Читать книгу The Millionaires' Club: David, Clint & Travis: Entangled with a Texan / Locked up with a Lawman / Remembering One Wild Night - Kathie DeNosky, Laura Wright - Страница 11

Six

“To harm her?” Marissa asked, chilled by David’s news.

“Probably, otherwise why try to sneak in?”

“Did he get away?”

“Yes. Clint had to see about our mystery Jane Doe and the intruder got a head start on Clint.” David raked his fingers through his hair and frowned while he thought about someone attempting to get to Autumn’s mother.

“That’s dreadful!”

“Someone is after her and now he knows she’s in Royal. He’s getting brazen about going after her. But then, for the money she was carrying, a lot of people would be willing to go to drastic lengths to get the money back.”

“Do the police know?”

“Yes, they’re at the hospital now, but my friend Clint will stay to guard our mystery Jane Doe.” David shifted slightly closer to Marissa. “I’ll need to go to town tomorrow to meet with my friends.”

“David, I’d like to go see this woman and take Autumn.”

“The mother’s in a coma. She’d never know her baby is there,” David pointed out.

“I know she’s unconscious, but maybe deep down in some depths of her mind or heart, having Autumn there might make a difference. Will you ask if we can do this?”

“She has a nurse, Tara Roberts, who’s taken an interest in her. We can ask Tara,” he decided. “But it seems like an exercise in futility.”

“I know Tara,” Marissa stated. “My niece and nephews were born at Royal Memorial, so I’m familiar with some of the people there. Tara’s great, and I’m glad that she’s interested in this Jane Doe. Can you please find out when Tara Roberts is on duty?”

“Jane Doe’s in ICU. She can’t have visitors,” David cautioned.

“She can have family for brief visits,” she told him confidently. “And Autumn is family, more than Tara or your friend Clint who guards her.”

He stared at Marissa while he appeared to mull it over. “It may not work out, but if you want to try, I’ll ask. I’ll go along with you, though.”

“That’s fine. Thanks. I’ll feel better about it if mother and baby are united briefly.”

“You’re hopelessly optimistic,” he said lightly, and she smiled.

“That’s what my sister Greta always says. According to her, I’m the optimist, she’s the pessimist, Karen is the party girl and Dallas is boy-crazy.”

“Do you concur with the analysis?”

“Sort of,” she said, smiling again.

“When I met you in the baby store and introduced myself, you said you knew me through your older sister. You look a lot younger than your sister.”

“I’m twenty-eight. I often went with her to football games and I watched you play ball.”

“And you remembered me from that?” he asked, and she knew her cheeks were hot and she knew he was going to persist with his questions until he found out the answer.

“Yes, David, I remembered you. I thought you were cute. It was a schoolgirl crush. Satisfied? I got over it.”

“I hope not,” he said, leaning forward. “And whatever it is between us, I feel it, too.”

“I suspect what you feel is lust.”

“Damn straight. My pulse is racing right now. How about yours?” He placed his hand against her throat and waited.

She twisted away slightly. “I can’t help it if my body responds to you, but that doesn’t change my mind,” she said, taking his hand and removing it from her throat where he had been checking her pulse. “Now, you scoot back where you were.”

He grinned and scooted away a few inches, increasing the distance between them only slightly. “So tell me more about your life. How come you were working in the baby store?”

“I majored in sociology in college and that’s what my degree is in. I had a job with the clinic, and after doing that for a few years, I knew I didn’t want to do it forever. I have a minor in public relations and I’ve got applications out right now, so the store job is temporary. So where did you go to college?”

David talked about college and life on the ranch, safe topics that didn’t dredge up emotions or bad memories, yet gave her a glimpse of his life. When Autumn began to cry, Marissa brought the baby to the kitchen and she and David took turns caring for her. As Marissa held and rocked her, they talked. Later that night Autumn had a second bottle, but this time when Marissa got Autumn back to sleep, she stood.

“It’s almost two in the morning, David. I’m going to bed.”

“Want me to carry Autumn?” he offered, standing and crossing the room to Marissa.

“No need. She’s a featherweight,” Marissa replied.

“I’ll bring your things, then,” he said, picking up the boxes of gifts he had brought her. As they left the room, he switched off the kitchen light.

“So when will we go to town tomorrow?” she asked.

“My meeting is at ten in the morning. After that, I’ll talk to Clint and Tara about taking Autumn to the hospital. I don’t want you wandering around alone with her. I’d rather drive back here in the afternoon and pick you two up and take you into town then.”

When they reached her bedroom, he followed her inside and placed her presents on the bed. She crossed to him and caught his hand in hers. As his brows arched in surprise, she said, “Come here, David.”

