A Texas Sky (Yellow Rose Trilogy) (16 page)

and heading to the living room.

Seth was glad she couldn't see him, giving him time to

wipe the smile from his face.

"Please sit down," Eliot instructed her right away, his

tone firm.

Darvi complied.

"I've got a sample of the articles I want you to write.

You'll put one in tomorrow's paper, and the other one will

go in the day after you dine with Jared."

He tried to hand the papers to Darvi, but she wouldn't

take them. Eliot let his head fall back, frustration written all

over him. He didn't want to strike the woman he thought

to be Annabelle; he just wanted to release her back into the

alley and be done with it.

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"I don't write for the newspaper," Darvi tried again. "If

you want to take me down there and ask them yourself,

thaf s fine. Maybe then you'll see I'm telling the truth."

This was getting ridiculous. Jared's scheme had seemed

a little far-fetched when he'd plotted it for them, but now

this attempt to execute it was just plain foolishness.

"May I leave?"

The men looked at her.

"No," Seth spoke up, trying not to be led by his heart. "I

still think we can work something out"

"But it's dark out; I have to go."

"Where do you have to go?"

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Darvi didn't answer. She just knew she needed to get

out of there.

"Did you find Nate?" Seth asked of Eliot.

"Yes."

Seth stood.

193

"If you'll come with me, Miss Hewett, I'll get you settled

for the night."

Darvi could not believe her ears. She could see these

men did not mean her physical harm and that they truly

had mistaken her for someone else/ but that didn't make

the whole episode any less frightening. For the dozenth

time that day, Darvi was forced to push Dakota's face from

her mind. He would have taken such good care of her if he

were here, but he wasn't, and she had to accept that.

Following the man who picked up her satchel, Darvi left

the room behind him. They went down the hallway and

past the kitchen to a small bedroom. There was very little

in the room. He set her satchel on the small bed.

"The window is nailed shut, but even if you do figure a

way to open it, it's a two-story drop. If you need something,

I'll be across the hall or in the living room."

Seth said all this while forcing himself not to look at her.

He headed to the door and almost made it but looked back

even as he had his hand on the knob. It was a mistake.

Darvi stood looking around the room, that expression of a

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lost, forlorn child back on her face. Seth couldn't get out of

there fast enough. He nearly ran to the living room and

threw himself onto the davenport

"Something doesn't add up, Eliot, and I don't mean

maybe. If that woman is Annabelle Hewett, she's the

greatest actress who ever lived."

"I was thinking the same thing. It has crossed my mind

that she's playing us for the biggest fools alive, but if s getting

harder to buy."

The men sat in silence until Eliot had another thought.

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"Could it be a relative, even her daughter or younger

sister?"

Seth shook his head. "She's never heard of Annabelle

Hewett. She can't be faking that"

"I thought for a moment that she was going to tell us

someone was waiting for her or that she had someplace to

be, but then she stopped."

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"I thought the same thing. It even looked like she wanted

to make something up and couldn't think of it fast enough."

Eliot stood with a groan. "Take the first shift. I'm tired."

"All right. I didn't lock her door, so check the front

again. I've got the key."

"All right. Call me before you nod off."

"Will do."

Seth was left alone with his thoughts, and they weren't

happy ones. He had no idea what to do next. Not tired in

the least, he determined to sit on the sofa until he had that

woman figured out

Darvi sat on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped

around her middle, wishing she hadn't eaten all the food.

Her stomach was so upset from fear that she thought she

might be ill. She had sat alone in the living room most of

the day, even nodding off at times. She hadn't liked going

to the kitchen; the living room seemed safer. This whole

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ordeal was wearing on her.

I'm so confused right now, Lord. I don't think they mean to

harm me, but I want to be let out. I'm not afraid to go back to the

train station and try again, but these men have me at their mercy.

Just thinking of the word mercy reminded Darvi of

God's great mercy to her. She still did not have answers but

was greatly calmed as she prayed. She poured her heart out

to the Lord and asked Him to comfort her and provide

wisdom. She didn't feel at all tired, but when Seth checked

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on her some two hours later, he found her sleeping in her

clothes, curled up not far from the edge of the bed.

^"S'w*

Dakota didn't leave Aurora without some misgivings,

but on the whole he knew a great peace. He hadn't seen his

brother, a man he dearly loved, in a long time.

