Surrender to Temptation (4 page)

Ken was thorough if anything else, but from the sound of things, the investigation had reached a dead end. “I guess that’s it then.”

“No, it’s not. You said there was someone at The Haven that night, and I believe you. We’ll find him, Chase. We’ll check her internet and cell phone service provider and see what comes up. Also, I’ll send you a copy of the thumb drive with her pictures. Go through them and see if a face pops up. We showed the pictures to her friends, and there are a few faces they don’t recognize.”

Staring at pictures on the screen would only aggravate his eyes. “How many pictures are we talking about here?”

“About five hundred. Might break the monotony of your new life.”

Chase chuckled. “Jealous?”

“Wouldn’t trade my chaotic life for anything.”

“How is Lucas doing?”

“Talking. He looked at me today and called me ‘dada’.”

Lucas was only seven months, so that could be fatherly pride talking or wishful thinking. “I’ll believe it when Faith confirms it.”

“Recorded it on my iPad. Faith agrees with me. He said ‘dada’.”

Chase rolled his eyes. Every last one of his cousins and siblings with children always had some baby story to brag about.

“Another genius in the family?” Chase teased.

“Hey, I hear the sarcasm in your voice. With my genes and Faith’s, that’s a given. Oh, on a different note, I’m also looking at your case from a different angle. Will tell you about it when I have something tangible.”

Chase frowned. “What angle?”

“Like I said, I’ll tell you when I find something. Are you planning on filing a civil suit against Miss Marshal, too, once she’s back on her feet?”

His Uncle Mo had said Deanna would be lucky to find a job at a fast food joint when he was done with her. Chase wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He’d gone through anger and a need for revenge. Now he just wanted closure. Besides, it was going to take years for Deanna to fully recover and forever to cope with the psychological trauma of her burns. That was enough suffering for one person as far as he was concerned.

“Still there, Chase?” Kenny asked.

“Yep, just about to head back home.” He stood and started for his horse. “The answer is no, Lambert. I won’t be filing charges.”

***

Nikki looked around her yellow room and smiled. It was spacious with hickory hardwood floor and timber walls, sunflower and lime-green comforter on a queen bed, and ceiling-to-floor curtains of the same colors on two windows. The sleigh-styled bed had a matching chest at the foot of the bed and two chests of drawers on either side. The end result was comfort and space. A bit of outdoors indoors.

A door opened to the second floor deck, which had cushioned wicker chairs and a panoramic view of the mountains. Below, Nikki spied a gazebo at the end of the lower deck. She couldn’t see the hot tub, but earlier in the kitchen, she’d seen it in the gazebo.

She searched the terrain for Chase Fitzgerald. He’d been gone for over an hour.

Whether she would stay or leave was still up in the air, so she couldn’t start unpacking or call Amelia. But she could tip the scale in her favor by showing him websites she’d created.

She pulled out her laptop, lifted the lid, and saw the scraped edges. No, no, no! This wasn’t happening. How had she picked up the wrong computer? The software she used to create websites was in her computer, not her sister’s.

What had she been thinking about while packing? Her mind raced trying to remember. Her mother. She’d been talking to her mother. No, more like dodging her mother’s pointed questions while fighting guilt for lying to her. On top of that, she’d been nervous about her impending trip. She and Dee might not look alike, but her sister could have shown her coworkers family pictures. Nikki had worried that Fitzgerald would take one look at her and recognize her. Thank goodness that hadn’t turned out to be the case.

The conversation with her mother flashed through Nikki’s head.

“Why are you taking the computer when you’re going on vacation, Nikki? You need to rest, not work,” her mother had said.

“I like to watch movies or listen to music when I relax,” Nikki had lied.

“Why not take some books? You used to love reading when you were young. Now it’s just work, work, and work.”

Nikki had waved her e-reader. “I have this, Mama. It has all the books I need.”

“It’s not the same and you know it.”

