With Her Last Breath (31 page)

“Beth, there’s been some trouble here, and I want you to stay put. There’s no reason for you to be here, and I’ve found
someone to work at Journeys.” Maggie thought it best not to mention Lorma at the moment. “I’m staying at Nick’s for a little while, trying to help. This is what happened…”

When Maggie finished, Beth stated firmly. “I am coming back.”

After a brief argument, Beth agreed to stay in Iowa, with the condition that Maggie was to call with updates.

Maggie’s next call was to Vinnie. He was wary. “Yeah, sure. If you think it hurts Lorna to keep what we have going on as a secret, I sure don’t want that. Maybe it is time we shook up the town. Lorna would like that.”

“She loves you, Vinnie. She’s terribly proud of you.”

Maggie shook her head. Beth, Lorna, and Vinnie were one thing; Nick another. He wasn’t going to like her proposal to let Lorna help, and Maggie intended to make it easier for him to digest.

She was just directing Jerry to arrange Celeste’s plants in the living room, taking advantage of the muted light, when the telephone rang.

Maggie hurried to answer it, because if Nick needed her…The harsh deep breathing on the other end wasn’t welcome, and Nick didn’t need more trouble. “Ed, if you don’t stop your little joke, I am personally going to flatten you. And if you had anything to do with the winery getting destroyed, you are going to pay in more ways than one.”

The line clicked off and Maggie frowned. Now was a poor time for Ed to play games. His feet were definitely larger than tens, but that didn’t eliminate him from being suspect—somehow.

The police were searching for Leo and hadn’t found him; he had a few enemies, they’d discovered, and a few friends on the wrong side of the law. And, according to Lorenzo’s information, Leo wore size ten shoes, the same size as the boot tracks in the wine. If Leo was around, Maggie hoped they caught him soon.

While the police worked on the investigation, Maggie had
a very different and tough job ahead of her. Right now, she had to deal with how to get Nick to accept Lorna’s offer of the wine…and he wouldn’t be happy.

The sun was round and burning, setting over the lake when Nick at last arrived home. Totally drained, he pulled his pickup into the parking space beside Maggie’s small white truck. Careful not to bruise the bouquet of roses for Maggie that Dante had delivered to him at the winery, Nick checked her door locks to see that they were secure and untampered. Nick’s request for the roses had been met by his brother’s knowing laughter.

The camper was still against the house, the door padlocked as he had left it. He noted the goddess wind chime from Celeste’s house turning in the early evening breeze, and considered it a sign that Maggie was inside.

He didn’t understand her sweet-innocent act in front of Simmons. More than likely, he was in for trouble when Maggie got him alone.

She needed protection, Nick thought as his determination wavered just that bit. Sometimes Maggie just didn’t know what was good for her, but in this case, he knew better.

Carrying his briefcase and the make-up roses, and feeling as if all he wanted to do was to hold Maggie, Nick stepped onto the back deck. He stopped and looked at the jumble of potted plants.

The back door opened and Jerry rushed out, scowling at Nick. “I’m outa here.”

“Problems?”

“None that I want to talk about. She had me peel those apples for your pie, all the time telling me stuff I didn’t want to hear. I thought this was going to be bodyguard duty, not girl’s stuff. Man, women are gruesome when they want to be.” Jerry blushed deeply and revved his rusted black van, leaving clouds of dust as he shot away—evidently headed for freedom.

Nick paused, his hand on the back doorknob. The delicious scents coming from inside the house were unexpected and more than welcome.

He opened the door slowly. Inside the house was cool and dimly lit. He placed the briefcase aside and carried his defense—the rose bouquet. He’d hit her with a one-two, the roses and some good, old-fashioned groveling. If that didn’t work, then she’d just have to listen to good sense—until they knew if Leo was lurking nearby with revenge on his little brain.

A deep-dish apple pie sat cooling on the counter. When Nick lifted the lid to the big pot on the stove, the aroma of pot roast swirled up at him. He closed his eyes and enjoyed.

Scout’s claws sounded in the hallway, running toward him. “Maggie?”

