Treasuring Amber: The Temptation Saga: Book Five (9 page)

“
A
re you crazy
?” No way was she telling Harper. He’d never forgive her.

“He’s a lawyer, Amber. He can help.”

“Things are going well with us. I don’t want to risk that.”

“Don’t you see? Harper cares about you. He won’t let anyone hurt you. And he can help. These photos are up without your permission. That’s not legal.”

She gulped. “I know that. But what can I do?”

Angie grasped her hand. “You can tell Harper, and we can go from there.”

Amber’s head jarred at the ring of her cell phone. She didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

“Hello, darlin’. It’s Blake.”

Blake Buchanan. Her body stiffened. “It’s him,” she mouthed to Angie.

“What do you want?”

“Just checkin’ in. Seeing how things are going. I know you’re dining with your friend Angelina Bay Grayhawk. And I know she’s loaded. Did you get my money yet?”

Nausea seized her. He was out there. Watching her. How dare he violate her that way?

She nearly laughed out loud. He’d clearly already thrown caution to the wind by blackmailing her. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do, was there?

“Don’t call me again.”

“Hey, I’m just looking out for both of us. The sooner I get my money, the sooner I’m outta your hair, and you can go on with your life.”

Anger boiled in her belly. “Don’t you dare patronize me. Say you get your money. What then? You haven’t given me the web site URL. For all I know the photos will still be there and you’ll come back to me the next time you find yourself strapped for cash.”

“Hey, the deal was you get me twenty grand and I don’t divulge this information to the sainted town of Bakersville. There was nothing more than that.”

“So my photos stay on the web site then? You want me to pay twenty grand for that?”

“That’s your only choice for now. I have no power to get the photos down.”

“Then what good are you?” She clicked the phone off.

“You’re just going to piss him off,” Angie said.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I don’t give a damn!”

But she did. That was a lie. She didn’t want to be ruined in Bakersville. She loved it here. She’d finally found a place that felt like home. She’d found friends. She’d even found a man. A man who felt like home.

Maybe he’d understand. Angie thought so.

Angie took both her hands. “Go to the bathroom and get cleaned up. We’re going to go see my brother.”

“
H
arper
, you’re not being fair.”

Harper paced up and down. “Fair?” He glared at his sister. “None of this is fair.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Angie said. “But it’s the most unfair to Amber.”

He looked over at the woman—the beautiful woman he’d begun to think of as his—and his heart broke. He could handle that she’d been a stripper, that she’d been kicked out of her house by a drunken mother and she had to find a way to earn a living. That was admirable. Noble even.

But the photos?

True, she claimed to have no knowledge of their existence prior to yesterday. Could he believe her? He wanted to, but evidence pointed against her. By her own admission, she was awake and fully active in the photos.

And after supposedly finding all this out, she’d come to his home, slept in his bed, in his arms, as if nothing had happened.

What the hell am I supposed to think?

He didn’t know her at all.

“You’re not the woman I thought you were.”

“Harper, please.” She walked toward him, reached out to him.

His heart hurt. How he wanted to take her hand. He ached to pull her into his arms and hold her, to promise her he’d do anything, anything at all to make sure that look of sadness and horror never marred her beautiful face again.

But no. He’d be strong. He’d always thought she wasn’t his type. Turns out his first hunch had been right.

He pulled away from her. “I’m sorry, Amber.”

“Harper,” Angie said, “please.”

“I’ll help you,” he said. “I’ll do what I can to get rid of Buchanan’s threat. I have some information I got in confidence from a friend. It should work to hold him off, at least until you relinquish your rodeo queen crown in a few months. That’ll keep the scandal at bay. After that, you can”—he gulped—“leave town if you want.”

Angie whipped her hands to her hips. “Damn it, Harp! How can you be so cruel?”

“Cruel?” He thumped his fist on his father’s—
his—
desk. “How do you think all this makes me feel? I thought I had finally found someone special.”

“You did! Amber’s special.”

