At the Tycoon's Command (15 page)

“Jared?” She tried to keep the hurt and growing anger out of her voice. She didn't want to make the mistake of jumping to conclusions, as she had in the past. “Please talk to me. Tell me this isn't what I think. Explain what it means.” The desperation to have it not be what she feared filled her with dread and anxiety. “Say something, please…anything.”

“I don't have a ready explanation. I suspected that there was something amiss about the deal, but I didn't have any proof.”

Her eyes grew wide at the realization of his words. “You
suspected?
You thought there had been underhanded dealings by your father, yet you never mentioned it to me?” She couldn't hide her hurt other than to mask it with her anger. “You allowed me to continue working off my father's alleged debt as if I were some kind of an indentured servant?”

“Indentured servant? That's not a very fair statement.”

Her voice rose as her anger came pouring out. “Not a very fair statement? Do you think it was
fair
of you to manipulate me into working for you to satisfy a debt that you freely admit you had some reservations about?”

His voice rose to match hers. “I didn't think it was unfair in light of what your father had done to mine.”

“What my father did? What are you talking about?”

“I'm talking about all the shoddy merchandise your father sold mine, merchandise my father paid for in good faith before he had inspected it. Your father certainly never refunded my father's money for that sneaky little deal.”

“If that's so, then why didn't your attorney make an issue of that rather than the promissory note?”

Jared didn't answer her. He didn't have an answer. He hadn't wanted to deal with the whole can of worms that had been the many small business dealings between Ron Stevens and Paul Donaldson. It was almost as if it were a game being played by two bitter men to see which one could cause the most trouble for the other.
You cheated me in the last deal, now it's my turn to cheat you.

It was a game he hadn't wanted to get suckered into. The contract and promissory note had been different. They were tangible business documents detailing a transaction that had already been run through the corporate accounting offices.

Kim had wanted an answer—one that wouldn't break her heart. She hadn't gotten it. Sorrow filled her words. “I guess your silence says it all. Your previous words about
ending the feud and putting the sins of past generations behind us were nothing more than empty words.”

She removed her purse from the desk drawer. With trembling fingers she withdrew her car keys, then took a calming breath and walked toward the door. She paused for a moment and turned toward him.

Her icy words cut through the stilled air. “I consider the matter of the alleged debt satisfied. I'll be returning to my apartment in San Francisco in the morning.” A well of emotion shoved out her final words as a sob caught in her throat. “When Chloe wakes up from her nap, tell her goodbye for me…tell her I love her very much.” With that, Kim turned and ran out the door.

Jared remained riveted to the spot, unable to move or speak and barely able to think. A moment later he heard her car drive away. A sick churning in the pit of his stomach spurred him into action. He charged out the door, but was too late. He saw her car disappear down the driveway and turn into the street. He could catch her if he hurried. He dashed inside, grabbed a set of keys from his desk and headed for the door.

A scream followed by the loud cries of a small child brought him to an abrupt halt.
Chloe.
In his desperate need to stop Kim he had completely forgotten about Chloe. He felt as if he were being torn in two directions. Half of him wanted to go after Kim and the other half knew he couldn't leave Chloe alone. The immediacy of the toddler's cries made his decision for him. He hurried toward her bedroom.

He had been treading in unknown territory from the moment he met Kim, and now he was so far removed from anything he knew or understood he didn't know where to begin. The woman he loved, the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, had just walked out his door after announcing she was leaving town, and he had done nothing
to stop her. He had never even worked up the courage to tell her he loved her.

He entered Chloe's bedroom and immediately discovered the problem. The toddler stood in the crib trying to climb out. Her teddy bear rested on the floor next to the bed. A moment later Lurch came running into the room. The large dog brushed past Jared, picked up the teddy bear in his mouth and carried it over to the crib so the little girl could reach it.