Nick scratched Scout’s ears and hurried into the living room, which was empty. He brushed aside a huge stalk of bamboo plant and eased around something that looked like it could have eaten a whole jungle. Making his way down the hallway, Nick noted a flowery feminine scent. The dog acted okay, and she was protective, and if anything was wrong with Maggie, Scout wouldn’t leave her…

Maggie was in the big bathroom, her hair piled high, mounds of bubbles in the water. Her eyes were closed, her head back. “I’m in therapy. I’ve missed this since the attack in my home. I couldn’t bear to be in anything other than a shower. I hope you don’t mind Celeste’s plants. They were lonely. She always said they needed people around to make them happy.”

Everything that had been troubling Nick fled into the hot summer night. Entranced by the sight of Maggie, relaxed, a feminine little smile on her lips, Nick sat on the edge of the tub. “I heard you checked on Eugene again.”

“Jerry makes an excellent bodyguard and reporter, right? Eugene is absolutely wallowing in Dee Dee’s full attention. I wouldn’t count on him being well soon. His story about how he fought off his attacker is growing.”

Nick’s vantage point was good; Maggie’s nipples played beneath the soapy water, bobbing like little cherries that needed tasting. Her long, sleek, curved body shimmered beneath the bubbles, her feet raised, her nails glossy and red. His hunger switched from food to woman.

Apparently she made orgasmic sounds in the bathtub, too, and every one of them lodged hard and needy in his body. She’d made those same sounds last night as she moved against him, hungry and sweet and tight and—

Her eyes opened drowsily, finding him. She shifted a little, and her breasts quivered beneath the bubbles. “Nick?”

“Hmm?” He was having trouble thinking. Images of the ruined grape crusher had been replaced by memories of last night’s lovemaking marathon. They interfered with whatever his plan had been. And he was no longer exhausted.

“This is a really big bathtub.”

Maggie lay on top of Nick’s back, his body relaxed beneath her on the bed. She smoothed his temple with her lips, her fingertips at work massaging his shoulders. “Feeling better?”

“Umm.” His back rolled beneath her breasts, a male luxuriating in the feminine softness lying over him.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“Umm.” His hand reached down behind him and caressed her bottom.

“That’s good.” She nuzzled the side of his throat. “It’s not as bad as you think—the winery and the orders, I mean. You smell like my bubble bath.”

He sighed heavily as if unwilling to return to the reality of dealing with the investigation and his endangered business.

She nibbled on his ear, and Nick turned his head slightly to give her a kiss. “Thank you.”

“For dinner?”

He wriggled his butt just a little beneath her and smoothed her bottom again. “That, too. I like this total body massage idea.”

“I had an interesting conversation today that might interest
you.” If Maggie’s fingers weren’t smoothing his shoulders, she might have had them crossed for good luck.

“Let me guess. Dee Dee and Eugene?”

“He wanted me to sneak him some condoms.”

She could feel Nick smile as her cheek rubbed against his. “Lorna invited me to her house. I sent Jerry on an errand while we were at Celeste’s house, because I knew if he reported my visit to Lorna’s to you, you’d be upset.”

The powerful shoulders beneath her fingers tensed. “You’re right; I am. And what did Lorna want?”

When Maggie briefly described Lorna’s offer, Nick flipped over so suddenly that she almost went tumbling off the bed. He grabbed her and hauled her up, leaning over her. He turned on the bedside light. “
She
had buyers working for her?
Lorna has cases of my wine?
”

His quiet roar was enough to wilt Celeste’s plants, but Maggie wasn’t backing up. She took a deep breath and served what he didn’t want. “Your best reds. They store well. She has a special cellar and temperature control printouts.”

This man wasn’t the lover of hours before, the weary warrior grateful for a warm loving welcome; he was a thunder-cloud, waiting to shoot lightning bolts. He surged out of the bed, stalking across the bedroom as if he wanted to tear something—someone apart. “Let me get this straight—she’s got a private wine cellar that she’s selling back to me at cost…when I can make payment or not…and she’s ready to title those twenty acres back to me? There has to be a hitch. She’s got something else going on.”

Maggie sat lotus-style on the bed and adjusted the sheet around her nude body. “Vinnie. That’s what she’s got going on. Think of it as a family thing—”

“Lorna? Vinnie? Together? That way? You’ve got to be kidding. Why didn’t I know?”

She felt sorry for Nick. He had a lot to cope with—coming to terms with a woman he didn’t like
and
discovering the said woman was involved with his own cousin. She ignored his
shocked look and continued, “It’s complicated. I checked the cases and dates. It’s your best reds. If you can make substitutes on the orders you’ve already taken—”

“Lorna and Vinnie. Lorna and Vinnie…” Nick stared at Maggie as if he didn’t know her. “Who are you?”

