Shelby has nothing to do with it.”

“Too many things happening at the same time make me nervous. As I said, until I have proof otherwise, nothing gets discredited.”

“So, exactly what kind of system are you setting up here? I mean, I'm assuming we're targeting the vandalism and trespassing? But that's just a deterrent. How will that help us prove the rest?”

“I'm going to wire the place, and hopefully we'll do more than deter them. We'll catch them in the act.”

Her eyes widened. She assumed he meant caught on tape, or whatever. Not actually caught. Then she remembered how easily and naturally he'd drawn a weapon earlier and wasn't all that sure what he meant. “How much work is involved, setting this up, I mean? They've struck all over the property, and it's a big chunk of land covering some pretty inaccessible areas. Just seems like a lot to go through to catch a simple intruder in the act.”

“Nothing is simple about this. But don't worry about the system or the difficulty. It's nothing I haven't done before. Besides, it will be handy for keeping an eye on the place later on, when the camp is up and running. You can even advertise the fact that it's electronically monitored, if that helps as a draw. But, for now, I don't plan on announcing the fact.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “So, you're not just planning to use the equipment to simply deter the vandal or vandals; you really plan on catching one? Physically, or just digitally? I mean, all we need is proof to get Gilby involved, right, and a digital image of someone trespassing—”

“Well, actually putting our hands on someone directly involved would provide a handy trail to follow, don't you think?”

She sat back in her chair, absorbing this latest round. “Yeah. I guess it would.” She folded her arms across her chest and rubbed absently up and down her biceps. If she let herself, she could get completely freaked out here. So she worked hard to focus on the facts, to try and separate herself from the emotional part. From the fear. She didn't ask what his plans were to include the local law enforcement…or not. She didn't think she really needed to hear that answer at the moment. “What kind of resort does Timberline want to build here? What's the scope of it? It's too hilly for golf, so what's the attraction—lake recreation? Will it be more intimate and personal, with guests in cabins like our old camp, or is there some huge, central lodge or hotel planned?”

“I don't know. They've done a number of different kinds in the past, of varying scope and focus. We're digging for blueprints. The fact that nothing is on file with the zoning commission or any county official is a bit suspicious, but maybe premature, too. It's also possible there might be something going on under the table, some kind of deal the developer is working on with the county to perhaps overlook certain codes or zoning regulations.”

Kate leaned forward, resolutely picking up her fork. “Maybe this is Shelby,” she murmured. “Maybe he's trying to snare them into some kind of partnership deal and cut me out. I don't know how he'd pull that off, but I wouldn't put it past him.”

“It's something to consider.”

Her shoulders slumped a little bit. She really didn't want to believe that was true, but she knew Shelby too well to automatically dismiss it.

Mac waved his fork, motioning her to eat. “Let's have dinner. Then I promise you we'll go over it all, piece by piece.”

She put her fork down again and leaned forward. “For you, this is just another one of your charity cases. For me, it's my whole life. So you'll have to pardon me if I'm a little too tense to eat.” She shoved back her chair. “I'm going to take Bagel out for a little run.”

“He runs?”

She gave Donovan a quelling look. “He's been cooped up in here all day. He's restless. He needs to get out, get some fresh air.”

Mac looked down at Bagel, who was sprawled at his feet. “How can you tell?”

“I just can.” She slapped her thigh. “Come on, Bagel. Outside?”

The dog's eyes were pinned to Mac's knees, which was as far up as he could see given his position, but exactly the entry spot of any future treats that might be snuck to him.

“Come on, Bagel. Let's go.” She walked to the screen door.

“Kate—”

She lifted a hand to stall him. “I've been cooped up, too, okay? With you. And I'm restless. You finish eating. We'll talk it out when I get back. I do want to read over Finn's report myself, draw my own conclusions, see if anything triggers something I might think of that you wouldn't know about. Business when I get back, okay? Then I'm going to want to know what's in those gear bags he delivered and what your plan is to install security. Tomorrow, first thing, I'm calling my lawyer and finding out what I need to do to cover my ass in case Shelby is trying to pull a fast one. And if anyone is going to handle Shelby, it's going to be me, so you might as well get used to including me in every part of this.”

“Kate—”

“Don't ‘Kate' me. I'm dead serious. And you'll soon find out that I can be just as stubborn and bull-headed as you are.”

Donovan held her gaze for what felt like an eternity, and she thought he was going to argue, or give her a hard time for her outburst, or make a joke of it, try to disarm her with his charm. But instead, he nodded and stuck his fork in another chunk of lettuce. “Okay. Just stay close.”

That's it?
she perversely wanted to demand.
You're just going to let me deliver ultimatums and storm out of here?
God, she really did need some air. And the return of some semblance of rational thought would be a welcome change, too. She looked down at her still-sprawled dog, but he had eyes only for Mac's knees. Traitor.

She grabbed her jacket off the peg by the door and banged the porch door open and walked out before she could change her mind. She just needed to get away from him for a little while so she could clear her head of all the pheromones that were having a party there and get herself back on track. She crossed the porch and headed down the stairs. The air had grown decidedly cooler, and she shoved her hands in her pockets before striking out on the path that looped around the main cabins.

