The Mysterious Stranger (Triple Trouble) (7 page)

“I don’t dispute the fact that this has been difficult for Anna Jane.”

And for you, too, she thought suddenly. Losing his sister and inheriting a child would have upset even someone as contained and controlled as this man.

“How well do you know her?” she asked.

“I’ve met her a few times.”

“But no regular contact?”

“No.”

Ariel sighed. “That’s tough for both of you.” She scooted forward, leaning toward him. “Jarrett, she’s just a scared little girl. Right now she needs stability and love more than anything.”

“Again, I ask what makes you an expert?”

“I don’t know. But I’m as sure of this as I am—” She stopped in midsentence. “Well, I’m just sure.”

He didn’t want to believe her. She could see the battle being waged inside him. He didn’t like or trust her, yet he recognized the truth of her words and couldn’t bring himself to discount her. At least she had to give him credit for caring about his niece.

Who was he, this dark, mysterious man who didn’t know how to talk to a little girl? What events had made him so aloof and forced him to live in this place so far from the mainstream of life? Why was she foolish enough to be attracted to someone who wanted nothing to do with her?

“I’m going to assume from the conversation we had last night that you’re not married,” she said.

A raised eyebrow was his only response.

“I’ll take that as a no. Too bad. A wife would have made things easier for Anna Jane.”

“What about you?” he asked. “Any husbands lurking in the background?”

“No.” Certainty made her speak without thinking. She rosé to her feet. “No. I’m not married.”

“What makes you so sure?”

She paced to the window, then turned back to him. “I know I’m not married. I mean, I know it. This is information about my life. Ask me another question. About anything.”

“Any foreign languages?”

A part of her was surprised he was willing to play along. A part of her responded with the correct information. “Spanish, but not well.”

“Did you go to college?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

She searched her mind. “I don’t know.”

“Are you an only child?”

“No.”

“Brothers and sisters?”

Again, the frustrating grayness of a memory that wouldn’t cooperate. “Maybe. Yes.” She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Are your parents alive?”

A sharp pain cut through her chest. She caught her breath. What did that mean? Pain at their passing, or pain for a separation caused by misunderstandings? “I don’t know.”

He tried a couple more questions before she stopped him.

“It’s gone,” she said. “Whatever I was in touch with is gone.” She faced the window and clutched the sill. “I just want myself back. Why is that so difficult?”

Jarrett didn’t answer. Actually, Ariel hadn’t expected him to. After all, he thought this was all some kind of performance on her part. Frustration filled her.

“I’m not kidding,” she went on, focusing on the incredible view of beach and sapphire blue ocean. “I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true. It’s horrible, this feeling of being out in space without an anchor. I could be anyone. It’s terrifying. What if I don’t like who I am?” She laughed without humor. “Don’t answer that one. I already know your opinion of me.”

He didn’t say anything and she thought he might have left the room. Then the skin on the back of her neck prickled and she knew he was still there, still watching her. No doubt thinking that she deserved an award for her acting ability. Damn the man.

“I’d better go downstairs and wait for your driver,” she said, moving to the dresser where she’d left her shorts and bathing suit. They were the only clothes she’d been wearing the previous day. Anything else she’d had with her had been washed out to sea.

“What are you going to do at the hotel?”

She looked at him, trying to read something into the question. “Are you reminding me I have no identification and no credit cards?”

“Of course not. A room will be provided for you until you figure things out. I meant what will you do with your time?”

“I don’t know.” She hadn’t thought that far in advance. “Walk around and talk to guests, I suppose. Don’t worry, I won’t make trouble or be intrusive.”

“I never thought you would be.”

“Yeah, right. Does it matter what I do? I’ll be out of your life, and that’s the most important part.”

“You’re right about Anna Jane,” he said. “I know she’s a lonely child. I’m not sure what to do about it.”

“Children aren’t that complicated. Spend some time with her. Love her. It’s a pretty simple formula.”

“Business keeps me busy.”

“As it’s Christmas, I’ll quote Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. ‘Mankind is our business.’ You might want to remember that, just in case you’re due to be visited by three ghosts.”

