Collide & Burn (9 page)

~ Nine ~

WADE’S HEAD STABLE manager, Jimmy Rickles, was an amazing man who had a way with even the toughest horses. He was an older gent who had the patience to do what he had to do to get his job done. He was also good with the boarders. Wade liked him a lot. So did I.

Jimmy came around the bend that led to the back riding ring and nodded, his full head of white hair blowing in the breeze as we walked by him, hand in hand. It was Saturday morning, and the boarders would be arriving soon. Saturday was always a busy day.

It was still early—only eight o’clock—and the barn wouldn’t start buzzing until after ten. So we walked the grounds, and Wade described where he was going to put the indoor riding ring and some of the other plans he had for ‘progress’ at Norcross Stables.

Laughing and joking with him, I was almost oblivious to everything else until he suddenly went very still and cursed under his breath.

I looked up and saw that Gloria’s silver car was headed our way.

“Let’s duck her,” he said. “Let’s go back to your place, get in the jeep, and hit the road.”

I laughed. “That’s mean, and besides that, she might have some important papers
—
”

He cut me off. “No, Gloria has only one thing in mind.” He sighed. “I don’t want to have to go to her boss, but lately she can’t seem to follow my rules. She has orders not to ‘drop in’ on me without calling.”

Curious, maybe jealous even, I asked, “Were you lovers?”

He snorted. “I know you find it hard to believe, but I don’t do the ‘lovers’ thing. Even when I took a woman to bed more than once, and I have, I never let her get the wrong idea about what it meant.”

“Did you take Gloria to bed
 …
more than once?”

“Not to bed. She
 …
let’s say, pleasured me in my office once, and then another time I took her on my office couch. After that I told her that there was no ‘us’ as she seemed to think there could be.”

I felt a moment of sadness. “Does she love you?”

“She wants me, my wealth, and my position in the society she thinks she should be a part of—a society, by the way, that I want little to do with.”

“Why then does she still try?”

“Gloria is persistent.” He sighed. “I can’t tell you how many times I have told her that there was no ‘us’. I explained that we work together and I didn’t like the complications involved with that.”

“And?”

“And that was two months ago, and she hasn’t gotten the idea yet that I meant it. She seems to think we had some incredible sex, which was
 …
really just sex
.”

He stopped me, held my shoulders, and said, “Charlie, nothing was ever incredible or special
till you
. Do you get that?”

“I hope so.
Do you?
”

He laughed and said, “Times like these, with you, make me want to pull you into my arms and never let go. Times like these make me want to declare
 …
something I don’t want to declare
.”

I held him around his slim waist, my cheek against the denim jacket covering his chest. “I understand, Wade. Never give up what you aren’t ready for.”

“Oh, the problem is
 …
you make me feel ready.”

We had taken a narrow path to his private driveway, where he called out to Blondie, who’d evidently not seen us when she drove to the barn. So she’d returned to his house and was banging away at the knocker on his front door.
“
Gloria … here,
” he repeated.

She turned, and the smile vanished as she saw my hand in his. “Good morning,” she said. “I have the revised Tinsdale contract.”

“I told you, I’m done with him,” he answered her.

“He said he’s ready to go back to the original agreement,” she said hopefully.

“What happened to the other offer he said he was going with?”

I was seeing the businessman here; obviously Wade was too shrewd to be taken in by this Tinsdale’s threat that he would go with another offer.

“It fell through,” she said.

“So has mine,” he answered.

She took a few steps towards him and handed him the folder. “Wade
 …
take it, think about it. You wanted this
 …
”

“I don’t do business with someone like him. He can’t be trusted, and to tell you the truth, Gloria … you having dinner with him and coming up with the new contract the other day is not how I do business at all.”

“I was trying to help you
 …
”

“I
did not
ask you for it. My attorney is supposed to work for me. I didn’t ask you to negotiate and then renegotiate with Tinsdale. Perhaps in your world, attorneys draw up the contracts without consulting their clients. In my world, I am the only one that does the negotiating and sets the terms. The Tinsdale deal is off.”

Gloria shifted on her heels, and when she looked at me her eyes were full with hatred.

I said, “Wade, why don’t you go on in with your attorney and take care of business. I’ll see you later for that ride you promised me.”

“No,” he said and frowned at me. He turned back to Gloria and said softly, “And one more thing for you to remember as you leave.
This is my home
. When you want to drop off work,
call first
.”

“Yes, sir.” Her cheeks were bright red, and her body was rigid. “But none of this was my fault. He wasn’t happy and wanted me to talk to you about renegotiating the contract
—
”

Wade’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “And what made him think
you
could persuade me to give him what I already told him was impossible?”

She glared. “Apparently I was mistaken.” She then turned and almost spat at me,
“
See how he is now?
T
his is who Wade Devon really is. Take a good look. When he’s done with you,
out goes the charm
.” She stalked back to her car and careened down the drive and onto the road.

