Surrender to Temptation (23 page)

Lex joined them and for the next half hour, she showed them the Eagles Hill website.

“I definitely want one,” Dean said, clicking on links.

“Can you set up e-commerce pages, too?” Lex asked.

Nikki nodded. “Yes. We won’t add those here until Chase decides to sell or auction his foals.”

“I’ll need an e-commerce website for FMC,” Lex said. “The Fitz-Valdez site just needs to be upgraded so it’s easier to navigate. I’ll have my people draw contracts and contact your office.”

She knew of Fitz-Valdez, the real estate development company he ran. “FMC?”

“A motorcycle company I own with my cousin. We’re rolling out our first product in a couple of months, and it’s going to be big.”

She wasn’t surprised. When the Fitzgeralds did anything, they did it big. Lunch was interesting. They had it in the dining room, and Keira, seated across from Nikki and Chase, kept giving Nikki a smug smile. Why the smile?

“Are you really leaving today, Lex?” Dean asked.

Lex exchanged a glance with Chase. “No. Sunday.”

“Good, because Mom expects you guys at South Creek Ranch for dinner before you leave. She said to call her.”

“Do you live with your parents?” Keira asked.

Dean grinned. “No, my place borders Chase’s.”

“I hope we get see your ranch, Dean,” Keira said, smiling at him. Then she turned to Chase. “I need to freshen up. Do you guys mind if we, ladies, excuse ourselves?”

Dean and Lex shook their heads. Chase frowned, his eyes flying to Nikki.

“Excuse me,” Nikki said and stood. She would have stepped away from the table had Chase not snagged her hand. She looked down.

“Keira is in the blue room,” he said.

“Okay.”

“We’ll be with Philly, so when you are done…” He kissed the palm of her hand.

Nikki led the way upstairs, neither she nor Keira speaking. The blue bedroom was at the farthest end of the second floor. A designer suitcase and tote bag were on the double bed that dominated the room. The room was designed to soothe, but Nikki doubted it would have that effect on Keira. Nikki could feel hatred oozing from the woman’s pores.

She pointed out the bathroom, but Keira didn’t make an attempt to use it. Instead the petite woman turned around, studying the room, walked to the door opening to the second floor porch, opened it, and glanced outside.

“You’ve made yourself comfortable here, haven’t you?” She closed the door, turned, and faced Nikki. “The ranch hands don’t complete a sentence without mentioning your name. Chase is so besotted he can’t be in the same room without looking for you or touching you.”

Jealousy was ugly and didn’t look nice on Keira. “What do you want, Keira?”

“Chase e-mailed me. I’m here because he wants me here. Maybe this is his way of saying you two are done.”

The thought had crossed Nikki’s mind, but Chase was too straightforward to play stupid games. “That’s not his style.”

“You don’t know his style,” Keira snapped. “I dated him for a year, and he was going to bring me out here to see his ranch, our future home. He loved me, and I loved him.”

“Yet you left him when he needed you the most. What kind of a person does that to someone they claim to love?”

A spasm crossed Keira’s face. “I panicked, okay? By the time I realized I’d made a mistake, his family had taken him and created a wall of silence.” Her chin trembled, and her eyes brightened with unshed tears. “You have no idea how they made me feel. The Fitzgeralds are close, but when they blacklist you, doors shut in your face. I lost my job, and I have a feeling one of them made a phone call. They never really liked me, especially Chase’s mother.”

Nikki felt a little sorry for the woman. “I’m sorry you lost your job, Keira, but I don’t think you should be throwing accusations like that.”

“You don’t know them like I do. They are powerful and close ranks like that. Once Chase and I are back together, he’ll talk to my former boss and I’ll get my job back.”

How self-serving of her. Whatever pity Nikki had felt for Keira disappeared. “I don’t know where you get the idea that you and Chase are getting back together, Keira. It’s not going to happen.”

Keira laughed and moved closer. “It is after he hears what I have to say about you.”