He went with her and she led him into the hall, pausing at the door. “Thanks for the interesting evening and dinner. Good night.”

He looked amused. “You don’t want me in your bedroom?”

“Not yet,” she answered, and his chest expanded as he inhaled a deep breath.

“That wasn’t the answer I expected, since you tricked me to get me out of your room.”

Marissa smiled. “What was it you said? Sneaky and underhanded sometimes gets you what you want, or some such. Good night,” she repeated with emphasis, glancing toward his bedroom.

He braced one hand against the doorjamb, blocking her way. “Just one kiss.”

“You’ve had a kiss, and I have a baby in my arms.”

“Neither matters,” he said, catching her chin in his other hand and leaning down. Before he could touch her lips, Marissa ducked under his arm and stepped quickly into her bedroom.

“See you in the morning.” She closed the door in his face and let out her breath. How she ached for his kisses! Every inch of her wanted to be standing outside her door in his arms. Thank heavens she had shown some restraint. Now, if she could just hang on to that restraint throughout this job.

She put Autumn in her crib, standing over the baby. Autumn was one of the most beautiful babies she had ever seen. She touched Autumn’s cheek lightly with her finger. Marissa closed her eyes and said a prayer that Autumn’s mother would have a full recovery. When she opened her eyes, she smoothed the baby’s wispy hair. How it was going to hurt to say goodbye to Autumn!

That was one more thing she could postpone thinking about. Better to go home crying over the loss of Autumn, than to go home brokenhearted, crying over the losses of both Autumn and David. Just keep remembering that one, she told herself.

“This is no big deal. Relax and enjoy yourself.” His words haunted her. It was no big deal to him. To her, it was enormous. The dream of half a lifetime. His sexy appeal was irresistible now. If she let the man seduce her, she would be absolute and hopeless mush around him all the time.

“Marissa Wilder, learn now to say no,” she ordered aloud, remembering her ex and how charming he had been at the first. “No, no and no.”

Repeating no, no, no to herself, she crossed the room to open the boxes and look again at the beautiful dress he had given her. She peeled off her T-shirt and jeans and stepped into the dress, pulling it on and sliding up the zipper, turning to look at herself in the mirror. The dress was perfection. Simple, sleek lines, short, figure-hugging, soft. She unzipped it and changed into the oversize T-shirt she slept in.

In the dark, she lay in bed and remembered David’s hands on her, his touches, his fabulous kisses. Tingling, she ached and wondered whether he was really losing sleep over her or if it was just a line he used when it suited him.

She thought about the danger to the mother and to Autumn. By insisting on going to the hospital, would she put Autumn at risk? She hoped not, but she felt certain that, even though the mother wasn’t conscious, she should have her baby near her for a few minutes.

Before dawn the next morning, David left the house to take care of ranch chores. He wanted to see about two of the horses and he needed to talk to his foreman.

He hadn’t slept more than a couple of hours and those few hours had been fitful, waking and falling asleep again, having erotic dreams about Marissa. He suspected that she had no idea of her effect on him—that she had him tied in knots. He was looking forward eagerly to Saturday night.

He realized he better get his mind back to the possible danger they might face when they left his ranch. The attempt to get the mother was sobering. He would see Clint later today when they met at the club and he would get the details. Someone wanted that money badly. Or maybe wanted her. Or wanted to silence her. He hadn’t wanted to alarm Marissa, but it seemed someone was in Royal, intent on harming their Jane Doe. None of their questions about her had been answered yet, and more had been raised.

David’s thoughts jumped back to holding Marissa in his arms. Never had a woman’s kisses stirred him the way hers had. He wanted so much more than kisses. He wanted her in his bed. And if she ever agreed, she knew he wasn’t into lasting commitments. Just thinking about her responses to him drove his temperature skyrocketing, even in the chilly November morning. Saturday night. He groaned, knowing he had to get his thoughts elsewhere.

He wouldn’t be fit for any kind of ranch work in the morning. Think about horses, he told himself. Little baby Autumn had set his life spinning like a tumbleweed in a high wind and he didn’t see any chance of changing that anytime soon.

Two hours later he returned to the house to eat breakfast, shower and shave to go into town. When he headed through the house, Marissa was rocking Autumn while Gertie bustled nearby, getting things ready for supper that night. Marissa wore a dark brown sweater that clung to her figure. She had on hip-hugging jeans, and he wished Gertie was a million miles away so he could be alone with Marissa. Autumn already had her eyes closed and would soon be asleep.