He looked at her, slumped in a chair, her pretty features distraught and anxious. Her face ruddy, eyes swollen, nose red and glistening. Again his heart hopped in his chest. He wanted to run to her, soothe her, tell her he’d take care of her.

“I’ll take care of Buchanan. That’s all I can promise for now.”

“Harp—” Angie started.

Amber stood and interrupted. “It’s okay, Angie. We tried.”

“I’ll help you, I said.” Harper raked his fingers through his hair.

“You’ll get Buchanan off her back,” Angie said.

“Yes.”

“That’s not helping.”

“It’s all I can do right now.”

Amber shook her head. “Stop it, Ang. I want to go home now.”

Angie helped Amber to the door, and the two walked away.

Amber walked out of his life.

He sat at his desk with his head in his hands. How had it come to this? They’d shared such a special time last night, and all the while she’d known about this stuff in the back of her mind. Dishonesty, that’s what it was. He could forgive a lot, but not dishonesty.

And did he really believe she’d had no knowledge of the photos?

He wanted to believe her. Truly he did. But it just didn’t make any sense.

Drugged? Photos of her with others? Posed? Her eyes wide open?

Couldn’t be.

And true or not, she should have told him last night. She’d slept with him under false pretenses.

Sadness laced his heart. He’d thought he was falling for her.

He really hadn’t been her type all along.

He sat and stared into space for a few minutes and then picked up his cell phone.

“Yeah, Buchanan.”

“Blake Buchanan?”

“Yeah that’s right. Who’s this?”

“Harper Bay.”

“Bay? How’s it going?”

“This isn’t a social call, Buchanan.”

“What’s up? Don’t tell me—your girlfriend’s been telling you lies about me.”

“First, she’s not my girlfriend, and second, I’m pretty damn sure she’s not lying.”

“What’s she saying?”

“That you’re blackmailing her.”

“See what I mean? That’s a total lie.”

God, what a piece of filth.
Harper wanted to blast through the phone and beat the shit out of him. “Buchanan, I was not born yesterday. I happen to know why you need money.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Stop singing that tune, Buchanan. It is so old and tired, and so am I.”

“Where’d you get your so-called information?”

“I have friends in high places. That’s all I’m saying. I can guarantee the accuracy of my information. Does the name Paul Donetto ring a bell?”

Nothing but static on the line.

“You still there?”

A pause. Then, “Yes. What do you want?”

“Me? Nothin’ at all. But Amber, she wants to be left alone to live her life. That’s not asking too much, is it?”

“Man, I need money.”

“I’m sure you do. But you’ve obviously mistaken me for someone who gives a damn about your sorry ass.”

“You want to give me the money then?”

Harper laughed into the phone. “You have balls, I’ll give you that.”

“Let’s just say I don’t give a rat’s ass who gives me the money, but if I don’t get it, Miss Cross’s photos will be common knowledge to every person in Bakersville.”

Red rage poured through Harper’s veins. “You do know I could have you arrested for extortion, don’t you?”

“Where’s your proof?”

“You’ve admitted it to me. And to Amber.”

“Have me arrested, and the result will be the same. Lovely Amber is exposed. Literally.”

“You really have no idea who you’re dealing with, do you? Do you think I was born yesterday?”

“You’re a farm boy, Bay.”

“A farm boy who’s also a licensed attorney. A licensed attorney who has no qualms about kicking your ass.”

No response.

Harper continued, “So let’s get something straight. You give the lady any more grief, and I’ll personally see to it that Paul Donetto gets a first class ticket to Bakersville. But you don’t have to worry about him breaking your legs.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“’Cause I’ll have beat him to it.”

A
mber had hated
to do it, but she borrowed a couple grand from Angie. She had to get out of town. Paying off Blake Buchanan wouldn’t solve her problem. It was a pain reliever, not a cure. She needed to go to the source.

It was most likely a lost cause, but she had to try.

“This is it,” she said to the cab driver.

He stopped in front of the cracker box house with chipped gray paint. The lawn was dead, and a chain link fence surrounded the front yard. Trash littered the dead grass. A trike sat on the sidewalk outside the house.

Amber counted out some bills and handed them to the driver. “Thanks,” she said.