Jared picked her up from the crib and carried her toward the kitchen. “Are you ready for some lunch?” He may have been paying attention to Chloe, but his thoughts were on Kim and what he needed to do to get her back. She would be leaving Otter Crest in the morning. He had to come up with something before then.

K
im stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. The red, puffy eyes that said she had been crying stared at her. She had never felt as devastated in her life as she did at that moment. To say she was heartbroken would be a colossal understatement. Everything had gotten out of hand with anger and recriminations on both sides. Her entire life had become a complete shambles, and she was an emotional wreck.

Had she done the right thing in leaving? What else could she have done? A relationship couldn't be built on deceit, and holding back information was the same as lying. Jared suspected his father had cheated her father, which made the debt invalid, yet he had never said anything. She shook her head as she tried to sort out what was real. He had never offered her any commitment. Did they even
have
a relationship? She was so confused…and so miserable.

And Chloe—the toddler who was only supposed to be
at Jared's house for a day or so—had also become a part of her life. It felt like a real family when the three of them were together. It was a feeling she had grown to cherish. And now it was gone, too.

She looked around at the boxes she had packed. More than closing a chapter of her life, she was closing two chapters. One chapter dealt with her sometimes strained and occasionally turbulent relationship with her father and the other chapter with the man she loved with all her heart…a love that would never be returned. A heavy dose of sorrow shuddered through her body. Somehow she would get on with her life, but she wasn't sure exactly how.

She forced herself back to her packing. She would take as much with her in her car as she could and get the rest in a few days when she could borrow a van from a friend.

The ringing phone broke the silence. As soon as she answered it she heard Jared's panicked voice.

“Chloe has disappeared. I can't find her anywhere. I need your help. Hurry.”

There was no mistaking the urgency in his voice. It wasn't a ploy of some sort, another bit of deceit. If the little girl had gotten outside, she could have wandered off anywhere, including down to the beach or out on the boat dock. A sinking feeling crashed inside her. Chloe could have…

Kim stopped her wild, scattered thoughts. Chloe was all right. She had to be. Kim refused to allow any other possibility. A rush of adrenaline pushed her into action. She grabbed her car keys and darted out the door.

A few minutes later she pulled up in front of Jared's house. He stood at the open front door, the expression on his face saying he had been anxiously waiting for her. She jumped out of her car and ran up the steps to the porch.

“Have you found her yet? What happened?”

Jared pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly
against his body. He wanted to say so many things to her. Primary among them was that he loved her and didn't want to lose her. But as important as that was, finding Chloe took priority. His movements were as frantic as his words. “I'm so glad you're here. I've looked everywhere. I don't know how she got away. One minute she was in the kitchen, and when I turned around, she was gone.” He released her from his embrace but continued to hold on to her hand. “I thought I had a watchful eye on her. I thought I…” His words trailed off as the despair covered his face.

“Don't blame yourself.”

His emotionally frantic state came out in his voice. “Don't blame myself? How can I not blame myself? I was the one responsible for her. I was the one who insisted on keeping her here when you wanted to call the police. If something has happened to her, who else's fault could it possibly be? The blame is solely mine.”

They walked inside the house and he closed the front door. Kim's gaze darted from place to place. “You've searched everywhere inside the house? In closets? Under beds? Behind the floor-length drapes? You've checked low cupboards even though they seemed to be fastened shut? Did you look in the basement? In the garage?”

“Yes, I've done all of those things. She just isn't here.”

A sick churning worked its way up her throat. “Could someone have taken her? Maybe her mother coming for her? Or Terry changing his mind?”

“No. Grant is seeing the mother right now, and he never told her where Chloe was. And as for Terry…well, I can't imagine him doing anything that would create even the slightest bit of inconvenience for himself. You do remember how quickly he dumped her off on me, don't you?”

Kim took in a steadying breath in an attempt to calm her rampaging fears. She could see how genuinely distraught
Jared was. She needed to keep her cool and handle this logically in spite of the fact that her emotions were completely involved. It wouldn't do for both of them to not be thinking clearly, although he did seem to have done a very thorough search of the house. She steeled herself against the emotional onslaught that threatened to overwhelm her.

