Hannah's Blessing (32 page)

“But, sir, this is a billion-dollar deal. If we mess up here, Doyle Enterprises will take a huge hit.”

Devlan nodded in agreement. “That’s true. But I have trust in you where you do not trust yourselves. You people…” His hand swept through the crowd of forty people. “Are the smartest in the business. Lawyers, financial planners, stock brokers, all of you. You have the brains to pull this off.” He stopped suddenly and glanced out the clear windows to the hallway outside. Kathy stood there, waving her arms frantically. Glancing back at the assembled group, Devlan smiled apologetically. “Will you excuse me for a moment? Continue discussing our options and get me answers.”

A murmur went up as soon as the door shut behind him, and Devlan rolled his eyes at Kathy in frustration.

“That message you were waiting for from Malibu arrived early this morning. It took them all afternoon to find you here. I have a line if you want to return the call now, sir.”

Devlan shook his head as he took the cup of coffee she handed to him. “It’s just Diana returning my call. She never got back to me last night.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll call her when we wrap up here. That is, if we ever wrap up here.”

“Still no resolution, sir?” she asked.

Devlan shook his head. “One more day of this and I’m likely to go crazy. I’m getting too old to be up till all hours of the night brainstorming. I want to go home and celebrate the holidays.”

“I know what you mean,” she replied, her eyes taking on a faraway look.

Devlan cocked his head to one side as he contemplated her. She did look as lonely as he felt. Was she missing her husband and children?

“You know, Kath, I’m not likely to need you here. If you want, I’ll have the jet fly you back to L.A. this afternoon and fly back later to collect me.”

Kathy shook her head no. “This time of year the airports are a mob scene. I don’t want to add to that. I’ll go back with you.”

“Nonsense. We’ll find you a commercial jet and get you a first class seat then.”

Kathy’s face brightened. “I’ll get on it right away. Thank you Mr. Doyle.”

Devlan smiled down at her, pleased that she was happy. He knew how she felt, for his whole being ached with longing for the woman and child awaiting him in Malibu. It seemed an eternity since he had held Diana in his arms and buried his face in her glorious hair. He missed the sweet sound of her voice and her light laughter. And he really missed the golden child whose speedy recovering made his heart fill with pride. He counted her swift recovery as his greatest triumph ever.

“I’ve got to get out of here soon too, Kath. The only way to do that is to finish up here. Just let me know if something else important comes up. I’ll call Malibu later.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, grinning. She chuckled a little as she tossed back her hair. “Isn’t love wonderful?”

Devlan shook his head in wonder. “I don’t know how to answer that right now. So far, it’s not so great when I’m stuck at work.”

Kathy laughed harder. “It can only get better, sir. Just wait until you give her that beautiful ring.”

Devlan winked and returned to the boardroom, leaving Kathy with the sound of his determined voice.

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, I have to be in Malibu in two days. We have to settle this within that time or I’m firing all of you.”

There was a roar of laughter before the room settled down once again. Kathy walked off down the hall, a wide smile on her face. She joined their laughter happily. “I love this job.”

It was well after midnight when Devlan finally left for his apartment on the Upper East Side. He was exhausted but elated. They had finally reached an agreement and completed the merger, netting his organization a huge amount of money. The paperwork was in its final stages, and once everything was signed and sealed he would be free to celebrate the holidays and hopefully his engagement. And if that went well, his next project would be his retirement somewhere quiet with Hannah and Diana. It was no secret that Diana disliked being in the spotlight, and he too was growing tired of having his every move watched. With this new merger, he would be free to retire away from the spotlight, and he wanted to relocate somewhere quiet with the two ladies in his life.

Devlan glanced down at the pile of messages handed to him when he got into the car. There were three from Malibu, one saying it was urgent, as well as one from his lawyer out there, and one from Kathy saying she was on her way home. He grinned at the last one. It made him feel a lot better to see her happiness, and he hoped that his relationship with Diana would work out the way hers had.

The wide smile remained pasted to his face as he took the elevator up to his apartment and unlocked the door. He wandered into the library and settled down in his large leather chair with a large groan. As he reached for the phone a new smile crossed his face. Just one more day and he would be home with the woman and child he had grown to love with all his being.

He quickly dialed the number to Diana’s room and sat back in the chair, reaching into his suit pocket to pull out the box holding the ring he had purchased. As he waited for her to pick up, he flipped the lid off and stared down at the glittering ring. It was a beautiful ring, he admitted, taking pride in the fact that he had helped to design it. As Diana once said, he learned fast.

The diamonds were a rare blue tone, set in an antique platinum setting. The center large diamond was in the shape of a heart, with a crown of smaller diamonds around it. The band had engraved hearts along the sides and narrowed down into solid platinum underneath. It was not flashy or showy, just pure workmanship and detail. He really admired it, and he hoped Diana would too.

The operator came on to the line and broke him from his reverie. “There’s no one answering, would you like me to put you through to the main house, sir?”

Devlan glanced at the clock with a frown. It was after midnight in New York. Perhaps they were already sleeping. Diana was sure to have Hannah in her bed by seven thirty; it was quite possible that she retired too. He felt the evening’s elation drain from him to be replaced with disappointment and loneliness.

“No, I don’t want to wake them up if they’re sleeping. I’ll call back in the morning. Thank you.”

He hung up the phone and came to his feet. His hands tightened into fists clenched by his side. Another night was passing without hearing the sound of Diana’s voice. It was torturing him.

He placed the ring in his safe and locked the heavy metal door. Tomorrow, first thing, he would call Malibu and talk to Diana and Hannah and give them the good news. He desperately needed to hear their voices.