“Much obliged.” He got out of the cab and pulled her suitcase out of the trunk. “There you are, miss.”

Amber nodded, took her bag, and walked to the front door. She took a deep breath and knocked.

Knocked again. And a third time.

Finally the door opened. A woman in a housecoat stood before her, cigarette dangling from the fingers of her left hand. Her lips were cracked and painted red, and her light blond hair was in disarray around a face that might have been pretty if it hadn’t been so hard. Heavy-lidded blue eyes gazed at her.

Amber exhaled. “Hello, Mama.”

“
W
hat do you want
?”

Amber gritted her teeth. “Nice to see you, too. May I come in?”

“Don’t see anyone stoppin’ you.”

Karen Hedstrom looked old. Old and worn-out and tired of life. In the last six years, she’d aged twenty.

Amber walked through the open door.

“Scat,” Karen said, and a cat jumped off the couch. Karen shoved some newspapers onto the floor. “Sit on down if you want.”

“Thanks.” Amber sat, wondering if she should have brought some penicillin with her. At least a can of Lysol. Amazing her mother hadn’t died in this dump. “How’ve you been, Mama?”

“How’ve I been? You’re gone six years and that’s what you ask? I been here. You wanted to know how I’m doin’, you coulda stopped by before now.”

Seriously?
Amber shook her head. “I think you’re forgetting the circumstances. You threw me out, remember?”

“That’s right. I couldn’t afford to keep you any longer. Be glad I didn’t sell you off to one of those white slavers. I coulda gotten good money for a pretty girl like you.”

White slavers? She is crazy.
Or… “You’re drunk.”

“Well, now, there’s a fuckin’ surprise, huh? Your old mama’s drunk.”

“Let’s get you sobered up. I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

“I haven’t been sober in years, darlin’.”

“Yeah, I believe that.” Amber rose and went to the small kitchen. The acrid aroma of trash and cat pee met her nose. Her eyes watered. “I need a place to stay for a few days. And a car. You got one?”

“Do I look like I can afford a car? I hardly leave the house.”

“What about work?”

“Got laid off two years ago. Collected unemployment, now I’m on welfare. Can barely pay the rent on this place and keep myself fed.”

“But I see you have money for booze.” She shook her head. “That was always the way, wasn’t it?”

“Necessities come first.” Karen cackled.

“Well, I can’t live like this.” She puttered around in the kitchen and found some coffee. Thank God Karen still had a coffee maker. Amber started a pot, grabbed a rag, and began to wipe down the counters. “You’ll make yourself sick if you don’t clean this place up.”

“No one asked you.”

“I’m staying here for a few days. I’ll sleep in my old room.”

“Sold your bed years ago.”

“Then I’ll sleep on the couch.” She remembered the cat and changed her mind. “Maybe I’ll find a cheap motel.”

“Suits me.”

Unfortunately, she couldn’t afford to stay at a motel, even a cheap one, and she couldn’t ask Angie for more money. She had overstepped the bounds of friendship as it was. She had no idea when she’d be able to pay her friend back.

“I’ll sleep in your bed then. You can have the couch.”

“Just a minute—”

“I’ll earn my keep, don’t worry. I’m going to bleach this place from top to bottom. I can’t stand the thought of you living in this filth.”

“Ain’t you sweet.”

“Sweet? Hell no. I can’t stand the sight of you, but you’re still my mama. And I have some questions only you can answer.”

The coffee finished brewing, and Amber poured two cups. “Here, sober up.”

She took a sip of her own cup and then went to the bedroom and stripped the bed. God only knew when her mother had last changed the sheets. She started the sheets in the rickety washing machine and went back to the kitchen. Under the sink she found some cleanser and dishwashing liquid. She washed the dishes in the sink, put them away, and then started on the hard part.

“What you doin’ here anyway?” Karen asked.

“Like I said, I have some questions for you. And I have some other business in town.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Not your concern.”

“Then what are the questions you have for me?”

“You sobered up yet?”

“Hell, no.”