“Have you searched the grounds yet? You've got two acres here with lots of plants and shrubbery.”

“No, I haven't looked outside yet.”

“Toddlers can disappear in the blink of an eye and hide in very small spaces.”

They started with the heavily landscaped front yard, checking behind and in all the bushes and flower beds. Then they moved to the backyard.

They stood on the deck looking across the yard. Kim's gaze fell on the swimming pool and hot tub. A hard jolt of trepidation shot through her body. The panic she had been trying to keep under control refused to stay submerged.

“Jared…I know you have the cover on the pool and hot tub, but could she have somehow crawled under—”

“No. That was the first thing I checked. But I'll look again.”

He lifted the heavy lid from the hot tub so Kim could look inside, then replaced it. Next he flipped the switch that retracted the automatic pool cover. They both watched as more and more of the water came into view. When the pool was fully uncovered and Kim was satisfied, he reversed the process, and they watched until the pool was once again completely covered.

The anxiety continued to run rampant through her as they started a careful search of the backyard. With each passing minute Kim became more anxious and scared. She glanced at Jared. She could tell from the expression on his face that he was every bit as worried as she was, yet he managed to
project an outer calm that gave her confidence everything would be all right. It somehow eased the full-blown panic that had gripped her from the moment of his phone call.

Lurch lay in front of his doghouse watching them as if he was wondering what in the world they could be doing. Jared searched through the shrubbery along the sidewall enclosing the backyard while Kim did the same on the opposite wall. They worked their way to the back of the property. Jared checked the lock on the back gate leading to the stairs that went down to the beach and the boat dock.

“The lock is secure. There's no way she could have gotten out of the yard through the gate, and she certainly couldn't have climbed over an eight-foot wall.”

Jared took Kim's hand in his. He desperately needed the warmth of the physical contact. He loved her so very much. Through his stupidity and fears he had managed to drive her away. It felt as if his entire world had collapsed around him. Then, when he thought things could not possibly be worse, Chloe had disappeared. Somehow he had to bring the three of them back together again. Kim was there, and now they had to find Chloe.

A new thought hit him. His head snapped around toward her, and his eyes grew wide. His words came out excited and urgent. “The deck…I never looked under the deck.”

They raced across the yard toward the house. Jared went into the utility room and returned a minute later with a large flashlight. He pulled open the access panel covering the entrance to the area beneath the large wooden deck.

“I don't think she could have pulled off this panel and I can't imagine how she could have put it back in place from under the deck, but I've got to check it out anyway.” He got down on his stomach and, using his arms, he pulled himself through the opening.

He switched on the flashlight, shined the bright beam
around the darkened area and carefully searched every foot of space. He pulled himself over to the place where the hot tub had been set into the deck and carefully checked all the way around the tub base. When he was satisfied that Chloe wasn't there, he crawled out from under the deck and replaced the access door.

Kim's anxious words greeted him. “Well?”

His voice carried the disappointment that coursed through him. “She's not there.” He tried to brush some of the dirt from the front of his clothes. Despair surrounded his words. “I don't know where else to look.”

He took her hand and led her inside the house. He paused at the door leading from the utility room to the kitchen. He couldn't hide the turmoil churning inside him. “I can't think of anything else to do or anyplace else to look. Can you?”

“You've already searched the inside of the house thoroughly, and we've covered all of the outside.” She blinked several times in an effort to brush away the tears gathering in her eyes. She tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat, but it came out as a sob. “I don't know what else to suggest.”

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. He had never felt so helpless. “I guess it's time to call the police.”

Lurch pushed his way through his doggy door into the utility room. He let out a bark, then sat down and stared at them as if trying to convey some message.