He turned to me touched my cheek.
..
“I’m sorry you had to see that. She isn’t wrong, you know—I am a tough businessman.” He looked at me worriedly. “You might not like
that
Wade Devon.”

“Oh, yeah, you are tough, but I think you were fair. Another man would have already fired her ass,” I said, half teasing.

He wrapped me up in his arms and released a long sigh. “What’s happening to me, Charlie? It’s as though you walked into my life, opened a door I never knew existed. And now I am pretty damn sure if you walked out that door, I would be left with a gaping hole that would eat me alive.”

“Well then, don’t let me walk out—ever, and the first thing you need to do is make good on your promise … we need coffee and muffins.” I giggled. “And I’m sorry. I ran out and meant to pick up some yesterday.”

He laughed and led me to his black Jag, where he saw me situated before he went around to the driver’s door. A few moments later, off we went.

In the back of my mind I kept seeing Blondie’s look of pure hatred, and it occurred to me that she had the look of ‘a woman scorned’.

I didn’t think that had ever happened to her before. She had set her sights on the client with the big bucks, and if she couldn’t have him, I thought she was just the type to want to cause him harm.

~ Ten ~

TO SAY THAT the next few weeks were blissful would be an understatement. It was ridiculous how well we got along, how much in sync we seemed to be, how hot the sex was. Wade always took me into his arms as though he was starving. He always touched me like I was his secret aphrodisiac. Everything about the two of us as a unit was mind-blowing.

We rode our horses together, jumped fences together, planned on doing the Golden Village Hunter Pace together at the beginning of November.

Only two things intruded on my peace.

Now and then, I still felt as though someone was watching me.

The other was Gloria. She still surprised us with her little visits. It was as though she were daring Wade to have her removed from his account.

She would put on a friendly face and say she was only coming to take lessons from Jimmy. I watched once as she mounted one of Jimmy’s school horses. I was surprised how good she was, and it occurred to me that Gloria already knew how to ride.

I made the mistake of telling her how good I thought she was.

Her response was to look me over as though I were an insect. She said, “Of course I’m good. I rode most of my life
 …
got away from it when I was in college.”

On that, she sauntered away. As her high-stepping, retreating form vanished into the tack room, I wondered why, then, was she taking lessons? No doubt to stay close to Wade.

An odd feeling swept over me. Suddenly I was glad that Wade and I kept our saddles in the small barn by his house in a cupboard with a key hidden over the door. I didn’t trust Gloria, not one bit.

Sighing over the problem, I went upstairs to do some painting while I waited for Wade to call and let me know he was done for the day.

As I thought of Wade, the term ‘soulmates’ took on a new meaning. If it was possible to really have a soulmate,
he was mine
.
I hoped one day he would believe I was his.

Halloween came and went in a blizzard of laughs. We went out on the Island and did the maze and haunted house as though we were teens, and before I knew it, November sauntered in with a cool blast.

The small galleries on the Island that gave me a showing were, all three, great successes. I was absolutely in heaven, and Wade took me away for the weekend to celebrate.

We went to Hanford’s Inn at Port Jefferson. The inn overlooked the harbor, and we were able to watch the ferry come and go to Connecticut.

We were feeding the swans at dockside, and I was laughing over something Wade had said about the poor fool male swan following the female around when something caught my eye.

I did a double take as I thought I saw Gloria, or someone who looked just like her, vanish into one shops at the inn.

I must have tensed, because Wade said, “What is it, baby?”

“Nothing.” I didn’t want to ruin the mood. Besides, it probably hadn’t been her.

When we got back to our suite, we found sitting on the dining table a basket containing champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.

“Who would this be from?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Management, no doubt. It is the best suite they have.” He wiggled his eyebrows and took me into his arms.

I giggled as he tickled me and jumped away from him.

A moment later, I took up a chocolate-covered strawberry and said, “Want one, baby?”

He said, “Can’t—allergic. I’ll pop open the champagne though.”

I frowned. “Oh
 …
not to chocolate.” I had seen him eat chocolate
 …
and its syrup off my body, and the thought made me smile. “Oh, the strawberries.”

I plopped one in my mouth and choked on the taste. It wasn’t right; a slightly metallic flavor filled my mouth.

He popped the champagne as I picked up the phone and dialed the front desk. I told them our room number and thanked them for the basket.

The woman on the other end said, “We didn’t send the basket. It arrived here a little while ago with instructions for it to be taken to your suite.”

I put down the receiver and said, “Wade … management didn’t … send …” I grabbed hold of my stomach as pain shot through me. My mouth was watering, and I knew, just knew
 …
the strawberries were tainted.

“What is it?” Wade almost screamed. “Baby?”

“Better get me to a clinic …” My voice was hoarse. I was pretty sure now what had happened, but I was also sure I hadn’t ingested enough to be more than a little sick. Yeah, I knew what it was. At the farm I had come across arsenic in many forms.