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He asked God to bless Darvi, trusting she was still on

her way home and knowing she would face her family

soon. Outside of town, Dakota picked up the pace. He

would be in Kinkade tonight and home for the first time in

ages.

5"3r^*

Eliot came back to the apartment, breakfast in hand. Seth had just finished shaving, and as Eliot passed Darvi's room, he saw that the door was open and she was still

sleeping. Apparently Seth had covered her with a blanket

The younger man's hands shook just a little as he set the

plates down, but he wasn't given much time to compose

himself. Seth came into the room just a moment later. One

look at Eliof s face told him something was wrong.

"Whaf s the matter?"

"I just saw Annabelle Hewett heading into the newspaper

office."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

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Seth couldn't hold his smile.

"Do not be smiling about this, Seth. What about Jared?"

"Jared or not, Eliot, this is the best news I've ever

heard."

Eliot stared at his older brother. They'd been through so

much together. Seth was as levelheaded a man as he'd ever

met. Why now? Why her? Eliot couldn't think of worse

timing. He was on the verge of telling his brother just that

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when a small cry came from the other room. Both men

moved across the hall to investigate. They found Darvi on

the floor looking very sleepy and bewildered.

"Did you fall out of bed?" Seth asked as he came forward.

Darvi, who had just awakened from a horrible nightmare

about these men, tried to scoot away from him, but

her legs caught in the blanket Seeing her fear, Seth halted.

"When you're ready/' he said quietly, "we have some

breakfast for you."

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"I'm not hungry."

Seth only nodded and cleared out of the room, shutting

the door behind him.

"Let me handle this/' he told Eliot as he moved to the

outer door. "Don't tell her what we know. I'll go take care

of things with Jared and come back here."

"What are you going to do with her?"

Seth didn't even hesitate. "Take her home."

"To the ranch?"

"Yes."

Eliot was given no time to comment. Seth slipped out

the door, and the remaining brother locked it in his wake.

5"3r^r

"What do you mean the plan won't work?" Jared

demanded, having already closed his office door.

"Just that. We tried and it failed."

"Tried? How?"

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Looking much more composed than he felt, Seth met

Jared's eyes.

"We had a woman picked up who bears a striking

resemblance to Annabelle Hewett. She tried to tell us she

wasn't Hewett, but we didn't believe her. Then Eliot

spotted Hewett in town this morning. We still have this

other woman at the apartment."

Jared's look became shrewd.

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"That's perfect. Now that you know exactly who

Annabelle is, you can still pick her up and get her to agree

to my terms."

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"Just what I said. The whole idea is crazy. Do you know

how many people would miss Annabelle Hewett? I

thought of that before, but not until we had this woman

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who doesn't even live in Aurora did I see that this won't

work with anyone as well known as Hewett"

"But I want her stopped!"

"Be that as it may," Seth responded in a voice that had

gone cold, "you'll have to find another way to do it"

Seth stood, and Jared wisely backed off. It had taken years

to find men to work for him who had the sophistication that

Seth Redding and Eliot McDermott displayed. He paid them

well, but they were worth every dime. And over the years

he'd learned some things. He knew when he could push and

when he'd gone too far. The men did have their limits.

"What will you do with this woman?"

Seth shrugged as though he didn't care. 'Take her to the

ranch for now."

"Whaf s her name?" Jared asked before thinking, then

swiftly held up his hand to stop the question. "I don't want

to know any more. Just handle it"

Seth started toward the door.

"I'll let you know when you're needed again."

"All right We'll be in the apartment until after dark."

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Jared only waved in his direction, his mind already

working on the next plan. Never once did the banker's brilliant

mind remind his heart that he could have used his

intelligence to gather wealth honestly. This was the way

he'd always done things. A different approach had never

occurred to him.

%r%r%r

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Darvi rubbed at her hip. She had finally climbed from

the floor, but she felt stiff and sore, and her hip ached. She

must have landed directly on it. She rubbed the back of her

neck, glanced around the room, and noticed the steam.

Moving to the pitcher and basin, she saw that someone had

brought her hot wash water, soap, and towels. A wash

sounded good, but to do it right, she would have to

unbutton her dress and loosen her clothing. The thought

alone sounded wonderful.