Kim kneeled next to the Saint Bernard. She gave his head a loving stroke. “What's the matter, Lurch? Do you miss Chloe, too?”

At the mention of the toddler's name Lurch jumped up and barked a couple of times, then went out the doggy door. He barked again from outside the house.

Kim's gaze flew to Jared, and she saw a look of recognition that matched the sudden realization that had hit her. “Do you suppose Lurch is trying to tell us where Chloe is?”

They rushed out the door. Lurch barked again, then trotted over to his doghouse, pausing along the way to look at them as if making sure they were following.

A tingle of excitement started deep inside Kim and quickly spread through her body. Jared still held her hand. A moment later he gave it a reassuring squeeze along with a confident smile, telling her everything was all right.

He got down on his hands and knees and peeked into the doghouse. It wasn't until he expelled the air from his lungs that he realized he had been holding his breath in anticipation of what he hoped to find. A wave of relief washed over him. Chloe had curled up on Lurch's blanket and was sound asleep.

He reached inside the doghouse and brought out the sleeping toddler. He carried her to Kim, his words soft and soothing as he walked even though the sleeping child couldn't hear them. “You gave us quite a scare, Chloe. We didn't know where you'd gone and we were very worried.”

Kim could not stop the big smile from spreading across her face. The exhilaration welled inside her and pushed out in the form of a soft laugh. “I was scared to death.”

“She must have crawled out through Lurch's dog door, maybe following him when he went outside. She's still sleeping.”

“She's probably exhausted from her big adventure.”

He looked questioningly at Kim. “Is it all right if we put her in her crib and worry about giving her a bath later?”

“Of course.”

Jared and Kim walked through the house to Chloe's bedroom, the child securely nestled in his arms. He placed her
lovingly in the crib. They stood and watched her for a few minutes. Jared put his arm around Kim's shoulder and drew her close to him.

His words were soft and heartfelt. “What started as my being responsible for her has grown into so much more. It's as if she's part of my life, and to have to give her up to the child welfare people will be like losing a piece of me.”

He pulled Kim into his arms. His soft words tickled across her cheek. “And losing you would be like losing all of me.”

He placed a loving kiss on her lips, then held her face in his hands. He looked deeply into her eyes. “I don't care about the debt. I don't care about the feud. I don't care about whose father did what. All I care about is the two of us being together.”

Jared took a calming breath to steady his rattled nerves, then finally managed to say what he had been holding in his heart.

“I love you, Kim. I love you very much. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please forgive me.”

She placed her hands on top of his. She felt the trembling, but didn't know if it was Jared or herself. Had she heard him correctly? Could he have said what she had been longing to hear? Her words came out as a breathless whisper. “You're not saying that just because you think it's what I want to hear, are you?”

“No. I'm saying it because I'm not afraid to say it anymore. I love you, Kim. I've been so afraid of the emotion and scared to death of the commitment that goes with it, but watching you walk out of my life this afternoon frightened me even more.”

Her unbridled joy erupted full force. She flung her arms around his neck. “I love you, too. I really do. I love you.”

He captured her mouth with all the love that had been inside him wanting to get out. His tongue meshed with hers. He twined his fingers in her hair, caressed her shoulders and snuggled her hips tightly against his. Where the passion between them had always been hot and electric, now the final missing piece was in place to complete the picture, and that piece was love…deep and abiding love.

Jared broke off the kiss but continued to hold her in his arms.

“I've got dirt all over me from crawling around under the deck and I've probably gotten some on you, too. I need to take a shower.” He flashed a sexy inviting smile. “Perhaps we could take a shower together?”

She nestled her head against his shoulder as the sweetness of the moment swirled inside her. The total impact of the last several minutes, of Jared's declaration of love, still had her senses somewhat numbed. It was what she had wanted more than anything, and now that it was a reality she was having difficulty taking it all in. “That sounds like a fun idea, but I don't have any other clothes to put on. Besides, isn't your attorney due here sometime soon?”