Nikki’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

A cruel smile twisted Keira’s mouth, marring her beautiful face. “He doesn’t know who you really are, Nikki Marshal. Using Savoy was a brilliant lie. He couldn’t connect you with Deanna and,” she gave Nikki a once over, “since you don’t look anything like your sister, you could fool anyone. On the other hand, that southern twang should have been a dead giveaway.”

“Savoy is my last name, and I haven’t lied to Chase.”

“But does he know you are Dee’s sister? And yes, you are lying to him by pretending to be someone you are not.”

There’s a big difference between keeping a secret and lying
, Nikki wanted to snap, but she didn’t owe the woman an explanation. “Are we done here?”

“How long have you been living here? A couple of weeks? And in all that time you never found a chance to tell him the truth? He’s going to throw your ass out of here faster than you can say sorry.” She laughed as though enjoying the visual.

The same visual filled Nikki with dread. Her greatest fear was that Chase would not forgive her for not telling him Dee was her sister.

“He and I are going to talk after this, and I’m going to tell him everything,” Keira bragged. “Once he gets rid of you, we’ll pick up where we left off. He loved me once, and he’ll love me again.”

Over my dead body
, Nikki thought. No one took her man. If she had to fight dirty, so be it. A strange calmness washed over her. “So, when did you decide you wanted him, Keira? When you realized he was no longer blind or when you saw the ranch?”

Keira bristled. “He e-mailed me and sent his brother to find me. Ask yourself why. Maybe he never stopped loving me, just like I never stopped loving him.”

That was a possibility Nikki had not considered. “You had a funny way of showing it.”

“That’s in the past. I’m here now, the woman he was going to marry. I can make him love me again.”

Nikki laughed. “I’m done with this conversation. Chase is his own man. You can’t make him do anything he doesn’t want to do.”

“Oh, please. Men are easy. You show them a good time in bed and they follow you around like a lost puppy. I know what he likes in bed.”

Nikki slowly counted from ten.

“Leave with Lex on Sunday, Nikki, and never look back,” Keira said, unaware how close she was to being knocked sideways on her ass. Sure of her victory, her smile turned smug. “To sweeten the deal, I’ll not file a civil suit against your sister.”

As far as deals went, it would have been perfect. The problem was Nikki would never negotiate with anyone when it came to love. And she loved Chase Fitzgerald with every cell in her body. She moved closer to Keira, who wore a triumphant grin.

“That’s a very generous offer,” Nikki said.

“I thought you’d see things my way.” Keira turned to leave the room.

“I’m not done talking, Keira,” Nikki snapped. “I meant to say that’s a very generous offer, but I have no intention of leaving the ranch or Chase. You are the one who will leave.”

The woman laughed. “Why would I want to do that when I just arrived?”

“Patrick Finch,” Nikki said.

Keira’s eyes widened, panic flashing across her face. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Nikki smiled. “Okay. Then I was mistaken. Excuse me.” She started to leave the room.

 
“What do you know about Ace?” Keira whispered, following Nikki.

Ace? “Everything. That’s why I am here. To find out the truth about what happened that night. So if I were you, I’d head back to L.A., go to the Fire Marshal, and tell him everything. Not only are you going to be held accountable for the fire, my sister is going to file a civil suit against you for the pain and suffering she’s endured. Oh, and you’ll be covering all her medical expenses. You and
Ace
.”

Keira grabbed Nikki’s arm. “But I didn’t do anything.”

“You knew who did and did nothing. That’s called obstruction of justice.”

A spasm crossed Keira’s face again. She swallowed and walked past Nikki. In the doorway, Keira turned around, her eyes narrowing. “If you know about Ace, why haven’t you told Chase?”

The woman was smarter than she looked. “I just found out from a private detective working for Dee’s boyfriend. If you want me to tell Chase, I will. Or you could do the right thing, pack up, and go make a deal with the Fire Marshal before Ace does.”