203

Darvi moved toward the room's only chair, a thin piece

of furniture but her only choice. She carried it across the

floor and tried to jam the back under the doorknob. She no

more had it settled when someone knocked.

"Are you all right?" Eliot called from without.

"Don't you try to open that door. I've put a chair there."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I want some privacy."

There was silence and then, "If I hear glass breaking, 111

bust the door down."

Darvi didn't answer.

"Do you hear me?"

"I hear you."

Darvi wanted to hear him walk away, but when he

didn't, she still went to the basin. Hearing the splash,

Eliot's suspicions about her trying to escape eased, and he

went back to the kitchen to check on the two breakfasts he

had set on top of the stove. He could see the food was

drying out, but he thought it still looked edible.

204

In the room, Darvi took as much off as she dared and

began to scrub with a vengeance. It occurred to her for the

first time that her surroundings were impeccable, but her

own fear had naturally caused her to perspire. Bathing was

a definite help to her spirits.

I'm going to get out of here today. Lord, she proclaimed as

she started to rinse off. I don't know how just yet, but I'm not

going to sit around here again and try to convince these men.

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They can take me back to the train station, or I'm going to cause

such a ruckus that I'll bring the whole town down on their heads.

Darvi hoped she could actually manage all this once she

was faced with it It was easy to be tough behind dosed

doors.

"You told Dakota you would do just fine on your own,"

she whispered to her reflection in the small mirror even as

tears filled her eyes. "Oh, Dakota, I hope I didn't lie to

you."

205

ftae

0%

DARVI EXITED HER BEDROOM ABOUT AN HOUR after she fell

out of bed. She didn't have a confirmed plan in her mind,

but she was going to keep her eyes and ears open. She

found one of the men in the living room, his jacket off, his

feet on the table. She was grudgingly impressed when he

stood and reached for his jacket. It made the whole situation

all the more curious.

"What exactly do you do for a living, Mr.--"

"McDermott," he supplied. "I'm a personal assistant to

Jared Silk/'

Darvi nodded. She had been too stunned yesterday to

act. Today she was going to learn who this Jared Silk was

and why Annabelle Hewett wrote about him.

"Would you like some breakfast now?"

"No, thank you. I don't suppose it would do any good

to ask you to let me leave."

206

"I'm afraid not."

"In that case, may I share some of your paper?"

"Indeed. Please help yourself."

"Thank you."

Darvi was scanning the pages just a moment later, but

Eliot was a little slower to go back to his reading. Since she

was reading attentively, he was able to study her undetected.

Something had happened since the day before. She

was not the least bit afraid of him right now, and he again

112

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experienced some of the fascination his brother was

feeling.

Completely unaware of his scrutiny, Darvi could not

believe what she was reading as she went through nearly

every newspaper in the two piles that sat on the floor of the

living room. Not all of Annabelle Hewetf s articles were

about Jared Silk, but when his name was mentioned, the

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woman was nothing short of scathing, A chill went down

Darvi's spine. Jared Silk must hate this woman, and thest

men thought they had her in captivity.

At the same time...

Darvi's mind worked fast. She wondered if this might

not be her way out. Clearly the men believed she was a

reporter. Darvi wasn't sure if there was ever a right time to

lie to someone, but at the moment she was tempted.

Hearing the door open and watching the man in the room

get up, Darvi kept studying the newspapers and working

on the plan that was budding in her mind.

'

"Where have you been?" Eliot asked when he met Seth

at the door.

"I had some things to pick up, and then I went ahead

and bought lunch."

Eliot shook his head. "She never ate any of the breakfast.

What did Jared say?"

208

"He wanted us to grab Hewett this time, and I said no."

"That sounds a little too easy."

"Not really. He pushed me, and I pushed back. He

backed down and said he'd send for us when he needed

us."

This Eliot could believe. Jared slid along on the edge of

the law, but he never crossed Seth. Seth could find work too

easily, and they both knew it

"How has she been?" the smitten brother asked.

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"She's reading through the newspapers. She's not afraid

like yesterday. I swear she has something up her sleeve."

Seth looked thoughtful. "My bet is she's pretty harmless,

but she did have a gun in her bag. We'll just keep on

as we're doing, and hopefully I won't have to gag her

before we leave here tonight"

"Seth, are you sure about this?"

"Very sure."

"This kind of thing can bring a whole lot of trouble."