She’d bought her mother an e-reader and filled it with historical romance, her mother’s favorite genre, but she’d bet her mother never even turned it on. But she might have removed Nikki’s.

Nikki dug inside her computer bag and found her Kindle. Going on a hunch, she picked up her cell phone and speed dialed her mother’s cell phone. It was picked up after several rings. “Why did you remove my computer, Mama?”

“Oh, honey, I was hoping you wouldn’t find out this soon or get angry when you did.”

“I’m not angry, Mama. I just need my laptop with me.”

 
“That’s not a good idea, dear. I heard on the Dr. Phil show how professional young people don’t know when to shut down electronically and how those who love them can help them.”

Nikki rolled her eyes. Her mother watched way too much TV now that she was retired.

“I was only trying to help, dear,” her mother continued. “You work too hard. When not at the hospital, you’re on your computer. Computers cannot replace the love of a good man. How are you going to get a man when you go on vacation and pack jeans, ugly shirts, and shoes? You have no social life whatsoever.”

Nikki sighed. Her mother had been singing this same tune since Nikki finished college five years ago. “I have a social life, Mama.”

“I haven’t seen it since we got here,” her mother retorted.

That’s because I have to be prepared for the exorbitant fee Dee’s trial is going to cost.
With her sister’s mounting hospital bills and impending trial, everyone in her family was chipping in already. Her parents were even thinking of selling their house in Wimberly, Texas, something Nikki would never allow. They’d worked too damn hard to pay it off and the itty-bitty farmland that came with it.

“Where’s my laptop now, Mama?”

Her mother sighed. “On your desk.”

When she hadn’t found her laptop in her computer bag this morning, she’d grabbed the one on her desk, not realizing it was her sister’s. Dee had stormed out of her place after Nikki refused to loan her money, leaving the laptop in the guest room. Nikki had found it a few days after Dee had gone back to L.A. and called her sister, but Dee had declared she’d ordered a new one and didn’t need “that old thing” anymore. The laptop, a gift from Nikki, was only two years old. She hadn’t bothered to ask Dee where she’d gotten the money to buy a new laptop after claiming she was broke.

Then something her mother said registered. Nikki hurried to the bed, unzipped her suitcase, and studied her clothes. Oh no. “What did you do with the clothes I packed, Mama?”

“I replaced a few things. That’s all. You still have some jeans.”

“One pair.” Nikki frantically searched through her clothes. Skirts and dresses instead of pants and shorts. The boots and sensible sturdy sandals were gone. She now had her high-heeled sandals, totally impractical for staying at a ranch. Her mother could drive a saint crazy.

“Oh, Mama,” she said and sighed.

“I was only trying to help,” her mother repeated stiffly. “You are at a resort where they have cocktails and fancy dinners. I just want you to look your best. You never know who you could meet. First impressions are important, and jeans are so… unflattering.”

 
Anger drained out of Nikki. She couldn’t really fault her mother for repacking for her. If she hadn’t lied about where she was headed for “vacation”, none of this would have happened. Her mother was old school. A southern belle. She strongly believed in a woman dressing up for her man. As far back as Nikki could remember, she’d never seen her mother wear pants except when gardening. And even then, she wore khaki pants, not jeans.

“I know you love Dee, but you cannot put your life on hold for her, Nikki.”

“Mama—”

“No, let me finish. We, your father and I, have accepted that it’s going to take Dee a long time to… recover,” her voice broke.

“What happened? Did the doctors talk to you after I left?”

“No, but your father and I have decided to get a place of our own here in San Diego and continue taking care of Dee. You must live your life without her situation getting in the way.”

Tears rushed to Nikki’s eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time her parents had put her needs ahead of Dee’s. “Can we discuss this when I come home?”