* * *

After a few hours in the emergency room, the resident in charge advised us that my urine did, in fact, have an unusual degree of arsenic in it. Not enough to worry about; I should be right as rain in the morning.

Back in our suite, Wade tucked me in and sat on the edge of the bed.

He seemed to be in a quiet frenzy, caught between concern and anger. “Damn it, Charlie
 …
if you hadn’t spit most of it out
 …
who would want to harm you? We should have told the doctor this was no accident.”

I wasn’t about to throw accusations around, but now I didn’t think I was wrong. Maybe, just maybe, it was Gloria that I had seen. Maybe she knew Wade was allergic to strawberries and wouldn’t eat them. Maybe she just wanted to make me ill and ruin our night.

A whole lot of maybes that added up in my mind and made sense.

Wade spent the night watching me while I slept. Each time I woke up, and I woke up with stomach cramps more than a few times, he was there with a wet rag, sweetly saying my name.

I told him, “Baby 
…
you gotta sleep.”

“You know I don’t sleep much and less reason than most tonight. Close your eyes.”

The next morning he said something to me that set me back on my heels: “Charlie, there’s only one person I know that would want to cause you harm.”

“Who is that?” I eyed him.

“Gloria.”

“Yes, then, I’ll tell you. I’m not sure, but I thought I saw her here yesterday.”

“Here? You saw her here? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure, and we were having such a good day
.
”

“Charlie, it would have been better had you told me. I would have been on the alert … I would—”

“Wade, you can’t control everything,” I said quietly.

“I can damn well try where you are concerned. I couldn’t bear it if anything … and that it would be because of me?” He shook his head. “Damn it. Charlie, I didn’t tell you because I’ve come to know you and realized you would’ve felt bad for her, but while I didn’t have Gloria fired, I asked to work with another attorney at the firm, citing personality differences. I had no wish to hurt her career, but she did not behave professionally. That was two weeks ago. I understand she’s been working in-house since then. However, she was not pleased with the arrangement … at all.” He chewed his bottom lip. “In spite of her annoying behavior she was a good attorney, at least until this last month. Lately, I found I no longer trusted her to do the things I asked. Contracts were sloppy
 …
and I truly believed she and I would both be better off if she worked with a different client.”

“I agree. I think that was the right solution for the long run,” I said, but something nagged at me, I wasn’t sure what. “So what are we thinking—this is payback? Do you really think her capable of that?”

“Not sure, but while you were sleeping I called my lead security man, and he is on it.”

If it all weren’t so serious I think I would have laughed. I was just a bit overwhelmed. “You have a security man?”

“A team, headed up by a very good man, yes, and apparently we need them.”

“Tell me something, Wade. Did Gloria know you were allergic to strawberries?” I asked, curious.

“Yes, she brought them in one day for me, and I declined. She knew I wouldn’t eat the strawberries. Evidently she wanted to make
you
sick and ruin our weekend.”

“Well, we won’t let her do that. I feel almost fine
 … Mr. Hottie …
” I crawled across the bed and shamelessly pulled him back into it with me.

* * *

No more incidents took place during the next week, and I wondered if that was because Wade’s security ‘team’ was watching.

At any rate, mid-November had delivered some fine cool riding weather to us. It was late Sunday, and we were out riding in the preserve when I finally gave in to my curiosity and asked, “What are you planning for Thanksgiving?”

“
To feed you turkey
.” He grinned like a boy.

I wrinkled my nose. “Don’t like turkey.”

“How can you not like turkey? Who doesn’t like turkey? I’ll feed you the best turkey in all the world, and you’ll change your mind.”

“Nope,
you eat turkey
. I’ll eat the fixings,” I said and giggled. “But seriously, don’t you have to spend Thanksgiving with your parents?”

The smile vanished off his face. “Which parent?”

“Oh, your mom then? Don’t you have to go to your mom’s for turkey?” He rarely spoke about either of his parents. I wondered if they even knew about me.

“No. She’s taking a cruise with some of her friends for Thanksgiving, and my dad has his own new little family to keep him warm.”

I swung his hand. “Then you may join me and mine in Florida.”

His frown darkened. “I don’t think so, baby.”

I was surprised. “They don’t bite.”

He laughed. “I know. You have great parents. I met them, remember? They showed me around the day I made them an offer for this place.”

“Well, no, I wasn’t there,” I teased. “But honestly
 …
they’re easy. Join us.”

“Not ready for the family scene.”

“Ah, I know what you mean. The assessment period where they look at you and wonder if you’re the one who will walk me down the aisle and give them grandchildren.” I laughed.

He turned white. I stopped laughing.

“Okay, okay
 …
no worries, Wade. No relationship. No family scene, but I am promised to my parents for the Thanksgiving weekend.”

He didn’t say anything to this, but I saw his mind working. Was this the time he would walk away? Lately it was difficult to imagine that one day he would leave. It was what he always told me, yet
 …
hope was a thing that boiled and bubbled beyond my reasoning powers to overcome.