She walked this loop often, to stretch her legs and to continue to mentally flesh out the work schedule, visualize how everything was going to be this time next year. Normally the walk soothed and invigorated her. Her camp was going to happen. It thrilled her to no end, anticipating seeing the realization of her dream happening before her very eyes.

This evening none of that anticipation and euphoria was there. Her shoulders were tense, her hands in tightly balled fists inside her pockets. Someone was trying to keep her dream from coming true, dammit. Whether it was Shelby, someone in Ralston, or just overzealous developers, she didn't know. And, to a degree, it didn't matter. Except, if it was Shelby, it did matter. Even all these years later, knowing they'd never been close and never would be, she still wanted to believe he wouldn't stoop so low as to screw over family like this. Even estranged family.

The moon was rising, but clouds had come in over the past hour, and so it was hidden more often than not. She knew the path well, and her eyes quickly adjusted to the dark. The central area to the west of her cabin held the main lodge buildings. Her mother had always wanted to tear them down and put up a single grand lodge, but her stepfather had felt strongly that a camp, even one for the insanely wealthy, was supposed to look like a camp, not a hotel. So the buildings were refurbished, and new stone walls had been laid, additions put on, grander landscaping designed, but camp was still camp. Beyond the central quad was a wider circular path on which the main cabins were located. About fifty yards apart, they were staggered back into the woods, with varying short walkways leading to their front porches. Another long path bisected the circle, which led in one direction down to the lake, and in the other, back to the maintenance and service road.

The lake also had a number of more secluded cabins nestled along the banks. Oftentimes the girls would be bunked down there and the boys would be quartered closer to the lodge area.

She didn't head down that way. The stands of trees on either side of the lake path were denser and blocked most of what little moonlight she had. Plus, the lake cabins were in the worst shape and would be the last thing she renovated. Sometimes just seeing them was too stark a reminder of just how much work was in front of her. She didn't need that tonight.

Her students would be housed in the central camp area anyway, so there was no rush. Her hope was that as the camp got established, she'd refurbish the lakeside cabins to house members of her full-time staff.

She sighed, not as quick to smile as she played out her well-developed dream in her mind. She shivered a little instead, and pulled her hands from her pockets so she could wrap her arms around herself and tuck her hands in close to her sides. She looked at the sky, which was growing more heavily clouded by the minute as the stars continued to vanish. She'd been so preoccupied by Donovan since he'd barged into her life, she hadn't followed her normal routine. She hadn't looked at the weather report today, much less the local news.

She trudged on around the circular path, slowing down when she came to the offshoot that led to the stables, paddocks, and the outdoor arena. Both the buildings and the paddocks were in almost complete shambles and needed a total overhaul. Those were high on her list, right up there with the lodge buildings and the first wave of cabin refurbs.

There were no horses yet, but there would be. The methods of therapy she wanted to offer involved using animals as a way to connect with some of the more severely challenged children. She'd witnessed the miracle of that magical connection on many occasions and had become involved in developing a course of study that focused on the benefits of using animals in such therapy.

But while it was becoming a more acceptable adjunct, it was nowhere near the level of acceptance or implementation Kate required in order to get her complete regimen fully integrated into an actual practice or university. The only way to do that was to run her own place, funded by her own money, backed by her own blood, sweat, and tears. She stopped at the crossroads of the trail and looked down the path toward the lake, then ahead to where the stables and corral were situated. She made a slow turn, not caring that it was too dark to see the actual layout of the camp beyond what was right in front of her. She could see it all clearly in her mind's eye. “And I'll be damned if you're going to ruin this, Shelby. Just take my money and give me my damn camp already.”

Her stomach tightened, her gut telling her what her heart didn't want to hear. There was a reason he hadn't shown up yesterday. And first thing tomorrow, she was going to do whatever it took to hunt him down and drag the truth out of him. As far as she was concerned, that was the most direct way to take matters into her own hands and solve her problems.

Or, at least define what her problems really were.

She turned down the path toward the lake, without really knowing why. She just knew she wasn't ready to return to her cabin yet. Maybe if she stayed out here long enough, he'd head out to whatever cabin he intended to claim and bunk down for the night. Wasn't it enough that he'd invaded her life unannounced? If she was lucky, he'd leave the report behind so she could look it over alone.

The moon peeked out from behind the clouds just as she rounded the bend in the path that opened up to a view of the lake. The wind had picked up a little, and white sparks of light danced across the rippling surface. Before too long the days would get warmer, and mist would rise from the water when the temperature dropped at night. Fireflies would twinkle along the shore, and the owls would accompany them from their nocturnal perches. She carefully picked her way to the edge of the lake and walked down to the one dock she knew was still in decent shape. Tucking her arms more tightly around her, she made her way to the end, then sat down cross-legged, staring over the water.

Think, Kate
. Should she just confront Shelby with what she suspected? Demand answers? Deliver an ultimatum? She tucked her chin and closed her eyes. Why couldn't this just move on as planned? She really didn't want this to be happening. Yesterday, when she'd left the lawyers' offices, she'd been pissed, but not particularly unnerved. Now? Now Donovan was here. Drawing conclusions she didn't want to hear. Making predictions. And she was seeing monsters in the shadows where before there were only minor nuisances.