“Sure, hun, but you know your father. Once he makes up his mind, there’s no changing it. Rest and have some fun, you hear? Try not to be too curt when you talk to men. Use a soft voice. I raised you better. And smile more. You have such a beautiful smile, but you hide it behind your business face. You are smart, sweetheart. And men will eventually realize that, but you have to be approachable first. Did I mention that Jenna Hunicky got married a few months ago? You two were inseparable in high school. Her mother was asking about you and whether you were married or not. I swear that woman…”

Nikki tried hard not to laugh. Whenever her mother got on a soapbox about marriage, Nikki knew she was in for a long lecture and anecdotes. She recounted every girl Nikki went with to school who was either married or having her first or second child. As if hearing about them would make Nikki find a husband faster. She was in no hurry. She was twenty-nine, hardly an old maid, but the way her mother went on, one would think Nikki was fifty. She dated on and off and was presently happy being single.

“I have to go, Mama. It’s cocktail hour. I’ll talk to you in a few days.”

“You don’t have to check on us, sweetheart. Relax and have fun.”

Shaking her head, Nikki went to the bathroom to splash water on her face. The room was spacious and done in emerald green countertops. Pastel pictures of horses were on the walls and scented candles sat on the counter. The tub was wide, and she could imagine relaxing in it while aromatic scents wafted from the candles. Chase Fitzgerald had a beautiful home.

She was patting her face with a fluffy towel when a knock resounded on the bedroom door. Mrs. B beamed from the other side of the door, a hamper of clothes by her feet.

“We’ll have to hold off the tour until later, dear,” the housekeeper said. “He’s back, and he wants to see you.”

She didn’t need to explain who “he” was. “Of course.”

“He is in the den.”

“Where is that?” Nikki asked.

“Downstairs. The room across from the stairs. Is everything okay with your room? It is such a fun and airy room, but if you think there’s too much sunlight coming inside, you can choose a different room. We have several bedrooms up here.” She indicated the hallway to her left.

“No, this room is perfect, Mrs. B. Thank you.”

Mrs. B clasped her hands and nodded. “Good. If you need anything else, I’ll be in the kitchen once I’m done up here.” She picked up the hamper and ambled toward the left hallway.

Nikki went toward the stairs. When Mrs. B had brought her upstairs, she’d noticed the broad hallway splitting the upstairs floor. It led to double doors, which opened onto the upstairs deck. The walls had family pictures, some black and white or yellowed with age, which she was dying to study. She recognized Chase’s mother from the video conference she’d had before Mo Fitzgerald hired her. Beside Chase’s mother was a distinguished man with wavy brown hair, probably Chase’s father.

Pushing her curiosity aside, Nikki hurried downstairs.

Chase’s deep voice pulled her toward the partially open den door. Her heartbeat increased in tempo and her palms started to sweat. She didn’t know whether it was caused by the inevitable confrontation or the nerves snapping and tingling in her body at the thought of being in his presence, again. Sweat dripped down the small of her back, and she suddenly wished that she’d had time to change her top. Yeah, into one of the sexy tops her mother had packed.

Nikki sighed. She was so screwed.

Thoroughly annoyed with herself, she blew out a breath. She would apologize to Chase Fitzgerald and be civil. Then she would wow him with the websites she’d designed. Wiping her palms on her dress, she lifted her hand to knock.

A chuckle followed by laughter came from the room, and she paused. Chase was on the phone. Nikki dropped her hand and waited.

“You can’t get out of this one, Uncle Mo. I specifically asked for a male assistant, not another one of your females. Obviously my wishes aren’t important.”

There was silence, and then he said, “Vacation? Last time I checked, I don’t run a dude ranch. Yeah, I’m on my knees thanking God,” Chase added sarcastically. “Just do me a favor, Uncle Mo. If this doesn’t work out, don’t send me any more assistants. I’ll find a way to deal with my problems.”

Nikki started to walk away. She’d give him time to finish his phone call. Two steps, then she heard, “As soon as Ms. Savoy stops eavesdropping and enters the den, I’ll let her know you want a word with her.”