Jarrett Wilkenson actually smiled. The corners of his lips turned up and he flashed white teeth. Ariel staggered a step before she reclaimed her balance.

“Are you comparing me to Scrooge?” he asked.

“Yes.”

She headed for the door.

“Ariel, I’d like to ask you something.”

Oh, but she would have liked to have kept on walking. Turning her back on him and ignoring what he had to say would have given her great satisfaction. Manners made her pause. Not only was he her host, but he was going to be putting her up in his hotel for the next however long it took until she came up with a plan on her own.

She paused and leaned against the door frame.

“You responded to my niece’s note. She thinks you were sent here for her.”

“Yes, and you think this is all an elaborate trick. So either I had something planned in advance and got lucky with the note, or I found the note and made an impulsive decision to try and snare you. We’ve discussed this already. What’s your point?”

It was much easier to speak her mind when she had her back to the man. If they were ever caught up in another argument, she would have to remember this strategy.

“Until you recover your memory, or someone comes looking for you, perhaps you would be more comfortable staying here. At the house. Being alone in a hotel can be very lonely. Especially during the holidays.”

She clutched her clothes tightly to her chest and turned to face him. He had to be kidding. “You hate me.”

“I don’t know you well enough to hate you.”

“Fine. You don’t trust me and you doubt my story.”

“True enough.”

“Yet you’d invite me to move in to your home?”

“For the sake of my niece, who asked if you could stay, yes.”

His dark eyes gave nothing away. Neither did his face. The man was good. She wouldn’t want to play poker with him. Unless it was strip poker and in her best interest to lose.

Not sure where that thought had come from, she pushed it away. “This is crazy.”

“It’s your decision.”

She thought about what he’d said. About the holidays being lonely in a hotel. He was right. And if she was completely honest with herself, the thought of going back without knowing who she was had her more than a little terrified.

But stay here? Was she crazy to consider it?

A sound drifted up to her open window. A car engine. “My driver is here,” he said. “Should I send him back or have him wait for you?”

Ariel weighed her alternatives. She knew Jarrett would keep pressure on the hotel manager to find her family, so she wouldn’t miss out on anything by not being at the hotel. While the man of the house might make her crazy, she liked Anna Jane. Truth be known, being here would be nicer than being alone at the hotel. Here she at least had a name, even if it wasn’t her own.

“Send him back,” she said, squaring her shoulders and meeting his gaze. “Thank you for inviting me. I would like to stay.”

He rosé to his feet.

“On one condition,” she added.

He waited silently.

“Think what you want about me. I have no right to control that, but I don’t want any more conversations like we had last night,” she said. “If mutual respect isn’t available, then I’ll settle for common courtesy.”

“Agreed. I’ll have the boutique send over some clothes and toiletries for you. They should be here in a few hours. I’ll let Leona and Anna Jane know you’re our guest for the time being. Please make yourself at home.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wilkenson.”

“Please call me Jarrett.”

“Thank you, Jarrett.”

With that, he was gone. She stared after him as he moved down the stairs. What were his secrets? she wondered. What had hurt him so much that he could be generous with his things, but hold back such a large portion of himself?

* * *

“Ariel, Anna Jane, there’s something here for you,” Leona called.

At the sound of his housekeeper’s voice, Jarrett gave up all pretense of working. He exited the spreadsheet program and returned to the main menu of his computer, then stood and walked into the foyer.

Leona stood by the open French doors and waved the two females inside. “Hurry,” she said. “There’s so much to see.” Her hazel eyes danced with excitement. She was short and plump, with dark hair that had started graying at the temples. He’d known her for years and had, in fact, stolen her and her husband away from a business associate.

“What is it?” Anna Jane asked, scampering inside and glancing around. Her gaze fell on the pile of boxes by the front door. She squealed. “Are they for me?”

“Greedy piglet,” Leona said warmly. “They’re not presents, but something almost as good. Come open them with me.” When Ariel started to hang back, Leona motioned her forward with a nod of her head. “There are several for you, Ariel. Come on. This will be fun.”

“Are you going to watch, Uncle Jarrett?” Anna Jane asked as she dived for the boxes.