“I’ll call you after our meeting and let you know whether we can visit the mother today or not,” he said, standing across the room from Marissa and realizing that he enjoyed watching her with Autumn. Someday she would be a great mother, he reflected. It was a notion that made him remember her intention to go to a sperm bank, which he did not want her to do. How many times was he going to have to tell himself that it was none of his business?

He left, knowing if he gave Marissa even the most casual kiss, Gertie would have word spread all over the ranch and town and Marissa would be in an uproar over the gossip.

At ten he walked through the deserted Texas Cattleman’s Club to a private room to join his friends. A fire burned low in the fireplace and the coziness of the room was a contrast to the grim reason they were gathered together.

“Now we’re all here,” Clint said, leaning back in a large leather chair. “Howdy, David.”

“How’s Daddy?” Alex asked, his green eyes flashing.

“I’m fine now that I’ve hired Marissa Wilder.”

“I’ll bet you are,” Ryan said. “I know Marissa. She’s quite a good-looking woman.”

“If she’s half the party animal her sister is, you should be having a good time out there at the ranch,” Alex added.

“Marissa’s not a party animal. She’s reliable and practical. I’m having a good time watching her take care of little Autumn. The baby is a sweetie just like Justin said, and Marissa knows babies and I can relax and enjoy my life once again.”

“You didn’t have to take care of that tiny baby singlehandedly for even twenty-four hours and you sound like you were overworked for a month,” Alex teased.

“Can it, Alex. I’m thankful to have a competent nanny. Haven’t even noticed her looks.”

Ryan whistled. “Either he’s lying or someone needs to take his temperature because he’s the walking dead,” he joked, and David grinned.

“All right, we’re all here,” David said. “Let’s hear what happened, Clint.” David sat on another leather chair, his friends already seated around the room.

“I caught him by the bed,” Clint said, his long legs stretched in front of him. In a black sweater he looked dark, brooding and formidable. David thought the intruder was desperate to try to sneak past someone as dangerous-looking as Clint.

“It looked like to me that the guy was starting to pick her up,” Clint said. “I don’t know whether he meant to hurt her or if he intended to kidnap her. He had already looked in her locker because her few possessions were in disarray. I tried to grab him, but in the scuffle, he broke loose. It was a choice of chasing him or seeing to Jane Doe. I stopped to see if she was all right. She had top priority,” he said, and the others murmured agreement.

“I yelled for help,” Clint continued, “so nurses arrived in a hurry. As soon as they were in the room, I went after the guy, but he’d had a head start and got clean away,” Clint finished grimly.

“You can’t identify him?” Ryan asked, his brown-eyed gaze on Clint.

“No. He was tall enough—around six feet, not heavy, plenty muscular, I could tell that when we struggled for a moment. He had a ski mask pulled over his face so I didn’t get hair color or features before he ran away.”

“Did you ever see him in the light? Even at a distance?” David asked.

Raking his dark brown hair away from his forehead, Clint shook his head. “The only time I glimpsed him in the light was when he was running down a hallway. His back was to me and he wore jeans, a denim jacket and a black ski mask. How generic is that? He had on sneakers. There was nothing distinguishing. All I got was his approximate height, not too heavy, and he was damned strong.”

“Did he get in a car?” Ryan asked, and Clint shook his head.

“He doubled back and I think he went into the hospital again. There are entrances all over that old hospital. It’s been modernized and built onto. I hate to say it, but, guys, I lost him.”

“Nobody’s blaming you,” David said quickly. “You think he went back inside the hospital?”

“Who knows? I told the police about him, and they searched the building and grounds for hours. Some of them are probably still searching. They have guards stationed at various places and one took over for me so I could leave for a time.”

“Do you think the guy was armed?” Alex asked.

“If he was, I didn’t see the weapon,” Clint replied. “I don’t know what he was trying to do with her.”

“Either way, she’s in danger, as we suspected,” David remarked, thinking about Autumn, Marissa and Gertie at his ranch house. Was it as safe as he had led Marissa to believe? he wondered. He shifted in his chair. “Alex, any leads? Have you found out anything else?”

Alex shook his head. “I haven’t turned up one clue. The police haven’t, either. No one seems to be legitimately searching for her. No woman and baby with their description are on any missing persons lists the sheriff has.”

“What about that list of names that was in the bag she carried?”

“I’m working on it, but I can’t find a trace of them.”

David nodded. “I’ve warned Marissa, Gertie and the guys who work for me. Dad’s out of the country and I see no reason to contact him over this.”

“Naw, your dad isn’t mixed in this, I’m sure. But you are,” Clint remarked grimly.