209

Seth studied his brother's pensive face before glancing

toward the doorway as if he hoped to see Darvi.

"Just go along with me, Eliot. I can't explain it, I just

know what I have to do."

The men's eyes met before Seth put a hand on his

brother's shoulder. A moment later he went to the living

room.

"Lunch is ready."

Darvi looked up to see the other man addressing her.

She set the paper aside, and much as she had done the

night before, preceded him to the kitchen. Mr. McDermott

was already there, the food ready and waiting. Darvi was

nowhere near as starved, but she was hungry. She didn't

know where they picked up the food they brought in, but

the beef and vegetables on her plate were very tasty. She

didn't rush. She was still asking herself if lying to the men

who had her abducted was wrong when she went ahead

and plunged in.

"I would like to look at those sample letters now," she

said quietly, watching their faces.

210

The men had all they could do not to look stunned

"You would?" Eliot questioned.

"Yes."

Eliot and Seth were careful not to look at each other as

Eliot came slowly to his feet, went to the other room, and

returned with the pages. Darvi took them from his hand.

Eliot, watching his brother watch Darvi, had to smile.

Seth was doing everything in his power not to show it, but

ATexasSky 115

his heart was nearly in his eyes as he gazed at this woman,

understanding exactly what she was up to.

"And if I write this for the paper," Darvi clarified,

"you'll let me go?"

The men hesitated.

"Isn't that what you said?"

"There's been a slight change in plans," Seth began. "I'd

have to run it past Mr. Silk."

Darvi tried not to show how far her heart sank. She had

not expected this, but she was going to keep trying.

211

"Can you do that now? Can you check with him

today?"

Seth appeared to consider mis. "I think I can do that If

you're finished eating, why don't you let us talk it over and

get back to you."

Darvi desperately wanted to know what he meant by a

change in plans but thought she should take what she

could get for the time being. Trying not to appear as uncertain

as she felt, she rose from the table and left the room.

Both men remained very quiet, so they had no trouble

hearing Darvi check the door in the living room. They

knew it was locked. Next they heard more rattling of newspapers.

Seth leaned back in his chair, a full-blown smile on

his face.

"Now tell me, Eliot, had I met her under any other circumstances,

would you like her more?"

"I like her now, Seth, and if s very easy to see why

you're taken with her."

There was so much to add to this, but Eliot did not

waste his breath. His brother was lost on this woman.

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Eliot stayed where he was even after Seth went to the

other room and had a few words with Darvi, obviously

telling her he was headed to see Jared. Eliot even heard her

thank him, her voice sweet and grateful. Not sure she should

be left alone for too long, Eliot did a quick cleanup job in the

kitchen and went back to reading newspapers with Darvi in

the living room as soon as Seth exited the apartment

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-Kinkade,

Texas

Cash Rawlings dusted off his jeans as he walked

through the back hall of the ranch house, his ears picking

up the sound of a deep male voice. His cook, Katy Sims,

laughed like a girl, and suddenly Cash knew exactly who

was in the kitchen.

Sitting on the counter as though he'd been there all his

life, Dakota looked up when Cash entered, a huge smile

covering his face.

213

"Ifs about time you got in. I've been sitting here for at

least ten minutes."

The brothers met in the middle of the room,

unashamedly embracing each other for long moments.

"How are you?" Cash asked,, still holding the younger

man by the arms.

"Good, I think. Ready for a bath and a hot meal."

"We can do both. Right, Katy?"

"As if you have to ask!" she said in her indomitable

way. Cash only smiled.

"Come on," Cash invited Dakota. "Come into the den.

I've got to show you something."

From the kitchen the men moved across a sprawling

living room graced by a huge stone fireplace and into

Cash's personal office. The oldest of the Rawlings brothers

led Dakota to a framed portrait, turning to see his reaction.

"When did this arrive?"

"Just last week."

The men gazed at the beautiful picture of their parents,

Charles Sr. and Virginia Rawlings. Neither parent smiled,

214

but both had warm expressions. Dakota's eyes lingered on

his mother's. Cash had been blessed with her eyes--warm

and welcoming. Dakota's gaze next went to his father. It

was like looking at himself in 20 more years.

"They look great," Dakota declared.

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"That they do. Mother wrote that she was sending it,

but I didn't know what to expect. The ornate frame and