She tilted her head. Nick was really cute with his hair standing out in clumps and that owlish, what-planet-am-I-on look.

He gestured to the bed, to the dishes of food placed on the floor as they made love once again. The owlish look slid into a grim one. “So that’s what the little-woman act was about? To soften me up for one of Lorna’s deals?”

“Vinnie thought he was protecting her by keeping their secret. I called and convinced him otherwise. She’s not like you think.”

He glared at her. “I’ve known her for her whole life. Believe me, Lorna never gives without getting.
You convinced my cousin to come out with whatever thing they have going on?
”

Nick’s you-traitor look irritated. “Vinnie loves her and she loves him.”

“That barracuda can love?”

“They’ll probably get married. She’ll be in the family. They want children and they’ll be your cousins. She’ll be at all the family gatherings.”

Looking like a warrior who faced a losing battle, Nick sat down hard on the bed, staring off into space. “I’ll talk to Vinnie.”

“They’ve been together for years. Lorna is his mystery girlfriend. They kickbox and work on cars. That black eye he’s wearing and the dead-dog-tired look come from being with her all night. She wants to be more housewifey and make a home for Vinnie. If I can help, I will.”

His abrupt curse hit the shadows. “I don’t trust her. What did Lorna want in return? Lorna always wants something in return.”

“Secrecy. Only those who need to know in on it. To run Journeys and be a working girl to show Vinnie that she’s just not a rich playgirl. To learn how to cook from your mother.”

Nick’s expression swung back to the lost-on-what-planet look. “
My mother? My family is involved in whatever she’s pulling
?”

Maggie couldn’t help adding a tease, “Lorna is sorry if your feelings are hurt. You were just a challenge. She offered to play-act out a scene in which she dumped you, if it would help you save face.”

With a loud, frustrated groan, Nick lay down beside her, his hands folded behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. “You sure know how to lay a proposition on the table. Or in bed.”

She smoothed his chest with her hand. “I enjoyed every minute, but even without Lorna’s offer, I wanted to be here tonight for you.”

He covered her hand with his. “You actually like her, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. And knowing more about Lorna’s life, I saw more of my mistakes with Glenda. I protected her too much—my little sister—I should have let her fight more of her own battles earlier, so that when put to the test, she would have had the inner strength she needed.”

Nick drew Maggie down to him, holding her close. “You’ve got to stop blaming yourself about your sister, Maggie. It’s all about choices. She made the wrong ones. You just did the best you could.”

“It wasn’t enough.”

She listened to Nick’s heartbeat beneath her cheek and the stillness. “You’re not going to let Lorna help, are you?”

“No. She’s playing you. She’s got an angle in there somewhere, and she’s better left alone.”

Maggie lifted slightly to look at him. “Nick, listen to me. Pride is one thing. Saving a business you’ve struggled and worked for, and that your grandfather had hoped for, is another. At least think about it.”

Nick eased from her and pulled on his jeans, silently leaving the house.

Aching for him, Maggie climbed the steps to the lighthouse. Nick needed time alone, balancing Lorna’s offer against his pride. The wind played in Maggie’s hair and the sheet over her body. She listened to the peaceful tinkling of Celeste’s chimes and prayed that Nick would consider Lorna’s offer and that his business would survive the blow.

Maggie also prayed that his anger at her would ease. Nick’s silence hadn’t been encouraging.

The lake spread black in the night, a trail of silver cutting through the waves. Scout whined softly and leaned against Maggie. With her hand in Scout’s thick coat Maggie wondered about Monique who had died on the lake, about Celeste who always seemed near, and about Nick’s Alyssa, always hovering close to him.

When Maggie turned toward land, Nick stood amid the grapes that would be ready for September harvest. They wouldn’t wait.

Once he’d sold land to pay for Alyssa’s medical expenses. Now, to save what he had built, he would have to bend his pride once more.

Enveloped by shadows, Brent held the earpiece of the bugging device to his ear. Planted on an overhead light fixture, the device had proven invaluable when he was blackmailing for his deals, and he was never without it. Ed wouldn’t suspect that he’d been followed, that Brent could easily leave his room by simply picking the lock. Through the window, he watched the man inside the salvage yard garage—it always paid to know what the underlings around him were doing.