~

“And nearly two feet of snow fell in Denver and Chicago yesterday and is due to hit us in the next day or so. Be prepared, the meteorologists are expecting over a foot of snow and plenty of disgruntled travelers. Merry Christmas, New York!”

Devlan opened his eyes wearily and reached for the alarm clock. Snow? On Christmas? How often did that happen? The East Coast never had snowstorms like that this early in the season, let alone on Christmas. Why, he could count the amount of times he had heard of white Christmases in New York.

He slipped from between the sheets and let out a loud yawn. Another night of not sleeping well had passed, and he was growing more and more exhausted with his lifestyle. The lack of sleep and the stress of the last couple of weeks were beginning to wear on him. More than ever, he wanted to get home. The nights were lonely and cold without Diana in his arms. They spooned well together, and he missed sleeping with his face pressed into her hair. Not for the first time, he mentally shook himself for sounding like a lovesick fool. However, he could not help but wonder if Diana felt the same loneliness he was suffering from. He wanted to know.

Taking a long hot shower helped to soothe his tensed muscles and refresh his tired bones. Still, his mind was filled with thoughts of Diana and Hannah and how they were faring in his absence.

“Mike, get up,” Devlan called to the closed door down the narrow hallway.

From the other side of the thick oak door he heard a muffled curse and nodded in satisfaction. Mike too, for all his bluster, was just as anxious to get back to Los Angeles. It seemed they both were growing weary of three hours of sleep a night and the chill of the east coast winter.

Marie, the French woman who maintained the apartment for him while he was in California, had already set coffee to brew and had fresh pastries laid out in the dining room for him. He finished buttoning his shirt and tucked it into his slacks, his movements quick and smooth. As he pulled out the chair, Marie appeared carrying his coffee and the daily newspaper.

“What’s this about snow?” he asked in greeting.

“Ooh, sir, a bad storm.”

Devlan’s dark brows raised over his blue eyes. “Bad? Any word on the airports?”

Marie tucked a piece of her graying hair back under the starched white cap she wore. “I don’t know, Mr. Doyle. Do you want me to call someone?”

“No,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “I’ll check on it myself. Thank you, Marie.”

Marie bowed out of the room, leaving Devlan with a worried frown on his face. He reached for the remote on a table beside him and pressed the power button. Part of the wood paneling noiselessly turned in, revealing a full entertainment center. As Devlan flipped on the news, Mike appeared freshly showered and still scowling.

“I need coffee,” he muttered.

“Get your coffee, and then call TJ and find out if he can fly us out today. Maybe before the snow starts to come down. I’ll call the office and find out about completing our transactions now – this morning.”

“What’s going on?”

“Bad storm. Watch.”

They sat back and watched the weather. The storm had buried the mountains and the Midwest, and now was making a wild dash east.

“Damn it all.”

“Bad news,” Mike stated. “Imagine how these holiday travelers are feeling.”

“I know. I’m one of them,” Devlan snapped.

“We’ll work something out, sir.”

Devlan reached for the receiver of his telephone and dialed a number, his fingers rough on the buttons. His voice was clipped when his lawyer picked up.

“Set up a meeting now, this morning. We need to finish this by noon.”

Devlan hung up the phone before his lawyer could answer and turned to Mike. “Get on the line and handle things from here. I’m going to head down now. Call me on my mobile as soon as you hear anything. I want to get out of here by noon.”

“Right,” Mike said, nodding his head.

Devlan pushed back the chair and came to his feet. With purposeful strides, he collected his heavy overcoat and briefcase. Nothing was going to stop him from completing this deal and returning to Malibu, not the weather, not the lawyers – no one. He had to get back to them. And he would. No matter what, he would.

Chapter 18

The phone in Devlan’s pocket vibrated, alerting him to the incoming call. He reached for it, waving his finger at the secretary who offered him a pen.

“I’ll be with you in a minute,” he said to the crowd. Pushing back his chair, he came to his feet and raised the phone to his ear.

“What have you got?”

“Sir, I have some news.”

Devlan frowned. Mike’s voice was tense, and he sounded so far away. “What’s wrong?”

“I just got off the phone with Mrs. Maclean. Wills has been out all night and just left this morning for the hospitals.”

“Hospitals?” A cold feeling of dread landed on his shoulders with the weight of the world. All eyes in the room swiveled toward him, and a hush fell. “What’s wrong?”

“They can’t find Mrs. Somerset or Hannah, sir.”

The words escaped in a rush, and then Mike fell silent. Devlan shook his head as if to clear it before pushing open the broad door. He needed privacy – quick.

“What?”

“Mrs. Somerset went out two evenings ago and was out late. When everyone woke up in the morning, she still was not there and neither was Hannah.”

“Maybe they went shopping,” he said hopefully, although he knew the truth. It hit him with such a sharp pain in his chest that he could barely breathe.

Mike’s response was just as guarded. “She hasn’t been home since, sir.”

“Are her clothes gone?”

“They couldn’t find anything missing but her suitcases. Everything else was left in their rooms.”

There was a rushing sound in his head. Over that sound came the thundering of his heart. His voice caught as he spoke the dreaded words. “The car?”

“Gone.” Mike said softly. “Miguel said he saw it last pull out around nine.”

“No accidents reported?”

“Wills is still looking into it.”

“Let me know as soon as you hear anything. Any luck in the airports?” he asked hopefully.

“Not a chance. Too much traffic leaving before the storm. We’re stuck here until it passes.”