“Have some more coffee. And no more vodka. I just washed ten glasses. Tell me something. If you’re laid off, why the heck do you let the house get like this?”

“Just don’t care, I guess.”

Amber shook her head. Her mother was a mess she’d have to deal with at some point, but she had to fix her own life first.

Amber kept one eye on Karen as she cleaned the kitchen until it shone. She went on to the living room and cleaned and vacuumed. Cleaned the cat’s litter box and disinfected all the bathrooms.

After she put the sheets in the dryer, she started another load of Karen’s dirty clothes.

By that time, Karen had passed out, her head plunked on the kitchen table.

Good.
She’d be sober when she woke.

Amber continued cleaning. When she’d made a decent dent, she looked at her watch. Nearly five. Dinner time was approaching and she wasn’t the least bit hungry. She hadn’t been hungry since she’d eaten with Harper and her father.

Her father.

She had a lot of questions for Karen.

She pawed through the cupboards and found a can of noodle soup. She heated it on the stove and then woke her mother.

“Mama, I’ve got soup for you. And a glass of cold water.”

Karen swayed her head upward. “What’re you doin’ here?”

“I came to town. I’m staying here a few days. Remember?”

“Yeah, yeah. You got any aspirin?”

“Sure.” Amber fished in her purse and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen. “Take these.”

Karen took the pills.

“Now eat some soup.”

“Need a drink.”

“No drinks for now. We need to talk.”

Karen sighed. “What about?”

“I want you to tell me about my father.”

Her light blue eyes widened. “Your father? Shit, I haven’t thought of him in years.”

“I’m sure you haven’t.”

“His name was Morgan.”

“Morgan Cross, I know. He was a bronc buster.”

“Yeah. A champion bronc buster. Man, he was gorgeous.”

Amber had no doubt. He was handsome now, as an older gentleman. And she’d seen photos of when he was young. She could only imagine how good he’d looked to Karen.

“You have his eyes.” Karen smiled.

Had she ever seen her mother smile?

“I was workin’ as a cocktail waitress at a little place downtown. I was barely twenty-one. Thunder Morgan was in town for some publicity thing, and he came in. I’ll never forget what he ordered. A margarita with a shot of Cuervo on the side.” Karen smiled again. “As if the shot manned up the margarita. Can you imagine? Thunder Morgan drank sugary margaritas!”

Didn’t surprise Amber all that much. Angie’s husband, Rafe, drank Tequila sunrises, and he was as manly as they came. “Some men like sweet drinks. So what?”

“Hey, I didn’t bust his chops about it. Just thought it was cute. Hell, I ended up in the sack with him, didn’t I?”

“Did you?”

“If you met him and saw his eyes, you’d know the truth of that.”

I have met him. I have seen his eyes.

“So what happened?”

“A classic one-night stand is all. He left town the next day. I never saw him again.”

“Why didn’t you tell me he was Thunder Morgan?”

Karen huffed. “I didn’t want you trailin’ after him, tryin’ to find him. Hopin’ your famous daddy would fix your life. You were born to be trash, just like I was.”

An anvil settled in Amber’s gut. Why did Karen still get to her? Amber knew better, but still, this was her mother. No matter how old she got, how far away she went, she still wanted this woman’s approval.

Time to face facts. She’d never get it.

“He could have made your life a lot easier, Mama. He could have paid child support.”

“Nope. I couldn’t do that.”

“Why not? You were entitled to it.
We
were entitled to it.”

“It’s a long story, and I can’t get into it right now. I need a drink.”

“Damn it!” Amber pounded her fist onto the table.

“Ouch. That hurts my ears.”

“I don’t give a flying fuck, Mama! I’ve got problems of my own I need to work out, and that’s why I’m here. My first problem is you. Why didn’t you tell me my father was Thunder Morgan? And why didn’t you tell
him
he had a daughter?”

“Damn it, Amber! You don’t understand what you’re talkin’ about.”

“I understand that I had a father, a father who never knew about me. A father who could have made both our lives easier. Now you owe me an explanation. Why didn’t you go to him?”

“Because he would have killed us both!”