Keira didn’t say anything, but a calculating gleam entered her eyes. She stopped by the door and indicated the hallway. “Do you mind leaving my bedroom now?”

Nikki wasn’t sure whether Keira bought her bluff or not, but she left the blue bedroom and went to hers. The receipt from FedEx was in the middle of her bed. Sitting on the bed, she exhaled sharply. The gleam in Keira’s eyes said she was up to something, which meant Nikki needed more information.

She reached for her cell phone and dialed a number. It was picked up after one ring. “Rod, I mailed my sister’s laptop this morning, so you should get it tomorrow.”

“That’s great. Thanks.”

“Are you still trying to find the connection between Finch and Keira Higgins?”

“Oh yes. One of our tech guys is going through her e-mail accounts and text messages, even deleted ones.”

“Find the ones from Ace, not Patrick. That’s what she calls him.”

There was silence then, “How do you know?”

“I just do. Good luck and keep me posted.”

***

Lex didn’t say anything as they walked back to the house, but Chase knew something was on his brother’s mind, so he waited. Lex stopped just before they stepped onto the porch. “You are really done with the restaurant business.”

Chase grinned. For months, he’d tried to tell his brother he was done but with little result. He wondered what had convinced him. The website Nikki had created, the pregnant mares, or listening to Chase’s plans for the ranch?

“I still have the one in Burbank,” Chase said.

Lex chuckled. “The one you’ve been trying to pawn off on Eddie’s wife?”

His cousin Eddie was married to a woman who could cook like a dream, but she preferred being an author, another thing she did well. “I’d rather keep it in the family, and Amy is an amazing cook. With her running it, I can always stop by for a weekend to make one of my specialties for her clients.”

“So you are not done with cooking.”

“No, but I prefer cooking for
my
family rather than a restaurant full of people.”

Lex’s brow shot up. “Family?”

“My wife and kids, Mrs. B, Winston, and the others.”

Lex’s expression grew thoughtful. “So you are ready to settle down?”

Nikki’s face flashed in Chase’s head. Nikki helping Mac measure hay. Nikki laughing as they rode across his land. Nikki in the throes of passion. A woman was at her most vulnerable and breathtaking when in the throes of an orgasm, and he’d seen her often enough to know she was the one. He wanted her laughing and crying with him, working and playing, scolding and driving him crazy with that mouth of hers.

Chase grinned. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Lex frowned. “Then why did you ask me to track down Keira?”

“She and I have unfinished business.”

“The fire?”

Chase nodded. “There’s evidence she might know more.”

Lex studied Chase. “Evidence from…?”

“LASEC. I hired Ken to look into it because things didn’t add up. Deanna Marshal is fighting for her life and is being accused of something I believe she didn’t do. That means talking to Keira. Unfortunately, I received a call from the good P.I. insisting I hold off on questioning her until he calls. He mentioned a lead. Thanks for bringing her.”

“I didn’t have to twist her arm.”

Lex’s poker face was legendary, but Chase knew his brother too well. “Why are you not surprised I asked Ken to look into the fire?”

Lex chuckled. “Because you are my brother and I would have done the same if a trusted employee had been implicated.”

Chase continued to study Lex. “Nah, not buying it. You knew about Ken’s investigation.”

Lex shrugged and gave the paddocks and the barns a sweeping glance before asking, “So what are you going to do with The Haven?”

“You really are going to blow me off? I should triple the price of The Haven because, from the gleam in your eyes, I can tell you want it.”

“Maybe,” Lex said.

“It could make a perfect showroom for your motorbike business.” A twitch gave Lex away. Chase laughed and slapped him on the back. “You can have it. At an outrageous monthly rent.”

A low chuckle escaped Lex. “I don’t rent things, little brother. But you are right on both accounts. I had asked Ken to check into the fire, but he told me he was already doing it at your request. And yes, The Haven is a prime location for a showroom.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I promise to pay the market value plus bonus.”