“Sure.”

Ariel gave him a quick glance as she passed. No doubt she wondered what was going on. Since that morning when she’d agreed to stay at the house, she’d kept busy with Anna Jane, as if wanting to avoid him as much as possible. What she probably didn’t know was that the main patio by the pool was directly outside his office. With the windows open, he could hear everything said.

At first he’d thought that was part of her plan. But as their conversation had washed over him, he’d had second thoughts. She hadn’t grilled his niece about him, nor had she steered the conversation into a direction that flattered her. Instead she’d talked to Anna Jane about the girl’s school and her friends. In that morning of eavesdropping Jarrett had learned more about his niece than he had in the few weeks she’d been living with him.

Was Ariel trying to use Anna Jane to get to him, or was he being paranoid? It would take a few days to figure out the truth. For now, Anna Jane wanted company and Ariel was willing to provide it. With Leona supervising the two, Anna Jane would be safe with their visitor.

Another squeal cut through his thoughts. He glanced up and saw Anna Jane opening a box of Christmas lights. “They’re beautiful. Are they for a tree or decorating the house?”

“Either,” he said. “The tree will be delivered in a few days.”

She wrapped the long strand around her like gauze around a mummy, then ran over to him. Instinctively, he lowered himself to his knees and caught her when she flung herself toward him.

Her small body was warm and sturdy with a sweet little-girl scent that reminded him of growing up with his sister. Brown eyes glowed with happiness.

“We’re getting a tree?” she asked, her voice laced with awe.

“Of course.”

“You didn’t forget Christmas.”

He feigned a wounded expression. “Did you think I would?”

“Never!” she announced, and hugged him again.

Over her shoulder he saw Ariel watching them. He waited, but she never hinted that while he hadn’t forgotten the holiday, he’d had no intention of celebrating it until she’d reminded him that Anna Jane would expect all the trimmings.

“These are for you,” Leona said to Ariel as she studied the contents of several bags. “Clothes and other things from the boutiques.” She winked at Jarrett. “Looks like they didn’t leave anything for the other customers.”

Jarrett released his niece and stood. “I told them to send a wide selection. I guessed at the size.”

Ariel pulled out a beaded cocktail dress. “The size looks right, but there’s too much here.”

“Take what you want and send the rest back.”

“That’s pretty,” Anna Jane said, hurrying to her side.

“Let’s get these off you before someone forgets you’re a little girl and plugs you in,” Leona said as she unwound the lights.

Anna Jane laughed.

Ariel joined in as she pulled more cocktail dresses from the bag. There were shoes to match, along with tiny beaded handbags. She shook her head. “Okay, this can all go back. Unless you’re planning a formal event?”

“Not him,” Leona answered for him. “Mr. Jarrett doesn’t entertain.” When he frowned, she waved away his annoyance. “It’s true,” she said. “You never have company. You live like a monk. You’re a young man. It’s not healthy.”

“Leona!”

“Fine. I say too much. But it’s the truth.” She headed for the kitchen. “I know, I know, start lunch. I’m going.”

Ariel was busy folding the evening dresses back into neat, tissue-wrapped packages. He couldn’t see her face, but he suspected she was smiling at his discomfort, not to mention the housekeeper’s words.

“I do not live like a monk,” he growled.

“It’s true,” Anna Jane piped up. “Uncle Jarrett hardly ever talks to God, and monks talk to God all the time.”

“Thank you,” he said to his niece.

She dimpled. “You’re welcome.”

Ariel opened another bag. In it were shorts, shirts and a few frilly things she quickly thrust out of view. “Maybe I’ll take this up to my room and sort it out there,” she said.

“Don’t take long,” Anna Jane responded. “We have to help Leona decorate after lunch. We can do the living room and maybe wrap some lights and stuff around the banister.”

“I’d like that,” Ariel said. She scooped up an armful of clothing and rosé to her feet. “Gee, Jarrett, you’d better hope that in my other life I’m frugal, so I have a lot of room left on my credit cards. Everything is very beautiful and it’s going to be tough for me to decide what I want. I might end up picking several things.”